I

The fourteenth year of Chongzhen, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Zhao Han, Pang Chunlai, Li Banghua, Qin Liangyu, Xu Nianzu, and Mao Yuanyi sat together to discuss this year's troop dispatch plan.

Due to the lack of a map of Sichuan, Qin Liangyu drew a rough one, marking only important rivers, mountains and cities.

"You must take Yunyang first, and if it's too late, take Wanxian," Xu Nianzu said, pointing to the map. "This will prevent Zhang Xianzhong from going west. This guy was already attacking Kuizhou last winter."

Li Banghua shook his head: "If that's the case, we must start a war with Zhang Xianzhong in advance."

Mao Yuanyi said: "Zhang Xianzhong didn't dare to fight. If there is a real fight, there is no need to go to Sichuan. He directly crosses the river and fights his hinterland of Hubei!"

Pang Chunlai interjected: "If we send troops to Hubei, our army's plan for marching will be completely messed up. Fei Ruhe and Zhang Tieniu are both in Shandong, Li is in Xuzhou, and Huang Shun is in Xinyang. Returning to the army will inevitably consume food and grass, and the gains will outweigh the losses. "

Zhao Han said: "After Huang Yao formed a new army, he immediately attacked Yunyang or Wanxian. The navy went to Huangzhou and Jingzhou to cruise around and test Zhang Xianzhong's reaction."

"Do you really want to start a war with Zhang Xianzhong?" Li Banghua frowned.

Zhao Han said with a smile: "There may be small battles, but I don't think there will be big ones. Zhang Xianzhong dare not fight at all. Once the two sides start a war, Guizhou (Zigui), Yiling, Jiangling, Jianli, Hanyang, Huangzhou, Qizhou These cities are all likely to be attacked by our army crossing the river. How can Zhang Xianzhong defend them? He is engaged in farming in Hubei, and he has finally made progress. How can he allow it to be lost so easily?"

"Don't be afraid of 10,000, just in case," Li Banghua said, "What if Zhang Xianzhong goes crazy?"

"I'm not afraid of going crazy," Qin Liangyu said, "Take Yunyang down, and I will defend the city with Shibabai soldiers. As long as there is no shortage of rations, he will not be able to attack it for ten years. If he is stuck here, Zhang Xianzhong still wants to go west to Sichuan. You have to slowly climb over the mountains along the way."

Zhao Han made a decision and said, "Okay, give the Shi Jie Independence Regiment 5,000 soldiers, and the food and grass will be raised by Shi Jie for the time being. I will send a fleet to bring in the follow-up military food. You can fly the banner of the Datong Army and wait until the summer grain harvest season. At that time, I will have enough food and soldiers, and Huang Yao's troops will also march into Sichuan to reinforce."

Pang Chunlai asked: "How far should Sichuan fight?"

"Sichuan can't invest too much troops and food," Zhao Han explained. "This year's plan is only to capture three to five counties in Sichuan, and send officials to divide the land in Yunyang, Wanxian, and Zhongxian. Wait. After the civil affairs are done well, relying on these three counties, we will slowly continue to divide the fields westward. Train as many local farmers, soldiers and officials as possible in Sichuan, so that we can use Sichuan's grain and Sichuan's soldiers to defeat the whole of Sichuan. To attack Sichuan, I will only send Huang Yaona 7,500 people."

"That may take several years." Mao Yuanyi said.

"Two or three years at the most," Zhao Han said with a smile, "There are still advantages to fighting like this. If you want to attack Yunnan and Guizhou in the future, you only need to send troops from Sichuan, and you only need to collect food from Sichuan, instead of transporting it all the way from Hunan."

As a land of abundance, Sichuan suffered relatively few natural disasters in the late Ming Dynasty.

As long as Zhang Xianzhong is blocked from advancing westward, there will be no decent hostile forces in Sichuan. Then what kind of heavy troops will be sent to conquer?

The 7,500-person mountain division, plus 5,000 white soldiers, only needs to provide food and grass for the first year, and will definitely be self-sufficient in Sichuan in the second year. At that time, Sichuan will not only not be a burden, but also become Zhao Han's food and military base. He can attack Yunnan and Guizhou in the south and go out of Shanxi in the north.

