Cui Yuan came here to discuss tactics with Yang Yiqing on behalf of Li Wei.
Different from before, Cui Yuan now is more like the leader of Li Wei's group. Even Wu'an Hou Zheng Ying is willing to be at his disposal, if for no other reason than Cui Yuan's previous battle. He used too much courage and became a model for the entire army. In Zheng Ying's opinion, since they were all vanguards sent by Zhu Hui, it would be better to hang out with Cui Yuan than to go it alone.
When we look back and calculate the credit, Zheng Ying and his two thousand soldiers may still get more benefits.
"Governor Yang, I believe that the current plan is to prevent the Tatars from crossing the Yellow River from the north. We should set up an ambush on the north bank and attack from the front, forcing the Tatars to follow the Yellow River from the south bank to the northeast. Withdraw, and then try to rely on Duke Bao and other people to encircle it."
Cui Yuan showed Yang Yiqing his "grand ambitions" as soon as he came up.
After Yang Yiqing heard this, he was naturally unhappy. I commended you for your military exploits in the battle of Shigou City, but it does not mean that I agree with your tactics, let alone listen to you. dispatch.
Zhang He on the side was an old fox. When he saw this posture, he smiled and interjected, "Cui Prince Consort, it's easy to say. It's not easy for us to cross the river now. The water in the Yellow River has risen now, and there is no river on the other side." You can send troops and horses to intercept them. Don’t you want to send a group of people to cross the river first? Who will go with you?” If a few artillery pieces are fired at the river, the Tatars will not dare to cross the river. If they use some powerful gunpowder to blast a few points, they will even retreat to the south bank."
"It's too natural to take for granted." Zhang Xun was a little annoyed.
When I met an idealistic leader, I thought you were a hero, but my feelings were due to your ignorance and fearlessness.
Yang Yiqing was very interested in Cui Yuan's words. He said, "Cui Prince Consort means to set up an ambush."
Cui Yuandao, "I heard that the Tatars came from the north of Hetao." For those who crossed the Yellow River, they used their cavalry to attack the pass and plunder. It was impossible for them to bring the baggage across the river. It was also impossible to move the boats upstream from the north of the Hetao. So they must not have much baggage to cross the river this time, and they relied entirely on floating rafts and other items. Things, coupled with the rapidity of the river, just a little chaos can cause chaos."
"That makes sense." Yang Yiqing nodded in agreement.
Zhang He looked at Yang Yiqing, his eyes seemed to be questioning, but you still think he is reasonable
Yang Yiqing then analyzed, "Tatars are like frightened birds now, and they will be stunned by the slightest disturbance." It makes him feel distraught and wants to forcefully cross the river under our siege. I'm afraid there are objections among his troops." Cui Yuan thought he had received recognition from Yang Yiqing, so he smiled and said, "I'm sorry. That's exactly what I mean."
Yang Yiqing then said with a straight face, "That's true, but the number of artillery available today is small. It is not easy for the Ming Dynasty's troops on the south bank to cross the river. There are not enough cannons sent to the north bank. There are so many soldiers and horses. What advice does Cui Prince Consort have?”
As soon as these words came out, Cui Yuan had another idea.A bit unexpected.
He thought that Yang Yiqing would be like him and start formulating strategies without hesitation on such a major matter. Who would have thought that Yang Yiqing would actually come to ask his opinion now.
This kind of words were exactly the same as what Zhang Xun had questioned him before, and it also made Cui Yuan realize that he was treated as an outsider.
Cui Yuandao, "If Governor Yang thinks it is feasible, I am willing to lead a group of soldiers and horses to cross the river, just upstream, and force the river to be crossed tonight, even by boat."
Yang Yiqing said. "Horses can't get through with light boats and rafts."
Cui Yuan nodded and said, "That's okay, as long as people go over and transport some cannons, then try to find if there are any larger ships. , how much can be transported?"
Zhang Xun asked, "You can go upstream in time to block the Tatars from crossing the river. Why do you think you can fight with the Tatars' cavalry?"
