Nanjing Imperial Palace, side hall.

Zhu Yicheng did not expect that the progress of fighting Zhili was so fast. When Lin Jianzhang proposed his tactics, Zhu Yicheng agreed without much consideration. Zhu Yicheng did not have much restrictions on his generals during his use. He was the emperor, not a general who shouted to fight on the front line. Moreover, Zhu Yicheng was very self-aware and was OK to grasp the general direction, but when it comes to leading troops to fight, his skills were far inferior to those of these generals.

The situation is very good now, and Zhu Yicheng will not like the Chairman to directly intervene in specific commands. Although they will scold Niangxipi when they are anxious, there are still differences.

In the battle of Mentougou, the Ming army annihilated the main force of the Qing army in Zhili in one fell swoop, and then went south and directly to Xingtai. However, as the front line was lengthened, the weakness of the Ming army's insufficient military strength was quickly exposed. At present, Lin Jianzhang had temporarily stopped in Xingtai and sent a military newspaper to Nanjing, demanding that the Ming army in the south go north quickly and join forces in the Central Plains.

"Have you read Lin Jianzhang's military newspaper? Tell me your own ideas." Zhu Yicheng said to several military ministers sitting in front of him.

As the chief military aircraft, Liao Huanzhi did not speak first, but turned his attention to Dong Dashan sitting opposite him. After all, Dong Dashan is in charge of the Ministry of War, and as the commander of the army, Dong Dashan has the most say in this matter.

Dong Dashan hesitated and said, "When talking about this matter, the key is the issue of military strength. At present, our army has a total of more than 80,000 troops in the north. It seems that there are quite a lot in terms of total military strength, but not many troops can be used in actual use."

Everyone nodded slightly. Dong Dashan was right. Although the Ming army had a total force of more than 80,000 people in the north, in addition to the forces stationed in Gubeikou, Tianjin Guwei and Beijing City, there were more than 10,000 people north of Cangzhou. The combined force was nearly 50,000.

Among these 50,000 people, there were 30,000 Qing troops who had changed their flags in Gubeikou before, so the Ming army could actually use less than 40,000 troops in Zhili, which was the main force of the new army commanded by Lin Jianzhang.

The 50,000 people above are absolutely unmovable, especially the more than 10,000 people north of Cangzhou. The Ming army needs to rely on this force to temporarily suppress the Qing army in Shandong. As for the defenses in various places, especially in Beijing City and Gubeikou, these forces must also be maintained. In addition, don’t forget that after the Battle of Mentougou, the number of Qing troops was captured by more than 40,000, and these prisoners also need to send troops to guard them.

In addition, Lin Jianzhang went south to capture cities and plunder land, and the prefectures and counties occupied also needed to station troops. Even if the dispatch was not a new army, but an ordinary army, there were at least a few hundred people in this county, and ten county towns were a scale of thousands. In addition, the battlefield was constantly elongated, and the logistics roads were needed to be guaranteed, and a lot of troops were needed to be used for maintenance.

In fact, the Ming army has been trying to solve the problem of military strength. Since the Navy took over the Tianjin Guard, it has never interrupted the transportation of troops to the north. However, the whole world is full of battlefields, especially in Hubei, Hunan and other places. The Ming army has invested a lot of military strength in these two provinces. In addition, the troops stationed in various areas controlled by the Ming army, etc., these hundreds of thousands of people are not enough to be scattered.

Moreover, no one expected that Lin Jianzhang would win such a victory in Mentougou. Although this battle annihilated a large number of living forces in the Qing army in one fell swoop, it also disrupted the Ming army's arrangement in Jiangnan.

According to the previous plan of the General Staff, Lin Jianzhang took action in the north, while the Ming army would assist in attacking Yangzhou and other places to restrain the Qing army in Jiangbei to reduce pressure on the northern battlefield, and at the same time mobilize the Qing army to enable Lin Jianzhang to better carry out strategic deployment.

But who would have thought that Lin Jianzhang won so cleanly that the Ming army in the north was heading straight in, but the Ming army in the south had not had time to adjust. According to the current situation, the Ming army must immediately adjust its tactics, go north from Hubei, cross the Yangtze River, and directly attack Henan, then march towards the Yellow River line, and then join forces with Lin Jianzhang's troops in Kaifeng to open up the important roads in the north and south.

In this way, the Ming army had to mobilize more than 150,000 troops to be barely enough. Considering that Longkodo, an old opponent, is now in Henan, in order to ensure success in one fell swoop, it would be more certain if the troops could be increased to 200,000.

When Dong Dashan said the number of 200,000, everyone present took a breath. It’s not that the Ming Dynasty did not have the army of 200,000. At present, the total strength of the Ming Dynasty has exceeded 500,000. Judging from this number, it seems that it is no problem to take out 200,000.

But this is not what it counts. As mentioned before, the entire Ming Dynasty province and prefectures and counties need a certain number of troops to be stationed, especially in the areas where the Qing army fought. These troops alone require more than 300,000 troops to be stationed. In addition, the Ming Dynasty just captured Hubei and Hunan provinces to maintain stability in the two provinces and prevent the Qing army from counterattacking, heavy troops must be stationed.

