Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 661: Corrupt Officials Know How to Be Cunning

When Zhu Yu went out to find someone suitable for interrogation, Li Zisheng looked around and saw that no border guards noticed him. Then he leaned close to Tan Chang's ear and whispered, "Eunuch Tan, don't you realize that Captain Zhu and those shepherds are wearing the same pants?"

Qin Chang pursed his lips and said, "Is there anything that can't be seen? They defended us right away. There must be something fishy going on. But, Minister Li, how can you be sure that those people are not a threat to our Ming Dynasty? We don't have to kill them. We can just say that we captured foreign herdsmen as a response to the Tartars' looting of our border residents. This way, we can report to His Majesty."

Li Zisheng shook his head and said, "It's useless. Didn't you see that the herdsmen we captured were all old, weak, women and children? This means that their young and strong men have been transferred away, or they were killed by foreigners in the past! With the nature of those people in the Ministry of War, will they recognize our military achievements?"

"That's true!"

Qin Chang thought about it carefully, nodded, and then asked: "There are many old, weak, women and children, but you said that their young and strong were killed by the foreigners themselves. I wonder what is the basis for this?"

"Those people had no defense against us at all, which shows that they had never been harmed by the Ming army. Even with my limited experience in leading troops, I could tell that the captain surnamed Zhu had an abnormal attitude. I think he must have accepted tributes from those herdsmen. In this way, if there were any warnings at the border or major movements of the imperial army, these herdsmen would be able to know the wind direction in advance and escape.

"But Zhu Yu and the others were not aware of our sudden arrival, so no one informed the herdsmen in advance, which resulted in them not being able to escape in time."

Li Zisheng said with a smile.

Qin Chang wanted to ask, how did you know that?

But then I thought about it.

You, Li Zisheng, have always liked to accept bribes from others. Plus, you have always been the invisible Minister of Personnel of the Ming Dynasty. So when it comes to employing and evaluating people, what you say still has some credibility.

When corrupt officials observe illegal activities, they can naturally see them clearly.

Li Zisheng explained himself: "Otherwise, why do you think that a centurion guarding the pass has any reason to excuse a group of people who don't even have a clear position, and even beg us for mercy?"

Qin Chang asked: "Then what should we do next..."

Li Zisheng said: "The existence of such a group of herdsmen is actually a great thing for us. Most of these herdsmen are marginal tribes on the grassland. They are neither tolerated by the big tribes nor recognized by the Ming Dynasty, but they can spy on the enemy for us and confuse the opponent at the same time... Think about it, if they are grazing nearby, will the Tartar soldiers realize that we are ambushing nearby?"

"You mean, you plan to use these herdsmen as bait?"

Qin Chang asked curiously.

"Yes, the animals they have are bait."

Li Zisheng's eyes showed a greedy light, and he analyzed, "Think about it, those large grassland tribes dare not come to the border of Daming to graze, and now they dare not enter the Hetao area with abundant water and grass, which means that they can only graze in the more bitter and cold places in the north.

"I asked before I came here. A few dozen miles outside the pass is a high mountainous terrain, and beyond that is a continuous desert with flying sand and rocks and no grass. It is not suitable for grazing. And now, if the Tatar cavalry comes and sees such a group of herdsmen who are not from their own tribe, why wouldn't they rob them?"

Tan Chang frowned: "Even if that's the case, it's based on the fact that the Tartar troops will invade."

Li Zisheng said unhappily: "You don't believe Zhang Guozhang's judgment and don't approve of His Majesty's vision!"

"That's not what we meant."

Qin Chang quickly explained, and then raised a new question: "Even if the Tartars really come, with this group of baits, can we definitely win? We don't have many people, and this grassland terrain is not suitable for an ambush." ​​Li Zisheng leaned over and whispered: "If we disguise our people as herdsmen, hide among them, and equip them with magic guns and magic rifles, and wait for the Tartars to get close and launch a surprise attack, do you think we can achieve unexpected results?"

"This one……"

Qin Chang was a little confused.

Have you, Li Zisheng, really become a talented general who can command troops like a god?
Li Zisheng said confidently: "I have asked, our magic guns and magic cannons have fast firing speed and great power. Taizu and Chengzu relied on them to drive out the Tartars and terrorize the grasslands, but there is a drawback that the range is really limited, which is not superior to bows and crossbows.

"The Tartars are not fools. After suffering so many losses, they have developed a stress response. When they attacked us in the past, they would never fight us at close range. They would just rob and run away.

"The Tartars grew up on horseback. Not only are they excellent riders, but they also cherish their lives very much. When they fight with our army, they usually use long-distance horseback archery. They take advantage when they can, and run away when they can't. They never think of fighting us in close combat. This is also an important reason why it is difficult for the imperial army to achieve great results in fighting with them."

"This one……"

Qin Chang pondered for a moment and nodded, "That's true."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "So if we want to win, we have to make full use of our magic guns and muskets, and at the same time let the Tartars let down their guard. When they get close, suddenly... bang bang bang bang... knock down a large number of them at once, and then we will have won the victory, right?"

As he spoke, a ferocious look appeared on Li Zisheng's face, meaning to cut the Gordian knot and achieve victory by surprise.

"This one……"

Qin Chang swallowed his saliva and said, "If the cavalry really increases their speed, the scene will be very terrifying. Can we, the soldiers of the Beijing camp who don't have much actual combat ability, do it? If something goes wrong..."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "The Tartars don't send out their entire army to rob. A team has no more than three or four hundred people at most. Just think about it, if all the Tartars gather together, how much can they rob in this bitter cold land of the northwest? Who will they get what they rob? They have to break up into smaller groups and try to cast a wider net so that they can rob more places and let everyone gain something.

"And after all the looting along the way, most of the people must have bulged their pockets. They want to sprint, but can the horses under their crotches sprint?"

Qin Chang asked: "So you want to eat these three or four hundred people at once?"

Li Zisheng shook his head and said, "If we want to eat them all, how many troops will we need to chase them? We can kill fifty or sixty of them, which will almost be comparable to Wang Weining back then! Let's find a chance to steal a few of them, no matter how many we can!"

"Will those herdsmen agree to let us sneak in?" Qin Chang asked.

"Is it necessary to discuss this with them?"

Li Zisheng said, "Put a knife on their necks and see if they agree! Besides, I'm pretty good at judging people. These nomadic herdsmen who don't have any connections must have been bullied by the Tartars more severely, and they don't have much wariness towards the Ming Dynasty. If we really give them a choice and give them the opportunity to join us and become citizens of the Ming Dynasty, how can they not be happy?"

Qin Chang said: "There aren't many pastures available for grazing in the Ming Dynasty. The good places have basically been reclaimed as farmland. Will they want to join us? It's just a passing grazing. Is it necessary to invest so much money?"

"Don't we still have the Hetao?"

Li Zisheng said, "During the time of the late emperor, he always wanted the people of the Ming Dynasty to go to Hetao for reclamation, but few people were willing to go. As a result, although Hetao is now under our control, it has not been fully utilized. Hetao is really a Feng Shui treasure land for the Tartars. Let's use this Feng Shui treasure land as bait and see who will take the bait!"

(End of this chapter)