As for Hunan, the training of farmers and soldiers cannot be stopped.

In case Zhang Xianzhong was in a hurry, tens of thousands of peasants and soldiers were immediately recruited, bonds were issued to collect grain from the people, and they crossed the river directly to fight Zhang Xianzhong in Hubei!

...

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Zhao Han proclaimed himself king.

No ceremony was held, because all the altars in Nanking were destroyed, and even the ancestral temple of Lao Zhu's family fell into disrepair.

If you want to hold a ceremony, you have to work hard to restore the buildings such as the Temple of Heaven and Earth.

But the bureaucracy has changed dramatically.

The Dudu Mansion was changed to the Wu Wang Mansion, and the subordinate agencies were changed to: the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Dudu Mansion, and the Secretariat.

Ministry of Rites: Reformed by the Department of Propaganda and Education, it focuses on Datong ideological work and is also responsible for the Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Industry: in charge of transportation and water conservancy construction.

Ministry of Commerce: in charge of national industry and commerce.

Ministry of Households: Equivalent to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Ministry of Finance: Equivalent to the Ministry of Finance.

Ministry of Punishment: Leads and manages courts across the country.

The Department of Anti-corruption has changed its name to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. No gossip is allowed, and everything is based on evidence.

The Military Academy was changed to the Governor's Mansion, where soldiers were recruited, trained, and fought.

The Ministry of War is in charge of equipment logistics, the promotion of senior officers, and the formulation of combat policies.

The combat plan is divided into two parts, and the Ministry of War can only determine whether to start a war, and lead the war from a macro level. The specific combat plan is in charge of the Dudu Mansion, so as to prevent laymen from blindly commanding experts.

Moreover, Zhao Han's Ministry of War is no longer a purely civilian institution, and generals can also be promoted to ministers of the Ministry of War.

However, after the general is transferred to the Ministry of War, he is not allowed to intervene in military command, and must resign from all positions in the Dudu Mansion. If there is a concurrent role, it is tantamount to treason.

The Secretariat was renamed from the Academy of Secretaries and became regularized.

The secretariat set up ten Caos to work with the eight ministries and the two courts respectively, which is equivalent to the six departments that have been castrated for their supervisory functions.

After proclaiming himself emperor, a cabinet will be set up, and Zhao Han has no idea how the cabinet will be arranged.

In addition, there is Datong Bank, which is entangled with the Ministry of Finance. After the world is settled down, the relationship between the two parties will gradually be straightened out.

Zhao Han's title became King of Wu, and the officials' official names naturally had to be changed. Pang Chunlai was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Li Banghua was the Minister of the Ministry of War, and Chen Maosheng was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Fei Ruhe, Huang Yao, Li Zheng and others were all promoted to left governor.

Mao Yuanyi, Xu Nianzu and others were called Bing Cao's secretaries.

...

Ma Wannian was sent to Jeju Island to help train cavalry.

Qin Liangyu returned to Shidui by boat. She wanted to mobilize white soldiers to quickly cross the river and capture Yunyang before Zhang Xianzhong.

When she passed by Kuizhou, Kuizhou had been lost.

Continuing to go up by boat, Zhang Xianzhong's troops have actually captured Yunyang!

Qin Liangyu landed directly at Wanxian and ordered his followers to return to Shili to mobilize troops. He only led a few people to defend Wanxian.

Arriving outside the city, Qin Liangyu ordered his people to shout: "Shi Dian Qin Liangyu is here, open the city quickly!"

"Mrs. Qin?"

Xie Zongtai, the county magistrate, was stunned at first, and then he was overjoyed: "Hold Mrs. Qin up quickly!"

Several baskets were put down, and Qin Liangyu and his entourage quickly arrived on the city wall.

"Xie Zongtai, who is late, has met Mrs. Qin!"

Xie Zongtai seemed to be grasping at straws and was so moved that he wanted to cry.

He was a Jinshi in the tenth year of Chongzhen. He had just been a county magistrate for one year when his hometown in Zhejiang was captured by Zhao Han. Then the situation changed drastically, Sichuan lost contact with the imperial court, and Xie Zongtai continued to be an official in confusion.

This guy is a master at solving cases, and he is quite professional as a judge. Letting him defend the city is just to catch up.

