It looks like a vast expanse of white, but that's just an appearance. Just like the Ming Dynasty, it looks like a huge thing, but it looks like a big tree with rotten roots that will collapse in a moderate wind and rain.
Compared with the Liaodong occupied by the Jianlu, Jinzhou can only be regarded as a corner; compared with the Ming Dynasty, it is even a small place. But in Guo Dajing's view, whether it is a small corner or a small area, it contains the key to pacifying the Liao and destroying the Lu.
hope.
Jiangnan, where singing and dancing flourished, the Central Plains where the Little Glacier disaster struck, and Liaoxi, where the imperial court spent millions of money every year, actually had no hope.
"It seems to be colder this year than last year." Liu Qishi walked to Guo Dajing's side and followed his example, looking at the vast snowfield and trying to find some reason for being so gawky.
"It will get colder." Guo Dajing nodded. The coldness of the Little Ice Age will intensify. At its peak, it will even affect the south of the Yangtze River, and even Guangzhou will have snow.
In other words, even if there are cold-resistant and drought-resistant crops, the yield will be affected. The way to make up for it is to expand the acres of cultivated land to make up for the decrease in the yield per mu.
It's easy to say, but difficult to do. It's not just about occupying a random area, it needs to be snatched from the hands of the Jianlu, and it must be defended with enough strength.
The front is the land that will be occupied, and more crops will be planted, such as rye, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
Liu Qishi only saw the vast snowy wilderness and the Nanguan position that he could overlook by lowering his head.
Turning to look at Guo Dajing, he said again: "The cavalry battalion also needs actual combat training, even if it is chasing the defeated enemy, or staying behind to harass them."
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said: "If there is a chance, I will naturally send out the cavalry battalion."
Turning around, he smiled and said to Liu Qishi: "Brother, don't worry, it's not too late to fight Jianlu. Moreover, it will be a tough battle, a bloody battle, a life-and-death kind of battle."
Whether it was a direct attack on the Jianlu lair, or a cross-sea operation to fight the Jianlu in Gyeonggi, neither plan was made public.
This is also normal. No one can judge that when Jianlu took a detour to enter the pass, he just considered this possibility and made advance preparations.
Even Guo Dajing cannot make an accurate judgment. History has changed so much, and some things will not happen, or the time they will happen is very different.
But he believed in one thing, that is, to be fully prepared and to seize this opportunity to break the situation between ourselves and the enemy no matter what.
And if there are more than 10,000 cavalry to assist, no matter which combat plan is implemented, the chance of victory will be greatly increased. Therefore, in the defensive battle of Nanguan, Guo Dajing was not prepared to use cavalry easily.
The first is to preserve the strength for future use; the second is to hide the strength of the cavalry, confuse the captives, and make them lose their vigilance. Only at the critical moment can they play the role of surprising troops to stand out and establish the victory.
Liu Qishi stopped talking and didn't say much. He believed that his brother's arrangement must be reasonable and most beneficial to him and the cavalry battalion.
"That military eunuch Fang Zhenghua is coming to Nanguan, won't it have any impact?" Liu Qishi shook off the flying snow from his sleeves and said, "I heard that Marshal Mao is going to hide in Dalian?"
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "He does what he does, and we do what we do. If the food and salary are not restored for a day, he must have no shame in gesticulating."
Liu Qishi said: "Others are fine, just keep a respectful distance. I am afraid that you will complain again and be dissatisfied with the court."
Fang Zhenghua knew full well that he was satisfied with the imperial court. Everyone just didn't say it, but they all thought so in their hearts.
"In the future, I'm afraid it's not that the imperial court won't give food and wages, but that Governor Yuan is stuck." Guo Dajing said: "Without Governor Denglai, the food and wages from Tianjin will be transferred to Juehua. Without Governor Yuan's nod, the food and wages will not reach Dongjiang Town.
.”
As he spoke, he made gestures and walked down the fort with Liu Qishi, and continued: "Think about it, the greater the record here, the more it highlights the incompetence of Liaoxi. Besides, Dongjiang Town is not a unit he can trust.
"
Liu Qishi nodded repeatedly in admiration. Anyway, his brother knew things like a god, and everything he said basically came true.
"Now that the food and salary have been cut off, Dongjiang Town can still support it. What other tricks can he use?" Liu Qishi said with some indifference: "As long as you are in Dongjiang Town, brother, you are not afraid of him."
Guo Dajing laughed and said: "Of course I'm not afraid of him. If he boasts too much, he will reap the consequences, and he won't be able to jump around for long."
