Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 120 Intelligence Bureau
After bidding farewell to Lu Kezao, Danchu returned to Yong'an City and immediately summoned his confidants to make arrangements.

As usual, Yu Houji stayed in Yong'an, focusing on promoting the two tasks of tenant tax payment and adding village heads. He took care of small matters on his own and asked Mrs. Qu for instructions on major matters.

Fang Yizhi led the second infantry battalion to take over Zhaoping. In order to reduce resistance, Zhaoping maintained the status quo and temporarily did not implement the two policies of tenants paying taxes and adding township heads. Danchu emphasized that Zhaoping, like Yong'an Prefecture, must obey the general's office in all matters, big or small.

General Danchu personally led the standard battalion and the first infantry battalion to Wuzhou to escort the emperor, accompanied by the military supervisor He Yun.

After the division was completed, everyone left. However, Danchu deliberately kept Feng Jiali.

"Old Feng, do you know why I asked you to attend this meeting?"

Feng Jiali was in charge of scouts in the army and was the de facto intelligence chief. He thought for a moment and replied, "The Marshal is kind enough to let me know the secrets, so I can do my job more effectively."

"Well, that's a good point." Danchu asked, "In your opinion, when can the emperor visit Nanning?"

"This?" Feng Jiali hesitated, and finally said, "From Yong'an to Wuzhou, it is about 300 miles by land. If we go by land, the standard battalion can arrive in three days, and the infantry battalion can arrive in six days. If we go by water, the standard battalion and the infantry battalion can all arrive in four days. The commander-in-chief will lead the standard battalion to move out tomorrow, which shows that time is running out. According to this inference, the emperor will probably visit Wuzhou within three to five days."

"What are you talking about?" Danchu laughed dumbly and said, "I don't want to test your arithmetic, let alone your reasoning, but I want to ask if you have any information about the whereabouts of the emperor."

Feng Jiali was embarrassed and said, "I really don't have any subordinates."

"Is there any news from Yongzhou?"

"No. I heard from merchants a few days ago that Chen Youlong gathered the remaining troops and fought against Hao Yongzhong in Wugang Prefecture, but was defeated."

"Li Chengdong is going to send troops to welcome the emperor. Is there any news?"

"I heard a little rumor."

"Do you know when he will meet the emperor, how many soldiers and horses he will bring, and where he will meet the emperor?"

Feng Jiali knew nothing about anything, and fearing that Danchu would blame him, he stood up nervously and said, "Please forgive me, Marshal. I really don't know."

"Sit down, sit down." Dan Chu invited him to sit down.

Feng Jiali became more and more nervous and did not dare to sit down.

"You can't answer the question, which is understandable. I don't blame you. Let me ask you, how many night guards do we have now? How many visible sentries? How many covert sentries?"

Yebushou, Mingshao, and Anshao were all names for scouts in the Ming Dynasty's border army. Jiao Lian's troops were all Shaanxi border troops, and the names have been used to this day.

The scouts who were not tired of being sent out at night were called "Sharp Scouts". They did not need to return to the camp with the soldiers at night, so they were called this. The Ming sentry was also called "Sharp Scout". They went deep into the enemy's territory, rode on Yi horses, spoke Yi language, and mixed with the Yi people, thus exposing their identities. The dark sentry was also called "Sharp Night". They were the substitutes of the Ming sentry. They lay in ambush at designated locations, wore Yi clothes, spoke Yi language, and were ready to intercept Yi soldiers at any time. The Ming army figuratively called it "The Ming sentry is like walking in a tiger's den, and the dark sentry is like walking in a tiger's tail".

"There are a total of sixty-one people in total, including thirty-two visible sentries and thirteen covert sentries."

There are more than 60 scouts in an army of more than 3,000 people, which is a high ratio and enough to meet general combat needs.

Danchu was ambitious and eager to obtain more updated intelligence. These days, there were not many things more important than money and food, and intelligence information was one of them.

"Where are these scouts mainly deployed?" Danchu asked. Seeing Feng Jiali was a little nervous, he said, "It's okay. I just think that the scouts in the army need to be strengthened."

