Chen Hu, Zhao Guo, Zhang Ji'er and others were not there, Deng She returned to the city, first planned carefully with Hong Jixun, and in the afternoon, summoned Wen Huaguo and Li Monk to ask their opinions.

Wen Huaguo naturally agreed, and Monk Li and Yang Wanhu also agreed with both hands. In recent days, recruiting new soldiers, running tuntian, and practicing civil affairs, they have nothing to do, and they are fighting wine and watching dramas all day long, and they are about to get bored.

Luo Guoqi's shipbuilding and water army, he couldn't turn the corner all of a sudden, and said: "Shipbuilding, cooperatives, music camps, water armies, etc., just started to do it, and the construction was not stable, so the army was raised again, and the villain felt that he was a little in a hurry?" ”

Dunshe likes to have people against him. He has a feeling, his personality is changing, he can't do three provinces a day, wake up in the middle of the night, and often ask himself, always be vigilant, don't go to the road of self-righteousness.

I was not angry at the moment, and asked Hong Jixun to tell everyone in detail about "I have three wins". Luo Guoqi was convinced of Hong Jixun's strategy, and after listening to it, he had nothing to say, so he agreed.

Deng She asked Wen Huaguo: "How is the conscription going?" ”

Wen Huaguo was in charge of the recruitment, he didn't care about the specific details, the general number was still known, he said: "The second batch of 5,000 new soldiers has basically been selected, and the officers have been appointed. The weapons have not been issued, and the Wu has not yet been compiled. Does the general also want them to participate in the attack on Pyongyang? I see, it's hard. ”

Wen Huaguo didn't say it, Deng She also knew that he didn't think so, and used this introduction to analyze the enemy's military strength, and said: "In addition to the last death and the defenders of each city, there are 9,000 old soldiers in Shuangcheng, nearly 6,000 new soldiers in the first batch, and 2,000 Jurchen cavalry; With the addition of the Tokugawa 3,000 men, that is, the total available combat strength of our army is 20,000 men.

"Pyongyang's military horses are about 8,000. From Tokugawa*, passing through Pricezhou, Suncheon, Cisan, Koto and other places, the defenders of these cities are counted together, and there are more than 10,000 people. Not to mention that to the west of Pyongyang, there are more Hamgyung and Yonggang, and to the east there are the cities of Chunghwa and Xiangwon, and as soon as our army arrives, they will inevitably send reinforcements. Adding them all together, it is optimistically estimated that the number of the Li army could reach 30,000.

"With 20,000 people, I have an enemy of 30,000, and the enemy has a strong city and a favorable location, what do you think our army should do?"

Wen, Luo and the others fell into deep thought. Monk Li charged into battle and said that he wanted him to give advice, which was a little difficult. He was a little clever, but not a little wise, and he wanted to be in the limelight, staring at the map hanging in the hall for a moment. He was the first to speak, and said: "The villain thinks that he should go out of Tokugawa and go west along the Datong River, ignore Shunchuan and Jiangdong first, concentrate his forces to defeat Pyongyang, and then turn around and clean them up one by one." Touching his bald head and smiling, he added, "It's called: the old monk shaves his head and sweeps it away." ”

Luo Guoqi was cautious, shook his head again and again, and said: "Pyongyang City has many strong soldiers, and the art of war is cloudy: ten rules surround it, I am more than twice as much as it, and it is impossible to expect to conquer Pyongyang first, and then sweep the others." ”

"What about General Elo?" Dunshe asked.

This battle is not easy to fight, no better than the previous battle against the Twin Cities, nor compared to the Tokugawa battle. The battle between Twin Castles and Tokugawa involved no more than a few surrounding cities; Unlike Pyongyang, its strategic position is extremely important, with extensive transportation and dense surrounding cities, and it can be said that it is the eye of the entire northern part of Goryeo. In addition, if you fight Tokugawa, other cities may not come to the rescue, but if you fight Pyongyang, they will definitely come to the rescue. Domino effect.

This is no longer an isolated battle, it has risen to the level of a campaign.

