Xiong Wencan was careless and neglected his duties. His dereliction of duty was serious and he should be executed according to the law. If it were not for the purpose of alerting the enemy, his head could be taken with a single imperial edict.
Sun Chuanting was also dissatisfied with the court's indulgence of Zhang Xianzhong and others. Such habitual bandits should be killed and eradicated. In comparison, His Royal Highness is not very old, but he has a very clear judgment on the current situation, at least much better than many people in the court.
But there was one thing that made Sun Chuanting extremely worried, and that was military pay. If the imperial court still cannot come up with money, it will be very difficult to suppress Zhang Xianzhong's troops. The slow advance of the various government troops would inevitably allow Zhang Ni to escape again.
Sun Chuanting thought about it for a long time and then spoke: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, this matter is not trivial. In my opinion, it requires careful planning!"
Zhang Xianzhong has gathered gangsters to bring trouble to the Ming Dynasty for a long time. Currently, he still has 60,000 to 70,000 combatable soldiers. It is no trivial matter to capture them all in one fell swoop. It cannot be accomplished without the close coordination of various ministries.
Yaoji nodded and affirmed: "What Sun Aiqing said is absolutely true, so we have to wait until Governor Hong returns to the capital, and then I will discuss the solution with all the Aiqings. Sun Aiqing has nothing to do these two days, so he can take good care of himself and wait for the imperial decree." , we must immediately go to Huguang and command all the troops to attack!"
Sun Chuanting was very pleased that the prince was able to assess the situation at a young age. The prince knew military affairs well, which was really impressive. He was truly a hero at a young age. If we adopt a preemptive strategy, we may be able to defeat and even wipe out the bandits Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, and the fifth camp of Gezuo who have already committed many crimes.
It's just that there are many rogue bandits currently entrenched in northern Huguang. If the official and army forces are insufficient, it will be difficult to wipe them out quickly. They may even escape from the encirclement before the official army encircles them and attack cities and territories. This is what Sun Chuanting is most worried about.
If Zhang Xianzhong's troops fled into Sichuan, Luo Rucai and others went all the way north, and the fifth battalion of Ge Zuo invaded the hinterland of Jiangnan. If the three groups of troops attacked in three directions, it would be difficult for the officers and soldiers to concentrate their forces for pursuit and suppression, and it would not be possible to repeat the previous mistakes. impossible.
Thinking of this, Sun Chuanting raised his hand and said: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the ministers are worried that the Huguang bandits will find out in advance the news of the official army's imminent suppression, and will take the lead in counterattack before the official army arrives. By then, Xiong Wencan's place... "
Through previous conversations, Sun Chuanting felt that what the prince said did not come from other professors, nor was it influenced by Yang Sichang. Perhaps he could discuss military matters with him in detail. If not, he would think of countermeasures himself.
Hearing Mr. Xiong's name, Yao Ji showed a contemptuous smile: "This is the initiator, just so that Xiong Aiqing can face Zhang Ni's true nature! I think Xiong Aiqing has regretted it and will try his best to buy time for the reinforcements to arrive."
This whole matter was caused by your mental retardation. You dug the hole yourself back then. Now it’s up to you to jump in first. What kind of thing is Zhang Xianzhong? You will probably know it soon.
When the rogue bandits surround Xiong Wencan's tribe, and then the various officers and soldiers surround the rogue bandits, the situation between the two sides will become a sandwich biscuit. This is interesting...
Sun Chuanting's heart suddenly tightened. His Highness the Crown Prince's words meant that he would abandon the chess piece Xiong Wencan. The meaning couldn't be clearer. He was waiting for the order to be sent to the commander-in-chief of each branch to officially announce the invasion. Anyway, if Xiong Wencan hadn't been obsessed with recruiting and surrendering bandits, he wouldn't have caused such a catastrophe today.
When it comes to recruitment, Yaoji would like to remind Sun Chuanting: "The recruitment decree is based on the premise that the rogue bandits fully accept the imperial court's thorough reorganization of their troops. People such as Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing are models of sincere surrender, so you can rest assured. Use. But Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, Gezuo Wuying and other bandits took advantage of the court's favor and power, pretended to surrender, disobeyed orders, trained troops in the territory, and waited for opportunities to rebel. For this kind of unrepentant rebellion, I have only one word of order, That means killing them all!"
If we don't kill them all, how can we make moon cakes, Lantern Festivals and rice dumplings from Zhang Ni and others?
One more day they live, the other people around them will suffer one more day, so the dead bandits are the good bandits!
Besides, the northern provinces either had no harvests or were completely plundered by the Qing army, so they all hoped that grain from Huguang could be transported there as soon as possible. If we spend a lot of money to raise these things that are left to eat and die, by the time of the autumn harvest, the crops will have to be harvested by them. This is something Yaoji will never tolerate.
Sun Chuanting didn't know how the prince could believe that surrendered generals like Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing were not just superficial praise. He was sure that the Jinyi Guards or the Ministry of War had spies stationed in the headquarters to monitor their every move at any time. Only in this way can the court use these surrendered generals with confidence and boldness.
Accompanying a prince is like accompanying a tiger. Seeing the cold and fierce look on the prince's face, Sun Chuanting suddenly felt that although the little prince in front of him was still young, he acted vigorously and decisively, like a young tiger that started to eat meat. When he grows up, he may become a The wise king of the generation hurriedly agreed: "Your Highness is wise! I will do my best to destroy the bandits!"
Although these words are official and full of politeness, they are at least more practical than Governor Yuan's slogan of "Ping Liao in five years". Sun Chuanting has always done this, and he is a typical example of a ruthless person who doesn't talk much. This is Yao Ji What I admire most about him.
