Wang Xinyu replied: "Actually, to deal with this problem, it is not complicated, each of you will send a representative to Hangzhou, and we will form a military cabinet, just like the imperial court cabinet, with several cabinet members and a chief assistant." Some major strategic decisions can be discussed and voted on together. ”

Li Dingguo shook his head and said: "Military decision-making is completely different from the national policy formulated by the imperial court!" When you are fighting, will the enemy give you time to discuss it slowly? Even if you have time to discuss a result, but the fighter is fleeting, and the result you discuss is outdated on the battlefield! What's more, if you discuss battlefield decisions through the cabinet system, it is likely that the correct person will be negated by the mistakes of several other people! The national policy can be tried on a small scale, and mistakes can be corrected if they are found. In the military, you made a mistake, did the enemy give you a chance to change? Therefore, in the military, there must be a capable general who has the final say, and if you engage in this kind of cabinet system, don't you think you will not lose fast enough? ”

Wang Xinyu replied: "Shibo, this military is divided into two types: strategy and tactics. Strategically, many people can discuss and discuss the matter, decide where to go, and even if it is implemented, a little mistake at the beginning can be made up. Tactically, of course, it is impossible to deal with it by the military cabinet, and there must be a decisive commander, for example, you are a rare good general today! In terms of tactics, what you have decided, no one can oppose! ”

"Where can the old man be a good general!" Li Dingguo smiled bitterly and shook his head, "If the old man is really a good general, he would have recovered Guangdong back then!" ”

"Shibo is just benevolent, which is why Xinhui has failed. That's all the despicable and shameless tricks of the Tartars, and you can only deal with them decisively and ruthlessly! Wang Xinyu arched his hand.

"The virtuous nephew has won the prize!" Li Dingguo stroked his beard and said, "The strategic plan mentioned by the virtuous nephew can be solved by the military cabinet. But the cabinet can only be set up by the imperial court, and we are not violating the rules if we set up a cabinet without permission? Even if this matter is played to the Son of Heaven, I'm afraid it won't pass, right? ”

"Shibo, the younger generation is just an analogy. This military cabinet is still not called a cabinet. In order to distinguish it from the imperial cabinet, we will not call it the first assistant, but the executive officer. All the adopted strategic plans, military developments, etc., are checked by the executive officer, and finally he makes the final decision. Wang Xinyu explained to Li Dingguo.

"Then who is the governor of the same city, that is, the executive officer?" Li Dingguo asked.

"Shibo. The little nephew has considered that this position is either held by Master Zhang or King Gongchang! Because in terms of status, their position is enough to take on this great responsibility. As for the soldiers and horses in their hands, their strength is the weakest. We can also rest assured that they will take up the post of military chief and assistant. Wang Xinyu replied.

Li Dingguo immediately understood why Zhang Huangyan or Bai Wenxuan should be appointed as the governor, because they did not have many soldiers in their hands, so they could only issue orders in accordance with the resolutions formulated by the council. Otherwise, no one will listen to them. And their status is not low, and they still have a certain right to speak. After thinking about it, Li Dingguo finally made a decision: "The old man thinks that this governor is the most suitable for Master Zhang!" King Gongchang should not leave. It is necessary to contain Wu Sangui in Burma. ”

"How can the old man be deed! How can you take on such a great responsibility! Zhang Huangyan was shocked and hurriedly stood up and excused himself.

Li Dingguo stroked his beard and nodded: "Lord Zhang, you don't have to shirk!" You were originally the secretary of the military department, and what is wrong with this governor? Something big on top. We should have listened to you. ”

"Shibo, Lord Zhang is indeed the most suitable candidate! He is highly respected and a civil official. There is also the experience of leading troops. Wang Xinyu also felt that what Li Dingguo said was very reasonable.

Originally, the best governor was Guo Zhiqi or Fang Yizhi, but Guo Zhiqi couldn't leave at will by the emperor's side, and Fang Yizhi had no experience in leading troops, as for the others, they couldn't convince people. In the end, it was Zhang Huangyan who was the most suitable. Although Zhang Huangyan is just a lifter, his position as the secretary of the military department is there, and he has experience in leading troops, so he can serve the public.

"Good! That's it! Hao Shaoqi also agreed to the proposal and agreed that Zhang Huangyan should be appointed as the governor and governor.

Zhang Huangyan saw that everyone unanimously chose himself, and he couldn't shirk it, so he had to give his hand and say: "I, Zhang, thank you for your love!" If something big happens, Zhang will definitely deal with it impartially! ”

"The younger generation can trust Master Zhang!" Wang Xinyu said with a smile.

After electing the leader of the "military council", the next step is to discuss the development of a strategic plan. Where the hell is this supposed to be? Is it to fight Jiangning, or to fight southern Zhejiang and Fujian? Or is it to cross Jiangxi, use the chess piece buried in Jiangxi to open up the connection between Huizhou, Jiangxi, and Hunan, and divide the Qing army into two, or ......