"Eunuch Zhang, you can't say that." Yang Yiqing immediately stopped Zhang Xu, "Cui Prince Consort has such courage, which can be regarded as a model for the Ming Dynasty generals. I should also cooperate. In this way, where are the ships in the upper reaches of Ningxia that can temporarily You can inform me of the secondment, but there is no delay. The battle may start before noon tomorrow." "Well." Cui Yuandao, "Maybe it won't take that long. The battle may start tonight."
Yang Yiqing said, "This battle is dangerous. The soldiers crossing the river can be said to be taking risks. If there are not enough horses, there will not even be a chance to withdraw. Cui Prince Consort must think clearly."
" Okay."
Cui Yuan nodded, probably making up his mind.
Cui Yuan led his men and rode away.
After the people left, Yang Yiqing's troops also stopped for a short rest.
Even if they march for days and nights, the soldiers can go without sleep, but they cannot go without eating.
And as the Tatars and horses got closer and closer, the war might break out at any time, and Yang Yiqing had to let the soldiers take a rest.
When Yang Yiqing dismounted and arrived in front of the bonfire, Zhang Xu came over and said, "Yang Junmen, this means that we can stay put tonight and wait for Uncle Xiangcheng and Marquis Wu'an to lead their troops across the river to set up an ambush."
Yang Yiqing said, "Do you think what Consort Cui said is feasible?"
"Ah" Zhang Xu said in surprise, "If it's not feasible, then that's it"
Yang Yiqing Someone scooped a bowl of soup out of the pot on the campfire, but it was too hot and needed to be put aside first. He said, "I just want the Tatars to think that our goal is to prevent them from crossing the river."< /p>
Zhang Xun smiled bitterly and said, "You are really far-sighted. Our family is not as good as us."
Now Zhang Xun doesn't want to ask Yang Yiqing what his next plan is. He seems to feel that Yang Yiqing is also quite crazy. of.
Not long after, Guo Jun came over with a messenger and said, "My lord, Eunuch Zhang, I just learned the news that Cui Prince Consort has returned to his army. I heard that he is preparing to go upstream. After four or five miles, we were ready to cross the river, but the Tatars were already sending scouts this way.Resting on the river bank is likely to be attacked at any time. ”
Zhang He asked impatiently, “Have the Tatars forcibly crossed the river?”
Why did Guo Jun think that “the road in front was blocked by the Tatars?” With thousands of square formations, it is impossible to know the situation on the river bank just by staying awake at night, unless we wait until after dawn. At present, it seems that the river has not been crossed yet.
Yang Yiqing said, "There is no need to think about checking the situation on the river bank. Even if we check it, it may be a Tatar conspiracy." ”
“This,” said Zhang He, “we are now in a life-or-death situation with the Tatars. We don’t have enough men and horses, so we are afraid that the Tatars’ next goal is to swallow us up and destroy us.” We have a grudge against Shigou Station, so why don’t we retreat thirty miles first and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
Yang Yiqing seemed to want to understand the matter and said, "It is not necessary to retreat now, but we must assess the situation before advancing, and we must first understand the movements of the Tatars." It's a pity that His Majesty doesn't seem to have made any arrangements for this battle, but I don't know why. "
"Your Majesty arranged it" Zhang Nu and Guo Jun were a little confused after hearing this.
You are now, as the coach in front of the battle, still thinking about something two thousand miles away." The foreign emperor has given you an order to help you mobilize your troops
Are you, Yang Yiqing, such a spineless and incompetent mediocrity?
It doesn’t fit your character. < /p>
Yang Yiqing said, "Whether it is Huamachi or Shigou City, His Majesty has conveyed detailed instructions. Even though Shigou City did not mention how to coordinate the use of troops, he accurately stated that the Tatars would The movements coming down are equivalent to having a pair of eyes and knowing every move of the Tatars before the war. ”
“Haha. "Zhang Xu smiled bitterly and said, "This is not your Majesty, it should be Cai Guogong."
Yang Yiqing nodded, obviously he could not refute this statement.
