Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 95, Zhai Xun's Advice

Zhai Xun presented a map. The map was just an ordinary map of Jinling, but what was unusual was that the map detailed the situations of various forces in the Jinling area.

For example, the two largest forces were the Chishan bandits and the Hengshan bandits, who occupied the Chishan and Hengshan areas outside Jinling respectively. They had over 10,000 soldiers, and all the counties and towns at the foot of the mountains were subservient to them.

Zhai Xun marked it with cinnabar and wrote:
"Tang Yan, the bandit from Chishan, was a violent man. His bandits were known for their cruelty. They occupied counties and towns and made a living by plundering the surrounding areas. They would often exterminate entire families. The people were so afraid of him that they fled to other places and called him Tang the Barber."

"Zhu San, a bandit from Hengshan, was moody and illiterate. He took Hengshan as his base, built a mountain gate, enslaved the people from the surrounding counties and towns, and forced them to farm to meet his needs. The people called him Zhu Ba Pi."

There is also another place, also marked by Zhai Xun, called Jurong, which is a small county town located between Jinling and Zhenjiang.

Zhai Xun marked this place as occupied by a group of Taoists, who led the people to farm and weave mulberry trees and fight against bandits. They were the only clear stream among the many bandits.

Zhai Xun added an extra note on it: "The plan is very big", which made Fang Yong look sideways.

Looking at the map, Fang Yong nodded repeatedly.

With this map, it will be much easier to quell the banditry in the Jinling area.

Although it would be a little easier, the fundamental problem was still not solved, that is, the bandit problem in the Jinling area was too strong. The Chishan bandits and the Hengshan bandits alone had more than 10,000 soldiers each and occupied the natural defenses of the mountains, making them difficult to attack.

It also says that the two have recently formed an alliance and are supporting each other, which makes things even more difficult.

In addition, there are other large and small bandits below, some of whom occupy the mountains and some occupy the water. They are entangled with each other and cannot be wiped out in a short time.

It seems that I can only solve it slowly later...

Fang Yong sighed and put down the map.

Zhai Xun saw Fang Yong sighing and said:

"General, I think you are troubled by the bandits near Jinling, which is why I am offering this map to you."

Fang Yong nodded and said:
"The map that Boyan presented is of great merit. I will record this achievement for Boyan!"

Zhai Xun shook his head and said:

"General, you have misunderstood. I presented this map not to seek credit, but to offer advice!"

Fang Yong's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he felt that this scene was very familiar.

"Bo Yan, please speak!"

Fang Yong asked for advice.

Zhai Xun then stepped forward, unfolded the map, and placed his finger on the location of Chishan.

At this moment, Zhai Xun's back couldn't help but straighten up a lot, looking even more elegant.

"General, please take a look. Although there are many bandits in Nanjing, most of them are not serious. They are all led by the two bandits Chi and Heng. The Chishan bandit Tang Yan makes a living by plundering. He has no foundation. The people in his jurisdiction have all fled. Now he is unable to make ends meet and it is difficult to survive. Although the Hengshan bandit Zhu San is fishing in a dry pond, he is better than Tang Yan and still has a lot of savings."

"These two bandits are the leaders of the Jinling bandits. They use the Erganli River as a boundary to divide their territory and do not interfere with each other. However, a few days ago, Tang Yan suddenly crossed the river to rob, using the Feng Shui theory as an excuse. The truth is that the Chishan bandits are short of money and their income is not enough to cover their expenses. They are unable to maintain themselves, so they use this as an excuse to provoke a fight with the Hengshan bandits."

Fang Yong nodded. It turned out that the two bandits were not completely united, but there was already a rift between them.

"Then why did these two form an alliance again?"

Fang Yong asked doubtfully.

Zhai Xun continued:

"After this incident, Tang Yan and Zhu San were already at loggerheads and were about to go to war, but because the general had captured Yangzhou and was coming along the river, the two bandits heard of the general's reputation and were frightened, so they became allies with the intention of fighting the general together."

