From a superficial understanding, war is actually a lot of people fighting.
It's just an ordinary fight, such as stomping on the head, slapping someone, kicking someone, hitting someone with a bench, or ramming a bottle. If it looks fierce, if you send it to the hospital, they will probably give you a certificate of minor injury or minor injury.
But in war fights, medical reports of minor injuries and minor injuries are usually difficult to issue. Most of them are disability reports and death certificates.
Fights usually involve a few or dozens of people, such as some mining brothers, and it is rare for thousands of people to fight each other to the level of war.
Tie Xuan, Zhu Di, Xie Jin and others saw clearly that the issue now was not whether to attack Annan, but how to attack Annan.
In other words, now we only need to consider how big the fight will be, how many people will be brought into the fight, whether to give Hu Ji Ya a punch and make him cry for mercy, give him a knife to make him disabled, or dig a hole. Buried him.
Once this is confirmed, preparations can be made.
Chen Di pondered again and again and said: "Annan is far away, with many mountains and rivers, blocked roads, and heavy troops guarding the fortress. If we go deep into the enemy's territory, we may not be able to defeat it for a while. I think we might as well fight a small battle to show the majesty of the Ming Dynasty and the posture of the suzerain state. , and it was easy to control the war situation, overwhelm Hu Jiya, force him to abdicate, and declare himself a vassal and pay tribute."
Objectively speaking, the terrain of Annan is higher in the west and lower in the east. Hoang Lien Mountain is in the northwest, Lang Son is in the north, the Annan Mountains are in the west, and the sea is in the east. If the Ming Dynasty sends troops from Guangxi, it will face Langshan. If it sends troops from Yunnan, it will need to pass through Huanglian Mountain.
Between mountains and mountains, between mountains and rivers, and between rivers and cities, Annan has set up fortresses and checkpoints. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to capture Annan, it had to break through these barriers before it could enter the plains.
The plains of Annan are densely covered with rivers, which is not conducive to cavalry and logistics. Once the enemy cannot hold out and waits for work, and the Ming Dynasty's supply line cannot keep up, it is likely to be blocked in Annan.
From this perspective, Chen Di’s support for Xiaoda is not a sign of weakness, but rather conservative and cautious.
But Chen Di's views were quickly opposed by Xu Huizu; "Annan has become a stubborn disease. The Hu family has the courage to commit crimes and conspire to usurp the throne. They also dare to deceive me, the Ming Dynasty, and want to defraud the canonization. They only make small fuss. It can't be intimidated, let alone make it surrender. Your Majesty, I thought that I was going to fight, so I let go of the fight completely, and stepped on Ping'an Nan in one fell swoop to shock the country's prestige!"
Yu Xin frowned and said, "It may not be possible to open up and fight, right? Although Annan is a small country, according to the information, the population is more than five million. Then the Hu family will raise an army with a division of one million. It's not a lie. How difficult is it to go deep into the enemy's territory, kill millions of enemies, and capture and kill enemy chiefs?"
"I have heard that Annan and other places have a lot of rain in summer and autumn, which is prone to miasma, malaria, and poisonous insects. It can be seen that even if we use a large army, we must consider the season. Annan has mountains and water, and the city is tall, which also means that it is difficult to fight quickly. Decide quickly. In order to end the war as soon as possible, I thought that I could concentrate my strength and capture Shenglong, the eastern capital of Annan. Once Shenglong is defeated, the Hu family in Annan will lose their support and surrender to our court."
Seeing Yu Xin's analysis, Song Sheng was a little dissatisfied: "If after capturing Thang Long, the Hu family does not surrender and continues to occupy Thanh Hoa, the western capital, should we advance or withdraw? If we are defeated, the advance will not be able to advance, and all the efforts made in the withdrawal will be wasted, how can we Isn’t there no result in the battle? I agree with the Duke of Wei that only by setting foot in Annan, completely conquering the east and west capitals of Annan, and capturing the Hu family in Annan, can a stable southwest be left."
