However, the situation on the battlefield is still not optimistic.

The soldiers don't know, and the generals know that if this continues, the second guard will not be able to support it for too long, because in three days at most, the musket ammunition will run out, and then I am afraid that only the bow and crossbow collected in the city will resist the enemy, but the range of the bow and crossbow is at a complete disadvantage compared with the enemy, and the soldiers have to use their guns and stab them, charge to the river bank, and fight the enemy hand-to-hand.

Reinforcements, when will they arrive? This is a question that Wu Zheng, Chen Sheng, and Lu Zhiyu talk about the most.

However, what no one expected was that it was not the reinforcements of the First Army who rushed to the south gate of Huai'an City first, but Song An, Qian Yi and dozens of Chang Lin Wei.

The news they brought was shocking, that is, Dolgon had actually gone south, and at the same time, it was the Qing court stationed in Beijing Eight Banners who were fighting with the second guard.

It's crazy, it's really crazy.

This was Wu Zheng's first reaction when he heard it, any force or dynasty is very cautious about the movement of the Beijing army, which is related to the stability of a regime.

Unless the last resort is at a critical juncture, the Beijing army often does not leave Gyeonggi.

The Yixing Dynasty used Jingwei to resist the enemy, but the enemy army attacked Yingtianfu, which was a last resort.

But Dorgon did just that, and not only did he do it, but he also led his troops south.

"It's not normal." Wu Zheng pondered and muttered this sentence, "What does he want...... What do you want to do? ”

Chen Sheng said casually: "No matter what Dolgon wants and what he wants to do, dragging him on the bank of the Yellow River will ultimately be unfavorable to the Qing court and the enemy, and that is what we have to do." ”

Wu Zheng nodded slightly, there was some truth in this, but then Wu Zheng shook his head again, "No, even if Dolgon is confident, he should also take into account that if the war is lost, the foundation of the Qing court will be shaken...... Moreover, he should know that the capital is weak, and in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and even Shandong, the people's resistance occurs from time to time, and if something really happens, it is not something he can compensate for annihilating the second guard of our army...... Even if it is a gamble, the target return should outweigh the risk, or at least it should be flat...... That's not right, it's obvious that Dolgon still has a backhand, but it's just that I can't guess it. ”

Song An opened his mouth and said: "Before I came, the forward of the First Army had already crossed the river, and if I wanted to come at this time, I should be attacking Taixing...... If the war goes well, you can attack the front line of Xinghua and Gaoyou Prefecture in three days. Even if the battle does not go well, it will definitely be able to contain the enemy's cavalry in Yangzhou Mansion...... Young master, Huai'an is too dangerous, it's time to retreat and join the First Army. ”

Song An's words were nodded and approved by the generals present, indeed, from the attack on Huai'an to today, the officers and soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army have been fighting for more than 20 days, and they have run out of ammunition and food, and it is time to retreat.

Lu Zhiyu said: "Lord Wang, Commander Song is right, there is a shortage of food and grass in the city, and there is no ammunition in the hands of the soldiers, if you really want to fight again, the casualties will increase rapidly, so it is better to retreat...... Even if the prince still wants to fight, it will not be too late to fight back after withdrawing to Taizhou and getting supplements, so that with reinforcements as the backing, there will be no worries. ”

Wu Zheng's eyes slowly swept around, in fact, in his heart, he had no aversion to retreating, this was not a decisive battle, at least before the war, Wu Zheng just wanted to fight a local war, using Dolgon to secretly recruit the dynasty first, shelling the cause of the Songjiang Mansion Military Workshop, and retaliating, so as to achieve the goal of not letting the Qing court settle down, not only to disrupt the enemy's deployment, but also to buy respite for the Yongli Dynasty in the southwest and northwest, and in turn, to gain time for himself and the Yixing Dynasty to accumulate strength.

But the problem is that the war does not evolve according to its own ideas.

From the very beginning, Dolgon also had the possibility of weakening the strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army and curbing the Yixing Dynasty from taking advantage of this strong strength.

So, with both sides using almost all their strength, what is the real point of fighting such a war?

If you don't understand this problem, you will fall into strategic passivity, because if Dolgon's backhand is not exposed, then at the next outbreak of war or before the outbreak, this backhand will cause even greater losses to itself, or even lose the whole game.

Looking at the generals who suddenly returned to their hearts like arrows, Wu Zheng could understand this mood.

The arrival of Song An indicates that the Qing army blockaded in the south has been chaotic, at least, there are loopholes in the blockade.

Then, if you gather 30,000 troops to go south, the possibility of breaking through is very high.

People are like this, when facing a desperate situation, they can fight against the water, but as long as there is a way to live, they subconsciously want to run to the road of life, which has nothing to do with timidity and fear of death, passive slackness, but human nature.

Wu Zheng suddenly smiled, like a spring breeze.

"If the king says at this time...... If you don't withdraw, what do you think, do you have any objections? ”

Everyone was stunned, and their faces changed several times, but then the differences began to arise.

"What does the prince mean?" Lu Zhiyu was a little annoyed.

Chen Sheng frowned and said: "It is of great significance to stick to the important town of Huai'an...... But if you want to exchange the lives of tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army, you will think that it is not worth it...... Unless the prince can say a convincing reason, it is ...... The last will be opposed. ”

Wu Zheng's eyes flashed, he didn't expect Chen Sheng to stand on the side of opposition.

There was controversy in the house.

At this time, Song An said calmly: "If the young master says that he will not withdraw, then he will not withdraw...... I'm with the young master. ”

These words made the room instantly quiet, and the soldiers suddenly looked at Wu Zheng in unison.

What Wu Zheng saw from these eyes was surprise, hesitation, suspicion, regret, and fear.......

Wu Zheng smiled even brighter.

"This king is just saying, you don't have to care." Wu Zheng slowly retracted his smile and said, "According to Song An's intelligence, the enemy chief Dolgon is on the other side of the river...... Let's not talk any righteous and awe-inspiring nonsense, let's just say that we have been pressed and beaten by Dolgon's design for more than 20 days, don't you have a trace of the idea of asking Dolgon for justice in your hearts? ”

The generals were silent.

Wu Zheng grinned, "But this king is not happy...... If someone punches me, I have to return the punch, otherwise, I can't sleep at night, and I always feel like I've suffered a dumb loss. Retreat at this time, do we win or lose? Won on the surface, but lost on the bottom? Or, won on the bottom and lost on the surface? Who can tell? ”

The generals were silent.

"There must be an answer and an explanation for everything, an explanation for the soldiers who gave their blood and lives under their command, and an explanation for the toiling people who worship us under their rule...... Even at the cost of their lives. Wu Zheng's voice became deeper, "Everyone will die, but before dying, you must not leave regrets." Dorgon is on the other side, and I have to ask him, what does he want? ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned.

This is no longer resistance, but initiative.