Chapter 452: Dongjiang Town Surrenders Tartars!

"Not bad!"

"We must continue to encourage reclamation!"

"More acres will be sown in September this year!"

In the face of such huge numbers,.

I have food in my hand, and I don't panic! With the continuous spread of the war, the grain output of the entire Ming Kingdom will be lower and lower, the price of grain will be higher and higher, and the circulation will become more and more difficult. Especially in the northern region of Daming, food will become more and more scarce. At that time, food will be a huge strategic weapon that can play an unimaginable role.

Lingshanwei alone has produced so much grain, and there are nine counties in Laizhou Prefecture, and if the potential of each county can be fully tapped, the grain production capacity can continue to increase. At present, the yield of wheat and rice per mu is only more than 300 catties, and there should be a lot of room for improvement.

After leaving Lingshanwei, Zhang Zhun went to Xiahezhai Qiansuo, Aoshan City, Xiongya and other places to continue to inspect the summer harvest. Winter wheat in these places was also harvested. However, they were just properly taxed, and Zhang Zhun received far less grain income than Lingshan Wei. In total, there are about 400,000 mu of land, and a tax of 40 catties per mu is levied, that is, 16 million catties, which is too different from Lingshanwei's income. Of course, something is better than nothing.

Due to the bumper harvest of grain in various places, the price of grain in Laizhou Prefecture has shown a downward trend, and the foreign population can buy more grain with less money. This attracted a large number of immigrants to come and flee. Da Songwei, Jinghaiwei, and even more distant Chengshanwei, Weihaiwei, and Andongwei all had people come to take refuge.

Gao Hongtu also felt very happy. He was glad that he didn't misread Zhang Zhun and didn't follow the wrong person. In the second year of Chongzhen, when the Tartars entered the Kou, the military department had to transfer the Qinwang army from Shanxi because there was no food in their hands, which eventually led to the killing of Geng Ruqi, the governor of Shanxi, and Zhang Honggong, the chief soldier of Shanxi. Gao Hongtu has always been concerned about this matter. The most fundamental reason for this incident is that the imperial court has no food in its hands.

Therefore, Gao Hongtu has always paid attention to agricultural production. However, he didn't expect that Zhang Zhun paid more attention than him. All these achievements were done by Zhang Zhun alone before he arrived. Lingshanwei's big farm model was also created by Zhang Zhun.

With so much food, Gao Hongtu felt that his confidence had increased a lot. It is an eternal truth that the people regard food as their heaven. As long as Laizhou maintains such a momentum of development, it is entirely possible to get a piece of the pie in the troubled times in the future. Building high walls, accumulating grain, and slowly becoming king, Zhang Zhun has unknowingly embarked on such a path of development.

In mid-June, Zhang Zhun convened a meeting of all members of the Shengxia Sect to further strengthen the work of returning grain to the warehouse. Zhang Zhun demanded that from now on, the outflow of grain out of Laizhou should be strictly controlled. Grain can circulate freely within the Lai Chau capital, but not out, otherwise it will be severely punished. The sale of grain outside the Laizhou capital can only be carried out by special personnel, special institutions, and with the approval of Zhang Zhun.

After the meeting, Zhang Zhun and Gao Hongtu had a few days to discuss the future development plan of Laizhou Mansion. At present, there is no war in Laizhou Mansion for the time being, and it is just time to seize all the time to carry out large-scale production. Gao Hongtu is very interested in Lingshanwei's large farm model, and it is interesting to continue to promote it. His eyes fell on Jinghaiwei, Chengshanwei, Weihaiwei and other places.

Jinghaiwei, Chengshanwei, and Weihaiwei, because they are close to the coast, are mainly military households, and the number of civilian households is very small. At the same time, due to the flight of a large number of military households, the number of remaining military households in Sanwei is very small. If the division of land is implemented, there will certainly be a shortage of manpower. The local military households also did not have as many production tools. If the production model of large farms is implemented, it is believed that the local military households will be more acceptable, and the Tiger Ben army can also obtain a huge amount of grain storage.

Gao Hongtu estimated that as long as there were four guards to implement the production model of the large farm, the grain extracted would be enough to support an army of 200,000. This is very crucial for the future development of the Tiger Army. The soldiers and horses did not move, and the grain and grass went first. Of course, all this will have to be said after Zhang Zhun takes control of Dengzhou Mansion.

