Four days later, Liu Yan, accompanied by Miao Shao and other sentry guards, arrived in Jinan Fucheng.
It was already mid-October, and although the temperature in early autumn was still a bit hot, it was much better than in midsummer, and it already felt like a crisp autumn air. Liu Yan and others rode their horses all the way. The autumn wind felt very comfortable on their bodies, and everyone's mood also improved a lot.
Liu Yan and others rode into the city. Jinan Fucheng has returned to its former glory after vigorous rectification by Lu Xiangsheng and Yan Jizu. Although the number of people and business travelers in the city had not yet fully recovered at this time, and was the same as before the Qing army went south, the previous decline had been wiped out and its vitality began to gradually recover.
"Sir, the Governor's Mansion is ahead."
Liu Yan nodded, and then looked at the shops on the street. There were many shops near the Governor's Palace, including wine shops, restaurants, and various goods such as silk and satin. Liu Yan even saw a shop selling colored glaze. The sign clearly reads "Jimo colored glaze, high quality".
So Liu Yan said to Miao Shao: "Let's go over there to buy some gifts first. We can't go empty-handed to meet Governor Lu."
"yes."
Liu Yan and others prepared two generous gifts at the shops along the way, and asked the shopkeeper of a shop to write two gift lists and bring them with him before arriving at the Governor's Mansion.
In the main hall, Lu Xiangsheng looked at the gift list in his hand and saw that there was a whole page full of gifts on it, estimated to be worth hundreds of taels of silver. He shook his head and said, "You, come here to this governor and do all this nonsense." . When you leave, take all these gifts back, I don’t want them.”
Liu Yan said with a smile: "The governors are still subordinates. They are all used for money. Most of the governors' salaries are to supplement the officers and soldiers of the governor's camp. We can't let the governors' family members also suffer. If it were someone else, I don’t know how to give things away in my humble position, and I don’t even bother to give things away.”
Lu Xiangsheng sighed and said, "Well, let's not do this next time."
Lu Xiangsheng accepted the gift list and then said: "Tell me, you made a lot of noise when you arrived in Qingzhou Mansion. What is the situation in Qinglai Town now?"
Liu Yan then reported on his preparations to implement new schools and military academies, as well as implement new policies throughout Qinglai Town. Of course, Liu Yan would not say anything about the comfort officer.
Lu Xiangsheng frowned slightly after hearing this and said: "New-style school? Military school? Well, you have a good idea. Nowadays, the imperial examinations only admit people who are not practical. If this new-style school can really teach practical talents, It is also a way to recruit scholars for the country."
"In addition, the idea of the military academy is also very good, but we must be careful of people with ulterior motives. The discussion of the military academy is too easy for people to think of other places, thinking that you, Liu Yan, are cultivating your own power."
Liu Yan said: "There must be such Xiaoxiao, but I am not worried about my humble position. What can such Xiaoxiao do to me?"
Lu Xiangsheng was noncommittal and continued: "As for the new policy you implemented, it does have the effect of enriching the country and strengthening the army. It just needs to completely break the original order of the place. It offends too many people and involves too many people. Now you are a The commander-in-chief of the town is no longer the commander of the guard post. He must be more careful in everything he does. I have seen too many people who fell down due to arrogance in this position."
Liu Yan clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Governor, for your concern. However, as the chief military officer of Qinglai Town, I have to guard my place and do what I have to do. Even if someone objects, I have to push it forward."
"well!"
Lu Xiangsheng said: "I know that I can't persuade you, but you still have to be careful and think more about everything."
"Now the governor and Yan Futai are rectifying various parts of Jinan Prefecture. During this period, they feel haggard and know that it is not appropriate to be a political party. Because of this, the governor has lost a lot of edges and corners, and has become a little unlike himself. There are At that time, I really envied you, Liu Yan."
"The governor is joking. How can you be so virtuous and capable in a humble position that can make the governor envious?"
"Haha, I just envy you. You dare to think and act, and you have the courage to move forward!"
Liu Yan said with a smile: "The humble position is just about being ruthless. The supervisors are the real officials. There are still many things to learn from the supervisors."
Then Lu Xiangsheng asked about the suitability of the new army's reorganization.
Liu Yan said: "At present, the battalions of the New Army have been stationed in various places in Qinglai Town, and the expansion and rectification matters are also in full swing. The recruits recruited are mainly young men from military households in various places, supplemented by men from rural households. After the expansion of each battalion, The vacancies have basically been filled, and training is underway."
Lu Xiangsheng said with satisfaction: "Sixty thousand new soldiers were recruited in just over a month. The efficiency of the officials in Qinglai Town is really good. Is the money and food sufficient now? Are the troops fully prepared?"
There is no need for Liu Yan to be secretive in front of Lu Xiangsheng. Anyway, no one knows how strong Liu Yan is in Shandong, but Lu Xiangsheng can still tell that he is inseparable.
So Liu Yan said: "I would like to inform the governor that the troops and equipment of all the new army departments are basically fully equipped, and the money and food are still sufficient. However, our Qinglai Town has incurred huge expenditures during this period, and the money and food accumulated in the previous two years have been used up." Once it’s empty, I’m afraid we’re going to have a hard time for a while.”
Lu Xiangsheng said: "This is no longer easy. Qinglai Town only covers two states. It is already commendable that you can raise so much money and food."
Then Lu Xiangsheng asked: "Liu Yan, if you give me an accurate word, how long will it take for the new army to be reorganized?"
Liu Yan was startled and began to recall rapidly in his mind. Is something big going to happen recently?
