Fengxiang Mansion, south of Baoji City.
In the Ming army camp, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting were sitting opposite each other.
Hong Chengchou's eyes were cold and he looked at the letter in his hand in silence.
After a long time, Hong Chengchou's slightly gloomy voice sounded in the military tent.
"Four rectangles, six corners, and ten sides of the net?"
"An additional 120,000 troops and 2.8 million in pay?"
Hong Chengchou's face was hidden in the shadows, making his expression unclear.
"What a great gesture."
His tone was flat, and you couldn't hear any emotion, anger, sorrow, or joy, and you couldn't tell whether his words were ridicule or praise.
This time, Jiannu fled into the capital, and the situation in the DPRK changed dramatically.
The original Minister of War, Zhang Fengyi, committed suicide due to fear of crime. The person who succeeded him was Yang Sichang, the son of his old boss Yang He.
Although Yang He was his boss, when the civil uprising first started, he and Yang He had differences because of their different opinions on the civil uprising.
He had previously received the news that Yang Sichang was appointed Minister of War. He thought that Yang Sichang might use the same recruitment methods as his father Yang He, but he did not expect that Yang Sichang would also lead the suppression, and his plan was still so radical.
"He, Yang Xiuling, was sitting high in the temple, talking empty words with white teeth. He said something about spreading nets on all sides, and another sentence about increasing pay by 2.8 million and increasing troops by 120,000. He said it lightly."
Sun Chuanting's face was as gloomy as water, and he couldn't help but snorted coldly, without any politeness.
He already knew all the things Yang Sichang said.
It is said that due to the four methods of food, overland, and examples, the salary can be increased by 2.8 million taels, but in fact, the two methods of food and overland are changes in the rate increase.
The civil unrest in various places is getting more and more intense, and the number of refugees is increasing day by day. At this time, we need to increase wages. Isn't this adding fuel to the fire? Isn't it that the fire is not strong enough?
For example, one of the post offices was selling the quota of supervising students to make money, and the other was to get some of the money left over from the abolition of the post office.
Then use the money to train new troops and expand old troops.
"Ten provinces are fighting together and advancing together with a net. How easy is it?"
Hong Chengchou put down the letter in his hand. His palace was much deeper than Sun Chuanting's, and his ability to nourish Qi was much better.
He didn't show any emotion or anger on his face, and his face remained as calm and calm as usual.
"It is actually rare and valuable that Yang Xiuling can take the lead in the campaign. If he can coordinate the provinces, this strategy of spreading a net on ten sides can be considered a good strategy."
Sun Chuanting was too energetic and acted according to his wishes, because he also offended many people in the officialdom.
The conversation is sometimes aggressive and the tone is extremely uncomfortable.
I'm afraid that even if Yang Sichang was standing here, Sun Chuanting would dare to say the same thing.
"The national situation is difficult, turmoil is unstoppable in various places, and rogue bandits are rampant in the Central Plains. The reason for this is that it is difficult for the provinces to attack together."
Sun Chuanting's face darkened slightly and he sighed.
"As my teacher said, if the provincial governors, generals and schools can work together, this so-called ten-sided net may still be effective."
"But if the governors of the provinces can be careful and the generals are not timid, how can the civil unrest worsen to this point?"
Hong Chengchou picked up the tea cup on the table, picked up the tea lid, and took a slow sip of tea.
The truth is indeed Sun Chuanting's truth. If Yang Sichang's plan is to be implemented smoothly, then all provincial governors, generals and schools must work together.
But if the governors, generals and schools of all provinces had worked together, the civil uprising would have been extinguished in Shaanxi long ago.
"Thieves have always been strong, and those who are in danger will come out in all directions, and those who are trapped will return to Qin. Civil uprisings began in Qin, and most of the leaders of the seventy-two battalions are from Qin."
"Our army has failed to achieve success in many encirclement and suppression campaigns, all because it is familiar with the terrain and controls the location."
