In the cabinet lobby, Liu Yan summoned everyone in the cabinet to discuss matters.
Among the cabinet ministers at this time, Zhao Min, the Minister of Civil Affairs, Yue Ming, the Minister of Finance, Tian Huixu, the Minister of Defense, Xun Jingyun, the Minister of Equipment, Zhang Lei, the Minister of Agriculture, Song Gongming, the Minister of Commerce, Bao Xuezhen, the Minister of Health, Wu Guojin, the Minister of Military Intelligence, and Wang Wenzhen, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, were both Liu Yan's absolute confidants.
Chen Xinjia, the Minister of Staff, can also be regarded as one of Liu Yan's people. Only Huang Jin, the Minister of Rites, Xu Shiqi, the Minister of Punishment, and Song Shiwen, the Minister of Work, are old ministers in the court. However, now that the new policy is being implemented in the court and a war is about to start outside, Liu Yan has another By separating the power of education from the Ministry of Rites, the powers of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Punishments have been weakened to the greatest extent, and these three people are no longer able to influence the government.
Liu Yan looked at everyone present and said with a smile: "The imperial court is now rich in money and food. The Ministry of Finance has prepared all the money and food for the extermination of Li Zicheng, and the civilians have been transporting them towards Jingxing Pass. Now let's talk about the various items before the army sets off. Let’s take care of matters.”
Everyone clasped their fists and said, "Please give me your instructions!"
At this time, Huang Jin, the Minister of Rites, Xu Shiqi, the Minister of Punishments, and Song Shiwen, the Minister of Industry, sat aside very respectfully. Basically, whatever Liu Yan said, the three of them nodded in agreement, acting like "tool men". If you have something to do, do your best, and if you have nothing to do, just say nothing. It can be said that the three of them have accurately found their position.
Liu Yan is quite satisfied with this, and plans to examine the three of them for a while. If the three of them can be used, let them continue to shine in their respective positions.
"The first thing is the deployment of troops. Before the Shanxi Merchant case,
I have ordered the fourth battalion of the garrison to garrison Laizhou and Qingzhou, and the first, second, third, fifth and sixth battalions of the garrison have all moved north. "
"The first battalion of the garrison will be stationed at Zijingguan and Juyongguan, the second battalion of the garrison will be stationed at Gubeikou and Xifengkou, the third battalion of the garrison will be stationed at Shanhaiguan, and the rear battalion of the new army will be replaced. To garrison The fifth battalion of the army is stationed in Beijing City, guarding both inside and outside the imperial court."
"The remaining battalions of the New Army and the sixth battalion of the garrison have all gathered in the Jingxingguan area and are on standby."
Tian Huixu, Secretary of the Ministry of National Defense, said worriedly: "Mr. Ge, our army has only dispatched more than 100,000 troops. The disadvantage in terms of military strength is too great. Should we deploy more troops from elsewhere?"
Liu Yan shook his head and said: "I have also considered it, but Shandong is the foundation for the revitalization of the country, so we cannot afford to lose anything. It is already insufficient to defend with one garrison battalion. And the various passes north of Beijing must also be strictly guarded. , with the Manchu and Qing’s investigative capabilities, they will surely know that the imperial court is about to have a decisive battle with Li Zicheng’s million-strong army. If the northern troops are empty, and the Manchu and Qing lead their troops south to take advantage, our army will have difficulty taking care of both the head and tail.”
This is not because Liu Yan is making a fuss, but because the Manchus were really lucky in history. When China was at its weakest in hundreds of years, they met Li Zicheng, a troublemaker, and Wu Sangui, a once-in-a-thousand-year-old man. The traitors, when faced with all kinds of weird operations within the Ming Dynasty, were so lucky that it can be said to be the greatest shit luck in history.
Therefore, all the passes in the north must be strictly defended. Beijing’s deployment of four garrison battalions along with each pass is already the minimum.
Degree.
After listening to Liu Yan's explanation, everyone looked solemn. This battle was not easy to fight.
