The attendant outside the study door received Guo Ning's order and strode forward with his sword in hand.
After walking a few steps, Guo Ning called him back and patted his arm: "There's no need to go. Medical officers have their own way of doing things. Let them take their time."
The current situation of Dinghai Navy seems to span the five states of Liaohai, with strong troops and horses, and unlimited scenery. But this situation is based on a key point. This key is Yang An'er's life or death.
All knowledgeable people in the world see the same thing. Liang Xunyi had already seen this just a few days after arriving in Shandong, and the smart people within the Ding Navy naturally saw it even more clearly. All because this situation was caused by Guo Ning.
In Guo Ning's eyes, Yang An'er's troops were not only the chess pieces of the king's vanguard, but also the shield that blocked direct contact between the imperial court and the Dinghai navy. They also cut off the land transportation between Dajin and the Song Dynasty in Huaidong, forcing the Zhongdu court to rely on sea. A good partner in the smuggling trade.
In order to ensure that Yang An'er would maximize his role, Guo Ning even started trade with the Red Coat Army in the Mizhou area and sold them a lot of weapons and food at a very cost-effective price.
However, if Yang An'er's department cannot play its role, Guo Ning will abandon it without hesitation.
Even the officers and men of the Red Coat Army were mostly poor people who could not afford to eat under the rule of the imperial court. Their hatred for the imperial court and the rule of the Jurchens was quite similar to that of the officers and soldiers of the Dinghai Navy. Even in the Ding Navy, there are some officers who have had contact with the Red Coat Army, or were once key figures in the Red Coat Army. Even Guo Ning himself had good intentions towards some soldiers in the Red Coat Army.
But how can a person who achieves great things be kind? Now that he has become the military and political leader of a party and is responsible for the future of tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people, he can only measure everything with interests and go with the flow, without any room for hesitation.
Guo Ning turned around, stood at the door of the study, and smiled to himself.
In the eyes of the warriors, Guo Ning has always been the fierce and brave warrior he was before. In fact, the closer the critical moment came, the more hypocritical and cold-blooded he became.
Guo Ning turned back to the study, where several core subordinates were still discussing.
Xu Jin stood sideways next to Guo Ning's desk and pulled out some of the documents related to the Red Coat Army's battle situation from the various documents recently reported by the spies of the Recording Department on the shelf in the corner of the study.
While sorting it out, he said: "The latest military report was from the day before yesterday. It said that Yang An'er delivered 20,000 stones of grain and fodder from Mizhou, and then personally led the army around Pizhou and Suzhou, intending to break through the Huai River first, and then gallop In the heart of Nanjing. Just looking at the situation at that time, the red coat army still had the upper hand."
Having said this, he found the document and handed it to Yi La Chucai.
Yi La Chucai took a look at it and nodded: "So I think that even if this offensive is unfavorable, the Red Coat Army will still have some strength left and will not collapse. They still have a stable territory between Haidai, and they have soldiers and horses. The number of them is also large. If we keep them here and support some supplies, they can still isolate themselves from the pressure from Zhongdu and Nanjing."
Next to him, Monk Luo touched his scalp hard, making a rustling sound.
He sighed with regret: "I don't know what the situation is like in Huaishang. However, looking at the envoy covered in blood, it doesn't seem like he still has some strength left. Are we really not going to do anything?"
Yizai Chucai was silent for a long time: "It's not time yet. As I said just now, our preparations are far from enough! Let's discuss it later and see what news the messenger brings."
Having said this, he also stood up and looked in the direction of the side hall.
Several medical officers were still busy inside, but they didn't know what they were busy with.
The sergeant who escorted the envoy said that this man rode through Gaomi yesterday with no living companions around him. He only said that he was in urgent need of help... How could he be in such a state of embarrassment? The Red Coat Army mobilized tens of thousands of people at every turn, charging like a swarm of bees. Who could let them suffer such a big loss suddenly?
Jing Anmin asked from the side: "What exactly happened? It's not enough to just let the envoy say it. Has the Recording Department sent someone to find out?"
Xu Wei leaned forward and said: "We have sent capable people to investigate with all our strength. In addition, we have also launched several secret lines in the Red Coat Army. The news should be reported within the next two or three days."
"That's okay." Jing Anmin looked at Guo Ning's expression and chuckled: "It's okay to decide after two or three days. I've been waiting for this kind of thing for several years and I don't care about these two or three days."
The so-called "this kind of thing" is naturally a rebellion.
Guo Ning's victory in Liaodong this time used very few troops but achieved huge benefits, which made many generals' confidence unprecedentedly expanded.
In the past few months, many soldiers were ordered by Guo Ning to settle down and train and prepare for war honestly. But after a few months, everyone was gearing up, wielding swords and guns, and they were getting a little impatient.
When Guo Ning and his party went to Liaodong, everyone saw the war situation in their eyes.
