"As long as we have Jizhou, we can go south to Sili and westward to merge with the state. These are all convenient ways to defeat Hu. It is in line with His Majesty's order to "conquer Hu and restore the Han". Under such a banner of righteousness, whoever is brave in Zhongzhou will vote against the wind. Wouldn't it be far better to leave the barbarians of Hebei alone and camp the scholars of Zhongzhou?"
After listening to Xi Jian's words, Liu Yu felt more firm about his previous thoughts.
Xi Jian's clear thinking gave Liu Yu some new insights.
"Gong Xi's far-reaching ideas have benefited me a lot." Liu Yu praised, "But now that Hu Han, Zhao Gu and Wang Mi are in Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Sima Rui from Jiangdong must also be on guard. If he sends troops to Hebei, I'm afraid they won't be able to assemble them." Too many troops."
"After Shi Le occupied the homeland of Zhao and Wei, I heard that he not only recruited tens of thousands of Taihang Zahu, Wuhuan and other bandits, but also organized the common people of Jizhou into soldiers, with at least 100,000 soldiers. If our army is small and weak, we cannot quickly When Jizhou is locked in a stalemate, other states and counties may be attacked by surprise and besieged on all sides. Isn't it dangerous?"
Liu Yu's worries were not unfounded.
With the current situation, Liu Yu's Han Dynasty must not only guard against Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou, but also keep enough troops to suppress the internal counties. In this way, there simply cannot be too many troops that can be used to conquer Jizhou.
What's more, the more troops are recruited, the more food, grass and baggage will be consumed on the road. If the battle cannot be won quickly, with the current reserves of the Han army, the battle of Jizhou is likely to be abandoned halfway.
Of course, this is still a good or bad situation as Liu Bo imagined. If the worst happens, it is not impossible for this expedition to turn into a defeat.
If other places are attacked and surrounded again, Liu Yu, who has just emerged from the Han Dynasty, is very likely to fall into a situation where his vitality is seriously damaged.
Xi Jian also clearly understood Liu Yu's concerns from Liu Yu's words, but Xi Jian still said with confidence.
"Your Majesty is now trying to restore the Han Dynasty. Although he is complying with the destiny, he is surrounded by enemies and the nobles are not attached to him."
"Today's situation seems to be calm, but in fact it is turbulent."
"It doesn't have to be a shocking achievement to shock people's hearts. Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. If your Majesty is really determined to bring peace to the world, Hebei must be taken first!"
Xi Jian's words had quite an encouraging effect, and Liu Yu had completely confirmed this idea in his mind.
After seeing Liu Yu's expression, Xi Jian continued.
"Hulu Shile used his ferocity to frighten the tycoons, but he only got tens of thousands of civilians to serve as slaves. His real soldiers are still the tens of thousands of miscellaneous Hu soldiers."
"Although these mixed soldiers are fierce and stubborn, they rely on the tactics of gathering and scattering like the wind. If they win, they will be like tigers swooping on food, and if they lose, they will be scattered like birds."
"Now Shi Le occupies the land of Zhao and Wei, and practices the method of managing and guarding the land. He has simply tied himself up in time. The Hulu under him can no longer wander around. Otherwise, if he loses his land and city, Shi Le will lose his fundamental place, and naturally he will also lose those Enshrined by the nobles of Jizhou."
When Liu Yu heard Xi Jian say this, he nodded frequently.
Since Shile marched into Jizhou, he has fully realized the role of fixed territory, and quickly abandoned the previous rogue warfare method, and instead used coercion and inducement to rule.
As a result, the originally erratic Hulu cavalry had to fight around defending the land and defending the city.
While the supply of supplies has been greatly improved, some of the advantages of the cavalry have been lost.
"Then what good strategy does Duke Xi have to deal with the weaknesses of Hu Lu?" Liu Yu asked quickly.
Xi Jian said immediately.
"To deal with these barbarians who have abandoned their martial arts, we only need to have an elite army, capture cities along the way, and recruit the tycoons of Jizhou as our wings. It will not be difficult to conquer Jizhou."
"Elite soldiers? Which battalion is Mr. Xi referring to?"
Liu Yu continued to ask.
Today's Han army still consists of soldiers from various counties and military offices as the camp, and the original Yamen army serves as the central army, which is only 3,000 people.
"It's not the soldiers of any state or county." Xi Jian shook his head and continued, "Your Majesty, what I mean is that elite soldiers will be selected from the military soldiers of each county and unified into a new army, directly under your Majesty's command. , for the purpose of conquering Hebei."
"New army?" After listening to Xi Jian's words, Liu Yu basically understood what he meant.
This is to re-select the soldiers from all the counties and militaries that were originally evenly matched in strength, and use the strong ones among them to form a new army, thus achieving the purpose of becoming elite.
