Dorgon Yue looked at the report that had just been submitted, his expression a little gloomy, showing his gloomy mood.
Spring plowing is also the top priority for Houjin. There is no longer the possibility of looting and self-fertilization, so we can only rely on our own efforts.
However, the significant decrease in population has made it difficult to complete this important task.
"Everyone has been mobilized, and the completion of spring plowing is also satisfactory." Dorgon sighed in his heart, but he still wanted to express his appreciation.
After all, the actual difficulties were greater than imagined. Especially after the disastrous defeat in Liaodong, the loss of 30,000 troops had severely damaged the vitality of Jianlu.
Not only is there a shortage of labor for farming, but the confrontation between the front line and the Dongjiang Army is also under increasing pressure.
Li Yongfang is aging day by day, mainly due to physical and mental fatigue, and her future is bleak.
Facing the increasingly growing Dongjiang Army, the Hou Jin Dynasty was already in an irreversible decline and was barely holding on. To put it harshly, it was just hanging on.
"I am reporting to King Khan that the number of tribes that have moved to the Dongliao River has reached 40,000, and the reclamation of wasteland has been completed." Suk Saha bowed and said: "It is estimated that there are more than 300,000 acres in total.
Dorgon showed a rare smile and said warmly to Suk Saha: "Very good. If you serve faithfully, I will give you a reward from this king."
After Suksaha thanked him, he bowed and left.
Although he could not give up Liaoshen, Dorgon still took preventive measures, that is, to relocate some people from the Liangbai Banners, Ding Jiajuan, and a large number of Han people.
The new settlement place was chosen in the Liaoyuan area of later generations, nearly a hundred miles north of Kaiyuan and beyond the boundaries of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty. It was once the old residence of the Manchus.
Obviously, Dorgon has begun to prepare for a retreat. Although it has not been stated explicitly, on the principle of voluntariness, the remaining people of the Six Banners can also move north.
After Amin's death, his Xilan Banner tribe was annexed by Dorgon and was included in the migration a year ago.
As for the other banners, they are still waiting and watching, reluctant to leave the prosperous place of Liaoshen and return to the bitter cold in the north.
Dorgon also knew that if he did this, he would panic people and even make the Mongolian tribes who took refuge in him dissatisfied. However, the actual situation was getting worse and worse, so he had to do this.
At least they won't have to flee in panic after defeat, which would be even more miserable. Moreover, they also have a place to retreat, and some of their vitality is saved in advance.
Dorgon glanced at the crowd and said in a deep voice: "The Dongjiang Army in South Liaoning has occupied Haizhou, and its troops are pointing directly at Anshan Post. The enemies in Liaodong are also ready to move, and they may take action after the spring plowing. We, Dajin, have reached a critical moment of life and death, and we need to
Let’s unite sincerely and work together to overcome the difficulties.”
There is no need to ask for any advice, and there is no way to reverse the situation. This is because the Dongjiang Army is either opportunistic or suppressing its strength, which is the most unsolvable.
Turning from defense to offense, from passivity to initiative, that's nonsense! In the past few years, Hou Jin has rarely taken the initiative to attack?
Attacking Lushun Fort, attacking Nanguan, and attacking Liaodong, but each time they suffered heavy casualties under increasingly fierce firepower.
What's more, the troops are already stretched thin. They are deployed on the front lines such as Liaoyang, Lianshanguan, and Yaoguan. Only the more than 20,000 troops in Shenyang can be considered mobile troops. How can they be mobilized?
"Without the skin, how can the general's hair be attached?" Dorgon continued: "The Dongjiang Army is still determined to destroy me, and I, Dajin, have no choice but to fight to meet it. And the more arrogant the enemy is, the more flaws they will reveal...
…”
Everyone pretended to listen patiently, but in their hearts they disagreed.
Some people haven't seen the situation clearly yet and feel that they have retreated on defense. The Dongjiang Army's defensive counterattack style has failed and its ability to take the initiative to attack is not very strong.
In their opinion, if the Dongjiang Army launches a full-scale attack, the Battle of Sarhu may be repeated again.
Some people are pessimistic, believing that after several disastrous defeats, the overall strength has been crushed by Dongjiang Town, the passive defense can only barely support them, and sooner or later they will be broken by the enemy.
Dorgon talked for a long time and finally ended the political meeting. His mouth was dry and his tongue was dry, but he felt that it had no effect.
After returning to the study, not long after he sat down, Duduo and Li Yongfang came hand in hand to report confidential information to him.
"The letter has been sent out, and it is estimated that it has now reached the hands of Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing." Li Yongfang said respectfully: "We thought that Mao Wenlong might be hesitant, but Guo Dajing would not be moved."
Dorgon nodded and said: "Even if it causes a dispute between the two of us, it will be beneficial to me, Daikin."
