Haidong Guan and other generals, as well as the ninth and tenth thousand households, were all stunned. When they had just boarded the ship, they heard the explosion caused by Feng Guo using them to fight the Ming army. How could the Ming army not see it? At that moment, all the generals were shocked.

He took out a telescope to investigate. He looked around, but could not see the Ming army.

It is said that the terrain on one side of Chaoyang Mountain is open and there is no obstruction. The 50,000 Ming army has a large number, so it is impossible to disappear. The only possibility is that the Ming army withdraws. But the generals find it difficult to believe that the Ming army will just fight with

The Lingshan Guards took one battle and then withdrew.

Not to mention that they didn't believe it, Li Jianguo didn't believe it either. He frowned and ordered the scouts to board a boat and go ashore to investigate from the land. He also sent several sentry ships to patrol along the coast. Regardless of whether there was any news about the Ming army, they would report it every hour.

In this way, more than 60 warships and 10,000 Lingshan Guards were waiting at sea, waiting for news from the scouts. Fortunately, it was not difficult to find the whereabouts of the 50,000 troops. In just half an hour, the land scouts came to report, explaining that the army

It has turned to the west, heading towards Zhucheng. The reason why it cannot be seen through the telescope is because the Ming army passed straight through from the side of Chaoyang Mountain, and now the rear army has also reached Xinzhuang Village.

When the generals heard this, they were in an uproar. Everyone was extremely excited. The 1000th household rejoiced: "The Ming army has retreated, and we have won a great victory. Sir, I would like to take my troops to pursue the Ming army."

Li Jianguo glanced at him coldly, causing the excitement of the 1000th household to suddenly drop from boiling to below freezing. Li Jianguo snorted coldly: "The Ming army withdrew so quickly and decisively, obviously they already knew that nothing could be done.

Under such circumstances, how can you not pay attention to the safety of the way back? If you lead five thousand people in pursuit, you are afraid that you will be beaten by meat buns and dogs, and you will never come back. Someone, come and get the map."

The 1000th household was severely scolded by Li Jianguo, and his face turned pale as he spoke. He stood aside and said, "This subordinate is not considerate, please punish me." Li Jianguo ignored him at all and continued.

Look at the map and look carefully.

He found the seat of Xinzhuang Village, stretched out his fingers along the route, and looked at the terrain. Sure enough, he was going to Zhucheng. Zhucheng had been surrounded by the Lingshan Guards years ago, but the county magistrate of Zhucheng was not dismissed, and his garrison was also

The original troops of the Ming army and the Lingshan Guards did not have a single soldier in Zhucheng.

Moreover, the Zhucheng cities were too small to accommodate an army of 50,000. The reason why the Ming army retreated to Zhucheng must be because they were afraid that if they retreated along the coast, they would be attacked by the Lingshan Guards. Although Rizhao is a good stronghold, the Lingshan Guards with battleships and cannons would

They will take the initiative and attack Rizhao from land and sea at any time. The Ming army will never give the initiative to the Lingshan Guards.

Therefore, even if Li Kaiguo is left to choose, the best idea is to retreat to Zhucheng. And the Ming army retreats to Zhucheng. It can attack Jinan in the west and retreat to Jiangsu in the south. If you want to attack, attack. If you want to retreat, retreat.

It can be flexible and changeable, making it difficult for the Lingshan Guards to guess.

Li Kaiguo shook his head and said: "Get up. Come and look at the map, and then tell us what you think." The 1000th household stood up according to his words, but his face was still as earthy. It can be seen that Li Kaiguo's reprimand frightened him.

It was a big deal. All the generals gathered around and looked at the map carefully.

Although the 1000th household had just been trained, the generals did not dare to speak because of this. Soon, the 9000th household said: "My lord, from what I see, there is a difficult opponent in the Ming army."

Li Jianguo was surprised and said: "What kind of opponent can you tell me?"

