The location of Yingtian Mansion is too important.

Politically, this is Taizu's land of Longxing. Needless to say, its significance is more important in terms of economy.

If Shuntian Mansion in the capital is compared to the head of the empire, Yingtian Mansion in southern Zhili is the heart of the empire. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the lifeblood of the Ming Dynasty: not only the northern army, but also the local bureaucracy, including the imperial court

If the center wants to operate effectively, it must rely on water transportation from the south.

It is different from the prosperous south. The north has not been a major grain-producing area since ancient times. Further north, there are endless deserts and grasslands. For thousands of years, every time there is a bad year, the northern barbarians will invade and invade in large numbers.

The border wall went south to the Grass Valley. In order to eliminate this threat once and for all, of course, because it was the base where Cheng Zuye "Jingnan" started his career, and the officialdom of Nanzhili was left by Emperor Jianwen, so he felt uneasy, so

Chengzu, a man of great talent and strategy, was the first emperor to guard the country and resolutely moved the capital to Yanjing. He only left behind a set of six empty structures in the old capital.

After more than a hundred years of hard work, the elite of the Nine Sides has become synonymous with the strongest army in the empire. However, no matter how powerful the army is, it still needs food. The Grand Canal is the main artery of the empire - food, silver, cloth, silk, salt... respectively.

In the prosperous Huguang, the prosperous Suzhou and Hangzhou were loaded into canals, followed the Yangtze River system, eastward, northward, and finally gathered in Yangzhou, which is close to Yingtianfu, and then along the Grand Canal, they were continuously transported to the north to support the operation of the empire.

Most of the rice, beans and salary money.

No matter how small a boat is, it can carry more than the strongest livestock cart, let alone people. Moreover, wooden boats do not need to rest, let alone eat. The larger the large-scale and long-distance transportation, the greater the cost difference.

The greater the disparity - cargo ships would rather hire trackers to travel thousands of miles up the river than choose land transportation. This is one of the important reasons (another important reason is the huge investment in road opening and maintenance). In any era, including today,

Water transportation has an absolute advantage in the transportation of bulk materials, not to mention the era without mechanization. The cost of large-scale transportation relying on land and human and animal power is almost unimaginable: transporting grain thousands of miles will not save one out of ten. Unless,

Like Guan Shengyun, do whatever it takes - of course, there is only one result: leaving thousands of miles of no man's land behind you.

In order to maintain the smooth flow of this major artery, the empire specially set up a governor, that is, a governor of water transportation. He was stationed in the southern part of the country and directly under the control of Huai'an Prefecture. The full name was "the governor of water transportation and the admiral of military affairs, the governor of Fengyang and other places and also in charge of rivers"! The power of the governor

Larger than the governor or chief envoy of any province: not only the more than 3,000-mile-long canal and military affairs are under the supervision of the canal, but also have civil rights, and everything must be headed by him, and everything must make way for canal transportation! More investment has been made

It is an astronomical figure. If it is cut off by the rebels, the consequences will be far beyond what a chief envoy can bear - Xue Xiaowen knows this very well.

Knowing that the bandit rebellion was huge, Cao Governor Wang Zhidong led 3,000 cavalry soldiers to Yangzhou on the pretext of assisting in defense. Cao soldiers? Haha, they usually use whips to bully the canal workers and show off their power.

If they were even more expert, how could a crazy guy expect them to fight with swords and guns! Even the pacesetters led by the Governor of Canal Transport were just decorations - although Caobiao also had the title of a pacesetter, if he really did it, he wouldn't be able to connect.

Even the government officials can't beat him!

The only reason why Wang Zhidong ran to Yangzhou was that if the thieves approached, he could hide in Yingtianfu City with high walls and deep trenches! Guazhou Ferry was the lifeblood of the water transportation center, and thieves would not only rob him, but they would definitely burn him down.

——In this case, even if we take it back, water transportation will be paralyzed for a year or two.

The governor of Cao is a very fat job. To get this position, the backer is not so hard - Mr. Ge, it goes without saying that in the six departments, it must be done by someone who is trusted by the emperor! So, by then, Wang

The governor is probably a man who will be dismissed from his post and will never be reused - Xue Xiaowen can figure out with his toes whose head will be moved first.

There is a military discussion in the Yamen of Luzhou Prefecture.

The Jedi counterattack defeated Guan Shengyun and seized such a huge amount of high-quality military rations. While excited, Song Mingyi and Sun Jie coincidentally thought of a question: with so much food and grass, the thieves were definitely not here to rob. Their strategic goals were also

It will never be just Luzhou Prefecture and Anqing Prefecture, or even Yingtian Prefecture! Moreover, the two giant bandits came out in full force, and would rather leave thousands of miles of red land behind them, completely cutting off their own way out. The only way

The reasonable explanation is that the thieves are trying to stay in a certain place for a long time - as for the location, looking at the marching route and the scale of mobilization of the two giant bandits, even Shi Erlei can blurt out: South Zhili!

