Jiangxia, Ningjun camp.
"Let's see what kind of battle Yang Jing and Shangguan Ming are fighting!"
In the meeting hall, Shen Qiu threw the battle report sent back from the north and south front lines to the ground, with an angry look on his face: "I have entrusted the army and state affairs to the two of them, and entrusted them with various responsibilities. It can be said to be a great favor.
But is this how they repay me?
Yang Jing lost his city and territory, Shangguan Ming lost his troops and generals, my 200,000 soldiers and horses were beaten by Chu thieves and lost their helmets and armor, and the two battlefields in the north and south of the Yangtze River were ruined. Can they be worthy of me? "
At the bottom of the hall, the civil and military officers of Ning State were standing on the left and right. Looking at His Majesty's angry face and the battle report that fell to the ground, they all couldn't help but trembled, and they all lowered their heads and did not dare to speak.
Only Bai Yi'an couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he saw this.
He didn't cower like the others, but took two steps forward and picked up the battle report on the ground.
After a slight glance, the conditions were indeed the same as the news he had received, and he couldn't help but feel even more bitter in his heart.
But now is not the time to hold the frontline generals accountable.
With the collapse of the war between the north and the south, in this war between Chu and Ning for Yangzhou hegemony, Ning Guo has been on the disadvantaged side and may lose at any time.
The most urgent thing to consider is how to reverse the decline.
Even if it doesn't work, you must ensure that you don't suffer a big loss.
Compared with these, the crimes of Yang Jian and Shangguan Ming's defeat are insignificant.
Therefore, Bai Yi'an took two steps forward and saluted: "Your Majesty, although the Wuxuanhou tribe in Jiangbei has an army of 100,000 in this battle, the navy is forced by the Chu army's navy. Those who were forced had to stay in the water stronghold and were unable to move. .
The only troops that Wu Xuanhou could really mobilize were the 50,000 infantry and cavalry troops in Xiangyang County.
On the other hand, the Chu army not only used 80,000 imperial troops in this battle, but also tens of thousands of naval troops to cooperate. The number of troops and horses was more than twice that of Marquis Wu Xuan. Moreover, the land and water are unobstructed, and Chu troops can be loaded ashore at will to attack our rear in the north of the Yangtze River.
The battle was also due to the Chu navy's sneak attack on the rear, which led to the loss of Anlu Mansion.
This is not a crime of war, but a disadvantage to our navy.
In addition to this mansion, the two mansions of Jingmen and Jingling are still under the control of our army, and Ning Thief has not been able to go further.
Wu Xuanhou has done everything he can do.
As for the Battle of Lingnan, Wu Chenghou made no mistakes in his command. In the early battles with the Chu army, there were wins and losses for each other and they were not at a disadvantage.
The reason why the Battle of Lingnan was a huge defeat was that the Southern Navy was unable to use it. Not only was it unable to help, it also harmed Marquis Wu Cheng.
Moreover, the Chu army in the Nanhai Kingdom had 160,000 soldiers and horses, which was also more than the 100,000 soldiers and horses under the command of Marquis Wu Cheng.
This resulted in Marquis Wu Cheng being weak and had to seek help from the Nanhai Kingdom, which ultimately led to his defeat.
The Second World War in Jiangbei and Lingnan was not a crime of war, but was actually caused by Wuxuanhou and Wuchenghou, who were already weak.
On the two battlefields, the Chu army was strong and our army was weak. We used the weak to defeat the strong and were ultimately defeated. This was normal and hard to blame. "
Bai Yi'an made some excuses for Yang Jing, Shangguan Ming and the others, and mentioned in a subtle way that the reason why Yang Jing was defeated was mainly because the water battle commanded by His Majesty was defeated, which caused the Jiangbei battlefield to lose control of the waterway, and was defeated. The Chu army found an opportunity and lost the Anlu Mansion.
If we really want to judge the crime, he commanded an army of more than 200,000 people, but lost more than 70,000 soldiers, and failed in both land and water battles. Shen Qiu's fault is even greater.
But helplessly, Shen Qiu is the king, and they are all ministers.
A minister cannot speak of a king's fault, so Bai Yi'an could only speak in a vague way at this time, reminding his majesty not to forget his own mistakes. This was the main reason for the rapid deterioration of the battlefield.
After all, Chu's strategy was actually obvious at this time.
That is to attach great importance to the north of the Yangtze River and the south of the Lingnan, and to neglect the Dongting in the heart.
Most of the Chu State's forces were deployed in three remote battlefields, so now those three battlefields were able to gain an advantage so quickly, causing the coalition forces to retreat in a row.
On the contrary, the coalition forces, which gathered nearly half of their strength on the main battlefield, fought the Chu army with twice the advantage. Not only did they fail to win, but they suffered successive defeats.