If you can't find a solution, you will first analyze the difficulties that will arise, Luo Guoqi said: "As the general said. As soon as our troops leave Tokugawa, they will inevitably alarm Pyongyang. Along the west of the Yangtze River, the cities in the north and south of the Datong River will certainly not let me go easily, even if it does not fall into the nest and attack, it will be a big trouble for our army to harass me along the way. ”

After Luo Guoqi came up with several ideas from the Battle of Yamaguchi, which were adopted by Wenhua and played a lot of roles in the victory, his enthusiasm for participating in the military and political affairs was much higher, he read a lot, had experience, and looked at the problem more comprehensively, and continued: "Compared with harassment, what is more troublesome is that they are very likely to close the city, let me pass smoothly, and camp under the city of Pyongyang." Then they responded from all sides, or came to the aid from all sides, and instead besieged me under the city of Pyongyang; or cut off the rivers and cut off my way back. Either way, the blow to our army will be devastating. ”

Deng She nodded, when he was studying with Hong Jixun in the morning, he first faced this problem. "So, what does General Luo think our army should do?"

Luo Guoqi said: "It's nothing more than the right medicine." Advancing slowly along the river, it is safest to enter a city from one place to another, but if you do this, it seems that it will delay time, and you will not be able to do it quickly. ”

Hong Jixun stayed on the sidelines, listened to their discussions, drank tea and shook the fan, and he didn't say a word. As far as he meant, there is no need to consult with the generals at all, those who work hard govern people, those who work hard govern people, the nine sons of the dragon are different, and the people are different from each other, he is responsible for giving advice, Deng She issues orders, and the generals just obey it.

As a superior, he knows that the success of a group is not in a single leader, but in the joint efforts of all people.

The territory is getting bigger and bigger, and the problems that need to be faced are getting bigger and bigger, not to mention civil affairs, let's take operations as an example: in the past battles, thousands of people, a city, he could personally command; But now is different from the past, as soon as the territory is beaten, the battle line is long, not only long, but more. Fighting Li Yan and Qing Qianxing more than a month ago, and fighting Tokugawa a month ago, weren't two or even multiple fronts launched at the same time?

He is only one person, and he can't do everything himself. What does a commander-in-chief do? Think big. The big picture is important, and the local is also important. He couldn't take care of the part, so he could only try his best to cultivate the abilities of his subordinates as soon as possible. He ordered that after each battle, the army must write a summary, compile it for the whole army, and then send it down, so that they could learn from each other and exchange experiences, and this was the purpose.

Fortunately, Wen, Chen and others have been in the army for a long time and have rich combat experience; Most of them have been officials in hundreds of households, and they have experience in managing people, so for the time being, they seem to be safe.

Even so, Deng She still did not dare to take it lightly. As far as he is concerned, he suddenly went from being a centurion to commanding tens of thousands and ruling ten cities, and to be honest, he often felt powerless. Fortunately, Wu has Hong Jixun and Wen has Wu Henian, and he has made rapid progress in all aspects of army management.

If the development goes well, the problems he faces today are the problems that tomorrow and Chen will face. He has been studying, Wen and Chen eat mostly old foundations, people have no long-term worries, how can he not be secretly worried about this?

Therefore, whenever there is a discussion about military affairs or even civil affairs, he will gather all the generals to not only brainstorm ideas, but also give them the opportunity to learn and improve.

Zuo Che'er is studious, as the captain of the pro-soldiers, he often gets Deng She's guidance, his consideration is a little different from Luo Guoqi, he said: "Luo Qianhu is right, it is indeed too slow to enter a city and a place. There are two drawbacks, one is to damage the front of our soldiers, and gnawing the hard bones one by one will cause too many casualties to our army; The second is to give Pyongyang ample time to prepare. I have become a tired army, and Pyongyang is recuperating, and this battle will definitely be lost. ”

His words caught Deng She's attention and asked, "It's not okay to take it directly, and it's not okay to advance slowly, what do you think should be done?" ”

Zuo Che'er hesitated slightly, he came up with two countermeasures, he didn't know which one was better, and said: "Why don't you go north first, get out of Tokugawa, and first bargain for the state and occupy the upper hand of Pyongyang." In this way, the army of our province can threaten Suncheon, Sucheon, and Tsesan between Euju and Pyongyang, so that they cannot act rashly.

