Many officials thought that the prince had gone too far in mobilizing troops and mobilizing more than 10,000 rebel bandits, so that most of the northern troops would not be thrown into the Huguang area.
However, if most of the bandits recruited by the imperial court colluded with Zhang Xianzhong and launched a rebellion in early May, it would undoubtedly be a blow to the imperial court.
The size of the official army deployed in the Huguang area is far less than the number of rogue bandits. As long as the rogue bandits stationed in adjacent areas privately agree on the time of rebellion, they can cause considerable damage to the official army.
There are not 50,000 official troops in the entire Huguang area, and the official troops in northwest Huguang can only serve as a warning to these former bandits, but cannot prevent them from launching a large-scale rebellion.
Although these bandits look much smaller than before, they are dry goods after compressing the water. They are all combatable soldiers, not hungry soldiers who can be defeated with a single blow.
To annihilate all the rebellious bandits, at least more than 200,000 officers and soldiers are needed. If there is less than this number, it will be equivalent to handing over the Huguang area.
"Zhang Xianzhong and others have been playing around with this idiot Xiong Wencan. On the surface, they are courteous and fawning, but secretly they are working hard. This is not just a day or two. That's why I want to take a preemptive strike and wait until the rogue bandits take the lead. Who will clean up this mess?"
If the matter is urgent, it doesn't matter if the Ministry of War is sidelined. Anyway, the Five Cities Military and Horse Division has become a slut, and the Ministry of War cannot clean up its own affairs. If this path doesn't work, then just dismiss the three key members of the Ministry of War and take over the power yourself.
The dispatch of troops at this time must be resolute and thorough, and there should be no more worries or hesitations. If Huguang is turned into a hornet's nest and the situation is out of control, then the fierce tiger-like operations a while ago will be in vain. .
This blame belongs to Xiong Wencan and Chen Hongfan, and it is impossible for a certain prince to take the blame himself.
One man, one man, two sticks.
That damn fat guy Yang Sichang is very cheating, but in comparison, these two people are even more cheating.
Wang Jiayan, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, was very confused about Xiong Wencan's attitude, because Zhang Xianzhong was right under his nose: "Your Highness, Xiong Wencan is very close to Zhang Xianzhong's headquarters. Is it impossible to find that he is preparing for war?"
If what the prince said is true, then Xiong Wencan was deceived by Zhang Xianzhong, or he was deliberately appeasing and fostering an adulterer. He really deserves to die.
Yaoji chuckled and said bluntly: "What if I find out? Report the recruitment failure? All the previous efforts were in vain? Then the court was furious, and the first official to be punished was Xiong Wencan. He can do anything Is it a matter of shooting yourself in the foot?"
Xiong Wencan could only choose one way to run to the dark side, wishfully praying that Da Zongzi would not rebel again, but this was just a wish. Quite the opposite of what actually happens.
Huguang Governor Fang Kongzhen and other war-fighting officials had been striving to completely eradicate this scourge. For some stubborn bandits, they could not just recruit and resettle them. Sooner or later, they would bite back.
There were dozens of memorials sent to the capital, but the blame-shifting father was already convinced that Xiong Wencan's move was a very good move, especially since it saved a lot of military expenses. It was enough not to go against it for now, and we would discuss the future matters later.
But Zhang Xianzhong and others are impatient. If they cannot wait until later, as long as the noose of the officers and soldiers is removed from their necks, they will wait for an opportunity to launch a crazy counterattack. The previous cessation of activities is just to be able to dominate in the future.
Wang Jiayan didn't want to ask any more questions now. He also understood that Xiong Wencan would not dare to involve himself in such a stupid thing as his own death. He even thought that after the rogue bandits revolted, the desperate Xiong Wencan might directly surrender to the enemy.
"The matter of the revolt was calculated by Liu Bowen, the military counselor of the Immortal Realm, and it is very consistent with the actual situation near Gucheng. This palace acted like this because it was ordered by Grandpa Taizu and was a last resort. The reason why it was not informed in advance, I am worried that some people will leak the information, so that the bandits' spies in the capital will get it and fly back, which will then cause them to launch a rebellion in advance. Part of what I will tell you dear friends today will be published in the recent "Capital Master" "Daily", the other part will rot in the stomach forever, and must not reveal a word to anyone! Especially the fact that Ming died at the hands of the bandits, once it is leaked out, the bandits will have a high morale and fight to the death with the officers and soldiers. There will be more and more persecutions. I will tell you the ugly things from the front. No matter where I am, those who leak the secrets will be severely punished. Don’t blame me for being ruthless when the time comes!"
Some things will be widely publicized in two days, and some things will never be used as a loudspeaker to show off in your lifetime.
The Ming Dynasty was destroyed by Li Zicheng, and he still had 400,000 soldiers and horses. If word spread to Henan, it would be an advertisement for Brother Li, the courier.
The disasters that came to seek refuge were counted in hundreds of thousands or even millions, so there would be no need to fight this battle.
Everyone present became silent after hearing this. "The Ming Dynasty fell to the bandits" was more than ten times more treacherous than the prince's "abdicating the throne in favor of a worthy man".
