The common problem of time travelers is that they would rather use technology to crush others than brute force to win; who would bother trying hard when they can take shortcuts?

The failure of the Jiannu attack on Ningyuan was expected. However, the Jiannu's use of artillery, building trenches and bridges, and burning wooden stakes also aroused Zhu Youxiao's vigilance.

In terms of learning ability and enthusiasm, if it were not for his strong guidance and promotion, the Jiannu, as an emerging force, would obviously surpass the old empire, which was plagued by chronic diseases and inefficient.

The reason why Zhu Youxiao mentioned the power of the Red Cannon in the victory report article in "Da Ming Forum" was that he also wanted to let more people know the power of science and technology.

As for the leak, it had been no secret since the Battle of Ningyuan. Furthermore, Zhu Youxiao had instructed his own scribes to exaggerate the power of the Red Cannon, which was quite useful in frightening the Jiannu.

What if the Jiannu wanted to imitate it? Zhu Youxiao was not overly worried. He estimated that with the existing samples as a reference, it would take at least two or three years for the Jiannu to succeed.

If he could not defeat and wipe out the Jiannu in two or three years, Zhu Youxiao felt that he would have been emperor in vain.

Zhu Youxiao wrote a reply to Xiong Tingbi in a secret memorial. Zhu Youxiao agreed to the plan to advance to Jinzhou and Dalinghe City in the spring. Even if it was a ruined city, the foundations were still there, and building trenches and breastworks would not be difficult. Given the Jiannu's current offensive capabilities, it would at least be a one-for-two engagement.

This is not the main point. Just defending without attacking does not conform to the mentality of Xiong Tingbi and Zhu Youxiao.

According to Lao Xiong's idea, if the Jiannu attacked Jinzhou or Dalingh City, the Ming army would take advantage of the navy to carry out landing operations, relying on the Dalingh River as a barrier to cut off the Jiannu's retreat.

Zhu Youxiao agreed with this. The strength of the Ming navy was far beyond history, so there was no need to send reinforcements from Ningyuan.

The navy of Dengzhen, Jinzhen, Dongjiangzhen, and even Liaozhen through Juehua Island can carry out such actions.

Moreover, the Jiannu had just been defeated, and Zhu Youxiao judged that without six months of rest and recovery, they were not capable of launching an offensive. The numerous rivers in western Liaoning would also pose a challenge to the Jiannu.

Zhu Youxiao paused, pondered for a moment, and then wrote down an important reminder: If Dalinghe City and Jinzhou were to be defended, a grain reserve of at least two months was necessary.

This was taken into consideration in case of an emergency. If the Jiannu surrounded the city without attacking and trapped it with trenches, we had to be on guard.

After two months, Zhu Youxiao felt that no matter how slow the reaction was, the various Ming armies should also take action. Either to support or to contain the enemy, they launched a counterattack against the Jiannu.

Moreover, can the Jiannu's food and supplies last for two months? With their transportation capacity, can they provide enough?

Zhu Youxiao let out a long breath, put away his pen, reviewed the letter again, and then sealed the secret reply.

Advancing forward to Jinzhou and Dalingh River was a very important step in the strategic counterattack and also a very cautious decision made by Zhu Youxiao.

Unlike Ningyuan, the Later Jin cavalry was unable to maneuver due to the narrow terrain of the Liaoxi Corridor and lack of room for maneuver.

But when they reached Jinzhou and Dalinghe, they had left the Liaoxi Corridor and arrived at the Northeast Plain, where the Jiannu's tactics of roundabout attacks came into play.

Once Songshan, Xingshan, Tashan and other places were occupied by the Jiannu, Jinzhou and Dalinghhe City were cut off from Ningyuan and became isolated cities to be defended.

Historical experience has clearly taught Zhu Youxiao a lesson, but the situation is different now than last year. The Ming army, with stable morale, sufficient food and wages, and excellent weapons, has the ability to fight to the death with the Jiannu.

"Sun Yuanhua, director of the Ordnance and Gunpowder Bureau, is here to see you." Zhu Youxiao turned around and instructed the palace servants to prepare to put the work of producing the Ming Dynasty's heavy mortar into practice.

Although the Red Cannon was very powerful, Zhu Youxiao felt that it was too limited in land combat and it would be better to hand it over to the navy.

Temporarily reducing production and concentrating manpower and material resources on manufacturing field artillery and heavy mortars to increase the combat power of the Ming army should be a more flexible and correct decision.

After two setbacks, the Jiannu's strength has been reduced. It is time to intensify the oppression and not give them a chance to breathe.

Dongjiang Town should be able to directly strike the Jiannu military force. How can we make them play a better role? Zhu Youxiao frowned slightly and fell into a long period of contemplation.

……………………

Tianjin.

After the Battle of Ningyuan ended, the envoy reporting the victory landed in Tianjin by sea and headed straight for the capital.

Tianjin Governor Bi Ziyan knew that he was about to step down and would soon rush to Beijing to accept the position of President of the Imperial Bank.

As expected, within a few days, an imperial edict arrived from the capital, summoning Bi Ziyan to hand over his duties and come to the capital to meet the emperor. At the same time, the imperial edict was read to Li Banghua, officially assuming the post of Governor of Tianjin.

Others did not know the importance of the President of the Imperial Bank, but Bi Ziyan had learned a lot from his secret correspondence with the emperor and understood that this would be a position no less important than the Minister of Revenue.

Now that he knew his future appointment, Bi Ziyan also stepped up his learning and had his own plans and ideas for the development of the bank.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were already bill exchanges, money shops or similar private financial institutions, and it was still possible to find someone to inquire about the ins and outs of their operations.

In other words, the Imperial Bank would be the Ming Dynasty's money bag. It would issue and control currency, provide loans and foreign exchange services, and, in the future, oversee the financial industry.

Bi Ziyan was a famous economic talent in the late Ming Dynasty, who was particularly good at managing complex economic affairs.

He served as the Governor of Tianjin and concurrently as the Minister of Military Affairs, not only coordinating with the Governor of Deng, Yuan Keli, to form a strong alliance, but also using Qi Jiguang's legacy to greatly strengthen Tianjin's military preparations. Moreover, he also did an excellent job in urging Liao military supplies.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!