I

  Chapter 363 361 [The wind is surging]

   What Zhao Han is concerned about is not Zhang Xianzhong, but the increasingly severe spring drought.

  The drought in the north reached its peak last year. Since Chongzhen ascended the throne, the drought in the north was the most extensive and the most severe. The drought even spread to the Mongolian grasslands!

  This year, the spring drought spread to Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi.

   Of the provinces under Zhao Han's rule, only Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, half of Jiangsu, and two-thirds of Jiangxi were not affected by the disaster.

  Severe drought throughout Hunan!

  Just looking at the spring drought situation, we know that it is another catastrophic year.

  Manchu Qing was very lucky, because of the drought over the years, it only affected the Ningjin line. As for the old den of the Tartars, there has not been a single drought, and it is enough to withstand the snowstorm in winter.

   "Do you want to postpone the Northern Expedition?" Huang Shunfu, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, asked.

   "It can't be stopped," Li Banghua said, "If the drought is severe next year, why don't we stop fighting next year?"

   "We must fight," Zhao Han said reluctantly, "persuade Zuo Liangyu to surrender. As long as he is willing to surrender, give him five ships to transport goods, and come to Nanjing to become a rich man."

  Zhao Han is also helpless. This year, he must collect food from the victims, and the life of ordinary people will be difficult.

  If Zuo Liangyu is willing to surrender, it will save countless grains and save many people in Shandong from starving to death.

  …

  Shandong, Dongchang Prefecture.

  Zuo Liangyu looked at Pan Duao with a half-smile, and said, "Zhang Xianzhong really wants to fight Zhao Han with me? But I don't have any food, and this year Shandong is suffering another severe drought."

   "The thief Zhao has food, so go grab it!" Pan Duao said.

  Zuo Liangyu said again: "If you want to rob food, you have to pay for troops, and if you send troops, you have to pay for the march. I don't have enough money and food, so how can I go south to fight?"

Pan Duao said: "Now when Zhao Han goes north, it's the difference between beating Zuohou first or my king first. If Zhao Han kills Zuohou, the next one will be my king. If Zhao Han kills my king, the next one will be Zuo Hou, you and my two families are dead, if we don’t join forces, we will be defeated by Zhao Han one by one!”

   "Let me think about it." Zuo Liangyu didn't refuse, nor agreed on the spot.

Pan Duao said with a smile: "Does Zuo Hou still want to join Zhao Han? According to Zhao Han's rules, even if Zuo Hou leads troops to join him, he will definitely not be able to command the army in the future. Without his own army, he can become a rich man. Who can decide? When the Zuo Hou's army is disbanded and they all go to the countryside to get the land, who can not have a heart for Zhao Han? At that time, Zuo Hou's life and death will depend on whether Zhao Han is kind or not."

  Zuo Liangyu fell into deep thought.

  He is a typical military leader in the late Ming Dynasty, and his thinking has long been solidified.

  He can give up wealth, he can give up titles, he can give up official positions, but he can't give up the army!

  Because in his consciousness, abandoning the army is waiting for death. There are too many examples like Daming. If you have soldiers, you have everything, but if you don't have soldiers, you have nothing. It is normal to end up in exile.

  Zuo Liangyu asked: "If we join forces, how should we fight?"

  Pan Duao replied: "My king, attack Xinyang and Luoshan in the north, and Guangji and Huangmei in the south. As for Zuohou, Xuzhou, Dangshan, Shangqiu...you can attack wherever you want. Such a three-sided attack, Zhao Han will definitely ignore the head and the tail."

   "I'll think about it again." Zuo Liangyu hesitated.

  He knew how capable he was, so he didn't dare to fight Zhao Han easily. But he didn't dare to join Zhao Han, he was afraid of being deprived of military power, and afraid of being killed.

   It turned out that he still wanted to delay, but Zhao Han was already on the border with him, so he either came to beat him directly, or went to deal with Zhang Xianzhong.

   You can't drag, you can't beat, you can't surrender.

   How should this be done?

  Zuo Liangyu convened his think tanks and discussed for half a month, but still couldn't find any way out.

