Luo'an, Shangguanfu
In the study, Qian Buli, who had returned from Yi Jing, presented a letter to Shangguan Hongyuan with both hands and said with great respect:
"Master Chief Assistant, the traitor Ye Mingsheng does not want to repent and insists on resisting to the end, and asked me to send this letter of challenge..."
After listening to Qian Buli's words, Shangguan Hongyuan did not change at all. He just took the letter of challenge very calmly. Looking at the content written by Ye Mingsheng himself, Shangguan Hongyuan put it aside and asked Qian Buli again. Asked:
"Did Ye Mingsheng say anything else?"
Faced with Shangguan Hongyuan's inquiry, Qian Buli hesitated and said:
"Ye Mingsheng knows the terms of the peace agreement between the imperial court and the Kipchak Khanate. In addition, he also invites you, the Chief Assistant, to join him in a battle of wars and battles!"
When Shangguan Hongyuan heard this, a strange look flashed in his eyes. Instead of talking to Qian Buli about this matter, he changed his voice and asked:
"I heard that during your mission to Yi Jing this time, Ye Mingsheng specifically approved you to visit their factories and farmland?"
When Shangguan Hongyuan asked about this, Qian Buli said with a little helplessness on his face:
"I'm telling you, Lord Chief Assistant, rather than saying that Ye Mingsheng allowed me to visit, it's more that Ye Mingsheng is showing off to me the war potential of the Fengwu Army!"
"What does war potential mean?" Upon hearing this new word, Shangguan Hongyuan also became somewhat interested.
Under Shangguan Hongyuan's gaze, Qian Buli organized his speech and introduced:
"Master Chief Assistant, this is a concept created by Ye Mingsheng. It refers to the power that can be used in war, such as population, food, firearms and the like!"
"Ye Mingsheng asked me to visit these places because he wanted to use my eyes to show the court the power of the Fengwu Army... ·”
As soon as these words came out, Shangguan Hongyuan asked calmly:
"What did you see in Yi Jingdu?"
Thinking of what he saw in Yijing, Qian Buli said in a deep voice:
"The Fengwu Army took back the land from the gentry through redemption and contracted the land to ordinary people. After owning their own land, the people's enthusiasm for production increased a lot, and they took care of the land more carefully. The production of grain increased. The output is generally higher than before!'
In addition, the Fengwu Army also developed something called chemical fertilizer and promoted its use on a large scale in the areas controlled by the Fengwu Army. It is said that the land using this fertilizer can produce 10 to 20% more food. Therefore, the Fengwu Army is currently Under the rule of Wu Jun, all prefectures and counties are striving for more fertilizers! "
Hearing Qian Buli talk about this, Shangguan Hongyuan suddenly had doubts in his heart. The Supervision Department had reported the chemical fertilizer to him half a year ago, but he did not believe in the efficacy of chemical fertilizer at that time. He only thought that this thing was Ye Mingsheng's. It was just a trick to deceive people, so I didn’t take it too seriously. He even asked Chen Jingyu not to waste his time by reporting this lake ghost thing to him.
But now Qian Buli is saying that chemical fertilizers have been promoted and applied on a large scale in the land under Fengwu Army. Is it possible that chemical fertilizers really have such a big effect?
With such doubts in his mind, Shangguan Hongyuan continued to ask:
"Qian Bu Li wants to ask you, have you seen the effects of this fertilizer with your own eyes?"
Feeling Shangguan Hongyuan's serious gaze, Qian Buli also understood that this matter was of great importance, so he said cautiously:
"I reported to the Chief Assistant. After getting Ye Mingsheng's order to allow the visit, I rode a horse throughout the large and small farms and villages around Yijing. This kind of fertilizer was used on all the land I saw. Compared with Farmland without chemical fertilizers does produce slightly more ears of rice than those with chemical fertilizers... ·”
The affirmative answer from Qian Buli's mouth immediately made Shangguan Hongyuan fall into silence. Although it was still a bit unbelievable, Shangguan Hongyuan had already made up his mind at this time. The court must obtain this fertilizer. Let’s see if this fertilizer has any effect!
People depend on food. Since ancient times, food supply has been an important factor in whether a country or a political power can achieve long-term stability!