Feng Jiali's eyes lit up and he said, "According to the rules of the army, most scouts are stationed within a hundred miles, from Zhaoping in the east, to Guyi Village in the south, and to Lierbao in the north. The southwest is an exception, because our army has set up a mine supervisor in Jinxiu, and the scouts are as far as two hundred miles away."

"Our army will soon take over Zhaoping. What are your plans?" Feng Jiali said without hesitation, "We are going to set up scouts in Guangyun Fort, 100 miles upstream of Zhaoping, and in Majiang Town, 100 miles downstream. However, this will require additional funds."

Scouts need to socialize, be equipped with fast horses, and sometimes are required to be literate and write, so the cost is not low.

The Shaanxi frontier troops not only had to guard the frontier, but also had to fight against the peasant army, so they were very experienced in scouting. The peasant armies of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong also attached great importance to scouting.

Feng Jiali came from the Shaanxi border army and had experience in scout work.

Danchu looked determined and said, "Don't worry about the funding. I'll find a way. The problem now is that our army has too few scouts, who are too close together, and the intelligence we get is too slow and too little. The government's reports are also sporadic. I'm completely in the dark and I can't do anything.

"If we want to accomplish great things in the future, we must strengthen our scouts. If I want to add scouts in Guilin, Wuzhou, Nanning, and Xunzhou, is it feasible? Oh, and there are also Yanguan and Zhenxiaguan."

Feng Jiali was shocked. The Marshal was really bold to set up such a big business.

By deploying scouts at Yanguan and Zhenxiaguan, we can obtain intelligence from Huguang and even Jiangxi. The gains and losses of Huguang are related to the overall strategic situation, while Jiangxi is the key to the current situation.

Xunzhou is Chen Bangfu's old nest. Danchu is determined to stay in Guangxi, and he will inevitably conflict with Chen Bangfu in the future.

Nanning is located in the Yujiang Plain and has iron mines, so Dan Chu has long been attracted to the city.

Wuzhou is close to Guangdong, making it convenient to obtain intelligence from Guangdong.

However, Yong'an is located in the inland, and transportation is inconvenient. If we want to deploy scouts in the above places, we have to recruit more people, add messengers and horses, and arrange footholds along the way, which is too costly.

Feng Jiali did not dare to disobey Danchu's opinion and replied, "No problem, but we will need to add a lot of manpower and the cost will also increase dramatically."

"Give me an estimate first."

He thought for a moment and said carefully: "Our army currently has 61 scouts, and the monthly expenditure is more than 100 taels of silver, which will generally increase to 200 taels during wartime.

"If we want to send scouts to the above places, we will need to add at least 100 more soldiers and horses. The monthly maintenance expenses will increase to 300 taels, and during wartime it will increase to 400 to 500 taels. In a year, at least 4,000 taels of silver will be needed."

Dan Chu took a deep breath. Four thousand taels of silver was not a small amount of money. It could buy two thousand matchlock rifles.

Turning around and thinking, the situation has changed a lot in the past two years. Whoever can get accurate intelligence first will have to seize the opportunity and take the initiative. It is worthwhile to use four thousand taels of silver to strengthen intelligence work.

Dan Chuyi gritted his teeth and said, "No problem, four thousand taels is four thousand taels. How much money do you want for your first recruitment?"

"It'll cost at least one thousand taels."

"I'll approve it for you tonight."

Feng Jiali was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Marshal."

Danchu smiled faintly and said, "It's all for the Zhaoyong Army, why thank you? You are the chief scout, you are diligent and thoughtful, I should thank you. However, scout work, or intelligence work, is of vital importance and needs to be taken seriously.

"In the future, you will have more funds and more people, and your responsibilities will be heavier. I plan to set up a new agency in the Central Army, called the Intelligence Bureau, and you will be the director, specializing in intelligence work.

"In addition to gathering intelligence on the battlefield, the Intelligence Bureau also needs to go deep behind enemy lines to obtain all useful intelligence, alienate the enemy, and execute traitors. In short, as long as it is beneficial to our army or harmful to the enemy, the Intelligence Bureau can handle it."

(End of this chapter)