sovbooks Chapter 078: Dividing Troops for Garrison
Chapter 078: Dividing Troops for Garrison
Once everyone had arrived, Gao Yingxiang began to discuss the important matter at hand.
The matter that brought everyone together to discuss was not complicated. The rebel army's previous goal was to head north and occupy Fugu, establish a foothold there, and then find a way to cross the Yellow River eastward into Shanxi to expand. Now, half of this goal has been achieved. Fugu has been captured, and there are no government troops around that can compete with the rebel army, which is of great benefit to the rebel army's survival.
However, now is not a good time to cross the Yellow River.
First, the rebel army also suffered significant losses after the battle of Gaohanling. The subsequent rest and expansion of the troops were crucial matters.
Secondly, crossing the Yellow River eastward required boats. Fugu originally had boats, but the problem was that Wang Jiayin had already requisitioned them all. Moreover, the battle to cross the river resulted in heavy losses, and most of the boats were lost on the east bank. Even the few that carried the defeated soldiers back to the west bank were all burned before Wang Jiayin marched south.
Without boats, how can we cross the Yellow River? The Yellow River is not a small stream; we can't swim across it, can we? Besides, it's winter now. Although the Yellow River isn't as high and turbulent as it is in summer, it's still impossible to cross by human labor.
The rebels were all ordinary people, and Gao Yingxiang and his men were not Wang Baobao; they didn't have that kind of ability.
Even if they could find a way to cross the river, they shouldn't forget that General Wang Guoliang of Shanxi was stationed on the other side. Wang Guoliang was not like Mai Danian and Lu Jinchun, who were defeated and killed at Gaohanling. This man was not only skilled in battle but also brave and resourceful. Even someone like Wang Jiayin suffered greatly at Wang Guoliang's hands; how could Gao Yingxiang dare to underestimate him?
Considering the actual situation, Gao Yingxiang decided that the righteous army would stay in Fugu for a period of time.
On the one hand, they rested and reorganized their troops, recruited soldiers, and manufactured weapons, while on the other hand, they prepared for their future eastward crossing. After all, judging from the current situation, with the main force of Mai Danian and Lu Jinchun's government troops destroyed, the safety of the rebel army in the Fugu area was absolutely guaranteed.
As for Wang Guoliang in the east, as the General of Shanxi, he needed an imperial order to cross the river westward and attack the rebel army. Otherwise, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, troops from other provinces were not allowed to cross the border without authorization. Without imperial decree and military orders, if Wang Guoliang did so, it would be a serious matter. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped after only defeating Wang Jiayin on the east bank and didn't cross the river to pursue them further.
Moreover, since they have already obtained the grain, Gao Yingxiang and his men cannot cross over for the time being, nor can Wang Guoliang.
Crossing a river to fight is extremely risky; the idiom "attack while the enemy is halfway across" is not just a casual saying. Even if Wang Guoliang's elite government troops were capable, they still had no chance of success in this kind of battle.
"Gentlemen!" Gao Yingxiang looked around at everyone and said loudly, "I have decided to station myself in Fugu for a while to rest and recuperate. The victory at Gaohanling and the recent defeat of the imperial army make this place relatively safe. However, we must remain vigilant against Wang Guoliang to the east. Although the possibility of him crossing the Yellow River westward is slim, to be on the safe side, we must still allocate some troops to monitor the Yellow River banks, just in case. Which leader is willing to take on this task?"
"Chuang Wang, leave this matter to me!" As soon as Gao Yingxiang finished speaking, Liu Zhe stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Gao Yingxiang glanced at Liu Zhe and nodded slightly.
Guarding the banks of the Yellow River was no easy task, especially in winter. Although there were towns on the west bank where troops could be stationed, the conditions were not as good as in Fugu. Liu Zhe was a trusted confidant, reliable and steady, and Gao Yingxiang was naturally satisfied that he had volunteered. Moreover, this matter concerned the safety of the rebel army, and given Gao Yingxiang's trust in Liu Zhe, he could be completely at ease entrusting him with monitoring Wang Guoliang's troops.
"In that case, this matter will be entrusted to Brother Liu." Gao Yingxiang thought for a moment and then decided on the matter. No one had any objections. Liu Zhe was originally Gao Yingxiang's man, and since he had volunteered, no one had any reason to object.
After arranging this matter, Gao Yingxiang added, "Although Gaohanling was a great victory, the various tribes also suffered considerable losses. Zhou Lun!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Upon hearing his name called, Zhou Lun quickly stood up and responded.
Gao Yingxiang asked, "How are the arrangements for the prisoners going?"
"Reporting to King Chuang," Zhou Lun said, clasping his hands in a fist salute before speaking, "All the captured government troops have been persuaded to surrender, and the few stubborn ones have been dealt with. What should be done with these prisoners next? Please give your instructions, King Chuang."
Although Zhou Lun intended to bring all the prisoners under his command, he knew it wasn't a decision he could make alone. Gao Yingxiang's inquiry about the prisoners clearly indicated his intention to use them to fill the gaps in the rebel army's losses. Therefore, Zhou Lun explained the situation directly and left the decision to Gao Yingxiang.
