Individuals look at problems from different angles and see things differently, and the conclusions drawn from this are also very different. Compared with Yu Qi, Gao Dejie and others in Liaodong, as well as their optimism, the Jin king Li Dingguo's troops marching to the northwest were worried, and they were more worried about the ability of the imperial court after the recovery of the north.

Dry and cracked land can be seen everywhere, and the drought is still continuing, although it is no longer very strict, but in many places it is not a problem of barrenness, but a lack of water facilities, so that there is no water and no grass. Moreover, a lot of land has been abandoned for a long time, and Li Dingguo seems to feel that there has been no one to cultivate it for at least a few years.

Groups of displaced people marched south, and fighting broke out again, and the retreating Qing soldiers not only looted, but also burned houses. Without belongings and the last bit of food to eat, the people could only flee south, hoping for the salvation of the king.

After the Zhenshuo army and the Shuo army broke through Hanzhong, they entered Shaanxi and approached Xi'an. The Qing army in Xi'an fought a fierce battle with the Ming army in Huxian, and immediately abandoned the city after being defeated, retreating from northern Shaanxi to Shanxi. If the Qing army in Xi'an held the city to the death, it may not be able to hold out for some time, but the Beijing division had no time to divide troops to defend in the face of the defeat in Shandong, and was eager to transfer troops back to defense, so the Ming army did not encounter strong resistance to occupy Shaanxi.

According to the plan of the General Staff, the Western Route Army will capture Shaanxi and Shanxi, completely isolate Zhili, and isolate the Beijing Division. According to the psychology of the Qing court that is anxious to transfer troops back to defense, the Western Route Army is very sure that it will achieve this strategic goal. However, the actual situation slowed down the actions of the Western Route Army, which made Li Dingguo and other generals very worried.

Difficulties are in front of us, because it is not only difficult to obtain material supplies in the places we pass, but on the contrary, it is necessary to pull out military rations to provide relief to a large number of displaced people, and transportation from the rear is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it is difficult to fulfill the requirements of the General Staff in terms of time.

Moreover, there were many cavalry in the Zhenshuo army. The consumption is even greater. If you venture north, you can only hope for the captured supplies, grain and grass, which is obviously a bit wishful thinking.

"The supplies have been transported by Hanshui and then overland in Ankang." Gao Wengui, the Duke of Changguo, frowned, and accompanied Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, to stroll and inspect, "This is already the fastest transportation route." But the number is still not enough. It was not enough for our army to go straight to Shanxi and advance to the Beijing Division from the west. ”

"The situation in Ganshan is obviously more difficult than the imperial court expected." Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, gently stroked his belt, and said without worry: "I have already played the imperial court, stating the difficulties, please long live the grain and grass materials, or there is another way to resettle the displaced people." It's just that this plan to besiege the Jingshi is afraid that it will be changed because of us. ”

"The Tartars' plan is very vicious, and the walls are clear, making it difficult for our army to advance quickly." Gao Wengui stomped his foot with some anger. "It's also because of the benevolence of Long Live that our army is also known as the king's division, so we won't ignore the displaced people, right?"

Li Dingguo smiled helplessly and said, "That's true! If Banzai had gone on the Northern Expedition next year as originally planned, there would have been much more supplies. Well, I guess I didn't expect the north to wither like this, and the Tartars would do such a poisonous trick, right? ”

"With the East Road army alone, I'm afraid it won't be easy to capture the Beijing Division, right?" Gao Wengui pondered and said, "There is a lack of cavalry mobile protection. It is necessary to march steadily and leave troops everywhere to garrison. In order to ensure the smooth flow of grain routes. As a result, the superiority in forces is difficult to maintain. And winter is approaching, and fighting is not very advantageous for our army! ”

"Actually-" Li Dingguo hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice: "If the Beijing Division is restored this year, I am afraid that the pressure on grain and grass materials will be even greater." Long live the kindness of the family and will do their best to help the refugees. So. It is better to leave the burden to the Tartars first, so as not to damage the reputation of the British. ”

Gao Wengui smiled bitterly and shook his head again and again, not because he disagreed with Li Ding's statement, but because he felt that the emperor would not be like this.

Li Dingguo's meaning is very simple, out of sight and out of mind. If you can't accept refugees, you don't have to spend food and grass on relief. In the rush to expel the Tartars from the Northlands, the devastated Northlands and countless refugees would inevitably become a heavy burden on the imperial court, and logistical pressures could make it difficult for the Ming army to continue its strategic operations. In this case, it is possible for the Tatars to get respite and recuperation in Liaodong, and it is likely that the Ming army that is now attacking Liaodong will not be able to get strong support.

However, Zhu Yongxing's temperament, Li Dingguo, and Gao Wengui both know better, and it is estimated that it is unlikely that they will accept this kind of self-deception and ruthlessness. In Li Dingguo's words, there was also a slight complaint that Zhu Yongxing launched the Northern Expedition earlier. If the Northern Expedition next year is carried out according to the original plan, it will not be able to face such great difficulties.

"Without the cavalry of our army participating in the battle, I'm afraid it will be a little difficult to conquer the Beijing Division, right?" Li Dingguo was uneasy about not being able to march on time, thus delaying the entire strategic operation, because cavalry is precious, war horses are precious, and it is not impossible to move in a hurry, but the death of horses will be an extremely painful thing.

