Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 240 Father and Son
Hong Chengchou understood the meaning of the emperor's words. He was of course not willing to spend his whole life in the position of border minister in his prime of life. His ultimate goal was to be in the court rank above the court.

The emperor had already told him clearly that not only could he use Houjue to reward the Wu family, but as long as he could handle the Liaodong affairs well, there would definitely be a place for him in the cabinet.

"Hong Qing, if the matter of Ning Jin is settled this time, I plan to send a large army to attack Jianzhou after the spring of next year, and I will take you as the commander-in-chief of the army, what do you think?"

After Hong Chengchou saluted and received the decree, Zhu Youjian then asked.

"Attack Jianzhou? Is this the intention of the Holy Majesty or the suggestion of the soldiers? Where does the Holy Majesty intend to use the soldiers? How many soldiers? What is the purpose of this battle?"

Hong Chengchou asked in surprise.

Zhu Youjian repeated what Lu Xiangsheng had said, and finally said: "Since Hong Qing and others put down the thieves last year, the officers and soldiers from all walks of life have been recuperating for a long time. It should be enough to fight against the slaves of Jianzhou. As long as Jianzhou is conquered again, most of the internal and external troubles of Ming Dynasty will be eliminated. In the next few years, the imperial court will focus on living with the people and improving people's livelihood. After ten years, Qing will see a brand-new Ming Dynasty with a prosperous country and a strong people!"

Hong Chengchou was not moved by the emperor's impassionedness. After hesitating for a while, he said: "Since the holy will has been decided, I should obey it; but I have heard that the Jiannu soldiers are strong, and there are tens of thousands of Tarar cavalry to help out. Its potential should not be underestimated; next year's battle must have a perfect strategy, otherwise the slightest carelessness may damage the prestige of the court! This is not the words of the minister fearing the enemy, but the sincere heartfelt voice of the minister!"

According to Hong Chengchou's original intention, after he took over as governor of Jiliao, whether it is for the Ningjin Group or the Jianzhou Jurchen, the strategy adopted by Sun Chengzong should be the main body, step by step, make steady progress, implement different methods in stages, and gradually divide and cannibalize the two separatist regimes; take advantage of the increasingly abundant finances of the imperial court, strive to completely weaken the power of the two major armed groups within five to ten years, and then gather heavy troops to give a thunderous blow to completely eliminate these two elbows and armpits that have threatened Ming Dynasty for many years trouble.

But Zhu Youjian suddenly proposed to solve the Liaodong frontier problem next year, which caught Hong Chengchou a little off guard.

"Your Majesty is still in a hurry. Some, together with Lu Jiandou, Sun Baigu and others, commanded tens of thousands of officers and troops, and it took them nearly ten years to strangle all the rogues. This is due to the fact that most of the rogues were not formally trained. Farmers, their weapons and armor are far inferior to those of the officers and soldiers. If you are facing Jiannu and Tartars with sharp armor, the outcome of the battle may be unpredictable!"

Zhu Youjian understood what Hong Chengchou was thinking in his heart, and knew that he had doubts about the combat power of the officers and soldiers. He was afraid that he would lead his troops out of the customs and return in a big defeat, which would ruin his reputation for the rest of his life.

But Zhu Youjian is more aware of Jiannu's combat power.After the Guan Ning army played up intentionally or unintentionally, Jiannu's combat power has been exaggerated a lot. In fact, Jiannu is not as brave and good at fighting as people in later generations imagined. .

The Battle of Hunhe in the first year of Tianqi is a clear proof.

There were not only 3000 Zhejiang soldiers in the Hunhe bloody battle, but also 10000 white soldiers. Both armies came to rescue Shenyang.

But before they arrived in Shenyang, the Zhejiang soldiers and the Baigan soldiers fought internally. The two armies first fought with weapons. After getting angry, the Zhejiang soldiers even bombarded the Baigan soldiers with artillery. Many houses next to the Baigan soldiers were bombed down.When they were fighting among themselves, Shenyang had already been broken by the Houjin army. When they learned that the rescue target was gone, the two armies began to retreat, and were overtaken by the Eight Banners army on the way to retreat.

The Eight Banners Army first attacked the Baigan soldiers, and then the Zhejiang soldiers surrounded them without saving them. The poorly equipped 1 Sichuan Army infantry inflicted a lot of damage on the Eight Banners Army. First, the Hongba Jiala Army was defeated by the Baigan soldiers. Was repelled by the Sichuan army.The leaders of the Eight Banners Army, Xi Fuxian, Zuo leader Xi Ertai, Ge Lang and three thousand Eight Banners soldiers were killed.

The Sichuan army was already exhausted after traveling thousands of miles away. Its logistics was not guaranteed and it was isolated and helpless. It was defeated in the face of the continuous attacks of the Eight Banners. Can't win.