During the peace talks, Dorgon finally used this trick. He also saw that the Ming court was no longer important, and the Dongjiang Army was the key to the Liaodong war.
If the Dongjiang Army insists on the main battle, it will be impossible for the imperial court to negotiate a peace; conversely, if the imperial court just wants to pacify Liao, the Dongjiang Army can also find various reasons to delay.
"Mao Wenlong has been promoted and rewarded." Duduo said slowly: "If you don't know the principle of the rabbit dying and the dog cooking, wouldn't you have lived such a long life in vain?"
"This Khan also believes that Guo Dajing is the most determined Pingliao sect." Dorgon pondered and said: "I have a deep hatred for Dajin, and he is young, so he is more eager to make contributions."
Pursing the corner of his mouth slightly, a sneer appeared on Dorgon's face, and he said: "We don't force Dongjiang Town to agree to peace talks, or let them separate from the Ming Dynasty. As long as Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing have a rift, that's enough.
"
"King Khan is wise." Li Yongfang complimented: "As Mao Wenlong gets older, he will inevitably become twilight; Guo Dajing is young and vigorous, aggressive and aggressive. As long as there is a conflict between these two people, civil strife in the Dongjiang Army is the best outcome."
Duduo shrugged his shoulders and said, "You won't lose anything anyway. As long as it's a way, just try it."
After a pause, he continued: "It's just that we, Daikin, cannot crack the sharp firearms of the Dongjiang Army. I am ultimately passive."
Dorgon gently lowered his head, helpless. Although the work of imitating muskets and artillery had already begun, it was still difficult.
The lack of craftsmen is one aspect. The manufacturing technology is backward, the cost is high, and it is difficult to equip the troops in large numbers. This is an insurmountable difficulty.
Moreover, there was great resistance to asking the Manchus to abandon bows and arrows and use muskets. Dorgon also believed that since they could not compete with the Dongjiang Army's firearms in terms of power, forcibly changing weapons would do more harm than good.
Mounted archery and melee combat were originally the two magic weapons that Jianlu relied on to win. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to gain an advantage.
Moreover, Houjin's biggest flaw is its small population and limited military strength. In battle, even if they can exchange one for two or one for three, it is an unbearable cost of casualties for them.
It is precisely because of such scruples that Jianlu chose to retreat after the casualties reached a certain number when he attacked the Dongjiang Army several times.
If it can be expected that the Dongjiang Army will develop and grow to such an extent, perhaps it would be the best choice to use all our strength to defeat the Dongjiang Army.
Dorgon sighed secretly in his heart and attributed the cause of the current crisis to the dead ghost Huang Taiji.
After he succeeded to the throne, it was this fool who launched the Dingmao attack on North Korea, the Ningjin campaign, and the Lushun Fort and Nanguan attacks, all of which caused huge casualties and losses.
Apart from defeating Hu Duntu and forcing the Chahar tribe to move westward, Huang Taiji seemed to have never won any major victories. He still had a majestic face all day long, doing random things.
He died well and deserved it. If he had died earlier, Daikin might not have reached this point.
"What's going on over there with Hauge?" Dorgon turned to Li Yongfang and asked calmly.
After the disastrous defeat in Zunhua, Dorgon fled back to Shenyang. At that time, the only remaining competitors were Hauge and Amin.
Amin only relied on seniority and qualifications, while Hauge had the support of two yellow flags and competed with Dorgon as the son of Huang Taiji.
However, Dorgon's clever methods and the blow to Huang Taiji's reputation caused by the tragic defeat in Zunhua made the sons of Daishan and Mang Gurtai feel resentful and abandon Hauge.
After the tragic defeat in Liaodong, Amin died. Although Dorgon lost a dissident, the loss of tens of thousands of horses was not his original intention.
Now, Hauge is stationed in Liaoyang, and Azig and Maidali are responsible for surveillance. Dorgon is still a little uneasy.
"In response to the report from King Khan, Hauge seems to be a little interested in migrating tribesmen, but he is still hesitant to make a decision." Li Yongfang said: "He also sent his cronies to Jianzhou to find a place."
Dorgon snorted and said, "It's better to let him find it by himself, so as not to worry about it."
Hauge is of course worried that if the population of the Lianghuang Banners is controlled by Dorgon, what capital will he have left, and can Dorgon let him go?
Of course, he was also aware of the seriousness of the situation, and was also afraid that a large number of bannermen would be lost due to the chaos during the defeat and retreat. Therefore, he also wanted to arrange some bannermen to a safe place first.
However, Hauge's mind was still too slow and his actions were even too late, failing to relocate the population of his banner before spring plowing.
Now that we are migrating again, what will we eat when we get there? Hou Jin's food and grass resources are not abundant, so where can we draw out additional resources to support them in vain?
In other words, you have to wait until after the autumn harvest at the earliest before you can start moving. If you choose a fertile land and cultivate it in the spring next year, you can settle down.
