In fact, Liu Ruyi really didn't care about the labor and military wages that the gentry in Luoyang City could contribute!
In recent years, although Liu Ruyi led the Caishi Army to conquer the north and south, and did not have much time to actually operate various industries in Shandong, Liu Ruyi has always been in Caishi Town, Jinan City, and even the entire Shandong under the actual control of the Caishi Army.
The region has always implemented a liberal economic policy with a strong tendency of regional protection, which is similar to the prototype of the 'market economic system' of later generations!
Coupled with the strong support of the Greater China Development Bank and the rapid development of China Ocean Trading Company, the economic level of Shandong has become rapidly prosperous and full of vitality!
Relying on the huge military demand of the Colored Stone Army, the investments of Shandong gentry can often yield good returns in a short period of time!
The most important thing is that wars are raging all over the Ming Dynasty, but due to the strength of the Colored Stone Army, Shandong is rarely disturbed by the shadow of war, and is one of the few pure lands in the Ming Dynasty!
In addition, Liu Ruyi firmly controlled the Grand Canal, the economic lifeline of the Ming Dynasty. In such an era, it would be difficult not to make a fortune!
This time the Caishi Army went to the Central Plains, even if Liu Ruyi didn't want to pay for the military expenses, it would be easy for him to just inform the wealthy businessmen in Jinan City and collect one to two million taels of military expenses!
After all, almost everyone in Shandong is a beneficiary of Liu Ruyi’s Caishi Army!
In this land, no one dares not to buy Liu Ruyi's face!
However, for the sake of long-term considerations and in order to resume the construction of various infrastructures in the Central Plains as soon as possible, Liu Ruyi did not catch all the opportunities, but adopted a more gentle method of financing and amassing money!
After all, what the Ming Dynasty lacks most right now is not the 'false' economic prosperity, but the most real food that can fill the stomachs of the people first!
In later generations, the famous Yugoslavian coach who brought the Chinese national football team to the World Cup for the only time once said, 'Attitude determines everything!'
At this time, Liu Ruyi could understand the hardships in Luoyang City, but Liu Ruyi and the Caishi Army obviously did not take the figures of labor and military pay into consideration!
According to King Fu's family fortune, not to mention hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, but millions or tens of millions of taels of silver, so what's the difficulty?
But at the moment, at the top of the list, there is only 3,000 taels from Lu Weiqi, the former Minister of War of Nanjing, and Prince Fu only has 5,000 taels. As for the gentry at the back, they only have 20,000 taels in total!
Although the money cannot explain the problem, even if Liu Ruyi can accept the attitude, how can the more than 50,000 colored stone soldiers under his command accept it?
~~~~~~~
However, Liu Ruyi was used to big winds and waves after all. Although she was extremely dissatisfied with everyone in Luoyang City, Liu Ruyi was not in a hurry to make too many big moves!
For four days in a row, the Caishi Army camp has been as warm as water. The armies only drilled their soldiers as usual, strictly defended, and did not launch any provocative offensive against the refugee army!
This made those refugee soldiers extremely uncomfortable!
Originally, the arrival of Liu Ruyi's Colored Stone Army made them feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and their nerves were in their throats. They were afraid that if they were not careful, the Colored Stone Army would rush forward.
But after a few days, the Caishi Army had no intention of attacking Luoyang City. These refugee armies could not help but gradually relax!
Many ragged refugee troops have never seen the Colored Stone Army’s training methods!
In recent days, they have seen that the Caishi Army has no fighting spirit, and they have become a lot more courageous. Many people even secretly gathered a hundred steps away from the edge of the Caishi Army camp during the day, watching curiously.
While watching the drill of the Colored Stone Army in the camp, they would comment and comment from time to time!
Luoyang City, the Refugee Army, the Colored Stone Army, and the three-party camp, all calmed down strangely, forming a ridiculous scene outside the battlefield!
Liu Ruyi did not take an extreme attitude towards these refugee troops. As long as they did not come within a hundred steps of the Caishi Army camp, Liu Ruyi would let them watch from a distance. After all, the military qualities of both sides were not the same at all.
On the level!
Liu Ruyi is not afraid either. If the refugee army learns the drill methods of the Colored Stone Army, their combat power will increase several times in an instant!
However, whenever it is time for dinner, in the Caishi Army's camp, the soldiers have vegetables and meat, and they are full of food and drink. The thick aroma of the broth can float ten miles away, and those who can only eat some can't help but
The homeless army with rotten leaves stretched their necks one by one and drooled!
If it weren't for the fact that the refugee army had many supervisors from the old battalion carrying knives and watching everywhere, just for the food of the Caishi Army, they would have surrendered to Liu Ruyi immediately!
However, behind the seemingly peaceful battle situation for the soldiers, the bosses on both sides are brewing a huge storm!
~~~~~
The time is approaching the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, and the Little New Year is coming soon!
In the past few days, in Liu Ruyi's tent, Liu Ruyi has met with Chen De, the son of Luoyang Commander-in-Chief Chen Yongfu, to inquire about the news in Luoyang City!
And many scouts of the Caishi Army also inadvertently sneaked into the camp of the refugee army, spying on the latest movements of the refugee army!
It has reached this point. For the right to rule the land under their feet, a war between the Caishi Army and the civilian army is inevitable!
However, the refugee army was afraid of the power of the world-famous Colored Stone Army and did not dare to act rashly!
Liu Ruyi's Caishi Army, however, was mostly new troops and needed time to adapt to the tight situation on the battlefield. Because both sides were unclear, they maintained a brief and strange balance!
But Liu Ruyi knew in her heart that the tranquility at this time was just for the fiercer storm in the future!
