Chapter 327 Discussing the situation in Liao Dynasty
Zhu Youxiao then summoned five prime ministers and the Minister of War, Wang Zaijin.
The old slave took advantage of his attention to the south, took the opportunity to attack Lin Danhan in the grassland, and caused trouble. This is really intolerable.
This time he conquered the grasslands in the west and plundered North Korea in the east. It can be said that he brought back a lot of blood. There is currently no shortage of food for the population. The losses caused by the last Liaoshen retreat should have been fully recovered.
The northern part of North Korea was also looted by him and was in great chaos. If he was allowed to continue to rest and grow, it would be even more difficult to fight him in the future.
"Da Sima, you are the Minister of War, let me tell you about the situation in Liaodong and the grassland!"
"Lao Nu has annexed hundreds of miles of land in the northern part of Monan, as well as a tribal population of more than 100,000. Compared with the last battle of Liao and Shen, the strength is still slightly stronger."
"How should I deal with it now? Does my attitude towards Lin Dan Khan need to change according to the current situation?"
"In short, my idea is that we must not sit idly by and watch the expansion of the old slaves. I also know that it is simply impossible to quell the slave troubles in one fell swoop."
"So I want to hear your opinion. Should I tell Xiong Tingbi and Hong Chengchou to attack the enemy randomly according to the changes in the situation and kill the old slave with the spirit of his spirit?"
Wang Zaijin had already thought up strategies and plans, and was waiting for the emperor to ask this question.
"Your Majesty, I believe that Liaodong should defend instead of attack. We have fought several battles with Jiannu this year. Although our Ming Dynasty has won and defeated the enemy, the situation is still not optimistic."
"Xiong Tingbi submitted a memorial on the Liaodong Economic Strategy, summarizing the major and minor battles throughout the year, and counting the losses on both sides. Taking all aspects together, Xiong Tingbi's opinion is also on the defensive."
"The first reason is that the situation in Liaodong is unstable. Not to mention the hearts of the soldiers and the people, there are constant conflicts and hatred between the generals."
"Frictions will arise from time to time between the generals born in Liaodong, the generals in the pass, and the generals dispatched by the imperial court!"
"Secondly, because of the rectification of military discipline and armament, and the dismissal of a large number of lower-level sergeants, the Liao generals already had deep resentments in their hearts, but they were afraid of the imperial court and His Majesty's power, so they did not dare to express their anger."
"But even so, they have greatly failed to carry out the tasks and military orders issued by the imperial court. There are even generals who openly disobey orders and bargain with the imperial court."
"Thirdly, although our army had a great victory over the Jiannu, most of them were in fortified battles to defend the city. Although there were field battles, the losses were extremely heavy."
"When Lao Nu first launched a large-scale siege of Shenyang, Xiong Tingbi personally led tens of thousands of cavalry and fought against the enemy's two yellow flags. Although they made a lot of gains, the cavalry in Liaoyang was also seriously injured and has not recovered yet."
"I believe that if we want to pacify Lao Nu, we should do it slowly. Now that the situation between the enemy and ourselves is very clear, Lao Nu is really unable to advance south, so we must first stabilize the Liaoshen defense line."
"Then we will seize the time to rectify the armaments in Liaodong. If possible, your Majesty may also dispatch some troops from the Yulin Army to garrison in Liaodong."
Zhu Youxiao did not expect that Wang Zaijin would propose such an idea and send more Yulin troops to Liaodong. This was not a simple sentence.
It had a huge impact on the Ministry of War and even the imperial court.
The Yulin Army belongs directly to the emperor and is not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.
Even food and salary are allocated directly from the Ministry of Household Affairs to the Logistics Department.
Then the law enforcement team will distribute it directly to the hands of the sergeants, which is completely out of the hands of the Ministry of War.
Sending the Yulin Army to Liaodong is equivalent to further strengthening the imperial power and strengthening its control over Liaodong.
The increased concentration of imperial power will definitely weaken the power of the six cabinet ministries.
It can be said that it is very rare for Wang Zaijin to have such an idea and to propose it in front of other people.
The current Ming Dynasty is indeed facing a big problem.
Since the last time, Zhu Youxiao severely punished a group of generals who disobeyed orders and discipline.
Now, both the Liao generals and the generals aiding the Liao have begun to take advantage of the war, retaining a lot of their strength.
Zhu Youxiao knew that the courtiers in the six cabinet departments also knew that they were frightened by this vigorous and resolute action, for fear that the court would kill the donkey.
That's why they want to preserve their strength, and at the same time allow Jiannu to continue to grow, even helping Jiannu at the cost of their own interests.
They wanted to use this to elevate their own importance and force the court to rely on them to fight against the slaves.
In this way, you can not only protect yourself, but also blackmail the court and continue to seek benefits.
This routine was first played by Li Chengliang. After so many years of continuous improvement and popularization, the generals in Liaodong are also experienced players of this routine.
For decades, the court and the emperor had nothing to do with them. Because they were facing a powerful enemy, they had no choice but to compromise with them.
But this routine could no longer be used by Zhu Youxiao. The emperor no longer made weak compromises, and the ministers in the six cabinet departments no longer resigned themselves to it.
The most important thing is that the emperor himself has an elite army capable of conquering and fighting, as well as a group of obedient and brave generals.
In terms of military affairs, we are no longer being strangled by them.
Now the roles have been reversed. It is they who have begun to fear the court, rather than the court completely relying on them.
If necessary, it can be replaced at any time, which is not a waste at all.
Wang Zaijin also saw the root of the problem, so he proposed to dispatch the Yulin Army to Liaodong.
The purpose is to weaken the importance and influence of these generals.
If it were anyone else, they would never come up with this idea.
But Wang Zaijin is different. He is now a staunch royalist.
He knew very well that as long as the emperor's authority existed, there would be no wavering in their position as royalists.
And he is also a person who wants to make a difference. Only by following the emperor can his status be closer, and he may also have the opportunity to leave his name in history.
"During this period, Your Majesty can issue an imperial edict to Mao Wenlong's troops, instructing him to contain Lao Nu's troops from the flanks and wait for an opportunity to dispatch, just like during the Battle of Liaoshen, seize the opportunity to attack Lao Nu's rear."
"As for the front of Liao and Shen, small groups of elite cavalry can also be sent, led by brave and capable generals, to areas close to the Jiannu such as Fushun and Sarhu to attract their attention and force them to send heavy troops to defend the front line.
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"This will make Lao Nu's slave soldiers exhausted and unable to develop with peace of mind. As one goes and the other increases, Lao Nu's national power will inevitably weaken. Only in this way can victory be achieved at the minimum cost."
"The military and horse training in Denglai Town has been going on for half a year. Your Majesty can issue an order to Governor Yuan Keli and ask him to select a group of elite soldiers, led by brave and strategic generals."
"Start from Denglai, reach Mao Wenlong's base camp at Pi Island by sea, and then go north to blockade the Yalu River so that the old slaves cannot enter North Korea to plunder the population and food and strengthen themselves!"