Chapter 888: Can't You Trust Li Yan?

（0888）

[Today's second update is delivered! ] 】

The official army wants to recover Luoyang in a short time, so the only one who can race against time is the Tiger Ben army. However, it seems that it is not so simple for the Tiger Ben Army to take Kaifeng City without much effort. Especially after the Tiger Ben army conquered Luoyang, the Kaifeng defenders will definitely desperately strengthen their defenses.

Kaifeng is the capital of Henan Province, and the yamen of the governor of Henan is set up here. Therefore, the protection capability of the officers and soldiers is relatively stronger than that of Luoyang. At the same time, in terms of terrain, Kaifeng is also easier to defend and difficult to attack than Luoyang. Moreover, Kaifeng also has a more sensitive factor, that is, King Zhou.

is completely different from King Fu of Luoyang, King Zhou of Kaifeng is a reasonable and willing person. He often rewarded the gold and silver he earned to his subordinates, or to the defenders of Kaifeng, and he often went to the front line to reward the defenders, so the morale of the defenders of Kaifeng was much higher than that of the defenders of Luoyang.

King Fu's guards are completely tofu scum and vulnerable. However, King Zhou's guards are quite elite and are said to be relatively strong in combat. The number of this escort, though only about 800 men, could be used as 3,000 men. In addition, Chen Yongfu, the chief military officer stationed in Kaifeng, was stronger than Wang Shaoyu, the chief military officer in Luoyang, in terms of ability and determination.

The news that the Tiger Ben Army was going to attack Kaifeng spread, and the defenders of Kaifeng had only two possible reactions. The first one, naturally, is to desperately strengthen the defense of Kaifeng, mobilize troops from all directions, and strengthen the defense force of Kaifeng. When necessary, let go of something that doesn't matter. The second, naturally, is to abandon the city and flee.

Either way, the Tiger Army is beneficial. If the Kaifeng defenders take the first response, then most of the counties around Kaifeng will surrender without a fight under the iron hooves of the Tiger Ben army. Large tracts of land, large herds of people, will be under the control of the Tiger Army. In the end, the countryside surrounds the city, and Kaifeng still has to become an isolated city.

It would have been even easier if the Kaifeng defenders had adopted the second strategy. Kaifeng City can be ripe and fall smoothly into the arms of the Tiger Army. After the Huben army occupied Kaifeng City, the surrounding counties, including Zhengzhou and Zhongmu, would naturally surrender. It can be said that Zhang Zhun made a lot of nonsense in Hongyun Building, and he must be able to receive benefits.

As for which strategy the Kaifeng defenders will adopt, it depends on the intentions of King Zhou and Yu Yinggui. King Zhou will definitely not give up Kaifeng, he is a vassal king, and he must defend Kaifeng. Yu Yinggui maybe, he is just a governor, and he is not an official, so there is no need to give away his life. What will be the result of the final discussion between the two, Zhang Zhun will wait and see.

Zhang Zhun came back from Hongyun Tower and happened to meet Li Yan who was in a hurry.

These days, Li Yan is indeed busy. Juntian Ling's affairs are taken care of by him. The matter of selecting the prefect is also handled by Li Yan. Both of these tasks are water grinding work, which requires a lot of time and effort. In order to hone Li Yan's ability, Zhang Zhun did not arrange skilled people to help, and everything was facilitated by Li Yan.

A few days passed, and his eyes began to sink when he was young and strong. In order not to remind himself of the tragic things at home, Li Yan has been working very hard and hardly sleeps at night. Even if you barely close your eyes, it will be about two hours. Once I woke up, I was energetic and put myself into work.

Li Yan didn't know where he heard about Hongyun Tower, and when he saw Zhang Zhun, he said a little excitedly: "My lord, are we really going to attack the seal?" ”

Zhang Zhun said a little strangely: "What? Are you interested? ”

Li Yan said sadly: "My lord, my subordinates ...... If possible, don't forget to involve your subordinates when attacking the seal. ”

Zhang Zhun asked with interest, "Why?" ”

Li Yan gritted his teeth and said, "The murderers who killed my whole family are still in Kaifeng City." Even if he escapes to the ends of the earth, I will capture them back. ”

Zhang Zhun nodded and subconsciously said, "Okay!" ”

On the same day, he led his troops to pass by Chen Liu and rescued Li Yan, but he did not catch the official who killed his entire family, and he felt a little regretful at that time. Later, he and Li Yan returned to Chenliu together, and Li Yan once asked him if he wanted to open the seal. As a result, it was vetoed by Zhang Zhun. It seems that Li Yan at that time couldn't wait to make a move on Kaifeng.