Although the yield of corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes imported from the south of the Yangtze River is not very high, it is better to have a strong adaptability, as long as there is soil, it can be planted, and it can be rotated with rice and winter wheat to increase the efficiency of land use and the fertility of the soil. Therefore, after the winter wheat is harvested, Zhang Zhun asked all localities to seize the time and plant a crop of corn in rotation. Even if there is only about one or two hundred catties per mu of land, it is better than nothing.

For many poor people, corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes are life-saving food. At the same time, the increase in the output of corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes and other crops is conducive to the people raising more poultry and livestock, increasing the supply of the market, and enriching the people's lives.

"Wen Tiren is sad this time."

At the end of the conversation, Gao Hongtu said very happily.

In the past two months, the life of the first assistant to the cabinet has indeed been difficult. Wu Zongda's Zhishi is the concentrated embodiment of this kind of sadness. Mr. Wu has always been a close friend of Mr. Wen and his strongest supporter in the cabinet. Now, Wu Zongda can't bear the pressure and has to go to office, and Wen Tiren's strength in the cabinet will be weakened a lot. The situation in which Wen Tiren single-handedly covered the sky in the cabinet was changed.

The situation in various parts of the Ming Dynasty is still not optimistic. Even, it's getting more and more serious. The rebellious people in Shaanxi continue to toss in the Hanshui Valley. Originally, the imperial court's plan to wipe out all the Shaanxi rebels in the Henan region had been completely bankrupt. Hong Chengchou hurried from Shaanxi to Henan and killed some rebels, but it was useless. Because, the rebel army has adopted the most skillful strategy of guerrilla warfare, and they will run away with their feet, or they will run in several ways. Some of them went north to Shaanxi, some west to Xichuan, and some south to Huguang. The officers and soldiers were exhausted and miserable in the back.

In April of the eighth year of Chongzhen, the governor Hong Chengchou went to Ruzhou and ordered the general soldier Deng Xi to defend Fancheng and defend the Han River. Deng Xi is not good at controlling the army, and he is not attached to the army. On April 26, his subordinate Wang Yuncheng gathered troops with a salary and killed Deng Xi's two servants. Deng Xi was afraid, climbed the stairs and crossed the wall, fell into the fire alley by mistake, and was burned to death. In a panic, a general officer died for no apparent reason, and the morale of the officers and soldiers was even lowered.

The ground in Shandong also made Wen Tiren scratch his head. Zhang Zhun still didn't solve it, and another smelling incense sect came out. In the eyes of the imperial court, the harm of the Smelling Fragrance Sect was even worse than that of Zhang Zhun. For this reason, he had to repeatedly order that the governor of Dongjiang Town and Denglai should join forces as soon as possible to quickly clean up the Wenxiang Sect, otherwise, the company will be held responsible.

However, the Ming army and the Wenxiang Sect in Dengzhou Mansion fought in various parts of Dengzhou Mansion and never gained the upper hand. Because of Zhang Zhun's existence, the officers and men could no longer encircle and smell the incense sect from multiple directions, and could only advance head-on. As a result, in the face of the tide of incense sect members, the Ming army itself was exhausted and miserable.

In the end, it was the Wenxiang Sect that slightly gained the upper hand, and the battle line gradually moved towards Dengzhou City. If the imperial court did not have a strong helping hand, it was not impossible for the Ming army in Dengzhou Mansion to be defeated by the Wenxiang Sect. However, if the Wenxiang Sect wants to conquer Dengzhou City, it will not be easy. Zhang Zhun was already calculating when it would be most appropriate to send troops to intervene.

"My lord, there is urgent information."

As he spoke, someone from the Intelligence Department hurriedly came in and handed Zhang Zhun a piece of information.

Zhang Zhun took the information and looked at it, and subconsciously said: "Oops! ”

Gao Hongtu said awe-inspiringly: "What happened? ”

Zhang Zhun handed him the information casually.

After Gao Hongtu saw it, he said with some doubts: "Shang Kexi wants to be anyway?" That's a good thing! ”

It turned out that the intelligence said that Shang Kexi got in touch with Shen Shikui, the chief military officer of Dongjiang Town, and tried to break away from the Tartars and return to the Ming Dynasty, as long as the imperial court pardoned his guilt. Shen Shikui had already promised the monk Kexi to meet and accept him anyway. Speaking of which, the relationship between Shen Shikui and Shang Kexi is actually very close. After taking refuge in Mao Wenlong, Shang Kexi was given the name Mao Yongxi and was accepted by Mao Wenlong as his righteous son, while Shen Shikui was Mao Wenlong's father-in-law.

