In the retreat hall of the county government, Yang Erming walked around alone, with some worries that were not for his age on his young face.
Pang Yu and Mr. Sun entered the hall. When Yang Erming saw Pang Yu, he looked relieved.
He immediately picked up an official document from the coffee table and handed it to Pang Yu, "This is a transfer document from Qianshan County."
Pang Yu took a cursory look and saw that some bandits had appeared from the direction of Yingshan and that some mountain people came out of the mountain, saying that the Sweeping King had occupied Yingshan.
Most of them are just rumors. No bandits were captured in Qianshan County, but government officials did go to the area along the mountain to inspect the looted areas, and a small number of people were killed. The news is still very vague.
This type of transferred document is for official documents of agencies at the same level. Qianshan County must have notified Anqing Prefecture but also sent early warning to surrounding prefectures and counties. This is considered kind.
Because Qianshan's article also mentioned that there were rogue activities in the direction of Taihu and Susong, but Taihu and Susong did not issue early warning to Tongcheng.
What gave Pang Yu the most headache was that the Tongcheng County Government Office did not have any maps. He did not even know where Yingshan was. Qianshan was located in the middle of several counties in Anqing, close to the Dabie Mountains in the north. From Qianshan to Guandao
To the northeast is Tongcheng.
Pang Yu only inferred from the translation of Qianshan that Yingshan was located in the Dabie Mountains.
This was somewhat different from Pang Yu's current impression. He had always believed that the bandits were all highly mobile light cavalry and should be more accustomed to driving across the plains rather than drilling into ravines in the vast mountains of the Dabie Mountains.
If what Yiwen said is true, it means that the rogue bandits have indeed entered the mountains and are crossing the Dabie Mountains from Henan into Anqing Prefecture. The warning signal in spring is also in this direction.
After Wang Gongbi crossed the river last time, Zhang Guowei had been worried about Anqing, so he ordered Pan Keda to stay in Anqing Fucheng, but only the Fucheng was prepared. There were no troops stationed in other places such as Susong, Qianshan, Taihu, and Tongcheng. There were no troops stationed nearby.
There are also no team trainings in several counties.
The rogue bandits and Anqing were already close at hand. With Pang Yu's meager historical knowledge, he naturally had no idea when these rogue bandits would enter the Jiangbei area. His previous impression of these people seemed to be that they were highly disciplined and specialized in dealing with landlords.
But judging from the rumors I've heard for such a long time and the reactions of people around me, I'm afraid that's not the case.
Mr. Sun closed his eyes and said: "Two or three years ago, the rogue bandits were only suffering from scabies. Six years after Chongzhen, soldiers were everywhere and the rogue bandits were in chaos.
In the four connected areas of the Central Plains, if the rogue bandits return to Shanxi and Shaanxi, we naturally don't need to worry about it. North Zhili has a large concentration of troops and the rogue bandits dare not go there. Henan, Lianghuai, and Huguang can all be considered.
I live in Anqing, where the thoroughfare between Huguang and Lianghuai is located. Whether the bandits are traveling from Huguang to Lianghuai or from Lianghuai to Huguang, they must pass through Tongcheng."
Yang Erming frowned, looking like a young man, and said, "Where you are an official, the first priority is stability. Soldiers and equipment cannot be prepared overnight. The rogue bandits are close at hand. We must make preparations immediately.
The people who know the military in the county government are headed by Pang Bantou, so they came to you first to discuss whether Zhuang Bantou can be used now?"
Pang Yu's heart trembled. Last time, he relied on drugging to quell the chaos, and gained a reputation as a wise soldier for no reason.
But Pang Yu still has some self-awareness, and there is still a difference between gang fights and fighting.
Now Zhuang Ban may be able to deal with people like Huang Wending, but it may still be far from enough to deal with rogue bandits.
“The strong class was founded in the early days, and the personnel and equipment were not neat and tidy. They were not even equipped with uniforms, so the morale could not be said to be high.
But as long as the adults want to mobilize, Zhuangban will definitely go all out."
