Chapter 27 Meaning
Song Mingyi stared directly into Sun Jie's eyes and said slowly: "Brother Yu, we brothers have made it clear. Now there are only two strategies: offense and defense. You should guard your feelings. Rule of thumb, everything will be peaceful: Brother Yu can be regarded as keeping his soil well, and his official position will be promoted. The promotion is certain, the worthy younger brother has made great achievements, the saint is benevolent, the honor of palace protection is of no concern, and even the title of marquis is expected. However, the sage said, a gentleman should be cautious. If this is the case, you and I will always feel a little guilty. "
Sun Jie lowered his head and agreed, "That's what the elder brother said."
Song Mingyi continued: "It is necessary to fight. Mencius said, even if there are thousands of people, I will go. If we take the initiative, you and I have a clear conscience, but we brothers may put ourselves in a situation of nine deaths. Brother Yu is better, Ku. There is food and a house with walls. Even if something happens, you can always hold on for a while. But the wise brother is completely different! It goes without saying that there is no eye for swords and guns. It is the duty of a warrior to sacrifice his life for the country. Surrounded by hundreds of thousands of thieves and bandits, it is nothing but a drop in the bucket. The foundation of the Sun Mansion's century-old honor rests on this. Once it is completely destroyed, how will you explain it to the ancestors under Jiuquan and the descendants of the future generations? "
Sun Jie murmured: "Brother, I have also considered this. The eldest brother also said that the Holy Lord is kind. To be honest, eldest brother said that since ancient times, the only way to survive is death. Brother, I have figured it out in the past few days. Think about it as a brother, Sun If you spend all your family wealth, even if you die, not only will your clan not be wiped out, but the Holy One will also give you generous blessings, right?"
Song Mingyi smiled miserably: "Brother, you are thinking too little."
Sun Jie was startled, and Song Mingyi continued: "What you said before is correct. You smashed all the troops in and fought to death yourself. Of course, the Holy Emperor will praise you greatly. The honor and favor of Sun Mansion will be unparalleled in this dynasty. ...But! Just like a building, no matter how magnificent the exterior is, how many days can it still stand if the foundation is removed from thin air? Moreover, every time the blue tiles and gold bricks are added, the building will become older. The ground collapses!”
The words were like a bucket of ice water, and Sun Jie froze there instantly.
Song Mingyi asked calmly: "Can my nephew know how to lead troops?"
Sun Jie subconsciously replied: "How can a teenage boy lead an army?" Then he puffed up his chest and said, "However, when my father passed away, my brother was also the same age and had never led an army."
Song Ming discussed: "Of course this foolish brother knows. However, when my uncle passed away, most of his lieutenants, generals, guerrillas, and generals should still be there? These people's great-grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and fathers have been here for generations. Are you trying to make a living in your Sun family's camp? Without the support and assistance of these loyal family members, no matter how talented your virtuous brother is, can you achieve what you have today? Let me ask you, you have defeated them all , their nephews who are as old as my nephew, can they help my nephew to train into the great army he is today?"
These words made Sun Jie completely dumbfounded.
Song Mingyi leaned half of his body towards Sun Jie and lowered his voice: "You and your generals all sacrificed their lives for the country. Yes, the Holy Grace will protect your nephew and your subordinates. Sun Mansion's handsome flag will be short-term." The country will never fall, but will these child soldiers be able to fight in the future? When they grow up, in this dynasty, they can rely on the merits of their fathers to enjoy the glory, just in case..." At this point, Song Mingyi lowered his voice Almost whispering, "What if one day the Holy Lord controls the nine heavens with a dragon, will the new emperor still remember the achievements you and your subordinates have made? You know better than Brother Yu how much it costs to raise such an army. Brother Yu is also very clear about the favor of the Sun family from the saints of the past, but... it is not all because of the merits of the ancestors, right? More importantly, your soldiers can fight! Right? If you can't fight, what do you think? How much more food can your Majesty spend to keep this army alive?"
Sun Jie, who was already dumbfounded, left his seat, knelt down to Song Mingyi and said with emotion: "Brother!"
Song Mingyi also hurriedly left his seat, without holding Sun Jie up, and simply knelt down to him: "Brother Yu knows that these words are taboo. You and I are brothers who live and die together. Since I said it, , it comes from the heart. Brothers don’t need to say anything, you and I are heart-to-heart, I believe you would do the same to Brother Yu. Get up quickly, it’s not good to be seen by others. "
The two returned to their seats, and Sun Jie asked gratefully but at a loss: "In my brother's opinion, how about the bento? Sun is a rough man who can't read many words. My brother is a hundred times more knowledgeable than me. What should I do depends on my big brother's advice." .”
Song Mingyi looked serious and said to Sun Jie: "Brother Yu has been reading the books of sages since he was a child. His favorite is Wen Zhonglie Gong (Wen Tianxiang, posthumously given the title of 'Zhonglie' in the Ming Dynasty)." To the best of my ability, benevolence is the best. What have you learned from reading the books of sages? Now and from now on, I have no regrets." After thinking about this for a few days, Brother Yu has already figured it out. It is good to have no regrets in a hundred years of life. Let me say one more thing that should not be said, If the thief Zhang succeeds, there will be a great turmoil in the officialdom of Nanzhili, and Brother Yu will definitely benefit from it. However, when I ask myself in the middle of the night, I am ultimately ashamed of God. I want to say it clearly today because I want you and me. Brothers are of the same mind, even if the thieves are attracted to attack Luzhou, as long as the siege of Anqing is solved and the land of Longxing in South Zhili is safe, we brothers will just die side by side again! Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, and people are not as good as God. How can we care so much about the afterlife? What's more, you and I are righteous and sincere, and the sky has eyes to protect our children and grandchildren."
