Most of Luo Rucai's group was wiped out, and the leader of the thieves, Luo Rucai, was captured alive. This was the biggest gain for the officers and soldiers under the two commander-in-chief's entry into Sichuan, and it made Sun Chuanting, who was usually stern and unsmiling, overjoyed.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince rescued himself from prison, regained military power, and gave him a monthly allowance of 300,000 taels of silver. As a way of repaying his kindness, Sun Chuanting was always thinking about completing the tasks assigned by Master Qiantose as soon as possible.
In Huguang, they won two battles in a row. They pursued and ambushed them for hundreds of miles. They exhausted all their traps and tried their best to capture the thieves. Unexpectedly, they were able to capture the Luo Rucai Group in one fell swoop when they entered Sichuan.
It can be said that if you plant flowers intentionally, the flowers will not bloom; if you plant willows unintentionally, the willows will form shade!
Originally, Sun Chuanting felt that due to the limited strength of his troops, it would be extremely difficult to suppress the Luo Rucai Group, which had numerous bandits and bandits under his jurisdiction. As long as the bandits divided their forces, it would be difficult for him to complete it by the end of the year.
However, due to the unexpected encounter between the two thieves, Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong, an unprecedented number of prey gathered, which greatly facilitated the attack of the government troops.
This was only known after the war through Xue Chengcai's statement. The success of the army's attack this time was partly due to the opportunity of the rebel army to join forces.
Among the ministries participating in the war, Hong Chengchou led 55,000 troops, Sun Chuanting commanded nearly 40,000 troops, and Fu Zonglong commanded 50,000 troops. The government and army invested nearly 150,000 combat troops to participate in the suppression, which was an unprecedented event.
Even so, without the assistance of Xue Chengcai as an internal agent, the officers and soldiers still would not be able to know the bandit's march route in advance and make a more correct response.
If 20,000 thieves were allowed to attack all the way from Guanyin Rock to Nanchong, and then rush back to Huguang area to continue harming the people, not only would the imperial court be shocked, but even His Highness the Prince would be unable to explain.
Sun Chuanting was very scared when he recalled it, feeling a little like walking on thin ice. If he made a wrong move, all his previous efforts would be wasted. Fortunately, the two commander-in-chiefs and the governor of Sichuan worked together to win a battle on the bank of the Jialing River, sweeping away the previous decline.
This time, they were able to defeat the bandit army and capture Luo Rucai, one of the two masterminds. As a direct descendant of the Qin army, the contribution was certainly indispensable. If He Renlong and others had not taken the initiative to attack at the critical moment and clung to their prey, There will be no complete victory.
Sun Chuanting could generously give Yang Yufan, Jiang Mingwu, and Qin Liangyu a hundred thousand taels of silver as a thank you fee, and he could also use the same amount to reward the four general officers of the Qin army who had been looking for opportunities to annihilate the enemy.
Since Luo Rucai is worth 50,000 taels of silver, plus the cost of sending troops, four groups, He Renlong, Zuo Guangxian, Zheng Jiadong, and Li Guoqi, can each receive a reward of 25,000 taels of silver.
Except for the utensils used by the government, the previously captured property of the thieves can be taken by the soldiers of each department as their own. They can get two rewards at a time. The Qin army who participated in the battle was naturally happy.
This was also an unwritten rule in the army. Since they could no longer live without pay, the generals had to rely on receiving silver rewards, military expenses, and battlefield seizures to make a living. If Sun Chuanting were to strictly manage the army, many of the generals under his command would definitely be full of complaints.
Once in and out, the income must be more than before. The generals feel that it is worthwhile to join the army to suppress the bandits, and they will fight hard if they are motivated. Otherwise, things like Zuo Liangyu's self-respect for the bandits will continue to happen.
After the attacking Qin army annihilated the remnants of Luo Rucai's troops, they were unwilling to pursue the "thieves". The main reason was to clean up the battlefield, especially to take out all the property that the thieves had looted in Sichuan and put it into their pockets. .
Sun Chuanting could only turn a blind eye to this. The Qin army went south from Yun County, Huguang, to recapture Fang County, and then pursued the rebel army from here to the Jialing River west of Dazhou, Sichuan. Nothing was gained from below, and they continued to pursue the rebel army. There will be emotions.
Let them take a breather here for a while and give them a little sweetness. The soldiers will get benefits and know that their work will not be in vain. Then they will stride back to Huguang and kill the rebels until they pee.
Moreover, this victory was thanks to the help of Hong Chengchou and Fu Zonglong. Without these two generals, the 40,000 Qin army alone would not be able to severely damage the 20,000 bandit army.
Fu Zonglong is the local official of Sichuan, and it is his duty to defend the land and suppress the bandits. His Highness the Prince replaced his predecessor Shao Jiechun in order to prevent the bandits from entering Sichuan and attacking the city.
