Guo Dajing, Ma Min and others sat around the table, discussing various arrangements, mainly the preparations for Operation Qinwang.
"From Yongping, Qian'an, Fengrun, Zunhua, or Changli, Luanzhou, Bao, Xianghe, to Jizhou, it is easy to get supplies from the cities along the way. The trouble is that the defenders may not open the city gates to let our troops in.
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"If we land from Qinhuangdao, go to Funing, Qian'an, go straight to Santunying, and then to Zunhua, although there will be no difficulty in entering the city, there will be fewer villages and towns along the way, making it difficult to obtain supplies."
Ma Min pointed on the map and introduced Guo Dajing.
Of these three roads, two were taken by the Ming army in history: one was taken by Yuan Chonghuan and Guan Ning's army, and the other was taken by Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Zhao Ledjiao.
Yuan Chonghuan's destination was Jizhou, where he wanted to block Jiannu and prevent the capital from being disturbed. Zhao Lijiao also followed Yuan's orders and went to Zunhua to strengthen defense and block Jiannu.
However, the Jiannu had already broken through the barrier and entered the three camps. Zunhua was the first to bear the brunt. Zhao led Jiannu and his 4,000 cavalry as if they were directly ramming into tens of thousands of Jiannu and seeking their own destruction.
The same thing happened in history. After Jianlu broke through the pass, he did not rush to attack Santunying and Zunhua. Instead, he waited for work and set up an ambush to annihilate Zhao's teaching troops.
If we analyze it afterwards, we will find that there are big problems with Yuan Chonghuan's order to Zhao Lijiao.
Xifengkou, where Jianlu broke through the pass, was only more than fifty miles away from Santun Camp, while Shanhaiguan was two hundred and sixty miles away from Santun Camp. This does not include the news that Yuan Chonghuan and Zhao Lejiao got later. In terms of time,
Already lagging far behind.
Therefore, Zhao led the cavalry, and Jianlu did not enter the pass on two legs. In terms of time and distance, it was impossible to enter Zunhua to defend before Jiannu.
Guo Dajing did not dare to say that he was confident, but he knew that when he led his troops to copy the retreat of Jiannu, there were almost no enemies that were too strong to stop the Dongjiang Army.
"Qinhuangdao, Yongping, Funing, Qian'an, divide the troops to attack the three camps, Zunhua." Guo Dajing stretched out his hand to draw the most direct route, "There is no need to add too many additional locations, Yongping, Funing, Qian'an."
One or two places are enough."
After a pause, he added: "Don't think too much about the supply of food and materials. I have my own way."
When entering the Gyeonggi area to fight, Guo Dajing was not too worried about the problem of food and supplies. As for the city being closed, it was not difficult for the villages and towns to stock up in advance.
After hearing Guo Dajing's plan, Zhou Qing and Ma Min thought about it and agreed, but also put forward conditions.
"Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem." Guo Dajing generously said that he would use money to send more spies to Gyeonggi and purchase and store supplies on the spot.
In addition to his own garrison, there are also wealthy landowners in the places he visited. They must also investigate clearly and make lists and information. Guo Dajing is not prepared to be polite to them. It is time for them to destroy their families and relieve them.
Jianlu not only robbed property but also robbed people and killed people. Guo Dajing was more particular at least, only robbing property but not life.
"Set another blacksmith shop in Funing?" Zhou Qing looked at Guo Dajing inquiringly. This would require spending some money to build a batch of rocket launchers and store them on site.
Guo Dajing nodded happily and said, "Place some manpower in Shanhaiguan, Yongping, Funing, Qian'an and other places. Maybe they will be used when attacking the city."
Siege?! Zhou Qing and Ma Min looked at each other, both showing a little surprise.
I'm afraid this is not just about attacking the cities occupied by the Jiannu. If necessary, even the cities guarded by the Ming army must be taken down, right?
Guo Dajing smiled slightly and didn't say too much. Anyway, he just took out the money and asked Zhou Qing and Ma Min to make arrangements.
A lot of eyeliner will not only be useful this time, but in the long run, it will also become the eyes, ears and mouthpiece of Dongjiang Town.
"If Jiannu really takes a detour to enter the customs, will only a small number of people be left to look after the house, and all of them will come out in full force?" In the subsequent chat, Zhou Qing raised his own question.
Obviously, judging from their expressions, this question has been hidden in everyone's minds for a long time.
After all calculations, the Dongjiang Army's cross-sea attack strength did not exceed 30,000. If the troops were strong, fighting in a different place would be very dangerous.
Guo Dajing actually didn't dare to be very sure, he just made an analysis and judgment based on history.
After sorting out his thoughts, Guo Dajing smiled and said slowly: "This possibility cannot be ruled out, but according to Huang Taiji's temperament and the thoughts of Hou Jin's senior officials, the possibility of an overwhelming outburst is very small."
