All the generals understood. With unprecedented excitement and confidence, they cupped their fists and said, "I will do as you say!"
Li Rusong pursed his lips. Looking at the atmosphere in the tent, he suddenly felt a little frustrated.
After the meeting, all the generals went to prepare for the battle. Xiao Ruxun asked Zhao Hu and Chen Xie, who had strange expressions, to stay.
"You don't feel happy that I didn't let you go to Yi Province to earn merits, do you?"
Xiao Ruxun walked in front of the two and asked in a gentle voice.
"We don't dare."
The two of them said in unison.
Xiao Ruxun smiled and said, "You are my direct subordinates, my trusted subordinates. In the eyes of others, you are one with me. Any preferential treatment and care I give you will be magnified in the eyes of other troops, which will cause resentment and jealousy. Why is the Liaodong Army so unpopular in Daming? One of the reasons is that the Liaodong Army's regional discrimination is too serious. They only look up to their own people and despise all other troops.
The other troops are not soft persimmons. The southern troops have the strong Zhejiang troops and Miao troops, and the northern troops also have our Ningxia troops and Xuan troops. None of them are weak. Who can be convinced? This logic is the same for me now. Everyone's eyes are on me. Everyone knows that the firearms troops have made great contributions this time. They basically won because of firearms. The Ningxia troops and Zhejiang troops have made great contributions, and the cavalry has also made great contributions. What about the Xuan crossbowmen and Shandong gunners?
It doesn't matter if it happens once or twice, but if it happens every time, they will complain, and the morale of the army will slacken, making it difficult to lead the army. As a commanding general from the northwest, I can't use the benefits of the Zhejiang soldiers and the Jurchen cavalry. That will only make the Zhejiang soldiers and the Jurchen cavalry even more dissatisfied. I can only let you suffer a little and leave our headquarters and the Zhejiang soldiers, who have contributed the most this time, to the Shandong gunmen and the Xuan Great Archers. "
Zhao Hu and Chen Xie looked at each other, and the whispers in their hearts disappeared. They were not commanders, and had never been commanders before. They did not know that commanders needed to consider so many things, so they felt a little guilty for a moment.
Xiao Ruxun reached out and patted both of their shoulders. He smiled and said, "The Japanese pirates have a total of eight legions. We can split them evenly, four on each side, no more, no less. On this basis, it will all depend on our own abilities. However, as the commander, I have to provide a certain amount of opportunities for each division. This is my responsibility as the commander."
Zhao Hu and Chen Xie also smiled. They cupped their fists and said, "I will obey."
"Yes."
After the two of them left, Xiao Ruxun sat back in the commander's seat and sighed. Yuan Huang had been handling documents at the side. Seeing Xiao Ruxun like this, he smiled and said, "It's difficult to be a general, but it's even more difficult to be a commander. It's the most difficult for a commander who doesn't help his own troops. Daming, the court is divided into factions, and there are factions in the military fighting each other. It's not easy for anyone …"
"Fortunately, my direct subordinates are not strong. Most of them are generals from my family and can still be controlled by me. There are not many of them, so I can make such arrangements." Xiao Ruxun rubbed his temples and said, "If it were the arrogant soldiers and generals of the Liaodong Army, Li Rusong would also have to compromise. If we don't treat the collateral relatives well, they will think that we are unfair. If we don't treat the direct subordinates well, they will think that we are siding with outsiders. In a war, we not only have to win, but we also have to take into account the interests of the local troops. Alas …"
"It's true. The court is like this, the army is like this, and the world is like this. It's hard to change the local situation. I'm afraid that as time goes on, these disputes will become more intense. The villagers will form cliques to exclude outsiders, but not everyone is as cautious and meticulous as Ji Xin. I'm really worried …"
Yuan Huang put down his pen and sighed.
"These are still too far away. Let's focus on the present. Our army did not suffer many losses in this battle. This time, we can bring the wounded back to the rear for treatment and rest. After the battle is over, we can replenish on the spot. Then, we can return to Pyongyang to garrison and discuss the next strategy. This time, we won't write a victory report. After we've dealt with Kato Kiyomasa, we can write a victory report. We can tell the imperial court the good news in one go and increase the imperial court's confidence in the war."
Xiao Ruxun picked up his pen and began to write a military order. "Eunuch Yuan, the Japanese pirates have suffered a great defeat and lost no less than thirty thousand soldiers. With such a loss, will the Japanese pirates still have the confidence to attack the north?"
Yuan Huang narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "According to this old man's estimation, once they know that President Konishi and Kato Kiyomasa have been completely defeated by our army, they will definitely be fearful of me. Under the might of my army, I'm afraid that as long as it's not a strategic point, they will directly give up. Of course, there's no need to talk about Hamgyong and Heonan. It's unlikely that the Japanese pirates will dare to resist us at Hwanghae, which is right next to our army's frontline.
"Out of fear, the Japanese pirates will withdraw their forces to protect themselves and choose strategic points to defend. Which city do you think will become the gathering point of the Japanese pirates, Eunuch Yuan?"
Xiao Ruxun asked straightforwardly.
"If it's not Kaesong, then it's Han City. This old man thinks that Han City is the most likely. After all, Han City is the capital of North Korea and also the headquarters of the Japanese pirates. They will definitely defend Han City to the death. Once Han City is lost, the Japanese pirates will lose their main stronghold. Their food supply route will also be cut off, and the situation will be very bad. Therefore, they will definitely choose to defend Han City to the death."
Xiao Ruxun nodded and looked at the map. His eyes fell on the position of Han City. "After Kato Kiyomasa is dealt with, the Japanese pirates north of Han City and west of the Imjin River will not be able to stop our army. At least three routes in North Korea will be recovered and will be stable for a period of time. This will provide us with more food and fodder, and we can also prepare for the decisive battle with the Japanese pirates in Han City. The more troops they gather here, the happier I will be. I will capture as many as I can!"
Yuan Huang recalled what Xiao Ruxun had said before, and inexplicably, a trace of anticipation rose in his heart.
On the 31st of October, the 30,000 Ming Army, who had only rested for a day, secretly returned under the leadership of Xiao Ruxun. The 10,000 Ming Army that remained in Pyongyang were divided into two groups and began a dramatic fake battle. One group pretended to be Japanese and shot arrows at the sky, while the other group pretended to be the Ming Dynasty Army. However, their attacks were not very fierce, and the barracks were neat and tidy, and the flags were fluttering. They did a good job of putting on a show. This was all thanks to Xiao Ruxun's acting skills.
Kato Kiyomasa might not fully believe that President Konishi would really ask for help, but as a gambler, a gambler who was eager to make contributions, this kind of mentality would cause his judgment to deteriorate. Once he confirmed the miserable situation in Pyongyang, he would immediately put aside all his concerns and come to Gizhou to make a comeback.
Xiao Ruxun completely pinned his goal of completely subduing the army's morale on this battle and the three Japanese.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
