After solving Liu Fangliang's problem, Li Zicheng sat upright and looked at everyone.
"Everyone! After I got Fang Liang back, I have no worries. Do you think we should attack south or north next?"
"Go north and take Beijing! The Ming court is facing internal and external troubles. We must not give it a chance to breathe!" someone shouted.
Li Zicheng gave the man a cold look and then looked at the others.
Liu Zongmin stood up and said, "I think we should go south! The morale of the Ming army is high, and our army is demoralized after the defeat. It is better to avoid their attack and turn south. Henan has been in war for years, and nine out of ten houses are empty. There is a lack of food and grass. If the Ming army dares to pursue us, our army will pretend to retreat and lure the Ming army deeper."
"The longer the battle line is, the bigger the gap in the Ming army's logistics supply will be! Then send a cavalry to cut off the Ming army's food supply, and the Ming army will collapse without a fight!"
"I second the motion."
"I second this motion."
Liu Zongmin's proposal was supported by most Shun army generals.
To the north are Huang Degong, Wang Yongji, and Gao Jie, and to the east are Jiannu. The only way out is to the south!
It can not only attack Southern Zhili, but also eye Huguang.
"Everyone, everyone!" Niu Jinxing interrupted everyone's thoughts, "Can you please listen to me first, and then consider how to fight?"
"Niu Zuofu, please speak!" Liu Zongmin waved his hand.
Niu Jinxing took a half step forward steadily and said loudly: "I think we should not consider whether to fight or where to fight now. Instead, we should consider whether to defend or not and how to defend!"
"What does Niu Zuofu mean...?" Li Zicheng stood up.
This question touched his heart.
Niu Jinxing raised his chin with some pride and continued, "Now our army has occupied Shaanxi, the entire territory of Shanxi, and most of Henan."
"The more and larger the territory, the more defenders are needed!"
"Shanxi and Shaanxi have natural defenses, so not many defenders are needed! Henan is different. It's a plain with no defenses, so we can only rely on strong cities and heavy troops for defense."
"These are the only main forces of our army. If we want to attack Huguang from the south, we have to transfer the main forces. Once the main forces leave, the Ming army will quickly recapture these cities."
"So I ask you, should we defend these cities in Henan or not?"
Liu Zongmin frowned and said, "Niu Zuofu, I don't think it's necessary to defend these cities. After the siege, these cities are meaningless to our army. Besides, our army has always been mobile and is good at attacking cities but not at defending them."
Niu Jinxing snorted and asked, "General Zongmin, what do you think Dashun lacks the most right now?"
Liu Zongmin thought for a moment and tentatively answered: "Lack of money and food, lack of soldiers?"
"I can only say one thing!"
"Lack of money!" Liu Zongmin answered firmly.
Food can be bought with money, soldiers can be recruited with money! As long as there is enough money, other problems can be solved!
"Everyone, do you think General Zongmin is right?" Niu Jinxing looked at the other generals.
"General Zongmin is absolutely right!"
"Yes, as long as we have enough money, we can take over not only the Ming Dynasty but also Liaodong!"
Niu Jinxing shook his head slowly, "You are all wrong! What Dashun lacks most is not money, but loyalty!"
Song Xiance nodded slightly, agreeing with Niu Jinxing's statement.
Seeing that everyone was confused, Niu Jinxing began to explain.
"Every time our army captured a city, we killed the officials and wealthy people in the city. We kept part of the money and grain we obtained and distributed part to the people in the city."
"And then? As soon as the Ming army arrives, we'll leave!"
"They don't defend the city, and they don't govern the people. As a result, the people only have good feelings towards the Shun army, but no loyalty!"
"Our army conquered the city with great difficulty, but they surrendered again when the Ming army arrived!"
"Before the Emperor proclaimed himself Emperor, these problems were not a problem. Now that the Emperor has proclaimed himself Emperor, he must conquer the country and defend it at the same time!"
"To conquer a country, you need loyal soldiers; to defend it, you need loyal people!"
"I have finished what I want to say. Please think about it carefully!" Niu Jinxing bowed and returned to the civil service team.
These words were beyond the imagination of all the civil and military officials present, and even Li Zicheng was shocked.
Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong, Yuan Zongde, Liu Fangliang and others looked at each other, and then looked at Li Zicheng at the same time.
yes!
Before this, they were only thinking about fighting and killing and didn't consider this issue.
To build a country you need loyal soldiers, and to defend it you need loyal people!
"Niu Zuofu, your remarks are...amazing!" Yuan Zongde exclaimed.
Niu Jinxing smiled faintly: "General Yuan, thank you for the compliment."
After being shocked, Li Zicheng took the lead and said, "Niu Zuofu, what do you think about the question of whether to defend or not?"
"Military Advisor Song and I have the same idea, so let him speak." Niu Jinxing knew that he had already gained the limelight, so he decided to give the rest of the opportunity to Song.
Song Xiance flicked his sleeves and said, "Your Majesty, I think we must defend what we should defend, and we should not defend what we should not defend. We should adapt to the actual situation and make decisions accordingly."
Li Zicheng curled his lips and wanted to beat him up.
What Song Xiance said just now is as good as saying nothing!
Seeing that Li Zicheng was unhappy, Song Xiance hurriedly added: "With Zhengzhou as the center, cities that are easy to defend but difficult to attack must be defended. Cities that are easy to attack but difficult to defend will not be defended. The remaining cities will be handled according to the needs of our army."
"This way we can enter Henan at any time and retreat to Tongguan according to the situation!"
Li Zicheng thought for a moment and continued to ask: "Where is our main force? Where should it go?"
"Nanzhili!"
......
Southern Zhili, Yingtian Prefecture.
Spring Harmony Hall in the Forbidden City.
Chunhe Hall is the Crown Prince's Palace, also known as the East Palace Hall.
Follow the rules.
After the crown prince reaches adulthood (holds the coming-of-age ceremony at the age of sixteen), he can no longer live in the imperial palace, but must move to the crown prince's residence outside the palace.
Since there were no imperial wives in the Nanjing Imperial City, only some eunuchs responsible for cleaning, and for safety reasons, Zhu Cilang lived in Chunhe Hall after arriving in Nanjing.
The last prince of the Ming Dynasty who lived here was Zhu Zhanji.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Duke of Wei Xu Hongji and Nanjing Minister of War Shi Kefa request an audience."
(Correcting a mistake, the Duke of Wei before December of the 17th year of Chongzhen was Xu Hongji, and after his death Xu Wenjue inherited the title.)
Zhu Cilang wanted to avoid meeting him, but after considering the identities of Xu Hongji and Shi Kefa, he decided to meet them after all.
Xu Hongji not only held the title of Duke of Wei, but also served as the garrison commander of Nanjing.
Shi Kefa served as the Minister of War in Nanjing and the Assistant Minister of Mechanical Affairs.
Although Nanjing also had six ministries, the power did not lie with the six ministries, but with the Nanjing garrison and Nanjing counselor and maintenance officer.
The History of Ming Dynasty records that: All the affairs of Nanjing Garrison were handled by the counselors in the Garrison Office every day. On the first and fifteenth day of each month, the Garrison, counselors and other officials and officials of various prefectures met with the inner garrison to discuss and carry out affairs.
In other words, the Nanjing garrison commander and the aircraft counselor are the ones with the most power!
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