Chapter 257 Intelligence Analysis, Signs of the Great Famine
Huang Taiji shook his head and said: "Sending troops to attack now will only drive the Ming army back, and it will be difficult to capture a large amount. It will not be too late to attack and plunder them after they have settled in the fields or accumulated food and supplies in the city."
Saharian got the opportunity and hurriedly expressed his support to Huang Taiji, saying: "The Ming army in western Liaoning is just a dog's ear to defend the city, so it is no big deal to let them build the city. When the time is right, either besiege the city for reinforcements or attack the city, the initiative will be with you.
In the hands of our army."
Daishan raised his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Jinzhou must be attacked, otherwise it will be like a knife in the abdomen or a stick in the throat. But the Dongjiang Army is no longer what it used to be, and the weapons are so fierce and sharp that they should not be underestimated. Yi Mou
In view of this, we dispatched 35,000 men and horses, plus 5,000 Mongolian soldiers, to be sure of victory."
There were still 40,000 troops, but they were replaced by vassals of 5,000 Mongolian soldiers, which were cannon fodder troops.
Daishan's meaning is also very obvious. If you can reduce the number of bannermen to die, then die less and let the Mongols take over.
Huang Taiji agreed very much, and asked other people's opinions again. Seeing that no one objected, he said: "In that case, the two white flags will send 10,000 troops. The losses of the two red flags have not been replenished, so we will join the Zhenglan flag.
Send out six thousand troops, and any shortage will be made up by sending troops from two yellow flags."
Mang Gurtai was unwilling, but had no reasonable excuse to shirk it, so he could only remain silent and accepted the Khan's order holding his breath.
In order to reduce the consumption of food and supplies, only bannermen and Mongolian soldiers were sent out this time, and they carried a large amount of equipment, such as carts and ladders.
In fact, it is said that there are 40,000 troops, but apart from the troops stationed at key points along the way to ensure the retreat, the number of troops who can reach the front line and participate in the attack should only be about 30,000.
Even with 30,000 troops, Huang Taiji and everyone believed that they had a good chance of winning. Even if the Dongjiang Army grew rapidly, its actual strength was there.
The Ming Dynasty also cut off the food and salary of Dongjiang Town, which must have made people's hearts wander. It was only in the middle of winter that the rivers leading to Jinzhou were frozen, and it was time to launch a large-scale campaign.
Just as Huang Taiji said, I wanted to deal a devastating blow to Dongjiang Town before, but across the sea, I could only look at the ocean and sigh.
Now it's good. Taking Jinzhou will not only deal a very heavy blow to Dongjiang Town, but also plunder the population and food supplies. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone.
Huang Taiji decided to go on a personal expedition, thinking that he had a good chance of winning, which would increase his prestige and accumulate capital for becoming emperor. In addition, he set his sights on Mang Gurtai and wanted to find an opportunity to deal with him, or at least weaken the Zhenglan Banner.
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Beile and Taiji of Aru came to Shengjing to meet Huang Taiji. Huang Taiji took this opportunity to swear an alliance with Beile and Taiji of Aru to heaven.
Huang Taiji promised to treat Aru's Beile and Taiji like Tushetukhan Oba and others, and in return, Aru's Beile and Taiji promised never to betray Houjin!
Huang Taiji also summoned Beile from Horqin and Taiji from the four sub-tribes of Alu, just like Alu, to conduct a solemn ceremony to swear an oath to the heaven.
Huang Taiji also held a meeting with Horqin, Zhasak, Beile of Abaga, and Taiji to discuss the military system applicable to various Mongolian tribes.
Because Garnot Orbotaiji and Bukut Orbotaiji of Zhalut did not bid farewell to Huang Taiji in person, they led their men and horses back to Zhalut with the looted property and livestock, and were arrested.
Huang Taiji punished a war horse and a camel
Huang Taiji sent Ashdarhan and Xifu to Horqin to punish those Baile and Taiji who did not lead their troops to join forces.
Huang Taiji sent Baiyindali and Yibai to the Khalkha tribe to which Chahar belonged to punish those Beile and Taiji who did not lead their troops to join forces.
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Guo Dajing put down the summary information sent to him, stood up and walked to the window, looking at the scenery outside, and fell into long thoughts.
Huang Taiji has not been idle in the past few months. He is integrating the various Mongolian tribes that are dependent on Hou Jin. He is either making alliances or punishing them, giving them both kindness and power, and is preparing to attack the Chahar tribe again.
