Han ride

Chapter 415 Debate
"You also have a look at the information from Datong and the capital. Hong Chengchou objected to a conflict with us, but Yang Sichang had already borrowed [-] cavalry from Datong, and they all rode with one man and two cavalry. Hehe, what a big deal!" Liu Li In the palace, Li Xin was only wearing a brocade robe, but he didn't feel the cold. Winter was the time to recuperate. Even though the spring of the seventh year of Chongzhen had arrived, it was still extremely cold on the grassland.Shi Yuanzhi and others were busy preparing food and grass for the affected herdsmen. Generally speaking, not many people died in the Yanhuang tribe in winter. This is excellent news for the herdsmen on the grassland.Opposite him, almost all the civil servants and generals of the Zhengbei Army had already arrived.

"The subordinates thought that Hong Chengchou was trying to curry favor with those civil servants. After all, Emperor Chongzhen himself had a secret decree, a central decree. From the court's point of view, such a decree was insignificant. If Hong Chengchou agreed, he would definitely be punished by the civil and military officials of the Manchu court. Spare me." Sun Yuanhua stroked his beard and said.

"Does Hong Chengchou not want to fight with us? It was originally Chongzhen's secret decree, but after being manipulated by him like this, it became a Ming decree. I'm afraid Chongzhen even wants to kill him at this moment." Zhang Cai also said with a smile.

"What did Mr. Yuanzhi say?" Li Xin nodded, and then glanced at Shi Yuanzhi again.

"My lord, I feel a little strange." Shi Yuanzhi thought for a while and said: "According to the information, the news of Hong Chengchou's memorial was only circulated by people in Yansui and Datong, but there was no one in the capital. The news. The subordinates can’t tell now how these news came, whether Hong Chengchou sent them on purpose, or the capital has not found out the news. If there is no news from the capital, it means that Hong Chengchou has no intention to communicate with If we have a conflict, if there is no news about it at the capital, the subordinates think that we should be careful about Hong Chengchou, he did it on purpose for us to see."

After Li Xin and the others heard this, their eyes lit up and they nodded. Sun Yuanhua suddenly asked, "Didn't you say that there have been a lot of rebellions in Shaanxi recently? Hong Chengchou's general Ai Wanjun and others have already led If you are going to attack us with elite soldiers, Hong Chengchou has already assembled his army and prepared for war at this time!"

"Well, that's the same reason." Li Xin nodded, and said with some hesitation: "To be honest, these people unite against me. I am not afraid of others, but this Hong Chengchou. This person is very cunning. Wei Zhongxian's subordinates were doing things. After Wei Zhongxian's death, he did not see Emperor Chongzhen asking him to settle accounts. Among scholars, no one said anything about him. If such a person has no scheming, it is almost impossible. Don't look at him smiling on the surface Hehe, but if it really turns people up, I'm afraid it's not something ordinary people can deal with."

"Since my lord is so worried about him, why not take strict precautions against him." Song Xiance also said.It's just that in his words, he is extremely disdainful towards Hong Chengchou. Whether he is a secret official or an upright memorial to Chongzhen, this is a betrayal of Chongzhen. No one really likes such a courtier, Song Xiance also Very despised such a person.So I didn't pay much attention to him.

"Prevention is the most important thing. Once Hong Chengchou makes a move, it will be a lore." Li Xin nodded and said: "Now Datong has 1 elite soldiers transferred to Xuanfu, and the area around Xuanfu will increase its efforts. The first First, let the Xuanfu provide information, especially the route of the army's attack. On the one hand, the herdsmen will all move westward, and then move back after defeating Yang Sichang. A grain of food, everyone, who is willing to deal with Yang Sichang? You must know that Yang Sichang dispatched this time, there are at least [-] elite cavalry and [-] infantry. I am afraid that the family property of Xuanfu will be brought out this time. Which general is willing to go for it? ?”

