Chapter 251: The imperial court is pressing, and the food and wages are cut off
But Mao Wenlong's bloody appeal did not move Emperor Chongzhen. Emperor Chongzhen not only cut off his salary this year, but also stopped the salary for the entire second year of Chongzhen as a deduction for Mao Wenlong's excessive use during Tianqi's reign.
In other words, there is no time limit for cutting off food and salary payments. When will the excessive deductions be deducted and when will payment be resumed?
Mao Wenlong asked Denglai again for this year's extra dispatches, but Wang Tingshi refused, saying that last year's extra dispatches had been distributed, and this year Denglai had removed the governor and the extra dispatches were not confiscated at all.
He is just telling lies with his eyes open, telling you whether you want money or food, and how happy you are.
Under the control of Chongzhen and the court bosses, Wang Ting of Denglai Road, who understood the holy will, rushed to the front. This was to push the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town to a desperate situation where they would starve to death everywhere.
We don't need you to destroy the captives in Ping Liao. If you are disobedient, let's see how I kill you!
Only by being in that era and connecting with the events that have happened and are happening now can we understand the calculations of Chongzhen and the court and figure out what they were thinking.
With Governor Yuan in the "Five Years of Ping Liao", Dongjiang Town and Mao Wenlong, who were remote overseas and uncontrollable, were no longer important. Either they were abolished or destroyed, and Chongzhen didn't care what the consequences would be.
And Governor Yuan also handed over his first victory since taking office, recovering Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities. Well, if it is said to be recovered, it should be said to be taken over, or it would be more accurate to say to pick up the rags.
Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities had been demolished into ruins, and the Jianlu were not interested in occupying them. Governor Yuan took them back like treasures and reported them to the court as achievements.
Okay, it's really amazing. My full support is not in vain. Yuan Chonghuan really has two brushes. He advanced more than a hundred miles in western Liaoning and recovered several cities.
Chongzhen was very happy and counted the days on his fingers. It was five years since the Liao Dynasty. When should we start counting?
Oh, Chongzhen still had to count the money on his fingers. The Yuan Qing family wanted to rebuild Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities, so they had to give it to them!
Not only was the emperor happy, but the civil servants were also happy. The imperial court was able to make a fortune again by allocating funds. The military leaders in western Liaoning were also happy. These resources had arrived in western Liaoning, but they had monopolized them, and no one could compete with them.
There was no harvest at all, not even a single head was recovered, and several ruined cities were taken over, placing a heavier burden on the Ming Dynasty's finances.
This is the significance of Governor Yuan's recovery of Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities. It is not a short-term, but a long-term burden and drag.
Historically, because of Jinzhou and other cities, the Ming Dynasty lost all its elites and completely lost its strategic initiative against Hou Jin.
With an undisguised sneer, Guo Dajing threw the imperial newspaper aside, picked up the tea bowl and took a few sips.
Chongzhen's stupidity and the greed of civil servants are pushing the Ming Dynasty to collapse.
If all resources are poured into western Liaoning, will it only affect Dongjiang Town?
The Liaoning levy has been raised again, and it is the common people who are suffering. Especially in the northwest and central plains where disasters are raging, refugees who have been forced to lose their families and flee in panic, how many people will starve to death on the roadside?
Pay rates have been cut in various border towns, leaving soldiers as miserable as beggars. They can neither support their families nor have enough food and clothing for themselves. How can they still have the fighting strength and will to fight bravely?
This is a chain reaction, which can only make the situation in Ming Dynasty worse. And Governor Yuan, who is in the western part of Liaoning and knows that the "five-year peace of Liao Dynasty" is nonsense, isn't he the culprit?
"The imperial court has cut off its food and salary again?" Liu Qishi was sitting in a chair with one leg on the armrest, stroking the beard on his face in an indistinct manner, frowning.
Liu Xingzuo smiled bitterly and said: "Thanks to the recapture of Jinzhou and the bumper harvest, the soldiers and people of Dongjiang Town don't have to worry too much about food."
"This is not all due to Dajing." Liu Qishi pressed the teacup with his hand, tapped it twice, changed the subject, and said: "Two thousand cavalry have been added before and after. I think the flying cavalry is temporarily
No need to expand any more.”
Guo Dajing felt that Liu Qishi seemed to be saving money for him, perhaps because the court had cut off food and salary. But he did not want to be stingy, as money was not meant to be spent.
Besides, prices are bound to rise in the future, and it’s much cheaper to buy now!
North Korea, Shandong, and Beizhili have purchased nearly 3,000 horses from these three channels in the past few months, with the average price remaining below 20 taels.
