The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 188

Fengxiang Mansion, south of Baoji City.

In the camp of the Ming army, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting were sitting opposite each other at this time.

Hong Chengchou's eyes were cold, and he looked at the letter in his hand in silence.

It took a long time before Hong Chengchou's slightly gloomy voice sounded in the military tent.

"Four uprights, six corners, and ten sides to spread the net?"

"An increase of 12 troops and 280 million salaries?"

Hong Chengchou's face was hidden in the shadows, making his expression unclear.

"It's really a big deal."

His tone was flat, and he couldn't hear the slightest emotion, nor could he tell whether his words were mocking or praising.

This time, Jiannu fled into the capital, and the situation in the court changed dramatically.

The original Minister of War, Zhang Fengyi, committed suicide in fear of crime, and Yang Sichang, the son of his old boss Yang He, took over as Minister of War.

Although Yang He was his boss, when the civil uprising first started, he and Yang He had disagreements because of their different views on the uprising.

He had already received the news that Yang Sichang was appointed Minister of the Ministry of War. He thought that Yang Sichang might adopt the same method of appeasement as his father Yang He, but he did not expect that Yang Sichang would also be the main suppressor, and the plan was still so radical.

"He, Yang Xiuling, sat on top of the temple, with empty mouth and white teeth. He said one sentence on the left and one sentence on every side, and another sentence on the increase of salary by 280 million and the increase of troops by 12. He said it lightly."

Sun Chuanting's face was as gloomy as water, and he couldn't help but let out a cold snort, not being polite.

He already knew what Yang Sichang said.

It is said that due to the four methods of food, overflow land, cases, and post delivery, the salary can be increased by 280 million taels, but in fact, the two methods of food and overflow land are different ways of increasing the salary.

The civil unrest in various places is getting more and more boiling, and the number of refugees is increasing day by day. At this time, the wages have to be increased. Isn't this adding fuel to the fire, and do you still think that the fire is not strong enough?
For example, one of the post offices is to sell the places of supervisors to make money, and the other is to take part of the money left over from the abolition of the post station.

Then use the money to train the new army and expand the old army.

"Suppress ten provinces together, spread the net and advance together, how easy is it?"

Hong Chengchou put down the letter in his hand, his city mansion is much deeper than Sun Chuanting's, and his energy-raising skills are much better.

He didn't express his emotions or anger, and his face was still as calm and clear as usual.

"Yang Xiuling's ability to push forward and suppress is actually very rare. If he can coordinate the provinces, this strategy of spreading the net on all sides is also a good strategy."

Sun Chuanting was too aggressive, and he acted according to his own wishes, because he also offended many people in the officialdom.

Talking and talking are sometimes aggressive, and the tone makes people extremely uncomfortable.

I am afraid that even if Yang Sichang is standing here now, Sun Chuanting would dare to say the same thing.

"The country's affairs are difficult, the turmoil in various places is unstoppable, and the bandits are rampant in the Central Plains. They rely on the fact that the provinces cannot be united in their suppression."

Sun Chuanting's face darkened slightly, and he sighed.

"As my mentor said, if the provincial governors, generals and schools can work together, this so-called ten-sided net may still be effective."

"However, if the governors of the provinces can put their minds to it and the generals are not timid, how can the civil uprising worsen to this point?"

Hong Chengchou picked up the teacup on the table, picked up the tea cover, and took a sip of tea slowly.

The truth is indeed Sun Chuanting's truth. If Yang Sichang's plan is to be implemented smoothly, the governors and generals of all provinces must work together.

But if the governors and generals of all provinces had worked together, the civil uprising would have been extinguished in Shaanxi long ago.

"There has always been a thieves, Zhang will go out everywhere, and those who are trapped will return to Qin. The civil uprising started in Qin, and most of the leaders of the 72nd Battalion are from Qin."

"Our army's repeated encirclement and suppression failed to succeed, all because of its familiarity with the terrain and its control over the terrain."

Sun Chuanting also looked at the strategy of the order. Yang Sichang's so-called strategy of spreading the net from all sides, six corners and ten sides was mostly empty talk in his eyes. .

"Suppress ten provinces and divide the troops into ten places. If the main force of the rogues enters the Qin land again, can we use one province to fight against all the rogues?"

"There are mountains all around the Qin Dynasty, and the bandits use the mountains as their nests. It is difficult to advance and suppress. The bandits roam freely in the mountains, but we cannot divide our troops to block them everywhere."

"Thieves plunder food, but soldiers can't break the way of food for thieves. The rice beans needed by soldiers are becoming more and more expensive."

Sun Chuanting was indignant and finally defined his words.

"The so-called discussion of four sides and six corners is called a trapped thief, but it is actually a self-trapped."

"If all the soldiers come to encircle and suppress them, even if they succeed, the rogues will have nowhere to go, and they will definitely occupy the whole Qin Dynasty as a cave. At that time, all four sides and six corners will be nothing but empty nets."

Hong Chengchou looked sideways slightly, glanced at Sun Chuanting, then took it back again, and returned to the teacup in his hand.

