Chapter 2405

For the Ming Dynasty, today's Jinzhou is a very special existence. Although the Ming Dynasty still insists that this place belongs to its own territory, in fact it has completely lost control of the Jinzhou several years ago. Through another

After repeated battles between the two countries, Haihan is now in control of this place, but Ming is unable to send troops to regain control, and has to declare that it still has a certain influence on the Jinzhou area by sending special envoys.

This embarrassing situation of the Ming Dynasty naturally made Yue Yongshou's errands in Jinzhou full of inconveniences. On the one hand, as a Ming minister, he needed to try his best to protect the face of the Ming Dynasty, and could not admit that the ownership of Jinzhou had fallen into the hands of Haihan;

On the one hand, the mission he shouldered also required the actual occupier of this place. After all, the Ming Dynasty needed Haihan to hold back part of the Qing army's armed forces in the east of Liaodong to reduce the military pressure on the northern border.

Of course, regarding the task of maintaining the face of the Ming Dynasty, Yue Yongshou was very knowledgeable and kept a low profile, because not long after he came here, he realized that Haihan had invested a lot of resources in Jinzhou and carefully managed it as his own territory.

It is impossible to return this place to the Ming Dynasty. If we must emphasize the ownership of this place to the Haihan people, it is just asking for trouble, and it is also likely to anger the Haihan people and affect another really important task.

Yue Yongshou actually didn't quite understand why Haihan wanted to go against the Manchus. The two countries were thousands of miles apart and both established their countries in recent years. There was no grudge to speak of, but Haihan insisted on generalizing the army.

They were sent here to confront the Qing army. The two sides fought for several years. Even if they didn't fight enough in Jinzhou, they went to Korea to open a second battlefield to continue fighting.

According to the official statement given by Haihan, the reason for going to war with the Manchus was to maintain the status of the Han people, and by the way, to maintain good relations with the Ming Dynasty. However, Yue Yongshou did not believe the official statement of Haihan.

He believed that with the calculating style of Haihan, how could he work for others in vain? He sent troops to occupy Jinzhou only out of consideration for his own interests, not for any high-sounding reason such as for the Han people of the Ming Dynasty.

As for maintaining a good relationship with Ming Dynasty, it is even more ironic. Haihan did not intend to return the stolen Jinzhou to Ming Dynasty, nor did he have any intention of letting Ming Dynasty send troops to garrison in Jinzhou. He just swallowed Jinzhou into it.

In his heart, he never considered the feelings of Ming Dynasty. In Yue Yongshou's view, including the strategic alliance formed by Haihan and Ming Dynasty through an agreement, it was just a trick used by Haihan people to facilitate things in Liaodong.

It did not have any impact on the ownership of Jinzhou in favor of the Ming Dynasty.

But even if Yue Yongshou was well aware of what Haihan had done on the surface, he could not complain verbally about it. In addition to considering the gray income Haihan provided him in the name of "office expenses,"

The important thing is that the Ming Dynasty still needs Haihan to continue to consume the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong. If Haihan cannot maintain military pressure on the Qing Dynasty, then it is conservatively estimated that the number of troops the Qing Dynasty can send to the Ming Dynasty will increase by at least 20,000 to 30,000 people.

, and these additional troops are basically front-line troops with real combat effectiveness. Once they appear on the border of the Ming Dynasty, it means that the already fragile border defense will face a heavier blow.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty not only had to allow Haihan to garrison Jinzhou against his will, but also had to count on Haihan's army to engage in frequent battles with the Qing army to ensure that the Manchu Qing would not overthrow the Qing army stationed across the Jinzhou Isthmus.

The Wanqing army was transferred to other places for deployment. The most ideal situation for Ming Dynasty is for Haihan to continue to increase its troops in Jinzhou, and then fight to the death with the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Both sides will suffer. At that time, Ming Dynasty may be able to take advantage of the opportunity.

Fight back to Liaodong.

However, the current situation in Liaodong is not ideal for the Ming Dynasty. Although the Haihan Army launched a rare large-scale attack on the Liaodong coast in recent years before winter, they still failed to prevent the Manchu Qing from going south to invade the Ming Dynasty this winter.

Moreover, the strength of the Qing army that invaded the Ming Dynasty, the areas they conquered, and the population and wealth they abducted from the Ming Dynasty were all the highest in history.

The Manchu and Qing Dynasties ignored Haihan's actions on the coast of Liaodong. You hit yours, and I hit mine. The one who really suffered in the contest was the Ming Dynasty. The Manchu and Qing Dynasties lost population and wealth in Liaodong, and then they all intensified their efforts.

The Ming Dynasty has made a fortune. Both countries have made a lot of money this winter, but the Ming Dynasty has become the only loser. This ending can be described as extremely ironic.

