On the Yellow Sea, which has never been very rough, a large but quiet fleet was divided into two teams in the gradually falling night. It suddenly changed its course to the east and began to turn south.
The highest-level military meeting of the fleet is being held on the flagship "Dongchang" of the Ming Dynasty's Japanese fleet. In line with the principle of "meetings with many people are not important, and important meetings with few people", there were only four people attending the meeting:
Bachelor of Wenhuadian, Minister of the Ministry of Finance, Pingwa Jinglue, and Nanning Hou Gao pragmatism; Left Governor of the Left Army Governor's Office and Sichuan Commander-in-Chief Liu Wei; Right Commander of the Rear Army Governor's Office, Commander-in-Chief of the Pingwa Fleet and Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong Chen Lin ; Zuo Dudu of the Rear Army Dudu Mansion, Deng Zilong, commander of the advance fleet of the Ping-Japanese Fleet and the general of Fujian.
Since the fleet had officially entered a state of combat readiness when it set sail, the three generals Liu Wei, Chen Lin, and Deng Zilong were already in military uniforms, and Gao Pragmatic also changed into Yisha according to past habits.
The python robe is a highly pragmatic gift. After several "upgrades" over the years, it has now become a standard with a python on the chest, back and front, a python on the shoulders, and the whole body of the python is covered with gold scales on the premise of bright red silk.
Of course, the special official uniforms that Gao Pragmatic can wear are not only python suits. The flying fish suits, bullfighting suits, and unicorn suits that he was given in the past can also be worn now. The last time he was made a marquis, he was also given the Ming Dynasty's unique one. The white uniform of the title - Baize is a special uniform given to civil servants who are ennobled, but not all civil officials who are awarded the title will receive it. For example, Wang Shouren's descendants do not.
However, Gao Pragmatic doesn't like to show off, so he always wears python clothes the most. Whether it's python clothes, flying fish, or bullfighting, they are all basically dragon-shaped, so they are very similar to the costumes of Liu Wei, Chen Lin, and Deng Zilong. By the way, Liu Wei also wore a python suit, but his was a single-line python, which was a sideways python embroidered on his chest. It was given to him after he conquered Burma a few years ago.
The four kinds of gifts are all in the shape of dragons. The sitting python is in the shape of a dragon from the front, and is only missing one claw from the emperor's five-clawed dragon. The walking python and the sitting python are only different from the front and side, but the front, chest, back and shoulders of Gao Pragmatic are the same. There are four pythons in total, and the regulations are obviously several levels higher; the bullfighting suit is worn by Chen Lin, and it also has four claws. The difference is that the horns are not dragon-shaped, but curved horns; the difference between Deng Zilong's flying fish suit is its tail, which is Obvious fish tail shape.
The proliferation of conferments has become somewhat obvious by this time, but to a certain extent, it is also a manifestation of the court's troubles. In order to reward meritorious people every time, it seems inevitable to create infinite distinctions to distinguish superiors and inferiors. Gao Pragmatic doesn't seem to be very concerned about this matter, and has never proposed reforms on this issue.
Since the standard of the meeting was high enough, the dragon pattern shone brightly in the Dongchang's small conference room, and it was clear at a glance that the big shots had important matters to discuss.
The first person to ask the question was Deng Zilong, the commander of the advance fleet. In fact, this veteran general and Gao Pragmatic had not met for the first time until this expedition. However, this did not prevent Deng Zilong from respecting Gao Pragmatic: "Master Marquis, the last general has just received the flag and lantern language. , has been ordered to direct the advance fleet to turn, and the fleet is currently heading due south. But Lord Marquis, aren't we going to Kaicheng?"
It turned out that everyone thought that the fleet was going to Kaesong at first. The reason was that they had received a flying pigeon message from Ma Gui before setting off, and knew that Ma Gui's army had captured Haizhou and was heading to Kaesong.
Then, judging from the sailing speed, the fleet can definitely deliver Liu Wei's troops on the ship on time when Magui attacks Kaicheng and disembark near the mouth of the Licheng River.
In this way, the landing location can be determined according to the battle situation at that time. Especially if the Ma Gui tribe is in a stalemate with the Japanese army east and west on the Licheng River, the Liu Ping tribe can directly land on the east side of the river and catch the Japanese troops defending along the river by surprise.
However, Gao Pangshi suddenly ordered the entire fleet to turn south not long ago, which meant that the fleet would not go to Kaicheng. As for where it was going, the three generals did not know, but everyone estimated that it should be Hanyang.
Gao Pragmatic smiled and asked the three of them to sit down, and then said: "I have seen before that the fleet's supplies were prepared according to my orders, so they are very sufficient at the moment. I have made such sufficient supply preparations, and I am not just planning to Is it so easy to send Shogo's troops ashore?"
When Chen Lin heard this, she knew that her previous guesses were not accurate, so she said: "Kaicheng and Hanyang are not far apart. Since the Marquis said so, it doesn't seem like there is a surprise attack on Hanyang?"
"That's right, I won't go to Hanyang." Gao Pingshi smiled and said, "You might as well guess my intention."
