At the end of June, Chen Kai received news that Li Dingguo's army was approaching the city of Wuzhou. The specific battle situation and results are not yet clear. We only know that the army besieged the city, and Li Dingguo planned to use the siege artillery team he borrowed to break the city. However, for the final

Chen Kai is still willing to be optimistic about the results of the battle, because it is said that Ma Xiong has taken the lead in moving to Guilin to strengthen the defense there. Without this backbone, with only some green battalion soldiers there, it is estimated that against Li Dingguo,

A group of people who give away their heads.

"Fujun, it seems that for the Tatars, the center of defense in Guangxi is still in the city of Guilin. Although Wuzhou can play a role in separating the two Guangxi, it does not necessarily have to be guaranteed."

After confirming his control over Guangzhou, Chen Kai ordered the governor's Yamen team in Chaozhou to be transferred directly to Guangzhou. In this way, whether it was Huizhou Prefecture in the east, Chaozhou Prefecture in the east, Qiongzhou Prefecture in the west, or Shao in the north

Even at the frontier of the state capital, he can better implement the four words "center and support".

Officials from the governor's yamen, including Wang Jiang from Tuntian Road, and officials at the prefecture level also came quickly to attend this meeting and set the tone for the next development.

The letter was published, and Quan Bin expressed his thoughts during the meeting last week, and the generals also agreed with it. As for the civil servants, they didn't care too much about it - you know, they knew that Li Dingguo sent troops, Chen Kai and the western Guangdong civil servants

The group all needs to provide some food and grass as supplies, and this is what it should be. If you don't know, then it's just a joke, nothing more.

The current war situation, in fact, has entered the stage of strategic confrontation between the Ming and Qing Dynasties since the great counterattack in the sixth year of Yongli Dynasty - on the battlefield of Huguang, before the battle of Zhoujiapu, the Ming army even maintained a certain offensive posture

, but after the defeat in that battle, the purpose could only be to secure the gateway to Guizhou and encroach on the territory of the Qing army for the time being.

Next, naturally, there were Li Dingguo's two conquests against Guangdong. Thanks to Chen Kai's cunning, the Battle of Xinhui had a completely new ending. In the eighth year of Yongli, in this seemingly ordinary year, the Ming army set a record

It was a greater success than the great counterattack in Yongli's sixth year. It swept away the decline of the Battle of Zhoujiapu and the Battle of Zhaoqing. Even the just-concluded Battle of Changde failed to save much for the Qing army. It only reduced the number of troops.

It's just a certain loss.

The current situation of strategic confrontation has been formed. The Qing court does not have much power to attack the Ming army for the time being. The Ming army also needs to take a breather. Therefore, the main theme of the moment for both sides is the word recovery.

, just like two injured beasts licking their wounds while looking at each other. When the wounds healed, they pounced and bit again.

"This is the case in Huguang, and the same is true in Nangan and Jiangxi, as well as Zhejiang. The Tatars lost two provinces in one go, so they have to catch their breath. Now, the key is to see which side can catch their breath first.

"

From the perspective of strength, the Qing court is undoubtedly superior - it controls most of China, and the richest places like Jiangsu and Zhejiang are all in its pocket. Its own organizational power and control power are still at their peak. Compared with their opponents,

The Ming Dynasty only controlled the territory of five provinces, and the two it had just recovered were still in dilapidated condition. And the most important thing was that the Ming Dynasty was now controlled by the most powerful vassal town, and there were other vassal towns on the side.

I can't clench it into a fist.

Chen Kai's efforts in Guangdong have proven to the world that two fingers are far more destructive to the Qing court than one. However, this is far from enough, because with the current strong strength of the Qing court, and even more because of the pigs

Teammates will always turn a good situation into a mess.

"The best way to learn is from the top, and the best is from the bottom. Only by making more efforts and possessing stronger strength can we really turn the tide and help the building from falling."

After accumulating for several years, Chen Kai has never felt that there is any problem with his choice, because the current situation has been caused by the balance of power between the enemy and ourselves over the years, and he is looking for it through the cracks based on the general trend.

Opportunities for survival and development, step by step until you have the strength to locally change the balance of power. This will undoubtedly take time.

At the current level, it is no longer necessary to be like before, but there is still a huge gap in the strength between the enemy and ourselves. If you want a greater chance of winning, you need more strength.

"Our department now controls four and a half prefectures in Guangdong Province. In addition, Guoxing has basically completed the recovery of Fujian. The territory is only so big. As for allies, we can cooperate, but we cannot count on it. In the final analysis,

There is nothing wrong with the truth that you need to be hard-working to make iron."

Chen Kai's words are clear. Basically all the civil and military personnel present have been under Chen Kai's command for many years, and they all admire Chen Kai's overall view.

From a military point of view, the Zheng Group's troops in Guangdong have controlled the central and southern areas of Shaozhou Prefecture, and are facing off against the Qing army at Meiling. With this as the front line, Guangdong's biggest threat direction is to a certain extent

However, the problem of military defense still exists. A few days ago, news came from Lianzhou that the local anti-Qing armed forces had turned to the Qing court. The Ming army general Ma Bao who was originally in charge there

The troops were squeezed out by the local armed forces and were unable to gain a foothold, so just a few days ago, Ma Bao's troops went south to Qingyuan, and are now resting in Qingyuan. But he rushed to Guangzhou, and Chen Kai rushed to Guangzhou.

