Wenhua Hall.
The Sutra Banquet on the second day of November was the last Sutra Banquet of the year. After the end, the emperor hosted a banquet for the Hanlin Sutra Banquet officials.
After the Hanlin Jingyan official left, the emperor summoned Zhang Zhou, who had not participated in the Jingyan that day, and also stayed with Zhu Houzhao. He set up the sand table and map, and Zhang Zhou served as Zhu You's Tang father and son explained the situation of the Liaodong war.
The only person on the side who is qualified to listen is Xiao Jing, who is about to take over as the eunuch in charge of the ceremony.
“From Daning to the north, all the way across the Luanhe River, and then to the Huangshui Branch, this area used to be the area where Duoyan and Taining moved south in winter, but this year the Tatar After the little prince Tartar moved eastward, none of the three Duoyan guards showed signs of moving south. This was all because in the past few months, it had become normal for soldiers and horses from Liaodong and Jizhou towns to go out for patrols. Even in the winter, the three Duoyan guards did not dare to do anything casually. "Go south."
"The ambush location is on the upper reaches of the North Branch of Huangshui River. This is 260 miles north of Daning, where the right wing of the Keshdan Department is located. It is surrounded by deserts and Gobi. However, because it is close to the Huangshui River, the road is relatively flat. According to common sense, it is difficult to form an ambush site. However, the terrain is narrow. The Ming Dynasty soldiers and horses can deploy troops on both sides of the river. No matter which of the three Duoyan guards passes by, they will have to press north. "Retreat."
"When the time comes, the governor of Liaodong will personally lead his troops and encircle them from both sides, forcing the three guards to abandon their people and use their cavalry to break through. This will be a trap. The situation of a dog in a dead end."
Zhang Zhou explained the points that could be marked on the sand table and the map.
Zhu Youtang had known about this plan for a long time and just nodded slightly. As long as it was a plan made by Zhang Zhou, he almost supported it with both hands and feet.
Zhu Houzhao blinked his innocent eyes and asked, "They have no other way to go."
Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Prince, this is about you Zhang." The master's tactics were tricky. He sent troops from Liaodong with great fanfare. He did not go to Ningyuan, Yizhou, etc., but specifically selected the Shenyang Central Guards southeast of Duoyan Sanwei to send troops. If Duoyan Sanwei retreated to the north, the Ming Dynasty soldiers and horses only had to advance northward. Then he can take back all the land previously occupied by the Tartar Monks."
Zhu Houzhao frowned when he heard this. What his father said made him anxious and unsatisfactory. He said, " Father, what this means is that there are Batu Meng's troops to the north of the Duoyan Guards. They dare not go north, so they can only go west. We will ambush him on the road he must pass. Is this what it means?"
"That's right." Zhu Youtang disagreed. He felt that he explained it very clearly.
Zhu Houzhao said, "What I asked is, is there no other way to go?"
Zhu Youtang looked at Zhang Zhou, meaning you should explain to this boy.
Zhang Zhou laughed and said, “There are roads, but in eastern Mongolia, there are many deserts and Gobi deserts. The road to the west is either occupied by some small Tatar Chahar tribes, or there are more people on the road. It is very dangerous and often requires crossing hundreds of miles of Gobi Desert. After winter, it is covered with snow, making it difficult to distinguish the road. Walking along the river is often the easiest way to distinguish the road.. "
Zhu Houzhao said with a smile, "You have already had a premonition that it is going to snow on the grassland, right?"
Zhang Zhou shook his head, "No, it doesn't matter whether it snows or not, because the three guards of Duoyan are now soldiers. The horse is disabled, they cannot afford the loss, and they cannot trust each other. Under these circumstances, they must have split their route and taken the north bank of Huangshui River. This is my guess based on their possible marching route. "
"Not sure." Zhu Houzhao had some hope.
Zhu Houzhao complained, "Prince, when marching and fighting, it is impossible to be completely sure every time. You have to judge the situation according to the situation. "
Zhu Houzhao gestured with the map and said, "Send troops from Jizhou to Keshidan. The road is so far away that the Tatars will not be aware of it. If they are discovered by the Tatars along the way, they can give advance warning. , then not only will the ambush be easy to fail, but it is also likely to be counter-ambushed.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Your Highness, I have already said this. After the little Tatar prince moved eastward, there was actually no activity of any tribe within a radius of 200 miles around Daning." For now, this area is within the deterrent range of the Ming Dynasty cavalry. ”
Zhu Youtang said with some displeasure, “Prince, I asked you to listen, so don’t interrupt casually.” Do you think that after the Ming Dynasty had long-range artillery and heavy artillery, the Tatar tribes still dared to move closer to the border areas of the Ming Dynasty. In the past, after the winter came, the three guards of Duoyan only grazed their cattle within a few dozen miles outside my pass. They were so arrogant. Now call them here. , Do they dare to come?"
