Chapter 349 Frustrated Liu Bowen
"Get out! Everyone, get out! Anyone who dares to gather together will be treated as a traitor. And don't let the one reading the list get away. He must be a spy for the traitor!"
"I'm not a spy. I really am not a spy. I thought it was a notice from the government."
"Bullshit! You've read till the end, and you still don't realize it's a traitor's manifesto? Arrest him!"
".I am innocent, ah~, stop hitting me!"
At the gate of Jiaxing city, a group of Yuan army officers and soldiers rushed in hastily. When they saw people reciting the manifesto, they immediately rushed up to surround the people. Those who ran fast were fine, but those who ran slowly were caught and beaten. These officials and soldiers would definitely not let them go easily unless they were extorted for some money.
Of course, according to the usual nature of the Yuan army, they would definitely catch a few busybodies to kill innocent people and take credit for their crimes. If they couldn't catch the real spies, wouldn't I catch a few ordinary people to take the blame? At least the guy who dared to recite the manifesto openly would definitely not leave alive.
The last month and a half of the twelfth year of Zhizheng was destined to be a turbulent time for the people in eastern Zhejiang. The Xu Song Hongjin had just been driven away three months ago, and it had not been peaceful for half a year, and the Shengwu Army in Luzhou was coming again.
Although Lu Jin's troops had not yet arrived, the entire eastern Zhejiang had already been thrown into chaos by this manifesto. Yuan troops in various places drove away the people, confiscated the manifesto, and cities were under emergency martial law. Those who had no soldiers were recruiting soldiers to defend the cities, and they were also searching everywhere for anti-bandit spies. The already chaotic price system became even more chaotic. The prices of firewood and rice began to soar, and the people rushed to buy food, firewood and other necessities of life.
Judging from the reactions of various places in eastern Zhejiang, the influence of the Shengwu Army's expedition this time is much greater than that of Xu Shouhui. When Xu and Song launched the expedition three months ago, they did not issue a manifesto in such a large area in advance. For example, in Suzhou and Songjiang in the north, they did not see what the rebels looked like until Xu and Song's army was driven away, and their lives were not affected much.
Jiaxing City, after Dong Tuanxiao burned Hangzhou to the ground last time, it has become the temporary capital of the Yuan court in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Although there are still many officials from the Yuan court left in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, there are only a few provincial officials like Pingzhang and Prime Minister who can really make decisions.
There were originally three ministers in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The top one, Yuru Temur, had been defeated in the battle of Xiaomaoshan and was killed by Lu Jin. The third one, Jiaohua, had followed Dong Tuanxiao to counterattack Xu Song and had now gone to Jiangxi. He would not be able to return for a while. Now only the second one was left, who was stationed in Jiaxing.
Of the two left and right prime ministers, only one, the right prime minister, Dalan Temur, is left. There were three provincial councilors, but one of them, Baoqing, had died with Yuelu. Now only Fan Zhijing and Fojialu are left. Fojialu has been sent to the front line defense in Changzhou, which is now being besieged by Yang Jing's First Army. There is only one provincial councilor, Fan Zhijing, in Jiaxing.
In addition to these few, the people from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces who are currently staying in Jiaxing and have a say include Zhen Bao, the provincial left and right secretary, Dong Shouque, the inspector of Zhejiang East, and Liu Ji and Liu Bowen, the chief officials of the Zhejiang East Marshal's Office.
As for military generals, there was only one, Fang Jianu, the marshal of the Hangzhou Volunteer Army, who also went to Jiaxing.
Early in the morning on the fifteenth day of the winter month, a group of provincial officials gathered together with serious faces. Several manifestos were placed on the table in the back hall of the government office. Everyone passed the manifestos around with very ugly faces.
He thought that he could rest for half a year after Lu Jin conquered Jiqing Road, but after only a month, he began to attack everywhere. He took Jiankang on the sixth day of October, sent troops to Jiangbei on the tenth, and captured Huaiyang on the twenty-ninth. Only half a month later, he was going to send troops to eastern Zhejiang on the fifteenth day of the winter month. His appetite was getting bigger and bigger, and his offensive was getting more and more fierce. He did not take the Yuan court seriously at all.
When the manifesto reached Liu Ji, he was stunned when he saw the first part listing the ten major crimes of the Yuan court.
In summary, there are the debate between Chinese and barbarians, ethics of social order, royal family killing each other, powerful officials in power, usury and selling people, floods and lazy government, tax farming and oppression of the people, esoteric magic, officers and soldiers like bandits, and corruption. Although the ten crimes in this manifesto are somewhat speculative and exaggerated, putting aside these exaggerated elements, Liu Ji actually felt that he agreed with them and could not refute them at all.
After the ten major crimes, there is another sentence "With these ten crimes, there is no need to worry about the country's demise." It seems to make sense, but he is surrounded by high-ranking officials from the Yuan court and he himself is also an official of the Yuan court, so naturally he cannot reveal his true thoughts.
Looking further down, there is a declaration of sending 4049 soldiers to conquer eastern Zhejiang, and there is nothing else to say. Oh, yes, there is also a reign title. The first reign title says it is the Xuanyuan calendar, and then it is AD. Is this the reign title of Emperor Huangdi? The rebels in Luzhou are really ruthless. They actually came up with such a big reign title. However, combined with the debate between Hua and Yi at the beginning, using this reign title makes the Hulu of the Yuan court seem even more unreasonable, and Lu Jin seems more legitimate.
Seeing that everyone had finished reading the manifesto, Dingding, the only minister present, said, "The rebels in Luzhou want to attack eastern Zhejiang, but the manifesto has been sent to us before they even have their troops. Let's discuss it together."
Right Prime Minister Daran Temur immediately said, "This is just bluffing. Where did the Luzhou Red Turbans get 300,000 soldiers? Before September this year, they only had Luzhou Road and Anqing Road, as well as a few counties in Anfeng Road and Yangzhou Road. In just less than three months, they have captured Huaiyang in the north of the Yangtze River.
"Now the Prime Minister is fighting the rebels in Jiangbei, and the Jiangxi government troops are also fighting the rebels in Anqing. Don't the Red Turbans in Luzhou need to be on guard against the imperial army? Even if they expand their army in Jiangnan after crossing the river, how many people can they expand?
"I think they can at most send out 50,000 bandits for the eastern expedition. 300,000 is just a nominal number. With the Buddhists guarding Changzhou, they only need to send one more person to lead the troops to guard the southern Huzhou Road, and then they can stop the Luzhou Red Scarf west of Taihu Lake.
