Occam's razor's law, also known as "O'Con's razor", was proposed by William of Occam, a 14th-century logician and Franciscan monk. This principle is called "Do not add entities if you don't have to", i.e., the "simple and effective principle". As he says in Book 2, Book 2, Question 15, "Don't waste more to do, use less to do what you can do well." ”

Weeser liked the idea. For the Liberation Army, the system established by Weeser seems to be a very complicated thing. But from Wesser's own point of view, he is only making the simplest reproduction of what he knows, limited to Weese's memory ability and the current material conditions, and there are still a lot of deficiencies in these systems.

Regarding the question of strategic choice in the Military Commission, Weeser finally used Occam's razor to make a judgment.

What is the most lacking of the Liberation Army? There are a lot of them.

In these many deficiencies, what is the biggest objective problem that cannot be changed by relying on the existing capabilities of the Liberation Army? Steel can be smelted, machining and manufacturing can be gradually improved, and the land suitable for cultivation cannot fall from the sky.

After such a judgment, the final plan fell on the first to take away the two lakes south of the Yangtze River, so as to obtain a stable supply of grain and grass.

When this theory and derivation method were presented to the Central Military Commission, the Central Military Commission was not able to provide reasons to refute it. But on this basis, everyone is concerned about the safety of rice routes? Sex has a new level of understanding. A considerable number of comrades believed that after occupying the south of the Huai River, it was possible to suspend the continuation of the northward movement. While digesting and consolidating the newly liberated areas, we can consider the issue of stabilizing Vietnam's rice trade with Siam.

Weeser had heard the phrase "strategy can win only because it is correct", but he did not expect that when he put forward a correct theory, he would lead to the strategic consideration of "going south or going north".

When China is reunified, there will always be a debate about whether to continue to go south or to continue to go north. In the vast expanse of Siberia, the maximum temperature in summer can reach 40 degrees Celsius, and in winter it is minus 60 degrees Celsius. In order to endure the temperature difference of 100 degrees a year, the local pine trees have to lose their leaves. Other pine trees of the same genus are evergreen in the warm south.

The benefits of going south are far greater than going north, and grain, rubber, and ore, as long as the south is controlled, can meet China's needs. In contrast, the input-to-output ratio of going north is very uneconomical.

Of course, that's all for later. In the near future, all that needs to be considered is China's traditional friendship with Vietnam and Siam, which will need to be maintained if it can continue to obtain large quantities of rice.

Will Zeng Guofan bring troops back to help, and will the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom fight to the death with the Guangfu army. Judging from Occam's razor's law, since these things are bound to happen, let's wait until they do happen.

By November, the Hunan Military Region took the lead in reorganizing three armies, each numbering about 15,000 troops. Originally, everyone didn't think much about what Zeng Guofan's Hunan army would look like. But the facts surprised Junwen very much. The Hunan army gave full play to the advantages of the naval army, and attacked in southern Anhui and other places where the rivers were crisscrossed, and defeated the headquarters of Yang Fuqing of the Taiping Army stationed in southern Anhui.

In addition to controlling the area north of the Yangtze River, the Huai army also attacked Yangzhou with an army. Ji Wenyuan and Zeng Lichang of the Taiping Army resisted bitterly in Yangzhou.

In mid-October, the Hunan army attacked Wuhu by land and water, and the Wuhu Taiping army had no fighting spirit after receiving a series of defeats, and simply withdrew from Wuhu. The Hunan army and Lin Fengxiang's troops fought a bloody battle with the combined forces of the Hunan army and the Huai army in the east and west Liangshan. Wei Ze led his troops to guard the East and West Liangshan, and at that time, Yang Xiuqing sent a river platoon to Wei Ze and started the tactics of iron locking across the river. That time, Shi Dakai won a great victory at Hukou, and Wei Ze did not fight at all in Dongxiliangshan.

