Chapter 123 Li Hongzhang: This is not an escape, but a retreat
Following Zhu Ping's order, Zhu Ping's men who had been mixed in the crowd and some remaining Japanese warriors brought over from the early Ming Dynasty suddenly launched an attack and massacred the surrounding crowd.
These people were all instigated by Emperor Meiji, and they were densely packed with more than 100,000 people.
If we don't kill these people now, maybe after a few months, these people will be dead soldiers who took the magic potion of immortality and rushed into the interior of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Xi has stayed in Japan for more than half a year and has a very clear understanding of the current nature of the people in this country.
These people have been too seriously brainwashed by the so-called Bushido spirit.
This kind of brainwashing is comparable to some extreme religions.
In addition, Emperor Meiji was really very capable of agitating. He had only been in power for a few years, and the whole of Japan was stimulated by him to become more aggressive.
This is not what Zhu Yuanzhang wants to see.
But this emperor was indeed too cunning. After escaping back to Japan, he hid him. No matter how hard Mu Ying and Lan Yu looked for him, they could not find him.
There was no way, after Chang Yuchun asked Zhu Yuanzhang for instructions, he could only come to negotiate peace first, and then let Zhu Ping and his people hide here to continue looking for Emperor Meiji.
After squatting for more than half a year, I finally caught this cunning emperor.
Edo City was the city that was most severely brainwashed by Emperor Meiji. It was inevitable that a second traitor like Emperor Meiji would appear. In order to frighten Japan, Zhu Xi chose the most drastic way to solve the problem.
Massacre the city!
At least those **** who dare to resist should be slaughtered.
Half a month later, the news came back to Ming Dynasty.
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was leading his troops to fight against Li Hongzhang's Huai army in Anhui. After hearing the news from Zhu Ping, he nodded with satisfaction.
"Second brother finally did not disappoint us!"
"If I can kill Emperor Meiji this time, I will give him a credit!" Zhu Yuanzhang handed the letter in his hand to Liu Ji, who was accompanying the army next to him.
"His Second Highness has indeed grown up to the point where he can stand alone, and he will definitely be a rare general in the future!" Liu Ji quickly browsed the letter, stroking his beard and flattering him without leaving a trace.
"Bo Wen, what do you think of the so-called coalition of the Western Yi people this time?" Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and then asked.
"It seems to be a huge force, but in fact, apart from Tsarist Russia, it poses little threat to our homeland!"
"The most important thing is the naval battle. As long as Commander Chang's navy can win in one battle, the so-called coalition forces will naturally be wiped out." Liu Ji still smiled and spoke confidently.
"Your Majesty, military advisor, let's not worry about Lao Chang's matters, let's just talk about what's at hand!
"The Huai Army's defense is airtight. We have to think of a way to defeat Suzhou!" Deng Yu looked left and right next to him and found that one of the two men was calmer than the other. Finally he couldn't hold it anymore.
He spoke eagerly.
They have been besieging Suzhou for two full months and still cannot break the city. As the marshal of the army this time, and with His Majesty here, he is worried!
Liu Ji glanced at the superior Zhu Yuanzhang and said with a smile: "Commander Deng, please be patient. Your Majesty has already arranged a good strategy to defeat the enemy. When the time comes, Suzhou City can be taken easily!"
"What do you mean?" Deng Yu looked confused. He found no sign that the Huai army's military morale was unstable.
After all, this is the home base of the Huai Army. They are fighting away from home and are subject to much more harassment.
"Deng is handsome!"
"How can you just focus on our battlefield?"
"Our attack on the Qing Dynasty this time involves four armies. Let's not mention the Xu Da attack in Sichuan from the west. We are going to Shi Dakai in Henan with great momentum!"
"Feng Sheng from Zhejiang is about to fight in Xuzhou."
"In addition, Marshal Chang has captured Tianjin, and now he can threaten the Manchu capital!"
"As far as I know, the Qing emperor was very timid. I'm afraid he has gone hunting north again at this moment!"
"You said what would happen if Chang Yuchun could capture the imperial capital of the Qing Dynasty, Shi Dakai could capture the whole of Henan, and Feng Sheng could capture Xuzhou?"
Deng Yu was stunned when he heard this and quickly made a calculation in his mind.
If that is the case, the Huai army in Suzhou will become a lonely army just like the Hunan army back then. Ming armies will become from all directions, and the morale of the army will be in chaos.
"It seems Deng Shuai has understood!"
Liu Ji stroked his beard and looked at the generals below who continued his performance: "Actually, Your Majesty has never thought about conquering Suzhou from the beginning to the end. The Huai army in Anhui is the most powerful force in the Manchu Qing Dynasty. In addition, it was defeated by Zeng Guofan.
The Hunan Army was brought over from the south, and now that the two armies are integrated, Anhui as a whole is the hardest nut for the Qing court to crack."
"But Your Majesty, you are the one who conquered Anhui in person!"
"Why do you think?" Liu Ji asked.
"Your Majesty is invincible. If you want to fight, naturally you have to fight the enemy's toughest troops." A general shouted.
"No, no!"
"It is said in the art of war that the best strategy is to avoid the real situation and avoid the enemy's unpreparedness. How could your Majesty act as recklessly as you and others!"
"Our troops have only been feinting from beginning to end. In addition, His Majesty is here in person, in order to allow Li Hongzhang to mobilize heavy troops to defend and create opportunities for the other armies."
"As long as the other three armies can complete the encirclement, the Huai army will naturally be defeated by itself."
Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the main seat, quietly looking at Liu Ji who was talking eloquently below, and couldn't help but narrowed his eyes slightly.
