A Journey Through the Worlds of Film and Television.

Chapter 938: The Ming Dynasty on the decline

When fighting for the empire in previous lives, Lu Cheng was basically based in Liaodong and fought from north to south.

In this life, Lu Cheng started from Jinling and used the gang as his foundation. He first established a base overseas, and then devoted himself to farming and technological advancement, making a fortune in silence, and developing both the navy and the army.

Today, Wan Island, Qiongzhou Island, and the Philippine Islands have all become rear bases that can provide a steady supply of food and trade with overseas countries to obtain various materials. They have accumulated a considerable foundation.

In terms of scientific and technological development, although Lu Cheng rarely took action personally, he also formulated a comprehensive education plan, came up with a complete set of scientific and technological development materials, and strongly supported scientific research.

Today, mature breech-loading flintlock rifles have been put into service, and both musket and artillery technology have made breakthrough progress.

The rigorously trained army, equipped with advanced weapons and perfect logistics, was completely crushed by the long-abandoned Ming Dynasty garrison troops.

Lu Cheng simply formulated a general strategic policy and route of advance, assigned combat tasks to several armies, and let them perform their duties.

In mid-March, the Suzaku Army split into two routes, one heading east and the other heading west, attacking Guanghaiwei in the east and Lianzhou Prefecture in the west respectively.

Including the time spent on the journey, it took only three days for Lianzhou Prefecture and Guanghaiwei to be successively occupied by the Suzaku Army.

Afterwards, the two armies continued to expand their victories without stopping. Pingxiang Prefecture, Zhen'an Prefecture, Nanning Prefecture, Xunzhou Prefecture, Zhaoqing Prefecture, Guangzhou Prefecture and other places were successively captured...

For a while, smoke of war broke out in Guangdong and Guangxi, and people in the southern prefectures were in panic.

At the same time, the Jiannu in Liaodong also united with the Mongolian tribes and sent elite troops disguised as merchant caravans to infiltrate Kaiyuan, Tieling, Shenyang and other cities one after another. They captured three cities in one fell swoop and approached Liaoyang.

At the end of March, war reports from Liaodong and the south reached the capital one after another, shocking the capital.

On one side were the rebels sweeping across Guangdong and Guangxi, and on the other side were the aggressive Jian Nu. Given the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, it simply did not have the strength to fight on two fronts.

In the court, civil and military officials had a heated discussion on how to send troops.

"Your Majesty, I believe that we must first stabilize the country before we can resist foreign aggression. The Liaodong Jiannu are just a group of uncivilized barbarians, and they plunder the border towns every year. It is better to let them plunder for a while, and they will leave on their own."

"Master Han, what you said is wrong. They are foreigners with wicked ambitions. How can we sit back and watch them plunder the people of our Ming Dynasty? If we let them do what they want, they will surely become ambitious, invade our territory, and plunder our people without end. When the Jian Nu becomes increasingly powerful, they may march southward and enter the country like the Mongols did in the past!

I think we should first mobilize our forces to pacify Liaodong and consolidate the capital. Then we can consider going south to quell the rebellion."

"Your Majesty, I agree with what Lord Zhao said. When the Prince of Nan'an was defeated, he lost many soldiers and generals, which left the southern army empty and unable to resist the rebels. If we transfer troops from the north to quell the rebellion in the south, it will be extremely difficult.

First, the distance between the north and the south is long, and distant water cannot quench the thirst of the near. Second, the northern soldiers are not used to the southern climate and soil, and their fighting power is greatly reduced in the south. Third, transferring the northern troops to the south will inevitably lead to insufficient troops in the north. If the Jiannu outside the pass breaks through the pass, they can march straight in, and the capital will be in danger. "

"I think we should first stabilize the capital..."

Seeing the civil and military officials below arguing, Emperor Changtai was also overwhelmed, and then he made a decision directly: "My dear ministers, I have decided to mobilize troops first to pacify Liaodong and recapture Shenyang!"

"Think twice, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

After the court session, all the civil and military officials left, and Emperor Changtai left only Wang Ziteng behind: "My dear Wang, you have inspected the nine borders for me, so you are quite familiar with Liaodong. If I send you to Liaodong, do you have the confidence to deal with the Jiannu?"