  Pan Du'ao waited all the time, waiting anxiously, despising Zuo Liangyu's indecision in his heart.

   A few days later, Zhang Dai came to Dongchangfu City as a messenger.

"I admire the king of Wu very much, and I am willing to submit to him sincerely," Zuo Liangyu said, "I am willing to be the vanguard of the king. You must swear to die!"

  This guy hinted at retaining the army as soon as he opened his mouth. How could Zhang Dai agree?

   It is not even possible to pretend to be a snake, otherwise Zuo Liangyu will use the name of Zhao Han to burn, kill, loot and expand wantonly in Shandong? It just ruined the reputation of Zhao Han and Datong Army!

  Zhang Dai said truthfully: "As long as Zuo Hou is willing to surrender, after handing over the army, five large ships can be used to transport goods, and go to Nanjing to buy a house and a house to enjoy peace and happiness."

  Zuo Liangyu sighed: "I can't just think about myself. I'm afraid many people are unwilling to disarm and return to the fields."

"The generals under Zuohou's command, the king of Wu has his own arrangement, and he will definitely not treat him harshly," Zhang Dai said. "Since the king of Wu raised his army, he has always kept his word and never backed down. If you want to be a rich man, then you won’t be able to settle accounts after the fall, and Zuo Hou has no weight to make the King of Wu make an exception.”

   "I can trust King Wu's character and conduct, and let me think about it again." Zuo Liangyu was a little moved.

  Zhang Dai continued to reason, and Zuo Liangyu almost agreed.

  However, this guy is still unwilling to make a final statement. His habit is to wait and see.

  What Zuo Liangyu thought in his heart was, maybe when Zhang Xianzhong and Zhao Han fight, he can take the opportunity to reap more benefits by bringing his troops back at the critical moment!

  Send Zhang Dai away, and Zuo Liangyu summons Pan Duao again: "I have decided that as long as your army sends troops first, the Shandong army will definitely go south."

   "This is a wise move!" Pan Duao was overjoyed.

  Zuo Liangyu deliberately made a promise to make Zhang Xianzhong and Zhao Han go to war. First, let Zhao Han's troops point to Hubei, and don't come to Shandong for the time being; second, observe the outcome of the war between the two sides, jump out to stand in line at critical times, and take the opportunity to ask for more benefits!

  Zhang Xianzhong is all about fighting!

  He didn't dare to fight at first, but this year Hubei suffered a severe spring drought, and the number of troops exploded. Zhang Xianzhong's military rations could no longer hold up, so he had to find a place to get a few votes, and Zhao Han's territory was a natural supply ground.

  Anhui is so rich, Zhang Xianzhong is so greedy that he is drooling.

  In the Anhui area north of the Yangtze River, although Zhao Han only occupied it for half a year, he has already completed the division of land and immigration. In Zhang Xianzhong's eyes, it appears to be particularly wealthy, with a large population, a large amount of food, and a large amount of goods, at least much stronger than his Hubei!

   Alas, Zhang Xianzhong also wanted to develop the people's livelihood. The military and civilian villages were very popular, but in the event of a catastrophe, he had to go back to his old business.

  In the spring of this year, Zhang Xianzhong once again forcibly expropriated grain and grass, and forcibly conscripted countless people to become civilian husbands. He didn't have the patience to develop the territory against natural disasters, so he simply overdrawn the power of the people to fight, and maybe he could take down the Jianghuai area.

  Liao Zhifang and Xu Yixian tried hard to persuade each other, but to no avail. Zhang Xianzhong had already made up his mind.

  …

   "Your Highness, according to the news from the detailed work, Zhang Xianzhong is wantonly collecting food and grass, recruiting civilians, and more and more troops are stationed along the Yangtze River."

  The person who spoke was Xu Ying. He has finally returned to Nanjing and is still in charge of the intelligence department, a bit like the head of Jinyiwei.

  Zhao Han frowned suddenly: "He must be crazy, now is the spring plowing season!"

Xu Ying said: "It is estimated that the spring drought is severe, and Zhang Xianzhong does not build water conservancy projects, so even if he sows, he will not receive much food. He simply gave up spring plowing, and took advantage of our army's summer grain harvest, and led the army to invade the Jianghuai area. His riverside The increase of garrisons in the city is also to prevent our army from attacking from the Yangtze River."

