stubborn thief

Chapter 673: Dangers of Mountains and Rivers

Just as Yang Sichang was in Beijing offering Chongzhen a strategy to pacify the world.

Two thousand miles away in Xijing, another man named Yang was also offering Liu Chengzong a plan to conquer the world.

The main hall of the military government office in the Qin Palace was still brightly lit after nightfall. The dim light of the oil lamps and the charcoal heating basins mixed together, casting the shadows of the officials participating in the military meeting in an extremely strange and ferocious manner, projected on the screen.

Behind the screen, someone spoke out four words in a resounding voice: "Dangers of mountains and rivers!"

It’s Yang Dingrui.

He drew a big circle on the map around the area south of Yanshan Mountain, east of Taihang Mountain, and north of the Yellow River, and placed the wooden figurines symbolizing the Ming army at the location of Beijing.

"If everything is pushed to the front line of the mountains and rivers, what is the point of keeping Beijing?"

Cao Yao was wrapped in a fur robe, holding a pipe in one hand and scratching the scar on his forehead with the other. He looked at the map and said, "North of the Yellow River and Huai River, south of the Yanshan Mountains, those are all rich plains and good places."

Liu Chengzong, on the other hand, understood Yang Dingrui's thinking better and said with a smile, "Leave Northern Zhili and throw those guys who don't want to follow us there to avoid civil strife. Besides, if you really attack them, what if Chongzhen dies to show you?"

Zhang Xianzhong looked unhappy: "Wouldn't that mean we are handing Beijing over to the Yellow Tartars?"

"not necessarily."

Yang Dingrui didn't say anything definite about the matter. He pushed the tortoise-shell glasses on his nose because he was not sure.

He just said: "The strength of the northern Zhili, Shandong and Liaodong is enough to resist the Eastern Tartars."

"Now the Ming Dynasty is suppressing bandits and rebellions across the country, and is still fighting against the Eastern Tartars in the east. Although its income is low, its expenditure is also low."

"Besides, our army has taken Shanxi, and the Eastern Tartars will go west to Daning, while our division will go east to Jining. The northern route is blocked, so they can only fight to the death in Liaodong."

Wang Ziyong played with his purple gold Taoist crown and put it towards Beizhili, saying, "General, when the time comes, I will go to Beizhili. If the Eastern Tartars really break through, our Three Tribulations Society will make it impossible for them to take a single step in Beizhili!"

Liu Chengzong sat cross-legged on a cashmere blanket, smiling as he watched the guys in the Marshal's Mansion feasting on the world map like a group of hungry wolves.

They even began to worry about the Ming Dynasty and what to do if it couldn't defeat the Later Jin.

"Sir, you are right. The strength of Northern Zhili, Shandong, and Liaodong is enough to fight against the Eastern Tartars."

But Liu Chengzong shook his head and sneered after he finished speaking: "I am not afraid of the Eastern Tartars breaking through the pass, but the Ming Dynasty will shrink in Northern Zhili and blow itself up."

After that, he raised his hand and said, "The Ming Dynasty is no longer a predictable court. It is not surprising if unimaginable things happen."

Liu Chengzong's eyes have been trained so that everyone he sees looks like a madman.

Even if this person is normal now, it is just a disguise. In fact, he may be a dormant madman or a disheartened madman.

So he can accept most of the accidents that happen in the world.

But his skills were still not up to par, and he still couldn't imagine what unexpected situations might occur in the Ming Dynasty.

But in the final analysis, Liu Shizi still has a correct understanding: if nothing unexpected happens in the Ming Dynasty, it will no longer be the Ming Dynasty.

"As for us, let's not worry about the Ming Dynasty. There are too many variables in the world today, and we don't need too much foresight. It's enough to do well in the present."

Liu Chengzong brought the topic back to the topic, pointed at the map with his scabbard and drew three lines: "First, divide it into three routes. The northern route will swallow Ningxia and Yansui, and then connect with the south of the desert."

