Xiao Ruxun really could not think of a good solution to the problem of scholars. In this day and age, it was indeed not strange for a great general to recruit advisors. However, those incompetent military advisors were unable to accomplish anything and were good at spoiling things. What Xiao Ruxun needed were talents who could truly govern the place, but those talents had basically been recruited by the country.
This was not an era of great competition, nor was it an era without the imperial examination system. There were no more virtuous people left in the countryside. There were only retired virtuous people and virtuous people living in seclusion. Why would these "virtuous people" follow Xiao Ruxun south to start a career in Myanmar? As for those people who had been abandoned by the imperial court, were they reliable?
Xiao Ruxun did not dare to say, but one thing was for sure. Scholars were indispensable for him to start a career. Without these people, he would not be able to establish his own system of civil officials. In this day and age, it was not strange for powerful generals to establish their own administrative systems in certain special areas. These "civil officials" were often not appointed by the imperial court. They were not officials, but they served the generals as officials. Just like the advisor system that the county magistrate had recruited, they were dedicated to serving private interests.
And this was precisely the kind of personal advisor system that Xiao Ruxun needed.
However, where could he find them?
Xiao Ruxun was very vexed by this.
The problem of selecting talents was destined to last for a long time. Selecting talents was a difficult problem that had existed for thousands of years. No one had ever solved it perfectly, so it could not be rushed. What Xiao Ruxun needed to do now was to communicate with the generals that he was going to bring south and arrange tasks for them.
As the commander-in-chief of the expedition to Dongwu, Xiao Ruxun needed to personally assign tasks to his subordinates. The Ministry of War did not participate in such matters. Therefore, after the lively banquet, Xiao Ruxun first talked to Liu Gu and Deng Zilong, the two valiant generals of the southwest. Back then, these two had some unpleasant things in the southwest, mainly because of the treatment of their respective armies. This was very common.
On the battlefield in Korea, the two belonged to the navy and the army respectively. With Xiao Ruxun suppressing them from above, the two of them wouldn't cause any trouble. However, the mission this time required the two of them to fight alone. They had to help Xiao Ruxun restrain the main forces of the Dongyu Dynasty at the border of Yunnan. This would allow Xiao Ruxun to smoothly gain a foothold in Southeast Asia and launch an attack on the heart of the Dongyu Dynasty.
Speaking of which, the relationship and enmity between these two couldn't be separated from the Burmese. The rise and invasion of the Burmese Dongyu Dynasty was basically due to the history of these two's campaigns. However, a few years before the war in Korea, Deng Zilong and Liu Ting had fought against the Burmese in Yunnan with real swords and spears and won. Deng Zilong had even achieved a great victory in Panzhihua and defeated the Burmese army, so he could be considered to have a very good understanding of the Burmese.
Chen Fan first talked to these two people because he wanted to fully understand the current military power of the Dongyu Dynasty.
"These Dongwu people are not weak. On the contrary, they are very capable and good at fighting, especially in the mountains. They are especially good at fighting. Many times, our army can't keep up with their pace in the mountains, so we can win on flat ground but fail to chase them into the mountains. In addition, the local roads are difficult to travel, and a large number of military equipment can't be transported. Therefore, most of the time, we have to fight with light troops and fight at close range. The frequency of using firearms is very low."
Deng Zilong explained worriedly, "So, it's not realistic to expect to use the Wo Nation's tactics in Yunnan. Wo Nation has flat terrain, but there are very few in Yunnan. The areas near the border are densely covered with jungles. Let alone cannons, even muskets can't be used. The most reliable weapons are those small crossbows and short-range soldiers."
Liu Ting also added, "We can't really use our guns in those places. It's hard to transport the cannons there, and it's hard to fire them. Once the cannons are fired, those bastards will all hide in the forest. We can't find them at all, and we don't know where to fire the cannons. In the end, they will come out of nowhere and attack us. Our army has been defeated several times because of the terrain and tactics."
Xiao Ruxun frowned and said softly, "That means the Dongwu people are not used to using firearms?"
Deng Zilong shook his head.
"It's not that they are not used to using firearms. They also have very good firearms. I even saw with my own eyes that they have a firearms unit with muskets and cannons. They are as good as my Daming. Moreover, Barbodes Rhododendri is in their army. He seems to be helping them in battle. It's very hateful."
In this era, whether it was the Burmese, Thai, or Vietnamese, they all employed the Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch as military consultants and mercenaries. They hired them to train their own firearms unit and build a strong army. However, these countries had always been the same as the Daming. They didn't pay much attention to their naval forces, and their navies were almost non-existent. The Daming Navy had an advantage in this aspect.
Xiao Ruxun said, "You two also know that this expedition to the Dongwu Kingdom is a serious matter. Some time ago, the Japanese Governor and Ishibudō made some considerations and made a plan. They decided that the army would not enter the Dongwu Kingdom from Yunnan. Instead, they would take the sea route and land on the coast of Siam. Then, they would join forces with Siam and attack the Dongwu Kingdom from the land."
Xiao Ruxun opened the Nanyang Sea Map on her clothes and pointed out the route she had planned for the two of them.
The two were surprised.
"Siam?"
Xiao Ruxun nodded and said, "The best strategy is to keep the enemy outside of our country and attack the enemy's territory so that they won't dare to attack our border. Moreover, the Siam and the Dongwu Kingdom have been enemies for many years, and they want the Dongwu Kingdom to be destroyed. Just like Korea hates Nihon, the Siam is also our natural ally. If we can get the help of the Siam, I have an 80% chance of destroying the Dongwu Kingdom."
Deng Zilong and Liu Ting were stunned.
"War has never been a matter between two countries. The neighboring countries will inevitably be involved. Although this war is between the Great Ming Empire and Dongwu Kingdom, the Siam Empire and Dongwu Kingdom also have a blood feud. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Isn't it a huge mistake not to ally with such a natural ally?" "That's right. This time, our army will not have more than 40,000 soldiers, which will be less than when we fought the Nihon Kingdom. Therefore, it is necessary to find an ally.
I also know a little about the Siam. The Siam's firearms technology is no less than that of the Daming. Their firearms troops are also quite elite. Although they are not strong enough in close combat, their firearms troops are enough to help the Daming. With them leading the way, providing shelter and some rations, the Daming can avoid a lot of trouble. We can even try to buy rations directly from the Siam to reduce the inconvenience of transporting rations in our country. Our country only needs to transport rations for the two of you. "
Huh?
Deng Zilong and Liu Ting heard something that they were very concerned about.
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