Zhang Mengcheng had predicted to everyone that the elite troops of Shaanxi to suppress thieves would be transferred to Shanxi to quell the chaos. Now the news has been finally confirmed, which once again proves that Xiucai's vision is still correct.

At that time, according to Xiucai's inference, there would be at least five or six thousand people in Shaanxi's counterinsurgency army. And if Jin Dingshan and his gang are selected, they will also account for about one-tenth of the total number, that is, five or six hundred soldiers will be recruited.

However, the actual number of people was two or three thousand less than Xiucai's prediction, and Jin Dingshan could only send three hundred and fifty soldiers to support in the end, which surprised all the leaders.

So Zhao Wankui, as the third master, made a mistake in Xiucai's inference. He said helplessly: "Xiucai's inference is generally accurate, but the difference in the number of people is too great, and we still have to reconsider how to deploy people." ”

It turned out that the idea of joining the enlistment was a little optimistic. It was thought that a cavalry force of about 300 people could be drawn and sent to Shanxi with the same number of infantry, at least ten leaders.

Now it seems that this is definitely not going to work, so the new assignment needs to be discussed again.

"Three hundred and fifty men is still too few, otherwise it would be better to send all the cavalry, or the foot soldiers with horses." Zhao Wankui plans to concentrate on strengthening his combat strength and put together a team of all riders to go out, which is obviously a little too optimistic.

"Since the imperial court is poorer than expected, the supply of food may also be very problematic for this expedition to Shanxi. Not to mention the rations of three hundred and fifty soldiers, if you count the consumption of three or four hundred horses, eighty percent of the food and grass supply of this imperial court will be quite mysterious. ”

The second brother Zhang Mengguang has been fighting in the north and south for so many years, not only has rich experience in fighting the enemy on the battlefield, but also has experienced a lot in the logistics supply of some government offices, and he directly questioned the statement of the whole cavalry.

"I also think it's better not to send all the cavalry, the burden of fodder and grass for the war horses is too heavy."

"That's right, we suffered this loss in Liaodong back then."

Zhou Shaoteng and Fan Shunjiang, two former fugitives who participated in the Liaodong War, also quite agreed with Zhang Mengguang's words. Because the two of them have a deep experience, they suffered losses on the battlefield in Liaodong because of this.

In fact, the soldiers of Yansui Town, who were recruited and transferred to Liaodong by the imperial court, were also very elite, and the Sichuan soldiers who also went to the aid were rare outstanding combat forces in the Ming army at that time.

At that time, "the Sichuan soldiers were quite united and all on foot", if there were cavalry who were good at fighting, the power of field warfare would definitely go to a higher level.

And the Yansui Town troops, which are "too many soldiers to fight", originally had a lot of cavalry. But because the supply of grain and grass can't keep up. So much so that more than 2,000 war horses were directly killed, and more than 370 were directly killed. When Xiong Tingbi reported to the imperial court, the remaining war horses were also "all emaciated." (Note 1)

The soldiers in Yansui Town were all elite troops who repeatedly blocked the capture and attack. The outstanding combat skills of the three leaders, Zhou Shaoteng, Fan Shunjiang and Che Jibao, prove how good these soldiers were at fighting at that time.

But because of the logistical supply difficulties, the soldiers in Yansui Town directly lost most of their combat strength. As a result, future generations can only sigh that the Sichuan soldiers are in the Hunhe River, tragically blooming with light. (Note 2)

"Meng Cheng, you calculate for everyone, if one hundred and fifty cavalry and two hundred infantry go on the expedition, how much food will be spent every month."

Because the leaders of the cottage have a limited level of education, most of the leaders are illiterate. Therefore, Zhang Mengjin, who is a big boss, sent a message to ask his third child to calculate the food consumption of the troops according to the configuration mode he thought.

Zhang Mengcheng had heard Che Jibao lament this matter before, and Xiucai himself had been in charge of logistics for everyone for many years, so he was naturally more sensitive to numbers, so he was not optimistic about the establishment of the whole cavalry.

After hearing his eldest brother's instructions, Xiucai quickly calculated in his heart and quickly had an answer.

"The establishment of one hundred and fifty cavalry and two hundred infantry, according to the habits in our stockade, the total number of horses and mules is about two hundred and twenty. The monthly chewing cost of humans and animals alone is about 360 stones, plus 6,600 bunches of hay. ”

"My goodness, this little centaur actually consumes so much food!"

"I think that this expedition to Shanxi will inevitably meet a hungry stomach."

"It's nothing if you can't eat a few meals once in a while, but if the prefectures and counties along the way can't get food, we may not have met a thief on the way to Shanxi this time, and we will be forced to be a thief to grab food first."

