From the emperor to the Ministry of War and the generals below, everyone had anticipated the Jiannu's counterattack.

If they didn't take action, they would be sitting there waiting to die, waiting for their food and supplies to run out, and then they would be defeated without a fight. It was perfectly natural to fight like a trapped beast while there was still some strength left, hoping to gain a victory.

The Jiannu only launched their rebellion in two directions: southern Liaoning and Liaodong.

Western Liaoning is separated by the Liaohe River and Liaoze Lake, and is also a deep trench and fortification. The Jiannu have suffered heavy losses several times in attacking the area, and they are unlikely to repeat the same mistake.

Liaodong is far from Liaoshen, so even if the Jiannu can win, they will suffer heavy losses. If they were to face the Ming army in southern Liaoning, it would be difficult to preserve Liaoshen.

Southern Liaoning was the sharp knife that went straight to the heart of Jiannu. If the threat was not eliminated, Jiannu would always have to concentrate its heavy troops in Liaoning and would find it difficult to launch large-scale operations in other directions.

Xiong Tingbi led his army to defend on both sides of the Haicheng River. He was not in a hurry to attack the Haizhou City Wall, also out of precaution against the Jiannu army's full-scale attack.

Moreover, when a large army is assembled, ready to attack but unable to, it is like a duel between two masters, which is most terrifying and unpredictable when the swords are not yet drawn.

With more troops, more cannons, and stronger defenses for the camp, even if the attack is thwarted, there is still room to retreat and defend.

The emperor has mobilized the entire country. Even if he cannot win this war, he cannot suffer a crushing defeat that will make the emperor lose face.

This may be a truth that the Ministry of War and even the generals on the front line understand.

Why invest huge sums of money, even at the cost of offending scholars and the powerful civil service group?

If such painstaking efforts and hard work still fail to produce acceptable results, one can imagine the wrath of thunder.

Especially in the past few years, although most of the victories were achieved by relying on defense, there have indeed been no major defeats.

So, how would the emperor and the people of the Ming Dynasty, who were used to hearing about victories, react when they heard about a crushing defeat? Who would want to be the first to be defeated and experience a rare defeat?

Therefore, everyone wanted to achieve great things, and being promoted to a noble or general was also a goal in life. However, in actual combat, everyone still maintained a certain degree of caution and did not dare to underestimate the enemy.

The main ones are Xiong Tingbi and Mao Wenlong. They are the main commanders and have the greatest responsibility, so they dare not take it lightly.

Now that the battle plan is basically finalized, we should sharpen our weapons and horses, make full preparations, fight the most decisive battle, and achieve the most certain victory.

Preparation means waiting, but it does not mean doing nothing. It involves training the troops, deploying defenses, building fortifications, receiving incoming supplies, weapons, and ammunition, and conducting coordinated drills to strengthen coordination among various units.

You have to know that the emperor invested a lot of money. Not only were equipment and supplies transported at full speed, but almost all the martial arts students were also sent out to strengthen the Liaodong troops.

Especially the students in the artillery department, together with the smart soldiers selected from the troops, the artillery of the Ming army was greatly strengthened after training.

Even so, the emperor was still not satisfied, and specifically instructed Sun Yuanhua to work overtime to produce rockets and send them to Liaodong for the Jiannu to have a taste.

The autumn wind is getting colder, the leaves are turning yellow, and the scenery is gradually becoming bleak.

The emperor, who was far away in the capital, had done everything he could, but he still couldn't be completely at ease.

After dismissing the court, he returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and pondered over what unexpected tactics he could come up with to surprise the Jiannu.

It seems that there is no more?! After thinking for a while, the emperor smiled bitterly, feeling that he had almost pulled out everything in his mind that could adapt to the war of this era.

Airplanes and tanks are pure wishful thinking. They can’t even produce rifled guns!

Feeling a little thirsty, the emperor subconsciously licked his lips. Just as he raised his head, a pair of delicate hands holding a teacup were handed to him.

Xiaohui is becoming more and more capable.

The emperor looked at Xiao Hui's somewhat flattering smile, nodded gently, took the teacup and took two sips, then asked, "Isn't it Cheng Cheng's turn to take the duty?"

"Your Majesty, Chengcheng is not feeling well. I apologize to Your Majesty." Fan Xiaohui took the teacup and bowed in response.

"Have you found the imperial physician?" The emperor frowned slightly and turned to look at Fan Xiaohui.

Fan Xiaohui blushed a little and stammered, "It's okay. Just drink some brown sugar water and get some more rest."

Oh, I get it, Chengcheng has relatives coming to visit.

The emperor turned his eyes away and picked up the memorial on the table and began to look through it.

Even Duan Chunfei already has one, so why is there no movement from Chengcheng? I have slept in the Qianqing Palace quite a few times, right?

Reading the memorials was not a big deal, and the emperor's mind was still full of random thoughts.

The emperor reached out and picked up the red brush. Fan Xiaohui had already stepped forward to grind the cinnabar, waiting for the emperor to review it.

After pondering for a while, the emperor quickly wrote a directive to the editor-in-chief of "Daming Forum", asking him to publicize the scientific nature and practicality of smallpox vaccination in the newspaper.

The Fu family, famous for their "Taiping Smallpox Vaccine", was summoned to Beijing and received an audience with the emperor. After repeated inquiries, they received the imperial decree to promote its cultivation and were granted official positions.

However, judging from the actual results, the promotion in Beijing has not been smooth, and traditional concepts are still a great obstacle.

Compulsory vaccination was one option, but the emperor still didn't want to issue such an imperial decree. At least, he believed that given the current situation, even if he issued an imperial decree, the effectiveness would be uncertain.

"Summon Fu Jiasheng to the palace tomorrow to vaccinate the two little princesses." The emperor put down his red brush and finally made up his mind.

This was good for the two little princesses and would also have a great publicity effect, but not everyone could understand it. Zhang Yuer didn't dare to openly disobey, but her words and attitude were still quite cautious.

In fact, even Zhu Youxiao was not completely reassured. But based on his knowledge, he believed that smallpox vaccination was relatively safe and reliable.

Of course, there is rarely a 100% probability of success. There may be an extremely low chance of failure or side effects, but the emperor does not think it would be such a coincidence that it would happen to his own children.

I'm afraid this is something that must be done!

The emperor sighed, as if he had accomplished something great, and leaned back in his chair with a relaxed expression.

"Is there something wrong?" Noticing that Fan Xiaohui looked a little strange, the emperor raised his eyebrows and asked casually.

Fan Xiaohui nodded hurriedly and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sister Chengcheng is not feeling well. If the emperor sleeps in the East Warm Pavilion tonight, she asked me to serve him."

The emperor blinked, guessing what Li Chengcheng meant. He was trying to help his good friend, not wanting the two Korean girls to take advantage of him because he couldn't sleep with him.

Looking at Fan Xiaohui's expression, the emperor knew that this girl was still not fully aware of the true content of her evening service. Of course, this also depended on one's own concentration.

However, in front of a beautiful woman, I have no self-control at all. At first, I wanted to just hug her and sleep, but her dirty hands were so honest that they made me lose all my self-control as soon as I touched her.

This girl seems to understand a lot about sex, so why not try something special? The emperor pinched his chin and smiled meaningfully.

I'll cover your eyes quietly with a red cloth, okay?

……………….