At this moment, Chen Kai said so undoubtedly that Zheng Chenggong couldn't react at once. When I reacted, it dawned on me.

"Actually, you've already decided!"

There is no uncertainty, just categorical questioning.

After knowing each other for seven years, Chen Kai's temperament is always planning before acting, daring to take risks, and being good at taking risks. What is going on in this person's mind is always like a fog, and it is difficult to see. But every time, Chen Kai can give him a surprise, just like this Qing Zheng Yihe, originally he only planned to cheat some silver money and grain to recover his strength faster, but after Chen Kai turned it upside down, it was actually a provincial pattern!

However, Chen Kai never mentioned this trip to Guangzhou before. As far as Zheng Chenggong's understanding of him is concerned, this is not a deliberate concealment, but more of a weighing of the pros and cons, and it is determined that he can take a let go to pick out the words, which is nothing more than temperament and habits. But this time, Fujian's recovery is imminent, and there is no room for the slightest mistake, which is exactly the time when Chen Kai needs to work hard. But it was at this time that Chen Kai proposed to lead the army to Guangzhou, and even for this reason, when there was a shortage of troops in Fujian, he did not send troops from Chaozhou to Fujian to help in the war, which couldn't help but Zheng Chenggong was not angry.

Breathing heavily and staring angrily, Chen Kai was still sitting there, calm as water, until the anger gradually subsided, he slowly said to Zheng Chenggong: "Da Mu, didn't you refuse that old relative before?" ”

Indeed, in cooperation with the seizure of Guangdong, Zheng Chenggong did not reject Li Dingguo's proposal. However, hearing this, Zheng Chenggong replied directly without thinking: "Actually, you know, going to Guangdong is just an alternative." Now you can show your strength in Fujian, but you have to go there to take risks, this is putting the cart before the horse! ”

Which is the foundation, which is the end, Zheng Chenggong thinks very clearly, and Chen Kai also knows very clearly as he said - the current situation is like this, not to mention, just say that the history of Yongli eight years, Zheng Chenggong chose this way!

Historically, in the seventh year of Yongli, Li Dingguo organized the Battle of Zhaoqing, and asked Zheng Chenggong to join forces at that time. Zheng Chenggong was forced by the fiasco of Fengchao Mountain and his vitality was greatly damaged, and the battle of Haicheng was imminent, and the military pressure of the Qing army was too huge, so he did not choose to send troops. As a result, Zheng Chenggong defeated Jin Li and held the last bridgehead on land. On Li Dingguo's side, he only held out for 12 days under Zhaoqing City before being defeated by Shang Kexi and forced to retreat to Guangxi.

After this battle, Li Dingguo was still actively contacting Zheng Chenggong, and Zheng Chenggong also responded. However, with the development of the Qing Zheng peace negotiations, Zheng Chenggong urgently needed to defraud money, food, and personnel from the Qing court-controlled areas to restore his strength, and there was a delaying attitude towards Li Dingguo's repeated invitations in the second year.

However, during this period, the three bureaus of the Catalpa began to be implemented, and Zheng Chenggong sent Zhang Mingzhen, the Marquis of Dingxi, and Zhang Huangyan, the squire of the military department, in August of the seventh year of Yongli, to go north to the south to respond to the Ming army in the southwest. In the first month and March of the eighth year of Yongli, Erzhang also broke through the Qing court's river defenses twice. Until April and May, when the military food reserves were insufficient, Zhang Mingzhen first went south to Wenzhou to buy grain, which was particularly insufficient, so he could only rush back to the Zhongzuo Institute to ask Zheng Chenggong for help, and Zheng Chenggong also gave a large amount of military rations, and sent Zhongjing Bo Chen Hui to lead 5,000 naval divisions and 10,000 land divisions to help, and launched further investment.

