The entire Nanchang Mansion was under martial law, and as soon as Yang Sichang and his party entered the city, they were immediately surrounded by the officers and soldiers guarding the city.

The officers and soldiers defending the city asked Yang Sichang for road guidance and vouchers, and even expressed the intention of asking for bribes.

Yang Sichang's family member saw it, and immediately scolded: "Bold, this is the second-grade member of the dynasty, Lord Yang, the governor of Xuanda, you are so daring, dare to ask the governor for money, I think you are tired and crooked!" ”

When several officers and soldiers guarding the city heard that it was a second-class official of the imperial court, and saw that Yang Sichang's family was not badly dressed, they immediately did not dare to make a mistake.

Several people hurriedly begged for mercy: "The little one doesn't know if it's an adult's carriage and horse, and I ask the adult to forgive me!" ”

Yang Sichang naturally didn't have much to do with these officers and soldiers guarding the city gate, he opened the curtain of the carriage and asked the officers and soldiers: "What happened in Nanchang and why is there such a battle?" ”

The officers and soldiers defending the city hurriedly bent down and replied: "Your Excellency does not know, since the Mo thief captured Gao'an, Nanchang Mansion has been under martial law for four months, and the governor has issued a death order, and the pedestrians and caravans coming and going from the south and north must be strictly checked to prevent the spies of the anti-thieves from entering the city. ”

Yang Sichang nodded after hearing this, he put down the curtain, he was really a little surprised in his heart, he didn't expect that his son-in-law was so powerful, and even Lu Xiangsheng, who was known as the King of Lu Yan, was made a lot of noise by him.

Yang Sichang asked the family to enter the city to find an inn to rest, but he did not send anyone to find Lu Xiangsheng.

He is the governor of Xuanda, and Lu Xiangsheng is the prime minister of the five provinces, the responsibilities of the two are not together, and the two have nothing to do with each other, so he can't do more.

Yang Sichang didn't want to disturb Lu Xiangsheng, but the officers and soldiers defending the city told their superiors about the Governor Xuanda's visit to Nanchang.

A governor of Xuanda, who was always in charge of the city gate, came to Nanchang, and his heart was shocked, and he quickly reported the news to the thousands of households above.

Qianhu told the news to the commander again, and after layers of height, Lu Xiangsheng, who was finally in the governor's yamen, still got the news that Yang Sichang had settled in Nanchang.

When Lu Xiangsheng heard that Yang Sichang, who was far away in Shanxi, he actually came to Nanchang, and he couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart, and he sent someone to find out that Yang Sichang was staying in the Qingyang Inn.

He quickly took off his official uniform, changed into civilian clothes, and came to the Qingyang Inn with a few subordinates lightly, and soon saw Yang Sichang.

As soon as he saw Yang Sichang, Lu Xiangsheng first saluted: "Lord Yang, why don't you inform your little brother when you come to Nanchang, and your little brother can pick up the wind and wash the dust for you!" ”

Lu Xiangsheng was a full round younger than Yang Sichang, and as soon as they met, he put his posture very low.

Yang Sichang didn't dare to look at Lu Xiangsheng, the rising star of the Ming officialdom, he got up and saluted back and said: "My father died of illness, I went to Yuanzhou to pick up my father's body and send it to Wuling's hometown for burial. ”

Lu Xiangsheng was surprised when he heard this: "Yang Gong died of illness? ”

Yang Sichang nodded, "Well, I left in August, and I received the news and played Your Majesty, and Your Majesty allowed me to return to my hometown!" ”

Lu Xiangsheng admired and said: "I have heard for a long time that Lord Yang is the most filial person, and I can see it today, and the little brother knows that it is a rumor!" ”

The two of them were polite in the guest room, and after the second child of the family Ding Ming store brought the tea, he took the door and went out, and only Yang Lu and the two were left in the room.

After taking a sip of tea, Lu Xiangsheng opened his mouth and said: "Lord Yang, Ling Zun died in Yuanzhou, Lord Yang knows that Yuanzhou is now making trouble against thieves?" ”

Yang Sichang nodded: "This official has heard that Yuan Zhou has a Mo question, this thief is very powerful, and he has occupied the land of the four mansions in just one year." ”

Lu Xiangsheng waved his hand and said: "It's not just as simple as being powerful, this thief is not only a god with soldiers, but also a wolf with ambitions." ”

When Yang Sichang heard this, his brows furrowed, and he asked curiously, "What does Lord Lu mean by this?" ”

"Lord Yang is in the north, he doesn't know the power of this thief, this thief rebels, one does not plunder, the other does not rob, and the army under his subordinates does not commit any crime.