"You come in!"

Zhang Zhun thought about it and said to Li Yan with a cautious face.

"Yes!"

Li Yan hurriedly followed behind Zhang Zhun.

The two came to the war room, and Wang Shide was studying the next move strategy of the Tiger Ben Army. Busy with Wang Shide, there are also four young staff officers. The command headquarters around Zhang Zhun has always been very simple, and there are less than 100 people, including the guards. However, it is such a simple command that has continuously created a lot of miracles, which is impressive. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, no one would have believed that there were only a few people around Zhang Zhun.

"Your Excellency."

Wang Shide came up and stood up and saluted.

"Which option do you prefer?"

Zhang Zhun asked with concern.

"Plan Five."

Wang Shide replied cautiously.

"Oh? Number Five? ”

"Tell me why."

Zhang Zhun nodded at Li Yan and motioned for him to sit down and listen together.

The five plans formulated by Wang Shide and his staff officers are all about the future combat strategy of the Tiger Ben Army. After occupying Luoyang, of course, the Tiger Ben Army will not sit idly by, and must expand in all directions, and continue to eliminate the living forces of the official army while expanding the results of the battle.

The so-called sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat. If you stay still in Luoyang, as if Huangchao entered Chang'an, or An Lushan entered Luoyang, giving the enemy a chance to mobilize troops to counterattack in vain, the end will definitely be very miserable. Such a mistake, as a traverser, Zhang Zhun will certainly not make it.

If the Tiger Ben Army attacked, there were several directions to choose from, and this is the origin of the five plans. Because each plan has different pros and cons, Zhang Zhun asked Wang Shide to take a few staff officers to repeatedly refer to it and analyze the pros and cons in order to choose the best plan.

The first direction, that is, the No. 1 plan, is to return to the east and conquer Yanshi, Zhengzhou, Kaifeng and other places, and completely connect Luoyang and Shandong. The advantage of implementing this plan is that it can get rid of its own worries, ensure the safety of logistics and transportation lines, and completely connect Shandong with Kaifeng, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and other places.

Basically, if this plan is realized, half of Henan's region and population will fall under the control of the Tiger Ben Army. The disadvantage is that now in Kaifeng, the defenders may have been greatly strengthened. If you want to conquer Kaifeng City in a short time, I'm afraid it will not be easy. Once the main force of the Huben army is pinned down in Kaifeng, the official army will launch a fierce attack from other places, causing losses to other areas of the Huben army.

The second direction, the second plan, was to attack southward and sweep the area around Ruzhou. The advantage of implementing this plan is that the Tiger Ben Army can continue to expand its territory, extend its power to the central region of Henan Province, and even threaten the Nanyang area.

The advantage of this plan is that it will pass through the Central Plains and look down on the world, giving people the image of the world's martial arts, which may trigger a chain reaction. The disadvantage is that the front of the Tiger Army, which is stretched longer and is vulnerable to attack. Moreover, the central region of Henan Province is relatively barren, and it is unrealistic to want to obtain too much combat power from here.

The third direction, that is, the third plan, is to attack westward, capture Hongnongwei, Lingbao and other places, enter Tongguan, and even find a way to control Tongguan and block the exit route of the imperial army.

The advantage of this plan is that once Tongguan is controlled, it is equivalent to controlling the entire territory of Henan. In the Henan region, there is no longer a main force in the official army. The officials and troops of the imperial court were all blocked in Guanzhong, Shaanxi, and the vast Central Plains area was the world of the Tiger Ben Army.

The disadvantage is that there are a large number of officers and troops stationed in Tongguan, and the various defensive measures are also quite perfect, and Hong Chengchou himself is in Tongguan. With the current strength of the Tiger Army, it is unrealistic to want to gnaw at Tongguan.

The fourth direction, which is the fourth plan, is to go north, into Shanxi and other places. Because the officials and troops of the imperial court were concentrated in Guanzhong, Shaanxi, the huge Shanxi, there was basically no main force. If the Tiger Ben army set off from Luoyang and entered Shanxi, it would be invincible and invincible. As pointed out by Bing Feng, it is possible to conquer Taiyuan.

The disadvantage is that this may block the road for the Beijing division to retreat south, and the officers and troops may go crazy. It was very easy for the officers and troops to enter Shanxi from Shaanxi. Once a large number of officers and troops enter Shanxi, and the Tiger Ben army engages the officers and troops in Shanxi, the battle line will also become very long, which may cause strategic passivity, and the consequences will be unpredictable for the time being.

