To understand Mao Wenlong's merits and demerits, one must at least know the population, army, food and wages of Dongjiang, as well as the military operations launched against the Later Jin, and even the results and losses.

Zhu Youxiao only knew the comments on the Internet in later generations, but some of them were true and some were false, so he could not be sure.

Not to mention Mao Wenlong, everyone changes. Zhu Youxiao's job is to understand the changes and the factors that drive them, and guide or resolve them.

The lessons of history are very profound. Denglai Governor Yuan Keli was under great pressure to verify Mao Wenlong's battle report of "victory in Manpu and Changcheng", which caused a conflict between the two. The conflict was exploited and eventually led to Yuan Keli's resignation.

Yuan Keli's departure was a tragedy for Mao Wenlong, Yuan Keli, and the Ming Dynasty. It can even be said that this was a turning point in the Liao Dynasty's war situation from prosperity to decline.

If there were Jinyiwei, eunuchs, and civil servants in Dongjiang Town, and the court had been well-informed and accurate in its information, such a thing would not have happened.

He was not a military supervisor who ordered Mao Wenlong around and made decisions for him. He was just an informant who reported truthfully so that Zhu Youxiao could understand the actual situation.

Therefore, instead of placing them after Dongjiang Town is established, it is better to start now. This is also Zhu Youxiao's way of laying a good foundation for his teacher Yuan Keli to take up his post.

As for the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town, does Mao Wenlong have to be chosen? Zhu Youxiao felt that, at least for now, he had no more suitable candidate.

There were many generals who could lead troops to fight, but Zhu Youxiao really couldn't find a "cockroach" like Mao Wenlong who was more skilled in using guerrilla tactics, who suffered more defeats than victories but was still able to deal with the Later Jin Dynasty.

The tactic of "guerrilla warfare" has existed since ancient times. Sun Tzu used this tactic when he attacked the State of Chu. Of course, it did not have this name at that time, nor was it as concise as the "sixteen-character" policy in later generations.

Of course, Mao Wenlong's guerrilla tactics were also a last resort. He couldn't win by force, so he had to attack everywhere, taking advantage when he could, and running away when he suffered a loss.

Anyway, the Later Jin were strong in cavalry and archery, and horses couldn't run out to sea. The Dongjiang army was stationed on the islands, so it could be said that they were not injured at all and could continue to recover and fight again.

In fact, it is easier said than done.

First of all, you need accurate intelligence. Wherever the enemy is weak, we will bully him; wherever the enemy is stubborn, we will hide.

Secondly, we must master the distance to penetrate into the enemy territory and calculate the time it takes for the enemy reinforcements to arrive. If we penetrate too deep, we will easily be blocked on the shore and unable to retreat in time.

By the same token, if the enemy reinforcements arrive faster than expected, they will easily be besieged and suffer heavy losses.

Mao Wenlong's sense of smell, or intuition in this area, is still very strong.

It is said that when Nurhaci was a servant of Li Chengliang, Mao Wenlong was also a minor officer under Li Chengliang. The two should have known each other, and may even have known each other well.

In any case, Mao Wenlong carried out sneak attacks, sent spies, killed people, set fires, and looted things, and incited the Liao people to rebel and escape. Although his actions were not big, they caused great annoyance to the Later Jin Dynasty. They had to be on guard against the sudden attack of Mao, the great island master.

In history, Dongjiang Town played such a restraining role.

Because most of the Ming court's resources were still continuously invested in the bottomless pit of western Liaoning. The fortress advanced hundreds of miles, but not many enemies were killed, and instead the court went bankrupt.

If my plan succeeds, Dongjiang Town will surely become a dazzling presence. As for Mao Wenlong, I'm sure he won't repeat the same mistakes.

………………

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you and congratulate you on your wedding. Long live the Emperor!"

"Your Majesty, I, your servant, greet you and congratulate you on your wedding. Long live the Emperor!"

Amid the cheers of congratulations, Zhu Youxiao came to his senses and looked towards the hall.

Yesterday he finally received an urgent report from Tianjin and Denglai. Now that all the troops have been dispatched, the outcome will be decided by fate!

Zhu Youxiao's anxious and restless mood eased, and he was in a good mood. Facing the congratulations from the civil and military officials and the nobles, he nodded with a smile, raised his hand slightly, and called the guests who came to watch the ceremony and congratulate him.

Getting married, three wives at once, it’s quite exciting to think about it!

The Minister of Rites, Sun Shenxing, walked to the center of the hall, holding the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, and read aloud the emperor's edict and imperial seal appointing the empress and the imperial concubine. On the table next to him were placed the golden seal, golden edict, and golden seal.

The golden seal is the imperial seal of the empress and the imperial concubine; the golden book is the document that enthrones the empress; the golden seal, also known as the phoenix seal, is unique to the empress and is the proof of her power as the master of the harem.

After the ceremony, the official in charge of welcoming the bride, arranged by the Ministry of Rites, received the imperial edict, imperial seal, and seal, and went straight to the Meridian Gate to arrange the carriages for the empress, the imperial concubine, and the other two.

The wedding procession was placed outside the Meridian Gate. Among them was a sedan chair for the empress and two sedan chairs for the imperial concubines. The empress's sedan chair was covered with an apricot-yellow satin curtain with phoenixes embroidered on it with gold thread to distinguish it from the imperial concubines.

Wang Tigan's face was filled with joy, appearing even happier than Zhu Youxiao. He bowed beside Zhu Youxiao and reminded him, "Your Majesty, please receive the civil and military officials, the nobles, and then proceed to the Qianqing Palace to wait for Her Majesty the Empress to come and see you."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and ordered, "Call out the names of the officials, both civil and military, and the nobles, and have them present their congratulations and audiences according to the imperial decree."

"Yes!" Wang Tigan bowed and accepted the order, then turned around and, according to the rules, stepped forward to present gifts to the emperor and congratulate him on his wedding.

First came several elders of the royal family in the capital, then the nobles and important ministers, and in order, first came the people of the Zhu family, then the queen's family, and finally outsiders.

The roll call and congratulations didn't last long, but the guests still tried their best to perform well. The gifts had to be both valuable and novel to please the emperor and leave a deep impression on him.

The Empress's family was small, and her family members would never dare to act too arrogantly in front of the Emperor, except that they did not have to offer gifts. On the contrary, the Emperor would reward them.

He exchanged a few meaningless words with his father-in-law Zhang Guoji, all of which were official responses and ended quickly.

Zhang Guoji and the others thanked the emperor according to the etiquette and left the hall. They were going to rush back to the mansion to wait for the time when the phoenix chariot for the bride would arrive.

According to the rules, after Zhu Youxiao selected the empress and the imperial concubine, he granted them a house in the capital where the empress and the two imperial concubines' families could live, so that it would be easier to welcome the bride.

After the roll call, Zhu Youxiao returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, where he waited for the Empress to come in for an audience. Well, she wasn't Empress yet, as the final ceremony of her enthronement was still to be held.

Zhu Youxiao was not idle while waiting for tea and cakes. He ate something casually and asked Liu Ruoyu to read a few memorials.

Zhu Youxiao looked at the arrangements made by the Ministry of Rites for today's etiquette process and could only describe it in two words: what a hassle.

After the wedding guard brings Zhang Yan, the groom Zhu Youxiao will hold the bride's hand and go to Kunning Palace to perform the ceremony of conferring the title of queen. This will be considered a real wedding ceremony.