After hearing this, Kong Youde frowned and said: "How will the situation in Liaodong develop, and it will be our turn to worry about it? I really have some thoughts. Think about it, how can we get more wine to drink?"
Hearing this, Geng Zhongming was a little dissatisfied, glared at him, and whispered: "Drink, drink, drink, won't you die? Nowadays, food is getting more and more scarce. The emperor has already made a decree prohibiting the use of food to make wine. Who dares to violate it? , then he will definitely be severely punished!”
At this point, he paused and then remembered that Kong Youde had diverted him from the topic. He stared at Kong Youde and whispered: "Although the ancestral army was killed by the emperor, why do I feel that Liaodong is in the same situation?" It’s getting more and more difficult! If this continues, do you think the emperor will find a way to solve the dilemma, or will the Kingdom of China have the upper hand in the future?"
Hearing him ask this topic again, Kong Youde played with the wine bottle in his hand in silence for a while, and then replied in a low voice: "The emperor is a rare wise king in the Qing Dynasty. I have to admit this, at least we have been with him for so many years. The opponents all know it well. Although there is indeed a dilemma at the moment, I believe that the emperor will have a solution. "
"But... But North Korea surrendered to the Ming Dynasty again!" Geng Zhongming said a little unconvinced, "And the Governor of Baoding personally led the army across the sea. Now the sea is dominated by the Ming army, which is much better than when Mao Shuai was there. The Qing Dynasty can only passively defend itself, so this is still unsolved, right?"
Seeing what Kong Youde wanted to say, he immediately added: "Don't forget, Ying'erdai was defeated by Governor Lu, and now his life or death is uncertain, but basically it's more bad than good. There's also the good news, You will die if you say so. This kind of victory has never been achieved by Mao Shuai, which means that this Ming army is definitely difficult to deal with. Do you agree with this?"
After hearing this, Kong Youde showed a sarcastic sneer on his face. He threw the wine bottle he was playing with on the table, then looked at Geng Zhongming and asked in a serious voice: "Then let me ask you, does the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty have any Substitute?"
"Probably not, it's still Emperor Chongzhen. At least I haven't heard any rumors about changing the emperor." Although Geng Zhongming was a little surprised why he suddenly asked this, he still answered honestly.
After Kong Youde heard this, he immediately asked Geng Zhongming: "What about the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty? Have you and I experienced it? How did Marshal Mao die? How did Dongjiang Town become such a mess? And how did Sun Zhongcheng suffer? Suppression in the court? How come we were squeezed out by Shandong officials and gentry after we went to Denglai? You won't forget these things, right?"
"How could you forget this!" Upon hearing this, Geng Zhongming immediately replied with a little annoyance, "These things will never be forgotten in this life!"
"So!" Kong Youde listened and suddenly sighed and said, "The emperor has not changed people. Even if he made a holy decision for a while, it would be wiser, such as promoting Sun Zhongcheng, hiring Fo Lang Ji, forming a new army, etc. . But what happens next? Looking back after a while, where is Sun Zhongcheng now? Where are you and me? What is the situation in the Qing and Ming Dynasties?"
Hearing this, Geng Zhongming understood something. He answered Kong Youde and seemed to be explaining to himself: "So, even if the Ming Dynasty made a good decision now, the Governor of Baoding regained control of the navy and rebuilt Dongjiang Town. . The situation in the Ming Dynasty seemed to be great! However, after a while, the party struggle changed direction. Maybe Governor Lu's side would start fighting among themselves without the Qing Dynasty taking action. In the end, this new Dongjiang Town , will it be like a flash in the pan?”
"That's what I mean!" Kong Youde listened, nodded, and sighed, "The Ming Dynasty is in ruins. How many years has the current emperor been on the throne, but the situation has not completely improved, but has gone from bad to worse. Does the current emperor really have any problems? You should have seen clearly what you are capable of long ago. If you are not good at this basic level, all of this, if you look at it carefully, is ultimately short-lived and cannot compare with the Qing Dynasty!"
Speaking of this conclusion, logically speaking, he should be happy. But whether it was from his tone or his demeanor, there was no sense that he was happy at all.
Geng Zhongming also nodded at Kong Youde's conclusion, and then fell silent and said no more.
After a while, Geng Zhongming suddenly looked up at Kong Youde and asked in a low voice: "Now that the Qing Dynasty has stationed troops in Zhenjiang Fort, and sends troops across the Yalu River from time to time, what do you think Governor Lu will do?"
