With Zhao Zhen's nod of acquiescence, Du Yan moved his dark and fat body to Su Jin, cupped his hands and said: "Special envoy Su turned the tide and opened up the situation for the imperial court's food service. He is brave and resourceful. I admire him very much."
"Thank you very much, Privy Du, for the compliment. I will serve the imperial court even if I die." Su Jin returned the greeting with clasped fists.
"The envoy does not have to be too modest. However, when an official acts, he must consider the balance and do not violate the laws of the imperial court. If the special envoy Su resists and disobeys the decree, even if the emperor pardons your crime, I still need to remind you that this
There must be a lack of consideration in everything, otherwise it will create a negative image for us officials in the Song Dynasty."
Su Jin bowed and said: "Now that I have been taught, I will definitely keep Privy Du's wise words in mind. Your Majesty loves me so much, how can a subordinate be ignorant of good and evil? I will definitely not do it again."
Du Yan smiled and said: "That's good. Special Envoy Su can wake up and it's not in vain for His Majesty's love and cherishment of talents. But I have one more thing to ask the Special Envoy, and I would like the Special Envoy to explain it clearly."
Su Jin said: "Please ask Privy Du for more information. I will answer everything I know."
Du Yan pinched the fat on his chin out of habit and said quietly: "When Special Envoy Su was on a mission, he led my capital guard, Ma Jun, with 200 followers, led by the deputy commander of the Ma Jun, Long Zhen.
, now that the food service has been completed, except for the 26 people who died in the horse army, the remaining 174 people have returned. The two horse soldiers have returned in triumph, but why has Long Zhen not been seen for so long?
Appeared? Long Zhen was a subordinate who assisted Special Envoy Su on his errands, and could also be said to be Special Envoy Su’s deputy. How come Special Envoy Su didn’t say a word about Long Zhen’s disappearance?”
Su Jin knew that this matter could not be avoided. No one else asked, but Du Yan, who was the privy envoy, would definitely ask, because he had already learned from Yan Shu that Long Zhen was recommended by Du Yan to follow him on errands, and now he was a
The majestic deputy commander of the Ma Army has disappeared. How can Du Yan rest?
)
Su Jin didn't mention this matter at all, which aroused the imagination of many people. Everyone who knows well knows that Long Zhen was recommended by Du Yan to follow Su Jin on errands. In fact, he was a backstop placed around Su Jin. It was Yan Shu who recommended him to contact Su Jin.
, and the semi-public battle for the title between Yan Shu and Du Yan, the twists and turns here can be described as extremely subtle; but now that the food service has been successfully completed, Long Zhen, who also had a share in this matter, has disappeared.
, which is quite intriguing.
Everyone looked at Su Jin, hoping that Su Jin could give an explanation. Their deputy had disappeared. As his superior officer, Su Jin really lacked an explanation.
Su Jin seemed a little angry, and his tone was also a little cold: "Privy Du, I would like to ask you about this matter. He is the commander of the Forbidden Army and thinks very highly of himself. When he followed me on errands, he disobeyed my orders several times. I am
Considering the overall situation, he did not care too much about him; when the Bagong Mountain bandits robbed the grain, this man did not resist and allowed more than 400 people to rob the grain under the eyes of the two hundred elite cavalry led by him.
Go, it is a complete embarrassment to our officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty; it is said that this person was recommended by Privy Du, and I would like to ask Privy Du why he would recommend such a pustule to embarrass the emperor and the court."
Du Yan shouted coldly: "Envoy Su, please be careful what you say. The cause of Long Zhen's escort of grain being robbed by bandits lies with you. If you had not made a mistake in your decision and took the land route instead of the water route, how could this have happened?
occur?"
Su Jin sneered and said: "I heard what Privy Du said. What you mean is that if a person buys a knife to kill people, the murderer is not guilty, but the person who sells the knife is guilty. This matter is only discussed in the court. If it is spread,
If you go out, won't it make people laugh out loud?"
Du Yan's face was hot, and he felt that what he said was a bit unreasonable. Fortunately, his face was dark and his blush was not noticed by anyone. He could only argue: "Special Envoy Su's analogy is not appropriate. One is a safe waterway, and the other is a waterway."
