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Li Zicheng was just a bandit who mostly destroyed but did not build. When the people were still eagerly waiting for the Eastern Expedition to Yanyun, it was clear that the Ming court had actually lost the support of the people.
Chongzhen refused to cancel the additional "three taxes" until his death, and was abandoned by the people. The people's support was irreversible. These are facts.
Gu Junen focused on attacking the arrogance, debauchery, and excessive taxation of Zhu's descendants. Although this was out of his own needs, it was not a random fabrication.
There are indeed few decent descendants of the Zhu family. Even Zhu Changxun, the Prince of Lu who was packaged as a "virtuous king" by the Donglin Party, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty after only two days as regent.
After Gu Junen spoke for a long time, he clearly proposed that Qin Mu should set up his own flag and establish himself as king. Of course, Qin Mu could not agree immediately.
Since ancient times, those who wanted to be emperor would not directly tell others that they wanted to be emperor. They would need their subordinates to persuade them again and again before they would reluctantly accept the offer.
You may think this behavior is hypocritical, but there is actually a lot going on.
First of all, this can express a humble attitude to people all over the world. Everyone understands that you should eat the good things in your bowl, but you can't eat in an ugly way, otherwise it will inevitably attract criticism from people all over the world.
Secondly, this is also an opportunity for subordinates to show their loyalty and reflect their own value. Everyone wants to eat good things. If you eat all the meat, you have to give your subordinates some soup and share some of the credit for supporting you.
Furthermore, it can also convey to the world a message that he is the popular choice. Look, so many people support him. If he were not wise, would so many people repeatedly urge him to take office
Qin Mu disagreed, so as a subordinate he naturally had to keep trying.
Huo Sheng was not polite at all, and then stood up and said: "Your Excellency is fighting the Tartars here, while the King of Lu and the King of Tang are busy fighting for power and playing dirty tricks on each other. Supporting such a person will chill the hearts of the soldiers of the three armies. My lord, except for you, no one is qualified to command our soldiers, and only you are qualified to be the master of the world..."
"Nonsense!" Qin Mu shouted coldly, "Now the entire Central Plains is darkened by the barbarians, and the people are displaced and slaughtered. How can we talk about the common ruler of the world at this time?"
Sima An came out and said, "Your Excellency is right, but as the saying goes, a name without a right name will not flow smoothly. Your Excellency is determined to drive out the Tartars and restore China, so you should raise the banner of justice, so as to gather the talents of the world, unite as one, and overcome the difficulties together."
Zhuge Min also advised loudly: "Sir, the Lu and Tang vassals are both distant branches of the family for ten generations. The Lu vassal has no reputation for virtue, and the Tang vassal is actually a criminal vassal. They are not qualified to inherit the throne. The two are just puppets supported by local heroes for their own selfish interests. If they can be established, then who in the world can't be established
Your Excellency has pacified the Jiangyou area, and spread your virtue to all directions. You have benevolence towards all things, and you have subdued them with virtue, and you have suppressed rebellion with punishment, and you have used your power to subdue the unruly. You have made the world peaceful and dignified. When your purity is spread, the people of the land will be at peace; when your righteousness is spread, people from far and wide will follow your lead. Heaven's blessing is great and false. There will be a master, and the one who will be the master of the sacrifice will not be your Excellency or your subordinates."
Wu Jinxi, who was proficient in the art of Taiyi Qiren, said: "Sir, since ancient times, the noble position has been occupied by those with virtue. Now, looking up at the sky and observing the people's hearts, Zhu Ming's fortune has come to an end, and the fate depends on the Qin family;
Your Excellency is like the sun and the moon, illuminating everything. You have far-sighted thoughts and are full of concern for the country. You are slow to see the road to prosperity for people and gods. I hope that Your Excellency will not put small actions first, worry about the people, and not be too humble to do anything, so as to comfort the hopes of the people. Then, as the saying goes, prosperity will grow from withered grass, and flesh will grow from decayed bones. Gods and people will be at peace, and there will be no misfortune. "
People in the hall came out one after another and began to talk about the past and the present, throwing away their book bags.