This time, the Taiping army no longer had the strength to do so, Lin Fengxiang's troops north of the Yangtze River were routed first, and the Hunan army went around the back of Lin Fengxiang's troops, intending to cut off Lin Fengxiang's retreat. The navy took advantage of the night to break through the river, and then transported the Huai army across the Yangtze River. Lin Fengxiang had to choose to retreat. Breaking through the pass of East and West Liangshan, the Hunan army and the Huai army advanced by land and water, although Lin Fengxiang wanted to stop and arrange the position several times, but every time he stopped, he had to face the situation of outflanking the Hunan army before and after.

The Xiang army did not want Lin Fengxiang to withdraw to Tianjing in his entirety. The chase became tighter and tighter, and as a veteran of the Taiping Army, Lin Fengxiang suddenly gave the Xiang army a return rifle. He asked the large army to feign retreat, and he personally led 6,000 men and horses to return to the head to storm the pursuing Hunan army. The Hunan army thought that Lin Fengxiang would continue to retreat, but after being hit head-on, it caused panic.

Zeng Guoquan directly led the guards to the front line to command, and those who retreated were killed, and those who wavered were killed. In front of the steel knife of the warlord, the Hunan army stabilized its position. Started shooting with Lin Fengxiang. From artillery bombardment, counter-shooting, to the final cold weapon fight. The elite of the 6,000 Taiping Army fought a great battle with the 10,000 elite of the Hunan Army.

The Hunan army found out that something was wrong and hurriedly landed to participate in the battle. Lin Fengxiang's subordinates also immediately turned back and entered the battle. Lin Fengxiang had 28,000 people, 22,000 Hunan troops, and 50,000 soldiers and horses were earth-shattering. After each side suffered more than 6,000 casualties, the Hunan army, which was inferior in strength, had to board ships and leave the battlefield. Lin Fengxiang sent a part of the troops to clean up the battlefield and led his troops to counterattack Wuhu.

The Qing army in Wuhu was less than 3,000, and when they saw nearly 20,000 Taiping troops coming, they could only abandon Wuhu and flee in a hurry. This beautiful counterattack defeated the arrogance of the Hunan army.

However, Lin Fengxiang's victory along the way could not turn the tide of the battle, and the famous Hunan army general Bao Chao led 20,000 men to fight Chen Yucheng's 8,000 soldiers and horses in the south. The combat strength of the two sides is almost the same, but the difference in strength is as much as twice as much. Chen Yucheng was forced to retreat, and Bao Chao immediately waved his army north, intending to stage Lin Fengxiang's back road.

Of course, Lin Fengxiang could not let Bao Chao succeed, after he occupied Wuhu, he collected the materials that he didn't have time to take away, and the troops did not stay for a long time, but retreated directly. Before the Hunan army and the Huai army were outflanked on both sides, they broke out of the encirclement and retreated to camp near Tianjing City.

The Hunan army chased all the way, set up camp less than fifty miles away from Tianjing City, and confronted Lin Fengxiang's department. Although the Hunan army did not dare to attack immediately, the overall encirclement network was getting smaller and smaller, and the attack on Tianjing was just around the corner.

In Zhejiang, on the East Road, Li Xiucheng and Zuo Zongtang's Chu army won and lost each other. Zuo Zongtang, who regarded himself as Jinliang, also failed to play any amazing results, he just blocked Li Xiucheng's army under the city of Hangzhou. Of course, that's not bad. Li Xiucheng's inability to conquer Hangzhou meant that his troops were at their limit. Even if Li Xiucheng can support in Zhejiang, once Tianjing falls, the Hunan army and the Huai army can kill Li Xiucheng from behind. At that time, Li Xiucheng, who had 200,000 troops, only had the share of being slaughtered. Of course, Li Xiucheng still has a choice, that is, to hurry back to Tianjing and defeat the Hunan army and the Huai army. If he made such a choice, Zuo Zongtang would be able to chase and kill from behind, and the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army would join forces to jointly take Tianjing City.

On November 11, Weeser officially issued an order, and the Northern Expedition began. The 11th, 12th, and 13th armies, which had been reorganized from the Fourth Army, were the first to move south, and the Northern Expedition began.

