Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zheng Zhihu's fleet arrived at the mouth of the Daling River before the stipulated date of March 15th.

Then I switched to paddling and went upstream into the river—

For this purpose, he specifically chose to use a galley so that the ship could sail on inland rivers.

The size of the boats used was also limited so that they could successfully enter the Daling River.

Because of the destruction caused by the Jianlu in the Dalingh River area, there were few ships on the Dalingh River at that time.

Even though the ice and flood seasons are over, there are not many ships traveling back and forth.

This made it easier for Zheng Zhihu to advance. He only had to consider the dangers of sailing and didn't have to worry about the enemy at all.

The Daling River was formerly known as the Bailang River. It is one of the most famous water systems in Liaodong and was once a popular waterway for boats in ancient times.

Later, due to the destruction of vegetation and severe soil erosion, there was either water shortage or floods, and shipping conditions were naturally not as good as before.

Fortunately, the Dalingh Fort that Huo Weihua chose to build was located to the east of Jinzhou, next to the original Dalingh City.

This is the lower reaches of the Daling River, and the shipping conditions are relatively ideal.

There is no need to wait for the rainy season to have abundant river water.

Zheng Zhihu was careful and alert and did not encounter any danger along the way.

The supplies obtained from Tianjin were successfully transported to Dalinghhe Fort.

Huo Weihua had already received the news at this time. He knew that Zheng Zhihu's fleet had set off. He even received a list of supplies and knew how much he could use.

He had already ordered his soldiers to prepare for building a fort based on these supplies.

After counting the supplies, Chief Engineer Han Yun was immediately invited to determine the design of the fortress.

It was Huo Weihua who originally proposed to build Dalingh Fort into a bastion.

He proposed this fortification plan after seeing Fort Zeelandia.

So the place he chose was naturally modeled after Fort Zeelandia.

Fort Zeelandia is on the sea, and he chose a high ground close to the Daling River but not flooded during the flood season.

He planned to build a dock nearby to facilitate receiving supplies from the river.

After seeing the location of the castle chosen by Huo Weihua, Han Yun praised it very much.

Then, based on the experience of building the bastion in the west of Beijing, he presided over the specific construction of the fort.

The cement, steel bars, bamboo, wood, bricks, stones transported on the ship, as well as the gravel, loess and other materials that Huo Weihua asked the soldiers to prepare, were all used.

In order to guard against possible invasion by the Jianlu, Han Yun and engineers from the Institute of Construction even used wood and other materials to transform the temporary camp built by Huo Weihua and He Kegang into a semi-permanent camp.

This makes its defense stronger so that it can retreat inside in time when the Jianlu invade.

It can be said that the Institute of Construction has not been idle for more than a year. They followed the emperor's request to "build a strong camp and fight a stupid battle" and perfected the Ming Dynasty's original expertise in setting up camp.

With this camp, even if the Jianlu came to attack, it would take at least ten days or half a month to capture it.

At that time, Zheng Zhihu could come to the rescue, use artillery to disperse the Jianlu, and withdraw them from the river.

Because of this, after the camp was built, the soldiers who were previously worried felt much more at ease.

Knowing that the imperial court did not completely regard them as a death squad, they still had a chance to retreat if they encountered the Jianlu.

This was also the retreat route Zhu Youjian gave to Huo Weihua and others when he clearly ordered the Liaodong troops not to launch large-scale attacks.

If they wanted to retreat, they could only pass through the Daling River.

Because of this, Huo Weihua was very concerned about Zheng Zhihu's fleet, and even asked him what difficulties he encountered during the voyage and whether he wanted to dredge the waterway or build a lighthouse.
Zheng Zhihu was flattered by Huo Weihua's politeness.

After becoming a military officer of the Ming Dynasty, he finally understood what it meant that civil officials were noble and military officials were humble.

Any local official with achievements would order this lieutenant general around in a domineering manner.

Some people even called him a pirate to his face.

If the navy had not been separated by the emperor, Zheng Zhihu would have really had to bear the pressure from those people. When he was in Weihai, he basically ignored the local officials.

After learning that the imperial court had dispatched guards to each troop and specifically responsible for communicating with local officials, Zheng Zhihu took the initiative to request the imperial court to send him guards as well.

Huang Pei, who is now in charge of communications, is in his army, temporarily serving as a guard.

Because of what he had experienced, Zheng Zhihu's politeness towards Huo Weihua naturally became different.

Previously on Dongning Island, Huo Weihua had discussed matters with him politely. He felt that the other party had asked him for help, and he did not think there was anything wrong with an official in trouble doing so.

Now seeing this scene again, Zheng Zhihu felt that Huo Weihua was a man who could really bend and stretch——

He is worthy of being the former Minister of War and a core member of the eunuch party.

How could Zheng Zhihu dare to neglect such a person who had bet his future on the construction of Dalinghhe Fort?

