Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 254
"The lower official was ordered to supervise the army Ning Jin. He has been here for more than a year. He has also searched around in order to understand the local situation. It just so happens that the supervisor of Shicai asked about Yizhou. He has some opinions. Now the official is throwing bricks and stones to provide for him. Please refer to the supervisor for details, if there is anything inappropriate, I hope the supervisor and Mr. Shen can correct me!"

A map of western Liaoning was placed on the table in the study room in the backyard of the military equipment department. Hong Chengchou, Zhang Dou, and Shen Shiyu surrounded the table and looked down.

Zhang Dou, who was about [-] years old, was a chief officer in the Ministry of War. He was diligent and good at planning.Last year, Zhu Youjian decreed that the eunuchs serving as supervisors in various ministries would be withdrawn, and the Ministry of War and Jin Yiwei would select suitable officials and send them to the various ministries to supervise the army.Because Zhang Dou had no foundation in the Ministry of War, he was sent outside the customs where no one wanted to come.

Liang Chao, the eunuch who supervised the army in western Liaoning, was greedy and domineering, and even Zu Dashou was ignored.He often asked the generals for property under the banner of nobles in the palace, which was very unpopular in western Liaoning, which made the post of supervisor hated by the generals and soldiers, and also made Zhang Dou, who succeeded the Liang Dynasty, unpopular everywhere.

Zhang Dou had anticipated all this, so while calmly facing all kinds of cold faces, he often went on tour in casual clothes in order to learn more about the situation in the west of Liaoning.

"If Yuheng has something to say, just say it. One person counts the short, and three people count the long. As long as the public is loyal to the country, why is it inappropriate? , Only then can you show your personal talents! When the situation is stable in the future, I will report the meritorious persons to the Holy One impartially!"

Hong Chengchou said softly.

Having been in the rivers and lakes for a long time, he naturally understands Zhang Dou's difficulties.Not to mention a supervising army, even as an imperial supervisor and a bachelor, it would be quite difficult for him to make a difference in Ning Jin without external help.

"The lower official thanked the supervisor for his kindness, that is, as a courtier, everything should be state affairs, and what the lower official does is to do his duty. Half a year after coming to Ningjin, the lower official accidentally learned about righteousness from others. There was an enemy in the state, so I spent a lot of time trying to inquire about it, and finally I knew a little about it. Yizhou Jianlu had five full-stories and 500 people. They belonged to the Xiangbai Banner. Lazhangjing led the belt, including [-] cavalry, and the rest were infantry. It has tens of thousands of acres of farmland in Yizhou, and was mainly developed along the north bank of the Daling River to facilitate the use of river water for irrigation. More than [-] people were looted Han men and women farmed for them. Yizhou City was built on the back of the Daling River, less than a hundred miles away from Jinzhou. Yizhou is an outpost, where they usually stockpile food and supplies for war. Once the slave chieftains realize that the time has come, they will mobilize soldiers to attack Jinzhou and Songshan in order to seize the entire western Liaoning and open up the northeast of our Ming Dynasty. The gate of the city, and then went straight to Yuguan! The officials thought that the war would probably happen within two years. If this is the case, the capital will hear the police day and night! If the supervisor wants to rectify the border affairs of Ningjin, Yizhou must be taken place!"

Zhang Dou leaned forward, pointing his fingers at Yizhou and its surrounding areas on the map, and talked freely.

Hong Chengchou stroked his beard and concentrated his thoughts for a while, looked at each other with Shen Shiyu, then nodded lightly, approving Zhang Dou's analysis.

"Yu Heng's words are very reasonable! When I left Beijing, I learned from the Ministry of War that the slave chieftains are gathering heavy troops to conquer the surrounding Mongolian tribes in order to expand their strength. Their ultimate goal is to get involved in the entire land of Western Liaoning in the Ming Dynasty. The Holy One also asserted , Jianlu’s Western Expedition will be completed within this year, and next year it is very likely to gather heavy troops to attack! Therefore, taking advantage of Yizhou’s weak military strength, it is necessary to capture this city at any cost within the year, so that it cannot become a place for Jianlu to go south. A bridgehead and a place of supplies!"

After realizing the important strategic position of Yizhou, Hong Chengchou made up his mind.

"I would like to ask the supervising army, in your opinion, how many troops will the officers and troops need to use to capture Yizhou? How many soldiers will obey orders from Ning Jin? Generals don't think about victory, they think about defeat! It is said that Jianlu Eight Banners are very brave, Ning Jin's army has an attitude of fearing the enemy. Is the morale of the army useful? Since the supervisor has made a decision, he must consider it carefully. This battle is also a key battle related to the success or failure of the future overall situation. It is of great importance, it is best Don't act rashly!"

Although Shen Shiyu was extremely in favor of Hong Chengchou's decision, but since he didn't know the strength of Ning Jin's officers and soldiers, it's better to be cautious in this battle.If he is defeated, Hong Chengchou will not only be unable to gain a foothold in western Liaoning, but his future career will also be cast a shadow.So he tactfully expressed his opinion by asking Zhang Dou, reminding Hong Chengchou not to act too hastily.