Although Liu Ruyi didn't know what Li Zicheng was thinking at this time, as the new year was approaching and half a million soldiers were at their mercy, Li Zicheng's food, wages and supplies were so heavy that he might not be able to last much longer!
Li Zicheng is not a fool. A fierce storm may come violently inadvertently!
~~~~~~~
In the big tent, Liu Ruyi was leaning on the soft tiger-skin couch with her eyes closed to relax.
A soldier knelt down respectfully on the ground and reported: "General, our second batch of food and grass has passed Yanshi and will arrive at the camp at the latest tonight!"
Liu Ruyi's eyes suddenly opened, and she said sternly: "You must be extremely careful about this matter, and you must not make any mistakes! Inform Huo Lang and ask him to send someone to greet you personally in the evening!"
"Yes!" The soldiers hurried away!
But after a while, another soldier came into the tent and reported: "General, the prince who oversees the army, please see the general! He said there is an urgent military situation to discuss!"
Liu Ruyi took a deep breath and said, "No! Go and tell him! I, the general, have my own plans for this war! There will be a result soon! Let him not worry!"
"yes!"
Watching the soldiers leave, Liu Ruyi rubbed her temples tiredly!
At present, a very important reason why Liu Ruyi did not let the army break through the refugee army's defense line immediately and enter Luoyang City is that the Caishi Army was too hasty to go out this time, and the food, grass and baggage were not fully prepared!
The water in Luoyang City is too muddy. If you enter the city blindly, you will probably put the army at a disadvantage!
At this time, the thing that is hateful is not the refugee army in front of us. Those giant borers in Luoyang City are more terrifying than these refugee armies. They are ten times, a hundred times more hateful!
War is too cruel and bloody!
Even if Liu Ruyi’s family has a great business, it will never be able to bear the price of ‘Waterloo’!
In this battle, what Liu Ruyi wanted was not just a military victory, but the hearts and minds of Luoyang, the entire Heluo region, the entire Central Plains region, and even the entire Ming Dynasty!
Right under Luoyang City, Liu Ruyi wants the people of the entire Ming Dynasty to see the true combat power of the Colored Stone Army!
And with the arrival of the second batch of food and supplies from the Caishi Army, everything is ready...
~~~~~~
At this time, in Li Zicheng's big tent, all the generals of the refugee army gathered together and were discussing strategies for this battle!
However, at this time, because "Lao Huihui" Ma Shouying led more than 10,000 refugee troops from Huguang to surrender, the momentum of the refugee army instantly increased a lot!
This also made the generals of the refugee army feel more confident!
In the big tent, a thin lamb was being stewed in a large pot, exuding a faint smell of mutton. The generals of the refugee army were all staring at the pot closely. A few of them had poor concentration and were already stewed.
My mouth started to water!
Although the refugee army is huge at this time, its financial resources are very thin!
In the past year, although they swept across western Henan, southern Henan and southern Shaanxi and grabbed a lot of silver, due to the unlimited expansion of the team's size, they were very short of food, wages and supplies!
After all, in this era, according to the reputation of the refugee army, it is difficult to buy food even if you have money!
Not to mention, the most critical waterway of the Grand Canal has been firmly controlled by Liu Ruyi!
Even if they want to buy grain from Jiangnan, due to the distance, the price and cost will increase several times, which Li Zicheng absolutely cannot afford!
The only source of food and grass they can rely on is 'grabbing'!
At this time, the little lamb in the big tent was already the last livestock in the refugee army camp! This was to entertain Ma Shouying's arrival, and Li Zicheng was bleeding profusely!
Seeing everyone's appearance, Li Zicheng smiled and waved his hands: "Everyone, we can discuss the military situation later, but brothers cannot go hungry! Come on, let's start the meal! Give Brother Ma a bowl first!"
Everyone couldn't help but be overjoyed, "Thank you so much, King Chuang!"
"Chuang Wang Yingming!"
How could these refugee army generals care about anything else? In the midst of the storm, not even the bones of this poor little lamb were left!
Ma Shouying patted his belly with satisfaction and said with cupped hands: "King Chuang, Liu Ruyi's Colored Stone Army may seem powerful, but in fact they have 50,000 people and at least 40,000 new troops! This means to us,
This is definitely a great opportunity! We can’t delay any longer. To deal with people like Liu Ruyi, we can only fight quickly! Relying on the advantage of our military strength, we can completely defeat him! Otherwise, there will be many long nights and many dreams!"
Ma Shouying was in Huguang, and his life was not easy because he was squeezed out by Zhang Xianzhong. At this time, even though he had just arrived at Li Zicheng's camp, he was eager to make achievements!
From the beginning of Chongzhen's reign, when the refugee army began to rise, to the end of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, although the refugee army has many leaders, at this level, it has basically been sorted out in order!
Since the death of Lao Chuang Wang Gao Yingxiang in the battle, Zhang Xianzhong has basically been the banner-bearer in the refugee army. However, due to the rise of Li Zicheng this year, he quietly replaced Zhang Xianzhong's top spot and forced Lao Zhang to the second position.
!
Like Ma Shouying, he also understands that the situation is now set, and it is impossible for him to surpass Li Zicheng's momentum. He simply wants to strive for a good future in Li Zicheng's camp!
Ma Shouying had a good personal relationship with Li Zicheng, and they were fellow villagers. In addition, he was much older and mature, so Li Zicheng trusted him very much.
At this time, after hearing what Ma Shouying said, Li Zicheng was also a little tempted, and hurriedly said: "Brother Ma, I also know what you said! It's just that Liu Ruyi is so famous after all, I still have some scruples in my heart!"
Ma Shouying couldn't help laughing, "King Chuang, you are wise in this life! It's a pity that you are in the middle of the game and can't see the true nature! All we need is..."