Qin Mu remained unmoved and said calmly: "Since everyone disagrees with supporting the King of Lu or the King of Tang, let's discuss the issue of supporting them later. Now our army is facing military pressure from two aspects;
On the eastern front, Duoduo's army is at its peak and is pressing forward. Chizhou has been reduced to a scorched earth. The Tartars are committing all kinds of evil, such as burning, killing, looting, and so on. We must not sit idly by and watch.
The situation on the northern front is not optimistic either. We must retake Wuyang Pass to prevent the Tartars from advancing further into Zhili. In addition, according to the news sent back by Yebushou, the Qing army is gathering troops in Henan and Shaanxi. If things go as expected, they will soon attack Xiangyang in the south. Our army must formulate a countermeasure as soon as possible. "
Qin Mu paused for a moment before continuing, "What I have said above are all tactical matters. Facing such a crisis, we cannot just treat the symptoms without addressing the root cause. We must have a complete strategic deployment. Let's discuss which direction to focus on next."
As soon as Qin Mu spoke, everyone understood tacitly and did not bother to further discuss the matter of persuading him to take the throne, because this matter required a gradual process, and the number of people who wanted to persuade him to take the throne was too small.
Regarding the strategic direction, Wuchang prefect Li Mingtang came out first and said: "Sir, Sichuan is located upstream of Huguang, so we should take it first to consolidate Huguang;
Furthermore, Zhang Xianzhong died suddenly, and the Dashi Army was leaderless. Now Zhang Xianzhong's four adopted sons lack prestige, and none of them can convince the people. The Dashi Army is gradually fragmenting. This is the best time for our army to advance into Sichuan. Otherwise, once the Dashi Army regroups, or the Manchu Tartars take the lead, we will be extremely passive. "
Li Mingtang is from Sichuan, so it is normal for him to make such a suggestion, and it has received support from many people.
Indeed, Zhang Xianzhong died so suddenly that his four adopted sons, Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu, and Ai Nengqi, all restored their old surnames. Among them, Sun Kewang even changed his name to Sun Kewang. What he meant by "Wang" is self-evident.
The problem is that Sun Kewang cannot convince the other three. The four of them are now occupying different areas and fighting openly and secretly. For the Qin army, now is indeed the best time to seize Sichuan.
However, heavyweights such as Sima An did not support shifting the military focus to Sichuan.
Yang Shen said: "Sir, it is not appropriate to take Sichuan at this time. This is a move that puts the cart before the horse. Our army's biggest enemy is the Manchu Tartars. Marching into Sichuan will greatly disperse our forces and may also force Sun Kewang and the other four to join hands to fight against us.
If our army is trapped in Sichuan and cannot extricate itself, Jiangxi and Huguang will be in danger. Moreover, if you want to win the support of the people, you must always hold high the banner of resistance and expulsion of the Tartars. If you abandon the Tartars and turn to attack Sichuan, it will surely chill the hearts of the people."
After hearing this, Qin Mu nodded to Yang Shen. Military is an extension of politics, so when considering strategic issues, the first thing to consider is political factors, otherwise you will end up losing more than you gain.
Qin Mu is not a descendant of the Zhu family. Only by standing at the forefront of the anti-Qing war at this time can he win the support of the people. Only when people are united can they work together. This is much more important than Sichuan.
Gu Jun'en came out and said, "My Lord, Nanjing is your hometown. It controls Jingchu in the west and Wuyue in the east. It has a magnificent situation and outstanding people. It is the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. After Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty established the capital in Nanjing, Nanjing has become the head of the world and has an incomparable symbolic significance. If we take Nanjing, we will take the head of the world and make the world follow us and the people return to us.
Your Excellency now controls the land of Jiangyou and Jingchu. If you go downstream, you can become a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, Jiangyou and Jiangzuo are connected, so the battle line to take Nanjing is not long, which is conducive to our army's rapid advance and logistical supply.
