Chapter 2371
The house leaked and it rained all night. At this time, the only thing that came to Chen Yixin's mind was this very appropriate description. The so-called national destiny is really just an unexplained metaphysics at certain times. When the Ming Dynasty building is about to collapse, all kinds of natural and man-made disasters are happening one after another. Not to mention Chongzhen and his gang of court officials with their own ulterior motives, even the Haihan travelers who knew this period of history in advance would be hard-pressed to turn the tide and save the Ming Dynasty, which was already stuck in the quagmire.
The Qing army has already arrived at Jinan City, but the Ming army is still busy mobilizing troops from all directions. However, the people are not unified, and the former are everywhere in the formation. How can they resist the wolf-like tiger-like Qing army?
After Chen Yixin learned about this period of history, the first thought that came to mind was naturally whether he could send troops to block the Qing army's offensive for the Ming Dynasty, or whether he could pursue the Qing army when it retreated, trying to capture it. The wealth of the population has been intercepted.
But after carefully studying the map, he quickly rejected his idea. The current main battlefield, Jinan City, is too far away from the Zhifu Island base. The land route exceeds 800 miles. It passes through states and prefectures along the way, and there are too many uncontrollable factors. This march route cannot guarantee the smooth flow of baggage transportation at all. It is undoubtedly a very dangerous environment for an army like Haihan that relies heavily on logistical supplies.
Another march route is to go upstream from the mouth of the Yellow River in the Bohai Bay, allowing the armed fleet to reach Jinan directly. But the risks of this route cannot be ignored. In winter, there are a lot of floating ice on the Yellow River and it is in the dry season. The one-way voyage from the mouth of the sea to Jinan exceeds 500 miles, and Haihan is completely unfamiliar with the conditions in these river sections. It is also extremely irresponsible to let the fleet sail upstream without confirming the hydrological conditions in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. If Wang Tom knew about this, he would definitely not agree to Chen Yixin risking his precious fleet.
As for using the Yellow River to intercept the Qing army, Chen Yixin thought it was impossible to realize it. Under the premise that the Qing army had basically controlled the surrounding areas of the battlefield, it was difficult for the Haihan army to take effective reconnaissance measures and there was no way to determine whether the Qing army would When and where to cross the river to retreat north, we can only rely on the fleet to try our luck on the Yellow River, but this is obviously not a reliable plan of action.
Moreover, even if the Qing army was found, the Haihan army would not be able to solve the problem on the river. In the end, they would have to land and fight to intercept the Qing army's loot. However, there are large plains along the Yellow River. Although the Haihan army has weapon advantages, its maneuverability is completely unable to compare with the Qing army with many cavalry. In this environment, to open up a battle array and engage in mobile warfare with the Qing army is tantamount to asking for trouble, and it is difficult for the Haihan army to take advantage.
Chen Yixin studied the map of Shandong for a long time, and before he knew it, the sky was getting dark, but he still couldn't find a feasible solution.
Ma Yuling didn't know when she got up and brought breakfast to the study in person. Seeing Chen Yixin's eyes bloodshot, she knew that there was a difficult matter waiting for him to deal with. She persuaded him softly: "My husband has been up all night. It seems that he has encountered something." It’s a difficult question, but no matter what, let’s eat something first. You must be hungry after sitting in the study all night.”
Chen Yixin smiled, stood up and took the tray from Ma Yuling's hand. On it were a cage of steamed buns, a bowl of steaming mutton soup, and a small plate of pickles. The mutton soup was full of aroma. Chen Yixin didn't feel hungry at first, but when he smelled the aroma, greed came out of his throat.
"You got up so early, so you haven't eaten, right? Sit down and eat something together." Chen Yixin couldn't help but ask Ma Yuling to sit down. Although they only have one pair of chopsticks, there is no need for the couple to be too estranged, and there is no harm in sharing bowls and chopsticks.
Chen Yixin ate four big buns in one go, drank half a bowl of mutton soup, and gave the rest to Ma Yuling. After eating, Ma Yuling was about to pack her things and go out, but Chen Yixin stopped her: "Wait a minute, I have something very difficult on my mind, but I can't tell anyone about it. Why don't you help me with my advice first?"
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Ma Yuling said: "So, I have become your husband's staff officer? Okay, I'll let you talk first and see if I can give you some advice!"
