The four hundred and sixtieth chapters are profoundly righteous
The Suzaku Army retreated thirty miles according to the truce. Zhang Ning stood on the bank of Bali Lake and looked around. It seemed that it had become a huge morgue. The smoke had been blown away by the wind, and the hot blood gradually cooled down, leaving only
Corpses were laid out everywhere. People silently shuttled among the corpses, including armored soldiers and civilians recruited from nearby to help. Many tents were set up nearby. The cleaned corpses would be carried into the tents and washed with water first.
Then they put on neat military uniforms that are not worn in battle, place some relics next to them, and then cover them with the military flags of each battalion with a red-faced black suzaku pattern.
There are also some civilian officials who set up cases to compile lists of the dead and disabled in each army. This is a systematic job. After a period of time, the families of the fallen soldiers will receive relics and compensation property and land from the Ministry of War. The bodies do not need to be transported back.
, a cemetery was opened on the spot and a monument was erected; on the day of burial, family members were allowed to come to Jiujiang to watch the ceremony. Every soldier may die, so treating the fallen with respect today may be treated with the same courtesy as yourself tomorrow.
"Some people say that women often think about how to live, and men often think about how to die." Zhang Ning kept talking to Zhou Mengxiong next to him.
Zhou Mengxiong didn't say anything. Perhaps in his eyes, the aftermath was overdone. Each of the fallen was given a "lavish burial", which inevitably increased the financial burden that was originally unable to make ends meet. Anyway, this has not been done since ancient times. Corpses were buried in horse leather and buried in grass. They have always been soldiers.
Sometimes Zhou Mengxiong felt that Zhang Ning was a bit womanly, but he also felt that there was nothing wrong with doing so. Anyway, he was not in charge of the government's finances and taxes, so he never raised any opinions.
Zhang Ning looked very tired, his originally deep eye sockets were now sunken, and he looked a bit sallow and thin.
He said sadly: "The Semu people wrote a passage in a book called "One Hundred Years of Solitude", which probably means that people often move around, and the place they settle down is not necessarily their hometown, but as long as they are on a piece of land,
Once your relatives are buried, you can call it your home. When the army retreats and Jiujiang City returns to the hands of our army, so many soldiers are buried here. This land can be called our hometown..."
I don’t know if Zhou Mengxiong understood Zhang Ning’s emotions. He stroked his beard and said: “Zhang Fu so readily agreed to give up Jiujiang and retreat eastward. He must have considered leaving the strength to retain Nanjing. From ancient times to the present, there has been no Yangtze River.
There is a possibility of a long-term confrontation between the upstream and downstream. There is no danger to defend the east and west, and there will be a battle sooner or later. If we take advantage of the situation and attack Nanjing, the situation will really get bigger. Zhang Fu has no chance of winning in Jiujiang, and wants to shrink and regain his strength first, but unfortunately we have no chance at the moment.
If we want to continue, we can only do this for the time being."
Zhang Ning gradually recovered from the low and sad mood caused by fatigue, and asked calmly: "My father-in-law thinks that we are going to march eastward to Nanjing, what preparations should we make?"
The closeness in title was very helpful to Zhou Mengxiong. His enthusiasm did not seem to have cooled down because of a big battle. After all, he was not the person who had been surrounded in Jiujiang City for several months. Zhou Mengxiong said directly: "It's just two things. The first
First, the weather in Jiangxi last year was good, but neither side could effectively control it. The post-autumn harvest taxes were low, or were hoarded in local treasury, and the war was limited to a few counties along the river. The local area must be rich.
We should tighten our control over Jiangxi and allow the army to live locally. While resting and recuperating, we can reduce the burden on Huguang.
Second, although there are no natural dangers on the east and west sides of the Yangtze River, if the navy is strong, Poyang Lake will not be an obstacle, and it will be much easier for the army to go down the river. In the Battle of Jiujiang, I experienced the dilemma of being controlled by people on the water many times. Next we will
The navy should be expanded, otherwise it would be unwise to hand over the Yangtze River to others."
