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When Zhu Xieyuan suppressed the chieftains in Guizhou, he also went to survey the terrain in person.

What is marked on the map or what the spies say is not as real as seeing it with your own eyes. Only by actually going to that place can you have a clear understanding of the terrain of war.

Of course, it was too dangerous to go to the rebel territory, so Zhu Xieyuan pretended to be training troops, and even his aide Wang Tingshi didn't know that he had left Nanchang.

This guy disguised himself as an old man traveling to Guangdong to visit relatives, boarded a merchant ship transporting porcelain, and observed the topography of both sides of the Taiwan Strait along the way.

"Sir, over there is Jinshui, which leads to Shanggao County and Wanzai County." The guide was recommended by the censor Chen Yuding, who is familiar with Jiangxi geography. Get off the boat at Zaixian County, and then go straight over the mountains and ridges to Yichun. Yichun is the territory of the sweeping king..."

Zhu Xieyuan interrupted: "Isn't Yichun the territory of Zhao Thief?"

The guide corrected: "No, the three counties of Yichun, Pingxiang and Yongxin are all the territory of the sweeping king. If the Zhao thief cannot be eliminated quickly, the four counties of Fengcheng, Qingjiang, Fenyi and Xinyu can be recaptured first to make the Zhao thief A lot of business tax and iron ore were lost."

Zhu Xieyuan nodded in approval, and at the same time he paid more attention to the navy. In Jiangxi, he had to march along the rivers.

At that time, Chen Youliang occupied the entire territory of Jiangxi. If Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to eat Chen Youliang, he would have to win the Poyang Lake water battle.

Zhu Xieyuan pointed to the east bank and asked: "I see there is another river within the river bank. What river is that?"

The guide replied: "That's the old Fuhe Road. Starting from Nanchang along the old Fuhe Road, you can go southwest to the rear of Fengcheng County. You can send a surprise army to go day and night and hide in the mountains southeast of Fengcheng County as an ambush." . From Nanchang, along the old path of Fuhe River, you can enter the current Fuhe River to the southeast, and then turn into a tributary after reaching Fuzhou. You can send surprise troops to cross the mountains and go straight to Yongfeng County and Jishui County to attack the base nest of the rebels. "

Suddenly, a merchant ship passed a bustling river mouth town.

Zhu Xieyuan asked: "What kind of town is this?"

The guide replied: "Xigang Town, this small river is a tributary of the old path of Fuhe River. Although it is just a small river, when there is a flood, this is the only river connecting Ganjiang River and Fuhe River south of Nanchang, so at the mouth of the river There are several floodgates specially installed.”

After another ten miles, we reach Fengcheng County.

The merchant ship did not dock until it reached Zhangshu Town, where it finally docked to supply drinking water and food.

Zhu Xieyuan did not dare to get off the ship, but hid in the cabin and took out a map to digest what he had seen and heard today.

The next day, after the merchant ship set sail, Zhu Xieyuan continued to observe outside the cabin.

This section of the waterway is very magnificent, with mountains on both sides and the Gan River passing through it.

The guide pointed to Xingan County and said: "Occupying this city can control the north and south of the country. Grandpa Yue and Han Shizhong both trained here. Moreover, by sending troops from Xingan County, they can bypass the riverside mountains and attack Xiajiang County directly by land. , Jishui County."

The more Zhu Xieyuan looked at it, the more headache he got. He couldn't understand it with just a map. It was only through on-site observation that he realized how terrifying it was.

Jiangxi's landscape is perfect for fighting, and there are too many battlegrounds for military strategists.

If you want to conquer the rebels, Linjiang Fucheng must be captured, but it is very difficult to attack by force.

Even if Linjiang Prefecture is captured, Zhao Thief can still guard Xingan County.

Even if Xingan County is captured, Zhao Thief can still guard Jiajiang County, Jishui County, and Ji'an Prefecture. These cities are all blocked by mountains and rivers.

Moreover, due to the large mountains, the marching route of the officers and soldiers was very single. Even if you can send surprise troops to bypass the enemy, you can only send a small group of surprise troops because you have to climb mountains and ridges to bypass the enemy.

The officers and soldiers had a single marching route, which meant that Zhao Thief's defense was easy.

The Zhao thieves could have completely avoided the water battle, hid the navy, guarded the city, and waited for work. When the officers and soldiers were exhausted, they advanced by water and killed them until they fled in confusion.