"We will continue to recruit soldiers from all over the country and train them. Once the Prime Minister has conquered Xuzhou, we can lead the newly trained soldiers and attack the Prime Minister from both sides to completely wipe out the Luzhou Red Turbans."
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. At this time, the councilor Fan Zhijing also said, "I think not only Huzhou, but Changzhou is also not safe. Although there is Fujialu guarding Changzhou, it is closest to the enemy army. Under the heavy siege of the enemy army, Changzhou may still be captured without external help. We should also send a large army to the north, either for support, or continue to defend Wuxi after Changzhou falls. If Changzhou is not captured, we can take advantage of the situation to counterattack."
Dingding nodded, "That makes sense. Then who will go to Changzhou for support, who will go to guard Huzhou Road, and who will stay in Jiaxing to train the troops?"
Hangzhou Volunteer Army Marshal Fang Jianu immediately volunteered, "Sir, I am willing to lead an army of 20,000 to Changzhou for support."
Dong Shouqu, the inspector of East Zhejiang, also stepped forward and volunteered, "I am willing to go to Huzhou to guard it, but I need at least 10,000 soldiers, and I also need the help of the Prime Minister to raise food and grass."
Seeing this, Daran Temur also said, "Then I will stay in Jiaxing to train the troops. When the Prime Minister recaptures Xuzhou, we will take advantage of the situation to counterattack and wipe out the rebel army."
After a few words, the enemy strategy was decided. Liu Ji frowned when he heard it. Pingzhang Dingding did not make a decision immediately. Seeing that Liu Ji, the chief of the Zhejiang East Marshal's Office, had been frowning and silent, he took the initiative to ask him, "Does Chief Liu have any suggestions?"
When Liu Ji's name was called, he stepped out and clasped his fists, saying, "I think the Luzhou Red Turban bandits should not be underestimated. This time, the bandit army's expedition to the east will definitely not only have 50,000 soldiers and horses."
"Oh? Why do you say that? What's your judgment?" Dingding asked immediately.
The Right Prime Minister Dalan Temur also stared at Liu Ji with a bad face. It was he who made the judgment that the enemy had only 50,000 soldiers, but now Liu Ji wanted to refute it. What did he mean?
However, since it concerns the survival of the imperial court in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Liu Ji can no longer care about so many things now. Besides, it is not the first time that he has offended people. When suppressing Fang Guozhen's rebellion a few years ago, Liu Ji offended many people because of these insect colleagues.
Liu Ji said, "I have paid some attention to and studied the Gongshu thief in Luzhou, and I would like to give some advice. I think that if we want to formulate a strategy to deal with the enemy, we must first clarify the real purpose of the thief's army. Is he bluffing or does he really want to march east to Zhejiang? If he really wants to march east, where does he want to fight to?
"From the actions of this bandit before, it can be seen that he is used to planning before he launches his troops. Wherever he wants to attack, he will not stop until he achieves his goal. Whenever he occupies a place, he will station heavy troops to defend it, and he will also ask the people in the occupied area to help him strengthen the city defense.
“Thus, although the Li bandit in Xuzhou, the Han bandit in the Central Plains, and the Xu bandit in Huguang also captured many prefectures and counties, they were often recaptured by the imperial army, and the land they occupied changed hands many times. Only this Luzhou bandit never lost the prefectures and counties he captured. From this, we can see the difference between this Gongshu bandit.
"This bandit has never gone out of his way to fight foreign wars. Judging from his previous attack on Anqing and the timing of his crossing the river to attack Jiangbei, Huaiyang, it is obvious that he has made careful considerations. This eastern expedition is even less likely to be a hasty move, and he must have made preparations in advance.
"What's more, he never issued a manifesto when he attacked Anqing, Jiqing, or even Jiangbei Huaiyang. This is his first time to do so. Therefore, I judge that this Gongshu thief must have big plans this time. He is targeting the entire eastern Zhejiang. This is definitely not a bluff!"
At this time, Liu Ji picked up a manifesto on the table and shook it in front of everyone.
"And this manifesto. The enemy army is far away in Zhenjiang at this time, but the manifesto has already appeared in Jiaxing. What does this mean? This means that the land of eastern Zhejiang has long been densely populated with his spies. Even at this time and place, in this Jiaxing city, there must be spies of the enemy army lurking!
"If he was just bluffing, why would he expose these spies who were hidden with great difficulty? Wouldn't it be better to wait for the enemy army to arrive at the city, and then help capture the city with the help of internal and external forces?
"But the rebels still did this, which means that Jiaxing is also their target. Since the rebels are about to attack, there is no need to worry about whether the spies will be exposed.
“Although I don’t know in which other counties the rebel army has spread this manifesto, I guess it’s not rare. It’s even spread in Jiaxing. I’m afraid Hangzhou and Shaoxing in the south should also be among the rebel army’s targets for the eastward expedition.
"Then the question is, there are at least thirty or forty cities and towns in the entire eastern Zhejiang area. If the rebel army wants to swallow them all, how many troops will they need?
"Although the so-called 300,000 soldiers are definitely a fictitious number, how much is it? My Lords, put yourself in their shoes and think about it. If you were asked to capture dozens of counties in eastern Zhejiang, how many troops would you need?
"If we don't have 300,000, how about 200,000? How about 150,000? I'm afraid the least will not be less than 100,000, right?"
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this, because according to Liu Ji's analysis, this was indeed possible. If Lu Jin was targeting the entire eastern Zhejiang, then the number of troops for the eastern expedition would certainly not be less than 100,000. Wasn't it because Xu Shouhui's eastern expedition three months ago was too small that he was driven away by the Yuan army's counterattack? If the Xu Song Hongjin who attacked Hangzhou at that time had more than 100,000 combat troops, would they have been driven away so easily by the Yuan army?
With the previous experience of Xu and Song, how could Lu Jin not see it? Don't treat the other party as a fool. As the saying goes, you should be lenient when predicting the enemy. If this Gongshu thief from Luzhou didn't have some real skills, how could he have conquered so much territory in a year without losing a single city?
If we miscalculate the size of the enemy's forces, what's the point of the response strategy we formulated previously?
Moreover, they had just overlooked one thing, and it was only after Liu Ji reminded them that everyone remembered it, that is, they were spies!
Now there are spies even in Jiaxing City, how could there be no spies in Changzhou City which is even closer to the enemy army? Changzhou is so close to the enemy army, it must be the first city to be attacked in the Eastern Expedition. With the main force of the enemy army besieging it, and the spies in the city cooperating with the enemy, I wonder how long Changzhou can hold out.