Because it was purchased through multiple channels and in batches, it did not cause much price fluctuations in the local area, nor did it attract anyone's attention.
The Flying Cavalry Battalion selected 2,000 horses, and the other inferior horses were given to the Lancers. In addition to the original war horses in Dongjiang Town, the total number of 3,000 or 4,000 Lancers was almost enough.
Guo Dajing estimated that North Korea would also help purchase a large number of horses, cattle and sheep, mainly captured by the Jianlu troops during the Chahar expedition, and would also be exchanged for other daily necessities.
In this case, the initial goal of forming 10,000 cavalry has almost been achieved. There is still time, and we have more than half a year to continue preparations!
Of course, the more cavalry, the better. After the initial success of the operation in Jinzhou, the conditions for expansion in livestock feed were basically met.
Corn straw, wheat straw, alfalfa, wild hay, plus cultivated black beans, soybeans, and corn, not only cattle and sheep, but also war horses are no problem.
Management is Guo Dajing's forte, and the step-by-step work is well connected. Only by comprehensive development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery can we accumulate comprehensive strength faster.
Regarding Liu Qishi's suggestion, Guo Dajing did not immediately deny it. He planned to let nature take its course and expand the number of cavalry as many war horses as he could buy without forcing himself to set any goals.
But there was one thing that made Guo Dajing a little worried and wanted to talk openly with Liu Xingzuo.
Looking up at Liu Xingzhi who was sitting silently, Guo Dajing turned his gaze to Liu Xingzuo, pondered for a moment, and asked: "Brother Liu, do you think he is from the imperial court or an officer from Dongjiang Town?"
Liu Xingzuo was stunned for a moment, looking at Guo Dajing's serious expression, he had some understanding.
Under the surprised gazes of Liu Qishi and Liu Xingzhi, he said slowly: "Of course Liu is an officer in Dongjiang Town, and he has never changed. Even though he was a little neglected when he first arrived, he never had any intention of being outsiders."
Regardless of whether what he said was true or not, Guo Dajing had to analyze and understand it today. Of course, he still believed Liu Xingzuo more.
"The imperial court treated Dongjiang Town harshly and gradually increased the intensity of the suppression. Wang Tingshi of Denglai Road was the vanguard, and Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Jiliao, was the main force. The emperor -"
Guo Dajing sneered and said: "He is the mastermind behind the scenes. He may not have said it explicitly, but his intention is obvious. He has the same thoughts as the civil servants in the DPRK and China."
"This has been the case since ancient times. The emperor would rather be an obedient mediocre person than a disobedient capable minister. As for the life and death of the military, civilians and people, they are not worth the stability of the imperial power."
Guo Dajing glanced at the three people present and asked: "As for Governor Yuan, do you think he can defeat Liao in five years?"
Liu Qishi hurriedly said: "With the troops in western Liaoning that can only defend the city, let alone five years, even ten years will be in vain."
Liu Xingzhi said: "He is now the immediate boss of Dongjiang Town. If there is strong support and Liao Town and Dongjiang Town work together, it may not be impossible to defeat Liao in five years."
Liu Xingzuo thought more, and did not agree with his brother's words. He shook his head and said: "Judging from the current situation, Governor Yuan is focusing on Liao and suppressing Dongjiang. Support is out of the question. It would be good if there is no heavy suppression."
If Governor Yuan really treats Dongjiang Town fairly and aims to pacify Liao and destroy the captives, Guo Dajing will also try his best to help. After all, the goal is the same.
But Guo Dajing knew very well that this kind of hope was unreliable. Liu Xingzuo could also see the clues, which was obvious.
Guo Dajing said: "Without effective strategies and tactics, the five years of Ping Liao were full of talk, and the fortress advance has proven to be ineffective. Isn't the battle of Ningjin enough a warning?"
"But there is no joke before the king. If Liao cannot be defeated in five years, it will be a lie to the king and the entrustment will not be effective. To get rid of this crime, Governor Yuan has no other way but to negotiate peace."
Since Dongjiang Town cannot be supported, Liao Town and Dongjiang Town must unite sincerely to fight against the rebels. Negotiating peace is indeed the only life-saving straw for Governor Yuan.
If the peace negotiation is successful, then there will be no need to ping Liao, and there will be no serious crime of deceiving the emperor.
Tan Tao
But when it comes to negotiating peace, Dongjiang Town is a stumbling block, and Mao Wenlong is even more of a big obstacle. Getting rid of Mao Wenlong not only satisfies the wishes of the emperor and the civil servant group in the DPRK, but also clears the way for peace negotiation.