"The last general is willing to meet Yang Sichang for a while." It was Yang Xiong who spoke, he patted his chest and said: "The last general wants to see what kind of skills the guy who Chongzhen's children value has, and the last general should not be too many. Twenty thousand cavalry is enough. It's fine. I'm going to drag Yang Sichang to death on the grassland."

"Yeah." Li Xin nodded. This Yang Xiong was not without brains. It was obvious that Yang Sichang was not easy to deal with, so he chose some cavalry for guerrilla warfare.

"The final general is willing to go." Three more people came out more and more.But it was the former generals of Lindan Khan, Huluke Zhaisang, Tashhai, and Badaxi Zhaisang. These three people have not made any great contributions since they followed Li Xin. Now that Li Xin wants to raise an army, these three People naturally dare not give up such an opportunity.

"Okay, with three generals assisting Yang Xiong, my father-in-law is relieved a lot." Li Xin was overjoyed. These three were born in the grasslands and have rich experience. The assistance of three experienced people is the most important.

"Thank you, Lord." Yang Xiong was also overjoyed, he quickly thanked Li Xin and stepped aside.

"The imperial court wants to attack me in Yunzhong. It seems that the most important thing is Yang Sichang's tens of thousands of soldiers, or Hong Chengchou's one son lore, but the subordinates think that the most important thing is Datong." Shi Yuan said straightly: "If you can Occupying Datong quickly, then Hong Chengchou and Yang Sichang can only abandon Yunzhong and attack Datong instead. After all, there is still a acting king in there."

Li Xin and the others' eyes lit up when they heard this. Facing the loss of the vassal, whether it is Hong Chengchou or Yang Sichang, in order to save their lives, they can only attack and subdue Datong. The situation will change, but Li Xin can use the Shahukou and Zuoyun Youyu counties to consume the elite soldiers of Yang Sichang and Hong Chengchou.

"Datong has 10,000+ elite soldiers. Even if Yang Sichang borrowed a group of cavalry, it might not be able to weaken Jiang Guan's main force. It may still be difficult to attack Datong." Song Xiance shook his head and said.Shi Yuanzhi's strategy was quite good, but he underestimated a little, that is, the strength of Datong's troops. The best soldiers in the world come out of Datong. This is not for nothing. Is it ginger?You must know that there are many soldiers around the Xuanfu, why did they go to Jiang Guan for help, because they fell in love with the elite cavalry of Datong.To achieve what Shi Yuanzhi said, that is to quickly defeat the elite of Datong, this kind of thing is very difficult to happen.

"My lord, if you want to attack a strong city, you must attack by force or outsmart it." Zhang Cai thought for a while and said, "My Northern Army has a weak foundation. Although the soldiers are brave, my lord loves soldiers like sons. Then it can only be outsmart. If it is outsmart, the subordinates think that after attacking Shahukou with an army, they can lead troops and horses to avoid Zuoyun and Youyu counties, sweep the Datong Basin from other places, and lure Datong soldiers and horses went out of the city to encircle and suppress the army, so that the enemy had no geographical advantage, and we can also eliminate the enemy from the movement."

"This is a good strategy." Li Xin nodded, and asked someone to open the map of Zuoyun and Youyu counties, and found that it was indeed possible to bypass Zuoyun and Youyu counties and insert into the enemy's rear.

"My subordinates have a strategy, and maybe they can easily seize Datong." Song Xiance said suddenly: "My lord can attack east and west. This subordinate believes that if you want to attack Datong, you don't necessarily have to break through from the Shahukou. The reason why you break through from the Shahukou , because the defense at Shahukou is a little lax, but we can break through from other directions, such as the Great Wall."

