Even with the help of Di Chen's troops, Dorgon still had to consider a problem. Facing the counterattack of the Ming Dynasty, should the Qing army take the initiative to fight back or choose a suitable location for a decisive battle?
This was also very difficult.
If they took the initiative to fight back, the Qing army would have to split up because the Ming army was using multiple attack tactics. This would increase the risk of war.
No matter which route they took, the Qing army would not be able to bear it.
If they chose a decisive battle, it would be like putting all their eggs in one basket. It was still a good choice. The problem was, would the Ming army obediently come after the Qing army chose the location for the decisive battle?
Of course not.
The northern territory was vast. The Ming army could go around the target city and continue north to Yanjing. If that was really the case, the Qing army would be put in an awkward position.
"This won't work, that won't work either."
Dorgon was really in a dilemma. What gave him a headache was that as the news of the Qing army's defeat in Jianye spread, the northern territory was already unstable. Small conflicts started to break out everywhere.
This was not difficult to understand.
In history, in the process of the Qing Dynasty unifying the world, other than fighting against the Great Shun army, the Southern Ming army, and the Great Xi army, there was another force that played an important role. That was the resistance of the people.
The famous Three Slaughters of Jiading were a classic example. Even after the city was massacred, the people of Jiading were still fearless. Whenever there was a chance, they would raise the flag of resistance without hesitation.
This was the embodiment of the strength of the Han family.
Even after the Qing Dynasty unified the world, the flames of resistance against the Qing and Ming among the people never died out.
Seeing that the Qing army had suffered a setback in Jianye, the southern allied forces began to launch a large-scale counterattack. How could the Han people in the northern territory not be excited and reignite the flames of resistance against the Qing Dynasty?
Especially under the rule of the former Great Shun regime, the waves of resistance came one after another.
The entire north was already faintly unstable. If the Qing army suffered a setback in the battle against the Ming army, it would immediately cause the entire north to explode and completely shake the foundation of the Qing Dynasty's rule.
Describing the Great Qing as' swaying in a storm 'wasn't an exaggeration at all.
And as the actual helmsman of the Qing Dynasty, all the pressure was on Dorgon's shoulders.
After thinking about it, Dorgon finally made a bold decision. That was to give up resistance and let the Ming army march straight in and fight the enemy to the death in Yanjing City.
"This is called being put on the brink of death to survive."
After eliminating all other possibilities, this was the only feasible method.
Right now the Qing army did not have the ability to fight many battles, and also did not have the ability to fight the Ming army while suppressing the local rebellion at the same time. Since it was like this, they might as well abandon everything and stake everything on one throw.
If the Qing army was defeated in the battle of Yanjing, everything would be over. Their skills were inferior, so there was nothing much to say. But once the Qing army wins the battle, they will be able to sweep the world with the momentum of a great victory.
If the Qing army could sweep the Central Plains once, they could sweep it twice.
The key was to defeat this menacing southern allied army and completely crush the hope of the Han clan.
It had to be said that Dorgon was indeed outstanding for being able to dominate in that era. Not only did this person have a unique vision and was able to firmly grasp the key to turning the situation around in a hopeless situation, he was also more courageous than others. He firmly believed in his own judgment and dared to give up on the juicy meat that was already in his hands. He had a heroic spirit as if the world was a chessboard.
One could imagine what kind of waves this decision would set off in the imperial court, and how much pressure Dorgon would have to bear to make those Manchurian nobles who had just tasted the sweetness give up the fat meat that they had just eaten.
Even so, Dorgon would still persist.
This was because he had other considerations when choosing to fight in Yanjing.
Although the southern allied army's morale was great, the intricacies within it were even more complicated than the Qing army. The mutant army, the Four Garrisons of Jiangbei, the remnants of the Great Shun army, and the Great Xi army were all tangled up together.
When they had a common enemy and a common goal, under the command of the mutant army, they could indeed form a joint force to resist the Qing army.
But what if they lost this goal?
When the vast and boundless territory of the north was placed in front of them without any defenses, would Zhang Xianzhong and the others not have any selfish thoughts? They definitely would.
Putting aside others, Zhang Xianzhong, one of the leaders of the rebel army, would definitely not be able to resist fighting for territory.
If Zhang Xianzhong made a move, the remnants of the Great Shun army would definitely follow in Zhang Xianzhong's footsteps, refusing to accept orders and madly occupying territory in an attempt to reclaim Great Shun's territory.
These two factions were the core forces that overthrew the Ming Dynasty, so how could they be indifferent to the northern territories? Perhaps they would even start fighting each other before the decisive battle.
In fact, even the Four Garrisons of Jiangbei might be involved.
As the saying goes, "When the Ming loses its deer, the whole world will chase it."
From the moment Emperor Chong Zhen hanged himself, the Ming Dynasty was no longer the legitimate ruler of the world. The Southern Ming Dynasty was only a new regime and couldn't represent the Ming Dynasty. This had long since become the consensus of the world.
When the Roaming King Li Zicheng conquered Yanjing and established the Great Shun Kingdom, he had already considered himself the legitimate ruler of the world.
Otherwise, after the Qing army entered the pass, the Great Shun army wouldn't have dilly-dallied and retreated so hesitantly, which was completely different from when they overthrew the Ming Dynasty.
At that time, the Great Shun army swept through the entire Ming Dynasty's territory, coming and going like the wind without any hesitation.
It was the same for Zhang Xianzhong.
After the establishment of the Kingdom of Da Xi, the leader of the Revolutionary Army's mentality underwent a drastic change. Before establishing the Great Xi Kingdom, he was just a 'roving bandit' within the Ming Dynasty and naturally had no scruples.
After establishing the Great Xi Kingdom, he, Zhang Xianzhong, became the owner of this land.
Since he was the owner, he naturally had the responsibility to defend his land. As such, when the Qing army attacked the Great Xi Kingdom, Zhang Xianzhong didn't hesitate to counterattack and didn't give up an inch of land.
This was the difference in mentality and status.
If the Qing Dynasty took the initiative to give up the northern territory, then whether it was the Great Xi Army or the remaining Great Shun Army, what reason did they have not to take the opportunity to bring them under their rule?!
Even the Hongguang Emperor, who was in charge of Jianye, wouldn't be indifferent.
"When that time comes, it will be very interesting!" Whenever he thought of that scene, Dorgon couldn't help but smile.
It had to be said that Dorgon's move of 'retreating in order to advance' was indeed a stroke of genius.
In this way, not only could the Qing army unite their armies, but they could also rely on the strong walls and cannons of Yanjing to take advantage of the right time and the right place. Even better, they could also use this to divide the Allied Forces of the South, causing them to collapse without fighting.
When the Allied Forces of the South turned against each other, it would be the time for the Qing army to attack.
The whole plan was closely linked, and it was extremely thorough. As expected of Dorgon!
At this time, Dorgon looked to the south and muttered to himself, "Speaking of which, I'm really looking forward to it!"
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