Although the money and materials are available, the Craftsman Battalion still has the task of producing Crouching Tiger Cannons and Polu Guns, so the Craftsman Battalion cannot do its best to produce Weiyuan Guns every month. With the current scale of the Craftsman Battalion, every month The production capacity that can be allocated to Weiyuan Gun is only enough to produce about 300 guns per month.
At this rate, it will take about seven months to deliver all the two thousand Weiyuan guns that Ye Mingsheng wants to the troops. Judging from the current situation in Liaoyang, Ye Mingsheng obviously cannot wait seven months. The day lilies will be cold in seven months. To be honest, it is not certain whether Ye Mingsheng will be there after seven months... ·········
Although he could not accept this result, Ye Mingsheng did not force the craftsman camp too hard. He knew that the production capacity of the craftsman camp had reached its limit. If he forced it, the output might increase, but the quality of the firearms could not be guaranteed.
If you want to increase the production capacity of the craftsman camp, the real way is to find craftsmen and expand the scale of the craftsman camp!
For this reason, Ye Mingsheng, on the one hand, actively looked for private craftsmen, and on the other hand, he also put pressure on Shen Jianzhong through various channels, asking him to send the two hundred craftsmen over quickly.
According to the calculations of the craftsman camp, once the two hundred craftsmen are in place, the production capacity of Weiyuan guns will be increased to about 500 guns per month. In this way, it will only take two months for Weiyuan guns to be used in the Fengzhou Army. Can form large-scale combat effectiveness!
In the ninth year of Anhe, at the end of February, just after the New Year, Ye Mingsheng received an unexpected piece of news...
"Sir, Song Wenhui's general Ji Qiwei led 30,000 troops from Sanyuan County two days ago and is heading east!"
"We don't know where his specific target is yet, but I have ordered my subordinates to step up the investigation!"
In the study room of the General Military Mansion, Huo San whispered to Ye Mingsheng:
Hearing the news, Ye Mingsheng's eyes suddenly changed. Sanyuan County is a strategic location adjacent to Changqing Mansion, and it is also the first line of Song Wenhui's preparations to attack Changqing Mansion. Song Wenhui has gathered more than 50,000 soldiers and horses there, as well as a large number of troops. Military supplies.
At this time, what does it mean that Song Wenhui does not attack Changqing Mansion and divides his troops to go east?
To the east of Sanyuan County, there is only Fengzhou and Posuo Mansion!
Could it be that Song Wenhui changed his mind and wanted to kill him first, or that he wanted to attack Changqing Mansion and Fengzhou at the same time?
It doesn’t seem right either...
During the Chinese New Year a few days ago, Song Wenhui sent an envoy over and gave himself a lot of gifts. He wanted to use a stratagem to alienate himself from the Zhenwu Army, and invited him to attack Changqing Mansion together. After that, he gave half of the Changqing Mansion to himself. Why did he already want to fight two in just a few days?
Chen Dechang's Zhenwu Army has about 50,000 people, he has 20,000, and Song Wenhui has 100,000. Whether fighting himself alone or against Chen Dechang, Song Wenhui has an absolute advantage in strength, but at the same time he and Chen Dechang fight, Song Wenhui's military advantage is greatly reduced!
Without the superiority of troops, how could Song Wenhui achieve his goal of quick victory?
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng's eyes were full of doubts. After thinking for a while, he looked at Huo San...
Although he knew that with Huo San's caution, the matter was so important, he must have cross-confirmed the authenticity of the information through other channels before passing it to him, but Ye Mingsheng, who couldn't figure it out, still couldn't help but ask :
"Huo San, is your information reliable?"
"Sir, please rest assured that there is absolutely no problem with the information. It was obtained from a very safe channel!" In response to Ye Mingsheng's inquiry, Huo San said without hesitation:
Feeling the confidence in Huo San's words, Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly, and then ordered:
"Send someone to track down every move of Ji Qiwei and the others! Find out as soon as possible whether he is coming to us or to Posuo Mansion!"
"Yes, sir!" Huo San nodded.
After sending Huo San away, Ye Mingsheng began to think alone in the study. Although it is still unclear whether Ji Qiwei's goal is Fengzhou!
But with the current situation, it is always right to take precautions. As the old saying goes, if you are not afraid of ten thousand, be afraid of the unexpected!
My current troops are being deployed dispersedly. If Ji Qiwei and his 30,000 troops really come towards me, if I am not prepared now, I may be defeated by him one by one.
So I have to rather believe in what I have than what I don’t have, hope for the best and prepare for the worst...
Realizing this, Ye Mingsheng no longer hesitated and immediately ordered the military attachés above the sentinel commander in Fengzhou City to come to the General Military Mansion for a meeting.
