Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 280 Liao Zhen Pingyuan Hou

Jia Cong was taken by the soldier into the hall of the general's mansion.

The first person you see when you enter the hall is Gu Yankui, the governor of nine provinces.

Next to Gu Yankui stood a man in his fifties, with a thin build, big hands, and wearing armor. His face was weathered and his eyes were awe-inspiring.

"Your humble servant Jia Cong pays respect to Lord Gu. The eight falconets, three thousand porcelain torpedoes, and five hundred improved Lumi guns that we are transporting have already passed the military supply inspection and entered the warehouse."

Gu Yankui smiled and said, "We have to escort a large number of firearms over a long distance this time. I didn't expect to arrive so quickly. Thank you for your hard work, Yuzhang.

This is Lord Liang, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. He once served under Duke Rong. I guess you two have some history with him. Come and meet him."

When Jia Cong was observing government affairs at the Ministry of War, he often saw the name of Liang Chengzong, the general of Liaodong Town, in the newspapers, but it was the first time he knew that he was once a general under the Duke of Rong.

The general back then has now become one of the nine frontier commanders. I wonder if there are still such people.

From this we can see how deep the military background of the Rongguo Jia family is.

……

Liang Chengzong served as the garrison commander of Liaodong for ten years. He repelled the invasion of the Mongolian Tuman army five times, making the Mongolian Tuman tribe unable to recover from the defeat. He was awarded the title of Pingyuan Marquis by Emperor Jiazhao for his merits.

Liang Chengzong smiled and said, "Although I am far away in the north, I have heard of Jia Yuzhang, whose magnificent writings shocked the world and whose poetry moved the south of the Yangtze River, but I didn't expect him to be so young.

The improved Rumi gun used by the musket battalion is very sophisticated and was very effective against the Jurchen cavalry. It is said that it was also developed by Jia Jianzheng. The young are truly formidable. "

Although Liang Chengzong had heard of Jia Cong's reputation, he did not expect that he was so young, looking only fourteen or fifteen years old, and yet he had become the chief officer of the Firearms Bureau. He was secretly surprised.

"Lord Liang, you are too kind. No matter how powerful a weapon is, it still needs the right commander to use it. If Lord Liang hadn't used the troops properly, the Firearm Battalion would have had no chance of achieving success."

Liang Chengzong smiled slightly after hearing this. Although this boy was young, he was good at speaking. He was a good general and would naturally not just listen to compliments.

"No matter how powerful a firearm is, it still needs to be used properly. This is true. This time Jia Jian brought eight Portuguese cannons. I heard that these cannons are the most powerful firearms of the Western Barbarians.

I have witnessed the power of the three-stage musket formation, and I am quite looking forward to these eight Portuguese cannons. Jia Jianzheng is the chief officer of the Firearms Department and a master of firearms in the world.

I wonder if you can teach me any good strategy for applying this."

Liang Chengzong guarded Liaodong for ten years. He was not only capable of fighting, but also had considerable experience in officialdom, otherwise he would not have been able to stay in the position of general for ten years.

He knew that Jia Cong was a descendant of the Rong State Jia family, and that the emperor personally appointed him as the Director of the Firearms Bureau and that Gu Yankui recommended him as the Counselor of the Nine Provinces. He had a very impressive background.

Otherwise, he would not have treated a sixth-rank official with such courtesy.

In addition, he also sincerely wanted to ask Jia Cong for advice on the use of artillery. After all, Liaodong Town had never been equipped with artillery, and his knowledge of artillery was limited.

……

Seeing that Liang Chengzong actually wanted to ask questions when the two met for the first time, Gu Yankui watched with interest. Liang Chengzong was a wise and good fighter, and he still recognized him very much.

"Sir Liang, the eight Portuguese cannons can fire twenty-four rounds in twenty breaths. The density and lethality of the fire are strong enough to suppress the offensive of thousands of Jurchen cavalry.

If used to gather the enemy under the city and annihilate them, it will surely be very effective. As long as the Jurchens dare to attack in large numbers, these eight Portuguese cannons and the porcelain mines made by the Firearms Department will surely be able to inflict heavy damage on them."

Liang Chengzong heard this, with a helpless look on his face: "Just like Jia Jian brought the artillery a month ago, it will be just the right time.

Since the Jurchens led more than a thousand elite cavalry to attack Yafu Pass and were defeated a month ago, there have been no more attacks on the city recently.

They just frequently looted the food and supplies shipped to the various military forts."

Jia Cong pondered and said, "If the Jurchens are just small groups looting, then the power of the artillery and the porcelain mines will be difficult to exert.

May I ask Sir Liang, where are the military forts that need to transport food and grass? " Gu Yankui's eyes lit up when he heard this. He had been with Jia Cong for a long time, so he naturally knew that Jia Cong was a man of great wisdom, good at thinking out of the box, and often did something original.

