Emperor Tianqi awarded Mao Wenlong the Sword of Shangfang, allowing him to control one side independently. This incident caused panic in the civil servant group, and their attitude towards Mao Wenlong began to change rapidly, from active support to suspicion and precaution.
After the Tumubao Incident, almost all the meritorious military generals were wiped out, and the civilian clique took advantage of the situation and began to suspect and suppress the military generals for a long time.
In the eyes of the civil service group, Mao Wenlong is a challenge to their own authority. Dongjiang Town has also become a thorn in their hearts. If it cannot be completely controlled by the civil service group, the civil service group would rather destroy it.
While Chongzhen seemed to be diligent, he was far inferior to Emperor Tianqi who loved to be a carpenter.
Regardless of whether he was deceived by the civil service group or just thought along the same lines as the civil service group, the mistakes he made are inevitable.
Although he paid for his mistake with his life in the end, what about the displaced victims and the millions of people who died in the Ming Dynasty?
When an emperor makes a mistake, the price is so great that even his death cannot pay for it.
"The late emperor was not confused about important matters." Guo Dajing said calmly: "It's hard to say long live now."
Chen Jisheng glanced at Guo Dajing, smiled bitterly, and said: "Your Majesty has been on the throne not long ago, and has eradicated the eunuchs. He seems to be revitalizing."
Guo Dajing did not go into detail and said that both Mao Wenlong and Chen Jisheng had feudal ideas. If they saw that he despised the imperial power, they would no longer trust him.
So, it's okay to complain, but don't say anything rebellious.
This conversation with Chen Jisheng could be regarded as a heart-to-heart talk. Guo Dajing felt that he could flex his muscles in Jinzhou.
Of course, he is also confident that he can build Jinzhou into the most stable base in Dongjiang Town in the shortest possible time.
………………
The troops were still on the way back to Nanguan, and the messenger had already reported to Mao Wenlong at Lushun Fort.
After receiving the good news, Mao Wenlong looked at the numbers above and was distracted for a moment. Then, he was surprised and couldn't help laughing.
Li Weiluan took the battle report handed over by Mao Wenlong and quickly scanned it at a glance. He was surprised at first, and then overjoyed.
"Deputy Marshal Chen and General Guo led their troops to behead 2,537 people, and their own troops suffered more than 1,800 casualties——"
Li Weiluan loudly announced to the generals present, his voice exciting and exciting, "This is the greatest victory since the founding of the town of Dongjiang, and it is also the greatest defeat since the rebels rebelled against the Ming Dynasty."
Harassing, blocking, and flying cavalry to annihilate the enemy are the accumulated results of big battles and small battles.
Including the capture at Lushun Fort, the total number of heads was 3,450, which was not only the most brilliant achievement in Dongjiang Town, but also the largest gain since the Ming army fought against Jianlu.
Thanks to the Hongyi artillery, light and heavy muskets, various artillery projectiles, as well as solid fortresses and favorable terrain, the Dongjiang Army's total battle losses were not very large, and it also set a new record for the exchange ratio.
The great victory of Ningyuan and the great victory of Ningjin are nothing in the face of such a brilliant record. How dare you brag about it!
"Relying on strong defense is what General Guo is good at. He caused Jianlu to suffer great losses in North Korea." Shang Keyi said with a smile: "Now that we have won another big victory, it is not surprising."
Li Weiluan nodded and praised: "Although it occupies a favorable terrain, it is not as good as the Lushun Fort, and it does not have the Hongyi cannon. General Guo can achieve such a great victory, which is admirable."
Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and jaw and said: "It is indeed not easy to successfully stop an attack in the wild. The sharpness of the heavy musket is the key to victory."
Although the blocking force led by Guo Dajing did not have Hongyi artillery, they did carry dozens of Fran machine cannons, far more muskets than Fort Lushun. It was these firearms that enabled the blocking force to achieve a great victory with relatively small casualties.
Of course, victory is due to a combination of factors.
Granulated black powder increases the power of bombs, the melee fighting of melee soldiers blocks Jianlu's approach to chaos, and allows the musketeers to continue to perform, etc., all of which are indispensable for victory.
Li Weiluan nodded vigorously. He valued heavy muskets no less than Mao Wenlong, even though he knew that Guo Dajing had only purchased 1,500 or 600 guns in total, leaving only 500 for Lushun Fort.
"The imperial court's reward money is enough to purchase Western Yi muskets." Mao Wenlong made an estimate and said, "I'm afraid the Western Yi won't be able to build it so quickly."
Li Weiluan said: "The commander-in-chief didn't transfer all the craftsmen from Dongjiang Town to Jinzhou. If he built it himself, he could equip the troops faster."
Mao Wenlong wants to equip the two associations in Pi Island with 2,000 muskets. According to this standard, Jinzhou is only short of 500 muskets. If he concentrates his manpower, he hopes to achieve the goal before the end of this year.
