Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 165: Shanhaiguan Strategy (Part 3)
"In the past, the Jiannu could mobilize 40,000 soldiers. Now that they have swallowed up Wula and Yehe, it should not be a problem to get 60,000 soldiers. However, after all, Wula and Yehe were swallowed up by the Jiannu for less than a year, so if they really expand to 60,000 people, the combat power will probably decrease slightly."
"Everyone." Zhu Youdong produced a thin wooden stick from nowhere and knocked hard on the Liaodong topographic map in the center of the conference hall, successfully focusing everyone's attention: "What I mean is that the Jiannu should not be underestimated. The chieftain Nurhaci has never been defeated since he started his army with thirteen sets of armor! I don't know if you know the deeds of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty? When Genghis Khan was still Temujin, his strength gradually grew, which caused dissatisfaction among the Mongolian tribes, so thirteen tribes united to attack him. Temujin was defeated and lost badly on the way to escape. He was so miserable that he couldn't even drink a sip of water. And what about Nurhaci? As Jianzhou gradually became stronger, it also aroused the vigilance of the Jurchen tribes. Yehe, headed by nine tribes, united to attack Jianzhou. As a result, they were beaten by Nurhaci! Therefore, all tribes must face this beast with a high degree of vigilance. Even if it is just a false alarm in the end, it is better than being defeated and killed because of underestimating the enemy."
"Your Highness's teachings, we dare not forget them."
"Now I will tell you about the marching strategy."
"Your Highness, please give your instructions."
"First, Cao Huachun, you will take the bill for 5,000 taels of silver with you and cash it in at a branch of Honghe Industrial along the way. Then go find the troops of Lieutenant General Ma of Ningxia Town and tell him not to stick to the practice of relying on the local prefectures and counties for food supply. Use the money to buy food directly from the local area and let the army cook for themselves. If any local official is blind and wants to obstruct, I have a golden order to dismiss him first, and then punish him. This is a national war. Whoever dares to hold me back, I will kill him first! In short, tell Lieutenant General Ma that within seven days, the entire division must arrive at Shanhaiguan, otherwise I will kill him as a sacrifice!"
"Yes, I will obey your command."
"The second one is Xiao Dusi."
"I will be here in the end."
"My Chongmingsha fleet is outside Shanhaiguan right now. After the meeting, you will board the ship and return to Kuandian. You will gather the common people from the six forts of Kuandian and move them to Kuandian Fort. Then, you will lead all the soldiers of Kuandian Guard to board the ship across the Yalu River and then sail directly to the mouth of the Liaohe River. After landing there, the entire army will head straight to Shenyang."
"I obey your orders, but after all the soldiers of Kuandian Guard leave, what about the guards of the six forts of Kuandian?"
"Give them the reinforcements from Korea. Give them silver, good food and drink, and let them guard Kuandian Fort for you. Tell their leading generals that after this battle, if Kuandian Fort is not lost, I will give them more silver as a reward, regardless of whether Jiannu came to attack or not. If Kuandian Fort is lost, I will ask Grandpa Huang to issue an order to let the King of Korea chop off the families of all the officers of this unit!"
"Yes, I will obey your command!"
After giving this order, Zhu Youdong felt a little nervous: in order to increase the chances of winning the battle against Jianzhou, he had to concentrate the stronger troops as much as possible, so the troops of Kuandian Guard had to be withdrawn. In this case, he could only hand over the defense of Kuandian to the Koreans.
North Korea, well, although its combat power has never been very good, as a peninsula country sandwiched between China and Japan, it has been slapped on both sides of its face for a long time. It has no other ability, but its ability to take a beating is first-class. It is still okay to rely on the city wall for defense, right? Not to mention that Kuandian is now a concrete wall, bastions and various cannons. If it can't be defended like this, then all the people in this unit really deserve to die.
"Third, from today onwards, within seven days, all the troops that have arrived at Shanhaiguan will begin to change their uniforms. I have prepared brand new cotton armor for all the soldiers participating in this battle, and telescopes, pocket watches, and revolving pistols for all officers above the garrison level. In addition, all the soldiers participating in this battle will be given a one-ounce tael welcome fee first!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Fourth, after all the troops outside the Great Wall have gathered, the whole army will march to Shenyang collectively. After passing Liaoyang, the soldiers stationed in Liaoyang by Liaozhen will also follow us to Shenyang. Finally, the whole army will complete the assembly in Shenyang, and then..." Zhu Youdong knocked on the topographic map vigorously and put the wooden stick on the Hunhe River: "Going east from Shenyang, the Hunhe River stretches all the way. When we arrive in Shenyang, it will probably be almost January. At that time, the Hunhe River must have frozen, so the marching route of the whole army will be extremely fast. And along the Hunhe River, we will go to... um? After reaching Sarhu, there is the Suzi River that can go directly to Hetuala. Therefore, after the whole army is united, our army will only take one route, out of Fushun Pass, and point the sword at Hetuala!"
