On the 22nd, the Military Affairs Yuan drew up and issued a draft on the Liaodong operation, which was sent to the Liaodong front the next day and explained that it was for reference only, and that if there were any differences of opinion, it would be reported immediately. Gaodi, the governor of Liaodong, held a military meeting on the 24th of the lunar month, and the civil officials included Xiong Tingbi, the governor Wang Huazhen, Yuan Chonghuan of Ningqiandao, Huang Daozhou, the imperial history supervisor, and Lu Xiangsheng, the imperial history supervisor, and the military generals Ma Shilong, the chief soldier of Shanhaiguan, and the general Man Gui, the general of Ningyuan, as well as the deputy general Zhao Shujiao, the deputy general Zhu Mei, and the staff general Zhang Jing'an, and several guerrilla Zu Dashou, He Kegang, Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu, and others also came to observe.

Although there are many people coming to the military conference, but because the Ming Dynasty has always used literature to control the military, the venue has become a performance venue for several civilian officials, and the generals are as immobile as a mountain when they see their noses and noses, because they know that reasoning is their weakness, it is better to close their mouths and recuperate. Among several civil officials, although Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen have high positions, they don't talk much because they are people who have lost their land and lost their land, and they know that others may not be willing to listen to what they say. I have to hide my face and go away.

In this way, the military meeting became an exchange between the superintendent Gao Di and Yuan Chonghuan of Ningqian Dao, and Gao Di first arranged the duties of the 30,000 defenders. Although there were more than 100,000 troops in Liaodong in the past, there were many veterans, timid people who were afraid of war, and there were homesick guest soldiers, and the combat effectiveness of the entire army was quite low. According to the requirements of the Military Affairs Yuan, a few months ago, the guest soldiers were repatriated, and 25,000 people who were willing to fight were selected from more than 100,000 people to form 10,000 cavalry, as well as 5,000 mountain infantry, marines, sailors, and chariot battalions, and 30,000 defenders who were not afraid to hold on to the city.

In Gao Di's arrangement, Ma Shilong led 10,000 people to guard the Shanhai Pass, Xiong Tingbi led 10,000 people to guard Ningyuan Pass with the staff general Zhang Jing'an, and Yuan Chonghuan led 10,000 people to help defend Ningyuan City with the general soldier Man Gui. However, when arranging the 25,000 mobile troops, Yuan Chonghuan disagreed and had a dispute with Gaodi.

Gao Di said: "The arrangement of the Military Affairs Yuan is that the 5,000 mountain infantry battalion patrol the area west of the cave mountain, although there is a side wall and the arrow tower outside the enemy's cavalry is not easy to walk, but the length of the area is about seven or eight miles, in case the enemy abandons his horse and climbs over the side wall, it is also troublesome." ”

As soon as he finished the first sentence, Yuan Chonghuan disagreed, he said: "There are dense arrow towers there, there is no need for people to patrol at all, even if the enemy crosses over, it is not much use, as long as the enemy's cavalry can't enter, there is no need to care, these 5,000 people should enter Ningyuan City to help defend the city, now there are only 10,000 people in the city is too little." ”

Gao Di said: "There are more than a dozen columns lined up outside the north gate of Ningyuan City, and there is no need to spend much effort to close the city, the terrain in the east is narrow and uneven, which is not conducive to the enemy's horse team, only the south gate is empty, but there are 10,000 cavalry and car battalions, 5,000 sailors and marine battalions, plus 10,000 people in the city, a total of 30,000 people, and you have nothing to worry about?" ”

Yuan Chonghuan said: "Zhao Shujiao has 40,000 reserves there, half of them are divided into the city to defend to be reassuring, now Ningyuan City has accumulated nearly one million stones, grain and grass, once the city is broken within five years, everyone has no food, and now there is no military salary, and those who have no food do not need the enemy to fight everyone will be finished." ”

Gao Di said with a mocking smile: "Those 40,000 people are cowards who can only farm and repair the city, the enemy comes and runs faster than anyone else, do you want them to enter the city and are not afraid that they will escape?" When they escaped, they forgot to close the gates for you. The Military Affairs Yuan means to let them enter the Yuezi Guancheng, that is their home, and their wives and children are in it, so they have to find a way to protect their wives and children, right? ”

Yuan Chonghuan also said contemptuously: "What moon word is Guancheng? It's the fire pier where the soldiers take their families to live, but it's just a layer of walls outside, I don't know which head is hot to come up with, it's better to repair the city than to repair the city with labor and money. ”

Listening to Yuan Chonghuan's complaints, Gao Di not only did not get angry but smiled, and said to Yuan Chonghuan: "It seems that Lord Yuan has an opinion on the construction of the Yuezi Guancheng, continue to talk about what's wrong, why does this official think that this Yuezi Guancheng is a big initiative?" ”

Yuan Chonghuan coughed lightly, and was about to approve the construction of Yuezi Guancheng from head to toe, inside and out, when he suddenly found that many people were looking at him with interest, and a few people who did not usually deal with him even showed a gloating smile, he was not a person who lacked wisdom, so he was dumbfounded on the spot and didn't speak, pondering what Gao Di's words meant.

