Next, everyone shifted the goal of discussion from Sichuan to the present, and expressed their opinions on how the Ming Dynasty should next step.

In general, it is divided into two factions, one is the southward faction and the other is the northward faction.

The southern faction was naturally led by Ma Gongcheng and Wang Dong. Although the Ming Dynasty had taken Fujian, from the perspective of the overall battle, except for the annihilation of Lan Yanzhen's joint fleet in the East China Sea, the army did not achieve the expected goals. Now Fujian is indeed in the Ming Dynasty's bag, but whether it is Lan Li or Nian Gengyao retreated to Guangdong first, the main force of the Fujian Green Camp is still there, and Lan Li's Guangdong and Guangxi Green Camp has not suffered much loss.

These troops retreated to Guangdong, and Zhao Hongcan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, had stepped up Guangdong's defense and expanded his troops when the Ming Dynasty attacked Fujian. The Green Camp of Guangdong and Guangxi now has more than 60,000 troops, plus the main force of Lan Li and Nian Gengyao entering Guangdong and Guangxi, with a total force of nearly 100,000. This is a force that cannot be ignored. In Ma Gongcheng's view, the Qing army in Guangdong and Guangxi must be defeated as soon as possible, annihilated the Qing army's vitality, and completely control the entire south.

This strategy is feasible overall, and Zhu Yicheng also considered it the same at the beginning of the Fujian Battle. However, because Lan Yanzhen's joint fleet disrupted the pre-planning, the Ming army failed to implement the tactic of landing and encirclement in a timely manner, thus missing the opportunity.

After letting go of Lan Li and Nian Gengyao, Ma Gongcheng and Wang Dong were resentful, so it was natural to demand a southward move. From a general perspective, if Guangdong and Guangxi could be swallowed up in one bite, the Qing court's rule in the south would no longer exist, which would be of great benefit to the Ming Dynasty.

But there are difficulties in going south. As mentioned above, Lan Li and Nian Gengyao's main forces have not lost. Adding the troops of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Qing army has nearly 100,000, which is not a small number. Although the morale of the Ming army after taking Fujian was in full swing, and it has surpassed the Qing army in terms of equipment and training, compared with the 100,000 Qing army, the Ming army invested a huge force, and Fujian was poor and mountainous, and the roads were difficult to walk. Most of the food and grass transportation needed by the army needed to be supplemented by sea. Once problems arise, many uncertain factors will be caused.

Furthermore, the attack on Guangdong and Guangxi is too long, and the preparation and consumption are almost astronomical. Before, the Ming Dynasty spent a lot of money on Fujian. Although the battle of the East China Sea was beautiful, the main fleets of Zhoushan and Wang Dong were not without losses, and until now these losses have not been fully supplemented.

Therefore, for the southern delegation, several people led by Dong Dashan, insisted on going north. Now the White Lotus Sect in Sichuan has revolted, and the Qing court lost Sichuan, resulting in unstable four surrounding provinces. Judging from the situation, the Qing army will inevitably encircle and suppress Zhu Jiancai in Henan and the White Lotus Sect in Sichuan.

In this way, the main force of the Qing army would be mobilized, and Jiangbei and Shandong would inevitably have insufficient troops, which gave the Ming Dynasty an opportunity to take advantage of.

Dong Dashan believed that the Ming Dynasty now has the advantage of the Yangtze River and the navy in hand, so he could directly cross the river while the main forces of the Qing army were concentrated in the Central Plains and the southwest, and seize Yangzhou and other places in one breath, and then approach Shandong and Hebei. In this way, he could open up Jiangbei and threaten the key points of the Qing court. If he had the chance, he could even attack Huanglong to restore the world.

To be honest, Dong Dashan's suggestion to go north made many people tempted. If this step can be achieved, it can be said that the world will be a battle. However, some people immediately objected to Dong Dashan's suggestion to go north. First of all, Jiangbei is different from Jiangnan, and Fujian and Guangdong and Guangxi. It is not difficult to cross the river and attack, and it is not difficult to take Yangzhou. But after taking Yangzhou, you have to go north to the Central Plains. Whether entering Shandong or Hebei, the Ming Dynasty will directly face the main force of the Qing army. Moreover, the Qing army, which has a large number of cavalry in the plains, has an innate advantage. Although the Ming Dynasty's firearms are sharp, they are insufficient in mobility and have high requirements for logistics supply. Once they fall into hard battles in the Central Plains, they will not only fail to achieve their goals, but will lead to huge losses.

In addition, there are uncertainties between Zhu Jiancai and Wang Zhiqing and other troops. If the Qing army aims at the main target at the Ming Dynasty, it will be equivalent to making wedding dresses for the second troops. Even if the Qing army is defeated at that time, then there will be a great war between the three troops gathered in the Central Plains. At that time, even if the Ming Dynasty is strong, who can guarantee that it will be the final winner when facing such a strong opponent?

For this reason, everyone suddenly argued endlessly and couldn't convince the other party for a while. In fact, this was also a question that Zhu Yicheng was considering. These days, Zhu Yicheng was also hesitating for going south or north, especially after leaving such a big incident in Sichuan, he was even more undecided.

