Chapter 174 The elder brother is anxious about the younger brother
As mentioned before, war is a battle of logistics.
In real-life wars, people will be injured in every battle and need medicine; weapons will be broken or blunt, requiring new weapons and reforging; plus the food consumed by each person, as well as guns and ammunition, the logistical burden will be an extremely terrifying number.
If fighting in the Central Plains, supplies can be replenished by conquering each place. If fighting in the grasslands, supplies along the way can only be transported by logistics troops over long distances. The logistics troops themselves also consume food.
When Emperor Wu of Han launched a northern expedition against the Huns, the ratio of food transported by the logistics troops to the food received by the northern expedition soldiers was almost sixty to one.
Although a long time had passed between the Han Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, there had been no breakthrough in transportation technology, and things still relied on people carrying and horses pulling, so the ratio was roughly the same in the Ming Dynasty.
Every major battle involves numerous support soldiers and civilian laborers. Converted into manpower, this typically involves three support soldiers or civilian laborers to support one soldier.
In other words, Zhu Wenzhen led 30,000 elite soldiers to the expedition. If Zhu Biao wanted to ensure the logistics of these 30,000 elite soldiers, he had to gather at least 90,000 logistics troops in a short period of time to give Zhu Wenzhen an army of 120,000.
Many armies of hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of soldiers in history were assembled in this way.
Zhu Biao immediately lay down on the floor of the study.
I'm tired. Let that fool Zhu Wenzhen be destroyed.
Zhu Biao's eyes were dull as he said, "If 30,000 elite soldiers were to march without an imperial decree and were completely annihilated, even if our fake Zhu family were the emperor, they would all be executed, right?"
Li Wenzhong knelt beside the lying Zhu Biao, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "That's not the case, but Zhu Wenzheng's Yan Wang hat is probably gone."
Zhu Biao was so exhausted that he didn't even want to move his eyes. "Ah, so many of his comrades were killed, and Zhu Wenzheng only got the title of Prince of Yan? How can this be? If he were still alive, I would definitely petition the emperor to behead him to comfort the souls of his compatriots, and my family would at least be exiled. Oh, I didn't take good care of him..."
Zhu Biao paused, his tone becoming even more tired. "I'm just an ordinary provincial governor who also serves as a prefect. As a civil servant in charge of administration, how can I supervise the Prince of Yan who has military power?!"
Li Wenzhong nodded vigorously: "Yes, it's none of your business."
He actually scratched his head and sighed, "It's my fault! As a fellow general stationed in Beijing, I couldn't stop him!"
Zhu Biao slowly got up from the ground and asked in confusion, "How could you and I not hear a single sound of an army of 30,000 going out to fight?"
Li Wenzhong explained, "Biao'er, you know, Zhu Wenzheng often leads several thousand cavalrymen to the grasslands for fun. Before each fun, he would lead his 30,000-man army to a nearby grassland, where he would have a competition with each 100-household unit forming a squad. Only the winning squad would go with him."
Zhu Biao held his forehead. "I know, especially the waste of food and weapons... But this is training, and I gritted my teeth and ensured his logistical needs. So, he was training in name only, but in reality, he took 30,000 people and ran away?"
Li Wenzhong smiled wryly and nodded. It was half a day later when he realized something was wrong.
He sent a scout team to look for Zhu Wenzheng. Li Wenzhong did not expect the scout team to persuade Zhu Wenzheng to come back, but only to leave traces so that they could find Zhu Wenzheng.
Li Wenzhong is now completely at a loss and can only look for the omnipotent Biaoer to find a solution.
The omnipotent Biaoer said that there was no hope and he could only wait for death. He would now submit a memorial to the emperor and request exile.
Where can I get 90,000 logistics personnel for you?? ! !
Zhu Biao lay down on the ground again, pretending to be dead.
Zhu Di and Zhu Su came running hand in hand, skipping and jumping (Zhu Di was skipping and jumping in front, and Zhu Su was staggering and dragged by Zhu Di). Zhu Chong and Zhu Chong each held a stack of books, and followed their two younger brothers while talking.
Zhu Di was the first to discover Zhu Biao lying on the ground. He was so frightened that he immediately rushed over and said, "Brother! What's wrong with you? Are you sick? Injured?"