At this time, Huang Daozhou glanced at him lightly and said coldly: "Lord Yuan, please be cautious, this month's word Guancheng is agreed by the emperor's creative military affairs institute, although the lower official has not been in the military affairs academy for a long time, he has never found that the emperor's head is hot and decided something." ”

Yuan Chonghuan couldn't help but be furious when he heard this, and he looked at Gao for the first time and thought: "Damn, you dead old man Gao dares to scare me, and lure Lao Tzu to say bad things about the emperor, it's really not a thing." Looking at Huang Daozhou in a blink of an eye, he said sincerely: "I am gaffe, thank you Lord Huang for reminding me, I don't know if Lord Huang has any good suggestions for these arrangements?" ”

Huang Daozhou said: "The lower officials listened to the emperor in the military affairs court and reminded us many times not to fight to the death with the enemy, and to fight the weak with the strong every time. According to the emperor's will, the official thought that 3,000 cavalry should be used to patrol the side wall behind the cave mountain in the west of Ningyuan Pass, and Lord Yuan began to say that it is not terrible for the enemy's infantry to come in, but if the enemy gains a firm foothold and repairs the road and the cavalry comes in, it will be over, as long as there are 3,000 cavalry on our side in that kind of terrain, no matter how much the enemy climbs over the wall and comes in, it will be a dish. ”

Seeing that Gao Di and Yuan Chonghuan both nodded in agreement, Huang Daozhou said again: "Xiaguan has carefully looked at it this time, the enemy cannot enter from Ningyuan Pass, and the most likely direction of attack is from the sea through the east of Ningyuan City, where the terrain is narrow and can be blocked by cavalry and car battalions, and then it is no problem to order the marine battalion of the naval division to attack from east to west on the sea." ”

Gao Di said: "The meaning of the Military Affairs Yuan is that the Marine Battalion of the Navy Division should go into the city to defend, for fear that if the sea freezes, the losses will be great." ”

Yuan Chonghuan said: "Of course, it is good for 5,000 people to enter the city, and if you don't enter the city, you can hold on to Juehua Island and stand by to attack, even if the sea is frozen, you can dig ice as a trench to block the enemy." ”

Gao Di said: "In short, there are too few available troops, and it is only certain that Mao Wenlong of Dongjiang can be ordered to send troops in time to contain them." ”

Yuan Chonghuan sighed and said: "Mao Wenlong didn't listen to moderation, he promised well, but let him report the list of generals and the number of soldiers together, and it was delayed again and again. ”

Gaudi blinked and said, "What then?" The Military Affairs Yuan is waiting to hear it. ”

Yuan Chonghuan smiled and said: "Let's report the plan here, and inform the Military Affairs Yuan of the situation, and let Mao Wenlong report it himself before the year, it has nothing to do with us." ”

Gaudí said, "That's all there is to it." ”

On the 26th of the lunar month, the Military Affairs Yuan received a revised plan from the Liaodong front, and was depressed that Yuan Chonghuan had proposed Shoujue Huadao again, but it was even more angry that Mao Wenlong ignored it, and after discussing it for a while, it was decided to report it to the apocalypse for him to decide. Tianqi was very touched after listening to Feng Xuanshi's words, and felt that he was just worrying too much and managing too carefully, and he didn't see the people from the Military Affairs Yuan to let them discuss it by themselves, and then listen to any new information after the New Year.

In a blink of an eye, the New Year has passed, and everyone has been on vacation and rest for the past ten days, because there is a war, so everyone is not allowed to go back to their hometown, only everyone is allowed to sleep at home in Beijing, Tianqi sometimes accompanies Chunying together to listen to her sing bad songs with a broken voice, and I think it is interesting to listen to it for a long time; Sometimes listening to Feng Siqin talk about the past or planning for the future is also very worry-free; More often than not, they play mahjong with the queen, and seeing the always lazy queen carefully counting cards, Tianqi feels that mahjong is really a good thing.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the Military Affairs Yuan again received information from Phi Dao that the enemy's invasion was already an ironclad matter, and it was estimated that about 80,000 troops would set off in the next few days. At this time, Mao Wenlong's report also came, in which he first expressed his anger at Governor Denglai's restraint and suppression of the Dongjiang Army, and once again emphasized the practical difficulties such as lack of food and salary, and claimed that if the problem of food and salary was not completely solved, he might not be able to dispatch troops in time.