Traveling day and night, with smooth flow along the way, the small group of cavalry returned to Fuzhou City in the evening of the next day.
Zhao Mengqi summoned his officials to discuss matters in the staff room.
After reading Uncle Xie Fang's letter, Lu Xiufu continued, "Based on various clues, all six counties in Tingzhou were destroyed by bandits, and the entire territory became a bandit area. Longxi County, where the Zhangzhou Prefectural Government is located, was besieged.
Longyan County and Changtai County were conquered and occupied, the situation in Zhangpu County was unknown, Tongan County in Quanzhou was besieged, and the situation in Anxi County was unknown, but the Qingyang Iron Station was controlled by bandits. "
"If Quanzhou City is lost, it will not only cause a huge earthquake in the government and the public, but will also cause us to fall into strategic passivity, which will mean that all land and sea channels in southern Fujian will be blocked."
"In the north, 6,500 of our troops should be able to arrive in Jianpu County, where Nanjianzhou Prefecture is located, today. If there is no change, we will continue to divide our troops to Jianning Prefecture to carry out the task of curbing the bandits' northward expansion. The Yao Ling Yao Regiment will stay in In Gutian County, cooperate with Zhu Zuojian to investigate rape and fight corruption in the local area."
"In Fuzhou City, in addition to the 200 members of His Royal Highness's personal guard, there are still two commanders of Ma Xingsi, two battalions of Dongwei, about 1,500 people, and several Xiang troops."
"Judging from the time, the transport fleet has returned to Lin'an. It should probably set off today and tomorrow. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Dongwei Brigades will be transported in about seven days."
After Lu Xiufu introduced the situation, the atmosphere in the staff room became solemn.
Chen Wei got up and left his seat and walked to the sand table, and then everyone else followed and gathered around the sand table.
Picking up the pointing stick, Chen Wei clicked on the model of Quanzhou City, "Judging from the information given by Quanzhou, there are currently about 10,000 pirates and more than 30,000 bandits outside the city. However, I think the other party should be aware of it." After understanding our strategy of joint promotion of the north and the south, they realized the importance of Quanzhou City, so they tried to seize the initiative here. Then the bandits from the two states of Ting and Zhang will continue to gather here, and there may be no less than 100,000 people in five days. ."
"Although most of these people are sharecroppers who are not accustomed to military service, they were born in poor mountains and harsh waters, their folk customs are solid and tough, and they have the support of the powerful, both overt and covert. I'm afraid they can no longer be regarded as ordinary mobs."
"They also control the Qingyang Iron Field, so their armaments must have been greatly improved. The bandits have already conquered so many county towns. No matter what method they use, it shows that they have certain siege capabilities."
"On the other hand, Quanzhou City only has more than 3,000 troops. Although the people and Zhuang can be recruited to help defend the city, the situation among the local people is complicated. If not controlled properly, the Minzhuang will become a hidden danger."
"So we have to look at it, Quanzhou City is in danger."
Zhao Mengqi nodded, his expression still calm, "Bachelor, do you think those people are not bluffing, but really want to capture Quanzhou City?"
“Everything they do is essentially to protect their own interests, but how can they achieve this goal?”
Chen Wei asked himself and answered, "In their eyes, His Highness is the culprit who harms their interests. Even if you compromise with them now and promise not to change the pattern of Fujian, it may not be able to reassure them. After all, if you rule the world in the future, your strength will They may regret it in the future, so for them, the best result is that His Highness will be completely overthrown and will never be able to gain power, or even be killed."
"I estimate that they have made many plans to create the current situation. One is to use Quanzhou and Liuqiu as bargaining chips to coerce His Highness to bow to them, and then use various means to control His Highness and become their puppet."
"Secondly, if His Highness chooses to rescue Quanzhou as quickly as possible, but the troops at hand are very limited, he will be intercepted and killed if he goes there rashly. Those people will join other forces after the event is completed to force the officials to accept the reality."
"Thirdly, if His Highness wants to wait patiently for the follow-up troops to take action, then they will definitely use all their strength to capture Quanzhou in a short time and use it as a stronghold to fight against Your Highness. In that case, the chaos on Fujian Road will become protracted. , or even form a de facto separatist regime, then His Highness will be the sinner of the Song Dynasty. When the wall falls and everyone pushes down, His Highness will have no chance to inherit the country. In the future, it can depend on the situation. If the imperial court is still strong, then they can Find a few scapegoats, reconcile with the court, and then reintegrate into the Song Dynasty..."
Zhao Mengqi couldn't help but laugh, "These people are really bad at whatever they do. They are the first in internal fighting... If I choose the second one, what exactly do the bachelor think they will do."
Chen Wei suddenly changed his expression, "Your Highness, whether you are the first or the third, there is actually room for change, and there is still hope for a solution. After temporarily giving in, we will suffer the consequences and finally avenge our shame. Even if we insist on fighting, we are not serious. If you can't defeat him, it's just that the process is more difficult, and the second option is definitely the worst option and is absolutely unfeasible! If His Highness falls, everything will be lost!"
"Bachelor, please don't be too nervous." Zhao Mengqi said with a calm face and a somewhat relaxed tone, "Just think of it as giving lessons to the juniors, doing some tactical analysis, and adding some experience to everyone."
Chen Wei looked at Zhao Mengqi suspiciously, but didn't see any clues, so he had to believe it for the time being and start thinking about it on the sand table.
"If His Highness is eager to rescue Quanzhou, there are two roads to choose from: land and sea. They are not sure what His Highness will choose, so they must ambush their strength in a place that takes care of both..."
After thinking for a while, Chen Wei pointed the indicator pole at Xinghua Bay.