Over in Liaodong, the Khitans rebelled. Can the court of Jin Dynasty do anything? There was nothing they could do, it was us who wiped them out! As a Jurchen, the Liaodong Xuanfu envoy rebelled. Could the Jin court suppress it? They had no choice but our army defeated them in one battle and captured their base easily!
The imperial court of Dajin was so rotten that it was nothing! With just a swipe of a sharp blade, we can...
Even the Mongols are no longer as scary in the hearts of the soldiers as before.
Hebei Tangbo has already won a game. Here in Haicang Town, we won the second game, and in Huanglonggang outside Xianpingfu, it was the third game we won in a row. Three times, less defeated more!
After all, the Mongols are humans too and can be killed! We can win such a victory with thousands of troops. What if we expand the army to tens of thousands?
In the final analysis, the soldiers from Monan to Hebei, then to Shandong and Liaodong, in just two years, they defeated all kinds of enemies, and their own soldiers and horses ranged from hundreds to thousands, and they were about to arrive. Tens of thousands, and the territory has doubled.
The new victory once again inspired the soldiers, making many of them feel that with such power, they should have done something bigger!
Several generals just now said that since Yang An'er was frustrated, it would be better for the navy to take the opportunity to annex him. With the navy's operations in the three states of Denglai and the elite of the headquarters as the backbone, it only needs to absorb more than 100,000 troops under Yang An'er's command to immediately integrate an unprecedentedly powerful force.
Based on this, Guo Ning no longer needs to wear the hat of Jin Guoding Navy Military Envoy. It is only proper to use this powerful force to sweep through Shandong and then go north to Zhongdu. Great achievements are right in front of you, and for this, any difficulty can be overcome!
However, the civil servants led by Yi Li Chucai firmly opposed the opinions of those generals.
Since ancient times, before soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first. The autumn harvest has not yet come, and the treasury is still empty, why should we expand the army? The commander-in-chief had just said that he wanted to sign an army of 15,000, but he had already gritted his teeth and raised funds in various ways.
You said you want to recruit a hundred thousand troops? So many mouths, what to eat? You try to dig it out of the soil! If you can't dig it out, are you going to send your army to plunder everywhere and become rogue bandits?
It’s a joke. If you want to be a bandit, you can do it in Hebei. Why bother to come to Shandong?
The Commander-in-Chief said beforehand, "Build walls high and store grain widely." Nowadays, the management in various places has not been perfected, and the first year's grain harvest has not yet been warehoused. Is this going to change?
Should we give up halfway? Isn't this more of a joke?
What's more...
Yi La Chucai smiled and said to Jing'an Min: "What we have to consider is not only the advancement and retreat of the military, but also the overall situation of the world. If we suddenly raise troops and join forces with Yang An'er, what kind of consequences will it bring to Zhongdu? Impact? What kind of impact will it have on Nanjing Road, the northeastern hinterland, and even Mongolia and the Southern Song Dynasty?"
"We originally made a compromise with the imperial court in order to develop in Shandong. Next, are we going to make a compromise with the Mongolian or Song Dynasties to fight against the Jin Dynasty? What are the pros and cons of doing this for us? What consequences will it have? Can't you think of these? If you are clear, you can’t decide big things easily.”
Jing Anmin took a deep breath: "So, it doesn't hurt to discuss it. Some things can only be made clear after discussing it."
Guo Ning was standing by and listened to the dispute between the two sides for a long time.
His majesty was so great that the civil and military debates did not get out of control. Everyone understood that it was Guo Ning who had to decide what to do in the end, and the subsequent deliberations would probably be more than just the one at hand.
At this time, outside the door of the study, the medical officer said: "Commander Qi Zhenjie, the messenger is awake, but his condition is not very good and he may faint again... If you have any questions, you must ask quickly."
Xu Jin jumped up first and ran out of the door.
Guo Ning immediately stood up, and everyone followed him and rushed to the side hall.
The smell of medicine in this hall was strong and the steam was steaming. When everyone entered, they saw Xu Jin holding the messenger's head and putting his ear next to his twitching lips, with a strange expression on his face.
"What did he say?" Monk Luo asked loudly.
"He said...the King of Han is dead." Xu Jin said.
"Who is the King of Han? Is Sihu painted with paint? Where the hell is there another King of Han?" Li Ting complained from the side.
"It's Yang An'er." Guo Ning responded: "Yang An'er established a country in Dongping Mansion and called himself the King of Han."
He came to the envoy's bed, bent down slightly and asked, "What happened to Yang An'er?"
The messenger had several horrific injuries on his body, and his face was as gray as chalk. He tried his best to open his mouth, but he was not strong enough and could not make a sound several times.
After a while, he managed to say another sentence in a weak voice: "Marshal Yang, Marshal Yang is dead."