Half an hour later, He Jingyun, Gu Sansi, Lin Huaiwu, Liang Xuezhang and more than a dozen military attachés all appeared in the main hall of the General Military Mansion.
"Hello, Commander-in-Chief!" All the generals saluted in unison:
After looking around at everyone, Ye Mingsheng nodded and said solemnly:
"Everyone, sit down!"
Although Ye Mingsheng had already issued the order, out of respect for Ye Mingsheng, the generals still waited until Ye Mingsheng was the first to take a seat, and then they all took their seats.
Because the matter was urgent, Ye Mingsheng was more polite and said straight to the point:
"The Coordination Office received reliable information that Song Wenhui sent his general Ji Qiwei and 30,000 soldiers and horses from Sanyuan County to the east. The target is most likely our Fengzhou!"
"Everyone has any ideas. Let's discuss them. There is no burden on you to speak freely!"
After hearing the news reported by Ye Mingsheng, everyone present in the main hall suddenly became serious. They are all senior generals under Ye Mingsheng's command. Everyone knows the deployment of troops and horses in Fengzhou... ·······
Fengzhou currently has five battalions of infantry and one battalion of cavalry. This is a standing army with a total of 15,000 people. In addition, there are 5,000 to 7,000 rural warriors, militia and other reserve groups scattered in various places. They are engaged in production during peacetime and will be incorporated into the army during wartime.
In order to prepare for the Khitan invasion, Ye Mingsheng deployed one-third of the standing army to Xinfa County. There are now about 5,000 standing troops in Fengzhou City and 5,000 standing troops in Xiangshuiyuan.
Whether it is assembling standing armies scattered in various places, or mobilizing for war, and integrating rural warriors into the army, it takes time.
Therefore, compared to Ji Qiwei's 30,000 soldiers and horses, Fengzhou not only has a big disadvantage in terms of military strength, but also has a very tight time schedule. Fortunately, it is a home battle, so it can take advantage... ······
As the deputy commander-in-chief of Fengzhou, General Ying Yang of the Zhenwu Army, and the de facto chief of general staff of the Fengzhou Army, He Jingyun was the first to stand up and give his own suggestions under the gaze of everyone. .
"Sir, if Ji Qiwei attacks Fengzhou, then Tahe County will be his first pass. Therefore, I believe that the news should be reported immediately to the two commanders Guo Zhiping and Ye Tie who are stationed in Xiangshuiyuan, and ask them to abandon Xiangshuiyuan. Return to guard Tahe County, and start war mobilization, so that 1,500 villagers from Tahe County will rush to the aid of the county!"
"In this way, Tahe County has nearly 7,000 people defending the city, which is enough to withstand Ji Qiwei's offensive for a period of time!"
After hearing He Jingyun's speech, Ye Mingsheng just nodded and said lightly:
"General He said it well. Does anyone else have any opinions?"
Maybe because what He Jingyun said was very comprehensive, other people didn't have any opinions. They all looked at their noses, looked at their mouths, and spoke with concern without saying a word. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng frowned slightly and said: His eyes were fixed on Liang Xuezhang.
This time Wang Mu came to Fengzhou before. In order to prevent any accidents, Ye Mingsheng also activated the secret agent planted by the Coordination Office around Liang Xuezhang. As long as Liang Xuezhang made any unauthorized move, he would be killed immediately... ··
However, it turns out that Ye Mingsheng was overly worried this time. During the time Wang Muzhi was in Fengzhou, Liang Xuezhang stayed in the mansion and did not go anywhere.
Although some things in the past have caused Ye Mingsheng to lack trust in Liang Xuezhang, after thinking about it, Ye Mingsheng decided to give Liang Xuezhang a certain tolerance and use him to a limited extent.
After all, first of all, Liang Xuezhang is also talented, and now is the time to recruit people, and he, Ye, currently lacks generals.
Secondly, Liang Xuezhang had served in the Liaoyang Army for a short period of time and had a deep understanding of the Liaoyang Army's strength, factions and many other situations. This was unique to Ye Mingsheng. This information was of great significance to Ye Mingsheng's view of Liaoyang. The military is very important.
It is precisely because of these two reasons that Liang Xuezhang can still sit here and listen to Ye Mingsheng's instructions safely, instead of dying of sudden cardiac death in the middle of the night or an accidental fire... ····
However, it is no longer possible for Liang Xuezhang to lead the troops alone. The only thing he can do is to use his talents under Ye Mingsheng's eyes and in the palm of his hand!
And now is the time when Mingsheng needs Liang Xuezhang to reflect his value!