The 11th Army marched from Yongxing to Hengyang, the 12th Army stationed in Yongzhou also set off to march to Hengyang at the same time, and the 13th Army, also stationed in Yongzhou, marched to Baoqing. After taking Baoqing, he took control of the road south of the Yangtze River to Sichuan. After taking Hengyang, the Guangfu Army will be able to formally form the Yangtze River Detachment of the Navy.

Coincidentally, on the same day, Li Xiucheng led his troops to evacuate Hangzhou and retreated in the direction of Suzhou. Hong Xiuquan sent envoys several times to ask Li Xiucheng to return to the army to defend Tianjing. Zhejiang is not stable, and Li Xiucheng certainly knows that if something goes wrong in Tianjing City, he will become a turtle in an urn. At this time, the best thing to do is to shrink the line of defense and gather forces. If a certain Qing army can be dealt a fatal blow, the whole situation can still be revitalized.

Li Xiucheng did not act with the large army, and he himself led the team back to Tianjing first. On November 20, Lin Fengxiang, Li Xiucheng, Chen Yucheng, Zhang Yingchen, and Yang Fuqing, the five most combative corps commanders of the Taiping Army, finally gathered together.

Lin Fengxiang is resolute and calm, even if the situation is getting worse and worse, he is not to the point of despair. Of course, disappointment is inevitable. If Hong Xiuquan had agreed to the formation of the General Staff Headquarters three months ago, as Zhang Yingchen had agreed, the combat effectiveness of the new unit would have returned to a normal level after the arduous period of the first three months. If he organized a counterattack not only 6,000 elites on hand, but 12,000, Zeng Guoquan, who only had 10,000 in number, would have confessed there. Kill Zeng Guoquan, Bao Chao was lonely all the way, at that time, Lin Fengxiang would not raid Wuhu, but turned around and attacked Bao Chao with Chen Yucheng. Even if you can't solve Bao Chao, you can still repel Bao Chao's department. At that time, Tianjing City naturally would not be besieged to such a point.

The fighter plane has passed, and Lin Fengxiang's personality will not complain anymore. However, Li Xiucheng put forward his views at the meeting, "When this is the case, our army must be integrated." ”

Hearing this reasonable construction, Chen Yucheng's beautiful face showed a mocking look. This is not against Li Xiucheng, but against Hong Xiuquan's approach a few months ago. Originally, Chen Yucheng saw that Hong Xiuquan refused to establish a general staff, and he was ready to merge with Lin Fengxiang with his troops. Without waiting for him to completely convince his subordinates, Hong Xiuquan not only strictly ordered Chen Yucheng to go to Ningguo Mansion to help Yang Fuqing with defense. also gave Chen Yucheng's two important subordinates the title of king.

Even Chen Yucheng imitated the troops of the General Staff, and the system of soldiers as generals could not be changed. Hong Xiuquan gave Chen Yucheng's subordinates the title of king, now everyone is the prince, who commands whom?

Hong Xiuquan did this, and Chen Yucheng understood. Hong Xiuquan did not oppose the establishment of a general staff, but he wanted to establish a general staff in which Hong Xiuquan would have sole power. At present, all the generals of the Heavenly Kingdom are very aware of Hong Xiuquan's ability, let him command the war, and everyone will wait for death. Moreover, after listening to the concept of the General Staff proposed by Lin Fengxiang, Chen Yucheng also really understood the characteristics of the General Staff. This General Staff is not responsible for any one person, the General Staff itself is a transparent system, a system that exists to win wars.

If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom formed a general staff, the general staff would serve the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom regime, not for Hong Xiuquan to enjoy power alone. Hong Xiuquan himself is strongly opposed to this order.

Therefore, hearing that Li Xiucheng proposed a unified military order, Chen Yucheng intuitively felt that Hong Xiuquan would definitely do something to Li Xiucheng's subordinates. While he couldn't help but show a mocking expression on his face, Chen Yucheng only felt a sadness in his heart. He had to wonder if he was following the wrong person. R1292