"But from Shigou After the Battle of the City, I was unable to learn about the further movements of the Tatars. In other words, it was now all up to me to respond on the spot. "Yang Yiqing sighed, "It will take more than a day for our infantry to arrive, and the rest of the troops will not arrive until about this time. In other words, before nightfall tomorrow, if the Tatars are not interested in crossing the river, they will definitely want to cross the Yellow River. On the south bank, fight with us in a desperate situation. They want to avenge their shame, but we want to pursue the victory. "
Zhang Xun said, "If we don't withdraw our troops yet, we only have six or seven thousand cavalry here. Adding in the 4,000 men and horses of Uncle Xiangcheng and Marquis Wu'an, it is barely over 10,000." By the way, you asked Prince Consort Cui to lead the troops across the river. We don't have enough firearms. Ten thousand versus thirty thousand, we will lose. Then what are we going to do? Don't chase us from the beginning."
Yang Yiqing added a piece of firewood to the fire and said, "If we don't chase from the beginning, or withdraw our troops now, it means that we will let the Tatars go." People were wreaking havoc in the territory of the Ming Dynasty. They could cross the river without hindrance, but they could plunder the people and animals in Zhongtun and other places in Ningxia and then flee. By that time, they had lost two to three thousand soldiers, but they might have taken away thousands of Ming people and livestock. Our previousSheng, can you make up for it?"
"Ah"
Zhang Xunchu was there, unable to say a word.
Yang Yiqing said, "It's to blame , we can only blame Baoguo Gong for his inability to send reinforcements. The 30,000 Tatar soldiers and horses rely on our local Ningxia soldiers and horses, so they can only deal with it. Only Baoguo Gong's 50,000 soldiers and horses have a chance to win. But now Baoguo Gong is afraid of fighting and leaves the main battle to us."
Zhang Xun felt the same and sighed, "That's right. Bao Guo Gong has artillery, blunderbuss and gunpowder. There are countless people, but they don't dare to fight the Tatars head-on. What does he think?"
Yang Yiqing said, "I dare to say that after this battle, no matter whether our Ming border army wins or loses, Duke Baoguo will definitely be defeated. Your Majesty will hold him accountable. Otherwise, he is conniving and covering up. I believe that with today's heroic military strategy and Cai Guogong's wisdom, it is impossible to let Bao Guogong, a worm in the governor's office, continue to stay in the army and harm the Ming Dynasty generals. ”
“Well said. "Zhang Xeng said, "Mr. Yang, I didn't realize it before. It turns out that you not only know the situation in Ningxia very well, but you also know the situation in North Korea and China. This time you have received Cai Guogong's advice, and you have gained such military merit. If you can escape from this battle unscathed, your future will be limitless. Don't forget to support our family when the time comes. "
Yang Yiqing looked over and did not put on a arrogant air. Instead, he said in a sincere tone, "This battle requires Eunuch Zhang's full cooperation. ”
Zhang He smiled, and he seemed to understand why Yang Yiqing wanted to tell him this.
Now it is necessary to fight the Tatars with about 10,000 troops in three groups. In a desperate battle, if there are disharmonious voices in the team, the chance of winning the battle will be greatly reduced.
As the guarding eunuch, Zhang Xun is the "disharmonious voice" that can influence the outcome of the battle. ", so now Yang Yiqing also urgently needs to stand on the same ground as Zhang Xun. Now he is to win over Zhang Xun and connect them with the future, and no longer talk about withdrawing troops or avoiding war.
"Okay. "Zhang Xun understood the reason and knew that there was no way to retreat.
In this case, if you can work with Yang Yiqing, a rising military figure in the Ming Dynasty, to support and support each other, what else can you say?
You have to do it even if you risk your life.
The palace, early in the morning, before the court meeting.
The ministers have arrived early, and it is not yet time to enter the Meridian Gate. The officials were still waiting, but someone on Liu Jian's side was discussing matters with him that day. It was Ma Wensheng, the Minister of Civil Affairs.
Beside Liu Jian, there was another person who was silently listening to his opinions. Li Dongyang.
"Local reports show that Zhang Bingkuan's annual income from minerals alone is no less than 200,000 taels of silver. Even if part of it is paid to the court through mineral taxes, the local government relies on and contributes to it. Many people gained the protection of the imperial court and then opened mountains and mines, which had a profound impact on the local area, causing the land to become desolate and the people to migrate."
What Ma Wensheng reported to Liu Jian was to unite some people. , canceling Zhang Zhou’s permission to mine.
