Qianqing Palace.
Members of the Shangting Department in Beijing, Li Dongyang, Ma Wensheng, Zhang Mao and Wei Bin, participated in this inner court discussion.
As the eunuch and eunuch in charge of the ceremony, Xiao Jing no longer joins the Shangting Department. Li Dongyang still serves as the cabinet representative in the Shangting Department.
Zhu Youtang asked Wei Bin to hang a map of the north in the Qianqing Palace for several people to see clearly, and also asked Wei Bin to roughly mark the direction of Wang Shouren's march on the map. Several members of the Shangting Department knew how Wang Shouren took a detour behind enemy lines and how he would force the little Tatar prince to retreat.
Wei Bin marked several points on the map at the same time and explained, "The Tatars have deployed heavy troops in Xuanfu, Pianguan, Yansui and other places, with tens of thousands of troops and horses. This is to prevent the Ming Dynasty's frontier troops from marching northward."
"The main force of the Tatar Prince on the West Road of Ningxia has been determined to be between 40,000 and 50,000 troops. Xinjianbo will lead 6,000 troops, and the schedule has been calculated. Passing through Yidu, this is where the little Tatar prince Chahar's troops are stationed. The surrounding defenses are empty."
Yidu is not an unfamiliar term to the Ming Dynasty, although in the past hundred years, the Ming army has basically lost its strength. It's not this far up.
But this is the place where King Zhu Di of Yan went to the north to recruit and surrender in the 23rd year of Hongwu.
From what Li Dongyang and others heard, Wang Shouren fought all the way to the hinterland of the grassland, and even went to Mobei. He was taking too big steps and was easily pulled, and he was afraid that he would never be able to get his feet back.
After Wei Bin explained, Li Dongyang said bluntly, "Going so deep, I'm afraid six thousand soldiers and horses will not be enough to retreat."
Zhu Youtang asked, "Li Qing Are you worried that Uncle Xinjian's six thousand soldiers and horses will be isolated and helpless?" Li Dongyang said, "That's what I mean."
Zhu Youtang sighed. "In the past, I didn't agree with going so far alone, but I remember Bingkuan said that since we want to fight with the grassland tribes, we must hit the vital points of these jackals with every whip, so that they will be afraid. If Every time, they waved the whip and let Ming dodge. They don't know how to be afraid, and they won't sincerely obey the king's way."
Li Dongyang obviously didn't want to hear whether he should attack or defend.
For civil servants, what they want is stability, and everything must be kept within control, rather than going deep into adventurism alone.
"Your Majesty." Li Dongyang said seriously, "Even though most of the Tatar forces are close to the Daming Pass, if the movements of Xinjian Boyu in the hinterland of the grassland are known to the Tatars, all the Tatar forces will The men and horses will definitely rush to the north for reinforcements. When the time comes, there will be the main force of the young Tatar prince in front of Xinjian Bosuo, and there will be reinforcements from the Tatars in the south. If they retreat to Liaodong, they will be intercepted by the three guards of Duoyan, and the six thousand soldiers and horses will easily fall into a tight siege. "< /p>
“At this time, the Xuanfu, Datong, Pianguan and other places of the Ming Dynasty were unable to mobilize additional troops and horses in a timely manner when they did not know the movements of people and horses on the grassland and the location of Xinjian Bo’s headquarters.”
Zhu Youtang asked, "So Li Ge always wanted to say that the Ming Dynasty's six thousand soldiersThere will be no return from the Jockey Club."
Li Dongyang handed over his hand and stopped saying any unpleasant words.
Lest the emperor would think that he was deliberately going against the grain and messing with Zhang Zhou Confrontation.
Zhu Youtang said, "What's the strategy now? Let me send people to bring back Uncle Xinxin."
Li Dongyang said nothing. >It's too late to say anything now. Since the emperor ordered Wang Shouren to lead troops into the grassland, he should have considered all the adverse consequences.
"What I can do now is to keep the people on the front line of Xuanda alive. Collect and spy on Tatar intelligence. If it is discovered that the main Tatar force is heading north, troops from all directions will be sent out to form a deterrent to ensure that Xinjianbo can return safely with his troops. "
Zhu Youtang is obviously not unprepared.
Since you think Wang Shouren may be isolated and helpless, then give him reinforcements.
As long as The various troops of the little Tatar prince retreated, and the Ming Dynasty followed suit. The two sides started a tug-of-war based on the Ming Dynasty Pass, so that Batu Meng had no intention of swallowing up the six thousand soldiers and horses of Wang Shouren.