Judging from the siege capabilities demonstrated by Lu Jin in his previous expansions, Changzhou would probably not last more than three days. With this judgment, if they followed the plan they had just made and sent troops to support Changzhou, the reinforcements would probably have collided with the main force of the enemy army before they even reached Changzhou.
What good outcome would there be if we were completely unprepared and encountered the main force of the enemy army?
According to the battle report sent back from Jiqing Road, Yuru Timur's 100,000-strong army was defeated in a battle with Lu Jin, and it was a crushing victory with a smaller force defeating a larger one. So what use would it be if Fang Jianu brought 20,000 soldiers to Changzhou?
Thinking of this, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Ding Ding immediately asked, "Does Liu Dushi have any good ideas?"
Liu Ji shook his head helplessly, "I can't think of any good plan for now, but we can deduce it. I can probably guess the enemy army's strategy of advancing."
"Oh? Let's talk about it."
Liu Ji immediately said, "The rebel army is good at using spies, and they must know the generals, officials and soldiers defending each city very well. Otherwise, why were they able to break through the city so quickly every time they attacked it? It would take only two or three days at most, and no matter how big the city was, it would be difficult to resist. It’s all because of the spies in the city." In addition to spies, the rebel army is also good at using firearms. According to the battle reports from western Zhejiang, the Luzhou rebels have a large-scale musket that is larger and heavier than the bowl-mouth gun, with a longer range, faster firing rate and greater power. This is a powerful weapon for siege warfare, and the rebel army used it when they attacked Zhenjiang before.
"In the battle of Xiaomao Mountain in western Zhejiang, the rebel army also relied on this kind of firearms to defeat Yue Lu Pingzhang's 100,000 troops with only 30,000 soldiers."
Upon hearing this, Right Prime Minister Daran Temur frowned and retorted, "What kind of firearms can 30,000 soldiers defeat an army of 100,000? I always feel that those remnants who escaped back to report the news are just making up excuses for their own failure, and they blame their incompetence on the power of the enemy's firearms. It's not like we haven't seen firearms before. Is there any firearm in the world that is more powerful than the bowl-mouthed gun?"
Liu Ji glanced at him and asked, "Why not?"
Dalan Temur still refused to believe it, "How could it be possible? If there really is such a firearm in the world, how come the imperial court has never seen it, but the rebels made it first?"
Liu Ji immediately retorted, "Before Xuanyuan, there were no wheels in the world, before the Western Zhou Dynasty, there were no siege rams in the world, and before the Song Dynasty, there were no firearms in the world. Didn't all these things exist later? Why is it impossible? If we really want to explore why the rebels were able to make them first, but the court couldn't, I'm afraid the only explanation is the name of this thief."
Ding Ding asked curiously, "What do you mean? I am really curious about the name of this thief. It was previously rumored that the thief in Luzhou was surnamed Lu, but this proclamation says that his surname is Gong. Are there any Han people with the surname Gong among you? What is his origin?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ji sighed in his heart and cursed these Tartars for being ignorant. The Book of Rites of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as the works of Confucius and Mencius, all mentioned Gongshu Shi from the pre-Qin period, the ancestor of all craftsmen. If you had read the Book of Rites once, you would not have said such stupid things to embarrass yourself.
Damn it, how can we manage the Yuan Dynasty with this bunch of insects? !
However, the Mongols were still the masters of the Yuan Dynasty, so Liu Ji could only force himself to explain.
"The Gongshu Jin mentioned in this proclamation does not have the surname Gong, but the compound surname Gongshu. In China, there is only one family with the surname Gongshu. Lord Pingzhang, have you ever heard of Lu Ban?"
Ding Ding nodded immediately. "I have heard of Lu Ban. He is said to be a skilled craftsman among the Han people. Even those opera troupes worship him as their ancestor and burn incense to worship him. But what does this have to do with the Luzhou rebel? Oh, by the way, it is said that the Luzhou rebel's surname was Lu. Could it be related to the skilled craftsman Lu Ban?"
Liu Ji nodded and explained, "Lu Ban lived during the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn Periods, and was a contemporary of Confucius. They were both from Lu, so they were half fellow townsmen, and they should have even met each other.
"Lu Ban's original surname was Ji, and he was a member of the clan who was granted fiefdom to the State of Lu by the Zhou Emperor. Later, his surname was changed to Gongshu. His full name should be Gongshu Ban. Because he was from the State of Lu, he was called Lu Ban."
Everyone suddenly understood, and Ding Ding said, "You mean, this man's surname was Lu before, and now his surname is Gongshu, so he is the descendant of the skilled craftsman Lu Ban? But how can he, the son of a craftsman, make firearms for the army to kill?"
Liu Ji cursed silently in his heart before continuing to explain, "Lu Ban was not an ordinary craftsman. It is said that he invented all kinds of craftsman tools, such as stone carving, carpentry, etc. He invented the axe, chisel, ruler, ink fountain, and saw, so he is regarded as the ancestor of all craftsmen.
"But ordinary people don't know that Gongshu Ban also built a navy for the King of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period to pacify the barbarians of Baiyue. He also helped the King of Chu conquer the State of Song. The world's first battering ram was invented by him. Therefore, this man not only knew how to fight, but was also good at creating various siege equipment. In terms of siege, he was invincible. Gongshu Ban followed the King of Chu in battle for half his life and was only stopped by Mozi.
"If this Luzhou thief is really a descendant of Gongshu clan, then as long as he has seen the bowl-mouthed gun, it would not be difficult for him to improve a new type of fire gun based on it. What other craftsmen cannot do, Gongshu clan may not be unable to do."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Fan Zhijing and Dong Shouqu at least knew some of the stories about Gongshu Ban, but the rest of the Mongols heard about it for the first time. Some of them didn't even know who Mozi was.
Dalan Temur frowned even deeper upon hearing this, and asked again, "Since this Gongshu is so powerful, why have we never heard of him before? Where did this Luzhou thief come from?"
Liu Ji really had no idea, so he could only shake his head. "There are few records of the Gongshu clan since Gongshu Ban. Their descendants either changed their surname to Lu or disappeared without a trace. They have disappeared for a thousand years. No Gongshu clan member has appeared in the world for thousands of years. I really don't know where this Luzhou thief came from."
After listening to Liu Ji's introduction, several people finally took Lu Jin seriously. They knew that this was not an ordinary rebel. In terms of his heritage, this ancestor was of the same generation as Confucius. Confucius was revered as the most holy teacher by Confucian scholars all over the world. Then, it would not be an exaggeration to call Gongshu Ban the ancestor of all craftsmen, right?
Ding Ding then said solemnly, "Liu Dushi, please continue to talk about the war with the enemy army. Since you know this man so well, tell us how we should deal with him."