"There is only one official road from Fuzhou to Quanzhou. There are several places close to the coast, but this place is the most perfect."
"The Xinghua Army is adjacent to Fuzhou. The three counties under its jurisdiction have been calm and no banditry has been reported. However, the cavalry team sent by His Highness to deliver messages to Quanzhou encountered multiple interceptions. This shows that the Xinghua Army has serious problems."
"Then, there is a large area of impassable mountains between Xinghua Army and Fuzhou, so the official road in this section is almost close to the coast."
"The north bank of the Hagi River mouth is the most dangerous and the best place to set up an ambush. The official road passes between Ong Mountain and Fengtoushan Mountain, blocking Hagi River. If His Highness leads the army to arrive here by land, it will be extremely easy to be surrounded from all sides. The situation is so strong that it is basically impossible to escape.”
"If His Highness takes the sea route, there are dozens of islands such as Nanri Island at the mouth of Xinghua Bay. No matter how many ships there are, they can be hidden. It is very suitable for a sea ambush."
Zhao Mengqi also looked at it carefully for a while, thoughtfully, "It is indeed an ambush place that has the best of both worlds, but if I go to the deep sea and avoid them, wouldn't they be blind in vain?"
Seeing that Zhao Mengqi still had plans to take risks, Chen Wei couldn't help but feel confused, "Your Highness, what will happen even if you arrive in Quanzhou safely? Even if you take away all the soldiers in Fuzhou City, how can these more than a thousand people liberate Quanzhou?" What about the siege? The veteran can be sure that once Fuzhou is confirmed to be empty, they will definitely come to capture it. Once Fuzhou is lost, the army sent to Nanjianzhou and other places will also be cut off from logistical supplies..."
"What the bachelor said makes sense." Zhao Mengqi looked like he was being taught, but then he grinned, "But bachelor, don't forget that I also have a Shenzhou. In addition, I brought a lot of sharp firearms this time, so that I can go there first Liuqiu, with firearms, the base on the island only requires a small number of troops and can be defended by the common people. In this way, I can get more than 2,000 elite combat forces, and then I can do a lot of things."
Chen Wei thought about it, and it seemed possible, "What about Fuzhou? You won't spread the beans and make an army, right? Your Highness, you asked the veteran to be the chief of general staff. You said that even you must obey the command of the veteran Yes, don’t forget it!”
"Hey, soldiers, there will always be squeezes. I didn't say I won't listen to you. Isn't this just what I'm discussing with you... Although the risk is a bit high, the benefits are also very high. Maybe we can win the battle in one fell swoop and accelerate The whole counter-insurgency process.”
Zhao Mengqi briefly stated his idea, and Chen Wei led his staff and Lu Xiufu and others to deduce it several times in detail, and the success rate was about 50%.
But if it really succeeds, it will not only save Quanzhou and Liuqiu, but also severely damage the rebels' power, and even create an opportunity to encircle and annihilate the nearly 100,000 bandits who gathered under Quanzhou City.
The factor that is more difficult to determine and has a more important impact is when the follow-up troops will arrive.
If something unexpected happened in Lin'an and delayed the follow-up troops' departure to sea, Zhao Mengqi might be in a very dangerous situation.
Therefore, it was still difficult for Chen Wei to make a decision. After all, if he made a mistake, he would lose everything.
Zhao Mengqi, on the other hand, was full of confidence, "Bachelor, don't hesitate, nothing in this world is always certain. Give it a try and your bicycle will turn into a motorcycle..."
"What bicycle? What touch?" Chen Wei was confused.
Zhao Mengqi touched his nose and said, "It's not important. Don't worry about it. The so-called 30% depends on luck and 70% depends on hard work. If you want to achieve big things, how can you not work hard? Besides, I think my luck has always been very good. Besides, I have a Shenzhou, if something goes wrong, I can just run away."
At this time, Lu Xiufu also said, "Prime Minister Chen, in my opinion, this risk is worth taking. Otherwise, if the chaos continues, it will cause great harm to the country and the people."
Perhaps he was infected by the enthusiasm of young people, or perhaps influenced by his feelings for his family and country, Chen Wei finally agreed.
"Then...well, I will accompany His Highness to fight! Now send people to Gutian quietly to recall the two battalions."
"No, no, no, don't do it quietly, just do it in a big way!" Zhao Mengqi's eyes were filled with cunning.
Soon after, the closed Hesha Gate was opened, and three messengers rode out and stepped onto the official road towards Gutian.
Temporary stations have been set up along the way, with horses changing every fifty miles, to quickly convey military information and orders.
Then the city became lively, with government officials beating gongs and drums and reading announcements in the streets.
"His Royal Highness the King of Yan has an order to recruit temporary brave men. All the food and clothing for the soldiers and armor will be provided by the government. The salary will be paid daily, three hundred coins per day. People who are strong, resolute and courageous are required. If they perform well, they can be promoted to the King of Yan in the future. I have a regular army under my command, and those who are interested can go to Hujiemen tonight to apply..."
For a time, the entire Fuzhou City became restless.
Everyone knows that King Yan's army is well treated, and his daily meals are better than those of many rich men in the countryside.
However, being a soldier is still very dangerous after all, and there are still not many people who really dare to go. But with the population base in the city, it is not difficult to recruit three to four thousand people.
Moreover, Chen Wei also mobilized and called on wealthy families to gather their nursing staff to form a militia group, which numbered more than 2,000 people.
In addition, there was also a collection of transportation means, including oxcarts, chickens and buses. The officials recalled the yamen and began to work all night.
As a result, there were many disturbances, and word spread that King Yan was going to rescue Quanzhou.
