Mao Wenlong has reached the end of his career as a military general. Apart from being promoted to a noble rank, there is basically no way he can be promoted.
But in the late Ming Dynasty, it was very difficult for military generals to be granted titles. Not to mention dukes, marquises, and even counts, there were not many.
Whether Li Chengliang's military exploits were great or not, how many gifts he gave and how many years he spent before he got a count, it was not hereditary.
Compared with other emperors, Chongzhen was even more stingy in his rewards, which were all vain and rarely gave anything of benefit.
Not just stingy, but simply mean and cold-blooded. Just because of suspicion, Lu Xiangsheng died heroically in battle and was deprived of mercy for three years.
Another person who suffered a similar fate to Lu Xiangsheng was Sun Chuanting. After his death in battle, because his body was not found and there were rumors that he was still alive, Emperor Chongzhen did not grant him a title until his death.
Chongzhen hung himself on the southeast branch, with only Wang Chengen accompanying him, truly achieving the state of being alone. And the miserable ending was also caused by himself.
After the recapture of Jinzhou and the great victory at Nanguan, the attack on Mao Wenlong and Dongjiang Town in the court was greatly weakened.
All the waste of food and salary, and the futility of containment all disappeared in the face of the glorious achievements. The only thing left to criticize was the remote location of Dongjiang Town, where Mao Wenlong was too domineering and difficult to control.
This was also Chongzhen's heart problem. An emperor would not allow warlords to exist under normal circumstances.
The emperor has always cared about and valued the control of military commanders in border towns. This is also the root of using civil society to control military affairs. It is basically impossible for civilian officials to rebel; for military generals, it is completely different.
But in the final analysis, the Dongjiang Army led by Mao Wenlong added luster to Chongzhen's face.
Isn't it said that there must be a wise king first, and then good ministers? After he ascended the throne, good news came frequently, and the war against Jianlu showed signs of dawn. Doesn't it mean that he is a wise king, wise and powerful?
After Chongzhen finished dictating the imperial edict, he calmed down his agitated mood, thought for a long time, and said slowly: "The food and salary of Dongjiang Town should be restored. It should be borne by the imperial court and Denglai and cannot be handed over to Governor Ji Liao."
Wang Chengen also agreed with this, bowing and saying: "Your Majesty Mingjian. I think that Dongjiang Town can handle half of the food and salary by itself, and the rest can be raised by the imperial court and Denglai."
Chongzhen nodded slightly, thinking that this method was very good and could save a lot of money.
With the food and salary cut off, Dongjiang Town would have to solve all the problems on its own. Chongzhen was worried that Dongjiang Town would become more alienated from the imperial court. However, it would be very difficult for the imperial court to pay out all the money.
As for the annual salary of 4.8 million taels proposed by Yuan Chonghuan, including those in Dongjiang Town, Chongzhen believed that it would not achieve the purpose of saving money.
From the 4.8 million taels, more than 1 million taels were first used as military pay for Dongjiang Town, but only half was given, which was more than 500,000 taels, and the rest was saved.
This was Chongzhen's calculation, so he did not agree to Yuan Chonghuan's memorial.
At the same time, the performance of the Dongjiang Army in the past two years also caused some changes in Chongzhen's psychology.
Governor Yuan's ambition of "pacifying Liao in five years" indeed excited Chongzhen for a long time, but he also had time to calm down.
Without the Dongjiang Army's repeated victories, psychological changes might have come slower and later.
But on the contrary, one of them supported him through selling people, but it had no effect. The other, in a difficult environment, repeatedly achieved success and sent a large number of prisoners' heads.
Without comparison, there is no harm.
Chongzhen began to measure whether the input-output was cost-effective, and he also had doubts about Yuan Chonghuan's ability. The key point was that Yuan Chonghuan wanted too much money.
According to the current financial situation of the imperial court, there will be no need to allocate additional Liao taxes in the next year or so, at least three cents per mu, to barely support the Liaodong war.
"Mao Wenlong once again recommended Guo Dajing to be promoted to deputy general, and I agreed." Chongzhen said slowly: "According to Fang Zhenghua, this Guo Dajing is indeed a fierce general."
Wang Chengen didn't speak and listened respectfully. He couldn't always come up with ideas and could only give hints with this gesture.
Chongzhen didn't hear Wang Chengen's compliment, and soon realized the problem, and continued: "Another edict to reward you, magatama, bullfighting uniforms, brocade..."
Among the costumes given in the Ming Dynasty, the most famous ones are the python suit, flying fish suit, bullfighting suit and unicorn suit.
In the Ming Dynasty, the bullfighting uniform was in the shape of a python, with a fish tail, and the horns of the head bent downwards like a bull's horn. It was generally awarded to officials of the third rank or above. When Guo Dajing was promoted to deputy general, he was promoted from the second rank military attache.
"Long live the wise man." Wang Chengen finally spoke and expressed his compliments and praises to Chongzhen.