Nine Thousand Households pointed to the route to Zhucheng and said: "Please see, sir, the Ming army retreated so simply that our intention of annihilating the Ming army was in vain. Not only that, this time the Ming army attacked our Lingshan Guards, if not Your Majesty, I expected that the enemy would be the first to attack us. We, the Lingshan Guards, would never be able to withstand the Ming Army's 100,000-strong navy and land attack. Even though we won this battle, all the credit lies with your Majesty, and not with the desperate efforts of my subordinates, don't you think?"

His words were quite flattering, but the generals didn't think so at all. They all nodded and said, "That's exactly it."

Nine Thousand Households continued: "According to my guess, Jinan Prefecture is a bait thrown by the Ming army this time to induce our army to divide our forces, and then surround and suppress it with a large force. I dare to say that within five days, There will definitely be Ming troops coming to Jinan Mansion."

"The retreating Ming army of 50,000 people will also retreat to Zhucheng. It will definitely not turn south and retreat to Jiangsu. Instead, it will turn west and cooperate with the Ming army under Jinan Prefecture to attack Jinan. Mansion, and then lure our army to go to the rescue, so that they can surround the city for reinforcements and eat away at our army bit by bit."

"Once the reinforcements are driven back, Jinan Mansion will be an isolated city and it will definitely not be able to defend it for long. By then, our Lingshan Guard will have to lose at least 30,000 elite soldiers, and the court will be able to act calmly. And all this, if no one is behind it Command coordination is extremely difficult to achieve, so my subordinates said that the Ming army has a formidable opponent."

After he finished speaking, all the generals broke out in a cold sweat. They didn't know that there were so many ways in it. But Li Kaiguo's eyes lit up and he was overjoyed. He actually knew now that the 9,000th household was still As expected, a general's gold will always shine.

Li Kaiguo laughed loudly and said: "Okay, okay, although you don't understand many things, so your explanation is not detailed enough. But you can still guess it. Since you have guessed it, let's talk about how we can deal with it. ?”

The Ninth Thousand Households were praised by Li Kaiguo, and they were excited and said: "Sir, the Ming army set up this conspiracy only based on the combat effectiveness of ordinary soldiers. However, our army only uses firearms, and its combat effectiveness is so strong that no one in the world can find it." It’s imaginary. Sir, may I ask if there is a shortage of food in the city of Jinan.”

Li Kaiguo shook his head and said: "The grain and grass in Jinan City can be enough for a year."

The Ninth Thousand Household smiled and said: "In that case, we don't need to rescue Jinan City at all. There are 25,000 troops stationed in the city, and there are many firearms to defend the city. As long as the Ming army does not send more than 200,000 troops, It is impossible to break through the city of Jinan. With the current financial and military strength of the Ming army, they can mobilize more than 50,000 troops to besiege the city for a month, which is already the limit. If they do not retreat for more than a month, they may not be able to leave again. .”

"And our army only needs to take advantage of this opportunity to convert some of the auxiliary troops in Lingshan Guard into combat troops, recruit more troops, and gradually occupy the states and counties vacated by the Ming army. In less than half a year, the entire Shandong will fall into our hands. "

He just said such a simple thing, and the generals heard it clearly. When they thought about it, they were really thorough and looked at each other in shock. The 9,000th household, who are usually so quiet, didn't expect that his brain was so easy to use. .

The more Li Kaiguo listened, the more he liked it. He actually reached out to pat him on the shoulder and said with a smile: "That's right. Although you didn't think it through in some parts, it's already very valuable. Okay, I'll do as you say."

The 9,000th household was overjoyed and quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, sir, for accepting your subordinate's opinion."

Li Kaiguo nodded, and then said: "Haidongguan. Now that the Ming army has retreated, the Lingshan Guards are safe. This time, the navy is holding back. Since Zheng Jun has returned to Fuzhou, it is inevitable that he will not come to take revenge in the future. Do you think

Think of a way to see if you can buy some warships first. We still have too few craftsmen in the shipyard. We can't build large gunboats for the time being. You have to think of a way and come back to me as soon as possible."