"Well, the cavalry on Jeju Island is nearly a year behind us, and even if it doesn't take a detour, I'm afraid it won't be able to be used until the beginning of spring next year." Gao Wengui shook his head guessingly, and sighed softly, "It would be a pity if our strong army couldn't show its brilliance in the battle of Kefujing. ”

The cavalry of the Zhenshuo army fought repeatedly, especially in Huxian, and finally started a cavalry battle with the Eight Banners. As expected, the cavalry wall defeated the traditional cavalry of the Eight Banners. Although the Ming army had an advantage in numbers, and the Qing army's Eight Banners in Xi'an did not do their best, the power of the new tactics made Li Dingguo and others feel relieved and excited, and their self-confidence was greatly increased. Moreover, from the current point of view, the cavalry of the Zhenshuo army was the earliest, the largest in number, and the longest in training, and should be the first elite in the Ming army. Good steel is used on the blade, and the generals certainly hope to show their demeanor in such a historic battle as the recovery of the Beijing Division.

Li Dingguo didn't speak, raised his eyes to look at the dark crowd next to the porridge shed in the distance, the sound of adults screaming and children crying came in the wind, and he let out a long sigh helplessly and depressedly.

……………

"Am I in a hurry?" Zhu Yongxing waited for the cabinet ministers to see the twists and turns of Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, and seemed to have to say something to himself, paused for a while, and his voice suddenly became passionate again, "The clothes have become dogs and sheep, and the country has fallen to Rongdi, whose crime is this?" The land of the ancestors, the son of the Ming Dynasty, is it just that if the argument is not caught, he has to plug his ears and eyes and turn a blind eye? ”

Chongzhen can face the twists and turns of "after years of drought, the people change their children and eat" in Gansu and Shaanxi, and only say "I know", and then the taxes that should be levied are a lot; He can not give a grain of food to the charity, but ask his people to sacrifice their lives for righteousness, and starve to death to contribute to the country's worries. But Zhu Yongxing can't do it, he must also come up with a way and completely extinguish this concept of the ministers.

Sure enough, Zhu Yongxing's words basically set the tone. The war must be fought, and the refugees must also be given relief, and nothing can be delayed. Originally, many people among the ministers already had the idea of holding off on the current situation, that is, not to occupy the lost territories that had been badly damaged by next spring. You must know that if you give relief to the refugees, it is not only a matter of food, but also warm clothes and charcoal, which is a huge financial expenditure.

Although this was estimated in advance, in fact it would greatly exceed the supply capacity of the imperial court. In this regard, the ministers are also a little helpless, who makes the emperor benevolent, who makes us the king's teacher!

"Long live the kick-starter." Wu Sangui stubbornly stepped forward and said: "Weichen thinks that on the basis of ensuring the supply of military materials, it is the responsibility of the imperial court to try to help refugees, but if the gap is too big, it is not a human sin. ”

Zhu Yongxing bowed his head slightly, signaling Wu Sangui to retreat. His meaning is obvious, to protect the army with all his might, and then, he will do his best to obey the destiny of heaven! Although it sounds reasonable, it is not the best answer Zhu Yongxing wants.

Yicheng, the head of the household, stepped forward to share Zhu Yongxing's worries and said: "Now that the sea trade is becoming more and more prosperous, Weichen thinks that the sea tax can be raised, and even the Zhangfa of the Wanli Dynasty can be restored. It's just that this tax money is easy to obtain, but this material is difficult to collect. For example, even if you buy a lot of cotton from overseas, it may be difficult to get it. ”

"Zhang's pumping method, Yi Qing said it in detail." Zhu Yongxing didn't know the specific number, so he asked.

The Wanli Emperor's standard of sea tax is called the zhang pumping method: if the ship is one zhang and six feet wide, each foot will draw five taels of silver, and for each additional foot in the future, five silver coins will be levied. Under this standard, a six-foot boat is eighty taels of silver, a seven-foot boat is ninety-three taels and five coins, and a one-foot eight-foot ship is one hundred and eight taels of silver...... The largest two-foot six-foot ship was ten taels and one feet, and each ship should draw two hundred and sixty taels of silver.

Hearing Yi Cheng's detailed explanation, Zhu Yongxing couldn't help but gasp. This Wanli Ha, it is really not worth asking for money, such a heavy tax can certainly increase the national finances, and the sea trade is also a little profitable, but for the merchants, nearly half of the profits are gone. Although this kind of smuggling syndicate will also take great risks, the profit rate of honest businessmen is too low, and in addition to the risks that the sea trade may face such as shipwrecks, serious businessmen cannot compete with the smuggling syndicates at all.

In the long run, the number of serious businessmen will gradually decrease, and the number of smugglers will increase, and eventually the profits of maritime trade will still flow into the hands of smugglers, and after a vicious circle is formed, the government will no longer be able to benefit from maritime trade.

Well, in the form of short-term profiteering, Zhu Yongxing decided to improve the customs and decided to raise taxes, but the magnitude of the tax increase will never be so large.

"You don't have to use cotton to keep out the cold!" Zhu Yongxing said with a deep groan: "Didn't you expect this before, and bought wool and leather goods through Guò and Mongolia?" Probably not enough, right? Then think again. Well, all the secretaries brainstormed and went back to find someone to discuss and study, and there was always a solution. ”

…………… (To be continued......)