After thinking about it, Guo Dajing said: "That's fine. If the court is summoned, it will find an excuse to decline. This excuse will have to be thought of by the commander-in-chief."
Mao Wenlong laughed and said: "Okay, I won't let you worry about it, just fight your battle well."
The cabin fell silent, but it didn't last long before Guo Dajing smiled and said, "The commander-in-chief must have read the information just sent. Jiannu is mobilizing and manufacturing artillery, and Tong Yangxing is in charge."
During the battle in Liaodong, Jiannu captured a lot of artillery of the Ming army. But they were old-fashioned and not very powerful, such as the General, the Crouching Tiger Artillery and the Folan Machine, as well as some light Franco machines.
Although when Nurhaci was alive, Han soldiers had begun to form firearms and some artillery, but they were not taken seriously and used in several major battles.
Mao Wenlong smiled lightly and said: "It's just to strengthen the city's defense. We don't dare to pull them out to fight with our army."
Jiannu was not a fool. Although he began to pay attention to firearms, mainly artillery, he also knew the gap between the performance of artillery and the Dongjiang Army.
No matter in terms of range or power, it is impossible for Jian Nu to pull out those old artillery and fight against the Dongjiang Army again.
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "It is a good idea to move to the top of the city to strengthen the defense. This may also be to prepare for a detour to enter the pass."
Mao Wenlong nodded his head in agreement and said: "If you want to keep less troops, Huang Taiji must have this idea."
Guo Dajing still preferred to intercept Jianlu in the Gyeonggi area. The number of kills was not the most important. As long as Jianlu's plan to support war with war was destroyed, the turmoil and weakness of the Later Jin Dynasty would be unavoidable in the great famine.
Of course, this also depends on Huang Taiji's specific deployment, how many troops will be dispatched to plunder, how many troops will be left behind, and which major cities and towns they will be stationed in.
The advantage of "King Qin"'s plagiarism lies in the preparation in advance, which must have been something that Huang Taiji and other slave chiefs would never have imagined. They also certainly would not have thought that the Dongjiang Army would take such a bold action across the sea.
With ancient information transmission, troop deployment and transportation capabilities, if the Dongjiang Army had received the news that the slaves had broken through the border, it would have been too late to mobilize troops and generals and prepare grain and ammunition.
Therefore, Huang Taiji's most important priority should be the Liaoshen area to prevent the Dongjiang Army from launching an offensive in southern Liaoning and endangering its core ruling area.
"Commander, after the attack on Zhenjiang, the general will think that the raids will continue." Guo Dajing blinked and suggested: "Famine is a certainty. In order to survive, a large number of shaved Liao people will flee. This is a good opportunity."
Mao Wenlong thought for a while and asked: "Just harassing?"
Guo Dajing nodded vigorously and said: "The small group of one or two hundred people will take more actions without asking for any results. It will make the Jianlu captives exhausted and make it easier for the Liao people to escape."
"Okay." Mao Wenlong felt relieved and said, "There is also North Korea. If you have a good discussion with them this time, they will play a big role in bringing in the fleeing Liao people."
"This year's spring plowing has ended, but it's hard to say whether there will be natural disasters." Mao Wenlong was worried. "A larger population is a good thing, but food is also critical."
Guo Dajing was more confident and said: "After spring plowing, the army and the people will mobilize to overhaul water conservancy facilities. In addition, Jinzhou has many rivers and has a maritime climate. Even if there is a drought, the harvest will not be eliminated. If the harvest is just a failure,
With the high yield of potatoes, the impact will not be too big."
"In addition, the purchase of grain from Jiangnan and overseas will reach 100,000 dan this year. Even if the population doubles, it should be enough to eat."
To establish a relationship with the maritime merchants who sell grain in Southeast Asia, it is necessary to establish a stable business relationship. You can't find it when you are short of time. If you have a good harvest, you will ignore them.
As the Little Glacier disaster spreads, food is the most precious resource, and this situation will continue for at least ten years.
Therefore, Guo Dajing has signed an agreement with maritime merchants to purchase 80,000 dan of grain every year, while the food in Jiangnan will be reduced to 20,000 dan.
Anyway, the Lin family did not expect to make money by selling grain, so Guo Dajing gave up his share to maritime merchants traveling to Southeast Asia in order to maintain this long-term supplier.
"One hundred thousand stones is not the highest limit. It can be increased." Guo Dajing said with a smile, "Commander, don't worry."
Mao Wenlong breathed a sigh of relief, patted Guo Dajing's arm, and said with emotion: "Report the cost of buying grain to Deputy Marshal Chen, and let him supply it to you in batches."
Guo Dajing smiled, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Marshal."
