This is the first time that Chen Bao has praised Chen Kai in public, and he is still so praised, it really broke through everyone's glasses. The military discussion was soon over, and the strategy of attacking Tong'an was completely rejected, but whether to send troops to Chaozhou was still undecided.

In the final analysis, the Zheng group is mainly based on Hokkien people from their origins, and they are more familiar with Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and even Xinghua Mansion, Fuzhou Mansion and other places, but in Chaozhou, there is a lack of sufficient connections, whether they can get the response of the local gentry, whether they can stand firm, and even the understanding of the local topography and hydrology, there are still many problems.

When Chen Kai left the Tiger Festival Hall, the armory workshop was already on duty, and he went back to the small courtyard, but he asked the little guy to run and tell those subordinates that he had just finished the military meeting.

Back in the study, Chen Kai thought about these things carefully, but he didn't do anything more. In the following days, Chen Kai was still on duty as usual, on duty as usual, and went to the military meeting as usual, but what changed was that when discussing military affairs again, someone would always come to consult his opinion.

A few years ago, Fuming Hou Lincha sent someone over to express his gratitude to Zheng Chenggong. The "company" went bankrupt, and the young owner worked hard to start his own business, and he did not forget the old guys who followed his father to start a business, and even helped the old guys when they were having a bad time.

However, Zheng Chenggong only reaped his gratitude, and asked the envoy to bring back some more grain and South Australian specialties, only saying that he would let Lin Cha have a good year, and he didn't mention it again.

It was easy to arrive on Chinese New Year's Eve, and the festive atmosphere in Nanao City finally diluted the slaughter of this "military city". Chen Kai gave the people in the armory workshop New Year's leave, but there must be a few on duty, first of all, the guards, who are responsible for taking care of these public properties during the Chinese New Year. Secondly, craftsmen also have to be on duty, and there must be a turn to be here in the past few days just in case, as for the work task, it doesn't matter.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, Chen Kai simply celebrated the New Year with Chen Ding's father and son due to his special relationship with Chen Yonghua. For this righteous son, Chen Kai likes it very much, he is smart and wise, young and old, and has his own opinions on articles and government affairs. Although these opinions are still very immature in Chen Kai's opinion, they can even be said to be naïve, but they can be like this at a young age, and if they are cultivated by Shanjia, they will definitely be able to become great in the future.

It's just that next year's strategy has not been decided, and Chen Kai will always have some worries, worried about whether Zheng Chenggong will turn to Tong'an again because he knows little about Chaozhou. If that was the case, his previous efforts would be in vain, and Chen Ding and the 50,000 people in Tong'an would probably not be able to escape the bloody massacre.

A few years ago, Chen Ding opened a library to teach, and many students came to study. Among these people, according to Chen Ding, most of them are not very knowledgeable, and a few of them are well-educated, but they are also nerds who read dead books, and it is difficult to rely on them to enrich the civil service team under Zheng Chenggong's command for the time being.

In this regard, Chen Kai can only comfort him and say that it is just starting now, and if he teaches well, there may not be a talented person. Even if the intelligence is not high, it is good to cultivate more square gentlemen and honest and self-disciplined officials, for the country, the people, and the world.

"If you can let them stay in the arsenal workshop of the virtuous brother for a while, I think it will be very beneficial."

Internships?

Chen Kai shook his head, and then said with a smile: "I'm afraid that if you stay with me for a few days, after you finish your studies, it will be difficult for other yamen to enter." ”

"Oh?"

"My production is not low now, but in the eyes of those corrupt people, I am afraid that it is also a deviant place." Chen Kai said with a sneer, and then talked to Chen Ding about another thing: "Actually, I think that the system of not Lizhou County and Taiwan Province in the Tang Dynasty is very good. has been a pro-people official, knows the people's livelihood and suffering, and knows how to do things better than those mouths. ”

"Brother Xian, be cautious."

In the face of Chen Ding's stopping, but before he could say anything, there were footsteps outside the door, and listening to that voice, it probably looked like the housekeeper Zheng San.

"Let's see who's busy this time?"

A moment later, Chen Kai had already appeared in Zheng Chenggong's study. Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, Zheng Chenggong suddenly sent someone to invite, there is definitely something, but I am afraid that the matter may not be small.

The door was closed, and only the two of them were left here, Zheng Chenggong took out a secret letter, and then handed it to Chen Kai: "Chen joins the army, let's take a look at this first." ”

The envelope of MeSign was opened, and obviously Zheng Chenggong had already seen it. Chen Kai opened the envelope and looked at it carefully, the content of it was very simple, only saying that after the Chaozhou General Soldier Che Ren Zhong suppressed the Jieyang Yiwang uprising, he led the army north to attack the regimental training of Dapu Sanheba, but was defeated by the regimental training and was forced to retreat to Fucheng. Among them, there was only one thing that surprised Chen Kai, that is, the leader of this regiment was called Wu Liuqi, as if there was such a name in that martial arts novel.

"General Wu Liuqi slapped Che Renzhong back to Fucheng?"

Chen Kai didn't put it into words, but while laughing secretly in his heart, some complicated feelings poured out. According to that martial arts novel, Wu Liuqi is a hall master of the Heaven and Earth Society, Chen Jinnan's right-hand man, but in fact, this person has been fighting against the Zheng group all his life. Fortunately, now a secret letter came, although it was not mainly about this person, but it still involved this person, but it also made Chen Kai a little weird.

