"Your Majesty, the general feels that Guo Sheng has an antagonistic relationship with the person behind the scenes. He should be cooperating with the other party to save Shandong's defeat. He will never sacrifice his life for the benefit of the other party!"
"Because once he is sacrificed, all the land he gets will belong to the people behind the scenes in the south, and the soldiers he left in Shandong will fall into chaos because they have no one to command them, and they will eventually be captured and killed. This is not in line with the rebels. Interests."
"If he really plans to die, he can gather his troops and break out after disrupting Jiangnan. After all, Shandong and Henan have just been recovered, so he still has a chance to win a glimmer of hope."
Zhang Huangyan thought for a while and said to Zhu Yuanzhang hesitantly.
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Zhang Qing, although your analysis is reasonable, you are wrong on two points."
"The first is that after Guo Sheng went south, even if he didn't want to die, the people behind the scenes would not let him live. This is why he still wanted to sneak attack after breaking through Lu Zhenfei's defense."
"Although his move was to leave behind the remaining soldiers without leaving a trace, it was actually a last ditch effort."
"The second is that the rebels in Shandong are not leaderless, otherwise they would not be able to capture Weifang."
"Although we don't know how many troops Ma Jinzhong left in Weifang, judging from his previous words and deeds, he was unwilling to go south, so Weifang was his base camp. He should have made arrangements, so the rebels captured Weifang , should be a large-scale operation.”
"We have encountered many rebels before, and they numbered no more than three to five hundred people. Therefore, the attack on Weifang cannot be a spontaneous or accidental event. There must be someone behind it."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Huangyan remembered that Ma Jinzhong had only brought two thousand cavalry with him. Plus the troops to encircle and suppress the rebels, the total number should not exceed five thousand.
According to his understanding, Ma Jinzhong's troops numbered between 12,000 and 15,000, which meant that there were at least 7,000 people left in Weifang City.
Thinking of this, he had another doubt in his mind.
If Guo Sheng went south to attract their attention, then the rebels should have ceased their activities at this moment. How could they launch such a large-scale military operation at this time?
Could it be that the generals who stayed in Shandong were worried about Guo Sheng's safety and adopted a strategy of attacking in the east and attacking in the west?
He then thought that Guo Sheng's move south must have made an agreement with the people behind the scenes. Even if they each had their own evil intentions, they should still be able to cooperate closely in the short term.
And Guo Sheng is also a battle-hardened man. Since this battle is about seeking skin from a tiger, he cannot fail to make preparations. In addition, he has more than 20,000 people in his hands, so he is fully qualified to negotiate with the people behind the scenes.
Although such negotiations can only guarantee him a superficial sense of security, he can also gain a certain degree of autonomy.
In addition, he can also leave heavy troops in key cities to ensure that he can withdraw in time.
As for other places, he can also ask the people behind the scenes to send troops to garrison. This will not only solve the problem of his lack of troops and horses, but also move the people behind the scenes to places where he feels safe.
If you look at it this way, it is entirely possible for Guo Sheng to reach Nanjing and save his life, but why did Zhu Yuanzhang say that Guo Sheng would definitely die?
Where did he miss it?
Zhang Huangyan carefully sorted out his thoughts and found that there was nothing missing. Just when he was about to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for advice, he suddenly remembered that Zhu Yuanzhang had previously said that Guo Sheng had a death wish.
If Guo Sheng dies, what good will it do to the rebels?
At this time, he suddenly thought of what he had heard about Shaanxi two days ago. Comparing the two things, he couldn't help being shocked. He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with some surprise and said: "Your Majesty, could it be that the Shaanxi rebellion was a conspiracy, and Guo Sheng went south to do it? Contain us?"
Seeing that Zhang Huangyan had seen part of the overall situation, Zhu Yuanzhang admired him even more and asked with a smile: "Are you confident in dealing with this situation and solving the Jiangnan issue?"
