The recruitment of Liu Weiming, who forced the rebel king, was one of the biggest gains of Zhu Pingjin's Guang'an. In addition to what is visible to the eye, there is also what the eye cannot see.

The activities of the local rioters in Bashan were clearly displayed in front of Zhu Pingjin for the first time through Liu Weiming's mouth. With the panorama drawn by Liu Weiming as a guide, the many fragmented pieces of information collected by the Military Intelligence Bureau in the past can be pieced together to form information of practical value.

The main bases of the Sichuan local rioters in Bashan are in three places.

The first is the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Chu and Henan provinces east of Taiping. The land here is vast and sparsely populated, and the range of activities is almost unlimited, but there is little food and few people, and it is easy to go hungry, so it is a place where the local rioters will choose to live as a last resort;

The second is the north and south areas of Micang Mountain west of Taiping, north of the Ba River and Hanzhong. It is adjacent to the Hanzhong Basin and the two prefectures of Baoning and Shunqing in Sichuan, and there are many people with grain, so they can not only go out to rob, but also retreat to the mountains at any time to fight guerrillas. Therefore, it has become the main area of activity of the local rioters;

The third is the west wing area of Micang Mountain north of Guangyuan and Baizhang Pass and west of the Nanjiang River. Because it is located in the Sichuan-Shaanxi passage, the imperial court gathered heavy troops here to control the pass, which formed a great obstacle to the flow of local tyrants. In particular, the line from Guangyuan to Baizhang Pass is a corridor that runs from east to west, also known as the "rice warehouse corridor", which has become a natural line of defense for the local rioters to go south, so the local rioters easily do not cross this line.

The strategy of "squeezing" has formed a consensus among the decision-making strata of the Shu domain of the Ming Dynasty, such as Zhu Pingjin and Liao Daheng. Where to squeeze is a strategic question in the general direction.

From the perspective of eliminating the local tyrants and pacifying Sichuan, we should squeeze to the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Chu, and Henan provinces. But this is contrary to Zhu Pingjin's political and military goals. Because Zhu Pingjin wanted to control Hanzhong, he had to find a political and military reason. Squeezing north of Guangyuan, the local tyrants are afraid that they will not cooperate.

The most ideal plan is to squeeze north of Bazhou. Squeeze the local tyrants across the rice cang mountain and let them go to trouble the king of Hanzhong Rui. When King Rui and the Shaanxi government shouted and shouted, the Sichuan army could logically enter southern Shaanxi and control the Hanzhong Basin, a battleground for soldiers.

To occupy the Hanzhong Basin, it is natural to occupy Hanzhong City and the surrounding counties and passes, and the ideal executor of this plan is Chuanbei Town.

Chuanbei Town is the largest military group in Sichuan, plus the garrisons of Songmao and Long'an, with a total strength of more than 30,000, controlling many cities and key passes on the Sichuan-Shaanxi, Sichuan-Long, and Sichuan-Tibet borders, and is the main passage for Sichuan to enter Shaanxi and Gansu. Many generals in northern Sichuan participated in the pacification of the Hao'an Rebellion and accumulated rich experience in mountain warfare in the brutal war; The soldiers of the guard station reclaimed the deserted frontier, married wives and had children, and had long been integrated with the local area.

Zhu Pingjin wants to control the entire territory of Sichuan peacefully, and the town of northern Sichuan is a hurdle that he cannot bypass.

If you want to control the town of northern Sichuan, it is very important to have two people with one culture and one martial arts, one of which is naturally Liao Daheng, the governor of Sichuan; The second and third are Long Wenguang of North Sichuan Province and the General Army of North Sichuan. Now Liao Tycoon is his own person; Long Wenguang is a scholar, and he has neither met nor expressed his position. However, he had a friendship with Liao Daheng in the same year, and he also supported Liao Daheng's military deployment and people's livelihood governance. At present, the key is the selection of the general army in northern Sichuan.

Although the general army of northern Sichuan was only the leader of the main barracks, he held the highest position and could command all the officers and troops within the establishment in wartime. Moreover, he is a military member, represents the interests of the military, and has great influence on the generals in northern Sichuan, so this position should not be underestimated.

Wang Chaoyang was the general of the main barracks, and the veteran Gan Liangchen was naturally responsible for Wang Chaoyang's mutiny, and became the scapegoat for Sichuan's explanation to the imperial court. Gan Liangchen's post as the general army of northern Sichuan cannot be kept, so Zhu Pingjin must consider Gan Liangchen's successor.

However, it is very difficult for this candidate to be selected, because the existing generals of the Protector Army are either too low-level, too shallow-qualified, or the traces of the Shu Wangfu are too heavy, which is easy to cause a backlash from the generals of northern Sichuan, and they are not suitable candidates for the general army of northern Sichuan. Instead of waiting for the imperial court to send the general army of northern Sichuan, it is better to select from the existing generals in northern Sichuan Town, and occupy the pit first.