This man is not only harsh in governing the army, but also well versed in the way of governing the country, this thief rebelled last year, and captured the Yuanzhou Mansion in less than a month, and he implemented a so-called Juntian policy in Yuanzhou, which can be described as extremely vicious. ”

Yang Sichang asked: "What does this policy mean?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng explained: "Every time this thief captures a city, he will take the local squire and landlord, and order the local squire landlord to hand over the land and property in his hand, and those who do not hand it over will kill his whole family, seize his property, and then divide the seized land and property among the people. ”

After listening to Lu Xiangsheng's introduction, Yang Sichang couldn't help but be secretly frightened in his heart, he couldn't imagine that his son-in-law was so powerful, no wonder he was only twenty years old and could already conquer the land of Sifu.

Yang Sichang asked himself, if he rebelled at the age of twenty, he might not be able to reach the height of his son-in-law.

"I can't imagine that this thief is so powerful, this person must be that forty or fifty-year-old old man, otherwise how could he come up with such a clever strategy." Yang Sichang shook his head and said.

Lu Xiangsheng waved his hand and said, "No, no, Lord Yang, this is wrong, you will never think how big that Mo thief is." ”

Yang Sichang pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh? Could it be that this person is only in his thirties? ”

"Lord Yang is wrong, this thief is less than twenty!"

"What? Is it really so young? "Yang Sichang's mouth is big!

"How can my little brother lie to you, according to what I have found, there are no more than twenty thieves!"

"I can't imagine that a small Jiangxi can produce such a talent, it is really Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, outstanding people!"

"Yes, little brother, I have been in Jiangxi for a few months, and now I don't dare to send troops to move the Mo thief, now Jiangxi is full of bandits, the west of Nanchang is the Mo thief, the east is a group of cults, and there are dozens of bandits in the Nanjiang region, it is really in dire straits."

Yang Sichang was surprised: "Jiangxi has become like this? ”

"How can the little brother deceive Lord Yang, I went to Nanchang, I wanted to conquer the cult of Guangxin first, but Gao'an was captured by the Mo thief, Gao'an is only three days away from Nanchang, if I lead the troops to destroy the cult, what if Nanchang lets the Mo thief steal it!"

When Yang Sichang heard this, he hurriedly waved his hand and said: "No, Lord Lu can rest assured to suppress the cult of Guangxin, this Nanchang thief will not come to attack!" ”

When Lu Xiangsheng heard this, he hurriedly asked, "Lord Yang, why are you so sure?" ”

Yang Sichang thought for a while and replied: "Nanchang is the provincial capital and an important town in the south, Zhu Wenzheng only used 20,000 soldiers and horses to block Chen Youliang's 600,000 troops, so even if there are more soldiers and horses, it is only tens of thousands, why should Lord Lu worry about someone coming to steal the city, as long as the adults leave 5,000 defenders in Nanchang, this Nanchang City will not be able to be breached." ”

Lu Xiangsheng nodded when he heard this, he actually knew in his heart that Nanchang was a big city, and Mo Qian didn't dare to risk defeat to attack.

However, Lu Xiangsheng was afraid in his heart, if he led his troops to suppress the bandits, and Nanchang really let Mo Qian use a trick to capture him, then he would be a sinner in the imperial court.

"Okay, according to Lord Yang's opinion, then I will first seek Guangxin, and then turn around to destroy the thief."

After the two chatted about Jiangxi, they turned the topic to the Central Plains and the Tartars outside the Guan.

Lu Xiangsheng said: "I saw the Tang newspaper of the imperial court that Governor Hong was not effective in suppressing bandits in Shaanxi, and Zhang Xianzhong and Gao Yingshen and other thieves have become bigger and bigger. ”

Yang Sichang said: "The Central Plains is eroded, the treasury is empty, the imperial court is powerless to suppress bandits, and the slaves outside the border are attacked, and then fight like this, the Ming Dynasty is afraid that it will be dragged to death, in my opinion, the imperial court should be inside and then outside, the so-called outside must first settle the inside, and if the Central Plains are not cleared, the Ming Dynasty will not be able to stabilize internally."

There is no stable rear, and the border soldiers have worries when they are desperate with the Tartars, and the imperial court also has worries.

The poison of the Central Plains is like a calamity to a person's heart, and if the heart dies, there is no cure.

Jingshi is the mind of the Ming Dynasty, the towns on each side are the shoulders and arms, the shoulders and arms are not external injuries, but the heart is internal injuries, internal injuries are not good, the Ming Dynasty will never have peace, in my opinion, the imperial court should recruit troops and horses, and make every effort to encircle and suppress the rogues in the Central Plains.

After the Central Plains Liukou was wiped out, production was resumed to consolidate the border passes, and after three or five years, the Ming Dynasty recovered its vitality, and then raised troops to go out of the customs and compete with Jiannu! ”

When Lu Xiangsheng listened to the first half, he felt that what Yang Sichang said was very right, but when he heard the next few words, he didn't agree with Yang Sichang's opinion in his heart.

