I saw that the smell of gunpowder in the air was getting stronger and stronger.

At this time, Chen Xuan, who was not a person inside and outside the two sides, sighed helplessly, knocked on the breastplate and reported:

"There is an important military intelligence report!"

"Say!"

Chengguo Gong Zhu Neng snorted coldly, he didn't even look at him, obviously still angry with his son. I don't know which string of this stupid boy's head is wrong, and he still clung to the arquebus in his hand, and I don't know what is good about that thing.

- The ironclad horse is the happiness of men!

What made Zhu Neng even more unbelievable was that he was obviously in Yanziji, and he heard that this stupid boy had a conflict with Jiang Xinghuo, why did he follow the firecrackers and artillerymen at the bottom of the chain that the Ming army despised in a blink of an eye?

Chen Xuan was also a little helpless.

The title of Daming, the prince and the uncle are sorted in order.

Chen Xuan is an earl, still a general, or a sailor, it can be said that he is the one with the lowest status among the earls, and compared with the extremely high-ranked Chengguo Gong, he naturally does not dare to show any dissatisfaction.

It's just that in his heart, Chen Xuan knows that he is unlucky to arrive home today, are these big guys uncomfortable if they don't quarrel for a day?

But at the moment, he had to persuade how the military situation should fall second, although Ding Xiaohong's intelligence was important, but it had not yet reached the point where it could not be delayed for a moment.

The reason why he interjected now was because Jiang Xinghuo was actually defending the interests and prestige of his Chen Xuan, the main general, and this protection was to be appreciated.

After all, since the Governor's Office of the Five Armed Forces sent a military observation mission, it was clearly dissatisfied with the slow progress of the counterinsurgency.

In the eyes of the nobles of the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, what kind of combat effectiveness does the rebel army of the White Lotus Sect have, isn't it a matter of annihilation? Even if the weather is bad, how can it be delayed for so long? Is it the incompetence of you, Chen Xuan, the main general?

But Chen Xuan also couldn't say bitterly, the lack of troops led to the fact that his sailors had to land and fight, and the firearms of the tax guards were difficult to exert their power because of the heavy rain, coupled with the lack of logistics, and so on, which delayed the time.

It is only now that the Ming army can be regarded as having a minimum offensive capital and the weather that can make firearms no longer affected.

The thought flashed in his heart, Chen Xuan took a few steps forward, walked between the two of them, and bowed with his fists in his hands and said:

"Qi Yu National Division, Cheng Guogong, Ding Xiaohong, a test pilot of the War Bureau, was swept away by the flood after his disappearance, accidentally infiltrated the rebels, and now brought back two important pieces of information."

"First, the rebels of the White Lotus Sect will try to use the people as a precursor tomorrow to block the edge of our army's firearms, so as to approach our army."

"Second, all the forces within the White Lotus Sect's rebel army, including the White Lotus Sect's descendants, seem to be hiding boats at the docks and ferries of Taihu Lake, and have made plans to retreat."

Hearing this, the faces of all the generals present were a little gloomy.

Especially Zhu Neng, he said directly: "A group of rebels actually dare to fight a decisive battle with the army of the imperial court? And dare to use the common people as shields? It's just impatient! ”

You must know that this kind of thing has not happened in the ancient history of the past thousand years, but it is hidden in the history books, and the number is relatively small.

But every time this happens, it leaves a very bad impression.

Because whether it is the killer of the official army, or the success of the other party because of the weakness and hesitation of the main general, it is not a good result.

It can be said that this is a completely poisonous plan.

Moreover, once you choose the path of killing the killer, although this is the most correct decision, the people will still have a different mood towards the officials and soldiers from now on, which is like planting a time bomb that may explode at any time.

Once the people's resentment accumulates to a certain extent, coupled with the deliberate incitement of some people

The generals of the army, of course, will think that this has nothing to do with them, not only has nothing to do with them, but sometimes, the more chaotic they are, the more merits they have.

And Zhu Neng's statement actually implied some kind of instruction.

But for Jiang Xinghuo, this is not the case.

That's all good employees in our factory!

Do you mean that you don't care?

Whether they live or die, who will build the infrastructure, who will spin the cotton?

Can you let Zhu go?

Moreover, it is foreseeable that, in addition to the attitude towards the people who have been coerced by the rebels, the construction of water conservancy facilities and the establishment of handicraft workshops in the cotton textile industry are all thankless tasks, and there will certainly be many voices of disapproval or even opposition to the new changes.

