Xing Youwei drank tea and glanced around at the Yanqing Guard generals in front of him.
He knew it.
When he had positions but no power, he had a deep understanding of how unpopular he was with these people in Juyongguan. Now these people come to visit him entirely because he has become the commander-in-chief of the imperial army to defeat the Liu thief.
And all the soldiers and horses of Yanqing Guard became his subordinates, and these people in front of him also became his generals.
As the direct superior of these people, naturally he did not dare to treat him lightly like before, especially since he also had the Shangfang sword sent by the emperor in his hand, which gave him the right to kill first and then report.
Back then, Xiong Tingbi went to Liaodong to preside over the overall situation as Liaodong's manager, but he received nothing more than this treatment.
"What do you think?" After drinking tea for a while, Xing Youwei asked for the first time.
Wei Cheng, the commander of the Yanqing Guards who was closest to him, said: "The imperial court sent more than 50,000 troops and horses from Liaodong this time. They are all soldiers and horses who have just experienced the victory of Ningyuan. They are a group of proud and powerful generals."
Although he didn't say it directly, the meaning in his words was obvious. He believed that Xing Youwei could not suppress the soldiers and horses from Liaodong. If he wanted to control the next army, he could only rely on the soldiers and horses of these guards.
Xing Youwei, who has been an official for many years, naturally understood the meaning of the other party's words.
However, he is the commander-in-chief of this army. How can he let go of the power he finally obtained? Moreover, as long as the Liu bandits in Datong are successfully surrounded and suppressed, even if the bandits in Xuanfu are driven away, he will no longer have nothing. Title of Governor.
"That's what you all mean?" Xing Youwei looked at the other people present, wanting to see if anyone would come forward.
However, no one spoke.
Seeing this situation, Xing Youwei was slightly disappointed.
Forget it when he had no authority before. Now the imperial court has appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the army, in charge of an army of 150,000 people. However, no one from the Yanqing Guards and several thousand households is willing to stand up. It can be seen that he has not really taken charge of this army. The commander-in-chief took it seriously.
"Don't worry, Governor, with people like us here, we will never let people from Liaodong take over." Wei Cheng, the commander of the Yanqing Guards, said with a smile.
Xing Youwei looked at Wei Cheng with a smile and said: "The imperial court has handed over to me an army of 150,000, including 50,000 troops from Liaodong. The other guards have collected the remaining 100,000 troops, and you, the Yanqing Guard, need to raise 10,000." Only five thousand troops and horses are enough.”
Upon hearing this, the Yanqing Guard Commander Wei Cheng's expression suddenly changed.
Although several thousand households of the Yanqing Guard are stationed at the main road of the Great Wall, there has been no peace in these years. Most of the generals are on empty pay. The actual number of soldiers and horses has long been insufficient. What is the shortage of soldiers in the following several thousand households? The extent, even he, the commander of the guards, couldn't explain clearly.
Let alone 15,000 troops and horses, even 10,000 troops and horses may not be enough.
"What? Commander Wei wants to disobey orders?" Xing Youwei looked at Wei Cheng, commander of Yanqing Guard, with a sneer.
Wei Cheng only felt a chill on his body.
For the first time, I realized that the Governor Xuanda in front of me was no longer a decoration. One sentence hit the key point of Yanqing Guard.
"Governor, please rest assured, there must be fifteen thousand soldiers and horses. However, the Yanqing Guards and the few thousand households below need to guard the main roads of the Great Wall and guard against bandits. They cannot bring all the soldiers and horses to Juyong Pass at the moment." Cheng told Xing Youwei about the difficulties of Yanqing Guard and several thousand households.
Xing Youwei said with a smile: "I understand the difficulties faced by the Guard Commander. It doesn't matter if people can't get through. I will send people to each thousand households to count the number of people. There is no need for the Guard Commander to bring all the soldiers and horses."
"Here," Wei Cheng looked nervous and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Please give the governor some time. The general will definitely gather more than 10,000 troops for the governor."
Xing Youwei's voice turned cold and he said: "It's not that we gather together for our generals, but the imperial court requires the Yanqing Guards to send more than 10,000 troops to join the bandit-suppressing army."
"Yes, yes, yes, join the bandit-suppressing army." Wei Cheng raised his sleeves and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He knew in his heart that once Xing Youwei pursued this matter, he would probably become the first wronged soul to die under Shang Fang's sword in the hands of the other party.
"Three days, I only give you three days. After three days, I must see 15,000 Yanqing Prefecture troops." Xing Youwei stretched out three fingers and waved them in front of Wei Cheng.
As the commander of the Yanqing Guard, he didn't want to push too hard.
Next, after the troops and horses from Liaodong arrived, he still needed the troops and horses from the guards of the rear army governor's mansion to compete with the troops and horses from Liaodong to maintain the balance of the army.
The soldiers and horses from Liaodong had just defeated an army of hundreds of thousands of slaves and bandits. It was a time when morale was at its peak. He was not Yuan Yuanyu, the governor of Liaodong, so naturally he could not suppress these arrogant soldiers and generals in Liaodong.
Therefore, the support of the generals of the rear army governor's mansion like the Yanqing Guard is indispensable.
The Yanqing Guards had to gather 15,000 troops and horses for Xing Youwei's use within three days. Wei Cheng did not stay long and took the initiative to say goodbye, and the other Qianhu generals also left with him.
In the end, only the guard of Juyong Pass was left.
"Why doesn't General Wang leave with them? Could it be that he has already collected the remaining troops and horses?" Xing Youwei said looking at Wang Moqian who stayed behind.
Wang Mogan said: "The governor has long known what is going on at Juyongguan. Let alone three days, even if you give the general a month, it will be difficult to eliminate the vacancies in the camp."
"You are telling the truth. It's not like them who always want to hide it in front of me." Xing Youwei picked up the bowl on the table and brought it to his mouth to take a sip.
Wang Moqian said: "Over the past year or so, the governor has almost figured out the situation of Yanqing Guards and several thousand households. The general feels there is no need to hide it, and it is unrealistic for the court to ask each guard to send out a hundred thousand troops. The Ministry will not really send money and food for an army of 150,000."
It has long been the norm for everyone in the Ming army to live on empty pay.
Not only the generals but also the civil servants received free pay. As long as the army's money and food were allocated by the Ministry of Household Affairs, a layer would be peeled off. He didn't believe that Xing Youwei didn't know this.
Although the places guarded by the several thousand households under the Yanqing Guard were also very important, they could add up to at most 10,000 soldiers and horses, which was not even enough. He didn't believe that Xing Youwei didn't know this.
"Now that you know it, how do you think Yanqing Guards and several thousand households will solve the problem of soldier shortages?" Xing Youwei asked Wang Moqian with interest.
Wang Mogan said: "There are only two ways to solve the shortage of soldiers. One of them is to recruit people to fill the number. As long as we take care of food, there will be no shortage of people willing to fill the number."
"Are you just pretending to be useless? Such people will only drag down the army and are of no use." Xing Youwei curled his lips contemptuously.
"Because of this, it is even more important for the Dragoon Division to join the battle." Liu Heng said, "A jade cannot be carved into a weapon. The Dragoon Division cannot hide under the wings of several combat divisions forever. Sooner or later, it will have to face these. This This is a good chance. If we win this battle, Tiger Flag will have another main force."