These words came from the mouth of an official, especially since the prince had already warned him in advance and deliberately said it. By then, I am afraid that the whole family would be punished, the nine clans would be executed, and the ancestral graves would be dug up.
"You don't need to be nervous. I'm just reminding you to control your mouth, what you should say and what shouldn't be said, and be aware of what you should say. I am telling you this to make you aware of the situation. How serious it is. You are all loyal ministers of the imperial court. If you don’t take the rogue bandits in the Huguang area seriously, then the Ming Dynasty will only have five years left! Oh... counting now, it’s not even five years, only more than four years left. . Previously, I had asked Wang Zaijin to transport a large amount of food to Jinzhou City, and at the same time reduce the size of the garrison, and move the civilians who were not capable of fighting to Shanhaiguan, so that Zu Dashou could lead the troops to defend for as long as possible. It is best to drag them up. In two or three years, even if the Donglu besiege Jinzhou for a long time, they will not run out of food and the imperial court will have to send troops to help!"
Jinzhou is the fuse outside the customs. As long as it can't be lit here, Huangtaiji will have nothing to do with Laowang's head. They will squat in the Shanhaiguan code to defend themselves. If they don't fight you in the field, what can you do to him? If you take the initiative to hit Shanhaiguan with braids, you can knock off Huang Taiji's front teeth!
A certain prince believed that given the urinary properties of Emperor Taiji, he would never be willing to spend 10,000 or 20,000 casualties to conquer Jinzhou. If he really wanted to eat Zha Ming's stronghold outside the pass bit by bit, then Ningyuan would have to do this. It takes multiple people to defeat it.
After taking over the Guangning Front Guards, the closest and largest stronghold to Shanhaiguan, Braid will lose forty to fifty thousand people. How can Shanhaiguan be beaten? I have to go back and recuperate for a while.
When it came to border affairs, Wang Jiayan turned to ask: "Your Highness, if the Donglu wanted to use this siege and reinforcement strategy, why didn't they use it before?"
The purpose of besieging Jinzhou was not to capture Jinzhou. It was obviously to annihilate the Ming army that rushed north to aid the city. Huang Taiji was even more cunning than his chief father.
The key is that Huang Taiji has now realized that he can actually play like this. Using this method, Braid can directly win. The process is a bit laborious, but the time to take over the Central Plains has been greatly shortened.
Everyone was puzzled, and Yaoji explained to this guy and everyone present: "Because Huang Taiji has seen that the strategy of entering the pass and plundering will not seriously damage the vitality of my Ming Dynasty King Master, although on the battlefield. It's hard to win, but the Wang Division's more than 100,000 troops are still a serious problem for Huang Taiji. If we can annihilate these troops outside the pass, wouldn't the capital be within easy reach? By then, even Zhao and Song Dynasty will not be able to do it. Back then, Zhao Song When the Song Dynasty faced the Jin army, it was only defeated. Its main force did not suffer a devastating blow. This led to the situation that it later settled in a corner and fought against the Jin Dynasty. And if the main force of our dynasty was annihilated by the Donglu outside the pass, and The total number of troops in the south is less than 100,000, and they are not as elite as the Northern Army. With the exception of the Baigan Army, most of the troops have no guarantee of victory against the bandits. How will they defeat the Donglu army, which is moving south and has high morale? So Jinzhou is No matter where the gate of life of our dynasty is, no matter what, we cannot rush to the aid of Jinzhou in the past two years! However, we cannot withdraw the soldiers and horses from this city, because it can also be used to divert Huang Taiji's attention and reduce the pressure on Shanhaiguan. Therefore, Jinzhou cannot be saved, but it must be defended. This is a dangerous move!"
Judging from the combat effectiveness of the various departments of the Ming Army at present, except for a very small number of ace troops, most of them are complete bastards who can only defend the city and cannot fight in the field.
In order to relieve the siege of Jinzhou, a hundred thousand troops were sent out at once, but the emperor took the blame. Let alone blame the father, even if a certain prince succeeded him, such a huge loss of troops would be absolutely unacceptable.
In the past one or two years, once the Songjin War occurs, it means that the Ming army will be defeated. Without field combat capabilities, it is impossible to win the braid. If you cannot win, you will not be able to run back. The result will be to be completely annihilated by the opponent. .
The new armies in various places have not yet been released, and they have not accumulated enough effective strength. Zha Ming has not yet reached the time to fight with Dung Qing to consume them. He must continue to be patient and cautious. The result of acting on impulse will be to fall short.
The current strategy of a certain prince is that if you can enter the barrier to fight the autumn wind, you can fight at will. I can't stop you anyway. If you rush to buy it, then get out. I will slowly hold back my big move at home.
You can besiege Jinzhou, but I won't rescue you alive or dead. Once rescued, you will fall into a pit and be unable to climb out. There is enough food in Jinzhou City, so you can surround it however you like, and Ming Dynasty will pretend that they didn't see it.
It's really embarrassing to be so passively defensive, almost trying to survive under someone else's feet. But as long as you can save your life, if you lose your life, who the hell cares about whether you have any face? ? ?
