A cold wind blew, and Huang Taiji, who was standing on the top of Zhenjiang City, tightened his fur coat with his hand and withdrew his gaze to the east.
"This winter is not very cold!" Huang Taiji sighed softly, as if talking to himself or to someone else.
If the weather is not cold, it will be difficult for the coast to freeze, which will facilitate the landing of the Ming army; if the weather is not cold, the sea area more than ten miles away from the land of Juehua Island will also be an insurmountable obstacle for the Later Jin army.
To put it bluntly, the suppression here is somewhat forced, and the Ming army may be preparing to attack from behind; and the Later Jin army, which mainly attacks Ningyuan and Juehua, may only have one choice left, which is to fight Ningyuan to the death.
Luo Xiujin, who was accompanying Huang Taiji, understood his intentions very well. After a moment's hesitation, she consoled him, saying, "Don't worry, Prince Beile. The Khan is leading elite troops and generals, and they are well-equipped. They should have no problem conquering Ningyuan."
"If we take Ningyuan, the Ming court will no longer have a stronghold in Liaodong and can only defend the border. By then, the Mongolian tribes will inevitably change. Korea will also be alone and powerless, so how dare it continue to be hostile to the Great Jin?"
Huang Taiji gave a wry smile and said, "How could I not know my father's plan? I also think that attacking Ningyuan is a good option. But I am troubled and can't get rid of it. After much thought, I think the Ming Dynasty is strong and the Jin Dynasty is weak. We can't afford a long-term confrontation. That's why I have to work so hard to break the passive situation."
If Huang Taiji had a higher level of education, he might have summarized it as "In the face of absolute strength, any strategy is nonsense."
As long as the Ming Dynasty could hold its ground, not send lives or supplies, and without having to fight a major battle, it could almost bring down the Later Jin Dynasty by just constantly harassing and attacking.
Zhu Youxiao, who was as steady as an old dog, strengthened the armaments and trained officers without haste, and gave command to the front-line generals without urging or forcing them. He just made money and did the logistical work, which really hit the weaknesses of the Jiannu.
In history, the Ming Dynasty suffered a financial collapse and was almost driven to poverty. But now, the Jiannu were not poor, as they still had the gold, silver and treasures they had looted, but where could they buy food and supplies?
The Mongol tribes seemed even poorer than the Jiannu, with only cattle and sheep to themselves. Furthermore, they were unwilling to come even if they were tried to be bribed, and plundering them was even more contrary to the grand strategy of uniting with the Mongols to resist the Ming.
North Korea is also quite poor, but it is a country after all. If it can be conquered, even if trade is established, it will help to solve the material shortage of the Jiannu.
The Ming Dynasty is indeed wealthy. Just looking at the expansion of the Ming army and the upgrading of its equipment over the past year is enviable. But you have to be able to grab it!
Among the high-ranking officials of the Later Jin Dynasty, few had a strong sense of crisis, and Nurhaci and Huang Taiji were among them. However, facing the blockade and siege of the Ming Dynasty, they also had few solutions.
Waiting for the opportunity is the most common idea and view among the ruling class of the Later Jin Dynasty.
In their view, waiting does not necessarily mean waiting for death. According to the consistent tradition of the Ming court, it is common to change orders every day, and it is difficult to have policies and strategies that can last for a long time.
Either the emperor changed his mind, or a faction in the court gained power, or the overall situation changed, or an official made a mistake, all of these could lead to changes in the court's strategic policies.
Take the stinky mouth Xiong who guarded western Liaoning, for example. How many times did his power rise and fall? And how many times did the Ming court change its strategy for Liaodong since the Later Jin rebelled against the Ming?
Huang Taiji disagreed, thinking it was too passive, like handing his fate over to his opponent. It was good to let his opponent be blinded by greed, but to be shrewd and wise, wouldn't that mean letting the opponent tighten the noose without resistance?
Therefore, if we can launch an attack, we should strive to take the initiative. At least we can let the Mongolian tribes see that the Later Jin still has strength. We can ignore the secret communication for the time being, but we should not work too hard for the Ming court.
Luo Xiujin was also worried about the current situation. The Ming Dynasty had huge advantages in manpower and financial resources, which the Later Jin could not compare with.
The rise of the Later Jin Dynasty was largely due to the numerous problems accumulated during the Ming Dynasty, not only in the military, but also in the factional struggles and inefficiency in the court.
However, the Ming court suddenly woke up from a dream and started to reform. A series of policies and strategies were introduced, which were shockingly correct. They suppressed the momentum of the Later Jin and gradually gained the strategic initiative.
"The emperor of the Ming Dynasty—" Luo Xiujin hesitated to speak. This was the crux of his analysis and judgment.
Huang Taiji smiled faintly and said, "The emperor of the Ming Dynasty has the appearance of a wise ruler and has made great achievements. What's wrong with saying such things in front of me? In fact, I have quite the same opinion as you."
After a pause, Huang Taiji continued, "What is a wise ruler? Knowing people and assigning them to the right positions is enough. It doesn't matter who formulated the three-way or four-way strategy. If the emperor can accept and implement it, and can also raise money and materials to support it, then I think he is a wise ruler."
As he spoke, Huang Taiji pursed his lips meaningfully, and said with a half-smile: "However, it is hard to say how long this wise ruler can last."
Luo Xiujin nodded in agreement, saying, "Emperors who were first wise and then foolish are not uncommon in history. I believe we should respect the Ming Emperor, but we don't need to be afraid of him."
Huang Taiji laughed heartily and said, "Are you afraid of him? He's just a young man who grew up in the hands of the women in the palace. Why should you be afraid of him?"
After this definition, Huang Taiji seemed to have regained his confidence and made new arrangements. He strode down from the city wall, dispatched troops and generals, and issued orders.
………………
One person, one family, one group, one place, and even one country generally concentrate their attention and work together at the beginning. Maybe it was difficult and hard at that time, and they could only find life among a thousand deaths.
But when the environment gradually improved, the spirit gradually relaxed. Some people died and the government collapsed, while others sought glory and humiliation...
This is the cyclical nature of history. Even Zhu Youxiao had to admit that even if his efforts to promote benefits and eliminate disadvantages helped the Ming Dynasty revive, there was no guarantee that it would decline or even perish in the future.
Such things as eternal unification and the sun never setting do not exist.
Doing the current tasks well, eliminating internal problems, suppressing external rebellions, and letting the people live a good life is better than anything else.
Although the Ming Dynasty was a behemoth, it also had many problems and deep-seated ills. Reforms involved complex aspects, and it was not as focused and united as the rising Later Jin.
In fact, Zhu Youxiao also felt that it was normal. The environment was different. The Ming Dynasty did not suffer as much as the Later Jin Dynasty. How could it demand the kind of momentum of forging ahead?
To put it bluntly, when the Later Jin Dynasty rose to power, it was not afraid of wearing shoes even if it was barefoot. If it did not win, it would be destroyed, so it fought so hard.
The Ming army, on the other hand, lacked the spirit of fighting to the death. Even the emperor and his officials lacked a sense of urgency regarding life and death.
Sarhu, Liaoshen, Guangning... if we were defeated, we would just retreat. It was just a local defeat in Liaodong and could not defend against the huge Ming Dynasty.
During the rebellion suppression war, Zhu Youxiao's steadiness was, in the eyes of some people, a sign that he was "gradually letting go of his spirit."
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