More than two months have passed since the launch of the battle to regain Jinzhou. The warm wind is getting stronger, May has arrived, and summer has arrived unexpectedly.
Guo Dajing did not know the information about Huang Taiji's campaign against Chahar, and he did not want to know. Just like Chongzhen wanted to recall Yuan Chonghuan, this was not something he could control, and he could only let it go.
He only knew that under Emperor Chongzhen's stupid policies, the situation in Ming Dynasty would get worse and worse.
The removal of Lin Dan Khan's city reward led to Hu Duntu sending troops to attack Datong, resulting in numerous casualties among soldiers and civilians, and Datong was almost captured.
In desperation, Chongzhen resumed the market reward. After a lot of hard work, not only the soldiers and civilians died in vain, but also returned to the original point. However, after such harsh treatment, the Mongolian tribes were disheartened by the Ming Dynasty and turned to the Jin Dynasty.
He recalled Yuan Chonghuan, but he was deceived into lameness. He raised the Liao salary and fully supported the western Liaoning. Not only did it lead to widespread civil unrest, but it also enabled the Jianlu to get help from the Mongolian tribes, bypass Ning and Jin, and plunder the capital.
If I hadn't made all-out plans and preparations since last year and survived the cutoff of food and wages for several months. When Governor Yuan attacked Dongjiang Town again this year, I'm afraid Dongjiang Town would have been starved to death.
Chongzhen, with his IQ and his mean, unkind, and suspicious character, really harmed the country and the people.
"Brother." Liu Qishi tilted his head and asked doubtfully: "I heard that the eunuchs of the Supervisory Army are inspecting various units. If you are not waiting at Jinzhou Guard or Nanguan, why are you going to Xiaoheishan and Shiheyi?"
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "He is inspecting his place. Why should I wait and bow and smile with my face? It's so boring."
Liu Qishi said: "Didn't the imperial court give you a reward? You don't want it anymore?"
It was only a few dozen taels of silver, and there was also a gift of Yu Gui's sword and so on. Guo Dajing was so stingy that he really didn't care.
Of course, he didn't mean to hide. He just heard, not an order, that he was asked to wait for you wherever he went. Naturally, he had to do his job step by step.
"Since it is a reward from the imperial court, it will be given to you sooner or later." Guo Dajing glanced at Liu Qishi and asked, "Brother, you are not short of money, are you?"
Liu Qishi waved his hand and said, "What money can I spend? I just buy some wine occasionally, that's enough."
Guo Dajing's reaction was a bit strange. When he was on Guanglu Island, as soon as the eunuch Zhao Guang arrived, he immediately went to greet him.
Although I was a little unhappy afterwards, it was not like now, as if I was deliberately avoiding meeting people from the court.
Perhaps, his brother really did not want to have more contact with people sent by the imperial court. This would not make Mao Wenlong suspicious and save him a lot of trouble. Eunuchs, the emperor's close relatives, were probably bossy people.
Liu Qishi guessed this, and stopped talking about it, and instead reminded: "Brother, when you reach your level, you can support some servants."
In the late Ming Dynasty, military officers, regardless of their official position, generally had servants, ranging from a few to thousands.
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Ningyuan Bo Li Chengliang, who guarded Liaodong, had nearly 9,000 servants. Naturally, all of these servants were elite cavalry, and Li Chengliang also relied on this strong army to win repeated battles in Liaodong.
It was not until Li Chengliang's son Li Rusong became the commander-in-chief of Liaodong that he won repeated military exploits with this cavalry, making the Li family the largest general in Liaodong.
The so-called servants usually specifically refer to those under the general's jurisdiction but who are not registered as soldiers. They are elite troops formed by the generals privately outside the formal army. They can appoint officials on their own, and their treatment is higher than that of ordinary sergeants.
From the perspective of generous treatment and status, servants are well-equipped, and because "my parents and wives look up to me all my life, I am willing to die without caring about others." They usually fight hard on the battlefield, which is advantageous.
side.
But where did the money and food to support the servants come from? Naturally, the generals deducted the food and wages of ordinary sergeants and misappropriated them to the servants. This resulted in the overall weakness of the army.
To put it bluntly, servants are a small number of elites created by generals who use their military resources. They are their private soldiers. They rely on servants to perform meritorious service and, most importantly, to save their lives.
From a broad perspective, those adopted sons and grandsons that Mao Wenlong had previously accepted can also be called retainers.
But Guo Dajing never confiscated any servants from the garrison to the general, from Guanglu Island to Jinzhou. Previously, Liu Qishi and others thought that Guo Dajing had no land and money and could not afford to support his servants.