< p>Zhang Mao came out and said, "Your Majesty is wise. ”Li Dongyang originally thought that Zhang Mao had something to say, but he never thought that it was such an unconstructive speech. He was about to say something more, but he saw that Ma Wensheng had also walked out among a few people.< /p>
Seeing Ma Wensheng come out, Li Dongyang knew that it was no longer convenient for him to come forward to object.
Ma Wensheng said, "Your Majesty, the newly built Boyinuer Gandu Division has elite soldiers for this battle." When marching westward to the grassland, they brought with them a large number of new cannons and flint muskets. If they rushed to reinforce with troops from other places, they might be blocked by the little Tatar prince's return troops. The troops in Xuanda, Sanbian and other places of the Ming Dynasty were not suitable for fighting with The main force of the Tatars met head-on in the steppe. ”
Zhu Youtang looked over and said, “Ma Qing’s family, do you want to say that you should just sit back and watch Uncle Xinxin being surrounded and ignore him and let him and his six thousand soldiers fend for themselves?”
p>
Ma Wensheng said resolutely, “You can’t lose the whole thing if you lose even one corner. "
Probably, I mean what your Majesty said. If you give up Wang Shouren's people, you can't let all the people in the Ming Dynasty suffer along with them.
Zhu Youtang's face was gloomy. He was obviously angry.
Zhang Mao immediately spoke again, "I think what Ma Shangshu means is that Xin Xin Bo has the strength to break out of the encirclement and go south without the need for reinforcements from other people. There are many reinforcements." On the contrary, it may be a hindrance. ”
Now even Zhu Youtang frowned and looked at Zhang Mao.
You old man Zhang, you flattered me just now and caught me off guard. Now you are defending Ma Wensheng, and you seem to have something. It's so sensible.
You don't know how to take a clear stand
I think that when the Tatars retreated, all the people in the Ming Dynasty Taking the initiative to attack is to show that Ming Dynasty has the ambition to level the grassland. The gain or loss in one corner is indeed irrelevant to the overall situation. But if Uncle Xin Xin cannot retreat, in my opinion, it is a small loss but a big loss. ”
In fact, Zhu YouZang didn’t want to say that.
To say this is tantamount to admitting that if Wang Shouren's group suffered heavy losses, the overall strategy would still be lost.
If Wang Shouren goes deep alone, he will definitely encounter an encirclement by several groups of Tatars, and there is no guarantee that Wang Shouren can escape unscathed.
But the emperor still could not give up Wang Shouren and his six thousand elite soldiers. < /p>
Zhu Youtang frowned and said, "Ma Qing's family, you and Bingkuan worked together in the Ministry of War in the past. I think you are a sensible person. Although you and Bingkuan have conflicts in some details, their ideas are not the same." Not contradictory. Are you going to stand against Bingkuan now?"
The emperor saw it.
Ma Wensheng is taking the initiative.
In the past, the vanguard of the fight against Zhang Zhou were Min Gui, Yuan Shouzhi, and Bai Ang. When they jointly participated in the impeachment of Zhang Zhou, Tu Yu jumped out.
Now that this group of people have retreated, Ma Wensheng, who had always been estranged from Zhang Zhou, seemed to be the vanguard against Zhang Zhou.
In the past, Zhu Youtang was very polite to Ma Wensheng. Even when the cabinet and Zhang Zhou were fighting fiercely, Ma Wensheng remained neutral on face. But now Ma Wensheng seems to be "offended".
Ma Wensheng said, "It has always been a taboo for military strategists to advance with light troops. The veteran has recently studied Xinjianbo's march route in detail and believes that the Chinese dynasty has never made such an aggressive advance and disregarded the retreat since ancient times when it fought against grassland countries. . The strength of the soldiers and horses is far inferior, but it is unwise to take a detour behind the enemy's rear."
Zhu Youtang asked, "Do you mean that someone in the Ma Qing family wants to push Uncle Xin to die?" Since ancient times, no one has had such courage."
Ma Wensheng argued that "even the champions of the Han Dynasty and others marched into the grassland with full preparation, and all the people could coordinate. , but it is indeed unprecedented in ancient times for a small force to advance with a small force and actively seek to be surrounded by the main Tatar force, forming a deadlock."
"Yes."
Zhu Youtang did not refute, he nodded and asked, "Then the Ma Qing family, and other Qing families, let's judge together. Since ancient times, there have been people like Bingkuan who can produce heavenly gunpowder and powerful cannons. People, even if you haven’t seen the power of these two weapons with your own eyes, you should have heard about them.”
Ma Wensheng said, “No matter how powerful the Ming Dynasty’s firearms are, someone should be held responsible for improper strategies.” Consequences."
There is no point in discussing whether firearms are powerful or not without discussing it with a partial emperor like you.
