Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 150, Shandong Strategy

Fang Yong thought about what Xue Dacui said.

From a certain perspective, what Xue Dacui said makes sense.

As long as we can conquer the world, we will naturally find a way to downplay this shameful history in the future.

However, there was always a hurdle in Fang Yong's heart that he couldn't get over.

If he didn't have any cheats, he might have calmly accepted Xue Daguizi's advice and seized this hard-won opportunity.

However, he has a cheat.

He is already strong enough.

As long as he continues to develop slowly, within a few years, the world will be his.

Wu Yuan advised:
"General, even though this is a rare opportunity, what you are after is the whole world, not just the capital. Even if you lead your army north, conquer Shandong, and take the capital, will the whole world belong to you? I am afraid that if you lose your virtue in the world, everyone in the four seas will rise up and rebel, and what you gain will be far less than what you lose."

Xue Dacui retorted disapprovingly:
"If the general can take over Shandong and Zhili, Henan will also be within his grasp. At that time, the general will have all the wealth in the world, and it will be easy for him to take over the world!
Wu Yuan shook his head and retorted:
"Relying on the strength of the army, one can seize the nine states, but cannot rule them; relying on the abundance of treasury, one can control the people's hearts, but cannot win their hearts. These are all minor ways, and it is difficult to achieve great things."

Xue Dacui was so angry that he slammed the table and said:

"The theories of corrupt scholars are just empty talk, without any basis in reality!"

Wu Yuan also responded sharply, saying:
"The way of business is short-sighted. They only care about the small profits in front of them. How can they understand the great plans of the dynasty?"

"All right!"

Fang Yong hurriedly stopped the two from arguing.

If he didn't stop, Xue Ao would scold Wu Yuan for his appearance, and Wu Yuan would scold Xue Ao for his lame leg.

Fang Yong looked at Jia Yucun and asked:

"What suggestions does Shi Fei have?"

Jia Yucun held a cup of tea, thought for a moment, and said:

"I agree to attack Shandong..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan looked at Jia Yucun with some dissatisfaction.

Jia Yucun continued:
"General, you can attack Shandong first, then enter Zhili. Instead of attacking the capital, you can attack Liaodong in the name of resisting foreign invaders!"

Fang Yong's eyebrows jumped after hearing this. Instead of attacking the capital, why attack Liaodong?
He really hadn't thought about this!
"How exactly do we do this?"

Fang Yong asked.

Jia Yucun led everyone to the map and pointed out a route with his finger.

"After our army enters Shandong, the grasslands will surely have invaded Liaodong. At that time, our army can be divided into two routes. One route will go through Jinhai, Yongping, and then to Shanhaiguan. The other route will take Weihaiwei in Shandong, and then advance to Jinzhou by land and sea."

Fang Yong and others frowned.

Wu Yuan asked, "Let's not talk about the cost of the sea route for now, just talking about the Tianjin-Haikou route, how could the imperial army sit back and watch our army march?"

Jia Yucun said:

"We have to wait for the imperial court to intervene. Attacking the Liaodong tribes is fake, but taking the imperial throne in the capital is real. Once the imperial court takes the lead in sending troops, the general can seize the righteousness and take the capital."

“Even if the imperial court does not send troops to stop them, the general can station troops in Jinhai, Yongping and other places in the name of fighting against foreign tribes, occupy the passes, station troops in the fields, and gradually reduce the living space of the capital until Emperor Longqing has no choice but to rebel.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan looked at Jia Yucun with a strange expression.

This guy’s plan is so sinister!
Fang Yong began to think about Jia Yucun's strategy.

In fact, in essence, Jia Yucun's proposal and Xue Dacui's proposal are the same. Both of them take advantage of the disaster of the Yellow River in Shandong to rob. The difference is that Jia Yucun's strategy uses the name of attacking foreign races, which is more tenable in terms of justice.

But no matter how much you try to cover it up, you can't change the fact.

That is, once Fang Yong attacks Shandong, he will inevitably have to fight with the imperial court. At that time, the foreign tribes on the grassland will reap the benefits and send troops to seize the Liaodong area.

This is what Fang Yong least wants to see.

Especially since Fang Yong had just made a deal with Cao Yuan.