But now, Liu Qishi finally figured it out. It wasn't that Guo Dajing couldn't afford it, but that he didn't want to.
Therefore, Liu Qishi felt that as the eldest brother, he should remind Guo Dajing to realize the benefits of raising a family.
Regarding Liu Qishi's kind suggestion, Guo Dajing thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Grandpa Qi has a saying: Use the sergeant's horse for the servant to ride, use the sergeant's body to serve the servant, and use the sergeant's food and salary to support the servant, which is two things.
, the heart of three hundred men has completely lost the heart of the three thousand troops under his command."
This is the biggest disadvantage of the Jian Ding system, that is, "the Jia Ding system is prosperous but the army is alienated." For example, in Western Liaoning, there are hundreds of thousands of troops, and "only the generals and Jia Ding'er" can really fight against the Jianlu.
Not to mention that Guo Dajing invested all his money in various aspects of Dongjiang Town. Even if he had money, he would not support it.
If he sets such a bad example, the generals below will imitate him. Where do the generals get their money, they will naturally focus on the wages of ordinary sergeants.
Therefore, Guo Dajing set an example, and the generals below had no reason to have the courage to raise private soldiers.
"Having said that, having some elite servants to protect you is also for safety reasons." Liu Qishi continued to advise: "There is no need for more, let's come first with a few dozen people."
Guo Dajing laughed and said: "Wouldn't it be better to build Zuo Xie into an elite division? When the time comes, someone will be protected by six thousand elites, so why worry about his life?"
Liu Qishi looked at Guo Dajing's expression, nodded helplessly, and said: "It's okay if you don't want a servant, so as to avoid rumors. But your soldiers must be carefully selected. They are treated as servants. They point east but not to the west, and beat dogs but don't drive away chickens."
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Guo Dajing was amused by this witty remark or the truth. After laughing, he sincerely said to Liu Qishi: "What the elder brother said is absolutely true, and the younger brother also has the same idea."
This is not a lie, Guo Dajing really needs a group of personal soldiers who only obey his orders, or they can be called private soldiers and dead soldiers.
As long as he gave an order, these soldiers would do it without hesitation or hesitation. No matter whether he was the imperial eunuch or the governor, the soldiers only had Guo Dajing in their eyes, and they were not afraid of anyone.
And the current soldiers can indeed protect him, but that is when facing foreign enemies. It is their duty to protect the general to the death.
"Select from the new recruits of the Liao people we have rescued. They have been soldiers for a short time and appreciate our kindness. We usually give them some benefits." Liu Qishi explained patiently, "If you pick thirty or fifty soldiers from Guanglu Island, it will be enough."
Already."
Liu Qishi did not analyze it in detail, but he believed that Guo Dajing also understood. Most of the veterans in Dongjiang Town were loyal to Mao Wenlong or the original general, while the new recruits were much less interested.
Guo Dajing listened humbly and went through his current soldiers one by one to see which ones were not suitable and which ones could be kept by his side.
In the last conflict with the eunuchs of the Supervisory Army, Guo Dajing realized the problem and subsequently replaced some people without revealing anything.
For example, Yang Mingli, the original captain of the soldiers, has been sent to the army as an officer. Now, Guo Dajing only has a dozen soldiers left around him, but he is not worried about his own safety.
"Brother's words will be remembered by my younger brother." Guo Dajing had a general idea and thanked Liu Qishi with a smile. "When I return to the army after the inspection, I will start to select my own soldiers and I will train them myself."
Liu Qishi nodded vigorously and said: "Since you don't want to support servants, then keep the soldiers captive. You won't care much about Guanglu Island."
Guo Dajing agreed repeatedly. Since it was for his own good, he had no reason not to accept it.
…………….
The Nanguan defense line has been completely completed, with deep trench walls and towering forts. Looking at it from a high position makes you feel courageous. It feels like even thousands of troops will be defeated in front of this solid fortification.
"They say the city is strong and the pond is wide, but Zajia's view is that this fortification is even stronger and more defensive than the city." Fang Zhenghua put down the telescope in his hand, praised him repeatedly, turned to Li Weiluan who was accompanying him, and said with a smile: "Lushun Fort is so ugly, this is
The Nanguan defense line is no less generous, which shows that General Li's intelligence is worthy of the Dongjiang warriors."
Li Weiluan smiled and said humbly: "My father-in-law, you are so grateful. In fact, the fortifications of Lushun Fort and Nanguan Defense Line were all designed by General Guo Dajing, and the general just built them in the same way."