"Mr. Song, the Great Wall is not so easy to break through. Even if you break through the Great Wall, as far as I know, the most important thing in the vicinity of Datong, Shanxi is not the defense of the Great Wall. The formed defense system is really difficult to fight." Li Xin shook his head and said.If he could, he would naturally not break through from Shahukou.What Song Xiance said is not wrong. Bypassing the two counties of Zuoyun and Youyu can drag Jiang Yu's soldiers to death, and can also destroy the enemy during the movement. However, Jiang Guan has a lot of soldiers and horses, and more importantly, cavalry. A lot, really catching up, but in the end it was just a miserable victory, because Datong is a weird place, surrounded by the Great Wall, only a place the size of a basin, the place is not big, and there are many soldiers and horses, which is very troublesome.But around Zuoyun and Youyu counties, there were not many soldiers and horses that could be deployed.Moreover, Li Xin could only use a small part of the troops to hold back the opponent's troops, which would not be effective in attacking Datong. Unless the main force was needed, the large army could capture Datong and finally defend Datong.

It's not like Li Xin didn't think about breaking through the Great Wall.It’s just that there are thirteen guards in Datong, 820 Three Fortresses, and three hundred and seven piers. Most of these fortresses and piers are near the Great Wall. They serve as the second line of defense after the enemy breaks through the Great Wall. There are a lot of soldiers and horses on the piers and piers. If these places are concentrated, there will be a lot of troops.

"Money can turn ghosts around. My lord, the generals at the end of the Great Wall have not had a good life these few years. I believe that Shanxi merchants will help us buy them." Song Xiance said nonchalantly: "As for the others, my subordinates are not happy. There is a way, but I don't know if my lord will dare to use it." Song Xiance suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Li Xin and asked.

"What way?" Li Xin glanced at everyone, and everyone was also curious.

"Shock east and west." Song Xiance said without thinking: "We are going to attack from Shahukou, almost everyone in the world knows, so no matter whether it is Jiang Yu or Yang Sichang, they will all think so, but the property My guess is that we didn't attack from Shahukou, but our large army attacked from the Great Wall, crossed the Great Wall, and attacked Datong."

"Sir, Jiang Yu is not an idiot either. If we don't attack Shahukou with all our strength, he will definitely know that we have changed direction. Moreover, there are many soldiers in the forts and piers along the way. Once our army attacking from the Great Wall If we are blocked, we will be discovered by others. At that time, not only will our eastern front be blocked and we will not be able to capture Datong, but also the western front will be defeated by the enemy because of our weak force. This idea is bad." Chen Han shook his head and said.

"What if the attack on the western front is so powerful that Jiang Yu has to mobilize troops from the eastern front? Once the troops are transferred from the Great Wall, wouldn't the fortresses and piers along the way be able to go down easily? "Song Xiance said with a smile.The relaxed tone made people feel that things seemed extremely simple.But in fact, everyone knows that to achieve this, it is not as easy as it is said.

"We now have an elite 14 people, at least 2 people should be divided to resist Horqin, 3 people to resist Jiannu's sneak attack, 2 people to hold back Yang Sichang, 1 people to garrison the western front, and 1 people to garrison the cloud Among them, be careful of Hong Chengchou. In this way, only 5 soldiers and horses can be used. Excluding the sneak attack to kill Hukou and attack Zuoyun and Youyu counties, 3 troops are needed. According to what Mr. Song said, it will be The Deshengbao area of ​​the Great Wall is the main force for the breakthrough. The main force is to attack Datong with a large army. At least 2 to [-] elite troops are needed. This is not enough. Unless the number of troops in Zuoyun and Youyu counties is reduced." Li Xin thought about it, and calculated the available troops in front of everyone, and finally shook his head and said: "Use one to [-] troops to pretend to be tens of thousands of troops, and find a way to get Jiang Guan to draw all the troops from the eastern front. , this difficulty, sir, is not ordinary!" Li Xin shook his head and smiled wryly.

"This subordinate has a plan, and it may be feasible." Song Xiance said quickly.

"Actually, we still have tens of thousands of elite soldiers, but the Lord has never used them." Song Xiance said with wide-eyed eyes.

"We still have elite soldiers on hand? Why didn't I know?" Li Xin was taken aback when he heard this, and finally glanced at Shi Yuanzhi and the others. , everyone can shoot arrows, everyone can kill the enemy, but Li Xin has never launched a civil war. Song Xiance said that there are tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, which makes people curious.

