Regardless of whether Liu Jun was willing or not, Shi Kefa’s proposal was indeed a compromise. At least three eunuchs were quite satisfied with this proposal.

The third eunuch agreed, Zhu Dadian also agreed, and General Mou Wenshou also agreed, and in the end, only Liu Jun's attitude was left. Seeing this result, Liu Jun didn't want to object.

"Since everyone thinks it's good, then that's it."

After the troops were divided into two groups, things were easier to handle. The 20,000 troops in Jiangbei were commanded by Shi Kefa, supervised by Lu Jiude, and led by Mou Wenshou, and served as the Eastern Army.

The 20,000 nine-headed birds were the Western Route Army, as usual, commanded by Zhu Dadian, supervised by Wang Kun and Lu Weining and Qu Shishi. Liu Jun led the troops and was responsible for recapturing Yingshan County and encircling and suppressing bandits around Yingshan.

There was actually nothing to say about the following meeting. After everyone talked nonsense, they each parted in the meeting. Liu Jun did not stay in the city, so he went back to the camp outside the city.

On the way back to the camp, Liu Jun thought about it. Putting aside those pig teammates, the Nine-Headed Bird could be easier.

Next, Liu Jun sent a brigade of Yebu to reconnaissance, collect intelligence, and investigate the reality of the bandits. Liu Jun was not in a hurry to attack. They came to wipe out the bandits, not to die.

However, the soldiers and horses in Jiangbei began to head north the next day after the military agreement. Several battalions of troops were dispatched, causing chaos. It is said that the merchants and people in Anqing City were also entrusted a large amount of money and grain to use as the Jiangbei Army's opening and bank grain.

The nine-headed bird was stationed quietly in the camp. Without military orders, no one was allowed to leave the camp without a military order.

In the central army's tent, Liu Jun and the officers of various battalions were discussing combat plans around a huge sand table.

The nine-headed bird's battle focuses on making plans in advance, and we must collect information in advance and then make detailed combat plans based on the information, rather than having only one general goal, and no specific arrangement plan, just like many Ming generals.

Liu Jun attached great importance to combat plans. Each plan must be repeatedly calculated, and even a second plan must be prepared in advance. Liu Jun even set up a new staff officer to praise and paint, and temporarily transferred the officers trained in the martial arts lecture hall to serve as staff officers.

Yang Yongfu is the younger brother of Liu Jun's brother-in-law, a scholar. He has been with the Nine-Headed Nine Nine for three months and has participated in the Battle of Sichuan. Now he is trained in the martial arts lecture hall. This time he joins the army to the north of Jiangbei to suppress bandits and is incorporated into the staff office. At this time, he is holding a slender wooden stick and standing in front of Liu Jun and the generals of each battalion.

He stood there nervously, his hands trembling slightly, and he pointed at the sand table with a wooden stick, "This is Sikong Mountain, Baisha Town, Taihu County, Anqing Prefecture. From Anqing, you can reach the river at the back. The terrain here is dangerous and very important. After we sent troops, we will first go to the river here, establish a camp in Sikong Mountain to store grain and grass, and set it as a grain and grass storage point and a transfer point."

It is nearly 500 miles from Anqing to Yingshan.

Although the nine-headed bird has its own food and grass, it cannot accumulate the food and grass in Anqing, and then supply it so far, and it cannot be carried all with the army.

The best way is to set up a treasury transfer point near the battlefield.

Sikongshan is indeed in line with the needs. Moreover, after garrisoning grain in Sikongshan, it is equivalent to controlling the road where the bandits break through Yingshan and then heading south.

Sikong Mountain is only a hundred miles away from Yingshan, but when it actually passes, it has entered the control area of ​​the bandits. The grain storage point is too high and it is no longer safe.

Liu Jun nodded and signaled Yang Yongfu to continue speaking.

Yang Yongfu swallowed his saliva, moistened his throat, and continued, "We can collect a batch of ships, transport troops and grain along the river and the back river to Sikong Mountain, set up a grain transfer point here, and leave a batch of troops. Then he will take steps to control the surrounding mountain villages, forts and towns, and continue to advance. Every twenty miles, a military station is built to protect the grain transport road. Every sixty miles, a fortress is built."

"The staff officer means to swallow and advance?" Wang Kun asked, "Why don't you go straight to Yingshan? We have to be so careful when we are strong."

"Be careful, there is no big mistake." Liu Jun said, "The bandits do not occupy the prefectures and counties, but are entrenched in the deep mountains and forests. We must consider that the bandits travel with us without attacking and avoid fighting. We will take every step forward and do not give the bandits any opportunity to take advantage of."

"What's more, we are going to march three times this time, so there is no rush."

This kind of suppression of bandits in the mountainous areas is different from attacking cities. What you fear most is that the thieves guerrillas are guerrillas in the deep mountains and forests. When your army goes deeper, the thieves will take you around circles while relying on the familiar terrain to lengthen the supply line, and then attack your food and grass transportation. When the official army is not replenished and has to retreat, the thieves will attack and harass you again and drag them away. That is the most troublesome thing.

The current combat plan of the Advisory Office is to sweep it inch by inch, and then every time you recover, register a household registration, arrange a Baojia, and then build a military station and fortress along the road, so as to gradually reduce the living space of the bandits.

