After receiving the order from the imperial court, Ma Shiying became busy, first of all, he issued an order requiring the local gentry to form a fortress to defend themselves, and at the same time announced that he was ready to set up a new pro-military camp directly under the governor's palace. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

This pro-military camp directly belonging to the Governor's Mansion was naturally prepared for Kong Zhang's men. Just a few days before Ma Shiying arrived in Fengyang, Kong Zhang had already arrived in Fengyang with a staff team of more than twenty people. The Zheng family also had a shop in Fengyang, and Kong Zhang lived there. As soon as Ma Shiying arrived, Kong Zhang hurried to visit him.

After a few days of dealing, Ma Shiying's impression of Kong Zhang is quite good. He found that Kong Zhang really understood military affairs, which was also recognized by his general Huang Degong.

Huang Degong is a general transferred from the Beijing camp to guard the imperial mausoleum, he was born at the bottom, starting from a small soldier, relying on his military exploits step by step to rise to the position of the general soldier, in today's Ming Dynasty generals, it can be regarded as very capable of fighting. And what is especially rare is that he is more honest and less thoughtful when he fights, especially what "dead friends do not die in poor ways". And there is also a love for the people, in the original history, after Huang Degong repelled Zhang Xianzhong, he caught more than 10,000 refugees who were coerced by Zhang Xianzhong. If Zuo Liangyu, Liu Zeqing and the like were replaced, maybe they would have to borrow the heads of these refugees to receive a military merit, but Huang Degong asked them to return to their hometowns, and handed over all the captured weapons and baggage to the imperial court. Such an honest general, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, was really scarcer than giant pandas. Later, because of his meritorious support for Hongguang, Huang Degong was also ranked among the four towns in Jiangbei. Zuo Liangyu launched an infighting under the pretext of the case of the prince from the south, and Huang Degong was mobilized to intercept Zuo Liangyu and defeat his army. Later, the Manchu Qing Dynasty went south, Hongguang Emperor Zhu Youxiang fled into the Wuhu Huang Degong camp, the Qing soldiers were divided, and the Huang Dequan army fought with the Qing soldiers in Digang. At this time, Liu Liangzuo, the general of the Ming army who had surrendered to the Manchu Dynasty, shouted for surrender on the shore, Huang Degong angrily reprimanded him, and suddenly shot an arrow from nowhere, which happened to pierce his throat, Huang Degong knew that the general trend had gone, so he took out his knife and committed suicide, and his wife also committed suicide. This person's loyalty and courage are very outstanding among the generals of the Ming army, but this person's ability to make money is average, he lacks money in his hands, and he can't afford to raise too many troops, so at least at this time, his strength is still very limited.

Huang Degong had fought honestly, and he naturally knew very well how to fight. So as soon as he talked to Kong Zhang, he found that this Xiucai seemed to really know how to fight. After Huang Degong became a general, he also had some dealings with those talents, for example, now there is a talent in his scene who is being his master, responsible for drafting various documents.

Generally speaking, those talents often read a little "The Art of War" and know a few words such as "knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent, and not being defeated in a hundred battles", and they feel that they are proficient in military affairs and can be compared with the famous generals of ancient times. However, as soon as anyone who has fought in the war hears it, they know that it is all nonsense. At the beginning, Ma Shiying introduced Kong Xiucai to him and said that when he was in military affairs, Huang Degong only regarded him as another guy who spoke loudly. But when they talked about military affairs and how to march, what Kong Xiucai said surprised Huang Degong - this Xiucai really understands and understands military affairs very well!

What Kong Zhang said was actually just the general marching regulations of the model army in the war zone, such as how to send reconnaissance troops to determine the terrain, determine the marching route, and camp the army before the army set off; how to determine different hazard levels and arrange different warning levels for the areas passed; when to send engineers to open roads and build bridges in the mountains; How to set up shelters for stragglers behind the marching contingent and set up military stations on the route to ensure the smooth flow of supply lines. There are some methods that Huang Degong doesn't know, but if you think about it, it's not impossible. In short, if it weren't for the fact that some of the methods that Kong Xiucai sometimes proposed were too demanding for soldiers, and they could almost only be done by using a family member, just listening to this Kong Xiucai talk about these things, Huang Degong would even have the illusion that the person in front of him was not a showman, but an old soldier who had fought an old war.

"Mr. Kong personally led troops to fight? How else would you be so familiar with these things? Huang Degong still couldn't help but ask.

"No, no." Kong Zhang shook his head and said, "What I'm saying is just hearsay. ”

After saying this, Kong Zhang looked at Huang Degong, but saw that Huang Degong still looked confused, so he knew that the idiom just now, I was afraid that Huang Degong didn't know what it meant. After all, Huang Degong was cut up from a soldier, and he didn't know how to read, so he was basically illiterate.

"Ah, that is, I heard all this from someone else." Kong Zhang explained again.