Without Mao Wenlong to sit down and suppress, coupled with the operation of people placed by Governor Yuan, internal conflicts in Dongjiang Town are likely to break out.
Yes, Dongjiang Town also has internal conflicts, mainly between generals who are not convinced by each other. Fighting for power and gain is human nature, and it is certainly inevitable among the generals of Dongjiang Town.
Without a coach with sufficient prestige in charge, Dongjiang Town would either fall apart and fight, or go its own way. It would be difficult to work together as a team and work together to deal with the outside world.
Of course, this kind of Dongjiang Town is easier to control, and both the imperial court and Governor Yuan probably prefer this.
As for the construction of Liaodong, it can still be accomplished without Dongjiang Town.
At this time, the Chongzhen emperor and his ministers did not believe that the Jianlu people would pose a fatal threat to the Ming Dynasty, let alone believe that the Jianlu people with a population of less than one million could eventually sweep the world.
Our vast Ming Dynasty has billions of people and a territory of thousands of miles. No matter in terms of population or resources, nothing can compare with the Jianlu who are trapped in a corner.
No one here was too surprised by Guo Dajing's analysis and judgment. Commander Yuan's Ping-Liao strategy just said that war is a surprise and peace is a side effect.
However, Governor Yuan's focus changed and became peace as the main priority, defense as the upright and war as the sidelines.
"It is not surprising that Mr. Yuan has made peace with the rebels a long time ago." Liu Xingzuo said: "In the past, Dongjiang Town was under the control of Governor Denglai, and it did not have much influence. But now it is different. Mr. Yuan is determined to make Dongjiang Town and its
In unison.”
Liu Qishi shrugged his shoulders and said: "So what? Can we still be allowed to withdraw from Jinzhou or not fight against the Jianlu?"
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "The generous Governor Yuan will naturally not let Dongjiang Town do this explicitly. But he already has the supply of food, wages and materials in Dongjiang Town in his hands, so it is very convenient to weaken and suppress them.
"
After a pause, Guo Dajing said in a deep voice: "I'm not boasting. If Guo hadn't gone all out to raise funds and cut off food and salary twice last time and now, Dongjiang Town might not have collapsed, but its strength would have been greatly reduced, and it would not have been a threat to Jianlu.
"
Liu Xingzhi nodded vigorously and said: "That's true. Especially after losing the Korean farmland, Dongjiang Town is completely dependent on the imperial court's food and salary. The general can't imagine how miserable the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town would be without General Guo's financing?"
Liu Xingzuo was thoughtful, looked at Guo Dajing, and said slowly: "Dajing, you have expected it a long time ago? That's why you prepared in advance. If you make temporary changes, it may be too late, right?"
Guo Dajing lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice: "There are some things that cannot be said and cannot be explained clearly. If you believe me, then work wholeheartedly to make Dongjiang Town strong. In just one or two years, you will be able to see the seriousness of the situation.
Flip.”
With a mocking smile, Guo Dajing pointed in the direction and said: "In the past five years, Governor Yuan of Pingliao will fall and be cut into pieces, and the big bosses in the court will be implicated. They will die, that's all.
.”
Guo Dajing's words were also very clear, reminding everyone present, don't look at the fact that Governor Yuan is now the boss of Dongjiang Town, and he is the immediate boss of Dongjiang Town. But if you don't follow the good times, whoever hugs his thick legs will end up in trouble
Very miserable.
Liu Xingzuo and others looked shocked. They did not expect Guo Dajing to speak so cruelly, even saying "death with a thousand cuts", which shows that they have an extremely bad impression of Yuan Chonghuan.
"When did we stop believing you?"
Liu Qishi was the first to express his position, and also represented the other two people named Liu, "The one named Yuan is not a good bird. When we fought to aid Korea, he just watched with cold eyes. When Ning Jin was attacked, he was as timid as a mouse and asked us with a shy face.
Send troops to contain..."
If the third brother doesn't like it, the eldest brother must hate it even more. Liu Qishi's thinking is very simple. Let alone Yuan Chonghuan, even if the third brother scolds the emperor or Mao Wenlong, he will still stand up to cheer and echo loudly.
Liu Xingzuo and Liu Xingzhi also understood in their hearts that this was Guo Dajing telling the truth and reminding them not to fall on the wrong team.
When they were originally arranged to go to Dongjiang Town, there was indeed a sense of decentralization and checks and balances. But now, don't turn your elbows outward and follow Governor Yuan, who seems to be in the spotlight for a while.
