"Chen Yongfu wants to lead his troops north?"
Luo Zhixue frowned involuntarily as he digested the news brought back by Shi Wenbin in a hurry: "The First Infantry Battalion on the front line is not too close to Nanyang Fucheng. Why does Chen Yongfu go north?"
There was something unusual about this.
Although it sounds like it is natural for officers and soldiers to come to encircle and suppress these rebels, it must be analyzed in detail based on the current situation.
Nowadays, there are not many main force of officers and soldiers in Nanyang Mansion. Except for some local guards and young men recruited temporarily, the main force of officers and soldiers is only Chen Yongfu's department. According to various intelligence, Chen Yongfu currently commands quite a lot of officers and soldiers. Yes, there should be five thousand people, but it is impossible for all five thousand people to be soldiers.
According to reliable information, Chen Yongfu has only about 2,000 soldiers under his command, and the other 3,000 are ordinary guardsmen under his command.
This is also more in line with the composition model of the contemporary Ming army. A general at the level of commander-in-chief or deputy commander-in-chief often has thousands of direct line soldiers, ranging from one to two thousand to as many as three to five thousand. In particularly rare cases, there are also He is the deputy commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief, who only has a few hundred soldiers.
These soldiers are the foundation for the achievements of these generals and the core combat strength of the troops they lead.
At the same time, the governors, governors and other commanders and civilian officials above them often dispatch a number of other generals, such as guerrillas, deputy generals and other ordinary guardsmen, and even temporarily recruited young men to join them, thus forming an independent fighting force. The main force of the Ming Army.
Ming generals active in the Central Plains such as Zuo Liangyu, Cao Wenzhao, Chen Zhibang, and Chen Yongfu basically commanded troops in this model.
To measure whether a general of the Ming Dynasty can fight, basically it depends on how many soldiers he has in his direct lineage, regardless of whether they are in the Jiliao area or the Central Plains.
Chen Yongfu has two thousand soldiers under his command, plus the other three thousand ordinary officers and soldiers under his command, there are five thousand people in total, mainly garrisoned in Nanyang City, and some are garrisoned in nearby Zhenping and Xinye in the south.
As for the more than a thousand Ming troops stationed in Nanzhao County, they have nothing to do with him. The local officers and soldiers, like the nearly two thousand officers and soldiers at Luyang Pass, are all local guardsmen and have been stationed at the three passes of Yalu for many years. .
The only mission of these local guards officers and soldiers in recent years is to ensure the safety of the Luyang Pass defense line and prevent large-scale bandits from passing through Luyang Pass to and from Ruzhou and Nanyang Prefecture.
This is also the reason why Chen Yongfu was unwilling to go there after hearing the request for help from Nanzhao County.
Because the officers and soldiers in Nanzhao County had nothing to do with him, rescue in the past was a matter of friendship, not duty.
Chen Yongfu also has an important strategic task, which is to guard Nanyang, and also to prevent a large number of bandits from running from Runing Mansion to Nanyang Mansion and returning west.
Luo Zhixue knew something about these situations, so he had concluded before that as long as he did not overly stimulate Chen Yongfu and did not send troops close to Nanyang Fucheng, Zhenping, and Neixiang, Chen Yongfu would not pay too much attention to him.
After all, only two to three thousand soldiers of the Baoxiang Army were able to survive, and the number of troops active on the south bank of Baihe River was only eight or nine hundred, not even one thousand.
In the eyes of the officers and soldiers, compared to the main bandit force of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of bandits united by multiple units, the hundreds of thousands of bandits like the Baoxiang Army are just petty thieves, and they are not looked down upon at all. Set your sights on them.
When he was in Ruzhou before, Chen Zhibang was not distracted by small-scale bandits such as the Baoxiang Army, but concentrated on fighting against the main force of bandits.
However, this time Chen Yongfu will turn his attention to himself?
And are you preparing to gather troops and go north to encircle and suppress yourself?
Luo Zhixue didn't know at all that Chen Yongfu had no intention of gathering troops to go north. What prompted him to make this decision was not the threat of the rural protection army, but the fact that Xuanmo, who was legally in prison, ordered him to The order was given to him to lead his troops to defend the Lu family and prevent the main force of bandits from returning westward through the Lu family.
And Chen Yongfu didn't want to go to the Lushi sinkhole. If he went there, he might be attacked by tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of bandits.
Chen Yongfu doesn’t want to die in battle yet…
So, at the reminder of his staff, Chen Yongfu took a curve to save the country... Using the excuse that the Funiu Mountain bandits went south to wreak havoc on the countryside, threatening Nanzhao County and the entire northern part of Nanyang Prefecture, he led his army north to Nanzhao County to find protection for the countryside. The army was in trouble, and then avoided Xuanmo's irregular order.
Even Chen Yongfu did not intend to completely kill Luo Zhixue in one go. He had to try to delay the war, preferably until the situation became clear.
For example, the main force of thieves led by Gao Yingxiang was dragged back westward from other places successfully!
Chen Yongfu's thoughts were only told to a few close confidants. As for outsiders, even the other senior officials of Nanyang Mansion did not know that Chen Yongfu was going north this time to play soy sauce and delay time.
Luo Zhixue from Li Qingdian was even less aware of Chen Yongfu's plan.
