Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 1398
On the surface, the battle of conquering Guanzhong was a confrontation of military strength, but in fact it was a confrontation of national strength.

If the Jin Kingdom had enough money and food, then the Jin army would not be in a hurry to defeat the Ming army, and it could be stable, but Guanzhong was short of food and money, and the continuous war affected the spring plowing, and the Jin army couldn't wait, so as the defender, But he had no choice but to rush to a decisive battle, which eventually led to failure.

Generally speaking, the offensive side in a war is more anxious than the defensive side, and if it is not done well, it often runs out of food. However, the Ming Dynasty reversed the situation through the economic sweep of the Jin Kingdom in the early stage, coupled with its own national strength. Throughout the war, the position of both sides made the Ming Dynasty consume more energy than the Jin Dynasty.

From the very beginning of the war, the Ming Dynasty had already succeeded in terms of grand strategy. Although Jin Guo had repeatedly achieved good results in tactics, the disadvantages of the overall grand strategy eventually led to Jin Guo's failure.

In May, outside the city of Luoyang.

From the end of March, after the Ming army broke Tongguan and rushed into Guanzhong, the Ming cabinet, which originally thought that the consumption of the war would gradually decrease, found that the consumption increased greatly.

Before the Ming Dynasty, economic means were used to bring down the economy of the Kingdom of Jin, causing all industries in Guanzhong to wither and food production to drop sharply. The system then collapsed.

In this way, whoever cleans up the mess in Guanzhong will naturally be the Ming Dynasty who entered Guanzhong.The sins committed before must be repaid now with gritted teeth.

There was a food shortage in Guanzhong last year, and there was no harvest this year. The hungry people have risen up. If they are not dealt with properly, the hungry people will turn into bandits and rush out of Guanzhong, and the Ming Dynasty will be ruined.

Now that the Kingdom of Jin has collapsed, the responsibility for suppressing the rebellion naturally falls on the Ming army who forcibly entered the pass, and the most crucial word to put down the rebellion is "grain"!
From the beginning of April, the grain transported by the Ming Dynasty to Guanzhong has not decreased but increased. The peasants who originally thought they could return to their hometowns have to continue to serve. In addition, the Ming Dynasty has recruited a large number of peasants, which has affected the spring plowing. Also very dissatisfied, full of complaints.

On the official road in the east of Luoyang City, there was an endless stream of people escorting food and grass, and various vehicles slowly moved westward.

On the road, several officials in scarlet robes stood by the side of the road on horseback, observing the surrounding wheat fields.

In the distance, a few women and old people in turbans and bamboo hats were bending over to weed in the wheat field. From time to time, some old people straightened up their stooped bodies, beat their waists with their hands, wiped off their sweat, and bent down again to continue working.

By the small river in the distance, a little girl about ten years old is stepping on the waterwheel vigorously with her thin body. From time to time, she has to pay attention to the children playing next to her, calling them not to approach the river and be careful.

Because a large number of young and strong were conscripted to transport grain to Guanzhong, and the folk labor was insufficient, the elderly, children, and women could only go to battle together, but even so, the wheat in the field was not as good as it used to be.

In the current situation, although the harvest will not be absolutely impossible, a reduction in the harvest is inevitable.

Du Yinxi and several officials observed the whole way, with a serious expression on their faces. The officials on the side looked up at the sky, couldn't help urging their horses to approach him, and then whispered: "Gebu, it's getting late. This place is still ten miles away from Luoyang. Yu Li, hurry up and return to Luoyang earlier!"

In Luoyang City, the cabinet did not follow Wang Yan into the customs, but stayed in Luoyang to coordinate the war in Guanzhong and the supply of materials to the rear.

At this time, Chen Zilong was sitting in the study dealing with official business, and the desk was full of volumes sent by Nanjing and Guanzhong.He unfolded a scroll, held a pen in his hand, watched carefully, and frowned unconsciously.

Judging from the news sent back from the front line, in the past few days, the main forces of the Ming and Jin armies should have started fighting.Although Da Ming has been planning for a long time, and the entire strategic arrangement is one after another, there is nothing wrong with it, but there has never been an absolute battle. In history, the weak defeated the strong, and because of a small mistake, it led to a big defeat. Not nothing.

Regarding the outcome of the war, Chen Zilong was more worried about the outcome of the war. He was afraid of any accidents. However, if the war was won, he was also worried that the millions of people in Guanzhong were starving for food.

Right now he has a file in his hand, but it is not from Guanzhong and Nanjing, but from Shanxi to Luoyang. It is about things in northern Shaanxi, but it is related to food.

Li Jiantai, the governor of Shanxi, reported that the refugees in Yulin Mansion had turned into bandits, and crossed the Yellow River to attack Shanxi Pianguan. Tens of thousands gathered and occupied the two counties of Hequ and Baodezhou.Judging from this news, the food shortage in Guanzhong may be more serious than the cabinet expected, which made him worry.

"Chen Ge Department!" At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the study.