Chongzhen also felt that he was very wise. He was kind to his ministers and showed that he was clear about rewards and punishments. He did not discourage the heroes and inspired other civil servants and generals.
"The Dongjiang Army has repeatedly won, and sharp firearms are indispensable." Chongzhen's eyes moved to the memorial on the corner of the desk, and he said in a deep voice: "I have made up my mind to hire Portuguese people to make guns and cannons to equip our Ming army."
After the Battle of Ningyuan, the Hongyi artillery began to be valued by the Ming court. Especially after Xu Guangqi repeatedly went to court, the Ming court began to purchase artillery and hired Portuguese technicians and instructors from Macau.
However, in this process, conservative civil servants in the court added great resistance to the introduction of advanced firearms.
For example, the Confucian masters Liu Zongzhou, Huang Daozhou and others were models of gentleman. They had great appeal both in government and in the public. Even the emperor had to take into account public opinion.
These Confucian masters praised each other, and it seemed that as long as they were reused, wise men from all over the world would gather, and the Ming Dynasty would be rejuvenated just around the corner.
These Confucian masters were knowledgeable, but they were nothing in the military field. Not only were they unable to come up with a strategic plan such as the "Longzhong Pair", they also reversed history and opposed the introduction of weapons such as the Hongyi cannon.
The core of their military and political philosophy is to cultivate the mind and virtue. They believe that as long as Emperor Chongzhen followed the example of Yao and Shun, everything would be fine for the Ming Dynasty, and it would be a trivial matter to handle the peasant uprising and the establishment of captives.
As for firearms, Liu Zongzhou and others believed that it was a detail and not a decisive factor in the war.
"I have heard about the way of using troops, the benevolence and righteousness of Tang and Wu, and the moderation of Huan Wen. This is not the next thing to discuss." "Today, if you don't wait for others and rely on weapons, the country's prestige will be weakened." "Firearms will not help the number of success or failure."
Liu Zongzhou and his like not only opposed the manufacture of red barbarian cannons, but also strongly opposed the introduction of Portuguese gunners to learn military technology. They advocated expelling all missionaries and "returning them to their own countries to permanently eliminate the roots of heresy."
Although Emperor Chongzhen retained Portuguese technicians to manufacture artillery, he had to give Liu Zongzhou and others face by not hiring Portuguese artillery to upgrade the Ming army's artillery technology.
However, the actual combat of Dongjiang Military proved that advanced firearms can indeed play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the war, which caused Chongzhen to have another psychological change.
Wang Chengen blinked his eyes, but finally did not express his doubts.
Dongjiang Town hired Western technicians and was able to manufacture artillery. As long as there were sufficient funds and manpower, there was no need for the court to do the same thing again.
But Chongzhen obviously had his own thoughts and reasons for doing this. He should still be worried that Mao Wenlong would be unable to control himself and did not want to rely too much on the manufacture of firearms.
The attitude towards civil servants and military generals also determined that Chongzhen would not take back or weaken the power given to Yuan Chonghuan for the time being.
The feudal dynasty is like that. It does not require you to have the highest talent or the strongest ability. The first consideration is whether it poses a threat to the imperial power.
Even if you have extraordinary abilities and the emperor feels that you are not loyal enough and thinks that you may endanger his throne, he will not let you use it.
In fact, this is the same standard for hiring people in most groups from ancient times to the present. Being capable is one of them, but also being obedient. That is what the leaders like and will promote and reuse.
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Guo Dajing is capable, and he is also very obedient. Although this kind of obedience has nothing to do with being mean and flattering.
Moreover, to be obedient, you must also look at the person you are listening to and whether it is right or wrong. If it is wrong, Guo Dajing will not blindly follow it, even if it is the emperor or Mao Wenlong.
At this time, Guo Dajing, who had just returned to Dalian, was having military discussions with Mao Wenlong, who had returned earlier, and several heads of the Military Intelligence Department.
After Zhenjiang Fort was captured, Mao Wenlong took a boat back to Pidao. He only stayed in Pidao for one day and rushed back to Dalian.
Mao Wenlong was not in a hurry to reunite with his concubine, but made his final determination on the "King Qin" operation.
In the battle of Zhenjiang Fort, he saw the combat power of the Dongjiang Army and the command level of Guo Dajing. As a result, his confidence increased greatly and he got rid of his last worries.
At the same time, this battle should have achieved the expected purpose, which was to show Jianlu that the Dongjiang Army had the ability to attack cities and demolish strongholds, and would inevitably make adjustments to its military deployment.
The military deployment is not just the current one, but also includes the troops who take a detour to enter the customs, as well as the troops who stay at their base.
To put it bluntly, the Jianlu did not dare to leave in full force, so the number of troops who took a detour to enter the pass was relatively reduced, which was more conducive to the "King of Qin" operation.
