After sending away several scumbag scientists, Yaoji met with the new Governor of Xuanda, Yang Wenyue, for the second time. Because the crusade was about to start tomorrow, the imperial court also hoped to wipe out Wang Pu who was entrenched in Datong as soon as possible.
If a person who resists and disrespects the imperial decree can survive for a long time, not only will the court lose face, but others will also rush to imitate him.
With Chai Shihua in front and Wang Pu in the back, the court did nothing and showed to the world that it could not effectively control the local military.
If it is allowed to develop, the bad situation of separatist vassal towns in the late Tang Dynasty will occur, and the division of the Ming Dynasty is inevitable.
Ginsu and Chai Shihua are far away, and the focus must be on encircling and suppressing the bandits at the moment. It will be difficult to send troops to conquer them for a while.
The position occupied by Wang Pu was extremely important and directly related to the safety of the northern frontier of the Ming Dynasty. If Datong fell into the hands of thieves, the Ming court would naturally not let it go.
From the beginning of the dynasty, because it faced the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Datong was a military center of equal value to the Xuanfu, and it could not be lost at any time.
Once the enemy captures this place, they can plunder Shanxi and Shaanxi to the west, and they can bypass the steep Xuanfu defense line to the east and go straight to the capital, so it can be regarded as a pivotal location.
Although Datong City is behind the Great Wall, it is in a relatively safe second-tier area. The city wall is strong and tall, and there are many guardhouses nearby for protection. It seems that you can sit back and relax.
In fact, because the place is too close to the central area of Menggu, and it cannot take advantage of the absolute terrain like Xuanfu, it is very difficult to defend against the cavalry groups with cold weapons or the firearms units with hot weapons.
Although it required a large amount of manpower, material resources, financial resources and other strategic resources, the Ming court had to defend it, because to the Ming Dynasty, this place was worthless, and in the eyes of the enemy, Datong was no more than an extremely plump chicken leg!
Huangtaiji already has a large number of artillery, and can attack directly from the Jibei defense line into the pass. There is no need to take a detour to attack Datong.
But this does not mean that the Ming court can give Datong away. Once this happens, the entire Xuanfu defense line that has been painstakingly managed for many years will be in vain.
"How are Aiqing's preparations going?"
Yaoji only cares about one thing, and that is whether he can leave on time tomorrow.
"Your Majesty, thanks to His Majesty's care, our troops are in place, and the required food, wages, and firearms have been replenished. I am fortunate to have received more than a hundred chariots, more than 200 new-style muskets, and birds built by Your Majesty. Three thousand muskets. The morale of the troops is high. We will break camp and set off early the next morning. I am determined to go all out to quell Wang Pu's rebellion as soon as possible!"
This was Yang Wenyue's most worry-free preparation. The operational efficiency of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Works were much faster than before. Especially the salary, which he was most worried about, was paid in full at once, which was incredible to the officers and soldiers.
Of course, some generals are still dissatisfied, because pay can only be paid after the relevant personnel are counted, leaving some guys who are on empty pay no longer able to take advantage of it.
But this is fine. In the future, if the court can use war merits to reward various ministries and the reward money can be distributed on time, the generals will not need to do this.
After deploying a large number of new weapons and seeing live mortar fire, Yang Wenyue became more confident in countering the rebellion.
Even if Wang Pu occupied Datong and took advantage of the favorable geographical location, he had no choice but to be defeated in the face of the fierce attack of the imperial army.
"That's good. This battle will be commanded by Aiqing personally. I feel completely at ease. I wonder if Aiqing has ever thought that we can break through the city and capture the thieves in a few days?"
There are already two money-burning masters in the south, and Yaoji doesn't want to raise another one in the north. One day of fighting will consume at least 10,000 taels of silver, and ten days will be 100,000 taels. After one month of fighting, he has to prepare to give up. The factory guards went to raid some people's houses.
"...Ten days at most!"
When the prince asked about the specific time, Yang Wenyue didn't want the young prince to look down on him, so he gritted his teeth and said a time limit that he should be able to achieve.
"I have a plan that will allow Aiqing to break the city within three days!"
If you really want to fight for ten days, not to mention burning money, all the troops who went to counter the rebellion will be maimed by the rebels.
Yaoji doesn't want to end up losing both sides just to deal with Wang Pu. It's best to use the minimum price to gain the maximum victory.
If the ratio of investment to output is only one to one, isn't it equivalent to a huge loss?
"Your Highness is wise, I am all ears!"
Yang Wenyue still doesn't know that there are tricks to siege the city. Could it be that Datong City deliberately left some unknown flaws during its construction?
Outsiders like them would naturally not know, but they might really know the emperor well. The prince said it seriously, and Yang Wenyue was also a little curious.
"My dear, all you have to do is use the kind of car that is characteristic of a chariot factory!"