Jie Jin looked at Zhu Yunwen, unable to see through the calculation behind the calm expression. He put his hands on the edge of the table, stared in the direction of Annan, and said solemnly: "It should be the best policy to plow the courtyard to sweep holes and break through Annan, but Yu Ge must also worry about it. Think about it, and you must not forget that three expeditions to Annan in the Yuan Dynasty ended in failure, and no less than 300,000 troops were spent. If our government chooses to fight a big war, we must not underestimate the enemy and must adopt a comprehensive strategy."
After hearing Xie Jin's words, everyone fell into a brief silence.
The Yuan Dynasty fought against Annan three times. The first time was Meng Ge's conquest, which failed. The second and third times were when Kublai Khan sent people to conquer it, both of which ended in failure. No one can deny the combat effectiveness of the army in the early Yuan Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty went to Annan, would it repeat the same mistakes? This is a question that needs to be taken seriously.
Winning a war is not something you can just talk about, slap the table, and come up with ideas. You need to consider the time, location, and people.
What time?
very short!
If the battle cannot be resolved quickly, once the battle reaches the summer rainy season, the heat is unbearable, and if malaria or plague breaks out again, it is very likely that the army will suffer heavy losses and fail.
Location?
No.
Annan occupied a favorable location and set up camps based on mountains and rivers, setting up checkpoints and cities. If Ming Dynasty wanted to fight, he could only chew bones one by one. If any bone was very hard and the teeth broke, the result would be...
People and!
Ming Dynasty only has this point, only this point.
Zhu Yunwen looked at everyone and said in a deep voice: "The three defeats in Annan in the former Yuan Dynasty were all related to the season. Although Shenglong Mansion was opened several times, it was not able to avoid the hot summer and rainy season in the end. In the end, either the food route was cut off or the soldiers had difficulty adapting. , retreated in defeat. I think it is a good thing that the Qianyuan Dynasty failed. At least it told us when is the most appropriate time to send troops. Now we all weigh it, come up with ideas, and make it clear what scale of war we will fight once the imperial court sends troops."
Xu Huizu saluted and said: "I support a big fight to capture the east and west capitals of Annan."
Song Sheng, Liu Jun, and Tie Xuan expressed their support for the big fight.
Cabinet ministers Yu Xin and Chen Di insisted that it was not appropriate for the court to fight a large-scale war at the moment, and it would be difficult to support a large-scale war, so small or medium-sized wars should be the main focus. Xie Jin thought over and over again and sided with the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion.
Zhu Yunwen looked at Yang Rong and asked, "What do you think?"
Yang Rong looked at Annan in the sand table, pointed at Annan's territory, and said, "I just want to ask you and the emperor, is the attack on Annan to help the Chen family restore the country, or to open up territory for the Ming Dynasty?"
Zhu Yunwen raised his brows slightly and looked at Yang Rong in surprise.
Yang Rong didn't wait for others to reply, and said bluntly: "If we want to restore the Annan Chen family, I think we can fight small or medium. If we want to expand our territory for the Ming Dynasty, we can only fight hard. There is no other way."
Chen Di immediately objected: "Of course it is for the Chen family to restore the country! Our Ming Dynasty is the suzerain state of Annan, and Annan is a vassal state. Now that the royal family is in trouble, the Chen family has news later and helps them regain control of Annan to achieve great justice. I How can the emperor, a great dynasty, destroy the reputation of Qing Dynasty in the world because of a small area?"
In Chen Di's view, Ming Dynasty is a state of China, a country of etiquette, and will never do anything to take advantage of others, and cannot afford to shame that person.
However, Tie Xuan did not side with the civil servants this time, but said resolutely: "Chen Ge must not forget that Annan was the territory of the Central Plains as early as the Qin Dynasty, and the Annan Protectorate was also set up in the Tang Dynasty. Even if it was taken back, It is a matter of course. Besides, even if the court does not take back Annan and only helps Chen Tianping to restore the country, it still needs to be prepared for a big fight. The Hu family eliminates the Chen family ministers and takes control of Annan. If they do not completely defeat him, how can they restore the Chen family to the country? ?”
Yang Rong looked at Tie Xuan, knowing that he had said something wrong, and quickly made up for it: "Tie Shangshu is right. The Hu family dares to regicide and usurp the country, and will never surrender easily. The only way is to capture the eastern and western capitals." , can the Annan problem be solved."
Zhu Yunwen looked at the silent Zhu Di and asked, "What is Uncle Yan's opinion?"