"Yes." Liu Ji immediately clasped his fists and said again.
"We can do a simple calculation based on the information we collected previously. The Luzhou bandits only needed 30,000 soldiers, assisted by firearms, to defeat the 100,000 government troops. They only used 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers at most to capture Jiqing, Taiping, and Zhenjiang.
"How many routes are there in eastern Zhejiang? Not counting Qingyuan, which has eight routes, but including Qingyuan, which has nine routes, that's three times as many. The rebel army must have at least 120,000 to 150,000 soldiers in this eastern expedition.
"They previously used 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers to attack the three routes of Jiqing. After conquering it, they also subdued so many soldiers who surrendered from the government troops. Adding to the troops of the bandit army in other places, they were able to gather so many soldiers, so there is no doubt about their military strength."
Everyone nodded in agreement when they heard this.
Liu Ji continued, "Now the Prime Minister is leading his army to fight against the bandits in Jiangbei, and the Jiangxi government troops are also fighting against the bandits in Anqing. However, the bandits have now withdrawn most of the troops in Jiqing Road and the rear to attack eastern Zhejiang. This is a very dangerous move. Once Jiangbei or Anqing falls, Jiankang where he is will be the first to bear the brunt.
“Therefore, I judge that the enemy army’s eastward expedition must be very fast, and we must fight and win quickly, so that after conquering eastern Zhejiang, he can transfer troops back to Jiankang to protect his headquarters.
“If we want to take eastern Zhejiang as quickly as possible from Jiqing and Zhenjiang, it will definitely not be enough to take one route. The enemy army must split into two routes and advance simultaneously along the north and south banks of Lake Taihu. In this way, each route will have at least 60,000 to 70,000 troops.
"If they are even more radical, the rebel army may even transfer troops from Jiangbei. They have just conquered Huaiyang, and those brave elite soldiers are idle at this time. If the Prime Minister's expedition to Xuzhou is unsuccessful, the rebel army can transfer another 10,000 or 20,000 elite soldiers from Jiangbei, cross the river from Tongzhou and head south, and land directly in Kunshan or Jiading, so that they can attack from three directions.
"And there is another advantage to attacking from three directions. Just now they said they would send 20,000 troops to support Changzhou. If they really go, the enemy army will suddenly transfer an elite force from Jiangbei to land in Kunshan. They can then attack the reinforcements from behind and attack from the east and west with the enemy army's main northern route sent from Zhenjiang, and completely wipe out the 20,000 reinforcements."
"."
Everyone was speechless after hearing this. They really hadn't expected this just now, but in this case, should Changzhou still provide support?
According to Liu Ji, Changzhou could not even hold out for three days and would be destroyed before reinforcements arrived. Moreover, sending reinforcements would make it easy for the enemy army to cross the river and attack from both sides. In that case, sending reinforcements would seem to be sending them to their deaths.
Right Prime Minister Dalan Temur frowned and thought for a long time, then continued to ask, "But you have been talking for so long, all about how the enemy army will advance. Lord Pingzhang asked you about your countermeasures? Why don't you tell me?"
Liu Ji said helplessly, "It's not that I don't want to say it, but I don't have any good ideas right now.
"Based on the combat power shown by the rebel army in Jiqing, its main force of 30,000 soldiers can fight against 100,000 government troops and easily win. Now the rebel army is coming in two groups, each with at least 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers. How many troops should the government army use to stop them? I'm afraid each group will have at least 200,000 soldiers. If another group crosses the river and lands in Kunshan, another 100,000 will be needed to stop them. This adds up to 500,000 troops. Where can we get 500,000 troops in eastern Zhejiang?
"What's more, the enemy army has the advantage of spies, and they are fully aware of our every move. I am afraid that our army has just mobilized and the enemy generals have learned about it, and they have deployed ambushes in advance. At present, our army can only rely on empty speculation to get information about the enemy army. We are at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and enemy situation. I really have no good strategy to deal with it.
"If you really want me to give you an idea, I can only suggest recruiting more soldiers, stationing them in various cities, fortifying the city walls, clearing the fields, defending the city walls, and strictly enforcing the spies.
"If we can hold out for a little longer, we may be able to wait until the situation between the north and the south changes. Whether the prime minister breaks through Xuzhou or the Jiangxi government troops break through Anqing, the enemy army will have to transfer troops back to defend, and then eastern Zhejiang will be saved."
This is Liu Ji's helplessness. The most brilliant military strategy in the world is to use the strong to bully the weak and to use the majority to oppress the few. Lu Jin's eastward expedition this time is different from Xu Shouhui's attack on Hangzhou last time. He divided his troops into two groups and sent a large army to come in an upright manner. He even issued a manifesto to greet you first, which clearly shows that he wants to swallow you by force.
The Yuan army in eastern Zhejiang had no advantage in terms of manpower, intelligence, or even equipment. It was just the "weak" bullying the weak, and the "few" bullying the many.
It was not just a military disadvantage. Once Lu Jin published this manifesto, he also firmly occupied the political high ground. When the "Ten Sins of the Yuan Dynasty" were published, when the Yuan army soldiers were fighting, didn't he think about it in his heart? Who should he help to fight for his own benefit? Do you think someone would defect and surrender?
Military strength, intelligence, politics, and morale, they lost in all four aspects. Damn it, no one would really believe those mythological stories made up by Liu Bowen's descendants to flatter their ancestor, saying something like 'Zhuge Liang divided the world into three parts, and Liu Bowen unified the country', no way, no way, do they really think Liu Ji is more awesome than Zhuge Liang?
Anyway, Liu Ben himself said that he couldn't lead the team. He really couldn't lead the team in this situation. Historically, he was able to assist Zhu Yuanzhang in establishing the Ming Dynasty, but that was based on the fact that the Ming army itself was very capable in fighting!
Liu Ji was in the Yuan Dynasty camp before, giving advice to the Yuan army. How come he couldn't even defeat Fang Guozhen? He was defeated by Fang Guozhen three times in a row, and was so angry at his colleagues that he "vomited a liter of blood" (original text in the history book).
In the final analysis, strategy is just the icing on the cake. Having an army that can fight is the foundation of military capability. Isn't Zhang Shicheng's strategy much better than Zhu Yuanzhang's? But if you can't win, you can't win. This is called one force defeats ten skills!
Faced with the current situation, Liu Ji was very frustrated, because not only could he not think of a way to deal with Lu Jin's Eastern Expedition, he couldn't even refute Lu Jin's manifesto!
They are right to criticize! The violent Yuan Dynasty has these problems, otherwise why would there be so many rebels? Can they really win the war by helping such a court?
