Zhao Yucheng and other leaders of the peasant army were stunned by the proactive contact from the Song Army's munitions department.
They never thought that such a situation would happen, and they were also shocked by the corruption and collapse within the Song Army.
Can you still sell your own army’s equipment and supplies for money?
Isn’t this about accurate counting and accurate distribution, with no room for any omissions?
Aren’t the audit departments in the military keeping a close watch and immediately launching an investigation if there is even the slightest error?
Aren't soldiers able to go directly to the audit department and file a secret complaint whenever they find something wrong?
The munitions department within the Ming army had many eyes staring at them, and they did not dare to slack off at all.
Can the Song Army's quartermaster still do this?
The incomprehensible leaders of the Peasant Army felt that they were in different worlds from the Song Army.
However, they still accepted the trading suggestions of the quartermasters and traded with them, using the gold and silver they owned in exchange for grain, steel knives, divine arm bows and other materials that the peasant army urgently needed.
Apart from the large amount of gold and silver they brought, they have no other advantages. It is not easy to spend gold and silver in daily life. Now it is undoubtedly advantageous to be able to exchange gold and silver for these important ordnance supplies.
Of course, Zhao Yucheng still doubted the motives of these quartermasters.
So during a certain transaction, Zhao Yucheng personally dressed up as an ordinary soldier in the transaction and asked the other party's traders, if they sold arms to the peasant army, wouldn't they be afraid that the peasant army would kill their colleagues?
As a result, a quartermaster who participated in the transaction sneered.
"What does it have to do with me? I'm a quartermaster, and I don't want to go to the battlefield. Those thieves who joined the army did not think of us when they were enjoying themselves, drinking, and bullying men and women. Of course we have to find a way to make a fortune for ourselves. It's not easy to get along. If you become a quartermaster, can't you make a fortune?"
Zhao Yucheng was surprised by their answers.
"Even so, don't you worry about us winning the war when you sell us food and weapons?"
"What does it have to do with me? Those who beat you should worry about the court, the emperor, and the people in the Privy Council. I won't worry about it. I only care about this."
The quartermaster picked up a piece of gold and felt its heavy hand: "The imperial court doesn't care about the lives of us people, so why should I care about victory or defeat? As long as there is money to be made, as long as I have it, I can sell you anything." .
I also hope that you can fight more smoothly. Only with you can we have the opportunity to make money. If you fight harder, the court will allocate more money and we can make money. You still don’t understand. You I feel that there is only victory or defeat in a war, but in my eyes, this war is nothing but gold and silver. "
The quartermaster touched the gold in his hand, and the disgusting smile on his face made Zhao Yucheng unforgettable for a long time.
He suddenly realized that the integrity and purity of the Ming army were the scorpion's tail in the world. Without the Ming army, the world would be filled with filth, corruption, and everything that was unsightly.
What surprised him even more was the quartermaster's request.
"It's okay to sell you things, but it's hard to reach an agreement while we're away from home. We should also help each other. If we do this, the business can last for a long time. What do you think?"
Zhao Yucheng frowned.
"what do you mean?"
"It's very simple. When we sell things to you, the warehouse will be empty and the quantity will be wrong. If the superiors don't check it, we are safe. Who knows if the superiors suddenly get sick one day and come to check the quantity of the ordnance? Then Aren’t we going to have no way to explain it?”
The quartermaster whispered: "So, when you go back, tell your general if you can help us. When the superiors come to check the armory, you can sneak attack at night and take out all the empty armories and granaries. Burn it down and we’ll be safe.”
"Can this still happen?"
Zhao Yucheng was greatly shocked.
"Otherwise? I have to give an explanation to my superiors!"
The quartermaster didn't take it seriously, just thinking that they were a group of bumpkins who had never seen the world, and said: "You all find this fuss? This is too normal in the Song Dynasty. Let alone us, those guys who look after the imperial treasury are basically... Treat the imperial treasury as your own money bag.
Normally, if the superiors didn't investigate, they would sell the contents for money. When someone from the superiors came to investigate, they would either use shoddy goods to get through, or burn them on fire without any proof. Afterwards, they would be dismissed from office at most.
But all the money they got in exchange was used to buy land. After they were dismissed from office, they transformed into local rich men and local emperors. They couldn't be manipulated casually. They were so powerful. When I heard about it at the time, I also gave them I'm scared, can this happen? "
Zhao Yucheng touched the melon seeds on his head with a "learned" expression on his face, and it took him a while before he sighed.
"In this regard, you know better. We really can't think of these things."
"Hahaha, that's natural. If you learn a little bit, you might be able to use it in the future."
The quartermaster was triumphant.
Seeing how he was not ashamed but proud, Zhao Yucheng finally understood why Su Yonglin always said that the Southern Song Dynasty was hopeless and destined to perish.
The demise of a country may not only be caused by military attacks from the outside, but also by internal self-division and collapse.
This sentence that Su Yonglin always kept on his lips also made Zhao Yucheng feel more deeply.
If officials are like this, how long can the Southern Song Dynasty persist?
In other words, the foundation was solid and the finances could still be maintained. Once the finances collapsed, the Southern Song Dynasty was not far from a complete collapse.
After this transaction, Zhao Yucheng returned to the mountains and held many meetings on this issue. He told the officers and soldiers of the peasant army about the corruption of the Southern Song Dynasty quartermaster and the top-down collapse of the Song army.
Perhaps the best way to defeat your enemies is to lead them to defeat themselves.
Such a harmonious bilateral relationship lasted for more than a month. Qi Fang led the Song army to fish until the arrival of Shao Hongyuan, the commander-in-chief of Chizhou.
Shao Hongyuan came to prominence during the Jin-Song War more than 20 years ago. He was said to be as brave as Guan Yu and Ma Chao. He fought fiercely and defeated the Jin Army and the northern puppet troops who served the Jin Army many times.
But later on, I followed the wrong person and was on the wrong team politically, and suffered a lot.
When he rose again, he relied on Zhang Jun's appreciation and recommendation. He appeared in front of the imperial court officials with the political appearance of a war general, and was appreciated and recommended by them.
So in this counter-insurgency war, Zhang Jun planned to send Shao Hongyuan out to earn a lot of credit and help him put down the rebellion on Jiangnan West Road.
Shao Hongyuan was still reorganizing the army when he received the order. He replaced some of the officers who originally obeyed Li Xianzhong's command with his own people, so that the army became an army that obeyed his orders.
Then we can set off to Jizhou to participate in the war.
Shao Hongyuan brought 10,000 people, who were considered rare elites in the Song army. Shao Hongyuan himself was also considered a general with good commanding abilities, so Zhang Jun had high expectations for him.
However, the main general is Qi Fang.
Qi Fang had no intention of fighting with the peasant army in the Luoxiao Mountain area. After Shao Hongyuan arrived in Jizhou, he saw lazy officers and soldiers without military discipline. It didn't look like they were fighting at all, but more like Have a collective holiday, or do team building together.
Shao Hongyuan was very puzzled by this.
"General, aren't we going to attack the thieves in Luo Xiao Mountain? When will we attack?"
While reviewing his own income this month, Qi Fang replied casually: "General Shao has come a long way. Don't rush to attack. Let the soldiers rest first. If the soldiers cannot rest, they will naturally not be able to fight well. General Shao What do you think?"
