Huang Yingyun continued: "When my subordinates first saw it, they also thought it was extravagant and wasteful, and even thought about admonishing King Wu, but later I found out that the gunpowder and shells produced by several major military workshops under King Wu every day were in the sky. ”

"What did you see with your own eyes?" Li Dingguo asked anxiously.

"Yes." Huang Yingyun said, "The Jiangnan Military Workshop has not used manpower, but a kind of machinery called a steam engine, which can lift thousands of catties of weight, forged and stamped by the imperial court, and the red-hot iron is in front of it, just like mud pressing, let it be rubbed." ”

Looking at Li Dingguo's extremely surprised expression, Huang Yingyun sighed: "Our army does have a lot of artillery, but most of them are small cannons, and the range is in the range of five or six miles, and the farthest is only eight miles. The longest range of the artillery of the Northern Expeditionary Army can reach a land of eighteen miles...... Lord Wang, this is more than twice as much, that is to say, if the two armies face each other head-on, our army has not yet approached the distance that the artillery can fire, and it may suffer heavy losses from the opponent's artillery, how can it be compared? ”

Li Dingguo fell silent.

For a long time, for a long time...... Until it was late at night.

Li Dingguo suddenly raised the letter that Wu Zheng gave him.

"Then Wu Zheng wants to let Li lead his troops eastward...... In Mr. Huang's opinion, is there a conspiracy? Or will it be bad for our army? ”

Huang Yingyun was also silent, he thought for a long time before he replied: "My subordinates really don't know how to answer...... On this trip, his subordinates and King Wu only met three times, and the time added up was less than an hour ....... ”

Li Dingguo frowned and said, "In this way, how can Li take such a huge risk for him?" 50,000 troops marched eastward, with more than 100,000 Qing troops along the way...... Nine deaths! ”

Speaking of this, Li Dingguo shook his head and said: "Even if Li attacks Huguang, in case Wu Zheng temporarily breaks his promise, our army will not be able to advance, and there will be no way out, which will be a catastrophe...... This thing doesn't work! ”

Looking at the stunned Li Dingguo, Huang Yingyun suddenly said: "But my subordinates feel in their hearts that King Wu is not a person who has no faith in his words. ”

Li Dingguo was stunned for a moment and asked, "How can you see it?" ”

Huang Yingyun replied: "My subordinates can't say it, they just feel it in their hearts." ”

Li Dingguo was a little annoyed, "Mr. Huang, do you want to say that with the feeling in your heart, Li wants to risk 50,000 lives?" What's more, if Wu Zheng's Northern Expeditionary Army is really as strong as you say, why didn't he directly go on a northern expedition and recover the lost territory? What is the reason why Li is still required to take the opportunity to break the situation? In Li's view, Wu Zheng is nothing more than Zheng Sen's general idea, passively slacking off the war and preserving strength, so as to blackmail the imperial court in exchange for greater benefits...... The power is just a minister. ”

Huang Yingyun suddenly knelt down and said, "The prince is generous, and his subordinates are willing to guarantee with their lives...... King Wu is by no means a man of his word! ”

Li Dingguo was stunned, he looked at Huang Yingyun in front of him in a daze.

Huang Yingyun raised his head, looked at Li Dingguo and said: "Huang is not confused when he is close to age, although he is not very experienced, he can confidently know people well, just like with the prince, Huang believes that the prince is a person who can be entrusted and loyal." ”

Li Dingguo's face changed several times, and he said leisurely: "So, in your heart, Wu Zheng is also like Li?" ”

Huang Yingyun shook his head and said, "No, King Wu can't be compared with the prince." ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"The prince is a good man, a leading soldier, a corporal of courtesy, and a sincere treater, and he will be a generation of heroes." Huang Yingyun said while thinking, "And King Wu ...... If his subordinates really can't say clearly, he is like a ....... ”

"What is it?"

"It's like...... Family members...... Close relatives. ”

Li Dingguo asked in surprise: "Do you mean that he treats kindly and benevolently?" ”

Huang Yingyun shook his head and said, "No...... It can only be said that King Wu has a very special ...... Something that can make people unconsciously attracted to him. ”

"He knows how to demons?"

Huang Yingyun smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "Zi is silent, the strange force is confused...... The demon laws in the world are all deception. King Wu has risen to the throne of Shaoxing Mansion under the siege of the Qing court on three sides, and has created such a big foundation, how can it be done by demon law? ”

Li Dingguo sighed slightly: "Li believes in Mr. Huang, and Mr. Huang believes in Wu Zheng...... But when it comes to the lives of 50,000 people, how can Li make a decision easily? ”

Huang Yingyun said: "Actually, King Wu didn't want the prince to go east immediately. ”

Li Dingguo was surprised: "It is credible to say that Li led his troops eastward, joined forces with the Northern Expeditionary Army in Huguang, opened up the eastern and southwest passages of Zhejiang, and cut the Qing army into two sections, causing the enemy to be unable to take care of the north and south." ”

Huang Yingyun said: "What King Wu means is that within a year, he will give the prince a batch of artillery and food, so that the prince can grow rapidly, and after the strength is enough to control the Great Western Army, he will advance eastward with all the strength of the Great Western Army, so that he will be able to attack Huguang in one fell swoop and join the Northern Expeditionary Army." ”

Li Dingguo was shocked: "He's crazy? From eastern Zhejiang to Guizhou, thousands of miles, how to transport heavy artillery and grain? Moreover, there are more than 100,000 Qing troops occupying these thousands of miles...... Once intercepted, it is an enemy. ”

Huang Yingyun said: "King Wu said that he can use his sailors to transport materials from the Yangtze River to Wuchang, and then disperse them to the south through the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce...... As long as the prince can allow the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce to freely pass through the land under its jurisdiction and open a business, within one year, no less than 5,000 muskets, no less than 100 large and small artillery, and 100,000 stones of grain will be delivered to the prince. ”

Li Dingguo was shocked, how big is this?

Huang Yingyun continued: "When King Wu talked about it, his subordinates had already reminded him that it would be intercepted by the Qing army, but King Wu replied that the Qing court did not dare to stop the normal trade of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, because once the Qing army intercepted the caravan of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, King Wu would immediately counteract and order the sailors to block the coastal sea and the Yangtze River, and the Qing court would no longer be able to obtain supplies from Jiangnan and overseas. ”

When Li Dingguo heard this, he thought for a while and said: "This makes sense, after all, the Qing court signed an armistice treaty with the Yixing Dynasty...... But Wu Zheng has so much ability, why not take the initiative to go on the Northern Expedition? ”

Huang Yingyun said: "This question, my subordinates asked King Wu. ”

"How did he answer?"

Wu Wang said that although the Northern Expeditionary Army was strong, it was not numerous, and the reckless use of force and blind expansion of the army would lead to the financial department being unable to make ends meet, and at the same time have a huge impact on the output of food and materials among the people. Once the Northern Expedition, the Qing armies of Jiangxi, Huguang, Fujian and Jiangbei will encircle eastern Zhejiang, and a decisive battle is inevitable. In this way, the land under the jurisdiction of the eleven prefectures is full of beacons, and there is no rear, so that the people are unstable, the merchants are unstable, and defeat is inevitable. ”

Li Dingguo nodded slightly: "Although the reason is far-fetched, it is reasonable...... Then why not unite with the king of Yanping in the south to go on a northern expedition, but unite with Li to attack Huguang? ”