Gao Yingxiang nodded in satisfaction, then thought for a moment and asked, "I remember there were nearly three thousand captured officers and soldiers?"
"The rebel king's memory is correct. After my handling, there are 2,823 remaining." Zhou Lun reported the accurate number without hesitation.
Gao Yingxiang pondered for a moment and then immediately made the allocation.
Of the 2,823 men, Gao Yingxiang gave 500 each to Li Wanqing, Wang Er, and Zhao Sheng to replenish their losses. Of the remaining 1,323 men, 1,000 were given to Huang Long—Gao Yingxiang's central army.
This left a remainder of 323 people. Gao Yingxiang waved his hand and gave the number directly to Zhou Lun, instructing Zhou Lun to arrange the follow-up and send the assigned people to their respective departments later.
There was little objection to this arrangement, as Gao Yingxiang's distribution plan was relatively fair.
The battle at Gaohanling resulted in significant losses for all units, with the Wang Er unit suffering the greatest losses, followed by Zhao Sheng and Huang Long.
Li Wanqing's troops suffered relatively few losses, while Zhou Lun's losses were the smallest.
However, the subsequent incident of Wang Er killing prisoners caused quite a stir within the rebel army, and Gao Yingxiang was also quite dissatisfied upon hearing about it. Therefore, this time he only gave Wang Er 500 men, probably as a way to give Wang Er a warning.
Furthermore, Gao Yingxiang specifically entrusted this matter to Zhou Lun, intending to win Zhou Lun over and offer him some benefits. After all, although Wang Er gained the most merit in the battle of Gaohanling, Zhou Lun was the most important in terms of the overall planning of the battle.
Moreover, in this battle, Zhou Lun's main camp lost one-fifth of its men. Although the number of men was small, it should be noted that Zhou Lun had put a lot of effort into building this main camp, and its fighting strength was second to none among the rebel army.
After considering all factors, Gao Yingxiang made this decision. On the surface, the number of prisoners given to Zhou Lun was the minimum, only 323, but in reality, the initiative in distributing the prisoners was directly handed over to Zhou Lun.
There's a reason for this. Gao Yingxiang already knew that Zhou Lun had his eye on the border soldiers among the prisoners, and the prisoners Zhou Lun rescued from Wang Er were among those border soldiers. Since these people had already surrendered to Zhou Lun, it would be more appropriate to give all these border soldiers to Zhou Lun, rather than letting them fall into the hands of someone like Wang Er and cause trouble.
This arrangement could be seen as making up for the lack of reward given to Zhou Lun for his previous contributions. It must be said that Gao Yingxiang's arrangement was very appropriate and exactly what Zhou Lun wanted.
After explaining the arrangements for the prisoners, Gao Yingxiang then assigned the garrisons to the various units.
Fugu has been captured, but the entire rebel army cannot be crammed into one county town. After all, Fugu is just a county town, and it would be extremely inconvenient to have so many people and troops crammed in here. Besides, their rebel army is engaged in rebellion, and although Mai Danian and Lu Jinchun's main forces have been completely wiped out at Gaohanling, the imperial court will definitely not sit idly by and may soon mobilize troops to continue the encirclement and suppression.
For safety reasons, and also to allow the rebel army to better control the area, Gao Yingxiang decided to divide his troops to garrison the area.
Gao Yingxiang, who arrived in Fugu two days earlier than Zhou Lun, had already carefully considered the matter. Apart from Wang Guoliang, who had just been sent by Liu Zhe to guard the west bank of the Yellow River and monitor the east bank, he did not intend to leave all the other troops in Fugu City.
Gao Yingxiang first explained his ideas, and seeing that no one had any objections, he proposed that Li Wanqing's troops be stationed at Gushan Fort south of Fugu, responsible for the south of Fugu and monitoring Baode; Wang Er's troops be stationed at Mugua Fort west of Fugu; and Zhao Sheng's troops be stationed at Qingshui Camp north of Mugua Fort.
Both Muguabao and Qingshuiying are under the jurisdiction of Qiangbao in Maidanian Town.
After Mai Danian's troops were completely annihilated, these two locations are currently undefended. Moreover, these two places are mutually supportive, forming an important defensive position west of Fugu. The deployment of Wang Er and Zhao Sheng's troops here can not only ensure the safety of Fugu's western border but also allow for joint advances and retreats. From a practical standpoint, this arrangement is quite appropriate.
The three divisions, including Li Wanqing's, were thus deployed in a way that ensured they were not far from Fugu and could also guard key outer routes. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, Fugu could easily mobilize its forces, buying time for a response.
In addition, considering that Zhou Lun's troops were not numerous, and that Gao Yingxiang needed Zhou Lun to handle some matters in the city, Zhou Lun did not travel with Li Wanqing this time.
In effect, Gao Yingxiang used this arrangement to directly transfer Zhou Lun and his old troops from Li Wanqing's forces and station them in Fugu City. In this way, although Zhou Lun's troops were nominally still under Li Wanqing's command, they had effectively become independent.