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 an unexplained metaphysics at some 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 who have their own ulterior motives, even the Haihan travelers who know this period of history in advance can hardly turn the tide.

, to save Ming Dynasty, which has been trapped in the quagmire.

The Qing army has already arrived at the gates of Jinan City, but the Ming army is still busy mobilizing troops from all directions. However, the people are not united, and there are many people who are afraid of fighting 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.

Some of the wealth of the population has been retained.

But after carefully studying the map, he quickly rejected his idea. The current main battlefield, Jinan City, is too far from the base of Zhifu Island. The land route exceeds 800 miles, and it passes through states and prefectures along the way. 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 Yellow River estuary in the Bohai Bay, allowing the armed fleet to reach Jinan. However, the risks of this route cannot be ignored. There are many floating ice on the Yellow River in winter and it is in the dry season. The distance from the estuary to Jinan

The one-way voyage exceeds five hundred miles, and Haihan is completely unfamiliar with the conditions in these river sections. Without being able to confirm the hydrological conditions in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, it is also extremely irresponsible to let the fleet go upstream. If Wang Tom is allowed to

Knowing 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 unlikely to be possible. 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 is found, the Haihan army will not be able to solve the problem on the river. In the end, it is possible to intercept the Qing army's trophies by landing. However, there are large plains along the Yellow River. Although the Haihan army has the advantage of weapons,

However, its mobility was completely incomparable to that of the Qing army, which had a large number of cavalry. In such an environment, it would be tantamount to asking for trouble to open up a battle array and engage in mobile warfare with the Qing army, and it would be difficult for the Haihan army to take advantage.

Chen Yixin studied the map of Shandong for a long time, and before he knew it, it was getting dark, but he still couldn't find a feasible solution.

Ma Yuling got up at some point and brought breakfast to the study in person. Seeing Chen Yixin's bloodshot eyes, she knew that there was a difficult matter waiting for him to deal with. She persuaded him softly: "Husband has been up all night. It seems that he has encountered something."

It’s a difficult problem, but no matter what, let’s eat something first. You’ve been sitting in the study all night, so you must be hungry too.”

Chen Yixin smiled, stood up and took the tray from Ma Yuling's hand. On it were a basket of steamed buns, a steaming bowl of mutton soup, and a small plate of pickles. The mutton soup was full of aroma, and Chen Yixin didn't feel hungry at first.

But as soon as I smelled this fragrance, greed came out of my throat.

"You got up so early, so you haven't eaten, right? Sit down and have something together." Chen Yixin couldn't help but ask Ma Yuling to sit down. Although there was only one pair of chopsticks, the couple didn't have to be too different, and it didn't hurt to share 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'm thinking

Some things are very difficult, but you can't tell outsiders, why don't you help me with my advice first?"

Ma Yuling said: "So, I have become your husband's staff officer? Okay, I'll let you talk to me 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, very independent, and had studied culture since she was a child. Her ideological level was far beyond the ordinary rural women of this era. When Chen Yixin returned home, he sometimes

I will discuss the government and military affairs at hand with Ma Yuling.

Chen Yixin did not want Ma Yuling to limit her life to traditional missions such as giving birth to children or taking care of housework. He hoped to continuously improve Ma Yuling's vision and cultural level. This was not to push Ma Yuling out to become an official or a businessman.

Rather, I hope that I can have someone by my side who truly understands me, can talk to me, and can keep secrets.

Therefore, even if Ma Yuling did not know much about government and military affairs, Chen Yixin would sometimes find some professional issues to discuss with her. When Ma Yuling encountered something that she did not understand, he would 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, causing 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 or not?"

Chen Yixin spoke very briefly and did not mention many 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 I save my husband?" Ma Yuling is not ignorant about geography. There have been several large maps hanging in Chen Yixin's study for a long time. Ma Yuling often goes in and out of the study and has already kept these maps.

She remembered it in her heart. 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 want to rescue, you can probably only send troops from the sea, land on the coast in the 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 any link goes wrong, it may result in irreversible consequences."

Ma Yuling continued to ask: "Which husband thinks is more important, Jinan City, or the safety of the lives of Haihan soldiers?"

Chen Yixin said: "Of course it's the latter... But if you don't save someone, 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 first find out what the purpose of sending troops was. Chen Yixin obviously did not intend to fight to the death with the Qing army in Shandong.

, then the purpose of sending troops is naturally to minimize the damage of the war, but if all the troops are drawn out to fight, when the waves of refugees come to Dengzhou, there will not be enough power to ensure local security.

As for Ma Yuling's judgment on the direction of 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

It is because 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 in tens of thousands of refugees.

This has also earned it an excellent reputation among the people of Shandong. Now that Shandong is once again in war, 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 person, 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, who did not understand military affairs, would not adopt the same way of thinking as Chen Yixin, but instead made it more complicated.

The problem is seen more clearly.

After listening to Ma Yuling's words, Chen Yixin suddenly felt that the situation suddenly became clearer, and he couldn't help but smile: "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.

It becomes feasible and reduces the 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 the consciousness of conformity. More importantly, her understanding of Chen Yixin is definitely not comparable to that of Chen Yixin's subordinates. After all, the husband and wife are of the same mind, and this understanding of each other and

Trust is something that is difficult for outsiders to achieve.

Chen Yixin's attempt also achieved 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, and there is no need to create extraneous matters and take risks to carry out 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 the 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, so 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. They were both very hungry. Fortunately, Ma Yuling was thoughtful and prepared a breakfast for each of them.

, and asked them to go to the study room for a meeting after eating. After thanking each other, they took the time to eat in the flower hall, and then rushed to the study room for a meeting.

As we all know, Jinzhou has always been a military-controlled area, and the garrison has managed local affairs for a long time. It was only in the past two years that the resident population other than military personnel continued to increase, and related civil affairs affairs were gradually handed over to professionals.

Officials will take care of it.

After Liu Shang was transferred to Jinzhou, he has been responsible for the management of civil affairs. 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 were a little panicked at the moment, wondering if something had happened to the local new immigrant group. The two of them were already imagining various things while having breakfast outside.

Possibly, for example, Manchu spies infiltrated among them and took the opportunity to engage in sabotage activities in Jinzhou; or perhaps these new immigrants formed gangs and fought in the immigration camps to compete for supplies.

No matter what kind of trouble happened, it was inseparable from the two of them. The two of them saw Chen Yixin with an uneasy mood, and saw that his expression was relatively calm, so they felt relieved a little - at least things were still going well.

It's not serious enough to offend Chen Yixin, and the situation should be salvageable.

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 your orders, general!"

Chen Yixin said: "Before issuing the order, I will give you a general explanation of the situation, and you can also think about how to handle it so that it can be as comprehensive as possible."
Chapter completed!