After hearing this, Kong Youde thought for a while and said: "I guess I have no choice. I must send troops to help North Korea. Otherwise, North Korea alone will not be a match for the Qing Dynasty at all."
"When do you think this battle will be fought?" Geng Zhongming continued to ask, "I would like to see how powerful this Governor Lu is? Can his Dongjiang Army prevent the Qing Dynasty from attacking North Korea?"
After hearing this, Kong Youde shook his head and said: "Whether it is powerful or not, it is of little use. As far as the Dongjiang Army is concerned, it can only harass the coast. If we really want to fight the Qing army, there is no chance of winning. Besides, Well, this is the main attack of the Qing Dynasty, and the initiative lies in the hands of the Qing Dynasty. It is really determined to teach North Korea a lesson, and even the Dongjiang Army cannot stop it. The North Korean monarchs and ministers are unwise and wait to bear the emperor's wrath!"
Geng Zhongming listened, thought for a moment, and felt it made sense, so he curled his lips and sneered: "North Koreans are all stupid, waiting to be bullied by the Qing Dynasty again!"
After saying that, he put the matter behind him, his face became heavy again, and he said to Kong Youde: "The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and I still feel that I haven't paid my respects for several years. No matter what, I have to pay my respects this year. Got it!"
After hearing this, Kong Youde was silent for a while, and then said with a self-deprecating smile: "What are you talking about? Will you forgive us? Will you protect us?"
When Geng Zhongming heard this, he was also silent for a while, then shook his head and said: "Then don't say anything, it's always okay to burn some paper money!"
"In the blink of an eye, the New Year is coming again. Time flies so fast!" Kong Youde sighed after hearing this.
It is also Liaodong, and the mood of the New Year, at least on the side of the Dongjiang Army, is completely different from that of Kong Youde and others. Red lanterns began to be hung in Lushun and on various islands occupied by the Ming army.
The officers and soldiers of the Ming army were all happily talking about the past year and looking forward to the beauty of the coming year.
From time to time, Qin opera singing could be heard in the army, which attracted bursts of applause from time to time. Of course, the shouts in the Fujian dialect are inevitable. The sounds from the north and the south are mixed together, which makes it even more festive.
However, at Pidao Pier, as soon as a ship docked, a North Korean official with gray beard and hair jumped off the ship. His skill was somewhat inconsistent with his age. At this point, the general who followed him couldn't help but show a hint of admiration.
But the North Korean official did not pay attention to these. He just looked up at the slightly crude New Year decorations on Xiapi Island. He had no intention of admiring them, so he hurried away with the general behind him under the leadership of the Ming Army Pier General. Go to the governor's palace in Baoding.
"Please help inform the Governor, saying that Kim Sang-hyun, the Right Councilor of North Korea, is following the decree of the King and has urgent matters. Come and see the Governor!" The gray-bearded official did not dare to neglect the Ming Army's primary school at the gate of the Yamen and bowed. He explained the situation.
After hearing this, the junior colonel did not dare to ask the elder, so he stepped aside and replied: "The governor is not in the camp, and should be at the military camp at this time. Should you go to the mansion to rest and wait, or go directly to the military camp to meet the governor?"
When Jin Sangxian heard this, he quickly expressed that he was going to the military camp because he really had something urgent and didn't want to wait.
However, when he saw Lu Xiangsheng in the military camp, he was stunned. For a moment, he even forgot that he came here because of something urgent.
It turned out that when he came over, dinner was just about to begin in the military camp, and he bumped into Lu Xiangsheng, the dignified governor of the Ming Dynasty, sitting with ordinary soldiers and eating the same thing. Isn't this kind of thing too inappropriate?
North Koreans have never learned anything else but to attach great importance to superiority and inferiority, as well as the status gap between officials and civilians.
In fact, the population of North Korea is quite large, at least much more than that of the Manchus. However, the combat power of North Korea is low, let alone the Manchu Qing Dynasty. It turns out that the Dongjiang Army, who is like a beggar, can bully and bully them. It can even be said that with the combat power of the North Korean army, any surrounding forces can bully them!
The reason for this is because of North Korea's national policy. From the king of North Korea to ordinary North Korean officials, they don't pay attention to ordinary people at all, and there is no such people-oriented approach. The people of North Korea are living a very hard life. Under such circumstances, who would think of fighting a war with all their heart?
Seeing that it was Jin Sangxian coming, Lu Xiangsheng smiled and waved: "Happy New Year, have you eaten?"
