Shi Kefa took office as a new official and was very busy with official duties. He was recently ordered to go to Henan to suppress bandits. All the preliminary preparations made him headache and angry. He was very busy and his family was in chaos.
When Chang Yu and Zhu Ci?R arrived at the Yamen of the Ministry of War, Shi Kefazheng was having a meeting with the ministers, ministers, and other ministers of the Ministry of War. When they heard that they were coming, they immediately invited Ru Nei Tang to serve tea.
Chang Yu would not go to the Three Treasures Palace without any business. Chang Yu's status was sensitive. If there was no official business, he would not come so directly to look for him. Moreover, he was also with the prince. Shi Kefa understood that even if it was official business, it was not ordinary business.
After the three people exchanged greetings and sat down, Chang Yu went straight to the point: "Master Shangshu, are you going to Henan to suppress bandits in the near future?".
Shi Kefa nodded slightly and looked at Chang Yu, knowing that he was the emperor's confidant, so he was not surprised to know this: "The reason why I came to the governor must be for this matter, but I don't know the specific reason?"
"The intruder is cunning and tricky. Our family has some experience in fighting with him. This time we come here to provide some help to Lord Shangshu," Chang Yu said solemnly.
Shi Kefa said oh, he is not the kind of person who has eyes on his head and cannot accept other people's opinions humbly. The conversation with Chang Yu that night showed his character and ambition, and he admired him very much. Moreover, although Chang Yu was young, he did win more with less in the Battle of Taiyuan. Li Zicheng abandoned his helmet and armor and fled in panic.
You must know that in recent years, the bandit army has become too powerful. The officers and soldiers will lose every time they encounter thieves, and even run away. It is almost impossible to win a battle like Taiyuan, so this little eunuch is still very capable.
"I would like to ask the governor for more advice." Shi Kefa was very humble.
"I don't take it as advice. We just have some experience. I'll tell Master Shangshu for reference only." Chang Yu coughed lightly and then continued: "When the intruders fled, it was estimated that there were only 50,000 or 60,000 troops left, of which the main force was at most 20,000. , the rest are all holding people hostage, the cheers and cheers are acceptable, but the fighting power is not enough to be feared."
"However, holding them hostage all the way is a trick used by the intruders. It is estimated that the number of thieves at this time is 70,000 to 80,000 or nearly 100,000. Including Liu Fangliang's men, the total should be around 200,000."
Shi Kefa and Zhu Ci?R couldn't help but change their expressions and took a breath of cold air. Although it was obvious that this number included too much cannon fodder, there were many people and the momentum was very bluffing. Moreover, the Ming army was generally suffering from low morale at this time. Fear of thieves, when hearing so many people, I am afraid that I have already become trembling with fear and have lost all will to fight.
"Master Shangshu went to supervise the army to suppress the bandits. How strong is the army under his command?" Chang Yu asked again.
Shi Kefa thought for a while: "The emperor issued an order to the Shandong General Soldier Liu Zeqing and Xuzhou Gaojie to suppress the bandits. The two groups have about 40,000 troops. Together with the Henan General Soldier Xu Dingguo, the total should be 60,000 to 70,000! And now the cabinet is debating whether to If we can successfully mobilize Zhou Yuji from Taiyuan, we should have about 100,000 troops, and we will be 70% sure of defeating the enemy!"
Chang Yu couldn't help but smile when he heard this: "Sir Shangshu's 70% certainty should be due to the advantage of military strength. Although the bandit army is large, there are too many refugees, and the main force is only 40,000 to 50,000. On the other hand, although the official army is less than 100,000, they are all regular troops. Bar".
Shi Kefa nodded.
"If that's the case, why are you only 70% sure and the remaining 30%?" Chang Yu smiled half-heartedly.
"There is not enough food and grass, or it is not available at all," Shi Kefa smiled bitterly.
"This is the reason why our family came here. We will discuss the matter of food and fodder later." Chang Yu paused slightly and said: "Forgive us, Master Shangshu is too trusting. Even if there is enough food and grass and a hundred thousand troops, you are sure to win here. It will never be higher than 50%, or even only 20 to 30%!”
Shi Kefa and Zhu Ci?R were stunned again and couldn't help but scream.
"Appreciate further details"
Shi Kefa looked solemn and frowned.