Although Guanzhong and Sichuan are currently controlled by the Luo'an court, they are relatively prosperous places in the Zhou Dynasty and are provinces with great production. However, with the perennial wars, a large number of young and middle-aged laborers have been recruited to fight, and production and labor are left to the elderly and women. , children complete it, and production efficiency drops greatly, which also leads to a substantial drop in food production.
Grain production has declined, and the gentry and gentry have also deliberately pushed up grain prices in order to seek more profits. This has led to the fact that despite Shangguan Hongyuan's repeated orders to suppress grain prices, Guanzhong, Sichuan, Shu, Yong, Liangyun, etc. The price of food in the land has always remained high.
The high food prices made the people miserable. Many people who could not survive began to rebel. They attacked the county town, killed officials and opened granaries. Although currently under the suppression of Shangguan Hongyuan, the people's uprising has not achieved much success, but Shangguan Hongyuan also knows that if this situation continues, then I am afraid that a single spark can start a prairie fire...
Recently, Shangguan Hongyuan has been thinking about how to keep food prices down. The emergence of chemical fertilizers is undoubtedly like giving him a pillow while he is dozing off. If chemical fertilizers can really increase food production, , then it is undoubtedly a good medicine for lowering food prices.
Because he was really interested in this chemical fertilizer, Shangguan Hongyuan asked Qian Buli about other information about chemical fertilizers. It was not until Qian Buli finished telling him that he knew all about chemical fertilizers that Shangguan Hongyuan asked about other things, and Qian Buli asked again. He introduced the factory situation of Fengwu Army and told how efficient the factory of Fengwu Army was in manufacturing firearms and how good the quality of the firearms it produced was.
After listening to Qian Buli's report for more than an hour, Shangguan Hongyuan asked him to go back to accompany his family. Shangguan Hongyuan, the chief assistant of the Zhou Dynasty who was alone in the study, thought over what Qian Buli had just said.
Although it is still hard to believe that the Fengwu Army has developed to such a point, Shangguan Hongyuan also has a clear understanding. It seems that only such development can explain the rapid rise of the Fengwu Army in just a few years!
After pondering over the incense for another time, Shangguan Hongyuan took out a letter from the drawer of his desk. This letter was written to him by Wang Muzhi, the governor of Yunbing whom he appointed, five days ago!
The content of the letter was that Wang Muzhi reported to him that another group of Fengwu troops of more than 10,000 people had stationed in Jinzhong City. The Fengwu Army in Jinzhong City was mobilized frequently, and the Fengwu Army was likely to arrive in the next half month. Within a month, Zaibing launched a counterattack······························
To be honest, Shangguan Hongyuan was not surprised that the Fengwu Army launched a counterattack in the direction of Yunbin. Although he sent money to Yi Jing to discuss the truce with Ye Mingsheng, he actually did not have high expectations for the peace talks. I just wanted to use this to show Ye Mingsheng that I was willing to negotiate peace.
Shangguan Hongyuan, who has spent his life in the military, knows very well that peace cannot come. Only by beating up Fengwu Army and Ye Mingsheng can peace really come!
Therefore, Shangguan Hongyuan has been urging Wang Muzhi to prepare for war in Yunbin, paying attention to all the trends on the battlefield in Yunbin!
At this moment, the letter Wang Muzhi wrote to him in his hand was the strategy Wang Muzhi wrote to him to defend against the enemy!
Wang Muzhi believed that compared with our own side, the Fengwu Army had an absolute advantage in terms of quantity and quality of artillery, and the Fengwu Army also had certain advantages in cavalry. Therefore, according to the Fengwu Army's consistent tactics, this The first counterattack will not necessarily be covered by cavalry blockade and artillery.
Use the high-speed mobility of the cavalry to cut off the connections between the cities, leaving each city in an isolated and helpless state, and then use the absolute artillery advantage to pry open the cities one by one!
Faced with such tactics, Wang Muzhi bluntly said to Shangguan Hongyuan that it would be difficult to stop them in the Yunbin area. The five counties outside Jinzhong were not strong cities. Under the artillery bombardment of the Fengwu Army, it would be difficult to support the Taiyuan. A long time, so if all five cities are defended, then it is very likely that none of the five cities can be defended... ··
Therefore, Wang Muzhi suggested to Shangguan Hongyuan to voluntarily abandon some cities, force the Fengwu Army to divide its forces and lengthen the Fengwu Army's supply line. Wang Muzhi believed that judging from past battles, the Fengwu Army relied heavily on firearms in combat, leaving the powerful The Firearms Fengwu Army is far from that powerful!
