Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 345 Planning
Wu Yong said, "Sir, these days the spies have found out the route to Jingmen Town, and the surrounding terrain and population have also been found out. Just as Taoist Dong said, there are three big families in the town, and they have established Sandu Township Soldiers to jointly manage seven or eight surrounding villages."

Zhao Zhen asked: "Are there any of these three wealthy families who are unkind because of their wealth?"

"The two villages of Zhanggai and Qigai in the town are connected, and the Zhang and Qi families control the town. There are also large families in the villages of Shilibao, Wulibao, Sunzhuang, Weizhuang, Xiaoxu, and Eliu, but they are all members of the same clan. The clan leader who owns the most land only has a hundred acres of land. However, the village heads of Shilibao and Wulibao are two brothers. The elder Shi Kuo is in Wulibao, and the younger Shi Yue is in Shilibao. These two have some martial arts skills, and they have each gathered farmers to protect the two villages."

"These three families compete with each other. The Zhang and Qi families have always been at odds and often fight over water. The Shi family is the weakest, but it is far away from Jingmen Town, so no one comes to provoke them."

"You can tell from the names of the four villages, Sunzhuang, Weizhuang, Xiaoxu and Eliu, that most people in the villages have the same surname."

Zhao Zhen asked, "Now that we have found out clearly that there are no powerful people in the town, we will go and occupy it in the next few days. However, Jingmen Town is thirty to fifty miles away from Liangshan County, and there is no official road connecting them. Given the current luck of the county, I am afraid that it is not strong enough. If we are to send troops, which brother do you think we should use?"

Wu Yong said: "Don't worry, sir. We have explored it these days. Wulibao and Shilibao are not far from the water. We only need to advance seven or eight miles south from the water."

"I'm worried that we can't connect to one another. In the future, defense, spring and autumn taxes, and conscription of corvée will be troublesome. If we can connect to the water, it will be very convenient for ships to travel back and forth." Zhao Zhen said with a smile.

"However, we still need to leave a battalion of soldiers stationed here. Firstly, to guard against the fog, and secondly, to maintain the rule of Liangshan County."

Wu Yong heard this and said, "There is no rush to decide on the garrison personnel. There are a total of 2,000 to 3,000 households in these villages in Jingmen Town. After we occupy them, we still need to determine the household registration and land before deciding who will be stationed there."

"This time we are marching from Shuibo. In addition to the navy led by brother Ruan Xiaoer, brothers Lu Zhishen and Guanghui will lead 500 infantrymen to attack the city. Brother Ling Zhen will lead half of the artillery division, with five Portuguese cannons and ten mountain-splitting cannons to assist. All these troops will follow brother Ruan Xiaoer."

"The cavalry will mobilize the 200 men led by brothers Lin Chong and Luan Tingfang from the third division, and brothers Guo Sheng and Lu Fang from the eighth division. Commander Lin will be the main commander and will march through the fog as the second route. Use the sound of drums as a signal and make a loud noise. It would be best if we can win without fighting."

Zhao Zhen listened and nodded repeatedly, saying: "What the scholar said is right. It would be best if we can take it without bloodshed. Where does this place belong to?"

"Dongping Prefecture."

Zhao Zhen was stunned when he heard this.

"Sir, there have been villages and towns that have been affected by the fog over the years and have been removed from the list. With the help of the old man to cover up for them, it won't be a problem."

"Scholar, if you invade the village, someone in the prefecture and county will suffer losses, and you will offend people. Zhujiazhuang and Yanggu County are not on good terms, and Jingyang Town has the brothers Hua Rong and Fu Yu, who are officials, so naturally no one will disturb them."

"The small village of Shijie was occupied by force, and later the militia commander Huang An came with more than a thousand people. If they take over Jingmen Town, there will probably be a lot of trouble in the future, so the scholars should make preparations early."

Wu Yong smiled and said, "Sir, as long as the prefect of Dongping Prefecture is still the old man, no one will lead an army to attack. The people behind the scenes are all not up to the standard. With the county's military preparations, it will not be difficult to defeat them."

Zhao Zhen agreed with this statement. After all, Lord Taishan was still the most respected person in Dongping Prefecture.

Zhao Zhen said, "Xuejiu, we will set out early the next morning. The troops from both routes should be here by the time of the official announcement, right?" Seeing Wu Yong nod, Zhao Zhen said, "In that case, I will write down the transfer order and ask the brothers to get ready. We will head straight to Jingmen Town the next day. We will try to camp in the town at night."

"By the way, is Niutou Mountain within this area?"

Wu Yong shook his head. "Niutou Mountain is further north, with several mounds in between. The highest one, Jinshan, is only about 50 meters high. This place is only three miles away from Jingmen Town by fog, but it's inconvenient to get water. It's all dry fields. There's only one village with less than households, who make a living by grazing. Most of them are surnamed Fan, and the farmers call this place Fan Village."

"Although there are few people here, they are indeed much tougher. Just like Shangwang Village on Liangshan Mountain, everyone here can set nets to catch chickens and sparrows, set traps to catch deer and rabbits, and wield swords and shoot arrows. Although there are few people, they rely on hiding in the mountains and trees, so they are not as easy to deal with as Jingmen Town."

Zhao Zhen said, "Scholar, in the current situation, reckless expansion will not only make enemies, but also burden the defense. I think it is better to first explore and occupy the villages around the water, and then rely on the navy, so that it will be convenient to go anywhere."

"The villages here are under the jurisdiction of Dongping Prefecture and Jeju Prefecture. While my father-in-law is still in office, we first occupied the villages under Dongping Prefecture. Then we occupied the villages under Jeju Prefecture."

"In that case, we just need to be careful and guard against Jeju Prefecture from now on. After all, we have done it twice, so we will not let it go easily in the future."

After listening to this, Wu Yong began to think about it carefully.

"You are right, sir. This will not only expand the territory of Liangshan County, increase the number of farmers under its jurisdiction, but also make fewer enemies. With the convenience of the navy, the surrounding villages can also be taken care of."

"Yes, now Brother Meng Kang has built two three-masted warships, five two-masted warships, and twelve boats. With these warships, we will be able to recruit another navy."

"The second son of Liu Guang's family is also familiar with water and can operate a boat. Let him be a captain when the time comes. A new water fort will be built at Yuhuangding, and he will be stationed there in the future. Together with Ruan Xiaoqi who is stationed in Donglou Village of Qinglong Mountain, they will patrol the lake and look after the village every day. Once there is any change, they can report it quickly." Zhao Zhen said.

"This is just my random thought. Once we occupy Jingmen Town, I will ask Xiao Rang, Zhu Wu and other brothers to discuss it. If it is feasible, we will implement it step by step in the future. If not, we will think of other ways."

Wu Yong nodded and said, "In my opinion, this strategy is the best."

After the two discussed, Wu Yong said goodbye and left, returning to the county government office to prepare. On this side, Zhao Zhen also wrote the transfer order, stamped it, and sent it to various places, waiting for the battle the next day.

At dinner time, Zhao Zhen and his wife ate together. Zhao Zhen said to Cheng Wan'er, "Madam, I will lead the troops out the day after tomorrow. It will only take three to five days. Madam, please take care of the house."

Cheng Wan'er nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Don't worry, my husband. I'll take care of it. Taoist Master Dong has already found out the horoscopes for marriage. Liu is a lucky woman for her husband. The wedding date is set for June 12, seven days from now."

Zhao Zhen listened and nodded: "My lady, please make the arrangements."

(End of this chapter)