First Minister of Ming Dynasty

First Minister Section 421

Li Wenzhong concluded: "We only have more than half a year to prepare... First, we must build beacon towers, and we must be able to attack decisively when encountering enemy attacks. Second, we must arrange the soldiers and civilians well. We need to practice. As for the third rule, we should seize the opportunity, take the initiative to attack, expel the ministries as much as possible, and clean up the remnants of the Yuan court. The farther they are driven, the better. Other Han people are willing to return. We must find a way to settle down. Weaken Beiyuan's power."

Li Wenzhong's analysis can be said to be penetrating, which is admirable.

Take the initiative to attack, just like the Beacon Tower, it is to protect yourself.

Right now, Daming doesn't have the right to choose whether to fight or not, and everything he does is just for survival.That being the case, even if you have to bear a heavy price, you have to send troops.

And Zhu Wenzheng continued: "Although we want to fight, how to fight is also very particular. Tens of thousands, 10,000+, the army is out of the fortress, mighty and mighty, this is not possible at all! First, there are huge numbers of people and horses, and the consumption is too great. Second, the movements are slow , before we can catch up, the enemy fled thousands of miles away. So we can only dispatch thousands of elite soldiers, carry enough weapons and food, attack decisively, seize the opportunity, and beat all the enemies!"

When Zhu Wenzheng said this, he set his eyes on the seasoning that Zhang Ximeng made, his eyes gleaming... Only those who have fought in the army for many years will know the value of this little thing.

When the Mongolian cavalry swept across the world, they endured hardships and stood hard work, were brave and good at fighting, and looted everywhere. Needless to say, they ate the enemy. In addition, they would dry beef jerky. This kind of beef jerky is as hard as wood and has enough salt. It's certainly not very good, but it can satisfy the hunger, and it is not perishable.

Whenever there is a war, the jerky is put into the sheep urine bubble for preservation, and a few pieces are eaten when hungry, and mare's milk is drunk when thirsty.That's why they can fight everywhere and run amok like a storm, unstoppable.

On the Central Plains, it is impossible to fight like the Mongols, but in the past dynasties, more efforts have been spent on the exploration of military rations.

Military rations need to be durable, easy to carry, and satisfying.

Don't think about fresh vegetables. The military usually carries corn, beans, and rice as staple foods.

Then there is salt, there are some good sauces, and the bad ones can only use a terrible thing like vinegar cloth.It's disgusting to say too much, I really don't know how the former soldiers survived.

Zhang Ximeng implemented many reforms in the army, among which military rations are the most important one.

Dried vegetables, preserved vegetables, lard, bacon, beans, dried fruit, even a little tea, brown sugar from Lingnan... It was Zhang Ximeng who alone raised the military ration to the level of ordinary family meals.

It is equivalent to being pulled from the [-]th floor of hell to the ground.

How else can I say that the soldiers respect Zhang Xianggong very much!

What a nice guy!

However, it was obvious that the next step would be to attack the prairie. The people were sparsely populated, and the peasants couldn't keep up. Dried vegetables, bacon, lard, and even rice grains were not suitable.

Zhang Ximeng heard that there is a kind of military ration, which is to boil the rice, then dry it, then boil it and then dry it... Repeat ten times, the leftovers are broken up and put into pockets, which can be used as military rations.

Ten shi of rice, often only one shi of military rations remains.

Zhang Ximeng shook his head when he heard this. Even if he could still eat it after all this trouble, it only had a little calories, and there was no nutrition at all.

Zhang Ximeng felt that if he wanted to carry it easily, he could accompany the soldiers on long-distance raids.The best thing is flatbread like pot knuckle, or fried noodles.

In the flatbread, you can mix some sun-dried seaweed kelp, crushed in advance, and then use lard to make pastry, and mix it into the noodles.

Instead of pancakes, they are baked in an iron oven and can be stored for a longer period of time.

When eating, it is served with boiled oyster sauce and spread on the cake.

Oyster sauce is stored in porcelain bottles, and the time is still very long.

If you don't have oyster sauce, or you are worried about spoilage, you can't carry it.Just use the prepared MSG powder...that is, shellfish, snails, sea sausage, these things are dried and ground into powder, and salt, seaweed, and kelp can also be added to the powder.

