Chapter 270 Team
The young strategist who spoke was named Wang Sizheng.
Wang Sizheng is strong and tall, looking like a military commander rather than a scholar.
He also came from a high-class family, being descended from the Wang family of Taiyuan.
However, Wang Sizheng’s family was not very prominent, and his father only held a position as a state clerk.
After all, he came from a high-class family, so Wang Sizheng's career as an official was relatively smooth.
When he first entered the officialdom, he was granted the title of Sanqi Shilang. Although it was not as good as Zhuo and Jiao Erlang, Sanqi Shilang worked in the Menxia Province and could have close contact with the prime minister, which was also a very important position.
At a young age, Wang Sizheng was able to handle the complicated political affairs of the Menxia Province, and was highly regarded by the then Prime Minister, Prince Qinghe.
After the fall of Prince Qinghe, Wang Sizheng was a descendant of the Taiyuan Wang family, and Prince Jiangyang Yuanyi did not settle accounts with him, but simply expelled him from the Menxia Province.
When King Yuan Hao of Beihai went on this expedition, Wang Sizheng was again stuffed into King Beihai's team and served as Yuan Hao's military Sima. Yuan Hao handed all his clerical work to Wang Sizheng, and he handled it very well, so Yuan Hao paid more attention to him and asked him to plan military affairs.
But this time, Wang Sizheng's words made Yuan Hao very dissatisfied.
Yuan Hao didn't want to go to war at all. He just wanted to defend the capital of Huazhou and that would be enough to report to the court.
Now Wang Sizheng actually wants me to go out and fight?
Wang Sizheng was smart and had seen through Yuan Hao's thoughts long ago, but he was not going to try to please him blindly this time. Instead, he pointed at the map and said:
"This is a good place to ambush the enemy army. As long as the king defeats the enemy army, Tongguan and Huazhou will be stable for a while!"
Wang Sizheng was also a famous defense master in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He had seen the current situation clearly. Simply defending would only put the government troops in a more dangerous situation. Facing rebels like Hu Chen, they must use victory to strike at their prestige, and then gradually win back the hearts of the local people.
Otherwise, no one will be able to control the rebels, and the refugee army will spread like a plague. More people who can't survive will join the refugee army, and the supplies the government troops get from the local area will become less and less, and finally they will be trapped to death by the rebels.
Wang Sizheng knew that although the government troops were fewer in number, they had an advantage in weapons and equipment.
Although the rebels are numerous, they are essentially a mob. The only ones who can be considered elite are the troops of Hu Chen and Jin Wei, which only number a few hundred people in total.
Therefore, Wang Sizheng finally chose the battle site chosen by Yuan Hao, which was the area where the Wei River and the Luo River meet.
The Wei River turns at the confluence, which is called "qu".
The Weiqu area is called Shayuan. It is located between the Luo River and the Wei River. Due to the frequent changes in the river channel, the terrain is bumpy, with many sands, swamps and reeds, which is very unfavorable for the deployment of large troops.
This is exactly what is beneficial to the government troops. The advantage of the large number of refugee troops from Jingzhou cannot be brought into play here.
The location of Shayuan is also very important. It is located directly west of Tongguan. The rebels from Jingzhou gathered nearby and harassed Tongguan.
Wang Sizheng's plan was to use a small number of elite government troops to set up an ambush in Shayuan and defeat the Jingzhou rebels. This would help lift the siege of Tongguan and allow Huazhou to remain stable for a period of time.
Yuan Hao was still somewhat tempted by Wang Sizheng's plan.
Since entering the Pass, he has been frustrated everywhere. If he can win a battle, he will be much more confident in front of Xiao Baoyin.
Humph! A former member of the royal family of Qi actually scolded me!
Yuan Hao was narrow-minded and vindictive. He did not dare to confront Xiao Baoyin because he had not done anything good before.
If the rebels could be defeated, Yuan Hao could submit a petition to the court and no longer obey Xiao Baoyin's orders.
Yuan Hao even felt that if he could completely wipe out the rebels in Jingzhou, he might be able to replace Xiao Baoyin and become the Grand Commander of the Western Expedition.
When he was on his way to Guanzhong, Yuan Yi, the King of Jiangyang who was in power in the court, was already dissatisfied with Xiao Baoyin for not being able to quell the rebellion for so long.
The court had consumed a lot of resources in the war in Guanxi, and the grain had to be transported to Guanzhong, which caused a famine in Luoyang.
Yuan Hao said:
"Just follow Si Zheng's plan and send troops to Shayuan!"
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This time when Su Ze went to Xiazhou, he did not bring Wei Xiaokuan with him.
Firstly, he is still young and not suitable for staying in the army.
Secondly, Su Ze had just assigned the task of setting up the Zhechou Mansion in Liangzhou to Wei Xiaokuan, so it was not easy for him to change people casually.
