In the ninth year of Chongzhen, it was July 18th.
At the end of the day, Hong Chengchou had already led his troops out of camp, and generals such as Zu Kuan, He Renlong, and Cao Bianjiao led tens of thousands of cavalry toward the north.
Yan'an Mansion now only has two troops, Cao Wenzhao and Gansu General Liu Shaozong, confronting Li Zicheng. Therefore, even if he achieved an unprecedented victory, Hong Chengchou did not completely relax.
If Li Zicheng is not eliminated, the whole of Shaanxi will not be at peace.
After Hong Chengchou led the troops and left in a hurry, all the remaining control rights of troops and horses naturally returned to Sun Chuanting's hands.
Before Chen Wang had time to go to see Sun Chuanting, he received a military order from Sun Chuanting to summon him.
Sun Chuanting did not move the camp, and the Chinese military tent was still on the mountainside of Beishan.
Chen Wang walked all the way up from the temporary camp at the foot of the mountain. At this time, there was not much popularity in the entire Beishan mountainside camp. There were only a few soldiers guarding the camp. It was not until he reached the position of the Chinese army that there were gradually more soldiers on the road. stand up.
Most of the soldiers were sent out to clean up the battlefield. In the Battle of Heishui Valley, as many as tens of thousands of people died, and the bodies piled up like mountains.
Just cleaning the battlefield and disposing of the corpses took a lot of time.
Moreover, some soldiers have to be separated to guard the prisoners, so there will naturally be fewer soldiers left in the barracks.
The invading army had a total of more than 40,000 troops. There were many casualties and not many people escaped. Most of them dropped their weapons and chose to surrender.
These prisoners are now placed in a valley in the east mountain of Heishui Valley, guarded by guerrilla troops led by Li Yingke.
When he walked to the tent, Chen Wang met Zhang Er, a thousand-rooster, and Huanglong, a dougu.
When he identified Gao Yingxiang's body before, Chen Wang met the two of them once, so he also remembered their appearance.
Sun Chuanting left more than a thousand soldiers for each of them, allowing them to each lead a battalion.
But now all the weapons and armor under their command have naturally been confiscated and temporarily placed in temporary camps, with special personnel assigned to monitor them.
However, just like Hong Chengchou took in Gao Jie, Sun Chuanting also took them into his service as servants.
When the two of them saw Chen Wang, their expressions changed, and then they quickly walked to the side of the road and knelt down to greet him.
Although their choice was meritorious anyway, what Sun Chuanting promised them was just guerrilla action.
Chen Wang was originally a general in Hanzhong Mansion. After defeating Gao Yingxiang in this formation, he fell into the favor of the higher-ups, and he was afraid that he would rise to prominence in the future.
Chen Wang glanced past the two of them and nodded as a courtesy.
Historically, these two people have not appeared in history books since Gao Yingxiang's death, and they are not important figures.
Most of them died on the way to continuous suppression.
but……
Chen Wang had already passed where the two of them were, but he slowed down.
These two people, like Gao Jie, are completely on the opposite side of the bandits.
Gao Jie put a hat on Li Zicheng, so he could only follow the Ming army to the dark side.
However, Qian Gongji Zhang Er and Yi Dou Gu Huanglong betrayed Gao Yingxiang. Now I am afraid that no one in the 72nd Battalion would want to kill him quickly.
Whether they really want to avenge Gao Yingxiang, or they want to use their heads to establish their prestige.
These two people can only follow the Ming army to the dark side, and they will never join the bandits again.
The two have a very bad reputation and were born into bandits. They can be used to do some dirty work in the future...
With a plan in mind, Chen Wang just walked outside the Chinese army's tent.
The personal guards of Sun Chuanting outside the tent seemed to have reported him in advance when they saw him coming, so they immediately opened the tent curtain.
Chen Wang lowered his head, calmed down a little, and then stepped into the tent.
"Chen Wang, who holds a humble position, knocks on the door of the army."
Chen Wang bowed his head and bowed. Although it seemed that Sun Chuanting did not value formality as much as Hong Chengchou, Chen Wang still did all the due etiquette.
"General Chen Shen will be exempted from courtesy. I have never attached great importance to red tape in running the army. There is no need to bow down when paying homage."
Sun Chuanting's voice came from above.
"Take a seat."
Chen Wang responded, stood up and sat on the seat in the direction pointed by Sun Chuanting's hand.
"Just wait for me for a while."
Sun Chuanting was leaning in front of the case, as if he was approving something. There were several thick stacks of documents placed on his desk.
After listening to Sun Chuanting's words, Chen Wang naturally wouldn't disturb him. Anyway, many things are not in a hurry now.
In the past, he had to stand guard for a whole day, but now it was no problem for Chen Wang to wait.
Chen Wang did not wait long. After half a quarter of an hour, Sun Chuanting raised his head from the pile of documents.
"The Four Guards in Xi'an have serious abuses. These are all documents about the Four Guards."
Sun Chuanting put down the brush in his hand and sighed.
"The current Xi'an Four Guards have no way to serve as a barrier to Xi'an. Even if the Xi'an Four Guards are close to the provincial capital, the rest of the places will probably be even worse..."
