Facing the questions from the Minister of War Wang Jiayan and the gaze from Chongzhen.
Wang Yongji took a deep breath and said to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I think it will take about ten years to pacify Liao!"
The Qianqing Palace was quiet for a while.
"How...how many years?" Without waiting for Chongzhen to react, Fan Jingwen was the first to lose his composure.
After realizing his misconduct, he hurriedly apologized to Chongzhen, who waved his hand to indicate that it was okay.
"Ten years!" Fan Jingwen had the urge to curse: "I am not sure if I can live for ten years, but you actually need ten years to pacify Liao!"
Wang Yongji remained silent.
He had no idea how long it would take to pacify Liao.
But...it has to be longer than five years.
Because the last person who said it would take five years to pacify Liao was Yuan Chonghuan.
He is not Yuan Chonghuan and cannot deceive the emperor.
So... the longer the better.
If the imperial court did not approve, he could just resign from his post as Governor-General of Pingliao.
"The reason why our army suffered defeat in Liaodong before was not because of our inferior soldiers or poor fighting skills, but because the affairs of Liaodong involved a wide range of issues. So if we want to pacify Liaodong, we need to sort out the interests involved!" Wang Yongji explained.
Chongzhen nodded, not caring about the time issue.
Historically speaking, whether it was the Shap Rebellion or the She'an Rebellion, it took a very short time from sending troops to defeating the main force of the rebels.
But it will take a long time to truly and completely quell the rebellion.
Quelling a rebellion is not only a matter of military victory or defeat, but also a political game.
"Wang Yongji," Chongzhen asked, "Let's talk about strategy directly. How do you want to fight the Liaodong war?"
"First the land battle, then the naval battle, first western Liaoning and then southern Liaoning. After the infantry and cavalry gain a foothold in western Liaoning and the navy gains a foothold in eastern Liaodong, we will attack Shenyang together!" Wang Yongji began to talk about his strategic plan.
In simple terms, his plan was to first use infantry and cavalry to recapture the Liaoxi Corridor and then threaten Jinzhou. Then he ordered the navy to land and fight in southern Liaoning to contain the Jiannu forces.
If the main force of the Jiannu defends Jinzhou, the defense of southern Liaoning will be empty, giving the Ming army in southern Liaoning an opportunity to take advantage.
After listening for a while, the Minister of War Wang Jiayan asked: "If the Jiannu defend Jinzhou to the death and take this opportunity to transfer their main forces to southern Liaoning, defeat our landing navy and then march to western Liaoning, how will you respond?"
Wang Yongji smiled slightly: "This time, the Ping Liao infantry and cavalry will implement a strategy of pressing forward step by step, advancing without retreating, and confronting the main force of the Jiannu head-on to see who will collapse first."
"The navy will follow the idea of retreating when the enemy advances and advancing when the enemy retreats. Southern Liaoning is mountainous, which is not conducive to the rapid advance of cavalry! Once it is discovered that the main force of the Jiannu army is turning to southern Liaoning, the navy that landed in southern Liaoning will immediately retreat to the sea and land again after the main force of the Jiannu army retreats!"
"They're sticking to the Jiannu like a dead plaster!"
In the following period, Wang Yongji laid out the overall ideas for deploying troops and combat plans one by one.
Chongzhen just listened without expressing any opinions.
The situation in Liaodong is different from that in the Central Plains.
Near the capital, Chongzhen could control the front-line troops at will.
Because it is close to the capital, the speed of information transmission is fast, and it is a large plain, so we can use tactics such as flanking, flanking, and luring the enemy deep into our territory at any time...
The terrain in Liaodong is complex and it is too far away from the capital. By the time the news of his micro-manipulation of the troops reaches the front line, the troops may have already disappeared.
So we can only let the main general play on his own.
Chongzhen looked at Fan Jingwen and Wang Jiayan.
After making sure that the two of them had nothing to add, Chongzhen asked, "Wang Yongji, do you know why I am hosting a banquet for you outside the Meridian Gate?"
Wang Yongji thought for a moment and replied, "I think your majesty is doing this to find out the relationship between the generals, and then you can deploy troops according to their relationship."
"How do you plan to deploy your troops?" Chongzhen asked again.
"Those who have good relationships will unite together and advance and retreat together! Those who have bad relationships will try to separate to avoid interfering with each other." Wang Yongji replied.
Chongzhen said nothing and shook his head slightly.
Wang Yongji was somewhat surprised by Chongzhen's reaction. He lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, please enlighten me."
Chongzhen still shook his head: "If I say too much, it will only affect you, so you should experience it yourself."
Wang Yongji stood there in distress, as if he had eaten bitter melon.
Experiencing it yourself and figuring it out are the same thing.
If it is done well, it is because of the leadership’s guidance and the credit goes to the leadership.
If you fail to do it well, you will mess up the job yourself. Not only will it have nothing to do with your leader, but you will also be blamed for not understanding the leader's opinions.
Wang Yongji wanted to ask more, but Chongzhen interrupted him with his words: "Governor Wang, Sun Tzu's Art of War says: There is no constant state of war, and there is no constant shape of water; those who can win by adapting to the changes of the enemy are called gods! The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing, and you are the governor of Pingliao, and you have the final say on the battlefield!"
"I just wanted to hear your plan, nothing else!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your guidance!" Although Wang Yongji was helpless, he could only bow and express his gratitude.
The emperor and his ministers discussed for a long time, and then Wang Yongji said goodbye and left.
On the second day of May, the Martyrs’ Shrine in the Capital.
The Ming Martyrs' Shrine is located to the west of the Temple of Heaven and north of Yongdingmen.
When the site was being chosen, Chongzhen fell in love with this location at first sight.
Loyal and brave!
Yongding!
It is because of the existence of these loyal heroes that the country can remain forever stable!
So the Ministry of Works built the Martyrs' Shrine here in accordance with Chongzhen's order.
To the east of the Martyrs' Shrine is the Temple of Heaven.
The Temple of Heaven was originally called the Temple of Heaven and Earth. Construction began in the 18th year of the Yongle reign and was modeled after the Temple of Heaven and Earth in Nanjing.
Six years after the end of the "Great Ceremony Debate", Jiajing changed the name of the Temple of Heaven and Earth to the Temple of Heaven.
To the west of the Martyrs' Shrine is the Xiannongtan.
Xiannongtan was built together with the Temple of Heaven. It was originally called Shanchuantan. It was renamed Tianshendizhitan during the Jiajing period and then Xiannongtan in the fourth year of Wanli.
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