"A maximum of 30,000 people can be dispatched." Mao Wenlong returned to Dalian first and had already made a more detailed plan and made a more accurate analysis and judgment.
Guo Dajing recognized this number and had a lower estimate, which was about 20,000.
If history had not changed, Jianlu would probably have only 30,000 troops. The current Dongjiang Army is several times stronger than in history, and Jianlu would definitely have to leave more troops behind.
There will be some debate about the total number of troops Jianlu has, whether now or in the future. Some say it is sixty or seventy thousand, and some say it is about one hundred thousand.
To clarify this issue, we must distinguish the difference between total military strength and mobile military strength. In Guo Dajing's view, Jianlu's mobile military strength is about 60,000, but if total mobilization is required, it is entirely possible to mobilize 100,000 troops.
Just like the number of soldiers and civilians in Dongjiang Town exceeds 270,000, according to the standard of using hoes for the people and carrying guns as soldiers, a hundred thousand soldiers can be gathered through large-scale mobilization.
However, if we need to produce and cultivate, we must also defend a vast territory and maintain basic public security. If we want to build a captive army and fight, we can only consider it at 60,000 to 70,000.
Therefore, Mao Wenlong's conclusion that the maximum number is 30,000 is a very reliable and well-founded conclusion.
Mao Wenlong looked at Guo Dajing and said: "If we rely on strong defense, with equal strength, our army is sure to defeat the Jianlu, or successfully block it? After all, there should not be many heavy weapons that can be carried for long-distance attacks."
Guo Dajing nodded vigorously and said: "Commander, don't worry, if we just defend, there will be twice as many prisoners, and the general will have the confidence to stop the attack."
According to the current strength of the Dongjiang Army, the maximum number that can be dispatched is half, that is, about 20,000.
Jianlu must have enough left-behind troops, and the same applies to Dongjiang Town. We cannot ignore Jinzhou, the only land base, for the sake of the "King of Qin" operation.
Of course, the Dongjiang Army can still expand now and keep all the new soldiers behind, and use the built fortifications to take advantage of defense to ensure that Jinzhou is not lost.
Mao Wenlong smiled faintly and said: "Send out 30,000 infantry and cavalry artillerymen, and 20,000 stay in Jinzhou. This is what I think is the safest."
Then we need to add another five to six thousand troops. No, it should be about ten thousand.
After two battles at Nanguan and Zhenjiang Fort, the Dongjiang Army also suffered battle losses. It will take about four to five thousand to fully replenish it. With the strength of the Fourth Association and the flying cavalry battalion, the total is 45,000. Five thousand more are needed to reach 50,000.
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Guo Dajing calculated clearly, but he felt that Mao Wenlong was a little too cautious.
You must know that in his plan, the maximum number of troops for the "King Qin" operation is 24,000 to 5,000. In this case, there is no need to expand at all.
"Commander, I think that 30,000 troops is a bit too much." Guo Dajing thought for a moment and said, "Of course, having more soldiers will make you more likely to win, but the baggage and materials you carry will also need to be greatly increased. Fighting across seas and long distances
, it will be very difficult.”
Although Guo Dajing's space can solve a lot of problems, it is not all.
Even if great efforts are being made to build ships and train sailors, the carrying capacity is still limited. And the increase in soldiers means reducing ammunition and supplies, which Guo Dajing does not want.
"Keep talking." Mao Wenlong gave Guo Dajing an encouraging smile.
Guo Dajing bowed slightly and said slowly: "The general believes that to stop Jianlu, the number of troops is one thing, but the strength of firepower should be more important. In the battle of Zhenjiang Fort, our army's artillery played a great role...
…”
In the battle of Zhenjiang, the artillery's direct damage to Jianlu was secondary. The most important thing was that it caused Jianlu's cavalry to fall into confusion and failed to exert its advantage.
"When Jianlu took a detour to enter the pass, they must have mostly light cavalry. Even if there were heavy cavalry or carriages and other equipment, there would never be many. Our army has heavy muskets, which can basically offset the heavy armor and carriages. In addition, there will be a considerable number of
Artillery is enough to contain Jianlu's charge..."
Guo Dajing is still optimistic about the Franco machine cannon, especially the small Franco machine gun with two to three hundred pounds of shotgun ammunition. Within a hundred meters range, the killing effect is similar to that of a light musket.
However, the sub-cannons of the Fran cannon can be pre-loaded, and they are still very effective in killing. One gun is equivalent to twenty or thirty muskets, but its rate of fire exceeds that of muskets.
"One hundred Fran cannons, each of which carries twelve sub-cannons, or more. With its high rate of fire, it will form a dense rain of bullets in front of the formation..."
Guo Dajing does not carry mortars, but stores enough rockets in the space, almost thousands of them. In terms of range, rockets are not lower than mortars, but they are easier to carry and simpler to launch.
The echelons of long-range, medium-range, short-range, and firepower are basically complete. When fighting Jianlu, you have a pretty good chance of winning.