Volume 4 is in the ascendant Chapter 399 Nanyang
After being defeated many times in simulated battles by Lu Bu's "leading charge", Bai Tu also realized his limitations.
Of course, there is an element of irrationality on the part of Lu Bu, but...
It is undeniable that Cheng Ji's world is different from the world that Bai Tu lived in before. Artillery has a great impact on the battle situation. However...is the influence of the golden and jade generals, and even the transcendent god generals on the battle situation small?
Therefore, Bai Tu did not bother to persuade Lu Bu immediately on the sand table, but changed his thinking.
As long as artillery is truly used, not to mention experienced generals like Lu Bu and Zhang Liao, even smart men like Zhou Yu and Lu Meng, would they still stick to the old ways?
Bai Tu’s failure can only be attributed to the fact that... even with artillery he couldn’t defeat Lu Bu!
In that case, Bai Tu simply doesn't make things difficult for himself.
To realize one's real advantage, or role, one should find some tactical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries, when Western artillery and muskets were first developed, on the hard drive, summarize and compile them into teaching materials, and distribute them in the Military Academy.
As for the rest... just wait for them to "figure it out" on their own!
It was as if the information provided to the Ministry of Industry had actually been incomplete for a long time. The road ahead would become more and more dependent on the skilled craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry, as well as...theoretical master Pang Tong and chemical expert Yu Ji.
The same is true for generals. They are not children and do not need Bai Tu to feed them mouthful by mouthful. Bai Tu just needs to grasp the general direction and not go down the wrong path.
Even considering the differences in Cheng Ji's world, what they figured out on their own might be more reliable.
After figuring this out, Bai Tu suddenly felt relieved.
Moreover, the caravan also arrived in Xinye, north of Xiangyang. Although it was only a small county, if Nanyang was still in confrontation between the north and the south at this time, like when Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao in history, then Xinye could serve as the northern barrier of Xiangyang.
Of course, now that Jingzhou is monopolized by the State of Chu, Xinye has returned to its original status as a small county.
However, Bai Tu had to visit many people in Xinye alone. Pang Tong's uncle Pang Degong was living in seclusion in a manor between Xinye and Huyang counties...
Mr. Sima Hui, the Water Mirror, usually lived in Xiangyang. However, Bai Tu did not see him when he was in Xiangyang before. It was said that he went to visit a friend, and the "friend" he visited was Pang Degong.
Pang Degong was a native of Jingzhou. The Pang family’s ancestral home was in Xiangyang. However, Pang Degong was tired of being invited by Liu Biao before, so he moved a little to the north.
Sima Hui was born in Yingchuan Sima clan. Unless there is archaeology, he has little to do with Henei Sima clan. He lived in Jingzhou during the war in the Central Plains...
These two are both top celebrities and hermits of the day. Both of them are old and do not like to be officials. They are very different from celebrities like Hua Xin and Guan Ning. Bai Tu also did not hold out much hope for recruiting them.
However, Pang Degong and Sima Hui, in addition to their own cultivation, virtue and knowledge, were also famous for their love of discussing current affairs and making many good friends.
On the one hand, the two are willing to support young people, and on the other hand, they, like Xu Shao, are willing to comment on current affairs and contemporary talents or newcomers, so... they know a lot of talented young people!
For example, Pang Tong was discovered by Pang Degong and became famous with Pang Degong's words "the crown of scholars in Southern Province", although... he was still despised by Zhou Yu afterwards.
Before becoming the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao was a typical celebrity and had a lot in common with them. During the Party and Faction Persecution, Liu Biao was convicted and fled just because he talked too much.
It was just that after Liu Biao became the governor of Jingzhou, he joined forces with the gentry of Nanjun and became interested in the relationship with them, so Sima Hui and Pang Degong both kept their distance from him.
Bai Tu didn’t have many thoughts , but he was optimistic about their students and friends regardless of age difference!
But you still have to do it step by step. You can't eat from the bowl while looking at the pot. At least... finish eating first and then add more.
Bai Tu rested for a day in Xinye, and the next day he began to recruit local officials. He did the same thing before, so as to avoid going directly to the opposition and making the officials who were already in office feel neglected.
Compared with Nanjun, the replacement rate of local officials in Nanyang counties is much higher.
In Nanjun, the Chu State also had to worry that replacing too many people easily might lead to backlash, and in Nanyang... originally it was a mess, and the Nanjun gentry had at most "infiltrated" here, and the Jingzhou Prefecture had never completely controlled Nanyang.
Otherwise, he would not have been so generous as to give Wancheng to Zhang Xiu to station his troops...
Since the turbulent times, many counties in Nanyang have been occupied by local aristocratic families for self-preservation. Especially last year, many local aristocratic families in Nanyang, after first surrendering to Zhang Xiu, defected to Jingzhou Prefecture and launched a rebellion.
As a result, Jingzhou Prefecture "offered the prefecture" first, and the local wealthy families in Nanyang were also very embarrassed. They were severely suppressed by the State of Chu. Many wealthy families with bad reputations were cleared of their crimes, and a large number of grassroots officials were sent to them. The armed forces raised by the wealthy families themselves were basically disbanded, and Huang Zhong and others were ordered to train new soldiers here!
When Bai Tu was in various counties in Nanyang, he also found that there were many grassroots officials with Jiangdong accents, and he also paid special attention to these young people who were appointed to posts in other places.
Compared to Nanjun, the Chu State, from Baitu to Liubu, obviously had a stronger desire to control Nanyang. On the one hand, the previous rebellion had caused the Chu court to have a grudge, or... an excuse. On the other hand, it was also because Nanyang was important!
Nanyang County, as Liu Xiu’s hometown, was not only prosperous in terms of being the secondary capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty and having a population of half of Jingzhou, but also in terms of geographical location, Nanyang, like Huainan, was a strategic point between the north and the south!
If a war breaks out between the north and the south, there are generally three key areas: Hanzhong, Nanyang, and Huainan, corresponding to "Yizhou VS Guanxi", "Jingzhou VS Yuzhou", and "Yangzhou VS Xuzhou"...
Whoever can grasp these three springboards will have the initiative and the right to choose!
Historically, Shu Han had Hanzhong, so it was able to make various breakthroughs with the power of one state.
The seemingly stronger Eastern Wu... had its central route blocked by Xiangfan and its eastern route blocked by Hefei, and its several marches of hundreds of thousands of troops to the north failed to capture the enemy and posed no threat to the north.
Now Chu has obtained the second advantage. The Huainan area has abundant water systems, and the northerners should have no idea of moving south from Hefei. Therefore, in terms of defensive strategic deployment, Nanyang is the top priority of Chu - which is consistent with the previous judgment of the Nanjun gentry.
In the dispute planning of the Chu State, as a large city close to the Central Plains, or even already within the scope of the Central Plains...
Wancheng in Nanyang will still be a "military city" for a long time. With the Wancheng defense line as a barrier, the southern part of Nanyang can also develop industrialization mainly for military supplies and directly connect with the front line.
Shouchun in Huainan will be an important trade hub for the Chu State open to the north in addition to its coastal ports. It will also be a window to show the strength of the Chu State to the people of the Central Plains. It will focus on civil and commercial use.
Because of the previous Dazhong disaster, Huainan was almost a blank slate when Bai Tu took over. Local nobles either migrated or shrank, so it was completely controlled by the Chu court. Whenever there were new policies and laws to be implemented, Huainan would respond no slower than Wujun and Danyang, so there was no need to worry too much.
In comparison, the Chu court's "desire to control" Nanyang is understandable...