"In this case, let's not go to Shanxi."

"It's beautiful, the order has come down, what else can we do!" ……

After hearing Zhang Mengcheng's estimate, the leaders of Jinding Mountain present finally had a clearer understanding. In the past, they fought in various places, and they always had the support of the rear base of Jinding Mountain. Now they run to Shanxi Province next door, and they can't count on the food in the village.

Moreover, such a heavy burden of food and grass is only the share of their three hundred and fifty soldiers. The entire reinforcement army is ten times this number, and the consumption of grain and grass will be even more exaggerated. Therefore, just now, they all felt that the leaders of the reinforcement army organized by the imperial court this time were too small, and suddenly felt that this number was really difficult enough for the imperial court.

"I heard that Shanxi was seriously plagued by thieves, and the life was compared with the disaster in northern Shaanxi in the second year of Chongzhen. Do we want to choose to be safe again and take less cavalry out this time? The second head Guan Zhiqing said worriedly.

He has always respected Xiucai, in addition to Zhang Mengcheng is a literate person, and he can understand the decision-making of the imperial court. What's more, because there are Xiucai in the rear, it can stably ensure the food supply of everyone. That's why he felt that the young Zhang Mengcheng had great skills, and he was always reluctant to let Xiucai leave the cottage.

"Those masters in Shanxi can last so long, and their methods must have been trained. If we continue to lower the number of cavalry, we may not be able to balance them. ”

Zhang Mengjin was naturally also very worried about the supply of grain and grass in the future, but after all, they were going to Shanxi to pacify the thieves, and their combat effectiveness must still be guaranteed at a safe critical point, so they did not let go and reduce the number of cavalry.

"Eighth uncle, are we worrying too much. Since the imperial court wants us to go to Shanxi to suppress thieves, they naturally want to ensure that we don't go hungry. At that time, if it is really because of the lack of food, we will grab a few villages, and the court should also take care of the loss, and there will not be too many calculations, after all, it is up to us to suppress the thieves. ”

Zhang Zhaoen is relatively nervous about numbers, but he still understands the most obvious truth of being a soldier and eating food. Therefore, he thinks that everyone does not have to worry about those troubles at all, as long as they concentrate on preparing their troops and horses, and wait for the expedition at any time.

After hearing Huzi's speech, the leaders present all reacted a little. They really don't have to be so entangled, after all, the matter of raising grain is the work of the imperial court.

And they are only part of the reinforcement army, if they arrive in Shanxi, they really have no food to eat. There will be a stir in all the troops. At that time, even if they really did something to rob the grain, under the law and not to blame the public, their people in Jindingshan would not have to worry so much about the punishment of the imperial court.

"Huzi is right, we belong to Cao Wen's edict this time, and everyone's food is also up to him, why should we bother with that heart, so it's okay to bring more horses over. And we went to Shanxi to fight the thieves, the strength in our hands is stronger, and the brothers will be safer. ”

After Zhao Wankui came back to his senses, he also felt that everyone was indeed a little too worried, so he once again advocated that the configuration of the war horse could be increased a little more.

The big boss Zhang Mengjin took a puff of cigarette, and after careful consideration for a while, he finally made a decision, and this expedition should still ensure that combat strength is given priority.

"Then it would be better to strengthen the combat force a little more, two hundred cavalry and one hundred and fifty foot soldiers. It's a big deal, let's bring some more money on the road, and those rich people in Shanxi should also have some grain to sell to the official army. ”

Now that the big boss has made a decision on the allocation of troops, the other leaders have also collected their own thoughts, and instead cared about who the leaders of this expedition are.

"Then on this expedition, which of our leaders will go to Shanxi with the big boss?"

He Zongwei, the leader he cared about the most, took the lead in asking the questions in everyone's hearts to the big boss. However, Zhang Mengjin didn't plan to spend too much thought on this topic, and his reply made everyone feel a little child's play in an instant.

"The lottery is ready."

"What, the lottery!?"

PS: Note 1: Volume 284 from "Qiankun Zhengqi Collection", in fact, the Shaanxi soldiers in the two towns of Gan and Gu at that time could also enter Xiong Tingbi's eyes, but they didn't have enough weapons. In addition, it also mentions the bad things that the generals are not in harmony, after all, everyone comes from all over the world, which is really unavoidable.

Note 2: Some people may want to say that there are still Zhejiang soldiers, but in fact, in the Battle of the Hunhe River, they relied more on firearms to insist on positional defense. In the field war, the Sichuan soldiers performed more powerfully.