"Otherwise, go south, go out of Yinshan, and first defeat Jiangdong, threatening the Li army in Zhonghe and other places, so that they dare not go out of the city to rescue. In this way, our army lifted the threat of the flank, and the main force moved west down the river and concentrated all its efforts on attacking Pyongyang. ”

Deng She was very relieved and said, "Then you think that the threat from the north is greater?" Or is there a big threat from the south? "For the red scarf, the north is the right flank, and the south is the left flank," should our army first remove the threat of the right flank? Or do you want to disarm the threat of the left first? ”

"Wang Jing wants to come to the rescue, that is, the threat from the south is great; If Wang Jing does not come to the rescue, that is, the threat from the north is great. Villain, can't tell. ”

When Wang Jing is involved, it depends on the overall situation, and Zuo Che'er can't see it, which is understandable. Deng She didn't ask for all the blame, and clapped his hands lightly as a sign of encouragement. Wen Huaguo never expressed an opinion, and Deng She turned to ask him, "What does General Wen think?" ”

Wen Huaguo scratched his head and said: "Wang Jing wants to come to help, it will take a lot of time, our army still has Dingzhou, even if it comes, it is not afraid." In my opinion, the threat from the north is still great. Although he is rude, he is the second person in the army, imperceptibly, and his vision is much smarter, and his opinion of Wang Jing is exactly the same as Hong Jixun.

He looked at the map for a while, and suddenly a sentence came out: "Why should the north and the south be separated?" Our army can be divided into two routes, and the price of the state and the east of the river will also be attacked, and this will not be the end, and the threat on both flanks will not have to be considered. ”

Luo Guoqi said: "Fighting both ways, isn't it the same as slowly advancing?" The power is too scattered. He is reasonable, Zuo Che'er criticizes him right, he corrects his mistakes, and he is not angry.

From these few lines of dialogue, you can see the difference between the generals. Wen Huaguo's vision is slightly higher, but he can't see the details clearly; The left rook can see through the tactical level, and the vision is slightly lower; Luo Guoqi has an ordinary vision, but he is cautious, and the local analysis is in place.

Monk Li stared and listened for a long time, unable to interject, and while everyone was falling into contemplation again, he hurriedly spoke: "Since Wang Jing is not a threat, let's negotiate the state first." ......" was far away, and the map couldn't be seen clearly, so he simply stood up, walked a few steps forward, went straight to the side, looked at it a few times, and said, "Villain, it's not enough to just bid for the state." The south, north, and west sides of Pricezhou are all mountains, and they can't get out of it, and they can't threaten Suchuan and Shunchuan, so it's better to hit Pricezhou and Suchuan again. Between Suchon and Pyongyang, there are few mountains and convenient transportation, which can also help the main force of our army and cause some pressure on Pyongyang. ”

This is in response to what Wu Henian once said: A fool must have a thousand thoughts. Monk Li's proposal is very good, Pyongyang is bordered by a river in the south and mountains in the north, and the terrain determines that it must be attacked in two ways, one with a surprise army from the north, and the main force along the river all the way, both of which are indispensable.

Deng She agreed, and said, "Not bad! Taking Suchon can threaten Suncheon, Cisan, Sunan and other places, and second, it can go north to distract Pyongyang's attention, and at the same time, it can block reinforcements from Longgang and Xiancong, killing three birds with one stone. ”

"Is the general in favor of contacting the pressure from the north first?"

"Exactly. Wang Jing's threat is not great, and the main pressure is in the north. If we occupy Suchon, we can become the fist of our army's right flank and scatter the possibility of support in northern Pyongyang in one fell swoop. As for the left flank, there are Mengshan and Yinshan eyeing each other, and after Jiangdong, if it dares to move, it will not be difficult for our army to take advantage of the situation. ”

Luo Guoqi stroked his palm and said: "The right wing captures Suchuan and deters the surrounding area; The left wing sat and watched Jiangdong and waited for the momentum to forge ahead. It is for the right wing to be real and virtual, and the left wing to be virtual and real. Wonderful, wonderful. However, may I ask the general, where is the main force? ”

Luo Guoqi said in a crepe manner, which aroused Hong Jixun's interest, he stood up, held the tea bowl, walked to the map, folded the fan with his right hand, and rowed down the Datong River with the tail of the fan, and said: "The main force will naturally come out from here." Tokugawa is the head, the wings are fists, and the main force should be like legs. ”

Let's not talk about the main force, there is an important chess piece in the two wings, Luo Guoqi and the others didn't see it, how could he bear the dust of the pearl? The fan was placed in Tokugawa's position, and he said, "Who is Tokugawa as the head?" Tokugawa is the leader, the left Gu can help Yinshan, and the right can help Suchuan. With this important town, coupled with the fist of the two wings, I can ensure that my main force is worry-free.