"In the middle road, between the mountains and rivers, please ask Brother Wang and Little Sixteen to use the Three Robberies Association to explore the road first. I need information about the passes, rich families, garrisons, dangerous places, earthen strongholds, and bandits."

"In the south, Hanzhong and Huguang, prioritize them. Go to Hanzhong Prefecture first. At the same time, contact Li Zicheng at the Li Yamen to find out the situation and make plans before taking action."

"besides."

He drew a circle around Lintao and Longxi: "The Linliang Brigade will come to clean up the mess of this Eastern Expedition and go south to wipe out the remaining Ming troops."

The commander-in-chief of Linliang Road was Yang Yao, a general from the Guyuan Army.

In that circle, hiding in the mountains were a large group of officials from various counties, both civil and military, including the prefect of Gongchang, Qiao Qiangao, and the Ningxia lieutenant general Tu Shixian, enough to form a small court.

Of course, there were also bandits from all over the place, mainly composed of defeated soldiers from the Ming Dynasty, such as Ningxia Lieutenant General Shen Guangxian, Zuo Liangyulong Zaitian and the rest of his troops, and a mess of bandits from all walks of life, roaming everywhere.

Everyone is waving all the flags, and Liu Chengzong can't figure out who is where.

However, those bandits are still a small matter to the Marshal's Office.

"The most important ones are the two towns of Yansui in Ningxia."

Liu Chengzong looked at everyone and said, "We must win this battle quickly. There will probably be another battle in the south of the desert this year. Therefore, I intend to send out five brigades in the spring. Brother Cao will lead the general of the Gansu Brigade, Huang Shengxiao, to advance from the Jinglu Guard to the second border wall and attack the middle and rear guards."

"Zhang Zhen, the general of the Yanqing Brigade, will contain the Yansui Town. Wang Wenxiu, the general of the Linliang Brigade, will move to Guyuan Prefecture to supervise the grain route and replenish the horses."

"Two field brigades, follow me and attack Yinchuan."

Cao Yao could see that Liu Chengzong was talking about the strategy for Ningxia, but his eyes were always looking to the east, and it was obvious that his mind was not on Ningxia or Yansui.

The five brigades mobilized this time are not only targeted at Ningxia and Yansui, but the main purpose seems to be to pull the troops to Yanqing and Xi'an first to facilitate future sudden wars.

He then asked, "Does the Marshal want to take over Ningxia and Yansui and fight a battle with the Later Jin in the south of the desert?"

Liu Chengzong seemed a little hesitant.

He did have this idea.

But whether or not they can fight in Mo Nan is not up to him.

Liu Shizi shook his head and said, "It can only be said to be a precaution. Brothers, what do you think is the most important thing Huang Taiji should do after he ascends the throne and becomes emperor?"

Everyone looked at each other.

First, we are not Huang Taiji, and second, we have no intention of ascending the throne to become emperor, so how can we figure out what Huang Taiji should do?

However, the Minister of Rites still had a guess: "Attacking from all sides?"

Liu Shizi had not intended to get an answer from anyone else, and was obviously stunned when he heard Zhang Xianzhong's answer.

Later, he nodded and said, "Yes, it is to ascend the throne and become emperor to fight against the rebellious people."

  Then who is the disloyal one?

Ming Dynasty, Korea, and Marshal's Office.

Liu Chengzong's scabbard scratched on the map: "If you want to attack Korea, you must first attack Ming. If you want to attack Ming, you must first attack Yang Qi."

"This order?"

Zhang Xianzhong could not understand this and said in confusion: "Attacking Korea and attacking the Ming Dynasty are both profitable. Our Governor Yang is so poor that he can only afford to buy pants. There is no point in the Tartars attacking him!"

  He thought to himself, Dorgon suffered such a great loss in the south of the desert this year, and he didn't even get a bite of his own hair, and now he's still trying to provoke that stinky dog ​​Yang Qi. Isn't that crazy?

"General, I think it would be wise for the Tartars to first invade Korea and then attack Ming. It would be wise to leave Yang Qi alone."