If the theory of truth is ugly, no one can compare to Shen Qiu, but no one dares to mention it.
really.
At this time, hearing Bai Yi'an's words that meant to ridicule him, Shen Qiu's face instantly darkened.
But while he was angry in his heart, he stopped saying that Yang Jing and Shangguan Ming were wrong.
In fact, Shen Qiu also knew in his heart that the biggest fault in this battle was indeed his own. The ministers in the hall actually knew this matter in their hearts.
But no one dared to say it, except Bai Yi'an in front of him.
Bai Yi'an dared to mention this matter because he was an innate master and also came from the Bai family, one of the six surnames and seven clans. In terms of status, he was not much inferior to his own emperor.
Although the system of electoral abdication ensures stability and harmony within the top leadership, it also results in the authority of the top leadership not being as supreme as that of an autocratic dynasty emperor.
Just like now.
When something went wrong with Shen Qiu's decision-making and the collective interests of the entire empire were damaged, Bai Yi'an, who shared the overall interests and suffered damage to his own interests, lived up to his previous respect and began to question Shen Qiu's abilities.
There is some innuendo at the moment, but it is just a sign of testing.
If Shen Qiu makes more wrong decisions next, it will lead to the continuous decline of Ningguo as a whole.
Then those families with six surnames and seven clans behind him are afraid that they will unite and repeat what happened to Emperor Hongdao.
When he thought that the dynasty he created might end in his own hands, Shen Qiu felt a chill in his heart and immediately calmed down.
Then he forced a smile on his face, nodded and said, "Marquis Wu An is right. I lost my temper because of the defeat in the battle."
Shen Qiu knew that he couldn't resist forcefully, otherwise he would definitely offend Bai Yi'an, Yang Jing, Shangguan Ming, and the allies behind them.
So Weiwei gave in, then gently ignored the topic, and asked instead: "But now Jiangbei and Lingnan have been defeated, Xiangyang and Nanhai are in danger, and even the Su Kingdom has been surrounded by the capital, and the Chu bandits are unstoppable along the way. No one can stop it from the north or the south.
If its power is not curbed, all the land north of the Yangtze River and south of the Lingnan may be captured by Chu thieves.
When the Chu thieves take these two places, their power will increase greatly and it will become even more difficult to control.
As for our land east of the Yangtze River, I am afraid that I will follow the footsteps of the north of the Yangtze River and the south of the Lingnan and be destroyed by the Chu thieves.
The situation has reached this critical point, and I am at my wits' end. Does Marquis Wu An have a good strategy that can save the country from danger, stop the Chu thieves, and save this war? "
Shen Qiu half pushed the blame and half asked sincerely.
Now he himself has no way to solve the disadvantage he caused.
But Ningguo is not the Ningguo of Shen Qiu alone, but the Ningguo of the entire family with six surnames and seven clans.
Now things are looking bad for Ning Guo and he is about to fall. You, Bai Yi'an, don't want to stay out of it. It's time to contribute.
If you have any good ideas, please tell me quickly and stop covering up.
Otherwise, if the delay continues, it will make it difficult for me, the emperor, and it will also be uncomfortable for families like you.
Shen Qiu felt both relief from his hatred and bitter thoughts.
Faced with his inquiry, Bai Yi'an thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, the current situation has reached a time of life and death, and we have to fight. I have two strategies for Yu Chu.
The first strategy is to mobilize everything and try our best to mobilize the 200,000 troops and horses stationed in the country, leaving only the navy and necessary part of the troops and horses stationed in the country, and mobilize the rest of the army. This way, we can get another 100,000 troops.
With these 100,000 people joining the troops and horses left in Yuzhang County, we can get 200,000 people.
Then we will select two Wuhou from the remaining Wuhou in the country, and join the two Wuhou stationed in Yuzhang County, and there will be four Wuhou who can take orders at any time.
With 200,000 people, the four Wuhou, whether they are transferred to the Jiangxia front line, or they are ordered to lead their own troops and attack the prefectures on the Dongting border, we can once again gain the advantage over the motherland on our main battlefield.
In this way, he devoted all his strength to mobilize the troops of the whole country, angrily marched westward, and fought to the death with the Chu State.
If we win, the mountains and rivers will be unified, and Yangzhou will return to Ning.
Even if you are defeated, you will not go to the enemy and surrender, face the west and surrender.
This is to complete the victory in one battle, and to win and die in one battle. The inheritance of mountains, rivers, communities, and ancestral temples were all determined by this battle. "
Bai Yi'an looked at Shen Qiu with burning eyes and said the strategy he was most inclined to and most approved of.