In Guang'an, Qian Weihan once recommended Zhu Pingjin to the deputy general Liu Zhenfan. But Cheng Xiangfeng objected, but he couldn't come up with a suitable candidate. After the confluence of the feudal and the Fu was clear, Zhu Pingjin sought the opinion of Liao Daheng.

Liao Daheng's opinion is very clear: deputy generals Liu Zhenfan, Ding Xianjue, Zhang Songkai, Zhu Hualong, and Yan Long; They all commanded Luo Dajue, both commanded Lu Yinchang, and the generals who fought guerrilla Zeng Ying, Wang Xiang, and guerrilla Yang Zhan were all generals who could take charge of themselves. However, the post of general soldier in northern Sichuan is none other than Liu Zhenfan. His reasons are good:

Liu Zhenfan is not a general in northern Sichuan, or even a native of Sichuan, and his roots in Sichuan are not deep. But he has dealt with Jiangmen in northern Sichuan for many years, and his personal relationship is also good. He has qualifications, military exploits, and experience in raising soldiers in Tuntian, and he also abides by the rules, respects his superiors, and has no ambitions. Among the generals of the various departments of the Sichuan army, Liu Zhenfan is the most ideal agent of the Second Taiwan and Third Divisions of the Shu Wangfu to control the official army in northern Sichuan, and only he can take on the burden of integrating the battalions and guards in northern Sichuan.

In addition to the above reasons that can be disclosed, Liao Daheng also has a reason that cannot be disclosed. That is, the general army of northern Sichuan must be loyal enough to Zhu Pingjin, and must support him Liao Daheng to be able to carry out Zhu Pingjin and his secret plan to occupy Hanzhong in the future.

Liao Daheng's reasons seem to be sufficient, but Zhu Pingjin is still not in a hurry to express his position. Because Zhu Pingjin felt that Liu Zhenfan's own command ability and command style were more important than political needs.

Containing the local rioters and blocking Li Zicheng is the main combat task of the defenders in northern Sichuan, can Liu Zhenfan complete it?

Can Liu Zhenfan's combat style build an impregnable steel defense line for the northern gate of Sichuan, so that Zhu Pingjin can free up the main force, go east to Kuimen, and fight to the death with his biggest enemy, Zhang Xianzhong?

Now, Liu Zhenfan put forward the idea of "reining in the army and advancing slowly" against the local tyrants, so that Zhu Pingjin, who advocates "cautious warfare", can see the commonality of the two people's thoughts.

The commander of a small unit can boldly attack at night and intersperse hundreds of miles, but the general who determines the fortune of the country must be serious.

The defeat of the small army was only a small loss. The defeat of the large corps will have a domino effect, causing the situation to slide irretrievably in the direction of disaster.

Many tactical defeats can be reversed with a single campaign or strategic victory, but a campaign and strategic defeat cannot be undone with several tactical victories!

It's like the difference in the use of battleships and cruisers.

To replace the old and unenterprising Gan Liangchen with the young and dignified Liu Zhenfan, Zhu Pingjin has already decided in his heart. However, Zhu Pingjin still needs Liu Zhenfan's confirmation.

"Cleaning up the surroundings and slowing down the march is of course a foolproof strategy." Zhu Pingjian's face remained unchanged, and a pair of eyes stared at Liu Zhenfan, "It's just that the current intelligence shows that Lord Ma and General Zhang are facing the enemy in the battle, and there are tens of thousands of people from the four families of the Heavenly Shaking King, Bai Jiaolong, Xing 100,000 Hu Jiusi, Wang Youjin, the King of Food, and Zhang Xian, the King of Neatness!" The enemy is outnumbered, and this prince and Liao Fu judge that if they don't help quickly, Master Ma and General Zhang may suffer accidents! ”

"The prince and the Lord Futai are concerned about the safety of the soldiers, and the last general will be grateful to them!" Liu Zhenfan left his seat and respectfully bowed to Zhu Pingjin and Liao Daheng, "It's just that the last general is foolish, with the power of a local tyrant, he can't eat Zhang Ying in a short time!" ”

"Why is that?"

"As far as the last general knows, Zhang's battalion has more than 4,000 soldiers, including 1,000 and 5,000 soldiers in the guard post and 2,000 newly recruited soldiers. In addition, Zhang Ying also has 800 veterans from Chudi, including 300 from Zhang Zuokai and Li Xiangchun's family. Zhang Zuokai is a veteran, and his troops must be guarded by guards and recruits to guard the periphery, and veterans to guard the core. In this way, the local tyrants attacked Zhang Ying, first the recruits and auxiliaries, then the guards, and finally the veterans and family members, so the local tyrants will inevitably fight more and more difficult. Even if it is a last resort, Master Ma and General Zhang can break through, and most of those families have horses......"