"My lord has tens of thousands of elite soldiers, and most of them are elite soldiers of hundreds of battles." Shi Yuanzhi also said softly: "My lord has slaves in his hands. Back then, my lord swept across the grasslands. Whether it was Jian slaves or Chahar The tribes, the Horqin tribe, and the tribes wiped out by the Western Expedition, those who were captured either surrendered to the lord or were demoted to slaves. If there is no one or two strong slaves in the homes of my soldiers in the Northern Army, these people are Elite soldiers and horses."

"Those servants?" Li Xin frowned. There is no absolute fairness in any dynasty, even in later generations.Li Xin's foundation on the grassland was very shallow, and he could gain a foothold naturally by relying on the soldiers under his command, so after each battle, the captives won by victory were removed, and the others were rewarded to the soldiers as slaves.There are many strong and women among them.Now if you want to mobilize these elites, you can mobilize tens of thousands of troops, but if this is the case, will the soldiers below agree?

"Why don't you transfer the prisoners of war first! Isn't there more than 1 people?" Li Xin thought for a while and said: "Start with these prisoners of war and tell them that if they have made meritorious service, they will be spared their crimes and let them go back. It doesn't matter if it's your homeland, or you can become a member of my tribe under Li Xin's command."

"This?" Song Xiance twitched his beard.

"That's it! The soldiers have been with me for so long. It is true that our Northern Army is a powerful army in the world, but you have seen that there is not a single day that is not fighting. Now if even their servants If I have to be transferred, those soldiers will hate me." Li Xin waved his hands and said with a smile.

Everyone nodded, especially Zhang Cai's face was full of smiles. He knew that Li Xin was like this, on the one hand, it was because he didn't want to offend the soldiers, and more importantly, it was because of food and grass. In the past many battles, the consumption of food and grass was very high. Like the current Ming Dynasty, there were famines everywhere. The gentry in the south lived a life of rich wine and meat all the year round, making wine with precious grains. , It is very difficult to get some food in itself.What Li Xin consumes now is all accumulated over the years, plus the seven great families of Shanxi merchants transported from the Central Plains in various ways, the food is very precious.Li Xin’s call for the army this time can almost be said to be dispatched by the entire army. Such a large-scale war consumes an astonishing amount of food and grass every day. After Zhang Cai came to Yunzhong, he began to take charge of the money and food of the Northern Army. Using troops, I am afraid that the treasury of the entire Northern Army will not be able to support it.

"My lord, the last general is willing to lead the army to kill Hukou." The one who spoke was still Jiang Yi, the titan of the army, and Li Xin's number one general. After Li Xin, he made countless military exploits. Among the many generals, Jiang Yi was the only one who made him feel at ease.And Jiang Yi has indeed achieved this. Every time Li Xin goes out to fight, he is always left behind.In this war, although it is much more dangerous to attack Datong, the real danger is to kill Hukou. It is very difficult to dress up an army of [-] with [-], and what is more important is to face Jiang Guan's crazy attack From the time when Jiang Guan kept most of his cavalry in his hands and only gave Yang Sichang [-] elite soldiers, he knew that this Jiang Guan was not satisfied with defense, and blocked Li Xin from killing Hukou, Zuoyun Youyu, etc. Between the two counties, his elite cavalry can be thrown into the attack anytime and anywhere, defeating Li Xin's army head-on, and then rushing to the cloud to gain the greatest battle victory in destroying Li Xin this time. The distance to Li Xin's lair is the shortest, but in two or three days, he has an inherent advantage, and as long as Li Xin is defeated, there will be no enemies in front of him.Jiang Yi wants to take the most difficult things into his own hands, and this kind of thinking is also commendable.

"Killing Hukou is very important, so I should go by myself." Li Xin thought for a while, but still rejected Jiang Yi's arrangement, and only heard him say: "Comparatively speaking, attacking Datong is more important. You still have to lead the way." The main force, take Datong, and then nail it there like a nail."

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(End of this chapter)