However, upon hearing his strategy, Shen Qiu's expression suddenly changed, and the other ministers in the hall also immediately exploded.
"The Chu thieves are barbaric, mountain hunters. They are warlike and vicious, but they can only fight for their lives. We have precious stomachs, poems and books, and a legacy that lasts for thousands of years. How can we risk our lives to fight with thieves in the hope of victory?" ?”
"Your Majesty, now we still have a chance to win, and the situation remains the same. All we need to do is sit on the high platform and wait for good opportunities. What Wu'an Hou said is just taking risks and doing things without caring about the country, the country, and the country. Your Majesty must not accept his words. !”
"How dare Marquis Wu An speak such words that harm the country?"
The ministers in the hall almost unanimously opposed and criticized Bai Yi'an's strategy of fighting to the death.
Among them, another Wuhou in the camp who was born in the same family, Wuxihou Li Minghao, who was the vanguard of this battle, even showed his chariot and horse and retorted: "Wu'anhou is right!
The Chu thieves were only victorious for a while, but they mobilized troops year after year, first conquering the barbarians in the southwest, then annexing the two kingdoms of Xichuan, then conquering the Tibetans in the valley, and seizing Hanzhong of Zhou Dynasty.
There were four wars before and after, which lasted for six years, and troops were mobilized every year without a break.
Nowadays, the people of Chu are poor and exhausted, and they have been fighting hard for a long time.
Now it does not know how to recuperate and end the war, but instead is greedy, betrays alliances and treaties, and conquers the South China Sea for no reason. In the end, we and the four countries invade together, which brings about today's disaster.
This was nothing more than a temporary setback.
On the two battlefields in the north and south of the Yangtze River, our Wang Division was temporarily defeated, but the total loss of troops was only more than 70,000.
Even if Jiangxia's side is included, the loss of troops is only 150,000.
Although these losses are heavy, our Daning army is 800,000 strong. Even if 150,000 are lost, there are still 650,000 troops left. The troops and horses are not inferior to those of Chu.
At the same time, our country of Ning has a prosperous household registration, with tens of millions of people, as vast as a vast ocean.
After more than ten years of rest and recuperation, there was an incalculable amount of gold and silver in the treasury, corn in the warehouse, and loads of carts.
As long as the king orders the people of the five counties, the silver in the six warehouses, and the rice in the hundred warehouses to be used, a million-strong army can be formed in an instant.
This deep foundation and rich heritage are the result of the king's ten years of benevolent government and hard work.
Today, the foundation has not been completed, the foundation has not been developed, and the great army has not yet emerged.
Why should we give up gold and jade in favor of wood and stones, abandon the fundamentals and pick up the tiniest things? How about using the dignity of ten thousand chariots to fight against barbarians and despicable people, or lowering one’s status to do dangerous things? "
Not everyone has Bai Yi'an's courage and dares to risk everything to fight for the future.
Most of the ministers in the hall were born into aristocratic families, and were once again powerful men in the state and county, or were descendants of sects.
Such people all have families and businesses, wives and daughters, relatives and clans, and unlimited wealth.
At this time, Bai Yi'an asked them to use everything they had to fight to the death with the Chu army, which was now famous, invincible and unstoppable. How about fun?
How much money did the court give me?
They want me to abandon my family and career, risk my life, and gamble with my ancestors' inheritance.
Are you dreaming, or am I stupid?
They have become accustomed to being aloof and instructing the people below to give them some rewards while fighting to the death. They no longer have the bloody courage of their ancestors who fought for everything.
Faced with Bai Yi'an who wanted to change everything and violated his own interests, he instinctively chose to refute and resist.
And the reasons for their rebuttal are also valid.
Different from the Chu State, which is said to be reckless, they are all from a thousand-year-old family, with noble fortunes, noble status, and profound cultural background. How can they be like a common man and want to risk their lives at every turn?
The untouchables at the bottom of Ning Country are not dead yet!
The gold, silver, rice and grain in the treasury have not been exhausted yet!
With such a rich family background, it is necessary for them to take risks. Why would the Chu thieves with nothing have to risk their lives?
Just as Li Minghao said, Ning State still has tens of millions of people and ten years of savings. If you take all these out, you can recruit millions more soldiers in an instant.
Don't worry about the quality of these soldiers and horses. First of all, the quantity comes up.
Recruit people, even if they can't be expected to be able to fight against the Chu people on the frontal battlefield like the elite soldiers now.
But let them be like state and county soldiers, just defending the city and the territory, this can always be done.
At the moment, they are taking the initiative to attack, while the Chu people are focused on defense, and they are unable to attack with force, suffering repeated defeats and heavy losses. This actually doesn't matter.
After all, the defensive side always has an advantage over the attacking side.