There was no shortage of efforts to win over him, and even this meeting was specially arranged for him to attend.

Pointing to the map, Chen Kai explained the current military defense situation. When he mentioned Ma Bao, he naturally looked at Li Jianjie, because in history, Ma Bao led his troops to the west after being squeezed out of the Lianshan area by Hong Chengchou's aide Liao Wenying.

, voted for Sun Kewang. However, this time Ma Bao went south. In addition to the safety of going west, it was also indispensable that he saw Li Jianjie having a prosperous life beside him, so he had such an idea. Because

After Ma Bao was pushed out of the Lianshan area, he sent people to Guangzhou to look for Li Jianjie, and it was through Li Jianjie's relationship that he officially started talking to Chen Kai.

"Uncle Anding, you know the situation best in the Lianshan area. I would like to talk to you here."

"The general will obey his orders."

After calling his name, he stood up. He was vulgar and arrogant. This was the first impression he gave people. However, looking at his respectful attitude, he was obviously a being who had a certain understanding of power. From the first time he met Chen Kai

When they met, this military general with a former bandit background never showed even the slightest bit of contempt for civil servants.

Through history, Chen Kai knew very well that the general in front of him would become one of the most powerful generals in Wu Sangui's camp during the San Francisco Rebellion in the future. He would be brave, resourceful, and very difficult to deal with. It's hard to say how good he is now, but

This is at least a potential stock worth looking forward to.

Here, Chen Kai asked, and Ma Bao explained and analyzed the current situation in Lianzhou. According to him, when the Qing army entered Guangdong, many armed forces in western Guangdong fell apart, and his situation was also very bad. But two years later, in the sixth year of Yongli, he took advantage of Li Dingguo's east wind sweeping Guangxi. Through long-term management, he joined forces with the Yao people's armed forces in Lianzhou, Lianshan, and Yangshan areas, defeated the local Qing army, and captured the Qing alive. Lianyang deputy general Mao Shenghui, guerrilla Ma Sihan, guarded Bai Shoufu and others, and led his troops into Huguang. Until Li Dingguo was squeezed out to Guangxi by Sun Kewang, he returned to the Lianshan area again, until this time the Changsha shogunate completed the attack on the local Yao people's armed forces to win over.

What he said was very organized. Ma Bao had obviously been prepared for it, but if he didn't really understand, he might not be able to do this.

Chen Kai nodded at this, and the civil and military personnel present also understood that in the Lianzhou area, besides the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was a third party force, that is, the local Yao people's armed forces.

The Yao people are one of the Jiuli, a native ethnic minority in China. Since ancient times, they have always been known for their tough folk customs. They often raise armies to resist. No matter how far back the Yuan Dynasty was founded, the Yao people uprising unexpectedly As many as forty times; the Yao people's uprising in Datengxia, Guangxi in the Ming Dynasty started in the Hongwu period and would occur every few decades. The establishment of the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi was related to them. Even Wang Shouren, Mr. Yangming, was dispatched. came to suppress it; when the Qing Dynasty came, it became even more lively. Not only did they fight against the Qing Dynasty independently, they also cooperated with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Tongmenghui. Not only did they oppose the Qing court, but they also made things difficult for the Western colonists. There was no time to calm down.

In the current situation, most of the Yao people's armed forces are anti-Qing, but in the Lianzhou area, the Changsha shogunate has succeeded in instigating rebellion. The reason is very simple. The Yao people's resistance to the Qing is actually similar to the fierce resistance of the Han and Li people. , First of all, it is impossible to accept a person who shaves his hair and changes clothes. However, Hong Chengchou did not insist on shaving his hair and changing clothes for ethnic minorities, and even went to the Qing court to exempt them. With this as a basis, cooperation is not completely impossible. .

"I knew this old dog would be difficult to deal with, but it seems it's still too general."

Regarding the issue of the fall of the Lianzhou area, Chen Kai had already gotten this answer from Ma Bao when he arrived. He was just talking to others. Ma Bao talked eloquently, but in the end, he was carefree. He said that although the area was renamed Qing, the threat to Guangdong was far less than that of other regions, so there was no need to worry too much.

This is not an explanation to take care of one's own face. Most of the people present are human beings, and they can't understand why - there are third-party forces there, not actual control by the Qing court. It doesn't matter whether Hong Chengchou has the energy to go to the Guangdong battlefield to fight with him, even if it is If you want to cross the border in large quantities from there, I'm afraid those local snakes may not be able to agree.

"The Lianzhou area still needs to be monitored. In addition, I have decided to adjust the defense deployment in the northern part of Guangdong. According to the order, the left admiral Ke Chenshu led his troops to Qingyuan County, thinking that Shaozhou Prefecture would have stamina. Shaozhou Prefecture should still use the headquarters to control Xiao. Gongchen is the leader and is responsible for commanding the front enemy. As for Andingbo's troops, they will go south to Guangzhou from now on for reorganization."

