The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 98: Join forces together

No matter what ideas Zhu Wei had, he had to submit his military strategy to the Yingtian Prefecture's Ministry of War. After the Ministry of War agreed, it would order all counties along the marching route to prepare food and fodder in advance.

All logistics were controlled by the Ministry of War, which meant that the army was in the hands of Zhang Jifu.

"If we win, it's because the officials commanded well. If we lose, it's because the generals are incompetent. Dad, let's not go. It's better not to suppress these Japanese pirates!" Zhu Shenggong said angrily.

Zhu Wei ignored his son.

He rode a horse and brought his personal guards to visit Zhang Jifu as promised.

It was not somewhere else but the Ministry of War, which showed the attitude of handling official business impartially. Zhu Wei felt heavy in his heart. This feeling of being controlled by others was really not good. It was better for him to follow the nobles in the past.

Unfortunately, the retired emperor suppressed the nobles, and no new nobles emerged for many years.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the nobles will just be a decoration in the future, or there may not even be any nobles. Otherwise, why would the emperor formulate a detailed system of servants? Isn't it to appease the military generals?

Although he no longer had any noble titles, his military position could be passed on to his son. This was the purpose of being a Sheren. Although there was no explicit stipulation, it had become a tacit understanding.

I followed the people in, walked through several courtyards, and came to a public housing unit.

At the door of the hall, Zhang Jifu was waiting.

"Lord Budai!"

Zhu Wei was the first to salute with a respectful attitude.

"I've been waiting for a long time. Please come in, General Zhu." Zhang Jifu stretched out his hand and said with a smile.

How could Zhu Wei leave first? He asked Zhang Jifu to go first. The two exchanged pleasantries for a while. Zhang Jifu no longer refused. After entering, he sat down and the servants brought him tea.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Jifu asked, "General Zhu, are you confident that you can completely wipe out the Japanese pirates?"

Zhu Wei didn't dare to lie and said truthfully: "Although the Denglai Navy has been dispatched, I am not sure whether the Denglai Navy can completely destroy the Japanese pirate fleet. Unless the Denglai Navy has done its best, I will be sure to completely wipe out the Japanese pirates on land."

After finishing speaking, Zhu Wei hesitated.

Zhang Jifu noticed this and asked with concern, "Are there any other difficulties?"

Zhang Jifu’s proposal was to appease the enemy.

He was unwilling to agree and thought he would be angry, but unexpectedly he was very friendly. Zhu Wei breathed a sigh of relief and also wanted to ease the relationship between the two, mainly because he was a little wary.

So Zhu Wei quickly said, "I'm also worried that the Japanese pirates will get wind of this and leave early, and the Denglai Navy won't have a chance to destroy their fleet. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. I still don't know enough about the Japanese pirates."

After listening to Zhu Wei's ideas, Zhang Jifu sorted them out and confirmed that most of them were true, as if he could see through Zhu Wei's thoughts.

This person is not difficult to deal with.

It's good to know what you want.

Zhang Jifu then spoke slowly, "Human desires are endless. Everyone has flaws, and the same is true for the Japanese pirates. Many are no longer satisfied with simply looting, but want to go ashore. Therefore, appeasement can keep many people captive."

Zhu Wei didn't understand what Zhang Jifu was referring to and looked at him inquiringly.

Zhang Jifu did not keep anyone in suspense and gave a detailed introduction to the situation of the Japanese pirates, including all the information about the pirate leader Wang Zhi, where he was from, his surname, how much power he had, and even his personality.

Zhu Wei was amazed when he heard this, and he dared not underestimate Zhang Jifu anymore.

Zhang Jifu smiled and said, "I want to do my best, so I recruited them. General Zhu wants to make more contributions, so he is unwilling to recruit them and wants to eliminate them. I always respect people in my work, so I don't object to General Zhu's idea."

Zhu Wei really didn't expect it to be so easy, and he was a little dazed.

Zhu Wei was about to speak.

Zhang Jifu waved his hand.

Zhu Wei's words were stuck in his throat. For some reason, he felt like Zhang Jifu's subordinate. Zhu Wei didn't know how to feel about such behavior. He felt a little dissatisfied, but also felt it was natural.

This Prime Minister's favorite student and future successor truly lives up to his reputation.

Zhu Wei became more and more reserved and didn't dare to act casually.

Zhang Jifu was not surprised. He took the initiative. No one could remain calm in his hands. He said calmly: "General Zhu disagrees with my method. It's fine to propose your method, but things must be done from beginning to end. If we complete the task, it will be a credit to the military for dispatching and also to you for killing the enemy. But if we fail to complete the task, you will bear the responsibility."