We should find someone to take the blame for Wang Shouren's in-depth investigation alone. It can't be said that I was just targeting Zhang Zhou, mainly Zhang Zhou, and I went too far. If you go too far, If the army is defeated, only Wang Shouren, who leads the army, will bear the responsibility. There is no telling what tricks he will play in the future.
Zhu Youtang asked, "Do you, the Ma Qing family, object to sending troops this time?"
"I have no way to object." Ma Wensheng said, "But this proposal was not made by me."< /p>
Zhang Mao said with emotion, "Your Majesty, I seem to understand what Minister Ma means. This injustice has its owner."
"My lord, please pay attention to the occasion." Zhu You Zang's words seemed polite, but in fact he almost cursed.
You old man Zhang, you are very capable of muddying the waters. I use you to remind him what Ma Wensheng means. I know it very well.
The person surnamed Ma just wants me to regulate Bingkuan, so that the "defeat" he may encounter in this battle can be used to regulate Bingkuan's unrestrained military plans in the future, so as to avoid the recurrence of such frivolous military plans as today. The situation of soldiers advancing rashly.
"I have no objection."
Zhu Youtang said, "There is indeed Bingkuan making suggestions for this battle, but having said that, if Bo Xinjian can escape unscathed, he will even get enough What should I say if he has many military exploits?"
Ma Wensheng raised his hands and said, "If this is really the case, I am willing to recommend the most capable."
"Yes"
That's it. Even Li Dongyang frowned and looked over.
Are you, Ma Wensheng, targeting Zhang Bingkuan or giving Zhang Bingkuan a chance?
Or both?
Ma Wensheng said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "This battle is extremely dangerous. If With a proper strategy, if Xinjian Bo is located in the hinterland of the Tatar tribe, it can achieve brilliant results and successfully withdraw to the Ming Dynasty, it will definitely make the Tatars fearful, and the border areas of the Ming Dynasty will be stabilized in the next few years. The old ministers are old and have no money left. The needs in the court should be given to young and promising people."
"If not, the veteran is also willing to give up his position, but your majesty please choose another talented person, and it does not need to be limited to the Duke of Lai. The Ming Dynasty is far superior to the Tatars in terms of national strength and military strength. If it relies on trickery to win every time, there will always be a situation of improper strategy and wet shoes. I really don't want to see such a result."
If I win, I will give it to Zhang Bingkuan as Minister of War.
If I lose, I will give in, but instead of giving it to Zhang Bingkuan, His Majesty should promise to choose someone else.
It’s not that I just don’t like Zhang Bingkuan.
But Zhang Bingkuan never follows the rules and always plays tricks that make people's hearts beat. This kind of trick is okay once or twice. Every time he plays Daqing and takes advantage of national power. Doesn't this mean that Every time I give the Tatars a chance
Zhu Youtang said, "Ma Qing's family, you said that the Ming Dynasty has superior national power. I don't refute it. After all, the country has a vast territory and abundant resources. But you said that the Ming Dynasty is superior in national power. I cannot agree with the military superiority. Before the success of Pianguan, even in the battle of Helan Mountain, the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars could not achieve a stalemate on the frontal battlefield. They always had to win by cleverness. The stability of the past few decades did not depend on it. The gains from the advance of the army rely more on holding on to the pass and allowing the enemy to wreak havoc. "
Ma Wensheng lowered his head and expressed everything he wanted to say. At this time, the emperor wanted to convince him, but he pretended that he didn't listen to anything.arrive.
At this time, it is useless to reason with others.
Just like the difference between Wang Yue and Ma Wensheng, Wang Yue advocates attacking, while Ma Wensheng advocates standing firm.
The two sides have different ideas.
Ma Wensheng was half buried in the ground, his thinking had long been solidified, and even the emperor could not persuade him with reason.
Zhu Youtang said, "Now Bingkuan has exchanged nine-sided military advantages for the Ming Dynasty, and even created a good opportunity for the Pingjing Grassland that has not been seen in decades. I want to seize the opportunity and make good use of him. Completely solve the Ming Dynasty's northern troubles."
At this point, Zhu Youtang originally wanted to say that the victory was Bingkuan's credit, and I will bear the responsibility for the loss.
But it seems that Ma Wensheng used his own future to make the final fight against Zhang Zhou.
When Zhu Youtang’s words came to his lips, he couldn’t say them out.
No matter how good Bingkuan is, there is only one. Ma Wensheng and others are also people who have dedicated their lives and shed blood for the Ming Dynasty. If you don’t care about their feelings at all, you are not helping Bingkuan, but doing Bingkuan a favor. Tolerance attracts hatred.
"I agree with the Ma Qing family's proposal. This battle will serve as a touchstone to test Bingkuan's strategy. If he wins, I will transfer him back to Beijing and entrust him with important tasks. If he loses, he will still stay in Nanjing. I will not return to Nanjing within two years." I will bring him back."
