Tumeng: I am a national advisor in the Golden Family

Chapter 482 Internal Affairs Talents Arrive at Lin'an Mansion
"Wu Xingquan, the magistrate of Yangzhou, pays homage to the eldest prince of Guanzhong. On behalf of all the soldiers and civilians of Yangzhou, I surrender to the king of Guanzhong." Wu Xingquan raised the Yangzhou seal in his hand high and said.

It was so easy to capture Yangzhou City! Not even a single soldier casualty?

For a moment, Zhang Dingguan was a little stunned, because this was his first battle, the first battle since his debut.

"Hahaha! Congratulations to the eldest prince, we have finally captured Yangzhou City." Shi Tianze said from the side.

At the same time, he gave a signal with his eyes, asking Zhang Dingguan to step forward quickly, help the surrendered Yangzhou magistrate up, and let others kneel on the ground. You are not acting like this!

But what happened today was really unexpected. Who would have thought that just as their envoys knocked on the city gate with their front foot, they came out and surrendered.

The effect of this bombing is extremely good! After three days of bombing, the enemy was directly bombed and surrendered.

The tactics of the King of Guanzhong are really easy to use. Continuously using artillery to destroy the enemy, and sending envoys into the city to persuade them to surrender when the enemy's consciousness is weakest can indeed achieve the best results.

Zhang Dingguan also reacted at this time, and hurriedly stepped forward to help Wu Xinquan up kindly.

"Zhizhou has great righteousness. Surrendering to our army for the sake of the people in the city is an act of great righteousness. Wu Zhizhou, please rest assured.

This prince promises that all the people in the city will not be harmed at all by our army.

Our army will not plunder all the wealthy merchants in the city. "Zhang Dingguan said.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the eldest prince. The eldest prince is worthy of being the Queen of Guanzhong. He is indeed unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness and is quite like the king of Guanzhong." Wu Xingquan said.

"Your Majesty the Governor, please follow me to the military camp." Zhang Dingguan made an invitation gesture and summoned Wu Xingquan and a group of surrendered ministers from Yangzhou Prefecture into the Guanzhong military camp.

The significance of capturing Yangzhou is very huge. They have gained a new logistics base. The Guanzhong army can transport some grain from Shandong through Chuzhou to Hangzhou and Yangzhou.

When fighting a war, sometimes the battle is all about logistical consumption, and having a smooth logistical supply line is the most important thing.

That night, Zhang Dingguan held a grand banquet in the Guanzhong camp, and invited all the generals of the Guanzhong Army, the Central Plains generals, the Hebei generals, and two Mongolian households to accompany him.

The banquet that night was very lively, and the discussions between the two parties were quite harmonious. The next day, part of the Guanzhong Army entered Yangzhou City and took over all city defense.

"My eldest prince, our Yangzhou City has a reserve of 60,000 shi of military rations. There are more than 20,000 defenders in total, and there are more than 30 warships. There is a water fort in the river outside the city. In addition, Outside, there are a large number of defense equipment, bows, crossbows and arrows in the city." Wu Xinquan sat in front of Zhang Dingguan. All the details of Yangzhou City were reported.

"Thank you Lord Wu. How long has Lord Wu been the magistrate of Yangzhou City?" Zhang Dingguan said.

Wu Xingquan, the magistrate of Yangzhou, really helped him a lot. The army had just entered Yangzhou City, and he was responsible for helping. He stabilized the stars and military morale, allowing him to regain the entire Yangzhou City in such a short period of time.

"Reporting to the eldest prince, I have been an official here for more than a year. Last year, the King of Guanzhong sent his army to capture Chuzhou City and Yangzhou City. The previous magistrate and the chief general were dismissed from office because of incompetence. As a result, Replaced by me and another general named Yang Yun," Wu Xingquan said.

Basically, the top chief executive of a local state capital in the Southern Song Dynasty would not be in office for more than three years. As time went by, you would be replaced.

However, his previous term was indeed unlucky. The fall of Chuzhou City had nothing to do with Yangzhou City. Yangzhou City even sent reinforcements to rescue, but the reinforcements were stopped by Mongolian cavalry halfway.