How to fight, it can be said that everyone has a different opinion.

Zhang Huangyan, Gu Yanwu, Fang Yizhi, Wang Fuzhi and others all felt that Jiangning should be attacked first, they believed that if Jiangning was defeated and the north-south transportation line of the Qing court was cut off, it would cut off the national capital of the Qing court, because the Qing court relied on the Eight Banners to maintain, as long as the Cao Yun was cut off and the source of the hardcore crops of the Eight Banners was cut off, the Qing court would inevitably be in chaos, and the little emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty would also pack up his bed and get out of the customs. No matter how bad it is, the Ming Dynasty can also rule with the Qing court.

But Qu Dajun, who was also a scholar, opposed the occupation of Jiangning: "Ladies and gentlemen, this Jinling Jiancheng is as solid as Beijing's Jiancheng, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the city is very strong!" The comparison between Hangzhou city and Jinling city is simply not a grade! If Jinling is stormed, our army will inevitably suffer heavy losses and lose its vitality! What's more, the Tartar court at this time is no longer the Shunzhi of a few years ago, Shunzhi is indecisive, less courageous, and lacks courage. But now, it's a bunch of Tartar ministers! They are not the same as Shunzhi! ”

Wang Xinyu listened to Qu Dajun's words, turned his head to look at Wang Yuyou, and saw Wang Yuyou nodding with satisfaction, so he turned his head to Qu Dajun and said, "Mr. Qu, please continue." ”

"Ladies and gentlemen! Xia Guan thought that he was not in a hurry to attack Jinling! Rather than throwing our forces into the city of Jinling and the consumption of Tatars in vain, it is better to advance southward, first pacify southern Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi, and then seize Guangdong, Hunan, and Guangxi. As long as we open up the situation, Wu Sangui, the guy at both ends of the first rat, will inevitably rebel against the Qing Dynasty! Qu Dajun said, "If you storm Jinling." The Tartars will inevitably send troops to the rescue! As long as we can't take Jinling within three months, we will lose a lot under the city! So there is no hurry to hit Jinling. ”

It is indeed very inappropriate to rashly attack a fortified city like Jiangning. Even after two hundred years in real history, the Huai army of the Hunan army, which had foreign guns and cannons, attacked Nanjing, and it paid a great price, and it was after the civil strife of the Taiping Heavens, the strength of the Taiping army was significantly weakened, and the Hunan army fought for so long, and all kinds of methods were exhausted before it captured the fortified city of Nanjing. Although Wang Xinyu could transport heavy mortar artillery to bombard the city wall of Nanjing. However, the Qing defenders in Nanjing were numerous, and even if they opened a few gaps with artillery, the Ming army would be driven out if they entered the city, and the Qing army would be able to plug the gaps. Storming Nanjing, a tug-of-war is inevitable, and it will not be possible to take it in a few months. At this time, Ao Bai transferred troops from all sides to encircle, and the Ming army would definitely suffer a big loss.

Wang Xinyu nodded: "Wu Sangui is very interest-oriented. He doesn't have any big ambitions, he just wants to be a king of Yunnan in peace. If we attack the south, Wu Sangui will see that he is going to become a lone army, and he will inevitably rebel! As long as Wu Sangui is reversed. The overall situation of our south is decided! ”

"This official still thinks that he wants to fight Jinling!" Gu Yanwu stood up and said, "Jinling is the center of Jiangnan, and only by capturing Jinling can we seize the entire Jiangnan!" Military spending of the Tartars. Most of the silver taels of the hardcore crops of the Eight Banners come from the rich land in the south of the Yangtze River! If you seize the whole of Jiangnan, you will cut off the Tartars' financial routes and food! If they don't want to starve to death in the capital. can only be forced to withdraw from the customs! What's more, if you don't lay down Jinling, it will also chill the hearts of a group of people! ”

"Who said that if we take Jinling, the Tartars will definitely starve to death in the capital if they don't withdraw from the gates? If we attack Jinling, we will only be met with an even more frantic counterattack from the Tartars! Even if you take it, you may not be able to hold it! Wang Xinyu retorted. He knew very well that in real history, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom took Nanjing, did Xianfeng and Monk Greenqin starve to death in the capital? No!

Jiangnan is rich, but it is only a small land, with a strong economy and weak soldiers. In the Southern Song Dynasty at that time, if there were no strong and capable soldiers in Huai, Jiangxi, Hubei and other places, it would have been impossible to have the opportunity to rule the Jin State by dividing the river.