The two of them walked off the fort and walked slowly towards the barracks in the distance, chatting as they walked.
Mao Chenglu's 6,000 former associates have been here for more than a month. After intense training and the addition of muskets and artillery, they can finally safely demarcate a defense zone and jointly shoulder the task of defending Nanguan against the enemy.
It is undeniable that after more than half a year, there is still a gap in combat strength between the former association and the other three associations. But if we rely on solid defense, there shouldn't be much of a problem.
Even Mao Chenglu had to admit that among the four associations, Guo Dajing's Left Association was the strongest, Li Weiluan's Right Association was second, Kong Youde's Back Association was slightly worse, and his Front Association could only be at the bottom.
The difference between the front and rear associations and the left and right associations is not only in weapons and equipment, but also in actual combat experience and fighting will.
"General Mao, General Kong!" Guo Dajing showed a hint of surprise when he saw Mao Chenglu and Kong Youde coming to see him, but soon returned to normal, smiled and said with a cupped hand: "What gust of wind brought these two distinguished guests here, they are far away."
Welcome!"
Relatively speaking, Kong Youde and Guo Dajing were closer, and they had more contact with each other in North Korea and Jinzhou.
"Don't talk about this general or that general. We are not outsiders." Kong Youde pretended to be carefree and waved his hands, deliberately showing that he was closer to Guo Dajing.
Mao Chenglu smiled and agreed: "Yes, Lao Kong is absolutely right. He is both a leader and a colleague, so why should he be so polite?"
Guo Dajing chuckled and joked: "I am the youngest, so I am called my brother. I am an official, but I take advantage."
As he spoke, he gave instructions one by one and said with a smile: "Brother Mao, Brother Kong, and the sworn brother of a certain person, plus other generals, it seems that they belong to the younger brother Guo."
"Isn't it good to be young?" Mao Chenglu pretended not to care, stretched out his hand to greet him, and said: "There are many generals inside, and they just found a day to get together without informing them in advance."
Guo Dajing gave in modestly, and with Kong Youde and Mao Chenglu entered the big house, which was the former enemy headquarters.
On the Nanguan defense line, there were two headquarters, namely those of the Zuo Xie and the Right Xie, that is, those of Li Weiluan and Guo Dajing. Because the initial defense tasks were undertaken by their headquarters.
After that, Guo Dajing and Li Weiluan both expanded the headquarters and had officers' dormitories or club functions.
When it's not wartime, officers also have their days off. They often gather here, chat, and occasionally improve their lives and have fun. Anyway, they have money, and they dare to buy some luxuries such as wine and meat.
Guo Dajing's residence is outside the big house. It is a small courtyard with a door that leads directly in.
Valley mole
Guo Dajing had some guesses and felt that this should be Mao Wenlong's instruction to let Mao Chenglu, Kong Youde and others get closer to him. As for the generals, they also had a harmonious relationship, which enhanced their understanding and deepened their feelings.
Guo Dajing didn't have any objections to this. According to his inner goal, these people might be his subordinates in the future. It would be a good opportunity to take the opportunity to observe and win over them.
When you enter the hall, you can feel the warm atmosphere. More than a dozen officers are talking loudly, and the air is filled with the aroma of wine.
"The last general has met General Guo." Mao Chenglu and Kong Youde's men stood up one after another and saluted Guo Dajing.
Guo Dajing returned the courtesy with a smile and said: "It's polite, it's polite, you don't have to be polite."
Here, Guo Dajing is regarded as the landlord. After the ceremony, he sent people to prepare wine and food to entertain them.
Sitting down at a small table, only Kong Youde and Mao Chenglu, the three highest-ranking people here, chatted casually.
"I'm sorry to say it, but Mao asked with a shy face, can we allocate another 200 light muskets to our unit?" After a while, Mao Chenglu got straight to the point and asked: "The two battalions in Jinzhou are still in terms of equipment.
Something is lacking.”
Jianlu was preparing offensive equipment such as carriages and waiting for the midwinter. But they did not know that these few months had given the Dongjiang Army an opportunity to enrich their weapons and improve their combat effectiveness.
Now, all the light and heavy muskets brought by the Western Yi have been renovated and distributed to various units. Since Mao Chenglu's troops arrived relatively late, they are indeed somewhat lacking in musket equipment.
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said: "In this way, when the guns made in the arsenal arrive, I will first give Brother Mao two hundred guns. The rest will be divided equally among the four associations."
"Thank you, thank you brother Guo." Mao Chenglu repeatedly raised his hands to express his gratitude.