After Huo Weihua mentioned the dock and supplies, he patted his chest and assured:
"Don't worry, Mr. Huo!"

"As long as Dalinghe Fort needs it, I will bring it here."

"If you need anything, you can write to the governor of Tianjin to apply."

"I can bring it back for you!"

Huo Weihua thanked him repeatedly and felt very satisfied with Zheng Zhihu's respect.

In fact, it was because he felt that Zheng Zhihu was honest that he dared to hand over the logistics to this man.

Now he felt that he had not made a mistake in choosing the right person. It would be much more convenient to use Zheng Zhihu to transport supplies by water than to apply for supplies from Jinzhou City.

Moreover, subsequent supplies will continue to be shipped in.

Feeling happy, Huo Weihua revealed a little about his plan to Zheng Zhihu and whispered to him:
"General Zheng can collect some information about the Liao River after he returns."

"If the construction of Dalinghe Fort goes smoothly, Huo plans to build a fort on the bank of Liaohe River next."

"Then we can go along the Liao River and Sancha River and go deep into the Niuzhuang area."

Zheng Zhihu was surprised when he heard Huo Weihua's plan.

It's not that he hadn't thought of this, but he had heard the same strategy from another person.

Sun Guozhen, the governor of Denglai and Shandong, and the protector of southern Liaoning, once mentioned to him his plan to start from Lushun and advance both by land and sea after he was stationed in Weihaiwei.

The land troops set out from Jinzhouwei and Fuzhouwei, and with the help of the navy, they recaptured Gaizhouwei, and then went up the Liaohe River to recapture Niuzhuangyi and Haizhouwei.

In this way, the four guards in southern Liaoning can be completely recovered, and together with Dongjiang Town, a solid defense line can be established.

It even directly threatened Liaoyang and Shenyang through the Hunhe River.

To completely recover Liaodong and lay a solid foundation.

Now that he heard the same plan from Huo Weihua, Zheng Zhihu suddenly felt that great minds think alike.

Huo Weihua and Sun Guozhen are both capable talents.

So he also whispered:

"Governor Sun also has this plan." "He mentioned it to the court when he was building the Nanguanling city wall."

"But the conditions were not yet ripe at that time, and the court only ordered the construction of the Nanguanling city wall."

"If Dalinghe Fort can be built and can resist the Jianlu, the conditions will be ripe."

Huo Weihua was also shocked when he heard this.

He was shocked that there were other capable people in the court, but also delighted that he and the other party had the same ideas:
Sun Guozhen also had the same idea, which meant that he would get support from the other side when he went to Liaohe River to build a fort in the future.

This will be quite beneficial for future wars.

But this is where the trouble lies. The fact that Sun Guozhen, as the Protector of Southern Liaoning, had this idea shows that there were many generals in Southern Liaoning who might have had this plan.

If he had acted a little slower, the task of recovering Liaodong might have been accomplished by the officers and soldiers from southern Liaoning.

How will his contributions be revealed then?
So his mood now is more urgent.

He urged the soldiers to build the Dalinghhe Fort as quickly as possible, and hoped that the Jianlu would come in time after the fort was built to verify his ability.
-
After revealing the news to Huo Weihua, Zheng Zhihu led the fleet back to Tianjin to continue transporting supplies.

At the same time, he wrote a memorial to report the matter to the court.

After reading this memorial, Zhu Youjian didn't take it seriously.

Because this plan is included in the Ji Si plan.

Some people even suggested crossing the Daling River directly and building forts along the Liao River.

It was just that the risk was too great and it was not approved by the General Staff.

After all, Dalingh River is near Jinzhou City.

When the Jianlu attack in the future, it is impossible for them not to consider the reinforcement of Jinzhou City.

The soldiers guarding Dalinghe Fort would also be more confident, which would help them to strengthen their belief in defending the city under the attack of Jianlu.

If they could rely on the bastions and hold out for a year under the attack of the Jianlu, then more soldiers would be willing to hold on when they build forts on the Liao River in the future.

It would not happen that while they were defending, their confidence suddenly collapsed and they killed the pro-war factions and surrendered to the enemy.

It can be said that Dalinghe Fort was an action to accumulate experience. At the same time, this fort was used to control the Dalinghe Valley, making it difficult for the Jianlu to follow the Dalinghe Valley and bypass the grassland to threaten the capital.

Further actions such as building forts in the Liaohe River area and recovering the four guards in southern Liaoning will depend on subsequent arrangements.

As he was uncertain whether the Ming officers and soldiers were capable of fighting the Jianlu in the field, Zhu Youjian felt that he should play it safe and establish a blockade first.

Therefore, on the one hand, he arranged for the patrol battalion to go to Tianjin to conduct exercises with the Jurchen Niulu trained by Liu Xingzuo, and on the other hand, he urged Mao Wenlong to send troops to Yizhou, Fenghuangcheng, and Kuandian Liubao as soon as possible after the spring plowing was completed to attract the attention of the Jianlu.

