Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 188
After the officials made up their minds, there was no need to hide the news so much.

The reason why the officials asked him not to disclose it before was mainly because they had not yet made a final decision. If the news leaked on a large scale, the officials might be coerced by public opinion.

Now that the determination has been made, there is no need to sneak around anymore. Shi Congyun summoned all the commanders and above officers in the army and ordered them to step up training and prepare for battle, especially the newly formed third and fourth hatchbacks of Control Crane.

Because if he were to arrange this battle, he would prefer the veterans to play the main force and bring the newly formed hatchback to follow training.

Generally speaking, the southern army is easier to deal with, it is better than letting them face Liao directly.

However, the specific arrangement is not something he can decide alone. In the end, it still needs to be discussed and decided by the Privy Council, and the officials nod.

In mid-April, when the first batch of iron artillery was produced, Shi Congyun went to the river to test the explosion, and named it Huolei himself.

The final effect was much better than he had imagined. The power of the explosion tore apart the live sheep within one or two meters, causing them to be bloody and bloody. Although the iron armor hit by fragments more than a dozen steps away was not penetrated, it was also dented.

Zhao Shijian, Feng Jisheng, Guo Tingwei, Luqiu Zhongqing, Si Chao, Pan Mei, Wang Zhong, Shao Ji and other lieutenant generals who were present were stunned, and then exclaimed with joy.

Shi Congyun was not that excited, because it was expected.

The Song, Xia, Liao, and Jin dynasties were the peak era of heavy armor in China. The stepper armor of the Song Dynasty, the iron kite of Xixia, and the iron Buddha of the Jin Dynasty were all famous for their thick armor armed to the teeth.

But in the Southern Song Dynasty and after that, heavy armor began to decline, why?Because of the rise of gunpowder, the Song Dynasty’s iron fire thunder clearly recorded that the iron pieces after detonation could penetrate the heavy armor of the Jin army, and it was also an important means for the Southern Song Dynasty to fight against the Jin army.

With the rise of gunpowder weapons, the status of heavy armor has been declining.

In the past, wearing tens of catties of heavy armor on the body can really make the elite charge into the battle without fear of arrows and ordinary swords, sacrificing mobility for abnormal defense.

As a result, once the gunpowder is released, no high defense is useless in front of the powerful kinetic energy. If the super-heavy armor cannot provide effective defense, it will become a huge burden.Therefore, in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, heavy armor was gradually eliminated, and cotton armor with reduced defense but lighter weight gradually rose.

The gunpowder formula with the addition of messy things in the Song Dynasty can penetrate heavy armor, let alone his improved one.

At present, what Shi Congyun is most worried about is not the power of gunpowder, but the production of gunpowder and weather restrictions. The production of this kind of thing is too small, and it is very afraid of water.

If the output doesn't increase, it's useless no matter how powerful it is. It's impossible for him to defeat tens of thousands of troops with a few hundred fire mines. It's not enough to give a few thousand mines. If there are tens of thousands, that's fine.
But that was daydreaming.

Feng Jisheng made it clear that by June, at most three to five hundred catties of gunpowder could be produced. Each bowl of Huolei is as big as a catty of gunpowder, and it can hold a little more than one catty of gunpowder. That is to say, it may eventually produce five hundred catties. or so.

Five hundred, that is, to test the waters.

On the other side, Shi Congyun also began to specially select [-] veterans who controlled the catapult from the crane control army, and let them train the use of fire mines.

At present, it is still the most primitive tactic, ignite the fuse, and then use a small trebuchet to throw it out, in order to kill the enemy.

At the end of April, the officials ordered Shi Congyun to be summoned to the palace to discuss the final arrangement of dispatching troops with officials of the Privy Council.

This matter has been discussed for two full days. Everyone has repeatedly scrutinized the details. In the end, it was decided that the battle should be handed over to the Crane Control Army. After considering various factors such as local military strength, whether the country can support it, and training recruits, it was finally discussed. When the plan came, the officials agreed.

The troop dispatch plan formulated by the Privy Council generally still uses Shi Congyun as the recruitment envoy of the Southwest Capital, leading the whole army to crusade against the twelve prefectures of Wuping and Nanping.

In the name of using the road to conquer Shu, they asked to enter the territory of the two countries. If they agreed, they would quickly occupy the important passes and traffic arteries of the two places after entering the country, and force them to surrender.

If they do not agree, it is impossible to directly attack by threatening them to surrender by force.

As for how to fight and whether to fight, Shi Congyun, the commander-in-chief, can make a temporary decision on his own.

The military configuration is 4 people in the Crane Army, 1 people in the Yulang Army, and a total of [-] soldiers. The township soldiers along the way are recruited, and the civilian husbands provide logistical support for the army.

The food will be mobilized by Daliang and transported through the line of Zhengzhou, Xuchang, Nanyang, and Xiangyang, and the route of dispatching troops is roughly the same.

Of the 4 Crane-Controlling Army, 1 will be dispatched from each of the four quarters. This guarantees that the [-] Crane-Controlling Army will have [-] veterans and [-] recruits. The veterans are the backbone, and the recruits will learn as they fight.

After the recruits have combat experience, they can exchange and learn with the rest of the recruits when they come back. This was proposed by Shi Congyun, and the officials agreed.

In the same way, Yu Langzhi had two armies on each side.

This troop ratio was agreed by the Privy Council and officials, so he approved his troop dispatch plan.

The next step is the selection of important generals. Shi Congyun is the head coach, and he recruits envoys to take charge of the overall command. It is impossible to personally lead troops to fight.

