The so-called "persuasion letter", Zhou Shixian actually didn't have much hope, he just wanted to use this to disgust those Tartars and traitors, and at the same time, it was also to provoke Duoduo and make the other party make up his mind to attack.

The victory or defeat of this big battle ultimately depends on the success or failure on the battlefield, and Zhou Shixian knows this very well.

As the Manchu barracks in the north became more frequent, Zhou Shixian also convened another military meeting in Fengyang City to agree on a final response strategy.

After so many days of sentry cavalry battles, the Ming army still found a lot of news, and Zhou Shixian was expected to be blessed with a telescope, and he could also observe the changes in the Qing army's military camp north of the Huai River.

In fact, the Ming army still occupies a certain geographical advantage in this war, even if the field battle is defeated for a while, Zhou Shixian can still rely on the city to hold on, and then look for opportunities to defeat the Qing army, but it is very likely to fall into the unfavorable situation of fighting alone, so that it will eventually fail.

After the military meeting was over, and the generals of all the departments went down to deploy as planned, Zhou Shixian also took Xue Laoer and Zhang Huangyan to personally inspect the "Tianweizhong Military Camp" surrounded by the personal guards.

The camp of the "Tianwei Middle Military Camp" is set up in the school field in the north of Fengyang City, and now the entire Fengyang City, after Zhou Shixian's transformation, has become a huge military camp.

The battalions were distributed in one of the squares, the people and residents were concentrated in other areas, and the grain and grass in the city were also divided into several parts, which were stored in different warehouses in case of accidents.

In addition to the daily rotation of going to the city, the soldiers in the battalion also need to maintain a certain amount of training to maintain their physical fitness and condition, but the intensity is not comparable to the training on weekdays, and they also have to reserve physical strength for the next big battle that does not know how long it will last.

Zhou Shixian patrolled all the way, and when the soldiers along the way saw his handsome banner, they immediately stopped and saluted until the iron-blooded horse walked away. He couldn't help but feel happy when he looked at the soldiers who were training in the battalion, whether it was a uniform team or a slogan that shook the sky.

After a year of training, his soldiers and horses can no longer see the appearance of the original poor and slender man, and they are completely strong soldiers.

"Horses, Sun Yingguan's Jin Wu Battalion and Wu Yingguan's Wufen Battalion and Tianwei Battalion are the most well-equipped and elite soldiers and horses in the army, if they are released at the beginning, I am afraid that the Qing army will notice that something is wrong." Zhang Huangyan said worriedly, he thought about it, but he still didn't understand Zhou Shixian's arrangement, and finally asked again.

"We can't swallow Duoduo's army of 50,000 in one go, we have to take it one step at a time."

Zhou Shixian walked forward and explained to Zhang Huangyan: "This first step is to rebuild the confidence of the army. Therefore, the first battle must be won, whether it is a small victory, a big victory, or even a miserable victory, it must be won, otherwise the morale of this army will collapse in an instant. ”

Zhang Huangyan actually thought of this, although after the previous Tartar parade, there is actually still a fear of complacency in the army, especially since most of these people are new recruits, once the front battle is defeated, the situation is very likely to get out of control.

But the problem is, even if it wins at the beginning, once the Qing army crosses the river, there will be a steady stream of tens of thousands of elites, if the elites of their own side are exhausted at the beginning, how will the big war be fought later?

It is better to keep the army and hold on to the city, and wait until July and August, when the temperature rises, and the Manchurians are not accustomed to the southern climate, the army will inevitably be plagued, and the crisis will be solved.

However, Xia Guan was worried that after the Qing army successfully crossed the river, the situation would be out of control. The Tianwei Battalion, the Jinwu Battalion, and the Wufen Battalion are certainly strong, and the rest of the battalions are not weak, but after all, most of them are recruits, and the soldiers and horses of Gao Jie and others cannot be directly used......"

"Xuanzhu, don't worry, the main force of the Qing army can't get by. This horse has already been prepared, but this matter is related to the success or failure of the war, and it is not suitable to talk to the generals in detail for a while. Zhou Shixian said mysteriously.

"Can't get over?"

Zhang Huangyan suddenly had a big question in his heart, but since Zhou Shixian had already said so, he couldn't ask anything more. In military matters, he is still relatively immature, which is why he did not dare to ask further questions at the military meeting just now.

"And, Xuanzhu, don't think about holding on to the city directly." Zhou Shixian suddenly stopped, and the guards behind him, Zhang Huangyan and Xue Laoer, also stopped.

Zhou Shixian turned around, looked at the two of them, and then turned his head to look at Xue Lao Er and asked, "Xue Lao Er, tell me, why can't you just rely on the city to defend it?" ”

When Xue Lao Er heard this, he immediately clenched his fists, as if he had been prepared, and said directly: "The lower officials think that if they retreat without a fight, the so-called holding on to the city will be self-defeating. At that time, the morale of the army will be low, not to mention, it will be the army of the cities on the east and west, and I am afraid that the people's hearts will fluctuate. Maybe you don't have to wait until July or August, and someone will vote for it.

Therefore, in any case, it is necessary to fight with the Qing army, and it must be defeated, so that those military leaders who are now pretending to hold on, but in fact have long been ready to move, and have different minds, continue to insist, otherwise they will give the Qing army a chance to break through. ”

Zhou Shixian listened, nodded in agreement: "Xuanzhu, this is the meaning of this horse, we and the Qing army must fight seriously, otherwise, we will not be able to strengthen people's hearts." ”

Zhang Huangyan has nothing to say at this time, although he is not as good as veterans like Xue Lao Er in military affairs, but he is by no means the kind of stubborn and ignorant scholar who does not understand the world and the people, otherwise Zhou Shixian would not have entrusted him with a heavy responsibility.

In this world, you don't even need to argue and think, just look at the more than 100,000 or 200,000 Qing troops in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, and Beizhili, and you can know what those military leaders are thinking in their hearts.

"The lower officials understand, and follow the teachings of the horses."

Zhou Shixian listened, patted the other party's shoulder, and then continued to walk deeper into the barracks, Zhang Huangyan and Xue Laoer, as well as dozens of personal guards, hurriedly followed.

As night fell, after the end of the evening shift, Zhuang Lidong's Bai Zong returned to the camp, and most of them fell asleep immediately. In the tents of the large camp, the snoring of the soldiers came and went.

When Chen Yu was on duty tonight, he heard someone say that the war was about to start, and now he was a little panicked and couldn't sleep. He originally wanted to talk to Zhang Dong, but when he also heard the news, he was snoring and rumbling at this time, which made Chen Yu upset.

And the one who couldn't sleep was not only Chen Yu, but also the yellow hair of his wife and children at home, who was also with his eyes open, but he didn't know that there were other people in the tent who were awake.

Although Huang Fa was determined to kill the Tartar and make a reward, he was actually a little scared, worried that if he was not careful, he would be killed by the Tartar, and after he died like this, the child would be bullied without a father.

And in the entire military camp of Fengyang City, these days, there are countless recruits who can't sleep immediately, and they are all a little afraid of death, but they also know that they have to fight.