"Even entering the customs through a detour will encounter great resistance. It is not easy for Huang Taiji to get support and put the plan into practice."
"Furthermore, the Jianqiu have suffered repeated heavy losses. Even if we can expand our troops through mobilization, how many people will be able to detour into the border to guard the vast occupied area and prevent our troops from stealing their homes?"
In fact, Guo Dajing has been conducting analysis and research through the data in his memory recently, and the conclusions he has drawn have become increasingly clear and accurate.
In his opinion, this was the first time in history that Huang Taiji took a detour to enter the Pass. The number of slaves plus Mongolian soldiers was only about 30,000. Or even less.
"After all, the detour into the customs was a tentative military operation. Huang Taiji did not dare to make a desperate move, and the senior officials of Houjin would not allow him to do so."
"Actually, we can refer to the troops dispatched by Huang Taiji to conquer Hu Duntu. There were two yellow flags and two white flags, and there were more than ten thousand Mongolian soldiers. However, after several setbacks, the Eight Banners suffered considerable losses, and I'm afraid they won't be able to mobilize so many troops.
troops."
Amin's Blue Banner suffered heavy losses in the battle against North Korea, while the Two Red Banners suffered heavy casualties in the two battles of Lushun Fort and Nanguan.
The troops of the two yellow flags and the two white flags also suffered a certain amount of losses after the battle at Nanguan. It will be difficult to restore their original strength in a short period of time.
Zhou Qing and Ma Min listened attentively and kept nodding their heads in agreement. As for the situation of establishing slaves, they were well aware of the espionage work and could tell where their analysis was wrong.
"In this way, Jiannu can muster about 30,000 troops, which is almost the limit." Zhou Qing took advantage of Guo Dajing's cup to drink water and said: "Our Dongjiang Army is firmly in southern Liaoning, and they don't dare to
Abandoning home."
Ma Min nodded in agreement, his expression full of pride, and he had stronger confidence in the strength of the Dongjiang Army.
Guo Dajing chuckled and said: "If Jiannu dares to mobilize in full force, the Dongjiang Army's attack on Liaoshen will be more convenient than a long-distance attack across the sea."
Although this is not the best result, if this is the case, Guo Dajing can only do the next best thing and smash Jianlu's lair.
As Zhou Qing said, the Dongjiang Army occupying the entire Jinzhou has posed a threat to Jianlu's central control area, namely Liaoshen, that Jianlu must take seriously.
This was not a small-scale harassment, and it caused losses that the Jianlu could bear. If Liao Shen suffered losses, no matter how much Jianlu gained from looting the capital, and the foundation of their rule was destroyed, it would not be worth the gain.
Moreover, this is different from a cross-sea expedition, which requires full preparations. Most of the Dongjiang Army's troops are in Jinzhou, and the food and grass supplies are also gathered here, so it does not take a long time to launch.
Next, the atmosphere of the conversation became more relaxed, and the topics discussed were no longer limited to military affairs.
"Lao He did a good job. He sent someone back to report and handed over nearly a hundred taels of silver." Zhou Qing said with a smile: "It's easy to come from the east and it's easy from the west. I heard that it has a little reputation in the capital!"
Shabu-shabu-roasted lamb is indeed delicious. Moreover, there is no fake lamb, and it tastes more delicious and addictive.
"How's it going over there, Lao Li?" Guo Dajing asked with a smile: "Tianjin is a little more relaxed than the capital, and there's no need to be too busy."
Ma Min said with a smile: "Although Lao Li doesn't make much money, he doesn't need to spend any more money. In addition, he also opened up a way to buy horses from Beizhili and ship them by sea from Tianjin."
"This is a great achievement." Guo Dajing said: "Coupled with the horses purchased from Shandong, if the cavalry battalion can be expanded to 10,000 horses before the end of the year, there should be some hope."
Although the number of war horses may be reached, it may take longer for the cavalry to reach the standard and be able to be brought to the battlefield to charge.
Guo Dajing is not very greedy. In Operation Qinwang, he was quite happy and satisfied to have three thousand flying cavalry to assist him in the battle.
It's a pity that the horses of Guan Ning's cavalry are a group of city guard dogs that have become timid. No matter how many horses there are, they can't support their backs.
However, Yuan Chonghuan is showing his good intentions and wants to paralyze Mao Wenlong. Isn't this an opportunity that can be exploited?
There is a channel for buying horses in Ningyuan, which is a place bordering the Mongolian Haraqin tribe and can open markets for trading with the Mongolian tribes.
I don’t know if Governor Yuan’s food supply in Gaotaipu City has started yet. Instead of exchanging some useless firewood from the Haraqin tribe, it would be better to exchange for some useful war horses.
