With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

"The commander is only willing to cooperate with two grain merchants. They can handle 100,000 shi of grain, but they can't handle any more than that."

After meeting with several grain merchants, Qian Weicai informed Li Tian of the final result.

His negotiation skills were lacking, or rather, he didn't use deception in his negotiations.

If he directly raised the banner of the Ming Dynasty and said that the new army was for the purpose of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, he believed that the five grain merchants would definitely sell grain to them.

However, if the name of the Ming Dynasty is used, the Ming Dynasty will definitely hold a grudge against you.

Li Tian had no intention of working for the Ming Dynasty; achieving his goal was all that mattered.

One hundred thousand shi of grain is enough for the people of Jianning Prefecture to eat until the next harvest.

Buckwheat and various vegetables have already been planted. Jianning Prefecture has abundant rainfall and is close to the well-developed Jianxi River system. As long as nothing unexpected happens, there will definitely be a good harvest.

"Very good, that will do. This batch of grain is now in your hands for the transaction. Only when you have the grain in your hands is it real. Remember to check the grain to prevent the other party from passing off inferior goods as superior ones."

After Li Tian finished giving his instructions, Qian Weicai went down to continue his work.

Just as Qian Weicai went downstairs, another urgent report arrived.

"Reporting to the commander, a small group of Qing troops has been spotted in Hutang Village to the north. These Qing troops specifically target villages to plunder and trample the land. By the time our troops arrived, the Qing troops had already fled."

Secretary Weiqiang was holding a report in his hand;

"According to reports from the front-line troops, these Qing soldiers all came from Jianyang."

"In addition to cavalry, they also had a navy, which launched attacks along the Jianxi River, looting villages and making it difficult to defend against them."

Li Tian took the report, glanced at it, and frowned.

Yesterday it was the Ming army, today it's the Qing army; attacks from all sides are coming one after another.

When will these people ever stop?

The envoys who went to Fuzhou for negotiations departed this morning.

It is estimated that there will be no more fighting in the south.

Li Tian got up and looked at the map next to him.

This map depicts the mountains, rivers, and landforms surrounding Jianning Prefecture with exceptional clarity.

"Issue my order to dispatch an army to garrison the upper reaches of the Jianxi River and build fortifications on the north side and along multiple sections of the riverbank, so that the Qing army has nowhere to invade."

"At the same time, orders were sent to the military headquarters and the engineering department that our army urgently needs a navy and a large number of ships."

"From now on, whether we are fighting battles, transporting supplies, protecting our navy, or deploying ships, we will need them all."

Li Tian ordered them to strengthen their defenses, as their army was now lacking in everything and could only passively defend.

"Let the Qing army be arrogant for a while. Once our army's military equipment is upgraded, we will make them pay a heavy price."

Led by Hu Yuan and Fei Hongyun, the Technical Department and Engineering Department, along with a group of technical talents, have begun to build a water conservancy forging workshop, which will soon evolve into thermal forging and electric forging.

A dozen or so electricians have built a small hydroelectric power station on the riverbank, converting the dynamic potential energy of the water flow into electrical energy through a power conversion device.

Li Tian only needs to wait for a semi-modern factory to be completed before he can begin expanding his territory.

The strategy of building high walls, stockpiling grain, and delaying the quest for kingship is always correct.

The order was relayed.

Zhang Yonghao immediately dispatched the Second Army of Longxiang to the upper reaches of the Jianxi River for defense.

One Longxiang Army has eight thousand men.

This is sufficient to defend the north.

The upper reaches of the Jianxi River are formed by the confluence of the Chongyang River and the Nanxiang River. The two streams meet to form the Jianxi River.

This place is very close to Jianyang City, about 80 li away.

Under such tight defense, Zhang Yingmeng, who was ordered to carry out the harassment, did not gain any advantage. Instead, he lost many soldiers and gradually stopped, no longer daring to harass southward.

Before receiving further instructions from the capital, the Qing troops in Jianyang dared not make any rash moves and could only watch helplessly as the new army absorbed the territory.