Sun Chuanting also read the strategy of the order issued. In his eyes, Yang Sichang's so-called strategy of spreading the net in all directions was mostly empty talk. In many places, it was just taken for granted. Not only did it not help, but it would worsen the situation. .
"Ten provinces are advancing for suppression, and the troops are divided into ten places. If the main force of the rogue bandits enters Qin again, can we use one province to fight against thousands of rogue bandits?"
"The Qin Dynasty is surrounded by mountains, and the rogue bandits make their nests in the mountains. It is difficult to advance and suppress them. The rogue bandits roam freely in the mountains, but we are unable to divide our troops and block them everywhere."
"Thieves plundered grain but the soldiers could not cut off the thieves' food route. As time went by, the rice and beans needed by the soldiers' garrison became increasingly expensive."
Sun Chuanting was indignant and finally defined his words.
"The so-called discussion in four directions and six corners is called trapping thieves, but it is actually trapping oneself."
"When all the soldiers are encircled and suppressed, even if they are successful, the rogue bandits will have no way to go, and they will surely turn the whole Qin into a cave. By then, all the surrounding areas will be nothing more than empty nets."
Hong Chengchou glanced sideways slightly, glanced at Sun Chuanting, and then took it back again, returning to the tea cup in his hand.
What Sun Chuanting said was actually what he was thinking. Yang Sichang's so-called Four Right and Six Corners strategy had some feasibility, but it was still mostly empty talk, and many of it was just talk on paper.
After all, Yang Sichang had never been to a battle formation in person, and had no experience in commanding an army for encirclement and suppression. He could not see the mountains and roads in various places, nor could he see the soldiers below.
He could only see the mountains and rivers on the map, the cold death figures on the documents, and the decorated battles on the newspapers.
There are a few pieces of the real situation in this place that can be sent to the Forbidden City.
Not to mention that there are not many facts that can enter the eyes of the emperor, even the ministers in the cabinet are actually unable to understand the underlying situation.
The thing that deceives the superiors and conceals the inferiors is effective for the superiors and subordinates. One level is concealed, the other is deceived, and the level is deceived.
Even though he had been the governor of the three sides for many years and had many eyes and ears under him, Hong Chengchou did not dare to say that he knew everything under him.
Sun Chuanting said with an indignant expression.
"Nowadays, there are many generals in the army who are domineering, arrogant, fearful and timid. They are unable to support the leader at the top, and they perish at the bottom to benefit the people. There are many people who are too busy to do things."
Then he seemed to remember something again, paused, and then spoke in a deep voice.
"Teacher, have you heard about the situation in Nanzhili?"
Hong Chengchou raised his eyebrows slightly and turned to look at Sun Chuanting. He thought about it again and pondered for a moment before speaking.
"I heard that after the Yunxiang bandits broke through the encirclement network, they divided their forces and advanced. Zhang Xianzhong and others rushed east to Nanzhili, and the beacon fire reached Huaiyang in the east."
"In the first month of this year, Zhang Xianzhong and others gathered 300,000 people and attacked the cities of Jiangpu, Liuhe, and Anqing separately, causing shock in southern Zhili. Then they entered Dengzhou in the west and broke through the city. The momentum was quite huge."
Sun Zesheng, the magistrate of Dengzhou, never cared about the suffering of the people, punished harshly, and tortured and killed brutally. In addition, at the time of famine, the hungry people turned to thieves. The hungry people secretly communicated with each other to attack the state city.
Currently, there are fifteen units of Qushuai, large and small, occupying southern Zhili and Huguang and Henan provinces.
Among the camps, Zhang Xianzhong's troops were the strongest. In the first month of the first month, Zhang Xianzhong, together with Ma Shouying, Cao Cao, Luo Rucai, and Liu Guoneng, went down the river and invaded Anqing.
Sun Chuanting's eyebrows almost twisted into the character "Sichuan", and his expression looked worried.
