"I'm joking, sir. Throughout history, except for Ma Zhou of Emperor Taizong and Li Mi of Suzong, have there ever been prime ministers in civilian clothes?" Li Dan waved his hands repeatedly: "Besides, the student is less than sixteen years old. If you are a good man, don't open it. It’s just a joke.”
"Hey, Gan Luo Twelve can worship the Prime Minister, and you are already nearly sixteen years old!" Zhao Chongbi did not let him go and deliberately teased him.
The two joked for a while, and Zhao Chongbi continued the previous topic and concluded: "As you say, the first step is to prepare the remaining cadres for regiment training. The lake bandits can attack the city and the division veterans are tired so that the officers and soldiers can encircle and suppress them.
As for the rebellion caused by the miners, your suggestion is to negotiate, divide, and disintegrate them in order to support and suppress them. Am I right? "
"Your Excellency, you are right. What Dan said is indeed what he meant." Li Dan nodded:
"Lake bandits travel on the water and are accustomed to being free and disrespectful of laws, so there are many vicious crimes happening around Pengze.
When the government and the army are too weak to take care of both, I believe that the real vicious and cunning enemy is the lake bandits, while the miners can be treated with a strategy of heavy caressing and light suppression.
Sir, since our strength may be limited, it is better to deal with one end first and then take care of the others.
When a person only has one hand, he should clench his fist to show his strength, but if he opens his palm, it is easy for others to take advantage of him and break him one by one! "
"But... you mentioned the third step before dealing with Yang Xing. I have a question: Will Yang Xing be so dumb as to watch us deal with the lake bandits and mining bandits, but not come to rescue him?"
"It's possible they will come." Li Dan nodded: "And there might even be soldiers."
"Oh? What do you think of his next move?"
"Your Excellency is unaware of something. After receiving the order from Fan County, the student immediately sent several groups of spies to Fuzhou."
"Ah?" Zhao Chongbi was shocked: "Aren't you afraid that these people will lose their lives?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. These people are either people with special skills, or they have been threatened by the Lou bandits, so they are familiar with the internal affairs of the rebel bandits. They can disguise themselves to infiltrate or lay ambushes to spy, so there is no need for safety. Worry."
Li Dan explained to him, and then said: "The students have two purposes of sending people: to investigate the situation of Anren's guards, and to learn as much detail as possible about the internal situation of the Dongxiang bandits. However, we have not yet received a return. If there is any information, we should inform the adults. Gentleman."
After saying that, Li Dan found some wine glasses and placed them with wine glasses and wine jugs: "Sir, please see, suppose this wine jug is Nanchang, these two bowls are Poyang and Fuzhou, and the four wine glasses are Jinxian." , Dongxiang, Anren and Yuqian.
These four cities are located between Nanchang and Raozhou, and Yang Xing has acquired two of them. If Yu Gan continues to attack, the entire Raozhou including Poyang will be in trouble. Therefore, if you want to win Raozhou, he must come to Yugan.
However, there is still a question here. Is his father Yang He looking for Fuzhou or Raozhou?
In terms of population and wealth, Raozhou is definitely better than Fuzhou. But because it is closer to southern Zhili, once Raozhou is captured, the Yang family and his son may replace the Lou family and become the target of public criticism.
The more officers and soldiers they attract, the greater the pressure on themselves. I think Yang He and his son can think of this. So how will they choose between the two powers? This is an unknown, we can't guess. "
"Can't guess?" A trace of disappointment flashed in Zhao Chongbi's eyes.
"With no knowledge of the enemy's situation, weapons, or weapons and equipment, the only thing we can be sure of right now is that Yang Xing is holding back in Dongxiang!" Li Dan suddenly felt that he had rediscovered a long-lost feeling of being the regimental deputy. What it felt like to be Chief of Staff.
"So we have to understand the opponent before we determine his possible strategies. Before that, the only thing we can be sure of is that Anren should not have many troops left behind. ap.
why? Because places like Huangbu have almost no other weapons except for the improvised regiment training in some places, but the Anren garrison actually stopped a day's journey away and did not occupy it, so I judged that the number of people in this unit was small.
Yang Xing has not put too many troops in Anren, so we don't need to worry about him. We should concentrate on solving other directions first, and then decide whether to turn around and head south.
It should be emphasized that if Anren is recaptured, Yang Xing's next actions will tell us what his father and son think.
Rushing to send troops to seize it shows that he
He cares about Anren very much and wants to enter Raozhou. They didn't move at all, indicating that seizing this city was just a false move. In fact, they wanted to squat in Fuzhou and even develop to Jianchang and Ji'an.
Anren can be said to be a touchstone! "
"Well said, thorough!" Zhao Chongbi clapped his hands excitedly: "To be honest, Sanlang, the government has sent an order to call me back to discuss matters, and it is related to the situation in Raozhou.
When I first heard about the defeat of Huangxi Town, I was shocked. Seeing the war going on everywhere made people anxious, but I didn't know how to deal with it. After hearing Saburo's words today, I suddenly became enlightened.