At this time, Wu Guojin said: "Mr. Ge, according to various intelligence collected by the Military Intelligence Department, Li Zicheng is now reorganizing the bandit battalions. The combat power and equipment of the bandit battalions have been greatly improved, and they have almost reduced the number of soldiers in the northwest provinces. The financial and material resources have been gathered together, which shows Li Zicheng’s determination.”
Chen Xinjia said: "How about our army focusing on defense in this battle. After consuming the strength and vigor of the bandits, our army launches a counterattack?"
Liu Yan shook his head and said: "In the current war, how can the general staff change the combat strategy before the battle? Although our army only has one-tenth of Li Zicheng's strength, its combat power is far better than that of the bandit army. Even if the bandit army is reorganized, it will be the same. !”
Seeing Liu Yan's confident look, everyone felt much more at ease.
Liu Yan continued: "Now that we have talked about the issue of military strength, let's talk about the deployment of the DPRK and China after I lead the army to the expedition."
"Please give me your order, sir."
"For this battle, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Equipment are responsible for the supply of money and food for the army, and the recruitment of reserve soldiers for the army is the responsibility of the Ministry of National Defense. The Ministry of National Defense began to recruit new soldiers for training in various places in Shandong and North Zhili, with priority given to military households in various military stations. If this war drags on for a long time, the Ministry of National Defense will continue to send new soldiers to the front line to supplement the troop consumption of each battalion. The Ministry of Health is responsible for the collection and transportation of medicines for the army."
"At the same time, soldiers from various departments in the Beijing camp in Beijing were recruited as auxiliary troops to protect the grain transporters in the rear and transport money, grain and other materials to the front."
Yue Ming, Tian Huixu, Xun Jingyun, Bao Xue
The four people in the town clasped their fists and accepted the order.
At this time, Chen Xinjia frowned slightly. Liu Yan was worried about the more than 30,000 soldiers in the Beijing camp, so he drove the soldiers out of the Beijing camp.
So Chen Xingjia said: "Mr. Ge, why not bring more than 30,000 soldiers from the Beijing camp to the front line? They can at least be used as auxiliary troops and will be a supplement to our army's strength."
Liu Yan said with a smile: "Letting the soldiers from the Beijing camp escort the grain and grass is also a contribution to the war. This is also a very important thing."
Chen Xinjia clasped his fists and accepted the order, thinking secretly: "Elder Ge is still worried about the Beijing camp!"
"In this battle, the staff department is responsible for coordinating the deployment of soldiers, supplies, and equipment. It is also responsible for intelligence liaison between the front line and the court. Although I am leading the battle on the front line, I also need to be aware of the important affairs of the DPRK and China. Every three days Deliver newspapers once every five days.”
Chen Xinjia cupped his fists and accepted the order.
"The Military Intelligence Department is responsible for the transmission of various intelligences. It must pay special attention to the movements of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. It also reports to me every three to five days."
Wu Guojin cupped his fists and accepted the order.
Liu Yan then looked at everyone and said: "The rest of the ministries perform their respective duties, and the stability of the DPRK and the Central Government must be given priority. All major matters must be decided at the cabinet meeting, with Chen Xinjia, the Secretary of the General Staff, taking the lead. After the cabinet votes, , the majority will be considered the best, and after Chen Shangshu’s approval, we will report the red to His Majesty.”
Everyone clasped their fists and said yes.
After the cabinet meeting, Liu Yan summoned Shang Zili, the commander and deputy commander of the fifth battalion of the garrison, and said: "After I led the army on the expedition, I immediately implemented military control over the city of Beijing. The fifth battalion not only had to take over the city city defense, and you have to enter the palace to guard it. I want you to promise to stay safe in the palace.
During the war, the city of Beijing was stable and peaceful. "
Shang Zili clasped his fists and accepted the order, but then asked: "Mr. Ge, what should I do if something goes wrong when the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp transporting food enter and leave the city?"
Liu Yan smiled and nodded. It seemed that the commanders of the garrison battalions had also grown up and could see the underlying problems, so he said, "Just remember one thing. After the army goes out, no matter what happens in the court, as long as you defend It is a great service for the city of Beijing to protect His Majesty and the royal family in the palace. If anyone really wants to take advantage of my father's expedition to cause trouble, you have the right to kill them first without going through the cabinet, even if they are relatives of the emperor!"