Although grain production can be stabilized and even increased through the construction of water conservancy facilities through work-for-work relief, industrial reform will inevitably produce a movement similar to that of the "sheep and the people"; in order to plant cotton on a larger scale, it is a social phenomenon that will inevitably occur to squeeze out arable land and let peasants work in handicraft workshops, and even promote the increase in the rate of urbanization.

In this case, it is inevitable that the people's antipathy and distrust of the imperial court will reach its peak, and even the deterrence of the imperial power and the army will be greatly weakened, and at that time, the entire Jiangnan may once again fall into turmoil and chaos!

Therefore, Jiang Xinghuo went through his mind, thought for a moment, and determined what he was going to do.

The first point is to save their good employees.

The second point is to strictly control the process of industrial transformation in the future and protect the interests of the people.

And the most important thing at the moment is, naturally, the first point.

The tangled part is that it's okay not to fight the people, but the White Lotus Sect rebels took the opportunity to take the people as the front and broke the formation of the Ming army, what if it really led to the defeat of the Ming army?

No one can afford this responsibility, and it is a responsibility that is likely to occur.

No one can afford such a result and responsibility, even Jiang Xinghuo is afraid that he will not be able to oppose him in the government and the opposition has never stopped, how many pairs of eyes are staring at him tightly, waiting for him to make a mistake and then splashing dirty water.

Looking at Jiang Xinghuo, who had not spoken for a long time, as a great disciple of the founding mountain, Zhu Gaoxu certainly understood his master's concerns.

Zhu Gaoxu frowned slightly and said, "Master, if the rebels really plan like this, and you want to save the people, we might as well attack the camp at night."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Gaoxu immediately stopped, because he was much smarter and realized the problem.

Sure enough, Chengguo Gong Zhu Neng sneered and said, "Night attack? You can figure it out. ”

"When the prince came, he probably knew the situation around the battlefield, the rebels of the White Lotus Sect camped on the back of Taihu Lake, and the water village and the land village were complete, as if there were some rules, and many people were put in the middle, the outside was the green forest forces of the non-descendant lineage, and the inside was the White Lotus Sect descendant troops."

After all, it was Zhu Gaoxu, the second prince of the three armies, Zhu Neng still maintained some respect, but explained further.

"If it is a night attack, it can cause a riot at most, but this means that the troops of the White Lotus Sect who have not been injured at all will be disturbed, and then give up the plan of the decisive battle, and use the hoarded large number of ships to transfer, once they no longer care about other miscellaneous forces that have been gathered, then the war will easily spread to other counties along the Taihu Lake, which is extremely unfavorable for completely clearing out the rebels."

The deputy general Zhu Gaoxu was deflated, and Chen Xuan, as the chief general commanding the whole army at this time, could not help but speak.

Chen Xuan said a little kindly: "If you don't attack at night, tomorrow the White Lotus Sect rebels will drive the people as shields, and the casualties will definitely be inevitable; But if you follow the advice of His Royal Highness the Second Prince, you can save most of the people. Even if the night attack caused a stampede in the camp, the casualties caused would certainly be smaller than the casualties caused by the rain of bullets and bullets on the battlefield. ”

Liu Sheng next to him was a little dumbfounded, he wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to say more at this time Indeed, he is now facing an unsolvable problem, and this kind of problem, since ancient times, no one has found an effective way to deal with it.

Driving people to fill in the ravines.

The defenders always attacked directly as the enemy.

Other than that, I really can't find any other good way.

For the generals, they can't be soft, otherwise they will tire the three armies to death, this is an iron law summed up by how much blood.

After everyone expressed their stance or was silent, they looked at Jiang Xinghuo.

At this time, Zhu Neng looked around at the generals and asked lightly: "Who else thinks that there is a way to get the best of both worlds?" ”

A group of generals lowered their heads

What better way to do it?

What's more, in front of him is the mainstay of the Ming military circle, his hints, do others dare to question it?

Zhu Neng is the prince of the country, but he fought it out with a knife and a gun.

In the Battle of Jingjing, Zhu Neng followed Zhu Di to fight the whole game, which was all feats of killing countless enemies and fighting bloodily.

Such a fierce man came to inspect the army, and the generals were able to command the troops to fight normally without being picked out by Zhu Neng, and they were already thankful. How could he rush to hit Zhu Neng's edge.

Only Ding Xiaohong, who had not spoken, straightened his waist at this time and shouted loudly: "National teacher, I have seen with my own eyes that the people who have been coerced have been cut off for several meals, everyone is hungry, and it is spread in the camp that the national teacher will be able to save them from fire and water when he arrives!" National teacher, you are their last hope! ”

Ding Xiaohong's voice immediately attracted everyone's attention, including Zhu Neng, the Duke of Chengguo.