But the Ming Dynasty was still unable to attribute the responsibility to Haihan. After all, Haihan did indeed send troops to the areas occupied by the Qing Dynasty in the winter. He even staged a feint attack on the Jinzhou Isthmus and fiercely fought with the Qing army.

The Qing army fought several battles, which Yue Yongshou witnessed with his own eyes in Jinzhou. He could not blame Haihan for not trying his best to hold back the Qing army. After the Qing army broke through the pass and went south, Ming Dynasty did not try to ask for help from Haihan, so naturally

I can't blame Haihan for not saving him even when he was about to die.

But what really concerned Yue Yongshou was that the Manchu Qing Dynasty actually sent an envoy to apply for an armistice and peace talks with Haihan. Although Chen Yixin ran away with him the previous time, this was not a good sign. As far as he knew, the two sides had never done anything before.

There has been no formal contact about armistice peace talks, but if the Manchus and Qing Dynasties had such thoughts, once they persuaded Haihan to accept the armistice, it would be terrible news for the Ming Dynasty.

Originally, Yue Yongshou had hoped that Chen Yixin's firm attitude would make the Qing Dynasty give up this idea. Unexpectedly, Chen Yixin left Jinzhou and returned to Shandong within a few days. According to the official statement from Haihan, Chen Yixin was going back to host relief operations.

However, Yue Yongshou knew that the matter was not that simple. Haihan probably wanted to take advantage of the situation and reap huge benefits in Shandong, which was in war.

However, Chen Yixin did not transfer the Jinzhou garrison on a large scale when he returned to Shandong. This also made Yue Yongshou a little relieved. At least it indicated that Haihan would not raise troops in Dengzhou for the time being. And in the memorial he sent back to the capital,

, also specifically explained the news that the Manchu and Qing requested an armistice from Haihan, and reminded the court to pay attention to Haihan's movements in Shandong - after the armistice between the two countries, it was not only the Manchu and Qing Dynasties who freed up their troops, but the same was true for Haihan, and God knows Haihan

Will any other thoughts arise?

Before the new instructions from the capital were sent to Jinzhou, there was a new situation here. The Qing envoy who visited Chen Yixin last time came again, but this time he was not driven away. After Qian Tiandun received him,

He actually allowed the other party to live in Jinzhou, which made Yue Yongshou smell something bad.

When Yue Yongshou was sent to Jinzhou, Chen Yixin was already in charge here, so he was not very familiar with Qian Tiandun, who had recently arrived from North Korea. He only knew that the troops under Qian Tiandun's command were the Haihan Army.

The ace unit in the Qing Dynasty, and this unit had fought against the Qing army many times in Liaodong and North Korea, and had extremely rich combat experience. However, Yue Yongshou was not sure whether Qian Tiandun's stance towards the Manchus was reliable.

, so when he heard that Qian Tiandun arranged for the Manchu envoys to live in Nanguanling, he immediately couldn't sit still.

Yue Yongshou originally wanted to go directly to the Manchu and Qing envoys to confront him, but when he thought about it, the Haihan people had the final say in Jinzhou. If he came directly to look for trouble, it seemed a bit disrespectful to the Haihan people. And whether the Manchu and Qing envoys

Even if he brought an armed guard, he didn't know. If he came to the door and didn't beat him, wouldn't it be a loss of Ming Dynasty's face?

To be on the safe side, Yue Yongshou chose to come to see Qian Tiandun first to find out the intention of the Manchu envoy and the official attitude of Haihan, and then consider the next countermeasures.

Qian Tiandun was not surprised that Yue Yongshou came after hearing the news. He deliberately did not block the news about Shang Qing from the outside world. As long as the Ming envoy was not deaf and blind, he should have responded immediately. As expected, Yue Yongshou did not let him know.

He was disappointed. Shang Qing had only been in Jinzhou for half a day and he had already come to visit him.

"Master Yue suddenly came to visit, why?" Although he knew the purpose of the other party's visit, Qian Tiandun still played the trick and asked again deliberately.

Yue Yongshou responded: "The general is busy with official duties, so I will not go around in circles. I heard that the Tatars sent an envoy to Jinzhou to visit the general. Could this happen?"

Qian Tiandun didn't mean to hide it, and responded to the question calmly: "It is true that an envoy from the Qing army arrived in Jinzhou today. Master Yue is very well-informed!"

Yue Yongshou couldn't care less about Qian Tiandun teasing him, and quickly asked: "Then, general, can you reveal the purpose of the other party's visit?"

Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "The other party's purpose is the same as last time, which is to have a ceasefire and peace talks with our army."

Yue Yongshou cautiously probed: "Then the general must have sternly rejected the Tatars' wishful thinking?"

