Chapter 3585
Several other people present at the meeting did not express any objection to Tao Donglai's statement. Although they may not agree with launching a new round of war at this time, they are negotiating with the Ming Dynasty at this time, so they should unanimously cooperate with the outside world and cooperate with Tao Dong to put pressure on the other side.
Besides, what they opposed was only the opportunity to start the war, not the strategy of continuing to encroach on the Ming Dynasty's territory. If we could force Ming Dynasty to give up control of the two counties in Jiangbei without going to war, then why not do it?
Yue Shizong naturally refused to let go. He knew that if he let go here, he would be responsible for losing his land and would not be able to explain to the court at all. However, no matter whether he argued hard or begged hard, he ultimately lacked strong strength as support and could not persuade the Haihan Executive Committee to give up its claim to the two counties in Jiangbei.
"Master Yue, it is useless to say more. I offer your country two options. One is to take the initiative to transfer the governance of Jiangpu and Liuhe counties to our country. Our country will ensure the personal and property safety of all people in the county, and your country will participate locally. The business we are operating can also continue in the same way as before.”
"The second is for our country to send troops to seize these two counties. But at that point, we will no longer promise any guarantees to your country, and all your country's industries in the area will also be confiscated. If your country tries to organize unnecessary Resistance will lead to a larger-scale war, and the entire responsibility lies with your country.”
Tao Donglai didn't want to waste time with the other party anymore, so he took the initiative to decide on an alternative conclusion for this negotiation.
The frowning Yue Shizong could only resort to the last resort to delay Dafa, asking the executive committee to give him more time so that he could report to the capital for instructions. If this happens, the news will come back and forth from Hangzhou to Beijing, which will at least delay it for another ten days, giving the local area a little more time to deploy troops and generals.
But how could such a little trick fool the old foxes present? Tao Donglai immediately said that Nanjing's actions would not be affected by Ming's statement or not, and would continue to implement the original plan. Then he served tea to see off the guests, ending the incident. meeting.
After sending away the resentful Yue Shizong, Schneider, who was sitting next to him and had never spoken, asked: "If the other side still doesn't give in, then we will really fight?"
Yan Chujie said: "I think it is impossible for Ming Dynasty to agree to the concessions requested by Lao Tao. If we want to take those two counties, I am afraid we will have to use force in the end."
Schneider said: "Then I would like to emphasize again that the current financial situation is not suitable for opening a new battlefield. If Nanjing must fight, I hope they will not ask the Executive Committee for military expenses."
Tao Donglai said: "Shi Diwen transferred the troops to Nanjing. I guess his original intention was not to start a war, nor did he mobilize the supplies needed for the war in advance for Nanjing. Shi Chengwu proposed to seize the two counties in Jiangbei rather than the larger goal. , and probably know that the current situation is not suitable for a big battle.”
"But I think the young people performed quite well after taking over Nanjing last year. We might as well give them another chance to perform and see how they handle the current situation."
Everyone knows that Tao Hongfang is now in power in Nanjing. No one here will take the initiative to point out whether Tao Donglai's suggestion is somewhat selfish.
If this thing is done, it will naturally be a credit to Tao Hongfang and Shi Chengwuji. But if it goes wrong, it will not only be the two young people in Nanjing who will lose their face, but also those who support them behind the scenes. 's parents.
Schneider spread his hands and said: "As long as they don't ask me for money, they can do whatever they want."
As the Minister of Defense, Yan Chujie naturally supported Tao Donglai's opinion. Although others did not agree with a big fight, they did not want to disgrace Tao Donglai, and finally reluctantly passed a compromise resolution, allowing Nanjing to "assess the situation and make its own decision."
While the meeting was still taking place in Hangzhou, the fleet at Nanjing Yanziji Pier had already set sail.
Shi Chengwu stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the north shore not far away. He didn't feel nervous at all, but more excited.
Based on the continuous reconnaissance activities over the past few days, it can basically be confirmed that the defenders on the other side have not deployed defensive positions near the river bank. Regardless of whether the opponent is worried about being bombarded by the Haihan fleet, or has no intention of fighting with the Haihan fleet, in short, the most dangerous part of crossing the river and landing will not encounter any decent resistance.
At this time, the action had not yet been approved by the Executive Committee, and Shi Chengwu was suspected of acting on his own initiative. However, he believed that things would change later. Ming Dynasty was already negotiating with the Executive Committee through diplomatic channels. If the Executive Committee was persuaded by the other party and asked Nanjing to stop the action, all the efforts spent in the early stage to build momentum would be in vain.
The only thing that made him feel a little regretful was that the defenders on the opposite side had no warships and no defenses on the river banks. They were all huddled in inland counties. Such a powerful lineup of the East China Sea Fleet could only be used as a means of transportation when launching the landing. It's really a pity to use it.
Due to the limited army forces on hand, the two counties in Jiangbei are more than 70 miles apart, and they are not located on the riverside, making it difficult to divide the troops for attack. Shi Chengwu's plan was to capture Liuhe first and then attack Jiangpu.
In making such an arrangement, Shi Chengwu had a little bit of selfishness. If Jiangpu is attacked first and then Liuhe, many refugees will inevitably escape from Jiangpu into Liuhe County and then flee to Yangzhou via Liuhe. At that time, some of these refugees will inevitably be intercepted by Yangzhou, and the rest will be received by Nanjing.
Attacking Liuhe first would cut off Jiangpu's escape route to Yangzhou. By then, Nanjing would be able to absorb the local population on its own without having to give Yangzhou a share.
The fleet encountered no obstacles, bypassed Baguazhou in the center of the river, and successfully arrived at the north bank.
The fishing village by the river has long been empty, and almost all the villagers have fled. At this time, there were only two types of people left in this place. Except for some people with limited mobility, the rest were spies of the Ming army.
However, Shi Chengwu only put down about 400 cavalry on this river bank and ordered them to sweep the nearby areas, but the large troops did not land here.
Because Liuhe County is still twenty miles away from the bank of the Yangtze River, and the city is located on the Chu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, the fleet will travel to the Qixia Mountain section downstream, and then go upstream from the mouth of the Chu River.
However, due to limited hydrological conditions, the two larger majestic class warships were unable to sail into the upper reaches of the Chu River and could only stay on the Yangtze River as backup.
From the mouth of the Chu River to the location of Liuhe County, the river is winding and winding, a full sixty miles away, and there are shoals and sandbanks in many sections of the river. No matter how good the performance of the Haihan warship was, it was difficult to reach high speed in this environment. It was not until the afternoon of that day that it finally arrived near the county seat.
I wish our great motherland prosperity, and I wish all readers and friends a happy National Day!