Ding Xiaohong did not give his own advice, only described what he saw and heard, but he had already expressed his attitude unmistakably.

He, a small person, could have received the credit and hid in the rear and waited for the result, but at this moment, at the risk of angering the Guogong, he made a voice for the people who couldn't speak in front of Jiang Xinghuo.

Jiang Xinghuo, who had never spoken, finally opened his mouth.

"Cheng Guogong just said something very right."

"Jiang really hasn't fought a war and doesn't understand military affairs."

"But Jiang understands people's hearts."

Chengguo Gong Zhu Neng said unceremoniously: "People's hearts, can they decide the victory or defeat of this battle?" ”

"Moreover, if something goes wrong, can you be responsible?"

At this time, Liu Sheng suddenly interjected and asked, "National Teacher, you must think twice!" ”

Jiang Xinghuo waved his hand and said, "It's okay, you just need to arrange for the troops to be stationed and fight." ”

When he said this, his tone was calm, and he seemed unusually determined, as if he had made up his mind.

Seeing Jiang Xinghuo's resolute attitude, the rest of the people were not easy to dissuade, so they had to bow their heads silently.

"Chengguo Gong, there is no order from Your Majesty to let you take over the army in your holy decree, and you still have to be commanded by Ping Jiangbo here."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at Zhu Neng and said, "Moreover, I can afford to be responsible, and I know better what responsibility I shoulder." ”

This is the meaning of success and defeat.

"War is the continuation of the temple."

Jiang Xinghuo said slowly: "Although the war and the generals who command the war cannot be completely restricted by the temple, one thing must be clear, the war must serve the temple. What do temples need most right now? It is Jiangnan's change of law and the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, so if there are conditions to save these people without violating the military strategy, it will naturally be saved. ”

Zhu Neng didn't rush to refute when he heard this, but fell into thought.

"War is the continuation of the temple."

Zhu Neng has now walked to the position of the Duke of the State and the de facto head of the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, and he is no longer a simple general, perhaps other generals will feel instinctively disgusted by the temple's influence on the war, and directly said "The generals will not be subject to foreign military orders", but Zhu Neng quickly understood the deep meaning of Jiang Xinghuo's words.

Zhu Neng asked with a little curiosity: "Where did you read this sentence of the national teacher, or who did you hear it from?" ”

Jiang Xinghuo and Zhu Neng had no grudges, and they didn't want to intensify the conflict, so they replied directly: ""On War", when I go back to Nanjing, I will hold a course at the military academy, if Cheng Guogong is interested, welcome to listen." ”

"Okay."

But Zhu Neng then said with a straight face: "It is an eternal problem that can drive the people to fill the gullies, and the national teacher will have a solution?" ”

This kind of indiscriminate trick, although it is shameless, but it is still very useful, so many famous generals, I have never heard of anyone who has any feasible solution.

Therefore, Zhu Neng took it for granted that Jiang Xinghuo would not have an answer, but the scholar's soft-heartedness was driving him to make up his mind.

And in the eyes of Zhu Neng, a general who fought from iron and fire, it was an extremely fatal thing.

Tzu is not in charge of the army.

However, to Zhu Neng's surprise, Jiang Xinghuo actually answered!

"There is a solution."

Jiang Xinghuo thought about it for such a long time, of course, not in a daze, but thinking about countermeasures.

Not to mention, it really made him come up with a way.

"What's the explanation?"

Not only Zhu Neng, but even Zhu Gaoxu, Chen Xuan, Liu Sheng and others also looked at Jiang Xinghuo curiously.

Jiang Xinghuo took a deep breath and raised his head and said, "Do you know how more than a thousand years ago, Liu Jinu broke the 30,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Wei Dynasty with 2,000 people? ”

"But the moon is arrayed."

Chen Xuan blurted out.

As a general of the water division, this rare formation with the water division as a necessary condition, Chen Xuan is naturally like a treasure.

"But the moon array" itself is composed of the navy and the infantry, of which the infantry is mainly based on chariots, and that battle is a typical example of Liu Yu commanding the troops to fight together.

This formation, to put it bluntly, is to use a chariot hundred times to lay out an arc formation at a distance of more than 100 steps from the water, hugging the river at both ends, and taking the river bank as the moon string, Liu Yu's arrangement is that each chariot is set up with seven staff soldiers, a total of 700 people; After the formation was set, two thousand soldiers were sent ashore to meet them, and they carried 100 crossbows, and each chariot had 20 soldiers on it, and shields were placed on the chariots to protect the chariots.