Even Dorgon and Hauge began to arrange a retreat. This was forced by the situation and they did not care about the impact on people's hearts and allies.
………………
The busy spring plowing was finally over, the troops rested for three days, and Guo Dajing and others also had rare leisure.
The spring breeze has become less chilly and has become warm and comfortable. The originally withered and yellow fields have emerged again with the tender green of grass and the colors of wild flowers.
Accompanied by several generals, Guo Dajing inspected the frontline defensive positions. Breathing in the fragrance of soil and vegetation in the air, everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
"Jianlu sent letters through various Mongolian tribes." Guo Dajing reined in his horse, laughed, with a bit of disdain on his face, looked at the generals and said: "They were given to Commander Mao and me respectively. I want to communicate with him."
Dongjiang Army negotiates peace."
Mao Chenglu was slightly surprised, but then he sneered: "Negotiating peace? It's going to be over soon. Who will negotiate peace with them?"
The corners of Liu Xingzuo's mouth turned up, knowing that this was Jianlu playing tricks again. Logically speaking, it was Mao Wenlong who had the final say to negotiate peace, so there was no need to send a letter to Guo Dajing.
Zu Dashou said slowly: "What capital does the current Jianlu have to negotiate for peace? Will they give up Liaoshen and withdraw from Liaodong?"
In his opinion, if such conditions really allowed the Dongjiang Army to regain Liaodong without any bloodshed, it would not be impossible to consider.
But if Jianlu would make such a big concession, what would they get? Could it be that they really changed their minds and returned to Jianzhou honestly, with a sense of luck, hoping that the Dongjiang Army would stop here?
Guo Dajing slowly put away his smile and said in a deep voice: "Jianlu is at the end of his rope, so he has no choice but to resort to these ridiculous conspiracies. Mao Shuai has already sent someone to deliver the letter he received, and it only approved two words of 'bullshit'.
"
The generals were stunned for a moment and couldn't help laughing.
"Shuai Mao's words are so concise!" Liu Xingzuo said with a smile: "Why negotiate for peace when we can fight? If we can't fight, who will negotiate for peace with them?"
Zu Dashou felt that these words made sense and wanted to make a joke, but when he thought of Yuan Chonghuan's fool-like negotiation, he shut his mouth again.
"Shuai Mao is lazy." Mao Chenglu joked: "I should add two words, 'not as good as shit'."
Everyone burst into laughter again, and the atmosphere became more cheerful and relaxed.
Seeing that Jianlu was about to be destroyed, yet wanting to negotiate a peace was really a daydream. At the beginning, only that nerd and fool Yuan Chonghuan would be keen on this.
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "Although the theme of the letter sent by Jianlu is peace, the content is different. They are determined to sow the relationship between Mao Shuai and Guo, so as to cause discord within the Dongjiang Army."
"His heart is to be punished." Zu Dashou cursed angrily: "When death is imminent, he will still struggle to the death."
Mao Chenglu sneered and said: "It's a pity that they made the wrong calculation. Both Mao Shuai and Guo Shuai have a deep hatred for Jianlu, and they also have the same intention to destroy the Jianlu."
Guo Dajing nodded slightly and said: "That's right, Marshal Mao and Guo have long had a unified opinion on the elimination of the Liao Dynasty. If the Jian Dynasty is not completely destroyed, they will not even sleep well. As for how the imperial court will deal with the post-war Liaodong, Mao
Shuai and I also have ways to deal with it."
This topic is relatively sensitive, not only related to the governance and reconstruction of Liaodong, but also related to the fate and future of Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing.
Everyone was reluctant to interrupt easily, so they waited for Guo Dajing to continue his explanation. Since this topic had been mentioned, it was obviously not a waste of time.
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said: "Although Li Chengliang, Ningyuan Bo, has made great achievements, raising tigers is a danger, which makes it difficult for Jianlu to control. This is a lesson learned from the past and a bloody lesson."
"Those who are not of my race must have different minds. Trying to balance the alien race, pulling one against the other, is like playing with fire. It is inevitable that there will be times when things get lost. If Li Chengliang hadn't connived with Nurhaci, how could the Jianlu have unified the various Jurchen tribes...
"
"As for the imperial court sending officials after Ping Liao, Commander Mao and I have already decided to politely refuse. If Gaohuai hadn't rebelled against Liao, and the rebels rebelled against the Ming, they would not have attacked the city, and it was extremely smooth. The reason is simple.
The people are missing."
If Pingliao was later handed over to the imperial government and officials were assigned to manage it, Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing would naturally have to worry about their power being gradually taken away, and their control over the Dongjiang Army would also be weakened.
But in turn, the governance of Liaodong is still in their hands. The Dongjiang Army, which is rooted in and relies on the land of Liaodong, is as stable as Mount Tai.