The reason why Yuan Chonghuan was so confident in defeating the Xixia people was not because of these simple Xixia weapons and equipment, but because of Fei's judgment based on a comprehensive analysis based on the intelligence provided by Liu Ziguang and the current national strength of the Ming Dynasty.
The information Liu Ziguang asked from Batu was still very useful. The Xixia people lived in pursuit of water and grass, and were a typical nomadic people. Although there were cities such as Shazhou, Ganzhou, and Lanzhou in the Western Regions, the overall economy was not developed, and the food supply was
There is not much planting area. There are only simple handicraft workshops. Tea, silk, various industrial products, and even food are all dependent on imports. Now the war is different from the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Advanced steam machinery and gunpowder weapons account for a considerable proportion.
War is about logistics. It is difficult for an army without logistics support to win a war. As long as it sticks to the fortified city and uses firearms to kill a large number of enemies, no matter how strong the Xixia cavalry's cavalry and archery skills are and how good their maneuverability is, what will happen?
?
I heard Liu Ziguang say that the Xixia people only have 200,000 soldiers and horses, and most of them are cavalry. The cavalry plays a great role in the Gobi Desert in the Western Regions, but it may not be able to play its advantage in Shaanxi. The Loess Plateau, Qinling Mountains, and Daba Mountain are naturally there.
Although the barrier can be reached from Lanzhou along the Wei River to Xi'an, the ancient capital Chang'an with its high walls and thick walls is not so easy to break. Taking a step back, even if Xi'an falls, there is still Tongguan to the east.
The Shaanxi people are brave and brave. They can recruit tens of thousands of soldiers to defend the city. They can definitely last for a year and a half relying on the food, grass and weapons from the Central Plains. The Xixia people will loot and retreat to the Western Regions, just like the Uighurs and Tibetans during the Tang Dynasty.
Just like entering Chang'an, when the time comes, we can openly lead troops to the west and regain Chang'an. Wouldn't it be a great achievement?
Another reason why Yuan Chonghuan had to stand up is that Liu Ziguang has been in the limelight too much in the past two years. He conquered Taiwan, fought in Nanyang, pacified Huguang, settled in Jiangxi, and won consecutive battles. From a ninth-level military equipment, he rose to the rank of general.
First-class marquis, favors and luck accounted for some of this, but more of it was his achievements. In the past, Liu Ziguang was just a junior of Yuan Chonghuan, and he was only qualified to follow General Niu Shen of the Xuzhou Army and call him uncle. Now he is better and his position is extremely high.
As a minister, a high-ranking official showed his nobility. Even Yuan Chonghuan had to bow before seeing him. He was a superb marquis.
Therefore, Yuan Chonghuan must stand up and fight a battle. This battle cannot be too simple. For example, the Qing Dynasty is already a grasshopper after the autumn. Anyone can strangle them to death. Don't pick the soft persimmons. If you want to fight, just fight them.
tough battle.
After listening to Yuan Chonghuan's words, Zhu Youxiao was very pleased. Facing the critical situation of being attacked from three sides, the ministers were so brave and fearless. It seemed that the Ming Dynasty was hopeful of reviving the Ming Dynasty. Although Yuan Chonghuan was not as capable as Liu Ziguang, he was still a member of the army.
He is a rare talent. The war against Xixia is a huge systematic project. It requires integrating resources from Shaanxi, Henan and other places, recruiting troops and food, building cities and roads, and taking into account both offense and defense. I'm afraid it will be difficult to send Liu Ziguang to do it. Yuan Shangshu should do it himself.
It's better to go there.
"How does Yuan Aiqing plan to calm down the summer?" Zhu Youxiao asked.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to ask any more questions. Just give me money and food for my troops, and just wait for the news." Yuan Chonghuan said this arrogantly. Emperor, if you don't know how to fight, don't ask blind questions. I, Old Yuan, know what you are doing. Just do the logistics work you should do.
Okay, don't interfere with matters before the military.
Yuan Chonghuan was so arrogant, but Zhu Youxiao was not angry, but believed him even more, saying: "That's good. I will appoint Yuan Aiqing as the governor of Shaanxi, governor of military and political affairs in the west. He is still responsible for the errands of the Ministry of War. If there is anything that needs to be deployed, just let him know
Just hand the book over, and it will be sent directly to the Imperial Study without going through the Supervisor of Ceremonies."
Yuan Chonghuan snatched Pingxia's envoy, and Wei Duke Xu Zengshou couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and said, "I would like to lead the troops in the Northern Expedition. I will ride on horseback in Beijing in six months and capture Kangxi alive."
The Duke of Wei was originally the founding general of the country, Xu Da. He had been familiar with military books and tactics since he was a child, and his martial arts skills were extremely superb. However, he rarely had the opportunity to go into battle to kill the enemy.
The Grand Governor of the Dudu Mansion is no worse than Liu Ziguang in terms of status, but he just likes to fight. Now that the Ming Dynasty is being attacked from three sides, it is a good time for the old Xu family to serve the imperial court.
Zhu Youxiao knew very well about the abilities of his uncle. His queen had powerful gun and stick skills. There was a difference between fighting the Manchu and Xixia. In the eyes of the Ming Dynasty's monarchs and ministers, the Manchu and Qing were just the dish.