Zhu Su was so anxious that he turned around in circles, not knowing what to do, and his little head was dizzy.
"No, I'm just a little tired." Zhu Biao got up from the ground with a gloomy look on his face. "Brothers, we may be exiled. I hope we can be exiled to the same place."
As soon as Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang stepped over the threshold, they heard their eldest brother's frustrated words and looked at each other in confusion.
Zhu Chong was the first to react. He placed the homework of his classmates on the table and asked, "What did Brother Zheng do again?"
Li Wenzhong sighed, "He got the news about the remnant Yuan emperor and took 30,000 light cavalry to the grasslands, leaving a letter asking Biao'er to help him prepare the logistics."
Zhu Gang, who also placed his homework book on the table, almost knocked it over.
He screamed, "What?!"
Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang were both panicking. Zhu Gang was still dazed, but Zhu Di had a fearless expression on his face. "Huh? I remember Dad said that as a vassal king guarding the border, Zheng Ge has the power to send troops to the grasslands based on his own judgment. That's nothing, right?"
Li Wenzhong looked at Zhu Di, who remained calm, in surprise and said, "He does have the power to send troops to the grasslands on his own, but that doesn't mean he can act arbitrarily."
Zhu Di clasped his hands behind his head and continued calmly, "As long as we don't suffer a crushing defeat, it's okay, right? My cousin may be a bit clueless in normal times, but he's incredibly smart when it comes to fighting. When he sent out his troops, he certainly wouldn't have thought about the logistics. And I think, even if he can't win, he'll have a plan for retreat."
Seeing Zhu Di so calm, Zhu Biao couldn't help but calm down as well.
He turned and took out the map from the drawer and looked at it carefully.
The four younger brothers also gathered around, stood next to Zhu Biao, watched together, and started discussing.
Zhu Chong: "Brother Zheng has extensive experience in plundering. He probably wants to follow the herders and fight to support his own cause."
Zhu Di: "The tribes of nomads have meat, knives, and horses, which can indeed provide supplies for my cousin for a period of time."
Zhu Gang: "Ah, but Brother Zheng is so cruel. Even if he can make it to Bui'erhai by eating the herdsmen, what will he do when he comes back?"
Zhu Su pouted: "Come back? When he came back, his elder brother would pick him up."
The four brothers were silent, and then they started cursing.
“Shameless!”
"Is there a cousin like him?!"
"Brother Zheng's shamelessness is truly astonishing."
"What does this face have to do with it? He's just pure evil!"
After listening to his brothers' words, Zhu Biao suppressed his panic and was finally able to think rationally about Zhu Wenzhen's actions this time.
If Zheng Ge is not stupid, but is confident that he can escape unscathed even if Beijing's logistics cannot keep up, then what is the basis of his confidence?
Zhu Biao looked at the map carefully and put himself in Zhu Wenzhen's position, thinking about what measures he would take to maintain logistics and combat effectiveness if he went out with 30,000 cavalry and several days of dry food.
Zhu Biao asked, "Brother Zhong, do you know where Brother Zheng's supply point is?"
Supply point… Li Wenzhong's mouth twitched. He brushed the dust off his clothes, squeezed aside the four cousins of the Zhu family, and said, "I know. He is now familiar with the best grazing spots, just like a herdsman with decades of experience."
"There are herdsmen among his troops," Zhu Biao said, "and not only herdsmen, but also the head of the Privy Council of the remnant Yuan Dynasty."
Li Wenzhong said, "Zhang Yu... He should not get lost if he takes Zhang Yu with him."
Zhu Biao looked at the Nenjiang River Basin and felt very regretful.
If the Nenjiang River flows into the Songhua River and has an outlet to the south, the grassland will soon enter the rainy season, and there will be water inflow from the melting ice and snow. He can go through the Nenjiang River waters from the estuary and push the supply point to Arshan, which is less than 300 kilometers away from Fishing.
A distance of 300 kilometers could be reached in two or three days, with the horses resting and walking. In this era, a distance of two or three days was equivalent to no distance at all.
Zhu Biao glanced towards the northeast.
The steam engine had already left the laboratory, and he had the ability to develop Northeast China. When Brother Zheng returned, he would let him visit Northeast China. With the powerful power provided by the steam engine, the natural environment of Northeast China was much easier to develop than the grasslands.