Just like in the Battle of Huainan, Shi Congyun's command was sure to be true, but Zhou Jun's victory was also inseparable from his fierce general Ruyun.

Daddy Shi Yanchao is the number one general of the Great Zhou, and Xiang Xun, Si Chao, Wang Zhong, Shao Ji, Wang Huan, Cao Bin, Zhao Chao, Li Chuyun, Li Chongjin, Zhang Yongde, Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Shenqi, Gao Huaide, Han Lingkun, Dong Zunhui, Luo Yanhuan, Murong Yanzhao and many other generals have carried out his orders forcefully, which is also the key to ensure that his order to recruit envoys can be carried out and finally win.

Otherwise, even if Zhuge Liang is clever and clever at the top, and the execution at the bottom is very crotch, the battle will not be won.

Therefore, as the most important part of war preparations, appointing generals is also very important. Whether you can find suitable generals is very important to the success or failure of the war. There are many tragedies in the history of entrusting non-humans to lead to the failure of wars.

So Shi Congyun didn't answer directly that day, but said to the official: "The official, the matter is important, please allow me to think carefully, and I will personally enter the palace to give the official an answer."

Officials also understand the importance of this matter, just as Wang Pu promoted Xiang Xun when he won the war against Shu, and Xiang Xun recommended Shi Congyun, and it turns out that Xiang Xun and Shi Congyun were both in the battle The key to victory.

So at that time, the officials rewarded Wang Pu specifically for this matter.

After the official appointed Shi Congyun as the envoy to recruit the capital and won the great victory in Huainan, the prestige also increased greatly. People think that the official is a wise master.

So point will be very important, the officials also nodded and agreed to let him think about it for two days.

After returning home, Shi Congyun was actually very conflicted. He had some candidates in mind, first of all, Li Chuyun, Si Chao, Wang Shenqi, Wang Zhong, Shao Ji, Dong Zunhui, Shen Zhiyi, etc.
There are too many candidates, and many of them are his loyal old subordinates, but Zhao Kuangyin is actually the one he feels most at ease with.
When fighting Huainan, Zhao Kuangyin was in the second echelon whose contribution was second only to his, and compared with Shi Yanchao and Li Chongjin in the second echelon, he was obviously the leader.

In other words, he was the second most important hero in the Battle of Huainan, the victory of Qingliuguan, the breakthrough of Chuzhou, the victory of Liuhe, etc., and Shi Congyun also knew that if he had not come to this world, then Zijin Mountain The Great Victory and Tushan Great Victory will still be won by Zhao Kuangyin.

In other words, he will be the number one hero in the entire Huainan battle.

But Shi Congyun couldn't let go of his worries. Zhao Kuangyin's ability was too great to make him uneasy, and Zhao Kuangyin's various actions later in history made him unable to use this person with complete confidence.

But rationally, if it is for the sake of victory in the war, it is obviously the best choice to use a wise and brave general like Zhao Kuangyin. He is also afraid that Zhao Kuangyin will soar into the sky like in history after his meritorious service, and eventually backlash himself
So Shi Congyun couldn't make up his mind for a long time that night, and didn't know what to do.

But what he didn't know was that he was not the only one who was entangled, and Zhao Kuangyin from the Zhao Mansion who was also in Daliang City was also very entangled.

Zhao Kuangyin was born in a military family. He was born and raised in the Jiama camp in Luoyang, so he has the heroic spirit of a soldier since he was a child, but his current achievements are far higher than those of his parents.

He had no expression on his black face, and there was a letter on the stone table in front of him.

This is from Zhang Yongde from Hebei. The relationship between him and Zhang Yongde has always been very good. There are elements of clinging to Zhang Yongde because of Zhang Yongde's identity, and there is also a sincere friendship.

Zhang Yongde said in the letter that the Khitans really harassed the border continuously, and hoped that he would go north to help defend Hebei and resist the Khitans.

But at the same time, as a senior official in front of the palace, he also knew that the officials were preparing to send troops to Jingchu, and they were recruiting envoy Shi Congyun.

Shi Congyun has always been a marshal who is used to fighting, and everyone in the army agrees with this.

It's just that Zhang Yongde has already spoken, and Zhang Yongde is also a relative of the emperor, with great power, and he is also the head of the front office, his highest official.

For a while, Zhao Kuangyin also fell into a dilemma, whether to follow Zhang Yongde or Shi Congyun?
Zhang Yongde is very powerful, he is still a member of the royal family, and he is trusted by the officials.

Shi Congyun is used to fighting and has made countless contributions. Following him must have merit,

He couldn't make up his mind for a while.
Just when he was in a dilemma and couldn't make up his mind, his third brother Zhao Kuangyi came and asked him to eat in the front hall.

He nodded in agreement, and went with his chubby younger brother, still thinking about what happened just now on the way.

"Second brother, is something on your mind?"

For this younger brother who is 12 years younger than himself, Zhao Kuangyin has always loved and cared for him very much, because he thinks the third brother is very smart, so he nodded when he asked this question, and did not hide his worries just now.

The two walked while talking, and unknowingly slowed down.

As a result, Zhao Kuangyi stopped after hearing this, and said anxiously: "Second brother is confused, so what if Shi Congyun can fight, the so-called great achievements, I am afraid that the officials will be suspicious. Zhang Yongde is a relative of the official family. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the palace, which is a testament to trust, and only with him can he show his loyalty to the official family, and he will surely flourish in the future."

Zhao Kuangyin was taken aback for a moment, his younger brother was very insightful, but he just nodded slightly to change the subject, "Let's go eat quickly."

(End of this chapter)