Fang Yong shared his concerns with everyone.

Everyone thought about it carefully. Xue Dacui advised: "Liaodong is a bitter and cold place. There is no point in staying here. Why do you insist on it?"

Fang Yong shook his head. This was a common limitation of people in this era. He did not explain too much but directly made a conclusion.

"Liaodong cannot be lost."

Upon hearing this, Xue Dacui opened his mouth but said nothing more.

Wu Yuan persuaded Fang Yong to give up Shandong and choose to attack Zhejiang as originally planned. News came from Xu Shaobao that some achievements had been made and Hangzhou would be captured soon.

Fang Yong thought about it and did not make a decision immediately.

Zhai Xun stood up at this time and said:
"I have a plan, but I don't know if it will work."

Fang Yong hurriedly said, "Boyan, please speak."

The others also looked at Zhai Xun.

Zhai Xun said: "Shandong is in great trouble, the imperial court will certainly be unable to provide relief, the general can provide relief on behalf of the imperial court, first take the people of Shandong, then take the land of Shandong, and do it slowly, without engaging in direct battle with the imperial court, so there is no need to worry."

Fang Yong's eyes lit up.

This plan is feasible.

Rescuing disaster victims on behalf of the imperial court can both uphold justice and win the hearts of the people.

He had previously prepared a large amount of supplies in preparation for disasters, and if this plan was followed, they would come in handy.

In addition, in the past, it was difficult for the people of Shandong to waver under the control of the Kong family. Now that a major disaster has occurred, he can use the name of disaster relief to gather the people of Shandong and place people there, and it will become extremely easy to seize Shandong in the future.

At this time, Wu Yuan reminded:

"Although this plan is feasible, we still need to send people to bribe the emperor's close ministers, so that they can use the name of disaster relief to cover up and deceive, in order to prevent any unexpected events."

Xue Dacui also reminded:
"Not only that, if this plan is implemented, the Kong family must also pay careful attention. It would be best for the general to send his confidants to pretend to unite with them to prevent our army's plan from being ruined."

Zhai Xun agreed and said, "What the military advisor and Mr. Xue said is absolutely right!"

Jia Yucun said: "You can first tell the court about the grassland's intention to attack Liaodong. The court will be in a panic after learning about it and will not be able to take care of both ends. Now the general can talk about disaster relief and save the court from danger, and he will not be suspected!"

After a few words, a few people completed Zhai Xun's plan. Fang Yong was overjoyed and made the decision.

"Okay, let's do this!"

At that time, Xue Ke was still on his way back transporting the horses.

However, Fang Yong had already sent people to reveal the movements on the grassland to the court.

In the capital, Emperor Longqing had a gloomy look on his face.

He had previously twisted his waist and suffered from back pain.

The imperial physician prescribed a prescription, saying that he needed to rest, but due to the complexity of government affairs, he had no chance to rest.

First of all, the defense issue of Liaodong and Datong is difficult to decide.

Currently, Wang Ziteng’s army is stationed in Shanxi. If the court focuses on defending Datong, the pressure on it will be much less, but Liaodong cannot be ignored.

The Governor-General of Liaodong submitted several memorials in succession, stating that the grassland would definitely invade Liaodong and requesting the court to provide financial and military support, but the problem was that the court now had no money at all.

Not long ago, news came from Henan that the Yellow River was about to burst its banks.

Before the imperial court could take any action, the Yellow River broke its banks and changed its course to Shandong, causing a severe disaster in the entire province.

Are these natural and man-made disasters a punishment from God to me?
Filled with sorrow, Emperor Longqing couldn't help but recite a poem.

How can a sick body bear the stress of government affairs? The dragon robe is wasted on the nine heavens.

The smoke from the Liaozuo urges the war horses to go, and the fortifications in Yunzhong are difficult to build.

The huge waves rolled up the tears of Qingzhou, the enemy's flag was hung high and the Huai River was surging.

The setting sun gradually sinks outside the palace wall, but the heavens blame me for my sins.

Although his poetry skills improved a lot, Emperor Longqing no longer had the happy mood he had two years ago when the "auspicious snow covered the whole sky". At this moment, he was filled with infinite sorrow.

(End of this chapter)