1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1775 The Curve to Save the Nation
Li Xi got up early this morning. On the one hand, it was because the sound of firecrackers sounding everywhere in Sanya City made him unable to sleep in peace. On the other hand, the staff of the Guest House came to inform him that today the senior officials of the Ministry of National Defense would arrange a meeting with him. He meets.Although he didn't say the specific time, Li Xi packed up early and waited for the other party's arrival at the guest house.

Li Xi estimated that this arrangement was directly related to his previous application for the garrison. He originally thought that this matter might be delayed for several days before he heard back, but he did not expect that the Haihan military's efficiency was quite high. Echoed.However, he was still a little uneasy. Firstly, he was worried that Haihan would reject his proposal in the end, and secondly, he was afraid that Haihan would take advantage of this to make a big talk and charge North Korea an astronomical amount of military expenses before he would send troops.

As the weak side, Li Xi has no effective way to change Haihan's attitude, he can only face the reality.He even thought that if Hai Han wanted to reject him, then in order to save the fate of the country, he might need to try radical methods such as blood letters to remonstrate.

However, he was also worried that overly aggressive measures would annoy the Haihan people, and it would be really bad if it backfired.Such ambivalence kept Li Xi in a state of anxiety throughout the morning. Even the little Prince Annan sent someone to invite him to have lunch, but he politely declined because he was worried that the high-ranking officials from Haihan would come over at noon.

But Li Xi was really right in rejecting the invitation. As soon as the people sent by Zheng Zuo left, Yan Chujie arrived at the guest house.Li Xi didn't dare to neglect after hearing the report from his subordinates, and took the initiative to come to the gate of the residence to welcome Yan Chujie's arrival.After the two parties greeted each other, Li Xi welcomed Yan Chujie into the residence, and ordered his staff to thank the guests behind closed doors.

"Master Li, it's time for lunch, why don't we talk while eating!" After Yan Chujie finished speaking, seeing that Li Xi didn't object, he ordered the adjutant to prepare lunch.There was also a supply of food at the Guest House, so as long as you went to say hello, someone would naturally come to ask for it.

What to eat for lunch is a secondary issue, and Li Xi is not in the mood to pay attention to such details. What he cares about now is Yan Chujie's reason for coming. Before he figured it out this year, he really didn't have the appetite to enjoy delicious food.

"The climate in Sanya is hot, is Mr. Li still used to living here?" Yan Chujie greeted casually.

Li Xi quickly responded: "It's true that this place is hotter than our country, but the life is comfortable and I can still get used to it. Thank you, Chief, for your concern."

Yan Chujie nodded and said: "Then it seems that Master Li is still in good health. Like our army sent to Liaodong to fight, during the period there was an epidemic because of unacceptable water and soil. Fortunately, the treatment brought the situation under control in time."

Li Xi's first reaction when he heard this was that Yan Chujie was complaining on purpose so that he could raise Hai Han's conditions for sending troops, so he had to respond cautiously: "The lower officials will report to the country and organize more doctors to come to Jinzhou regularly Diagnose and treat the sick and wounded of your army...Of course the necessary medicinal materials will be prepared, so the chief needn't worry too much."

Yan Chujie thought to himself that Li Xi knows the strings after hearing the strings, but he is really a smart person.He brought up this topic with the intention of emphasizing the objective difficulties of Haihan sending troops to the Northeast.You can't just say that you don't have any money, the intention to ask for money like that is too blatant.

Yan Chujie said: "Your country is willing to help, which is of course the best. However, your country has chosen to form an alliance with our country. Presumably the enemy chief Taiji will be quite dissatisfied with your country's performance?"

Li Xi smiled wryly and said: "Master Ming Jian! The Golden Thief has been forcing our country to draw a clear line with Ming Dynasty in recent years, and regards it as the main one. Naturally, our country will not follow, and the Golden Thief will threaten war. To be honest, if it weren't for Pi Dao Ming The army and your country's army held back the gold thief one after another, and our country may have been invaded by them!"

The situation mentioned by Li Xi is basically consistent with what Haihan has grasped and speculated about, and it is also consistent with the current international situation in Northeast Asia.The war between the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty has lasted for many years. Both sides are very clear that this war cannot be ended in a short time, and the Haihan Army that fell from the sky is a hard nut to crack, so it is natural to concentrate on solving the soft persimmons of North Korea. This is the most sensible choice for Huang Taiji.The North Koreans seem to be aware of this dangerous situation, so they ask for help everywhere.