In the army, strength is the most important. Only by being able to fight can you rise quickly and win the favor of your superiors.
Even if Mao Chenglu is Mao Wenlong's nephew, it is unlikely that he will be promoted all the way without military exploits. Mao Wenlong always has to take into account the emotions of other generals and ensure that he is as fair as possible.
"Brother Mao, you're too polite." Guo Dajing said with a smile, "I've already told you that I'm a boss and a colleague, so why should I be so polite?"
Repeating Mao Chenglu's words again, Guo Dajing meant that what you do, I do, exchange heart for heart.
After the musket transformation was completed, the main focus of the arsenal was on building muskets, mortars, and manufacturing various ammunition.
According to the production speed of muskets, it has reached an average of more than 40 muskets per day, which is more than 1,000 per month. At this rate, Guo Dajing's goal of equipping the entire army with muskets is getting closer and closer.
When the number of mortars reaches the required level, Guo Dajing will shift his human resources to the production of muskets and rockets to fully prepare for next year's big operation.
In terms of overall planning and production scheduling, Guo Dajing is unparalleled in Dongjiang Town.
The various workshops, which were renamed as arsenals, hired foreign technicians, formulated various rules and regulations, and integrated them into categories. The level and speed of production and manufacturing were astonishing.
This is also an important reason why Mao Wenlong handed over the management of the arsenal to Guo Dajing. Even if it is just a letter of guidance, it will not have much impact on the arsenal that is on the right track.
Kong Youde laughed and said, "Let me tell you, Brother Guo will definitely agree. He is not that stingy person."
This has nothing to do with being stingy. As long as it is beneficial to Dongjiang Town, Guo Dajing is willing to be more generous.
Mao Chenglu cupped his hand and said: "Brother Guo, don't worry, I will strictly supervise the training of our troops, and I will never let you down when facing the enemy."
"Brother Mao is serious." Guo Dajing shook his head and said, "It's not that you disappoint me, but you can't let the hard work of running Jinzhou be ruined in one day. I don't want to talk about the importance of Jinzhou, but Brother Mao must also know it."
Mao Chenglu nodded vigorously and said, "I understand."
Guo Dajing didn't say much anymore. He believed that Mao Chenglu would not break his promise and that the former association would not fall behind.
Precisely because the Nanguan defense line concentrated almost all the troops of Dongjiang Town, Guo Dajing was able to increase his troops in Beishashan City, bringing the number of defenders to 7,000.
Compared with the numerous artillery on the Nanguan defense line, Besha Mountain City relied on favorable terrain.
With experience in the war to aid Korea and the Xiaoheishan blockade, and the condescending defense, Guo Dajing had more confidence in his troops.
There are seven thousand men and horses guarding the mountain city, not to mention that one man can hold the pass. One against ten, without a strength advantage several times that of the defenders, it is impossible to conquer it.
Therefore, Guo Dajing's idea was to kill and injure Jianlu as much as possible. Besha Mountain City and Nanguan Defense Line were his carefully arranged killing fields.
The three of them talked for a while, and then Guo Dajing stood up to plead guilty, went to his small yard, and changed into more casual casual clothes.
When he came to the hall again, the officers were already in twos and threes, chatting or joking, and some were drinking small drinks without food.
"General Guo." A call caught Guo Dajing's attention.
He hurriedly walked over with a smile and said, "Brother Shang, why are you sitting here alone?"
Shang Ke laughed happily, raised the small wine bottle in his hand, and said: "I got some good wine, I'm afraid someone will snatch it away."
Guo Dajing knew this was a joke. With their rank and salary, they would have enough money to spend, so they wouldn't have to drink wine secretly.
Sitting in the chair next to him, Guo Dajing looked at Shang Kexi and said with a smile: "I have seen the offensive and defensive drills of the former association, and I think Brother Shang's unit is the most elite."
There are three battalions in the former association, and Shang Kexi is commanding one of them, and he is still a guerrilla official, no different from two years ago.
This is not surprising. Guerrilla is the threshold for generals, but it is very difficult to be promoted. Let alone two years, it is ten or eight years. If there is no chance, you will not be promoted.
Shang Kexi nodded and said: "Thank you for the compliment from General Guo. It is also thanks to several battles with General Guo that we have trained many experienced officers and soldiers."
Guo Dajing could see that Shang Kexi was a little dissatisfied with his current position, or was unwilling to accept it. But there was no way. There were only four associates and four generals. How easy was it for you to lead an army alone?
In fact, Guo Dajing also knew that he was responsible for this, mainly because after occupying Jinzhou, he emptied the islands of their power.