Zhang Huangyan saw that although Zhu Yuanzhang was smiling, his eyes were filled with solemnity. He thought for a moment and said, "Although I am still a little confused, I will be confident that I can break this situation if Du Yinxi and Shen Yunying come forward!"
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he smiled awkwardly and said: "Zhang Qing, we can't agree to this, because they have quietly rushed to the border area between Huguang and Yungui to defend on the way. Only two or three thousand people came to Jiangnan."
Hearing this, Zhang Huangyan was a little surprised and said: "Your Majesty, are you worried about Zhang Xianzhong leaving Sichuan?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Zhang Xianzhong has only been in Sichuan for a few months, and the possibility of leaving Sichuan is not high. It's just that the chieftain in the west has been ready to make a move. Although the imperial court has tried to appease him, the effect is not significant."
"In addition, Li Zushu once appeared in Wuchang, but he was nowhere to be seen in Jiangnan. We were worried that he would use the chieftain to cause trouble, so we let Du Yinxi and others go."
When Zhang Huangyan first met Zhu Yuanzhang, he was a little surprised to see that he was worried, but now he couldn't help but frowned when he heard this.
Then he thought about the wolf soldiers again, and said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, do Guangxi and other places also need to be prepared?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "We should be on guard, but our troops are limited, and there should be 10,000 wolf soldiers heading north. Now that there is such a large formation in the south of the Yangtze River, I think he must have no troops available, so he is like this."
"Because we have previously ordered the vassal kings to train their troops. Now Shandong, Henan and other places have been recovered. If there is a war in Jiangnan, those vassal kings may immediately return to their fiefdoms and occupy the land to train their troops..."
Zhang Huangyan felt slightly happy when he saw that Zhu Yuanzhang actually talked to him about the vassal affairs, and then said solemnly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the general will definitely pacify Jiangnan as soon as possible, and will never let anyone ruin your Majesty's important affairs."
Then he said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, the general has some ideas about the Jiangnan matter. I will ask you for instructions after I sort it out. It's just that the rebels are attacking Weifang. The general has some doubts in his mind. Please give me your advice!"
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhang Huangyan and said: "The rebels' attack on Weifang may be fake. The real purpose should be grain ships."
"You must know that now all food is transported from the south. Once there is a food shortage, the military morale in the north will be unstable."
"Then the rebels may also sneak into the capital by borrowing grain ships, because the north is now on the defensive. If the rebels are allowed to sneak into the capital, the situation will definitely be unbalanced..."
After listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's narration, Zhang Huangyan showed an expression of sudden realization and at the same time stole a glance at the other person.
Zhu Yuanzhang pretended not to see him, and said again: "Although we cannot send troops to you this time, I heard that Xia Wanchun has contacted many righteous men in Jiangnan. After he knows about Guo Sheng, he should also recruit troops."
"Then there is Lu Zhenfei. Although he has no military skills, he is quite popular in Jiangnan. We will send him to Jiangnan to liaise with civilian officials and can also provide you with some help..."
"As for Guo Sheng's matter, I think you can't ignore it. It's best to send some troops and make the formation larger, but don't let the other side find out that these are just suspicious soldiers."
"As for Ma Jinzhong, although he is a bit ruthless, if used properly, he is also a capable general, especially since he is familiar with many of Zuo Liangyu's generals..."
...
After Zhang Huangyan wrote down Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions one by one, he asked him for advice on some of the details.
When the two were talking excitedly, Lu Zhenfei limped in.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw that although Lu Zhenfei's complexion was a little poor, he was in good spirits. After he stepped forward to comfort him, he proposed that he go south to contact civil servants and stabilize the people's hearts.
When Lu Zhenfei heard this, he immediately agreed and immediately gave some of his suggestions.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw that what he said was careful and not just a temporary idea, and he appreciated him more in his heart.
While everyone was discussing, Yang Qi walked in anxiously.
Some people died, but not completely...
