Pi Island.
"Although it was a joint battle involving four regiments, the Left Brigade of the Dongjiang Army was still the main force." Mao Wenlong patted the victory report on the table, stroked his beard and smiled, "The battle of Port Arthur, the Qing army was defeated and fled. It was truly inspiring."
Chen Jisheng nodded and smiled, saying, "Just like us, the defense of the position has shown its strength. We will be more confident in future battles."
Gou Zhenhuai took the document, looked it over carefully again, and said slowly: "The Jiannu suffered a great loss, and future battles may change. Our army should continue to train rigorously. Building on the advantages of muskets, we can make up for the shortcomings in close combat and then bravely fight the enemy."
"Deputy General Gou hit the nail on the head," Mao Wenlong agreed, adding, "If Zuo Xie had been formidable in close combat, the Jiannu's defeat at Port Arthur wouldn't have been as simple as losing a few thousand men."
After a pause, Mao Wenlong continued, "As for the Jiannu changing their fighting style, in my opinion, the only solution is to thicken their armor. The Eagle Gun is incredibly powerful at piercing through armor and is incredibly powerful. You can petition the court to deploy more of them."
"And the Jiannu's shield carts," Mao Wenlong added, "cannons can destroy them, and the court needs to manufacture more and equip the various armies."
Chen Jisheng hesitated for a moment and said, "It's expensive and takes time to manufacture. I'm afraid it won't be enough to meet our army's needs in a short period of time. For now, we should focus on harassing the enemy and using it to tie down their exhausted enemy."
Gou Zhenhuai nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "That's right. In less than a year, the officers and soldiers of each town have seen significant changes, all thanks to Your Majesty's painstaking efforts. We should still play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, and do more to help Your Majesty."
"Long live the wise ruler," Mao Wenlong said with a bow. "You have foresight and have made all the necessary arrangements. The deployment of the eagle guns and artillery is proceeding as planned."
Gou Zhenhuai smiled and said, "Long live your wisdom and intelligence. We are far behind you."
Chen Jisheng knew that these two people must have some secrets involving the emperor, so he didn't dare to ask and also bowed and complimented them a few times.
Gou Zhen had the power to secretly report, and he also guessed that Mao Wenlong had it.
Similarly, Mao Wenlong knew that Gou Zhenhuai, with his duties as military supervisor, would definitely have the power to make secret reports. But he also had this power, and this was something he deliberately said to Gou Zhenhuai.
Mao Wenlong believed that he had not violated any laws or discipline since becoming the commander-in-chief, and that he had led the troops in battle with all his heart and effort.
This disclosure to Gou Zhenhuai was also a reminder to him that he had the right to make a secret appeal. If there were any mistakes, it would be better to inform him directly without going through His Majesty.
How could Gou Zhenhuai not understand Mao Wenlong's meaning, but he disagreed.
In his opinion, as long as you are loyal to the state and do not deceive the emperor, I will not complain to the emperor even if there are minor problems. But if you want to deceive the emperor, even if you use gold, silver and treasures, don't blame me for being rude.
Of course, Gou Zhenhuai acknowledged his responsibility as military supervisor, and the emperor also personally instructed him about it.
Zhu Youxiao disliked the title and position of military supervisor, and as part of the military reform, it was being gradually eliminated not only in Dongjiang Town but also nationwide.
But in fact, only the powers and names changed. The original military inspectors either had their powers reduced or were replaced by military judges and salary inspectors.
For example, according to the latest imperial edict, the military supervisors of the various armies in the southwest that were suppressing the rebellion were only responsible for providing fodder and verifying merits and crimes, and were not allowed to make decisions on their own.
In other words, the position of military inspector was temporarily retained, but it could no longer control the military command of the generals, which to a large extent avoided the situation of discord between civil and military officials and constraints on advance and retreat.
In fact, most people were unaware of the emperor's extreme aversion to "controlling the military with civil power" and only thought it was a discretionary measure in the face of war.
Even Wang Sanshan, who was transferred to the capital to preside over the next year's imperial examination, did not know that the main reason the emperor replaced him was that he ordered the military supervisor to control the generals.
However, Fu Zonglong did the opposite when he made a memorial to the emperor, which finally made the emperor make up his mind to promote him, listen to his advice, and entrust him with important tasks.
…………………………Dividing line………………………………
The sudden launch of the Dongjiang Army and the coordinated actions of various military towns caught the Jiannu off guard and dealt a heavy blow.
The Plain White Banner led by the Eighth Prince Huang Taiji, who had moved to Xiuyan, received an urgent letter from the Second Prince Amin asking for help. Just as they were about to set out, news came that Zhenjiang was under siege by the Ming army.
In terms of distance, Nanguan is twice as far as Zhenjiang, and it was difficult for Huang Taiji to decide which one to rescue first.
Analyzing from the intelligence, although Amin's Bordered Blue Banner was defeated, it still had a lot of troops, so it should be no problem to defend the South Gate.
The capture of Zhenjiang meant that the Ming army under the banner of Mao Wenlong had gotten rid of Daishan's two banners.
At least, it would take Daishan one or two days longer to lead his troops from Manpu and Changcheng to Zhenjiang than for him to lead his troops to provide emergency assistance.
After this analysis, Huang Taiji changed his original decision and sent someone to deliver a letter to Amin, asking him to hold the South Gate and not attack Lushun Fort again.
After stabilizing this side, Huang Taiji led the Plain White Banner and galloped eastwards to Zhenjiang at night.
The result was obvious. Huang Taiji arrived too late, Zhenjiang was captured, and the defending army was wiped out.
The Ming army had already retreated, leaving him with only an empty city after the war.
The question arises again, should we garrison in Zhenjiang, or go back to reinforce Amin in Nanguan?
As for dividing the troops, one part to defend the city and the other to reinforce, Huang Taiji didn't even need to think about it. Wouldn't such an arrangement give the Ming army another opportunity to attack?
Fortunately, after one day of stationing in Zhenjiang City, the Red Banner sent by Daishan, led by Yuetuo, arrived, allowing Huang Taiji to withdraw and return to provide assistance.
Yuetuo's arrival also brought some not-so-good news to Huang Taiji, making him more aware of the current combat situation.
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