unclear

Chapter 1192 Be Prepared
"Well, you have some integrity and you won't disgrace your father's reputation. But your father should have taught you that speaking out is not reckless, and you should not belittle yourself before you understand the whole story.

You contradicted me today, and you may contradict the governor and the governor's chief of staff tomorrow. If the entire army is like you, how can commanders at all levels enforce discipline? "

Despite being contradicted repeatedly, Hong Tao not only did not get angry, but even smiled. He first gave a thumbs up to praise this daring general, and then immediately changed the subject and threatened to punish him. The meaning behind his words seemed to be that their relationship was not just an ordinary one.

"This matter has nothing to do with my father. Your Majesty once said in the Royal Academy that people are most willing to hear the truth. There is no need to sugarcoat it with words. I will follow my teacher's instructions and will never forget them!" Until this moment, the general with the golden triangle on his shoulder had no intention of shutting up and actually brought up the emperor's golden words in an attempt to fight poison with poison.

Who was Yang Yuanzhong? Why was he so bold as to challenge the emperor in person? Speaking of which, he was a second-generation official. Yang Yuanzhong was named He, and his real name was Yang Zhiyi. He was the eldest son of Yang Lian, the Minister of Justice.

Back then, Hong Tao advocated that officials should set an example by sending their children to the army to defend the country. He also took the lead in sending his younger brother, Prince Zhu Changying, to serve in the army. Many officials had to follow suit reluctantly. Yang Zhiyi was one of the officials who joined the army at that time, and it has been 19 years.

After Yang Zhiyi joined the army, he performed well. He had a good cultural foundation, a good brain, and a strong ability to learn new knowledge. After completing the recruit training, he entered the army's own training class and studied further according to the textbooks of the Haihu Division.

After graduation, he became a staff officer of the Guard Commander and served in the Northeast Military Command. Since then, he has been stationed in various military commands, and has been stationed in various places across the country and overseas territories. He is considered an experienced veteran.

In the 30th year of Emperor Jingyang's reign, the army's jurisdiction was reformed, and a large number of generals retired. Yang Zhiyi was promoted from commander to deputy chief of staff, and took office in the Central Command. Three years later, he took over the post of chief of staff, and was initially awarded the rank of Huaiyuan General from the third rank.

The commander-in-chief was supposed to accompany the emperor on this expedition, but he had somehow persuaded Omubu to come instead. He behaved well all the way from Fao Port, and lived up to the triangular gold star on his shoulder. But he seemed to have inherited Yang Lian's habit of liking to give direct advice, and he wanted to carry it forward in the army.

"Don't make it sound so nice. It's just that we didn't send your Central Commander to the front. I emphasize again that merit is used to encourage soldiers, but we can't just focus on military merit. Victory in battle is the most important thing. Don't lose sight of the main goal."

Why did Yang Zhiyi contradict him in person? Hong Tao knew it in his heart. It was true that Yang Zhiyi and his son were both upright officials, but that was only compared to most officials. They were not straightforward. No one who could reach a high position would say what he thought. An honest person could not do this job.

The three thousand households of the Central Military Command had not gained any military merit since they landed at Fao Port. The first battle was led by the Warrior Battalion and the city of Basra was commanded by Lei Lao Hu, which naturally benefited the Central and Eastern Military Command.

There were basically no large-scale battles in the subsequent cities. Seeing that Damascus was the last battle, the main attacking mission was still undertaken by the five thousand households of the Central and Eastern Military Commission and the Northern Military Commission. Yang Zhiyi couldn't help feeling anxious.

According to the calculation method of the Ming army and navy, the military merit of the troops who followed the emperor and those who took on the main combat mission would be very different. If the battle ended like this, the soldiers of the Central Command would have followed the emperor for nothing, watching others eat meat while they didn't even have a drink of hot soup.

As the commander leading the army, he must fight for his soldiers. This level of battle is hard to come by, and the military merit is also the highest level. Most soldiers have served for more than ten years and have never caught up with one, so they can't give up so easily.

"… I have some selfish motives, but the battle situation is clear, and it is inevitable to send more offensive forces." Yang Zhiyi was a little stuck when his little thoughts were exposed by the emperor in public, but he did not give up and used his shameless skills again. If Yang Lian was present at this time, his face would probably be red. He has been upright all his life, but in the end, his son was raised like this, just like the scoundrels in the street, who refused to admit defeat even though he had lost.

"How shameless of you! Who told you that the battle situation is clear? Lei Lao Hu, give him the new plan. If he still wants to go to the front after reading it, I won't stop him. I will withdraw your Central and Eastern Division and replace him with the Central Division.

But no matter what the result is, Chief of Staff Yang has lost his merit in this battle. He disobeyed the overall situation for selfish reasons, and this example should not be allowed to continue. Report this to the entire army after returning, and let them learn from it!"

If Yang Zhiyi stopped talking back, Hong Tao would not pursue the matter further. But he still did not repent, so he could only be used as a chicken to kill for the monkeys in the room.

The habit of stealing military merits is definitely not developed in one day, and Yang Zhiyi is definitely not the only one who has it. This is a good opportunity to express my attitude and ask them to be more restrained. Everything should be done in moderation, and too much is as bad as too little.

"…Your Majesty thinks the Ottomans can cross the swamp?"

After taking the folder handed over by Lei Lao Hu and reading two pages at a glance, Yang Zhiyi had another question. It was clearly written that the 3,000 army troops and 500 warrior battalions left in the camp were not the reserve troops for attacking the mountain road.

There was no need for reserve troops there, they fought during the day and rested at night, and as long as there was a supply of dry food, canned food and ammunition, there was no need for rotation. These 3,500 troops were responsible for the defense of the camp, mainly to prevent large-scale sneak attacks from the east and south by the Ottoman cavalry.

In the past few days, people have been working in shifts day and night to dig trenches and foxholes. The emperor even sent out the guards to serve as laborers in order to speed up the progress and complete the construction of the preset positions before the most demanding fighting on the mountain roads.

"It's good to be cautious. After all, this is not our home ground, and we are not familiar with the nearby mountains and rivers. If the enemy cannot be confronted head-on and has nowhere to escape, we will take risks. Things that seem impossible at ordinary times may be possible.

I didn't bring out this plan in advance because I was afraid that it would affect your emotions and make you unable to concentrate on the battle. Now that you have been forced to tell me, don't think too much about it. It's just a precautionary measure and it won't necessarily..."

Hong Tao was not even 50% sure whether the Ottomans would cross the swamp or take a detour to launch a surprise attack. But cunning people would always be careful in everything they did, and this plan and more than 3,000 troops were the last resort.

But I can't tell the generals that I have no confidence at all, and I just felt unsafe, so I deliberately withheld more than one-third of the troops from participating in the battle. That would lose my prestige, so I have to beautify it and say that cowardice is careful and thoughtful.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, a flare was lit in the east!" Unfortunately, before he could finish installing it, the Flathead Brother suddenly rushed in, pointing to the east with a look on his face...it could be surprise, or it could be delighted.

(End of this chapter)