"The main force is like a leg. You can't have only one leg, how to walk on one leg? Therefore, the main force should be divided into two branches. One is Pyongyang to the east and the other is to the west of Pyongyang. The eight-point defense and two-point attack are mainly used to prevent Wangjing, Jiangdong and other places from making a desperate bet, lest it really come to the aid of Pyongyang, and I will be caught off guard; Those who are in the west of Tunqi, with eight points of attack and two points of defense, are used as the main force of the siege. The cities west of Pyongyang are all small cities, and it is enough to defend them with half the strength. ”

Monk Li said: "Our army has a total of 20,000 people, and you can divide it into two groups, isn't this a scattering of troops?" ”

"Where did the troops come from? In the east of Pyongyang, it is mainly in defense, and two or three thousand people are enough. ”

"What about going to fight Suchuan?"

"The military horses that fight Suchuan can come out of Tokugawa and remove 3,000 men. In other words, there are still 14,000 military horses used by our army to attack Pyongyang. With more than 10,000 of my elite soldiers, I have more than enough to attack thousands of their old and weak, even if they have a strong city. ”

Hong Jixun's words are a bit exaggerated, Pyongyang is a fortified city, at least 10,000 elite soldiers, but the reason why he is full of confidence is because there is still a plan that has not been said in public. He believes that Deng She has Qing Qianxing in his hands, and he can at least 10,000 elite soldiers, you must know that most of the defenders of Pyongyang are Qing Qianxing's old troops.

Of course, Qing Qianxing has not yet fallen, but first Deng She, then Hong Jixun, the two of them took turns to fight, giving the best treatment materially, and caring for them; Spiritually, I went to chat with him every day and talked about military history. Deng She is just gone, Hong Jixun has a special identity, Goryeo customs are well known, and he is erudite and sensitive.

So far, it can be said that Qing Qianxing is a man of iron and stone, and it is inevitable that he will soften. I don't dare to say that it is ten out of ten, Hong Jixun is at least eighty percent sure that it can be used for his own use.

He forced back Monk Li's question with a few words, and Luo Guoqi thought of a trouble again, he frowned, and said: "What Mr. Hong said is very true, but there is a thorny question, I don't know if the general has thought about it?" ”

Dunshe asked, "What?" ”

"There are a total of 20,000 soldiers and horses in my twin cities, 20,000 are out of the city, and there are only about 1,000 people left to defend the city." Before he could finish speaking, Wen Huaguo interrupted him with a big grin and said, "Hey, you are also cautious." A thousand or so people are not enough to defend the city? I have Dingzhou in the south, Ningyuan in the west, and Jiashan in the north, even if there is not a pawn left in Shuangcheng, it can't be lost! ”

"I can't lose it, maybe I can't lose it." Luo Guoqi turned his eyes and looked at everyone, they were all his own people, and he could clearly say, "What the villain is afraid of is not external troubles, but internal worries." ”

Zuo Che'er came to his senses: "Luo Qianhu is saying,...... Chatter? ”

"That's right, the villain listened to the general's calculation of troops just now, and didn't count his men and horses, so he didn't plan to take it away." It's not that Deng She doesn't plan to take it, take it, Qian Shide won't go, Luo Guoqi naturally knows, he said, "The villain once entered the camp of Qian Qianhu to watch, his people and horses can be called elite, as soon as my army leaves, if he has eight hundred people, what can I do?" ”

Yao Haogu and Deng She were intrigued, and Luo Guoqi saw it clearly. Yao Haogu also wooed him, and he responded vaguely, of course, because he was cautious and unwilling to offend people, and it was not ruled out that he wanted to leave a way back for himself; But in his heart, he still supports Deng She.