Even.Stop mining in various places.
For Zhang Zhou and Zhu Youtang, mining is for coal mining, iron smelting, and firearms making, and it is beneficial to the country and the people.
But for the officials of this era, they did not think so. In the eyes of Confucian officials, any behavior that did not engage in farming would be "disaster for the country and the people". Even the previous mining incident, the court did see some The good thing is that there seems to be more and more negative news about this matter. In addition, Zhang Zhou was indeed monolithic before and was not easy to criticize. This is also a rare opportunity.
Li Dongyang said, "Not most of Zhang Bingkuan's mining income was turned over to the imperial court, so he also got a lot of money and food for border town affairs."
Ma Wensheng glanced at Li Dongyang , did not continue. < /p>
Li Dongyang said with emotion, "If Zhang Bingkuan hadn't gone to mine, I'm afraid those places would have been deserted. Judging from the current situation, to build cannon, pig iron and coal are needed, and the court cannot provide them."< /p>
Not even Liu Jian expected this time.
It seems that Li Dongyang is leaning towards Zhang Zhou when it comes to mining.
"Bin Zhi, if you don't want to mention this matter, then find someone to mention it." Liu Jian didn't want to ruin the unity among civil servants because of Li Dongyang's petty emotions.
Now it is the chief minister of the cabinet and the minister of the Ministry of official affairs who are trying to seize Zhang Zhou's power to open the mine. < /p>
In Li Dongyang’s opinion, it is too inappropriate for you to mention this matter.
At least after Zhang Zhou's defeat, or after the end of the Ming Dynasty's military-first policy, it would not be surprising to be scolded by the emperor if he insisted on mentioning it when the emperor was extremely enthusiastic about military affairs.
"Haha." Ma Wensheng smiled.
He also looked at Liu Jian, as if asking, can't your cabinet reach a unified opinion on some matters now?
Liu Jian said, "Since there are many places, we can start mining." It is time to report the matter to the government and raise the shortcomings. Seeing that the summer grain is about to be collected, based on current estimates, the disaster this year will not be as severe as last year, but the summer grain harvest will be reduced a lot. It is also time to let more people go. Due to the farming and mulberry affairs, too many people have gathered in Xishan, and the corvee should return to the right path."
Obviously Liu Jian also felt that Zhang Zhou's mining operation had messed up the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
Transform a group of peasants into "workers", and even use the corvee labor that the Ming Dynasty originally used for city defense construction and other matters in unrealistic mining and artillery building.
To limit the military-first policy of Zhu Youtang and Zhang Zhou, we must start with resources so that you have nothing to worry about. Then everything will be under our control and return to our control. thinkOn the "right track"
The ministers entered the palace.
But Zhang Zhou did not come. Although we had agreed to come together to participate in this court meeting and enjoy the glory of victory.
But Zhang Zhou did not say that he must come on time. He became the only person in the entire Ming Dynasty court system who could be late, and he was late with confidence.
For no other reason than that he cannot abide by the law in everything. If he is a civil servant who abides by the rules and follows the rules, the civil servant cannot find such small mistakes to attack him. Then they will attack him with big things.
This is a flaw.
Furthermore, it was the emperor’s permission for him not to enter the court. He came late and was criticized by the people of Honglu Temple. It didn’t matter to him. The worst he could do was to fine him a salary or something. In fact, the emperor never punished him in this way. On the contrary, he would also think that he worked hard and did so many things for the court every day, making him the busiest person in the Ming Dynasty.
When Zhang Zhou arrived at the palace gate, the officials had already gone in, and Li Rong, who was waiting in front of the Meridian Gate, was extremely anxious.
"Sir, you are here, please don't delay the court affairs because of your late arrival." Li Rong looked back at the crowd who had long since disappeared, but he was still urging.
Zhang Zhoudao "got up a little late, in order to cope with His Majesty's summons, to study in detail the possible evacuation routes of the Tatars, and to make some plans in advance. If the Tatars continue to harass the border, they will also You have to be prepared in advance."
"You are really thoughtful." Li Rongke didn't care about so many things and hurriedly led Zhang Zhou to the door. It was no longer a step, but a trot.