Before the Tartars are completely wiped out, the Tiger Army is not ready to let the officers and soldiers go crazy. In other words, it is necessary to give the officials and soldiers a way out, and Emperor Chongzhen a way out. As long as there is a way for the officers and soldiers to retreat, they will not go crazy. Therefore, Shanxi's retreat had to be ceded to the imperial court.

There is also a fifth direction, that is, the fifth plan, which is to attack eastward along the north bank of the Yellow River to Huaiqingfu, Weihuifu, Zhangdefufu, Daimyo and other places. In this area, there is basically no main force of the official army, and there is no way to block the last road for the imperial court to retreat south. It is estimated that it will not be difficult for the Tiger Army to enter these areas.

It can be said that the Tiger Ben army in Luoyang is a typical place of four wars, and the army of the four wars, no matter which direction it attacks, can expand the results of the war. However, considering the current strength of the Huben army and the overall situation of the official army, Wang Shide and the others were inclined to have a smaller appetite and first take down a few prefectures on the north bank of the Yellow River and connect them with several prefectures in Shandong to consolidate the foundation of their rule.

This plan, in fact, is also in line with what Zhang Zhun has always advocated, don't be greedy for more and faster, chew more and not rot, and lay a good foundation step by step. After occupying a region, it is necessary to strictly implement all the work in that area. Otherwise, the water will pass over the back of the duck, and nothing will be gained except for the waste of money and food.

Zhang Zhun turned his head to look at Li Yan and said casually, "Which plan do you think is better?" ”

Li Yan pondered for a moment and said deeply: "I still agree with Plan No. 1. ”

Zhang Zhun said curiously: "Why? ”

Li Yan said with a stern face: "As long as Kaifeng City is taken, the No. 5 plan will also be realized, and there is no need to implement it at all." ”

Zhang Zhun nodded thoughtfully, pondered for a moment, and then said slowly: "Let's not discuss the offensive matter for the time being, let's discuss defense first." Li Yan, if you come to guard Luoyang, what should you do? The premise is that the Tiger Army will not give you a single soldier, nor will it give you any weapons and equipment, and the defenders will be trained and commanded by yourself. ”

Li Yan subconsciously said: "The subordinates don't dare to assert themselves. ”

Zhang Zhun said: "If you don't say it, I will treat you as an incompetent person." ”

Li Yan pondered for a moment, raised his head and said, "Since this is the case, the subordinates will be bold. ”

Zhang Zhun nodded and said happily: "Speak freely, please." ”

Li Yan said quietly: "If Lord Du Du picks me the burden of guarding Luoyang, I only need three thousand elites to ensure that Luoyang is foolproof." I stationed 1,000 people in Luoyang City, and killed all the Ming Dynasty civil and military officials, eunuchs, and local tyrants in the city. On the one hand, the hidden dangers in the city were cleared, and on the other hand, the poor people were summoned to help defend the city.

"A thousand men captured Mengjin and cut off the main road to cross the river. Another thousand men were stationed outside the city as a countermeasure. Within ten days, one or two thousand hungry people could be gathered. Not to mention that Yu Yinggui and Chen Yongfu only have a few thousand people, even if they order thousands of Shaanxi officials and troops to come out from the west at the same time, Luoyang will be foolproof. ”

"Lord Du specifically mentioned that he would not give me the Tiger Army, probably because he was unwilling to contain his soldiers and horses too much in order to defend Luoyang, and as a result, he would tie his hands and feet? I don't think so. If you give me 3,000 people to defend Luoyang, there are many hungry people who are united, and there are no 30,000 or 40,000 people in the official army, don't think about attacking. Wouldn't it be very cost-effective to attract 30,000 or 40,000 officers and soldiers with 3,000 elites and not be able to use them elsewhere? ”

"Besides, if the official army gathers outside Luoyang City, when the Governor comes with reinforcements, it will be a great opportunity to suppress the official army. The cavalry troops of Lord Du came and went like the wind, and it was only a matter of three or four days to reinforce Luoyang. At present, the number of imperial court officials and soldiers is not much, and if tens of thousands of them are killed, the imperial court officials and troops will basically collapse. ”

After Li Yan finished speaking, he waited for Zhang Zhun to comment with a calm face.

In his heart, he was a little puzzled, why did Zhang Zhun specifically mention that he didn't give himself the Tiger Army, didn't give him any weapons and equipment, and wanted to organize his own forces to defend the city? Could it be that the Governor is ready to put himself in the second-line army? Could it be that his own ability is not enough to hold a position in the Tiger Army?

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