"Reporting to your Majesty, although the Liaodong Jiannu are coming aggressively, the population of Jianzhou Jurchen is limited. Even if they are colluding with the Mongolian tribes, they can only rely on the advantage of cavalry to plunder everywhere. This time, the three cities of Shenyang, Kaiyuan and Tieling were also breached by the enemy from the inside.

If we take precautions and conduct strict inspections, Liaoyang and other places can be kept safe. Jiannu and Mongolia have never been good at attacking or defending cities. I predict that after they have finished looting, they will never hold on to the city and will most likely take the people away.

By then, we can recover the three cities of Shenyang. Then we can mobilize the people, set up fortresses on the border, and defend layer by layer to stop the Jiannu. At the same time, we can also train a cavalry and take the initiative to attack…”

After hearing Wang Ziteng's analysis, Emperor Changtai could not help but nod his head repeatedly: "My dear minister, you are indeed my loyal minister. I feel relieved to hear your words. You go back and prepare. I will issue an order to mobilize the troops of the garrisons near the capital and give them to you to lead to pacify Liaodong."

"Your Majesty, the defense of the capital must be taken seriously. If we withdraw troops from the surrounding areas, I am afraid that if something happens to the capital, we will not be able to provide assistance in time. It is better for me to lead the new army and train them while traveling to support Liaodong."

"This... new army has just been trained. Can it fight?"

"Your Majesty, you can't train elite soldiers in the military camp. If you want to really train an elite army, you still have to experience actual combat. Pull these new soldiers into the city and let them experience one or two battles to defend the city, and their courage will be trained. If they survive a field battle, they will be veterans."

"My dear minister, your words make sense. In this case, I will hand over this new army to you, my dear minister."

In fact, Wang Ziteng knew the situation of the garrisons in various places. The garrison commanders were more likely to eat empty salaries and suck the blood of soldiers than the other. The remaining garrison soldiers were mostly old and weak and afraid of death, and had little combat effectiveness.

In Wang Ziteng's opinion, it is better to take these 50,000 young and strong men with him than to take those garrison soldiers to fight. With a little training and one or two battles, they will become an elite force.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the facts are really as he thinks.

Just as Wang Ziteng was preparing to organize his troops and march north to Liaodong, Lu Cheng had basically arranged all matters in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

While occupying the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, the Suzaku Army was also quickly stabilizing the local area and carrying out spring plowing to make the most of the farming season.

In recent years, disasters have occurred frequently in the north, grain production has decreased, and people's lives have become increasingly difficult. When we conquer the north in the future, we will have enough food stored on hand, which will make things smoother.

After dealing with everything in the south, Lu Cheng returned to Kyoto.

Next, the Suzaku Army will rest for a while, replenish the consumed supplies, expand its forces, and then continue its advance.

This year will be a year of rapid expansion for the Suzaku Army and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger factions, and it will also be a year of rapid expansion for Lu Cheng's territory.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty are becoming less and less powerful every day.

In Kyoto City, in the backyard of Duke Rong’s Mansion.

Lu Cheng was talking to Daiyu in private when Xue Baochai came in from outside: "Brother Cheng, you are finally back. I have something to ask you."

"What's the matter, Sister Xue?"

"My brother went to Liaodong with my uncle two days ago, and my mother has been very worried. Can you tell me something about Liaodong? Are the Jian Nu very cruel?"

"Sister Xue, don't be anxious. Sit down and talk slowly. In fact, I have only heard some of the situation in Liaodong. The Jiannu people originated from the Baishan and Heishui regions and were originally a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. In recent decades, a remarkable figure emerged from the Jiannu people, who unified the Jianzhou Jurchens and gradually grew stronger...

However, the current Jian Nu army does not have too many people and has limited military strength. If General Wang Jie focuses on defense, stabilizes the area, and trains his troops well, the Jian Nu army will not be a threat..."

Xue Baochai heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this.

In fact, Lu Cheng still had some things to say.

Given Wang Ziteng's personality, he would not adopt a steady and cautious strategy. Moreover, even if Wang Ziteng wanted to proceed steadily and cautiously, Emperor Changtai and the court would not support him in doing so.

Defending Liaodong would require a lot of manpower, financial resources, and material resources, which the current Ming Dynasty could not afford. At that time, Emperor Changtai would also issue an order to urge Wang Ziteng to take the initiative to fight.

Not to mention that Wang Ziteng did not have the ability to conquer Liaodong. Even if he had the level of Xiong Tingbi, Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan combined, he would still be stuck in the quagmire when he arrived in Liaodong.