Qian Tiandun responded noncommittally: "It seems that Mr. Yue really doesn't want to hear the news about the armistice in Liaodong?"

Yue Yongshou said with a smile: "The Tatars' request for peace must be because they cannot withstand the offensive of your army. However, in this case, we should take advantage of the victory to beat the dog in the water and not leave the Tatars a chance to stand up. If the general

Being soft-hearted towards the Tatars gives them a chance to breathe, but I’m afraid there will be endless troubles in the future!”

Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, are you teaching me how to do things?"

Yue Yongshou heard the displeasure in the other party's tone and quickly defended: "How dare I, general, please don't misunderstand me! I'm just worried that these Tatars are playing tricks to deceive the general, but I don't dare to overstep the mark!"

Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, do you think the Qing army is playing tricks?"

Yue Yongshou said: "This is a common trick of the Tatars. When they can't defeat them, they will surrender and agree to any conditions. Then they will accumulate strength secretly and launch a surprise attack when the opponent is unprepared. General, follow the Tatars

You have no faith to speak of, so don’t be deceived by his sweet words!”

Of course, Qian Tiandun would not completely ignore the possibility mentioned by Yue Yongshou. In fact, he had already considered the possibility of the Qing army using delaying tactics. However, no matter from which perspective, the Qing army's use of delaying tactics was not too serious.

great meaning.

The confrontation between the two countries near the Jinzhou Isthmus has lasted for several years. Both countries have clearly realized that adding more troops here is of little significance, and it will be difficult to overcome the opponent's carefully built defense line. Moreover, if the Qing army wants to use a delaying strategy,

So the ideal time would be before winter, so that they can invade the Ming Dynasty without worrying about being stabbed in the back by Haihan. But now that the main force of the Qing army has withdrawn from the Ming Dynasty, what's the point of delaying the attack?

Meaning, if the Qing army wanted to concentrate its forces in Jinzhou to complete its victory in one battle, then Haihan would probably be the one they wanted.

Based on the special terrain of the Jinzhou area and the comparison of the forces of both sides, if the Qing army concentrated tens of thousands of troops to attack the Jinzhou Isthmus, they would certainly have a high chance of breaking through this line of defense. But the problem is that the Jinzhou Isthmus has an extremely narrow terrain and is surrounded by seas on both sides.

, this passage may be blocked again by the Haihan Army from the sea at any time. Therefore, even if the Qing army pays a heavy price to capture Jinzhou, it will still be difficult to defend the Jinzhou Isthmus in the future. The Haihan Army may even use active rear

Withdrew to lure the Qing army to go deeper, and then used the Jinzhou Isthmus to cut off the Qing army's retreat to carry out counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns. Now this place is useless to the Qing army. It is a burden whether it can be taken or not. The only way to solve the problem is to cease war with Haihan.

.

Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, actually you can just tell the truth. You don't need to go to such trouble to analyze the situation for me. After all, I should know all the information you know, but you may not know the information I have."

Yue Yongshou's face turned red, knowing that the other party was warning him not to do anything for his own sake, so he quickly responded: "The general has taught me a lesson, I am indeed rude. However, I hope that for the sake of the alliance between the two countries, the general will not accept the Qing Dynasty's advice."

Armistice demand!”

Qian Tiandun nodded slightly and said: "Our country has always attached great importance to its diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty. A covenant is a covenant. Mr. Yue does not have to worry that we will give up on the Ming Dynasty. But I also hope that the Ming Dynasty can think about our country and understand some of our country's difficulties."

Yue Yongshou seemed to have some hints when he heard what he said. Thinking of what Chen Yixin had said to him before, he quickly said: "General, I have written to the imperial court before, suggesting that the imperial court provide some food, grass and military pay support for the Jinzhou garrison, but this time

We have not yet received a reply from the court, so we ask the general to wait patiently for a while, I believe the court’s arrangements will not disappoint the general.”

Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, have you ever thought about it? Both the Ming Dynasty and the Manchu Qing Dynasty offered certain benefits. The conditions offered by the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were to cease war with my country, but the conditions offered by the Ming Dynasty were to require our country to negotiate with the Manchus." The Qing Dynasty continues to fight. You must also know very well, which one is more expensive, a truce or a battle. If the benefits given by both sides are similar, then I will definitely give priority to my allies, but if the gap is too big, then I will probably have to pay for the sea. Han’s interests were taken into consideration.”

Yue Yongshou knew that it was difficult to refute such a very realistic thing, and it was impossible for the Haihan Army to be willing to pay and manpower to fight for the Ming Dynasty, so he had no choice but to plead: "Having said that, I still hope that the general will consider it carefully!"
Chapter completed!