After Wang Zaijin saw the prince's defense concept for western Liaoning, especially Shanhaiguan, he basically agreed with it. Most of his ideas were similar to his own, which could be said to coincide with each other. However, they were quite different from the strategy of chain city building advocated by Sun Chengzong.
However, the old Wangtou still did not give up the plan when he was in office, and asked tentatively: "I don't know what your Highness's opinion is about building a new Great Wall at Balipu outside the pass, across the front of the pass, and forming two lines of defense?"
It would be absolutely unacceptable for others to ask such rude questions one after another, but for the elder of the family, a certain prince can still treat him specially, and he also has this qualification.
What's more, if you don't convince people with virtue, you won't be able to protect Qi Lao Wangtou, just like Governor Yuan, who went to Liaodong to mess around. In the end, the Ming army's strength will be lost.
Regarding this issue, Yao Ji disagreed, and had sufficient reasons to object. He smiled slightly and asked: "I wonder if Aiqing thinks that if this line of defense can be built, can Shanhaiguan be considered impregnable?"
I am not afraid that the defense is not strong, but I am afraid that it is too strong. The reason is very simple...
Wang Zaijin had stern eyes and a solemn expression. After thinking for a moment, he affirmed: "Of course it is!"
Could it be that the prince saw a flaw in it?
The king in Jin Dynasty had been thinking about this strategy for more than ten years, and he thought it was very appropriate. It was a clever plan to wait for work.
Yaoji did not criticize fiercely, but Hehuan pointed out politely: "This policy is flawed because of this. If two front and rear lines of defense are built in Shanhaiguan and Balipu, the defenses will be like a natural chasm, and it will be difficult for Donglu to cross even with their wings. If so, Even if Ningyuan and Jinzhou are both lost, the Donglu will definitely not attack the indestructible Shanhaiguan Pass, but choose to continue to take a detour to enter the Pass and plunder. The newly built Balipu defense line cannot annihilate the enemy, and it is only a waste of money and food, so what is the use? I Reinforcing Shanhaiguan means turning it into a huge trap and a flesh-and-blood mill that will kill tens of thousands of Donglu soldiers!"
Regarding the reinforcement requirements of Shanhaiguan, the first thing is not to scare away the pigtails. If Huang Taiji doesn't come back to fight, your defense line will become a decoration.
After you built the Balipu defense line, you undoubtedly told the other party that you broke through Balipu, and there was Shanhaiguan in front of you, and you couldn't get through even with your pants.
Huang Taiji is not a scapegoat. It is impossible for him to use tens of thousands of troops to break through Balipu and then add more lives to attack Shanhaiguan.
Before Shanhaiguan was captured, Zha Ming's tens of thousands of reinforcements from Ji Town had already arrived at Shanhaiguan. Even if Huang Taiji could win by chance, he would completely lose the ability to continue the attack.
It can be said that anyone who is not a fool knows how to make the decision to give up the opportunity to attack Jifu within ten years and even compete in the Central Plains in order to defeat two lines of defense.
In order to preserve the main force in the field, Huang Taiji was unwilling to attack even the second city of Ningjin. How could he run to the front of the Balipu defense line and take the initiative to seek a beating?
"What His Highness said... is absolutely true!"
Wang Zaijin reluctantly admitted that there was some truth in the prince's theory. After Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne, the tactics advocated by Huang Taiji were very different from those of his slave father. On the premise of avoiding launching a siege war, he specifically targeted the Ming Dynasty's weaknesses.
If three to four million taels of silver were really spent to build the Balipu defense line, but Donglu sent more than 100,000 troops to bypass the pass, he would definitely become another Yuan Chonghuan who was forced to return for reinforcements. How embarrassing would that be?
Lao Wangtou's biggest worry is not that the double insurance defense line will be breached by the Donglu, but that after the Balipu defense line is repaired, if the Donglu does not come to attack, what will he do then?
If the Donglu take a detour, then the defense line built by the imperial court at a huge cost will be useless. For the government and the public, there is no big difference between one or two defense lines that do not have the effect of annihilating the enemy. .
Paying such a sum of money turned out to be in vain. Jifu was still under attack. Who would be responsible?
In the end, the finger of blame will all point to himself, which is the result Wang Zaijin least wants to see.
Yaoji saw the hesitant look on Lao Wangtou's face and explained: "Not including firearms, it costs half a million taels of silver to strengthen Shanhaiguan and the same amount to expand Guangning Zhongqian. The former is paid by Liao's salary. , the latter is separately provided by the Ministry of War and will not be included in Liao's pay. The reinforcement of Shanhaiguan must be completed before the end of this year, and the expansion of Guangning Zhongqian will start from next spring. If necessary, in the third year, it can be built west of the Guanhou River Build another line of defense to wrap the pass and turn it into a giant fortress."
Building the defense line in front of the pass will easily scare away the braids. If it is really necessary to build it, it can only be built behind the pass. It can also control the water source and the dock can be expanded again and turned into a naval base. Ming warships can set off from here. Can support many cities along the coast.