Sun Jie also clasped his fists seriously: "Big brother is right! After big brother said this, I felt relieved. In this way, Sun will die without regrets! I will lead troops to assist Anqing in the next two days. My auxiliary army There should be a thousand and five more people available. Big brother can help me prepare the same number of strong civilians. Excluding the wounded and dead, I still have more than 300 people in my personal camp. I will leave eldest brother to guard Luzhou. Don’t refuse. , the city cannot be defended by the government officials alone. These few hundred people, led by Sheng Degong, can play a big role. Sheng Degong can be regarded as a man of both wisdom and bravery. I did not promote him intentionally, so as not to let others gossip about my favoritism. Private soldier, don't think it's just a guerrilla title... Well, guerrilla... Oh, it's enough to be a general... Is this guerrilla..." At this point, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said to Song Mingyi in surprise, "Brother, we have it!"
This time it was Song Mingyi's turn to be confused: "Brother Xian, what did you say? What did you think of?"
Sun Jie said happily: "Brother, I have thought of a good way!"
Song Mingyi hurriedly said: "Speak quickly!"
Sun Jie said: "I suddenly thought of it when I mentioned Sheng Degong. The guerrilla general is an official position, but in fact, its origin is from the tactics of war! Chen Xi (sounding 'Xi') joined the Han Dynasty with the Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and was granted the title of "Guerrilla General". The name of this position comes from the meaning of "roving troops to attack at the right time". It was originally a miscellaneous general, but it was inherited later, and this type of military attache was customized. In the beginning of this dynasty, it also took the meaning of "roving troops to attack at the right time". Although this position was created, over time, everyone habitually used this title as the rank of military attaché, and instead forgot its origin!"
Song Mingyi wondered: "Then...since this dynasty has the concept of 'guerrilla defense', why do people still regard it as an official position?"
Sun Jie smiled proudly: "Because they can't do it!"
Song Mingyi just felt vaguely aware of it, but when Sun Jie said this, he was confused again: "They can't do it? What do you say, brother?"
Sun Jie was even more proud: "Of course! I'm not bragging. Brother, you know the fighting strength of several battalions. Not to mention the guardsmen who are much sharper with hoes than knives. Even in other military towns, soldiers and generals There are not many people in the Ming Dynasty who are as familiar as brothers. I can personally lead the troops to do this guerrilla thing! A mere two thousand soldiers, even if they are full, cannot fight against hundreds of thousands of thieves, and they will die in battle. But on the other hand, Although the bandits are powerful, 70% to 80% of them are just refugees! Even those old thieves and fierce bandits will never be able to command the battalions like brothers. Although the route is more than two hundred miles wide, it is In the eyes of brothers, it can be said that there are flaws everywhere! If you understand this level, you can avoid the reality and make a fuss. The soldiers come and go and disrupt the attack. Like the poisonous bees, they are always a nuisance. The eldest brother only needs to ensure There is a constant supply of food and food and civilians to take care of the sick and injured. The brothers lead two battalions to attack every time. They will avoid when encountering strong forces, attack when they are weak, and flee after being beaten. With the support of the iron-walled Luzhou City, they can come back from time to time to rest and take turns. This is enough to teach that thief Zhang that there will be no peace for a moment! Even if the siege of Anqing cannot be solved, it will be much easier!"
Song Mingyi was overjoyed, clasped his hands and smiled and said: "We are still brothers! This is about military matters. Brother Fool is convinced of the ability of the wise brother. In the future, the wise brother will definitely be comparable to the famous generals in ancient times!" Then, he was a little worried again, "Two camps. There are only a thousand people, which is still a little less.”
Sun Jie said with a smile on his face: "Brother, you don't understand. I don't want to defeat them, I just go to make trouble for them, burn granaries, rob messengers, be unprepared, and steal camps. If there are more people, I will lose my speed. I also I don’t need to bring so many auxiliary troops. My eldest brother will help me prepare more mules and horses to carry the baggage. Every time I bring the troops back, I can replace them and attack in turns. The people left behind can help my eldest brother defend the city. I used to be with Zhang Thief. After fighting against each other, this thief is so barbaric that there is nothing to worry about. However, the thief must not underestimate him. He is the most powerful enemy, so brother must be careful."
The two decided on their plan and started their respective work with confidence.
Even though Song Mingyi was only a fourth-grade local prefect, and Sun Jie was an illiterate military commander, their judgment of the overall situation and even the response plan they formulated could be called perfect, if not perfect. It’s comprehensive.
Song Mingyi included his and Sun Jie's judgments in the victory report sent to Xue Xiaowen. Of course, in order to prevent falling into the hands of the enemy, he did not mention a word about Sun Jie's upcoming guerrilla warfare. In theory, a report of this kind related to the military situation should be submitted to Li Yuting, the manager of the four provinces, but it is unrealistic. Anqing Mansion is surrounded like an iron barrel and it is impossible to deliver it. Instead, it may fall into the hands of the enemy. So the two of them, in the name of Sun Jie reporting to the Ministry of War of the imperial court, sent a copy of the general's judgment to the governors of Shandong and Henan along the way - on the one hand, these border ministers would also quote this content and report to the imperial court respectively; on the other hand, the imperial court would ensure South Zhili, the nearest reinforcements are from these two provinces, which can be considered as a warning in advance to let the two provinces make preparations for a rainy day.