What Sun Chuanting said was actually what he thought in his heart. Yang Sichang's so-called "four positives and six corners" strategy has some feasibility, but most of it is empty talk, and many of them are just empty talk.

After all, Yang Sichang had never been on a battlefield in person, nor had he had any experience in commanding large armies to encircle and suppress. He could not see the mountains and roads in various places, nor could he see the soldiers below.

He could only see the mountains and rivers on the map, the cold death figures on the papers, and the embellished wars on the pond newspaper.

The real situation in this place, and a few more can be sent to the Forbidden City.

Not to mention that there are not many facts that can enter the eyes of the emperor, even the ministers in the cabinet are actually unable to understand the situation below.

Concealing the superior and the subordinate is effective, one level deceives one level, one level deceives one level,
Even though he has been the governor of the three sides for many years, he has many eyes and ears, but Hong Chengchou dare not say that he knows everything under him.

Sun Chuanting said indignantly.

"Nowadays, there are many generals in the army who are domineering, arrogant, and fearful of fighting. The superiors cannot control the master, and the subordinates die to benefit the people. There are too many people who are superfluous."

Then it seemed that he remembered something again, paused, and then spoke in a deep voice.

"Master, can you hear about the situation in Nanzhili?"

Hong Chengchou raised his eyebrows slightly, and turned to look at Sun Chuanting. He thought about it again, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"I heard that after the Yunxiang bandits broke through the encirclement net, they divided their forces and marched in. Zhang Xianzhong and others went east to Zhili in the south, and the beacon fire reached Huaiyang in the east."

"In the first month of this year, Zhang Xianzhong and others joined together 30 people and attacked the cities of Jiangpu, Liuhe, and Anqing separately, which caused a shock in southern Zhili, and then went west to Dengzhou to break the state city. The momentum was quite huge."

Sun Zesheng, the magistrate of Dengzhou, never cared about the sufferings of the people. He was punished harshly, tortured and killed, and the hungry people turned into robbers.

Now there are [-] shares in Qu Shuai who occupy Nanzhili, Huguang, and Henan provinces.

Among the camps, Zhang Xianzhong's troops were the strongest. In the first month of the lunar year, Zhang Xianzhong joined forces with old Hui Ma Shouying, Cao Cao Luo Rucai, and Chuangtatian Liu Guoneng to attack Anqing along the river.

Sun Chuanting's eyebrows were almost twisted into a Sichuan character, and his expression looked worried.

"Lu Jiutai has gone to Xuanda, and the position of prime minister has not yet been determined. Zuo Liangyu, Liu Liangzuo and others are arrogant and domineering, just like Zu Kuan and Li Chongzhen."

Lu Jiutai in Sun Chuanting's mouth refers to Lu Xiangsheng.

Now that Lu Xiangsheng has taken over as governor of Xuanda, his original position as prime minister has been pending for a long time.

"Zhang Yuzhen's order is just a dead letter by them."

In the first month of this year, Governor Zhang Guowei called for troops urgently, and Zuo Liangyu, Ma Lu, Liu Liangzuo and others were ordered to help.

In March, Zhang Xianzhong led tens of thousands of cavalry troops to attack Fengjiadian, divided into four mountains, and surrounded the Ming army stationed in Fengjiadian.

Shi Kefa and Xu Ziqiang, the commander-in-chief of the army, rushed to rescue them, but due to their weak strength, they dared not attack, and only fired artillery a few miles away to support them.

On the 25th, Zhang Xianzhong led the main force to launch a general offensive. Lieutenant Cheng Long and guerrilla Pan Keda led several failed attempts to break through the siege. Cheng Long and Chen Yuwang committed suicide, and Pan Keda and many other generals died in battle.

The rogues captured Hezhou, Hanshan, Dingyuan, Liuhe and other cities. The flames of war continued for hundreds of miles, and the iron hooves stepped on the seven houses.

At this time, the chief soldiers Mou Wenshou, Liu Liangzuo, Ma Yan, and Zuo Liangyu finally arrived late, and fought against Zhang Xianzhong and other troops in the Tuche River.

Zhang Xianzhong was defeated in the battle, and led his people to Huguang again, where he hid in the chaotic mountains of Zhufang in the north of Huguang.

Then Zhang Guowei, the governor of Yingtian, issued an appeal three times ordering Zuo Liangyu to enter the mountains to search and suppress, but Zuo Liangyu did not respond, and instead sent troops to plunder the local area.

Hong Chengchou frowned slightly, put down the teacup in his hand, a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

But this disdain is not for Sun Chuanting, but for Zhang Guowei and the governors in the south.

"Zuo Liangyu has been under my command for a long time, and Cao Wenzhao, He Renlong and other ministries have always been united in hunting for thieves, but they have no complaints under their orders."

"Zuo Liangyu listened to my orders, and Zuo Liangyu listened to Lu Jiutai's orders. Why didn't Zuo Liangyu listen to their orders when we arrived in Nanzhili?"

