Li Jun often sent letters from the mainland, and Li Chengdong was anyway, and Guangdong returned to the rule of the Ming Dynasty. His messenger traveled by land from Xinhui and Enping, returned to Hainan via Gaozhou, and then boarded a ship from Sanya, where he traveled several hundred nautical miles to Houjiang by the messenger ship.

Shou ordered to read the letter and handed it to Lin Tongwen.

"Jun often said that Li Chengdong asked me to go to Guangzhou to meet."

"Are you going to go? Guangzhou can be dangerous. ”

"Of course I have to go, Guangzhou is the main source of our next immigration, and I have to go there to make a better plan."

Jun often said that Li Chengdong needed 100,000 stone of grain, and the price he negotiated was 2.5 taels and 1 stone. However, Li Chengdong will not pay in cash, he will use people and goods to offset it. ”

"That's no problem, the grain price in Guangzhou was 5 taels and 1 stone at the beginning of the year, and Li Chengdong dropped to 3 taels and 1 stone anyway, and 2.5 taels is acceptable."

The remaining question is to orchestrate the merchant fleet.

Shou Xian took out the merchant ship mobilization table made by Lin Tongwen, and most of the merchant ships of the Federation are currently being prepared in various ports. Excluding the Gulf of Siam and Hou Giang, which had to retain merchant ships, about 320 could be used for sailing. The Taipei route accounted for 150 ships, and there are 170 ships left.

"Chief Lin, we need to rearrange the merchant fleet."

"Yes, it needs to be done in conjunction with the Navy. I wonder what the plans of the Military Command Department are for this year? ”

"The Military Command Department has made three plans." Shou Xuan conveyed the navy's plan to Lin Tongwen.

Philip led 6 frigates, 2 notification ships and 10 merchant ships to the Philippines via Kuching to deliver arms to the Sulus, and then the merchant ships stayed on Hole Island, and the warships and Sulu joined forces into the Philippine inland sea. The Navy needs to become more familiar with the Philippine maritime situation through such combat operations.

Stirling and Raphael, and 2 long-class ships remained on the mainland. The Nanhai took 2 frigates and several fast transport ships to Taiwan, and gave them canvas, saltpeter and iron, at which point the Nanhai would take the place of the Raphael and become the flagship of the Taipei squadron. Frigates and transports brought back copper and sulphur.

The remaining 9 warships were used on the route from Guangzhou to Houjiang.

"How to improve shipping efficiency when Kuching has been added to the end of the immigration route this year, and there are only 170 ships?" ”

Lin Tongwen thought about it and said with a wry smile, "Then I can only sacrifice." Guangzhou needs 100,000 stone grain, according to the federal common weights and measures, that is, more than 9,000 tons, supplemented by some other goods, 50 ships of more than 10 zhang are needed. If Li Chengdong paid for the goods and the population in half, the young men and women would have an average of 10 taels of silver, about 12,500 people and goods worth 125,000 taels. 50 Daguang ships are just enough to fit, and the ships returning from Guangzhou will be mine. Let's go to Qiongzhou for the rest of the ship. ”

It is not advisable to carry too many people on a merchant ship that runs long distances, and 300 immigrants is an upper limit.

"Do you mean that the ship returning from Guangzhou will come to Houjiang, and the ship returning from Qiongzhou will go to Kuching?"

"Yes, the distance of the migrant ship at sea is more compromised, and there will be no one who runs too long."

"It's good", and I'm more satisfied with the order.

"Archon," Lin Tongwen looked at Shou Xuan with expectant eyes, "I heard that there is a big coal mine in the Lupa Valley of Kuching?" Can you ......?"

"The cost of coal mining is high, and it doesn't make money in the early stage, so I don't recommend you to take it." "The Lupa Valley Mining Company has issued a prospectus in China, and this kind of thing can only be done by the rich people in the country, and the colony cannot eat it." ”

Seeing that Lin Tongwen's expression was very disappointed, Shou Xuan sighed and said, "That's it, there are many small mines near the Bangda Gold and Copper Mine, and it's all for you." ”

The face of the chief executive of Houjiang is a little better.