"There is a saying in the art of war: ten times surround it, and five times attack it. From this point of view, it takes tens of thousands of soldiers to capture Yizhou; those who can fight in Ningjin's official army are all generals and servants, and it is not known whether they obey orders. Alas. , What the officer said just now is suspected of talking about military affairs on paper, Mr. Shen's words are reasonable, and the supervisor is new to Ningjin, it is better to be cautious in everything!"

Zhang Dou, who was still in high spirits just now, suddenly became listless like a deflated ball after Shen Shiyu mentioned the issue of Ning Jin's military spirit.

Yizhou Jianlu has existed for more than a year and a half. The Jinzhou government and army allowed him to farm the fields and guard the city under their noses.

No matter how perfect the plan to capture Yizhou is, if it is carried out by the Jinzhou army with no morale and no effort, the result can be imagined, and a defeat may be inevitable at that time.As a commander and planner, Hong Chengchou was unbearable to be accused of losing his teacher and land.

"Yuheng, don't be discouraged. Since I have made this decision, how can I make a decision without careful consideration? At this moment, it is necessary to know the daily movements of the enemies of Yizhou, the distribution of city defenses, where the warehouses and materials are located, etc. Find out clearly, there is no rush when to use troops, and we will talk about it after the summer grain is harvested and dried in storage. As for the force used to attack the city, does Yuheng think that the only Ningjin frontier army in Ming Dynasty can't do it? Private soldiers can’t do it? Don’t forget that Liaoxi is also the land of Ming Dynasty!”

Hong Chengchou said with a stern expression.

Since Yizhou Jianlu has existed for a long time, and the main force of Jianzhou is busy with the western expedition, at least there is no time to attend to him before winter, and Huang Taiji also did not expect that the government and army would suddenly seize Yizhou, so it is no problem to launch an attack after everything is ready. Late.

One month after Xia Harvest, Zhu Youjian received Hong Chengchou's secret performance.The content is to request to send [-] brave guard battalion or Beijing battalion to go out to fight, capture Yizhou, and take advantage of the trend to move Jinzhou's strategy forward in depth, so as to prepare for the possible offensive of the army against Jianlu in the coming year.

In the memorial, Hong Chengchou briefly stated what he had seen and heard since he left the customs, and said bluntly that according to what he knew, the strength of the Ning Jin army was not as strong as the courtiers thought, and the Guan Ning cavalry had already dispersed into small groups .Although the Liaoxi generals had a complicated relationship with Jianzhou, they did not fall to Jianlu as a whole.After years of fighting and fighting, many people on both sides have unresolved hatred, so Jinzhou and Jianzhou are still hostile, but Jinzhou's official army is weaker in comparison.

In the memorial, Hong Chengchou stated that Yizhou is not only very important because of its geographical location, but also according to the information he has received recently, there are more than ten warehouses in the city, which are dedicated to storing grain, grass and luggage.Seizing Yizhou means cutting off Jianlu's arm extending to Ning Jin, and it will also allow Daming to take the initiative in the entire Liaodong strategy. up and down.

Zhu Youjian immediately summoned Yang Sichang, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, and the two servants on the left and right. After explaining Hong Chengchou's intentions to them, the three members of the Ministry of War all expressed their support for Hong Chengchou's plan.

Because Yang Sichang and others knew that the main forces of Jianlu were marching west, thousands of miles away from Yizhou, and when they got the news that Yizhou was broken, it would be at least a month later, and everything would be a foregone conclusion by then.

Although Shengjing is a little closer, there are only a small number of troops staying behind, even if they get the news, they may not dare to send troops to rescue; what's more, at least ten days have passed since the news came out and the troops were assembled to help. Yizhou won.

"This battle is the first battle commanded by Hong Qing after leaving the customs. It is also the first time since I ascended the throne that the government and army have taken the initiative to launch a large-scale offensive against Jianlu. It is also related to the campaign to conquer Liao that will start in the next spring. Therefore, this battle can only be won but not allowed. Defeat! The lion must use all his strength to fight the rabbit. I decided to send [-] brave guards to fight. After capturing Yizhou, I will station there, so as to form a corner with Jinzhou. Because it is a siege battle, more artillery must be brought, and the chariot battalion There is no need to use it. The officers and troops leaving the customs will be led by Mao Yuanyi, the deputy commander of the Yongwei Battalion, and the Ministry of War will immediately prepare food and supplies. The supply battalion must leave Beijing in three days, and the army will leave in five days!"

Zhu Youjian decided to send heavy troops out of the customs to Hong Chengchou's platform, and also let the Liaoxi generals see that there is a stronger force than Jianlu, completely dispelling their despicable ideas at both ends of the first rat, and it is also conducive to Hong Chengchou's development in Ningjin. follow-up move.

Since the formation of the army, the Yongwei Battalion has participated in too few battles, and only stopped the Azig troops in Changping.Although there are constant drills on weekdays, only an army that has withstood the test of war will quickly grow into an elite division. This battle of leaving the customs will be a good test for the brave guard battalion.

　Thank you book friend Tianjianwu Piaoxiang for your generous reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)