To be honest, he didn't like Liu Ji very much before.
Because this person is so smart, Liu Ji can guess no matter what decision he makes, and even guess his intention in advance.
This made him very uncomfortable.
But now, with the advent of transcendence and the opening of another world, he doesn't hate this person so much anymore.
It's not that Liu Ji's intelligence has slowed down, but that Zhu Yuanzhang's mentality has become more peaceful and he is more tolerant of these smart people.
That kind of incompetent monarch will be frightened when faced with such a turbulent world trend, and will try their best to suppress the changes that frighten them. For example, except for the Ming Dynasty, all countries in the world in the early Ming Dynasty have chosen to massacre to open up the Qi Dynasty.
The Immortal Cultivator of the Sea.
They were unable to grasp this surge in power in the world, and they were afraid that their throne would be threatened.
But for Zhu Yuanzhang, he was only excited from beginning to end.
He knew very well that this increase in power level or even a jump, as long as it was controlled well, would only be more conducive to his control of the Ming Empire instead of causing Ming Dynasty to fall into chaos.
Facts also proved Zhu Yuanzhang's speculation.
It has been more than ten years since the spiritual energy was revived, and the industrial revolution has continued for two or three years. The Ming Dynasty is undergoing earth-shaking changes from the inside out, but the Ming Dynasty is still prosperous and stable.
The Ming Dynasty also became more and more stable.
Until now, the strong insecurity that had been accompanying him had disappeared for a long time.
He was convinced that even if he died now, Zhu Biao would be able to suppress the current civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty and continue to lead the Ming Empire.
So his mood naturally changed.
He even began to appreciate Liu Ji somewhat.
"Not bad!" When Liu Ji had enough limelight, Zhu Yuanzhang took over with a smile.
"Deng Yu, don't feel uncomfortable thinking that you can't get any credit."
"Tell me, when have we ever treated our old brothers badly?"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked around and said with a smile: "We expect that Li Hongzhang will run away soon. When the time comes, we will carry him all the way north. The world is so big and there are so many unconquered cities. You are still afraid that you will not be able to fight for it."
Success?"
"Long live your Majesty!" After everyone received Zhu Yuanzhang's promise, the little depression in their hearts immediately completely disappeared, and they all began to get excited and look forward to it.
Zhu Yuanzhang's prediction was good.
Li Hongzhang was indeed about to withdraw. In addition to smelling danger, the more direct reason was that he had received an order from Emperor Xianfeng to go north to take over Zeng Guofan's position as governor of Zhili and go to the imperial capital to escort him.
Chang Yuchun's behavior of occupying Tianjin and refusing to leave completely frightened Emperor Xianfeng.
In particular, the news of Zeng Guofan's death, the governor of Zhili, shocked Xianfeng even more.
If the officials hadn't stopped him, he would have run out of Zhili and headed north to Shengjing.
But even if he didn't run away immediately, there was a tiger on the side of the bed that was willing to devour anyone, which still made him sleep uneasy. This was why he urgently sent Li Hongzhang to Beijing.
Now within the Qing court, looking at the whole world, Li Hongzhang's Huai army is the most capable.
As for whether Anhui will be lost or not, what does it matter?
My life is at stake!
Anyway, our Qing territory is big enough!
"Commander, we can't withdraw!"
"Anhui is our hometown. If we lose it, how can we have the dignity to meet the elders in our hometown?" At the Huai Army Camp, Li Hongzhang was facing the same problem as Zeng Guofan.
The soldiers under him were all organized based on the township party, and most of them were unwilling to abandon Anhui and go north to protect Emperor Nalaoshizi.
Li Hongzhang had a gloomy face.
Although he was born as a Jinshi, he has been in the military for five or six years, and now he has a sense of iron-bloodedness.
"If you don't leave, are you going to stay here and wait to die?" Li Hongzhang looked around.
"Let me tell you, the hypocritical government never shows mercy when it comes to killing gentry. Go to the south and find out what happened to the gentry who stayed behind?"
Hearing Li Hongzhang's words, most people couldn't help but change their faces.
This is indeed what they worry about most.
As long as Zhu Yuanzhang can be more tolerant towards the gentry, according to the current power of the Ming Dynasty and the transfer of the entire China, there is no need for him to send a single soldier, and the gentry from all over the country will obediently open the city and surrender.
But this person is uncompromising and murderous.
"Going north is not about escaping, but about strategic contraction!"
"The Pseudo-Ming soldiers are numerous and powerful, and they can attack from many sides. However, we have few soldiers and the territory to defend is too large. The result of scattered troops is that they will be defeated by the enemy one by one."
"We must tighten our fists now and only defend the capital. As long as we can defend it for one year...!"
"No, it only takes half a year. When the Western Eight-Power Allied Forces arrive, they will immediately threaten Guangzhou, Fujian, Shanghai and other places along the coast. Those places are now pseudo-industrial centers with many factories there. Do you think they dare to give up?
?”
"At that time, when their army retreats, our army will take advantage of the victory to pursue them and fight back with all their strength."
"You believe me, pretending to kill too much is unpopular, and we are the only ones who can win in the end!" Li Hongzhang loudly encouraged morale.
In fact, there was another reason he didn't say.
A few days ago, he had secretly met with representatives of Tsarist Russia.
The other party told him that 100,000 soldiers and horses had been assembled at the border and could be transferred to the Northeast at any time, or even enter the border to fight.
But this matter was too big for Li Hongzhang to make his own decision, so he had to go back to the imperial capital to discuss it with Emperor Xianfeng.
Moreover, even if the Tsarist Russian soldiers did enter the customs, they would not be able to cross most of China and run to Anhui.