Although Zuo Mengeng is in charge of the military here, Zuo Liangyu's funeral cannot be ended at will, after all, he is a marquis in Daming, and now he is a big man who can decide the survival of the remnants, and the funeral cannot be hasty.

But Li Yan didn't plan to give them too much time. When he knew that Zuo Liangyu had unexpectedly returned to the west, he immediately gave an order to Chen Yongfu on the front line, asking Chen Yongfu to continue to attack Li Zicheng, who had retreated to Ezhou, and not let them stand in place.

Two days ago, news came from Li Mu in the north that he had just repelled a Qing attack on the Great Wall Pass, and there was no major incident. That evening, Li Yan was playing with his children at home. Both little ones have begun to learn to climb, and they are not as comfortable as before, but more fun.

Li Yan took a lifelike noodle figure and tempted him in front of the bed: "Come, crawl over, whoever comes first will give this noodle person to whomever it is." ”

However, he was a little disappointed, and the children didn't seem to have much interest in the person in front of him, and after just two glances, they rolled in other directions.

At this time, a maid came in, saluted carefully, and reported: "Generalissimo, General Li Zhong asks to see you." ”

Li Yan frowned, knowing that something big had happened, otherwise Li Zhong would not have come to the mansion to ask for a meeting at this time. He said hello to Wu Niang and Qiu Niang, and hurried to the front hall.

Qiu Niang saw Li Yan go out, and whispered: "Madam, about the master's accession to the throne, the prince didn't say anything to you?" ”

Wu Niang looked at the children and said casually: "Are you also in a hurry to be a mother?" ”

"No," Qiu Niang explained in a low voice: "It was Li Mu's concubine who came to me and asked me to find an opportunity to persuade the master." said that now there are several emperors in the north and south of the country, and our lord is inferior in name. He also said that the generals below are also waiting for some knighthood. ”

Wu Niang still said lightly: "What to do, the master knows." As for the things outside, the lord has not yet reached the level of unsatisfactory feelings, so we don't have to worry about it. ”

Qiu Niang nodded silently. To be honest, she really doesn't have any thoughts about what to be. At the beginning, she just saw that Li Yan was heroic and extraordinary, and there were some brothers under her hand, so that she could survive in the troubled times of cannibalism by this person, and she could be relied on. It was much better than she expected, and she had no other luxuries. However, she also knew that there were some things that could not be stopped, and she could only secretly worry about Li Yan in her heart.

Li Yan saw Li Zhong in the front living room, and found that Li Zhong did not have a particularly anxious look, knowing that it should not be a big deal.

"What's wrong?" Li Yan invited Li Zhong to sit down and asked relaxedly, "Is there a problem at the front line, or is Zhang Xianzhong also joining?" ”

At these times, Zhang Xianzhong was very well-behaved, avoiding Li Yan's troops from a distance, watching the competition between several parties from the side. And Li Yan was in a hurry, Zhang Xianzhong didn't get involved, so he naturally wouldn't ask for trouble. However, even if Zhang Xianzhong is also involved, he will not mess up all his plans, and his follow-up troops here are almost ready.

Li Zhong said: "Zhang Xianzhong didn't dare to come to us for trouble, but there were some problems on the front line. Xu Dingguo's troops who surrendered in Xuzhou, after attacking Huai'an, there was an incident of wanton looting. Huang Desheng had already suppressed the bullets of the chaotic army, and he asked for instructions on what to do. ”

"These ruffians are only worthy of being sent to the prisoner camps to do coolies." Li Yan said a little angrily.

Due to insufficient preparation, this time he asked the whole army to take the role of the vanguard, but he did not expect that there would be rape and plunder.

After that, he asked, "Is Zhao Yi ready?" ”

"Three thousand troops are ready, but the artillery and ammunition are still a little short." Li Zhong replied: "There are still six artillery pieces left, and there are still 200 rounds of shells of various types. ”

Li Yan immediately ordered: "Don't wait, let them go south immediately and go straight to Huai'an." There is no resistance in Jiangbei now, and it doesn't matter if there are fewer shells. Follow-up garrisons can be set up soon, and safety along the way should be guaranteed. Let them go over and enhance Huang Degong's strength. ”

"Do you want to do Xu Dingguo?" Li Zhong said hesitantly: "Although Xu Dingguo eats half of the empty salary, there are nearly 8,000 people. Huang Desheng's men are less than 2,000, and the starting place is more than 200 miles away from Huai'an. ”

Li Yan said with a cold face: "If Huang Desheng can't even deal with eight thousand soldiers, I will push him to the end and let him go back as a captain!" You send him a letter now and let him deal with it immediately. Anyone who participates in killing and **** will be beheaded! Those who were just snatched, caught, and subsequently sent to prisoner camps. As for what method he uses, let him think for himself. ”

Li Zhong agreed. Although he found it a little difficult, it was not something that could not be done.

"Inform him separately," Li Yan then instructed, "Let them temporarily stop the southward attack, rest on the spot, and wait for the arrival of the follow-up troops." For those who surrendered, it was necessary to separate the soldiers and generals. If there is a rebellion, they will be exterminated on the spot and dealt with as bandits. ”

Li Zhong nodded, and then said, "There is one more thing. ”

Li Yan didn't speak, waiting for Li Zhong's report.

"Both the Qu family and the Fan family sent people to inform them, saying that the Qing State had issued an order to the Mongolian tribes, especially those along the Great Wall, to prohibit the Mongolian tribes from trading horses with us." Li Zhong finally made it clear.

Li Yan was a little strange, the trade between the Mongolian tribes and the merchants was mostly horses, cattle and sheep. If this large piece were removed, the Mongol tribes would have suffered a huge loss.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Could it be that the Qing Kingdom can give them enough items for their needs?" ”

Li Zhong confirmed: "It is said that the Qing State has already connected with Nanjing, and can get tea and satin cloth from the south, and transport them directly by fleet. ”

Li Yan frowned and asked, "Can they be transported over directly?" Don't have to dock along the way? ”

"Yes," Li Zhong confirmed: "There are big ships in the south, and it is said that they will go to North Korea first, and there is no need to go through Shandong, which we control." Moreover, the Qing State also sent officials to supervise the Mongol ministries, and the Han merchants were also notified. Although our horse trade will be affected, it will not be lost at all, but the price will be raised a lot. ”

"Go to North Korea." Li Yan muttered, a little regretful. Although he was also forming a sailor, due to the lack of suitable giant timber, he could only build some small warships, and he could not go out to sea at all. And he is not very satisfied with the warships, it is now the era of artillery, and the strength of the ships built by the shipyard is obviously not enough. He had people try it with a three-inch cannon, and they could easily penetrate the hull from a distance of two hundred paces.

At present, his positioning as a sailor is a coastal sailor. Relying on the coast, you can also use small boats such as mother and mother ships and two-headed boats to attack the enemy's fleet, and if you are far from the coast, you can only sigh in the ocean.

After a long while, Li Yan said, "Let the firms do their best." Inform Li Mou and ask him to organize a part of the cavalry and keep in touch with the various merchants. When there is definite information, I also go out of the side wall and walk around. He should pay attention to it, try to target the Qing army, and spare some hands on the Mongol soldiers. The price given by the Qing State to the Mongols is definitely not as high as what we give, and coupled with our actions against the Qing army, the relationship between them should also undergo some changes. ”

"Hey!" Li Zhong sighed and said, "If those troops can be used, the speed of going south can be faster." It's a pity that after all these years of chaos, the soldiers have become bandits. ”

...