Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

Zhang Da was somewhat intimidated when a burly military officer suddenly stood up in the hall, wanting to ask him a question. He glanced at Wan Yuanji beside him, who stepped forward and gestured to Zhang Da for introductions.

"Zhang, the county magistrate, and this is General He Renlong, the commander-in-chief of Shaanxi."

It was He Renlong!

He had heard of this person's name both in his past life and now, so he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and performed the proper courtesies.

"So it's General He! I've long admired your name! I've heard of your many victories against bandits in Shaanxi and Henan, and I've always held you in high esteem. To see you in person today is truly an honor—did you have some questions just now?"

He Renlong took a step forward, sized up Zhang Da, who thought he was the one loading the goods, and then asked...

"Magistrate Zhang, even if we are only fighting Zhang Xianzhong in Fang County and Zhushan, the military situation is constantly changing. Even I sometimes do not know the full picture. You, Magistrate Zhang, are far away in Shaoyang, thousands of miles away. You have neither military reports nor scouts. How can you possibly know Zhang Xianzhong's route into Sichuan accurately?"

When He Renlong raised these doubts, the generals, who had been troubled for many days, immediately looked at Zhang Da.

Damn it! Would you believe me if I said I'm a time traveler? Would you believe me if I said I have a cheat code?

Fortunately, Zhang Da wasn't thinking about his bed in Shaoyang County and the things on it every day during his travels... He had already thought about this kind of thing beforehand.

Suddenly, Zhang Da's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice...

"Reporting to General He, to the Commander-in-Chief, and to all the officials and generals. Although I am in a remote rural area, I have never forgotten my duty to the country. Seeing the people being displaced, bandits rising up everywhere, and people being displaced, how can I not be worried and fearful day and night? Naturally, I hope that the bandits can be quelled as soon as possible, so that the people of the world can return to peace and stability."

Therefore, although I live in the countryside, I have been constantly inquiring about military intelligence from various sources, whether it be the deployment of government troops or the movements of bandits. Whenever I have any news, I will carefully record it and ponder it repeatedly, hoping to find a way to quell the rebellion and do my part for the court and the world.

Yang Sichang, seated in the main seat, smiled and nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, showing anticipation for Zhang Da's next words and gesturing for him to continue.

"At that time, Zhang Xianzhong was trapped in the mountains of Fang County and Zhushan. To the north, General He and the Shaanxi border army were guarding Yunyang. To the east, General Zuo Liangyu was stationed in Gucheng. To the south, General Wang Yunfeng blocked northern Hunan. He was surrounded on all sides. Only the road to the west in Sichuan, which seemed dangerous, was actually his only chance of survival..."

Hearing Zhang Da say this, He Renlong was not surprised. There were quite a few people in the camp who had the same idea as Zhang Da, but why was he able to predict that Zhang Xianzhong would go to the place where he was going?

He Renlong immediately pressed for an answer.

"Even if he were to enter Sichuan, there are countless mountain roads along the border of Sichuan and Hubei. Why did you specifically determine that he would take the most dangerous Daning Pass, rather than Zhenping, Wuxi, or some other route?"

"The road to Zhenping is mountainous and densely forested, with miasma everywhere. Moreover, the journey is long and arduous. Zhang Xianzhong's food supplies have run out, and his soldiers are exhausted. They are simply unable to sustain the long march."

The Wuxi route is a rugged mountain road, easy to get lost, and the local chieftains are entrenched and have always been at odds with the bandits. If Zhang Xianzhong takes this route, he will not only have to guard against government troops, but also against the chieftains' sneak attacks, and it will be a dead end.

The other routes were either heavily fortified by government troops or had open terrain unfavorable for bandits to hide in. Only the Jiudaoliang and Daning Pass route, though extremely treacherous, was the shortest route from Fang County into Sichuan. Moreover, the narrow mountain roads made it difficult for large government troops to deploy, allowing him to advance with elite light cavalry and avoid encirclement. Wasn't it precisely for this reason that Zhang Xianzhong ultimately escaped danger? Therefore, I, a humble citizen, conclude that he will definitely take this route.”