Things have their own order, priority, and urgency. You are young but you think more clearly than we do. No wonder you can defeat more with less. "He paused for a moment, drank a glass of wine with Li Dan, and asked again:
"Sanlang mentioned the rectification and management of the mining industry after the war. Do you have any suggestions for the government on this?"
"We should formulate regulations to protect workers, limit the exploitative and bullying behaviors of mine supervisors and foremen, establish a fair image in front of workers, and separate them from the mine supervisors and foremen. This can minimize the number of enemies of the government.
Big bandits such as Lou Zishi, Yin Tuo, and Yang He are all mine owners and mine supervisors, and most of their trusted generals are former foremen and commanders. So far in the war, I have never heard of a few of them being pure workers. Born as a coolie or a prisoner.
These bad guys have ink in their belly, money in their hands, and thugs around them. They are the ones who are the best at fanning the flames of trouble after being recruited and rebelling again and again.
How long can they continue their rebellion if no one around them follows them and no one believes their lies? "
Zhao Chongbi slapped the table: "That makes sense!" He picked up the wine glass, tilted his neck to drink, and then told Li Dan:
"You go to Yugan and go ahead and do it. I will go to the Yamen tomorrow to issue a document for you, giving you the title of deputy envoy of Raozhou regiment training and inspection of the southern capital.
Since there is a precedent in Guangxin Mansion, you have received the title of Ninth Rank Official, of course I, Raozhou Mansion, can also follow Xiao Gui Cao.
In extraordinary times, extraordinary things should be done. And it just so happens that Yu Qian, Wan Nian and An Ren are within my jurisdiction, so they are very cheap! "
Li Dan was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly thanked him solemnly.
In this way, his actions in these three places will be more legal and have an official nature. Not only can he use the inns to relay information, but he also has the power to recruit troops locally and mobilize nearby team training.
From this incident, he also saw that due to frequent rebellions, the government had delegated power to various regions so that agencies at all levels could suppress them in a timely manner.
Next, Zhao Chongbi introduced some of what he had learned to Li Dan.
Let’s talk about the Lake Bandits first. There are three largest forces in Poyang Lake: Bailang in Dagushan in the north, finless porpoise in Nankang Prefecture in the middle lake, and Liaohuazi in Ganglang Mountain in the south (that is, Kanglang Mountain in Li Dan's impression of his previous life).
Among the three, Bailang is the least powerful, but is considered the most benevolent and righteous by the people, and often conflicts with the other two groups.
The finless porpoise has many people and many boats, but it is ineffective in fighting, so it often asks Polygonum to help it. Although the number of Polygonum people and boats is not as great as that of the finless porpoise, they are the most ferocious and active.
When Li Dan heard this person's name, he immediately remembered that Jiang Bin, who escaped after the last fight with Yisufeng (Gu Da), was sent by Liaohuazi's general Yitian Dongqi.
He is also the one who often rescues and shelters mine rioters! This man claims to have 30,000 men under his command, but the actual number of elite men capable of fighting is about 8,000.
On those two roads, there are about tens of thousands of finless porpoises and about three or four thousand of Bailang.
As for the so-called mining bandits who are causing trouble, they have not yet become a large presence in Raozhou. The main reason is that the mines here are relatively small and scattered, making it difficult to form a force like those in southwestern Zhejiang and western Fujian.
The largest ones only have less than a thousand people, and most of them only have dozens or hundreds of people, and they have a variety of weapons. Many people only have bamboo spears.
However, it is precisely because of this reason that it is easier for the lake bandit Liao Huazi to win over them.
The only disadvantage is that most people are accustomed to mountains, and not many people are willing to go to the lake to eat like Jiang Bin. More people are hesitant or give up because of family constraints.
Zhao Chongbi also briefly talked about the situation on the official and military side, which can be said to be worse than Li Dan imagined.
.
Due to the need for suppression in various places, Raozhou Prefecture's military strength was empty. The main force was in the mountainous areas in the west and southwest. Only a small number of field troops remained to guard against attacks by lake bandits around the lake area.
There are 5,000 people in Poyang, in addition to 2,000 people in Fuliang (Jingdezhen), 1,500 people in Dexing, 1,000 people in Leping, and 2,000 people in Wannian.
The military system of this dynasty was mainly inherited from the previous dynasty. The composition of the army was roughly divided into three categories: guard troops, camp troops and city garrison troops.
Let’s talk about the guards first. In the previous dynasty, there were thirty-six guards in the country. Each guard had about 40,000 to 60,000 men of suitable age (15 to 70 years old). Every year, 10,000 people reported to the guard station and were on duty. Get trained, it's a four-year rotation.
This method had a wide influence with the expansion of the previous dynasty. Li Dan vaguely remembered that the Russian Cossacks adopted a similar service system until the collapse of the empire.
However, the guards of this dynasty were full-time military households, and the sons inherited their father's business. They were professional hereditary soldiers.