If after the change of personnel, the bandit army still rushes into Bashu, ravaging various governments and poisoning the people, then this personnel change will be in vain.
This time Hong Chengchou entered Sichuan in pursuit of the "thieves who presented themselves", and ordered his troops to surround and kill the bandits, especially Luo Jun, who fought side by side with Zhang Jun. Half of it was his own job and half of it was a friendly help.
Sun Chuanting was well aware of this debt of gratitude, and of course he would find an opportunity to repay it to the other party. Although the two were of equal rank and had the same powers, Hong Chengchou had twice as many troops as Sun Chuanting.
In the future, we must work together to annihilate the "thieves" and even the 5th Gezuo Battalion entrenched in South Zhili, so we must reciprocate the favor in future battles.
Regarding Hong Chengchou himself, Sun Chuanting had no negative views. He was impeccable in both public and private matters. In particular, Hong Chengchou's views and actions on suppressing bandits had always been extremely tough, which was completely consistent with Sun Chuanting's stance.
In terms of personal abilities, especially in terms of commanding troops in combat, Sun Chuanting does not think that he is inferior to his opponent. As for other aspects, except playing mahjong...
The person who needs Sun Chuanting's careful observation is not a colleague, but a subordinate, and that is He Renlong. This is a potential scourge that His Highness the Crown Prince has appointed to eradicate at the right time.
During the battles in previous years, He Renlong did engage in bad behavior of "nurturing the bandits to respect themselves" and "killing good people to take credit for their merits". After Sun Chuanting came back to the army and implemented the new reward regulations, this kind of situation rarely happened anymore. .
However, through insider reports, Sun Chuanting believed that although He Renlong was quite brave in combat, he still showed signs of being timid and opportunistic. He would not take the initiative to lead his troops to engage the enemy until the critical moment.
Other generals of the Qin Army also had this problem to some extent, but He Renlong was the most obvious. Niu Chenghu was the one who obeyed his orders the most among the six generals. In this regard, His Highness the Crown Prince was indeed a wise man.
Regarding He Renlong, Sun Chuanting believed that it was necessary to continue to observe him for a period of time. To determine his fate, he would have to wait until this person disobeyed military orders and kill him before convincing the public.
After Sun Chuanting heard the outline of Hong Chengchou's plan to deal with Zuo Liangyu, he compared it with his subordinate He Renlong. Since he had not done anything particularly extraordinary, he planned to postpone it for a while.
At present, He Renlong is still doing his duty, and everything he does is basically within the limits of what is ordered and prohibited. He is not like Zuo Liangyu, who thinks too highly of himself and openly resists Hong Chengchou, leading to his own destruction.
If in the ensuing battles, He Renlong had the right to let go of the thieves and deliberately avoid the battle, Sun Chuanting would not miss his old friendship and keep an open mind.
The Qin army has always had loose military discipline. Because the imperial court was in arrears with food and wages, it took food on its own, which attracted constant criticism from the government and the public. It was common for the censors to exploit the issue and lash out.
Since the prince took charge of the country, sufficient money and food have been allocated to the Qin army through various methods. It will definitely not work to continue to prey on the local people as before.
In order to make the various departments of the Qin army obey the dispatches and fight bravely, a more reasonable reward method must be adopted. After weighing the pros and cons, Sun Chuanting established the reward amount and troop expenses, and acquiesced in the division of the captured materials among the various departments.
On the basis of monthly salary, with these benefits, the soldiers felt that they would not suffer losses if they followed discipline, but would make more profits, so they were willing to obey orders.
Originally, Sun Chuanting did not set up a "troop fee" item, but considering that the reward amount alone would make it difficult for the generals to support their own personal guards, this servant system was also unique to the military generals of the dynasty and could not be abolished in a short time.
In order to prevent his generals from extorting and robbing the gentry and common people when they were short of money, Sun Chuanting had no choice but to follow the trend and give each ministry a certain "troop expenses" during battles.
This amount will not be too high. It is usually calculated based on the headcount of each department, ranging from one to two taels per person, but it adds up to a large amount of money.
Unlike pay and wages, which cannot be withheld, even if the "troop expenses" are withheld by generals, the soldiers under their command can still receive part of them.
A certain prince gave Sun Chuanting a free combat budget of 300,000 taels per month. Sun Chuanting naturally followed suit and also gave the same amount to his generals. However, the specific amount depends on the situation of each department and the results of the battle.
If there are repeated battles within a month, the "troop expenses" paid will naturally be high, and can even exceed the reward amount of the thieves. If there is no war, the amount will naturally be low, and the generals should not expect to profit from it.
In fact, this is a combination of fixed salary + floating subsidy + special bonus. It is a more scientific and reasonable salary system.
But in the eyes of the censors who were too full to eat and panic, this was a comprehensive crime of practicing favoritism to enrich one's own pockets, abusing power and indulging subordinates. Even Sun Chuanting's impeachment and removal from office was a minor crime...