(End of this chapter)
"Get out! Everyone, get out! Anyone who dares to gather together will be treated as a traitor. And don't let the one reading the list get away. He must be a spy for the traitor!"
"I'm not a spy. I really am not a spy. I thought it was a notice from the government."
"Bullshit! You've read till the end, and you still don't realize it's a traitor's manifesto? Arrest him!"
".I am innocent, ah~, stop hitting me!"
At the gate of Jiaxing city, a group of Yuan army officers and soldiers rushed in hastily. When they saw people reciting the manifesto, they immediately rushed up to surround the people. Those who ran fast were fine, but those who ran slowly were caught and beaten. These officials and soldiers would definitely not let them go easily unless they were extorted for some money.
Of course, according to the usual nature of the Yuan army, they would definitely catch a few busybodies to kill innocent people and take credit for their crimes. If they couldn't catch the real spies, wouldn't I catch a few ordinary people to take the blame? At least the guy who dared to recite the manifesto openly would definitely not leave alive.
The last month and a half of the twelfth year of Zhizheng was destined to be a turbulent time for the people in eastern Zhejiang. The Xu Song Hongjin had just been driven away three months ago, and it had not been peaceful for half a year, and the Shengwu Army in Luzhou was coming again.
Although Lu Jin's troops had not yet arrived, the entire eastern Zhejiang had already been thrown into chaos by this manifesto. Yuan troops in various places drove away the people, confiscated the manifesto, and cities were under emergency martial law. Those who had no soldiers were recruiting soldiers to defend the cities, and they were also searching everywhere for anti-bandit spies. The already chaotic price system became even more chaotic. The prices of firewood and rice began to soar, and the people rushed to buy food, firewood and other necessities of life.
Judging from the reactions of various places in eastern Zhejiang, the influence of the Shengwu Army's expedition this time is much greater than that of Xu Shouhui. When Xu and Song launched the expedition three months ago, they did not issue a manifesto in such a large area in advance. For example, in Suzhou and Songjiang in the north, they did not see what the rebels looked like until Xu and Song's army was driven away, and their lives were not affected much.
Jiaxing City, after Dong Tuanxiao burned Hangzhou to the ground last time, it has become the temporary capital of the Yuan court in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Although there are still many officials from the Yuan court left in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, there are only a few provincial officials like Pingzhang and Prime Minister who can really make decisions.
There were originally three ministers in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The top one, Yuru Temur, had been defeated in the battle of Xiaomaoshan and was killed by Lu Jin. The third one, Jiaohua, had followed Dong Tuanxiao to counterattack Xu Song and had now gone to Jiangxi. He would not be able to return for a while. Now only the second one was left, who was stationed in Jiaxing.
Of the two left and right prime ministers, only one, the right prime minister, Dalan Temur, is left. There were three provincial councilors, but one of them, Baoqing, had died with Yuelu. Now only Fan Zhijing and Fojialu are left. Fojialu has been sent to the front line defense in Changzhou, which is now being besieged by Yang Jing's First Army. There is only one provincial councilor, Fan Zhijing, in Jiaxing.
In addition to these few, the people from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces who are currently staying in Jiaxing and have a say include Zhen Bao, the provincial left and right secretary, Dong Shouque, the inspector of Zhejiang East, and Liu Ji and Liu Bowen, the chief officials of the Zhejiang East Marshal's Office.
As for military generals, there was only one, Fang Jianu, the marshal of the Hangzhou Volunteer Army, who also went to Jiaxing.
Early in the morning on the fifteenth day of the winter month, a group of provincial officials gathered together with serious faces. Several manifestos were placed on the table in the back hall of the government office. Everyone passed the manifestos around with very ugly faces.
He thought that he could rest for half a year after Lu Jin conquered Jiqing Road, but after only a month, he began to attack everywhere. He took Jiankang on the sixth day of October, sent troops to Jiangbei on the tenth, and captured Huaiyang on the twenty-ninth. Only half a month later, he was going to send troops to eastern Zhejiang on the fifteenth day of the winter month. His appetite was getting bigger and bigger, and his offensive was getting more and more fierce. He did not take the Yuan court seriously at all.
When the manifesto reached Liu Ji, he was stunned when he saw the first part listing the ten major crimes of the Yuan court.
In summary, there are the debate between Chinese and barbarians, ethics of social order, royal family killing each other, powerful officials in power, usury and selling people, floods and lazy government, tax farming and oppression of the people, esoteric magic, officers and soldiers like bandits, and corruption. Although the ten crimes in this manifesto are somewhat speculative and exaggerated, putting aside these exaggerated elements, Liu Ji actually felt that he agreed with them and could not refute them at all.
After the ten major crimes, there is another sentence "With these ten crimes, there is no need to worry about the country's demise." It seems to make sense, but he is surrounded by high-ranking officials from the Yuan court and he himself is also an official of the Yuan court, so naturally he cannot reveal his true thoughts.
Looking further down, there is a declaration of sending 4049 soldiers to conquer eastern Zhejiang, and there is nothing else to say. Oh, yes, there is also a reign title. The first reign title says it is the Xuanyuan calendar, and then it is AD. Is this the reign title of Emperor Huangdi? The rebels in Luzhou are really ruthless. They actually came up with such a big reign title. However, combined with the debate between Hua and Yi at the beginning, using this reign title makes the Hulu of the Yuan court seem even more unreasonable, and Lu Jin seems more legitimate.
Seeing that everyone had finished reading the manifesto, Dingding, the only minister present, said, "The rebels in Luzhou want to attack eastern Zhejiang, but the manifesto has been sent to us before they even have their troops. Let's discuss it together."
Right Prime Minister Daran Temur immediately said, "This is just bluffing. Where did the Luzhou Red Turbans get 300,000 soldiers? Before September this year, they only had Luzhou Road and Anqing Road, as well as a few counties in Anfeng Road and Yangzhou Road. In just less than three months, they have captured Huaiyang in the north of the Yangtze River.
"Now the Prime Minister is fighting the rebels in Jiangbei, and the Jiangxi government troops are also fighting the rebels in Anqing. Don't the Red Turbans in Luzhou need to be on guard against the imperial army? Even if they expand their army in Jiangnan after crossing the river, how many people can they expand?
"I think they can at most send out 50,000 bandits for the eastern expedition. 300,000 is just a nominal number. With the Buddhists guarding Changzhou, they only need to send one more person to lead the troops to guard the southern Huzhou Road, and then they can stop the Luzhou Red Scarf west of Taihu Lake.