Regarding Shanhaiguan, a certain prince believed that as long as the reinforcements were completed, we could only look back at the pass and sigh. There were slopes, trenches, and minefields in the front, and there were horse faces, watchtowers, and double-layer city walls in the back.
The 2.0 version of the customs defense has been greatly improved in terms of horizontal and vertical shooting. After the crenellations of the first-floor city wall are destroyed, the defenders can still maintain extremely powerful firepower output.
Huang Taiji couldn't capture Shanhaiguan without losing 50,000 troops. Using a majestic pass in exchange for one-third of the opponent's mobile troops was definitely a good deal for a certain prince.
Because of the help of mortars and the ability to attack the pass from both sea and land, the probability of Braid holding Shanhaiguan is almost zero. It is only a matter of time before the Ming army conquers this place.
In other words, before the Emperor Huang Taiji can take advantage of the victory, he will be snatched back by the "Lao Wang next door". This means that he will get nothing in the end and lose 50,000 horses in vain.
But this is the optimistic estimate of a certain prince. If it can really cause 50,000 casualties to Braid, even if Huang Taiji wants to continue fighting, many of his banner masters will not agree, because they are their own slaves...
Generally speaking, as long as two thousand braids can be killed at the pass, and the number of injured soldiers will be no less than ten thousand, Huang Taiji will have the idea of retreating.
Taking the risk of losing three or four banner troops to seize the pass is really crazy!
Wang Zaijin was still willing to spend 500,000 taels of the four million taels of Liao's pay to strengthen Shanhaiguan, and since the expansion of Guangning Zhongqian did not require Liao's pay, he had no objection, but he had no objection to using only one pass to withstand the fierce attack The Donglu army still had doubts: "Your Highness is wise. If you only strengthen the defenses, can you withstand the Donglu attack?"
The Donglu were no longer what they used to be. After receiving the infantry and artillerymen from Kong Youde's command, their firepower had been greatly improved. Whether in sieges or field battles, their firepower had completely suppressed the Ming army.
It is reported that Donglu has more than a hundred Hongyi cannons installed, and there are no less than a thousand other types of muskets. They should not be underestimated. They must not be taken lightly when they are mobilized to attack Shanhaiguan.
For the reinforcement of Shanhaiguan, that is only the first step to eliminate the invading enemies. Yaoji has already had a back-up, and some of the weapons have already participated in the recent defense battle of the capital: "I have developed new firearms. , such as mortars, flintlocks, and grenades. After seeing it, Ai Qing will be frightened. If the King's Division can be equipped on a large scale, the 10,000 people in active service can be equal to the previous 15,000 or even 20,000 people. .”
The brochure only showed mortars. Old Wangtou had never seen flintlocks and grenades. Those two weapons were sharp weapons in close combat. The more braids that came to attack the city, the more obvious the damage effect would be.
And this time, not only will Lao Wangtou be given some standard weapons, but he will also be asked to bring some of the Ming Dynasty's "specialties", such as tens of thousands of barrels of crude oil!
The braided cloth armor was not afraid of bows, arrows, swords and guns, but what he was most afraid of was red burning. The defenders threw thousands of barrels of black liquid from the top of the city, and then just threw down a bunch of torches, and then they could lie down and count the money.
A certain prince believed that neither the Han Banner nor the Ba Ya La could withstand the hundreds of degrees of raging flames, and would eventually turn into scorched corpses emitting green smoke!
Behind the pass is the vast Ming Dynasty. If Huang Taiji is hungry and thirsty, then he can send his subordinates to try it.
I guarantee that as long as you are burned once, you will have an unforgettable burning sensation, and you will not dare to come here again until you die!
No matter who comes to attack the city, the defenders will definitely burn you to the point where even your grandfather can’t recognize you!
Apart from being less environmentally friendly, this tactic does not seem to cost much.
It costs at most ten taels of silver to transport a barrel of oil from Shaanxi to Shanhaiguan. If you throw away ten barrels of crude oil, you only need to burn a braid to get your money back.
In fact, including the one hundred taels of pigtail bounty, using only crude oil, the cost of killing a pigtail would be as much as two hundred taels.
But a certain prince can be sure that the first person who cannot afford to die must be Huang Taiji, because exchanging two million taels of silver for ten thousand pigtails is obviously very beneficial to Zha Ming!
Even if it is doubled on this basis, a certain prince plans to use eight million taels of silver to buy the life of a dog with 20,000 braids. As for the problem of eliminating braids, as long as it can be solved with money, it is not a problem.
Theoretically speaking, without internal support or the defender taking the initiative to surrender, it would be an almost impossible task for Huang Taiji to defeat Shanhaiguan in one battle.
Regarding the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tactics, a certain prince has already applied them in many time and space, and he is very familiar with them. Now he will teach this tactics to the old Wangtou: "I will allocate five hundred mortar attacks to Aiqing." Cannons, 5,000 flintlock muskets, 10,000 grenades and 10,000 barrels of crude oil are provided for guarding the gate. After all the fortifications in the book are repaired, the defenders can wait and wait for the Donglu to come to fight. "
It’s best to come here early to try Huang Taiji, otherwise all the good stuff will be wasted. The garrison at Shanhaiguan will definitely hold a blazing welcome ceremony for the “Master of the Qing Dynasty”!