  Zhao Han called all the main officials together, and after some discussion, he made a quick decision.

  First, all localities must do a good job of spring plowing, and the work of drought relief and disaster relief cannot be stopped.

  Second, issue grain bonds, do a good job in publicity, and collect grain from the people.

  Thirdly, Hunan mobilized 20,000 peasant soldiers and 20,000 civilian husbands; Jiangxi mobilized 20,000 peasant soldiers and 20,000 civilian husbands. Gather along the Yangtze River and be ready to go out at any time!

  Fourth, Jiangnan summoned 10,000 farmers and soldiers and 20,000 civilian husbands to immediately support Guangji.

  Fifth, Xinyang Prefecture enlisted 2,000 peasants and soldiers and 3,000 peasants on the spot.

  Sixth, Fei Ruhe returned to defend Xuzhou, and Zhang Tieniu moved to Taizhuang (Taierzhuang). While guarding against Zuo Liangyu, prepare for a counterattack at any time, and dispatch 5,000 civilians from northern Jiangsu.

  Seventh, Huang Yao's new mountain division in Shizhou Prefecture is waiting for orders to cross the river and capture Yiling.

   Once a full-scale war breaks out this time, the economy and people's livelihood under Zhao Han's rule will definitely be seriously affected.

  But within an acceptable range, the vast number of hardworking people at the bottom have changed from eating three meals a day to eating two meals with tight belts.

   Fortunately, this spring, Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang have good weather and weather, and the grain shipped from Vietnam can be transported to the coast of Jiangsu to relieve the pressure.

  However, there are really not many grains shipped by sea, because the profits are not rich enough.

  Even if Zhao Han is exempted from grain import tariffs, maritime merchants are only using grain as ballast to make a little money by the way.

  Vietnam does have a lot of grain, but Vietnam’s land transportation is also bad, and the transportation cost is extremely high, so grain can only be bought in the coastal areas of Vietnam.

  As for food in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar, don’t even think about it. Shipping by sea is extremely risky. Ships may be destroyed at any time, and high-profit commodities are worth the risk. It is absolutely impossible for maritime merchants to transport grain over long distances.

   The war with Zhang Xianzhong had nothing to do with Zhao Han's meddling in Sichuan.

  Because even if Zhang Xianzhong attacked Sichuan, he would not dare to mobilize too many troops, so he had to be on guard against Zhao Han at all times. In the event of a catastrophe, whether to fight or not, who will make Zhao Han's territory more prosperous?

   Just as the two sides were dispatching troops and generals, Zuo Liangyu, who was planning to wait and see the direction of the wind, suddenly received a shocking news.

   "Master Hou, the intruders have entered Beizhili!"

"what?"

  The drought in Northern Zhili was equally serious. Because no food and salary had been paid, the defenders of Kaizhou, Guangping, and Damingfu rebelled.

  Two chief soldiers were killed, one chief soldier fled, and one chief soldier surrendered to the enemy. Governor Chen Xinjia fled back to Beijing with the governor in embarrassment.

  The general of Li Zicheng in the Henan direction led his troops into Northern Zhili, then headed northwest, and flanked Sun Chuanting with Li Zicheng from east to west.

  Sun Chuanting was defeated and fled back to Beijing, Li Zicheng broke through the Taihang Mountains and entered!

  Li Zicheng claimed to have 400,000 soldiers, and the cities along the way surrendered in anticipation. Even the troops stationed at the imperial mausoleum took the initiative to seek refuge with Li Zicheng, and the eunuchs guarding the mausoleum even became leaders.

  In the whole of Beizhili, there are only Hong Chengchou's Jizhen soldiers, and they are still working hard to suppress bandits.

  Hong Chengchou heard the news and was preparing to lead troops to serve the king. Li Zicheng's army had already reached the city of Beijing.

   (The name of the leader is wrong, sorry, thank you Liu Nima sb leader for the reward.)

   (This volume is over, ask for a monthly pass.)

  (end of this chapter)