Gou Zhenhuai blinked his eyes, smiled, and said, "It doesn't matter whether these two tiny towns are defended or not."

After a pause, he continued, "From what I've heard, Marshal Mao feels that the goal of training through battle has been achieved, and there's no need to engage in further major battles with the Eastern Tartars in Manpo and Changcheng. And if the Eastern Tartars capture these two cities, they won't be able to station a large army there. The two cities are separated by a large river, and if our army attacks them in the future and the Eastern Tartars can't come to their rescue, it will be another great victory."

Mao Wenlong's eyes flashed, and he looked at Gou Zhenhuai with some admiration.

That’s right, these two reasons, although not the most comprehensive, also reveal his main intention of abandoning the two cities.

Gou Zhenhuai bowed from his horse and said, "The emperor has said: If you save the land but lose the people, you lose both the land and the people; if you save the people but lose the land, you gain both the land and the people! The Dongjiang Army's battle against the Eastern Tartars requires flexibility and agility, regardless of the gains and losses of a single city or a single place."

Mao Wenlong chewed over these words again and again, feeling somewhat moved. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty is a man of great intelligence. What you said is so brilliant and insightful. It has enlightened me and benefited me greatly!"

Then, he bowed to Gou Zhenhuai and said with a smile: "General Gou, Your Majesty, if you have any more profound military strategies, I hope you will be generous in teaching me. Don't keep them to yourself."

Gou Zhenhuai returned the greeting with a bow and said, "Marshal Mao is willing to listen. I will tell you everything."

After a pause, he asked again, "I wonder where Marshal Mao is going to direct his troops after he moves his troops?"

Mao Wenlong patted the sword at his waist and said with a smile, "I want to revisit my old place and go to Zhenjiang."

Zhenjiang, also known as Jiuliancheng, belonged to the later Dandong. It is located to the north of Zhendong Mountain, to the west of Hengdao River, and five miles south of the Yalu River, with Yizhou of Korea on the other side.

From a geographical point of view, the four guards of Zhenjiang South Barrier (Jin, Fu, Hai, and Gai) are very important as they face Korea to the east.

Just like Zhang Pan was obsessed with Lushun, Jinzhou and other places, Mao Wenlong kept his eyes on Zhenjiang.

From a strategic point of view, it would be most advantageous for the army to camp half in Korea and half in Zhenjiang, defending both sides of the river.

Gou Zhen thought for a moment, then smiled and bowed, saying, "Marshal Mao, your suggestion of revisiting the old place is brilliant. I will follow you with all my heart, and thank you for being my guide!"

Mao Wenlong laughed heartily and said, "Of course I should. After all, I'm very familiar with Zhenjiang!"

As they walked and talked, their impressions of each other deepened and they also got to know each other's temperament and character better.

Mao Wenlong also realized that Gou Zhenhuai was no simple person. Although he was usually quiet, he was actually very knowledgeable and must have the power to secretly report to the emperor.

……………………Dividing line……………………

Reform was also called "Dingxin Jiegu" by the ancients; the conservatives who obstructed it called it "Bianfa Chaos Norm".

However, it is impossible for reform to take all aspects into consideration. Since new adjustments need to be made to the existing power, interests, social order, etc., the interests of some people will definitely be harmed.

Whether it is about economic interests, power, or ideas, conflicts are inevitable.

Therefore, in the process of reform, it is very important to advance while maintaining social stability as much as possible.

The ancients also summarized the experiences and lessons in this regard, and proposed a strategy of using "small changes" to achieve "unchange" and gradually advance in depth.

Zhu Youxiao certainly knew that reform, development and stability were inseparable.

Especially when the Ming Dynasty was facing internal and external troubles, it was even more important to grasp this scale and properly handle the relationship between the three.

Therefore, the "grain-based" policy only revealed a hint of weakness, and Zhu Youxiao did not intend to implement it this year.

Autumn was approaching, and judging by reports from various regions, the harvest was generally good. Shaanxi, a province he cared deeply about, was particularly prosperous, with only northern Shaanxi experiencing somewhat worse conditions.

But with the amnesty, the people of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan can breathe a sigh of relief. By next year, when sweet potato cultivation is promoted on a larger scale, the food problem will be almost solved.

He is so wise and brave. He has achieved this in just over half a year. That’s amazing!

The only thing that made Zhu Youxiao's wisdom a little flawed was potatoes.

According to the memorial submitted by Xu Guangqi, the results of the potato trial in the suburbs of Beijing were not very satisfactory. The yield was not high and the quality was not very good.

After careful consideration, Zhu Youxiao came to the correct conclusion.

When potatoes were first introduced to China, they were certainly not genetically modified. The climate and soil conditions in their place of origin were also undoubtedly different from those in the suburbs of Beijing, so it's not surprising that they had problems.

Zhu Youxiao felt that if potatoes were to adapt to the environment, they would have to be grown for several years, or even more than ten years, before they could become a high-yield crop.

Fortunately, I didn't force everyone to grow potatoes. Even sweet potatoes were only promoted in Shuntian Prefecture and Northern Zhili, and the harvest was very good.

The young emperor smelled a familiar sweet smell and put down the notebook. He saw that the "hamster" Li Chengcheng was not doing his homework honestly and kept looking out.

Wang Tigan and the palace servants were roasting sweet potatoes outside. The oven designed by the emperor himself was just a tin barrel-like thing.

"Chengcheng, go take a look outside," the young emperor casually ordered. "It smells delicious. Bring me a piece when it's cooked."

"I obey your order." Li Chengcheng agreed readily, stood up and left the imperial study.

Zhu Youxiao picked up the manuscript again. If he wanted to eat the roasted sweet potatoes, he would have to wait a while. As an emperor, he had to be more reserved.

Now, some of the memorials of important ministers were taken to the Imperial Study for review, while others were read to him by Liu Ruoyu in the eastern warm room of the Qianqing Palace.

The memorial in my hand now was submitted by Shen Yourong, regarding the emperor's consultation on the establishment of a naval academy.

Because it was the emperor's intention, Shen Yourong was very careful in his wording. But Zhu Youxiao could see that Shen Yourong had reservations.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!