"Yes, choose the strongest ones to be your Majesty's direct personal troops. Changhou is in the ban. Not only can he be used exclusively for conquests, but he can also be used to motivate the armies. Otherwise, for the soldiers in the various prefectures, their only way to be promoted and rewarded is in the military mansion. In the hands of generals, as time goes by, there may be treacherous people who corrupt His Majesty's military personnel for personal gain."
Liu Yu didn't care too much about the considerations mentioned by Xi Jian. The collapse of this kind of military households was not that fast.
At the very least, it is difficult at this stage.
The only thing that struck his mind was that it could be used to prevent certain military generals from turning military soldiers into private soldiers.
"Okay, then let's take Duke Xi's advice and implement this new army strategy as soon as possible!"
However, it is still necessary to formulate specific strategies on how to specifically select the new army, which is directly under the Central Army.
It is not only necessary to formulate the selection criteria, but also the number of people to be selected. There is also the matter of whether the original job fields and rewards need to be changed or added after the formation of the Central Army. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of over-diplomacy, which will cause the counties to The strength of the government soldiers has been greatly reduced, and they no longer have the same responsibilities as before.
In Liu Yu's view, all of this has the same effect as this constructive proposal.
After getting Liu Yu's approval, Xi Jian immediately drew up a rough plan, and with a little more time, he could work out the specific details.
Liu Yu was even more overjoyed when he heard what Xi Jian said.
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "Sure enough, only Xi Jian like this can be called the minister who helped found the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
When he thought of this, Liu Yu came to the table cordially and said to Xi Jian.
"Today, after receiving Xi Gong's plan, I understand a little bit. How happy Emperor Taizu Gao was to get Liuhou, and how happy Emperor Zhaolie and Wuhou were to deal with Longzhong."
Hearing Liu Yu compare himself to "Liu Hou Zhang Liang" and Zhuge Liang, Xi Jian was happy, but immediately felt a little frightened and wanted to thank him and be humble.
Seeing the situation, Liu quickly stepped forward to help him up and said.
"I know that at that time, the great ancestor of Xi Gong was unwilling to marry Cao Wei because he had a heart for the Han Dynasty. The Xi family in Gaoping was from a hairpin family, but now, it has been derogated as a poor family by some vain people."
"Now that the Han Dynasty has been restored, I am the great ancestor, the queen of Guangwu, and Duke Xi is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. In the future, we will rely on Duke Xi to restore the Han Dynasty and rejuvenate the country!"
When Xi Jian heard Liu Yu mention his great-great-grandfather Xi Liu, he was grateful and felt a great sense of confidant.
The Xi family of Gaoping was originally a famous family, but because of their vacillation when Cao Wei replaced the Han Dynasty, they were given a cold shoulder by the Cao Wei family. Now, a hundred years later, they have not produced any high-ranking officials for three consecutive generations. The noble family was in a poor state.
Whenever Xi Jian thought about this, he would always think of regaining his family as a spur.
Suddenly, Liu Yu's words made Xi Jian see the hope of the Gaoping Xi family to crown the noble clan.
At this time, Liu Yu suddenly thought of another question and asked Xi Jian.
"Mr. Xi, I have another problem, which is quite difficult. I wonder if Mr. Xi has a good solution."
"Your Majesty, please tell me that as long as I can think about it, I will know everything." Xi Jian responded quickly.
"Since I revived the Han Dynasty, Zu Ti originally led the army to garrison in Pingyuan City, but he left Pingyuan and led some powerful troops to garrison in Zaoyang. Now Zu Ti neither accepts the official position of the Han Dynasty nor raises troops to fight against the enemy. , I don’t know how Mr. Xi thinks it should be handled appropriately." Liu Yu said.
Since Liu Yu proclaimed himself the emperor and established the country, Zu Ti, who was originally stationed in Pingyuan City, abandoned the seal ribbon awarded by Liu Yu and led the powerful troops he recruited north to station in Zaoyang City alone.
The Qingzhou Army that originally followed him was temporarily led by Liu Xun.
After Liu Yu and Zu Yue got married according to their kinship, Zu Ti, who was stationed in Zaoyang, still refused to accept Liu Yu's appointment as a general of chariot and cavalry. He even refused to accept the money, silk, cloth and other rewards. .
The most recent time, the descendants of the Zu family sent by Zu Yue went there in person, but they still didn't get Zu Ti's consent.
Xi Jian was obviously well prepared when he heard Liu Yu asked this question.
"Zu Ti is indeed a truly loyal and upright person who cares about the common people."
Liu Yu was a little surprised when he heard what Xi Jian said. Why should he praise him first?
"Why did Mr. Xi say that?" But Liu Yu was not angry at all. After all, what Xi Jian said was correct. If Zu Ti couldn't be called loyal and upright, then few people could be.
