However, hearing Sheng Wenyu's words, Zhang Shihua shook his head and asked: "Sheng Gong, what about the yellow scarf at the end of the Han Dynasty and the yellow nest at the end of the Tang Dynasty?" There is an ancient saying: 'The country of a thousand times cannot be destroyed in a battle.' Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 info'What's more, what about a big country like Yuanmeng, which has thousands of miles of land and a million? ”

"Such a big country, if you want to swallow it in one battle, it is tantamount to a fool's dream! Besides, Marshal Liu's Northern Expedition relied on nothing more than Han Wunuhan's rabble lone army in Hebei. But such a lone army, surrounded by the Yuanmeng Tartars, is tantamount to rootless duckweed, how can it be used as a reliance? ”

"Therefore, I oppose the Marshal's Northern Expedition, but I am not cowardly, but the time has not yet come, and I can't do it!"

"This ...... What General Zhang said is also reasonable, then General Zhang, what do you think our army should do now, so that it is the best? Hearing Zhang Shihua's words, Sheng Wenyu, who faintly agreed with what Zhang Shihua said, couldn't help but ask Zhang Shihua such a question.

And Zhang Shihua heard Sheng Wenyu ask like this, and after glancing at Sheng Wenyu again, he also said loudly: "The best way and the safest way now is to take advantage of the new defeat of the Yuanmeng Imperial Court to recapture those territories that belong to us." ”

"The entire Huaisi land is firmly grasped in the hands of our army. And after that, go south to cross the river as soon as possible and seize the land in the south of the Yangtze River. The land south of the Yangtze River is the granary of the world and the important place for taxation, not only the Yuan University has to rely on the power of Cao Yun to eat here, but even the taxes used by the Yuan and Mongolian courts to raise troops also depend on the Jiangnan to support. ”

"If our army can take Jiangnan, it will be tantamount to occupying the henchmen of the Yuanmeng court and pinching the throat of the Yuanmeng court. At that time, our army will use the grain tax in the south of the Yangtze River to support our elite soldiers, and then our army will be invincible. ”

"At that time, even if we can't go north to achieve the great cause of expelling the Tartars and rejuvenating China, we can take advantage of the Yangtze River to fight against the Yuanmeng Tartars. So I really can't understand why Marshal Liu didn't take such a treasured land, but went north to gnaw those hard bones that didn't have any oil and water? ”

However, hearing Zhang Shihua say such a thing, Sheng Wenyu did not show any shocked expression, but showed the appearance of meeting a confidant, but this happy expression of meeting a confidant did not last long, and Sheng Wenyu's face was shrouded in loneliness.

"Hey!" Sheng Wenyu first let out a long sigh, and after a long sigh, Sheng Wenyu looked at Zhang Shihua but couldn't help but shake his head very lonely and said: "I really don't hide it from the general, what the general said, in fact, I mentioned it to the marshal early in the morning." ”

"After all, I am a serious Jiangnan person, who in the army will know more about the wealth of Jiangnan than me, and who will want to return to Jiangnan more than me? However, whenever I proposed a plan to the marshal to go south to the south of the Yangtze River, it was not surprising that the marshal refused to deny it. ”

"After all, the marshal is from Yingzhou, not to mention, most of the generals and non-commissioned officers in our army are also from Jiangbei." People leave their hometowns and are cheap, and their homeland is inseparable, and there is such a head-losing thing as raising troops and gathering righteousness, and who will be willing to abandon their family and business, where to go thousands of miles away, and the place where they are not familiar with the land? ”

After saying this, Sheng Wenyu couldn't help but sigh.

And when Zhang Shihua heard Sheng Wenyu's words, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly with Sheng Wenyu.

That's right, Sheng Wenyu is right, the reluctance to venture to unfamiliar places is actually a shortcoming that all peasant armies have. After all, in ancient times when transportation was extremely underdeveloped, an ordinary peasant and ordinary person lived in the circle of his life was just a day of walking with his feet, a radius of dozens of miles.

Let's take Zhang Shihua's inspection guards as an example, these inspection officers, before they rebelled against Zhang Shihua, the farthest place they had been to was the small Taihe Xian City. So for these people, this small land within a radius of dozens of miles is actually their entire world.

