Zhu Cixiang said: "There is a saying among military strategists: To defend the river, you must defend the Huaihe River, and to protect the Yangtze River, you must protect the Jing Dynasty. But in my opinion, the theory of defending the Huai River and protecting the Jing River does not take into account the convenience of sea travel. The barbarians of the West have created capable Gunboats that sailed tens of thousands of miles, and in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty, there were also tycoons like Zheng Zhilong and Shen Tingyang who owned hundreds of large ships and could travel across the three oceans in the east, south and north. Therefore, the Denglai Peninsula, surrounded by sea on three sides, is It can be connected to Jiangnan by sea.
And if you hold Denglai, you can cross the sea and threaten Liaodong, Tianjin, and North Korea. If the Tatars cannot all be defeated, then their home base in Liaodong, the vassal Korea, and the three Tianjin guards guarding the North Zhili sea route will all be under the front of our Ming army. "
Prince Zhu paused and said in a more serious tone: "Even if there are tens of thousands of Manchu real Tatars in the thousands of miles of sea territory, it is difficult to fully defend it. And what is the population of the Tatars? If tens of thousands of warriors are left to look after the country, how many more people will there be? How many people can come to Jiangnan?
So if Jiangnan wants to be worry-free, Denglai must persist! But if we want to persevere in Denglai, we must reorganize the guards and set up team training. Let the Denglai gentry and guards officers who are unwilling and unable to resist leave as soon as possible, and organize the loyal people who are strong and willing. This time I went to Leenko to select those who were loyal and brave enough to fight! "
Ma Shiying and Lu Zhenfei now finally know what it feels like to receive enlightenment! That's how they felt after listening to Zhu Cixiang's analysis!
Needless to say, Zhu Cixiang must be the reincarnation of Emperor Taizu Gao. Otherwise, he would be a heroic king similar to Taizu and Chengzu.
With him here, the Ming Dynasty is as stable as a rock, and of course Ma Shiying and Lu Zhenfei's official positions are also stable.
The two looked at each other, stood up, and bowed to Prince Zhu.
"Your Highness is wise, mighty, and knowledgeable. I have my respect, and I am willing to serve His Highness to the death!"
"Your Highness is truly the master of Zhongxing, and I am willing to serve His Highness as a saddle horse!"
Lu Jiude, who came with Ma Shiying and Lu Zhenfei, stared at the two treacherous ministers who had taken refuge in the traitor with wide eyes!
The traitor didn't even get an official title or make a wish, so the two of them rushed to seek refuge. Are they worthy of the emperor?
"Thousand-year-old Master!" Lu Jiude gritted his teeth, stood up and saluted, "The ministers and servants gathered in Yanzhou were all very anxious when they heard that the emperor was ill and unable to manage the government, and because they had to arrange for the Jinan and Dongchang Prefectures , Guide Mansion is recruiting troops, and we cannot come to Dengzhou Mansion to meet the emperor for the time being. So I asked Lao Nu to come with Ma Zhijun and Lu Zhijun. I wonder if you can let us see the emperor?"
Zhu Cihong had seized the regent power of Fujun, but he could not say so publicly. He is so filial to a child, can he say that he drove Emperor Chongzhen from power with a sword and soldiers? You can't say that! Therefore, in the external reports and decrees, Emperor Chongzhen was unable to manage the government due to illness, so Prince Fujun was appointed as regent.
Therefore, the condition of Emperor Chongzhen is theoretically related to whether Zhu Cixiang can continue to be in power!
When they heard that Lu Jiude had involved themselves, the two traitorous ministers were startled, and then they all put on innocent expressions, and even moved slightly to the side - we and Lu Jiude are not the same. Man! We are all gentlemen, not eunuchs!
"Okay!" Zhu Cixiang nodded with a smile, "Since the three of you want to meet you, let's go to the palace to see you later. My father has just recovered from a serious illness and is recuperating. When he arrives in Nanjing, he should be able to take charge of politics. .”
He asked Ma Shiying again: "Has Zhu Yujian brought Ma Zhijun?"
"Reporting back to Qian Sui, the former Tang King Zhu Yujian, and Zhu Yujian's two brothers Zhu Yujian and Zhu Yu'e also followed me to Dengzhou." Ma Shiying said, "Now the three brothers are staying in the inn temporarily. By Chen's Guarded by Du Biao's own soldiers."
"Why do you live in an inn?" Zhu Cixiang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Oh, you guys came here incognito, right?"
"I and others came here incognito." Ma Shiying said, "There is still a little chaos on the ground in Shandong. I was worried that there would be thieves on the way, so I came here disguised as merchants with Governor Lu and Eunuch Lu. Arriving in Dengzhou Later, I wanted to stay at Guanyi, but Dengzhou Guanyi did not accept foreign officials, so I stayed at an inn."
Zhu Cixiang smiled and said: "There are so many people here in Dengzhou, and the post office has long been crowded with people." He paused, and then said, "I have something to do today, and it is too late to summon the brothers of the Tang Dynasty.