Qin Liangyu didn't waste any time and asked directly: "How many defenders are there in the city?"

"There are only more than 300 local warriors, and they were recruited before the Chinese New Year." Xie Zongtai replied.

It was hard for Qin Liangyu to scold him for his incompetence. After all, Zhang Xianzhong's army was not far away, so the magistrate had done his duty by not abandoning the city and fleeing.

Qin Liangyu asked again: "How much food is there in the treasury?"

"Not much," Xie Zongtai added, "If there are a few hundred soldiers, they can last for two or three months. If we recruit more soldiers, we may run out of rations in a month."

Qin Liangyu couldn't care much, so he could only take out the Datong military flag and lied: "Your Majesty has married Princess Kunxing and canonized Zhao Han of Jiangxi as King of Wu. At this moment, the princes and princesses are all in Nanjing, which is nothing more than entrusting the emperor to inherit the country. Lift it."

"Really...really?" Xie Zongtai couldn't believe it.

Qin Liangyu sighed: "Beizhili is surrounded on three sides by rogue bandits and Tartar slaves. The Ming Dynasty is not far from overthrow. Your Majesty must leave a way out."

"Alas!" Xie Zongtai could only sigh.

Qin Liangyu added: "The King of Wu sits in the lands of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Zhejiang, Huaihe and Jiangxi, and will definitely ascend the throne in the future. After the summer harvest, the King of Wu will send a large army to Sichuan, and the eight thieves will definitely be defeated by then."

"But with so few people in the city, they can't guard the summer harvest." Xie Zongtai said.

"There are also white-pole soldiers," Qin Liangyu deliberately showed a confident smile, "I'm here. The white-pole soldiers will arrive soon. You tell the people in the city about this."

"Okay!" Xie Zongtai suddenly felt confident.

Qin Liangyu added: "Immediately collect wood and summon carpenters in the city. Rotten wood can be used, and the gun heads can also be made of wood. Paint them all white to make fake white-steel guns. The existing long guns should also be painted white immediately. At the top of the city Plant the Datong military flag, the horse-character flag and the Qin-character flag, and send people outside the city to spread the news that the white-pole soldiers have arrived."

"This is a great plan!" Xie Zongtai became more confident after hearing this.

Qin Liangyu said: "The news about His Majesty being crowned King of Wu and marrying the princess was also spread outside the city. Also, he publicized the brutality of the Eight Thieves in the city, saying that once the city was broken, it would be burned, killed and plundered by the bandits. The wealthy people in the city were forced to do so. Every household donates money and food, and summons the people to come and defend the city. Forget it, I will personally handle the matter of gathering troops and urging donations!"

With Qin Liangyu as the backbone, the entire county quickly started to move.

Although Xie Zongtai did not know how to defend the city, he had the ability to obey orders and did all the affairs in an orderly manner.

With Qin Liangyu's name on display and the King of Wu as a signboard, the rich people were afraid of Zhang Xianzhong's robbery, so they donated money and food directly.

Then the security law was implemented in the city, and all outsiders were concentrated in custody to try to prevent Zhang Xianzhong's spies from causing trouble.

There must be Zhang Xianzhong's spies in the city. He used this trick to capture countless cities.

Zhang Xianzhong was injured.

Seven years ago, he visited Kuizhou once.

Before the magistrate took office, the general judge, the judge, and the county magistrate all fled, and fellow magistrate He Chengguang stepped forward.

He Chengguang led thousands of people and faced the siege of tens of thousands of people, holding on until the military supplies were cut off.

The spy reported that there was food in the school grounds, and took advantage of He Chengguang's opportunity to transport food, robbed the prison, released the prisoners, and set fire to create chaos. Zhang Xianzhong conquered Kuizhou in one fell swoop.

He Chengguang fought bloody battles. No one in his family of seventeen surrendered and they were all killed.

After that time, two bronze cannons were installed in the capital of Kuizhou as a precaution.

Two months ago, Zhang Xianzhong personally supervised the siege and was missed by a cannon.

The man was fine, but the horse was frightened and fell down, breaking his leg.

While recuperating, he caught a cold again in the middle of winter, which made him so angry that he looted Kuizhou City for three days.

