October 5, the twenty-seventh year of Emperor Chongzhen.
Zhu Cijiong led an army of seventy thousand to the outskirts of Pei County, preparing to march on Xuzhou.
Before departing, the commanders had debated whether to divide their forces. The specific strategy discussed was to detach a portion of the troops to strike Xuzhou while sending the rest into Henan to deal with Ma Shiying.
After a long deliberation, they reached a unanimous conclusion: there was no need to split the army.
Nanjing sits on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. To hold Nanjing, one must hold the Yangtze. To hold the Yangtze, one must hold the Huai River. And to hold the Huai River, one must hold Xuzhou.
In other words, once Xuzhou was captured, Nanjing would be under direct threat. Ma Shiying would have no choice but to withdraw from Henan to reinforce Nanjing, and the deadlock in Henan would be resolved instantly.
At noon on the 6th, Zhu Cijiong and his officers arrived at the banks of the Yellow River to survey the terrain. Everyone’s face lit up with a smile after the inspection.
Liu Zhaoji laughed and said, "Excellent! The Yellow River has frozen over."
Zhu Cijiong nodded. "Indeed, this is a stroke of luck. Our army will not need to build boats or pontoon bridges to cross."
Li Dingguo dismounted, stomped hard on the ice, and then rode his horse across it for a while. Returning to Zhu Cijiong, he reported, "The ice isn't very thick. While infantry and cavalry can pass safely, I fear the weight of…
Chapter 1296