Six corps, 600,000 main force, extremely large and terrifying force.
This is the military power possessed by the Ming Empire, which was founded only five years ago.
This overly powerful military power made Wu Lin frown and sigh.
When the Jin Kingdom was still there, it did not have such strong oppressive and deterrent power, and the Jin Kingdom still had the northern grasslands and the Xixia in the northwest as a check, and it was not able to deal with the Southern Song Dynasty with all its strength.
However, after the Ming Dynasty annexed Xixia and surrendered the grasslands, the north was basically stable, and there were no enemies who could contain them. Now all their power can be sent to the Southern Song Dynasty.
But how could they have such a strong strategic reserve after only five years of founding the country?
Are the people of Jiangbei really miserable because of the Jin Kingdom?
Wu Lin was very confused.
"It is said that the north of the Yangtze River is dilapidated and the state is insufficient, while the south of the Yangtze River is rich, a land of plenty and plenty, and the people are prosperous. Speaking of which, the Song Dynasty should have more soldiers and horses than the Ming Dynasty, but the Song Dynasty has only 400,000 soldiers and horses at most, not more. The Ming Dynasty, with its ruined Jiangbei area and 600,000 troops, is it really an act of aggression?"
Yao Zhong shook his head.
"Otherwise? Apart from militancy, what other possibilities are there? Without militancy, Jiangbei can only raise 400,000 soldiers at most due to its ruins, but the Ming Dynasty has a full 600,000.
This has to remind me of the time when the Jihan Kingdom was a small and weak country. When it fell, it had a population of 940,000 to support 100,000 soldiers and 40,000 officials. How terrible was it? Compared with Ji Han, the Ming Dynasty was probably even worse. . "
Obviously, Yao Zhong did not know how Zhuge Liang created and left to Ji Han a military and political system that could suppress the powerful and mobilize people's power to the greatest extent.
He also didn't know why the Southern Song Dynasty, with a population of more than 60 million, could only have an army of 400,000. Even so, the courtiers often complained about poverty, saying that the cost of raising troops was too high and the country was in financial difficulty.
Military generals don't understand these things, and they don't need to understand them. Of course, it's best not to even think about understanding them, otherwise Zhao Song's family law is no joke.
Faced with Yao Zhong's doubts, Wu Lin was silent for a while and then spoke slowly.
"Besides that, there is another possibility, that is, they have a strong control over the common people and can do things that we cannot do... Have you read "Hongwu Political Treatise"? It is the one written by Su Yonglin This book has now been published in two volumes.”
"Are you still watching this?"
Yao Zhong said in surprise: "I heard that Lin'an has ordered this book to be banned, saying that Su Yonglin's evil words are misleading the public, and anyone who dares to read it will be executed. The punishment is very strict.
Previously, the son of a fourth-rank official in Lin'an read this book and publicly declared that what Su Yonglin said was right. As a result, his head was beheaded and his head was hung on the city gate for public display. As a general of the country, you must be careful. ah. "
"I know that as a general of the country, I shouldn't have said these words, but I always feel that it is wrong to do so."
Wu Lin sighed: "I have read these two volumes, and I have to say that there are indeed places where people are deceived by evil words. It can be seen that Su Yonglin is cruel and unkind, but in other aspects, especially Su Yonglin's governance, there are really many things worth mentioning. I recommend that you take a look at the Song Dynasty’s pioneering work in taxation.
It is said that the rocks from other mountains can attack jade, and that the Ming Kingdom can destroy the Jin Kingdom, successfully dominate the Central Plains, and even defeat the Song Dynasty many times, which is enough to prove that the Ming Kingdom also has merits. If it is because he is our enemy, we will What he said was useless and was too biased.
I think many of the difficulties in the Song Dynasty may be solved. Since Su Yonglin succeeded, it means that the Song Dynasty can also make some changes. What do you think? "
With that said, Wu Lin presented the two volumes of "Hongwu Political Treatise" he had obtained to Yao Zhong.
Yao Zhong hesitated for a moment, then took the two volumes and put them away.
"If we succeed in lifting the siege of Xiangfan and repelling the Ming army, I will naturally read it. If we fail to lift the siege of Xiangfan and instead lose our troops and generals, the Song Dynasty will probably have no future, so there is no need to read this book. Is it possible for me, general, to Do you still have the face to surrender to the Ming Dynasty?"
Wu Lin was stunned for a moment, and then she smiled bitterly.
"It makes sense. If the Song Dynasty does not exist, as a general of the country, how can I just try to survive? If I cannot win this battle, Sichuan and Shu will definitely not be saved. But before that, I will fight to the end and will never survive. My Wu family is known as a loyal and loyal person."
