Chapter 571: Attack from the west and defend from the north
Looking around for a week, after seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Zhu Hongyu casually placed the memorial on the sand table.
Said casually.
"Look, this is the recent trend of the Qing court. Let's discuss how Ming Dynasty should deal with it!"
The sand table placed in the center of the room depicts the terrain on both sides of the Yangtze River, including the south and north of the Yangtze River, as well as the military deployment plans of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Zhu Hongyu stared at the sand table and moved the small flags representing different numbers of troops on it from time to time.
He was thinking about what the Qing court was planning to do!
And how should Ming deal with it!
After Li Guangyuan read the report, he stood up and said with clasped fists.
"Your Highness, for the sake of caution in the future, it is best for me, the Ming Dynasty, to treat the Qing court's recent actions as if the Qing court is playing double act with Wu Sangui and prepare for the worst."
“Be prepared accordingly in advance!”
"Be prepared to face military pressure from Jiangbei and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River at the same time."
Xu Bin stood up and said.
"Reporting to Your Highness, this is the opinion given by this official."
"If a war breaks out and the Qing court and Wu Sangui attack our Ming Dynasty, our Ming Dynasty should adopt the tactics of attacking from the west and defending from the north."
"Store in Jiujiang the grain and military supplies needed for the army to march westward along the Yangtze River, and prepare to take the initiative."
"As for the Qing army in Jiangbei, they should be on the defensive."
"Anyway, as long as our Ming Navy is here, the main force of the Qing army will not be able to cross the river."
It is said that we are attacking from the west and defending from the north, but to put it bluntly, we are still concentrating the elite main force to attack the enemy with superior force in order to seek to break the situation.
There is no escape from the strategic framework of no matter how many ways you come, I will only go all the way.
It can be said to be quite simple and crude!
But it doesn’t matter!
The tactics are simple and crude, it’s okay, as long as they are easy to use!
In fact, the reason why Xu Bin proposed this was not only because of the natural danger of the Yangtze River, which made it easier for the Ming Dynasty to defend against invading enemies from the north, but the more important reason was because.
The Ming Dynasty sent troops from Jiujiang and could directly enter Hunan by going up the river.
Hunan is well-known as a land of plenty and a prosperous population.
Furthermore, after conquering Hunan, it will be much easier to defend than after conquering Jiangbei.
If the Ming army crossed the river and entered the north of the Yangtze River, what they would have to face would be a large-scale cavalry group from the Qing court.
It’s not that simple to beat a horse with a foot!
In terms of mobility alone, infantry cannot compare with cavalry.
Even if the Ming army could capture Jiangbei, they might not be able to hold it under the attack of the Qing cavalry group.
The great plains of Jiangbei and North China are really peaceful and very conducive for cavalry to attack and fight!
This is not necessarily the case in Hunan. The terrain in Hunan is mostly hilly and crisscrossed by waterways, so the cavalry of the Guan Ning Army cannot run.
There is much more room for infantry to play!
In addition, although Jiangbei is rich, Hunan is also a land of plenty, which is not bad at all.
To sum up, once the Qing court and Wu Sangui jointly launched an attack on the Ming Dynasty, how should the Ming Dynasty respond? Needless to say?
He must be beating Wu Sangui!
Zhu Hongyu nodded approvingly upon hearing this.
"The situation in the Qing court is unclear now, but if we, the Ming Dynasty, make corresponding preparations in advance, there will be nothing wrong."
It is better for the Ming Dynasty to prepare for war in advance than to be caught off guard by the Manchu and Wu Sangui.
After all, Mr. Lu Xun once said, strike first to gain advantage, strike later and suffer disaster!
Zhu Hongyu is indeed not prepared to initiate a war in the short term.
But if the Manchus or Wu Sangui took the initiative to provoke, the entire Ming Dynasty would not be afraid of war!
After saying this, Zhu Hongyu looked at Zhou Tianxu, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, and gave instructions.
"Recently, Jin Yiwei will use more efforts. Whether heading north or west, he must find out more about this matter."
"You want to know what the Qing court and Wu Sangui are planning to do!"
"I want to know the exact news whether the Qing court and Wu Sangui are preparing to attack our Ming Dynasty."
Zhou Tianxu cupped his fists and accepted his orders.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, Jin Yiwei promises to live up to his mission!"
Zhu Hongyu nodded with satisfaction, and then continued.
"The meeting is dismissed!"
"Let's all go about our business!"
"..."
…
In early May of the 20th year of the Yongli reign of the Ming Dynasty, after receiving the order, the Jianguo Xingyuan, which set out from Guangzhou, finally arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
Along with the team came Zhu Hongyu's concubines.
Li Lingxiu stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the estuary of the Yangtze River not far away, with longing in her eyes.
Li Qiuyue was half a body behind her and stood behind her respectfully.
"I'm going to see Your Highness soon! Sister must be very excited, right?"
Li Lingxiu pursed her lips slightly and said nothing, just looking at the west faintly.
She knew that her man, the father of her child, was over there!
The fleet gradually sailed into the Yangtze River, with the Ming Dynasty's navy guarding it along the way, and the cities along the Yangtze River sent people to pay their respects.
But the fleet did not stop at all and headed straight for Nanjing!
Li Qiuyue said in a soft and waxy voice behind Li Lingxiu.
"There are many outstandingly beautiful women in His Royal Highness's harem. My sister has not been with His Highness for a long time. If I want to maintain my favor, I will have to put more thought into it."
"Now that His Highness has captured Nanjing and regained the south of the Yangtze River, I'm afraid it won't be long before he ascends the throne and becomes the emperor of tomorrow."
"My younger sister is willing to lend a helping hand to my elder sister and help her secure her position as queen. When the time comes, I will just give her the position of a noble concubine."
"My younger sister knows that she can't compare to her elder sister's position in His Highness's heart, so she certainly won't dare to compete for it!"
After Li Lingxiu heard this, she finally couldn't help but look back, and spoke in a cold tone.
"Stop having those little thoughts that you shouldn't have!"
"Although His Highness is kind, he has always been strict in managing the harem. If you violate a taboo, I can't save you!"
Li Lingxiu has no interest in competing for favor in the harem now.
Because she knew that the king's favor had a shelf life. Once the shelf life passed, it would be nothing.
Moreover, since there is never a shortage of beauties of all kinds around us, the shelf life of the king's favor is always very short.
There have been so many emperors throughout the ages, how many of them were truly affectionate?
The king holds the power of the world. What kind of woman can he not get?
Use sex to please people, but when you are old and your sex fades, who will still remember you?
It is impossible for any girl to be eighteen forever, but there are many eighteen-year-old girls.
No matter how young and beautiful you are, your beauty will fade with age. How can you still compete with those who are young and beautiful when your beauty fades with old age?
If a woman wants to gain a foothold in the harem, the most important thing is to have an heir.
Turning his head and looking at Li Qiuyue beside him with faint eyes, Li Lingxiu said.
"I, the concubine, instead of spending time consolidating my favor, I should find a way to conceive a child while taking advantage of His Highness's favor!"
"The king's favor may expire, but the blood connection is the most unbreakable thing in the world!"
Li Lingxiu can be said to be the person in Zhu Hongyu's harem who knows him best.