Facing Hong Chengchou's question, Zhang Cheng smiled calmly and said: "Returning to the governor, the last general gathered only more than a thousand remnant soldiers after the battle of Julu. After that, he went out to the town of Xuanbei according to the emperor's order, rectified the troops in the forts, and inspected the fields. After the troops were left, bandits everywhere were eliminated, and then new soldiers were recruited. The full quota of the ranger camp was only about 2,500 soldiers."
He went on to say: "After the ranger camp was trained into an army, the general will follow the emperor's decree and train an additional five thousand new warriors to serve His Majesty. Then he will lead the army to Henan Province to aid and suppress the rebellion, and recruit tens of thousands of Li Jiyu's troops in Dengfeng. The thieves selected eight thousand young men from among them, dispersed them and mixed them with the old troops into car camps, leaving only more than two thousand men and horses to be led by him personally.
In addition, thousands of bandits led by Du Youwei, the remnants of Yidou Valley in Henan Province, were also recruited. This time they came to aid Liaodong, and the final general brought them all so that they could fight for state affairs and atone for their sins. "
Zhang Cheng here exaggerated the number of bandits he recruited in Henan. Only in this way can he reasonably explain the fact that he led nearly 20,000 troops. Otherwise, he would not be able to bear the responsibility of privately recruiting troops to expand the army.
Sure enough, Hong Chengchou was satisfied with his answer. He stroked his beard and smiled and said: "That's right. You and other thieves should not have caused trouble to the place. Now that you can get this opportunity, you can serve the country and redeem yourself with meritorious service. It is indeed a great honor." Good luck to you."
He then asked Zhang Cheng: "What positions will the Dengfeng thieves Li Jiyu and Du Youwei be given after they are recruited?"
"Li Jiyu is now a guerrilla in Xuanzang, and Du Youwei is now the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Army under the last general." Zhang Cheng replied.
"Okay. Zhang Cheng, you are so brave!"
Hong Chengchou couldn't help but praise him, and he went on to say: "Not only did he keep his old subordinates, but he was also placed close to him, so that he could be kept close by and everyone could be united.
Zhongchen, you are not simple! "
Zhang Cheng's expression was calm. Although he was praised by Hong Chengchou, he did not show any joy. He stood up and replied respectfully: "The governor has given me too much praise. Zhang Cheng has long promised his loyalty to the country. He only knows how to be loyal to the king and does not dare to care about his personal power."
Hong Chengchou nodded and said: "Since most of the soldiers and horses recruit bandits and bandits, I have observed that your army's chariots and chariots are all equipped with large and small Fran cannons. How do you have so many firearms?"
Zhang Cheng replied: "Reporting to the governor, after Zhang Cheng left the town to announce the North, he gathered the craftsmen from all the forts in Yunzhou to focus on making firearms. Later, when His Majesty sent Eunuch Li Guofu to supervise the army to announce the North, Eunuch Li once helped Then he dispatched craftsmen from the palace and the capital to the general.
Therefore, the Yunzhou Craftsman Camp was able to produce so many firearms. It was all thanks to His Majesty's protection and the care of the officers from the Ministry of War and the Governor that Zhang Cheng's car camp today was possible. "
Zhang Cheng's reply brought out Li Guofu, the eunuch who was supervising the army, and hinted that Hong Chengchou, whose backing was Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, was conniving with him as the governor of Xuanda. Even the current emperor acquiesced in all this and reminded him not to interfere too much. .
"I see!"
Hong Chengchou really understood and did not ask further about the matter. He changed the subject and said: "What do you think of the Liaodong military and loyalty?"
Zhang Cheng was speechless. He sat here with himself without even drinking a sip of tea. First he was interrogated for a while, and now he was going to test himself again. Fortunately, he had already had his own thoughts on the Liaodong War.
Just listen to him say: "Master Governor, Zhang Cheng believes that the war in Liaodong should be slow rather than fast, stable rather than hasty, and prudentness should be the top priority!"
"Being cautious is the best thing... Do you also think that being cautious is the best thing?"