As a result, the plan to rescue Chuzhou City completely failed. The imperial court needed two people to take the blame. Naturally, they had the previous Yangzhou magistrate and the Yangzhou guard general.

The previous magistrate of Yangzhou was a little better, but he was dismissed from office and then retained his post.

But the previous Yangzhou garrison was miserable. He was directly imprisoned and his whole family was sent to the army.

He came to Yangzhou with Yang Yun to serve as the chief executive. The two of them, one civil and one military, had been in charge of Yangzhou City for more than a year.

He was indeed engaged in the defense of Yangzhou City, hoarding a large amount of food and grass, as well as weapons and armor.

Build walls and pay taxes.

These things were not done by the generals, but by the civil servants. Last year, the imperial court did not allocate a single tael of silver to Yangzhou. It was only through hard work that I could save this little wealth for Yangzhou City.

But he didn't expect that the Guanzhong Army's offensive was too fierce. If the entire defense line did not collapse, it would be okay to say that if the entire defense line did not collapse, it would be better to donate this little wealth to the Where is the Guanzhong army!
Wu Xinquan also told all these situations in detail, and even took out many account books with various financial records of Yangzhou City.

After Zhang Dingguan read it, he handed all these account books to Shi Tianze. There was no way, he really couldn't understand these things. He had been trained as a military general since he was a child, and he had read a lot of books, but you have to When it comes to making and reading account books, he really can't do it, and he can't understand it.

I really don’t know how my father learned. He can learn all these things eloquently. It seems that he still needs to learn from his father!

Shi Tianze looked at these accounts very carefully and nodded while reading. Wu Xinquan was indeed a talent in internal affairs. He took care of the entire Yangzhou city very well.

They built water conservancy projects on the front lines, built water fortresses, raised grain and grass, and recruited soldiers and civilians. All of this was done very well.

The entire city of Yangzhou would have been destroyed if the front line had not collapsed too quickly and the Guanzhong army had arrived too suddenly. It is estimated that it can last for a long time.

"Master Wu! Are you responsible for all the grain fields near Yangzhou City? I wonder how much Yangzhou City produces each year? How many households are there?" Shi Tianze asked.

Shi Tianze decided to test the opponent again to see if he had real talent and knowledge.

"Reporting to Mr. Shi, Yangzhou City can pay about 120,000 shi in taxes and grain every year. In addition to leaving some as military rations, the remaining 50,000 shi of grain and grass need to be handed over to the court.

As for fertile land, there are a total of 4,786 acres. In Yangzhou City, including the people in the city and some surrounding towns and villages, there are about 70,000 households and a population of more than 300,000. "Wu Xingquan said.

Hearing this, Shi Tianze nodded with great satisfaction. This person was indeed a man of true talent and learning.

Zhang Dingguan saw Shi Tianze nodding and understood that this person was indeed a talent in internal affairs.

"Master Wu! I, the prince, will still leave the management of Yangzhou City to you. All your officers in Yangzhou City, whether they are civilians or military generals. Their official positions, big and small, will remain intact. If there are some vacant positions, I will send some more officials to supplement them. ." Zhang Dingguan said.

The other party brought the entire city to surrender, so naturally some officials in the city could not be dismissed from their posts. However, the officials in Yangzhou City must be dissatisfied, and some people from Guanzhong need to be brought over.

"Thank you to the eldest prince for your trust. There are still dozens of positions in the entire Yangzhou City, including the highest military officer. There is still a shortage of positions. I hope the eldest prince can send a general to guard Yangzhou City." Wu Xingquan said.

It is said that those who know the current affairs are heroes. Now that he has surrendered, he will not be thinking of being a landowner, but will use his talents to make a career.

This Yangzhou city definitely needs a top military commander sent from Guanzhong, and what he has to do is to develop the internal affairs near Yangzhou and create tax revenue for the King of Guanzhong.

"Master Wu, why don't you take both civil and military positions? This is the highest official position of military commander in Yangzhou City. How about I also give you a reward?" Zhang Dingguan asked.