But he didn't know Guo Dajing's idea. He wanted each battalion to be equipped with 600 sticks, and each battalion was 1,800. The quantity far exceeded his estimate.
If the heavy muskets were not equipped with bayonets for melee combat and needed protection from sword and shield soldiers or spear soldiers, the number of equipment Guo Dajing would need would be greatly increased.
As for light muskets, Guo Dajing needs even more. One thousand, five hundred guns per agreement, which will probably not be realized until the middle of next year.
Mao Wenlong suppressed the excitement in his heart and said with a smile: "It's not too late to listen to the detailed battle history after meeting Deputy Marshal Chen and Dajing. Now, it is time to go all out to build the Nanguan defense line."
Li Weiluan looked at Mao Wenlong and said as if asking for instructions: "Only two thousand people are left to garrison in Lushun Fort, and the rest are rushing to Nanguan."
"Okay." Mao Wenlong nodded and said, "The relocation of the people on the islands must start immediately. Spring plowing is coming, so we cannot delay it."
Li Weiluan agreed and sent people to go to the islands to inform them first. After the navy returned to Hong Kong, he would go to the islands to pick up people.
In addition to building a defense line, he also had to help the people with farming. Mao Wenlong had agreed to lead his troops to stay in Jinzhou for the time being, and then return to the Pi Island headquarters after everything was done.
Although Huang Taiji conquered the Chahar tribe, the Jianlu who stayed behind suffered heavy losses and were unlikely to invade again in a short time, but they had to guard against it.
Jinzhou has enough troops just in case. Once the Nanguan defense line is built, and even the defense facilities in Bisha City are repaired, Jinzhou will be considered stable.
The number of the first batch of immigrants was about 50,000. Most of the Liao people had to move to Jinzhou in places like Pi Island where farming was impossible.
The work of allocating villages, building houses, and cultivating land is complicated and complicated. And time is very tight, so spring plowing cannot be delayed.
Even Mao Wenlong felt a headache when he thought about his work after the war.
Fortunately, Guo Dajing, Li Weiluan and others have been preparing for more than half a year, and a lot of work has been completed in advance. The setting up of villages, the planning of fields, etc. basically do not need to be done now.
After the military meeting was over, Mao Wenlong personally led 3,000 men and horses, escorting a large amount of food and supplies, out of Lushun Fort and rushed to Nanguan.
The spring wind blows on the face, still bringing a chill. But the scene of spring warming and snow disappearing can be seen everywhere. Especially at noon, the snow melts more obviously.
The imperial court would resume food and salary in March, and with this great victory, Mao Wenlong was originally in a happy mood. However, there was always a hidden worry lingering in his heart that he could not get rid of.
You know, even though during the period of food and salary cuts, due to Guo Dajing's various financings, Dongjiang Town was finally able to survive without the tragic scene of starvation and death everywhere, but Mao Wenlong's heart was always weighed down by a stone.
When the new emperor ascends the throne, he will be cut off from food and salary, which seems to indicate that the future situation of Dongjiang Town will not be very good.
The civil servant group had already criticized Mao Wenlong and Dongjiang Town a lot, and Emperor Tianqi could suppress them, but the new emperor seemed to have different ideas.
He hoped that this victory could change the new emperor's mind. Mao Wenlong sighed secretly in his heart and was quite worried about the unpredictable future.
Dajing mentioned self-reliance many times and has been working hard to achieve this goal. Mao Wenlong had never thought about it, but repeated changes made it increasingly difficult.
The recovery of Jinzhou may be a new hope. Mao Wenlong believed that he was not as good as Guo Dajing in business, so he placed high hopes on Guo Dajing.
Although he was confused, he had no doubts about Guo Dajing. He sent Chen Jisheng, a loyal elder, to take charge of Jinzhou because he did not want to have too many constraints or influence on Guo Dajing.
Breathing the cool air, Mao Wenlong's mind became clearer. He squinted his eyes slightly and fell into long thoughts again.
Dongjiang Town is located in a remote location overseas, with numerous military and political affairs, as well as internal strife and attacks, making it difficult for Mao Wenlong to have real peace of mind.
………………
Guo Dajing led his troops to Nanguan, met up with Mao Wenlong's troops, and set up camp. As long as the weather got warmer, they would start building construction projects.
Before that, Saharian led the retreating Jianlu troops to break through the interceptions of Kong Youde's troops, causing hundreds more casualties, and finally embarked on a smooth road back to Liaoyang.
Tens of thousands of fine cavalry were lost, and nearly half of them were lost, but they failed to achieve their goal. This was something Sahalian would never have thought of before he went on the expedition, and it was also a result Daishan never expected.
The messenger sent by Saha Lian rushed to Liaoyang to report the news, but he did not know that his father Daishan was frowning and looking at the sticker on the table.