When the fighting subsided and it was already sunset, the officers and soldiers finished cleaning the battlefield. The three commanders led the main force of the officers and soldiers to rush to the battlefield. After inspecting the results of the battle, they decided to camp on the bank of the Jialing River to rest.
Stationed along the river, it is convenient to obtain water, drink and wash, thereby ensuring the hygiene of the headquarters. Secondly, you can also enjoy the river breeze, which prevents the soldiers who have gone through a battle from being unable to sleep due to the unbearable heat, which affects their spirits when setting off.
It's okay for Hong Chengchou and many soldiers and horses from the south. At present, they must take special care of the Qin army from the north, as well as Tang Tong, Liu Guoneng, Yang Guozhu, Zhao Guangyuan, Jiang Rang and other troops.
Summer in the south is hot and humid, which is completely different from the dry heat in the north. Many northern soldiers who came from afar suffered from vomiting and diarrhea due to acclimatization and were in urgent need of quick recovery.
Northern generals such as Tang Tong and others who had fought against the rebels in the Huguang area thought it was hot enough there. Unexpectedly, after entering Sichuan, they found that it seemed to be even hotter than Huguang.
Not to mention leading the troops in battle, even marching during the day, or even resting in the shade, they would be covered in sweat, which made them uncomfortable. The soldiers from the north all wanted to leave this uneasy place as soon as possible.
But for the local indigenous people, the Land of Abundance is certainly a good place. Crops are harvested twice a year. Compared with the drought-stricken north, Sichuan still has good weather and good weather, and their life is very comfortable.
Fu Zonglong will provide food and drink for the army in Bashu. It is no longer possible to transport food and grass from Shaanxi or Huguang to Sichuan. At this time, the strength of the Kingdom of Abundance is reflected.
Only with the years of accumulation of the major treasuries in Sichuan and Minfu's full transportation, it was able to fully supply the combat consumption of more than 100,000 troops. In other places, only Huguang and Jiangnan could compare.
Fu Zonglong didn't care about the food and drink of an army of 100,000 people. It was enough for them to come all the way to help him drive away the rebel army and save most of the prefectures and counties.
The army will set out tomorrow to pursue the "thieves" to the east, and will most likely return to Huguang. Such a short period of consumption will not put a lot of pressure on the treasuries of Sichuan. As long as this autumn harvest is not disturbed by the bandit army, it will soon be possible. Fill the gap.
In fact, without the biggest borer, King Shu, the income of various prefectures and counties in Sichuan this year will be much higher than in previous years. In addition to the established inventory, Fu Zonglong can provide at least 500,000 shi of military rations.
If the fighting area is in Huguang, then the consumption during transportation can be ignored. As long as you go down the river from Fengjie, you can reach Huguang directly.
In other places, such as Shaanxi, which is adjacent to Sichuan, the consumption on land alone would be about 40%. Including the gnawing by borers, if half a million shi of military rations were transported to northern Shaanxi, only 20% would be left. Thank God for one hundred thousand stones.
There were only two main tasks assigned to Fu Zonglong by the imperial court. One was to protect the territory and ensure that the area under his jurisdiction would not be invaded and invaded by the bandits. The other is to provide food and salary. The more the better without imposing excessive taxes and maintaining new tax standards.
With the joint help of Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, the previous task was finally completed without any danger. The latter one, given that the weather this year is quite mild, is easier to come by.
A certain prince no longer expected the north to provide any decent products, and could only pin his hopes on the south. Sichuan, together with Huguang, Guanggu, and Jiangnan, were listed as the four major sources of food and salary for the imperial court.
No matter what the cost, we must ensure that these four places can fully supply the north with food, especially grain. Otherwise, a large number of farmers will have no way of living under the long drought. Large-scale mining in places such as Shaanxi, Henan, and Shandong Change will never stop.
Although this time the bandit army from Huguang was driven to Sichuan and then driven out from Sichuan, the bandit army lost no less than ten thousand people every time, which was also a big problem for the two commander-in-chief. A small achievement.
There are two criteria for "raising bandits with self-respect". One is that the number of bandits increases as they fight, and the other is that the number of bandits remains roughly the same before and after the war.
After this battle, the corpses of the traitor army lay everywhere, and their number dropped sharply, which showed that the government army was going all out to suppress it, and the results were fruitful. Those in the court with ulterior motives who wanted to cause some trouble from it, had to think twice about it first.
In less than an hour after the war ended, Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, and Fu Zonglong sent flying cavalry to send out their respective battle reports. After hearing the news, the court and the prince were naturally very happy.
According to the report from the scouts in front, the "Xian Thief" troops were afraid of being bitten by the army and suffering a second blow. After being defeated on the Jialing River, they immediately fled eastward with all their strength, first crossing the Bajiang River and then the Guojiang River. The specific intention was It's not clear yet.
Without Xue Chengcai, a high value-added chess piece, we will have to rely on the wisdom of the two commanders...
