Chapter 2856

"Since our army had the advantage on the battlefield at that time, why did we still have peace talks with the Manchus? Can't we take this opportunity to annihilate them?" Bai Letong asked Chen Yixin a question that had troubled him for a long time.

Chen Yixin explained: "The reason is actually very simple, because it is not cost-effective for us to continue the war. On the one hand, we must solve the financial burden caused by huge military expenditures, and on the other hand, we must also consider post-war governance

Question, armistice and peace talks can be said to be a choice after weighing the pros and cons."

The Haihan Army had been preparing for the Northeast Liaoning Expedition for several years. In addition to expanding its army and preparing for the war, it was also saving funds for this large-scale military operation.

Starting from the attack on the Gaizhou Acropolis, the Haihan Army invested many main forces in the operation. The daily military expenditure during the operation was at least hundreds of thousands of yuan. From the Battle of Gaizhou to forcing the Manchus to negotiate peace,

There has been a lot of fighting, and more than half a year has passed, and military expenditures have exceeded tens of millions of yuan.

Although the Liaodong region is rich in products and has great potential for future development. It is only a matter of time before the war investment is recovered. However, military expenditures are actually spent on the present. Real money and silver are spread out like running water every day. Even as wealthy as Haihan, they will still do it.

Feeling overwhelmed.

The Haihan Army's combat method relies heavily on logistical supplies, and a considerable part of military expenditures are spent on maintaining the operation of supply lines. The farther the front is pushed north, the greater the logistical pressure and the greater the cost.

Shenyang was the target set by the Haihan Army when formulating the Northern Expedition plan. Not only because this city is the capital of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, conquering it has certain geopolitical significance, but also because the supply lines for the Haihan Army operating in inland areas are difficult to maintain.

It continues to extend. Even if we want to expand northward in the future, we must first occupy Shenyang and then use it as a base to launch subsequent operations.

Before taking the next step, Haihan must also consider how to digest the large area of ​​land occupied after the Northern Expedition. It is a full 600 miles from Jinzhou to Shenyang, and the Liaodong Peninsula and Liaohe Plain between the two places are from the Manchu and Qing Dynasties.

With the victory captured in hand, the area of ​​this area has exceeded the two states of Shandong and Denglai. Military occupation is only the first step, and subsequent governance is what the rulers really need to worry about.

Chen Yixin has already had a plan for this, which is to build industrialization based on mining. To achieve this goal, the Liaodong region must first be freed from the state of war.

Several generals who commanded the operations at that time unanimously believed that annihilating the Manchus was difficult to achieve because there was still a vast area of ​​​​depth north of Shenyang for the opponent to move. Losing Shenyang, or even annihilating the Aixinjueluo clan in power, would not allow the enemy to move.

The Manchu Qing Dynasty perished immediately, so as long as the Manchu Qing Dynasty could be defeated in Shenyang and forced to surrender, even if the staged combat goal was achieved, the armistice and peace talks would become an outcome that Haihan was happy to accept.

Under such considerations, a relatively intact Shenyang City can greatly reduce the difficulty of reconstruction after Haihan takes over, and the subsequent development of mineral resources around Shenyang can also be faster. Therefore, with the battlefield advantage, Haihan finally

Instead of choosing to attack the city, they took over the city from the Manchus through peace talks.

After listening to Chen Yixin's explanation, Bai Letong suddenly responded: "I see. The timing of the war and the ceasefire are actually within our country's plan."

Bai Kesi said: "War is only a means, not an end. Our goal is to seize the richest area in Liaodong from the Manchus. As long as this main goal is achieved, other matters can be handled flexibly, including the conflict with the Manchus." The relationship is included.”

Ning Zijing asked: "But even if the Manchu Qing surrendered at that time, it must have been a temporary expedient. It is unlikely that they would surrender to our country, right?"

Chen Yixin nodded and said: "Of course. If we hadn't come out to block the way, the Manchus would have gone south to invade the Ming Dynasty early in the morning and become the dominant force in the north. How could they have ended up in this situation. To the Manchus, our country is more powerful than the Ming Dynasty. Terrifying and even more hateful enemies, when they feel that their strength has recovered to the point where they can challenge us, they will probably take active action. At present, the military garrison system is still implemented in the surrounding areas of Shenyang, just to prevent the Manchu counterattack. "

Ning Zijing asked: "But since we took the initiative to launch the Northern Expedition and won the war, we shouldn't just switch to passive defense, right?"

Chen Yixin said with a smile: "Border areas bordering enemy countries must be prepared. Of course, we will not sit back and watch the Qing Dynasty regain its strength. We have been doing what we should do. Disrupting the Qing Dynasty's willingness to fight is our current stage. goal.”

Regarding how to use non-military means to weaken opponents, Haihan has extremely rich operational experience in this area. Ever since Bai Kesi and his party set foot on the land of Liaodong, they have been constantly exposed to this information, but Ning Zijing has not yet combined it with The situation in Shenyang area is just related.

In short, it is just a word "profit". Haihan imported salt, iron, tea, sugar, cigarettes, wine and other commodities to the Manchu and Qing Dynasties through border trade channels, and the Manchu nobles who controlled the relevant resources took it for granted. The land became a vested interest.

As long as these people control the trade channels, they can continuously obtain considerable profits and enjoy a luxurious life. As time goes by, they will slowly form a new consciousness under Haihan's deliberate indoctrination - since it is so simple, If you can live a good life, then why bother fighting on the battlefield? If you work hard with the Haihan people and barely make a few cents, you might as well just do business with the Haihan people honestly and get whatever you want.

Of course, forming such a group consciousness cannot be achieved overnight, but this routine has already proven its feasibility in the Ming Dynasty. With the social development level of the Qing Dynasty, it is naturally more difficult to resist the sugar-coated bullets sent by Haihan.

On the second day after arriving in Shenyang, Bai Kesi and his party met this group. To be precise, they were the spokespersons of this group stationed in Shenyang.

There is a specially designated area in the north of Shenyang City for Manchu and Qing merchants to set up offices. There are only a dozen merchants eligible to receive franchises, but all of them are Manchu nobles.

"All the shops in this neighborhood were opened by Manchu and Qing merchants. They could sell Manchu and Qing specialties here, and then buy Chinese products and transport them back to China for sale. Even though there are not many shops here, the trade volume is still considerable. ." Chen Yixin led Bai Kesi and his party into this street, introducing them to the situation here as they walked.

Seeing that the street was not busy, Bai Letong couldn't help but ask: "Is this place cleared in advance, or is it just like this on weekdays? It seems like not many people are walking around, can the business really be so good?"

Chen Yixin smiled and said: "They are not engaged in retail business. Most of the goods shipped from the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were purchased by the government."
Chapter completed!