"What do you think?" Yin Hongsheng asked.
Fang Dahong rushed to say: "I think it's okay. Only by spreading the branches and leaves can the Hanliu heritage be passed down and continue to thrive."
"I don't agree! When we are together we are like a fire, but when we are apart we are like scattered sand. We can do something big when we are together, but if we are apart we can't do anything big!" Ma Chaoxing retorted.
"Brother Ma, you are wrong!" Cai Dezhong walked quickly to Ma Chaoxing, put his arm around his shoulders and asked, "If the imperial court attacks Liaodong one day, do you think it would be more useful to serve in the army or to go to Liaodong to be an insider?"
"This..." Ma Chaoxing was stumped by Cai Dezhong's question.
The fact is of course that the insider plays a greater role!
"So... don't be so quick to object."
"Wait a minute..." Ma Chaoxing suddenly had an idea in his mind, "Brother Cai, don't be too proud. Liaodong is the territory of the Jiannu. It's not the Central Plains. It's harder than climbing to the sky to sneak through."
Hu Dedi walked to the front of the team in a childish voice and said with a chuckle, "Brother Ma, don't worry. I have a solution! The Jiannu have entered the pass again. If you want to go to Liaodong, the best chance is to pretend to be a civilian and be captured by them."
"When you get to Liaodong, behave well and try to become a Baoyi. This way, you will not only be able to get in touch with the secrets of the Jiannu, but also live a more comfortable life. When the imperial army counterattacks Liaodong, Brother Ma will raise his arms and call for action. The Han people in the city will respond unanimously, and the recovery of Liaodong will be just around the corner!"
"This...this idea seems not bad." Ma Chaoxing's face suddenly turned red after being educated by a teenager.
"Okay, there's no point in overthinking! The most important thing now is to find a way to defeat Li Zicheng."
The group walked and talked in the night, getting closer and closer to Daming Prefecture.
Five miles outside Daming Prefecture, there were tents lined up next to each other.
The sky in the east was turning pale, and the dawn was beginning to appear.
Countless soldiers and civilians in the camp got up, dressed, and cooked at the sound of bugles.
After a simple breakfast, a group of civil and military officials of Dashun came to the central military tent to discuss matters.
Li Zicheng sat in the middle, looking at the slightly tired generals, and sighed in his heart.
The siege not only wore out the enemy’s patience;
If Daming Prefecture is not captured, the surrendered Ming troops will desert or join the Ming army because of lack of pay.
This is not the worst problem. If they can’t get more money, the salaries of the Dashun officials will be stopped.
This is not a good sign.
"Your Majesty, we bow to you. Long live the emperor!" Seeing that everyone was present, Liu Zongmin took the lead in saluting Li Zicheng.
After the ceremony, everyone stood up in order.
Liu Zongmin took out the information he had prepared and read it one by one: "During the siege of Daming Prefecture, it was the time for summer grain harvest, and our army's food and grass preparations were extremely smooth. According to the current strength of the troops and the speed of food consumption, if nothing unexpected happens, it will be enough for three months."
Li Zicheng nodded slightly: "Have you contacted the merchants in Huguang area?"
"Your Majesty, the process went very smoothly. Not only did we get in touch, but the first batch of polished round-grained rice has been transported to the vicinity of Zhengzhou. It can be transported upstream along the Yellow River to Guanzhong, or it can continue northward to here."
"Don't transport it here, transport it to Guanzhong! There is a shortage of food there." Li Zicheng ordered in a hurried tone.
"I've made a note of it." Liu Zongmin continued to read: "According to the people who fled, the Jiannu first entered the pass from Qiangziling, and then marched southward, with their troops already reaching the Cangzhou area. Many Shandong people were afraid of being affected, so they fled westward and southward."
"Are the Jiannu coming for us?" Liu Xiyao blurted out.
Liu Zongmin coughed lightly and said, "Chongzhen would never dream of such a good thing."
"Hahaha..." A hearty laughter came from the military tent.
After laughing, Li Zicheng sat up straight and said, "It's okay to take in refugees, but we must carefully screen them to prevent the Ming army from sneaking in and causing trouble."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Fang Liang is in charge of this matter. He is always cautious in doing things. The refugees will stay in his camp for half a month first, and those who are not problematic will be assigned to other camps." Liu Zongmin explained.
When Li Zicheng heard that Liu Fangliang was in charge of this matter, his heart skipped a beat.
The first person to go wrong during the siege of Beijing was Liu Fangliang!
First the food supplies were destroyed, then the siege was unsuccessful.
If his food supplies had not been destroyed, the subsequent events might not have happened.
Maybe Beijing will be his!
Unfortunately, there are no ifs in life!
"Fang Liang, how many new soldiers have been recruited now?" Li Zicheng was worried and decided to ask in person.
Liu Fangliang quickly stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, since the siege of Daming Prefecture, I have recruited a total of 7,944 new soldiers and sent more than 5,300 to various camps. There are still more than 2,000 new soldiers in my camp who are under observation."
"Oh, the number of people is a bit small." Li Zicheng said while shaking his head.
It is different now. Before, he would raise his arm and everyone would follow him.
"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be blamed on me." Liu Fangliang explained, "The Ming army is also recruiting soldiers, and they pay one and a half taels of silver every month. In addition to the soldiers of the old camp, most of our army's salary went to the Ming army that surrendered. The remaining soldiers only get seven cents and nine cents of silver per month. With such a low salary, it's good enough that they don't desert."
Niu Jinxing blinked his eyes and stood up to interject: "How can a few coins be too low? It has not changed in all these years! Don't talk nonsense, the Dashun Army is in a difficult situation. The previous Eastern Expedition has emptied our family's wealth. Our Dashun Army is a benevolent and righteous army, and we can't measure it with silver."
"If you can't recruit soldiers, look for your own reasons! Have you fought seriously and assisted the emperor seriously over the years?"
Facing Niu Jinxing's veiled accusations, Liu Fangliang was too lazy to pay attention to him and bowed deeply to Li Zicheng: "Your Majesty, there must be a large number of people fleeing when the Jiannu enter the pass. I will find a way to accommodate these refugees to supplement the army."
"Okay, I understand." Li Zicheng nodded and looked at Li Yan.
"Mr. Li, according to the Jiannu's current marching speed, if they keep the same direction, they will reach Dezhou in just a few days. Dezhou is less than 400 miles away from Damingfu."
"Although I have no intention of engaging him in battle, the two armies are so close that we have to be on guard!"
"What deployment do our troops need to make?"
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