There are dangerous land routes infested by bandits, but you chose the dangerous one instead of the safe one. Isn't it your fault?"
Su Jin said with a smile: "Does Privy Du really not know or is he just pretending to be confused? Anyway, I might as well explain this matter, so that no one will say that I, Su Jin, am not acting according to common sense. The actual situation is that it is the middle of winter, and
After half a year of severe drought, the river water has declined, the rivers have dried up, and they are all frozen. Even if these factors can be overcome, a large number of ships must go upstream to Luzhou City South Wharf to load goods, and then go down the river to Yangzhou South Wharf, and then along the river.
Follow the canal northward to Yangzhou."
Du Yan said: "Isn't this a smooth trip?"
Su Jin sneered and said: "It sounds like a smooth trip, but first of all, where does the ship come from? Secondly, even if there is a ship, we need to hire large trucks of manpower to get the food on the ship, and we also need to hire large trucks of manpower to get the food off the ship. How much time will be lost in between?"
, there are hungry people dying of hunger every day in Yangzhou City, and refugees gathering every day, how can we delay it? What’s more, the ships can’t drive to the pier at all, and the Feishui River and the canal connecting the Yangtze River at both ends are as dry as a small ditch and a bathtub.
If you can't even float, why don't you ask the Sea Dragon King to do something to control the wind and rain?"
Du Yan rolled his eyes and said: "That's better than knowing full well that the bandits are robbing you but taking risks. In fact, after being robbed by the bandits, the delay will be longer."
Su Jin chuckled and said: "This is exactly what I am wondering, why can't the two hundred horse army be defeated by a few hundred poorly equipped rabble? It's not that the bandits are too cunning, but that Long Zhen is just incompetent."
Du Yan shouted: "Don't slander the generals of the Forbidden Army. This matter has been concluded for a long time. The time to transport food is after heavy snowfall. The advantage of the horse army lies in the horses. After the snow, the road is muddy. How to use the advantage of the horse army? You
If you don't understand military affairs, you have no right to reprimand someone; Long Zhen had no choice but to do this."
Su Jinxiao fell down, a little unscrupulously, Yan Shu frowned and shouted: "Special envoy Su, this is above the court, and the emperor is also here. Pay attention to your words and deeds."
Su Jin said nonchalantly: "Your Majesty, gentlemen, how can you still be so calm? Don't you realize that what Privy Du said is really funny?"
Du Yan shouted: "What's so funny about this?"
Su Jin smiled and said: "May I ask Privy Du, in your opinion, is it easier for a 200-horse army to stop 400 bandits on flat ground, or is it easier to wait for the bandits to go to the stronghold and then lead people to attack? You know military affairs and tactics.
, you might as well explain it to me."
Du Yan said coldly: "It's not your turn to question me yet."
Su Jin smiled and said: "If you don't bother to talk to me about military affairs, then I will ask someone else; who is the leader of the army and can you help Su Jin solve this doubt?"
The officials didn't move, although they didn't want to wade into troubled waters at this time. Although they didn't know the intention of Su Jin's question, they obviously had a back-up plan.
Zhao Zhen said: "Pang Aiqing, you have been on the battlefield in the northwest for a long time and are extremely familiar with military affairs. Come and help Special Envoy Su clear up his doubts."
Pang Ji rolled his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, most of the veterans are in charge of logistics and food matters. This analysis of specific battle cases may not be comprehensive enough, so it is better to ask others to answer."
Everyone in the palace secretly cursed: When the situation is unclear, he does not hesitate to admit his incompetence in order to protect himself. He is indeed an old fox.
Zhao Zhen had no choice but to take a few glances at the ministers, then pointed at Fan Yong, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and said: "Fan Aiqing, tell me, you have gone out to the border of Yanzhou and led troops to fight with the enemy several times. I should be able to explain it clearly.
"
Fan Yong rolled his eyes and could only say: "The old minister will try to analyze it from his own point of view. The two examples mentioned by Special Envoy Su are actually a comparison of field battles and critical battles. In my opinion, the difference between the two is
The degree of difficulty is related to many factors, such as the comparison of military strength, weather, terrain, morale, fighting force, etc.; if you want to draw a simple conclusion, it is not easy."
