"Conquer Chaharlin Dan personally!"
This item was clearly circled by Chongzhen. The vermilion crosses looked particularly dazzling on the white rice paper.
Staring at the rice paper, Chongzhen murmured to himself: "All the work this year is based on the deterrence of a strong army. It is imperative to destroy Chahar!"
"The situation forces us to settle the old and new grudges together. Who told you that you have no city and refuse to defend it? Compared to the slaves, you are a soft persimmon!"
Thinking of this, Chongzhen looked at Wang Chengen and said, "My dear friend, please tell Li Ruolian and Cao Huachun to come see me!"
"Send a message to the Cabinet, the Ministry of War, and the Minister of Household Affairs to come see me!"
After the two instructions were issued, Wang Chengen immediately exited Dongnuan Pavilion.
Li Ruolian and Cao Huachun were already on duty in the palace, and they arrived very quickly. After the ceremony, Chongzhen got straight to the point.
"Li Aiqing, what's going on with Jiannu now?"
"Back to Your Majesty, Huang Taiji has not shown up yet. Except for the three banners controlled by Daishan, Amin, and Manggul, the Eight Banners Army is very quiet.
On the contrary, Shenyang was very lively. The leaders of the various Mongolian tribes who participated in the siege gathered outside the city. More than 20 tribes, large and small, and nearly 100,000 soldiers were spread dozens of miles away from Shenyang.
Jin Yiwei and Dongchang compiled a comprehensive analysis and concluded that within a month at the latest, Huang Taiji would definitely show up and regain control of Jiannu without any effort! "
"What's the reason?"
"Your Majesty, when the Mongolian tribes first arrived in Shenyang, they asked Jian Nu to be surrendered. The attitudes of Daishan and the Mongolian tribes were extremely tough, and they almost started fighting. Daishan could not persuade the Mongolian tribes to unite again.
A month ago, Jiannu was asked to fulfill the promise of food, salt, iron, etc. before the war.
The intelligence in recent days is that the Mongolian tribes only want food, and as long as they provide food, the responsibility for the failure of the siege will no longer be mentioned.
People from Jinyiwei have investigated and found that since August and September last year, there has been no rain in eastern and northeastern Mongolia. All the grass in the northeastern direction of Haraqin City has died, and several rivers are on the verge of drying up.
The Mongolian tribes are short of food. Although the Jiannu have food, they are all in Liaoyang.
And Liaoyang was occupied by Duduo with Zhengzheng Baiqi, and with the help of Ning Wanwo and other civil servants, plus Huang Taiji didn't show up, Daishan couldn't get food, so he had to endure it.
Moreover, Duduo also shouted that if they dared to attack the city, they would burn all the food and kill everyone together.
When the Mongolian tribes could no longer survive, Huang Taiji showed up again to discuss the pros and cons of the alliance.
If you give them some food, etc., slap them in the face and give them candy, can you still easily control the Mongolian tribes? "
"Your Majesty, after the alliance of establishing slaves broke through, the relationship between the various tribes and us was at loggerheads. In this case, it would be good if we did not send troops to destroy them. How could we sell grain to them? Building slaves is their only hope.
Moreover, Jiannu owned the city. Although the cavalry of the Mongolian tribes was powerful, they were not good at attacking the city. They could only look at the city and sigh.
This is also the reason why they have tens of thousands of troops but dare not take action. "
After Li Ruolian finished speaking, Cao Huachun added.
Listening to the analysis of the two men, Chongzhen couldn't help but sigh at Huang Taiji's scheming, how he managed to control Daishan and the Mongolian tribes without showing up.
"How long will the food and grass in Liaoyang be enough to build slaves?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know the exact amount, but according to the size of the granary, it is at least one million dan, which is enough for the Eight Banners Army for three to five months."
"That means it can be used until about May?"
Chongzhen made a rough estimate and fell into deep thought.