At present, only Yang Xu can draw 20,000 people, plus the more than 60,000 people that Huang Chaoyun's troops can draw, which is only 80,000 people. The difference is still huge from the 200,000 figure required by Dong Dashan. Even if it is at a minimum of 150,000, it is almost half the difference.

"It takes so much? Can't it be less?" Wang Fan's face looked a little ugly. This increase in troops was like flowing water. The previous auction in Beijing City made the tight finances eased not long. Now, even if the increase in troops is 70,000, this is a expenditure of hundreds of millions!

"Mr. Wang, this is a national war!" Dong Dashan said unhappily, secretly scolding Wang Fan for being full of money. Now the Ming Dynasty has the upper hand. As long as the north and south are connected, most of the Qing Dynasty will be gone. The great cause of restoring China is right in front of him. Do you still care about some money at this time?

After Dong Dashan said this, Wang Fan's face suddenly turned red: "Dong Shuai, what are you saying? I, Wang, don't you know the importance of the national affairs? It's hard for a cook without rice. You have to let me plan it?"

"I don't care about this. The opportunity is in front of me. Renewing troops is imperative and must be fast!" Dong Dashan cut off the railway: "Once the north and south are not opened as soon as possible, it will be troublesome when the Qing army recovers. This army is fighting outside, and it consumes a lot of daily expenses. We can't let Lin Jianzhang wait in Xingtai all the time."

"Your words are obviously unreasonable..." Wang Fan didn't expect Dong Dashan to give him face so much, and suddenly became a little anxious. Just as he was about to refute, Liao Huanzhi coughed and took over the words: "I understand Dong Shuai's mood, but Lord Wang has been working hard for the state affairs over the years, and it is obvious to all. It is indeed not easy. Everyone is for the emperor and for the Ming Dynasty, so there is no need for this among colleagues."

As he said that, Liao Huanzhi bowed to Zhu Yicheng and said, "Original, I think Dong Shuai's request is not excessive, but the situation of the Ministry of Revenue cannot be ignored. Besides, the increase in troops is not so fast now. Although the military system of our Ming Dynasty is different from the previous dynasties, it is not possible to quickly gather troops in a short period of time."

Liao Huanzhi is right. Zhu Yicheng started to restructure the military system a few years ago and established the initial reserve system to quickly and effectively increase troops when necessary. However, this system has just been implemented and has not been fully improved. In addition, the time is short, it is indeed a problem to increase such soldiers in such a short period of time.

What's more, these soldiers will take some time to train after they assemble, so what can be used is the troops currently in service in the Ming Dynasty.

"What are Liao Aiqing's plans?" Zhu Yicheng knew very well who Liao Huanzhi was. Although Liao Huanzhi was just a small county magistrate at the time, over the years, Liao Huanzhi sat steadily on the chief military aircraft. He was not only careful in his work, but also quite capable.

Liao Huanzhi smiled and said, "I have no plans, but I have some insights. Emperor, Rong Chen first asks Dong Shuai if he can ask him a few questions?"

Seeing his appearance, Zhu Yicheng nodded without comment.

"Shuai Dong, now my Ming Dynasty is in Hubei. How many troops are available in the two provinces of Hunan?"

"About 170,000, including 90,000 in Hubei and 80,000 in Hunan. If the Qing army surrendered, there were about 200,000 in total." Dong Dashan didn't want to blurt out.

Liao Huanzhi nodded and continued to ask: "If I remember correctly, the 90,000 people in Hubei are Huang Chaoyun's tribe? As for the 80,000 troops in Hunan are Yang Xu's tribe?"

"That's right, that's true." Dong Dashan nodded.

Liao Huanzhi stroked his beard and said, "If all 90,000 people from Huang Chaoyun's troops were mobilized to go north, then half of Yang Xu's 80,000 people were divided, and our Ming Dynasty was drawn from Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Anqing, and there were 20,000 people in various places. Isn't it like there will be a fifteen army?"

"No!" As soon as Liao Huanzhi finished speaking, Dong Dashan immediately opposed: "Ninety thousand people of Huang Chaoyun's troops need to be stationed in Hubei to prevent the enemy in Xiangyang. In addition, Gao Jin's troops are still in Hubei and Hunan. If all these 90,000 people are transferred, what should I do to resist if there is any change? In addition, Lord Liao should not forget that there are Qing troops in Guangxi. Now the Qing army in Guangxi has nearly 100,000 troops. In addition, the Qing court has asked Guangxi Zhao Hongcan to command the three provinces. Yang Xu's troops not only need to control the front line of Hunan and Guangdong, but also need to prevent Zhao Hongcan from counterattacking at any time. How can we draw so many? The numbers I just mentioned are already considering the number of substitutes and substitutes. Once all the main forces are drawn, will the two provinces not be denied?"

The main force of 170,000 was drawn at once, and the remaining 40,000 was to defend the two major provinces. Although there were 30,000 surrendered Qing troops barely available, it was too risky. Dong Dashan would not do this anyway. Once these forces were drawn away, the Qing army or Gao Jin suddenly attacked the two provinces. What should the Ming Dynasty use to block it?

More importantly, whether it is Hubei or Hunan, the Ming Dynasty has just been in control for a while. The situation in both local and surrounding areas is unstable. Without heavy troops stationed and suppressed, any situation may occur. Dong Dashan would never take such a big risk.
Chapter completed!