"We will continue to recruit soldiers from all over the country and train them. Once the Prime Minister has conquered Xuzhou, we can lead the newly trained soldiers and attack the Prime Minister from both sides to completely wipe out the Luzhou Red Turbans."
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. At this time, the councilor Fan Zhijing also said, "I think not only Huzhou, but Changzhou is also not safe. Although there is Fujialu guarding Changzhou, it is closest to the enemy army. Under the heavy siege of the enemy army, Changzhou may still be captured without external help. We should also send a large army to the north, either for support, or continue to defend Wuxi after Changzhou falls. If Changzhou is not captured, we can take advantage of the situation to counterattack."
Dingding nodded, "That makes sense. Then who will go to Changzhou for support, who will go to guard Huzhou Road, and who will stay in Jiaxing to train the troops?"
Hangzhou Volunteer Army Marshal Fang Jianu immediately volunteered, "Sir, I am willing to lead an army of 20,000 to Changzhou for support."
Dong Shouqu, the inspector of East Zhejiang, also stepped forward and volunteered, "I am willing to go to Huzhou to guard it, but I need at least 10,000 soldiers, and I also need the help of the Prime Minister to raise food and grass."
Seeing this, Daran Temur also said, "Then I will stay in Jiaxing to train the troops. When the Prime Minister recaptures Xuzhou, we will take advantage of the situation to counterattack and wipe out the rebel army."
After a few words, the enemy strategy was decided. Liu Ji frowned when he heard it. Pingzhang Dingding did not make a decision immediately. Seeing that Liu Ji, the chief of the Zhejiang East Marshal's Office, had been frowning and silent, he took the initiative to ask him, "Does Chief Liu have any suggestions?"
When Liu Ji's name was called, he stepped out and clasped his fists, saying, "I think the Luzhou Red Turban bandits should not be underestimated. This time, the bandit army's expedition to the east will definitely not only have 50,000 soldiers and horses."
"Oh? Why do you say that? What's your judgment?" Dingding asked immediately.
The Right Prime Minister Dalan Temur also stared at Liu Ji with a bad face. It was he who made the judgment that the enemy had only 50,000 soldiers, but now Liu Ji wanted to refute it. What did he mean?
However, since it concerns the survival of the imperial court in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Liu Ji can no longer care about so many things now. Besides, it is not the first time that he has offended people. When suppressing Fang Guozhen's rebellion a few years ago, Liu Ji offended many people because of these insect colleagues.
Liu Ji said, "I have paid some attention to and studied the Gongshu thief in Luzhou, and I would like to give some advice. I think that if we want to formulate a strategy to deal with the enemy, we must first clarify the real purpose of the thief's army. Is he bluffing or does he really want to march east to Zhejiang? If he really wants to march east, where does he want to fight to?
"From the actions of this bandit before, it can be seen that he is used to planning before he launches his troops. Wherever he wants to attack, he will not stop until he achieves his goal. Whenever he occupies a place, he will station heavy troops to defend it, and he will also ask the people in the occupied area to help him strengthen the city defense.
“Thus, although the Li bandit in Xuzhou, the Han bandit in the Central Plains, and the Xu bandit in Huguang also captured many prefectures and counties, they were often recaptured by the imperial army, and the land they occupied changed hands many times. Only this Luzhou bandit never lost the prefectures and counties he captured. From this, we can see the difference between this Gongshu bandit.
"This bandit has never gone out of his way to fight foreign wars. Judging from his previous attack on Anqing and the timing of his crossing the river to attack Jiangbei, Huaiyang, it is obvious that he has made careful considerations. This eastern expedition is even less likely to be a hasty move, and he must have made preparations in advance.
"What's more, he never issued a manifesto when he attacked Anqing, Jiqing, or even Jiangbei Huaiyang. This is his first time to do so. Therefore, I judge that this Gongshu thief must have big plans this time. He is targeting the entire eastern Zhejiang. This is definitely not a bluff!"
At this time, Liu Ji picked up a manifesto on the table and shook it in front of everyone.
"And this manifesto. The enemy army is far away in Zhenjiang at this time, but the manifesto has already appeared in Jiaxing. What does this mean? This means that the land of eastern Zhejiang has long been densely populated with his spies. Even at this time and place, in this Jiaxing city, there must be spies of the enemy army lurking!
"If he was just bluffing, why would he expose these spies who were hidden with great difficulty? Wouldn't it be better to wait for the enemy army to arrive at the city, and then help capture the city with the help of internal and external forces?
"But the rebels still did this, which means that Jiaxing is also their target. Since the rebels are about to attack, there is no need to worry about whether the spies will be exposed.
“Although I don’t know in which other counties the rebel army has spread this manifesto, I guess it’s not rare. It’s even spread in Jiaxing. I’m afraid Hangzhou and Shaoxing in the south should also be among the rebel army’s targets for the eastward expedition.
"Then the question is, there are at least thirty or forty cities and towns in the entire eastern Zhejiang area. If the rebel army wants to swallow them all, how many troops will they need?
"Although the so-called 300,000 soldiers are definitely a fictitious number, how much is it? My Lords, put yourself in their shoes and think about it. If you were asked to capture dozens of counties in eastern Zhejiang, how many troops would you need?
"If we don't have 300,000, how about 200,000? How about 150,000? I'm afraid the least will not be less than 100,000, right?"
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this, because according to Liu Ji's analysis, this was indeed possible. If Lu Jin was targeting the entire eastern Zhejiang, then the number of troops for the eastern expedition would certainly not be less than 100,000. Wasn't it because Xu Shouhui's eastern expedition three months ago was too small that he was driven away by the Yuan army's counterattack? If the Xu Song Hongjin who attacked Hangzhou at that time had more than 100,000 combat troops, would they have been driven away so easily by the Yuan army?
With the previous experience of Xu and Song, how could Lu Jin not see it? Don't treat the other party as a fool. As the saying goes, you should be lenient when predicting the enemy. If this Gongshu thief from Luzhou didn't have some real skills, how could he have conquered so much territory in a year without losing a single city?
If we miscalculate the size of the enemy's forces, what's the point of the response strategy we formulated previously?
Moreover, they had just overlooked one thing, and it was only after Liu Ji reminded them that everyone remembered it, that is, they were spies!
Now there are spies even in Jiaxing City, how could there be no spies in Changzhou City which is even closer to the enemy army? Changzhou is so close to the enemy army, it must be the first city to be attacked in the Eastern Expedition. With the main force of the enemy army besieging it, and the spies in the city cooperating with the enemy, I wonder how long Changzhou can hold out.
Judging from the siege capabilities demonstrated by Lu Jin in his previous expansions, Changzhou would probably not last more than three days. With this judgment, if they followed the plan they had just made and sent troops to support Changzhou, the reinforcements would probably have collided with the main force of the enemy army before they even reached Changzhou.