Chen Zilong looked up, but Du Yinxi was standing at the door, followed by Su Guansheng.When Chen Zilong saw it, he couldn't help but put down his brush, stood up, and greeted him with cupped hands: "The two cabinet ministers went out for inspection and came back so soon."

Du Yinxi waved his hand and said, "After looking around, it's similar to the situation reported by the counties. There will be a reduction in harvest."

Chen Zilong stretched out his hand to let the two of them sit down. After Su Guansheng sat down, he said, "Duke Dazun! It seems that the imperial court has to make early preparations and appropriately reduce the land tax at the request of the counties, otherwise the people will have a hard time!"

After hearing this, Chen Zilong looked puzzled. He sat back and stroked his beard, "War is the most money-consuming, and the Ministry of Household Affairs has already owed a lot of loans. I am expecting to pay back the taxes in the two quarters of this year before borrowing. If the tax is reduced , the household department is under a lot of pressure!"

Hearing what he said, Du Yinxi couldn't help frowning, and then said: "Then levy more business taxes, especially money houses should also pay taxes."

"This~" Chen Zilong didn't dare to answer.

The society of the Ming Dynasty changed rapidly, many new industries emerged, and the tax system was not perfect.Generally speaking, the imperial court only collects tax in kind and goods, that is, how much cloth and tea are produced, and how much tax is paid. However, there is no regulation for the financial industry such as money making money, so that these industries grow wildly. Rapid growth.

Many people would be offended by this tax. Su Guansheng knew that it would not be settled in a short time. Seeing that Chen Zilong was not easy to answer, he was not embarrassed, so he changed the subject and said: "Is there any news from Guanzhong? What's going on, can we take down Chang'an?"

Chen Zilong heard the sound, turned his head, and shook his head, "A few days ago, the military newspaper said that the two towns of Hengchong and Zhongyong were besieged in Lintong. I don't know either."

When Du Yinxi and Su Guansheng heard this, they couldn't help fidgeting.During this period of time, the two were not in Luoyang, but were patrolling outside, so they didn't know the specific news of Guanzhong. They only knew that Tongguan had been captured and the army had rushed into Guanzhong.

The two originally thought that the situation was going well, but they didn't want to hear the news that the elite soldiers from the two towns were besieged, so they couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

"The war of cutting gold has been going on for more than half a year. The scale is really huge, but there must be no mistakes!" Su Guansheng couldn't help standing up from his seat, walked back and forth a few steps, stopped and said: "This time, I will fight with Duge. The Ministry is patrolling the area, the war has already hurt the vitality of the people, if there is a mistake, I am afraid that there will be big problems."

For this war, the Kingdom of Jin can't last long. The Ming Dynasty has a strong foundation and consumes more energy, but after all, there are more than [-] troops and millions of civilian husbands. No matter how rich the family is, it will be exhausted after a long time.So much has been spent right now, if something goes wrong, I really can't imagine what the consequences will be.

Du Yinxi frowned and said: "It's better to be more cautious about the battle formation. If Jian Guo is not very sure, it is better to accept it as soon as it is good. First cut a few pieces of Jin Guo, and then look for opportunities to fight again. There is no need to do this I am eager for success. With the strength of our country, it is not difficult to make plans slowly, so why are you afraid that the Kingdom of Jin will not be able to make it big?"

Du Yinxi has always been wary of Wang Yan. He has watched Wang Yan change little by little, and gradually become as eager for quick success and instant benefit as he is now, so he is very happy.As a traditional literati and official, there is always a string in his heart that he wants to check and balance Wang Yan.Whether it is for the emperor or Wang Yan, it is the responsibility of a civil servant to monitor the lord and prevent him from making mistakes.

Chen Zilong is also worried about the war. After all, Jin Guo has a foundation of more than ten years, so it is not easy to deal with.Wang Yan wanted to destroy the country in one battle. The situation was good before, and the people below had no reason to object, but after receiving the news that the soldiers and horses of the two towns were besieged in Lintong, it was impossible for the officials not to worry and doubt whether they could be destroyed in one battle. Golden State.

But right now, it is useless to be anxious, and they can't exert their strength in the rear. Chen Zilong said in relief: "The two cabinets are calm, and the fight has already started in front, and it is impossible to stop. It is useless for us to be anxious now, we can only do it." Do your job well, keep the grain and supplies in Guanzhong, and then wait for news."

What he said was reasonable, Du Yinxi and Su Guansheng could only be quiet temporarily, but at this moment, Chen Bangyan, who was in charge of military affairs, walked in hurriedly, seeing that Du Yinxi and Su Guansheng were also there, he couldn't help being slightly taken aback, but Then he said to them with a smile all over his face: "You are all here, so let's take a look at the good news from Guanzhong together."

(Thanks for the 1000 of the river of youth, Fan_ is too hard, book friend 160120044, Jie for the reward, ask for a monthly pass, recommend, subscribe.)
(End of this chapter)