Thirdly, Su Ze also agreed with Su Liang's statement that whether it was marching and fighting or governing, one had to start from the grassroots level.
Only those who have worked on the front line understand the true operating logic of this world at the most basic level, instead of taking it for granted and thinking that everything in the world revolves around themselves.
Therefore, the establishment of the Zhechou Mansion and the continued implementation of the land grant system in Liangzhou were also a comprehensive cultivation of Wei Xiaokuan's ability to govern.
We cannot let such a talented person of high military and political rank go to waste.
Su Cho returned to Jincheng to continue handling civil affairs in the rear, while Yang Kan had to stay in Liangzhou to handle the civil affairs of Liangzhou and suppress the powerful families in Liangzhou.
Yu Jin stayed in Gaoping to suppress the restless tribes in Gaoping, so he couldn't leave.
Finally, Su Ze came to Xiazhou, bringing only Su Liang, his military advisor.
There is no way. There are too few people under Su Ze who can stand on their own.
Even with the help of the system, a large amount of administrative and military work still requires Su Ze's approval. All these tasks are gathered in Su Ze's military headquarters, and he cannot handle them all by himself.
Therefore, before the military government makes a decision, military advisors such as Su Liang must first write a reference opinion on how to deal with it, and then give it to Su Ze for approval.
If they agree, Su Ze will directly circle the red hair and carry out the execution.
If he disagrees, Su Ze will write down his opinions and then give them to Su Liang for polishing and distribution.
The clerks summoned by the system can only perform clerical work and are unable to give comprehensive advice.
Therefore, the size of Su Ze's military office was maintained at 30 clerks, and every expedition had to be led by an important strategist to operate the military office.
In Su Liang's opinion, the military system established by Su Ze is already incredibly efficient.
Su Liang also didn't know where Su Ze found these officials who were proficient in government affairs.
The operation of officialdom naturally has its own logic and rules.
Even geniuses in civil affairs like the Su brothers could not know the operating rules of all systems.
Therefore, officials must have assistance from others, and these people are called clerks.
Don't underestimate these clerks. The circulation of documents, business processes, and the transmission of information are all in the hands of these clerks.
Even though they are doing the same job, if the clerks act based on their subjective initiative or do things perfunctorily, it will have a great impact on the efficiency of decision-making.
For the same matter, if the clerk is responsible and knows the priorities, he will know to submit important matters for approval first, put unimportant matters on hold, or not handle matters through his superiors first, thus reducing the burden on the entire decision-making system. However, if the clerk is irresponsible and does not want to take responsibility, he will hand over all documents to his superiors for decision-making, and report all major and minor matters, which will greatly slow down the speed of decision-making.
Even if we encounter those who pretend to obey but actually disobey, or simply try to make trouble and sabotage, government affairs will be thrown into chaos.
Therefore, just like the troops of military generals, civil officials would also train their own assistants and manage the officials as guests or old officials.
In the history books of the Jin Dynasty, there are often praises of the outstanding children of a certain wealthy family for their strong abilities. They can easily handle government affairs every day, and then leisurely talk about metaphysics and philosophy, or even take Wu Shi San to be carefree.
In fact, these evaluations all came from the fact that when they entered officialdom, their families had already equipped them with a mature team of staff and loyal retainers and clerks to help them carry on their work.
What puzzled Su Liang was that Su Ze was not from a wealthy family and was a military general, so why did he have such a mature team of military officials?
These people worked hard and were loyal to Su Ze, which enabled such a small military force to handle so many things.
Su Liang had worked in the Western Expedition Office under Xiao Baoyin.
There were dozens of officials under Xiao Baoyin's office. Together with the entourage they brought and Xiao Baoyin's own staff, the entire office had a huge administrative team of more than 200 people.
But even so, Xiao Baoyi's executive office still had low decision-making efficiency. The subordinates he brought with him had their own ideas, and all kinds of issues had to be argued in front of Xiao Baoyi. Any personnel appointments and dismissals would involve a crazy game of internal friction.
In comparison, Su Ze's side is more comfortable. I don't know how he gathered these capable officials.
Su Liang could only attribute all this to Su Ze's superhuman personal charm and his almost demonic ability to judge people.
Isn't it because of this that I and my brother Su Chao joined his army?
Just at this moment, Li Xian, exhausted, stepped into Su Liang's office tent.
"Military Advisor Su, is the general here?"
Su Liang raised his head. This was also a "monster" discovered by Su Ze.
Li Xian led his local soldiers to join Su Ze, who brought him from Gaoping to Xiazhou, allocated troops to him, and put him in charge of the defense of the newly built Yongle City.
You should know that Li Xian had not yet been crowned, but Yu Jin recommended him to Su Ze, and Su Ze just used him like this.
Li Xian was so moved that he prostrated himself before Su Ze and pledged to defend Yongle City to the death.