It can be said that in the entire Dongjiang Town, almost everyone has close ties with Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi, and even after the three of them took refuge in Tartar, this inextricable relationship has not been severed. Inside Dongjiang Town, in private, the officers and soldiers didn't even think there was anything wrong with Kong Youde and others taking refuge in the Tartars, because they were also forced. If they don't take refuge in the Tartars, what awaits them will be a dead end. Therefore, Shen Shikui has always wanted to exonerate Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi.

Zhang Zhun frowned and said, "I'm afraid it may not be the case." ”

Gao Hongtu is proficient in government affairs, but he is not very proficient in military affairs, and said suspiciously: "Yulin, do you think Shang Kexi is hypocritical?" ”

Zhang Zhun nodded, and said with a solemn expression: "I feel like this." In case this is a trap, Shen Shikui is in danger. ”

Gao Hongtu suddenly became suspicious.

If Shen Shikui is in danger, Dongjiang Town is in danger. When Mao Wenlong was killed, it was Shen Shikui and Deputy General Chen Jisheng who understood the righteousness, took into account the overall situation, and tried their best to suppress the situation, otherwise, the officers and soldiers of Dongjiang Town would definitely use force to find Yuan Chonghuan to take revenge. However, Shen Shikui and Chen Jisheng did not completely subdue all the officers and soldiers in Dongjiang Town. After all, the killing of Mao Wenlong was a great stimulus for the officers and soldiers of Dongjiang Town.

Due to Mao Wenlong's killing, most of the officers and soldiers in Dongjiang Town did not trust the imperial court very much. Similarly, the imperial court did not trust Dongjiang Town very much. I always felt that they would follow in their footsteps and surrender to the Tartars. Everyone is suspicious of each other and suspicious, which will naturally lead to a lot of contradictions, and even lead to scuffles and rebellions. Shang Kexi's mutiny is the best example. After Shang Kexi, the imperial court was even more distrustful of Dongjiang Town.

Seriously, the imperial court also distrusts Shen Shikui. No matter what Shen Shikui says, he is Mao Wenlong's father-in-law! The relationship between Shang Kexi and the others is very close, God knows if he will also surrender to the Tartars? It's just that the situation in Dongjiang Town is very special, and it is relatively **, if the chief military officer is dispatched from outside, it will not be tenable in Dongjiang Town at all. There was no way, so the imperial court had no choice but to appoint Shen Shikui as the chief military officer of Dongjiang Town.

After Shen Shikui became the chief military officer, he could basically control the situation in Dongjiang Town. Because he is Mao Wenlong's father-in-law, the generation of the big lama is there. However, if Shen Shikui has an accident, then no one in Dongjiang Town can completely suppress others. Internal strife, rebellion are certain. The worst consequence is that the entire town of Dongjiang surrenders to the Tartars.

"I'm going to do something......"

Zhang Zhun thought for a moment, decided to be cautious, and ordered the troops of the Tiger Ben Army stationed in the east of Laizhou Mansion to prepare for battle. If something happens, you can react quickly. Also receiving a similar order were the three cavalry battalions of the Tiger Army. In case Dongjiang Town really surrenders to the Tartars, the Tiger Ben Army can also take precautions.

Two days later, the Wenxiang Sect continued to advance in the direction of Dengzhou City. I don't know why, the Ming army in Dengzhou City became less and less effective in fighting, and finally simply gave up outside the city completely and retreated to Dengzhou City. The swarming army of the Smelling Fragrance Sect surrounded Dengzhou City. At this time when the war was developing, Zhang Zhun was also a little puzzled. At the same time, I felt that something was wrong. How did the combat effectiveness of the Ming army suddenly weaken?

"Urgent!"

When he was suspicious, the Intelligence Department sent an urgent report.

After Zhang Zhun saw it, he gently bit his teeth, and his face was cold.

What I didn't understand at first was understood in an instant.

Shen Shikui was killed!

Dongjiang Town surrenders to Tartars!

The worst is really happening!

Shen Shikui was Mao Wenlong's father-in-law, and after Mao Wenlong was killed, he still loyally followed the Ming Dynasty, although there was no major achievement, the Dongjiang Town he led still blocked the way for the Tartars to go south to Shandong. The Tartars did not have a sailor and could not destroy Dongjiang Town, so they had to sigh with admiration.

But, now, Shen Shikui is dead.

