Chapter 128: Steady Commander

The Capital.

The Northern Barbarians took the initiative to ignite the fires of war, breaking many people's plans.

Regardless of whether to fight or make peace, as the side passively responding to the war, Great Dayu can only choose to fight.

In an emergency, Emperor Tianyuan showed a decisive side and made emergency deployments in time.

However, the war situation on the front line is still not optimistic.

The border army tried to attack several times, but was beaten back by the Northern Barbarians, and now can only be trapped in the city.

"Capital Camp, when can you set out?"

Emperor Tianyuan asked with concern.

As a promising ruler, he cannot tolerate being passively beaten on the front line.

In order to recover the lost territory of Liaodong, since the great defeat last year, he has been making preparations.

"Your Majesty, the Three Thousand Camp and the Divine Machine Camp only replenished personnel two months ago, and the troops are currently training.

According to the previous plan, combat effectiveness will only be formed at the end of the year.

If troops are sent at this time, the Divine Machine Camp, Three Thousand Camp, and Five Armies Camp can only mobilize 30,000 troops.

Considering the safety of the capital, at most 30,000 troops can be drawn from the Twelve Regiment Camps.

The entire Capital Camp can mobilize a total of 60,000 troops, which is still quite a bit short of the 100,000 you requested.

The Grand Governor's Office plans to draw elite soldiers and strong generals from various places, but this requires a certain amount of time."

Duke Jing Guoliang said with a look of difficulty.

The bad habit of eating empty pay is prevalent throughout Great Dayu, and the Capital Camp is no exception.

Nominally, the Capital Camp has 250,000 troops, but the real strength is only 70% of that.

The combat-ready soldiers among them have to be discounted by another 60%.

In peacetime, reporting some personnel falsely is no big deal.

But now it is wartime, and reporting personnel falsely on the battlefield will cost lives.

Emperor Tianyuan requested the Capital Camp to send 100,000 troops; for the Capital Camp, it is indeed a huge pressure.

"Why is it so little?

Didn't I order to rectify the Capital Camp? Is this the result you handed in!"

Emperor Tianyuan reprimanded with dissatisfaction.

Since he ascended the throne, he has rectified the Capital Camp several times.

Compared to the late Emperor's reign, the imperial court's investment in military pay for the Capital Camp has increased significantly.

"Your Majesty, the subject is incompetent!"

Duke Jing Guoliang immediately pleaded guilty.

The problem of the Capital Camp is a historical legacy problem.

During the late Emperor's reign, the Capital Camp's troop strength was only 60%, and those with combat effectiveness were less than half.

Being able to recover to the current level is already the result of several rectifications.

Unless the problem of military pay 'drifting away' can be completely solved, the current level is the limit of what can be achieved.

"Enough!

There are too many people pleading guilty every day; I don't want to hear this useless nonsense.

The Northern Barbarians united with the Guifang to invade; the border army can only hold the city, and the front line needs reinforcements.

I don't like 'adding oil' tactics; the Grand Governor's Office and the Ministry of War must come up with a combat plan as soon as possible.

This time, we must hit the enemy hard and miserably!"

Emperor Tianyuan said in an unquestionable tone.

Judging from his physical condition, this is the last battle of his life.

Victory or defeat directly relates to the stability of the empire.

If another great defeat is encountered, the downward trend that Great Dayu has finally stopped will accelerate again.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, Liaodong Governor Bao Zhiyong is proficient in military strategy and has commanded the army to defeat the Guifang and Oirat several times.

This man uses troops most steadily and has never encountered a defeat in his life!"

Minister of War Yi Chuanliang immediately spoke up.

After Duan Wenhong died for his country, Bao Zhiyong was the only one left among the civil officials who could fight.

Although this man has been fighting defensive battles all his life and the number of times he took the initiative to attack can be counted on one hand, he indeed has never been defeated.

It is not easy for a civil official to become a commander.

Being able to have such a level is already very difficult.