"This is like two wolves joining forces to fight a tiger. When the general arrives, the two wolves join together; when the general leaves, the two wolves separate; all because of the general."

Fang Yong suddenly realized that this was the case. It was his arrival that made the two guys feel threatened, so they united together to keep each other warm.

Zhai Xun said at this time:

"These two people are a threat to Nanjing, and also to the general. I am incompetent, but I am willing to use the strategy of sowing discord to make these two bandits kill each other. I only ask the general to send me 3,000 soldiers to assist. Then we can definitely wipe out the banditry and stabilize Nanjing." Upon hearing this, Fang Yong looked at Zhai Xun, only to see that Zhai Xun was in high spirits at this time, and exuded an extreme self-confidence.

However, the moment Fang Yong's gaze turned over, Zhai Xun's back immediately bent down.

The confidence on his face turned into humility.

"Please make the decision, General."

Zhai Xun said.

Fang Yong was stunned, wondering what had this guy been through?

It’s so…

Shaking his head, Fang Yong walked up to Zhai Xun.

Then he reached out and straightened Zhai Xun's back.

Zhai Xun was a little dazed.

Fang Yong smiled and said, "I know a man who joined my army when he was 76 years old. He can still compare himself to Jiang Shang and Bai Li Xi. Bo Yan is only 30 years old this year. Why does he act like this?"

……

Fang Yong did not stay in Nanjing for long before heading towards Chuzhou.

He ordered Zhang Yuan to lead 20,000 elite troops to garrison in Nanjing. Zhai Xun was also left behind to be fully responsible for the bandit issues outside Nanjing. If necessary, Zhai Xun could requisition Zhang Yuan's 5,000 troops for use.

The business side was handed over to Shen Tu, while the government affairs were handed over to Guo Yu.

There is no need to say much about Shen Tu. As for Guo Yu... he is the third son of the Guo family and the nephew of Guo Bai.

Of course, Guo Yu and Guo Bai have different personalities, at least not at the moment.

Guo Yu had been serving in the Huaiyin Army, in charge of clerical work.

He was initially forced to come here by Wu Yuan, but as time went by, he became familiar with military affairs and did a pretty good job.

Now that Jinling is in a state of disrepair, it needs hardworking and dedicated people like Guo Yu.

Let’s not talk about Fang Yong’s journey to Chuzhou for now, but let’s talk about the other side, Xuzhou.

At this time, Ma Laohei had been attacking Xuzhou for more than twenty days.

The army surrounded Xuzhou, and the surrounding areas such as Xiaopei and Xiaoxian were firmly occupied by the Huaiyin army.

However, Xuzhou was a strong city after all, and the city was not empty like Yangzhou. In addition, the letter for help had already been sent out, and the imperial reinforcements were arriving soon. The morale of the officers and soldiers in Xuzhou City not only did not decline, but became increasingly high, and the resistance was naturally more tenacious.

"The imperial court's reinforcements will arrive soon. If we hold out for ten days at most, the enemy will retreat. Then everyone will be rewarded!"

The general of Xuzhou encouraged his soldiers in this way.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers guarding the city thought that they had already defended the city for twenty days, and if they could defend the city for ten more days they would be rewarded, so they worked even harder.

outside the city.

"Military Advisor, when will the turning point you mentioned come? If it doesn't come, it may affect the general's deployment. Why don't I lead the army to attack at the risk of my life? Even if more brothers are sacrificed, it will be worth it if we can capture Xuzhou!"

Wu Yuandao:
"General Ma, please do not be impatient. If you risk your life to attack, it will be fine if you can take Xuzhou. If not, once the imperial court's reinforcements arrive, I am afraid our army will be attacked from both sides, which will be a disaster."

Ma Laohei was shocked and thought to himself that it was indeed true.

At this moment, a scout came to report:
"Report, the imperial court's reinforcements are arriving from Dangshan!"

Wu Yuan smiled faintly and said:
"The turning point has come!"

(End of this chapter)