Whether these Mongolian tribes are willing or not, "might is truth", and the rules will naturally be made by the stronger party.
As for the Ming Dynasty, instead of being able to protect Lin Dan Khan as an ally, they stripped him of all his rewards, forcing Lin Dan Khan to raise troops to invade, and large-scale conflicts broke out in Datong and Xuanfu.
Chongzhen thought that by taking advantage of the disaster in the north and the weakness of the Chahar tribe, he could not only save money from the market reward, but also defeat Lin Dan Khan with hunger and completely solve the Mongolian problem in the north.
I don’t know whether this weird idea should be called ambitious or stupid and short-sighted.
If we take advantage of the Chahar tribe's difficulties and reach out to help, the Chahar tribe may become Xuanda's northern barrier, and may even threaten Hou Jin's plan to plunder the capital.
It's better now. Although Chongzhen later saw that Xuanda was unable to resist the intrusion of the Chahar tribe, he restored the city reward. But the grudge had already arisen. The Chahar tribe no longer trusted the Ming Dynasty, so how could they be willing to help the Ming Dynasty again?
At the same time, this operation of the Ming court also chilled many Mongolian tribes and secretly turned to Hou Jin, which provided favorable conditions for Jianlu's looting operations.
Now, the only factor that prevents Huang Taiji from taking action with confidence is Jinzhou and Dongjiang Town.
But reality does not allow Dongjiang Town to abandon Jinzhou, let alone weaken itself to lure the enemy into action.
Otherwise, if there is no foundation, there will be no strength. Even if Jianlu launches a large-scale campaign, what will they use to destroy their lair?
The sound of footsteps sounded, and Zhou Qing quickly entered the house, handed Guo Dajing a piece of information, and said, "I just received it, but it's not unexpected."
Guo Dajing reached out to take it, opened it, took a look, and threw it on the table with a sneer.
The peace talks were carried out in the name of paralyzing Huang Taiji to buy time for the construction of Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities. Such nonsense can only deceive that fool Chongzhen.
The big bosses in the court should know Yuan Chonghuan's true intentions, but they are happy to see it come to fruition and will not tell Chongzhen the truth.
"If Yuan Chonghuan really wants to negotiate peace, Dongjiang Town will probably become a stumbling block for him, right?" Zhou Qing said uncertainly: "Could it be that the imperial court cut off food and salary, dismissed Governor Denglai, and changed the imperial tribute route, all to suppress Dongjiang?
town?"
Guo Dajing nodded and said: "Yes, Yuan Chonghuan and the Donglin Party bosses in the court want to suppress Dongjiang Town."
"What about the emperor, why do you treat Dongjiang Town like this?" Zhou Qing frowned, "Can't he see the achievements of Dongjiang Town in the past two years?"
"I would rather have obedient and incompetent ministers than uncontrollable heroes." Guo Dajing laughed and said: "The emperor only cares about his throne, and he doesn't think that the absence of Dongjiang Town will cause any loss to the great Ming Dynasty."
Zhou Qing looked at Guo Dajing's smile. There was anger, unwillingness, and helplessness in it. It would be more accurate to say that he was laughing out of anger.
"The Great Victory of Ningyuan and the Great Victory of Ningjin were originally suspected of turning defeat into success. They were propaganda methods used by the imperial court to calm the people and boost morale."
Guo Dajing sat down, stretched out his hand to signal Zhou Qing to sit down as well, and analyzed: "But Chongzhen obviously believed it, and with the praise of the Donglin Party civil servants, he regarded Yuan Chonghuan as a famous general who helped people in distress and eliminated Pingliao.
All hope rests on him."
Historically speaking, Chongzhen was indeed deceived by civil servants and Yuan Chonghuan, and he seriously misjudged the war situation in Ming and Jin Dynasties.
But to say that he was unjustly accused, Guo Dajing obviously disagrees.
It can be excused for not knowing people well and making mistakes in employing them, but it is most unforgivable to ignore the life and death of the people of the Ming Dynasty and to treat the soldiers and civilians fighting against the Jianlu on the front line with indifference.
During his seventeenth year in power, Chongzhen not only regarded the soldiers and common people at the bottom as ants, but also regarded the civil servants and generals as dogs and horses. In terms of cruelty and ruthlessness, he even surpassed Taizu Zhu Baba.
The first and last Ming emperors were both so cold-blooded and murderous. I wonder if it was a predestined arrangement.
If you lose a battle, kill a general; if you lose a battle, kill an official. Chongzhen's final madness was to force his queen and concubine to death and kill his own daughter.