"Our staff officer also plans to draw the cavalry out and stand by at any time. Once the traces of the thieves are found, they will immediately send cavalry to attack quickly, drag the thieves, and then wait for the infantry to arrive and annihilate them."

Liu Jun also nodded and praised this plan.

"Okay, the combat plan of the Advisory Office has come out. Now let's discuss it, put forward our own opinions, and fill in the gaps."

Liu Jun’s staff office is a very new thing. These staff officers are different from the original chief generals in the army. They are independent. They formulate corresponding combat plans based on intelligence. Then the plan is taken out and the generals who lead the troops discuss and make adjustments.

Finally, the main general makes the decision.

Liu Jun had high hopes for this new staff office. He even planned to let them participate in military affairs in the future, from combat strategies to marching routes, food and grass arrangements, etc.

Of course, Liu Jun also paid more attention to the choice of these staff officers. He did not use any staff, nor did he just promote some literate scholars and literati. On the contrary, every staff officer must have been the leader of the nine-headed bird front line, must have rich combat experience, and must have received staff training in the martial arts hall. To be able to read, make drawings, and calculate, etc. In short, the staff officers must be both civil and military.

The staff officers were promoted from outstanding officers on the front line to the martial arts lecture hall. After professional training, they were promoted to staff officers of battalions at all levels. After a certain period of time, they were re-delegated to the front-line troops as the chief officers of the army.

In short, the officers leading troops in the Nine-Headed Bird may not be staff officers, but the officers must be from the best officers leading troops. Liu Jun also plans to slowly train a group of excellent staff members. In the future, there will be a staff department in the troops at all levels of the Nine-Headed Bird. The chief of the staff officer can even be at the same level as the chief officer of the leader, or only at a lower level, and become one of the chief officers of the troops at this level.

A unit includes commanders at all levels of command, and staff at all levels of staff are also responsible for reconnaissance of military information, formulating combat plans, transferring food and pay, and even training troops.

Liu Jun did this and wanted to strengthen his control over the troops. The court's previous practice was to lead civil officials and supervise the army. However, Liu Jun did not agree with this approach. Although this could strengthen control, it was equivalent to allowing outsiders to lead experts and greatly reducing the combat effectiveness of the army.

Liu Jun planned to use the staff system to decentralize power rather than to supervise the military. For example, in the future, the staff will be responsible for food and pay, and the staff will be one level lower than the chief general's position, but the food and pay business in charge will be directly managed by the superior staff department, rather than directly under the chief general's management. This approach is somewhat similar to later generations, such as taxation, public security, procuratorial and judicial departments, and they have differences between pieces.

In this way, for example, although the Chief of Staff of the Battalion is a subordinate of the battalion guerrilla general, his specific jurisdiction is not directly controlled by him. This makes it difficult for the battalion guerrilla to reach out to food and pay, mislead military pay, and deduct military pay, etc. In fact, this is somewhat similar to the governor and the inspector. The governor is greater than the inspector, but the inspector has the right to supervise impeachment of the governor, and the governor is not allowed to interfere in many of his business.

Although this may make the Lord General feel very unhappy, the rights must be supervised and controlled.

An excellent staff officer can also help the main general share the responsibility of collecting intelligence, making appropriate combat plans based on the information, etc., so that the main general can distribute more energy to be responsible for commanding operations. Even with the staff officer, the troops will have dual chief officers. If the main general dies in battle, the staff officer can immediately take over the command.

It turns out that the staff officer is that the Lord takes the initiative alone or recruits some private staff. However, these staff members are all private. They have no position of their own and are completely obedient to the boss's intentions.

Staff is decentralization and supervision.

Although the Ming Dynasty had not yet perished, the Ming Dynasty's army now had some prototypes of separatist rule. The officers recommended by the chief generals basically passed the court, and most of the food and salary were raised by themselves, and even the military quota had been exceeded. Many times, those generals did not obey the court's orders very much.

Even within the armies, the situation was similar, and some generals also did not have much control over the guerrillas below.

Although these soldiers would not rebel at any time as in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, the Ming army was indeed out of control. Liu Jun would never want the Nine-Headed Bird he built to become like that in the end. Although the Nine-Headed Bird is now established, the military discipline is still very strict. But over time and with a large team, it will inevitably be difficult to lead.

Finally, it is imperative to introduce a staff system to divide the power of the main general and provide more supervision. Moreover, staff not only decentralize power, supervision, and the joining of staff can also enhance the combat effectiveness of the army.

Although the newly established staff office in the Nine-Headed Birds made the chief officials at all levels feel a little hindered, Liu Jun is now in the Nine-Headed Birds, and although everyone has some opinions on this staff system he has introduced, they can still accept it.

This is a very good result for Liu Jun. As long as everyone accepts it, they will get used to it slowly and maintain this system. It will be difficult to change it in the future.

Perhaps in the future, several more chiefs of staff can be set up. Each chief general will appoint several officers to be responsible for military training, food and equipment, assessment and meritorious service, intelligence and combat plans, etc. The chief general is only responsible for commanding the operation. The officer general is the deputy of the chief general, but is also affiliated with the staff offices at the next level!
Chapter completed!