When eating, just dissolve it with some water. If there is a pot, put some clean water and cook a pot of soup, it will be even better, and you can eat some hot food.

clean water?

What should I do?

easy!

Zhang Ximeng tinkered with the set of tools used to filter salt water, and he could make a filtering bucket with gravel, coarse sand, fine sand, and some charcoal.

According to different degrees of dirty water, different times of filtration can almost get drinkable clean water!

But when Zhang Ximeng put this set of things in front of the big guys, everyone fell silent.

Including Liu Bowen and Song Lian, if anyone still dares to say that Mr. Zhang is not doing his job properly, then his brain is purely broken, it is more likely that his conscience is broken, or it may be a combination of both!

It turns out that these seemingly insignificant little things can really become a weapon on the battlefield, defeating the enemy and winning, and there is no disadvantage!

Sapphire was the most excited. He held the oyster sauce bottle in one hand and the filter bucket in the other, his face beaming with joy.

"With this, Fenglang Juxu will be more confident! I'm afraid Huo Qubing wasn't as well-equipped as we were back then!"

Indeed, with Zhang Ximeng around, Daming's logistics level has been greatly improved.

Now these few things can be used as standard artifacts for the Ming army to go straight to the desert.

"Zhang Xiang worked so hard, but we are superficial, so ashamed!" Song Lian bowed again and again.

"Don't put gold on my face. To be honest, I don't need it." Zhang Ximeng smiled sincerely. Yes, he really doesn't need to gain reputation like this.

"The purpose of making these things is indeed to dry the salt, and also to make the dishes more delicious. It is mainly for the daily use of the common people. As for the help to the military affairs, that is secondary. If I have to say something, it is called military and civilian One body, comprehension by analogy!"

Zhang Ximeng once again said earnestly: "This is also the reason why I value technological innovation and progress very much. Let's not talk about anything else. Jia Canzheng's keel waterwheel used to control floods can be used to lift seawater when we get it here. ?”

Liu Bowen frowned, sighed and nodded, "Indeed, that water truck can save a lot of manpower."

Zhang Ximeng said again: "If these things are useful, they can help us defeat the enemy, establish meritorious service, and seal wolves into Xuxu! Does it mean that literati have more poems and articles? They can also record history. So the military and the people can be put together, and the civil and military can also be closely related." Cooperation. For a long time in the past, civil servants were too obsessed with suppressing and guarding against warriors. It's time to change our thinking."

Zhang Ximeng spoke earnestly, especially for Zhu Biao. His Royal Highness is thoughtful, and he has not been in Peiping for a long time, but what he has seen and heard, and the way he handles things has made him feel refreshed.

A little sea oyster powder can make the dishes extremely delicious. This magical thing can also help the army to go on an expedition and solve the important problem of soldiers eating!

You say it's amazing, isn't it amazing!

Zhu Biao felt that there was something fresh to write every day, and his writing was like a spring.

Zhu Wenzheng, Li Wenzhong, Lan Yu, they are all planning to build meritorious service comparable to Huo Hussars, which man can stand this kind of temptation?

They soon encountered the same problem as Huo Huoqi.

The vast grassland, the endless desert... how to find the road, how to accurately find the opponent's lair... What makes Huo Qubing really powerful is not how invincible the battlefield is, although he is also very good at fighting!

The strongest thing about Huo Qubing is that every time he goes into battle, he can accurately find the enemy's lair.

Contrary to him, Li Guang lost his way again and again, never catching up with the crucial battle.

It's not a question of whether he is difficult to seal or not at all, but his contribution is not enough to seal him!

What should I do?

We also need guides!

Where can I find it?

Li Wenzhong went to find Hu Shang, Zhu Wenzheng went to Guan Duo's old Red Turban Army, and as for Lan Yu, he went directly to the merit camp.

"I want to call ten guides, you go and ask!"

Also, Timur agreed first, and when he came back after a short time, he brought more than 100 people in one go... The enthusiasm of the big guy exceeded Sapphire's estimate.