"Lu Jiutai went to Xuanda University, and the position of prime minister has not yet been decided. Zuo Liangyu, Liu Liangzuo and others are arrogant and domineering, just like Zu Kuan, Li Chongzhen and other generals."
The Lu Jiutai mentioned by Sun Chuanting refers to Lu Xiangsheng.
Now that Lu Xiangsheng has taken over as the Governor of Xuanda, his original position as Prime Minister has been undecided.
"Zhang Yuxi's order was regarded as a piece of paper by them."
In the first month of this year, the governor Zhang Guowei urgently called for troops, and Zuo Liangyu, Ma Lu, Liu Liangzuo and others were ordered to come to the rescue.
In March, Zhang Xianzhong led tens of thousands of elite cavalry troops to attack Fengjiadian, divided them into four mountains, and surrounded the Ming army stationed in Fengjiadian.
Shi Kefa and Chief Military Officer Xu Ziqiang led their troops to the rescue. However, due to their weak strength, they did not dare to attack and only fired artillery in support from a few miles away.
On the 25th, Zhang Xianzhong led the main force to launch a general offensive. Deputy general Cheng Long and guerrilla Pan Keda led numerous attempts to break through without success. Cheng Long and Chen Yuwang committed suicide, and many generals including Pan Keda died in the battle.
The rogue bandits captured Hezhou, Hanshan, Dingyuan, Liuhe and other cities. Beacon fires continued for hundreds of miles, and iron-hoofed horses trampled on the seven prefectures.
The commander-in-chief Mou Wenshou, Liu Liangzuo, Ma Xu, Zuo Liangyu and other troops finally arrived belatedly at this time, and fought with Zhang Xianzhong and other troops at the Pushche River.
Zhang Xianzhong was defeated and led his troops to Huguang again, hiding in the Zhufang Mountains in the northwest of Huguang.
Then Zhang Guowei, the governor of Yingtian, issued three messages ordering Zuo Liangyu to enter the mountains to search and suppress, but Zuo Liangyu did not respond and instead sent troops to plunder the local area.
Hong Chengchou frowned slightly and put down the tea cup in his hand, a trace of contempt flashing in his eyes.
However, this disdain was not for Sun Chuanting, but for Zhang Guowei and the governors in the south.
"Zuo Liangyu has been under my command for a long time. He, Cao Wenzhao, He Renlong and other troops have been working together to fight against thieves, but he has no complaints at all because of his driving force."
"Zuo Liangyu listens to the orders I give, and Zuo Liangyu also listens to the orders given by Lu Jiutai. Why doesn't Zuo Liangyu listen to the orders they give when we get to South Zhili?"
Hong Chengchou closed the tea lid, his voice was slightly gloomy, and there was ridicule in his tone.
"In July, Zuo Liangyu led his troops to Kaifeng and marched from Tangzhuang in Dengfeng. They encountered most of the bandits on the way, and a big battle broke out between the two sides. They fought fiercely from early morning to the afternoon, and won the bloody battle."
"Then Zuo Liangyu pursued them all the way and met the enemy at Tianjia Camp on the Tanghe River. Liangyu crossed the river to attack them and captured a lot of people."
Hong Chengchou's eyes were slightly sharp and he said coldly.
Although he doesn't like Zuo Liangyu very much. Zuo Liangyu is not as honest as He Renlong, nor as sensible as Cao Wenzhao, but Zuo Liangyu is obedient all the time.
"What was the result? The documents regarding merit and reward were not submitted. In September, the impeachment was accepted."
"Governor Yang Shengwu wrote a letter to impeach Zuo Liangyu for cowardly fighting to avoid thieves, and ordered him to redeem himself."
Sun Chuanting's expression changed slightly, but he didn't know there was such an inside story.
"Those who serve as ministers will be treated unfairly..."