The navy generals knelt down together and said with shame: "Please forgive me, Your Excellency." Li Kaiguo shook his head and said: "It's okay if you know you are ashamed. Get up and withdraw your troops and return to the camp."

Returning to Lingshan Guard, Li Kaiguo was not idle either. During this battle, he was running around, and he had to be asked to command the battle almost everywhere. Although he won the battle, it made him very unhappy. If every time in the future

He had to personally participate in the battle, which was very bad for the Lingshan Guards. They urgently needed a large number of generals who could help him attack the city and seize territory.

Therefore, he decided to change the status quo and speed up the training of the ability of the Ten Thousand Households to lead troops alone. The best way is actual combat. If the generals are not matured now, there will be constant big battles and small battles in the future. I am afraid that maturity will require larger forces.

cost.

As soon as he thought of it, Li Kaiguo gathered his generals early the next morning. First, he sent the 1,000th household to lead his troops to Zhucheng, monitoring the movements of the 45,000 Ming army along the way.

Li Kaiguo gave 5,000 war horses to the 1,000th household, both for transportation and for training cavalry. Cavalry is not easy to train, and the current Lingshan Guards can only be said to be able to ride at best, but even so

, its mobility is also greatly enhanced.

The strategy Li Kaiguo gave to the 1,000th household was the harassment tactics of chasing the enemy as they run, attacking as the enemy is tired, and retreating as the enemy advances. This is a guerrilla tactic that has been proven by the great chairman of later generations. As long as it is used properly, these 45,000

The Ming army might be overwhelmed by the 1,000-house team.

Li Kaiguo sent another team of 7,000 households, and also gave them 5,000 war horses for transportation. They patrolled eastern Shandong every day and closely monitored the movements of Dengzhou and Weihaiwei. If there was an opportunity, Li Kaiguo would take advantage of the 7,000 households.

The team fought first and played later. The seventh thousand households happily followed the order and left.

Li Kaiguo ordered the 8,000th Household and 10,000th Household teams to be stationed in Jiaozhou and Gaomi respectively, so that if the 1,000th Household team and the 7,000th Household team were defeated, they could respond nearby.

The four major Thousand Household Teams all followed the order and left. The Ninth Thousand Household saw that the other Thousand Households all had tasks, but only themselves did not. They couldn't help but kneel to the ground and said, "Sir, why don't my subordinates have tasks?"

Li Jianguo laughed and said: "The task I give you is the heaviest, I'm afraid you don't dare to take it."

The 7000th household looked determined and said in a deep voice: "I'm not afraid of heavy tasks. Please feel free to give me your orders."

Li Kaiguo nodded and said with a smile: "The task I gave you is to garrison Lingshan Guard. Lingshan Guard only has five thousand soldiers like you. If you want to keep Lingshan Guard safe, can you possibly do it?"

The 7000th household was startled and said, "Sir, do you want to leave Lingshan Guard?" He had a delicate mind and immediately thought of this level.

Li Kaiguo nodded and said: "Exactly, I am going to Jinan Mansion, which is an important place in the government. The gentry, wealthy businessmen and officials gather there. I am afraid that without me, they will not be able to suppress the 2,000 households. Lingshan Guard's

I’ll leave the security department to you. Lingshan Guard is the foundation of this department and the top priority, do you dare to take it?”

The Seven Thousand Household naturally understood the significance of Lingshan Guard, and also knew that no one else could take on this responsibility except him. Although Feng Guoyong seemed to be more suitable than him, the Lord never really let him lead the troops.

Your Excellency’s reasons, so the 7000th household suddenly kowtowed and said: “Please rest assured, Your Majesty, my subordinates will definitely live up to Your Majesty’s trust.”

Li Kaiguo came down, helped the 7000th household up, and said with a smile: "If I am not at ease, I will not entrust Lingshan Guard to you for protection. After I leave, Feng Guoyong will follow my order to protect the whole province."