Dongjiang Town can pay for it, using the reward money issued by the imperial court.
Guo Dajing rolled his eyes, feeling that this matter was quite promising. He immediately turned back to the house, took out a pen and paper, wrote a letter to Mao Wenlong, and sent someone to send him away immediately.
………………
War is all about logistics, and war with hot weapons is even more so. It relies far more on ammunition and supplies than cold weapons.
While Guo Dajing was on vacation, he continued to communicate and discuss with the Military Intelligence Department, and often went to the arsenal to adjust the production and manufacturing of ammunition.
Ammunition reserves are necessary, and the battle at Nanguan consumes a lot of money. Then there will be the Zhenjiang battle and cross-sea raids, which will require more ammunition and supplies.
After the number of mortars reached 400, production ceased. The arsenal mainly manufactured mortar ammunition, as well as mines, bombs, as well as flintlock muskets and rockets.
The rockets were all put into space by Guo Dajing, leaving only a small amount for artillery training. This will be the most important heavy weapon to be carried on a cross-sea expedition.
As for the artillery, Guo Dajing only planned to carry fifty light Franco machines, each of which was equipped with twenty sub-nests. Of course, he secretly put away most of the sub-nests.
The space has become an arsenal, with gunpowder, lead, rockets, nests, bombs, and mines, enough for a large-scale battle.
To ensure victory in the battle, the most reliable weapon is muskets. Even without heavy weapons and only tens of thousands of musketeers, Guo Dajing was quite confident and fought against the city, defeating the Jianlu with comparable strength.
"Are we going to fight again?" Zhao Qingshan guessed and looked at Guo Dajing, "Are we asking you to lead the troops to fight again?"
Guo Dajing chuckled, pushed two bottles of good wine to Zhao Qingshan, and said: "How can you be promoted without fighting? Brother Zhao, don't worry, I am already a staff general, and you don't need me to fight the enemy in battle."
Zhao Qingshan lowered his eyes and seemed to be looking at the wine bottle, but he said slowly: "You still have to be more careful, guns and swords have no eyes!"
Guo Dajing nodded and said: "Brother Zhao, it is not a long-term solution to live alone like this. If there is a suitable woman among the newly escaped Liao people, just accept them!"
There was no interruption in the number of shaved Liao people escaping from the Jianlu-controlled areas, and single or bereaved women could often be seen.
Don't talk about relationships at that time. It's just like during the Great Famine, if you take a few steamed buns, there will be many women rushing to follow you.
The Liao people who arrived in Jinzhou for the first time were not only happy but also worried. They didn't know how they would live in the future. Who could they rely on?
"Based on Brother Zhao's conditions, it's not difficult at all to find a woman." Guo Dajing said jokingly: "As long as the news is spread, girls and wives will line up to come."
Zhao Qingshan laughed loudly and said: "Okay, okay, you don't have to worry about it. I'll take care of it myself. You, you two daughters-in-law, you have to work harder and spend more time with them to give birth to a boy and a girl as soon as possible."
I worked so hard that my body was almost exhausted.
Guo Dajing nodded in agreement, but didn't take it seriously. For this kind of thing, just leave it to fate and let nature take its course!
"The arsenal has basically been sorted out. You don't have to worry too much." Zhao Qingshan said: "If you have any orders, just write a letter and we will make arrangements here."
Guo Dajing was very pleased with this. After more than two years of construction, both the manufacturing tools and the formulation and implementation of rules and regulations have enabled the arsenal to operate normally.
In addition, the weapons and ammunition produced have basically taken shape and do not need to be modified for a long time. The improvement of proficiency allows the quality and output to meet the needs of the army.
As for further advancement in technology, we can only seek breakthroughs through exploration and experimentation, mainly iron and steelmaking, which cannot be completed in a short time.
"The craftsmen are treated like soldiers, and this policy works well." Zhao Qingshan said with emotion: "With the land, they can work with confidence and peace of mind."
There were times when the craftsmen could no longer work, or when the arsenal did not need so many manpower. Guo Dajing made suggestions to give them treatment like retired soldiers.
In this way, craftsmen can not only receive land for their families to cultivate now and retire later, but also have land as a guarantee of life.
This way, you can rest assured that the people's requirements are really very low.
Guo Dajing didn't think this was a great deal of good governance, and the tax benefits were only compared to the previous military household system. In real terms, it was quite heavy.
But because of the high yield of potatoes, coupled with crops such as rye and corn, the people suddenly felt that they did not have to worry about food, and their happiness level skyrocketed.
If you think about it, the tithe was already very high in history. Here in Dongjiang Town, it reached 30, 40, or even 50 percent, but it made the people grateful and enthusiastic.