"A thief is a thief, and he can't even beat a group of local team exercises. The surname of the country, God does not take it, but suffers from it! ”

Zheng Chenggong took this letter to Chen Kai in order to listen to Chen Kai's opinion. Chen Kai said this, and Zheng Chenggong also nodded, but his unfamiliarity with Chaozhou made him seem to be a little hesitant, and he couldn't make up his mind.

"Don't hide your surname, when the next official came, I heard some heavy things on the road. That guy was originally a red-headed thief who was recruited, his subordinates were all thieves, the military discipline was loose, the combat effectiveness was weak, and it was a good hand to harm the common people. ”

Speaking of the righteousness of sending troops, Chen Kai saw Zheng Chenggong nodding, so he continued: "Chaozhou is a mansion, the grain output is huge, as long as our army takes here, the grain and grass will be considered to have confidence." The strength of the car is heavy, and now the new defeat is even weaker, and what our army needs to worry about is nothing more than reinforcements. ”

"Chaozhou Mansion belongs to Guangdong, and Li Chengdong, the governor of Guangdong, was originally a general of the former Xingping Bo Gaojie, but before he surrendered to the Tartars, he was just a general officer of Xuzhou Town, and there were very few troops under his command. To be able to sweep Guangdong, it is one thing for his people to fight bravely, and it is another thing for the tiger skin of the Tartars, the key is that he took away a group of elites trained by Taishi from Fujian, and relied on those people to conquer the city for him. But in the final analysis, he himself has no control over the whole of Guangdong, and his actual control area is actually the prefectures and counties adjacent to Guangzhou, such as Chaozhou, and he can only lose to Che Renzhong. ”

The problem of military rations has always been a hidden concern for Zheng Chenggong, and now there are fewer troops and they are barely able to support it, but if they want to continue to expand the army, they must get a stable grain producing area. When Zheng Chenggong was the main force to resist the Qing Dynasty, he was restricted by his father Zheng Zhilong, which led to the scattering of the army under his command, otherwise he would not have only brought more than 90 people south to take over Chen Bao's controlled troops.

In addition, the Fujian soldiers used by Li Chengdong in Chen Kai's mouth were Wu Yibo Shifu, the group of Fujian troops who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in the general town of Shi Lang, Huang Ting, and Hong Xishan. Since the surrender of the Qing Dynasty, Li Chengdong has been used as a pawn, and these people are now participating in the suppression of the anti-Qing uprising organized by Chen Zizhuang, Zhang Jiayu and others in the hinterland of Guangdong.

Zheng Chenggong was already more and more fascinated by what he listened, and Chen Kai made persistent efforts to say: "The local captive division in Guangdong is insufficient, and our army will not be attacked by the army for the time being......

"What about the provinces?"

"Other provinces are not afraid, Jiangxi has many large-scale rebel army activities, and they are too busy to take care of themselves. In addition, according to the administrative division of the Tartars, Fujian and Zhejiang are one governor's territory, but Guangdong is counted together with Guangxi. Chaozhou, the easternmost province of Guangdong. Forgive the official's bluntness, eight words, the whip is beyond reach, and the heart is weak! ”

The biggest habit of bureaucrats is to compete for merit, regardless of the Ming and Qing dynasties, even so. If Guangdong is not under its jurisdiction, other provinces will not meddle in their affairs, and even if they want to manage, the local bureaucracy in Guangdong may not be happy to get it, especially Li Chengdong, who is bent on being a local emperor who wants to be a separatist party. Hearing this, Zheng Chenggong remembered what he had seen in Hongguang Dynasty back then, and nodded heavily.

"As for the local Chaozhou, according to what Marquis Chen said last time, it is surrounded by wolves. Local tyrants, gentry, thieves, and pirates have formed villages to protect themselves, resist grain and taxes, and attack and kill each other, and they have long been in chaos. As long as our army can extinguish the car with the power of thunder and take the city, it can deter the wolves. In the following days, to recover these local tyrants, you can also use those bandits who are not satisfied with the dispatch as targets for training, and at the same time slowly encroach on the surrounding prefectures and counties, until the day when you have the strength to fight to the death with the Eight Banners Army! ”

At the end of his words, Chen Kai subconsciously waved his arm, as if this long process had been crossed between this wave, and then it was the moment of the battlefield with the Eight Banners Army. Chen Kai is like this, and Zheng Chenggong is also very excited, as if he has really seen hope.

However, the attack on Chaozhou was very different from the previous military operations. The capital city of Chaozhou is a hundred miles deep inland, unlike the county town of Haicheng and the capital city of Quanzhou, close to the coastline, as long as the naval division carries the army to land, you can easily reach the city. Along the way, although there is a waterway of the Hanjiang River, there are many bandits and local tyrants on the left and near, and it is easy to startle snakes. However, if it is advanced step by step and delayed for a long time, it will not achieve the effect of a surprise attack, not to mention that it will easily cause a collective backlash from the locals in Chaozhou. After all, the group of Chaoshan people is very famous.

"This matter will eventually be risky. Moreover, there is only one chance, and on the entire island of Nanao, only if the officials do it, the chances of winning will be greater. ”

After discussing all night, the moon has gradually set, and the arrival of dawn is getting closer and closer. Zheng Chenggong personally sent Chen Kai out of the courtyard where he lived, and Chen Kai also saluted. Just walking on the way home, Chen Kai's fists were secretly clenched, and those eyes were so deep that they were soul-stunning.

"Che has a heavy responsibility, the twenty-nine unjust souls of Niujia Village will come to ask you for their lives this time!"