He glanced at the crowd, suddenly his eyes froze, and his jaw almost dropped.

iron pan!

how are you here

You are the Great Yuan Emperor!

We are going to exterminate the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, and we are going to hunt down and kill your subordinates, do you know that?

"I'm familiar with that General Lan, all the way to He Lin, and I'm sure he's much better than them, so just take me there! I want to go out to get some fresh air, too!" Iron Pan almost begged.

Chapter 588 The Pattern of the Champion Hou

Hu Dahai, the Duke of Yue, was kept by Zhang Ximeng's side and did not let him go to lead the army.

"That old Hu, I'm not suppressing you. It's not that His Highness is here. If I send you out, everyone will say that His Highness's safety is at risk. But when you are the Duke of Yue, His Highness can rest easy. No one will say three It's four."

Hu Dahai nodded hurriedly and said, "Mr. Zhang, although I am not old, I also know the importance of cultivating young people. What's more, I have to supervise the repair of the Beacon Tower now. I won't be overwhelmed."

Zhang Ximeng nodded slightly, this is Hu Dahai, a person who always has the overall situation in mind, to be honest, to some extent, he is better than Chang Yuchun...

"Duke Yue, let me ask you something... Do you know that Kublai Khan's two expeditions to the Wa Kingdom failed?"

Hu Dahai was stunned, and said: "I heard that there was a storm, and some people said that the Mongols can only ride horses, not boats, and the defeat is their own fault."

Zhang Ximeng nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "If one day, you are asked to lead the army to attack Japan from Koryo, are you sure?"

Hu Dahai was surprised again. He never expected that Zhang Ximeng would give him Korea and Japan. Isn't this kind of favor a bit overdone?

Today, the structure of the Ming Dynasty has taken shape...Zhu Ying traveled south of Lingnan, and then marched into Yunnan. Tanghe was based in Huguang and led the southwest.

The ultimate goal of the Nanyang Army, Feng Guoyong, Feng Guosheng, Fu Youde, and Ding Pulang, is the Western Regions.

There are not many directions left, and the three strongest generals of the Ming Dynasty have not been dispatched yet.

Hu Dahai felt that in terms of intimacy, he was inferior to Xu Da, and in terms of fighting ability, he was weaker than Chang Yuchun... It was difficult to get an opportunity, and concentrating on building beacon towers was also a good thing for the country and the people. don't fight.

People have the overall situation in mind, but they are not fools.

But Zhang Ximeng said that the direction of Goryeo and Japan should be assigned to Hu Dahai, that is to say, including Liaodong, it is the direction of Hu Dahai's efforts, which is equivalent to handing over half of the northern line to him!

This kind of thing is not a joke, and Zhang Ximeng's words are more effective than Lao Zhu.

Take the management of Koryo as an example. Right now Hu Dahai is in charge of Shanhaiguan. Zhang Ximeng only needs to transfer Guan Duo to Hu Dahai, and then attack Liaoyang on both sides, and then send troops to Koryo.

Zhang Ximeng was able to start with some small things and make arrangements calmly, and in the end it all came to fruition, even Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't say anything.

Especially in matters related to military affairs, the Ministry of Education can't intervene.

So Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor, naturally said one thing, do whatever he wants, and oppose whatever he wants... But apart from the things he strongly promotes, there are also things he strongly opposes, and the rest of the things are not all Zhang Ximeng's decision up.

These small skills are not enough and outsider, but the big guy also understands a little bit.

"Zhang Xiang, as a general, I just want to make meritorious service on the battlefield, to make great contributions! I, I also wish for such a feat of destroying the country!" Hu Dahai clenched his fists excitedly, "Zhang Xiang, I really don't know how to be grateful you!"

Zhang Ximeng waved his hand, "Don't say that anymore. Whoever I arrange is out of publicity. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, I can't arrange these two people. Where they go, they must follow the Lord's will. And Xu Da He is a handsome man, he is a bit overkill when dealing with these two small countries. As for Chang Yuchun, he is a magic weapon, but he is not as careful as you when it comes to some trivial matters. Every general has his own characteristics, Each has strengths and weaknesses. Talents are hired according to their merits, and everyone gets what they want. What I said to you can also be said to the lord, and there is no intention of giving or receiving privately."