Zhu Xieyuan thought to himself: We cannot fight city by city. We must lure the rebels out for a decisive battle. Otherwise, if we fight an offensive and defensive war against the rebels, we will not be able to eliminate them even after ten years.

The riverside cities in Jiangxi are outrageous. Those small county towns are all built beyond specifications.

The main reason is that there are frequent floods, which can easily damage the county seat. Every time the county town was destroyed, funds were raised to repair it, and then it was built even grander and stronger. The defensive nature of the county here is far superior to that of most state cities in other provinces!

It can't be fought, it really can't be fought in offensive and defensive battles.

All the way south, he entered the cabin when he reached the shore and left the cabin when he left the shore. Zhu Xieyuan arrived in Wan'an County a few days later.

Seeing the scale of Wan'an County and the towering mountains on both sides of the river in front of him, Zhu Xieyuan felt his scalp numb.

According to the guide, the guest soldiers from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian could only go north from here to suppress the bandits, otherwise they would have to make a large circle, making it impossible to form a north-south pincer attack.

The rebels don't need to do anything else. They only need a few chains across the river to blind the soldiers from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.

Even if the chains are dealt with, Wan'an County is still blocked there.

The city wall of this county is more than 7 meters high. To the west is the Ganjiang River, to the east are mountains, and to the south are mountains.

If officers and soldiers attack from the south, they must first capture the mountains south of the city, or go around to the north and attack the city (very dangerous). It seems that the city wall is not as good as Nanchang City, but combined with the beautiful scenery, the difficulty of conquering this city is no different from that of Nanchang City.

After passing Wan'an County, it is the territory of the government.

Zhu Xieyuan met Fujian Governor Zou Weilian in Ganzhou. The two chatted for a while and then began to discuss the matter of suppressing bandits.

Zou Weilian sighed and said, "Well, after we stationed troops in Ganzhou last year, we have been reorganizing the army due to the deterioration of military discipline, lack of food and grass, and insufficient warships. We originally wanted to attack Ji'an this spring, but we sent spies many times, and the place was heavily guarded. A few days ago, the number one general of the rebels, Zhao Yaonian, led his troops to personally guard Wan'an County."

"Confused, why didn't you attack Wan'an last year?" Zhu Xieyuan asked.

Zou Weilian said: "The Fujian guest soldiers entered Jiangxi, and the military discipline was very bad. I must clean up the army. Moreover, although the Zhao thieves did not occupy Wanan last year, Wanan was occupied by two bandits named Fang. Only a thousand people are required to garrison, and this time The city would be difficult to attack. If I sent troops to occupy Wan'an at that time, the Zhao thieves would definitely attack with a large force. He had the advantage of the navy, so he did not need to recapture Wan'an, but could send troops directly to Ganzhou. Without preparation, I really did not dare to send troops easily. .”

Zhu Xieyuan said: "Last winter, Zhao thieves were attacking Fengcheng County and fighting with Guangxin soldiers and Fuzhou soldiers in Jishui. How could they have the time to go south?"

"But it's so far away, I don't know," Zou Weilian said, "The spies I sent to Ji'an didn't find out that Zhao Thief was making any big move. There is only one possibility. Zhao Thief didn't use all his strength last winter. Zhao Thief didn't use all his strength last winter. If you use all your strength, you will be ordered to gather peasants and soldiers. The supervisor knows that under the rule of Zhao Thief, every household must send out peasants and soldiers for training. Once they are all recruited for battle, the number of troops may exceed 20,000!"

Zhu Xieyuan was silent. He knew the news and had no way to deal with it.

The Zhao thieves divided their fields among the common people. In order to keep their property, the common people sent people from every family to train into an army. He worked for the people in his spare time and as a soldier in wartime. He fought for his own land, and his morale even exceeded that of the officers and soldiers. I heard that Yang Jiamo was captured by a group of peasant soldiers.

Zhu Xieyuan changed the subject and asked: "Has the civil unrest in Guangdong and Guangxi not subsided yet?"

"How can it be so fast," Zou Weilian said, "Shen Fushuai (Shen Youlong) sent a letter a few days ago, saying that most of the rebels in Guangdong have been eliminated, and they will go to Guangxi to suppress the bandits next."

"It seems that we can only find a solution from Hunan." Zhu Xieyuan said.

Today's Huguang is divided into two war zones.