Zhu Youtang finally came to a conclusion.
Zhu Youtang finished his words.
The main hall of Qianqing Palace fell into silence for a while.
The emperor and his ministers seemed to be angry or making a bet, and the bet was that Zhang Zhou's future would be "entrusted with an important task" if he won. It might be to the Minister of War, but he did not rule out letting Zhang Zhou join the cabinet. Sao operation.
If he loses, let Zhang Zhou stay in Nanjing.
As a "bystander", Li Dongyang could probably understand what the emperor meant.
He thought to himself that if Bo'an was defeated, Zhang Bingkuan might not have the face to come back in a short time, and various places in the north would inevitably enter a state of entrenchment. It would not make much difference whether Zhang Bingkuan, who was the main attacker, returned to the capital. , unless the Ming Dynasty can forge enough firearms, then Zhang Bingkuan will have a place to use them.
But if he wins, Zhang Bingkuan will have a reasonable and legal basis to take charge of the military affairs of the Ming Dynasty.
However, both sides do not have no room at all. After all, this was raised during the inner court discussions.
Even if Zhang Bingkuan wins, the ministers of the DPRK can deny it; conversely, if Zhang Bingkuan loses, the emperor can also refuse to pay.
But at least it can be regarded as a certain relaxation of the tense relationship between the monarch and his ministers.
"Several lords, I will inform you as soon as possible about the movement of Uncle Xin Xin's troops. When it comes to the use of troops in the north, I rely more on the superiors. Bingkuan is still considered a leader now. He is a member of the Shangting Department, so if anything happens, I will send someone to inform him."
Zhu Youtang had previously resigned from Zhang Zhou's official position and only retained the title of Duke of Lai.
Later, Zhang Zhou was restored to his official position as Minister of War and Bachelor of War, but the matter of "walking on the listening place" was not mentioned.
NowThe emperor also made it clear that even if Zhang Zhou lost all his official positions at that time, because he was not an official position in the first place, I never deprived him of it. He still had the qualifications to participate in the planning of major military affairs, so I did not. Breaking the rules, it was reasonable and legal to adopt his opinion and send troops to the grassland from northern Liaoning under the new prince Shouren.
For this.
Li Dongyang also has no temper.
It’s probably like who His Majesty wants to listen to, you can decide it yourself without asking us. If something happens, just find the person who gave you the suggestion and take the blame.
The inner court meeting ended.
Li Dongyang, Zhang Mao and Ma Wensheng came out, and the young eunuch led them away.
The three people on the road were surprisingly quiet. Even the chatty Zhang Mao didn't say a word.
After the three of them separated, Li Dongyang went to the cabinet to check in. He told Liu Jian and Xie Qian about the matter. Liu Jian seemed very annoyed and slapped the table and said, "I don't think Ma Futu is imposing restrictions." Zhang Bingkuan, on the other hand, intends to help."
Xie Qian chuckled and said, "But his help is reasonable."
Li Dongyang said, "You can't say that, your majesty is in trouble." In front of him, he was very angry about Zhang Bingkuan's use of troops. Perhaps he did not think that Bo'an would be able to return smoothly this time, or he wanted to ease the rift between the emperor and his ministers. "
There is a rift between the emperor and his ministers. The words coming out of Li Dongyang's mouth were almost like making a conclusion.
In the past, even if ministers knew that the emperor had opinions about civil servants, they would always deny it, or in other words, they would keep silent.
But now Li Dongyang has nothing to shy away from.
There is a gap between the monarch and his ministers, and they have to deny that the emperor now trusts Zhang Zhou alone and does not trust the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. If we cannot face up to this problem, this problem will become more and more serious.
Liu Jian looked at Li Dongyang and said, "Bin Zhi, what do you think is the chance that Xinjian Bo will send troops smoothly and withdraw successfully in this battle?"
"Ninety percent"
Li Dongyang made no secret.
Liu Jiandao, "So you also think that Zhang Bingkuan is not aimless, and he will not even do anything that is uncertain."
"Yes." Li Dongyang nodded.
Xie Qian smiled and said, "Then Binzhi, you still think that Ma Futu is on our side or that he just wants to retreat, but he always suppresses it and shows that he is in step with us." But in fact, in his heart, he didn't know how much he wanted Zhang Bingkuan to mobilize and Wang Bo'an marched to the grassland, just follow the pass of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Bingkuan actually dared to go deep into the hinterland. Zhang Bingkuan was not afraid. Why didn't he go to Wang Bo'an in person? "Please remember to collect it, the latest and fastest website is free to read without anti-theft