The prince said so confidently that the new firearm must have its advantages. Wang Zaijin planned to see it first before making an evaluation, so he turned to ask about the two cities outside Guxuan Pass: "I don't know how much your highness thinks about Ningyuan and Jinzhou." How to treat?"
He advocated giving up Ningjincheng and concentrating his troops to defend Shanhaiguan. I was afraid that the prince would not agree with this. The sudden abandonment of the two cities would also be violently criticized by the public opinion of the government and the public, so he had to obtain the Holy Judgment before he could act. .
Yaoji has a very clear understanding of these two important places, and must squeeze out the last bit of value before giving up: "These two cities are the bridgehead and outpost of our Ming Dynasty in the western Liaoning region, and they are also the place to contain the Donglu energy. If there is no Donglu attacked with force and could not give up within two years. In addition to the main surrounding strongholds, the number of soldiers and horses in each city was reduced to 5,000, with enough food, grass and ammunition required for three years of defense. The people and miners in the city moved to settle in the pass. Now the king The division can no longer take everything into consideration by shrinking its defense scope, and each small fort outside the pass will be determined according to the specific situation."
Zu Dashou's survival skills were so strong that he could survive until fifteen years after taking the blame. When he couldn't survive anymore, Hong Chengchou led his army to support him.
This time, prepare enough supplies for him for three years at a time, and evacuate all the excess population to Shanhaiguan. There is no need for them to take the initiative, they can just squat in Jinzhou and wait for Wang Shi's Northern Expedition.
The same is true for Ningyuan. If Huangtaiji sends troops to attack in advance and the defenders in Songshan, Xingshan and other places cannot support it, they can retreat in advance with approval.
No matter what, 50,000 men must be preserved to guard Shanhaiguan in order to have peace of mind. Otherwise, tens of thousands of troops will have to be sent from the pass to support.
"If sufficient salary is guaranteed, Your Highness will have to increase land tax frequently, and the officials will pretend to welcome you, but in fact they will cut the bones and marrow of the Min people. The people will be miserable, and there will be many people who sell their wives. In the long run, the country will be difficult to support and cause trouble. Very big..."
The four million taels of Liao salary every year is more than 2.5% of the imperial court's annual income. Wang Zaijin has not been reinstated, but he also knows the approximate annual income.
Only Liao's salary accounted for a large proportion. In addition to the troops deployed in the south to resist the invasion of Eastern invaders after winter, the annual military expenditure may exceed 10 million taels.
Even if the annual income is 15 million taels of silver, after deducting the expenses for disaster relief, either the income will be exceeded or there will be very little left. This has been the case every year.
"My beloved, you don't know that I have already implemented the new policy, which exempts the whole country from three wages, and exempts farmers in the north from taxes, and has launched a work-for-relief policy in many places. Starting from this year, the annual income of the imperial court will not be less than 20 million taels, and the annual income will be 400,000 yuan. It is not difficult to pay ten thousand taels of salary, so there is no need for Aiqing to worry too much. I will send Wang Aiqing a copy of each issue of the Capital Daily these days when I go to court, so that I can understand the current situation."
There is no need for Lao Wang Touxian to worry about money matters. You can just help me guard Shanhaiguan. It would be great if you can also deal with those generals who are acting in secret.
The prince said this. The king had just arrived in the Jin Dynasty. He knew that he did not understand what happened and needed to investigate in many ways, so he could only thank you first and then give his own opinion: "That's very good. Thank you, Your Highness. I think repairing the passes is the first priority. We must not give up on organizing the troops and horses. Secondly, we must not give up on organizing and training new troops. If we can strengthen Shanhaiguan, supplement it with 50,000 soldiers and horses to guard it, and organize and train 10,000 new troops every year, that will be enough."
The Guan Ning tribe claimed to have 100,000 elite soldiers, but no one would know how many soldiers and horses they actually had without a detailed inventory. Wang Zaijin could only conservatively estimate that they could evacuate to Shanhaiguan, and add the original gatekeepers to the total of 50,000.
After the Wanli Dynasty, generals increasingly deducted military pay and unscrupulously falsely reported their numbers. Each unit would be qualified if it had 70% of its capacity. Lao Wangtou did not dare to be optimistic at all about the actual strength of the units outside the pass.
The Liao soldiers were defeated repeatedly in battles, and today they no longer want to make progress, and countless people have rebelled against the country and surrendered to the enemy. If we want to vigorously organize our troops, we must introduce foreign troops to defend against the enemy. Otherwise, the original troops will still be too exhausted to be of great use.
"Hong Chengchou also shares my concerns, and this is his personal letter!"
Yao Ji also presented Lao Hongtou's views on border affairs. Hong Shaobao was one of the few people in the imperial court who had a bright mind and could assess the situation. Not long after he arrived, he saw many shortcomings in western Liaoning.