On the other side of Daming, the Mud Bodhisattva can't protect himself when he crosses the river. He can't even care about the tens of thousands of people in Dongjiang Town, so he can't care about the safety of North Korea.Unless the Qing Dynasty had already sent troops to invade North Korea, the Ming Dynasty would never divide its troops to share the pressure on North Korea.What's more, after Haihan intervened in the Liaodong situation, cracks appeared in the relationship between Daming and North Korea. Even if North Korea went to the capital to ask Daming to send troops, I'm afraid Daming would stand by and watch a joke.

Therefore, for North Korea, if it is necessary to move reinforcements from abroad, Haihan has replaced Daming's original position and has become the only object that North Korea can rely on at present.It's just that Li Xi was concerned about the current situation of his own country, so he didn't dare to tell Hai Han the whole story, so as not to fall into a more passive situation.

After listening to Li Xi's explanation, Yan Chujie actually understood it clearly. The North Koreans already felt that the sharp sword hanging above their heads would fall at any moment, so they hurriedly sought military support.However, when Li Xi went south with this mission, he probably didn't expect that Huang Taiji would officially proclaim himself emperor and change Yuan after a few months, otherwise his performance might be more urgent than now.

"Master Li, I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?" Yan Chujie asked.

"This... I don't even know..." Li Xi had never encountered such a routine before, and suddenly felt very embarrassed: "Then why...just hear the bad news first?"

Yan Chujie said: "Okay, let's talk about the bad news first. Just a few days ago, Huang Taiji changed Yuan and proclaimed himself emperor, changed the name of Dajin Kingdom to Daqing Kingdom, and entrusted a bunch of princes and ministers. They are all crowned kings."

Li Xi's complexion changed: "Proclaiming the emperor... Huang Taiji, I'm afraid something will happen again!"

As a close neighbor of the Qing Dynasty, Li Xi certainly knows that such a big event as Huang Taiji proclaiming emperor is not just about changing his name for fun, and the bunch of kings who will be confiscated will not be free titles, and there will probably be big ones in the future. Actions, the first to bear the brunt is probably their own country.This is really bad news for North Korea.

"Chief, if this is true, then it must be the gold thief... The Qing thief will soon use force against North Korea, and please help your country as soon as possible!" Li Xi knew in his heart that he had to call for help decisively at this time, and he could not hold back at all.If it wasn't for himself and Yan Chujie's subordinates standing beside him, he would even have the heart to kneel down on the spot.

Yan Chujie was waiting for a response, when his subordinates reported that the lunch had been delivered, Yan Chujie changed his words: "Let's talk while eating!"

Even if there is a special person in charge of catering at the Yingbin Hotel, it is impossible to set up a table so quickly, so the first ones are a few cold dishes and drinks.However, the two parties were discussing business matters, and neither of them planned to drink, so Yan Chujie asked people to remove the wine and exchange it for refreshing coconut milk.

However, Li Xi didn't have the slightest appetite at this time, holding chopsticks in his hand, but staring straight at Yan Chujie, but he didn't dare to urge him, and only hoped that Yan Chujie would eat quickly and continue talking.

Yan Chujie has rich experience in negotiating, so at this time, he deliberately wants to let the other party air first.The sea urchin cold dish, stewed beef tendon, fresh marinated clams, and cold cucumber vegetable chicken are all dishes that suit his appetite, and before coming to the guest house, he had already had a meeting in Fort Victory all morning, and he was indeed very hungry , I ate it on my own.

"Master Li, are these dishes not to your liking? It doesn't matter, there should be some hot dishes later." Yan Chujie pretended not to know, and just called Li Xi to move his chopsticks.

Li Xi said with a wry smile: "The chief is just joking, the subordinate is so anxious right now, everything tastes like chewing wax, it's really hard to swallow!"

Yan Chujie said: "Master Li, the big thing is that the body is the most important thing. People are like iron rice or steel, and only after eating can they have the energy to serve the country! Come, come, eat as much as you want!"

Li Xi couldn't laugh or cry, and didn't dare to disobey Yan Chujie's intention, so he had to eat a few mouthfuls with a smile.There were high-ranking officials from the executive committee dining here, and the efficiency of the kitchen was quite high, and several hot dishes were served soon after another.Yan Chujie didn't mention the previous topic, but chatted with Li Xi while eating without saying a word.Although Li Xi wanted to get back to the topic quickly, he still had to be patient and eat with Yan Chujie.

