Chapter 1871 Ren Zijuan visits the house and prepares troops for war

While the court was discussing how to deal with the current crisis, Feng Ziying went to Sun Chengzong.

Sun Chengzong just came back from Sichuan.

Xiong Tingbi took over his and Yang He's positions and began to unify the leadership of the entire Huguang and Sichuan imperial armies. This would also be more conducive to dealing with the Denglai army who was stirring up trouble in Huguang.

Yang He took a step ahead of him.

Xiong Tingbi also first took over the position of governor of Yunyang and commander-in-chief of Jingxiang Town, integrating the entire Jingxiang Town, and then took over the Sichuan army as the right minister of the Ministry of War.

Sun Chengzong also handed over all the work, and then discussed with Xiong Tingbi how to solve Yang Yinglong's Bozhou problem and the Prince Tengden Laijun problem that was still tossing in Huguang, and then returned to Beijing.

According to the original idea, Sun Chengzong was to return to the front line to command the army to attack Shandong. However, there were ongoing disputes within the court at that time. It was still undecided whether Sun Chengzong should command the Northwest Army or the Jizhen Army and Shanxi Army on the northern front.

But Sun Chengzong came back a little late. His father had already launched the Battle of Xiazhen and captured Xiazhen in one fell swoop. On the contrary, the Northern Front failed and the Shanxi Army was defeated. In this situation, it seemed that Sun Chengzong had no choice but to go to the Northern Front. The army is here.

 Because of this, Feng Ziying planned to meet Sun Chengzong.

 Sun Chengzong was from Baoding Prefecture, Beizhili, and was considered the backbone of the scholars in the north. However, it seemed that he had a very ordinary relationship with Qi Yongtai, who was also a scholar in Beizhi. This also made Feng Ziying very puzzled.

 Sun Chengzong only had time to rest for one day after returning to Beijing, when he received a visit from Feng Ziying, and Feng Ziying's visit also surprised Sun Chengzong.

He and Feng Ziying were not very close. They had only interacted with each other a few times when they were at the Ministry of War. Unexpectedly, after he returned to Beijing, the other party would be the first to visit.

“Ziying, it’s really rare. This is the first time you’ve come to my house.” Sun Chengzong welcomed him through the door.

Although there are rumors that he may be appointed as Minister of War, then he may become a third-rank official, but these are just rumors.

He was only a fifth-rank official before, and even when he went to Sichuan, he was only promoted to a fourth-rank official. Even if he performed well in Sichuan, if he came back and was promoted to a higher rank, he would only be a fourth-rank official. He was still a little short of a third-rank Minister of War. Er Yuan, the other party is actually a fourth-grade official.

Moreover, the gap between the fourth rank and the third rank is almost an unattainable threshold for most officials, especially the third rank. Basically, few people who are not Shujishi can achieve this leap. In a sense, Said, this is almost the standard for cabinet ministers.

In other words, cabinet ministers and officials of the third rank and above are basically from Shujishi. People who are not from Shujishi are generally not allowed to enter the cabinet. However, less than 30% of the officials who can enter the third rank are from non-Shujishi. In other words, at most two of the ten third-rank officials were from non-community backgrounds.

 Officials who can participate in the imperial meeting, except for the special case of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which can also participate if the Imperial Censor is of the fourth rank, the others are all officials of the third rank or above.

“Duke Kaiyang has traveled thousands of miles, traveling to and from Huguang, Sichuan, and worrying about state affairs. It is appropriate for Ziying to visit him.” Feng Ziying said cheerfully.

Sun Chengzong, whose courtesy name was Zhisheng and whose nickname was Kaiyang, was born in Gaoyang, Baoding, North China. He had been interested in military affairs since he was a child. He once traveled along Datong and Xuanfu while giving training to local officials, visiting the border passes one by one to learn about military affairs. Later, after passing the Jinshi examination, he had more opportunities to study military affairs, and took the initiative to enter the Ministry of War, serving in the Arsenal Department and the Staff Department, all the way to the present.

"Okay, Ziying, don't pretend to be in front of me. You always have the habit of not going to the Three Treasures Palace for anything. I don't have such a deep friendship with you. Tell me, what's the matter?"

Although Sun Chengzong did not have much personal relationship with Feng Ziying, he still admired Feng Ziying. This son had very profound strategic insights in the military, which was unmatched by many people in the court. It was a pity that he left the civil servants. If he follows the path of his father and follows the path of a warrior, he will definitely be a hero of his generation.

"Haha, Duke Kaiyang understands me, and there is no need to beat around the bush when talking to Duke Kaiyang. I am very happy. Ziying is here because of the unfavorable war situation on the northern front. I want to ask Duke Kaiyang what he thinks. Is there any room for change? "Feng Ziying said sternly: "Although Ziying is a local official, Shuntian Mansion is located in the capital, so a single move can affect the whole body. Now Sun Shaozu's army has occupied the south of Hejian. If he wants to advance north, he will approach Shuntian Mansion. People's sentiments are fluctuating, and I'm a little anxious."

Sun Chengzong did not expect Feng Ziying to ask this matter straight to the point. He motioned for Feng Ziying to take a seat. After the servant brought the tea and left, he muttered: "Su Shengdu lost 50,000 people from the Shanxi Army. The Northern Front is very passive. Your Majesty." Can you spare one or two to assist the northern front?"