Since he asked about the location of the military fort, I'm afraid he had some plan in mind.

After all, Liang Chengzong met Jia Cong for the first time and didn't know him well. He only talked about the use of firearms. Why did the other party suddenly ask about the location of the military fort?

However, Jia Cong was Gu Yankui's confidant, so he couldn't refuse his face. Besides, the location of the military fort was not a secret, so he signaled to the staff beside him.

The aide unfolded a map and pointed out to Jia Cong the locations of the seven military forts in Liaodong Town from west to east, and explained to him the approximate garrison situation of each fort.

Jia Cong said, "Sir Liang, I have something to say, which concerns military affairs. I am afraid that it may be presumptuous, and I don't know whether I should say it or not."

Liang Chengzong smiled and said, "Jia Jian is the border patrol counselor of Lord Gu, so he can certainly talk about military affairs. If you have any suggestions, just tell me, there is no need to hesitate."

Jia Cong said: "I have seen many slanderous reports in the Ministry of War from Liaodong. The climate in Liaobei has been abnormally cold in recent years. The Jurchen tribes are starving and have gone south to plunder.

The big city passes were heavily garrisoned, and they were unable to attack, so they robbed food and fodder along the way that was being transported to the Ministry of War. Their embarrassment and exhaustion were obvious.

In my humble opinion, only the two military forts in the west should be left to monitor the movements of the Mongolian barbarian tribes, and the garrisons of the other five large military forts in the east should be withdrawn back to the interior of the country.

This cut off the possibility of the Jurchens looting food and fodder along the way. The winter in northern Liaoning was long, and the Jurchens would lose their only way to loot supplies and would inevitably fall into an even more desperate situation.

By forcing the Jurchens to fight under the city, our army can take the initiative, and then we can unleash the power of firearms to annihilate them!
Since I entered Guangning City, I have seen that food supplies are constantly flowing in and that food and military supplies are extremely sufficient. The Great Zhou is strong and prosperous.

The Liaodong troops have sufficient supplies to wait for the enemy to attack, but the Jurchen tribes cannot afford to waste time. With the strength of one side and the weakness of the other, the destruction of the Jurchens is just around the corner."

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Gu Yankui and Liang Chengzong both showed surprised expressions on their faces.

In fact, ever since Gu Yankui arrived in Liaodong for inspection, the two men had discussed military affairs and both mentioned the idea of ​​abandoning the military forts and withdrawing to the interior of the country, but they had been hesitant.

Because the seven military forts in Liaodong Town had been built for decades, and successive generals had used them as forward stations for scouting the enemy's situation, it had long been recognized that abandoning them en masse might lead to unexpected dangers.

But after hearing Jia Cong's words today, Liang Chengzong grasped two key points.

The first was to completely cut off the Jurchens' means of looting supplies and force them to fight under the city walls.

The second is to give full play to the power of artillery and other firearms to annihilate the enemy in a concentrated manner.

If it were someone else, I'm afraid he wouldn't dare to come up with such a bold idea and lead the troops to fight. What if he loses his composure?
Only Jia Cong, as the director of the Firearms Department, with his deep understanding of the use and power of firearms, could come up with such a method of commanding troops.

Gu Yankui stroked his beard and smiled, naturally thinking that Jia Cong's proposal was worth discussing.

Gu Yankui believed that it was extremely feasible to cut off the food supply of the Jurchens, force them to fight under the city walls, and then annihilate them with firearms.

Because before he left Beijing, he had been to the firearms workshop in the northern city of Shenjing and saw with his own eyes the power of the three-round rapid-fire falconet cannon, not to mention the three thousand porcelain mines.

In his opinion, Jia Cong not only understands the art of commanding troops and strategies, but also knows how to use the power of firearms. Although he is young, he must also emulate the style of the famous generals of the country. The young ones are to be feared!
However, he had seen Jia Cong's creative ideas many times, so he didn't find it strange.

However, this was the first time that Liang Chengzong met Jia Cong, and he couldn't help but be amazed by his plan.

At such a young age, he already understands the art of deploying troops and how to build momentum and seize opportunities. Even the veterans in the army are far superior to him in terms of shrewdness and strategy. He is worthy of being born into a family of famous generals.

The matter that he was originally hesitant about was suddenly resolved because of Jia Cong's arrival and the sharp firearm that came with it.

However, he is a veteran who has fought many battles and is calm and meticulous. He will not make a hasty decision immediately, but he has basically agreed with Jia Cong's advice in his heart.

However, as for the details of the actual troop deployment, it is necessary to convene the relevant generals for careful deliberation and consultation.

"Jia Jianzheng's advice on military strategy is sound, and I agree with it. Rongguo also once supervised the nine frontiers, and I served under him. Now the old Duke's bloodline has been passed down, and I am very fortunate!"

(End of this chapter)