The Nenjiang River and other rivers flowing from the northeast to the Hulunbuir grassland are navigable. Once the northeast is developed, at least the most fertile grasslands in Mongolia will fall into the hands of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Biao withdrew his gaze, put his future plans aside, and marked out Zhu Wenzhen's possible marching route with Li Wenzhong.
The grassland tribes lived near water and grass, in other words, they lived along the rivers. Especially the tribal nobles, they also needed to enjoy life and of course would not go to a place without water.
In the winter that had just passed, the Ming army was clearing out the bandits that had gathered from the remnant Yuan soldiers in the north. The northern defenses were at their strongest, and the Mongols did not dare to march south to plunder.
Especially the tribes on the Hulunbuir grasslands, if they wanted to plunder southward during the winter when food and clothing were scarce, they would definitely come to Northern Zhili Province. Northern Zhili Province had two great generals, Zhu Wenzheng and Li Wenzhong, and Zhu Biao's support behind the scenes. They would only be plundered by Zhu Wenzheng, so how could they dare to approach?
After a hard winter, even if the grassland tribes were afraid of Beijing, they had to go south to herd horses and sheep in order to survive.
Heading north? After returning to the grasslands, the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, fearing the Ming, remained stationed in the northern regions. Consequently, the prime grazing areas in the north had fallen into the hands of the Tatar nobles. Small tribes would only be annexed if they moved north. Unless their survival was at stake, they were unwilling to move north.
Even the small tribes that had been driven north by Zhu Wenzhen to cause trouble for the Tatars still quietly moved south in the spring to restore their tribal population.
Therefore, Zhu Wenzhen must have gained something along the way up the river, and it would not be difficult for him to reach Builuerhai.
"He'll take care of his food, but what about weapons?" Zhu Biao said, "Just looting weapons from the grassland tribes won't be enough for them."
Li Wenzhong hesitated for a moment and asked, "Biao'er, shall we go and check the ammunition depot?"
Zhu Biao's eyelids twitched fiercely: " You mean, Brother Zheng secretly took away a lot of flintlock rifles and ammunition?"
Li Wenzhong said, "That's something he would do. Weapons like swords, clubs, and bows and arrows are difficult to carry, but ammunition and flintlock rifles are relatively light, so he probably brought enough. He also raided the grasslands many times and was notorious there. Perhaps the moment the herders saw his flag, they abandoned their cattle and sheep and fled, leaving them with little resistance."
Li Wenzhong paused, his lips twitching slightly as he spoke, "They didn't necessarily escape. At the end of last year, Zhu Wenzheng brought back all the herders and their cattle and sheep. After Zhu Wenzheng robbed them of their cattle, sheep, and weapons, the herders had no way to survive, so they voluntarily followed Zhu Wenzheng, wanting to become citizens of the Ming Dynasty and herd horses and sheep for the Ming."
Zhu Biao pressed his temples and said dryly, "If I were in Brother Zheng's position, I would kill the tribal nobles and then drive the herdsmen and cattle and sheep slowly along the river towards Buyuer Lake. I would search for herdsmen tribes along the way and march all the way."
Li Wenzhong frowned and said, "If it were me, I would wear the clothes of a deceased tribal noble and pretend to be from a grassland tribe that defected to the remnant Yuan Dynasty. Grassland tribes rarely communicate with each other, especially some small tribes, who almost avoid the Mongolian nobles. I can easily impersonate them."
Zhu Biao said, "What we two can think of, Zheng Ge can certainly think of as well. He has the assistance of Zhang Yu, who is familiar with the customs of the grasslands and the Tatars. We probably don't have to worry about him until we reach Buyuerhai and meet the remaining Yuan Dynasty royal family."
Zhu Di was puzzled: "But big brother, isn't he in a hurry to defeat the remnant Yuan emperor? If he walks so slowly, isn't he afraid that someone will escape?"
Zhu Biao said, "The remnant Yuan court stayed in one place because the emperor was seriously ill. The old emperor was seriously ill, and the throne was about to be replaced, which would definitely lead to a period of turmoil. During this period, if the remnant Yuan court had not learned of the Ming army's attack, they would not have moved. Zheng Ge set out immediately after receiving the news, and he must have taken this into consideration."
