Chapter 967

To conceal the movements of his main force, Mandahai dispatched very few scouts. However, he was well aware that there were Ming Army units north of Wujiafen. Not only were there garrison troops, but also 10,000 cavalry under Li Dingguo and over 3,000 infantry under Li Guo and Li Laiheng. Jirgalang had provided this intelligence to him, and Jirgalang’s own information had come from Wu Sangui. To ensure the intelligence reached Mandahai as quickly as possible, Jirgalang had set up numerous temporary relay stations and couriers along the perimeter of the Liaozhe wetlands. Upon receiving this news, Mandahai did not take Li Dingguo seriously. In his view, Li Dingguo did not have as many troops as he did and would certainly be no match for him. Moreover, Jirgalang’s mission for him was to launch a surprise attack on Dalinghe Fortress, cut off Wang Yongji’s supply lines, and draw out reinforcements to destroy them. There were several fortresses north of Wujiafen. Although their walls had suffered damage, they could still repel an attack once makeshift repairs were completed. Mandahai saw no need to waste time or troops there. Most importantly, attacking those fortresses would expose the movements of his main force, rendering the surprise attack on Dalinghe Fortress meaningless.