Li Rong was already old, and he was already out of breath before he could even jog a few steps.
After walking for a while, Li Rong was indeed tired, so he slowed down a little and reminded him, "Mr. Zhang, we would like to remind you that there are people who have objections to your mining recently. I guess." Someone will bring up the old matter today, but I think it will be suppressed today."
"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded.
Compared with whether or not to open a mine, what attracted the most attention that day was definitely the result of the battle in Shigou City.
But the emperor suppressed this matter very hard, and the courtiers probably still don’t know the outcome.
Li Rong said with emotion, "The purpose of mining is to enrich the people and strengthen the army. Our family doesn't understand why they should oppose it. The gentleman has really done a good thing, but he has been misunderstood by others. This matter Your Majesty, and our family, fully understand you."
This reflects Li Rong's method of taking sides.
Try your best to tell Zhang Zhou that we are on the same team. As long as I take power, I will help you solve the problems of mining. You can rest assured to leave these matters to me.
You see, as the owner of Dongchang Factory, if I know anything, I will inform you in advance, discuss with you how to deal with it, and even help you secretly deal with some troublemakers, just ask you Am I sincere or not?
If you use me, who else should you use?
Zhang Zhou said, "Don't say Eunuch Li can't understand, I can't understand either."
He said this, but Zhang Zhou was thinking in his heart that there are many things in this world that he cannot understand. , the so-called traditions and stereotypes are really not something I can change alone.
This is something that probably cannot be changed in hundreds of years.
As to whether mining is a good thing or not, it is best to ask the future Wanli Emperor, who felt the most.
Inside Fengtian Hall.
The court meeting began, and Zhang Zhou was the last to arrive. As soon as Zhang Zhou stood still, Zhu Youtang arrived with brisk steps.
After the court etiquette was over, Zhu Youtang could not wait to make the good news of the northwest victory known to the public. As for the courtiers, the proposal to change the mining tax and other matters prepared by the Engineering Department to Shi Zhong had already It's an arrow on the string.
Zhu Youtang still took the initiative in the end. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Jing came out to announce the good news.
"Ningxia has just achieved victory."
Xiao Jing came up to characterize the matter.
Victory
Winning the battle is the most important thing. As for the outcome of the victory, let me tell you slowly. If there is anything else to report, please step aside. stand.
Sure enough, there was no sound at the scene.
Xiao Jing then read out the performance of Yang Yiqing and others in detail in front of everyone. The "danger" of the battle in Shigou City also surprised the officials present, and Xiao Jing was now in order to reflect He was of the same mind as Zhang Zhou, and had special instructions from the emperor. He also specifically mentioned the strategic importance of Shigou City. In fact, Zhang Zhou had warned him a long time ago.
This point was obviously not reflected in the performance of Yang Yiqing and others.
When Xiao Jing finished reading Yang Yiqing's copy, Zhu Youtang took over the words and said, "Huamachi and Shigou Station were victorious in two battles and beheaded more than 2,000 Di Yi. It was Nai Shao who There were great victories. Everything was beyond my original expectations. I thought that all of this would happen in the Hetao area."
This is very targeted, and it almost hit Zhu Hui directly. Names are called out, and then they are pointed at and cursed.
Liu Jiandao, "Yang Yiqing, the governor of Ningxia, deserves the most credit."
Zhu Youtang nodded and said, "Speaking of it, Yang Qing's family has indeed made contributions, but the greater contribution should be in In Bingkuan's case, all of this was accomplished through his meticulous planning, what does Mr. Liu Ge think?"
This time, instead of asking all the officials present directly, I asked Liu Jian by name.
Liu Jian bowed his hand and did not answer the question directly.
It’s actually hard to answer.
"I have thought about it and found that there are still many things that can be improved in the northwest military affairs, especially the elimination of redundant personnel and accumulated shortcomings. I am preparing to complete this matter before the end of the year, led by the Ministry of War. Dear Sirs, Do you have any opinions?"
This time I asked everyone.
But as if it was an ultimatum, the rebel generals and civil servants did not give them a chance to discuss at all. Please remember to bookmark the website, the latest and mostRead quickly without anti-theft for free