Yang Erming and Mr. Sun looked at each other. Pang Yu said it nicely, but in fact his meaning was very obvious, that is, Zhuangban was not suitable for use.
Yang Erming also felt that it was a bit difficult to force others to do so. He only gave Pang Yu ten days to train strong soldiers, and even gods could not train strong soldiers.
Mr. Sun saw that the situation was a bit awkward, so he said, "The most beneficial thing for defending the city is gunpowder. Now we need to buy some gunpowder for later use."
"Mr. Sun's opinion is that gunpowder is indispensable.
The villain also has a thought here, such a big thing must be planned first and then acted upon.
Defending cannot rely on people and equipment, but strategy must precede it."
Pang Yu didn't want to discuss the details. After peeking at Yang Erming's expression, he asked him in a low voice, "Should the defense focus on the county town or the county boundary? Only in this way can we prepare personnel and equipment according to the strategy."
Yang Erming and Yang Erming were silent for a moment. As the head of a county, it is natural that he should guard the territory and the people. However, Tongcheng has a vast territory. Although there is the Yangtze River in the south and the Dabie Mountains in the west, there is no danger to defend in the southwest and northeast. Although Beixia Pass in the north is an important
However, the road cannot be completely cut off, and the bandits can still bypass it. No one would believe that the archers of the Beixia Pass Inspection Department can hold the pass.
To resist the rogue bandits and prevent them from entering Tongcheng County, a strong field force is needed.
Mr. Sun cleared his throat and said, "Sun believes that we should guard the county seat.
The imperial court discussed the crime, and the most important thing was the loss of land when the city was captured. The bandits came as fast as they came, and they left very quickly. The land was definitely not wanted, but if the city was destroyed, the people would be seriously injured. Even if the bandits left later, the local shepherd would still be punished by death.
The DPRK and the Central Government can be very strict with the local authorities."
Mr. Sun said this in front of Pang Yu, already treating Pang Yu as one of his own. If there were other people present, he would never say it so straightforwardly.
What Mr. Sun means is that the imperial court only values the county seat. As long as the county seat is there, no matter how rotten the outside of the city is, it will not be considered a loss of the city and land, because the rogue bandits will not occupy the countryside and stay away.
"Not to mention the severity of the punishments in the court, the county seat was originally a place where the wealth and people of the county gathered."
Yang Erming looked like a young and mature man, pacing back and forth in the house with his hands behind his back, thinking as he said, "If we defend the county, we must fight against the bandits. I think that in my county, I am unable to fight with the bandits in the wild.
It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t.
In addition, thieves come and go quickly, relying on horses and mules. The mountains and swamps in the countryside of Tongcheng are not suitable for them to roam around, so there should be no serious problems in the countryside.
Therefore, county governance should be given priority and rural areas should be supplemented."
To supplement the countryside, in other words, the market towns and villages are ignored.
In Pang Yu's view, this is also the most realistic situation, but it is also the most in line with the local officials' own interests. They have indeed given up their responsibility to protect the people in the countryside. Of course, Yang Erming also found some reasons for himself to strengthen the rationality of his decision-making.
sex.
Pang Yu felt relieved after hearing this. Relying on the city wall to fight defensive battles required much lower combat skills. Even if the strong squad was pulled out for intensive training for a few days, they could barely use it.
Pang Yu was still somewhat prepared for this, and immediately said, "The most important thing is to protect the county government, and to protect the countryside as a supplement. I have some calculations here, and I can give you the details first."
"Pang Bantou, please tell me."
"The first is to clearly protect the armor. No matter in urban or rural areas, the armor must be strictly guarded and people who come and go must be strictly checked; the second is to train rural soldiers in regiments. In addition to the training of strong squads for low-level positions, each village in the city must organize social soldiers, and each district must have
The third is to store weapons, grain, grass, gunpowder, and armor; the fourth is to listen from far and near, even if the news is received an hour earlier, it is completely different; the fifth is to send messages, the horses in the Yamen are rarely trained, and the horses are all
If you are thin and fast, you will be able to catch thefts and apprehends things. The humble people will be trained strictly. Once they know that the bandits are coming, they will immediately use horses to notify all villages and towns, especially those near official roads, that people in villages and towns should evacuate immediately. It is best to practice in advance;
The sixth is to prepare a plan. Everything must be done in advance. Once the bandits approach, make preparations according to the plan so that you are not in a hurry; the seventh is the most important one, you need an adult to come forward."