Therefore, in the eyes of these people, what is Jiangnan and Hebei, it is just like the time of the later generations, standing on the earth and saying Mars, it is a place they have never dreamed of. Think about it, not long ago, even Zhang Shihua led his troops to Nanyang Mansion, which is next to Runing Mansion, and there were still hundreds of fugitives under Zhang Shihua's command who were unwilling to go with Zhang Shihua, let alone let these people go to Jiangnan thousands of miles away.

Don't say anything else, just talk about Zhang Shihua himself. In fact, even Zhang Shihua himself knows it. If he orders now, he will let the more than 10,000 soldiers under his command give up the territory of Nanyang Mansion and go to Jiangnan with him to grab the territory. It is estimated that before Jiangnan, those soldiers under his command will be able to run away by half.

Even if you go to Jiangnan, during the New Year's holidays, you miss your relatives at home, and it is estimated that you can run half more. After all, in the minds of these people, they are now developing well in their hometown, and they are going to develop in a foreign land thousands of miles away where they are not familiar with life!

So for this, Zhang Shihua himself also felt helpless. After all, the soldiers under him are all flesh and blood, affectionate and righteous "people", and they are not puppet pets, and Zhang Shihua, a general, must not go against the wishes of these people. Because without these people, there would naturally be no Zhang Shihua.

Therefore, after hearing Sheng Wenyu's complaint, Zhang Shihua had to sigh.

"Even so, there is nothing the last general can do. After all, soldiers are also human beings, and everyone has homesickness. Therefore, this time I can only pray to the heavens, and I wish Marshal Liu's method all the best. In desperation, Zhang Shihua also knew that he would say this to Sheng Wenyu.

Hearing Zhang Shihua say this, Sheng Wenyu had no choice but to hug his fists at Zhang Shihua with a wry smile, make a salute, and said: "That being the case, then I can only wish you General Zhang a smooth journey." ”

"Sheng Gong take care, the end will go!" Hearing Sheng Wenyu's words, Zhang Shihua hugged his fists and saluted back, then he also turned on his horse and headed north under Sheng Wenyu's eyes.

……

Because Zhang Shihua and they did not have the drag of the chariots, horses and food teams this time, the marching speed was much faster than when they came, so at noon the next day, Zhang Shihua and they also returned to Shangcai City.

"The last general will meet the general!" Ten miles south of Shangcai City, Zhao Jiu and the others who received the news couldn't help but wait here early to greet them, and after seeing Zhang Shihua who came back from riding a horse, Zhao Jiu and others couldn't help but take the generals and officials behind them to bow to Zhang Shihua like this.

Seeing this, Zhang Shihua waved his hand to let Zhao Jiu and the others get up from the ground, but he was on a horse, and he immediately ordered Zhao Jiu: "Ah Jiu and the generals listen, I ordered you to wait until you return to the city, and immediately start preparing for the affairs of the camp." ”

"By the end of the evening, all battalions and units must be ready for me. Tomorrow morning, let's return to Nanyang, do you understand? ”

"The last general will obey!" The surrounding generals and officials, although they don't know why Zhang Shihua is so anxious, but the habit they have developed over a long period of time still makes them lead the order so loudly at the first time.

Seeing this, Zhang Shihua nodded silently, and couldn't help but take Zhao Jiu and a group of soldiers under his command to return to Shangcai City again.

……

At four o'clock in the night, in Cai City, Zhang Shihua temporarily settled in the mansion.

"General Qiqi, all the grain and grass in the city have been loaded, and tomorrow morning, you can set off directly." After an afternoon of working without touching the ground, Zhao Ziyu, who couldn't even take care of eating, couldn't help but find Zhang Shihua and reported to Zhang Shihua so respectfully.

Seeing this, Zhang Shihua waved his hand to let Zhao Ziyu sit down, and then couldn't help but say to Zhao Ziyu: "Ziyu, you've worked hard for the past two days." After we return to Nanyang, we can also start preparing for the marriage of Shihui and your sister-in-law, and we will really be a family at that time. ”

Hearing Zhang Shihua's words, Zhao Ziyu, who has always been indifferent in trouble, couldn't help but show a smile on his face, and then hugged his fist at Zhang Shihua with joy and said: "Being able to marry the general is really a blessing for my sister-in-law." ”

And hearing Zhao Ziyu's words, Zhang Shihua himself said to Zhao Ziyu with a smile after laughing: "Ziyu is serious, my brother is lucky to marry your virtuous sister." ”

"So Ziyu, don't worry, after my younger brother and sister get married, I will definitely let Shihui take her well, and I will definitely not let my younger brother and sister be wronged."