Chen Kai wanted to control Ma Bao's troops like Li Jianjie's. Ma Bao also made a clean and unconditional acceptance statement. Whether it is really unconditional or not, we can not discuss for the time being, because Ma Bao The current attitude was obviously that Li Chengdong's strongman had reached a tacit understanding with Chen Kai. As for the others, they naturally laughed it off.

"Half of the inheritance left by Li Jianjie, Hao Shangjiu, Ma Bao, and Li Chengdong has now fallen into my hands. The rest, Zhang Yue, Guo Dengdi, and Li Guangen, seem to still have some. Maybe we can send people there.

Let’s talk.”

His own family knew his own affairs, and Chen Kai knew very well that Ma Bao's surrender was still due to Li Jianjie and Hao Shangjiu. When he came to Chen Kai, he could stay together with these two through old relationships, which was far more cost-effective than bringing a small number of troops to defect.

Sun Kewang, who didn't know what he was thinking, was stronger. As for Ma Bao, Chen Kai also said that he would expand his headquarters. Not to mention a two thousand-person military town, the relevant benefits from the Zheng Group were also indispensable, including the supervision of the camp.

, when the supervisor is stationed, he can turn a blind eye like Hao Shangjiu, but he must obey Chen Kai's orders unconditionally, just like Li Jianjie and Hao Shangjiu.

Within the Zheng Group, Chen Kai is very aware that his current status is already recognized as the number two figure. However, the leader of the Zheng Group has always been named Zheng. Zheng Chenggong has his eldest son. He will be in the future.

There are always unknowns in succeeding Zheng Chenggong as the leader of the Zheng Group. Especially since Zheng Jing is afraid of him, he needs someone who is more willing to obey him than the Zheng Group.

, to make sure everything is safe.

Political struggles are never affectionate. Chen Kai does not intend to cause internal strife, but he is never someone to be bullied. Even if someone really stands in front of him, he will crush them under the wheel without hesitation.

.Zheng Zhiwan back then and Shi Lang back then were all like this.

"In terms of military defense, in northern Guangdong, Ke Shuai and Xiao Shuai are the leaders, with their own officers in the middle to provide support. In other places, Chen Houye, Hao Houye, Zhang Uncle, Du Zongbing, Deputy General Cai, Deputy General Nie, etc. are in charge of various places.

The main points are responsible for land defense; Marquis Lin, Marquis Zhou, General Jiang, and General Hong are responsible for maritime defense. These have been properly arranged. It’s just that the army will disperse without food. The bigger problem now is military supplies.

The supply of grain and grass, the collection of taxes and the restoration of people's livelihood."

As soon as these words came out, the lobby of the governor's Yamen was filled with whispers. Except for Ma Bao, the newly attached person, all the civil and military personnel present had been under the Zheng Group for a long time and were very concerned about the Zheng Group's own situation.

It's understanding.

At present, Zheng Chenggong, the leader of the Zheng Group, and Chen Kai, the second-in-command, are respectively responsible for the territory of Fujian and Guangdong. Let’s not talk about Fujian, only the four and a half prefectures in Guangdong, Chaozhou and Qiongzhou have a better foundation, Huizhou and the military base in eastern Guangzhou

The disaster is not serious and can be tolerated, but the western part of Guangzhou was completely destroyed last year, and it is actually a burden economically.

In addition, the Zheng Group collects royalties in the Guangdong Sea. This was decided by Chen Kai when he blocked Shang Geng and the two vassals. It is the same as the Fujian Sea. Hong Kong is indeed under his control, sea and land

The two Ming armies and local officials also relied on his leadership, but the money from the royalties had to be handed over to the group.

Calculated in this way, in terms of revenue and expenditure, Chen Kai can count on farm taxes, Dingyin, taxes, salt taxes, fishery taxes, commercial taxes, etc., but the royalties are actually the sea tax collected by the Zheng Group, and Shibo's

Don't think about money. At most, he can only hope that Guangdong Trading Co., Ltd. can make more money as a subsidy. As for what he needs to spend, the biggest one is military pay and rations. When they last met in Nan'ao, Zheng Chenggong said that he could bear it for each town.

But the local garrison needs to be solved by Chen Kai himself. In addition, in terms of military rations, Guangdong needs to subsidize Fujian. Not to mention that it is not a grain-producing province and has always purchased from surrounding provinces. I only want to say that Chen Kai made Fujian miserable last year.

It seems that food subsidies are also indispensable.

In addition, the various government-owned enterprises in Chaozhou and Qiongzhou, such as manufacturing bureaus, iron mines, smelting plants, etc., all cost a lot of money. The salaries of officials in various prefectures and counties are also indispensable in this regard. In addition, Li Dingguo's department

After getting supplies and assistance from Guangzhou, Chen Kai will definitely pay more than the Western Guangdong Civil Service Group. There are also other expenses, such as the troubles Chen Kai is making or preparing to start. After all, after all,

It seems that the final result is a deficit, and the amount is not very small.

"Fortunately, it is impossible to be a normal civil servant, not even in this life!"

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Chapter completed!