Minamoto Yoshitsune didn't know how to evaluate this matter.
He was surprised and unbelievable at first, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was no longer surprising, and he could only sigh deeply and feel helpless.
On the other hand, his retainers were talking about it and found it very surprising.
Some retainers believed that those guys who surrendered to the Ming army and still worked for the Ming army after being captured were bastards, and they should be sentenced to death to let them know that betrayal would not end well.
However, there are also some retainers who believe that the Ming army's methods of winning people's hearts are very powerful. With a mere temptation of delicious food, so many locals can serve them across language barriers and national barriers.
Only Musashibo Benkei, a warrior monk who had followed Minamoto Yoshitsune for a long time, believed that this incident was inevitable.
"Everyone needs to eat. In the past, the reason why I went up the mountain was just to fill my stomach. Only later did I understand the way of loyalty. Before I filled my stomach, I didn't understand this. Maybe those people were just like me in the past. They only know how to fill their stomachs and don’t know anything else. I think it’s wrong to accuse them under such circumstances.”
Hearing this, Minamoto Yoshitsune sighed and nodded slowly.
"What Benkei said makes sense. The Ming Dynasty could actually allow the locals who were transporting logistics supplies for them to eat the same food, and they could also eat three meals a day. But if we put it here, only officials, dignitaries and a few warriors can do it." Yes, most people are pretty good after eating two meals.
You either saw betrayal, or you saw how to win people's hearts, or you saw the importance of filling your stomach, but what I saw was the large amount of food that the strong national power of the Ming Dynasty could provide. Without enough food supply, how could the Ming Dynasty succeed? Maybe let everyone in the logistics department eat pancakes? "
When the retainers heard this, they were silent.
Minamoto Yoshitsune did not stay here any longer, but chose to return to Izu quickly.
He ran all the way back to Izu Country and told Minamoto Yoritomo everything he had witnessed.
Minamoto Yoshitsune told him in detail why the Mino Army failed, and even how the entire Japanese army failed.
"The Ming army is a whole. Each unit is like an arm or a leg of a person. There are no individuals in their army, only the whole. An army is one person. The commander is the head, and other units are the left hand. Right hand, left leg, right leg.
They commanded a huge number of soldiers with commanding skills that I could never imagine, making them really clenched their hands into fists, and then attacked us fiercely. They were like a tall giant. With one punch, they could kill us. Can crush our army. "
Minamoto Yoshitsune came to his senses and explained to his brother the huge gap in military thinking between the two armies.
The army should be a whole and should be used as a whole. Everyone is a part of this whole and should not be detached from it.
On a chaotic battlefield, no matter how brave an individual is, he cannot surpass the overall strength. More people have an advantage over fewer people. More people and less people means that victory can be achieved more easily.
Therefore, he strongly recommended that Minamoto Yoritomo carry out military reforms in the army under his command, change the service branches, train different techniques and tactics, and transform the army from individual bravery to a whole, focusing on group offense and military formations to enhance combat effectiveness.
No matter how powerful a person is, he cannot defeat a hundred people.
Minamoto Yoritomo was surprised by Minamoto Yoshitsune's statement, and felt that it made some sense, but he knew that he no longer had time to carry out the military reforms envisaged by Minamoto Yoshitsune.
"There is no time. The attack speed of the Ming army is too fast. Even Mino country has broken through. Shinano country and Kai country are also in danger. These two places are important horse herding areas with a large number of war horses. Once they are discovered, Without the military gains, we were completely in decline.
What we have to do now is no longer military reform. What we have to do now is to find a way to win the war. Yoshitsune, you should have achieved success in Mutsu Kingdom. Now, it is time for you to show your talents. when. "
Minamoto Yoritomo decided to appoint Minamoto Yoshitsune as a general, hoping that he could use his military talents to defeat the Ming army on the battlefield and contain the Ming army's offensive.
The terrain of Shinano Country is important. Once the Ming army takes control of Shinano Country, they will be able to launch attacks on local forces in the entire eastern and northeastern Japan. At that time, everyone will face a crisis.