As everyone said, there is a reason to go south, and there is also a saying to go north, but whether it goes south or north, Zhu Yicheng must make a choice. Although the Ming Dynasty is booming, with hundreds of thousands of elite troops and tens of millions of people under the rule, after all, compared with the whole world, the power of the Ming Dynasty is not enough to support the direct launch of two fronts.

Besides, is Sandezi strong after more than two hundred years? Is the bearded man fierce? He punches the Soviets, kicks France, laughs at the world's heroes, and blitzkriegs the legion encirclement tactics that make the whole world even more frightened. But wasn't it because the battles on both sides finally went from strong to weak, and ended up in a miserable end?

Zhu Yicheng's biggest advantage is that he can see his own strength clearly, rather than blindly making decisions. For the king, it is not difficult to make a decision, but once this decision is made, it also has to bear all the consequences. Especially in this case, Zhu Yicheng is even more cautious because he knows that he has not yet reached the point where he can directly sweep the world by relying on his strength.

"Mr. Liao, Mr. Wu, what do you think of? You might as well say it straightforwardly." After listening to the debate for a while, seeing that no one in the military could convince anyone, while Liao Huanzhi and Wu Sidao, who were the highest among civil officials, never spoke a word. Zhu Yicheng couldn't help but ask directly.

After thinking about it, Liao Huanzhi stood up and said, "Go back to the emperor, I don't want to say it, but I haven't thought about it yet. Why don't you let Mr. Wu talk first."

After saying that, he looked at Wu Sidao with a smile. Looking at him like this, Wu Sidao immediately smiled hoarsely and shook his head.

"What are Mr. Wu's opinions?"

"There is no question, I just think that you have made such a decision seem a bit hasty." Just when everyone heard Wu Sidao express his opinion with hope, whether to support going south or north, no one expected that Wu Sidao, who had always been confident, actually said this.

"Hasty? What does sir mean?" Chief of General Staff Zhuang Yan couldn't help asking.

Wu Sidao smiled and said, "Actually, whether it is going south or going north, the advantages and disadvantages are clearly stated. There are benefits to going south, and there are opportunities to going north, but you have wondered if you have thought about it. Why should I, the Ming Dynasty, have to decide this matter immediately? Whether going south or going north, it cannot be decided in one day. Before the three armies move, food and grass will come first. It will take less than one or two months to make such a large plan. Since that is the case, why not wait and see?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yicheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what Wu Sidao meant. The situation in the whole world is now complicated, and taking the first move may not be a good move, and those who take the next move may not necessarily suffer losses. Compared with the Qing court, Zhu Jiancai, Wang Zhiqing, Gao Jin and others, the Ming Dynasty is now the most stable one.

Now that Fujian has been taken down, the Qing army in Guangdong and Guangxi was as nervous as a frightened bird, fearing that the Ming army would take advantage of the victory to attack Guangdong, and the main targets of the Qing court in the north were also concentrated in the Central Plains and the southwest Sichuan. The Qing court was most anxious about the situation.

As for Zhu Jiancai's side, it is now sandwiched between the Qing court and Wang Zhiqing. It is necessary to prevent the Qing army from attacking, and to beware of the White Lotus Sect from Sichuan to Henan, and even annex its troops.

Wang Zhiqing in Sichuan was eager to leave Sichuan after taking Sichuan. Wang Zhiqing was not a fool, and now Gao Jin has joined his troops. Although the White Lotus Sect succeeded in the Great Uprising in Sichuan, if he did not leave Sichuan, everything he had done before was in vain. Only by fighting Sichuan can Wang Zhiqing get the opportunity to fight for the world. Once he is trapped in Sichuan, then what is waiting for him in the end is only a result.

It can be said that among the four forces of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, Zhu Jiancai, and Wang Zhiqing, the Ming Dynasty temporarily became a bystander and was the one who was least urgently needed. Since that is the case, why not wait first? On the one hand, it is secretly prepared, and on the other hand, it is time to look at the changes in the situation before making a choice. Why have to rush to make a decision?

"Mr. Wu's words are really reasonable. I have always felt that it seems a bit inappropriate to make a quick decision, but what is wrong is that I can't say anything. Fortunately, Mr. Wu wakes up the dreamer with one word! I admire him, admire him!" Liao Huanzhi stroked his thighs and nodded repeatedly. After saying this, everyone felt that it made sense after hearing this, and the debate stopped for a while.

But no matter what, today's discussions were still very effective, because in the end, the Ming Dynasty still had to make final decisions from the south and north. Therefore, Zhu Yicheng finally asked the two factions to go back and make detailed plans, and the General Staff cooperated. Whether going south or north, he had to consider the whole plan to achieve foolproof.

After the meeting, Zhang Ran, the commander of the Jinyiwei, stayed there specially. After the others left, Zhang Ran reported that the person Zhu Yicheng asked him to pick him up from Fujian had already been received, and asked if he wanted to summon this person to the palace.

"Where are people now?" Zhu Yicheng asked.

"Go back to the emperor and temporarily place it in a small courtyard in the south of the city of Weichen. Because the emperor gave special instructions, Weichen made such arrangements." Zhang Ran replied carefully.
Chapter completed!