Despite this, Sun Chuanting was still very worried that the rogue bandits would know that the official army was coming, and then they would divide their troops and attack the surrounding areas. As a result, the campaign would fall short and turn into the previous pursuit of rogue bandits. He said worriedly: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, if there are rogue bandits, Flee to surrounding areas..."
Although Zhang Xianzhong and others accepted the court's invitation, they were thinking about the rebellion all the time. I am afraid that their eyes and ears were more than a hundred miles away. If they got the wind, they would act immediately. It was not impossible for the officers and soldiers who came from afar to rush in. possible.
Regarding this worry, Yaoji was well prepared and said confidently: "Don't worry, Sun Aiqing, I will order Qin Liangyu's White Guard Army to station troops in Chongqing and block the access to Sichuan. At the same time, let Xiangyang, Jingzhou, and Wuchang in Huguang The important towns are on strict alert to guard against sneak attacks by rogue bandits. All the passes from Huguang to Henan and Shaanxi are closed and will not be opened without orders from Sun Aiqing and Hong Aiqing. Troops and horses from South Zhili will also be mobilized to resist the rogue bandits from entering the south of the Yangtze River. "
This tactic is to attack from the east and west, separate and attack together, and is similar to Yang Sichang's net on all sides and encirclement on ten sides.
However, Yaoji would never admit that he plagiarized Yang Shangshu's tactics on any occasion, because there were two commanders in chief on the battlefield, one more than his tactical commander.
Sun Chuanting was generally relieved, but since he was going to Huguang to lead troops in the battle, he could always know which troops he could command, so he said in a deep voice with some respect: "Wei Chen is brave, I don't know how many troops your Highness can let Wei Chen command." horse?"
If there were fewer people, they really wouldn't be able to defeat Zhang Xianzhong's group of habitual bandits. At that time, Zhang Ni claimed to have led one hundred thousand armored men to surrender to the imperial court, but there were only less than thirty or forty thousand men in his team who could fight. No matter how small the number of officers and soldiers was, they could not be less than sixty thousand, otherwise he would be really powerless.
Yaoji asked the little eunuch to take a map he had drawn, spread it out on the table, pointed to various places and said: "Sun Aiqing can command the Wang Pu Department, Tang Tong Department, He Renlong Department, Bai Guangen Department, Liu Guoneng Department, and Li Wanqing Department. !”
Even if they work in pairs and cover each other to advance, the six troops can form three attack groups.
If the troops are still insufficient, Yang Guozhu's and Ma Ke's troops can be ordered to quickly invest in the Huguang battlefield.
Anyway, the military salary that I allocate to Sun Chuanting is a fixed amount. If there are fewer people, the money will be more, and if there are more people, the money will be less!
Sun Chuanting calculated in his mind that he already had six generals under his command, which was a lot of strength, but it was still very difficult to eliminate Zhang Xianzhong. Even if you can get a chance to fight head-on, the hope of eating the opponent in one bite is very small.
Yao Ji saw Sun Chuanting's hesitation and pointed out the seriousness of it: "Sun Aiqing doesn't need to worry too much. The western group composed of the six generals of the army has to deal with rogue bandits entrenched in Xunyang and Junzhou. The fifth battalion of Gezuo and Luo Rucai are under their command. Zhang Ni’s gang will be annihilated by Hong Dushuai’s men. This way the division of labor is clear and will not involve too much energy from the two commanders!”
According to the plan of the new supreme commander, Sun Chuanting was responsible for dealing with the Ge Zuo Fifth Battalion and Luo Rucai, while Hong Chengchou was specially responsible for dealing with the arrogant Zhang Xianzhong. They attacked together to see where you could run.
Sun Chuanting looked at the map. He was surprised by the detail of the map. It was unprecedented: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, this map..."
Although the map on the table only shows half of Huguang, southern Henan, southern Shaanxi, and eastern Sichuan, the locations of important cities and mountains and rivers are all mapped very properly, making it very comfortable to look at. It is better than the rough map at the moment. A lot.
Yao Ji smiled knowingly and told the truth straightforwardly: "This is a painting by me. If Sun Aiqing thinks it can be used as a reference, I will give it to Aiqing!"
After working all night, Yao Ji has drawn a map. He can draw one more map and give it to Hong Chengchou. He keeps one map for himself. At least three people need one map.
This map is not drawn on paper, but on white silk. Firstly, it is not as afraid of being broken as paper, and secondly, it can be easily inserted with flags of different colors to indicate the current situation between the enemy and the enemy. It is mounted on cowhide It can also be carried in your pocket, making it foolproof.
Yaoji also planned to ask the embroiderers in the palace to embroider the new map directly according to the content. This is safer than ink and completely waterproof, but it will take much longer. It will take a while before it can be taken out and examined.
Obtaining this map will make it much easier to unite the troops in battle. Sun Chuanting immediately bowed and saluted: "I would like to thank His Highness the Crown Prince for the map!"
They have soldiers and plans, and the target they want to eliminate is not Zhang Xianzhong. If the money can be received on time, this attack will be more effective with half the effort.
When he spoke just now, a new position was mentioned, and Yaoji asked: "I guess Sun Aiqing still doesn't know what Du Shuai's position is, right?"
Dushuai is actually the commander of the cluster, but if you use this word rashly, everyone will be confused, so it is better to combine the old and the new.
Sun Chuanting did not dare to ask rashly, so he could only hold up his hands and said humbly: "I am a humble minister, but I hope that His Highness the Crown Prince will give me some advice!"