"Oh. "
Zhu Houzhao wrinkled his nose and said nothing more.
Xiao Jing on the side stepped forward and asked timidly like a big girl, "Dare you ask Mr. Zhang, this way? Who led the troops who set up an ambush?"
Zhang Zhou said, "The newly appointed military officer, Wang Xian, is in charge of the army. The commander of the troops is Peng Quan, the former commander of Jianchang Guard. The lieutenant general is Ma Yongcheng, who is also from the East Palace. ”
Xiao Jing was speechless for a moment.
Except for Peng Quan, he knew more about these three people. He was not even familiar with Ma Yongcheng, let alone Wang Xian. I've heard of it.
Zhang Zhou actually arranged to lead the attack
Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Xiao Jing, why, you are surprised, aren't you? In fact, Bingkuan is in Liaodong. The use of troops is more to intimidate the grasslands. The way to use troops is to win by surprise. If everything goes according to plan, I am afraid that in the next few years, the Tatar tribes will not fight the Ming Dynasty head-on. It's not easy to succeed in a surprise attack every time. "
"Yes, yes. "Of course Xiao Jing understands this.
Don't say that the Ming Dynasty has new firearms. Even if it doesn't, the Tatars know that the Ming Dynasty has sent the main force to attack, and it is impossible to fight head-on.
The main purpose of the Tatar invaders is to plunder, not to risk their lives with the Ming Dynasty. No matter how many soldiers the Ming Dynasty loses, they can replace them, and their living environment on the grassland is as bad as a grassland. Once they have a bloody battle with the Ming Dynasty , even if the personnel loss is smaller than that of Daming, they are the ones who suffer the big loss.
Zhu You.Zang looked at the sand table and said with emotion, "If you want to achieve victory, either Xu Tu will make inroads and slowly build the city into the hinterland of the grassland, or someone like Bingkuan can devise a good strategy and achieve unexpected results."
Xiao Jing said, "My slave also thinks this is a good plan, but I don't know what the little Tatar prince is doing."
He was reminding him.
No matter how good the plan is, Dayan Khan is afraid that he will suddenly attack and catch the Ming Dynasty's ambushed soldiers by surprise. No matter how many soldiers and horses you bring, if you encounter the Tatar main force of 1 or 200,000, the result will be the same. Most likely it was the Ming Dynasty that suffered a disastrous defeat.
Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Bingkuan, tell him. I'm not talking about you. Xiao Jing, you are becoming more and more like those ministers in the court, worrying about this and that, this Let’s just stop fighting.”
Xiao Jing suddenly seemed to be hit on the head with a hammer.
After all, he had discussed with Wei Bin before to secretly cause some trouble for Zhang Zhou, so that the troops sent by Lu Wan, Zhang Heling and Zhang Yong would not go smoothly.
Now Lu Wan did not set foot on the grassland until nearly twenty days later. In fact, Wei Bin secretly gave instructions to make the soldiers slack off, and tried to get Lu Wan to give up the plan to send troops to the grassland and retreat to Liaodong. .
The emperor's words were more like knocking him.
It’s okay for you to be like civil servants and like to question Zhang Zhou’s plans. That’s because you are short-sighted and have no foresight.
Zhang Zhou said, "Eunuch Xiao, it's like this. When the little Tatar prince marched eastward and fought against the three guards of Duoyan, he didn't take much advantage. In other words, both sides lost."
p>
"Ah"
Xiao Jing was very surprised. He didn't know this news until now.
He didn’t know whether this was from Zhang Zhou’s summary of the intelligence, or from Zhang Zhou’s “God’s will” and calculation by his own ability.
“Otherwise, why do you think he is anxious to send troops to Ningxia? He is eager to establish his reputation. After this battle, the three guards of Duoyan are actually unable to confront the little Tatar prince. At this time, it is our Ming Dynasty. The window period for sending troops can be said to be an opportunity that cannot be missed and will never come again." Zhang Zhou said it very easily.
When Xiao Jing listened, his heart was filled with emotions.
Zhu Youtang said, "Bingkuan, you were right before. Now even if the Tatars really have the ability to find out your troop plan, they will probably stand by and watch. Even I don't believe it. Batu Monk At this time, you dare to confront Daming."