Because the "moon array" is an arc, from the perspective of physics, the arc can disperse the force at the force point and has good impact resistance; The soldiers in the formation have weapons such as rods, crossbows, and lances, so they are very lethal; At the same time, the soldiers in the formation have their backs to the water, which can have the effect of "falling into the place of death and reviting".

Of course, the premise is that the right to produce water is in your own hands.

Liu Yu dared to play like this, because the Jin army had the right to control water, so the river water could ensure the safety of the rear and flanks of the "Moon Formation", and there was no need to worry about being surrounded by the enemy and the flat river bank with a wide field of vision, and a good vision was also convenient for observing the actions of both sides and grasping the situation of the battlefield in time, while the Jin army could overlook the battlefield on a large war ship, which was equivalent to occupying the commanding heights.

"But right now, it's the White Lotus Sect rebels who are arrayed with their backs."

Zhu Gaoxu said suspiciously.

"No, what Principal Jiang means is that the White Lotus Sect rebels are actually an expanded version of the Moon Array!"

Liu Sheng suddenly woke up, and he reminded the generals.

The generals also came to an avail. Isn't this the Moon Array? The periphery is a miscellaneous army, the middle is the common people, the most near the river is the descendants of the White Lotus Sect, the waterway avenues entering the Taihu Lake such as the Wusong River are also blocked, and the White Lotus Sect has the right to control the water in the battle area and can retreat at any time.

Seeing that there was finally someone who understood, Jiang Xinghuo guided and asked rhetorically:

"What kind of formation, can you crack the Moon Formation?"

"The blade array is hard to chisel, it's easy to get stuck in and can't get out, you have to have a crane wing array!"

Zhu Gaoxu said with great certainty that this is the standard tactical solution.

The crane wing array, to put it bluntly, is a "V" shaped array, wrapping the moon array with two wings, not rushing hard, if the long-range projection ability is enough, it can also be smashed but the moon array can be smashed.

The Northern Wei cavalry was defeated because they had never seen this formation, and they couldn't break through by the river, and then they adjusted the formation and then came back to rush and kill, and they had to jump into the river if they were reckless.

However, there are many disadvantages of the Moon Array, such as the harsh terrain environment of the battlefield, poor mobility, and the need for the cooperation of sailors, so it is easy to find a solution.

"What does Principal Jiang mean that we use the Crane Wing Array to deal with the rebels?"

Liu Sheng said with some disbelief, and then questioned himself: "It's not right, although the blow is small, it still can't change the fate of the people in front of them being used as shields." ”

"It would be nice to improve the camp."

Jiang Xinghuo didn't hide it, he directly wrote a "concave" word on the ground, and asked: "It is impossible for the White Lotus Sect rebels to drive all the people to rush into battle together, it is likely to lead to a reversal, so how many people are most likely to be sent into battle to use as a shield to consume us?" ”

"It shouldn't be 10,000 people, and it must be a strong man, the old and weak women and children are hungry and have no strength."

Chen Xuan calculated it and said affirmatively.

Jiang Xinghuo pointed to the word "concave" and said: "Then clean up the camp in front of the camp, set aside a place for the people to crowd forward, and then the outside wall is also ready to collapse directly, so that from a distance, the enemy does not know that the front of our camp is empty, and the people will be driven into this place, and the people are safe, and the enemy cannot enter, similar to the effect of the urn city...... And the two sides remain the same, you can still shoot, and at the same time, you can let the hollow phalanx formed by the firecrackers out of the camp, and arrange the V-shaped crane wing array on both sides, so that the enemy's poisonous plan will not be self-defeating? ”

Chen Xuan's eyes lit up, and he said continuously: "The national teacher's plan is very good! ”

"But what if the enemy doesn't advance and attack the fortifications? What if we are waiting for us to come out of camp in the distance? Liu Sheng's thoughts were obviously more comprehensive.

Jiang Xinghuo said simply: "Then let the hot air balloon guide and use the new bronze field cannon to shoot the platoon artillery straddle!" Using cannonballs to separate the White Lotus Sect rebels from the common people will not cause too many casualties even if they may be accidentally injured...... This is a last resort, and when the time comes, the troops will be sent from both flanks, and the people will scatter and flee, or they will crowd forward, they will all be able to save and reduce casualties. ”

Hearing Jiang Xinghuo's solution, the generals thought for a moment, and almost everyone, including Chengguo Gong Zhu Neng, felt that it was feasible.

Zhu Neng glanced at Jiang Xinghuo with some surprise, and his attitude towards this national teacher also changed slightly.

"I really didn't expect it, I originally thought that the national teacher was a scholar who didn't know soldiers, but now it seems that I have read military books and seriously thought about how to deal with them."