What good outcome would there be if we were completely unprepared and encountered the main force of the enemy army?
According to the battle report sent back from Jiqing Road, Yuru Timur's 100,000-strong army was defeated in a battle with Lu Jin, and it was a crushing victory with a smaller force defeating a larger one. So what use would it be if Fang Jianu brought 20,000 soldiers to Changzhou?
Thinking of this, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Ding Ding immediately asked, "Does Liu Dushi have any good ideas?"
Liu Ji shook his head helplessly, "I can't think of any good plan for now, but we can deduce it. I can probably guess the enemy army's strategy of advancing."
"Oh? Let's talk about it."
Liu Ji immediately said, "The rebel army is good at using spies, and they must know the generals, officials and soldiers defending each city very well. Otherwise, why were they able to break through the city so quickly every time they attacked it? It would take only two or three days at most, and no matter how big the city was, it would be difficult to resist. It’s all because of the spies in the city." In addition to spies, the rebel army is also good at using firearms. According to the battle reports from western Zhejiang, the Luzhou rebels have a large-scale musket that is larger and heavier than the bowl-mouth gun, with a longer range, faster firing rate and greater power. This is a powerful weapon for siege warfare, and the rebel army used it when they attacked Zhenjiang before.
"In the battle of Xiaomao Mountain in western Zhejiang, the rebel army also relied on this kind of firearms to defeat Yue Lu Pingzhang's 100,000 troops with only 30,000 soldiers."
Upon hearing this, Right Prime Minister Daran Temur frowned and retorted, "What kind of firearms can 30,000 soldiers defeat an army of 100,000? I always feel that those remnants who escaped back to report the news are just making up excuses for their own failure, and they blame their incompetence on the power of the enemy's firearms. It's not like we haven't seen firearms before. Is there any firearm in the world that is more powerful than the bowl-mouthed gun?"
Liu Ji glanced at him and asked, "Why not?"
Dalan Temur still refused to believe it, "How could it be possible? If there really is such a firearm in the world, how come the imperial court has never seen it, but the rebels made it first?"
Liu Ji immediately retorted, "Before Xuanyuan, there were no wheels in the world, before the Western Zhou Dynasty, there were no siege rams in the world, and before the Song Dynasty, there were no firearms in the world. Didn't all these things exist later? Why is it impossible? If we really want to explore why the rebels were able to make them first, but the court couldn't, I'm afraid the only explanation is the name of this thief."
Ding Ding asked curiously, "What do you mean? I am really curious about the name of this thief. It was previously rumored that the thief in Luzhou was surnamed Lu, but this proclamation says that his surname is Gong. Are there any Han people with the surname Gong among you? What is his origin?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ji sighed in his heart and cursed these Tartars for being ignorant. The Book of Rites of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as the works of Confucius and Mencius, all mentioned Gongshu Shi from the pre-Qin period, the ancestor of all craftsmen. If you had read the Book of Rites once, you would not have said such stupid things to embarrass yourself.
Damn it, how can we manage the Yuan Dynasty with this bunch of insects? !
However, the Mongols were still the masters of the Yuan Dynasty, so Liu Ji could only force himself to explain.
"The Gongshu Jin mentioned in this proclamation does not have the surname Gong, but the compound surname Gongshu. In China, there is only one family with the surname Gongshu. Lord Pingzhang, have you ever heard of Lu Ban?"
Ding Ding nodded immediately. "I have heard of Lu Ban. He is said to be a skilled craftsman among the Han people. Even those opera troupes worship him as their ancestor and burn incense to worship him. But what does this have to do with the Luzhou rebel? Oh, by the way, it is said that the Luzhou rebel's surname was Lu. Could it be related to the skilled craftsman Lu Ban?"
Liu Ji nodded and explained, "Lu Ban lived during the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn Periods, and was a contemporary of Confucius. They were both from Lu, so they were half fellow townsmen, and they should have even met each other.
"Lu Ban's original surname was Ji, and he was a member of the clan who was granted fiefdom to the State of Lu by the Zhou Emperor. Later, his surname was changed to Gongshu. His full name should be Gongshu Ban. Because he was from the State of Lu, he was called Lu Ban."
Everyone suddenly understood, and Ding Ding said, "You mean, this man's surname was Lu before, and now his surname is Gongshu, so he is the descendant of the skilled craftsman Lu Ban? But how can he, the son of a craftsman, make firearms for the army to kill?"
Liu Ji cursed silently in his heart before continuing to explain, "Lu Ban was not an ordinary craftsman. It is said that he invented all kinds of craftsman tools, such as stone carving, carpentry, etc. He invented the axe, chisel, ruler, ink fountain, and saw, so he is regarded as the ancestor of all craftsmen.
"But ordinary people don't know that Gongshu Ban also built a navy for the King of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period to pacify the barbarians of Baiyue. He also helped the King of Chu conquer the State of Song. The world's first battering ram was invented by him. Therefore, this man not only knew how to fight, but was also good at creating various siege equipment. In terms of siege, he was invincible. Gongshu Ban followed the King of Chu in battle for half his life and was only stopped by Mozi.
"If this Luzhou thief is really a descendant of Gongshu clan, then as long as he has seen the bowl-mouthed gun, it would not be difficult for him to improve a new type of fire gun based on it. What other craftsmen cannot do, Gongshu clan may not be unable to do."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Fan Zhijing and Dong Shouqu at least knew some of the stories about Gongshu Ban, but the rest of the Mongols heard about it for the first time. Some of them didn't even know who Mozi was.
Dalan Temur frowned even deeper upon hearing this, and asked again, "Since this Gongshu is so powerful, why have we never heard of him before? Where did this Luzhou thief come from?"
Liu Ji really had no idea, so he could only shake his head. "There are few records of the Gongshu clan since Gongshu Ban. Their descendants either changed their surname to Lu or disappeared without a trace. They have disappeared for a thousand years. No Gongshu clan member has appeared in the world for thousands of years. I really don't know where this Luzhou thief came from."
After listening to Liu Ji's introduction, several people finally took Lu Jin seriously. They knew that this was not an ordinary rebel. In terms of his heritage, this ancestor was of the same generation as Confucius. Confucius was revered as the most holy teacher by Confucian scholars all over the world. Then, it would not be an exaggeration to call Gongshu Ban the ancestor of all craftsmen, right?
Ding Ding then said solemnly, "Liu Dushi, please continue to talk about the war with the enemy army. Since you know this man so well, tell us how we should deal with him."
