Chapter 57 Logistics

Cao Zongyu said: "Please rest assured that the general will do his best." ”

Zhang Xuan was very relieved about Cao Zongyu's work, since he said that he tried his best, most of them could be done, but he didn't dare to say it too truthfully. Just leave some room for slowing down.

"One more thing." Zhang Xuan said: "Control the east of Dongting Lake and connect with Jiangxi. Ensure that the rear of the army is worry-free, only in this way, I can feel at ease under Changsha City. ”

Before you think about winning, you should first think about defeat. At this moment, Zhang Xuan handed over his back to Cao Zongyu.

Cao Zongyu did it, even if Zhang Xuan was under Changsha City, he encountered any setbacks and a way out. But once something goes wrong with Cao Zongyu, Zhang Xuan will probably not be able to come back.

It is precisely because Zhang Xuan trusts Cao Zongyu the most. So when he took risks, he preferred to hand over the rear to Cao Zongyu. It seems to be a logistical matter, it is right to do it well, it is a sin to do it badly, and it is not easy to make meritorious contributions, but it is Zhang Xuan's strong trust in Cao Zongyu.

Between Jiangxi and Hunan, in fact, there is not much confrontation of troops, except for the confrontation between Zhang Kuang and Zhang Yingyuan's army, most of the other places are natural geographical barriers, the south is mountainous, and the mountains divide the Ganjiang River and the Xiangjiang River basin, and also divide the two provinces.

However, these mountains have not yet reached the point where the army marches south. It's just that it's more dangerous, and it's not suitable for the passage of the army, as long as the other side deploys a little force at the key points, it can block the advance of the Jiangxi side, and vice versa. Therefore, the two sides do not have many troops in this mountainous area. Cao Zongyu is easy to clean up.

With the support of Jiangxi and Hubei, it is easier to digest this area.

Cao Zongyu said: "There is a day when the army is in logistics, and there will not be a day of interruption. It's just that there are some things that the last general can't sustain. ”

Zhang Xuan suddenly had some headaches. He knew what Cao Zongyu meant, even if he could ensure that the grain route was unblocked, he might not be able to guarantee that there would be grain shipped later.

Zhang Xuan fought all the way to the city of Changsha, most of the time because of the food to the enemy. However, although Huguang is the most important grain-producing area in the Ming Dynasty, when the harvest is abundant, the annual grain output is tens of millions of stones. However, the soldiers went back and forth, heavy battles were frequent, and there was not much food for the people.

In addition to Zhang Xuan's victory, the size of the army also increased like eating a balloon, which was originally a preemptive defensive offensive. But in Zhang Xuan, a war was fought to determine the survival of the Longwu regime, and as a result, the consumption became greater and greater.

Not to mention anything else, before Zhang Xuan attacked Yueyang, there were only fifty or sixty thousand horses. But now Wang Lung's reinforcements, the Ming army that has been surrendered everywhere, Lin Lin

There are always about 200,000, if you add Zhang Yingyuan's department. And the Ming army units combined, the number is also quite large.

It is a great battle that can be compared to the Battle of Yangyang.

When the number of people skyrockets, military spending skyrockets, and the demand for food explodes. If it weren't for Zhang Xuan getting a lot of supplies from the Ming army. The war simply can't sustain the current situation.

"General, almost all the granaries in Hubei have been emptied. Only the rations of the local officials and armies remained. Cao Zongyu said: "And the food shortage of the army can only support the autumn harvest." We can only hope that today is a good year. Otherwise----"

Although Hubei is a grain producing area, it can even be said that the lake is ripe and full of the world. But no matter how much food there is, it can't stop the pot-bellied man.

Don't say anything else, let's just say how many battles have been fought in the Huguang area in recent years, coming and going, fighting back and forth, breaking into camps, offering camps, Ming army, Qing army, Xia army, all forces in the world have shown their faces on a piece of land here. Not to mention the destruction of the place caused by the war.

Just because of this army dispatch, food is spent locally. Huguang couldn't hold it anymore.

It takes time to recuperate, and it is impossible for a large area to become full of vitality and abundance as soon as it reaches the hands of Xia Jun.

"I see." Zhang Xuan rubbed his head, and for a while he had a feeling of giving up the battle of Changsha.