If they don't support him, the Emperor might let the nobles lead the army again.

Although in their mouths, the nobles are all a bunch of wine-bag and rice-sack people.

But they have to admit that the overall military quality of the nobles is still stronger than their group of civil officials.

Not achieving prominent military exploits is because there is no opportunity to perform.

The several rebellion-suppression wars after Emperor Tianyuan ascended the throne were all fought well by the nobles.

Although there is a suspicion of bullying the weak, winning is winning.

If these people were really given a chance, it would be fine if they lost.

In case the nobles won, the military general group that has been suppressed by them for a long time might raise their heads again in the court.

Compared to other political groups, military generals who have released their shackles are their biggest competitors.

The saying 'going out to be a general and coming in to be a prime minister' is enough to make countless people follow one after another.

"You discuss it; I am tired!"

Emperor Tianyuan waved his hand and said.

His poor health does not allow him to handle government affairs for a long time; general government affairs have long been handed over to the Cabinet and the Ceremonial Division.

If it weren't for the great war on the front line being of great importance, he wouldn't have asked personally.

Coming to show his face and applying some pressure is enough.

It is not a good thing for him, the Emperor, to interfere too much.

When it comes to military ability, the ministers in front of him are much stronger than him.

Emperor Tianyuan recognizes Bao Zhiyong's ability to lead troops.

One victory might be luck, but winning every time can only be ability.

It can be seen from the situation on the front line that under the command of this Governor Bao, the border army has defended the city flawlessly.

Even if they were ambushed by the enemy, they did not lose any important city.

South Tongzhou.

Just after returning from the celebration banquet, Li Mu received a letter from the capital.

The sudden outbreak of the Liaodong Great War did not exceed his expectations.

The imperial court was preparing for war in a tight manner, almost making it known to the whole world.

As long as the Northern Barbarians are not stupid, they will not sit and wait for death.

Once Great Dayu is prepared, with the current strength of the Northern Barbarians, the probability of winning is almost zero.

Taking advantage of Great Dayu's training of new recruits, uniting with the Guifang to ignite the great war in advance is the best strategic choice.

"What a pity!

I originally thought about using the pirates to loot the salt fields and take the opportunity to add a cavalry battalion establishment.

Now that the front line is fighting, the imperial court's resources must be prioritized for the front line, so I can only wait for next time."

Li Mu's exclamation made a group of generals collectively silent.

You must know that a few days ago, the imperial court just allocated 1,000 warhorses to the Yangzhou Camp, allowing the cavalry battalion to complete its full establishment.

The troops are still training, and this one is already thinking about the second cavalry battalion establishment.

Generals from noble backgrounds are fine; everyone is a connection-holder, so they are not surprised by this preferential treatment.

Compared to ordinary people, they know more information.

The salt fields in the Lianghuai region were all sold to the powerful in the court.

The existence of the Yangzhou Camp is also to a certain extent guarding the house for them.

Without the pirate invasion, maybe they hadn't felt it.

After such a thing happened, everyone would certainly realize the importance of the Yangzhou Camp.

Increasing the mobile strength of the Yangzhou Camp, they are all beneficiaries and have the motivation to push it.

If it weren't for the outbreak of the Liaodong Great War, Li Mu would have contacted all parties privately, and the matter would have been almost done.

The same words, falling into the ears of grassroots generals, are completely different.

There are very few troops in the Great Dayu Dynasty that can be fully established, and the Yangzhou Camp is completely a freak.

A full infantry battalion, plus a full cavalry battalion, has nearly 7,000 combat soldiers alone.

Such military strength exceeds two-thirds of the regional commanders in the Great Dayu Dynasty.

Shu Zhongyi has the deepest feeling; even on the Liaodong front line, cavalry calculates military strength as 'person + livestock'.

Like how many cavalry Great Dayu has, the Yangzhou Camp is also half-armored light cavalry, with each soldier equipped with one warhorse and one packhorse.