Oh, surprise flashed in Fang Zhenghua's eyes, but he didn't say anything. He fiddled with the telescope in his hand and said, "This thing is excellent. It is really a sharp weapon in the army."
Li Weiluan hurriedly said: "This is a rare thing from the Western Yi. Now it can be imitated and gradually equipped with troops. Since my father-in-law likes it, he wants to accept it. It should be a commonly used thing in the future."
Fang Zhenghua nodded with a smile and said: "As a military supervisor, the Za family naturally focuses on the military. Inspection and supervision are our responsibilities."
Seemingly pointing to the east unintentionally, Fang Zhenghua asked: "Where is General Guo's headquarters stationed?"
Li Weiluan replied: "Yes, General Guo and the last general will guard the floods in sections, one to the east and one to the west."
After a pause, he added: "General Guo sent someone to deliver a message to Mo Xin the day before yesterday. He is going to Jinzhou Acropolis and Beisha City, and will also go to Xiaoheishan and Shiheyi to inspect the strongholds along the way."
Fang Zhenghua pondered for a moment and said with a smile: "There should be outposts or strongholds in front of the Nanguan defense line, just like there are barriers such as Ningyuan outside the gate."
Li Weiluan smiled and nodded, but he knew that this eunuch only had so much knowledge and was not accurate. But he was a supervisor after all, so he sent him away politely.
"Hongyi cannon -" Fang Zhenghua walked around the cannon and said with a smile: "It is smaller than the one on the top of the capital city, and it must be less powerful."
It's useless. What's the use of putting it in the capital? It's better to transport it to build captives!
Li Weiluan secretly slandered, but smiled and echoed: "Eunuch Fang is well versed in military affairs, and what he said is very true. I will admire him."
Fang Zhenghua waved his hand and said humbly: "The Zajia family doesn't even have a slight understanding of it. General Li is ridiculously complimenting it."
After a pause, he pointed around and asked: "The fortifications are very well built, and the effect is similar to that of a tall city, right?"
Li Weiluan nodded repeatedly and said: "General Guo led his troops to raid the enemy's rear and built fortifications at the foot of Xiaoheishan. It was much simpler than this, but it still made it difficult for the prisoners to advance, so they had to take a detour to escape."
Wouldn't that save money? Fang Zhenghua blinked his eyes, thinking that he could recommend this new type of fortification to the emperor.
Next, Fang Zhenghua, accompanied by Li Weiluan, not only inspected the Nanguan defense line, but also looked at the large military camps behind the defense line and the hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in the military garrison.
The fields of the military camp are planted with corn, potatoes, rye, alfalfa, beans, and a large number of vegetables. Tens of thousands of troops are stationed here, and the food consumption alone is staggering.
Therefore, in addition to training, the army also cultivates fields, raises ducks and geese on the seaside, and raises sheep in the mountains to ease the logistics supply as much as possible.
Three days and observations along the way gave Fang Zhenghua a better understanding of the situation in Jinzhou. Guessing that Guo Dajing might be back soon, he set off for Jinzhou Acropolis and Bisha City.
"Li Weiluan was promoted to Staff General. He is at the same level as Guo Dajing, but is more senior than Guo Dajing." Fang Zhenghua looked at the people accompanying him and said slowly: "But listening to his words, he has great respect for Guo Dajing."
Jiang Baohe scratched his head and said tentatively: "It should be the love of Pao Ze. After all, it was the cooperation of two people to recover Jinzhou. They also fought side by side when they aided Korea."
When Shen Zonggui saw Fang Zhenghua's gaze coming towards him, he quickly added: "Guo Dajing and Li Weiluan have a good relationship. When he was working in Guanglu Island, he knew that Guo Dajing had sent a lot of fish to Lushun."
Except for these two guys who had stayed in Dongjiang Town, no one else knew the situation and did not dare to say anything.
Fang Zhenghua smiled without comment, then changed the subject and asked: "There are only a dozen Hongyi cannons in Ningyuan and not many in the capital, but there are fifteen or six on the Nanguan defense line. Where do they come from?
"
I bought it, why should I ask?
But no one said anything, because they couldn’t buy it with money. Fang Zhenghua was obviously asking where Dongjiang Town got the funds? The imperial court cut off food and salary, but Dongjiang Town became stronger and stronger. What is the reason for this?
Of course, if Dongjiang Town was starved to death, it was not Fang Zhenghua's original intention. He also felt a little guilty about what the imperial court had done, and he did not dare to ask Li Weiluan where the cannon came from.