The terrain of Shinano Country is conducive to defense. If the Ming army can be contained on the front line of Shinano Country, everyone will have a chance to breathe and can reorganize more troops to confront the Ming army for a long time.
Therefore, Minamoto Yoritomo, Hojo Tokimasa and others are preparing to use the terrain of Shinano Country to contain the Ming army's offensive. They are preparing to transfer the forces they can currently concentrate to Shinano Country to fight to ensure that Shinano Country is not controlled by the Ming army.
In this regard, Minamoto Yoshitsune holds a relatively pessimistic attitude.
He believes that the strength of the Ming army is not just tactical strength. No matter how tactically it is planned, it does not make much sense.
What if the Ming army was really blocked in Shinano Country and unable to advance for a while?
The strength of the Ming army was the product of the strong national power, a comprehensive reflection of the strong national power of the Ming Dynasty, rather than any other reason.
The entire strategic thinking of the Ming army reflected something far beyond Japan. Minamoto Yoshitsune did not think that this could be made up for in a short time. Even the terrain of Shinano country that was conducive to defense could not offset this advantage.
What Minamoto Yoshitsune saw and understood in that battle has deeply affected his will.
So Minamoto no Yoshitsune decided to advise Minamoto Yoritomo.
"Brother, this war is meaningless. It just increases casualties. Even if we really have time to train a whole army, we can't win."
He told Minamoto Yoshitsune everything he saw when he sent his retainers to take the risk of lurking in the Ming army camp.
Minamoto Yoritomo was surprised by this.
"Three meals a day? And pancakes to eat? How rich is the food reserve of the Ming army?"
"Everything reflected in this incident is where the great national strength of the Ming Dynasty lies."
Minamoto Yoshitsune said helplessly: "The grain reserves of the Ming Dynasty are so abundant that they can buy people's hearts with food and win their hearts. The locals are willing to serve the Ming Dynasty just for three meals a day. This is something we can do no matter how hard we try." Can’t reach it.”
Minamoto Yoritomo fell silent.
He had to admit that what Minamoto Yoshitsune said on this matter made sense.
Three meals a day can only be achieved by officials, dignitaries, and a small number of high-ranking warriors. For the rest of the people, it is good to have two meals a day, and there are not a few who go hungry after one meal a day.
The standard of three meals a day is directly transferred to an ordinary civilian delivering logistics. It is not that it is completely impossible, but it is impossible.
It is impossible to even think about asking the powerful and officials to lower their living standards so that the common people can have three meals a day.
In Japan, which has a strict hierarchical system, it is simply impossible to do such a thing unless all existing rulers are killed and started over.
Minamoto Yoritomo knew that this kind of thing was impossible, but he was unwilling to admit defeat.
"The Ming Dynasty is nothing more than relying on its great power to bully the weak. How can I accept such despicable behavior? Even if I die on the battlefield, I will never admit defeat!"
Minamoto Yoritomo is determined and must fight the Ming army to the death.
But Minamoto Yoshitsune knew that Minamoto Yoritomo's so-called death in battle was not a good will at all.
If he died on the battlefield alone, how many young men would die on the battlefield with him?
The power of the Ming Dynasty is definitely not just because the country is big and strong.
Just because of this, can those Ming army soldiers and local civilians sit and eat together?
Perhaps the fundamental reason for the Ming army's victory was not here at all.
But would Minamoto Yoritomo believe this kind of thing?
He did not believe that Yoritomo Minamoto could win, and he did not think that Japan could win in this war. He believed that Ming Dynasty would inevitably win and Japan would inevitably fall, so the most important thing to do was not to resist.
But then again, even if the most important thing to do is not to resist, what can they do?
After receiving the appointment of the military general, Minamoto Yoshitsune left Minamoto Yoritomo worriedly. When he was alone, he secretly took out a book from his luggage.
Volume 1 of "Hongwu Political Theory".
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PS: It’s winter in a second, and it feels really good.
PPS: Please ask for monthly tickets as usual. Don’t waste the time for double monthly tickets. Everyone.
(End of chapter)