"That's it, so be it."
Yao Zhong ordered his troops and generals with some tragic emotions, and then led his army to the Fengjie area with the support of food and grass from the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan.
When he returned to Sichuan and Shu, he was already faced with the huge defeat of the Song Army in the Jinghu War Zone, so much so that the peasant army on Jiangnan West Road occupied Yiling. He relied on his familiarity with the mountain roads to bypass the peasants. With the advantage of the army, he successfully returned to Sichuan and Shu to mobilize troops, and then prepared to fight back.
When he led his army back, he learned that Guizhou was also occupied by the peasant army. The peasant army used Zigui as a garrison point and set up defenses everywhere. Apparently, they were preventing the Sichuan and Shu troops from going along the Yangtze River waterway to the Jianghan area to threaten the Ming army and the peasant army. of the rear.
Yao Zhong didn't find this strange at all. After all this time, it was not unexpected that Guizhou was occupied. However, there was still a battle to be fought before entering the Jianghan Plain, which made Yao Zhong feel anxious and uneasy. .
He didn't know how long his old subordinates in the Xiangfan area could hold on, and he didn't know if Wang Yan was strong enough. He was worried about his subordinates and hoped that they could support him until he could lead his army to return for reinforcements.
Although the Ming army was powerful, the peasant army was just a ragtag group, not in Yao Zhong's eyes. Even if they defeated the two Song armies in the Jinghu theater, Yao Zhong still looked down on them.
Because Yao Zhong also looked down on the Jiujiang Army and the Ezhou Army. They were two completely new armies, and their combat effectiveness was not even as good as the Ezhou Army under Tian Shizhong. That army still had some veterans, while the new army was completely new and did not dare to Talk about any decent fighting power.
What's the big deal about defeating them?
With absolute confidence in the elite of Sichuan and Sichuan, Yao Zhong led his troops out of Fengjie, marched by land and water, and headed towards Guizhou, and then captured Badong County without any effort.
The troops stationed in Badong County retreated as soon as they saw him coming, without resisting at all. Yao Zhong was very happy and immediately stationed in Badong County.
Although all the residents of Badong County had been taken away, leaving only an empty city, Yao Zhong did not take it seriously. He only felt that victory was just around the corner and the enemy troops were fleeing in panic.
However, when the vanguard sentry rider told him that he saw infantry and navy troops flying the Ming army's battle flag in the Zigui County area ahead, the scale was quite large.
"The battle flag of the Ming army? Although there were rumors before that the Jiangnan West Route bandits were colluding with the Ming Dynasty, but to blatantly display the battle flag of the Ming army... wouldn't it be possible?"
Yao Zhong was shocked and immediately thought of a possibility.
Xiangfan has been lost, he came too late, and the Song Dynasty is almost over.
But it was only June at this time, and it was less than three months before the war started in Xiangfan. With the strength of the two cities of Xiangfan, it was impossible for them to fall in less than three months.
Logically speaking, it would take three or four months for him to rush back to Sichuan and Sichuan to reorganize the army. He hurriedly traveled day and night and exhausted the army. Only then did he control the time. He actually led the army to help. It is already very fast.
It was impossible for the Ming army to capture Xiangfan in such a short period of time.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Yao Zhong didn't want to believe this outrageous answer, so the next answer was already obvious.
Either the peasant army learned that his army was approaching the border and displayed the Ming army's war flag to confuse him, or the Ming army sent a group of troops south to fight with the peasant army at the entrance to attack Xiangfan, trying to prevent the Sichuan and Shu troops from leaving Sichuan to disrupt the situation.
What a sinister intention!
Yao Zhong sneered and ordered the army to move forward slowly.
Through the sentry report, he learned that the suspected Ming army had relatively tight defenses. The infantry guarded the land fortress, and the navy guarded the waterway. They put on a posture that the road was blocked, which was quite intimidating. .
"It's just a bluff. Our army is flowing down the river, and they are going upstream. The military tactics are condescending, and they are as powerful as breaking bamboo. Although they are guarding the key points, as long as our navy breaks through their navy, they can land behind them. If we directly break through their land defenses, what else can they do?"
Yao Zhong knows where his advantage lies at this moment.
Use the upstream to impact the downstream, and use the high level to impact the lower level.
The advantage is mine!
So Yao Zhong decided to take the initiative to attack, use his water army to break through the Ming army's water defenses, and then land directly in their rear, eating up all the Ming army or peasant army troops in one go!
