If we look at the problem in this way, it would be too simplistic and superficial.
If the Eastern Tartars wanted to raid the Ming Dynasty, the first thing they had to do was to resolve their worries and make three preparations: conquer Mongolia, subdue Korea, and defeat Dongjiang Town.
Even if Dongjiang Town did not exist yet and the other two goals had not been achieved, the Ming army in western Liaoning had not been beaten to the point of retreating and not daring to move forward.
Zhu Youxiao's emphasis on the coastal areas and his strong support for Dongjiang Town were precisely the factors that prevented the Eastern Tartars from leaving their nests and launching attacks.
What made Zhu Youxiao feel gratified was that after listening to his explanation, Sun Chengzong gave strong support to the reconstruction of the coastal area, believing that "to restore Liaoning, we must rely on the sea."
"After the imperial examination, I will appoint General Yuan to Denglai to command Dengzhen and Dongjiangzhen." Zhu Youxiao pointed his wooden whip at Denglai and said, "I have informed General Yuan that he is willing to go to the border to help the country and relieve my worries."
Sun Chengzong nodded in agreement and said, "To suppress Deng Lai, only Lord Yuan can do it."
After a pause, Sun Chengzong bowed and said, "I would like to lead the army to Liaodong so that Your Majesty will no longer have to worry about border affairs."
Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Master Sun is a great talent. I have more important work for you to take on. There is no need to rush."
If Xiong Tingbi could hold Guangning, or if he could survive this battle, Zhu Youxiao would still be prepared to hand over Liaodong to him.
Because he was optimistic about Xiong Tingbi, Zhu Youxiao used his historical knowledge to intervene in the Guangning Campaign, not only for the people of Liaoxi, but also for the Ming soldiers and Xiong Tingbi.
Zhu Youxiao initially wanted to stand by and watch, taking advantage of the disastrous defeat in Guangning to achieve an unspoken strategic contraction, and to wipe out the Donglin Party by punishing Wang Huazhen.
But besides being ruthless, there was another difficult problem: how to punish Xiong Tingbi for abandoning Liaodong?
Zhu Youxiao certainly did not want to kill Xiong Tingbi, but if he pardoned him, or even re-employed him to "make meritorious service while serving his sentence", wouldn't that set a bad example for the Ming army, which was already afraid of the enemy and good at fleeing?
It’s okay to abandon Liaoxi completely. If I lose a battle or a city, it shouldn’t matter, right?
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao did not want to give some people a reason to be optimistic. How could the national law and military discipline be treated as a joke?
In addition to Xiong Tingbi, Zhu Youxiao also considered inviting Sun Chengzong to the border. However, after several consultations and attempts, Zhu Youxiao gave up the idea.
There was no way, Sun Chengzong's Liaodong strategy did not conform to Zhu Youxiao's analysis and judgment.
Therefore, Sun Chengzong and Xiong Tingbi must have had differences in strategy. Wouldn't it be more troublesome if they got together, and cause another farce of discord between the "economic governor" and the "government governor"?
Although a scholar, Sun Chengzong possessed an extremely rare tolerance and trust in military generals; he was a member of the Donglin Party, but he did not have excessive partisanship.
Although Sun Chengzong did not have the strategies and tactics of Xiong Tingbi, nor could he match Lu Xiangsheng's martial arts and courage, he was worthy of the praise of a famous official and national hero in the late Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, the strategy is different, and Zhu Youxiao also wants to use Sun Chengzong. However, in order to make the best use of his talents, he wants to use Sun Chengzong in other places.
"Our Ming Dynasty's annual revenue is only three or four million. If we build fortresses in western Liaoning, advance step by step, and station troops there, how much do you think it will cost, Master Sun?"
Zhu Youxiao began to hint at it, letting Sun Chengzong know the family's financial situation first. If he couldn't increase his income, he couldn't afford the fortress advancement tactics.