"To the west of the Qinghe River is the Hulu Shi clan's army, and Pingyuan City controls the key town. If Zu Ti raises troops to oppose His Majesty, I am afraid that the Hulu will take advantage of the opportunity to invade again, and the people of Pingyuan will be massacred again."
"But Zu Ti also felt that his family had been favored by the Jin Dynasty and could not bear to abandon him. In this case, he could only move to another place in his white body."
"But, after all, Zu Ti has tens of thousands of private soldiers from various powerful tribes. Well, even if we get rid of the old and weak, the number of usable soldiers would still be ten to twenty thousand. With so many people stationed in Stationed in Zaoyang, it is only a few dozen miles away from Pingyuan City."
Liu Yu continued with some embarrassment.
"When our army conquers Jizhou, it will have to go through the plains. Although Wu Xin is stationed in the plains now, Zu Ti is stationed in Zaoyang after all. What do you think, when the army crosses the border, how should Zu Ti be treated?"
In addition to the important town of Pingyuan City, Zaoyang is also a place to cross the Qinghe River. Faced with Zu Ti who refused to surrender, Liu Yu certainly did not want to fight with him, but Zu Ti was in such a sensitive place and could not turn a blind eye. , so it really made Liu Yu a little embarrassed.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the key to this matter is not the ancestor Ti, but the powerful men who followed him." Xi Jian stroked his beard and said.
"Oh? Please give Mr. Xi more details." Liu Yu asked quickly.
"Now Zu Ti doesn't have any soldiers in his hands, and all his disciples are now in Luzi, under the control of his younger brother Zu Yue." Xi Jian said.
Of course, Liu Yu knew about this situation. Zu Ti, the powerful people who migrated from Youzhou and Jizhou, originally had a large number of private soldiers, but they were slowly ordered by Liu Yu to split them up. In this way, Just downplay the powerful power over these old subordinates.
The same is true for the Zu family. Even if they are loyal to their master, his disciples have to make a living on their own. No one dares to travel hundreds of miles and cross the area controlled by the Han army to join Zu Ti. What's more, now Dai Zu The head of the Ti family, Zu Yue, was still a die-hard hero of the "Restoration of the Han Dynasty".
"As long as all the powerful men under Zu Ti can be put to use by Your Majesty, then Zu Ti will have no more soldiers to use and he will be alone, so there is nothing to worry about." Xi Jian said.
"What Duke Xi said is a good idea, but how should we do it?" Liu Yu asked. It was a good idea to ask these powerful men to leave Zu Ti and join Liu Yu, but it was a bit difficult.
"Your Majesty, this matter is simple. Your Majesty, can you give me some official positions? It doesn't require any noble or prestigious positions, just some county assistant positions, that's enough." Xi Jian said with a relaxed look.
"Could it be that Mr. Xi plans to use his official position to win over those powerful people?" Liu Yu is somewhat looking forward to this. If this is possible, it would be a great deal. Anyway, in today's Han Dynasty, official positions are as much as they want. , it’s nothing more than making more seals and making more crowns and uniforms.
"Hahaha, of course it's not that simple. Even if you want to recruit them with official positions and benefits, you have to find the right person first. Otherwise, even if everyone wants to obey and there is no leader, it will probably take more time." Xi Jian said.
Hearing what Xi Jian said, Liu Yu understood that Xi Jian must have already had a countermeasure for this matter.
Qingzhou, Beihai County.
Beihai County Hengchong Army is the name of the military soldiers of Beihai County.
The generals of the Hengchong Army have the same position as county guards, but they have more power over their subordinate soldiers. Especially during wartime and during drills, they can use military laws to restrain the soldiers.
Lu Cheng was a soldier of the Hengchong Army. He was originally a bandit from Changguang. When Liu Bogen raised his army, he went to seek wealth.
As soon as he joined the army, he was assigned to the command of Cao Yi, and later he followed him to fight in several states. After Cao Yi, Gaoliang and others left Wang Mi and rejoined Liu Yu's command, Lu Cheng naturally followed him and became a member of the Qingzhou Army.
Today, Lu Cheng has more than 120 acres of farmland in Beihai County, but apart from training, he knows nothing about farming. The management of farmland at home is much worse than that of other military soldiers.
In addition, he had no relatives and the farmers who farmed the fields were negligent in supervising them. As a result, the harvest throughout the year was even worse.
"Damn it, I just didn't want to farm or do business, so I went to work in Green Forest, but now I have to worry about farming every day."
In his warm room, Lu Cheng, who had already drank a lot, began to complain to the several staff members who were drinking together next to him.
"Hey, Lu Heizi, it's not like you don't know that this kind of land is also the responsibility of our regular soldiers. If the food harvest in the field is not good, how will we buy military rations and clothing? Without these, how will we fight?" A drunken man said The staff soldier said.
"Bullshit, I just want to kill people and behead them to get rewards."