Zhu Di scratched the tuft on his head. "Big brother, what you mean is, if I disguise myself as a noble from a small grassland tribe and go to the remnant Yuan Dynasty, I won't attract their attention. But they have 30,000 cavalrymen. What small tribe has 30,000 cavalrymen?"
Zhu Chong crossed his arms and said, "Why don't we just split up? We can advance in different directions. There's more than one river on the grassland."
Zhu Gang was shocked. "Not only did you advance alone, but you also split up your forces? Brother Zheng is truly a man of great skill and courage."
Zhu Su pouted: "Brother Zheng is just relying on his big brother to help him clean up the mess, right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao pressed his temple again.
Of course! Zhu Wenzheng considered everything, and naturally took Zhu Biao and Li Wenzhong into consideration.
"Zhu Wenzheng often leads his troops to roam the grasslands. If he doesn't return anytime soon, he won't attract the attention of Mongolian spies near Beijing." Zhu Biao thought to himself. Although it was unintentional, Brother Zheng had created a "wolf cry" situation. "Brother Zhong, you lead the army to the northeast. I will gather logistical supplies, and you will accept the emperor's orders and attack the northeast."
Li Wenzhong hesitated: "Zhu Wenzheng has already issued no edict to send troops, if I go again..."
Zhu Biao shook his head. "Ji Ze is right. As a vassal king, the Prince of Yan doesn't need an imperial order to send troops to the grasslands. You and I are both subordinates of the Prince of Yan, so naturally we have this power. As long as we win, even if it's just a small victory, Brother Zheng and our military action will be correct!"
Li Wenzhong's wavering mind calmed down and he said, "I understand. I'll gather my troops and set off right away. But Biao'er, can you really gather that much logistical supplies?"
Zhu Biao gritted his teeth and said, "Empty the warehouses in Beizhili, yes!"
Li Wenzhong immediately said, "Biao'er, empty the warehouse. If there's a natural disaster, how are you going to provide relief? Rely on Jiangnan? Jiangnan is already supporting the reclamation of Yunnan and Guizhou, and providing relief to the people of Shandong who have been attacked by Japanese pirates. I'm afraid they don't have the resources to spare!"
Zhu Biao took a few deep breaths, put away all his expressions, and said indifferently: "As long as you can win, I have a way."
Li Wenzhong said, "Biao'er, don't keep your brother Zhong in suspense. If you don't tell me what to do, I won't send troops. I'd rather Zhu Wenzheng escape in disgrace than let anything happen to you. If rebellion breaks out in Northern Zhili, what will you do?"
Zhu Wenzhen is asking for trouble. If chaos breaks out in Northern Zhili, it will be a huge blow to the prestige of the crown prince after he returns to the throne!
Zhu Biao hesitated for a moment and said, "We in Northern Zhili have no food, but Korea has food . The remnant Yuan royal family has taken away many treasures, and the nobles of the grassland tribes are extremely keen on gold, silver and jewelry. If you win, I will seize the spoils and exchange them for food at sea."
Zhu Chong immediately said, "Brother! If we seize the spoils, how will we explain this to the Emperor?!"
Zhu Biao said, "Just write a petition to borrow the money. Just give me a year or two and I'll be able to pay off the IOU. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Zhu Biao's four younger brothers were still worried, but Li Wenzhong was no longer worried.
He knew that Zhu Biao did not need to write this IOU. Not to mention the spoils of war that had been won by the remaining Yuan imperial family, his adoptive father would not be stingy in distributing any other spoils won by his three brothers to Zhu Biao.
Besides, if the spoils were turned over to the imperial court, after all the kickbacks were taken at every level, who knows how much would be left in the treasury. Even if it all went into the treasury, Li Wenzhong didn't believe that the people in the Ministry of Revenue could match Biao'er's ability to make money and buy grain.
"Now that you know what's going on, I can go find Zhu Wenzheng without any worries," Li Wenzhong gritted his teeth and said, "and then give him a good kick in the ass!"
Zhu Biao's mouth twitched slightly.
Kick his butt hard... Brother Zhong was so angry at Brother Zheng that he spoke in the language of later generations.
After making the decision, Zhu Biao began to mobilize supplies, and Li Wenzhong prepared to "go to the Northeast to fight."