"That being the case, the lower official also thanked the general on behalf of the sister." Hearing Zhang Shihua's words, Zhao Ziyu couldn't help but say with such a moved face.

However, when Zhang Shihua saw him like this, he waved his hand and said to him with pretended dissatisfaction: "Ziyu, I didn't say you, we are about to be a family, and you still thank you, doesn't this seem to be outward!" ”

But hearing Zhang Shihua's words, Zhao Ziyu, who was sitting on the stool, stood up and saluted Zhang Shihua with a fist: "The general's words are wrong. The sage said: 'Propriety is the foundation of the country. There is also a saying: 'Heaven and earth are the princes.' So how can a subordinate official abolish a public rite because of a private relationship? ”

Hearing such words, Zhang Shihua couldn't help laughing, and pointed at Zhao Ziyu and said, "You, ......" There seemed to be a bit of disapproval in his tone. But seriously, after hearing Zhao Ziyu's words, Zhang Shihua's heart was really happy.

……

Early the next morning, outside the west gate of Shangcai City, tens of thousands of people and horses gathered here under Zhang Shihua's order.

Tens of thousands of red turban soldiers, an incomparably large contingent of grain soldiers, and thousands of people who are about to move to Nanyang Mansion to live, the huge queue is simply beyond the horizon, and there are also ten miles away.

Yes, thousands of Shangcai people also have to go with Zhang Shihua. After all, under the ravages of the Red Turban Army and the Yuan and Mongolian courts, the town of Shangcai has long been ruined, and in just half a year, nearly half of the 30,000 Shangcai people died in the war.

Such cruelty is not enough to describe the filial piety of every family and the mourning of every household. Therefore, in such a cruel environment, it is clear that no people want to stay here.

And more importantly, in just a few days, Zhang Shihua and the Nanyang Red Turban Army under his command did give these people who were struggling in despair a lot of hope. For example, Zhang Shihua did not go around slaughtering and arson like the Yuan and Mongolian officers and soldiers who occupied here.

Not only did he not even harm these people, but when he first saw that these people were affected by the disaster, Zhang Shihua even took out a large amount of grain and grass that had just been seized to relieve these desperate and struggling people.

That's right, maybe the things Zhang Shihua is doing now are the most natural things for future generations to see.

However, such a natural thing, if it was placed in China hundreds of years ago, it was something that ordinary people would not dare to think of.

After all, in ancient times, even the so-called benevolent and righteous kings were just not killing people or disturbing the people during the march. Therefore, Zhang Shihua's approach, at this time, did gather a very high prestige for him among the ruined Shangcai City and the people who were struggling to survive.

It is precisely because of such prestige that these people will believe that Zhang Shihua is the real teacher of benevolence and righteousness, and the person sent by God to save them and find a new way for them to live. So when Zhang Shihua told these people that he would take them to the distant Nanyang Mansion and give them a farm house there, the people were willing to go to Nanyang Mansion with Zhang Shihua to start their new life.

As for why Zhang Shihua did this, in fact, the reason is very simple, that is, under Zhang Shihua's rule, there is really a shortage of people.

After all, when the Yuan and Mengzi Tatars entered the Central Plains and pacified the Southern Song Dynasty, the massacre carried out in Nanyang Mansion was really too ruthless. According to historical records, Yuan Shizu reached the eighth year of the Yuan Dynasty, that is, shortly after the Great Yuan Dynasty ruled the world. Nanyang Mansion, a land of one prefecture and five states, thirteen county towns in the territory, all the Dingkou add up to only 4,893 mouths.

What kind of concept is this, it is equivalent to the huge land of two cities in later generations, and all the people combined, but only enough for one village. Such a brutal massacre, even after a hundred years of recuperation, Nanyang Mansion is still vast and sparsely populated.

Not to mention anything else, just looking at the land of Nanyang Mansion, five states and thirteen counties, all the people add up to only 200,000 people, and you can see what Nanyang Mansion looks like in the end.

After all, Qizhou Road, which is also in Jiangbei Province, has only five county seats, but it has nearly 400,000 people!

So under such a huge gap, how could Zhang Shihua not try his best to expand the number of people under his rule. After all, in this era, "there is strength in numbers" is the real truth.

Therefore, when Zhang Shihua, who was riding on a tall horse, turned around and looked back at the team behind him that could not see the end, he couldn't help but draw his sword with joy and shouted: "Everyone listen to my orders, move forward and pull out!" ”