Zhang Ning nodded frequently and agreed. But he could not help but think in his heart: Yongding Battalion suffered heavy losses, the soldiers were tired, the weapons were dilapidated, and their families were all in Wuchang, Huguang. They had been fighting hard for several months outside, and they had not returned from their duties as division commanders.
Rest and recuperate; the New Army’s Third Battalion had just set out and had a large number of people, so it was in line with strategic needs to stay in Jiujiang to “eat”.
The area where soldiers and horses are deployed is logical, but once the third battalion of the New Army stays in Jiangxi, Zhou Mengxiong should also be stationed in Jiangxi. Zhou Mengxiong is a military general, and it stands to reason that he can only be in charge of the military power in Jiangxi... The problem is that even if another Jiangxi governor is assigned to manage this area
In this "fat and oily" territory, who is qualified to divide the power of managing finance and taxation? Yu Qian's ability in governing local areas is good, but can Yu Qian control Zhou Mengxiong?
Obviously not. Zhou Mengxiong is a cabinet minister and one of the "Five Rogues."
Jin, his qualifications here are also shallow, and he was reused entirely because of Zhang Ning's preconceptions and personal appreciation of him. If Yu Qian was the governor of Jiangxi, he would not be able to control Zhou Mengxiong at all; when Zhou Mengxiong was stationed in Jiangxi, he, as the governor
It's like a decoration.
Zhou Mengxiong has a 60,000-strong army. If he also occupies the rich counties in Jiangxi and has long-term power in the army to accumulate prestige, this strength seems to be too great. Of course, the "Zhu family" has marriages and other relationships with him, and Zhang Ning does not
I believe he will turn against me, but I always feel a little uneasy... completely out of instinct.
Should we find a way to cure Zhou Mengxiong? Zhang Ning thought of his desperate death in Jiujiang. Only Zhou Mengxiong could defy everyone's opinions and make steady progress, and he unexpectedly won on the northern front. He felt a little uncomfortable... After all, there was no Zhou Mengxiong.
If it were anyone with a little less ability, no matter how loyal he was, he would have died once.
So after this great victory, Zhang Ning's tired heart could not relax. Instead, there were some shadows behind the glory.
"I'm a little tired." Zhang Ning turned to the side and said to Wei Bin and others from the Yongding Battalion. "Please ask Futai to take care of the casualty statistics and other matters. General Wei, please let the soldiers prepare. We will rest for a few days."
Go back to Wuchang."
The two clasped their fists and said "yes". Zhang Ning said goodbye to Zhou Mengxiong for the time being and returned to the Yongding Camp to rest.
Then Yu Qian and others had their own things to do, and each said goodbye to Zhou Mengxiong. In the end, only Zhou Mengxiong and a few staff members were left to watch the scenery on the north bank of Bali Lake.
"King Xiang seems a little unhappy." Liu Mazi stepped forward cautiously and said.
This humble-looking Mazi was actually a military general. He was Zhou Mengxiong's general more than 20 years ago, but his political acumen seemed to be far better than his military ability. When he was in Wuchang, Zhou Mengxiong refused to send troops, and Liu Mazi was therefore
Many comments have been made.
Zhou Mengxiong said: "King Xiang is just physically and mentally exhausted and not in high spirits."
After hearing this, Liu Mazi couldn't say much, so he had to accompany him. Zhou Mengxiong turned around and looked at the scenery on the vast Bali Lake. His tall and burly body, his back was as imposing as a mountain.
A gust of wind blew up, causing Zhou Mengxiong's cloak to flutter like a flag. His hand rested on his saber, and for a moment he became more heroic.
Zhou Mengxiong just stood motionless facing the water, standing as if he were driving a pile, motionless in the cold wind. Everyone behind him had their feet numb when standing, and they couldn't help but move a little regardless of their awe, and they also
I didn't dare to disturb Zhou Mengxiong, I didn't dare to say anything, I just stood there stupidly for a long time until late at night. You can imagine how boring it felt.
When the sky gradually darkened, Zhou Mengxiong finally said: "What do you think will happen after Zhang Fu returns to the court? Can the pseudo-emperor still use him?"