"Commander Liang, you have been in Liaoyang for a long time. Do you know anything about Ji Qiwei?" Looking at Liang Xuezhang, Ye Mingsheng asked lightly:
Liang Xuezhang was a little surprised by Ye Mingsheng's question, but he immediately stood up and introduced to Ye Mingsheng:
"Your Majesty, Ji Qiwei is from Menghe County, Liaoyang. His grandfather once served as the county magistrate, and his father also held a commanding position in the Liaoyang army. Therefore, he can be regarded as coming from an official family."
"When Ji Qiwei turned twenty, he was introduced to marry Liu, the daughter of a wealthy family in their hometown of Menghe County. Ji Qiwei relied on the financial resources of Liu's family to rise quickly in the Liaoyang army. It took only three years to reach the position of general..."
"Later Song Wenhui took over Liaoyang. In order to join Song Wenhui, Ji Qiwei divorced the Liu family and married Song Wenhui's cousin Sun, becoming Song Wenhui's cousin-in-law. Therefore, he was also trusted by Song Wenhui and regarded as a confidant by Song Wenhui."
"A few years ago, Ji Qiwei led the troops to annihilate several groups of bandits entrenched in the Dabeishan area, so he got the position of General Ping Kou and commanded 30,000 troops in Liaoyang!"
"Ji Qiwei is said to be brave enough for thousands of people. He also has hundreds of close confidants, generals and soldiers around him. He is very brave in fighting. He often leads his men to lead the charge and charge into battle. Therefore, some people call him the number one in Liaoyang. Strong general!"
Seeing Liang Xuezhang describing Ji Qiwei's situation in such detail, everyone in the main hall looked at Liang Xuezhang in surprise. Feeling the attention of everyone, Liang Xuezhang also knew what everyone was thinking, so he smiled bitterly and took the initiative to explain:
"When I was in the Liaoyang Army, I worked as a colleague with Ji Qiwei for a period of time..."
Looking at the wry smile on Liang Xuezhang's face, Ye Mingsheng vaguely felt that the relationship between Liang Xuezhang and Ji Qiwei should not be as simple as ordinary colleagues. There must be a story between the two of them, and maybe there is still grudges.
But since Liang Xuezhang didn't want to say more, it didn't matter to him. Anyway, this matter probably had nothing to do with him, Ye!
After Liang Xuezhang finished introducing Ji Qiwei's situation, the generals became relatively active, proposing strategies such as luring the enemy deep and strengthening the walls to clear the country.
After extensively listening to the opinions of the generals, Ye Mingsheng was slightly disappointed when he saw that everyone was a little wary of Ji Qiwei, who was known as the most powerful general in Liaoyang. asked:
"Has the money and food from Changqing Mansion arrived?"
"All the adults are here! Thirty thousand taels of silver and one hundred thousand stones of grain are now in our treasury!" Gu Sansi stood up and cupped his hands and said:
Hearing the news, Ye Mingsheng finally showed a look of satisfaction on his face. With this money and food, plus Fengzhou's own money and food, he can fight for a month... ···
Let everyone talk for a while again. Just when everyone was about to talk and Ye Mingsheng needed to make the final decision, Ye Mingsheng said in a deep voice:
"Order Ye Tie and Guo Zhiping to lead their troops back to Tahe County to guard against Ji Qiwei's invasion. In addition, Xun Ke's troops will be transferred back to Fengzhou City. The entire territory of Fengzhou will be mobilized for war!"
"Ji Qiwei dares to come! I dare to kill him! Farming will start in March soon. We can't delay him for too long, because he affects the farming and delays it. We don't have to fight this year, and we will all be hungry. die!"
"yes!"
Feeling Ye Mingsheng's determination, everyone present looked solemn. No one had any other thoughts. They all stood up and shouted in unison:
Everyone knows Ye Mingsheng's style. Before he makes a decision, everyone can speak freely and exchange their ideas. But after Ye Mingsheng makes a decision, everyone needs to abandon their ideas and devote themselves wholeheartedly to it. Execute Ye Mingsheng's order
Just when Ye Mingsheng was ready to confront Ji Qiwei's 30,000 Liaoyang army, he received news the next day that Ji Qiwei led his troops into the territory of Posuo Mansion.
In addition, Ye Mingsheng also received news that Jiang Chong, the artillery leader of Zhensanshan, rebelled and burned two granaries in Zhensanshan at Baihu Mountain, his home base in Zhensanshan, and then fled along the Yangtze River with two thousand cavalry. County, and his brother Jiang Yuan returned.
Putting these two pieces of news together, Ye Mingsheng suddenly realized that at the same time, he also keenly felt that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was beckoning to him...