"I'm going to transfer Tiqi to Kuching, and you can take 200 people and give them to him to take away," Shou Xuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Preferably a Vietnamese or Khmer soldier." ”

Lin Tongwen looked at Shou Order's gaze with some deep meaning, "I understand, it will be arranged." When the north wind rises, they will be sent to Kuching. ”

The matter was basically over, and Lin Tongwen handed Shou Xuan a glass of beer. He drinks a mediocre amount of alcohol, dislikes European-style spirits, and prefers beer. Especially in the hot and humid summer weather, beer chilled in the well is a great way to beat the heat.

"What position are you going to give Titch?"

"Commander of the Army Kuching Garrison, enter the council."

"It's very suitable, I heard that Gushan has also entered the Taipei Council?"

"Yes. Gushan took the position of commander of the Keelung Fortress garrison and became the fifth person in the Taipei Council. ”

Lin Tongwen lowered his head and continued to drink his beer.

These officers of the Order Guard are very old, and their personal bravery can also serve the public. But they were not suitable for leading field regiments, and were more suitable for guarding their homes in the colonies. Although the official position of the colony is relatively powerful, it is the territory that has been cultivated by the blue wisps of the earth little by little. At that time, many of the elderly brothers in the team were not willing to go to the colonies to endure hardships, and it was more comfortable to brag and shoot in the capital, and it was more comfortable to spray people in the Senate and shareholders' meetings.

"When are you leaving?"

"Wait for the Navy's warships and food convoy to be ready."

"I'm going to Ha Tien in a while, which is an important port for the newly developed Houjiang region. It's hard at the beginning, I have to cheer them up, I guess I don't have time to send you. ”

"Go ahead."

Lin Tongwen walked to the door and suddenly turned around again.

"Archon, what exactly do you have plans for the mainland?"

Shou Xuan looked up at the mighty Mekong River in the distance, and said in a low voice, "Now is not the time to talk about this. ”

Lin Tongwen left, and opened another letter in order.

Zeng Ying asked him to discuss this year's battle defense.

After the victory in Quanzhou at the beginning of the year, due to Li Chengdong's occupation of Wuzhou, Hao Shaoqi left 1,000 soldiers and led the main force to leave the front line. slaughtered 18 large villages, looted in Guilin Mansion, and coerced Emperor Yongli to flee to Liuzhou. Hao's rebellious soldiers plundered the provincial capital, and even beat Qu Shiyun, who was left behind in Guilin, and robbed his house. This is simply a self-destructive foundation, Zeng Ying was heartbroken in the letter.

Hao Shaoqi hijacked the Son of Heaven and fled to Liuzhou, and he didn't take advantage of it, he ate a loss from Qin Mingke, the toast of Guangxi.

Guangxi is a province, and the tax is equivalent to half of Wujiang County, Suzhou, not that Guangxi is really poor to this extent. However, a considerable part of the resources in Guangxi Province are in the hands of the prefectures and counties. These Tusi officials were canonized by the Ming Dynasty for three hundred years, and naturally stood on the side of the Yongli Imperial Court at the time of the Ding Revolution. Nanming had a lot of dependence on Tusi in various places, and the imperial court changed the law to promote them. Qin Mingke took advantage of Hao Shaoqi's inattention, led his troops to capture Liuzhou City, kidnapped the emperor, and it can also be said that he rescued the emperor. Move the imperial court to a safer state of Xiangzhou. After Yongli regained his freedom, he ran through Kunlun Pass and moved to Nanning. It is close to the area controlled by Qiongzhou, and if the situation is a little more tense, Yongli will inevitably go across Qiongzhou.

Fortunately, the next military development became favorable to the Ming army, otherwise Shou Xuan really didn't know what to do with the emperor who fled to Qiongzhou.

On March 24 of the second year of Yongli, Kong Youde, Shang Kexi, and Geng Zhongming came with the whole army and entered the north gate of Guilin. The mighty and mighty, the flag covers the sun, and the iron rides are full of mountains.

Although Li Chengdong did not fight at that time, he did not move, and Qu Shiyun was able to gather all his troops to defend Guilin. Without Hao Shaoqi, the defeated army withdrawn from the Ming army in Guangxi and Huguang was united.