Great achievements have been made, Luzhou Fucheng must be saved - even if the thieves come back, the soldiers in Fucheng are well-prepared, their morale is high, and the people's hearts are in line. It is definitely not a problem to fight for a year or two, and even if there is another wrangling in the court this time

, it is impossible to delay for a year without sending reinforcements, right? What Song Mingyi and Sun Jie faced was actually a multiple-choice question: whether to send troops south to relieve the siege of Anqing.

Of course, the safest way is to defend the city and defend yourself.

First of all, Sun Jie's troops only have a total of 2,000 soldiers. After this battle, more than 20% of the casualties and injuries were lost. The rest will also need a period of time to recover. Even with Song Mingyi's full support in recruiting new soldiers, training and running-in are still required.

It takes a long time - Sun Jie has led troops for many years. His experience is that he will never let the new soldiers form their own camp, but disperse them to the veteran camp and let the veterans lead them. And he is not greedy for more: every fruit will get the most.

Add two or three more people, so that under the leadership of many grassroots non-commissioned officers and veterans, the army can always maintain strong combat effectiveness*. Of course, this also means that it is difficult for the army to quickly expand its power. Although it is an elite who has fought many battles, it is always

The troops are deployed there. Once they encounter an unusually powerful opponent, such as facing a flood of refugees being carried away, no matter how capable the elite are, they will be overwhelmed.

However, Sun Jie didn't seem to mind this. On the one hand, this was the unwritten ancestral motto of the Sun family, and on the other hand, it was due to the environment.

Let’s talk about the ancestral precepts first. The old man of the Sun family gave instructions to his teenage son before he died. Mrs. Sun also always warned her in private: There are prerequisites for the divine favor of the Holy One - that is, the Holy One must be reassured! Not only cannot

If you over-expand your power, you must be cautious about marriage: you can only find a wife in the family of your own subordinates, or simply marry a commoner. You can neither get involved with civil servants, nor have anything to do with other military towns, and you must never get involved.

What kind of clan was it? The late emperor once wanted to marry the prince's princess to his great joy. The old man refused to comply and even almost died to express his will. Of course, the late emperor sobered up the next day and understood the concerns of the Sun family.

, so they made a tacit agreement never to mention this matter again: This dynasty is fine, but in a generation or two, the clan and the military will be mixed together, which is definitely not a good thing for anyone! In the words of the old man as reported by Mrs. Sun:

"Our Sun family is a dagger used by the Lord for self-defense, not for killing people! Whether the dagger is put in the boot or carried in the pocket, it will always be yours. The longer and sharper the knife, the easier it is to make the owner worry: If

What if someone else got it? Maybe, if I’m cruel, I’ll destroy it!”

The environment does not allow it. The money and food for raising soldiers are regularly distributed by the imperial court based on the number of soldiers assessed by the Ministry of War. It is outrageously low, and there is no way to avoid deductions at all levels. If the military town pays real money, it will be able to fight in a few years.

The elites were as hungry as beggars. However, everyone knew the relationship between the Sun family and the previous emperors. They always pretended not to see the auxiliary soldiers brought in to make up the numbers. The Ministry of War recorded in black and white the 6,500 officers and soldiers of Sun Jie's department.

, excluding the necessary 15% "floating away" - this is a rule, and it also represents the respect of the adults in the civil service group (the normal market is to deduct 30%, and the highest can reach more than 50%, there are too many excuses), and

There are very few arrears. Every time we fight, the local government will give full support. In addition, there is no problem in raising these soldiers and providing them with good equipment and training. But once you really want to go big, don't worry about whether it will attract the Holy Emperor's attention.

Doubts, the adults in the cabinet and the six ministries must have some opinions in their hearts, not to mention the fierce opinions of the masters of Yushitai. Those masters only eat a bowl of rice with eggs, and even the emperor dared to show their loyalty.

You are scolding, jumping out and shouting to support the soldiers and respect themselves is really giving you face, but it is not unfounded to worry about the Sun family who have the righteousness to accuse the Sun family of "repeatedly betraying the grace of God and plotting evil": they have the protection umbrella of "whispering and reporting things"

Cover it up, you have to keep a smile on anyone who spits on your face - Dare you wipe it? Can't wait for you to put down your sleeves, everyone will pounce on you and spit on you until you can take a shower with spit!

Therefore, if you choose to stick to it, there are many reasons: after a bloody battle for more than a month, half of the dead were injured, and the place was uneasy before the enemy was defeated... Most of the people were illiterate, and the Song and Ming Dynasties would not deny it when discussing public matters and private affairs.

