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Pi Island.

Although Zhenjiang Fort had been stabilized and the situation of defending the river had been formed, the headquarters of Dongjiang Town was still located in Pi Island and had not been moved.

Mao Wenlong was sitting in his study, reading the emperor's secret decree.

The secret memorial system not only made the emperor more alert, but also gave his subjects a unique sense of trust and respect. Being able to correspond with the emperor gave him a sense of pride and superiority.

Although it was just the beginning of midsummer, the emperor had already secretly informed Mao Wenlong that he would go to Beijing to report on his work after the Mid-Autumn Festival. It would not take three to five years to pacify Liaodong, but only one or two years.

The emperor's anxiety was revealed in his secret report, which was not concealed, making Mao Wenlong feel that the emperor's trust in him was extraordinary.

Mao Wenlong judged that one year might not be enough. But he didn't want to dampen the emperor's spirits. Although one year was tight, there was still hope.

Since Wansui hopes so, then we should work hard towards this goal. Whether we succeed or not will be decided later.

Mao Wenlong pondered for a long time, picked up the pen, and wrote as he thought, carefully and seriously writing a reply to the emperor.

The Dongjiang headquarters currently consists of three divisions, and according to the standards of a mixed division, each division will be expanded to 8,000 men by the end of the year: 1,000 flying cavalry, 2,000 dragoons, 3,000 infantry, and 1,000 artillery.

This is already the maximum number that the imperial court can supply. The three associations together have 12,000 to 13,000 horses, and the amount of food, fodder, and beans needed is also quite astonishing.

Mao Wenlong did not dare to make false reports after reporting the situation of the Dongjiang headquarters. He did not know about others, but Gou Zhenhuai must have the right to make secret reports, and he might even be writing one now!

Next, Mao Wenlong reported the latest news from North Korea to the Emperor.

As Zhu Youxiao expected, the Korean envoy Li Qingquan caused an uproar immediately after returning home with the Ming Dynasty's imperial edict of granting the title.

The Joseon monarch and his ministers believed that historically, the Ming Dynasty's enthronement must have been through the dispatch of formal envoys. Now there was only an imperial edict, and the so-called "Injo Restoration" and the legitimacy of Injo's throne could not be finally recognized.

Li Zong was also very anxious. If he could not obtain the official title from the Ming Dynasty, it would provide an excuse for his opponents to launch an uprising. He had just spent a lot of effort to quell Li Shi's rebellion. If it happened again or twice, his throne would be in danger.

After listening carefully to Li Qingquan's report, Li Zong understood and immediately decided to send another delegation to ask the Ming Dynasty to send an envoy to formally confer the title.

By then, the Joseon rulers and ministers had also noticed the changing situation in Liaodong. They believed that the Later Jin had been suppressed and the threat greatly reduced. Their original strategy of "being friendly to the Ming and not angry at the Jin" could be completely reversed.

The Korean delegation had just passed Pi Island and went to Dengzhou to pay a visit to Yuan Keli, then landed in Tianjin and rushed to the capital.

From Mao Wenlong's perspective, he wanted to facilitate this matter and obtain more material assistance from North Korea, and he didn't care whether he was a usurper or not!

After speaking well of North Korea, Mao Wenlong felt that it was not enough, especially since the Emperor had instructed that special attention should be paid to the secret report and it must not be leaked.

"I am deeply grateful and overwhelmed by the grace of Your Majesty to promote me and place me in such a high position. I will serve Your Majesty with all my heart and soul. Regarding what I have to say to Your Majesty, I will keep my mouth shut, even to those as close as father, son, or brother."

Mao Wenlong put down his pen, stroked his beard, and examined and considered the proposal again and again before he felt relatively satisfied. Especially the final statement of loyalty and guarantee should reassure the emperor.

At this moment, the personal guard reported that Master Shen came to ask for an audience.

"Let him wait for a moment." Mao Wenlong frowned, quickly put the secret report away and sealed the box before letting his father-in-law in.

In fact, Mao Wenlong also guessed a little about the purpose of Mr. Shen's visit.

With the consolidation of Zhenjiang Fort, the Ming army, using it as a base, had the conditions to continue advancing and recover more lost territory. Kuandian, Xindian and other places produced ginseng, which was the specialty of Master Shen's business that made him rich.

But how could a military operation be carried out for the purpose of digging ginseng? Even if Mao Wenlong wanted to take care of his father-in-law, he would have to have a suitable excuse from the two deputy generals!

"Greetings, Marshal Mao!" Shen Shikui did not dare to call himself the grandfather, and bowed to his son-in-law.

Mao Wenlong stood up to greet him, smiled and gave Shen Shikui a light support, and asked him to sit down, but he was very unhappy in his heart.

Don't you know that your son-in-law has earned the emperor's trust and is working hard to secure a title for his wife and children? It's shortsighted to only focus on material gain. I can't let my path to becoming a marquis be ruined just to help you get rich.

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Western Liaoning, Guangning.

The enthusiastic atmosphere of escorting Khorchin captives and the Jiannu second Beile Amin to Beijing to present the captives had not yet dissipated when the two reinforcements transferred from Shanhaiguan arrived and joined the Liaozhen formation.

As the governor of Liaodong, Xiong Tingbi moved his headquarters there as soon as Guangning was stabilized and personally took charge of the front line. He believed that this was his responsibility.

The secret memorial to the emperor had already been written. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, he secretly went to Beijing to report on his work and discuss the plan to pacify Liao. The secret order was the same as Mao Wenlong's.

Although Wansui is a little anxious, judging from the current replenishment and training of troops, as well as the supply of equipment and materials, there is still hope of pacifying Liaoning within a year.

Lao Xiong sealed the secret report and went to the sand table to study it carefully. He was thinking about where to choose the first foothold for the counterattack across the Liaohe River after the winter freeze.

The fastest route is naturally to start from Zhenwu Fort, Xixing Fort or Xiping Fort, cross the Great Wall, pass through the Liaohe River, and reach Huangniwa directly.

This was also the attack route taken by the Jiannu during the Battle of Guangning, which caught the Guangning Ming army by surprise, leading to the loss of Xiping Fort and a disastrous defeat at Shaling.

If it were just the Ming army in Liaozhen, they would be slightly underpowered to launch such a direct attack. You have to know that Huangniwa is relatively close to Liaoyang and not too far from Shenyang. The Jiannu are currently retreating there and have a large number of troops.

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