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Chapter 792 Lin Danhan's Counterattack
"It's a good place, but you can't become rich overnight. Li Qing, think about it from another perspective. If you were Bushitu and someone threatened you to build a city and station troops in the soft belly of his territory, what would you think?
Put yourself in their shoes. Taking advantage of others' misfortune may bring temporary benefits, but it is not beneficial in the long run. For many years to come, the imperial court will have to work closely with the Tumed and Kharchin tribes, which will be of great benefit to both sides.

Since it is a cooperation, we cannot let one party suffer too much. Everyone, listen to me, when dealing with foreign countries, we should neither be condescending nor submissive. What should we follow? It's very simple, two words, gains and losses.

For example, when the Tumed tribe was weak, they made very excessive demands, and Bushitu had to agree with them. It seemed that we were taking advantage, but in fact we lost the basic trust of an ally and all the kindness we had received before.

In the future, when the Ming Dynasty encounters difficulties, the Tumed tribe will not only not lend a helping hand, but will add insult to injury without any guilt in their hearts.

So, because the Ming Dynasty extended a helping hand at the critical moment, does that mean the Tumed tribe should be forever grateful and stand up at the critical moment?
Don't think like that. As the leader of the Tumed tribe, Bushitu should first consider the gains and losses of the tribe. Only when he does not suffer a big loss will he think about the kindness he has shown to the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, when countries interact with each other, we should neither ignore emotions nor place too much importance on them. We should always keep an eye on the gains and losses, calculate them carefully, and try to make both sides benefit. This is the basis for long-term interaction.

After looking at the map, Hong Tao admitted that Du Wenhuan's suggestion was of great tactical value, but it was not well thought out at the national strategic level. Taking advantage of this issue, he could talk more about diplomacy with the ministers attending the meeting. This was a new topic, but it was very important.

"I will follow the emperor's instructions..." Everyone had different understandings on whether the truth was right or not, but everyone expressed the same opinion. No one dared to use the old system to argue with the emperor anymore.

"Minister Chen, how is the effect of the rail carriage?" Now that the theory has been explained, we need to talk about something practical.

If you want to stabilize the situation in the north, Guihua, Bagua, and Fuyu are the key. If you want to defend these three cities, logistics supply is the most important. Whether it is transporting troops or transporting goods, roads will play a decisive role.

However, the existing roads are greatly affected by rain and snow. If we want to improve efficiency and traffic capacity, adding rail carriages seems to be the most practical and simplest way with current technology.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the railway carriage was put into operation in the first month of last year. Except for a few accidents in the first two months when the drivers were not familiar with it, the speed of transporting food, fodder and military equipment has more than doubled since then, and the effect is remarkable.

According to Doctor Xiong's plan, if there are enough people to run it at full capacity, the transportation capacity of the railroad on the plains will be more than three times that of the post road. It will be even higher in the mountains, reaching five or even ten times, and the more and heavier the cargo, the more obvious the effect will be. "

Chen Jiashu was a little nervous when he was suddenly called by the emperor to ask about it, but he immediately started to talk nonstop when he heard about the tracks. Since the establishment of the Ministry of Construction, the most outstanding project is these three tracks, and it is unprecedented.

"Well, it's good as long as it works... What is Xiong Sanba busy with right now?" Hearing that the track is useful, Hong Tao was also sincerely happy. Although he was not the builder, he was one of the advocates and designers, so he must have reason to be proud.

"Doctor Xiong is taking craftsmen to inspect the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. He said he wants to build a large iron bridge across the river so that the track can run through the north and south of Ming Dynasty."

"Hahaha... he has great ambitions. Call him back. Don't connect the north and the south first. Connect Fuyu City, Bagua City, and Guihua City with rails." Hearing that Xiong Sanba wanted to build a cross-river bridge, Hong Tao laughed even more happily. He didn't spend much time to turn a devout Jesuit missionary into an engineer. This is called knowing people and making good use of them, a win-win situation!
However, this time he cannot follow his hobby, as he has the design plan for a large-span bridge, but it cannot be used in the short term and there are other places where he is more needed right now.

"My dear ministers, do you have anything else to discuss? If it's not too urgent, we can discuss it tomorrow. I have been traveling for several months and I haven't even seen the Queen yet."

As long as there are no problems on the border, Hong Tao has nothing to worry about. As for whether any ministers have done anything private during the time he was away from the capital, it cannot be discussed publicly and must be done secretly.

"Your Majesty, I have just received a memorial from the King of Annan, Nguyen Huong Giang, which mentioned sending his daughter to the palace as a concubine. What do you think, Your Majesty?" However, the more they wanted to adjourn the meeting, the more people wanted to cause trouble. The Minister of Rites Yang Sichang stood up again and brought up a private matter with a half-smile on his face.

"Oh, I heard Nguyen Xiangjiang mention this when I met him in Da Nang. Hmm... let's put it this way, let Ye Daxueshi preside over it, and all the ministers help me make a decision on whether I am allowed to follow your opinion.

By the way, let's also discuss the woman I brought back from Luzon. She is now in the palace being taught etiquette by Wang Chengen. Just ask him for details. I'm leaving first!"

Hong Tao really felt that it was a waste of energy to discuss the selection of harem candidates in public at the imperial meeting. But seeing the excited expressions of the ministers, he knew how much criticism would be caused by opposition. He simply gave away the power and let them be the secondary masters, so as to avoid being accused of being too overbearing.

Hong Tao was relieved, but some people were unwilling to accept it. The left wing of the Mongolian army did not gain any advantage in the westward advance this time, and Lin Danhan turned all his anger to the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, he also noticed the importance of Fuyu City and decided to remove this small thorn in his soft belly.

Just a few days after Hong Tao returned to Beijing, the battle report from the Northeast Military Commission came again. The Left Mongols and the Jurchens jointly sent troops to besiege Fuyu City. According to the estimation of the First Guard stationed there, the number of troops exceeded 2.

After receiving the battle report, the Northeast Military Command's General Staff did not send reinforcements immediately. Instead, it sent several waves of cavalry out to spy on the enemy. At the same time, it quickly sent the military situation to the Army General Staff and attached opinions. In a word, it ignored it and waited and saw what would happen.

After reading the battle report, the Army Staff immediately forwarded it to the General Staff and also attached its opinions. This time, there were even fewer words, just two words: second.

"Are you sure that the Jurchen army is involved?" When Hong Tao received the battle report, the General Staff and the Army Staff were meeting to discuss countermeasures. He asked the question without even looking at the map, and his expression seemed to be full of expectation.

"The battle report was not sent from Fuyu City, but from a nearby observation post. The enemy troops responsible for attacking the city are mainly heavily armed infantry, and are equipped with artillery. If nothing major happens, there will be more battle reports in two or three hours, and we will know the details by then."

Li Ruzhang was familiar with the garrison situation in Fuyu City, so he was not in a hurry. Not only was the city built very solidly, the defensive firepower was very fierce, but it also used the terrain to provide sufficient early warning. Dozens of observation posts were set up within 5 miles around and along the way, so that even if it was besieged, it would not lose contact.

(End of this chapter)