Needless to say, Mao Wenlong also knew that Guo Dajing didn't care much about money, but he also knew that Jinzhou's finances were pretty good after the issuance of military stamps.
It just so happens that the reward silver is about to arrive, more than 400,000 taels! There are also ten ships of grain sent by Governor Yuan, so the government can relax at once.
Originally, I was worried about the fact that the military coupons were coming to the exchange period one after another, but now it seems that after one year of circulation and recycling, there are not many military coupons left in the hands of ordinary people.
Even if the money is exchanged for the common people, most of it has to re-enter circulation channels and be gradually taken back by the government.
The reason for setting the exchange period is to endorse military notes, strengthen the credibility of the government and military notes, and stabilize the status of military notes as currency.
Those issued last year were redeemed and are still being issued this year. If this continues, the financial funding problem will basically be solved.
As time goes on, the credibility of military notes becomes more and more stable, and as a credit currency, it is gradually accepted and recognized by the people.
In other words, in the territory of Dongjiang Town, within the scope of the issuance and use of military tickets, there is no need for gold and silver. As long as the government is willing, it can print huge amounts of funds for spending.
Whether it is distributing military pay or purchasing supplies such as grain and grass, the internal circulation of military coupons will completely solve the financial problems of Dongjiang Town.
The significance is so great, but not everyone may be able to fully understand it, mainly because they can't think of it being so far-reaching.
Mao Wenlong knew it, because there were Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes in front of him. Because of this, he also knew how the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes turned into waste paper and were abandoned by the people.
The conversation between the two started from military operations to the situation in Liaodong, and then extended to the dynamics of the imperial court and the situation of establishing captives.
The atmosphere became more and more harmonious, and people spoke more and more casually, opening their hearts and saying whatever they wanted. This was no longer admiration and respect, but it was just heart-wrenching friendship.
"Li Chengliang, the border commander's martial arts is unprecedented in the past two hundred years, but he can only be granted the title of Uncle Ning Yuan. How can I dare to have more extravagant hopes?" Mao Wenlong shook his head and said: "The promotion of nobility and the title of marquis are just words."
"The Ming Dynasty has accumulated many shortcomings, its generals are cowardly, and its frontier troops are ineffective. If the Dongjiang Army can wipe out the Jianlu, overwhelm the Northern Lu, expand territory, and surpass Li Ningyuan, it will not be difficult."
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "The current land in Liaodong is only equivalent to one or two provinces, but there is a wider land to the north. Why should the commander worry about not having the opportunity to become a prince?"
"Nu'er Gandusi?!" Mao Wenlong raised his eyebrows, but then shook his head, "It's extremely cold in the far north, and the roads are inconvenient. It's difficult for a country to maintain restraint, let alone an army in a town?"
"If the Jian captives are defeated, they must go north. Should we let them escape and regain their vitality?" Guo Dajing said in a persuasive way: "It is bitterly cold in the extreme north, but there are still people living in it. If the roads are inconvenient, just keep building and moving forward..."
Mao Wenlong may have the intention to imitate Li Chengliang and control Liaodong forever. But compared with Guo Dajing, this pattern seems not big enough.
Not even a Northeastern king could satisfy Guo Dajing. Even the current territory of the Ming Dynasty is still too small for him!
Of course, when talking about this to Mao Wenlong, one is to end the conversation, and the other is to set an ambitious goal so that Mao Wenlong will not be as complacent and extravagant as Li Chengliang in his later years, and have to continue to struggle.
Guo Dajing did not rule out the possibility of this. Not to mention permanently controlling Liaodong after defeating the Jianlu, Mao Wenlong might be satisfied even if he stayed on Pi Island and became a grass-headed king.
No matter what the situation, what ideals and goals there are, even if you are starving to death, you can be satisfied with a bowl of porridge; if you have tens of thousands of people, you can be satisfied even if you occupy the Golden State...
Mao Wenlong was thoughtful, stroking his beard and squinting his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long while, he raised his head, looked at Guo Dajing and said slowly: "Dajing, I feel that I am old and frail, and my mentality is not as vigorous as yours, or as ambitious as yours. Only how big your goal is.
Motivation, at this point, you have to be stronger than me."
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said: "The commander-in-chief just sits in charge and provides supervision from time to time. Only with you can the Dongjiang Army have a backbone and avoid chaos or even disintegration. What mentality and goals are based on the specific situation and
It’s determined by strength, not age.”
Grinning, Guo Dajing said again as if he was teasing: "You just have to strategize like Zhuge Liang. When you charge into battle, you will have your generals waiting for the young people to do it."
Mao Wenlong laughed loudly, waved his hand and said: "I am not as good as Zhuge Wuhou, but I am still capable of doing my job by being lazy and looking after the house and enjoying my leisure time."