Zhao Zhen frowned and said: "I didn't let you make a long speech. Didn't Special Envoy Su already mention it very specifically? Two hundred horse troops were fighting on the plains against four to five hundred bandits, and the other side was attacking the bandits' stronghold. I only compared the two.
It’s just difficult.”
Fan Yong said hurriedly: "Yes, if we compare these two cases, it is obviously more difficult to attack mountains; in a confrontation on flat ground, if the terrain is suitable, one cavalry can be as good as an elite army of ten, fifty or sixty cavalry, which is enough to defeat an army without equipment."
The formation of hundreds of bandits may not be able to kill many people, but they can win without any worries."
Zhao Zhen said: "What about Snow Queen? What changes will happen to Snow Queen?"
Fan Yong said: "The Queen of Snow can't say the same thing, but with two hundred people, we should not be defeated. Our imperial guard horse army is well equipped, with armor all over the body, equipped with long guns, bows and arrows and short blades. Even if it is a local
Even the infantrymen and four to five hundred bandits can't even hope to get an advantage."
Du Yan stared at Fan Yong fiercely, and secretly scolded this old boy for analyzing so realistically what he was doing today. Wasn't this saying that Long Zhen's cavalry army was bound to win but was too timid to fight?
Fan Yong turned a blind eye and thought to himself: I also want to speak for you, but the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty are here, and there are many people who are proficient in military affairs. If I open my eyes and tell lies, won't it make the emperor and the officials think that I am a pustule and have nothing?
Do you understand?
"The conditions required to attack the mountain stronghold are even more stringent. Not only do you need several times the number of enemies, but you also need long-range attack weapons, and you also have to pay several times more casualties to be effective. If four to five hundred bandits are entrenched in a dangerous terrain, if you want to
To attack and defeat it, we need at least five times the number of troops, and it also depends on our luck on the spot."
Su Jin interjected: "What if we use one thousand troops to fight one thousand?"
Fan Yong shook his head and said: "That will be difficult to reach the sky. I can't do it."
Su Jin cupped his hands and said, "I've learned a lesson."
Fan Yong saluted the emperor, lowered his head and got into the crowd.
Su Jin looked at Du Yan and said, "Privy Du, you heard it. Do you have any objection to Master Fan's words?"
Du Yan snorted. Fan Yong was telling the truth. How could he have any objections? In military matters, one is one and the other is two. When the factors are constant, there are very few variables in victory or defeat. He will never be stupid.
He insists on using strong words to say that Fan Yong’s analysis is wrong.
"No objection, but what does this mean?"
Su Jin smiled and said: "You just said that the horse army cannot use its advantage after the snow. I agree with this. I am not asking whether the advantage can be used, but whether it can be defeated by keeping food. Mr. Fan gave the answer
The clear answer is that our cavalry army is well-equipped and can win even if we give up our horses. This shows that Long Zhen simply ran away from the fight, not anything else."
Du Yan said: "Even if we can win, it will be a miserable victory. Long Zhending decided to retreat and settle for the next best thing with this in mind. It is not known when the time will come to summon a large army for another crusade."
Su Jin smiled and said: "Privy Du is such a considerate person. He was so considerate for Long Zhen. Why didn't you consider the life and death of hundreds of thousands of Yangzhou people? Even the two hundred horse troops sacrificed their lives to fight with the hundreds of thousands of Yangzhou people.
Presumably, compared with the stability of the country, which one is more important?"
Du Yan was speechless.
"What's more, the situation is not that bad. As long as Long really dares to fight, the bandits will inevitably fall apart and the casualties will not be much greater; compared to the fact that I was forced to lead more than a thousand officers and soldiers to attack the mountain stronghold where more than a thousand bandits were entrenched.
Don't you think that the enemies Long Zhen faced at that time were simply not worth mentioning? Mr. Fan said that it would be difficult to win a battle of a thousand officers and soldiers against a thousand bandits; and I am just what you call a bad person.
People who understand military affairs can defeat the bandits in one fell swoop. Why would Long Zhen lead two hundred elites to fight and flee? It's snowing heavily and the roads are muddy. If this can be considered an excuse for failure, then I, Su Jin, can definitely find it.
There are thousands of reasons to let bandits run free, but can we do this?"