The area north of the Yangtze River in Huguang, referred to as Hubei, is under the jurisdiction of Lu Xiangsheng, Prime Minister of the five northern provinces.

The area south of the Yangtze River in Huguang, referred to as Hunan, was under the jurisdiction of Zhu Xieyuan, the governor of the five southern provinces.

Zou Weilian said: "Hunan must send troops, and they can directly penetrate the Zhao thief's lair. By then, the Zhao thief will be attacked from three sides, from the north, south and west, and the Zhao thief will definitely be unable to do anything."

Zhu Xieyuan said: "The three counties of Yichun, Pingxiang and Yongxin are trying to wipe out the land king and steal the territory for the rebels. I will order all the prefectures and counties in Hunan to recruit their own troops and wipe out the land king first. It is best if we can force this person to surrender. Only when Hunan is established Only after we have established an army can we start a major war. It is impossible to use troops again within this year. Once we use troops, we will definitely lose."

Zhu Xieyuan was really not in a hurry to suppress the bandits. During the Tianqi year, he conquered the chieftains of Sichuan and Guizhou, and fought for several years. In the middle, Ding You went home to mourn for three years, and then went to Sichuan and Guizhou to become the governor. All in all, it lasted nearly ten years.

He believed that the government should be rectified first, the corvee should be reduced, the army should be trained, and then the rebels should be dealt a fatal blow.

Zou Weilian complained bitterly: "I'm afraid that before next year, the Fujian soldiers will be in chaos."

"Why is that so?" Zhu Xieyuan asked doubtfully.

Zou Weilian said: "My whole family was kidnapped by Zhao thieves, and all the close relatives were kidnapped."

Zhu Xieyuan was immediately speechless.

Zou Weilian said: "Even if I can ignore my mother, wife and children, who will believe it? That Zhao thief was cunning and sent people to spread rumors that I had become a thief. Now the generals in the army suspect that I have become a thief. Moreover, these The soldiers are from Fujian. I don't allow them to plunder in Jiangxi, and I don't allow them to withhold military pay. They have already been resentful of me. The soldiers in Fujian... I can't hold them back anymore. Before this autumn harvest, if we don't send troops quickly, those soldiers will be killed. The general will surely take advantage of the autumn harvest to plunder the countryside."

"We can't fight within this year," Zhu Xieyuan sighed. "When I first came to Jiangxi, I found that the officers and soldiers were very difficult to use. They had to train for at least a year before they could fight. Moreover, the soldiers in Hunan were not formed into an army and could not form a three-sided encirclement. Once a forceful attack was carried out, it would be difficult to There is a chance of winning. I will have to besiege Linjiang City alone for several months with a large army."

Zou Weilian said: "The government is training its troops, but the rebels are not training their troops? The longer it is delayed, the stronger the Zhao thief will be. His territory has had good harvests year after year, and the government's jurisdiction is hard to describe!"

"Do you have anyone who can control the soldiers' confidants?" Zhu Xieyuan asked.

Zou Weilian shook his head and said, "No, these Fujian generals are used to being arrogant and domineering. They all participated in smuggling in the past and have always looked down upon the imperial court."

Zhu Xieyuan had an even bigger headache. He wanted Zou Weilian to divide his troops.

No matter how many Fujian troops are stationed in Ganzhou, the attack on Wan'an County cannot be launched. One-third can be divided and detoured to Fuzhou. Jiangxi officers and soldiers can also be sent to join forces and attack Yongfeng County from the east over the mountains. At that time, the rebels will be surrounded on all sides.

But under the current situation, let alone dividing the Fujian army, they might cause trouble even if they get together.

It is so difficult to be the governor of the Ming Dynasty. He is very hard-working and only one part can be used in fighting.

What are you going to do with the remaining nine cents of thought?

Dealing with Emperor Chongzhen, dealing with court battles, dealing with local civil officials, dealing with domineering generals, dealing with eunuchs supervising the army, dealing with powerful gentry, and racking their brains to raise money and food.

As for rebels, it is enough to rebel wholeheartedly.

Just when Zhu Xieyuan was heading south, surveying the terrain along the river. Zhao Han, a rebel, had already sent out troops in advance, not to attack the government, but to conquer the King of Sweepers.

Pingxiang County must be captured. If you occupy the pass of Pingxiang County, you can block more than half of the Huguang officers and soldiers, thus ensuring the safety of your rear.