Deng Zilong said: "Since we are not going straight to Hanyang, we may land near Jishan to the south of Hanyang, and then march eastward, capture Jishan and Zhongzhou, and cut off the Japanese army's retreat in Hanyang. Wait until Admiral Ma takes over the Kai If the Japanese army in Hanyang is forced to attack the Han River, it will fall into a situation of wolves in front and tigers in back. If they advance and retreat without a foothold, they will be destroyed by our army sooner or later."
Gao pragmatic glanced at Chen Lin again and asked: "What Mr. Daqian (Deng Zilong) said is quite insightful, so what is Mr. Longya's (Chen Lin) opinion?"
Chen Lin thought for a while and said: "The general thinks that our fleet should not only do this one thing, but can do a two-pronged approach. One is to send Liu Zongrong to land at Jishan, but after Liu Zongrong captures Jishan, he will attack Zhongzhou Before that, it seemed that Qingzhou, which was very close at hand, should be captured first.
In this way, the Cheongju-Chungju blockade could be formed afterwards, blocking the Japanese army's escape route to the south. Unless they were willing to go through the inaccessible eastern mountains and forests, the Japanese army could only be blocked by Liu Zongrong at this line. When Admiral Ma arrived, our army was attacked from the north and south, and the main force of the Japanese Army Division was unable to fly.
But apart from that, our fleet also has important matters of its own. It should actively go south to find a decisive battle between the Japanese naval forces, as a guarantee for the eventuality of a land war. What the general means is that if some Japanese troops on land still break out, as long as the Japanese naval forces are destroyed or most of them are annihilated and lose their ability to transport, even if the Japanese land divisions temporarily escape, they will eventually die. . "
Gao pragmatic nodded, looked at Liu Wei again, and asked: "Shengwu, what do you think?" There is a detail here. Gao pragmatically called Chen Lin and Deng Zilong by their names, while he called Liu Wei by their names. , there is a difference.
Chen Lin and Deng Zilong are both veterans in their sixties, so Gao pragmatically calls them respectable. Although Liu Wei is slightly older than him, he is almost the same age as him. Coupled with the relationship between Liu Xian and Liu Xin, the two are not only obviously peers, but also have a special relationship, so they can be named to show close.
Unexpectedly, Liu Wei's answer was quite harsh. He chuckled and said, "I don't have any opinion. In short, I will fight wherever the Marquis tells me to fight. You can go to Kaicheng or Jishan. You can go to Hanyang, or even go straight to the Japanese mainland."
Gao Pingshi laughed loudly when he heard this, and said: "Don't rush to the Japanese mainland for now. We have to sort out the Korean side before we can think about that."
Chen Lin couldn't help but be quite surprised after hearing this, and asked: "Master Hou, is the imperial court really planning to invade the Japanese mainland?"
"Does Mr. Long Ya think this is unacceptable?" Gao Pingshi raised his eyebrows slightly and asked without answering.
Poverty in the valley
"It's not that I object to it, it's just that the Japanese invaded North Korea and used 200,000 troops twice. It is expected that the strength of their homeland is not weaker than this... If our heavenly soldiers want to kill their homeland and punish them, they may need 100,000 troops. It costs millions, but I don’t know if it’s worth it.”
Chen Lin said that he had no objection, but from what he said, it seems that he actually did not fully understand the idea of invading Japan, and his wording also showed his views on the Ming army's invasion of Japan, that is, "Shi "To punish" - since it is just a lesson, then one hundred thousand troops must be mobilized and millions of dollars spent, which is obviously not cost-effective.
However, Gao Wuzhen did not intend to discuss the matter in depth now. He just smiled, changed the subject, and said: "Shengwu said that we can fight anywhere, so the fleet will send you to Sichuan to land. After you capture Sichuan, go north immediately. Let’s capture Jinzhou nearby.”
As soon as these words came out, the three generals were stunned. They all turned their attention to a map of Northeast Asia hanging behind Gao Pangshi, and focused on the locations of Sichuan and Jinju in the middle of the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula.
Liu Wei reacted quickly and asked immediately: "Master Hou, do you mean... to intimidate Busan?"
Gao pragmatic nodded and said: "Not bad."
Liu Wei frowned and said hesitantly: "If we really want to go south to the southernmost part of Korea, why should we intimidate Busan instead of simply attacking Busan directly? Now that our fleet is powerful, I don't expect that Busan's Japanese pirate navy will be able to fight. So we If the army takes Busan directly, wouldn't it completely cut off the connection between the Japanese army and their homeland?
Next, our troops and Ma Zongrong marched north and south, while the Japanese army was divided into multiple strongholds such as Hamhung and Hanyang. They could not support each other and could only fight independently. The fleet could completely block the strait and Their local support was completely cut off... wouldn't the destruction of the Japanese army be just around the corner? "
Chen Lin and Deng Zilong also believed this and expressed their agreement with Liu Wei. They also promised that they would be able to defeat the main force of the Japanese navy stationed in Busan, and at the same time ensure the defeat of the reinforcements of the Japanese navy.