Yaoji whispered to the governor, it is said that Zhang Dazongzi used this method to capture the city.
Datong City is so strong that a strong attack will inevitably lead to heavy casualties on one's own side, and the pensions issued will be calculated in hundreds of thousands of taels.
If we want to significantly reduce the casualties of the participating troops, we can only use this seemingly reluctant method.
As long as the tactical purpose can be achieved, no matter how destructive the method is, it is still a good method. Wang Pu stared blankly when he found out.
Upon hearing this, Yang Wenyue immediately saluted and complimented: "Your Highness is a great talent, and I will definitely live up to your sacred mandate!"
After hearing the strategy described by the prince, Yang Wenyue, who had led the army for many years, thought about it briefly and knew that it was indeed feasible.
As long as they can approach Datong City and prepare the soldiers, they can destroy a certain city wall in one fell swoop.
Without the protection of the city wall, the defenders in the city would inevitably be demoralized, and the army would take advantage of this opportunity to decide the outcome in a single battle.
Yao Ji thought to himself: It’s a bit of a loss, but if you want to save money, you have to do this!
The troops participating in the war have received their pay for this month and next month in advance. If there are casualties, they can enjoy the treatment of the previous factory guards.
"I give Aiqing Shangfang's sword. If there are generals who are too timid to fight, Aiqing can kill them first and then kill them. I also order Yang He, deputy general Jiang Xuan, to cooperate with Aiqing. If Wang Pu leads his troops to break through, they can intercept the rebels in front and behind. Do not Let Wang Pu escape from the north gate of Datong."
Without full benefits, Yaoji still didn't believe that Jiang Xuan would collude with Wang Pu. The lowest rank of the three Jiang brothers was also a lieutenant general. If there was no special reason, they would not fight back.
"I will obey the Holy Order!"
Yang Wenyue understood that the purpose of this expedition was not only to regain Datong, but also to annihilate Wang Pu's troops. If the time was right, he would have to capture the culprit alive and take him to the capital to show off.
Wang Pu would probably not give in easily, so he would need to plan carefully. However, the top priority was to break camp as soon as possible, rush to Datong City, and cut off Wang Pu's escape route first.
"This is a service. I will send factory guards to accompany Aiqing. Their task is not to supervise the army, but to have other important tasks. Aiqing has read this article first!"
Yaoji glanced at Yang Jinchao, and Yang Banban sent a prepared document to Yang Wenyue.
Yang Wenyue did not dare to delay at all. He took it and browsed it quickly. Then he was shocked and said with anger: "The Shanxi merchants actually did such a shameless act. They are the most unforgivable traitors to the country. Please rest assured, Your Highness, minister. We will do our best to assist the factory guards and uproot them to prevent future troubles!"
The Donglu did not enter the customs every year, but their own grain production was extremely limited. Yang Wenyue had previously wondered where the food the Donglu needed came from.
After reading the contents on the paper, I suddenly realized that if it were not for the secret support of Shanxi merchants, I am afraid that the Donglu would knock on the pass and plunder every year, otherwise they would be trapped and die in Liaodong.
It was these merchants of the Ming Dynasty who paid a symbolic payment of a hundred or so taels of silver to the court, but secretly transported millions of dan of grain to the Eastern captives with great fanfare.
If we can't take this opportunity to catch them all, the Donglu who have received their assistance will definitely strengthen their troops and wait for the opportunity to move southward, so that the Ming Dynasty will never have peace.
"If necessary, I only need to send troops to help. All the specific matters will be handled by the factory guards, so I don't need to worry about it."
In addition to the open resistance of Shanxi merchants, the army cannot be involved in the house confiscation, otherwise the Shanxi merchants' property will be 50% off.
The bottom line for a certain prince was to get five million taels of silver from Shan Qian, or the equivalent of his family wealth.
Once it is lower than this number, you need to ask the parties involved and check their brochures.
Yaoji also sent people to summon Fang Zhenghua, the governor of the East Factory, and Wu Mengming, the new commander of the Jinyi Guards, and Yang Wenyue, who listened and carefully warned: "Tomorrow the army will set out. You two will each send a group of people to follow the army to Datong. After the city is broken, they will be searched. If there is any trouble with Shanxi merchants' property in the city, Yang Aiqing will help. Then he will send a group to Taiyuan Mansion, and the remaining troops will raid the Shanxi merchants' home base."
Datong is the distribution center for customs clearance materials, and the Taiyuan Prefecture area is home to many lairs. This time, not only must the terminals be destroyed, but their lairs must be taken away in one go.
Wu Mengming knew that the prince was going to attack Shanxi merchants, so he wanted to find out clearly in advance so that he could tell his subordinates: "Your Highness, I don't know how to deal with the suspect..."
Judging from the crimes committed by Shanxi merchants, Wu Mengming believed that most of those arrested could not escape the punishment of being punished.
