weaving

The next day, in the government office in the new city of Suizhou, civil and military officials gathered together.

The civil officials were naturally led by Yuan Shu, the Right Vice Minister of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission and the one in charge of the Daliang Road. In order were Sun Shixiang, the military advisor of the Earl of Yongning, Hu Yiwen, Liu Chengzhu, Ji Gui, the advisor of Cao Cao's camp, followed by Wang Renzhe, the registrar of Suizhou, Liang Ren, the vice prefect, as well as Guo Jinyi, the newly recruited student of Taikang, and Qin Sheng, the scholar of Qi County.

The number of military officers was significantly greater than that of civil officials. The leader was naturally Luo Rucai, the commander and general of Suizhou Guard. Following him was Hu Dayou, the heavy cavalry captain of Tengshe Camp. After him were generals such as Luo Daien, Luo Daide, Yang Shengzu, Yang Chengzu, Wang Long, and Yang Mingqi, as well as six county garrison officers from Guide Prefecture, including Wang Yanbin and Ning Zhen. In addition, there were three others who had been transferred to Yifeng Garrison in Kaifeng Prefecture: Zhang Changtui, Li Zhenhai, and Fang Wenyu, who were garrison officers in Shangshui and Chenzhou respectively.

In addition, there was Zhang Mingyuan, the central officer of the Marquis of Yongning, and a dozen or so guards and personal soldiers. Although the central hall was spacious, it was filled with the officers and generals.

Almost all the civil and military officials below were standing, except for Yuan Shu, the head of the civil officials, and Luo Rucai, the head of the military officials. Not only did they have seats, but each of them also had a small table next to them.

As he listened to the Marquis of Yongning's arrangements, Luo Rucai's face turned pale and then red; the more he listened, the more uneasy he felt...

Luo Rucai originally thought that he could call the shots in Suizhou. Even though he couldn't do whatever he wanted according to the military rules and regulations of the Yongyi Army, he was still the master of Suizhou no matter what.

But now, according to the Yongning Earl's arrangement, he is only in charge of a few squads of soldiers and a hundred or so military settlements. What's the point of that?

Not to mention that the army's money and food depend on the timely allocation by the Earl of Yongning, even the local areas have to watch the mood of Yuan Shu on the other side. Isn't it like they have a pair of parents above them who are in charge?

Luo Rucai grew angrier the more he thought about it, and just as he was about to explode, he heard Ji Gui's voice coming from across the room...

"Commander, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should?"

"Mr. Ji, please speak freely. Let's be frank and open today. The same goes for you all. Whatever you have to say or think, please speak out. Regardless of right or wrong, no one will be punished today!"

After receiving Yongning Earl's assurance, Ji Gui finally spoke up, saying, "Commander-in-Chief, I believe it is highly inappropriate for both the General Commander's and the Prefectural Governor's offices to be located in Suizhou."

"Oh." The Earl of Yongning asked him with a very kind expression, "Mr. Ji, if you think there is anything inappropriate, please elaborate?"

"Commander, although Guide Prefecture is not as vast as Kaifeng Prefecture, it still governs one prefecture and seven counties. However, the Dao Biao and Zhen Biao battalions are both stationed in this small area of ​​Suizhou."

Although the integration of military and political affairs facilitates coordination, the deployment of troops inevitably results in a situation where the north is stronger than the south. If the bandits entrenched in Yinghuo Mountain were to attack, it would be difficult to resist.

After hearing his words, the Earl of Yongning did not rush to answer him. Instead, he picked up the teacup on the general's table and casually blew on the tea foam.

Meanwhile, Luo Rucai looked at Ji Gui with eyes full of admiration, secretly giving him a thumbs up in his heart, praising him: "As expected of my strategist, those words are spot on!"

In contrast, Yuan Shu, who sat above Ji Gui, appeared much more composed, showing no emotion whatsoever, unlike Luo Rucai, whose expressions were too obvious.