Yang Erming asked seriously, "What's the matter?"
"To resist foreign enemies, we must fully mobilize all forces, the most important of which are manpower and money. Those in urban and rural areas who can assist the county government are the old clans of the gentry. Please summon them from time to time to report banditry. Only when they pay attention to banditry can the countryside be fully mobilized.
"
Yang Erming nodded repeatedly. He and Mr. Sun had also discussed it, and some of it was the same as what Pang Yu said. After listening to it, he said to Pang Yu, "I just made a statement to my officer immediately."
Pang Yu immediately agreed. Both Yang Erming and Mr. Sun were very satisfied with him. Other team leaders could neither propose such terms nor complete such paperwork.
"That matter should not be delayed. I will convene the gentry in the city to discuss it in the afternoon and inspect the city together."
...On the wall of the south gate of Tongcheng, a group of people were walking along the wall to look, and from time to time they stopped to point out the outside of the city.
Pang Yu walked behind with more than a dozen of his men. Among the crowd in front, he saw Pan Yinglou, Liu Xiucai, Jiang Zhihuai, Zhang Bingcheng, Jiang Chen and others. They were all representatives of the gentry, and others were from clans in the city.
There were elders and village chiefs, but Ruan Dacheng was not among them. It seemed that Yang Erming also continued the attitude of his predecessor, which was to try not to deal with Ruan Dacheng.
Pan Yinglou originally planned to go to Nanjing, and made an appointment with Ruan Dacheng to accompany him. In the original time and space, Ruan Dacheng also moved to Nanjing immediately after the civil unrest, avoiding the turbulent years in Huaihe and Huaihe.
Now because they have accepted a new drama about a female consort, both Ruan Dacheng and Pan Yinglou stayed in Tongcheng. They did not expect to face direct threats from rogue bandits, so Pan Yinglou's face was a bit gloomy. Jiang Chen still looked calm, but Jiang Zhi
Huai was a little excited.
Because Qianshan is in the south of Tongcheng, Yang Erming subconsciously chose to start from the south gate and then go to Xiangyang Gate for inspection. Today he will inspect the entire city wall.
They pointed out the situation from the front, while Pang Yu led his subordinates to study his own business in the back.
"Leader, this section of the city wall is about one to seven feet wide."
Pang Yu turned to look at Jiang Fan who was speaking, "If you use spears to defend the southern city wall, it shouldn't be too long. It should be eight feet to ten feet at most. The city wall is not wide enough and the place is cramped. The weapons must be flexible and easy to use and adapt to the combat environment.
and objects.”
After Pang Yu finished speaking, he looked down the city. Among the stacked roofs outside the city wall, many houses were already very close to the city wall. If rogues stood on the roofs, the advantage of the city wall would be greatly reduced.
The city wall of Tongcheng is six miles long, with 1,673 battlements, six gates and two water gates. If one person is assigned to guard each battlement, more than a thousand people will be needed. Pang Yu's strong squad alone is definitely not enough.
Yes, so we have to invite the gentry and elders to patrol with us.
"What are the rogue's protective gear and long-range attack capabilities like?
Are there many bows and arrows?
Are there any cannons?"
A group of subordinates looked at each other again. Pang Yu knew that his question was in vain, so he turned to Jiang Fan and warned, "Send your horse to Qianshan early tomorrow morning. Remember to add these questions when you inquire."
Jiang Fan whispered, "My subordinates will make arrangements for them in the evening, but I think that since the bandits want to avoid the army, they rely on running fast. This shows that they care more about speed, and I am afraid they will not have heavy armor."