"Yes." Liu Ji immediately clasped his fists and said again.
"We can do a simple calculation based on the information we collected previously. The Luzhou bandits only needed 30,000 soldiers, assisted by firearms, to defeat the 100,000 government troops. They only used 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers at most to capture Jiqing, Taiping, and Zhenjiang.
"How many routes are there in eastern Zhejiang? Not counting Qingyuan, which has eight routes, but including Qingyuan, which has nine routes, that's three times as many. The rebel army must have at least 120,000 to 150,000 soldiers in this eastern expedition.
"They previously used 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers to attack the three routes of Jiqing. After conquering it, they also subdued so many soldiers who surrendered from the government troops. Adding to the troops of the bandit army in other places, they were able to gather so many soldiers, so there is no doubt about their military strength."
Everyone nodded in agreement when they heard this.
Liu Ji continued, "Now the Prime Minister is leading his army to fight against the bandits in Jiangbei, and the Jiangxi government troops are also fighting against the bandits in Anqing. However, the bandits have now withdrawn most of the troops in Jiqing Road and the rear to attack eastern Zhejiang. This is a very dangerous move. Once Jiangbei or Anqing falls, Jiankang where he is will be the first to bear the brunt.
“Therefore, I judge that the enemy army’s eastward expedition must be very fast, and we must fight and win quickly, so that after conquering eastern Zhejiang, he can transfer troops back to Jiankang to protect his headquarters.
“If we want to take eastern Zhejiang as quickly as possible from Jiqing and Zhenjiang, it will definitely not be enough to take one route. The enemy army must split into two routes and advance simultaneously along the north and south banks of Lake Taihu. In this way, each route will have at least 60,000 to 70,000 troops.
"If they are even more radical, the rebel army may even transfer troops from Jiangbei. They have just conquered Huaiyang, and those brave elite soldiers are idle at this time. If the Prime Minister's expedition to Xuzhou is unsuccessful, the rebel army can transfer another 10,000 or 20,000 elite soldiers from Jiangbei, cross the river from Tongzhou and head south, and land directly in Kunshan or Jiading, so that they can attack from three directions.
"And there is another advantage to attacking from three directions. Just now they said they would send 20,000 troops to support Changzhou. If they really go, the enemy army will suddenly transfer an elite force from Jiangbei to land in Kunshan. They can then attack the reinforcements from behind and attack from the east and west with the enemy army's main northern route sent from Zhenjiang, and completely wipe out the 20,000 reinforcements."
"."
Everyone was speechless after hearing this. They really hadn't expected this just now, but in this case, should Changzhou still provide support?
According to Liu Ji, Changzhou could not even hold out for three days and would be destroyed before reinforcements arrived. Moreover, sending reinforcements would make it easy for the enemy army to cross the river and attack from both sides. In that case, sending reinforcements would seem to be sending them to their deaths.
Right Prime Minister Dalan Temur frowned and thought for a long time, then continued to ask, "But you have been talking for so long, all about how the enemy army will advance. Lord Pingzhang asked you about your countermeasures? Why don't you tell me?"
Liu Ji said helplessly, "It's not that I don't want to say it, but I don't have any good ideas right now.
"Based on the combat power shown by the rebel army in Jiqing, its main force of 30,000 soldiers can fight against 100,000 government troops and easily win. Now the rebel army is coming in two groups, each with at least 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers. How many troops should the government army use to stop them? I'm afraid each group will have at least 200,000 soldiers. If another group crosses the river and lands in Kunshan, another 100,000 will be needed to stop them. This adds up to 500,000 troops. Where can we get 500,000 troops in eastern Zhejiang?
"What's more, the enemy army has the advantage of spies, and they are fully aware of our every move. I am afraid that our army has just mobilized and the enemy generals have learned about it, and they have deployed ambushes in advance. At present, our army can only rely on empty speculation to get information about the enemy army. We are at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and enemy situation. I really have no good strategy to deal with it.
"If you really want me to give you an idea, I can only suggest recruiting more soldiers, stationing them in various cities, fortifying the city walls, clearing the fields, defending the city walls, and strictly enforcing the spies.
"If we can hold out for a little longer, we may be able to wait until the situation between the north and the south changes. Whether the prime minister breaks through Xuzhou or the Jiangxi government troops break through Anqing, the enemy army will have to transfer troops back to defend, and then eastern Zhejiang will be saved."
This is Liu Ji's helplessness. The most brilliant military strategy in the world is to use the strong to bully the weak and to use the majority to oppress the few. Lu Jin's eastward expedition this time is different from Xu Shouhui's attack on Hangzhou last time. He divided his troops into two groups and sent a large army to come in an upright manner. He even issued a manifesto to greet you first, which clearly shows that he wants to swallow you by force.
The Yuan army in eastern Zhejiang had no advantage in terms of manpower, intelligence, or even equipment. It was just the "weak" bullying the weak, and the "few" bullying the many.
It was not just a military disadvantage. Once Lu Jin published this manifesto, he also firmly occupied the political high ground. When the "Ten Sins of the Yuan Dynasty" were published, when the Yuan army soldiers were fighting, didn't he think about it in his heart? Who should he help to fight for his own benefit? Do you think someone would defect and surrender?
Military strength, intelligence, politics, and morale, they lost in all four aspects. Damn it, no one would really believe those mythological stories made up by Liu Bowen's descendants to flatter their ancestor, saying something like 'Zhuge Liang divided the world into three parts, and Liu Bowen unified the country', no way, no way, do they really think Liu Ji is more awesome than Zhuge Liang?
Anyway, Liu Ben himself said that he couldn't lead the team. He really couldn't lead the team in this situation. Historically, he was able to assist Zhu Yuanzhang in establishing the Ming Dynasty, but that was based on the fact that the Ming army itself was very capable in fighting!
Liu Ji was in the Yuan Dynasty camp before, giving advice to the Yuan army. How come he couldn't even defeat Fang Guozhen? He was defeated by Fang Guozhen three times in a row, and was so angry at his colleagues that he "vomited a liter of blood" (original text in the history book).
In the final analysis, strategy is just the icing on the cake. Having an army that can fight is the foundation of military capability. Isn't Zhang Shicheng's strategy much better than Zhu Yuanzhang's? But if you can't win, you can't win. This is called one force defeats ten skills!
Faced with the current situation, Liu Ji was very frustrated, because not only could he not think of a way to deal with Lu Jin's Eastern Expedition, he couldn't even refute Lu Jin's manifesto!
They are right to criticize! The violent Yuan Dynasty has these problems, otherwise why would there be so many rebels? Can they really win the war by helping such a court?
(End of this chapter)