"Hmph, Vice General Liu is right!" Liao Daheng helped Zhu Pingjin to express his position.

In addition, the last general also thought that the people who wanted the local tyrants were not the heads of Master Ma and General Zhang. All they are concerned about is the food and military resources of the fishing creek farm! ”

Liu Zhenfan was affirmed by the governor, and he was obviously much more relaxed, and his speech was no longer dry: "Shizi and Lord Liao, please think, what do you have to do with a pair of useless heads when the local tyrant has killed so many people?" They fight, or they rob things, or they fight for territory. The fishing creek is a flat dam, and it can't be defended if you fight for it, so what are you fighting for? Therefore, the last general estimated that the local tyrants attacked Ma and General Zhang, not only to break the encirclement and suppression of them by the government, but also to severely damage the morale of the officers and soldiers; I also wanted to make some good money, and robbed all the food and ordnance hoarded in the fishing creek farm. ”

"Gong Liao, how much grain is Zhang Bu hoarding?" Zhu Pingjin asked.

"I can't say for sure." Liao Daheng hurriedly shook his head, "In the past, Mr. Qian helped the ministers to estimate, if only the military rations issued by the province are counted, there are probably only 3,000 stone left. But if you count the grain they have hoarded together with the horse grain, there are about 8,000 stone millet and 1,000 stone beans. ”

It is no wonder that Zhu Pingjin used the hand of Liao Tycoon to drive Zhang Zuokai out of Baoning Mansion, and Zhang Zuokai of course moved his small treasury to his new bases, Yuxichang and Thousand Buddha Farm. Nearly 10,000 stone of grain, a lot. It is enough for Zhang Zuokai to eat for half a year, and it is enough for 20,000 local tyrants to eat with their bellies open for a month, so that they can survive the difficult spring famine!

"What General Liu said is reasonable!" Zhu Pingjin said. But he didn't let Liu Zhenfan go, and continued to ask: "In this case, how is General Liu going to break the enemy?" ”

"Grandpa Yue said, the way of using soldiers, is to be single-minded. I don't know how to play ......"

Facing Zhu Pingjian's pressing step by step, Liu Zhenfan was a little worried in his heart. He pondered for a moment, and cautiously tested: "The last general thinks that if the reinforcements go here, if they bring a large amount of military resources...... The last general wanted to lure the enemy with straw bags and sandbags pretending to be military rations......"

"The bale is too light, and the ruts are not visible; Sandbags are not bad, but the thieves will attack with a squad first, and you can know whether it is true or false. If you want to do this kind of thing, you have to do it. "Zhu Pingjin's big-hearted rich N generation temper has come up. He motioned to Tycoon Liao, who hurriedly nodded his hand. The meaning is that the contemptible people have neither an opinion nor food.

"Mr. Cheng, immediately draft an order to order the eighteenth battalion of Wang Xingwu and Hou Yingqi's troops to march at a rapid pace to the Thousand Buddha Field! After arriving at the Thousand Buddha Field, obey the command of General Liu; Ordered Dong Bu's 3rd Cavalry Battalion to attack and sweep in the direction of the Tongcheng Walled City to confuse the thieves, and then suddenly transferred to Yuxichang, joined the battlefield, and obeyed the command of General Liu! General Liu's ordnance, gunpowder and other supplies were allocated by the Logistics Department and delivered to the Thousand Buddha Fields through Hexi Pass. As for the grain, dial five hundred, no! 1,000 stone for General Liu ......"

This is a decisive battle with the local tyrant who broke out of the family background of the Protector Army, and the prince handed over the command to Liu Zhenfan, who had only one side.

Liu Zhenfan finally showed his true feelings. He knelt down and bowed to Zhu Pingjin, saying that he would never fail to live up to the trust and trust placed in him by the organization and leaders.

"General Liu doesn't know when he will return to the front?"

"Since Yuxi Field is in a hurry, the last general will return to the Thousand Buddha Field today!"

"It's past noon, the mountain road is difficult, it's better for the general to ...... tomorrow"

"Thank you for your concern! In the last tense, the little ones have been ordered to stay and change horses along the way. This is a hundred and forty miles to the Thousand Buddha Field, as long as you cross the river at Hexi Pass, the last general will be able to return to the Thousand Buddhas within two hours. The last general estimated that when he arrived at the place, the sun was still hanging in the western sky! ”

Liu Zhenfan's arrangement was so thorough that the last stone in Zhu Pingjin's heart fell to the ground. He was immediately overjoyed and said, "Good! Take the sword of this world! ”

Zhu Pingjin is in Baoning Mansion, and the Tibetan treasure knife is either hung in the bedroom, or it is held by the eunuch to serve the left and right.

"This knife is equipped with the son of this world, and he has participated in the Yazhou Rebellion and the Minjiang War! If the generals in the army do not listen to General Liu's orders, no matter who they are, they should be killed with this sword! ”