Perhaps, feudal emperors all had this kind of virtue, but the situation was different and the cold-blooded cruelty in their hearts had no chance to express themselves.
Zhou Qing sighed heavily and said: "It seems that we can only rely on ourselves to resist the Jianlu."
Guo Dajing nodded and said helplessly: "We must not only deal with foreign enemies, but also guard against internal strife and attacks. Dongjiang Town has reached its most dangerous period."
When the conversation changed, Guo Dajing's face became firm again and he said: "But if we persist for more than a year, the situation will change drastically."
Gu Si
Then, he looked at Zhou Qing and said: "The espionage work must continue to be strengthened. I will take another 10,000 taels of silver, and you and Brother Ma will make good arrangements. Not only the Jianlu ruling area, but also the capital and Shandong must be widely spread.
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"Don't worry!" Zhou Qing nodded vigorously and said, "He Guizhong and Li Haidong have established a firm foothold in Beijing and Tianjin. According to your order, they sent people to inspect the villages, towns, counties, and terrain in the Gyeonggi area."
"As for Shandong, the main eyes and ears are still in Denglai. If we have you, we can develop to other places." Zhou Qing laughed twice and said jokingly: "You are such a spendthrift, does Axiu know?"
Guo Dajing laughed and said: "Money is something external to the body. They will definitely support everything I decide. By the way, if I am not here, if you need money, just go to Fujino Hide and ask for it. I will say hello to her."
Zhou Qing nodded his head in agreement, and followed these words with a reminder: "You just send your younger siblings away and ignore them? There's nothing wrong here. You'd better go and accompany them!"
Guo Dajing waved his hand and said: "I'll let them go to the trouble of accompanying women around. Maybe we haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's find Brother Ma and chat for a while."
"Sure." Zhou Qing stood up and walked out with a smile.
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Lin's Store.
"Sister Xiu, Ronger..." Lin Waner ran over with a smile, hugging this and that, she was very happy.
Since coming to Dalian, Lin Wan'er only met Sister Xiu and Ronger once when she went to visit the Guo Mansion. After a few months, they were extremely close and warm when they met again.
Fujino Hide was smiling by the side, and he was often with Lin Waner, and he didn't feel that Lin Waner was neglecting him.
"I invited you several times before I came here." Lin Wan'er held one hand on each side, looked left and right, and said with some complaint: "It's not that far away."
Fujino Hide saw that Axiu was a little confused and didn't know how to explain, so he smiled and said: "There are so many things at home, and only Sister Xiu takes care of them. After the autumn harvest, I have some free time. I dragged them here to buy some things."
"
Ronger tilted her little head and asked curiously: "Sister Wan'er, this is your store, is there anything interesting or delicious?"
Lin Wan'er giggled, pulling the two of them to the left and walking back, "There are a lot of goods, you can see and choose for yourself. Take whatever you like, don't be embarrassed!"
"Don't you want money?" Ronger pinched her small purse, which contained a few pieces of broken silver and a few military coupons.
"If you want any money, isn't that humiliating me?" Lin Wan'er puffed out her chest and said proudly, "Go ahead and take it, the more you take, the better."
In normal times, Fujino Hide also bought a lot of things at home, such as silk forgings and jewelry for Axiu, candied candies for Ronger, and books for Li Xiucheng.
Therefore, even if Axiu and Rong'er came to visit and have some fun, they really didn't lack anything.
Fujino was chatting and laughing with them, asking Lin Wan'er to show off. Anyway, the Lin family didn't make money by pointing out the goods in the store. Although there were many varieties, they only looked good on the surface.
The supply and marketing station in Jinzhou is in the hands of the government. The Lin family transports relatively large quantities of goods, such as cotton, cotton cloth, sugar, etc., which are sold directly to the government, which is regarded as a supplier.
Although this store also sells some commercial goods, not many people in Jinzhou now have that kind of spending power.
Therefore, most of the time, Lin Wan'er has nothing to do. Fortunately, Zheng Yan'er is with her and she can go to Fujino Hide's place to play, so it won't be too boring.
"General Guo is back too! Then I will send someone to tell him that he will have dinner here at noon today." Lin Wan'er acted relatively calmly about this, which is normal. Even Guo Dajing didn't think he was so handsome.
Fujino Hide hurriedly stopped him and said: "My husband still has military duties. As I said, we will have lunch outside."
Lin Wan'er thought this was more convenient, so she happily called the cook and asked him to work hard and cook some Jiangnan dishes.