The biggest weakness of the Fengwu Army's tactics is supply. According to the Fengwu Army's artillery fire coverage, artillery shells and gunpowder are consumed very much. Supplies must be transported from the rear to the front almost every day. Therefore, if the Fengwu Army's supply line is lengthened, , our side just has more opportunities to attack the supply line.
As long as the supplies from the rear of the Fengwu Army were cut off, Wang Muzhi would be sure to defeat the Fengwu Army. Therefore, Wang Muzhi asked Shangguan Hongyuan to allow him to abandon two or three counties to lengthen the Fengwu Army's supply line.
Shangguan Hongyuan has been very entangled in Wang Muzhi's request these days. As a veteran on the battlefield, he believes that Wang Muzhi's view is reasonable. This is currently the only feasible way to weaken the Fengwu Army's firepower advantage!
But as the chief assistant of the Zhou Dynasty who was in charge of the overall situation, Shangguan Hongyuan had to take a more comprehensive view. Although he tried his best to promote the battle in Hebei and Yu, the imperial court defeated the Fengwu Army, annihilated tens of thousands of Fengwu Army, and captured several Fengwu Army soldiers. Thousands of people captured five county towns and returned victoriously to the court!
But those officials in the imperial court are not cunning. Although they are touting this great victory on the surface, in fact everyone knows that Shangguan Hongyuan is trying to make a fool of himself. This battle between Hebei and Yu was a strategic defeat. Chaotian, so the imperial court, which was already undercurrent, was undoubtedly even more turbulent...
Against this background, coupled with the humiliating agreement signed with the Kipchak Khanate and the endless peasant uprisings in various places, Shangguan Hongyuan was exhausted. At this moment, he was doing his best to maintain the stability of the entire Luoyang Province. The operation of the imperial court.
At this moment, what Shangguan Hongyuan hopes most is that his confidant and beloved general Wang Muzhi can give the Fengwu Army a head-on blow on the battlefield of Yunbin. Only when the news of such a great victory comes back can it boost the civil and military affairs of the imperial court. The official's confidence makes those who are ready to take action fearful.
But now Wang Muzhi's battle plan actually proposes to voluntarily abandon two or three county towns and hand them over to the Fengwu Army.
Although this may be a good move in the military, it is definitely a bad move in politics. Shangguan Hongyuan can imagine that if this news reaches Luo'an, the already precarious court will undoubtedly be even more turbulent, and even The balance he strives to maintain may very well be broken!
Therefore, Shangguan Hongyuan was very confused about whether he should take this risk and asked Wang Muzhi to give it a bold try. Before hearing Qian Buli's report, Shangguan Hongyuan was still very conservative and thought it was better to err on the side of caution and play it slow!
But now after listening to Qian Buli's report and hearing about the huge gap in war potential between the Luo'an court and the Fengwu Army, Shangguan Hongyuan realized that if he wanted to defeat the Fengwu Army, he had to make a surprising move, otherwise there would be no success. Hope, instead of passively waiting for death, it is better to give it a try...
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Liaoyang, Dongning
In a certain luxurious three-entry house, an old man who was dressed luxuriously but looked like a monkey was constantly looking for his lost youth in the maid.
This person's name is Ye Sanwu, an elder of the Ye clan. A few years ago, he was a small landowner with only a few acres of land. However, with the rise of Ye Mingsheng, he, as the elder of the Ye clan, also became a father. Living in this luxurious house that he could never afford in his life.
The little maid, who was in her mid-twenties, although she was very resistant to Ye Sanwu's actions in her heart, she did not dare to resist and could only close her eyes and pretend to be bitten by a dog.
Just when Ye Sanwu was about to pick up his old gun and prepare to charge into battle, the butler's voice came from outside the door.
"Master, Ye Zhanpeng has come to visit you!"
At this moment, Ye Sanwu could not care about other people. He was very irritable and roared angrily:
"Tell him to get out of here!"
After half a cup of tea, the maid ran out of the room. When she saw the housekeeper, she walked into the room. She saw Ye Sanwu lying on the bed, savoring the taste of youth. When she saw the housekeeper walking into the room, Ye Sanwu Wu immediately said impatiently:
"What else is going on?"
The steward said cautiously:
"Master, Ye Zhanpeng said he has urgent matters to ask you..."