Ma Zhijun, please bring them to the commander's mansion tomorrow. In addition, the King of Tang was wronged. I know his grievances and will vindicate him and entrust him with important tasks. After you go back, tell him what I said. "
"Old minister accepts the order."
Zhu Cixiang nodded and said to Lu Zhenfei: "Lu Qing, you will also come to the Marshal's Mansion tomorrow. I have some questions about water transportation. In addition, I also want to know about the situation in Huai'an."
"I accept the decree."
Lu Zhenfei also bowed.
Caoyun and Huai'an Prefecture are both under the jurisdiction of Lu Zhenfei. Therefore, among the several governors in South Zhili, he is considered very important, and is directly related to the defense of the Huaihe River and the defense of the Yangtze River - there are ships and sailors for water transportation! By mastering the manpower of water transport vessels, the foundation of the Yangtze River Navy will be established.
Not to mention Huai'an Mansion, which is guarded at the intersection of the canal and the Huaihe River. If Huai'an is defended, the problem of Jiangnan defense will not be big.
After making an appointment with Lu Zhenfei to meet, Zhu Cixiang turned his attention to Lu Jiude again.
"Lu Banban," Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "it was quite difficult for you in Fengyang. You have contributed a lot to Fengyang Mansion's ability to persist until now."
Lu Jiude said: "Master Qiansui has given me a great reward. This is all because of the lives of the soldiers."
Zhu Cixiang nodded and said thoughtfully: "As long as Denglai is in hand, the defense of the eastern front of South Zhili will not be a big problem. As for the gains and losses of the western front of South Zhili, the most important thing is Fengyang, the central capital. Fengyang City is majestic and majestic. , not under the two capitals of the north and south. And it is located in Huainan, so it cannot be besieged by the northern soldiers for a long time. As long as we get good generals and elite soldiers, it should be able to become a barrier to the northwest of South Zhili. Lu Banban has been in Fengyang for a long time, who should know who can hold on to Fengyang Yangchengchi, right?"
Lu Jiude rolled his eyes, already understanding Zhu Cixiang's thoughts. Zhu Cixiang wanted him and Huang Degong to guard Fengyang City.
"Master Qiansui, now that the rogue bandits have been defeated, and the Donglu may not go south, it is an opportunity for the imperial court to use troops against the Central Plains. Before Lao Nu left Yanzhou, the reinforcements and suppression commander Gao Jie, and the Shandong commander Liu Zeqing had already sent troops to Jinan. Huang Degong and Liu Liangzuo The two armies are also preparing to send troops to Dongchang Prefecture and Guide Prefecture. The situation in the Central Plains is promising, so there seems to be no need to rush to defend Fengyang, right?"
The old eunuch's words made sense, but Zhu Cixiang knew that he was completely overly optimistic. But this is not surprising. Historically, Nanming was a large collection of optimists, capitulators and escape groups. No one had seriously deployed defenses anyway. They were either busy planning the Northern Expedition or busy with internal strife.
Nearly a year after the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were no usable naval forces on the Yangtze River. Fengyang, Huai'an, Yangzhou, and even the capital Nanjing had not been seriously deployed, let alone the establishment of anti-Qing base areas in Denglai.
Although Zhu Cixiang was lucky enough to win a battle at Dagukou, he did not dare to underestimate the Qing soldiers at all. Because the Battle of Dagukou was entirely due to the fact that the Ming army's fire rifle soldiers were too useless earlier, the Qing army's cavalry foolishly ran into them, and ended up being defeated by a group of transferred fire rifle soldiers who did not know how powerful the Tatars were. beated.
Such a victory was blessed by his ancestors once, but he couldn't keep thinking about such a good thing, so Zhu Cixi didn't dare to think about the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.
Moreover, there is no solution to the food problem of the people in the Central Plains! It’s the Little Ice Age now! What should we do if they don’t have enough to eat and rebel again?
Let Li Zicheng and Dorgon worry about this matter!
"The Northern Expedition should not be rushed," Zhu Cixiang said thoughtfully, "Now the world is divided into three or four points!
The Manchu Tatars occupied Northern Zhili, and the rogue Li Zicheng also occupied Shanxi, Shaanxi, most of Henan, and Xiangyang Prefecture in Hubei. There was also a bandit in the west who was attacking Sichuan. We don't have the strength to fight so many enemies at the same time! So you have to win over one family before you can fight two.
This matter will be discussed in detail after I meet with the Ministry of Military Affairs. For now, let’s stay on guard! As for Fengyang... I want to leave it to Huang Degong's soldiers to defend it. Lu Banban, before you go back, come to the Commander's Mansion again, bring my decree and give it to Huang Degong, tell him how much food and salary he needs, and I will find a way to raise it for him. You must be prepared to stick to Fengyang for two years! "
"Old slave accepts the order." Although Lu Jiude was reluctant, he still respectfully accepted the order.
Zhu Cixiang nodded and said: "It's getting late. If you want to meet me, you should go to the palace quickly. If you go late, my father will rest. These days, he rests relatively early."
