Although Zhu Yuanzhang was a little surprised when he heard this, he thought that Li Jing was a decent person and was not from Meng Lang, so he hurriedly asked the young eunuch to bring him in.
Li Jing originally had a smile on his face when he walked into Dongnuan Pavilion, but when he saw that everyone had worried faces, he hurriedly suppressed his smile and stood aside quietly.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Li Qing, we saw that you were beaming with joy just now, but what's the happy event?"
Hearing this, Li Jing first apologized, and then bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I have just received news that the first batch of grain from the south is on its way, and it will arrive at the port in about three or four days."
"port?"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Jing in surprise and said, "Is the food transported from the sea?"
Li Jing nodded and said: "Due to the war in Hebei, Nanliang is vulnerable to attacks by the rebels regardless of whether he travels by land or water. Therefore, after discussing with Mr. Ni, I let Nanliang take the sea route."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Okay, this is indeed good news."
After saying that, he looked at Shen Zhanran and said: "Shen Qing, since the southern grain is coming, we may have to force Liu Zongmin back in Langfang area in advance. Do you have any good ideas for this?"
Shen Zhanran thought for a while, then looked at Li Jing and said, "Master Li, do you have any news about the Nanjing Ministry of War?"
Li Jing said hesitantly: "There is some news, but it has not been confirmed yet."
He said and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang again.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang encouraged him: "Everyone here is our loyal minister and has the ability to distinguish the true from the false. It doesn't matter if you say so!"
After Li Jing heard this, he said: "It is said that Master Shi Kefa, Minister of War in Nanjing, and Master Lu Jiude, Supervisor of Fengyang, have led their troops northward on the 22nd. If everything goes well, they should be able to reach the port around the 27th."
Jiang Dejing pondered for a while and said: "Your Majesty, this is a great joy. Once the army of Shangshu arrives, Liu Zongmin of Langfang will inevitably flee north. This will not only ensure food, but also restrict reinforcements."
"When the time comes, whether His Majesty sends reinforcements north to pursue Li Zicheng, or sends troops south to relieve the difficulties in Baoding, and to assist Huang Degong and others, they will not dare to disobey!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "The south has been at ease for a long time. There is no army that can fight, and it has never participated in King Qin's affairs. I may have received a message from some aristocratic families here, and it is not our will."
"In addition, Nanjing is more than 2,000 miles away from the capital. If they can really reach the capital around the 27th, they will probably only come from the troops near Nanzhili, with a number of no more than 50,000 or 60,000."
"And Liu Zongmin and others who are lingering in Langfang still have more than 10,000 elites. If they join the army in Baoding, the number will be close to 100,000. We are worried that not only will Shi Qing be frightened and unable to leave Liu Zongmin and others, but he may also be killed by them. Harmful."
Li Jing was excited about this before. Now seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang not only accurately analyzed the number of reinforcements, but also pointed out the dangers he ignored, he said with some panic: "Your Majesty, the rebels are not good at water warfare. Even if Master Shi and others are defeated, they can still Get on board and take shelter for now.”
"But if the southern grain cannot be transported to the capital on time, the capital will definitely be in chaos due to food shortages. If reinforcements are affected again, the situation may become even more passive."
Seeing everyone's worried faces, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "My lords, you don't have to worry too much. We have secretly ordered Duke An Guo to lead the army to relieve the difficulties in Baoding."
"If the siege of Baoding is lifted, Liu Zongmin and others will be attacked from both sides and will not dare to fight for a long time. Then all problems will disappear."
When Jiang Dejing heard this, he hesitated for a while and said, "Your Majesty, I wonder which of the troops commanded by Lord An Guo will go to relieve the siege of Baoding?"
Zhu Yuanzhang thought that Liu Wenbing and others should have arrived in Baoding at this moment, so he said calmly: "An Guogong and Commander Li are leading cavalry from the capital, with a group of about 6,000 people. If everything goes well, there will be news tomorrow. "
Jiang Dejing was stunned and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, although I don't know anything about soldiers, according to your Majesty's analysis, there are still about 30,000 rebels in Baoding, while An Guogong only has more than 6,000 people, and they are attacking over a long distance, so there is no chance of winning. Only fifty percent.”
"It would be gratifying if Duke An Guo succeeded, but if something goes wrong, how will His Majesty prepare to deal with the next situation?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was used to Jiang Dejing's obedience in the past two days. Now that he saw him speak uprightly, he was not angry but happy. He smiled and said: "Qing Jiang, you don't have to worry. Even if there are more than 30,000 people in Baoding, they want to divide their forces to attack. There won’t be too many people in one class.”
"In addition, they are tired from long battles and their fighting spirit is not strong. However, Duke An Guo still has 3,000 iron cavalry among his 6,000 cavalry, which is enough to defeat them."
"And we also told Duke An that if they fail to rescue the siege, they can go south to join Huang Degong."
"At that time, their two armies will join together and be able to defeat Ma Chongxi and others, and then they will send their troops north to relieve the siege of Baoding."
"As for our side, today's punishment at Chaoyang Gate should be able to temporarily suppress the reinforcements with evil intentions. I believe that Uncle Xiangcheng will lead troops from Xuanfu and Datong in less than two days."
"When the troops from these two places arrive, Li Thief will be attacked from both sides, so he will not dare to defend Juyong Pass for a long time. Once Li Thief retreats, Liu Zongmin will be left alone, and he should not be interested in fighting, so the siege of the capital can be lifted."
Neither Jiang Dejing nor Ni Yuanlu knew how to fight. After hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, they both looked happy.
Only Shen Zhanran frowned slightly, with a trace of worry flashing across his face.
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Shen Zhanran and said with a smile: "So we will win this battle, don't worry, gentlemen!"
After saying that, he looked at Li Jing and said, "Li Qing, you came just in time. We were talking about stationing troops just now. You should also talk about it!"
After hearing this, Shen Zhanran was about to tell Li Jing what happened before, but Ni Yuanlu unexpectedly spoke out first.
After listening to Ni Yuanlu's story, Li Jing was silent for a while and said: "In today's world, land annexation is serious. Taking the south as an example, most of the land is concentrated in the hands of royal family members, descendants of meritorious officials and wealthy households."
"If Your Majesty forcibly acquires land, it may trigger riots. Now the north is undecided. If war breaks out again in the south, there will never be peace in the world."
When Jiang Dejing heard this, he nodded repeatedly and looked at Li Jing with admiration in his eyes.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw that there was no worry in Li Jing's eyebrows, and she was still a little excited. Knowing that he had some good ideas, he smiled and said: "Li Qing, what suggestions do you have, but it doesn't matter!"
Li Jing secretly took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "In my humble opinion, most of the troops to suppress the rebellion were bandit soldiers who surrendered. Not only did they support themselves and waste money and food, but they were also unruly and lacked combat power, making them unfit for reuse. Therefore, if the world is to be stable, the method of stationing troops is imperative."
"Since the land in the world is limited, the land required for stationing troops can only be obtained from clan members, wealthy households and others. However, your Majesty does not need to take action, just let the rebels take it!"
"When the time comes, Your Majesty will quell the rebellion, not only will the land needed to station troops be available, but the people's previously expropriated fields will also be returned. This will surely bring peace to the refugees, and peace can be expected in the world!"
After Li Jing said this, he immediately knelt down to plead guilty, while Jiang Dejing and others all looked shocked.