After the white pole soldiers were wiped out, the Eight Banners Army once again concentrated their efforts to fight 3000 Zhejiang soldiers.Since Qi Jiguang had passed away for many years, the Zhejiang soldiers in the first year of Tianqi were not as good as before in terms of number and combat effectiveness.Even so, during the bloody battle in Hunhe, the Qi family army still bloomed the last afterglow.

When the Hou Jin army had captured Shenyang, 3000 Zhejiang soldiers fought bravely against tens of thousands of Eight Banners troops on the plains. At first, the Eight Banners army could not break through the defense of Zhejiang soldiers. The one who defeated the Zhejiang soldiers.Although the Zhejiang army suffered a disastrous defeat in this battle, and almost no one survived after the war, it is already very good for the Jin army to fight in the plains to this extent after facing more than ten times with 3000 infantry.

If the Baigan soldiers and Zhejiang soldiers did not rush to Shenyang as soon as possible, with Shenyang City as the backing and no worries about supplies, then the Eight Banners would not be able to win at all.

"I know Hong Qing's concerns. The premise of sending troops next year is that Ning Jin's matter can be effectively resolved; the millions of Liao pay every year are like a bottomless black hole, sucking in all the taxes paid by the people of Ming Dynasty, making Taicang can't provide more money and food to help the people who are struggling on the line of life and death. Every time I think about it, I feel unbearable! This matter is also my initial plan, and no final decision has been made. Hong Qing will first privately Planning for next year's war, we will make plans according to the actual situation at that time; this matter must not be known to others! At present, only this soldier and two servants, Xuan Da Lu Qing, Shanxi Sun Qing, and Caodu Chen Qing know about the attack on Liaodong. I have not informed everyone, Hong Qing must remember!"

After leaving Hong Chengchou for lunch, Zhu Youjian personally sent the famous official out of the hall.

Jizhou Town is located two hundred miles northeast of the capital, and is the closest town to the capital.Therefore, Jizhou Town not only has the function of resisting foreign aggression and defending the capital, but also has the function of deterring rebels and maintaining the court.This dual function makes Jizhou Town more important than other border defense towns, so its military strength is also higher than that of ordinary towns.

The famous general Qi Jiguang once guarded here for 16 years during Wannian. During this period, he rectified the border and spent a lot of money and food to repair the Great Wall, making Jizhou Town safe and sound for decades.

Jizhen Zongbing Mansion is located in the center of Santunying Town in the west of Qianxi County. It was built by Qi Jiguang while building Santunying City.

There is a thoroughfare outside the front door of the General Military Mansion, with secondary doors on both sides, and a tall screen wall in front of the door.

There are Huanbiao on the east and west sides of the front of the mansion, with a square in between, which can accommodate thousands of horses.Inside the second gate, there are waiting rooms for carriages and a drum pavilion.Entering the instrument gate, there is a corridor leading directly to the lobby.There are five couplets in the hall, the height is high and the platform is wide, which can accommodate thousands of people.There are floors behind the lobby, and behind the building is the tooth house.

On the left of the hall is the residence of ordinary officials, on the right of the Yashe is the library, with pavilions and pools in front of it, and on the right of the studio is the area where archery is practiced.The entire town hall is majestic and magnificently decorated.

In the tooth house behind the General Army Mansion, Wu Xiang, the general soldier of Ji Town who is over forty years old, is chatting with his second son Wu Sangui.

"Father, judging from the current situation, it is very difficult for my Wu family to go to places outside the customs. From the last time I moved the town, I can see that the imperial court is increasingly dissatisfied with my ancestors and the Wu family and is taking precautions. , I don’t know what regulations will be followed to deal with us; my son plans to return to Jinzhou in a few days, and take mother and other family members into the customs, so that the parents and family members will not be separated for a long time, I wonder what father wants?"

Wu Sangui, who was dressed in white straight-fitting casual clothes, had just turned 25 years old, with a handsome appearance and a tall and straight appearance. He returned to Jizhou Town in March of the [-]th year of Chongzhen, nearly two years after he was dispatched to lead his troops into the customs to participate in the war in the eighth year of Chongzhen.

Wearing a purple round neck, long-sleeved satin and straight body, Wu Xiang has fair skin and delicate features. He doesn't look like a general with tens of thousands of soldiers at all, but more like an elegant scholar.

"My son has been in the customs and participated in the war for two years, and his horizons have been broadened a lot; tell me, where did you see that the Holy Majesty and the court plan to deal with my ancestors and the Wu family?"

Wu Xiang looked at Aizi with a smile, her eyes were full of admiration that couldn't be concealed.

(End of this chapter)