Hearing this greeting, Kim Sang-hyun came back to his senses and waved his hands subconsciously: "No, no, no, I won't eat, no, I'm just a low-ranking official because I'm not hungry. Sir, please send troops to save North Korea as soon as possible?"
Later, he wanted to kneel down immediately to show his solemnity. However, when he saw the ordinary Ming army soldiers watching, he hesitated. For a moment, he couldn't kneel down.
Lu Xiangsheng noticed something. He finished his meal in a few quick bites, then stood up and said, "Let's go to the Yamen to talk!"
Seeing him like this, the ordinary soldiers of the Ming Army immediately stopped their chopsticks. Although they made no further moves, they all watched the governor leave.
This scene was seen by the general behind Jin Sangxian. His face was obviously a little shocked. When he turned around and followed him out of the military camp, he turned back several times to look at the ordinary soldiers.
When he arrived at the Yamen, Lu Xiangsheng sat down and said to Jin Shangxian: "I know all about Jianlu's movements. As for the news that there will be no reward tonight, Jianlu will not send troops immediately."
At this point, he saw what Jin Sangxian seemed to want to say, so he added: "Don't worry, if Jianlu really wants to attack North Korea in a large scale, I will never sit idly by and ignore it, and will definitely send troops to contain Jianlu. As long as the war drags on for a long time and Jianlu's food and supplies are tight, they will naturally withdraw their troops. Moreover, sending troops to North Korea like this is absolutely impossible to continue, and Jianlu does not have the confidence."
After hearing Lu Xiangsheng's analysis, Jin Sangxian finally breathed a sigh of relief and said repeatedly: "It's so good, it's so good..."
"After you go back, you must do the following two things." When Lu Xiangsheng talked about the business, he was not ambiguous at all, and immediately ordered, "As we approach Liaodong, we must make the walls strong and clear the country so that the Jianluo cannot plunder. Second, all cities should be prepared for war and remain vigilant. Our advantage lies in a long war, while Jianlu needs a quick victory. This is very important. As long as North Korea can hold on, Jianlu will be defeated!"
"Next year, I will transfer some troops from Denglai. By then, there will be more troops in Liaodong. The situation in North Korea next year will also be better." After Lu Xiangsheng finished speaking, he smiled Then he said, "How about it, can you rest assured?"
Jin Sangxian was overjoyed and nodded quickly, indicating that he would do as he was told. Then he declined Lu Xiangsheng's proposal to celebrate the New Year together and left in a hurry.
On the pier, when the ship left the pier, the military general suddenly said with a little emotion: "My lord, the dignified governor, all love soldiers as much as their own children. Perhaps, this is the real way to lead an army, right?"
"Huh?" When Jin Shangxian heard this, he immediately said with a little dissatisfaction, "The Ming Dynasty is a kingdom of heaven, and the national conditions of Korea are different from mine. If you learn to walk in Handan, those untouchables will no longer be afraid of you, how will you lead the army in the future?"
"But...but when the general saw that the soldiers of the Ming Army seemed to respect the Governor very much, he felt...as if they could die for the Governor at any time!" This general, Lin Qingye, is still a little hard to forget. The Ming army soldiers looked at Lu Xiangsheng.
When Jin Sangxian heard this, he was a little annoyed and said: "It's just because you are the Governor and your status is here, you are like this, don't you understand?"
"General, I understand!" After hearing this, Lin Qingye did not dare to argue with Jin Sangxian, so he had to submit softly.
At this time, Lu Xiangsheng did not know that his actions caused a dispute among North Korean civil and military officials. At this time, he was looking in the direction of the capital, thinking that the good news and the prisoners, based on the speed, should arrive in the capital within the next few days. I just happened to be able to catch up before the year, I hope the emperor will be more satisfied! Wait until next year to win a few more battles against him!
Lu Xiangsheng is confident about this. North Korea surrendered again and once again isolated Jianlu. Next year, it will choose a landing site and begin to actively attack Jianlu's sphere of influence in Liaodong.
He was not mistaken. Just two days before the Chinese New Year, Lu Xiangsheng's good news arrived in the capital. Along with the good news, there were ten prisoners including Ying Erdai. The remaining few prisoners were killed alive on the way across the sea to Tianjin. Died from seasickness. Of course, this has something to do with the fact that they were tied up and imprisoned in the bilge.
It is enough that ten Jianqi, especially the real Ying Erdai of Gushan'e, Zhengbai Banner, are not dead.
Emperor Chongzhen thought so and decided to meet these ten prisoners in Wuying Palace.