"Jinling roast duck is good; three shrimp tofu is good; radish stewed with ham, fried prawns in oil..."
Ronger was listening and swallowed involuntarily. She had never even heard of it, it must be delicious.
After sending the cook away, Lin Wan'er stayed beside A Xiu enthusiastically and invited: "Stay here for a few more days. Let's go to Dalian Bay to see the sea and Dagushan..."
In later generations, Dalian was established as a city based on Hong Kong. Now, it can only be regarded as a small town. The scenic spots are all natural, and there is no such thing as a scenic spot.
"It's more convenient to stay in my own store, and I won't cause any trouble to you." Axiu smiled and declined, "The two houses are not far apart. If you want to visit, just say hello."
"No matter what the trouble is, just stay with me." Lin Wan'er said sincerely and was not hypocritical at all.
Fujino Hide rolled his eyes and said: "Just tell your husband. Anyway, he is busy with military affairs, so let us have fun."
Well, how beautiful it would be to coax Axiu to sit here, secretly go back to the store, and sleep with her husband!
Fujino Hide was very thoughtful, and he became even more excited and agitated when he thought of this great idea and thought of monopolizing his husband at night.
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Jiangnan dishes were arranged here, but Guo Dajing was already eating and drinking. Although it was not sumptuous, the conversation was harmonious and the atmosphere was good.
Zhou Qing and Ma Min were the first people Guo Dajing met and fought side by side with. Although Guo Dajing left for Guanglu Island soon, the friendship remained.
Guo Dajing is not just here to get together and have a drink. Some intelligence work needs to be carried out one after another. These two are trustworthy and can be safely handed over.
"Winter came early this year!" Zhou Qing put a few pieces of mutton on the iron mesh of the charcoal stove and said with a smile: "The cold weather has the advantage of keeping the meat for a longer time."
Without a refrigerator, it is really inconvenient to eat meat. You can only eat two or three meals of slaughtered livestock. You can't kill ducks and sheep every day, the conditions don't allow it! It can be preserved for more time by marinating, but the taste will not be the same.
Same.
But the arrival of winter provides people with a natural refrigerator. You can freeze the meat and eat it if you want.
Ma Min threw two peanuts into his mouth, chewed them deliciously, and said with a smile: "I heard that these eating methods were taught by Dajing. The taste is indeed extraordinary."
Guo Dajing chewed the roasted mutton in his mouth, poured wine for Zhou Qing and Ma Min, and said with a smile: "I am greedy and like to think blindly. You can just think it tastes good. It's not troublesome to make it."
Zhou Qing said with emotion: "If it hadn't been for the occupation of Jinzhou, the imperial court would have been cut off from food and salary. Even eating would be a problem. There would be no meat to eat or wine to drink."
Ma Min felt the same and said: "Last year, people almost starved to death. Thanks to Dajing buying food from outside, we could barely survive."
"Don't talk about this." Guo Dajing waved his hand, sipped his wine, and said slowly: "It is almost a foregone conclusion that the Jianlu will attack Jinzhou in winter, and our army is sure to defend it. After repelling the Jianlu, our army will move north again.
Advance and capture the entire Golden State first."
Zhou Qing and Ma Min slowed down their eating and drinking pace, knowing that Guo Dajing had not finished speaking and must have other tasks to explain.
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said: "If it were just Jianlu, it would be easier to resist. But the internal pressure from the imperial court and the governor of Jiliao is not easy to deal with. It lasted for more than a year, and there was no problem, but it took a long time.
?”
Zhou Qing nodded repeatedly and said: "That's true. Even if there are military stamps and the recovered land is productive, buying iron, sulfur, saltpeter, etc. from outside still requires money. Without these, it is difficult to guarantee weapons and equipment."
Ma Min looked at Guo Dajing and said: "It's been more than a year. You just said that you don't need to hold on for too long before things will change."
Guo Dajing put down his wine glass and said: "I do have such a prediction, which is based on the comprehensive situation in the Jianlu area. This year's harvest will be bad, which is confirmed by intelligence. If next year's harvest is not good, it will not be surprising if there is a famine..."
The cold wave was the biggest impact on the poor harvests in the areas ruled by Jianlu, but there were also natural disasters such as droughts and floods. You must know that Jianlu not only had backward production methods, but also neglected the construction of infrastructure due to years of war.
There are no water conservancy facilities, lack of ditch drainage and irrigation, and there is almost no resistance to natural disasters, and the natural impact is huge.