The soldiers who set out on their way back were very excited and happy, walking briskly, and their spirits were higher than when they came.
Guo Dajing also relaxed and rode together with Li Jiucheng, chatting casually.
Although Li Jiucheng was Kong Youde's deputy, he was very smart and strategic. Kong Youde obeyed his words and was really no less than the commander of the Later Association.
Historically, Li Jiucheng was the mastermind behind the mutiny launched by Kong Youde's troops in Wuqiao, and it even seemed to be a coercion.
After the rebels captured Dengzhou City, they elected Li Jiucheng as the leader, followed by Kong Youde, and Geng Zhongming. Later, Li Jiucheng was killed by the Ming army in the battle, and Kong Youde and others lost the will to fight and fled north across the sea.
During their interactions, Guo Dajing also discovered that Li Jiucheng's prestige in the rear association was even greater than that of Kong Youde. This was related to Li Jiucheng's temperament and conduct. An officer who treated his subordinates harshly would not get the support of his officers and soldiers.
"In general, if the terrain is unfavorable or the area is very wide, infantry will still be passive against cavalry."
Guo Dajing also agreed with Li Jiucheng's analysis. The favorable terrain was naturally not suitable for cavalry to gallop freely, but the adaptability of infantry was stronger than that of cavalry.
Of course, the so-called passive is also relative.
The infantry forms a solid battle formation and fights with the cavalry, which is at best a waste of energy. But the cavalry can fight and retreat, while the infantry moves slowly and cannot pursue them, so they naturally have no initiative.
"Being able to withstand the cavalry's stray fire and impact is considered a victory for the infantry." Guo Dajing said thoughtfully, "It would be even better if the firepower could be strengthened."
Li Jiucheng nodded repeatedly, "Infantry has a natural disadvantage, you can't have too high expectations."
For now, the fact that infantry and cavalry with similar numbers can fight inextricably is something they never dared to think about before.
"The vehicle-mounted cannon is one thing, but there may be other ways." Guo Dajing said thoughtfully: "Let me think about it carefully and see if there is any way to increase the firepower."
Li Jiucheng smiled and complimented, "General Guo's fantastic ideas are admirable. General Guo is sure that the combat effectiveness of our Dongjiang Army will be greatly improved."
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "If it cannot be improved, the Dongjiang Army will have no choice but to compete with Jianlu. Manpower, material resources, and financial resources will see who falls first."
"It must be Jianlu." Li Jiucheng came to the conclusion without thinking, and said with a smile: "When it comes to being good at dancing, General Guo is the first. As long as you have money, it is not easy to have any manpower or material resources."
Guo Dajing also thought so. Even if the court did not support it, it would only take a few more years. Civil unrest arose, and the court wanted to clean up Dongjiang Town, but it did not have the energy or strength.
What's more, there is also the bottomless pit in Liao Town. To maintain the Guanning Jin Defense Line for one day, tens of thousands of taels of silver must be invested. This is definitely an unbearable financial pressure for the imperial court.
"I very much agree with what General Li said." Guo Dajing was not modest and nodded in agreement with Li Jiucheng's compliments and compliments. "When it comes to making money, I really can't belittle myself."
It was not surprising to Li Jiucheng that Guo Dajing did his part. He was always humble and modest, and if he did too much, it would appear to be hypocritical. Guo Dajing could say this in front of him, which seemed to be close to nature.
Li Jiucheng smiled and nodded, looking deeply convinced, and said after a while: "General Guo, if others had your ability and wealth, they probably would not stay in this war-torn place like Liaodong. The world is so big, you can find peace or prosperity at will.
Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy this land to the fullest?”
Yes, I think so too. But if the empire is not destroyed and the civil strife is unjust, the world will be filled with fishy smells.
Guo Dajing sighed in his heart and said slowly: "If you have money, you can enjoy it as much as you want, but Guo can't think of it that simple. What kind of peaceful and prosperous place has no foundation, no connections, no relatives and helplessness, and the current situation is constantly changing, so maybe he can live well."
On tenterhooks."
Li Jiucheng looked at Guo Dajing strangely, not quite understanding the meaning of his words.
Nothing else matters. Only the painful history is Guo Dajing's heartache.
Internal and external troubles, the fall of China, and the smell everywhere were what he wanted to change, and what he couldn't bear the most. For himself, his relatives, and China, he had to fight desperately.
But except for him, no one would have thought that slaves with a population of less than one million would take over the world, and no one would believe that this would become a reality.
If the history is a hundred years from now, Guo Dajing can lie down and enjoy himself with his money. But if he cannot change history, it will only be twenty years from now.
This may be a common problem among time travellers. They lack a sense of security and always want to control their destiny in their own hands. As long as there is a possibility, they will fight for it.