"The eldest prince is joking. I'm just a scholar. If you ask me to manage the internal affairs and handle some internal affairs, that's no problem. But if you ask me to manage some armies, I'm really not good at it. I'd better ask the eldest prince to control the army. It would be better to send a general over," Wu Xingquan said quickly.

Let him handle some internal affairs and collect taxes, and that's no problem. But if you want him to command an army, that's a big deal. He has never read any military books and has no knowledge of military affairs.

And the most important thing is that he is a good minister. Available now. The trust of the great prince of Guanzhong continues. It is already a great honor to manage the internal affairs of Yangzhou City, but to interfere with the affairs of military commanders seems a bit disrespectful. This was obviously a deliberate test by the eldest prince, so Wu Xingquan immediately refused.

"Yes, Mr. Wu, I will send one of my subordinates to defend the city here." Zhang Dingguan smiled with satisfaction and said.

This official named Wu Xingquan is indeed very aware of current affairs, and he is very good at advancing and retreating. He knows what should be done, what should not be done, what should be asked for, and what should not be asked for.

The two sides chatted for a few more words, and Wu Xingquan stood up and left.

"Eldest Prince, this man is a rare talent. You must put him to good use." Shi Tianze said as soon as Wu Xingquan left.

This Wu Xingquan looks to be in his thirties, but he is very experienced in doing things. He has taken care of the entire Yangzhou City in an orderly manner, and the most important thing is that this man is very smart.

"It can be seen that this person is very good. After this war is over, I will recommend this person to my father." Zhang Dingguan said.

From a young age, his father taught him that no matter what kind of talent he has, he must not let it go and must use it for his own use. The most important thing in the world is talent.

"Well! When the time comes, the eldest prince Ning and I will recommend this person." Shi Tianze nodded and said.

"Marquis Shi Jun! What do you think we should do next? Should we rest in Yangzhou City for a while, or should I directly lead all the cavalry troops to raid Lin'an Mansion?" Zhang Dingguan looked at Shi Tianze and said.

The loss in capturing Yangzhou City was very small, and the time was also very fast. There was no waterway along the way from Yangzhou Mansion to Lin'an Mansion, and the cavalry troops could fully deploy it.

The distance between Yangzhou and Lin'an Prefecture is only about 298 miles. With the speed of their cavalry, it only takes seven days to get there. (The total distance from Yangzhou to Hangzhou is about 600km, which is ancient miles.)
Such a quick attack could really scare the Southern Song Dynasty, and it was much smoother than previously planned.

"There is a lot of food and grass in Yangzhou City. We don't even need to transport food from Chuzhou. It is enough for us to eat for more than a month. Plus the food and grass we carry, we don't need to worry about food and grass within two months. The problem.

Prince, you can lead an army to raid Lin'an Prefecture, while I will lead the remaining army to capture Jiankang Prefecture. Shi Tianze thought for a moment and then said.

The eldest prince led 7000 cavalry to raid Lin'an Prefecture. He couldn't be idle on his side. He had to capture the Kangxi Prefecture near Yangzhou. Jiankang Mansion is not very far from Yangzhou, and there are not many defenders.

Your own army can take it down smoothly. After taking down the Health Palace. The eldest prince has a way out. Even if the siege of Lin'an Mansion fails, he can still retreat to Kangkang Mansion or Yangzhou.

"Shi Junhou, you are still thinking too much. If that's the case, then tomorrow I will lead the cavalry troops to raid Lin'an Mansion." Zhang Dingguan said.

If Jiankang Mansion can be successfully captured, the distance to Lin'an Mansion will be even closer, and there will be no obstacles along the way. This battle is not even a surprise attack, after all, it is only a few hundred miles away.

"Eldest Prince, I am here to wish you success." Shi Tianze clasped his fists and said.

"Ok!"

"Eldest Prince, when you go to attack Lin'an Mansion, I must tell you a few things. First, you are not going to capture Lin'an Mansion, but to intimidate the entire capital of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Therefore, unless the enemy comes out of the city to fight you, you must remember that you do not need to attack the city. "Shi Tianze said.