Liu Chengzong raised his hand and said with a smile: "You are right."

Although he just said that this year does not require a long-term vision.

However, the relationship between Minister Zhang and the stranger Dajuguan does not seem to be suitable for this era.

“Who he attacks first depends on how ambitious he is and how hungry his people are.”

"If they have already starved to death in the winter and have no food to eat in the spring, then they will definitely attack North Korea directly, because North Korea's military is weak and it is almost certain to win."

"But if there is still food to eat, and it is for next winter's food, then North Korea is the least anxious one. The peninsula will not float away on the sea, and the Lee family is at his fingertips and cannot escape."

"The key point is that attacking Korea has no deterrent effect on Ming, me, or the Later Jin... Is that considered a skill?"

Liu Chengzong's scabbard was transferred to the capital of Daming: "Only here can I show off my power."

Zhang Xianzhong was persuaded by Liu Chengzong's persuasion and nodded, saying, "Then we should attack Ming Dynasty directly. It won't be too late to attack Korea in autumn." "Well said, we should attack Ming Dynasty." Liu Chengzong spread his hands and said, "Where should we enter from?"

Zhang Xianzhong's gaze crossed the narrow Liaoxi Corridor and the Guanning Defense Line was enough to scare anyone.

He shook his head and said, "We still have to break the wall from the north."

“To enter Shanxi, one must go through Shahukou and Deshengbao; to enter the capital, one must go through Zhangjiakou in Xuanfu and Dushikou in Yunzhou.”

Although the Ming Dynasty's defense line north of Beijing is very long, there are only a few easy points to break in.

In other places, city walls are built on the top of the mountain, which is difficult for people and horses to climb. Even if they can barely climb up, they cannot rely on such crude methods as chiseling the wall.

Many places had to be blown up to allow the army to pass.

Liu Chengzong nodded again and looked at Zhang Xianzhong with great admiration.

  You know this clearly in your mind, so why don’t you think about it that way?

Liu Shizi said: "Since they broke through these places, according to what you said, Yang Qi is so poor that he can't afford to rob the Jin army?"

"Even if he can resist the urge to rob, the Later Jin will not be afraid. After all, if you want to rob someone's house, you must be alert and not be distracted. Even if Yang Qi only has one battalion, it is scary."

"So if we want to fight, we must fight Yang Qi first. No matter how poor Yang Qi is, the Mongolian soldiers under his command have horses. As long as we capture them, we can at least get our money back."

"Besides, there is the precedent of Dorgon returning empty-handed in the southern desert. This time they will most likely attack with the intention of killing Yang Qi."

"What we need to do is to capture Ningxia Yansui before Yang Qi gets beaten, and then we can act when the time is right."

As Liu Chengzong said this, his eyes were still fixed on the direction of Jining, east of Guihua City on the map, and he said with great concentration: "If it is possible... to fight them there?"

Yang Dingrui was horrified by the idea.

It has been a long time since Liu Shizi showed such eagerness and ferocity.

He quickly advised: "The Tartar soldiers have entered the capital, and all the troops are coming to the defense of the king. Why not send a letter to Yang Qi and tell him to retreat to Yansui if the situation is not good? My division is just dispatching troops to Shanxi, so why not?"

After saying that, he seemed to feel that the bargaining chips were not enough to attract Liu Chengzong, and continued: "The Marshal's Office still has to focus on the Central Plains. It is not appropriate to fight with the Eastern Tartars outside the Great Wall at this time. The barbarians claiming to be emperors is just a child's play. After we have taken over the world, it will not be too late to plunder their homes and destroy their holes."

He is not short-sighted.

The situation is now clear, Huang Taiji has even proclaimed himself emperor.

It is nonsense to say that Emperor Chongde wanted to rule the world at this moment.

But since he proclaimed himself emperor, it would be equivalent to completely breaking off relations with the Ming Dynasty. There was only one way to go.