"General Guo has great ambitions. Although Li doesn't understand it very well, he admires him very much." Li Jiucheng's expression showed that he was sincere.
No one with thousands of dollars would invest so generously in the development of Dongjiang Town. After all, this is not Guo Dajing's private army, not even Mao Wenlong's.
But Guo Dajing did just that. He tried his best to take care of not only the army, but also the people. Over the past few years, he knew that millions of taels of silver had been poured into it without careful calculation.
Let’s talk about the equipment of the Dongjiang Army. There are now nearly 50,000 troops. The weapons and equipment alone are only more than 20 taels, as well as various artillery, thousands of horses, as well as food and clothing for the soldiers and civilians, etc.
What are you aiming for? Or what is the return on such an investment?
Li Jiucheng felt that it was not worthwhile to pacify Liao and exterminate the captives, or to be promoted to a noble title. Anyway, he would not do such a thing with so much money.
It’s great to enjoy yourself to the fullest, spend your money, work hard, or even risk your life, it’s really——
Guo Dajing didn't say much, and even Li Jiucheng and others couldn't understand him. He did have great ambitions, and that was his responsibility to the whole of China.
Only if he regards Dongjiang Town as his group and foundation can Guo Dajing invest so generously.
While chatting casually, everyone has arrived at Ma Shi Island. Boats come and go on the river, carrying people and goods, and then sail towards the seaport.
"Brother Shen, let's say goodbye." Guo Dajing cupped his hands and said, "Across the river is Yizhou. Please bring Guo's greetings to Mr. Shen and Mr. Lin."
Shen Qizhong returned the gift without saying much, and boarded the ship with more than two hundred Korean soldiers who had completed their training and returned to North Korea.
Shen Shuoqing and his two entourages stayed with Guo Dajing, either to learn and gain experience or to become communicators between the two parties.
All the people boarded the ship and set off. Guo Dajing stood on the last big ship and couldn't help but raise his telescope and look at Zhenjiang Fort getting farther and farther away.
If Huang Taiji is wise, he will shrink his defense line after suffering repeated heavy losses. Zhenjiang Fort should abandon its defense, and Fengcheng should strengthen its garrison.
Liaodong is really too big. For the Jianlu people with a small population, if they have to defend everything, it will be weak and loopholes everywhere.
As long as the nature and function of Liaoshen as the center of rule remains unchanged, Jianlu must concentrate its forces. However, Liaoshen is really too far away from Zhenjiang Fort.
If it is half abandoned, that is, if an outpost is established and a small number of troops are stationed, the special operations battalion already in the Kuandian area will create new surprises for the Jianlu.
……………………
Shenyang.
Huang Taiji was in the Khan Palace, handling government affairs.
This year can be said to be an unlucky year. After the tragic defeat of Jinzhou, the famine has become more and more severe, which has caused instability in the rule.
"Five taels of silver for fighting rice, two hundred taels of silver for good horses, one hundred taels of oxen..."
This is not the highest price increase, but it is already shocking. Under such circumstances, some people take desperate risks and commit illegal acts, stealing cattle and horses, robbing and killing people.
"If the thieves are not severely punished according to the law, they may not be stopped..." Huang Taiji frowned as he looked at the minister's report.
Punishing thieves severely in order to maintain public order and social stability under heavy laws, but Huang Taiji disagreed with this. Hunger will make people crazy, crazy, and even starve to death. Are they still afraid of heavy punishment?
While he was thinking about it, the guards came in to report. Fan Wencheng was summoned to see him, and Huang Taiji ordered him in.
It was not long before Fan Wencheng came to the hall. After paying homage, he bowed and stood.
Huang Taiji ordered someone to hand the minister's report to Fan Wencheng, and asked with some helplessness: "In the Constitutional War, thieves are everywhere in the country. The ministers advocate severe punishment to serve as a warning to others. What do you think?"
Fan Wencheng just read the contents of the report, then bowed and said: "I am reporting to the King of Khan, and I think I should be exempted from it. Firstly, there is a lack of food in the country, and the people have no choice but to steal; secondly, it can show the benevolence of the King of Khans. Contain fleeing people.”
Huang Taiji nodded slightly and wrote a reply on the memorial, "This year, due to hunger and lack of food in the country, the people have no choice but to steal their ears. Those who are caught can be whipped and released."
Fan Wencheng bowed again and said: "I think that although there is a lot of silver in the country, there is nowhere to trade, so the silver is cheap and all things are expensive. North Korea is short of small things and cannot afford to ask for them. However, the Haraqin tribe can exchange food from Gaotaibao. You can give him more silver to alleviate the food shortage in our great Golden Kingdom."
Huang Taiji said slowly: "This matter has been taken care of, but the Ming Dynasty's border reserves are limited, so it may not be a long-term solution."
After pondering for a moment, Huang Taiji said: "If this year's harvest is good, our country, the Golden Kingdom, will be able to overcome the difficulties. Otherwise..."