Shang Zili was also shocked when he heard this. This was the city of Beijing being handed over to him. Naturally, he was very energetic. He clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Ge, my subordinates will definitely turn the city of Beijing into an iron barrel. Waiting for Mr. Ge to lead his army in triumph!"
Liu Yan then sent a personal letter to Jia Hongyu, deputy commander-in-chief of the first battalion of the garrison, Zheng Yi, deputy commander-in-chief of the second battalion, Han Qin, deputy commander-in-chief of the third battalion, and Wei Han, deputy commander-in-chief of the fourth battalion.
For the first, second and third battalions stationed at the northern pass and Shanhaiguan Pass, Liu Yan ordered everyone to just guard the pass. No matter it was the Qing army that went south to take advantage of the situation or the small group of bandits who came from the west, they would all guard the pass. It’s two words: defend to the death!
With a garrison battalion of more than 12,000 people, it is more than enough to garrison one or two passes. There will be no problem at least for one to two months. This time is enough for Liu Yan to mobilize his troops to respond. .
As for Wei Han, deputy commander-in-chief of the fourth battalion of the garrison who stayed in Laizhou and Qingzhou, Liu Yanze
He was ordered to divide his troops for defense, focusing on various parts of Lingshan Guard, focusing on preventing raids by small groups of rogue soldiers.
At the same time, Liu Yan also ordered Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong, to rectify the recently rebuilt Fubiao Camp as soon as possible.
Now Yan Jizu's Fubiao camp has a scale of more than 7,000 people. Liu Yan ordered Yan Jizu to complete the reorganization as soon as possible. The Fubiao camp of more than 7,000 people has received a lot of firearms supervision and armor supervision departments. The military preparedness has been guaranteed to a certain extent in terms of combat power and equipment. At the critical moment, it should be regarded as a surprise force.
After all arrangements were completed, on May 20th, Liu Yan entered the palace to bid farewell to Emperor Chongzhen. He led the guard battalion, artillery battalion, and cavalry battalion to set off from Beijing. The army officers and soldiers marched toward the southwest of Beijing in a mighty manner. He rushed to Jingxingguan in the mansion.
After Liu Yan led his troops to the expedition, Emperor Chongzhen sat in his imperial study and felt lost. He said to Wang Chengen beside him: "Liu Yan finally led his army away. I wonder if there will be turmoil in the court?"
Wang Chengen didn't know whether Emperor Chongzhen was expecting or worrying. He thought for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Liu Ge first purged the Donglin Party in the court several times and almost eradicated all the Donglin Party members in the court. Then the official system of the imperial court was reformed, and now most of the cabinet members in the imperial court are Liu Yan's confidants, and the imperial government has been completely controlled by Mr. Liu Ge."
"At the same time, Mr. Liu Ge left behind a battalion of more than 10,000 elite soldiers in the city of Beijing, and used the excuse of transferring food and fodder for the army to move the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp out of the city. At various passes in the north of Beijing, he also deployed With three battalions and tens of thousands of elites, this series of deployments
Under this situation, the old servant estimated that even if some of the ministers in the DPRK and China were dissatisfied with Mr. Liu Ge, it would be difficult to cause any trouble. The overall situation in the DPRK and China was destined to be stable. "
Wang Chengen's meaning has been very clear, that is, it is difficult for the court ministers to stand up, and your Majesty should not do useless efforts. It is best to protect yourself first.
Emperor Chongzhen was not stupid. He just sighed and closed his eyes after hearing this.
On May 25, Liu Yan led his army to Jingxing Pass. At this time, Jingxing Pass was already covered with banners. The battalions of the New Army, the Sixth Battalion of the garrison, and some soldiers from the Beijing camp gathered here, and they joined forces for ten battles inside and outside Guancheng. Yuli is spectacular.
On the same day, Liu Yan convened the temporary Chinese army meeting with the generals of each battalion in the pass. Just as he was about to deploy a specific strategy, he received urgent military information from the Ministry of Military Intelligence: Li Zicheng had led a million-strong army to leave Xinzhou in a mighty and mighty manner. They are heading towards Zhending Mansion!