When Chen Yixin first met Ma Yuling in Fushan County, he knew that this girl was talented and very independent. She had studied culture since she was a child, and her ideological level was far beyond that of ordinary rural women of this era. When Chen Yixin returned home, he would sometimes discuss the government and military affairs at hand with Ma Yuling.
Chen Yixin does not want Ma Yuling to limit her life to traditional tasks such as giving birth to children or taking care of housework. He hopes to continuously improve Ma Yuling's vision and cultural level. This is not to push Ma Yuling out of office or business, but to hope that there will be someone around her who truly understands her, can talk to her, and can keep secrets.
Therefore, even if Ma Yuling does not know much about government and military affairs, Chen Yixin will sometimes find some professional issues to discuss with her. When he encounters something Ma Yuling does not understand, he will explain it patiently and slowly.
Chen Yixin considered it for a moment and said: "The thing is roughly like this. The Qing army has already reached Jinan City, and because there are loopholes in the Ming army's strategic deployment, the Qing army is likely to break through Jinan City and cause a loss of lives. Our country can send troops to rescue, But it is very likely that you will put yourself in a dangerous situation, so do you think you should intervene in this matter?”
Chen Yixin spoke very briefly and did not mention any details, but Ma Yuling still took some time to digest the news that surprised her.
"Jinan Prefecture is so far away from Liaodong, how can my husband save me?" Ma Yuling is not ignorant about geography. Several large maps have been hanging in Chen Yixin's study for a long time. Ma Yuling often goes in and out of the study and has already put these maps Keep it in mind. After hearing what Chen Yixin said, her first reaction was to think of the long distance across mountains and seas between Jinzhou and Jinan.
Chen Yixin could only explain: "If you really plan to rescue, you can probably only send troops from the sea, land on the coast northeast of Jinan Prefecture, or take a boat into the Yellow River and go upstream..."
Chen Yixin spoke so carefully that Ma Yuling naturally couldn't understand, so she asked directly: "My husband seems to be unsure, why is that?"
Chen Yixin sighed and said: "The battlefield is within the Ming Dynasty, and there are too many uncontrollable factors. As long as there is an error in any link, it may result in irreversible consequences."
Ma Yuling continued to ask: "Which husband thinks is more important, Jinan City, or the life safety of Haihan soldiers?"
Chen Yixin said: "Of course it's the latter... But if you don't save him, you will inevitably feel a little unwilling."
Ma Yuling shook her head and said: "Husband, do you want to save Jinan City, or the many people affected by the war?"
"Of course it's to save innocent people." Chen Yixin already vaguely understood what Ma Yuling wanted to say: "Madam, what you mean is that we just try our best to save people. There is no need to risk the lives of soldiers?"
"I only know that since the Qing army has fought all the way to Jinan Prefecture, countless hundreds of people must have been destroyed and displaced. Now they can only flee to peaceful places, and where is the most peaceful place in Shandong now? There is no need for me to remind you. Come on!" Ma Yuling's idea was not to study whether Haihan's troops could save Jinan City or drive the Qing army out of Shandong, but to find out what the purpose of sending troops was first. Chen Yixin obviously did not intend to fight the Qing army to the end in Shandong, so his purpose of sending troops was naturally to minimize the damage of the war. However, if all the troops were drawn out to fight, there would not be enough troops when the refugees came to Dengzhou. to ensure local security.
As for Ma Yuling's judgment of the direction of the people's escape, it is not difficult. Fushan County in Dengzhou has developed rapidly in the past two years and has become a famous trade distribution center in Shandong. It is not only wealthy but also has good social order. One of the main reasons is that the army of Haihan Kingdom is stationed here, which has long wiped out the bandits and bandits within a hundred miles radius. Moreover, after the Dengzhou Rebellion in the early years, Haihan Kingdom took over It has saved tens of thousands of refugees, which has also gained it an excellent reputation among Shandong people. Now that Shandong has fallen into war again, people with a little better information will know where to flee.
Compared with the Dengzhou Rebellion a few years ago, people today have one more reason to defect to Haihan, that is, the Haihan Army captured Jinzhou, Liaodong from the Qing Army and has occupied it ever since. This is enough. It shows that the Haihan Army has the power to fight the Qing Army, and is obviously more reliable than the Ming Army that retreated all the way.