Zhu Wei was a little dissatisfied and argued, "Even if I didn't wipe out all the Japanese pirates, I only recovered Taizhou, which is also a merit. I don't need to bear any responsibility."

"My method was to pacify the Japanese pirates and solve the problem. Your method should at least be no worse than mine, so we must completely eliminate the Japanese pirates, that is, do our best." Zhang Jifu didn't care about Zhu Wei's attitude and chuckled, "It's not impossible. I will help you too."

Zhu Wei frowned.

He didn't quite understand Zhang Jifu's thoughts, but he always felt like he was being seen through, which was really awful.

This battle was different from previous ones, and Wang Xin fought very carefully.

For fear of scaring away the Japanese pirates.

Wang Xin actually had no confidence that he could completely wipe out the Japanese pirates. There were too many factors that were beyond his control. It was easy to defeat the Japanese pirates, but it was difficult to keep them all at bay.

So Wang Xin's march was not fast.

It took them sixteen days to meet up with Tang Ping's men on Yangzhong Island and reach Jinhua Prefecture. It was almost the festival time, and the further south they went, the weaker the festive atmosphere became. The people's faces became more worried about the Japanese invasion.

The team of more than 1,300 people was not marching in a very orderly manner due to the long march.

The rear camp had only a little over a hundred animals, but Yangzhou alone provided more than a thousand stones of food, and the Yangzhou Salt Road provided another five thousand taels of military pay. So Lin Ruhai waved his hand and not only met Wang Xin's request for thirty horses, but also gave him more than fifty animals. Together with the jars, cans, large and small baskets, and all kinds of military equipment in large and small bags, the marching speed was obviously much slower.

But it was just as Wang Xin thought.

It was indeed not so easy to get supplies from the counties along the way. Not only were they withheld, but one place even provided moldy food. After I discovered this, the county magistrate didn't take it seriously and told me calmly that I could sue him.

That face makes me want to bite it.

However, this kind of expression is seen a lot. Although it makes people angry, they don’t get angry at all.

But 1,300 people is still too few.

The garrison commander of Jinhua Prefecture, Zhao Yong, who was full of heroic spirit at the beginning, was now untidy and drunk when Wang Xin saw him again. Wang Xin couldn't help but frown and wondered if this man could still be used. However, Liu Tong stepped forward and hugged him without disgust.

Zhao Yong's eyes were numb, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

It was as if he had just recognized Liu Tong.

Zhao Yong spoke unclearly: "You're back?"

"I'm back to fight the Japanese pirates." Liu Tong said with a smile, and patted Zhao Yong's back hard, making a puffing sound.

The dozen or so veterans behind Zhao Yong were also very excited to see Liu Tong.

When Zhao Yong heard the words "fight against the Japanese pirates", he seemed to come back to life. Although he still looked the same as before, his eyes were brighter. Then he looked at Wang Xin who was riding a horse.

Wang Xin was already wearing the uniform of a third-rank military officer.

Zhao Yong was speechless.

This person got promoted really fast.

The first time I met him, he was just a supporting officer. Although I was on the same level as him at that time, I felt a little jealous of him because he was too young. However, not long after, he was promoted three levels and became a guerrilla general, a true general.

"Meet the general."

Zhao Yong was still Zhao Yong. Although he was drunk, he still understood the current situation and knew that the person in front of him was very important.

I didn’t accept it before, but now I have to accept it.

He still remembers the general's instructions to this day, so he is willing to be humble when he is asked to fight the Japanese pirates. This is mainly because Zhao Yong knows Wang Xin's abilities after being influenced by Liu Tong in the past.

"It seems Zhao Zuoji is living a good life."

Wang Xin did not dismount, which meant something.

Although 1,300 people is a little less, it is better to have less than too few. The harm of bad teammates is greater than that of enemies.

Originally, I thought of Zhao Yong's troops. This man was Luo Ming's trusted general. Many old brothers in Luo Ming's army were under his command. Although his fighting style was not the same as his own, it would not be a problem to use him to deal with the Japanese pirates.

I heard from Liu Tong that they have six or seven hundred people. With this force, the pressure of dealing with the Japanese pirates will be much less, and I am confident that I can reduce casualties.

See you today.

But it makes me a little worried.

Experiencing a great catastrophe does not guarantee rebirth, and it is not uncommon to be completely discouraged.

Zhao Yong blushed, but since he was drunk and his face was already red, it was not noticeable.

　The current update schedule is 6:10 pm every day, with 3,000 words per chapter. I strive to publish three chapters a day, with a minimum of two chapters.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)