Duoduo has just arrived and has not yet established a firm foothold, but he has already slaughtered all of Yangzhou and issued an order to shave the hair, which has aroused fierce resistance from the people of Jiangnan. Your Excellency is now raising the banner of justice and going downstream with the power of a great victory. The people of Jiangnan will surely respond, and it will be just a matter of time before the Tartars are driven out. Therefore, Nanjing should be taken first. "
Including Yang Shen, Zhuge Min, Wu Jinxi and others, they all expressed their support for conquering Jiangnan with all their strength first.
He Liang, however, expressed a different opinion. He said, "Sir, the Qing army is concentrated in Jiangnan, while the Central Plains and Guanzhong are relatively empty. I think we should still take a defensive stance on the eastern front and concentrate our forces on the northern front, first taking Heluo and then Guanzhong. In this way, we can avoid the strong and attack the weak, and we will surely be able to move forward with unstoppable force.
Under your administration, Jinghu is a prosperous place, and can be used as a granary. The people of the northwest are tough and have many warriors, making them the arsenal of the world. Once you conquer the northwest, you can trade with the Hu people in Hexi and Hetao. In terms of commerce, you can promote the prosperity of Huguang, and in terms of military, you can obtain the most scarce war horses for our army.
In this way, with granaries in the south and arsenals in the north, we will have enough food and a strong army. From west to east, we can take the three borders and recover the Central Plains. By then, there will be no need to send a large army to the south of the Yangtze River, and the Tartars will inevitably find it difficult to gain a foothold. Retreating to Yanyun or even withdrawing from the border is inevitable. "
He Liang's words were supported by Sima An and Li Yuan. Qin Mu thought deeply for a long time, but could not make a decision for a while.
With the current strength of the Qin army, there can only be one main attack direction, north or east. If they "have the foot in two boats", one mistake may lead to a complete loss.
If they march eastward, the best outcome would be to defeat Duoduo quickly, but it would be almost impossible to completely annihilate him. By then, Duoduo's main force would withdraw to Jiangbei, and the military strength in the Central Plains and Guanzhong would be enhanced, making it very difficult to achieve the goal of capturing Heluo and Guanzhong.
The Central Plains had experienced wars for a long time, and the people's minds were settled. In fact, the people were more likely to accept the rule of the Qing Dynasty. If the Qing Dynasty was allowed to rule for a long time and the people accepted the rule of the Qing Dynasty, the outcome of the war of unification from south to north would be difficult to predict.
If the Qin army took advantage of the Tartars' lack of troops in the Central Plains to first seize Heluo and Guanzhong, the Qin army's front line would be stretched very long. The Qin army was mainly composed of infantry, while the Tartars were mainly composed of cavalry. The initiative of the attack was in the hands of the Tartars. With such a long front line, it was unknown whether the Qin army could withstand the Tartars' subsequent fierce counterattack.
In short, taking Jiangnan first will be beneficial for future defense, or at worst, we can divide the river and rule it;
Taking Heluo and Guanzhong first will be beneficial for future attacks, but it is a risky move. It can be foreseen that once such a situation is formed, the Tatars will definitely launch a fierce attack on Heluo. If Heluo is lost, Guanzhong and Huguang will be divided into two.
At the same time, the Qin Army and the Dashi Army were old enemies, and the possibility of the Dashi Army in Sichuan taking advantage of the situation and attacking from both sides cannot be ruled out.
Qin Mu sighed: It would be great if we could take over Sichuan at the same time!
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ps: Should I go to Jiangnan first, or take Heluo, Guanzhong first, or go in other directions? I am struggling with this. If you are interested, please leave your opinions in the book review area. If your opinions make sense, Haozi will adopt them.
Finally, I would like to ask for monthly tickets. Don’t run around naked all the time. I hope everyone will support and encourage me.
.(To be continued..)
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