Zhu Biao acted very efficiently, and under his management, the people of Beijing had strong support. In just five days, Zhu Biao gathered all the food and weapons logistics.
Zhu Biao did not report to Nanjing, and acted as if "Nanjing issued the order, not us going on our own" to other officials. He even sent Li Wenzhong off in his official uniform.
He announced that Zhu Wenzheng's troops would also head directly to the Northeast after returning from their prairie raids. Nanjing issued an edict that this year, they would use northern Zhili as a springboard to conquer the Northeast.
"The south has been completely pacified. Apart from the grasslands and the northern desert, only the northeast is left! The northeast is adjacent to Goryeo. Goryeo is wavering in both directions, and the Ming Dynasty must teach him a lesson." Zhu Biao said this to others, and they all believed it.
Logically speaking, there is nothing wrong with this statement.
The army and logistics troops set off, and when Zhu Biao returned to his official residence, his back was already wet with cold sweat.
He sat in the chair in a daze for a long time before he picked up the pen and began to write a letter to Nanjing.
Let’s not talk about how Nanjing will react when it receives the news.
As Zhu Biao and Li Wenzhong had speculated, Zhu Wenzhen on the grassland not only robbed small tribes of herdsmen along the river, but also disguised himself as a Mongolian after the robbery, and headed north while grazing and robbing.
Zhu Wenzhen spoke Mongolian fluently, and with his rough temperament and the gold, silver and jewelry hanging around his neck and arms, he was undoubtedly a Mongolian aristocrat.
Zhang Yudu couldn't help but say, "Prince Yan, you can walk into a gathering of Mongolian nobles like this without anyone doubting your identity."
Zhu Wenzheng was playing with a gold medallion that marked him as a Mongolian noble, grinning, "With this medallion in hand, who dares to say I'm not one?"
When the Yuan Emperor abandoned Dadu and fled north, he fled in a panic and left behind many things.
Zhu Biao sorted out all the items and kept some that might be useful, such as the signboards representing the identities of certain Mongolian nobles.
This sign must have been left behind by a Mongol noble who fled north with the emperor. While that noble may be dead or still in the remnant Yuan court, he was not the only Mongol noble with this surname.
Mongolian nobles also had many children, and many of their concubines' sons led a team of herdsmen and found grazing places on their own.
When Zhu Biao was studying Mongolian surnames and genealogies, Zhu Wenzheng was forced to learn from him. Zhu Biao said that these could be used in battle.
Zhu Wenzhen said "I don't believe it" at the time, but now he is really using it.
"I, the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty, learned of the whereabouts of the Yuan Emperor and came to him with my herdsmen, cattle, sheep, and brave cavalry. He should at least make me a king, right?" Zhu Wenzheng said with a smile, tossing the gold medal. "Just make me the King of Mongolia."
Zhang Yu's mouth twitched, not knowing how to answer.
Xue Xian, an old subordinate of Zhu Wenzheng, immediately said, "Of course. If he's not the King of Mongolia, how can he be worthy of the title of King of Yan? But King of Yan, do we really need to divide our forces? I'm already worried about advancing alone, and now we need to divide our forces..."
Zhu Wenzheng said lazily, "We are Mongols, tribal nobles. We are not the Ming Dynasty going to fight against the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty. Why divide our forces? Where will the troops come from? Xue Xian, your Mongolian is not good. Remember to pretend to be a Han slave."
Xue Xian: “…” I just don’t want to be a slave!
But since the King of Yan had already given the order, what else could he do? He could only say aggrievedly, "I know. I won't ruin the King of Yan's plans."
Zhang Yu was still puzzled. "Prince Yan, are we really going to attack the Dragon Palace? Even if we win, the governor said he wants to keep the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty and fight the Oirat. Will we ruin the governor's plan?"
Zhu Wenzheng shook his head. "No. No one knows Biao'er better than me. Ever since the advent of the steam engine, Biao'er has disregarded the grasslands. He now needs a more stable environment to manufacture more steam engines, and use them for... well, civilian purposes. As long as the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty remain, the court will never allow him to use steam engines on the people."
Zhu Wenzheng put away the gold medal and stretched lazily: "Biao'er is soft-hearted and won't ask to go to the battle on his own initiative. As an older brother, I have to worry about what my younger brother is worried about."