Wang Yuyou also stood up and said to everyone on behalf of Wang Xinyu: "Everyone, from the perspective of feng shui, Jinling is not suitable to be the national capital!" Whoever sets the capital of Jinling, which dynasty can live a long life! The longest is no more than 100 years, and the country will be destroyed in more than 10 years and more than 20 years! Because there is something wrong with the dragon vein of Jinling, it can be fixed but not for long. And we now actually have Shuangdu, one at the mouth of the Dajinsha River, and one in Hangzhou, which is very beneficial to our feng shui. ”

Feng Shui is still very effective, and even Confucians like Fang Yizhi believe in the views of Feng Shui. So Wang Yuyou's words are very lethal.

In the end, everyone agreed not to attack Nanjing for the time being, so that the more than 100,000 troops in Anqing could not find a point to exert their strength. If the Qing army came to attack the city south of the Yangtze River, with the various fortresses garrisoned by the Zhejiang army, it would be able to inflict great damage on the Qing army. Aobai came to attack the Jiangnan water network area, but it could only be a tactic to add fuel and lose troops in vain.

At present, the land divisions of the Qiongzhou Army, the Fujian Army and the Zhejiang Army in Jiangnan are combined, but there are only 110,000 horses, and among the 110,000 horses, there are only more than 40,000 soldiers, and they are also responsible for garrisoning various cities. To attack Nanjing, only 30,000 soldiers could be dispatched. If the city cannot be broken in a short period of time, Ao Bai can mobilize 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers and 780,000 auxiliary soldiers at any time, plus the 30,000 or 40,000 Qing troops in Nanjing, and the Ming army will inevitably suffer defeat outside Nanjing.

For the time being, it is the best way not to attack Nanjing, but to recuperate and wait for an opportunity to attack southern Zhejiang and Fujian.

Fujian has two islands of Jinxia in the hands of the Ming army, as well as Tongshan and other islands; In the southern part of Zhejiang, there are also a number of islands controlled by the Zhejiang army. These islands are a springboard for an attack. As long as the Ming army broke through southern Zhejiang and Fujian, and the Yongxin battalion deployed in Jiangxi took the opportunity to cooperate with the Ming army to fight Jiangxi, the Qing army in Guangdong would be isolated.

A plan has been drawn up to attack the south first, but it will take a long time to prepare for the official dispatch of troops.

First of all, the current strength of the Ming army is not very sufficient, 110,000 horses in the south of the Yangtze River, plus the coastal islands, the Ming army on the two islands of Dongfan and Qiongzhou, and the escort team of the Nanyang Company, all add up to 240,000, of which more than 60,000 are naval divisions, that is to say, there are less than 180,000 land divisions, of which there are only more than 70,000 soldiers. And Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan's 30,000 horses in Burma cannot be moved, and they must stay in Burma to protect the safety of the Yongli court.

There were more than 30,000 people in the Kuidong Righteous Army and more than 10,000 people in the Western Expeditionary Army, all of which could only protect themselves and were unable to attack.

Expanding conscription and absorbing prisoners will take time to prepare. If the natives of Sulu are to become the Ming army, it will also take time to assimilate and absorb them.

It is also important to note that it takes time to manufacture new weapons. The artillery factory in Dongfan is desperately producing new artillery and wagons, and it will take time to make these new weapons form a scale, and it is impossible to complete them without more than half a year of preparation time. But half a year later, the weather turned cold, and Ao Bai was likely to take advantage of the cold weather to attack.

The Eight Banners liked the cold weather, not the summer, and when the weather turned cold, it was time for the Qing army to counterattack. At that time, the Ming army still had to defend in the south of the Yangtze River, and only after the New Year could it launch an attack on southern Zhejiang and Fujian.

Since the war had not broken out so quickly, Wang Xinyu decided to go to Ryukyu, Dongying and Nuergan with Zheng Xi and Zheng Jing first, especially to Nuergan, maybe there was a chance to get a batch of excellent Russian war horses. If you can get a large number of Russian horses and recruit a group of Cossack cavalry, you can form a cavalry of your own.

During this time, the development situation in Jiangnan was pleasantly surprised. Needless to say, old cities such as Hangzhou and Suzhou are naturally booming, while the port of Shanghai in Songjiang Prefecture is booming. This originally unknown small county town has now become a large port by the river. The captives and the people sweated like rain, worked the riverside, built docks, and forts.

On the Huangpu River, merchant ships of all sizes sailed into the river. A large number of goods are carried on ships here and transported to all parts of the world; Luxury goods and silver brought from all over the country are also unloaded here. Cigarettes, glass, and other items produced in Nanyang are also luxury goods, and after being unloaded in Shanghai, they can be sent inland through various channels.

Shanghai City did not build a city wall, but built a castle fortress in several key locations, and the buildings in the city were built of cement concrete, as long as the Qing army attacked, those buildings could be combined with the castle fortress to fight street battles with the Qing army. (To be continued.) )