Hong Chengchou looked at Zhang Cheng with some doubts. It was not until Zhang Cheng nodded to him solemnly that he spoke again: "During the military meeting just now, you proposed to conduct a detailed reconnaissance to find out the distribution of the slaves and thieves. But when we marched into Songjin and proposed the joint training of all towns, the intention was to delay..."
When Hong Chengchou said this, he raised his hand and tapped the tea table gently. Seeing Zhang Cheng nod again, he added: "But even so, it can drag on for a few days."
Zhang Cheng saw that all the light in his eyes was gone, and his expression could not help but dim a bit, so he sighed in his heart: If it is like history, this Hong Chengchou really does not dare to take on this matter!
He knew it was impossible, but he still wanted to give it a try, and hurriedly said: "Supervisor, although the slave thieves are eager to attack Songjin, they cannot be defeated in ten days. According to Zhang Cheng's opinion, the slave thieves want to In our division, not the Songjin Forts."
Hong Chengchou was already a little discouraged, but when he saw Zhang Cheng talking about the Liaodong military again, he suddenly became energetic again. He looked at Zhang Cheng with bright eyes and motioned for him to continue talking.
"The slave bandits are on the front line of Songjin, with 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers. If they want to capture Jinzhou and Songshan, they have already been attacking day and night. Why have they surrounded Jin until now without increasing their troops or retreating?
His intention is not to protect Jin, but to support the army that supports Jin. The purpose of surrounding Jin is to help!
Today, our division has sent troops to Ningyuan, and sent many sentries and cavalry to stay at night. It is necessary to explore the layout of the slaves and bandits on the front line of Songjin, and also to explore the situation in the daughter valley road. At least before the slaves and bandits' layout is not clear, they cannot advance into Songjin.
In this way, our division will have at least one month to practice the joint training of all armies. If the governor can work harder, we may be able to see the situation again in March and May, and we can plan for the long term before advancing. "
"March or May?..."
Hong Chengchou murmured softly for a while, and then asked Zhang Cheng: "In your opinion, who should be in charge of the joint training of the towns?"
This time, it was Zhang Cheng's turn to be confused. He didn't know what Hong Chengchou meant. How could he, the deputy commander-in-chief, be the one to intervene in the matter of presiding over the joint training of soldiers and horses in various towns?
But since Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, asked, he had no choice but to not answer. Even if he could deal with it, he still had to have an attitude.
Zhang Cheng straightened his posture and said calmly: "Zhang Cheng arrived in Ningyuan for the first time, and he is not familiar with everything. Moreover, the joint training of the armies is of great importance, and it is not something that a general can comment on!"
Hong Chengchou looked at Zhang Cheng with deep eyes and said warmly with a smile on his face: "Zhongchen, I see that you have a gully in your chest and a strategy in your belly. You are far from being comparable to other generals. If you have something to say, there is no harm in saying it."
Zhang Cheng was speechless. Hong Chengchou was unwilling to give up. Looking at this posture, he might not be able to communicate if he didn't name one or two candidates. He immediately said seriously: "This joint training is intended to fight against the Donglu in front of the formation. We should do it in Liao Dynasty." It is only appropriate for the town to select one or two generals to preside over it.”
The smile on Hong Chengchou's face grew stronger, and he asked: "Who is suitable?"
Although Zhang Cheng was reluctant in his heart, he had to answer, and he replied: "In my opinion, Commander-in-Chief Liu of Liaodong and Commander-in-Chief Wu of Ningyuan are both famous generals in Liaodong. They have been in Liaodong for a long time and are familiar with the tactics of Donglu. He should be the best choice to host a joint training session.”
Hong Chengchou nodded slightly, as if he was very satisfied with what Zhang Cheng said. He nodded with a smile and said, "What Zhongchen said today is all about seeking the country!"
After he finished speaking, he took the teacup in his hand and blew the hot air away with his mouth from time to time without saying a word.
Zhang Cheng naturally knew that this was Governor Hong Chengchou's hint to see him off. He hurriedly stood up and left. Hong Chengchou did not try to persuade him to stay, but politely sent him to Yimen.
