At that time, Mao Wenlong only led a few hundred people and penetrated behind the slaves and thieves, which was absolutely stunning. However, after all these years, he has always rested on his past achievements and no longer has the same fierceness as before.
"Do you know where the people fled?" Zheng Tie asked Xing Chaoxi.
Xing Chao said happily: "I heard from Mao Wenlong's soldiers who were captured that they fled to Chen Zhong in Tieshan."
"Look, such a heroic figure even abandoned his own soldiers in order to escape for his life. It's a pity that those in the Ming court still relied on him to contain the slave thieves in the rear. It's a pity that he has been crippled by glory and wealth." Li Zhao sighed.
Zheng Tie sneered: "If he is still the same Mao Wenlong as before, I won't be embarrassed to be cruel to him. Now that he has become a waste who only knows how to enjoy, there is no need for me to be polite, Xing Yingzheng."
"Arrived." Xing Chao said happily.
Zheng Tie said: "Pass the order, the army will rest on Pi Island for three days, you can make arrangements!"
"Yes." Xing Chaoxi turned and left.
When only Zheng Tie and Li Zhao were left in the lobby again, Li Zhao said: "When we first occupied Phi Island, Mao Wenlong will inevitably think of counterattack, and we only brought one combat barracks, so our troops are stretched thin. Can we recruit troops and train them locally?”
"How many people do you think is appropriate to recruit?" Zheng Tie asked.
Li Zhao thought for a while and said: "My lord wants us to leave a military division here in Dongjiang Town. We need to recruit at least tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. However, to recruit so many people at once, there is insufficient preparation for food, grass and soldiers." , I think it is better to proceed step by step, first expand one combat barracks, and when the combat effectiveness is formed, expand another combat barracks and supply camp, so as to reduce the pressure on logistics."
"I think so too." Zheng Tie said, "Currently, our logistics all rely on sea transportation. It is too far to transport from Damuan Island to Pi Island. It will definitely be too late to cultivate new fields on the spot. The land reclaimed by Dongjiang Town is not enough. Therefore, it is mainly maintained by transporting grain and grass by sea, which can reduce the number of soldiers and save some food."
Li Zhao said: "When I came here, I saw a lot of people on Phi Island. We can't care about the life and death of these people, but the few fish and shrimps we can expect to catch from the sea are not enough to eat, and the sea around Phi Island is about to become knotted." Ice, when the time comes we won’t be able to eat fish and shrimps, and there won’t be much farmland, so all the food we eat will depend on us.”
During Mao Wenlong's period, the people on Phi Island could only live with a breath and no hope of having enough to eat. But after changing the tiger-character flag, Zheng Tie and the others naturally did not want to continue to let the people starve to death in large numbers in winter. The population was too big for the tiger-character flag. Flags have always been a scarce resource.
"I will arrange for the ship to go back first and bring more food on the next trip. I will bear with it for the next few months." Zheng Tie said.
Hearing this, Li Zhao shook his head and said, "It's not cost-effective to do this. I have a way to alleviate the food and grass problem. See if it works."
"What can be done?" Zheng Tie asked curiously.
Li Zhao asked his guards to send over a map.
He spread the map on the table in front of himself and Zheng Tie.
"This place is Pi Island, are you looking at this place?" As he spoke, Li Zhao slid his finger from the location of Pi Island on the map to the east.
The finger stopped on an island not too far away from Pi Island.
Zheng Tie looked over and said, "Do you mean to pursue Jeju Island?"
"Yes, I think we should occupy Jeju Island. This place used to be a horse breeding place. It can provide us with war horses. It is also a big place. The key is that we have sea ships, so we can occupy it very conveniently. Then we can force North Korea to The emperor gave us food, and since the slave thieves can ask for food from them, and Mao Wenlong can also ask for food from them, our tiger-character flag must treat them equally," Li Zhao said with a smile.
Zheng Tie nodded and said: "Your method is feasible. If we can get some food from North Korea, it can also alleviate our food shortage problem. Moreover, in such a large area as Jeju Island, even if you don't raise horses, you can still farm. If it really doesn’t work, where else can we build a granary?”
"Then send troops earlier. When the sea freezes, it will be troublesome." Li Zhao said with a smile.
Zheng Tie said: "Let Xing Chaoxi's war camp rest for three days first. After three days, I will personally lead the troops there by boat, and you will be in charge of Pidao."
In the past day only, Xing Chaoxi's 3,000-man team began to recruit strong men from captured officers, soldiers and civilians to join the Tiger Flag.
In addition to simple training every day, the First Thousand and Second Thousand Teams spent most of their time resting.
Tianqi even held a banquet for the officials outside the Meridian Gate to celebrate these two great victories against slave thieves.
The haze that the Liaodong slave thieves had brought to the Ming Dynasty for so many years was now gone.
The two great victories in Liaodong gave the ministers hope of victory over the slave thieves, and Liaodong was no longer a hot potato. Many civil and military ministers in the DPRK began to think of Liaodong.
Now everyone can see that going to Liaodong at this time is to gain merit. When the slave thieves are eliminated, he will become a marquis if not a duke.
"Report, Taiyuan Prefecture is urgent."
A soldier fell off his horse, quickly got up, and stumbled towards the Meridian Gate.
The civil and military officials who were celebrating became quiet because of the eight-hundred-mile rush.
The eight-hundred-mile urgent letter sent from Taiyuan Prefecture made many people understand that something big had happened in Taiyuan Prefecture. Many people had even thought that this urgent document was related to the Liu thief from Datong.
A young eunuch hurriedly ran to the soldier, took the wooden box containing the urgent secret letter from the soldier, and ran back.
The palm print eunuch took the wooden box from the little eunuch, opened it and took out the secret letter from it, then returned to Tianqi, held it up with both hands and handed it over.
Tianqi opened the secret letter and read through it.
Snapped!
After reading the secret letter, Tianqi slapped the table in front of him where food was served, and poured out the wine glass on it. The wine inside dripped down the side of the table.
The cabinet elders and nobles who were closest to Tianqi felt their hearts sinking when they saw this scene.
"Let Mr. Gu Ge and the others take a look at it." Tian Qi pointed at the eight hundred miles that he had thrown on the ground and picked up the secret letter.
The palm print eunuch carefully picked it up and handed it to the little eunuch beside him.
The young eunuch walked to Gu Bingqian's desk, bowed and handed over the secret letter.
Gu Bingqian, who received the secret letter, already had a guess in his mind.
When he saw the content above, his heart sank.
Not long after the Ningyuan victory, news came out at the celebration banquet that Liu's army had invaded Taiyuan Mansion. He didn't want the emperor to be so angry.
"Look at it all, all the pavilion elders." Tianqi instructed the other pavilion elders to also read the eight-hundred-mile secret letter.