Take Shanqian, Beizhili, and Shandong, which are often invaded by pigtails, as examples. These three places are already miserable enough and cannot get any worse.
The real place to make money is on the Shandong Peninsula. When the time comes, just concentrate on defense. They can't take away the gold mines, and they don't care about grabbing the salted fish.
Therefore, if the city is not breached, Huang Taiji will not be able to grab anything, even if he goes on a personal expedition. The most he can do is grab some sea salt. There are a lot of these things in the sea. Once the braids are gone, they can be repaired after being exposed for half a month.
Wu Di, the second assistant, figured out the context of what the prince said, and nodded: "What your highness said is absolutely true. Jinzhou and Ningyuan are both isolated outside the pass. If Wang Shi is saved, he will be trapped in the trap of the Eastern captors. If he is not saved, , these two cities will fall into the hands of the Donglu. The most appropriate way at the moment is to do everything possible to delay the time and try to free up two years for the court to reorganize the army and prepare for war, and then slowly plan for it."
Donglu had won many battles and his morale was strong, so Wang Shi could only avoid its sharp edge and wait for the day of his comeback.
The prince's strategy was deeply appreciated by Wu Yan, at least it was very pragmatic, and the court would not be as at a loss as before.
If one deliberately avoids fighting outside the customs, the possibility of encountering setbacks will be reduced, and no officials from the imperial court will be imprisoned.
Yaoji couldn't help but nodded and said with emotion: "Yes, it's worth it now. Only when we save more money can we have the capital to counterattack!"
The number one enemy of the scapegoat is the Minister of War, and no amount of killing can stop the rout on the battlefield.
And the number one enemy of a certain prince was the commander of the Imperial Guard, and the prisoner killed two of them in one month...
It is wise to understand the overall situation, clarify your own position, and then find feasible solutions.
If you can't beat them right now, you just can't beat them. Without foreign aid, a lot of money, and a massive amount of advanced weapons, you can't stand the main force.
It is no exaggeration to say that Huang Taiji's losers can now fight one against three, and the combat effectiveness of the 150,000-strong army is equivalent to the 450,000 Ming army.
A certain prince scraped together, and could only raise 200,000 troops at most. The rest had to be made up by foreign aid and advanced weapons, otherwise he would end up being stewed by the emperor...
It will take until next year at the earliest to produce enough advanced weapons, and European foreign aid will not arrive until then.
There has been no reply for such a long time. Why is the Tokugawa general still squatting in his castle and thinking about life?
If it doesn't work out, just negotiate alone with other daimyo who have a large number of samurai in their hands. Whoever borrows his brother is not a loan. As long as the other party agrees to send troops, they will immediately give shiploads of sugar.
For a certain prince, a thousand men and horses was not too little, and ten thousand men and horses was not too much. As long as he brought his own equipment, even an army of 100,000 warriors could be afforded by the imperial court.
An ordinary Ashigaru earns 20,000 taels of silver and half a kilo of rice per month. Including the generals, the 100,000 troops only earn 2,340,000 taels of silver and more than 50,000 kilo of rice per month.
The men and horses under Hong Chengchou are similar to this, but their monthly consumption is as high as 300,000 taels of silver, not to mention rice. They are a group of foodies, and this does not include the cost of equipping weapons and armor.
Therefore, in comparison, it is cheaper to hire mercenaries to fight. Even if they are beaten to death by braids, the pension will be half that of Zha Ming soldiers.
An army of one hundred thousand warriors...
Let’s not talk about the combat effectiveness. This scale is definitely enough for Huang Taiji to drink a pot!
Therefore, regardless of whether the Tokugawa general agreed or not, a certain prince was determined to borrow troops from Japan.
This is the closest foreign aid to the Ming Dynasty, and it has strong troops, not to mention that Kimchi is now completely defeated.
A certain prince believed that no daimyo, not even Tokugawa Iemitsu, could refuse mountains of sugar.
This kind of transaction is extremely beneficial to them, which means that the sugar is their net income, and Ming will give their subordinates another salary, which means that they will raise their troops for free, and they will also have to pay for a bunch of sugar.
For example, if your car is worth 200,000 yuan, someone will pay you 100,000 yuan to rent your car, and then pay for the gas out of pocket. If it crashes, they will compensate you another 200,000 yuan, and you can drive it for four or five months a year. , you can continue driving the rest of the time.
Moreover, a certain prince drove a car for competitions. If he got any prizes during the competition, he would use them to maintain the car, and the amount would not be less than 100,000.
For a certain prince, spending 100,000 yuan to drive a car worth 200,000 yuan is certainly a good deal. As for the 100,000 yuan spent in the early stage, he also earned it from others and did not need to use his own capital. gold.
Zheng Laofi is the middleman, responsible for transporting the 100,000 advance payment by car, and then driving the rented car back. In return, he will receive 100,000 yuan in benefits from a certain prince, and he will receive this amount of income every year.
So this deal kills three birds with one stone and is definitely a piece of pie in the sky!