Now that the leg injury has healed, the bone-setting doctor was not good at his craftsmanship and left Zhang Xianzhong with a cripple.

After capturing Yunyang, Zhang Xianzhong divided his troops into two groups, personally led the main force to Wan County, and asked Li Dingguo to open the county.

On the way, a spy reported the military situation: "Your Majesty, the contact with Xizuo in the city has been cut off. According to the confession of the locals, Shi Dian Qin Liangyu has led the white pole soldiers to garrison in Kaixian County. And..."

"What else?" Zhang Xianzhong frowned.

The spies said: "Emperor Chongzhen married his daughter to King Zhao, made King Zhao the king of Wu, and sent all his sons and daughters to Nanjing. Shi Jie's white soldiers also voted for King Zhao. Today, the city of Wanxian, There are Datong military flags, as well as the Qin flag and the horse flag of the white soldiers. From a small distance, many defenders in the city are holding white guns."

Zhang Xianzhong was furious: "Farting Zhao Tianwang, that is Zhao thief! First rob Lao Tzu's Huangmei County, now come to rob Sichuan!"

Hearing that the white pole soldiers were stationed in Wan County, Zhang Xianzhong suddenly had a headache.

He suffered a great loss from the white-armed soldiers. He was flanked by Qin Liangyu, Qin Yiming (Qin Liangyu's nephew), and Ma Xianglin back then.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's not good!" A messenger came on horseback from the east.

Zhang Xianzhong said angrily, "What's the matter?"

The messenger reported: "Zhao Tianwang's navy bombarded Guizhou and Yiling!"

"Thieves Zhao bullied me too much!" Zhang Xianzhong was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood.

Zhao Han has captured the Jianghuai area, which is equivalent to surrounding Hubei on two sides.

In the northeast, the Datong Army can attack De'an Mansion from Xinyang.

In the southeast, the Datong Army can attack Huangzhou Prefecture from Guangji.

In the south, the cities along the river are all within the attack range of the Datong Army.

Zhang Xianzhong didn't know that Zhao Han's strategic goal was to attack Shandong first. From his point of view, Zhao Han was likely to attack himself first, and then unify Huguang first.

"Return to teacher!"

Zhang Xianzhong was so angry that his teeth were itching. He was afraid that Wanxian, where the white soldiers were stationed, would not be able to attack for a long time, and his hometown Hubei would be copied by Zhao Han again.

Not only did this guy choose to withdraw his troops, but he even spit out the Kuizhou and Yunyang that had been eaten in his stomach. Because these two cities cannot be defended, once the Datong Navy cuts off the traffic on the Yangtze River, they will all become isolated cities hanging outside-it is also possible to transport food by land, but the consumption is too high.

Qin Liangyu only took a few followers, and used a small plan to cooperate with the threat of the Datong Navy, so he forced Zhang Xianzhong to abandon Sichuan.

Zhang Xianzhong found himself in a difficult situation. If he chose to fight Zhao Han, he didn't know where to fight first.

Crossing the river and attacking Hunan is sure to seek death. Once the army goes south, it is very likely that the soldiers and food will not be able to continue, and the food will be stuck on the north bank by the Datong Navy. Moreover, De'an Mansion in the northeast and Huangzhou Mansion in the southeast will all be attacked by the Datong Army.

If it were to attack the Jianghuai River instead, the Datong Army might cross the river and attack the cities along the river.

With a fixed site, it is so difficult to choose.

It's not like being a rogue in the past, rushing forward recklessly.

When Zhang Xianzhong returned to Jingzhou Mansion, he received a letter from Zhao Han. The content was easy to understand: "I want Sichuan. You can go to Shaanxi and Henan. I promise not to take advantage of it."

Forget it, Zhang Xianzhong didn't dare to use troops at all.

Because Huang Shun and Fei Yinggong had already stationed troops in Xinyang, and Li Zheng and Xiao Zongxian were transferred to Guangji, they might attack from these two directions at any time.

Zhang Xianzhong didn't dare to move, at least before Zhao Han officially attacked Shandong, Zhang Xianzhong's army would never dare to mess around.

(Thanks to the leaders of the two brothers Cz` and Liu Nima sb for the reward.)

(Ask for a monthly pass.)