Therefore, he judged others by himself and felt that he could not understand Chen Yongfu's thoughts.
However, no matter why Chen Yongfu wanted to lead his troops northward, and no matter what changes occurred in the external environment, it was a fact that Chen Yongfu was about to lead his troops northward.
Luo Zhixue naturally had to respond accordingly.
That night, Luo Zhixue urgently summoned An Yongduo, Wang Dazhuang, Huang Guangmao, Fei Bingqing and other generals who were staying in Li Qingdian, and informed them of the news that Chen Yongfu was about to lead his army north.
After hearing the news reported by Luo Zhixue, An Yongduo frowned: "Chen Yongfu led his army to the north. This is not easy to deal with. Our current strength is not enough."
"Now we only have four battalions and four sentries in total. The Second Infantry Battalion stayed in Songjiazhuang to suppress the local area and control the eastern peripheral area of Funiu Mountain. If necessary, we will retreat to Funiu Mountain to ensure the safety of Songshan Village."
"Although the personnel of the Fourth Infantry Battalion left in Li Qingdian are in place, they have not completed basic tactical formation training and only have more than fifty muskets."
"According to our plan, the Fourth Infantry Battalion will need about half a month of intensive training before it can complete basic tactical training and wait for a sufficient amount of muskets to be sent from Songshan Village. In other words, it will take about half a month for the fourth infantry battalion to complete its basic tactical training. Four infantry battalions can form basic combat effectiveness."
"Now, it's still a little early. "
"Excluding these two battalions, the main infantry forces we can use are the 1st Infantry Battalion and the 3rd Infantry Battalion. Even with the help of the 1st Cavalry Post and the 1st Artillery Post, the pressure will be very high."
"According to the information we have gathered, Chen Yongfu has a total of five thousand soldiers and horses. Even if he does not bring all his troops to the north, there should still be more than three thousand men, and I am afraid there will be more than a thousand soldiers. ."
"At that time, we will probably have less than half of the opponent's strength in terms of strength."
At this time, Huang Guangmao spoke: "I'm afraid there won't be even half of them. There are also some local guardsmen in Nanyang Mansion, and when officers and soldiers are dispatched, they often forcibly recruit a large number of young men. Once Chen Yongfu goes north, in addition to his own troops, I will bring at least three thousand guards and young men with me."
"In addition, although Chen Yongfu doesn't have many cavalry under his command, he can pull out at least two to three hundred cavalry. It's hard to say whether they are elite, but fighting on horseback will not be a big problem."
"Once Chen Yongfu really comes to us, then the number of troops dispatched will probably be five thousand. The combat soldiers will not be less than a thousand, the cavalry will not be less than 200, and the various types of short artillery will not be less than 1,000. few."
Huang Guangmao was a general of the Ming army before, and he was still a mid-level general at the level of Dusi. He was quite familiar with some of the military habits and fighting styles of officers and soldiers.
After hearing that Huang Guangmao concluded that Chen Yongfu's troops were most likely to be 5,000, and that there were also many cavalry and cannons, the faces of everyone present became even more ugly.
Wang Dazhuang said: "It's too early. According to our previous plan, we will not engage in large-scale battles with officers and soldiers so early. According to the plan, we will have to wait at least until the completion of our six battalions and two outposts plan in April."
"It's only March 18th. Our 4th Infantry Battalion has just been fully reorganized. The 5th Infantry Battalion and 6th Infantry Battalion have not yet been formed. Even the six long guns of the Second Artillery Post have not been built yet."
"General, we cannot fight head-on with the officers and soldiers too early. We need time. We need time to complete the six battalions and two outposts plan."
"We have to wait until the beginning of April at the earliest, when my 4th Infantry Battalion completes tactical training, and then wait until after the musketry to fight with the officers and soldiers."
Anyongduo said: "This is no longer something we can decide. Chen Yongfu is preparing to lead his troops to kill him. We cannot remain indifferent. We must prepare for the battle immediately."
"But just like Brother Wang said, we cannot engage in a decisive battle with them too early. We must delay for half a month until the Fourth Infantry Battalion completes tactical training and is equipped with enough muskets before looking for opportunities to fight against the enemy. Army, destroy the enemy in one fell swoop.”
Listening to the words of many generals under his command, Luo Zhixue did not intervene too much in the discussion.
Now he is not discussing with everyone, but listening to other people's opinions and providing certain suggestions for his final decision.
So while listening, Luo Zhixue was also thinking about how to deal with it.
When everyone had finished talking, Luo Zhixue coughed lightly and looked up at everyone.
An Yongduo, Wang Dazhuang, Huang Guangmao, Fei Bingqing and others immediately stopped their original arguments and turned to look at Luo Zhixue. They couldn't help but sit upright and raise their heads and chests!
Based on their understanding of Luo Zhixue, Luo Zhixue would often make the final decision and issue relevant orders at this time.
Sure enough, Luo Zhixue said unhurriedly: "The enemy's attack is imminent, and the attack is fierce. The officers and soldiers in all departments, camps, and posts must be prepared for a big, hard, and long battle! "
"The war is imminent, and no one should take any chances or neglect. We must face this enemy attack with the utmost importance."
"If you win this battle, you will have a smooth journey; if you lose, you will die without a burial place!"
"I hope you guys will be careful!"