Xiao Jing felt even more incredible.
The little Tatar princes have sent troops to Ningxia to harass the West Road of Ningxia, saying that Batu Meng did not dare to fight the Ming Dynasty head-on
Or that Batu Meng hated the three guards of Duoyan for resisting, So he allowed the Duoyan Sanwei to be annexed by the Ming Dynasty
He also thought that His Majesty’s faith in Mr. Zhang was a bit unreasonable
Zhang Zhou laughed and said, “Actually, this is a fight. There is a time difference, the little prince of Tatar is in the west, and the Ming Dynasty is in the east. Our goal is to establish the reputation of Duoyan Sanwei, and Huo Si will lead his troops to the west.If you want to establish your authority on the grassland, it is much easier to clean up the fire sieve than to fight with our Ming Dynasty on the frontal battlefield. "
"Their invasion in Ningxia was more about looting. So far, they have not fought a decent war, which shows their weakness in their bones. So far, the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses invaded by the little Tatar prince have not even dared to approach the Ming Dynasty's fortress, which is enough to show that they are afraid of the Ming Dynasty's artillery and sky gunpowder. They are just cooperating with each other and getting what they need. ”
What Dayan Khan needs is the prestige of the grassland, and what Ming Dynasty needs is the encroachment of the grassland.
Xiao Jing understands this, but he still puzzles how Zhang Zhou Xiao Jing did not dare to think about it anymore because he was sure that Batu Meng's main force was in Ningxia and not in Liaodong. The main reason was that the emperor's previous warning to him made him realize that his heart was inclined toward civil servants. The result may be that he will be in danger.
After searching for Zhang Zhou for a long time, the trouble came to him.
Xiao Jing understood Zhang Zhou. The intention to send troops, but the ministers in the DPRK and the Central Government did not understand it.
Everyone in the government and the public, and even some middle- and lower-level officials who had never been to the DPRK to participate in the Liaodong troops, were talking about one thing. This matter is actually no longer a secret.
At this time, Zhu Youtang announced something in public, which really surprised the civil and military ministers in the court.
"I have decided to confer Bingkuan as the Duke of Lai State with a royal title. His official position in the court remains unchanged. ”
When the emperor finished speaking about the matter, before the civil and military ministers in the court could react, he asked Xiao Jing to read out the edict conferring the title in public.
Waiting for Xiao Jing After the respectful reading, Liu Jian looked at the empty seat of British Duke Zhang Mao aside, and then walked out and said, "Your Majesty, why is it that the imperial edict is not reviewed by the Ministry of Cabinet and the Sixth Section, but should be announced to the public. I think that since it has been If you are a civil servant, your military honors may be exempted or you already have a title, so you should avoid suspicion and not take up the position of a civil servant. "
Zhu Youtang said, "Mr. Liu Ge, I think Bingkuan's contribution should no longer be avoided. Granting him a title at this time can be regarded as a summary of this year's border wars. If you feel something is inappropriate, you can only say that you fail to understand my profound meaning. ”
It also means a lot
Even if a recent sycophant has some military merits, most of them were not obtained by going into battle personally. Even if we really agree with his title, should we consider it? Relieving him of his civil duties
While he wanted to be the Duke of the country, he also wanted to be the head of the civil servants, a bachelor's degree student and a minister of the Ministry of War, so he had to take charge of everything by himself. < /p>
Seeing that Liu Jian refused to go back, Zhu Youtang asked, "I also want to ask you all, after he was promoted to the left minister of the Ministry of War, did he interfere in the daily affairs of the Ministry of War? He has ruined the order of the court. Dear nobles, if any of you have any objections, I don't mind if you come up to object, and I will refute them one by one. There is no need to object here. ”
“Of course, the Lord of the country is just my meritorious deeds.”As a result of the reward, I will never let down the merits of the civil and military ministers of North Korea and China, especially in border wars. No more need to be said. ”
Zhu Youtang also felt very tired.
Every time he wanted to give Zhang Zhou an official position, he would encounter opposition from the court ministers.
He himself also knew that the reward to Zhang Zhou was too much and too fast, but he just couldn't help but wanted to give Zhang Zhou a little more reward. Plus this reward had some special "purposes", he couldn't even listen to it.
Zhang Zhou was sitting at home, and the title was lowered to his head.
But this time, it was Zhu Youtang who greeted Zhang Zhou. It was not Zhang Zhou who proposed it, but Zhu Youtang had a very good reason.