Died at the hands of Shang Kexi.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to meet with Shen Shikui, Shang Kexi arranged an ambush and killed Shen Shikui. Then, using his previous connections in Dongjiang Town, he continued to lure other officers to surrender to the Tartars. Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming also went out together. The officers and soldiers of Dongjiang Town, who had no leader, took refuge in the Tartars one after another. Only a very small number of them refused to surrender to the Tartars, left the town of Dongjiang and fled in all directions.

What's worse is that this information went round and round, and it was delayed for at least 10 days in between. In other words, Shen Shikui was booby-trapped by Shang Kexi ten days ago. There are ten days, enough to pay attention to the efficiency of the Tartars, to completely control the entire Dongjiang Town. It is impossible to say that behind this matter, there is no shadow of the Tartar. Shang Kexi and the others must have booby-trapped Shen Shikui out of the arrangement of the Tartars.

The current Dongjiang Town has been controlled by Shang Kexi and others, and has become the military force of the Tartars, and for a while, Zhang Zhun didn't know what to say. With the rebels in Dongjiang Town, the Tartars could easily cross the ocean and assault Shandong. This has always been the dream of the Tartars. It is much faster to cross the sea and go south than to cross the Great Wall and go south. There is no doubt that after taking control of Dongjiang Town, the Tartars will definitely cross the sea and go directly to Shandong!

"I'm sorry to tell you the sad news."

"Twelve days ago, Shen Shikui, the chief military officer of Dongjiang Town, was killed, and Dongjiang Town fell into the hands of the Tartars. From now on, we may have to face the Tartars' forces directly. ”

Zhang Zhun immediately summoned the backbone of the Tiger Ben Army, as well as the backbone of the Shengxia Sect, to report the matter. Gao Hongtu also came. Hearing the news of Dongjiang Town's surrender to the Tartars, Gao Hongtu's face suddenly turned a little pale. Dongjiang Town is controlled by the Tartars, of course he knows what the consequences will be. The Tartars have already controlled Liaodong, Korea, and now Dongjiang Town...... The ground in Shandong is equivalent to completely hanging in the tiger's mouth.

Almost at the same time, the latest edict from the imperial court also came to Zhang Zhun's hands. In the edict, the emperor and Wen Tiren gave the governor of Denglai, Ruan Dacheng, a three-month time limit, and asked Ruan Dacheng to immediately exterminate the Wenxiang Sect, otherwise, he would arrange for a division to arrest and prosecute. It is said that the edict was personally sent to Dengzhou City by a small group of Jinyi guards by boat. Seeing this information, Zhang Zhun's brows suddenly tightened.

Gao Hongtu asked with a heavy heart: "Yulin, what did you think of?" ”

Zhang Zhun spit out a few words with difficulty: "Ruan Dacheng is going to take refuge in Tartar." ”

Rao is based on Gao Hongtu's experience, and he can't help but change color.

After Dongjiang Town surrendered to the Tartars, Dengzhou City became the front line against the Tartars. After the surrender of Dongjiang Town, the Dengzhou Naval Division could still support it for a period of time and not give the Tartars a chance to go south. If Ruan Dacheng takes refuge in the Tartars, then he still has it? This means that the Tartars do not need to fight at all, they can appear directly on the ground in Shandong. Once there is no danger of the sea, it is possible for the Tartars to swarm like a tide. God, how could the situation suddenly turn out like this?

Zhang Zhun said a little anxiously: "Wen Tiren is forcing Ruan Dacheng to death, forcing him to surrender to the Tartars." If Ruan Dacheng wants to live, he can only surrender to the Tartars. ”

Gao Hongtu slowly calmed down, and then showed a wry smile.

That's right, the current Ruan Dacheng has only one way to surrender to the Tartars. The people of the Jinyi Guard have all arrived, and if he can't exterminate the Smelling Fragrance Sect, he will only be imprisoned. With Emperor Chongzhen's personality, after he is imprisoned, he will inevitably be treated like Chen Qiyu, and he will never see the light of day again. However, Dongjiang Town has surrendered to the Tartars, and instead of reinforcing Ruan Dacheng, it is also seriously threatening Ruan Dacheng's back. What other power does Ruan Dacheng have to exterminate the Wenxiang Sect? If he wants to live, the only way to do this is to take refuge in the Tartars.

In fact, Zhang Zhun directly concluded that Ruan Dacheng would definitely surrender to Tatars. Because, in real history, Ruan Dacheng took refuge in the Tartars. National integrity or something, don't count on it at all. Now, Ruan Dacheng is desperate and has no other choice, where will he hesitate?