Huang Taiji led the Four Banners to personally conquer the Chahar tribe, and rumors began to appear and spread again. In addition to grabbing the national jade seal and Huang Taiji preparing to become emperor, there were other rumors about the three Baylors.
"... What is the purpose of privately hosting a banquet and giving gifts of money and silk to those who hate Huang Taiji?"
"Contempt the king of Khan, remove Dabaile, and reduce the rank of Heshuabel..."
The rumors listed various excuses and methods used by Huang Taiji to deal with Daishan, some of which seemed to be obviously fabricated.
But Dai Shan knew in his heart that once Huang Taiji became the emperor and wanted to impose a crime, why bother? The things in the rumors would probably become true.
There are two other stickers on the desk, one is from Mang Gurtai and the other is from Amin.
Among them, Mang Gurtai met the worst end. He was angered by Huang Taiji's accusation of cowardice in battle, committed the serious crime of "showing his sword before the emperor", and was first demoted and fined silver, then imprisoned, and was poisoned to death by Huang Taiji.
After Mang Gurtai's death, his sister Mang Guji was falsely accused by his slave Leng Sengji of being resentful and treasonous, and her husband also testified against her.
Huang Taiji then cut down Mang Gurtai's clan membership, killed his brother Degerei and his sister Mang Guji for conspiracy, and carried out a purge in Zhenglan Banner to eradicate all Mang Gurtai's cronies.
As for Amin, there was a version of the earliest rumor, but now it is more detailed. Because he was conserving his strength, he retreated without a fight and was imprisoned until death.
"Scaremongering is destructive!" Dai Shan slapped the sticker heavily with his palm, and the veins on his forehead jumped with anger.
Except for Huang Taiji, all three Baylors died and were killed by Huang Taiji. Such an ending was not difficult for Huang Taiji to achieve after he became emperor.
Even though Lian Daishan was angry, he was also frightened and had to worry about his future.
When it comes to supporting Huang Taiji, Daishan really does it out of public motives. He believes that Huang Taiji is the most talented and can manage the Hou family well. But there is a limit to his support, and he cannot sacrifice his own wealth and life.
Although Daishan was angry and fearful, he could still remain calm and would not openly oppose Huang Taiji, which caused a split in the senior management of Houjin.
He bowed and reported the report in a pen-and-paper style: "The post must have spread, over there at Second Baylor and Three Baylor..."
Daishan sighed helplessly, waved his hand to retreat, leaned back in his chair, half-closed his eyes, and fell into long thoughts.
Obviously, the opponents' attempts to sow discord are more targeted, and the rumors they fabricate can send chills down the spine. Especially the fate of Mang Gurtai and his relatives will definitely arouse great fear and precaution among Mang Gurtai and others.
From Huang Taiji's desire to become emperor to the tragic ending of the three Baylors, the opponents did not let anyone go, their emphasis was just different.
What would Mang Gurtai think when he saw the sticker? As for Amin, as well as the relatives and generals who are closely connected with them, their interests are connected together.
The strength of one flag can no longer compete with the two yellow flags of Huang Taiji, so the only way is to join forces. Daishan can imagine that the cooperation between Mang Gurtai and Amin is basically certain.
Whether his own two red flags and the two white flags of the Dorgon brothers should remain neutral or lean to one side really gave Daishan a headache.
What's more, Daishan also needs to be on guard against Huang Taiji, who cannot yet forget his own interests. Maintaining the political deliberation model left by Nurhachi is also something Daishan agrees with.
In other words, Daishan also had major conflicts with Huang Taiji, and did not fully support Huang Taiji's reforms.
After thinking about it, there is no good way to do good deeds. Real illnesses are easy to cure, but mental illnesses are difficult to cure. These thorns shot by opponents are stuck in other people's hearts, and it is impossible to remove them.
We can only maintain the current situation, and do not let the contradictions become public, or even fall apart and fight with each other.
Daishan tightly clenched the sticker into a ball and threw it out as if to vent his anger.
He would like to be sincerely united and go all out to the outside world, but it is a foregone conclusion that they are at odds with each other and are wary of each other, and it is difficult to change.
Daishan's worries are not exaggerated. Even after Nurhachi's death, conflicts existed. Huang Taiji's succession to the throne was the result of compromise between all parties and did not have the authority of Nurhachi.
Rumors that Huang Taiji wanted to claim the title of emperor only deepened the conflicts between the parties.
Mang Gurtai, Amin, and even Daishan represented the interests of the nobles of the Later Jin Dynasty; Huang Taiji wanted to reform the past and make new things, so that the Later Jin Dynasty would become feudal and proclaim himself emperor facing the south.
This undoubtedly violated the interests of the nobles of the Later Jin Dynasty. For example, by compiling young men and liberating some slaves to become civilians, the nobles of the Later Jin Dynasty regarded them as weakening and restricting their privileges, and there were many opponents.