Nominally a full battalion, it is equivalent to three full battalions outside.

His cavalry battalion in the Yangzhou Camp has more soldiers than some mobile corps commanders outside.

A general like Li Mu who sits on 7,000 combat soldiers, if placed among the Nine Borders military families, can be considered a figure.

"Assistant Regional Commander, will we go to the battlefield?"

Shu Zhongyi asked eagerly.

In his view, his own Assistant Regional Commander training so many troops must be to show his skills on the front line.

Although the Liaodong front line is dangerous, it also has glory and wealth.

It is difficult for someone like him from the grassroots to make a name for himself there, but that doesn't mean noble children can't.

Just look at the officer configuration of the Yangzhou Camp; except for his cavalry battalion from a military scholar background, the other five battalion commanders are all noble children.

More than half of the company commanders below are also noble children.

Going to the battlefield with such troops will certainly not suffer.

He doesn't know the specific combat effectiveness of the Yangzhou Camp, but he knows the training intensity.

Even the border army wouldn't dare to train like this.

Daily training is completely piled up with money.

If it weren't for the sufficient military pay, three full meals a day, and meat, the soldiers would have long ago made a scene.

Live ammunition shooting every few days, as if ammunition doesn't cost money.

"Why ask so much? You just need to train the cavalry well.

If we really encounter the Northern Barbarians, our infantry is not afraid, but can the cavalry be their opponent!"

Li Mu reprimanded with annoyance.

Everyone is avoiding the Liaodong Great War, yet someone wants to jump into it.

It's not that we can't fight the Northern Barbarians, but we can't fight the Northern Barbarians according to the orders of civil officials.

These are all lessons learned in blood; the military generals of Great Dayu don't feel deeply.

But Li Mu is different; he has too many negative examples in his memory.

A war that could clearly be won, but under the command of a group of guys who talk on paper, it ended in a mess.

Thinking that the grassland people are powerful is after the system of governing the military with civil officials was established.

Before that, when military generals served as commanders, Great Dayu had always been suppressing the enemy.

Not to mention sealing the wolf and living in the Xu, at least a hundred miles outside the border, no traces of grassland tribes could be seen.

Whether it is the Northern Barbarians or the Guifang, they all crawled at the feet of Great Dayu and claimed vassalage.

"Assistant Regional Commander, if we can't increase the cavalry establishment, increasing the infantry establishment is the same.

Salt fields everywhere are threatened by pirates, and the Yangzhou Guard is useless, so we can only rely on our Yangzhou Camp.

In order to guarantee the imperial court's salt tax, dividing troops to garrison various places is imperative.

Taking South Tongzhou as an example, I need to deploy troops in Chongming Island, Haimen County, and the prefecture city at the same time.

Without 3,000 troops, it is impossible to defend.

"If we include other regions, the required troop strength will be even greater."

Battalion Commander Yun proposed along the trend.

Increasing the establishment means increasing opportunities.

For military generals, no one dislikes having too many soldiers under their command.

"That's enough, unless you want to go to the Liaodong front line for reinforcements.

Otherwise, don't think about such good things for now.

What needs to be done now is to minimize the sense of existence of the Yangzhou Camp, so as not to be targeted by the Ministry of War and have us sent to Liaodong with a transfer order.

You must know that the soldiers under our command are mostly locals from Yangzhou.

If we really go to the north, the non-combat attrition alone will be a terrifying number.

Before adapting to the northern climate, ten points of combat effectiveness can at most exert four or five points.

The Northern Barbarians and Guifang can suppress the border army, so their combat effectiveness is certainly not to be doubted.

Just relying on four or five points of combat effectiveness to face these guys, we will suffer a big loss!"

Li Mu refused on the spot.

Making requests requires timing.

The Liaodong front line is short of soldiers and generals; rushing up at this time is telling the Ministry of War that there is still a Yangzhou Camp available.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 129 =====