There are bandits everywhere, but there are no soldiers when you ask for troops, and there are no pay when you ask for pay.
This was the first and most important problem that Sun Chuanting encountered after taking office as governor of Shaanxi.
If there were no soldiers, they would be recruited. The first thing Sun Chuanting did when he took office was to select elite warriors from the military camps in various places in Qin who dared to fight, and brought them to the Dubiao camp as soldiers.
However, there is no way to create wages out of thin air. The taxes collected every year have their own fixed amount.
However, Sun Chuanting already had a strategy when he made the duel in front of the palace. He successfully obtained Chongzhen's permission and obtained the privilege of raising his own salary.
This is also the reason why Sun Chuanting repeatedly defeated rogue bandits during his tenure as governor of Shaanxi and almost wiped out the entire Shaanxi.
Precisely because of the privilege of raising their own wages, almost all the soldiers under Sun Chuanting's command were paid in full, with almost no deductions. Therefore, everyone dared to fight and the generals served their lives.
In history, Sun Chuanting, after defeating Gao Yingxiang, began to rectify various shortcomings in Shaanxi Province.
The first policy implemented by Sun Chuanting was to reorganize the health clinics, increase the number of classes in the villages, and promote public transportation to benefit the people.
To put it simply, it means reorganizing the health center, inspecting the fields, and clearing the fields.
The first rectification was the front, rear, left, and right guards in Xi'an Mansion.
Now Sun Chuanting is probably preparing to start clearing up the shortcomings.
As the governor, Sun Chuanting had the power to manage various health centers in Shaanxi Province.
Soon after taking office, Sun Chuanting found out most of the things and understood the shortcomings of the guard station.
The original garrison and farmland had long since become an empty name in various places, and the original system of "giving land to the army and raising the army with land" had completely collapsed.
Most of the original garrison lands of the various guards and armies were annexed, or their fields were deprived of food for the sake of military rations.
The guards are poor, the sergeants are miserable, and even the generals are rarely wealthy.
What Chen Wang wanted to do was to use Sun Chuanting's habit of asking Qingtun to add more classes to control the power of the Hanzhong Prefecture's Internal Security Office.
Sun Chuanting paused for a moment, remembered his original purpose, and stopped continuing the topic of the Four Guards of Xi'an.
"You should know that after this military merit report is reported and the merit review is completed, you can be promoted to deputy general."
Chen Wang nodded. He had previously calculated that he would probably be promoted to one more level, to deputy chief soldier.
And because of his age, I am afraid that he will not be promoted for subsequent meritorious service. At least he will not be promoted again until he is thirty years old, or for great achievements such as setting up a formation to kill Gao Yingxiang.
"The military has a high level of trust, and humble duties can only be repaid with dedication."
Sun Chuanting waved his hand. He had heard too many empty words since he took office.
"The strategy has been decided. Soon you will lead the troops back to Hanzhong Mansion."
"More than 300,000 thieves gathered in Xunxiang and Xunxiang, including Zhang Xianzhong, Liu Guoneng and other powerful bandit leaders."
Sun Chuanting looked at Chen Wang and said in a deep voice.
"As far as I know, last year, the civil unrest in Feng County, Hanzhong Prefecture, affected many people. The gangsters killed Hu Zhang Yuan in Xixiang, and the guards and militiamen who entered the suppression suffered many casualties."
"Now there are only more than 3,200 regular guards in the Hanzhong Prefecture. Of course, this is the number on the roster."
Sun Chuanting frowned slightly, looked solemn, and leaned back on the chair and asked.
"It's not a secret that the guard station is corrupt and there is a shortage of places. Tell me the truth. How many people are there in the Hanzhong Guard Army who can fight, and how many militiamen there are."
It is indeed not a secret that the guards are corrupt. The whole Ming Dynasty is doing this for every general in the Ming Dynasty. Those who don't can't raise soldiers at all, let alone fight.
However, Chen Wang still thought for a moment before answering Sun Chuanting's question.
"The militiamen in each city were recruited according to the old rules, and the number increased during the war. There were 300 in the small city, 600 in the middle city, and 1,000 in the big city. The four counties of Pingli, Xunyang, Baihe, and Shiquan were destroyed by the war."
"There are now thirteen cities left in Hanzhong Mansion, with a total of 4,900 registered militiamen. In fact, there should be only a lot more. However, the militiamen can only defend the city and are unable to fight in the field."
The militia is generally managed by local officials. The soldiers are basically selected from various villages and cities, and are filled by servants of some wealthy gentry and wealthy households. Most of their expenses are raised by the local government themselves, and part of them is donated by the people of each village. Others come from wealthy gentry and wealthy households.
After all, after the city was destroyed, the first to suffer was the wealthy gentry and wealthy households in the city, and they themselves knew it very well.
Therefore, the militiamen are generally at full capacity, or even beyond.
Chen Wang lowered his head slightly and continued to report.
"The Hanzhong Prefecture Guards suffered heavy casualties in several battles. Now there are about two thousand soldiers. Half of them are assisting in the defense of Xing'an City, and the other part are assisting in the defense of Hanzhong City to protect the safety of King Rui."