"I don't know about my father, but Duke Kaiyang should know that he raided Xia Town and cut off the water transportation. Duke Kaiyang should know the purpose." Feng Ziying knew that his father's encirclement and reinforcements could not be hidden from soldiers like Sun Chengzong. Slightly veteran.

"Well, your father wants to fight Niu Jizong in Peixian County?" Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and pondered, "It is a good idea, but the defeat on the northern front has greatly dampened your idea. Niu Jizong may not be so eager. Steady Going south will be detrimental to the Northwest Army, and there will be few setbacks. We can also retreat to the front lines of Jinxiang and Yutai to stabilize the front."

"Yes, Duke Kaiyang, this is what I'm worried about too. Now that the area controlled by Sun Shaozu and Niu Jizong is twice as large as before, and the area along the canal is originally the most elite and wealthy area in Shandong, he will bite the bullet and force the local government. , maybe they can survive until next year without relying on water transportation. However, if the Northwest Army attacks from south to north along the canal, Niu Jizong can wait for work and rely on the defense of the cities along the canal. This situation may become entangled. war,…"

Sun Chengzong stood up and paced back and forth in the middle hall.

 Feng Ziying's worries were also his worries, and the court was also worried that it would fall into this situation.

Although the Northwest Army cut off water transportation, the situation is not very good. It is not a good idea to attack from south to north along the canal. The Xuanfu Army relies on the cities along the canal to defend, and can even attack instead of defend, which can easily lead to a stalemate. Go to war.

If the attack is launched from the Zhending and Guangping lines in the west, the Xuanfu Army can rely on the transportation of the canal to maneuver back and forth and concentrate its superior forces to fight. The canal can serve as a link connecting the Datong Army and the Xuanfu Army into a whole. An important link, the Northwest Army also cannot take advantage.

 The key is time. If this battle turns into a stalemate and a war of attrition, it may drag on until the end of the year if you are not careful. The situation in the North may change drastically, and the court cannot afford it.

The imperial court cannot tolerate this situation, so it must change the current unfavorable situation on the battlefield. It can be said that Su Shengdu is the biggest sinner in the world. He single-handedly ruined the entire northern front war situation and put the imperial court into a difficult situation. To solve the situation on the northern front, if Sun Shaozu and Niu Jizong are not forced back to their original territory in Shandong so that they cannot maintain it, then they will not desperately go south to recapture Xia Town, and Feng Tang's strategy of encirclement and reinforcements will not be realized. .

"It's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice, Ziying, with the situation on the northern front, I think Sun Shaozu may not have enough energy to go north, but if we want to fight him back, You Shilu's few troops are far from enough, so I asked your Majesty if you can Can we support one or two, but even if your father can support 20,000 to 30,000 troops, it is still not enough. If local guards are recruited, it will not be possible to train them in three to five months."

After Sun Chengzong went to Sichuan, it was very difficult at the beginning because there was no cooperation from Jingxiang Town. He had to recruit all the soldiers from the guard station in Sichuan and conduct training himself. Because of this, because he had no soldiers in his hands, he He also didn't perform much against Yang Yinglong's Banzhou rebel army.

When he finally trained the Sichuan soldiers and prepared them for use, the court became impatient again and wanted to transfer him back to the capital. Xiong Tingbi came to pick up a fallen peach and put the Sichuan soldiers he had trained and Yang He's Jing. Xiangzhen accepted it all. Under this situation, if Xiong Tingbi couldn't deal with Yang Yinglong and beat Wang Ziteng out of Huguang, he would really be a loser.

Fortunately, Sun Chengzong knew something about Xiong Tingbi. He knew that in addition to his bad temper, he also had some military skills. There should be no problem in entrusting the Sichuan soldiers and Jingxiang Town to him, so he made it clear to Xiong Tingbi before returning. Beijing.

Who would have thought that on the way, they first heard that the Northwest Army raided Xia Town and cut off the canal in one fell swoop. They were so excited, but were poured cold water on them the next day. Then they heard that Su Shengdu's Shanxi Army was attacked and defeated in Jizhou. Wan Dajun was destroyed overnight, which also made his original ambition to completely wipe out the Xuanfu Army and Datong Army in Shandong come to nothing.

“Mr. Kaiyang, you just said that if you come to pick up this mess on the Northern Front, how many more troops will be needed?” Feng Ziying asked in a deep voice after seeing the situation.

Sun Chengzong glanced at Feng Ziying in surprise, "Ziying, what do you mean?"

“Mr. Kaiyang, you don’t care what I mean, you just need to answer my question.” Feng Ziying asked word for word.

Although Sun Chengzong was not a pure civil servant, he did not like to be too involved in the affairs of the court. He calmed down, thought for a moment and said: "In addition to You Shilu's Jizhen Army of 30,000 people, I need at least five more Sixty thousand people, and these 50,000 to 60,000 people must not be untrained guardsmen to fight."

Feng Ziying believed that the battle of talents in Sun Chengzong's words was to defeat Sun Shaozu's Datong Army. He nodded: "How about I get you 70,000 people?"

“Oh?” Sun Chengzong was shocked, “Ziying, this is no joke, where did you find 70,000 people?”

Even if Feng Tang could support one unit, it would only be 20,000 to 30,000 people. Where would 70,000 people come from?

 (End of this chapter)