At the same time, he ordered Kong Zhenyun to go to the grassland to urge Lin Danhan to attack the Mongolian tribes that were dependent on Jianlu, so that Jianlu would be attacked from both sides and it would be difficult for them to move south safely.
-
After receiving the order, Kong Zhenyun went to the grassland again.

However, Lin Danhan, who had promised to send troops years ago and hated the Khorchin tribe extremely, refused at this time.

Because he was able to reconcile sectarian disputes and purchase armor with the help of the Ming Dynasty, Lindan Khan felt that his army was strong and he wanted to unify the grassland.

Now he wanted to fight the tribes of Shunyi King and others in the Right Mongol wing, rather than return to his ancestral land and fight against the Khorchin tribe.

He did not express this idea to Kong Zhenyun, but just wanted to postpone it until autumn, saying that the horses were too thin to send troops in spring.

Kong Zhenyun felt strange and inquired with the nobles of the Chahan tribe, with whom he was on good terms, and only then did he learn of Lindan Khan's plan.

This made him both shocked and angry. He rushed into Lin Danhan's tent and shouted:
"Does the Khan really want to disobey the imperial order?"

"You are the Shunli Prince appointed by the Ming Dynasty. If you go to war with the Shunyi Prince's tribe, it would be a vassal state arbitrarily mobilizing troops."

"The imperial court will send troops without hesitation to maintain the order of the vassal states!"

Lin Danhan was startled by his question and felt offended, so he also shouted loudly:

"I am the supreme Khan of the grassland. All tribes must obey my orders."

"I will beat any tribe that disobeys me."

"This Khan must first unify the grasslands before dealing with the Jurchens."

Kong Zhenyun was extremely furious about this. He didn't know what was wrong with Lin Danhan's mind that he wanted to fight with the right wing of Mongolia again.

He knew that he had to dispel Lin Danhan's idea as soon as possible, and said angrily:

"The Khan has taken the initiative to resort to war, so he should wait for the court's punishment!"

"From now on, the Chahan tribe will never get a grain of food or sell a cow or sheep."

He immediately ordered someone to send a message to block the market in Zhangjiakou.

He also asked the Great Wall Admiral Man Gui to prepare troops to help the Shunyi King's troops resist the invasion of the Chahan tribe.

At the same time, he also used his authority to have Xuanfu Town and Datong Town allocate 2,000 armored soldiers to express his support for the Shunyi King's troops.

Prepare to fight back the disobedient Lidan Khan with the toughest attitude.

It is hard to say whether this action frightened Lin Danhan, but the nobles of the Chahan tribe were shocked.

Over the past year or so, they have relied on trade, and their lives have been happier than ever before. Not only do they not have to worry about famine or disasters, but they can also make money from other tribes on the grassland through resale trade.

Because of this, the power of these nobles has expanded a lot.

In addition, the Ming Dynasty court deliberately supported him, openly conferring him a title and secretly providing support to Tiejia and others.

They were much more confident when facing Lidan Khan.

These people opposed Ligdan Khan's westward expedition and demanded to return to their homeland.

Even Lin Danhan's staunch supporter, his brother-in-law Gui Yingqia, gave a direct advice:

"If we cannot retake our ancestral land, even if the Khan defeats the tribes on the right wing, he will not be able to establish his authority on the grassland."

"The right wing tribes will not surrender, they will only resist with the support of the Ming Dynasty."

"If the Khan wants to unify the grassland, he must first retake his ancestral land and regain the dignity he lost from the Jianlu."

Such revelations made Lin Danhan very angry.

But after seeing other nobles share the same attitude, some even more fiercely than Guiyingcha, he had to wonder if he was really wrong:

Is the importance of recovering the old territory greater than the Western Expedition?
With this idea in mind, and thinking about the complaints from his wife and children after the Ming Dynasty cut off trade, Lin Danhan's intention to march westward quickly wavered, and he finally decided to follow the Ming Dynasty's order and go north to reclaim his ancestral land.

Kong Zhenyun was also relieved by this and ordered the blockade to be lifted and trade to be resumed.

However, as a check and balance on the Chahan tribe, the iron armor given to the Shunyi King's tribe could not be taken back.

But he also asked King Shunyi to send two thousand soldiers, led by Ming generals, to participate in the war against the Khorchin tribe.

This would not only allow him to monitor Lin Danhan, but also satisfy his vanity:
He led various Mongolian tribes to attack Khorchin together.

At this point, after leading troops from Dalingh River and Dongjiang River, another group of troops joined the siege of the Jianlu.

The Privy Council contacted the Dukedom of Jiangling and generals such as Gao Yingxiang in a hurry, asking them to attack the Jianlu from the north along the Heilongjiang River.

The prelude to the ten-sided net is to attack from all sides. (End of this chapter)