However, from Li Weiluan's words of praise for Guo Dajing, Fang Zhenghua realized that Guo Dajing was also a very important figure in Jinzhou and even in Dongjiang Town.
It seems that it is not easy to win over Guo Dajing. At least, Mao Wenlong's promotion of Guo Dajing is a great favor.
In less than two years, he was promoted from a small soldier to a general. In the history of the Ming Dynasty, there seems to be no general who has been promoted so quickly.
If Dongjiang Town was not special, the officers appointed by Mao Wenlong would basically just go through the formalities at the Ministry of War; if it were in other military towns, no matter how great his military exploits were, Guo Dajing would still have to follow the standards set by civilian officials, and at most he would be a governor.
Of course, the higher you go, the more difficult it becomes. From general to deputy general, and from deputy general to chief soldier, these two levels are extremely difficult. After all, chief soldier is the highest official position of a military general in the Ming Dynasty.
Fang Zhenghua lowered his eyes and stopped asking his entourage, but fell into long thoughts.
…………….
From Besha City to Xiaoheishan, there are four or five strongholds and five or six outposts. No matter which one sends out an early warning signal, the main force can be prepared and make the Jianlu's sneak attack bankrupt.
There are lessons for this in history. When Jianlu attacked North Korea, they pulled out several outposts in Dongjiang Town overnight, preventing them from issuing early warning.
Of course, this was avoided after Guo Dajing appeared and reported in time. The outpost was preserved, the Tieshan soldiers and civilians were able to retreat, and the North Korean side was able to take precautions in advance.
Therefore, Guo Dajing arranged it so tightly, with light and darkness, concentration and dispersion, to prevent the unexpected.
Moreover, the sentry detectives and Ye Bushou had to go even further to engage in a fight with the scouts sent by Jianlu.
The fighting never stopped, even though the newly recovered Jinzhou area was peaceful and bustling with construction.
The small number of troops stationed on Changsheng Island, Zhongdao, West Island and other islands has alleviated the frontal pressure to a great extent.
Jianlu did not think that the army could achieve a surprise attack under so many surveillance points. He could only march south in an upright manner, without extravagantly hoping for a surprise attack.
If this is the case, Bisha City, Jinzhou Acropolis, and Nanguan Defense Line will have sufficient preparation time to calmly mobilize their troops and launch a strike against the invading captives.
"Yes, we have planted land. At least we can be self-sufficient with vegetables." Guo Dajing was very satisfied that the soldiers stationed at the garrison could rely on themselves. "Oh, this is alfalfa, and horse feed is also available."
The officer Wang Qian respectfully reported to the side: "In the valley, we also planted corn and raised a few sheep. We also set traps and traps, and occasionally we got a harvest."
"Very good." Guo Dajing nodded in praise and said, "I just have to do it myself, which can not only reduce the logistical pressure, but also improve the food."
Standing on the mountain, Guo Dajing raised his eyes and looked out. At the foot of the mountain was the battlefield. Here he led his troops and successfully blocked the Jianlu prisoners who were retreating north. They had to leave thousands of corpses behind and fled in a detour in embarrassment.
Now, the road at the foot of the mountain is still full of obstacles, and it will take a lot of effort for the large group of soldiers to pass quickly.
"According to General Guo's instructions, our troops have built several secret camps in the mountains, which can be used to hide or attack, and to tangle with the captives." Wang Qian stretched out his hand to point out to Guo Dajing, "By the way, there are hot springs there, I heard.
Soaking it can cure diseases."
Liu Qishi laughed and said: "This little Black Mountain is really a good place, I want to be stationed here!"
Guo Dajing also smiled and nodded, and said: "If it were a peaceful time, this place should be a scenic spot, with majestic mountains, picturesque scenery, and hot springs to soak in."
Xiaoheishan is also the birthplace of many rivers in Jinzhou. The rugged rocks, dense jungles, deep streams and light birdsong constitute a unique landscape.
It is a pity that even in the environment of war, few people visit any beautiful scenery.
"If our army has sufficient strength, it can completely occupy Luanguguan and Hongzui Fort, and take the entire Jinzhou into its pocket." Liu Qishi said with regret: "It is a pity that Marshal Mao will continue to station his army on Pi Island."
Luangu Pass is located 65 miles south of Fuzhou Weinan and is famous for its proximity to Luangu Mountain. It is the main post from Liaoyang to Jinzhou. Needless to say, Hongzui Fort is another road to Jinzhou.
It is a definite and inevitable step for the Dongjiang Army to gradually regain the three guards in southern Liaoning and occupy the walled posthouse guarding the main transportation route.