HLnovel Chapter 732 Kings versus Kings on the Battlefield, This is a Rare Occurrence
Chapter 732 Kings versus Kings on the Battlefield, This is a Rare Occurrence
"What a fool! Li Zicheng might be able to hold out for more than fifteen days, but if we spend that time waiting for news, then there won't be enough time to make the necessary arrangements."
"Emperor Gaozu has always been decisive, so why is he hesitant this time?"
"Zhang Xianzhong clearly left Sichuan to fight against the Manchus. He's already mobilized his entire force. What is he still doubting?"
Yang Jian sighed deeply, his tone filled with disappointment.
The opportunity to win a battle is fleeting, and Liu Bang's best course of action was to make a decision in advance and make arrangements accordingly.
Zhang Xianzhong's troops should arrive just in time for Li Zicheng's defeat and death, and for the Qing army to clean up the battlefield.
That was precisely when the Qing army was at its most exhausted. If both sides launched a surprise attack at the same time, it would surely throw them into disarray.
Even if they cannot win the battle in one fell swoop, they can at least achieve considerable results and prevent the Qing army's power from continuing to grow.
"Yang Jian, sometimes you are just too self-righteous."
"From your perspective, you see Zhang Xianzhong's decision and the situation on the battlefield, so you can easily make a judgment."
"But ask yourself honestly, if you were in the thick of it all, knowing nothing about the outside world and only able to judge the situation based on a few pieces of intelligence, could you still say such a thing?"
"Even if you win the bet, it's hard to control the overall situation; if you lose, you lose everything. Would you be willing to gamble on such a game?"
Li Er rolled his eyes and complained irritably.
He certainly knew that doing what Yang Jian said was the right thing to do.
However, those involved often lack sufficient understanding of the situation, and blindly gambling is not decisive, but foolish!
"Of course I know, and Li Er, how dare you address me by my given name? You have no respect for my elders. Even disregarding the distinction between ruler and subject, what should you call me?"
Yang Jian instantly realized the problem with his words and felt somewhat embarrassed.
But he quickly regained his composure in his own way.
Li Er: "..."
I hate people who use their seniority to intimidate others when they can't win an argument!
"Forget about your complicated family relationships, hurry up and take a look, the situation on the battlefield has changed."
"Dorgon is quite audacious. There's no significant difference in troop strength between the two sides, yet he, as the defender, dares to launch an offensive?"
To launch an offensive?
Upon hearing Zhao Kuangyin's words, Li Er immediately shifted his attention to the image on the sky.
Just then, they saw Dorgon leading a small group of soldiers out of the city under the cover of night.
Their target was clearly the Da Shun army camp, which was currently ablaze with fire!
This time, Li Zicheng has staked everything on the company; he must play it safe.
Therefore, after setting up camp, he did not rush to launch an offensive, but instead blocked the supply routes in the city without attacking the city, attempting to wage a war of attrition against the Qing army.
No matter how much supplies the Qing army looted in the past, it was ultimately only this one city.
Li Zicheng had the entire Central Plains behind him.
He doesn't need to attack the city; he only needs to trap it in a dead city, sacrifice the people of the city, and secure the peace of his kingdom.
This was the safest plan he could make.
This is also the best method that many people outside the sky could come up with for him.
There's no need to even besiege the city; simply cutting off the supply lines within it will suffice.
If the people in the city want to escape, then let them escape.
Unless a large number of troops break out, the more remaining troops escape, the more the enemy's strength will be weakened.
It seems that Dorgon's only option left is to go out of the city and fight a decisive battle.
By focusing on the direct confrontation on the battlefield and placing themselves on the offensive, they maximized the morale of their own troops, forcing the enemy to engage in battle.
It's a good choice. Although they might not win, if Dorgon chooses to fight under these circumstances, Li Zicheng can at least fight him to a draw.
But Dorgon was not fooled.
Instead of launching a frontal offensive, they were quietly besieged for several days before suddenly sending out a surprise force out of the city at night.
Anyone with eyes could see what he was planning, but unfortunately, the words of those outside the canopy couldn't get through, nor could they wake Li Zicheng, who was resting.
The military camp did have guards on night watch, but without prior preparation, allowing this surprise force to arrive so close and alerting the guards meant they were already at a complete disadvantage.
When the morale of the troops is not stable, and they are attacked in this way, the most likely outcome is that the camp will be destroyed.
Under immense pressure, it is common for soldiers' morale to collapse.
"This doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision."
"Dorgon broke up the remaining Manchu cavalry into smaller units, with ten men leading a hundred, and two hundred Manchus leading two thousand elite troops."
"The Shun army had been besieging the city for several days without encountering any resistance, and this night was the perfect time to launch an attack when they were most relaxed."
"One side had been planning this for a long time, while the other side was completely unprepared."
"I'm afraid we'll lose this battle in a very humiliating way."
These words acted as a fuse; as soon as they were spoken, the Manchu soldiers, who were groping their way forward in the darkness, suddenly launched an attack.
It came suddenly and with great fanfare.
As the guards' terrified cries echoed through the camp, the fire had already set fire to the nearest few tents.
"Li Zicheng, you have betrayed the Ming Dynasty! Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate you, this traitor, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty!"
Dorgon charged ahead, roaring.
At the same time, torches were lit in the city, the city gates were opened, and tens of thousands of soldiers poured out of the city!
The special force he led was only to confirm that Li Zicheng had not laid an ambush.
If the enemy doesn't anticipate this, tonight will be the decisive night!
Half-asleep, Li Zicheng was dragged off his bed by his personal guards.
When he was lucid, he saw flames everywhere.
The shouts of battle from the Qing army were still echoing at the front, but the unrest had already reached the central army, and even the rear guard and logistics troops were in disarray.
The camp has been wrecked!
This was Li Zicheng's first reaction.
"What are you running for?"
"Soldiers, what are you running for?!"
"The enemy force is merely a small, surprise attack unit. I can immediately lead you all to suppress them. Why flee!"
"By imperial decree, anyone who follows me in suppressing the rebels, regardless of who they are, will be promoted three ranks; and anyone who beheads an enemy will be further promoted and ennobled!"
Amidst the chaos of the army, Li Zicheng roared.
But by this time, the morale of his soldiers had already collapsed, and even with his generous rewards, he could only barely manage to organize a little over a thousand men.
"I will lead my generals into battle, and I will personally cut off Dorgon's head!"
"He's nothing but a despicable villain, too cowardly to fight me in a decisive battle, only daring to resort to such underhanded schemes. What's there to fear?"
"kill!"
Seeing that the chaos was about to spread throughout the entire military camp, Li Zicheng knew that even if he didn't have enough manpower, he couldn't wait any longer.
Just as he had said, he took the lead and charged out towards the direction of the enemy.
This action did indeed inspire many soldiers of the Shun army, and the chaos in the central army gradually subsided.
……
"Drinking poison to quench thirst."
"But maybe he really did seize the opportunity."
"Dorgon also personally led the troops to ensure that this raid on the camp would go smoothly."
"A battle between kings on the battlefield, that's a rare sight indeed."