The two of them just sat and ate this meal, but I don't know if it was the adjutant flattering Yan Chujie, or the kitchen of the guest house trying to show off, but the food served was packed to the table, even for eight people. enough.Fortunately, the meals at the guest house are all borne by Hai Han, otherwise Li Xi would have to worry about the cost of the dishes.

Yan Chujie unhurriedly ate three bowls of rice and drank another cup of Sanzhen Soup. Then he put down the bowl and wiped his mouth with a napkin contentedly.Li Xi was flustered by waiting a long time ago, and immediately said: "Please go back to the study and take a seat, sir, I will send someone to make a pot of good tea."

When the two returned to the study, Li Xi poured a cup of tea for Yan Chujie himself, and asked respectfully, "The chief said earlier that there was bad news and good news, so what is the good news?"

Yan Chujie said seriously: "The good news is that the Executive Committee agrees that the naval fleet go northward and rush to Liaodong to stabilize the situation."

Hearing this, Li Xi got up and bowed, "Thank you, Chief! Thank you for sending troops from your country! Our country is saved!"

Yan Chujie waved his hand and said: "Don't be in a hurry to thank me, just listen to me. Our navy has just completed its combat mission in Manila, and after returning, it has to prepare for the National Day military parade and exercises, and has hardly had a good rest. Therefore, the Navy's Northern Fleet The holiday actually only started yesterday, and the departure time may be half a month later."

"Ah! It's going to take so long...then if the situation in Liaodong changes, your navy may not be able to catch up!" Li Xi's heart that had just been let go was lifted up again, but he didn't dare to criticize Haihan's military dispatch. He could only look at Yan Chujie anxiously, hoping that the other party would understand North Korea's situation and change the navy's itinerary.

Yan Chujie nodded and said: "There is indeed such a possibility. If the Qing army decides to attack at this time, then we can only hope that your country will try its best to last for a while."

In fact, Yan Chujie didn't say a word. Even if the navy could keep ahead of the Qing army, it would be difficult to completely prevent the Qing army from invading North Korea.Haihan didn't intend to send a large number of troops into the DPRK to fight against the Qing. The navy alone would definitely not be able to defuse the Qing army's offensive.However, Li Xi didn't seem to notice this detail in his desperation. What he cared about was whether Haihan would send troops to aid the DPRK, but he never thought about how much Haihan would contribute.

Li Xi said anxiously: "The thieves are cunning. If it is discovered that the main force of your country has left Liaodong, I am afraid that they will really seize this gap to act! Chief, can't we dispatch troops from Shandong, Zhejiang and other places to go north for emergency? "

Yan Chujie shook his head and said: "The main force of the troops stationed in various places went south to participate in the Manila battle at the end of last year. The troops currently deployed in various places are only defensive, and it is difficult to deploy them. For our country, the colonies in Shandong and Zhejiang may It is more important than Liaodong Jinzhou, I hope Lord Li understands this."

Although Li Xi was dissatisfied, he also knew that what Yan Chujie said was actually the truth. The place in Jinzhou was almost completely in ruins. It would take a long time for Haihan to rebuild the social order, and the confrontation with the Qing army all the year round was really not true. What a good place.In contrast, Shandong and Zhejiang are undoubtedly much more peaceful. There are copper mines mined by Haihan near Zhifu Port, and Zhejiang has concentrated all kinds of social resources in the most affluent areas of Ming Dynasty. The importance is definitely higher than that of Jinzhou, let alone Talk about an ally like North Korea.

Just when Li Xi was almost in despair, he heard Yan Chujie say: "Well, it's not like there's no solution at all..."

Li Xi hurriedly continued: "Please tell the chief clearly!"

Yan Chujie said: "The method is actually very simple. It is to let the troops terminate their vacation in advance and gather to go north as soon as possible. But the problem is that morale will be greatly affected in this way. You must know that many soldiers have been fighting abroad for several years. , I finally had the opportunity to go back to China for a few days of vacation. If the vacation is to be cancelled, many people may complain about it... We must find a way to motivate the soldiers!"

Li Xi was not stupid, he already understood half of what he heard, Yan Chujie went around and didn't say "money", naturally he had to wait for him to bring it up on his own initiative.But now that the situation in the north is deteriorating, it is time to wait. If it continues, the situation of North Korea may be very dangerous. What he has to do at this time is not to save money for the country, but to move reinforcements to the northeast as soon as possible.

At that moment, Li Xi could only bite the bullet and respond: "The chief is right, but the lower officials have a way, which may make the soldiers of your country less resentful and more motivated."

(End of this chapter)