Xiao Jing personally brought Xu Qiong, the Minister of Rites, to Zhang Zhou's house to declare the decree. At the same time, he also gave him a certificate. , which is the legendary iron book of alchemy. With this thing, Zhang Zhou's title can be hereditary, and Zhang Zhou becomes a well-known Duke of the Ming Dynasty. Although he is not as good as those who contributed a lot to the founding of the country and the Jingnan period, if he is compared with the current In theory, no one can compare with him.
"My lord, congratulations. ”
Xiao Jing’s face turned into a flower. He seemed to be extremely flattering, but there was also a hint of disappointment. It was a kind of loneliness and sadness that he clearly wanted to compete but was not of sufficient rank.< /p>
It seemed that he was happy for Zhang Zhou, but in fact he was envious and jealous.
Zhang Zhou greeted Xu Qiong and the officials from the Ministry of Rites who came and sent them away before following Xiao. Together with him, he opened the plaque of "Laiguo Gongfu" inscribed by Zhu Youtang's imperial pen. Zhang Zhou originally thought that the emperor would give some high-sounding words of encouragement, such as loyalty, benevolence and righteousness, but he did not expect that the emperor would be so direct. .
Perhaps Zhu Youtang felt that it would be better to just give him a title at this time.
"My lord, I believe you understand what your Majesty means. The conferment of a knighthood is a tribute to your achievements in various wars in the Ming Dynasty this year. It is also to show your majesty's favor and let the soldiers in the border towns see it. "
"At the same time, this is also to paralyze the Tatars, making them think that our wars this year have been suspended, but they don't know that there will be a good show next. ”
Xiao Jing seemed to understand the emperor’s intentions very well.
But Zhang Zhou knew.
The so-called paralysis of the enemy is a bit far-fetched. , it is still a question of when the news will reach the ears of Duoyan Sanwei and Dayan Khan.
I am afraid that the war has already ended before the news reaches them.
It is an ambush. If the ambush is not reached, then we can withdraw, and there will be no big losses anyway.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Then it's time to go to the palace with Eunuch Xiao to thank you."
"Your Majesty said, you." Things are busy, and when you go to the hearing office to discuss matters, you can just take the opportunity to go there. The so-called gratitude is superficial, so don't take it too seriously. "Xiao Jing said with a smile.
Zhang Zhou knew that Xiao Jing was not deliberately telling lies.
When a minister received a title, he should have gone to the palace to express gratitude. No matter how courageous Xiao Jing was, he would not dare to make up such nonsense.
Xiao Jing said that the emperor didn’t need him to go out of his way to express his gratitude, which means he really didn’t need to.
Zhang Zhou sighed with emotion, "To be honest, I am still a little uncomfortable with the sudden title. I always feel like I am in a dream. I originally thought that I would have to wait until the grassland is pacified before I have the opportunity to seal the title." General Hou, who would have thought that he would become famous even before he started?"
"Haha." Xiao Jing said with a smile, "That can only mean that you are very capable, Lord. Don't be lazy. Your Majesty has the grassland in mind, and you must help him realize it. This title is both a compliment and an expectation for you."
"I understand, I understand." Zhang Zhou said.
When Xiao Jing saw a lot of things being brought in from the yard, he gave a special explanation, and then said, "Since you have won the title, I think there will be a lot of fun in the house. I won't disturb you too much and take my leave." ."
"Congratulations."
Zhang Zhou personally sent Xiao Jing and Jin Yiwei out.
Lai Guogong.
As promised by Zhu Youtang, the knighthood was only more than two months late.
Zhang Zhou also understood Zhu Youtang’s tactics.
When Zhang Zhou just returned to the court, Zhu Youtang wanted to help him stabilize his civil service position in the court first. Not giving him a title would make the ministers unable to object. After he had stabilized all his civil service positions, Furthermore, the title of Wu Xun was given to him, probably to avoid "long nights and many dreams".
If something goes wrong during the Huangshui ambush battle, the civil servants will definitely be entangled in the merits and demerits. At that time, if they want to give Zhang Zhou a title, it seems to be unjust and unjust.
And even if Peng Quan and the others succeeded in the Huangshui ambush, it would be just the icing on the cake for Zhang Zhou's military exploits.
Simply
I gave him the title before the war.
Zhu Youtang instantly felt that he had accomplished a major event in his life. At least in the 12th year of Hongzhi, no matter whether the Huangshui ambush was successful or not, he would have no regrets and wait for the 13th year of Hongzhi. . Please remember to bookmark, the latest and fastest website is free to read without anti-theft