After all, it is the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. Lin'an Prefecture's defense force is still very strong. The cavalry troops can attack, but if you want them to attack the city, then the effect of 7,000 cavalry is not even as good as 5,000 infantry.

Therefore, the most important task of the eldest prince this time was to intimidate, to form a deterrent force that would frighten the monarchs and ministers of the Southern Song Dynasty and make some wrong military judgments.

"Don't worry, Mr. Shi, I understand. Unless the enemy comes out of the city to engage in field battles with me, I will never attack the city, only besiege it." Zhang Dingguan said.

Just kidding, he's not stupid, how could he lead 7,000 cavalry to attack the city? If there are 10,000 army troops behind, that's about right. Then we can set up artillery to attack, and cavalry attacking the city will be ridiculous.

"Second point, eldest prince, how much food and grass do you plan to bring this time?" Shi Tianze asked.

"The Mongolian cavalry all have two spare horses. As for the cavalry under my command, they also have a spare horse, which can store grain and grass. I plan to bring half a month's worth of grain and grass this time." Zhang Dingguan thought for a moment and said.

In this long-distance raid, the spare horses can store a lot of food and logistical supplies. Carrying these things on the spare horses will not affect the overall speed of the cavalry's advance.

Their Guanzhong army was backed by the Mongolian grasslands, their father, and part of Xixia's horse farms. There is indeed no shortage of war horses in some horse farms in Qinghai.

"Well! In this case. Then in seven days, I will deliver a batch of food and grass to you. Prince, you must remember.

No matter what, the Mongolian cavalry under his command cannot be allowed to plunder some surrounding towns and villages to replenish military supplies. Shi Tianze said.

This time, the King of Guanzhong's battle against the Song Dynasty still needed to win over the hearts and minds of the people in the south.

If the subordinates plundered the people in the south, then things would be bad. This must be watched by the Mongolian cavalry.

It would be terrible if they conquered the entire Southern Song Dynasty but lost the support of the people here.

"Master Shi, don't worry, I know about this, and the Mongolian cavalry under my command are different from the Mongolian cavalry on the grassland. They have followed my father in the war for many years, and the military discipline is still very strict. There is no order, absolutely no We will plunder the cities along the way," Zhang Dingguan said.

"Well! In that case, eldest prince, please prepare yourself and lead the seven thousand cavalry out of the city early tomorrow morning!" Shi Tianze said.

Early the next morning, seven thousand cavalry drove out of Yangzhou City and headed towards Lin'an Mansion.

Although the number of people is 7,000, the horses are not 7,000. The Guanzhong army plus the spare horses have a total of 10,000 horses. As for the Mongolian army, there are a full 6,000 horses. After all, each Mongolian cavalry carries Two spare war horses, one person and three horses.

Although the number of people was only 7,000, the momentum seemed to be huge.

The cavalry's attack speed was very fast, and the Mongolian cavalry's attack speed reached a terrifying speed of more than a hundred miles a day.

Such a large cavalry appeared in the south, but it frightened the soldiers guarding everywhere, as well as some people in the surrounding areas.

As the people of the South, when had they ever seen such a large cavalry unit? The majestic cavalry could not be seen to the end, and it was so dark that it looked extremely scary.

Many towns along the way surrendered without saying a word. After all, the intimidation of such a terrifying cavalry unit passing by was too great.

In addition, the constant bad news from the front also made some generals in various places lose their will to fight again.

Seven days later, Zhang Dingguan led his cavalry troops to the vicinity of Lin'an Mansion, more than 20 miles away. Looking at the tall city in the distance, Zhang Dingguan's lips showed a smile.

When the cavalry troops from Guanzhong set off, Lin'an received the news. At this time, the entire city gate of Lin'an Prefecture was closed tightly.

People in the entire Lin'an Mansion were in panic. All the people knew that a cavalry force was coming from outside. A large cavalry force that could not be seen at a glance.

(End of this chapter)