Although it is said that it depends on the autumn harvest, judging from the current situation, Huang Taiji is not optimistic.
Fan Wencheng knew that Huang Taiji had put the detour into the customs on the agenda. Although there was no public discussion, he was making preparations secretly.
If the famine can be overcome by other means, Fan Wencheng does not want to risk his troops. But if the famine cannot be alleviated, this may be the only option.
After all, there were still several months to go, so Fan Wencheng did not need to give advice at this time, so he bowed and said: "The King of Khan has a great talent, and I think that in order to take a detour to enter the pass, I must beware of the Dongjiang Army and be on guard against Mao Wenlong."
Huang Taiji lowered his head gently and said: "The Dongjiang Army has more than enough defense, but not enough offense. If it dares to leave the fortifications and enter the wave battle lightly, it may not be an opportunity to severely damage it."
Huang Taiji was still bitter about the defeat at Nanguan. But like the defeats of Ningyuan and Ningjin, he did not value the field strength of the Dongjiang Army.
Like the Ming Army in western Liaoning, if it can only rely on strong defense, it will be passive and will not pose much of a threat to the Jin Kingdom.
Fan Wenchenglian claimed that he admired the Hou Jin Army's field combat capabilities.
At this moment, the guards hurried in and presented an urgent military report.
Huang Taiji took the military newspaper and took a look at it. He stood up with a look of surprise on his face. After he read it carefully and carefully, his brows turned into knots and he sat back weakly in his chair.
Fan Wencheng didn't know why, but he also knew it was bad news. There was an emergency report two or three days ago, and the Dongjiang Army suddenly attacked Zhenjiang Fort.
When Zhenjiang Fort Jianlu sent out a call for help, he still had some confidence in holding on. Fengcheng also quickly sent reinforcements, and the military report to Shenyang was not so critical.
Huang Taiji did not think that the three thousand defenders of Zhenjiang Fort and the three thousand troops of Fengcheng could not resist the Dongjiang Army's landing operation.
Because of this, Huang Taiji was shocked when he received the news that Zhenjiang Fort had fallen, the reinforcements were ambushed, and nearly 5,000 troops were lost.
The key is that the time was too short. Although Zhenjiang Fort was not too strong, it took more than a day to break through, excluding the time it took to send letters back and forth. This was really shocking.
"How could this happen?" Huang Taiji couldn't accept it for a moment, and his mind was a little confused. He handed the military report to the guard and forwarded it to Fan Wencheng.
Fan Wencheng took the military newspaper and read it. He was also extremely surprised and couldn't think about it for a long time.
Nearly 5,000 men and horses were lost in one fell swoop, but within two or three days, there was still a city to rely on. The Dongjiang Army had just completed the defense of Nanguan and had the strength to launch an active attack, which is incredible.
After a long while, Huang Taiji woke up slowly and said in a deep voice: "The Dongjiang Army should have come out in full force and stormed Zhenjiang Fort to achieve this result."
Fan Wencheng guessed Huang Taiji's thoughts and said uncertainly: "King Khan is going to send troops to attack Jinzhou again?"
Huang Taiji shook his head and said: "In terms of time, it is already too late. If we had sent troops when we received the military report a few days ago, we might have been able to do something good."
Mobilizing men and horses, relying on the mobility advantage of the cavalry, and taking advantage of the main force of the Dongjiang Army in Liaodong to attack Jinzhou may be better than the current result.
But it was too late to say anything now. Huang Taiji thought it was his mistake. Just in case, he sent Dorgon and his troops from Shenyang to rush to Zhenjiang.
Fan Wencheng didn't think so. He didn't think that most of the Dongjiang Army had been dispatched. There should be enough troops to defend Jinzhou.
Zhenjiang Fort fell and the reinforcements were ambushed. The military report was not very clear. The specific battle process and the strength of the Dongjiang Army were not very detailed.
"King Khan, the matter has come to an end. It is not too late to wait for the detailed report before making a decision." Fan Wencheng said euphemistically: "The Dongjiang Army has moved to southern Liaoning for development, and the importance of Zhenjiang Fort has been greatly reduced. The key is Only by understanding the details of this battle can we make an accurate judgment."
Huang Taiji thought for a while and said: "It seems that King Ben Khan still underestimated the strength of the Dongjiang Army. Perhaps this is also a warning that Mao Wenlong deliberately wanted to show."
Fan Wencheng bowed and said: "King Khan is wise. Mao Wenlong launched an attack just after the defensive battle at Nanguan Pass in order to destroy King Khan's plan to enter the pass through a detour."
Mao Wenlong sent several memorials to remind the court to be on guard against Jianlu's detour to enter the pass. Jianlu had collected relevant information, although the Ming court did not pay much attention to it.