Leaning forward, Mao Wenlong asked solemnly: "Dajing, what do you think will happen if I go to Beijing to face the Holy Spirit?"
Regarding this issue, Guo Dajing almost said "seeking death".
But when he thought about it carefully, it was not necessarily the case. The outcome would depend on the specific time and the situation faced.
What is more paradoxical is that although the emperor was dissatisfied with Mao Wenlong and the civil servants in the court continued to criticize him, the emperor never summoned Mao Wenlong to Beijing.
Not counting Emperor Tianqi, he was the one who gave Mao Wenlong the power of Jiezhen and gave him enough support.
But as for Chongzhen, why didn't he issue an order to summon him to test Mao Wenlong's loyalty?
"Long live the edict, will the commander-in-chief go?" Guo Dajing, in turn, wanted to get the answer from Mao Wenlong.
"Long live the edict, I will naturally obey it." Mao Wenlong looked calm, and his words did not seem to be lies.
Guo Dajing lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said: "Then the commander-in-chief wants to personally direct the operations of 'King Qin' just to enter the capital to meet the saint?"
"No." Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and said slowly: "Since he is called the 'King of Qin', but the coach doesn't go, doesn't he give others a handle?"
Guo Dajing sighed in his heart, but had to nod helplessly.
This is indeed a problem. He has thought of it before and has been thinking of excuses.
"The commander-in-chief can make excuses." Guo Dajing said, "There are many reasons, and they are not difficult to find."
After a pause, he added: "If the general goes away and the emperor issues an edict, it will be difficult for you to deal with it. With a body of ten thousand gold, you are in an unexpected situation, and a wise man will not do it."
Mao Wenlong did not answer immediately. He seemed to think for a while before he said: "It seems that you are quite prejudiced against today's Long Live, and you are very cautious about it."
Guo Dajing shrugged his shoulders and did not hide his likes and dislikes. He usually complained a lot, and Mao Wenlong also knew it.
Not to mention him, the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town also complained a lot against the court and the emperor because of the two cuts of food and salary, and they could even be said to be resentful.
Mao Wenlong sighed and said: "It is the duty of a minister to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. Even if Banzai makes occasional mistakes, don't be grudged or resentful. I am just afraid that you are young and energetic, and when you arrive in the capital, you will cause trouble. disaster."
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "The commander-in-chief is worrying too much. The general in the end is indeed dissatisfied with the imperial court and Long Live, but it is not treasonous. In fact, the general's humble position is a big advantage. Not as good as the commander-in-chief. It’s famous, but it’s also the target of public criticism.”
Mao Wenlong smiled and shook his head and said: "We will discuss this matter later. There is no need to rush to make a decision."
Guo Dajing also thought so. The situation is changing. Who knows what will happen in a few months. Maybe by then, if Mao Wenlong is invited to go, he will not want to go, or he will not dare to go!
In Guo Dajing's opinion, Emperor Tianqi could give greater power to Dongjiang Town, which was remote and overseas. But in Chongzhen, it was no longer convenient to take it back.
In addition, Mao Wenlong had a stubborn temperament and did not show weakness when quarreling with civil servants. He also often made rude remarks to the emperor. Chongzhen believed that he was already domineering and difficult to control, so there was no need to summon him to test him.
If an imperial edict was issued, but Mao Wenlong could not excuse himself, it would naturally make Chongzhen embarrassed, but there was no way to restrain Mao Wenlong.
It is estimated that this is what Chongzhen is worried about. With the eunuch Fang Zhenghua in Jinzhou, maintaining the status quo for the time being and waiting for changes may be the best way in Chongzhen's opinion.
However, because the Dongjiang Army had achieved impressive results in the past two or three years. Chongzhen hated Mao Wenlong, but he did not want to push this army that was getting stronger with each passing day too hard.
In the court, there were fewer and fewer civil servants criticizing Mao Wenlong for wasting money and salary without restraint, and their voices became quieter and quieter.
But when civil servants want to attack and slander, they don't have to worry about finding a reason. Why are they finding faults? Who is still a perfect person?
In particular, Emperor Chongzhen, who had been surrounded by the civil service group and was so confused by the deception, had not yet seen the face of the civil service group clearly, and was still proud of the fact that "the people are upright and the court is prosperous."
The praise of Mingjun made him float beyond the clouds in the sky, and he could not see clearly that the country of Ming Dynasty was already in turmoil.
Needless to say, Mao Wenlong, as a military general, wielded Shang Fang's sword and had almost uncontrolled power. This was the original sin.
The same thing happened to Xiong Tingbi, the emperor and his courtiers. Wanli had great trust and gave his full support; while Emperor Tianqi was dubious, which finally led to the tragedy of Guangning's defeat.