Chapter 280

Jia Cong was led by the soldier into the main hall of the Regional Commander's office.

Upon entering the hall, he first saw the Nine Provinces Controller, Gu Yankui.

Standing next to Gu Yankui was a man in his fifties, thin, with large hands, wearing armor, his face full of the atmosphere of wind and frost, and his eyes were awe-inspiring.

"This subordinate Jia Cong pays respects to Master Gu. This time, the escort of eight Frankish cannons, three thousand porcelain grenades, and five hundred improved Rumi muskets has been checked and warehoused by the military supply."

Gu Yankui smiled and said: "This time, escorting a large number of firearms and traveling a long distance, I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. Yuzhang, you have worked hard."

"This is the Liaodong Regional Commander, Master Liang, who once served as a general under the former Duke of Rongguo. Speaking of which, you still have some connection; come and pay your respects quickly."

When Jia Cong was observing government affairs at the Ministry of War, he often saw the name of the Liaodong Town Regional Commander, Liang Chengzong, in the reports, but it was the first time he knew that he had also been a subordinate general of the Duke of Rongguo.

A subordinate general back then had now become one of the Nine Frontiers' regional commanders; I don't know if there are still such people.

From this, it can be seen to what extent the military foundation of the Rongguo Jia family is deep.

"I don't know if there are any good strategies for application that can teach this old man."

Liang Chengzong smiled slightly after hearing this; although this young man was young, he could speak well. He was a general good at fighting, so naturally, he wouldn't just listen to words of praise.

"Used to gather the enemy under the city and annihilate them, it will definitely have miraculous effects. As long as the Jurchens dare to attack in large numbers, these eight Frankish cannons and the porcelain grenades created by the Firearm Office will definitely be able to inflict heavy damage on them."

"This old man has witnessed the power of the triple-volley musket formation and has great expectations for these eight Frankish cannons. Supervisor Jia, as the chief official of the Firearm Office, is a master of firearms in the current generation."

He knew that Jia Cong was a descendant of the Rongguo Jia family, the Firearm Office Supervisor personally granted by the Emperor, and recommended by Gu Yankui as the Nine Provinces Controller's consultant; his background was really not small.

"No matter how sharp the firearms are, they need to be used properly. This statement is reasonable. This time, Supervisor Jia brought eight Frankish cannons. This old man heard that this cannon is the most powerful firearm of the Western barbarians."

"The improved Rumi muskets used by the musket battalion are very exquisite and showed great power in the battle against Jurchen cavalry. It is said that they were also developed by Supervisor Jia; it is truly a case of the younger generation being formidable."

Liang Chengzong had guarded Liaodong for ten years and was not only able to fight battles; his officialdom skills were also quite simple, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand firm in the position of regional commander for ten years.

Gu Yankui saw that the two met for the first time, and Liang Chengzong actually had the intention to inquire, so he was also interested in watching from the side. Liang Chengzong was wise and good at fighting, and he was still very recognized by him.

Liang Chengzong had guarded Liaodong for ten years and had repelled the Mongol Tumut army's invasion of the border five times, making the Mongol Tumut army depressed from then on, and was granted the title of Marquis of Pingyuan by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao for his accumulated merits.

Although Liang Chengzong had heard of Jia Cong's reputation, he didn't expect him to be so young, looking no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, and he had actually become the chief official of the Firearm Office, which also surprised him secretly in his heart.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have treated a Grade 6B official with such courtesy.

"Master Liang is over-praising. No matter how sharp the military weapons are, they need to be used properly by the person in charge of the soldiers. If it weren't for Master Liang's proper use of troops, the musket battalion wouldn't have had the opportunity to make contributions."

"Master Liang, eight Frankish cannons can fire twenty-four shots within twenty breaths; the density of artillery fire and lethality are powerful enough to suppress the offensive of thousands of Jurchen fast cavalry."

Liang Chengzong smiled: "Although this old man is far away in the north, I have also heard of Jia Yuzhang, whose literary works shocked the world and whose writing moved the south of the Yangtze River, but I didn't expect him to be so young."

"Since a month ago, when the Jurchens led more than a thousand elite cavalry to invade Yafu Pass and were frustrated, there has been no more invasion under the city recently."

In addition, he also sincerely wanted to ask Jia Cong for advice on how to use cannons; after all, Liaodong Town had never been equipped with cannons, and his understanding of cannons was also limited.

Liang Chengzong felt a bit helpless after hearing this: "If Supervisor Jia brought cannons a month ago, then it would be a timely arrival."

"It's just that they frequently loot grain and supplies transported to various military forts."

Jia Cong pondered: "If the Jurchens are just small groups patrolling and looting, then the power of cannons and porcelain grenades will be difficult to exert."

"May I ask Master Liang, where are the military forts that need to transport grain and fodder located?"

Gu Yankui on the side saw his eyes light up after hearing this; he had been with Jia Cong for a long time, so naturally, he knew that this person had extraordinary wisdom, was good at strange ideas, and often had unique moves.