Chen Yixin was originally a smart man, but he was just a fan of the authorities. He got into the trap of using military means to solve problems and made simple problems too complicated. Ma Yuling did not understand military affairs, so she would not adopt the same way of thinking as Chen Yixin, but she could see the problem more thoroughly.
After listening to Ma Yuling's words, Chen Yixin suddenly felt that the situation suddenly became clearer, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "My wife is smart, I have learned from my husband!"
Chen Yixin talked to Ma Yuling instead of talking to his own staff and cronies because he knew that his group of people would definitely follow his ideas. Even if they could come up with ideas, they would definitely try their best to complete the battle plan they proposed and try their best to make it unfeasible. Become feasible and reduce variables in the course of action. But no matter how it is done, it will definitely develop in the direction of using military means.
But Ma Yuling is different. For her, she will not be constrained by a rigid consciousness. More importantly, her understanding of Chen Yixin is by no means comparable to that of Chen Yixin's subordinates. After all, husband and wife are of the same mind, and this kind of understanding and trust in each other is difficult for outsiders to achieve.
Chen Yixin's attempt also yielded excellent results. He now fully agrees with Ma Yuling's statement. Since the purpose of sending troops is to save innocent people, then just do it directly. There is no need to create extraneous matters and risk a war. An uncertain war.
Chen Yixin said: "You can help me bring a message out later and ask someone to tell Liu Shang and Jin Ping to come see me."
Ma Yuling advised: "You haven't slept all night, why not take a rest at this time in the morning, and then call your subordinates for a meeting when you wake up."
Chen Yixin waved his hand and said: "Time is money, wait until I finish assigning tasks before going to rest... Just go and pass on my orders."
Ma Yuling knew when Chen Yixin could persuade and when it was useless. She didn't insist anymore, so she collected the breakfast bowls and chopsticks and exited the study.
When Liu Shang and Jin Ping received the news and rushed over, they were both woken up from their beds. Both of them were hungry, but fortunately Ma Yuling was thoughtful and prepared a breakfast for each of them, so that they could go to the study room for a meeting after eating. After the two of them thanked each other, they took the time to eat in the flower hall, and then rushed to the study for a meeting.
As we all know, Jinzhou has always been a military-controlled area, and for a long time the garrison has managed local affairs. It was only in the past two years that the resident population other than military personnel continued to increase, and relevant civil affairs affairs were gradually handed over to professional officials.
Liu Shang has been responsible for the management of civil affairs since he was transferred to Jinzhou. During this period, he also went to North Korea for a period of business. His abilities have been recognized by Haihan, the senior generals stationed in the north.
When it comes to civil affairs, we have to mention the large number of people who have come to Jinzhou and Dongjiang Town as a whole. These immigrants have been under the jurisdiction of Dongjiang Town in previous years, so in order to facilitate management, Chen Yixin appointed Jin Ping, the son of Jin Riguan, the former deputy general of Dongjiang Town. to take charge of the affairs of these immigrants.
The Haihan Army's raids on the Liaodong coast this winter have added thousands more people to Jinzhou. Liu Shang and Jin Ping have also been very busy recently, handling household registration files, settling in residences, distributing daily necessities, and arranging labor for these new immigrants. Tasks... a lot of things have to be organized and implemented by them.
It was rare for the two of them to be summoned urgently by Chen Yixin so early, so they couldn't help but feel a little panicked at the moment, wondering if something had happened to the local new immigrant group. While the two were having breakfast outside, they were already imagining various possibilities, such as Manchu spies mingling among them and taking the opportunity to engage in sabotage activities in Jinzhou; or these new immigrants forming gangs and fighting for supplies in the immigration camp. Fight.
No matter what kind of trouble happened, it was inseparable from the two of them. The two of them saw Chen Yixin in a worried mood. Seeing that his expression was relatively calm, they felt a little relieved - at least the matter was not serious enough to annoy Chen Yixin, and the situation could still be saved.
Chen Yixin didn't know the psychological activities of these two subordinates, so he immediately started to get to the point: "I called you here so early because there are some urgent matters that must be dealt with as soon as possible."
The two of them responded in unison: "Please give me the general's orders!"
Chen Yixin said: "Before issuing the order, I will give you a general explanation of the situation, and you should also think about how to handle it in order to be as thorough as possible."
(End of chapter)