Liu Mazi and others were speechless, completely unprepared, and unable to answer for a moment. Liu Mazi thought that Marshal Zhou was thinking about King Xiang, but he never expected that when he opened his mouth, he would say something about Zhang Fu.
"Zhu Mian, the commander-in-chief of the North Route Army, is not good enough. I used the third battalion of new recruits to make him walk around without food. Only Zhang Fu is qualified." Zhou Mengxiong turned around and said, "Zhang Fu was not defeated by me when Jiujiang rescued the siege."
Liu Mazi hurriedly said: "The commander used his troops like a god, seizing the key point in one fell swoop, and suddenly cutting off the key points of the Northwest Camp. Only then could the entire Northwest Camp be annihilated... But the person who directly defeated the Datong Jingqi was indeed the King of Xiang."
Zhou Mengxiong shook his head and said: "If Jiujiang City had not quickly discovered Zhang Fu's deployment plan and caught me by surprise, it would be difficult to cut off the northwest camp so easily. Furthermore, the King of Xiang made Zhang Fu suffer a big loss, not because of the superiority of his troops, but because
Fraudulently, he used sophisticated artillery to break open the defense line of the Northwest Battalion, which Zhang Fu did not expect."
Liu Mazi said: "On the battlefield, no matter whether it is fair or unfair, we will try our best to win. If we win, we will be the king. If we lose, we will be the bandits. If Zhang Fu loses, we will lose."
Zhou Mengxiong smiled and said: "That's true."
After saying that, he left the lake and walked straight to Yongding Camp. After entering the military camp, he met Li Zhen, the chief of guard in the middle army. Zhou Mengxiong asked: "Is the King of Xiang here?"
Li Zhen said: "Your Majesty has been lying down since noon. It seems that he has not fallen asleep. This is my report."
After a while, Li Zhen came out and asked Zhou Mengxiong to come in. Zhou Mengxiong took the initiative to take off his sword, handed it to Li Zhen, put it on the knife holder outside the tent, and then put it in the account.
Zhang Ning was seen wearing a coat and sitting on a chair in a bad mood. While asking Zhou Mengxiong to sit down, he said: "My work and rest have been messed up in Jiujiang City. Now I am dizzy, but I still can't sleep peacefully. Maybe I can wait."
It took me back to Wuchang to adjust, but the atmosphere on the battlefield was really not right."
Zhou Mengxiong said: "I still have some thoughts that I would like to discuss with King Xiang."
Zhang Ning said kindly: "But it doesn't hurt."
Zhou Mengxiong said: "At noon, I proposed two things. One of them is to expand and train the navy. However, I know nothing about the navy and I am afraid that I will not be qualified for the important task of commanding the army in Jiujiang. Therefore, I recommended Monk Yao to command the armies in Jiujiang.
Train the navy on site. Monk Yao and his son have been in Yuezhou for more than a year. They have established a fleet and have experience in all aspects. I think they are the most suitable."
Zhang Ning immediately bowed and seemed to be in better spirits, and said hurriedly: "Master Yuezhang is quite reasonable. However, the third battalion of the New Army is run by Yuezhang, and he has won many great victories in Jiangxi... Now there is a sudden change of personnel.
I’m afraid the soldiers will feel that my king’s treatment is unfair.”
Zhou Mengxiong smiled heartily and said: "This is my request, how can I blame the King of Xiang? Besides, the Third Battalion of the New Army, from recruiting soldiers to raising military supplies, was only achieved by a few colleagues in the cabinet working day and night, so almost all the money was spent
The treasury of Shiyu Prefecture in Huguang has been emptied. This is the army of the imperial court. When will I, Zhou Mengxiong, get the military power? Whoever becomes the commander-in-chief has the final say. There is no need to care about me, I have no right to interfere."
Zhang Ning suddenly became excited as he spoke, "My father-in-law understands the righteousness deeply. He can truly be called the pillar of the country and the right arm of my father... In this way, when the Yongding camp is about to be reorganized, my father-in-law and I will return to Wuchang together with the cabinet.
The ministers will make a decision after careful discussion."