The capital chain is tight, and at most it is bankrupt, but the grain is tight, and the three armies will scatter if they have no food. When the time comes, a country's national power will be able to fold in.

Food is so tight. It's not the first time Zhang Xuan has heard of it, and Yao Qisheng, who is in charge of this matter, has already told him. It's just a rare opportunity. Zhang Xuan said: "Mr. Yao has already told me about this matter. also gave a lot of methods, according to Mr. Yao's meaning, it is probably necessary to recruit on the spot. For this matter, you can give Mr. Yao more support. ”

In essence, Yao Qisheng is not a good person. His wrists were very hard, and when Yao Qisheng explained this to Zhang Xuan, he didn't say what to do, but Zhang Xuan could guess some. Zhang Xuan has been in the troubled times for so many years, and he is no longer the little white sheep who has just crossed over.

He could even guess the blood content of this batch of grain.

In other words, how many lives are there in every thousand stone of grain in this batch of grain.

After all, the ground that has been scraped repeatedly, and if you want to scrape out the grain again, it is impossible not to have blood. Even the grain harvested by the Ming Court was already bloody.

However, Zhang Xuan also hinted. In his receipt to Yao Qisheng, he emphasized two points, first, how can a family cry like crying all the way, and second, must not provoke a civil uprising.

Yao Qisheng is a smart person, so he naturally knows what to do

Do. I'm afraid that the scholarly families and gentry in all parts of Hunan will suffer. Zhang Xuan's hint is already obvious. In the troubled times, there are too many things that are innocent and guilty.

However, at this moment, Cao Zongyu mentioned it again, and Zhang Xuan was not very relieved.

He didn't dare to pin the death of the whole army on one person, even if he trusted this very much, he pondered for a while and asked Zheng Lian to lay out the paper. He personally wrote a letter to Luo Yulong, explaining the situation here in 1510, and begging Nanjing for food.

To be honest, the food in Great Xia is not abundant. If it weren't for the lack of food, Great Xia would have taken the initiative to attack the south a long time ago. But Jiangnan is, after all, the essence of the Ming Dynasty, and the rule of Jiangnan in Daxia relies on the Jiangnan gentry. In other words, there is actually a lot of profit margin for the squeeze of Jiangnan in Great Xia. However, these are the interests of the Jiangnan gentry.

It can even be explained as the cost of domination.

Luo Yulong took advantage of the rule of the Jiangnan gentry and had to be gentle. But now that the soldiers are in danger and the war is urgent, it is still possible to find a way to extort a sum of money and food from Jiangnan for emergency. It's just up to Luo Yulong's skill and determination. And with Zhang Xuan's understanding of Luo Yulong, Luo Yulong will definitely do this.

Who made him an emperor in name, but a general in his bones. The war will never hold back the front.

After Zhang Xuan finished writing the note, he immediately ordered someone to send it out by speedboat, and said to Cao Zongyu: "I have already asked Your Majesty for food, and with Your Majesty's sage, I will definitely send grain and grass." By then, we will be able to solve our urgent needs, and this year's harvest will probably be good. It should be able to support it. Don't just think that we are difficult, think that the Ming army is even more difficult. Now this breath depends on who can't hold it. ”

What Zhang Xuan said was not wrong, the Ming army was defeated repeatedly, and while losing a large number of troops, it also lost a lot of material baggage. Even half of the Dongting Lake Plain, an important grain-producing area in Hunan, has been lost. And because of the loss of a large number of troops, many soldiers were re-recruited. It costs a lot of money and food. This vicious circle is almost untenable.

It is indeed much more difficult than Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan immediately discussed with Cao Zongyu how to deal with the aftermath.

Cao Zongyu completely saw the unbearable situation of Wang Long's subordinates, and he didn't count on them at all, and prepared to station the reinforcements sent by Wang Long in various places to become defenders everywhere. It was used to liberate the forces of the Southern Expeditionary Army.

Cao Zongyu prepared to go a little further south of the battlefield. There was a place where the antlers were encamped, and the captives were converted into Great Xia soldiers. However, if you want these captives to be used by Zhang Xuan, the best way is to appoint generals, Zhang Xianbi is one of them, Cao Zongyu is ready to select one or two generals who have old ties with Cao Ying from the remnants of the camp, and promote them for reuse. Strive to convert the captives into your own military forces.