However, Gao Pragmatic smiled and said: "This is indeed feasible, but have the three of you ever thought about how the Hanyang Japanese army would react if Busan suddenly fell?"
Liu Wei said rather disdainfully: "How can a group of barbarians react? If Busan is lost, the escape route will be cut off. At that time, the Japanese pirates had only two plans: either open the city and surrender, or fight the trapped beasts."
Gao pragmatic looked at Chen Lin and Deng Zilong again. They once again held the same view as Liu Wei, and also believed that as long as the next offensive launched by the Ming army was powerful enough, the Japanese army would have a high possibility of surrendering in Kaicheng.
Gao Pragmatic shook his head and said: "You still don't know enough about the Japanese army, and you don't know anything about the Japanese thoughts. If the Japanese army really reaches that point, although the two things you judged will appear inside it, There are various arguments, but in the end the decision they made must be to stick to Hanyang and wait for changes."
Liu Wei knew through Liu Xin that Gao Jingshi had a good understanding of Japan, so he did not question why Gao Jingshi came to such a conclusion. He just said: "Even if they stick to Hanyang, so what? Once our heavenly soldiers advance from north to south, First, exterminate the remaining scattered Japanese troops except for the enemy in Hanyang. Then hundreds of thousands of troops will besiege Hanyang. Even if they do not want to suffer the losses of a strong attack, it is enough to besiege it for half a year. After the foreign aid is cut off, Hanyang's food reserves cannot last more than half a year. How long?"
Gao Pangshi glared at him and said angrily: "You put it lightly, my army of more than 100,000 people besieged Hanyang. Although the Japanese army is a turtle in a urn and a withered bone in a tomb, I, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, must also be worried. Lost your head?"
Liu Wei only thought that he would definitely win in this fight, but he obviously did not examine this issue from the perspective of the "Shang Shu of the Ministry of Revenue", so he was immediately speechless by Gao Pragmatic's words.
But as soon as Gao Pingshi said these words, Chen Lin was immediately awakened. Chen Lin thought about it and said: "Oh, so what the Marquis means is to intimidate Busan first, force the Japanese army to take the initiative to make adjustments, and then find a way..."
"Ah, the general also understands!" Deng Zilong clapped his thigh and said excitedly: "The Busan Japanese army is no match for our fleet and Liu Zongrong's command, regardless of water or land. Once Jinzhou, not far to the west, is captured by our army, , must be greatly shocked, and will immediately ask Hanyang for help.
Although Hanyang is the main force of the Japanese army, its destiny is Busan, because Busan is the key to transporting its homeland to North Korea. Once Busan falls, they will all become rootless Pyoping. In this way, no matter how much pressure the Hanyang defenders faced from Admiral Ma, they could only be forced to reinforce Busan. "
As soon as the two of them talked about the specific battle, Liu Wei became active and stopped worrying about the financial issues mentioned by Gao Pragmatic just now. He immediately answered: "In this case, the enemy of Hanyang has two choices. One is to divide the troops to reinforce Busan. , and the second is to withdraw the entire army south to defend Busan."
The general who had just achieved his first military success in the Battle of Boshu was so excited that he rubbed his hands and said with bright eyes: "If they choose to divide their troops, then the strength of our troops is not something to be afraid of. We can prepare to set up an ambush according to their marching route.
Well, I think they will definitely go south along the Nakdong River, so our troops can block them near Changnyeong and Daegu. Hehe, to be honest with the Marquis and the two commanders, I know something about the Japanese army, and I want to fight with them..."
That is, Liu Jiajun, the elite of his direct lineage is the Japanese surrender. This powerful elite soldier in southern China was originally carefully selected from the Japanese pirates who surrendered. It can be said that they are composed of the most fierce Japanese pirates who are not afraid of death. The fear of death is certain], coupled with the formalized training given by Liu Xian and Liu Wei, two generations of famous generals, they may be said to be the "most elite Japanese army". In this way, it is not difficult to understand that Liu Wei really wants to fight against the "real Japanese army".
At this time, the atmosphere was lively. Deng Zilong took back the words that Liu Wei had snatched away. Taking advantage of Liu Wei's excitement and forgetting his words, he quickly followed up and said: "It would be better if they did not divide their troops to support but retreated south as a whole." Very soon, Admiral Ma was so experienced that he would surely follow the situation and take advantage of the cavalry to harass and raid the Japanese troops on the way, causing the Japanese troops to be continuously attacked along the way.
As the Japanese army traveled hundreds of miles south, this kind of non-stop raids would tire them out. Even if they reached the vicinity of Busan, they would be unable to fight. At that time, it will be the best time for me to advance from the north to the south and defeat the main force of the Japanese army in the field in one fell swoop! "
When Chen Lin heard this, she couldn't help but take a deep breath, raised her hands to Gao Pingshi and said: "Master Hou has a clever plan, the ingenuity of this strategy is truly breathtaking!"
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Thanks to book friends "Cao Mianzi" and "apodes" for their monthly support, thank you!
ps: I fell asleep again last night, md, md, I was angry and decided to code words this morning to avoid falling asleep again at night. Just one sentence: There must be a chapter before noon today! ! !