But a temporary defeat does not mean that they have completely failed.
This can only prove that the Chu State is indeed powerful. Even if the Ning State unites the three Lingnan Kingdoms, it cannot be eliminated.
It does not mean that Ning Guo is weak.
Although Bai Yi'an's proposal has some truth, it can't hide its alarmist meaning.
Anyway, after hearing this proposal, Shen Qiu, like many ministers present, felt it was outrageous and absurd, and subconsciously opposed it.
However, considering Bai Yi'an's insinuation just now and his current unstable status, he did not want to offend this representative of the warring faction of the aristocratic family too much.
Therefore, Shen Qiu said tactfully: "What Marquis Wu An said is reasonable. This is indeed the time when we need to fight hard. But I, Daning, still have some strength left, but there is no need to risk everything to fight the Chu thieves.
Our ancestors passed down the country to us, so that we can continue to enjoy it for thousands of years.
Instead of letting us take risks and be careless, using the world's weapons to compete for a moment's glory.
At this moment, I thought something was slightly wrong. I wonder what Marquis Wu'an's second plan was? "
Without any surprise, Shen Qiu obeyed the public opinion and rejected Bai Yi'an's proposal.
Bai Yi'an was already aware of this, but seeing the fear of war in the room, he couldn't help but sigh with disappointment.
There is no longer any hope for the Linhai family that has been corroded by thousands of years of prosperity.
So when he heard Shen Qiu ask about the second strategy, he didn't hide it and said directly: "Since the king and the ministers all think that a decisive battle is inappropriate, then so be it.
But even if we don't want to fight decisively, it is already very slim and almost impossible to defeat Chu State on the frontal battlefield with our current strength alone.
Therefore, in my opinion, since winning on the frontal battlefield is no longer feasible, it is better to simply give up the idea of attacking and destroying the Chu State and save the country instead.
I request your Majesty to withdraw all the troops from the Western Expedition and lead his troops back to the country.
Then we will use our navy, which is several times the size of the Chu State, to block the river, prevent the thieves from advancing eastward, and protect the natural dangers of the Yangtze River.
At the same time, to the west and south of Yuzhang County, to the south of Jian'an County, etc., at the junction with the Chu bandits, forts were built, cities were built, and passes were built to block the bandits from the country's gates by relying on the dangers of mountains and rivers.
However, if we want to achieve this and stabilize the mountains and rivers forever, our current 600,000 troops in Daning are still not enough.
I heard that in order to increase the military strength, the thieves of Chu are now implementing the national policy of levying two households and one soldier in the country. Only in this way can we support an army of 700,000 people with a meager national strength.
This policy can strengthen the country and the army. I ask the king to abandon the idea of benevolence for the people, imitate the Chu policy, and recruit soldiers and horses throughout the country to strengthen our military strength.
In this way, with my household registration of 3.4 million in Daning, I can get another million soldiers.
At the same time, the king can also send out fleets across the sea to places such as the South China Sea, Suzhou, Song Dynasty, etc., to lead the armies of the Three Kingdoms back to the country.
Although these three kingdoms were defeated by Chu thieves, their elites still survived, with a total of two to three hundred thousand troops, and two innate masters.
If we can bring them all back to the country, then our whole country in Daning will have two million soldiers and horses, and there will be sixteen innate masters.
At the same time, Ziyundao, Liuyang Sect and other immortal martial arts sects also have many innate masters remaining in their sects.
They are located in the territory of our country, Ningguo. They are the people of our country, Ningguo, and they should accept the order of the emperor.
The king can send envoys to recruit the masters of the two sects, or he can obtain three or four more innates.
In this way, I have expanded my country, built fortresses extensively, and allowed the Chu Kingdom to seize the land north of the Yangtze River and south of the Lingnan. Facing my two million troops and twenty innates, as long as I insist on defending, what can they do? "
I don’t know if Bai Yi’an did this on purpose or because of his character.
After everyone in the hall rejected his last proposal that shocked the whole audience, the second proposal he proposed was so shocking and went to extremes.
It completely changed from the extreme main battle just now to the extreme avoidance of battle, which really shocked everyone again.
However, compared to his previous adventures, Bai Yi'an's idea of passively forcing war was much more accepted by everyone, and was even quite popular with some people.
After all, if we do what Bai Yi'an said, it won't be easy to say whether Ning Guo will be ugly or embarrassed.
But that sense of security is definitely there.
With an army of two million and twenty innate guardians, even if the Chu State was given a hundred years, they would not be able to break through this iron barrel defense.
This is really a mature way of planning for the country!
Many people couldn't help but show recognition on their faces.
Therefore, after Bai Yi'an finished speaking, no one immediately jumped out and raised objections.