"Oh, I see." Huang Degong nodded, but he still felt that Kong Zhang was very powerful, because although these things were told to him by others, but now when he talks about these things, he can talk about them in connection with the current situation, and they are basically good, which fully shows that he not only understands these things, but also has a very good talent.

"I wonder where Mr. Kong heard it from?" Huang Degong asked again, he felt that the person who could tell such a truth should not be unknown, but could get acquainted.

"It's a Tessie man named John." Kong Zhang said, "My family also does some maritime trade with Zheng Shuai, the general soldier of Fujian. I'm a fun person, and every time I hear them talk about things overseas, I feel very curious. I am friends with Mr. Zheng's son, and he told me that there is nothing scary about taking a sea boat. I took the opportunity to sell goods to Luzon and got on the ship and followed Luzon to have a look. Now the seas are calm, and there are no more large-scale pirates. But the necessary precautions still need to be taken. So there are often some bodyguards hired on the ship. Among them, the highest asking price, but it is also said that the most effective and capable of fighting, are some of Tessie's mercenaries. It was on that ship that I met John the Captain of the Tessie Mercenaries. The sea was boring, and John was busy learning Chinese, so he often chatted with me, and I heard a lot of things from him. According to himself, he used to be beautiful on Tessie's side back then, but later he was involved in a dispute between the princes, and as a result, he could only run here to avoid trouble. ”

"Judging from what you said, this Tessie mercenary is very knowledgeable. He didn't have to be bragging about it. Tessie Mercenary ...... Could it be Jinghai's ......" Huang Degong was born in Beijing, and he suddenly remembered the Jinghai victory that year.

"It's them. According to John, the victory of Jinghai was fought by their people. Kong Zhang said, "In fact, the Taixi mercenaries are also very similar to the previous Japanese pirates, there are not many real Taixi people, most of them are Japanese ronin, overseas broken Chinese." The Tessians used Tessie military to train them, issue them guns, and then use them to make money. The last time they were in Jinghai, it is said that they made a lot of money. ”

Huang Degong nodded, this is something he knows, those Taixi people sold their heads after the victory in Jinghai and made a lot of money.

"What happened to the Jinghai victory and the Taixi mercenaries?" Ma Shiying, who was on the side, seemed to be surprised and asked.

This surprise is normal in Huang Degong's opinion, because when the imperial court was promoting the victory of Jinghai, it did not mention any Taixi mercenaries at all. It's all about the Ming official army. As an official who has been idle at home for many years, it is normal not to know the Tao here. So Huang Degong bowed down and said, "My lord, this is actually the case......

After listening to Huang Degong finish talking about the Taixi mercenaries and Jinghai's victory, Ma Shiying stroked his beard and said, "Since these Taixi mercenaries are so capable of fighting, why don't you just hire them to fight with Jianxi?" ”

"Your Excellency, you don't know, this Tessie mercenary is actually very small, at most only three or four thousand people, many of them have to serve as bodyguards on sea ships, and the people who can really take it out to fight are only more than two thousand at most. And it is said that they ask for a lot of money, and the court is not willing to pay that money. Kong Zhang said.

Hearing this, Ma Shiying and Huang Degong both smiled bitterly, they naturally knew that the imperial court was afraid that it was not that it was reluctant to give up the money, but that it would not be able to take out the money at all.

"Half-Guixian's nephew, this official has an idea." Ma Shiying Road.

"Your Excellency, please speak." Kong Zhang hurriedly stood up and said.

"As you just said, there aren't many real Tessie among these mercenaries. It can be seen that these Taixi people still have a hand in military training. I want to hire some Tessie to come and train me, but I don't know what the price is. Since you know their people, you might as well help me find out. Ma Shiying said, "If the price can be negotiated, hire some." In addition, I heard you say that if this soldier wants to be able to fight, it is best to use a good family as a soldier, not a prodigal. I heard that the army under Qi Shaobao's command back then were all honest farmers in the countryside. Half Keiichi can also help me keep an eye on it and find some such people to be soldiers. ”

"Students obey the orders of adults." Kong Zhang said.

"Hmm." Ma Shiying nodded, and said: "Recently, Liu Zeqing sent a letter to the official, saying that he was willing to bring troops over to help, but he just asked the official to give him a promotion fee. Otherwise, I am afraid that the sergeants will not come. ”

"My lord, Liu Zeqing is also coming? Why did you transfer him? Huang Degong asked.

"Liu Zeqing has a lot of soldiers, and it's not far from here, now that Zhang Thief is loyal, maybe he will kill him when he comes, it's always good to have more strength." Ma Shiying Road.

"That's what my lord said." Huang Degong said, "It's just that adults may not know that this Liu Zeqing is extremely slippery when he fights, and he never fights well." The scourge of the people is no worse than that of a thief. He doesn't necessarily be able to help if he comes, it's better not to come now, if he comes, the people of Fengyang are afraid that they will be unlucky. Don't pay attention to him. The last general was worried that this man had ruined his station, and he was afraid that he had already wanted to change places to harm people. If the adults don't give him money, he's afraid that he will come over and take advantage of the opportunity to loot. ”