No matter how stupid someone in the Marshal's Office is, he would not ignore this rival for hegemony, let alone Yang Dingrui.

The reason why he wanted to persuade him was because he felt that Liu Chengzong was a little too hot-blooded.

The army was sent out to fight in the border areas without sufficient benefits.

The battlefield was preset to be on the periphery, and it was difficult for the Marshal's Army to arrive at the battlefield in the best condition.

Both sides were completely clueless about intelligence, and had limited knowledge of the enemy's troop strength, the character of their generals, and even their armed tactics.

But this is only the difficulty of the battle, not the key reason why Yang Dingrui wanted to stop it.

The key point is that the disadvantage in this battle is so great that the only person in the Marshal's Office who can stand on his own and lead the troops to deal with this situation is Liu Chengzong.

If we win, everything will be fine and the morale of the Later Jin will be severely damaged. But what if we fail in the battle?

Therefore, in Yang Dingrui's opinion, instead of taking such a risk, it would be better to let the Later Jin army fight on the inside after conquering the world in the future. At least they would not be more cowardly than the Ming army.

To be honest, Yang Dingrui felt tired of persuading everyone.

Because he knew very well that Liu Chengzong knew it.

Liu Chengzong could not have been unaware of his concerns when he led his troops to the northwest.

But he is still eager to try.

Yang Dingrui really felt that in this game with the whole world as the chessboard, they had established their own political power framework very early on and were far ahead of all the militias.

When the Ming Dynasty collapses, their advantages in the Central Plains will be infinitely magnified, and they will be sure to win as long as they hold on.

But how can it be stable?

In response to Yang Dingrui's advice, Liu Shizi just shook his head calmly.

Slowly, but firmly.

Even Zhang Xianzhong didn't dare to speak, and his eyes moved between Liu Chengzong and Yang Dingrui.

The Minister of Rites' clever brain was working quickly as he analyzed the situation.

Analyze Liu Chengzong's behavior and Liu Chengzong's intentions.

But this time he couldn't analyze it.

Zhang Xianzhong fully agreed with Yang Dingrui's suggestion. There was no need to worry about Yang Qi. He should just let him retreat behind the border wall and wait until the Later Jin left before going out.

As for fighting the Later Jin... Zhang Xianzhong felt that our Grand Marshal's Office had done its utmost by not helping the Later Jin fight the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Chengzong was very rational, even a little too calm. He looked at the crowd and smiled, "When Dorgon came, our army was blocked by Ningxia and Yansui, and it was out of reach. Yang Qi just retreated."

"But in the spring, we will take care of Ningxia and Yansui, and we will finally meet. Isn't it worth meeting?"

Yang Dingrui looked bitter: "Is it worth it?"

"Sir, don't worry. What you said makes sense, but it may not be easy for us to deal with Ningxia and Yansui. Even if it is easy, the Later Jin army may not really come to attack Yang Qi."

Liu Chengzong stood up with a chuckle, not intending to argue about the issue.

"But if they come, I will send troops. Besides... I can see a chance of winning."

Liu Shizi is not a person who cares about political correctness. If he really has no chance and cannot win, he will run faster than anyone else.

But he did see his chance.

Firstly, we have been friends for a long time, and now that I finally understand, I have to go and see it.

Secondly, there are difficulties in the battle, which exist for both sides.

The opportunity lies in that if the Later Jin Dynasty launches a long expedition, the target may be Yang Qi or the Ming Dynasty.

The only thing is impossible that he is coming for Liu Chengzong.

The initiative is in his hands.

Therefore, in his heart, he was very much looking forward to the scenery of the southern grasslands in summer and even spring.

"We have nothing to begin with, and we have to fight and rob to get this half of the country. The Mongolians in the north of the desert are watching us from above."

Liu Chengzong opened his arms to the crowd, the golden sword pattern on his robe on his left shoulder gleaming brightly: "The Mo Nan Governor's Office is my territory. If they dare to come, we should fight them. We can fight them, of course we have to fight them!"

　Good morning!

　　(End of this chapter)