Historically, in October of the second year of Chongzhen, Huang Taiji detoured through Mongolia and broke through the border. Later generations have a lot of controversy as to why Huang Taiji launched this raid.
Such as boosting the morale of Ningyuan's defeat, consolidating personal authority and status, blaming Yuan Chonghuan, forcing the Ming Dynasty to negotiate peace, consuming the Ming Dynasty's effective forces, obtaining spoils of war, etc.
If one goes by what Li Ruolian said, it is possible that he came to grab supplies to alleviate the famine of the slaves.
The rest is really secondary, because no matter what other reasons, this kind of long-distance attack that is easily cut off will only happen when there is no choice.
According to historical records, in February, a great famine occurred in the Jiannu territory, and everyone was eating each other. It is estimated that Huang Taiji was forced to take a dangerous move.
If a famine really occurred among the slaves in February, it would be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, the Cabinet, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Household Affairs are already waiting at Qianqing Gate!"
While Chongzhen continued to think, Wang Chengen entered Dongnuan Pavilion and reported in a low voice.
"pass!"
In just a moment, the Cabinet, the Ministry of War, and the Minister of Household Affairs entered Dongnuan Pavilion. When they saw Li Ruolian and Cao Huachun standing on one side, they were shocked and their faces became serious.
These two people are the emperor's absolute confidants. The emperor trusts them more than he trusts himself. They are in charge of and supervise the world. If they appear together, it means something big will happen.
After several people saluted, Chongzhen looked at everyone and said in a deep voice: "I am ready to personally conquer Chahar Lindan Khan!"
"What?"
"What?"
"His Majesty personally marched?"
"Conquer Chahar personally?"
…
There were exclamations one after another, and they looked at Chongzhen in disbelief.
Sun Chengzong and Yuan Keli were shocked in their hearts, and their expressions only changed slightly. They had already guessed that they would conquer Chahar Lindan Khan, but the personal expedition frightened them a little.
"Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty is now full of vitality. With the Great Wall's natural danger, it is unlikely that the Jiannu, Mongolian tribes, Chahar and other foreign enemies can break through.
Wait another three to five years, the military and political affairs will be reorganized, the troops and horses will be strong, and millions of soldiers will be deployed to crush them directly. There is no need to rush! "
"Your Majesty, Chahar repeatedly invaded the Ming Dynasty and plundered the border. When we were besieging and killing Jiannu, he even took the opportunity to attack Datong and Xuanfu. The old and new grudges were settled together.
Even if Your Majesty doesn't mention it, I will wait until the army is reorganized and report to Your Majesty in person. But should we discuss the matter of His Majesty's personal expedition? "
"Your Majesty, there are two prerequisites for the emperor's personal expedition. One is victory, and the other is forced. However, judging from the current situation, neither of them are met. Your Majesty, please think again!"
"Your Majesty, to conquer Chahar, just choose a good general. Mr. Sun Ge, Mr. Yuan Ge, the British Duke Zhang Weixian, the loyal Marquis Qin Liangyu, the general of the Xuanfu Man Gui, etc. are all suitable. Your Majesty is really inconvenient to take risks!"
…
Everyone tried to persuade each other, and they all believed that Chahar should be beaten, but not now, and the emperor could not fight in person.
Sun Chengzonghe and Yuan Keli's eyes flashed.
“Everyone, this battle is necessary and must be launched in the near future.
Disasters in the southwest, clan clans, military and political rectification, land clearing and returning land to the people all require strong deterrence.
Southwest has been dragging its feet for so many years, and it doesn't matter if it waits a few more years. Now the national treasury is sufficient, and a million taels a year is enough to bring down the two ministries of She and An.
We can rectify Shanxi, Shandong, and Henan this year through military affairs and land restoration, but what about next year?
Without the shock of a big war, the work cannot be fully launched next year, so it must be completed this year! "
When Sun Chengzong said this, he paused for a moment, seeming to be thinking.