Zhang Da finished speaking in one breath, then unceremoniously downed the tea in the cup on the table. Keep in mind, he was currently surrounded by a group of civil and military officials staring wide-eyed, waiting to see him make a fool of himself; there wasn't even a map of the mountains.

It's not even worthy of being called theoretical strategizing!

However, Zhang Da described each route in great detail and with remarkable accuracy, and his confident tone made it seem as if he had actually been to those places...

"Wonderful...wonderful!"

After hearing this, He Renlong stood there stunned for a long time before suddenly slapping his thigh, both sighing and laughing.

"Lord Zhang is truly insightful! To be able to understand the bandits' thoughts so thoroughly, I am truly impressed! I was very rude just now, please forgive me."

After saying this, He Renlong solemnly cupped his hands to Zhang Da, then turned and returned to his seat in the military officers' section.

However, at this moment, a murmur of whispers arose inside the hall, many of which expressed admiration for Zhang Da.

Upon seeing He Renlong take his seat, civil and military officials, including Li Guodong, the military commander of Huguang, the prefect of Xiangyang, and the provincial judicial commissioner of Huguang, rose to ask questions. Some asked how to appease the displaced people and restore production after the bandits were quelled.

Some asked how to rectify official corruption and eliminate bribery in the Henan and Huguang areas to prevent the people from being forced to revolt again.

Some asked how to reorganize and train troops to improve combat effectiveness, given the corrupt garrison system.

Others asked how the court should deal with the border threat posed by the Later Jin dynasty, which was eyeing the border with hostility.

Anyway, the questions they asked became increasingly tricky, until Zhang Da finally felt that they were deliberately making things difficult for him and wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

Besides, what does Zhang Da know? Could the already declining Ming Dynasty be saved by itself? Asking these questions is useless for Chongzhen!

So Zhang Da casually said a few words to get rid of them.

After dismissing them, another general in armor stood up from the military officers' seats on the left and walked excitedly toward Zhang Da.

Before Yang Sichang could even raise his hand to introduce them, the general took the initiative to introduce them.

"Lord Zhang, I, Deputy Commander Zhang Yingyuan, was able to lead troops to ambush Zhang Xianzhong at Daning Pass and achieve great merit only because I listened to your advice. It's all thanks to you!"

"So it's General Zhang, I've heard so much about you." Zhang Da stood up again, respectfully returning the greeting, and quickly exchanged pleasantries.

"Commander, Magistrate Zhang has come from afar without resting. It would be extremely impolite of us to treat him like this. I noticed that Magistrate Zhang was terribly thirsty just now. Why don't we serve him some wine to wash away the dust of his journey?"

Upon hearing this, the generals cheered even louder and readily agreed. Yang Sichang also seemed to be in a good mood today, and despite the objections of the civil officials on the right, he insisted on serving wine.

Jars of wine and bowls of meat and vegetables were brought out one after another.

The previously solemn and murderous scene instantly transformed into a lively banquet with clinking glasses.

众宾欢也

At first, Zhang Da was hesitant to eat and a little reserved, but after seeing Yang Sichang personally drink a few cups and eat a few bites, Zhang Da no longer hesitated and began to eat and drink heartily.

After all, I haven't eaten anything good in the past ten days.

The sounds of laughter and jokes filled the air. After about half an hour of drinking, Zhang Da was also slightly tipsy. Just as he was fantasizing about pretending to be drunk and being carried away to be served by several beautiful women, and being able to try some new positions...

Yang Sichang, who was seated, suddenly stood up.

"Gentlemen, let us raise our glasses and wash away the dust of travel for Magistrate Zhang."

Immediately, shouts of celebration from the generals echoed from inside the hall.

"Alright, all the generals here have asked you, Zhang Da, questions and have been your students. Today, let me, Yang Sichang, also be your unworthy disciple."