Hu Dahai nodded again and again, "I understand. Zhang Xiang entrusted me with the matter, so I have to be able to handle it. If I am like Kublai Khan and defeated the Japanese country again, I am afraid that I will have to change people."

Zhang Ximeng smiled and nodded, "That's right, that's the truth."

After convincing Hu Dahai, the remaining three young generals are not so easy to arrange.

Li Wenzhong, Zhu Wenzheng, and Lan Yu all couldn't wait to grab this credit.

Especially Zhu Wenzheng, who has experience in leading cavalry to attack Shangdu, Li Wenzhong also commanded an army of tens of thousands of people, fought against the Yuan army, and won very well.

In contrast, apart from spying on intelligence and capturing the iron pot, Sapphire has no experience in directly commanding an army, which has become his biggest shortcoming.

Facing the three people, Zhang Ximeng thought twice, and said to Li Wenzhong and Zhu Wenzheng, "This time you are in charge of the sheep attack, and assign the cavalry to Lan Yuwuqian, let him go deep into the desert, and attack the Yuan army hard!"

The two of them stared wide-eyed, why should they give Lan Yu?Where are we worse than him?

Zhang Ximeng smiled and asked them to sit down.

Then Zhang Ximeng took out a bottle of oyster sauce and placed it in front of the two of them.

"Zhu Wenzheng, Li Wenzhong, do you know how long it will take for oyster sauce to go bad if there is no plug?"

The two looked at each other, "We don't know."

"Then if the top is broken, can the bottom be eaten? What should I do?" Zhang Ximeng continued to ask, the two of them were even more lost in the lake, completely dazed.

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "Sapphire told me about it. He said it can last for about half a month. When it's hot, it will be shorter. If it comes to winter, it won't be bad for two or three months. He also said that it will be bad." Yes, as long as you clean off the top, it’s probably edible.”

Zhu Wenzheng and Li Wenzhong looked at Lan Yu with horrified eyes, while Lan Yu leaned back on the chair, and after choosing the tactic, she leaned back with a sullen face, dignified like a mountain, and said nothing, what is a champion!

Zhu Wenzheng and Li Wenzhong also had to admit that this grandson was indeed more careful than them, even considering this detail, they were indeed a step behind.

"Let him take advantage this time, but it won't be so easy next time!" Zhu Wenzheng said angrily.

Lan Yu calmly said, "Zhang Xiang, I am leading the attack this time, and I plan to ask Zhang Xiang to give me the right to act arbitrarily. I have the final say on how to fight and how to fight. Also, if During the battle, the cooperation of other soldiers and horses is needed, and no matter who they are, they must obey my dispatch. Military rations and military supplies must be given priority to me. Those captured on the battlefield will also be arranged by me..."

"You are crazy!"

Li Wenzhong scolded directly, "Lan Yu, how many military regulations have you violated by what you said just now? You don't know? You dare to speak out loudly. Even if you can win, breaking the rules is still a serious crime!"

Zhu Wenzheng also sneered, his ambition was rampant, as expected, the dog's stomach couldn't hold two taels of ghee, and its tail just turned up!

Faced with the doubts of these two people, Lan Yu remained calm, and he still had a trump card in his hand.

"Master Zhang, I know the whereabouts of the son of the iron pot, King Yi Tugusi Timur!"

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help becoming serious, "Really?"

"Indeed, not only do I know him, I also know the whereabouts of Song Lizong's skull!"

As soon as these words came out, Li Wenzhong and Zhu Wenzheng couldn't calm down anymore, they both looked at Lan Yu.Song Lizong's skull is very famous. After the fall of Zhao and Song Dynasties, evil monks robbed the tomb, and the Southern Song Dynasty's imperial mausoleum suffered disaster. Among them, the worst one belonged to Song Lizong. His head was cut off from the corpse, and then split into two , It was also made into a wine bowl.

In the ensuing decades, this special wine bowl kept circulating among Yuan Tinggui's stomachs, and some people showed it off at every banquet.

Zhao Song Dynasty, although shameful, can be called a disgrace.