Then Liu Yan thought that Li Zicheng was making a lot of trouble in Henan and Shanxi. He already had millions of soldiers and horses under his command. Although a considerable part of the troops were trapped refugees and their combat power was very low, there were so many ants that killed the elephants. , it is still very useful for consuming officers and soldiers.
At this time, Li Zicheng's ministries were attacking cities and plundering villages in Henan, Shanxi and other places, almost to the point of being in an uninhabited country. As for the imperial court, after Shaanxi Governor Zheng Chongjian led He Renlong and Li Guoqi's troops back to Shaanxi, they have been lingering at the junction of Shaanxi and Shanxi. They were afraid of Li Zicheng's military front and did not dare to attack at all.
The elite of the Dubiao Battalion led by Yang Sichang were still stalling in the Huguang area. At this time, Yang Sichang's condition continued to worsen and he was unable to get out of bed. According to historical trends, Yang Sichang's death will be this year.
"so……"
Liu Yan felt confident at this time. Lu Xiangsheng must have seen the situation in the world and expected that the imperial court would probably recruit elite troops to fight against Li Zicheng's troops again. Shandong's soldiers and horses had performed very well in recent battles. Once the imperial court ordered the recruitment of reinforcements, Shandong Dusi would Nature bears the brunt.
Thinking of this, Liu Yan sighed and said to himself: "No matter what Lu Xiangsheng says, I can't go to Li Zicheng's side, because in a few months, the war will start in Jinzhou!"
In a few months, not only will Li Zicheng capture Luoyang, kill the vassal kings and strengthen his momentum, but the Battle of Songjin in Liaodong will also begin.
If there is no big deviation in the course of history, Hong Chengchou will definitely be defeated and captured, and the situation in Liaodong will be completely ruined. When the Qing army moves south, Shandong will definitely be hit.
For Liu Yan, the best choice is to stand still and focus on development at this time, continue to hoard money and food, and train soldiers and horses in order to cope with the big change.
The second medium choice is for Liu Yan to lead his troops to participate in the Battle of Songjin. It is best to severely damage the Qing army in Liaodong. This can also provide himself with a good development environment and take the opportunity to obtain more development resources. After all, the benefits of severely inflicting a heavy blow on the Qing army are many, the military achievements are more valuable, the rewards from the court are more generous, the captured money, food, and military equipment are more and better, etc.
The worst choice is to fight against Li Zicheng's troops.
Liu Yan knew very well that the bandits were not only numerous, but also able to gather and disperse freely, making them far more difficult to deal with than Zhang Xianzhong's troops.
Although Liu Yan was confident that he could defeat Li Zicheng, the cost and money consumed far outweighed the benefits. The heads of escaped thieves are worthless. If they cannot behead Li Zicheng and other thieves, even if they behead thousands or tens of thousands, it will not be considered a great achievement.
Moreover, the refugee thieves were poor. After the war, there would be almost no decent captures. Instead, they would have to provide for the captured refugees. Once Li Zicheng made a comeback, those refugees turned into rogue soldiers. There were many examples of this.
"It's better to say no in a polite way."
Although Liu Yan thought a lot, it was only for a moment, and then he clasped his fists and said: "The Governor is aware that the New Army has expanded and reorganized, and its strength has surged from more than 20,000 to more than 80,000. The original structure of the New Army has been destroyed. There is chaos, and the current battalions of the New Army are basically reorganized, and the overall combat effectiveness has declined very quickly."
"Because of this, humble positions take time. Only by spending enough time to strictly train the soldiers of each battalion can the combat effectiveness of each battalion of the New Army be improved."
Lu Xiangsheng nodded in agreement. After all, he was a veteran who had led troops for a long time. Liu Yan's words were reasonable. Although he hoped that the new army would be trained as soon as possible, he could only agree: "In your estimation, each of the new army will How long will it take for the battalion to become an army?”
Liu Yan said: "It can be as short as half a year or as long as ten months. This is already the fastest speed."
After Liu Yan finished speaking, he thought to himself: "According to the course of history, Li Zicheng will capture Luoyang in the spring of next year. After half a year, it will be too late. At least I will not go to the war to encircle and suppress Li Zicheng!"
Lu Xiangsheng sighed when he heard this, and then didn't say anything, just a little disappointed.
On that day, Liu Yan and Lu Xiangsheng talked for a long time, and it was not until the evening that they got up to say goodbye and prepare to settle down at the guild hall.
"Bizi will go to the Governor's Yamen to pay homage to Yan Futai tomorrow morning, and then go to Prince De's Mansion to pay homage to His Highness Prince De. After that, he will return to Qingzhou City and bid farewell to the governor."
Lu Xiangsheng held Liu Yan's hand and said: "Tomorrow, after you pay homage to His Royal Highness Prince De and Yan Futai, you will go back immediately without coming to see me again. After you go back, you must do your best to train your troops and prepare for war. Now the world The chaos and thieves are strong, and the slave thieves outside the pass are even more ready to move. Their troops have already appeared in the Jinzhou area, and they are likely to go south to besiege. The situation has deteriorated to this point. You and I must serve the country with all our hearts, and we must not neglect it for a day!"
Liu Yan cupped his fists and accepted the order.
When Liu Yan left the Governor's Mansion, Miao Shao led his troops to accompany him and asked, "Sir, let's go to Guanyi to rest."
Liu Yan looked at the sky and saw that it was not dark yet, so he said: "Go to the governor's office. We will go to Prince De's Mansion tomorrow morning and then return to Qingzhou City immediately."
Some people died, but not completely...