Zhu Gaoxu, who is the deputy general of the army, concluded: "Therefore, if it is a decisive battle tomorrow, our army only needs to rescue the people when the quality of the troops is superior, the firearms are abundant, and the gunners are well-trained, and the White Lotus rebels will be defeated." ”

"Yes, from the very beginning, the White Lotus Sect rebels actually couldn't make any waves."

Chen Xuan said: "But how to completely annihilate this group of rebels? ”

What I want to say here is that the inland water division of the Ming army led by Chen Xuan has an absolute crushing advantage over the "water division" temporarily put together by the rebels.

But the problem is that the Wusong River and other channels into Taihu Lake have been blocked by the rebels through shipwrecks and other means, and it is very troublesome to dredge.

Chen Xuan said: "National Teacher, since the rebels of the White Lotus Sect can still dare to burn grain, plunder merchants, and hoard ships when our army is blockading the area around Taihu Lake and the army is pressing, it means that this group of rebels has already planned to prepare supplies for transfer. ”

"In other words, this group of people may want to take advantage of the chaos to leave Taihu Lake and flee to the areas of Jiaxing Mansion and Hangzhou Mansion when our army is dealing with other peripheral rebels."

After hearing this, some generals nodded in approval.

Combined with the information brought back by Ding Xiaohong before, it seems that what Chen Xuan, the water master and governor, said is indeed reasonable.

But this is only Chen Xuan's personal judgment.

There are several other generals, but they still don't agree with this opinion.

After all, in their opinion, although the rebels are fierce, they are definitely local chickens and dogs, and there is no need to be afraid at all.

Even if you run, it doesn't matter, where can you run? There is also a fleet of the Ming army in the open sea, and in the follow-up attack, as long as they are willing to pay the price, even if the loss is a little more, they will have the opportunity to completely annihilate this group of rebels.

Seeing that everyone was hesitant and didn't mind whether the White Lotus Sect rebels had escaped, Jiang Xinghuo finally sighed and said.

"Eradicate all evil."

Everyone knows this truth, but the problem is that many times, many things, cannot be solved by reason and human will alone.

"But the water surface of Taihu Lake is wide, and the White Lotus Sect has a lot of boats hoarded in its hands, so it is not a problem to withdraw most of the descendant troops, how can we eliminate the evil?"

Jiang Xinghuo's gaze turned to Ding Xiaohong and his party.

"You know that there are narrow waterways where boats can cross, and you can enter several docks of the White Lotus Sect rebels in Taihu Lake, right?"

Ding Xiaohong nodded: "Returning to the national teacher, that's exactly the case." ”

Jiang Xinghuo felt the temperature of the night after the cold rain, and his green shirt seemed to be frosted. It's extremely cold weather, for the summer in Gangnam.

"Then if you are asked to take dozens of small boats and sink them in front of several docks of the White Lotus Sect, can you do it?"

The sailors around Ding Xiaohong glanced at each other, and someone asked loudly: "Can it be, but after all, it is a deed that loses its head, can the national teacher allow us to be innocent and go ashore to live in the future?" ”

"Absolutely."

Jiang Xinghuo said affirmatively: "Whether you are a common person or an army, you can do it." ”

"-That's it!"

Ding Xiaohong recently had more hydrological knowledge, and said: "But the national teacher, the boat should not be able to block the dock, even if the ship is sunk." ”

Jiang Xinghuo couldn't deny it, but instead asked the last question, but this question was asked by Zhang Anshi and others.

"How much saltpeter is there in the materials that our craftsmen carry with the army?"

Zhang Anshi scratched his head: "A lot, this thing needs gunpowder, and other aspects also need it, from the Wusong River, the eunuch of Sanbao transported dozens of big ships before leaving." ”

"That'll do."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at Ding Xiaohong and them, and then looked at Chen Xuan.

"Ping Jiangbo, mobilize all the small boats, carry all the saltpeter that can be carried on the boat, follow them into the Taihu Lake to hide, and when the battle begins tomorrow, the ships will be sunk at various docks...... You don't need to freeze the lake, you just need to freeze the dock channel so that they can't escape by boat! ”

"Let the White Lotus Sect take a look, dripping water into ice!"

PS: [Important Reminder (There is no charge for the content of this paragraph)] Chapters 316-356 are the content of Jiangnan's rectification of the official rule and the suppression of the rebellion, without any theoretical knowledge, all of which are practical content, if you don't like it, you can skip directly to Chapter 366 "Class", and then it contains theoretical knowledge.

(End of chapter)