Zheng Chenggong's assistance gave Zhang Mingzhen the capital to enter the Yangtze River for the third time. In September, Zheng Chenggong felt that the patience of the Qing court was about to run out, so he seized the time to collect a batch of grain and wages in the area controlled by the Qing army in September, and began to mobilize and organize the army on the first day of October. As for himself, on the one hand, he had to continue to negotiate with the Qing court, and on the other hand, he had to support the fleet in the north and south of Zhili, so he really had no time to separate, so he could only continue to stay in Fujian to deal with changes in all aspects.

"Actually, when the center left was attacked, I remember you once said that when you take the foundation as the key, first recover Zhangquan, so that the center left becomes the hinterland, and the army can go out with peace of mind. Now our army has almost recovered the whole of Fujian, and it is precisely when it has completed its work in one battle......"

Qing Zheng Yihe has been played bad by Chen Kai, but one thing has not changed, that is, the attack on the center left of the year, so that Zheng Chenggong in the next few years, its strategic goals are limited to Fujian, in order to make the center left can become the hinterland, with the heart of the soldiers.

Similar words, Chen Kai did say it, and even not only Chen Kai said it, Zhou Quanbin, one of the five tigers of the Zheng family who was known for his strategy, also said that he would first collect Fujian, which won Zheng Chenggong's heart.

The impact of that raid on the direction of history was extremely huge, and it will continue to affect the direction of the future. Chen Kai's struggle in the center and left, for which he did not hesitate to break with the Ishii Zheng family, did save a lot at that time, but it still affected Zheng Chenggong's decision strategically.

"So, what about Nan Zhili?"

"Actually, Nanjing and Guangzhou, which is more important, does this need to be explained?"

As Zheng Chenggong said, in a political sense, Guangzhou, the provincial capital, really cannot be compared with Nanjing, the land of Longxing, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, and Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty. In terms of economic significance and strategic significance, Jiangnan is rich and can be ruled by dividing the river, using the Yangtze River to cut off the southward passage of the Qing army, and then slowly integrate the provinces south of the Yangtze River, or even the transmission of the Yangtze River; And Guangzhou, at best, is to take down a Guangdong Province, and if you want to forge ahead, the hard nail of Nanjiang alone is by no means easy to take.

In addition, the partners of the three bureaus of Catalpa are the Qin king Sun Kewang and the anti-Qing forces in Jiangnan, the former is powerful, at least three times as much as Li Dingguo militarily alone, and occupies Yungui and the narrow son of heaven to order the princes, while the latter has extraordinary political and economic influence, Qian Qianyi is also Zheng Chenggong's teacher. What's more, Li Dingguo had already been defeated in Zhaoqing once last year, and no matter how he analyzed the three rounds of "investment", the success rate of the three games was greater than that of entering Guangdong.

"To Nanjing, it is just a partial division, and our army only needs to cooperate in the battle. But when you go to Guangzhou, you don't have tens of thousands of troops, how can you resist the captive division? ”

The costs and benefits, Zheng Chenggong understands. Even in history, Zheng Chenggong was at the point where the peace negotiations could not continue, and it was likely that the war would be restarted in the coming year, so he sent tens of thousands of troops to the west, and when he arrived at the mouth of the Pearl River, Li Dingguo happened to be defeated by Xinhui.

Since the army of the Western Expedition did not personally see Li Dingguo's defeat and did not know the extent of the losses, they continued to stay in Guangdong for the next few months, and did not return to the division until May of the following year, and were probably ordered to wait for Li Dingguo's possible return. And in that year, Zheng Chenggong also personally revised the book, hoping that Li Dingguo could send troops to Guangdong again to realize the joint efforts of the two armies. It's just that at that time, Xinhui was defeated in the first battle, and Li Dingguo no longer had the strength to enter Guangdong again, so he had to give up.