Zhu Di clenched his fist and slammed it on the edge of the table: "War is not a child's play. Once it starts, we should go all out. At present, the strength of the Northern Yuan Dynasty is weak, and the powerful enemies in the northwest cannot look eastward. The Japanese pirates in the east have subsided, and the imperial court has enough hands. Come and deal with Annan. If we miss such a good opportunity, we may have endless troubles. My opinion is, take Annan!"
Zhu Yunwen looked at everyone and nodded with satisfaction: "Although there are voices of opposition, most people think that we need to prepare for a big fight. In this case, it is finalized that once troops are used in Annan, we will fight hard and pursue the Hu family to Biluo Huangquan. Set foot on the land of peace and security! The strategy has been decided, don’t think twice. Now, let’s discuss how to fight and how many troops should be mobilized.”
Chen Di and Yu Xin looked at each other and sighed. They were on the weak side in the military strategy of Annan.
Yu Xin knew very well that it seemed that the ministers were speaking and expressing their opinions individually, but in fact they were moving forward step by step in accordance with the direction set by Zhu Yunwen. Now that it has been determined that Annan will be completely destroyed, what is left is no longer a big military strategy, but military preparations and mobilization.
Song Sheng made some calculations, taking into account the troops dispatched by the former Yuan Dynasty, and said: "There is not a hundred thousand troops that cannot be defeated. I think it will be at least 150,000."
Xu Huizu shook his head and said: "An army of 150,000 may not be enough. You must know that we go deep into the enemy's territory. In order to prevent our retreat from being cut off, we must station a large army at every level, village, and city. Although the big city in Annan is not There are many, but there are many small cities and fortresses. Soldiers stationed along the way will inevitably be scattered. By the time the eastern capital is Thanglong, there will probably be less than 100,000 people. And there are many cities around Thanglong City, especially the important cities of many countries. , with only 100,000 troops, we can't surround the enemy. I think it can't be less than 200,000, but more than 250,000."
Xie Jin was a little worried. Two hundred and fifty thousand people would require huge logistical support.
Yes, the imperial court promoted three-season rice in Guangdong, Hainan and other places, and the effect was quite remarkable. Food was not a big problem. But the problem is that it is impossible for food to just draw a circle and go to the front line in Guangxi. It requires migrant workers and civilian power to transport it.
If we are sending food to Shandong and Peiping, it is easy to walk on the road, even if it is muddy.
But in Guangxi, a land of hundreds of thousands of mountains, the mountain roads are rugged, the terrain is dangerous, and there are occasional landslides and mudslides. A straight line of ten miles may take fifty or sixty miles, or even further.
It is easy to provide food for a few people, but it is difficult to provide food for more than 200,000 people.
If there is a sudden heavy rain one day, the mountain road is impassable, and the food behind cannot be transported, the soldiers in front will starve, the combat effectiveness will be sharply reduced, and the war will probably fail because of this.
There are many wars in history that failed due to lack of logistics. In the Battle of Changping, the Battle of Guandu, and the Battle of Gaixia, the losing side was largely because the logistics could not keep up.
"Three hundred thousand!"
Zhu Di said seriously.
This number surprised everyone.
Yu Xin was a little worried and said: "If we use three hundred thousand troops, we will not be able to feed the enemy, and we will not be able to keep up with the food and grass..."
Zhu Di picked up the bamboo pole, pointed at the Annan Mountains and Rivers, and said seriously: "There are millions of enemies, and what we are going to fight is another war to destroy the country. Without 300,000 troops, we can only take the eastern capital of Tsinglong, and we are unable to advance. Thanh Hoa, the western capital. If we want to completely eliminate the Hu family and his son once and for all, we need to mobilize 300,000 troops."
Everyone looked at Zhu Yunwen. An army of 300,000 was not a small number. In the early Ming Dynasty, when Taizu went to attack the powerful enemies of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, there were usually only a few hundred thousand or more than 200,000 troops. At most, they could only be worth 300,000 at a time.
Even when Lan Yu went on an expedition to completely eliminate the threat from Beiyuan, he only brought an army of 150,000 troops. Is it too much to use three hundred thousand troops for one Annan?
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