Yaoji originally wanted to say that no chickens or dogs would be left behind, but it would be too cheap to kill them all with one knife, so he changed his mind and said: "All of them will be escorted to the capital, the suspects will be released privately, and the thieves will be guarded. Regardless of their rank, they will be punished as treason." !”
Let them go mining in Shandong until they die. It is stipulated that gold worth six taels of silver must be dug out every month. If the number is less than one tael, one of their family members will be executed by Ling Chi.
If you calculate it like this, if a thousand people go mining, they can contribute no less than 70,000 taels of silver to themselves in one year. In ten years, it will be 700,000 taels. If 2,000 people are captured, it will exceed the one million taels mark. , it’s really good!
In the future, we should try our best not to kill suspects like this if we can. Let them survive and work as miners and create a lot of residual value.
If 100,000 criminals go mining, they can arm 10,000 cavalry troops in a year. If they replace it with Kirov airships and Apocalypse tanks, they can also build a lot. This method of punishment is more economical and affordable...
It doesn't matter if there are not that many prisoners, you can go to Liaodong to arrest them. If the Ming army dare not arrest them, then hire Japanese soldiers to arrest them. A strong man can be exchanged for twenty taels of silver. I believe many Japanese soldiers will drool after hearing this.
Including transportation and feeding costs, thirty taels of silver are enough to be mined for five months, which is enough to repay the original investment. The rest is a net profit. This business is really profitable. I will have to fool Tokugawa in the future. A second-rate general.
A certain prince was not afraid of Shanxi merchants facing the factory guards who came to arrest him. He relied on his large numbers to jump over the wall at a critical moment. Each team was equipped with four mortars and enough medicine packs, so he dared to resist directly. Just blast those turtles to death.
And it will not give the borers any room to bargain. If an undercover agent comes back to report that there is someone in the team who went to check, then some people can join the mining army.
If you want to talk about one hundred and eighty taels of silver, Yao Ji can pretend that he didn't see it at all. If you move it in boxes to your home, this is a bit unreasonable.
Ever since Gao Qiqian and others put on a good show of swallowing money, Yaoji has never seen it again. After the waiters finished their performance, it was the factory guards' turn to catch up. Then they had to open their mouths wider~!
As long as he behaves appropriately and the amount he copies back satisfies him, Yaoji doesn't mind issuing a large-scale bounty for the second time, and the redemption amount will be the same as last time.
There was no need for the Ministry of Household Affairs to donate generously. Yaoji thought he could still get a mere five hundred thousand taels of silver, otherwise Li Shiwen would have to cry for poverty again.
It doesn't matter if you pay for it out of your own pocket. If you find an opportunity, you can earn it back with interest from other places. There will be no loss at all.
"I will obey the Holy Order!"
After Wu Mengming answered, he secretly glanced at Fang Zhenghua, who was kneeling beside him. The latter truly felt the grace given to him by the prince. Because he had done things well last month, he received a reward of ten thousand taels of silver alone.
People like Yang Jinchao, Li Jizhou, Zhang Guoyuan and others also received a large number of silver rewards. Although there will be slight differences between them, there is no doubt that they are much more than before.
When it comes to winning people's hearts, the prince is obviously much smarter than the emperor. He takes both rewards and punishments into account, and combines strength and softness. Not only the senior chamberlains, but also the maids in the palace received tangible benefits, and everyone in the palace praised the prince.
For Fang Zhenghua alone, the income of Dongchang has increased sharply. Anyone who participated in the inspection operation will receive a minimum of fifty taels of dividends. With the stimulation of the silver reward, everyone is naturally very motivated.
The prince was also very fond of Dongchang and all the necessary expenses were allocated, making it very smooth for Fangzhenghua to take over. He also knew that he should use practical actions to repay the holy family.
Wu Mengming is not a chamberlain, but his desire for gold, silver and jewelry is no less than that of a chamberlain. The only advantage he has over his predecessor is that he is quite obedient to the emperor. This is one of the main reasons why he was promoted to commander by the prince. one.
This time the inspection of Shanxi merchants was still carried out by Jinyiwei, with Dongchang as a supplement. However, Dongchang also had a side job this time, which was to supervise Jinyiwei to prevent them from enriching themselves.
It was said that they were supervising each other, but it was obvious that the prince had specially warned Fang Zhenghua, and coupled with Luo Yangxing's rebellion, the prince no longer believed in Jin Yiwei.
Once Jin Yiwei makes a big mistake this time, the prince will reuse Dongchang in the future. This is Fang Zhenghua's thinking.
As for how Wu Mengming pleases the prince, it depends on his ability. Dongchang only needs to stop quietly.
The focus of Dongchang's attention is on the six vassal kings whose territories are in Henan and Huguang. Most of the troops have been ordered to go south recently.
After Yaoji arranged their respective tasks, he dismissed everyone, thinking about Lao Hongtou's affairs...