Sun Chengzong stroked his beard, pondering for a moment. After a while, he said uncertainly, "More than a hundred thousand men are enough. Add to that the cost of building castles, armor, weapons, bows and arrows, cannonballs, cannons, and shields. The annual cost will probably be around one or two million."
One or two million would be a blessing, and the Ming Dynasty in history might have been able to last a few more years.
Zhu Youxiao smiled bitterly and shook his head. If he told Teacher Sun that Liaoxi had spent five or six million yuan a year in history, he would probably scare his eyes out.
Besides, even if it's one or two million, it's still about half of the court's current annual revenue. You didn't suppress the She'an Rebellion, you didn't provide relief for natural disasters, and you didn't train the exhausted soldiers in the garrisons...
"We can set up military settlements for both civilians and the general public, which can save a lot of food and fodder." Sun Chengzong thought of a solution and spoke.
Yes, that’s what you did in western Liaoning.
But isn’t the so-called “expanding the territory by 400 li, opening up 5,000 hectares of settlements, and earning 150,000 yuan annually” too far from the 5 or 6 million yuan invested by the court every year?
Of course, Zhu Youxiao did not doubt Sun Chengzong's integrity and honesty, knowing that he was not the kind of person who would rely on large-scale civil engineering projects to embezzle money.
But the actual situation is that maintaining the Guanningjin Defense Line allowed the Liaoxi warlords to grow stronger and fattened up a group of civil servants and military generals, but it did not play the role it should have and was extremely inefficient.
Therefore, as soon as the Liaoxi fortress advancement tactic began to be implemented, the imperial court would pour money into it. And from the six ministries of the cabinet to local officials, countless people would try to make money from it.
Having tasted the sweetness, these corrupt officials will shout that the Guanningjin Defense Line is good, it is good, it is good. If the enemy demolishes it, we will rebuild it, and if the enemy destroys it, we will come back again!
If someone proposed to abandon the Guanningjin Defense Line, the corrupt officials would immediately attack them and put the ready-made accusation of "not being enterprising and abandoning the land to fear the enemy" on them.
Then, the country's fiscal revenue, the blood-stained people's money, will flow into this bottomless pit and continue to fill the pockets of corrupt officials.
Zhu Youxiao remained noncommittal about Sun Chengzong's suggestion of establishing military farms. He reached out and took out a chess piece and placed it in Lushun, saying, "We need to build a fortress and a large port here, making it an impregnable iron fortress."
Sun Chengzong was stunned for a moment, then carefully examined the sand table before nodding in agreement. "Lüshun borders the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west. It forms a cornerstone with Weihaiwei in Shandong, serving as the maritime gateway to Beijing and Tianjin. To protect against Japanese pirates, our dynasty built a fortified city here, stationed a large force, and established the Jinzhou Central Guard Station."
Zhu Youxiao laughed and stopped talking about military affairs. He asked Sun Chengzong to sit down and talked about the imperial examination.
The chief examiner of the joint examination was Yuan Keli, and the deputy examiner was Xu Guangqi; the examiners of the palace examination were Sun Chengzong and Grand Secretary Liu Yijing.
The essay questions for the palace examination were set by Zhu Youxiao himself, and even the essay questions for the metropolitan examination were snatched away by him.
"As for the topic, I've already thought of it, but I shouldn't reveal it." Zhu Youxiao smiled with a hint of pride and a hint of cunning. "I want to emphasize practical work over empty talk, and emphasize ability over writing. Master Sun knows the purpose of my recruitment this time."
Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and smiled, as if to remind him, "Your Majesty, using the imperial treasury to support the military examination is truly a benevolent act unprecedented in all dynasties. However, the imperial examination is approaching, so will Your Majesty also show some favor to the civil examination?"
This - Zhu Youxiao touched his chin and thought for a moment, then said, "Master Sun's words are very good. I will consider them."
After chatting for a while, Sun Chengzong stood up to take his leave. Zhu Youxiao sent him to the palace gate, then turned around and sat alone, still thinking about how to show favor to Wen Ju.
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