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Chapter 835 The army presses the territory
"To win by taking advantage of the situation, to win by taking advantage of the situation. To make full use of one's own advantages is to take advantage of the situation, but the terrain of Liaodong is different, so we must adapt to local conditions and think of other ways to surprise the enemy."

Public opinion is a magical thing. It is difficult to perceive if you don't pay attention to it, but you will be influenced by it subtly. Faced with the overwhelming praise and advocacy from the court and the public, the top military officials of the Ming Dynasty also became complacent.

When formulating the battle plan against the Great Jin Kingdom for the next spring, he actually responded to public opinion and planned to continue to utilize the power of engineers and craftsmen to once again press the Jurchens step by step, in order to respond to ever-changing situations with the same strategy.

Seeing the preliminary battle plan drawn up by the General Staff and the Army Staff, Hong Tao expressed different opinions. Any tactics have limitations and cannot be universal. If you want to win, you need to tailor different combinations for different opponents.

According to the theory of dialectics, the more miraculous the effect, the greater the flaw. It is just because of the characteristics of the opponent that the advantages are brought into play and the shortcomings are covered up. If you change the environment or the opponent, the special medicine may not be effective.

When it comes to the Jurchens and Liaodong, the method of using military fortresses to block their space for activities seems to be less effective. The reason is simple: the opponent has changed, and the terrain has also changed.

The terrain of Liaodong is mainly plains in the west, mountains and forests in the east, and Liaoze in the middle. The area from Haizhou to Shenyang is basically plains, and it is more effective to use fortress blockades. The Ming army did the same thing back then, and the effect was remarkable.

But from Shenyang to the east, there are continuous mountains and forests. There is no post road at all, and the only way to get around is by the small paths trampled by horse hooves. Let alone how to transport construction materials, it would take a long time just to figure out how to get around in the mountains.

The mountainous area here is not like the Yanshan Mountains. There are only a few fixed river valleys that can accommodate large armies. Many ravines are navigable, and there are a large number of trees for cover. It is more suitable for the Jurchen attack and not conducive to the Ming Army's defense.

Don't forget that the Jurchens had artillery and attached great importance to the use of firearms. Even if they were backward, they still had artillery, hiding in the woods and firing a few times whenever they wanted, and the Ming army defending the city became a sitting duck.

It would be fine if they didn't fight back, but once they got into the forest, the advantage of long range would be further offset, and the quality of individual soldiers became the key to victory or defeat. Letting the Ming army, which was not very good at using cold weapons, to fight the Jurchen Eight Banners in close combat would be a waste of money.

However, if we don't go into the mountains to clear them out, relying on just a few cities will not be enough to completely block the continuous mountains, and it will also consume a lot of manpower and supplies, which is not worth the cost.

After listening to the emperor's analysis, all the staff in the room fell silent. They thought they could take advantage of the momentum of the victory over Mongolia to capture Liaodong Town in one fell swoop and completely solve the border problem. They worked hard for several days, but in the end, the battle plan became a piece of waste paper. Not only was their effort in vain, but it also damaged their future.

"Since this method doesn't work, why did Your Majesty ask Doctor Xiong to speed up the construction of the track from Shanhaiguan to Jinzhou?" Now it depends on the Chief of the General Staff. His subordinates are all discouraged, and Yuan Keli cannot follow suit. Personal gains and losses should be put aside for now. The key is how to win this battle.

"No matter what method we use to attack Liaodong, the track must be repaired. I can also use this as an excuse to get more special funds from the Ministry of Revenue. If it were normal times, it would be extremely difficult to get Sun Yuanhua to allocate funds outside the budget!"

"…Your Majesty, you just want to get more special funds?!" Hearing this answer, Yuan Keli couldn't help but clench his fists, and then quickly opened them. If the person sitting at the end of the table wasn't the emperor, he really wanted to pounce on him and punch him left and right. It was too deceptive. In order to prepare for the Eastern Expedition, the General Staff and the Army Staff were working around the clock, constantly allocating various materials to Luanzhou and Shanhaiguan. Xiong Sanba and his engineering team had to camp in the wild in the middle of winter, fighting with the frozen soil all day long.

In the end, after all this trouble, the only purpose was to give the emperor an excuse to ask the Ministry of Revenue for more funds, and save some money. Compared with the country, is it really a big deal to get a few hundred thousand taels of silver?
"How is that possible! No matter what method we use to attack, we must build the cities from Jinzhou to Shenyang Zhongwei. This will not only ensure the logistical supply of the army, but also put enough pressure on the Jurchens, forcing them to focus all their energy and manpower on the western front and be ready for a decisive battle at any time."

Of course, Hong Tao is not that obsessed with money, and he would never do such a stupid thing as throwing away the watermelon to pick up sesame seeds. But he is always a thief, and he is unwilling to spend two cents on anything that can be done with one cent, and he will squeeze out the urine even if he catches a toad.

"...Forgive my stupidity, Your Majesty, please explain clearly." Yuan Keli seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand. The emperor obviously wanted to attract the main force of the Jurchens to the Shenyang Zhongwei area, but then what?
In terms of consumption, the Ming army might not be able to defeat the Jurchens. They lived in the deep mountains and forests, and not starving or freezing was their basic skill. On the contrary, all the supplies of the Ming army had to be transported from the west of Shanhaiguan. Even with the assistance of rail carriages and ships, they would be cut off in heavy snow and rain.

"Don't rush, wait a little longer. I think we should have an answer before the New Year. No matter what, we must repair the track as soon as possible, and at least reach Jinzhou after the spring.

There is another thing that needs to be prepared in advance. I plan to find a safe place near Lanzhou to build a royal gunpowder factory, a large machinery factory and supporting facilities.

The General Staff must make good plans for this matter, and then go to the Ministry of Industry to design it together with Xu Shangshu and Wang Shilang. It would be best if the main construction can be completed within next year and put into production as soon as possible. "

This time, Hong Tao did not give a direct answer, not because he was being mysterious, but because he was not completely sure and did not want to give Yuan Keli more misconceptions. Moreover, he did not seem to be very enthusiastic about completely resolving the Jurchen threat, and he changed the subject again.

"Lanzhou is too close to the border. Wouldn't it be safer to move it to Xi'an?"

Yuan Keli was already accustomed to the incoherent conversation style. Since the emperor turned his attention to the west, it meant that the problems in the east had been basically solved and were no longer the focus.

The proposal to build a new royal gunpowder factory and machinery factory just met the needs of the General Staff. The Royal Gunpowder Factory, Haihe Machinery Factory and Luanzhou Machinery Factory in Changping alone could meet the needs of Zhili, Shanhaiguan and Shandong.

Even relying on sea vessels can quickly replenish Guangdong, Fujian, Luzon and Da Nang, but due to the distance problem, it takes a lot of manpower and material resources to ensure the supply of the northwestern border.

If a factory could be built in the west for local production, it would be a great help to the General Staff. Not only could it provide reinforcements to the Northwestern Regional Military Commission nearby, but it could also serve as a backup for the Southwestern Army in the future.

(End of this chapter)