Pang Yu nodded and said, "That makes sense, but you have to be lenient when anticipating the enemy. You have to consider that there may be a few elites equipped with armor. It's always more secure to have something that can deal with heavy armor. I don't know how strong that armor can be."
What weapon can be used against armor?"
Again there was no response. These were all government officials. Armor was a military weapon strictly controlled by the imperial court. I am afraid they had only seen it on the stage, so naturally they could not answer Pang Yu's question.
"It's just that I don't know about armor. Then tell me, what other armaments are there to defend the city?"
Pang Yu glanced at it and said, "I dare to say that it is me who makes the decision. I don't blame you for being wrong."
He turned his eyes to the few strong class representatives at the back, all of whom had performed well recently, but some of them were a little flinching when faced with this kind of situation.
Only Yao Dongshan was not frightened. He bowed to Pang Yu and said, "If a thief wants to climb up the city wall, he must use a ladder to climb up. Just give me a mountain hammer. As soon as the thief shows up, we will smash him over, okay?"
Everything has to fall down."
Pang Yu encouraged, "Well said."
Yao Dongshan was encouraged and continued excitedly, "If I hit it with a tree trunk as thick as a bowl, even the ladder would be knocked over."
"This is a good idea. Everyone should be like Yao Dongshan and speak out boldly. Wang Zenglu, you should also speak up."
Wang Zenglu hesitated for a moment and then said, "Gunpowder and firearms are the most important thing in defending the city. My subordinates heard in Nanjing that the soldiers in Liaodong relied on cannons to repel Jiannu."
"There must be no guns, gunpowder..." Pang Yu touched his chin, remembering what Mr. Sun had said, and couldn't help but nodded and said, "I just don't know how much inventory there is in the county. You discuss it first. I'll ask Shen from the barracks."
Secretary."
After saying this, Pang Yu hurried forward. Secretary Shen walked at the end of the crowd. Pang Yu successfully found the old man.
"There is no gunpowder at all."
Secretary Shen was straightforward, "But Mr. Yang has already arranged for the military department to buy it. If it can be purchased, it will be given to the strong class first."
Pang Yu cursed in his heart, if he didn't give the strong squad, why should he give it to the soap squad? He was working hard to defend the city by taking gunpowder. Secretary Shen's tone seemed to be selling Pang Yu a favor.
However, Pang Yu did not dare to show it. He thanked Secretary Shen and was about to return to his team when he suddenly heard some noise in front of him, and Yang Erming's voice was mixed in with it.
Pang Yu quickly squeezed to the front and looked over, only to see Jiang Zhihuai and Liu Xiucai fighting with each other, while Yang Erming and others were trying to persuade them.
"Jiang Zhihuai, you talked nonsense during the civil unrest last time. Liu hasn't finished settling matters with you yet. Today you want to take my money. It's simply unreasonable!"
Liu Xiucai grabbed Jiang Zhihuai's collar, looking menacing.
Jiang Zhihuai grabbed Liu Xiucai's hand. He was not as tall as Liu Xiucai, so he was at a disadvantage at this time, but he said without giving in, "Not a penny of your money has gone into my pocket. Jiang is not surprised either. Jiang
This is a cry for the lives of the people in the city and their families, and this is a righteous statement."
"Jiang, don't be pretentious. You are calling for the people in this city. Don't you, Liu?"
"Then for the sake of the people, demolish that building!"
Pang Yu looked in the direction of Jiang Zhihuai's finger. On the west side of Zilai Street, about six or seven feet outside the city wall, stood a tall wooden attic. The height of its fourth floor exceeded the city wall, and the city wall could be overlooked from above.
Pang Yu probably knew what the quarrel was about. This wooden building was Liu Xiucai's property, but it was too high and too close to the city wall.
If the bandits shot arrows from the fourth floor, they could completely control this section of the city wall. Jiang Zhihuai, who was always outspoken, must have asked Liu Xiucai to demolish it, but Liu Xiucai naturally refused.
"I bought this with real money. You, Jiang Zhihuai, just said it casually and wanted to tear it apart. What kind of royal law did you rely on? If you still don't believe me, I'll see who dares to tear it down!"