"How about we talk about it after the New Year?" Kong Youde looked at Zhang Pan and the town announcement inquiringly, and smiled, "Don't let Lord Xiong miss the opportunity to collect the heads!"
Zhang Pan scratched his head and said uncertainly, "Don't relax too much. Be prepared, intensify reconnaissance and spying, and be ready to act at any time."
Zhang Bang smiled and nodded, saying, "Lord Xiong is full of confidence. He must have some powerful tactics. He's afraid the Jiannu will get hurt!"
Kong Youde took out his small pipe again and filled it with tobacco as he said, "After the New Year, my Right Coalition will take the lead. Together, the three of us will strive to drive the Jiannu out of Jinzhou."
"Aren't we being a bit hasty?" Zhang Pan shook his head slightly and said, "We're facing two banners of the Jiannu army. Defense is no problem; attacking will be difficult to achieve. Our current task is to hold on to Lüda and make it a permanent base."
"Could the Dongjiang headquarters offer some support?" Kong Youde said. "There are also many idle troops in Dengzhen and Jinzhen. Your Majesty values the Four Guards of Southern Liao very much. Doesn't he want to recapture them as soon as possible?"
Zhang Bang raised an eyebrow and said, "Lord Yuan has instructed me that holding onto Lüda is the most important achievement. His Majesty's intention is to wait and see, as there seem to be new weapons and tactics being introduced."
Oh, Kong Youde and Zhang Pan turned their inquiring eyes to Zhang Bang, who could only smile bitterly and said, "I don't know the details. But since Lord Yuan has given such instructions, we will remain as still as a mountain and wait for some time."
Zhang Pan pondered for a moment and said, "That's fine. Luda is so important that we absolutely cannot afford to lose it, or we will disappoint His Majesty's earnest expectations."
"A new weapon? Is it more powerful than the Eagle Gun?" Kong Youde scratched his head, thinking. After finishing a pack of cigarettes, he still had no idea what to do. He simply stood up and said, "I'll go and see the cavalry training, and Lao Zhang, go see how many dumplings have been made. There are over ten thousand people here, and if there are any less, there won't be enough to eat."
Zhang Pan nodded, stood up and said, "There are definitely enough dumplings to eat, but the frozen ones are not as delicious as the freshly made ones."
There was no other way. Although there were many soldiers, there weren't many who could make dumplings that looked both good and tasted good. So they simply handed them all over to the kitchen, had them packed and frozen in advance, and then the officers from each unit would pick them up and cook them.
Zhang Bang had nothing else to do, so he took on patrol duties. Although he wasn't afraid of an attack from the Qing army, the soldiers couldn't relax during the New Year holidays. They had to be on high alert, just in case.
There was a festive atmosphere in the barracks, but in times of war, when soldiers were required to fulfill their duties, it was not very strong.
The several villages in Lüda are different. Ever since the Jiannu rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, wars have never stopped. These Liao people have been worried and frightened, and have not had a few days of peace.
Now, although we are still in a war era, we are not under the rule of the Jiannu, and the imperial court is also very attentive to the resettlement and relief of the Liao people.
Seeing that the Lüda area was heavily trooped, the people felt relieved and believed that it could be defended. They started to prepare for a good New Year and vent their long-suppressed emotions.
Every household in the village had posted spring couplets, some even had New Year pictures on their doors, and lanterns were hung. The people had smiles on their faces, and their greetings were loud and clear.
"Yingzi, why don't you make dumplings and freeze them?" Yingzi's father had just put down his pipe when he heard the door open and knew that his daughter had returned.
Yingzi responded readily and said, "I'll chop the meat filling and make it ready for eating tomorrow."
"Can you handle this by yourself?" Dad said, "Zhu Zi has a big appetite. If you don't give him enough, he won't feel comfortable eating. It's better not to invite him at all!"
"It's enough for anyone with a big appetite." Yingzi walked into the house with a smile, but in the blink of an eye she frowned, covered her nose and walked out again.
Dad chuckled twice and said, "Don't come to this room again. You might get choked!"
After a pause, the old man asked again, "Did you and Tao go to that shop to negotiate wages again? Six yuan a year is pretty good, I think. You don't have to do any hard work, it's much better than farming."
Yingzi laughed and said, "Dad, Ah Tao and I have already negotiated eight yuan. It's not included in the wages, it's a bonus for the Wanshou Festival and New Year's Day."
Yingzi's father chuckled and said, "He must be annoyed by your nagging, so he just added two yuan to buy some peace and quiet."
"Of course not!" Yingzi didn't take it seriously. She lit a fire in the outer room and cooked, but she was actually very happy. She had free meals, easy work, and eight yuan a year. What a great thing!
After finishing his cigarette, Yingzi's father came to the outer room and said to his daughter, "I'm going to plant ten acres of land next year. If the harvest is good, the grain we harvest will be enough for the two of us to eat. You should save your eight yuan."
"Ten acres of land, can you farm it?" Yingzi tilted her head and asked, "Don't get too tired."
Yingzi's father smiled and said, "Didn't the imperial court say they would lend oxen to the people for farming? The army also said they would lend horses. With animals to work, how could ten acres of land really be tiring for people?"
Yingzi nodded and said, "Anyway, there will be no taxes in the first year. With ten acres of land, even if the tax is minimal, it will be enough to buy porridge."
Yingzi's father laughed and said, "Silly girl, if you want to plant something, don't plant rice or wheat. We should plant more beans. Don't you see that the soldiers have so many more horses? Soybeans and black beans can be sold at a good price!"
Yingzi curled her lips and laughed, "Dad, you're really calculating! If we can't sell our beans, we won't even be able to drink our porridge!"
"No, no," Yingzi's father said firmly, "I heard from Zhuzi that the government encourages people to grow alfalfa in order to raise horses!"
Oh, Yingzi didn’t quite understand, but since her father spoke so confidently, she didn’t care much.
"It looks like Lushun is secure!" Yingzi's father narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "These officers and soldiers are very different from the Liaodong military leaders a few years ago! There's really hope of pacifying Liaodong and destroying the Jiannu."
Yingzi laughed. Even though she didn't quite understand, she felt happy and relieved when she heard this.
………………
Pi Island.
Similar to the plan of Zhang Pan and others, Mao Wenlong discussed with generals such as Gou Zhenhuai and decided to take action after the New Year.
The Jiannu used two flags of troops to suppress the Dongjiang headquarters. Given the difference in field combat capabilities, they were obviously not confident of a head-on confrontation.
Therefore, the result of the military discussion was to have two divisions guard Tieshan and Pi Island, while the other division would conduct landing and harassment attacks on the coast between Huanggu Island Fort and Xiaojia Island Pass.
First, there are no major rivers flowing into the sea in this landing area, the seawater is relatively saline, and the coast is not frozen, which is conducive to landing;
Secondly, this place is located between the Liaonan and Zhenjiang Later Jin armies. If either side wants to withdraw troops to intercept, the distance is almost the same, which is convenient for timing the attack and retreat.
No matter whether it was Daishan or Huang Taiji, as long as they were mobilized, once their troops were divided and weakened, the Ming army in Luda and the Dongjiang headquarters might seize the opportunity and launch the next move.
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