"We must control this Yingzhou." Wu Shigong was in the state office of Yingzhou, leaned over and looked at the map and said to the officers around him.

"Indeed!" Zhou Xun also nodded on the side, "As long as we control Yingzhou, then there will be no threat to the east of our Runing Mansion." But old commander, how many soldiers do we have to arrange in Yingzhou? ”

So a group of officers began to discuss it. They didn't care at all, this Yingzhou was actually not the territory of the Runing Army, and it was illegal for the Runing Army to occupy this place, but these officers of the Runing Army all thought that this problem was not a problem, because the control area of the Runing Army had already extended out of Runing Mansion.

Wu Shigong knew that these officers had misunderstood what they meant, so he said with a smile: "It's not appropriate to send troops in Yingzhou, it's difficult to explain to the local area of Yingzhou, besides, it's too close to Fengyang, and we send troops here to worry the imperial court." We don't want to control this state city, we just need to set up a point here, let Chang Meng's reclamation merchant house establish a few tuntian villages, and then train some village protection teams. ”

"Oh? With such a small number of people, they can only keep Zhuangzi and wait for reinforcements! Can't defend the Yingzhou place at all, even the city of Yingzhou is a little difficult! Zhou Xun raised the question in his heart.

Wu Shigong smiled and waved his hand: "What are we going to do in Guanzhou City?" We don't have to worry about it at all. If Yingzhou City is lost, it will be lost. Anyway, our headquarters soldiers and horses are also close, and we can completely stop the incoming Shaanxi bandits. Besides, Fengyang is in trouble this time, and the imperial court will definitely have heavy troops here in the future, so we don't need to worry about the defense of Yingzhou at all. ”

"Then what does the old commander mean by controlling Yingzhou?" Zhou Xun was even more confused.

"There is the reason you mentioned earlier to strengthen the early warning in the east of Runing Mansion, and another reason is to get some benefits. In addition to taking advantage of the good time when the Yingzhou government is empty this time to get some more good land, at least half of this place in Yingzhou will eat our salt in the future. ”

"But the main thing is: look!" Wu Shigong pointed to the map, and the surrounding officers all gathered around. "This section of the Huai River waterway from Xinyang in our Runing Mansion to Yingzhou is best extended to Huainan here, and our Runing Army must control it. At least we can delay on this line, then our main force will have time to react and block the possible attack of the southern Shaanxi bandits along the Huai River. ”

"Another point, you can also take a boat down the Huai River to Hongze Lake, and retreat to the south of the Yangtze River through Gaoyou. Of course, in winter, there is ice floe in this waterway, and small boats cannot carry so many people, so a dock for large ships and warships is set up here in Hongze Lake. Then build a village in turn along the river to supply grain and grass during retreat, and provide a place to rest and camp. In this way, our Runing Army will have no worries. ”

"The old commander is looking for a way out!" Zhou Xun suddenly realized.

"That's right! Our current Runing army is like a rat sealed in a sealed jar, and there may be enemies on all sides. Fortunately, this time the Shaanxi bandits are not determined to attack our controlled areas. If they are in unison. There is a good chance that our headquarters will be in danger. Once we have a way out, we will feel much more at ease. ”

The officers nodded in agreement. Wu Shigong continued: "In fact, there are two roads: that is, through Huainan through Luzhou (now Hefei, Anhui) to Wuhu; There is also a pass through Xinyang to Wuchang. Evacuate to the south of the Yangtze River through the Yangtze River, which has not been frozen for many years. But now the Shaanxi bandits in Huguang are very rampant. Both paths are dangerous. I can only act on the opportunity. ”

The officers present all had a high military quality, so they had no objection to the three retreats arranged by Wu Shigong. It's just that the problem of Zhou Xun, who is in a relatively high position, thinks about it deeply. He asked again, "Old Commander! If you want to control such a long river, it is not enough to rely on the Runing Legion in Runan and those village guards! ”

Wu Shigong nodded to Zhou Xun with some satisfaction. He then said that he had long thought of a solution: "It's been almost a year, and the leopards who were arranged at Zheng Zhilong's place should also come back." As soon as they return, we will set up our Sailors and Marines. Smashing pots and selling iron also requires the construction of ships of all sizes. These ships are used for both military and commercial purposes, and are used by merchant ships from all over the world on weekdays. In wartime, it will be used by our Runing Army. ”

"Then what is the Marine Corps?" Zhang Biao on the side asked curiously. The other officers also pricked up their ears, all wanting to hear how Wu Shigong explained the new term.

In fact, Wu Shigong wanted to talk about the "Marine Corps" at first, but thinking that his sailors basically fought on inland rivers, he changed it to the "Sailor Marine Corps".

So Wu Shigong introduced himself to those officers. The methods of warfare of the modern Marine Corps, which he understood. Of course, Wu Shigong could not have understood it very thoroughly, and the combat methods of the modern Marine Corps were not the same as those of the Ming Dynasty at that time, so everyone discussed this novel combat unit with you and me.

Although it is a new unit, many things are universal, so after some discussion, the Marine Corps also discussed a prototype. Of course, it is still all on paper, and it is still necessary to discover problems in training and operations after the establishment of the Marine Corps, and to improve and formulate the conduct code of this unit.

Seeing that the discussion was over, Zhou Xun then asked Wu Shigong: "Old commander, don't we move towards Fengyang and stay in Yingzhou all the time?" ”

"What are you doing in Fengyang?" Wu Shigong said nonchalantly, "It should have been fought down a long time ago, if Fengyang's character broke out and it was defended, then we will go over together when other officials and soldiers arrive." But I look like it's hanging! ”

For Wu Shigong's somewhat rebellious words, those officers are also a little accustomed to it. Because they have now become interests supremacy like Wu Shigong.

The current Runing army is only more than 10,000 people, and if you rush to attack Fengyang, which is defended by more than 100,000 people, not to mention the heavy casualties, it will not change the fact that Fengyang has been lost. The only honor that can be won is the "Division of Recovering Fengyang". But how much is the honor of the Ming Dynasty worth a catty?

"So what's next for us?" Zhou Xun asked again.

"Just waiting for the other officers and soldiers to come. You see, this road is for Governor Zhu and General Zuo, and this road is for the Beijing camp in Nanjing. As long as these two Ming armies approached, we would block them in Yingzhou, and the Shaanxi bandits would only be able to cross the Huai River into Luzhou in the Huainan area. As long as we grasp the timing well, when the Shaanxi bandits cross the river, stop them and give them a ruthless blow, and most of the Shaanxi bandits in Fengyang will be taken down by us now. Mommy's! That Zhang Xianzhong put Lao Tzu together, and if he did not abide by the agreement and entered our Runing Mansion, then Lao Tzu gave him an unforgettable heart, so that as soon as he saw the banner of our Runing Army in the future, he would immediately be frightened and pee his pants. ”

"Half-crossed?" Zhou Xun asked.

"Exactly!" Wu Shigong nodded affirmatively. (To be continued......)