Sun Shixiang understood the meaning behind Ji Gui's words. Seeing that the Earl of Yongning did not answer him directly, he guessed that this matter still needed some effort to proceed.

"Mr. Ji, you truly deserve to be called Cao Cao's top strategist. Your insight is so unique that even I am ashamed of my own inferiority!"

Ji Gui immediately replied modestly, "Mr. Sun, you flatter me. I've merely read a few more books; how could I dare to call myself a strategist before you, sir?" Sun Shixiang didn't dwell on the topic. Since he wanted to curry favor with Luo Rucai and Ji Gui, he might as well go all the way. He slowly asked Hu Yiwen beside him, "Gongqiao, what do you think of Mr. Ji's suggestion?"

Hu Yiwen was a quick-witted person, and naturally understood immediately: "Sir, I think Mr. Ji's words make a lot of sense."

"Oh. Then please explain in detail, so that everyone here can give us some advice."

"Guide's center is in Shangqiu. To the east, it borders Xiayi and Yongcheng counties; to the south, it borders Luyi and Zhecheng; to the west, it borders Ningling and Suizhou; and to the north, it borders Yucheng and Kaocheng."

In Wen's view, one of Yuan Shoudao and General Luo should be stationed in Shangqiu to coordinate and manage resources and troops from all sides. This would be very convenient for both restoring production and deploying troops.

After listening to Hu Yiwen's detailed analysis, everyone fell into deep thought. Some people had a simpler and more direct way of thinking, and they mistakenly thought that whoever was in charge of Shangqiu was the boss of Guide Prefecture.

However, under Ji Gui's subtle hints, the Cao camp members remained silent and composed. On the contrary, the newly appointed guards, especially the six guards from Guide Prefecture, including Wang Yanbin and Ning Zhen, seemed more flustered.

Their eyes kept flashing between Luo Rucai and Yuan Shu, trying to figure out who would become the ruler of Shangqiu.

At this moment, Wang Renzhe, the registrar of Suizhou, suddenly spoke up: "Commander, I have something to say, but I don't know if it's appropriate!"

"But there's no harm in talking."

Having received permission from the Earl of Yongning, Wang Renzhe was no longer restrained and said, "As Mr. Ji and Mr. Hu said, now the two standard battalion troops, plus the three guerrilla troops of Cao's camp, and the two garrison troops are all concentrated west of Shangqiu."

As a result, Shangqiu's eastern side is only defended by troops from Yucheng, Xiayi, and Yongcheng. If the bandits Xian and the five bandits from the left suddenly attack, the troops are likely too weak to resist.

Renze believed that Yuan Gong, the governor of Daliang, should establish his office in Shangqiu and transfer the two garrison commanders, Wang and Ning, to Shangqiu for defense. This would provide three battalions of troops in Shangqiu for deployment, so that they could provide timely assistance should there be an emergency in the east.

In the western Suizhou area, four battalions of General Luo's troops were stationed, ready to reinforce Kaifeng in case of an emergency, and could also advance to support the defense of Shangqiu at any time.

In this way, military and political affairs can be separated. Suizhou has many military settlements, which can be handed over to General Luo for full management. The money and grain collected can be used as military funds for the training of troops.

There are not many military settlements in the east of Shangqiu. The focus is on stabilizing the people's hearts and restoring farming. This can be overseen by Yuan Gong, who will protect the merchants, encourage agriculture, and collect taxes to support the commander-in-chief in suppressing the bandits.

In this way, General Luo managed the military settlements and drilled troops in Suizhou, mainly to assist in the defense of Kaifeng and secondarily to support Shangqiu; while General Yuan was stationed in Shangqiu, mainly to govern the local area, restore farming, and also to guard against the invasion of Guide by bandits.

Renze dares to offer this advice; if there is anything inappropriate, please punish me, Commander-in-Chief.

Marquis Yongning, Zhang Cheng, looked at Wang Renzhe and laughed, "You spoke very well, what crime have you committed?"

He then asked the crowd, "What do you all think of the proposal put forward by Registrar Wang?" (End of Chapter)