Zeng Ying described the battle of Guilin in detail in the letter, and it can be seen that the old man was very happy.

Qu Shiyun and He Tengjiao joined forces.

The strongest fighting power of the Guangxi Army Jiao Lian Division, and Nicholas. Ferreira's subordinates, the Portuguese mercenaries who had been expanded and upgraded to the New Brave Guard Battalion Son of Heaven's Praetorian Guard went out of Guilin's north gate.

Jiao Lian urged the enemy to attack Yu Zhengrui and stood still in the encirclement of the German army.

Zhou Jintang and Xiong Zhaozuo, who had led 200 people to boldly recover Yongzhou City, went out of Guilin Wushengmen (Banyan Gate).

Zhao Yinxuan and Hu Yiqing of the Yunnan Army went out of Wenchangmen.

The Ming army rushed into battle in three directions, disrupting the Tatar position from the left and right flanks.

Kong Youde was defeated and retreated, pursued by the Ming army, and suffered heavy losses.

Once again, Guilin has proven its resilience to the world.

The Battle of Guilin was a turning point. Later, Jin Shenghuan was in Jiangxi anyway, Wang Deren occupied Jiujiang, and the Ming warships appeared on the Yangtze River again. About Jin Shenghuan frightened Dolgon anyway, and the regent of the Tatar emperor's father, he actually ordered Kong Youde, Shang Kexi, and Geng Zhongming to give up all the results of the year's campaign, and the whole army withdrew to Wuchang in one go, not even Changsha, leaving Xu Yong, the chief soldier of the original Zuo Liangyu's subordinates.

Judging from the order, it is not surprising that Kong Youde retreated thousands of miles.

Hunan was beaten into white land by warlords and Tatars, and legend has it that Xiangtan was almost uninhabited. Naturally, such an area could not raise troops, and Kong Youde's march to Huguang relied on the military rations allocated by Jiangxi, Jiangnan, and Hubei, and the Xiangjiang River was his lifeline. Jin Shenghuan's troops have threatened this lifeline, and Kong Youde's retreat to Wuchang will have no worries, and he can also suppress the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

The Ming army followed and pursued the Tatars, Qu Shiyun continued to stay in Guilin, and He Tengjiao counterattacked to conquer Quanzhou before entering Hunan.

Cao Zhijian, who guarded the Dragon and Tiger Pass, conquered Daozhou.

The Zhongwu battalion Jiuxi and Yongding Erwei of Yinxi and Ma Jinzhong rested and recovered their vitality, counterattacked from Xiangxi, conquered the important town of Changde, and advanced to attack southern Xiangnan.

The former Wugang general Liu Chengyin's general Chen Youlong was in charge of the whole army, and the Tatar Chen Changdao Dai Guoshi was in Yuanzhou (Zhijiang) anyway, Xiangxi and southern Hunan were restored, and the people were wrapped in nets.

He Tengjiao mobilized Cao Zhijian, Zhao Yinxuan, Jiao Lian, and Lu Ding to enter Yongzhou.

Put away the letters in an orderly manner.

Zeng Ying revealed in the letter that he also wanted to intervene in the war situation on the mainland.

Orderliness disagrees with this. The Tatars are still holding on to the three important towns of the Xiangjiang River, Yongzhou, Hengzhou and Changsha. The movement of the army must be fought along the main trunk of the river. Any opportunistic behavior has only tactical significance, not strategic significance.

Taking a step back, what if the Ming army recovers Changsha?

In 1647, the Ming army already occupied Changsha, and the resources and military strength were much more abundant than now. After more than a year of tragic tug-of-war, Hunan was exhausted. And Guangxi's resources were all consumed in the battle of Guilin. The Ming army distributed grain in Hunan, and the tax burden was as high as ten times that of a normal year. How can the people's power be so tormented, and if it continues like this, the people will definitely turn their hearts to the Tatars.

The army could not be defeated in the first place, and if it lost the support of the people, in the face of the autumn offensive that the Tatars would inevitably launch, what would Hunan use to resist?

Keeping the order to stop Zeng Ying's possible adventures.

On August 31, 1648, on August 31, 1648, he boarded the frigate Yuexiu and sailed to Qiongzhou with the northbound fleet.