Li Xian escorted craftsmen to build a city along the Yellow River, but soon encountered trouble.
Under Yu Jin's suppression, Gaoping Town did not experience a town-wide rebellion.
Ever since Hu Chen left for Jingzhou, many tribal leaders in Gaoping also discovered a new path.
Yu Jin, the prefect of Gaoping County, is too good at fighting. So he should learn from Hu Chen and leave Gaoping to rebel in nearby prefectures and counties.
Anyway, in Guanxi, you can attract a bunch of rebels by raising a flag anywhere.
Wanqi Chounu's cousin, Wanqi Daoluo, led some of his clan members into Xiazhou and raised the flag of rebellion.
Wanqi Daolo's rebel army was entrenched in the mountains near the Yongle City that was to be built.
Li Xian knew that if these rebels were entrenched in the mountains, they would definitely interfere with the craftsmen building the city, and their presence in the mountains would also affect the security of the Hengshan defense line.
So Li Xian sent someone to the mountain to deceive Wanqi Daoluo and said:
"Your brother Wanqi Chounu has killed Gaoping County Magistrate Yu Jin and started a rebellion. I have already joined Wanqi Chounu. Hurry down and let's fight back to Gaoping."
Li Xian was a native of Gaoping and had contacts with people from the Wanqi tribe. His lies were so detailed that Wanqi Daoluo actually believed them and led his people down from Hengshan.
As soon as Wanqi Daolou's troops came down the mountain, Li Xian ordered Su Ze's elite cavalry to defeat the rebels, while he himself led the local soldiers to block Wanqi Daolou's retreat.
Although Su Ze's elite cavalry easily defeated Wanqi Daolou's rebels, Wanqi Daolou wanted to lead his troops to retreat to the mountain stronghold on Hengshan Mountain. Li Xian led the local soldiers and fought Wanqi Daolou for a day and night. In the end, Li Xian relied on his more determined will to defeat Wanqi Daolou's rebels.
Wanqi Daolu fled to Hengshan with only dozens of his tribesmen. He did not dare to stay in Hengshan any longer and went north to join Po Liu Han Baling.
In Su Liang's opinion, this battle was indeed remarkable.
Li Xian's local soldiers had no more than 2,000 men, plus the 500 elite cavalry assigned by Su Ze, there were no more than 2,500 men.
The Wanqi Dao Luo rebels had as many as 6,000 men in Hengshan.
With an army of 2,500 against 6,000, they actually won a great victory. A large number of rebels were captured and escorted by Li Xian to the Yongle City construction site to perform labor to build the city. This battle can be said to be a battle of both courage and strategy.
outrageous.
Why are all the people Su Pingxi uses such evildoers?
Su Liang withdrew his thoughts, looked at Li Xian and said:
"The General is waiting for you."
Li Xian stepped into Su Ze's tent. When Su Ze saw Li Xian, he immediately put down the pen in his hand and said enthusiastically:
"Captain Li, how does it feel to win your first battle?"
Li Xian saluted and answered seriously:
“It’s like walking on thin ice, like standing on the edge of an abyss.”
"Why?"
"Behind me are the sons of my clan. The villagers trust me and follow me to the battle. Today, Li Xian has made great achievements, but many villagers have shed blood. Thinking back on it afterwards, it is like facing the abyss. When I ordered a fight to the death, my heart was bleeding."
"The battlefield is ever-changing. Li is highly regarded by General Pingxi and has been entrusted with important tasks. He is afraid of failing to live up to his trust, so he walks on thin ice and is trembling with fear in every order."
Su Ze was delighted and said:
"Knowing these two points, Captain Li is an entry into the art of war. What is valuable is knowing the true meaning of the words loyalty and righteousness!"
"For the soldiers who died in battle, this general will provide compensation, and they will be treated the same as the other soldiers under my command."
"The injured soldiers were sent to the Inspector's Sick Camp and given to doctors for treatment. Those who could not continue to serve in the army were given pensions after they were cured and allowed to return home."
"Li Xian, from today on, you will be a military officer in our army, and you will be given 100 soldiers."
Li Xian looked at Su Ze in surprise. He didn't expect Su Ze to be so generous and grant him a genuine official position in the military government at once!
However, Li Xian's contribution was indeed not small, but what moved Li Xian was that Su Ze actually gave the same treatment to his local soldiers. Where can you find such a lord?
Thinking of this, Li Xian immediately excitedly accepted Su Ze's position. From now on, he was Su Ze's subordinate.
Su Ze subdued Li Xian and continued:
"Notify Su Tong (the city builder of Tongwan City) that Yongle City must be completed within two months. Failure to do so will result in death!"
"Li Canjun, I allow you to expand your army to 3,000 in Yongle City and garrison Yongle City. No chance of failure is allowed!"
Li Xian immediately crossed his arms and said, "Yes!"
(End of this chapter)