Since he would ask about the location of the military fort, I'm afraid he already had some calculations in his heart.

Liang Chengzong met Jia Cong for the first time after all and didn't know him well; he just talked about the use of firearms, how could the other party suddenly ask about the location of the military fort.

However, Jia Cong was Gu Yankui's confidant, so he couldn't reject the other party's face, and the location of the military fort couldn't be considered a secret, so he signaled to the staff officer on the side.

The staff officer unfolded a map, pointed out the locations of the seven military forts from west to east in Liaodong Town to Jia Cong, and explained the general troop situation of each military fort to him.

Jia Cong said: "Master Liang, this subordinate has a word, which concerns military affairs, and I am afraid of overstepping; I don't know if I should say it or not."

Liang Chengzong smiled: "Supervisor Jia is the border patrol consultant of Master Gu, so naturally you can speak about military affairs. If you have any suggestions, just say them; there is no need to worry."

Jia Cong said: "This subordinate has seen many documents and reports coming and going in Liaodong at the Ministry of War. The climate in the Liaobei region has been abnormally cold in recent years, and the Jurchen tribes are starving, which is why they went south to loot."

"They are unable to attack the heavily guarded passes of the big cities, so they loot the grain and fodder transported to the military forts along the way, and their state of distress and fatigue is obvious."

"In this subordinate's opinion, only keep the two military forts in the west to monitor the movements of the Mongol Tumut tribes, and withdraw all the troops of the other five major military forts in the east back into the pass."

"Cut off the possibility of the Jurchens looting grain and fodder along the way. The winter in Liaobei is long, and the Jurchens will lose their only way to loot supplies and will inevitably fall into a more desperate situation."

"Forcing the Jurchens to fight under the city, our army can take the initiative, and then we can exert the power of firearms and annihilate them!"

"Since this subordinate entered Guangning City, I have seen grain roads in an endless stream, and the grain and military equipment are extremely sufficient; the national power of the Great Zhou is strong."

"The Liaodong army has sufficient supplies to wait for work at ease, but the Jurchen tribes absolutely cannot afford to consume. With the growth of one and the decline of the other, the destruction of the Jurchen disaster is just around the corner."

After hearing Jia Cong's words, Gu Yankui and Liang Chengzong both showed surprised expressions on their faces.

In fact, since Gu Yankui arrived in Liaodong to inspect, the two had discussed military affairs and both mentioned the idea of abandoning the military forts and retreating back into the pass, but they had been hesitant.

Because the seven major military forts in Liaodong Town had been built for decades, and successive regional commanders had used them as forward stations to scout enemy situations, they had long become recognized, and abandoning them on a large scale was feared to have unexpected troubles.

But hearing Jia Cong's words today made Liang Chengzong grasp two key points.

One is to completely cut off the Jurchens' way to loot supplies and force the Jurchens to fight under the city.

The second is to exert the power of cannons and other firearms to annihilate them.

If it were someone else, I'm afraid they wouldn't dare to propose such a bold idea; if you lead the enemy to fight, what should you do if you mess up your own formation?

Only Jia Cong, as the Firearm Office Supervisor, with his deep understanding of the application and power of firearms, would propose such a method of leading soldiers.

Gu Yankui stroked his beard and smiled, naturally thinking that Jia Cong's proposal had great value for discussion.

Cutting off the Jurchens' grain road, forcing them to fight under the city, and annihilating them with firearms, in Gu Yankui's view, was highly feasible.

Because before he left the capital, he had been to the Firearm Workshop in the North City of the Divine Capital and had seen with his own eyes the power of the Frankish cannon's three-shot rapid fire, not to mention the three thousand porcelain grenades.

In his view, Jia Cong both understood the strategy of leading soldiers and knew how to use the power of firearms; although he was young, he also possessed the style of the former Rongguo famous generals; the younger generation is formidable!

However, he had seen Jia Cong's strange ideas many times, so he didn't feel too strange.

It was just that Liang Chengzong was meeting Jia Cong for the first time, and he couldn't help but feel amazed at this plan.

At such an age, he knew how to use troops and create momentum; this kind of city government and strategy was something that even old veterans in the army often lacked; he was worthy of being from a famous general's family.

The matter that he was hesitant about before was actually solved because of Jia Cong's arrival and the sharp firearms that came with him.

However, he was a veteran general who had fought a hundred battles, and his temperament was steady and meticulous, so he wouldn't make a decision rashly, but he had basically recognized Jia Cong's suggestion in his heart.

It was just that the details of the actual troop deployment and planning still needed to be gathered by relevant generals for careful deduction and consultation.

"Supervisor Jia's good words on using troops, this old man deeply agrees. The former Rongguo also supervised the Nine Frontiers, and this old man once served under his command. Now that the Rongguo general's style and bloodline have been passed on, how fortunate!"

(End of chapter)