Recruiting troops; internal affairs were managed by Wei Chuping; agricultural affairs were managed by Cheng Yi

Jianghu Village will be managed by Iron Cannon; you should not interfere with any of this. You just need to remember that the only thing you are responsible for is the safety of Lingshan Guards." After he said this, two sharp gleams flashed in his eyes,

The seventh thousand households dare not look directly.

The 7000th household lowered his head and said, "I understand."

Li Kaiguo nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, you go down." The 7,000th household ordered them to retreat.

Ma Ying flashed out from behind the screen. Li Jianguo did not look back and said calmly: "You have to send someone to pay close attention to his movements. If there is anything unusual, report it to me at any time."

Ma Ying whispered: "Yes. My subordinates have just received information that 10,000 Liaodong cavalry have arrived in Dezhou and will arrive in Jinan in one day. The general leading the troops is Wu Sangui who escaped last time. This time, he

It's revenge."

Li Kaiguo smiled coldly and said: "He has a good old man who gave him 10,000 cavalry at a time. But Wu Sangui is just a third-level guerrilla. This is against the rules. If his father hadn't helped him, what about the 10,000 cavalry?"

If he hadn't escaped quickly last time, he would have turned into bones long ago. This time, I will never let him escape."

Ma Ying handed over another note and said: "Sir, the facts you asked your subordinates to check last time have been verified. This is the final result."

Li Kaiguo took the note, glanced at it, and hummed softly. As he expected, it was indeed the case. He concentrated for a long time, and Ma Ying did not dare to speak, but just stood aside with his hands hanging down.

After a while, Li Kaiguo said: "I will allocate you another 30,000 taels. You can use the 1,000 taels to reward the person who has found out the matter. You can use the rest to develop intelligence work in Jiangnan.

Be quick, but be safe. I only give you two months, can you possibly do it?"

Ma Ying was overjoyed and said quickly: "Thank you for your trust, sir. I will do my best."

Li Jianguo nodded and said: "The capital is still the top priority. The people you send to the capital must be effective, and they must be careful. The Jin Yiwei are not just for free, so be careful not to hurt anyone."

Ma Yingdao: "Don't worry, sir, the spies in the capital are connected by a single line. Even if one line is broken, it will not endanger the other spies. All spies are only known to their subordinates, so it is very safe."

Li Kaiguo waved his hand and said: "You go." Ma Ying knelt down and kowtowed, ducked behind the screen and disappeared. Li Kaiguo sighed, this Ma Ying was too involved in the drama, and refused to leave even if there was a good door.

Take the window.

He arranged everything and did not stay any longer. He only went to Jianghu Village before leaving and talked secretly with Tie Dapao and Bi Maokang for two hours. Bi Maokang was not in good health at this time, but his spirit was very strong. He came

Only when he arrived at Lingshan Guard did he realize that Lingshan Guard was his lifelong dream.

With these craftsmen, all Bi Maokang can think about is firearms, and here he can turn his thoughts into physical objects at any time, and there are many craftsmen who can put forward suggestions for improvement. Bi Maokang is like a duck in water in Jianghu Village.

During the day, he spent time with low-status craftsmen, but he showed no airs of being an official. The craftsmen also liked this old man very much.

Li Kaiguo looked at Bi Maokang and the abnormal blush on his cheeks. He frowned and said, "You are not young anymore. Don't overwork yourself. You may die from overwork."

Bi Maokang laughed and said: "Don't worry, sir. Before the steam engine you mentioned is built, the old man will never die. And what you said has been verified. The power of boiled water vapor is amazing. As long as it is sealed

It’s so good, with this kind of power, it’s no problem even moving a mountain.”

Li Jianguo chuckled and said to Tie Dapao: "Send two hundred young craftsmen to follow Mr. Bi and learn everything he knows now. Don't brag now. If you fail by then, we will suffer heavy losses."
To be continued...