Sun Chuanting wanted to speak, but as soon as the words came out of his mouth, his voice was taken back by him, and finally turned into a long sigh.
"well------"
He thought of He Renlong who had been dismissed from his post due to defeat in the war, and he also thought of Liu Chenggong and other generals who had been dismissed from their posts due to their defeat in the war.
The general worked bravely, but a single defeat resulted in dismissal from office, or even imprisonment.
And those losses are often not caused by them, how can this not make people feel discouraged.
The most important frontier troops transferred from Liaodong, such as Zu Kuan and Li Chongzhen, gave them a bad head.
As long as you have strong soldiers and horses, even if you are arrogant and domineering, and plunder your troops, at most you will be reprimanded and impeached, and you will never be dismissed from office.
Even if they don't move after hearing the order, the most the governors can do is urge and reprimand.
They just listened to a few more reprimands and did not engage in battle with the bandits. As long as they did not lose their troops and generals, the troops in their hands were still there, and they had enough bargaining chips, they would not take any other risks.
The military tent fell into silence for a while...
"Those of us who serve as governors can only accept the arrangements in the court."
Hong Chengchou thought about it for a moment. Although he knew that his words would not have much impact on Sun Chuanting's thoughts, he still made a point.
Sun Chuanting is currently reorganizing the guards in various places in Shaanxi, and the four guards in Xi'an have almost been reorganized by him.
The fields that had been occupied by the Fourth Guards and the remaining vacant sergeants were almost filled. The Fourth Guards had combat effectiveness for the first time.
During the Battle of Jingyang, those guards actually blocked the elite cavalry army led by Li Zicheng.
Although Li Zicheng did not want to fight to the death at that time, he just wanted to break out of the encirclement, but for the guards, facing the rogue cavalry on the plains, they did not collapse, and even fought hand-to-hand for several battles, which was already a great achievement. achievements.
The guards were useful, and the guards could provide food and salary in order to ensure self-sufficiency. This was something that was unthinkable before, but Sun Chuanting did it.
Sun Chuanting had extraordinary talents in both political and military affairs. He could identify key points at a glance and make drastic changes.
but……
Sun Chuanting's behavior was undoubtedly a huge blow.
Cutting off people's wealth is like killing their parents, and Sun Chuanting not only cuts off people's money, but even destroys other people's jobs.
During this period, Sun Chuanting reorganized the health center and government affairs, offending too many people, and he was afraid that he would not be able to hold the position of governor for a long time.
Hong Chengchou saw all the gossip and small actions behind the scenes.
However, Hong Chengchou had no intention of taking care of it. It was best not to mess with some things.
Hong Chengchou knew Sun Chuanting well, not just in general, but very well.
He knew very well that even if he told the truth about the problem, Sun Chuanting would not change his original plan, and would still continue to rectify the guard house in this way, and even be more drastic.
Sun Chuanting was too sharp and upright, and he didn't know what it meant to bow his head.
But precisely because of this, Sun Chuanting is Sun Chuanting.
Compared to the sharp-edged Sun Chuanting.
Chen Wang's methods were much gentler. He rebuilt the garrison, used his connections and Sun Chuanting's name to seize the ownerless land, recruited refugees as military households, trained the guards to strengthen the city defense, and liberated the battalions so that they could be mobilized around. .
Hong Chengchou picked up the tea cup he had put aside again.
Hong Chengchou had known about Chen Wang's appointment as the commander of Hanzhong Guard beforehand.
Before Chen Wang asked for orders, he had already explained the situation to Hong Chengchou in advance.
Chen Wang listened to Cao Wenzhao's suggestions.
Cao Wenzhao's ability to figure out people's psychology was at its peak. Hong Chengchou was suspicious, so his advice was to inform Hong Chengchou before making some decisions, and remember not to hide anything.
If you can't tell the importance, then report everything and report it to the public. As a direct descendant, you should act like a direct descendant.
(End of chapter)