Families that apply to become military households can receive land commensurate with the size of their population. The land within 40 acres is exempt from taxes, and 40% is paid to the military rations for the guards. The taxes on land over 40 acres and newly reclaimed land are halved.
Since the founding of the country by Taizu to the present day, under the management of the Ministry of War, there have been 376 guards in the country, with a total of 1,654 stations under their jurisdiction.
Each guard has a population of approximately 5,600 people of suitable age (from fifteen to fifty years old).
The health commander is at the level of 10,000 households, and is managed and provided by the Ministry of War in peacetime. After entering the state of combat readiness (regional mobilization order above the prefectural level), he reports to the capital commander of the province (road) where he is located (the level of 10,000 households, under the command of the Fifth Army Governor's Office). )Responsible.
The commanders are responsible for each office below, and the chief officer is held by a thousand households (thousands to one thousand five hundred people) or a thousand households (seven hundred to eight hundred people).
Once this military household applies for military membership, it is generally not allowed to deregister. However, if other household heads who are willing to join in their place can be recruited (see Note 1), then he can leave the military status and change back to civilian status after paying a considerable fee.
For example, Ma Jiu is one of the very few examples of this kind.
Military households went on an expedition to receive armaments, livestock and armor from the guard station, but they had to bring their own military uniforms, shoes and socks. Some guard posts that often had to deal with accidents would also allow soldiers to use and keep weapons and livestock, such as many along the Great Wall.
Dry food for marches is usually provided by oneself within five days (such as reconnaissance or patrol), and if it exceeds five days, it will be distributed by the guard.
It can be seen that the source of guardsmen is mainly through selection, that is, when there is an emergency, they will be recruited or selected according to their household registration to join the service. The household registration of military households is not fixed, and they can be recruited (recruited) or recruited to ensure the number and stability. Stability of quality.
Because they are hereditary soldiers, it is generally believed that the guardsmen have strong combat effectiveness. Therefore, in the battle of Shangrao, the first thing that the guards from various places thought of was to recruit local guards.
Wherever Li Dan and others went, there were thousands of households serving as guards.
The soldiers of the garrison were in the local area, and they really dared to fight to defend their hometown.
However, since Emperor Xuanzong, the garrison soldiers in Jiubian, southwest and southeast areas were very dissatisfied with the frequent dispatches that affected farming. Therefore, Xuanzong later decided to recruit troops outside the garrison system.
The specific method is to allow the commanders and envoys of each province (road) directly under the Fifth Army Governor's Office to recruit a certain number of field troops. This is the origin of the battalion. Battalions are subordinate to each capital division and can fight across provinces.
The so-called battalions are actually not consistent in size. They can increase or decrease the number of troops and adjust the number of units according to needs. In fact, it has the meaning of a combined brigade in later generations.
Li Dan learned from veterans such as Ma Jiu, Yang Dayi, and Sheng Huaien that the size and composition of the battalion were not static.
For example, the Japanese army along the coast was also a recruitment camp. Since it fought against Japanese pirates, the proportion of sword and shield soldiers and firearms soldiers was higher than that of other battalions.
Among the troops facing the Tatars on the Jiubian Datong side, archers and cavalry dominated.
In terms of numbers, the battalion is an organizational unit, and its core troops are roughly around 3,000 to 3,500 people.
Fujian is very mountainous, requiring the troops to be elite and mobile, so the number of people in each battalion is only about 3,000.
However, long-distance attacks on the Yingduo grasslands in Datong require vehicles with high defense capabilities and long-distance transportation auxiliaries.
soldiers, then the battalion may reach as many as 4,500 or even 5,000.
Battalion soldiers are professional mercenaries, and their main sources are recruits. All equipment and supplies are provided by the army. They can quit after expiration, and there will be compensation for casualties.
The commanders of the battalions are generals above the guerrilla level. They are subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army and the commanding envoys of each province (road), Si Yamen. In peacetime, the battalions are trained by the Ministry of War, and in wartime, the generals are assigned by the generals to lead each battalion in combat.
This kind of team is not bound by land or family members. It can leave at will and fight at will, so it is more suitable for long-distance field maneuvers across regions.
For example, the 10,000 people who died in Huangxi Town fell into this category. It was just unlucky that because they wanted military glory so much, half of the generals in the Jiangnan West Road Command Department happily asked Ying to follow Mr. Qiu to Shangrao. Who wanted to be wiped out in Huangxi Town!
The city garrison is easy to understand. It is composed of local servants who serve as corvees and take turns to guard the city and a small number of prisoners who have been convicted and served their sentences. They are responsible for patrolling and guarding city gates, main roads or city walls.
For example, watchmen are also subordinate to the city garrison. Therefore, the city garrison is only responsible for maintaining local security, similar to the police. They have no ability to form formations to fight the enemy, let alone field battles, and can be ignored.
However, the numbers Zhao Chongbi told Li Dan actually included these people!
"Note 1: The head of household only refers to men, which refers to families or young adults with separate household registrations headed by men. In other words, once young adults who are dependent on their parents' household registration join the military, they will be independent from the family and start their own business."