"Two thousand people..."
Sun Chuanting frowned slightly. He had no doubts about the number Chen Wang was talking about.
"If I remember correctly, Zhou Yumao's camp only has 1,500 combat soldiers and more than a thousand auxiliary soldiers. You have more than 2,000 combat soldiers and about 3,000 auxiliary soldiers."
Sun Chuanting tapped the table and looked at the map placed on the side of the table.
"In other words, now the entire Hanzhong Mansion, including the guards and auxiliary troops, only has more than 9,000 people, less than 10,000."
Chen Wang nodded and responded.
"I remember the military gate well. There are nine thousand six hundred people in total."
"However, before I took the post, I heard that the rebels were marching westward, so I temporarily recruited some people from among the captured bandits to act as civilian auxiliaries to help defend Xing'an."
Sun Chuanting's eyes moved slightly, turning from the map on the table to Chen Wang.
Four thousand auxiliary soldiers and two thousand combat soldiers, this ratio is slightly too large.
Although Sun Chuanting only had previous experience as a governor in the mainland, he had only been in office for nearly two months.
He also knows something about the true situation of the auxiliary soldiers in each battalion today.
"Recruiting auxiliary troops can reduce the burden on the soldiers and can also enhance the combat effectiveness of the headquarters. I have no objection to this matter."
Sun Chuanting thought for a moment and said something.
"However, they were rogues after all before. I also ask General Chen Shen to restrain the military discipline of our headquarters."
Chen Wang understood what Sun Chuanting meant, thought about it, and explained.
"The selection of auxiliary soldiers for humble positions are all selected from the ranks of rogue soldiers and hungry soldiers, and they are selected according to the military selection method in the "New Book of Discipline and Effects"."
"The rogue horse army is brave if they have good cavalry, but many of them are unruly and have bad military discipline. These people are difficult to restrain. They also burn, kill, loot, and bully the weak, so they cannot fight a tough battle."
A trace of astonishment flashed in Sun Chuanting's eyes. Most of the auxiliary soldiers recruited by the generals were selected from the elite horseback troops among the rogue bandits.
Because the elite cavalry army are basically veterans who have gone through many battles, with extraordinary skills and fierce fighting.
However, Chen Wang's words made some sense. The reason why he reminded Chen Wang to pay attention to military discipline was because he knew many situations.
Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong both had many so-called auxiliary troops under their command, and many prefectures and counties along the way suffered harm from them. However, due to the lack of troops for the invasion and the need to rely on them, they could only end the campaign in the end.
"The teacher said you have a talent, so it seems true."
Sun Chuanting took another high look at Chen Wang. No wonder Hong Chengchou was relieved to let Chen Wang guard Hanzhong Mansion alone.
"However, Hanzhong Prefecture still has too few troops to fight. There are more than 300,000 wandering bandits in Xunxiang and Xiangzhou. If they advance westward again, I am afraid that the counties in Hanzhong will be ravaged again."
After Sun Chuanting pondered for a moment, he said in a deep voice.
"And the relationship between Hanzhong Mansion and Guanzhong Shuzhong is even more important."
"Nowadays, some chieftains in Sichuan Province are restless. Some of the Sichuan soldiers need to guard against the chieftains, while others are rushing to aid Huguang. Now there is a lot of emptiness in Sichuan. Once the rogue bandits break into Sichuan, the impact will be very serious."
"I'm calling you here this time. I actually want to ask you what you need to defend Hanzhong."
Chen Wang's expression moved slightly, he was really about to doze off, so he came up with a pillow.
"Hanzhong Mansion is of great importance, and its defense is heavy. The troops under its humble command are weak, and they dare not entrust the power. It is indeed difficult."
Chen Wang lowered his head and lowered his voice a little to make himself look more sincere.
"I know that there are bandits all over the province now, and there is a serious lack of troops to suppress them, so I dare not ask for reinforcements."
"Although the Hanzhong Guards suffered heavy casualties and are in a downturn, if they can be united, they can be a considerable force and can be relied upon."
"Many fields in Hanzhong Mansion have been destroyed due to military disasters, and many people have been separated. I thought that I could turn these people into military households to make up for the vacancies in the Hanzhong Guards."
"Bizuzhi is good at training troops. Although the guards cannot fight, I am confident that I can train them into a strong army."
Chen Wang kept his tone as calm as possible and spoke solemnly.
Chen Wang lowered his head and did not hear Sun Chuanting's response for a while.
Sun Chuanting did not speak, and Chen Wang naturally did not raise his head. Doing anything at this moment was unnecessary.
Sun Chuanting stared at Chen Wang, who was sitting with his head lowered, and carefully recalled what Chen Wang said.
At present, the military strength under his command is indeed insufficient, and it can be said that he is stretched thin. There is indeed no extra troops to assist Hanzhong Mansion.
However, the threats facing Hanzhong Mansion are real and they are in urgent need of additional strength.
If the Hanzhong Guards were handed over to Chen Wanglai for training, most of the problem of Hanzhong Prefecture's insufficient military strength would be solved...