With Deng She, he is a thousand households, and it is even possible to rise again; Without Deng She, he may still be able to do a thousand households, and want to rise again? It's impossible, it's a fluke if you don't drop.

The last time they fought Tokugawa, Yao Haogu and Qian Shide did not cause chaos in the rear, because Tokugawa was close and the scale of the battle was small; This time is very different. Luo Guoqi was worried, and said: "The villain has heard that the situation in Liaodong is tense, and Mr. Yao's private activities have been much more frequent recently than before. The general was fine in the city and was able to keep him at bay; As soon as the general led the army out of the city, what if he took a risk? ”

Wen Huaguo had long seen Yao Haogu and Qian Shide unpleasant, and scolded: "Two grains of mouse feces are like, up and down in the soup." General, it's better to have a showdown with him, fight Pyongyang, and ask Qian Shide to go with him! "He is coarse, but he is not stupid, and he knows that Yao Haogu and Qian Shide can't be killed.

This is indeed a big trouble, Zuo Che'er racked his brains, he vaguely felt that a showdown was not a good way, how to deal with it? But he didn't have an idea, he saw Deng She sitting still, and asked, "Has the general already made a decision?" ”

"It's not a big deal." Hong Jixun proposed to fight Pyongyang, and the first thing Deng She considered was Yao Haogu, who had already analyzed it thoroughly and said, "Manager Yao and I are both under Guan Pingzhang, a family. He came to Shuangcheng to protect the southbound passage of Pingzhang; Guan Pingzhang is coming, I can't ask for it, and I won't stop it. The general direction is the same, there are some small contradictions, and there is no trouble to meet each other, and there is no cheapness for outsiders. ”

He spoke implicitly, and everyone understood it. Yao Haogu's purpose is to protect Guan Duo to go south, not to occupy the twin cities, and if Guan Duo does not arrive, he will not fight in the nest. He has only a thousand people, what can he do if he takes the twin cities? Even if Deng She's army was defeated in Pyongyang and he was unable to come to him for a decisive battle, the Koreans would not let him go.

Luo Guoqi nodded yes and said, "In this case, general, if you attack Pyongyang, can you notify him or not?" ”

Talking about it early and troublesome early, Yao Haogu categorically would not sit back and watch Deng She expand his strength, thinking of his strength to engage in sabotage and pervasiveness, Deng She felt a headache and said, "Let's talk about it when we are ready." ”

While he was talking, the soldiers outside the hall came to report: "Governor Yao asks to see him outside the mansion." "Say Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives. Everyone looked at each other. Monk Li snorted and said, "It must be the dog head of Brother Huang Donkey, seeing that I came to see the general, I guessed something, and told the surname Yao!" ”

But it was Deng She who speculated that the reason why Yao Haogu knew that Mrs. Wang was in his own mansion, and that the generals in the army had no one else except Brother Huang Donkey would tell him, and since he had taken refuge in the open, he was not called to come to this military meeting.

Yao Haogu is here, and he can't see it. Deng She asked Zuo Che'er to put away the map, and personally led the generals down the stairs to greet him. The sun is shining outside the hall, the green trees in the courtyard are waving, the bluestone slabs are dyed with shadows, and the cool breeze blows the leaves, rustling.

Yao Haogu approached from afar, he was dressed in an official uniform, came to the front, made a circle, and said with a smile: "It turns out that everyone is here." Haha, General, the humble position didn't interrupt your military discussions, did it? This is called getting straight to the point, and it can also be called throwing stones to ask for directions.

Hong Jixun wouldn't be fooled by him, sneered, and said, "I'm afraid of interrupting, why do you still come?" Pretending to be annoyed, he waved at Deng She and said, "General, the matter of recruiting the Japanese will be discussed as before." Xiao Ke still has other things, so he will leave. "Walk away.

Luo Guoqi secretly gave a thumbs up and thought: "High, it's really high." quietly diverted the topic, and pretended to be annoyed, which was more real. There is a kind of example, and he said: "General, that Ju Saburo said that at most one day, he can attract the remnants of the Japanese army, and it is not early to see that the sky is not early, and the villain will wait for the beach first, and the Japanese will be cunning, so as not to change." ”

Wen Huaguo, Li Monk, Yang Wanhu and others also resigned. The more people remain, the easier it is to get out of the way. Yao Haogu stood aside with a smile, watching them leave one by one, and said to Deng She: "Why don't you see Huang Zhenfu?" This recruit is a Japanese coward, and the Suppression Division should not be ignored. ”

Although Deng She was in a hurry, he couldn't make up a reason at once, coughed twice, and said: "The conscription is busy, and the army can't be without a general to garrison, Huang Zhenfu has rich experience and is suitable for sitting in the town." "It's also reasonable, and He Guangxiu, who is in charge of Tuntian, didn't come.