It would take at least a month to transmit intelligence from Fujian to the capital and back.

This period of time is enough for the new army to complete the construction of the factory.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The delegation sent to Fuzhou was led by Commander Han Yu and Wang Qi, among others.

Just outside Jianning Prefecture, they encountered Zheng Cai's army.

Upon seeing that the messenger was from Jianning Prefecture, Wu Hui detained him instead of letting him pass and reported the matter to Zheng Cai.

"Duke, those bandits from Jianning Prefecture have sent an envoy to Fuzhou to discuss cooperation with our Great Ming."

"Heh, they want to go to Fuzhou? I see. I guess they're scared and want to surrender to us." Zheng Cai sneered. "I've besieged Jianning Prefecture with 50,000 elite troops for several days. It won't be that easy for them to surrender. Go and ask them for their refund of the military expenses."

Wu Hui smiled and said, "The Duke is astute; he saw through their intentions at a glance. However, this group is somewhat special, as it includes Wang Qi and Yun Richu."

"Hmm? Why would they be acting as envoys for the rebel army?"

Zheng Cai looked surprised upon hearing this.

Everyone knows that Jianning Prefecture is controlled by Wang Qi and Yun Richu.

But now these two are actually working for the rebel army, which is simply unbelievable.

Zheng Cai's eyes darted around; "Let's put the matter of refunding military funds on hold for now, and let them come back to Fuzhou with us."

"Why did the Duke suddenly go back?" Wu Hui asked, puzzled.

"The enemy reinforcements arrived the day before yesterday. Can you lead your troops to capture those fortresses on the hillside?"

Zheng Cai looked at Wu Hui, who shook his head.

What a joke! The enemy's firearms are incredibly powerful; charging in would be suicide.

The only way to take down such a fortress is to besiege it, but the other side is clearly prepared to be besieged for many days.

"Why not return with a great victory and, while we're at it, go and beg Liu Zhongzao for some money?"

Zheng Cai had already come up with a brilliant plan.

Upon hearing this, Wu Hui seemed to have thought of something as well. The two exchanged a glance and smiled.

"Go and fetch a pen and ink."

"My lord besieged Jianning Prefecture for several days, his military might was formidable. Just as Jianning Prefecture was about to fall, the rebel army sent envoys to sue for peace. My lord did not want to kill, so he agreed... Soon the Regent will be able to obtain another 100,000 troops. With these 100,000 troops, the Northern Expedition will be just around the corner..."

"Wu Hui asked Mr. Zhou to help me polish my pen again."

Zheng Cai was satisfied after writing a memorial to the throne.

He won a great victory in Jianning Prefecture, suffering only a few casualties, and the enemy army immediately sent envoys to surrender.

Upon thinking of this, Zheng Cai's eyes lit up. If she could get these 100,000 people...

It's not advisable to follow Cao Cao's example of using the emperor to command the feudal lords!

Unfortunately, the Prince of Lu was only a regent; the real emperor fled to Guilin.

However, Zheng Cai quickly abandoned the idea of ​​taking in those 100,000 people, as Li Tian would never agree to it.

If Li Tianzhen really wants to submit to the Ming Dynasty, he and Li Tianzhen will inevitably have a life-or-death struggle.

However, this victory can be hyped up beforehand.

Day two.

Zheng Cai then ordered his troops to pack up and withdraw back to Fuzhou.

The army came and went in a hurry, but no one cared. No one wanted to fight a real war; as long as they had food to eat and money to pay, that was enough.

When Zheng Cai returned to Fuzhou, he did not go directly back, but instead detoured to Funing Prefecture. There, he happened to find a grain caravan and sent men to rob it. He gained a considerable amount of wealth, which made him even happier.

Han Yu and Wang Qi, who were leading the team, saw this scene clearly.

Han Yu thought to himself, "Is this the army from the late Ming Dynasty? How is it any different from bandits? No wonder the commander said they are also our enemies."

Wang Qi remained silent, his brows furrowed. Yun Richu also kept quiet, pretending not to see anything.