Chapter 94 Song Sheng’s Thoughts
Outside Yulin City.
Song Sheng has been in Yulin for the past two years. Not only is he in Yulin, but Shaanxi Dusi's heavy troops are also on the front line in Yulin. But in Yulin City, Song Sheng did not have many troops. Instead, they are scattered among Yanbian Castle.
On the one hand, these Yanbian castles were the defense lines built by Song Sheng during this period, blocking the road from the north to the south along the mountains and rivers.
On the other hand, it is also a very embarrassing question.
That is a place for the army to eat.
Yes, Shaanxi Dusi has hundreds of thousands of troops deployed in Yulin, Yan'an and other places. The local area cannot bear it, the local area cannot bear it, and the rear cannot bear it either.
The food in Guanzhong is not bad. But Guanzhong is no longer the land of abundance it once was. The food in Guanzhong is not enough to support frontline consumption. It should be noted that there are many health centers in Guanzhong. The soldiers and horses of these guards are all on the front line. That is to say, the backbone of many families and important labor force are on the front line. A reduction in grain production in Guanzhong is inevitable.
However, food consumption is not low. There is an increase.
After all, food suffers alarming losses during transportation. Everyone knows.
If these people were in Guanzhong, the food in Guanzhong would not only be enough to eat. And redundant. But now that they are on the front line and have so much extra distance, it is different. Grain must be transported from Sichuan.
To transport grain from Sichuan to Yulin for ten shi, it is estimated that more than ten shi of grain will be consumed.
The Confederate army cannot bear this kind of consumption.
The two sides haven't started fighting yet, but just being here is already too much for the other side.
Song Sheng could only think of a way.
What can he think of? Naturally, it’s farming.
Spread your troops out. If more land is cultivated, even the land in the northwest will yield almost no harvest. If managed well, one acre of land will only produce a few bushels of millet. Not wheat, but millet. Because of the dry weather here, I can only grow this.
But no matter what, if the front line eats less, it is equivalent to saving several buckets of food for the rear.
However, Song Sheng was extremely shocked at this moment.
Song Sheng saw the continuous large camps outside Yulin City.
Song Sheng looked carefully with a telescope.
A large camp, he estimated, was composed of a regiment of the Northern Army. He counted a dozen large camps in total, probably two armies of the Northern Army. In addition, there are a large number of Mongolian cavalry. The Mongolian cavalry was temporarily recruited and the number was not as large as that of the Northern Army. But there are tens of thousands.
There were at least 100,000 troops in front of him.
even more.
So much so that in front of him, there was nothing else at all. In the open space outside Yulin City, there were not only troops but also troops.
What surprised Song Sheng the most was that during lunch, countless cooking smoke came out and various smells drifted over. Song Sheng counted the stoves carefully to judge the number of troops, but Song Sheng couldn't count how many they were. What surprised Song Sheng even more was the food on the opposite side.
Nanyang rice, beef and mutton from Monan, fresh vegetables, and even canned fish.
And there are many things Song Sheng has never seen before.
Song Sheng watched with countless panics in his heart.
Song Sheng fought in many wars. I have seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It’s not like he’s never seen blood before, but it’s because he’s seen it that he’s afraid.
As the head coach, what can he eat here in Yulin? Persimmons, red dates, Yellow River carp, and seasonal vegetables. Or goat meat. But this is his meal. What can the soldiers below eat? Millet cannot make rice. No, in many cases millet is not dry rice.
It's fried rice. Or various hard dry foods made from millet.
Having enough to eat is the greatest luck for a soldier.
Song Sheng has already done a lot of work to even make the people below him well fed. In addition, Song Sheng built several large warehouses in the city near Yulin, with a total stock of more than 100,000 grains. This already made Song Sheng feel very proud.
He felt that what he had done was good enough.
With this kind of reserve to defend the city, he could defend it for more than a year.
But what was the army doing in the North?
Compared with the logistics system of the Northern Army, Song Sheng was speechless when facing his soldiers.
That’s all. What Song Sheng is most worried about is, can such a war be won?
Song Sheng secretly made up his mind. He thought to himself, "I'll make preparations earlier instead."
Song Sheng had no intention of defecting.
This has nothing to do with whether Song Sheng feels that Beijing is orthodox or Nanjing is orthodox, but that Song Sheng knows that if he does not show his ability, there will be no good future in either Beijing or Nanjing.
If you meet the Northern Army, you will feel that the opponent has a great advantage and you have a small advantage. Just surrendered. Who will think highly of yourself in the future?
Therefore, even though he was shaken deep in his heart. He would not choose this time or place to change the door.
What he had in mind was simple, that is, to withdraw his troops. Abandon this place and withdraw the battle line south.
If the battle line is withdrawn a little further south, a little more food can be saved, and the Southern Army's logistical advantage will be greater. It will be easier for him to fight. But now, before the fight even starts, the outcome is already very obvious.
It's just that Song Sheng also knows how to retreat, and it's not just as simple as giving up Yulin.
Ning County and Gansu Province are all located to the north of Yulin. Once given up, these places will be left alone.
Can the local garrison still insist on being loyal to the imperial court?
Song Sheng knew it was impossible.
After all, this is not facing a foreign enemy. The man in Beijing is also named Zhu. Nanjing gave up on them, and they would not have any psychological burden if they defected.
Even from a military perspective, it is a good deal.
Places such as Gansu and Ningxia are negative assets for Ming Dynasty, both financially and militarily.
It takes a lot of effort to maintain every year. In peacetime there is no problem. But it is a very big problem today.
Moreover, Gansu and other places were originally the protrusions of the Ming Dynasty to the northwest. Before, the entire northwest was in the hands of Nanjing, and there was no problem. But now Yulin is under threat. The garrison in Gansu is of no use to the struggle for supremacy in the world.
Funds everywhere in the imperial court were very tight. Wouldn't it be a matter of course to withdraw Gansu and Ningxia?
But politically, abandoning land is simply a huge loss.
There are many people who have Song Sheng's idea, but no one dares to put it forward. Song Sheng didn't dare either.
He wants to form a fait accompli.
There are many ways to do this.
At least the troops from Gansu must be withdrawn. But retreating is a difficult matter, not to mention that under the garrison system, the families of the troops stationed in Ningxia, Gansu Province are all local. Do you want to withdraw the troops? If you don't bring your families, the loyalty of these troops is also very doubtful.
But if the military and their families are withdrawn, there will be too many things.
Song Sheng was thinking about this matter secretly, but how to do it specifically needed to be communicated with all parties. Otherwise, he is likely to become a scapegoat.