"Speaking of conscription, the general has repeatedly expanded the army, haha, how anxious! 10,000 to 20,000, 20,000 to 30,000; The speed is so fast that it is really dazzling to look at the lowly duties. The words were prickly.

Deng She smiled and said, "It's helpless, the Koreans will come at any time, and I have to prepare early." As soon as he stretched out his hand, he said, "The sun is poisonous in the courtyard, and Manager Yao invites him to come into the hall to speak." ”

Yao Haogu glanced twice in the hall and said, "No need, but I feel a cool breeze in my humble position." General, in two months, it will be autumn, as the saying goes, spring ploughing and autumn war, I don't know what the general's next step is? ”

He asked bluntly, but Deng She was embarrassed, and if he answered with a lie, it was not good to look at when he exposed it, and he would be truthful in vain. If you answer with the truth, who knows what the final result will be? He said: "Spring ploughing and autumn war? I'm worried about the autumn harvest now, and I don't know how much grain I can get. If you don't have enough to eat, it's a big problem. I wonder if Manager Yao has a good plan? ”

King Deng She talked about him left and right, Yao Haogu was funny and angry, you avoided talking about it, and simply used the topic to play, talking about the dissatisfaction of being set up by you, and said: "Old Yao, I have no control, I can't manage the farmers, and I can't manage the autumn harvest, the general asked the wrong person." ”

"Mr. Yao is modest, modest." He was holding a gun and a stick, Deng She couldn't parry, turned sideways, and said, "Manager Yao is here, what's the matter?" Please speak in the hall. ”

Yao Haogu shook his hand and said, "The hall will be exempted." There is nothing to do with the humble position, but when I saw Mrs. Wang off in the morning, I seemed to hear Mrs. Wang crying parting, and I felt something. Since ancient times, I have been sad and parting, and I can't help but want to come to talk to the general. "Amorous, that's something.

Deng She's heart jumped, although he had a clear conscience, after all, this was the case. Yao Hao Guruo used it to threaten, he was not afraid of Wang Shicheng, but he was afraid of ruining his reputation in the army, he pretended to be puzzled, and said: "Mrs. Wang and Marshal Wang have been separated for several months, and I have heard for a long time that they are in deep love. Thinking of this, not only is Mr. Yao sad about his parting, it is me, and I also feel it. ”

He replaced "amorous" with "Manager Yao", and pushed it all away, and there was something to say, Mrs. Wang cried without falsehood, but it was probably because of the couple's deep affection and missing Wang Shicheng.

Yao Haogu sneered and said, "The world can't be exchanged for heaven, what the general said doesn't count." He pointed upward, "Don't you hear that there is a sky outside the sky, and there are people outside the world?" Whether it's spring ploughing or autumn war, you can't control the goods that are lowly and should be painted. Please don't forget what you said outside the smelting field, and what you should promise. ”

He didn't say more, and when he said goodbye, he took out a piece of paper in his sleeve and handed it to Deng She: "The general is painstaking in civil affairs, and although he can't hear about his humble duties, he still has two words to say: cooperatives are Tartars' old wisdom, and if they are used well, they will be beneficial, and if they are not good, they will be disadvantageous; * The store is independent, it seems that it can make a big difference, but the official participates in the business, and there are also pros and cons at both ends. This is debatable, the humble position has been written clearly, the general is free, but please watch. ”

Deng She was stunned, not expecting him to say this, took the paper, and said, "Manager Yao? ”

Yao Haogu took a deep look and turned away. In the twilight, he walked alone and drifted away, and his not tall figure was gradually hidden by the shadow of the tree, sighing in the distance, Deng She listened carefully, as if someone was saying: "Gogo endlessly, who is at fault?" What are the sins of the people? Why should my people suffer! ”