"Dajing, don't worry!" Liu Xingzuo called Guo Dajing by his name again, showing his closeness and sincerity, "We brothers can't do such dirty things."
Liu Xingzhi said with a smile: "Not to mention Marshal Mao, our immediate boss is General Guo, and we must obey orders. Besides, after so long, no one can see that only by following General Guo can we make achievements and gain popularity."
Guo Dajing burst out laughing. This seemed to be some kind of bandit recruitment. They wanted to be popular and spicy, but they were also trying to dominate men and women!
"Okay, we are all talking out of our hearts." Guo Dajing put down the tea bowl heavily and said loudly: "If Yuan Chonghuan wants to pacify Liao and destroy the captives, Yuan Chonghuan can't do it. He wants to negotiate peace, can we agree?"
"No." Liu Xingzuo answered loudly this time, "Even if we can agree, the officers and soldiers who have a deep hatred against Jianlu will not agree."
Liu Qishi suddenly sat up straight and said: "What the hell are you talking about? We have been fighting for so many years and so many people have died. Instead of taking revenge, we have to negotiate with the Jianlu and seal them as officials. What is the difference between surrendering and surrendering?"
Son?"
Guo Dajing slammed the table hard and said: "Negotiating peace means cutting off territory and surrendering, which is betrayal of the country. Even without the support of the court, Guo will fight the Jianlu if he has a breath."
"I'll just follow you." Liu Xingzuo relaxed instead and said in a deep voice: "Cutting soil and betraying the country are exactly the key points of the peace negotiation. No matter how you quibble, it will be difficult to clear your name."
"There is no hesitation in pacifying Liaodong and fighting the Jianlu to the end." Liu Xingzhi said: "The Jianlu are insidious and repeated. Even if the peace negotiation is successful, it will not be guaranteed in the long run. I really don't know what those people think. They are so stupid."
Liu Qishi swallowed and darted his eyes around.
He felt that just shouting was not enough. He had to drink a large bowl of wine and then throw the bowl on the ground, making a crackling sound, which would be enough momentum.
Needless to say, Guo Dajing had a deep hatred for Jianlu; brothers Liu Xingzuo and Liu Qishi also hated Jianlu deeply.
This is also one of the reasons why the Dongjiang Town Meeting became an obstacle to Governor Yuan's peace negotiation. Even if Mao Wenlong agreed to the peace negotiation, the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town would not agree.
Unless it was forced, whoever forced it was naturally the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen, and Governor Yuan who wanted to negotiate a peace to save his life.
It may be excusable to say that at a time when the peasant uprising is in full swing and it is necessary to concentrate all efforts to suppress it, proposing peace with the rebels can avoid the disadvantages of fighting on two fronts.
But under the current situation, negotiating for peace is betrayal of the country. This is certain and cannot be quibbled with.
Of course, Governor Yuan had his own reasons and excuses to fool Chongzhen, which was to paralyze Huang Taiji and buy time for the construction of Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities.
Guo Dajing's analysis and judgment were very accurate, and he did not avoid or conceal anything about these three people. This shows both sincerity and trust.
"The flying cavalry will be expanded to five thousand, and the training will be completed before next autumn." Guo Dajing said decisively: "The lance cavalry must also reach at least five thousand, and the plan of ten thousand cavalry will not change."
We have money, people, guns, cannons... If we talk too much, we will shed tears, if we do it, it's over!
………………
As the imperial court cut off food and salary, Jinzhou also experienced a drop in temperature.
This year's cold wave is more obvious than last year. The temperature rises later in spring and the frost and temperature fall earlier in autumn and winter. To put it bluntly, the time suitable for crop growth has been shortened.
In Jinzhou, except for some cabbages and radishes, the main crops have been harvested, and the output has also been summarized. What should be distributed to the people, should be the income of the government.
There were no problems with potatoes and rye, with yields reaching 3,000 jins and 200 jins respectively, which were normal for the conditions at that time. Corn was affected, with the yield per mu being only over 300 jins.
This is very different from the yields of later generations, with rye and corn not even achieving half of the yield per mu.
But we can't be too demanding. Without chemical fertilizers, scientific field management, and high-yield and early-maturing seeds, it would be very rare to achieve such a harvest.
At least, for the common people, this kind of output is not only a bumper harvest, but also a great harvest. Especially for potatoes, one acre is equivalent to ten acres, which can be used as both a staple food and a vegetable, which really makes the people overjoyed.
"Next year, the planting area of corn and rye will be reduced. The official will issue a notice, and the people must be happy." Chen Jisheng put down the document and made a new decision.