You can eat the food in it whenever you want. Over the years, the two countries have fought countless times and are very familiar with each other. Especially in the past two years, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties have lost consecutive battles, all their elite generals have been lost in Shandong, and troubles have occurred in the country. Finally,
Oboi, a general who was good at conquering and fighting, also died in the hands of Kangxi. Nowadays, the Manchu Qing Dynasty is like a terminally ill old man who cannot stand the beating. It is perfect for his uncle to practice his skills and enjoy himself.
After these two aspects of the matter are resolved, the only remaining threat from the east is Goryeo. The Goryeo people's boatmen are famous for their reputation. They will attack from the sea this time and approach the Shandong Peninsula of the Ming Dynasty. For this powerful
Threats, no one actually stood up and said they were willing to lead troops to the east, because everyone present felt that it would be too shameless. To deal with an enemy like Goryeo, even the Beiyang Navy in Qingdao did not need to be dispatched, and several soldiers from Liugong Island
A fisherman can be killed with a harpoon, so it would be too much to make a fuss by sending a general from Nanjing.
There was a tacit understanding between the monarch and his ministers, and they did not raise Li's issue. Even if the court meeting was over, Liu Ziguang was a little disappointed because he didn't get a fight, but when he thought about it from another perspective, he felt relieved. He had been on an expedition in the past two years.
Xituo rarely returned home. Finally, his son was born, and Zhao Wen was pregnant again. At this time, when he went to war again, he didn't take the feelings of his relatives seriously. He was not a war fanatic, so why would he go to every battle? Yuan Chonghuan
He knew this man very well. Although he was a civil servant, he was familiar with military books and strategies. When he served as the commander of the Xuzhou Army, he ran the army very strictly and built a strong army. It would be better for him to supervise Shaanxi than for someone who has never read it.
In terms of military skills, he is a dabbler who has never commanded a large-scale battle; as for the Shandong front line, there is no need to worry about it. The powerful 50,000 Xuzhou Army and 30,000 Beiyang Navy are gathered there. Any attack from land or sea will be wiped out.
There were generals such as Zu Dashou, Man Gui, and Li Yan there, and any three-year-old child could win the battle, let alone Wei Guogong, who was very prestigious in the army.
Zhu Youxiao had the same idea as Liu Ziguang. For the sake of his sister and nephew, he did not want to send his brother-in-law to fight. On the other hand, he did not want Liu Ziguang to have too much contact with the military. Liu Ziguang was now too powerful and took charge of the South Factory.
, Ouchi Guards, Five Cities Military and Horse Division, Beiyang Navy, and the private armed Red Shirt Regiment. Although he held the title of Commander Southeast and Commander Southwest in the past few wars, the actual troops used were still his.
Red Shirt Regiment, this war is different from the previous ones. It is a large-scale land war. It is bound to mobilize a large number of forbidden troops. If Liu Ziguang is made commander, his prestige in the army will gradually increase, which will be extremely detrimental to his growth.
It was not something to be happy about for the emperor himself.
Yuan Chonghuan does not fight uncertain battles. Over the years, the Nanjing court has had very weak control over Shaanxi, and it no longer knows the specific local conditions. However, the Ministry of War still has many maps of the survey and mapping from that year. Where there are mountains, water, grass, and villages, they are all marked.
, Yuan Chonghuan also sent people to find some businessmen and bodyguards who often took the Shaanxi route to inquire about the situation, and formulated a strategy against the enemy based on all aspects of the situation.
Xu Zengshou was the same. Before leaving, he and his staff generals worked out a complete set of strategies and tactics based on the map of Shandong and Hebei. Because Liu Ziguang had participated in the battle against the Manchu Qing Dynasty, he was pulled by Xu Zengshou to jointly formulate a grand strategy and followed him.
several nights.
The day of the expedition came soon. Yuan Chonghuan and Xu Zengshou took command at the same time. The emperor led all the officials from the capital to the ferry to say goodbye. They drank the Zhuangxing wine poured by the emperor himself and boarded the ship resolutely. They took only five hundred yuan with them.
A model soldier.
When Yuan Chonghuan goes to Shaanxi, he will stop in Henan. Henan has been plagued by war, famine and bandits for many years. Even now, it is not peaceful. There are many common people who are rich in combat experience but can't find a way out. It is these people who Yuan Chonghuan is fighting.
The idea is to put up a recruiting flag and there will be people to feed you. Even though you only have 500 soldiers, as long as you have enough money and food, you can recruit tens of thousands of powerful troops in less than ten days.
At that time, Yuan Chonghuan will lead these rural warriors into Shaanxi to take over the defense. Shaanxi Governor Zhou Zhenglong has been outside the control of the imperial court for many years, but he does not have much ambition. He just wants to be a peaceful emperor for thousands of years. When the imperial court becomes more and more powerful,
At that time, he was still very willing to submit to the rule of Nanjing. Now that Xixia is aggressively attacking and the Shaanxi army is unable to fight alone, Zhou Zhenglong will definitely hand over his military power obediently and listen to the commander-in-chief's orders.
In the same way, Xu Zengshou does not need to bring more troops to Shandong. There are tens of thousands of elite Xuzhou troops on the Shandong front line. They are all veterans who have been fighting against the Manchus for many years.
The Grand Canal leads all the way to Shandong, making it very convenient to transport food, grass, weapons and reinforcements. It would be unreasonable if this battle cannot be won.