"Actually, I know that if we don't go this time, and the king of Xining loses Guangdong again, then next year we will have to bear the pressure of the captives from the three directions of Guangdong, Jiangxi and Zhejiang. However, now that Fujian is about to be recovered, it is a time when the troops are tense, and it is no longer possible to give you a single reinforcement. Relying on the troops of Guangdong alone, they went less and could not play a decisive role; I have been going a lot, whether Chaozhou will keep it or not, this will affect the overall situation! ”

In later generations, many people can't understand why Zheng Chenggong didn't join forces with Li Dingguo to attack Guangdong twice, in fact, we can see the clues from other major events in the same period of history and Zheng Chenggong's handling - the first time is that the heart is weak, and the second time is that there is a better choice in advance, but when you make up your mind, the result is one step late, it's as simple as that.

Chen Kai looked at Zheng Chenggong silently, listening to him reveal his thoughts one by one, but he didn't know what to say for a while. At the very least, he couldn't predict to Zheng Chenggong the failure of the three games, even if he predicted, now Zhang Mingzhen and Chen Hui are estimated to be almost at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and it is too late to transfer back.

The original dissatisfaction has now turned into bitter persuasion. Chen Kai knows that Zheng Chenggong is not a person with a good temper, and he can do this because of his friendship over the years. But for him, this encounter with Guangzhou is a must, and it must not be delayed until next year.

"Da Mu, I know your intention to seek stability, and Fujian is indeed unable to send troops to other battlefields now. However, the good opportunity to solve the two feudatories of Pingnan and Jingnan in one fell swoop should not be missed. Once this time is missed, if we want to solve the Guangdong problem, we will have to spend more time and energy, and we may not be able to achieve what we want. ”

If the general trend is the trend, you will get twice the result with half the effort; When the general trend is no longer there, it will be half the effort. It's simple, and it's obvious. Just like today's Fujian, Chen Kai has created a general trend, and the army can sweep through Fujian, sweeping away the dilemma of fighting with the Qing army in the past few years and gaining very little. On the Guangdong side, Li Dingguo has already created a general trend, and what he lacks now is nothing more than a moment of pushing the boat along the river.

Zheng Chenggong has never been an unreasonable person, and he knows very well that what Chen Kai said is indeed true. But now that Fujian is close to complete its work, the more this time, the more I want to ask for stability, and I will steadily bring Fujian into the bag before I talk about other things.

"It's better to wait for the recovery of those checkpoints in Fujian, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces, and with the geographical situation as a defensive support, then we will send troops."

Fujian is a mountainous and hilly province, and there is also a natural geographical barrier between it and the surrounding provinces. Winning a level is like holding the gate. At this point, Zheng Chenggong has made a lot of concessions. This is based on the consideration of the general trend of reality, and it is also the trust of Chen Kai. However, Chen Kai clearly remembered that the two armies failed to meet in the Battle of Xinhui because they were late, and since this was the case, he could not repeat the mistakes of the past.

"If I can get the best of both worlds, I should send troops as soon as possible. If you don't go, reinforcements from the Tartars should arrive. Now, it's time for me to wait, Damu! ”

………………

When he left Jianning Mansion by boat, it was already noon the next day, and after arguing and discussing all night, Chen Kai finally persuaded Zheng Chenggong. However, it is not so much about persuasion, but rather about the fact that neither side can completely convince the other side, so they have to make some concessions and reach a basic compromise.

When he came, he went upstream, and when he left, he was already going downstream, allowing the ship to rush into the sea at the speed of the current, and then turn south and return to Quanzhou.

Back in Quanzhou, Chen Kai immediately looked at the battle reports sent by the battlefields on all fronts in recent days, and the general situation was still the same, but the orders he had issued before had begun to be implemented, and I believe that it would soon be effective.

Then the letters and orders written on the ship were sent to Chaozhou, Hong Kong, and Qiongzhou one by one, and they were told to prepare for the work. Here, the messengers were sent away on the front foot, and then the officials of the official office came to ask for instructions, saying that the messenger of Li Dingguo, the king of Xining, had been waiting at the post house for two days, and was in a hurry to see Zheng Chenggong.

"Tell him to come to the officer."