He said: "Lord Yang, yes, the heart is important, but the shoulder and arm are also the top priority, if the border is eroded, then the Tartars outside the border can enter my Ming land at will, the people of the border pass can have a peaceful birthday, and the border soldiers will not be able to produce with peace of mind, the younger brother believes that the border pass is as important as the Central Plains."

For the Jiannu outside the gate, as long as they dare to come, they must be given a head-on blow, beat them painfully, and be afraid, so that they dare not come again, so that we can free up our hands and exterminate the rogues in the Central Plains with peace of mind! ”

Yang Sichang saw that Lu Xiangsheng disagreed with his opinion, and he was not very happy in his heart.

He said: "Now that the treasury is empty, my Ming Dynasty can no longer withstand the battle of two colleagues, so I can only concentrate my forces on exterminating the Central Plains Rogues first, so as to stabilize the rear, and wait for the Central Plains Rogues to be swept away, and then free up my hands to fight a decisive battle with the Tartars outside the Guan, so that is the way to win." ”

"No, although the treasury is empty, but the border defense has always been the country's military priority, if the border defense is weak, the enemy outside the border will enter our Ming territory, ravaging our Ming people, when the border is eroded, how can the Beijing division protect itself, how can Your Majesty protect itself, and the ancestral temple can protect itself?"

The two disagreed, and immediately began to quarrel, and after arguing for a while, Lu Xiangsheng slammed the door and left.

Yang Sichang was also angry, and the servant came in with food and shouted that he was not in the mood to eat, but said to the family: "Take a day off tonight, and leave for Yuanzhou early tomorrow morning!" ”

......

Mo Qian's son-in-law didn't know that his father-in-law had arrived in Nanchang, and he was now giving birth in Yuanzhou.

Since the capture of Gao'an, Mo Qian has made a truce.

He began to consolidate his base areas, and he went to inspect all prefectures and counties, and comprehensively inspected the policies of each prefecture and county.

In addition, he ordered that all towns and villages should train the militia, and that the peasants should take up arms and practice when the farming is not working.

This system is somewhat similar to the reserve in later generations, and the main purpose of establishing a militia is to train successors for the troops.

As the territory gets bigger and bigger, Mo Qian also knows that more and more people will die in the future, and new people must be added after the death of soldiers, and often in a war, once the disrespectful side cannot organize enough soldiers and horses in a short period of time, it is very likely to be defeated.

Mo Qian took the lead in preparing for the future war and vicious warfare, that is, to train the militia in all villages and towns, as long as it was an adult male, aged 15 to 40, and he had to take up arms and train when the farm was slack.

Mo Qian sent a veteran to guide the training, and in just three months of training, Mo Qian trained 100,000 militiamen.

The land of the four provinces has trained 100,000 militiamen, which is already a very huge number.

The 100,000 militia does not need him Mo Qian to contribute money and grain to support, as long as they are allowed to practice a few times in their spare time, and have the foundation of soldiers, when the battlefield needs to replenish the supply of soldiers, they will be basically qualified soldiers.

In addition, Mo Qian also personally established a school in Yuanzhou Mansion, which was different from the previous private schools and academies that taught books such as the Four Books and the Five Classics, but taught how to march and fight.

Mo Qian himself took the position of principal, and he demanded that all officers in the army with more than 100 households must go to the school to study.

There are many things to learn, the first is to train physical strength, the second is to read and write, and the last is to learn the tactics of war.

Mo Qian called all these middle-level officers to the school and instilled in them the idea that the first thought was to obey the command in all actions.

After just half a month of study, these officers can completely carry out orders and prohibitions, and they will carry out Mo Qian's orders to the letter.

While learning their thoughts, Mo Qian also gave them military lessons, and he instilled an idea in these generals at the level of hundreds of households and thousands of general staff, that is, they must take the lead in fighting a war, and they are never allowed to retreat behind for fear of death.

The so-called general has the heart of death, then the soldier has no idea of greed for life, an army, if the general shrinks behind and is greedy for life and afraid of death, then how can such an army have combat effectiveness.

In addition, Mo Qian also taught them the methods of sports warfare.

The so-called sports warfare is - if you can fight, you can fight, if you can't fight, run, unless necessary, never do such a stupid thing as hitting a stone with an egg.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Mo Qian was teaching these officers at the school as usual, and suddenly a person came in from outside, and when he turned his head, he saw that it was Liu Wu, a pro-soldier who had been out for a few months.

Liu Wuyi came in and whispered in his ear: "Dashuai, your father-in-law is here!" ”

When Mo Qian heard that it was Yang Sichang who was coming, he didn't dare to delay at the moment, handed over the course to the cultural teacher, and rode back to the mansion by himself.

When I returned to the back office of the government, I saw my wife holding the hand of an old man about fifty years old with gray hair and crying there.

Lewen