Hong Chengchou closed the tea lid, his voice was slightly gloomy, with sarcasm in his tone.

"In July, Zuo Liangyu led the troops to Kaifeng and marched from Tangzhuang in Dengfeng. They encountered most of the bandits on the way, and a big battle broke out between the two sides. They fought fiercely from early morning to afternoon, and won the bloody battle."

"Then Zuo Liangyu pursued them all the way, and encountered the enemy at the Tianjiaying in the Tanghe River. Liangyu crossed the river and attacked them, and captured a lot of people."

Hong Chengchou looked coldly, and said coldly.

Although he doesn't like Zuo Liangyu very much, Zuo Liangyu is not as honest as He Renlong, nor as sensible as Cao Wenzhao, but Zuo Liangyu is always obedient when he strides.

"What was the result? The paperwork on rewards for meritorious deeds was not reported. In September, the impeachment was accepted."

"Governor Yang Shengwu wrote a letter to impeach Zuo Liangyu for avoiding bandits and cowardly fighting, and ordered him to redeem himself."

Sun Chuanting's complexion changed slightly, but he didn't know there was such an inside story.

"If you are a subject, you will be wronged..."

Sun Chuanting wanted to speak, but just as the words came out, his voice was taken back by him, and finally turned into a long sigh.

"Ugh------"

He thought of He Renlong who had been dismissed because of defeat, and Liu Chenggong and other generals who had been dismissed because of defeat.

The general fought bravely, but in return for a defeat, he was dismissed from office, or even imprisoned for his crime.

And those defeats are often not caused by them, how can this not make people feel disheartened.

The most important frontier troops drawn from Liaodong, such as Zu Kuan and Li Chongzhen, gave them a bad head.

As long as you have strong soldiers and horses in your hands, even if you are arrogant and domineering, you will be reprimanded and impeached at most, and you will never be dismissed from office.

Even if they heard the order and did not move, those governors would at most just urge and reprimand.

Just listen to a few more reprimands, don't fight with the rogues, as long as they don't lose their soldiers, they still have soldiers in their hands, and they have enough bargaining chips, they won't have other risks.

There was a moment of silence in the military tent...

"Those of us who are governors have nothing to do with the arrangement of the court."

Hong Chengchou thought about it, although he knew that his words would not have much influence on Sun Chuanting's thoughts, but he still made a point.

Sun Chuanting is currently rectifying guards in various places in Shaanxi, and the four guards in Xi'an have been rectified by him.

The fields that were originally occupied by the four guards and the lack of sergeants were almost filled by him. For the first time, the guards of the four guards had combat effectiveness.

During the Battle of Jingyang, those guards actually blocked the cavalry army led by Li Zicheng.

Although Li Zicheng didn't want to fight to the death at that time, he just wanted to rush out of the encirclement net, but for the guards, it was already a remarkable achievement for the guards to face the rogue elite cavalry who charged on the plains without collapsing, and even fought hand-to-hand for several battles. record.

The guards are available, and the guards can provide food and salaries in order to ensure self-sufficiency. This is something that was unimaginable before, but Sun Chuanting did it.

Sun Chuanting has an extraordinary talent in governance and military affairs. He can find out the key points at a glance and make changes swiftly and swiftly.

but……

Sun Chuanting's behavior is undoubtedly a tiger's mouth.

Cutting off people's fortunes is like killing their parents, and Sun Chuanting is not only cutting off people's fortunes, he even smashed other people's jobs.

During this period of time, Sun Chuanting has offended too many people by rectifying the guards and government affairs. I am afraid that the position of governor will not last long.

Hong Chengchou saw all those gossips and little tricks behind the scenes.

But Hong Chengchou didn't mean to take care of it, some things are better not to be provoked.

Hong Chengchou knew Sun Chuanting well, not just in general, but very well.

He knew very well that even if he told the truth about the problem, Sun Chuanting would not change the original plan, and would continue to rectify the guard in this way, even more aggressively.

Sun Chuanting's sharpness is too strong, too upright, he doesn't know what it means to bow his head.

But because of this, Sun Chuanting is Sun Chuanting.

Compared with Sun Chuanting who showed his sharpness.

Chen Wang's methods were much milder. He rebuilt the guardhouse, used Guan Guan and Sun Chuanting's name to collect unowned land, recruited refugees to serve as military households, trained guards to enrich the city's defenses, and liberated the battalion so that they could move around. .

Hong Chengchou picked up the teacup that was put aside again.

Hong Chengchou knew about Chen Wang's appointment as the commander of Hanzhong Wei and Tongzhi beforehand.

Before asking for orders, Chen Wang had already explained the situation to Hong Chengchou in advance.

Chen Wang listened to Cao Wenzhao's suggestion.

Cao Wenzhao's ability to figure out people's psychology is at its peak. Hong Chengchou is suspicious, so his suggestion is to inform Hong Chengchou before making some decisions, and remember not to hide it.

If you can't tell the seriousness, then report everything and play everything, as a direct descendant, you must act as a direct descendant.

(End of this chapter)