"Your Highness's plan, we all bow down to you! We will follow your Highness's orders!"
"Well, that's it." Looking at the high-spirited generals below , Zhu Youdong felt a sense of panic in his heart: So that's how it is, this place is actually a peninsula where two rivers meet. No wonder in the historical plane... But do I really have to fight Sarhu this time?
…
The meeting was over, and all the generals left. Zhu Youdong said, "Yang Jinglue, please stay."
Among the many military commanders who attended the meeting, some were rookies, but quite a few, such as Li Rubai, were veterans in the officialdom. When he saw the Crown Prince's posture, he immediately understood what he should do, and then he pretended to laugh heartily: "Everyone, you are usually scattered all over the world, and it is rare for you to get together. And I was born and raised in Liaodong, and today you are here for Liaodong affairs. So no matter what, today I will overstep my authority once, bypassing General Du, and be the host. Please have a drink, please don't refuse."
"Hahaha, the deputy commander has invited us, how dare we not come."
"Hey! Zizhen, you are embarrassing me, the real boss, by doing this. I am the general of Liaodong, the host, and I should be the host today."
"Hahaha, General Du, this is Chai's base. It's only right that I be the host today!"
"Uncle, why didn't you ask your nephew about this? I was also born in Liaodong."
"Ah, that's right, Shizhong, Chunzhong, both of you come."
After the generals walked out happily, Zhu Youdong asked Tian Ergeng to guard the gate, and then said directly: "Yang Jinglue, I hope that what happened today will not be spread out."
"Haha, Your Highness, there are so many people talking, I dare not guarantee anything."
"Then do you think that Li Rubai really wanted to drink when he invited these guys downstairs?"
“Hiss~~”
Who was the most dissatisfied with the strategy just now? Of course it was Yang Hao. He was a civil servant. If he deliberately spread the news, the censors in the capital would probably be furious again.
This is what Zhu Youdong doesn't want to see.
No matter how much he had done in Nanjing, his age was a disadvantage. Most people would not dare to hand over a country's 100,000-man army to an 11-year-old child.
The generals were different. They had always felt that the crown prince was very kind to the military men, and the strategy he had just proposed was obviously more reasonable. So the generals had a relatively simple mindset: when the time came, they would gather their troops together, slowly move over, and when they encountered the main force of the Jiannu, they would fight hard.
But even so, Li Rubai needed to quickly gather these guys together, unify their thoughts and silence them without leaving Li Rubai's sight - and Li Rubai also wanted His Highness Li Shizhong, the chief of the guards, to be there to testify and endorse.
As Yang Hao was a civil official, his work could only be done by Zhu Youdong himself.
"Yang Jinglie, let me be frank with you. From the very beginning, I have decided that I must be the actual commander in chief in this battle!"
Yang Hao had heard of the great reputation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince over the years. So in this situation, when Zhu Youdong completely tore his face off and said this in a cold voice, Yang Hao still trembled in his heart.
"Your Highness, what exactly do you want me to do?"
"It's very simple. On the surface, all strategies are set by you. I just attend the meetings and contribute money and food. But in reality, all troop movements must be approved by me."
"Your Highness!"
"I haven't finished yet. Yang Jinglue, I'll tell you more thoroughly. If you do as I say, and if you win this battle, I will give you the credit for planning the battle. It's not impossible . If you don't want a title, and want to make further progress in the officialdom, I can help you become the Minister of War or even the Minister of the Cabinet!"
"What if we lose?"
"Hahahaha~~ If I lose, I will never return to Beijing alive. Yang Jinglie will just have to fend for himself then."
"Your Highness, please do not speak so lightly of life and death."
"I am not saying this lightly. This time I am determined to fight Nurhaci to the death if I don't succeed!"
"Your Highness...if I were the minister..."
"If this news leaks out, I will definitely be impeached by the censors in Beijing, and the emperor may not insist on letting me stay in the army. If that happens, Yang Jinglie, isn't it normal for one or two officials to die suddenly in the army?"
"Your Highness, how could you..." Hearing such vicious words, even though Yang Hao had been in the army for many years and was much braver than ordinary civil officials, he still broke out in a cold sweat.
"Let me make it clear to you. If we can't win this battle, the Ming Dynasty will be in big trouble in the future! So, compared with the fate of the country, what are a few lives? My life is nothing, and your life is even less important."
"Your Highness, I really don't understand why Your Highness attaches so much importance to Jiannu. However, since Your Highness wants to do so, then I will obey your order. As long as Your Highness can control those arrogant soldiers and generals just now, the events of today's meeting will never be spread from my mouth."
"Hahaha, that's right, Yang Jinglue, it's all right. Don't worry, I guarantee you'll get promoted and make a fortune in this battle, and gain both fame and fortune. I'm even willing to open a special edition in the Jinling Daily to brag about you for ten days in the future! Oh, by the way, there are too many people from all sides in the military camp, I have to be more responsible for you, Tian Ergeng, from now on you will be responsible for Yang Jinglue's safety in the army!"