The masters in the army will not come to count the heads in person, even if you say 80% of them are dead, it will be no problem! With such a disparity in strength and a great victory like God's help, even the most picky masters can't say no -

—Otherwise, it will be your turn to be spitted all over your face. Everyone knows this truth. In addition, there is another biggest reason: three hundred miles to the north is Fengyang Mansion, where the imperial mausoleum is located! If the army goes south alone, even if

After the siege of Anqing was solved, if a rogue bandit slipped through the net and jumped north, even if every plant and tree in the imperial mausoleum was destroyed and the dragon's veins were damaged, no one could bear this huge responsibility!

Compared with Sun Jie, Song Mingyi actually has a much greater temptation to stick to Luzhou Prefecture. However, this kind of thought should always be buried deeply in his heart, not to mention his brother, not even his parents, wife and children.

Said: If the thieves capture Yingtian Mansion all the way, an unprecedented earthquake will inevitably occur in the entire officialdom of South Zhili! A high-ranking official will die not only from thieves' blades but also from the court's magic - his great achievements are to lead directly to that

Stairs with lots of free seats!

However, if you choose to stick to Luzhou, the price will also be huge - since Sun Jie and Song Mingyi are out of touch, this price will have to be borne by the Ming Empire: Anqing Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, and even the entire South Zhili

's safety.

After the siege of Luzhou was resolved, Song and Mingyi immediately sent messengers to contact Fengyang Mansion and Yingtian Mansion, and Sun Jie also sent an urgent military report to the Zhongdu Remaining Department. Judging from the information fed back, despite the terrifying momentum, Guan Shengyun was

One force is still a partial force. The main force is the giant bandit Zhang Hu. There are about 50,000 to 60,000 bandits. Together with the refugees they are holding hostage, the total number reaches more than 200,000. The bandit camp winds for more than 200 miles, sweeping across both sides of the Yangtze River, paying no attention to the provincial capitals along the way.

Gu, no one in the prefectures and counties is spared... Now Anqing Prefecture is in danger!

This was the first time that Song and Sun learned about the true scale of Zhang Hu's giant bandit.

The transmission of military information in this era relied entirely on post horses, post ships and even in some places could only rely on the two legs of post soldiers, so most of the information was fragmented or even completely opposite. The population of the Ming Dynasty was only eight percent of today's

There are about one person (less than 200 million), and there is no road network extending in all directions. Even if a small army of several hundred people is marching in enemy territory, as long as the supplies are sufficient, it is normal for it to go for five or six days without being discovered.

All information must be reviewed and analyzed by high-level officials, and a possible conclusion can be deduced - most military generals are illiterate, so the responsibility lies with the civilian group. This is why the civilian group generally looks down on military generals, and the military generals also feel ashamed of themselves.

One of the important reasons.

Previously, Song Mingyi and Sun Jie had guessed that Zhang Hu's group of giant bandits should number around 50,000 to 60,000 people. If this was the case, they would try to force the Luzhou Prefecture to pay off all their money, and then use Sun Jie to go out and break his spine to fill the entire military town.

If you go in, you can still fight hard to hold on until the reinforcements arrive; but, there are more than 200,000 thieves! Even if you stand still and let you chop them one by one, who can chop them down!

Song Mingyi, who was speechless for a while, waved his hand: "My lords and generals, this is a serious matter. Let's discuss it tomorrow." The prefect, the magistrate, and other core officials all understood the seriousness of the situation, and they all sighed and said goodbye.

, Deputy General Shen Chenggang, Staff General Shangguan Fei and other generals also clasped their fists and left. Sun Jie was about to get up, but Song Mingyi stopped him with a look.

Song Mingyi took Sun Jie to the inner hall of the back office and ordered the elder to follow Lao Li and said: "Brother and I will chat about family affairs. It has nothing to do with you. You all should step aside and have a rest." Lao Li bowed silently.

body, left.

The two were speechless for a while, and then Sun Jie said: "Brother..."

Song Mingyi raised his hand to stop Sun Jie's words: "You and I will live and die together, brothers. Let me say a few words to you first."

*Recruits form an independent team

Before the modern military system was widely used, generals often allowed recruits to form their own troops. This has great benefits:

First of all, it can expand the scale quickly. As long as you recruit soldiers, you can set up many units within the organization at once, just give them a number (name), and then you can legitimately approach the court for money, or find ways to do it locally.

Secondly, you can install cronies. On the one hand, you can promote your own people, and on the other hand, you can put a personal stamp on the army from the beginning.

Third, the people recruited are often from the same hometown, which is easier to manage.

But the disadvantages are also very big: the combat effectiveness of such new battalions is naturally low, and they often lag behind or even collapse on the battlefield. Training takes a very long time. It is difficult for the limited battalion officers, team officers, and fruit commanders to control their men well during wartime.

Sun Jie adopted a more modern method, and his combat effectiveness was relatively guaranteed. The fundamental reason was that he and the key generals knew very well that they were the holy self-defense daggers and could never become long swords.
Chapter completed!