The official soon summoned the messenger, and Chen Kai confessed that Zheng Chenggong had entrusted him with full responsibility for the relevant affairs of Guangdong, including the dispatch of Guangzhou to help. Moreover, the messenger was asked to hand over to him the letter written by Li Dingguo to Zheng Chenggong. At this point, the messenger was a little hesitant, but he couldn't bear Chen Kai, so he asked for the letter.

"Meng Xia sent an envoy to sail the sea, to the pavilion, to learn about the aircraft, and to wait for the residence, to read the moon can be rotated. I don't want to live on the wall so far. Today's messenger Li Jingzhi knew that the former envoy Lin Zuo did not know his whereabouts. Bugu stationed in the division is high and cool, and the straw is encouraged to raise sharp, but waiting for the noble lord's letter, that is, he will drive for a long time, so as to form a joint attack; Gai doesn't want to have a hoof to escape the ear. ”

"In mid-July, he received an edict from the emperor, and he earnestly took the restoration of the east as a plan. If you don't want to drive, you'd rather delay my actions! The Second Division of the Navy, Dispatch the Second Division, and make new and new developments, and have a beginning of support, and see the results of both. He was captured in Changyang, and he defeated Chief Li in Duanshui. And the two captives of the city are in the sea, and the city is still in the army. ”

"Zibugu has been stationed in Xingyi, and he has been smashing five sheep every day. However, the rebels took the Xinhui as the key to the lock, and stored the money, which was the spirit of the institute and the endless aid. The meaning of the valley, if you want to get rid of the place, the provincial city can go down without work, so it also works together. Holding his breath in the other side, he obeyed the land and knew the difficulties, so he relied on the long ship to block our boat division. If it weren't for the nobles' words, who would receive this victory. ”

"If you are very impressed, you should be keen. As for the officers and soldiers of the Eastern Guangdong Naval Division who resisted and surrendered to prisoners, they were all secretly sent to work. However, the details of the demeanor, Duolun waited. Don't think about the bottom of Yangcheng, although it is frequent years of resistance, but not thousands of miles of Qinwang, what is the way of long-cherished achievements! ”

"However, in order to declare this intention, in order to instigate the ministries, then the fifth rank and the upper and lower levels, and the grace of the country will only be rewarded, and it is not said that the merits and crimes of the valley can be mixed. To the aid of the captives, to also hear their generalities, but the overall strategy, no longer respectful strong and refined, now in peace! ”

"Sincerity, should do everything in order to repay your confidant. Between Chu and Henan, there are frequent detectives, and the general Cantonese affairs are harmonious, and Fujian, Zhejiang, and direct contention are passed on. The so-called Marquis Zhang is drumming forward, and it is necessary to know that it is also slow to make a move in Guangdong today. When taking advantage of his urgency, the name is higher than the easy collection, and the deacon would rather put it aside? ”

The messenger said: Guijue from the tide, Hui Fat car, should be in the early winter, its water department must be limited to the speed of Xinyi. Jun Xi wants to be sincere, full of sincerity, Yuntai is empty, and he is not honest and honest with the public. Temporary, not prepared. ”

The letter clearly states that Li Dingguo has arrived in Xinxing County. The so-called Xinxing County is located in the south of Zhaoqing Fucheng, west of Xinhui County, and adjacent to the east of Luoding Prefecture. Li Dingguo wrote in the letter that he had defeated the troops of Li Shutai, the governor of Liangguang, in Zhaoqing, and now there was no need to worry about the north, and according to the earlier information, Luodingzhou and the southern part of Zhaoqing Prefecture had long been owned by the Ming army, and now only Xinhui remained. According to Chen Kai's knowledge, Li Dingguo contracted illness in Gaozhou in April during the battle of Xinhui, and only recovered in August. Now it seems that Li Dingguo has recovered from his illness and is personally on the front line to command the battle, which is already a situation where he has to be attacked.

After reading the letter, Chen Kai nodded, and then said to the messenger: "I won't write the reply to the official, and tell the king of Xining that the official has asked all the soldiers and horses to prepare." In the near future, the soldiers of Guangdong and the king of Xining will hunt in Wuyang! ”