The morale of the army, officers and soldiers are afraid of war, they are lazy in fighting, and the hearts of the people. The bandits rob the rich and give to the poor wherever they go, winning the hearts of the people. Secondly, let’s look at the generals under his command. Liu Zeqing is insidious and cunning, Gao Jie is violent and unruly, and Xu Dingguo is old and cunning. To put it bluntly, they are all ruffians in the army. Big hooligans, the three of them are plotting against each other and scheming against each other. Shi Kefa's resume is obviously too shallow to suppress him, and he may not even be able to command him!
Shi Kefa's face was extremely ugly. He had definitely heard the comments about these three people. Even someone like Sun Chuanting could not be suppressed. What's more, he was the airborne commander, not to mention that Sun Chuanting also had an elite team of his own. What he relied on was that he only had two or three followers, and those big gangsters didn't care about him.
Seeing Shi Kefa like this, Chang Yu comforted him: "Master Shangshu, don't be too anxious. Your Majesty also knows that these three people are arrogant and difficult to tame, so he specially sent a personal guard to suppress the battle for you. I don't think those three people dare to be too anxious." Too much!"
"You, you mean, the emperor wants to send a personal guard to accompany the subordinates out of the capital to suppress the bandits."
Shi Kefa was startled, and then became a little excited.
"Well, our family mentioned this matter to the emperor the day before yesterday. There should be a decree soon." Chang Yu nodded.
"Very good"
Shi Kefa stood up, clasped his hands, and paced back and forth in the room: "If this is the case, the troops will be stronger and the certainty will be a bit greater. If Zhou Yuji from Taiyuan is transferred again, the official... I dare not say that I am confident, but I am at least 70% or 80% sure. It’s not empty anymore.”
"Still empty"
Chang Yu poured cold water on him again, picked up the tea cup and took a sip: "The three general soldiers are all afraid of war and have no fighting spirit. The Guards have too little experience to be useful. Zhou Yuji's battle has just ended, and the people and horses are tired due to the long journey. Most of the soldiers were wounded, and although they were determined to kill the enemy, they were out of strength and lacked strength."
"As the governor said, this official's trip will be a total failure." Chang Yu poured water on him repeatedly, but Shi Kefa finally became a little anxious and his tone was slightly unkind.
"That's not necessarily the case. We told you before we came here. We are just giving you some suggestions. How to deal with it depends on Sir Shangshu going to the ground and adapting to the situation."
"Master, please speak." Shi Kefa adjusted his mentality and sat down.
"The bandits are best at field guerrilla warfare, followed by city siege, and lastly city defense, so you try to avoid field battles with the bandits. At this time, the bandits have been entrenched in the Central Plains for too long, attacking cities and territories, and occupying many state cities. In this way, they Not only are the troops dispersed, but the strategy of attack will also focus on defending the city, which is a benefit for the officers and soldiers."
Shi Kefa nodded slightly.
Chang Yu went on to say: "Zhou Yuji will most likely be transferred to intercept the intruders in the end. His generals have strict military discipline, have a lot of actual combat experience, and are capable of fighting. However, Taiyuan is an important town and needs heavy defense, plus the front line After being damaged in the battle, there are not many troops that it can take away. Fortunately, there is still a Jinwu Guard with nearly 10,000 cavalry, which can be used in the battle of Taiyuan. Lord Shangshu can use Zhou Yuji as the main force. As for Liu Zeqing and the three generals , can be used as partial troops. Although these three people are afraid of fighting, they all have a deep hatred for the intruders, especially Gao Jie. If the bandit army is strong, they will inevitably be afraid of fighting, but if they take the opportunity to kill a drowned dog, we believe that No one works harder than them."
"As for the personal guards sent by the emperor to hold you back, you can practice them while fighting. Occasionally they may be of great use. Moreover, if nothing else happens, the emperor may send the most skilled Teng Xiang Si among the personal guards. guard!"
"Your Majesty, you have been taught a lesson." Shi Kefa nodded repeatedly, stood up and bowed his hands in greeting to Chang Yu. Chang Yu quickly returned the greeting: "I hope that I can use my experience as a reference for Lord Shangshu."
"I have benefited a lot from what you said." Shi Kefa said sincerely. He had also led an army to fight, and he felt that Chang Yu's words were extremely sharp. From the use of troops to the use of people, he was very clear-cut.
