After Zhu Youtang arrived at the port, he was in very good spirits. It seemed that all the illnesses that had not been cured before were now cured.
For a few days, he kept asking Zhang Zhou questions. It was a rare opportunity to get along with Zhang Zhou outside the palace. He seemed to enjoy this relaxing time.
The thing that he is most concerned about recently is military affairs. It seems that after leaving the capital, he wants to be an omnipotent emperor and plans to lead Zhang Zhou Yujia on a personal expedition, although he does not even have a specific goal. No, but that didn't stop him from dreaming.
"Bingkuan, I will study the map when I have nothing to do recently to see the scene within the four seas. The mountains, rivers and rivers are only on this map. I always feel sorry for it, especially in the north, where there are large areas The mountains, rivers and land belong to the Tatars, and I regret that they were not included in the territory of the dynasty."
The reason Zhu Youtang showed helplessness was actually to inspire Zhang Zhou to help. He realizes his ideals.
Zhang Zhou said: "Sooner or later, all the land in the world will return to the Ming Dynasty."
"I think your words are enough. Others said it to comfort me. But you are different. If you say it, you will definitely help me realize it. I am sure of this," Zhu Youtang said, "Bingkuan, tell me where we can fight out, and it is easiest to destroy the Tatars in one fell swoop. ? After thinking about it, I can't find an answer. Maybe you are the only one who can answer it."
At this time, Zhu Youtang's eyes were eager.
The look in his eyes seemed to be telling Zhang Zhou, please quickly calculate for me, which route I will take when I pacify the grassland in the future. You told me in advance, then I will follow your instructions in the future. Take a route.
Zhang Zhou said seriously: "From what I can see, it doesn't matter where we go to fight. The Tatars will avoid the front of our Ming army, wait for opportunities to attack, and disturb the rear. They should not send troops together." In the future, there will definitely be an all-out attack, with troops from all walks of life marching into the grassland to form an encirclement."
"Yes, yes, it is wrong to go all the way. We should attack in an all-out way, but I want to know. , Which way should I lead my troops?"
Zhu Youtang is still very insistent and wants to get the answer.
This time Zhang Zhou shook his head sincerely, saying that he did not know.
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "You really can't even comfort me. You say you are catering to me. How come you don't know how to say something agreeable at this time to let me sleep at night?" How about a good night's sleep? But whatever, you are the kind of person you are."
Zhang Zhou said: "Your majesty, I don't mean to mess with your face. It's really... when the time comes to actually attack the prairie Pingjing grassland. It's the same all the way. The momentum of your Majesty's personal expedition is enough. The Tatars will probably surrender without a fight. The place where the king's flag is is where the spirit of the Ming soldiers lies. What's the difference?"
"That's right, that's right." Zhu Youtang continued to laugh, "I am not allowed to fight the main force of the Tatars head-on because I am the emperor of the army. I have to avoid it. As a king, I will give them Providing mental strength does not mean actually doing it on the battlefieldWhat. ”
Zhang Zhou said: “I can charge into the battle for Your Majesty. "
"No need for you. Zhu Youtang said, "With your ability, you can strategize and fight thousands of miles away. Why do you need to go into battle yourself?" There are already many people who can be used to make on-the-spot dispatches, so why do you need them? Just stay by my side and enjoy the joy of victory with me. ”
Speaking of this, Zhu Youtang doesn’t seem to be so obsessed with it.
No longer has to think about where he will lead his troops to go on an expedition. It doesn’t matter where he leads his troops. In the end, he was the front man and spiritual leader. He didn’t have to worry about charging into battle, since all the troops would clear everything for him.
……
……< /p>
Zhu Youtang pulled Zhang Zhou beside the map and continued to study military affairs.
Zhang Zhou saw that the emperor was in high spirits, but he seemed to be deliberately throwing cold water on him: "Your Majesty, in the past two years. , the Tatars will not be content to be trapped on the grassland, and will still attack. "
Zhu Youtang said: "Are there any gaps in the defense of the northwest? Tatars, any chance? ”
Zhang Zhou said: “Because there are no gaps, the Tatars will definitely invade.” During the northern border battle, the Ming soldiers were always on the defensive within the passes. As the Tatars could invade from anywhere at any time, the soldiers of the three armies had to be dispersed everywhere, so that the elite troops could not gather together. at. The Tatars will concentrate their superior forces to attack. And use their mobility to make the frontier soldiers exhausted. ”
“Yes. ”
Zhu Youtang said, “You said before that the Tatars are good at mobility. After our divine machine camp fire weapon becomes more powerful, they will use this mobility to fight against the enemy.” Avoid direct confrontation with us. But there is nothing that can be done. Who makes Ming's horses inferior to them? There is nothing else on the grassland, but there are still many good horses. Bingkuan, is there any way to prevent them from escaping once they come? ”
Zhang Zhou shook his head and said: “In the short term, it’s not possible yet.” It can only be done by soldiers to cover up the water and earth. ”
Zhu Youtang said: “Yes, we are like a big family with a yard, waiting for the bandits to attack. No matter what, it is difficult to prevent ourselves. We always have to deal with the Tatars. Even if the border troops can be allowed to attack, the Tatars will avoid confrontation, thus forming a stalemate. Bingkuan, you have to think of a way... Where will they come from next time? ”
Zhu Youtang’s eyes became eager again.
Previously he asked Zhang Zhou how to pacify the grassland in the future, but now the question he asked was more practical, asking the Tatars Where to come from.
Since you have to dispatch troops to various parts of the Ming Dynasty’s border, then if you figure out the Tatar invasion route in advance, isn’t that the end of the world when the Tatars come? .
For Zhang Zhou, this problem is also a bit... over the top...
In the past, everything was easy to calculate, without the butterfly effect he produced. The Tatars will follow the course of history, attacking from places where wars occurred in history, he only needed to prepare for them one by one.
But as his influence on the Ming Dynasty and the grasslands grew, the Tatars' strategic thinking was very different from before.
It is no longer possible for them to follow the history books and implement it step by step, but it will increase a lot of on-the-spot reactions, which Zhang Zhou cannot predict at the moment.
"Your Majesty, the human heart is the most unpredictable. I cannot judge accurately now, but one thing is certain, that is, the Tatars will definitely seek to find a breakthrough from the west of Ningxia, and their goal will no longer be It's coming to Yansui. As for Xuanda, it's not a good choice for them to attack." Zhang Zhou said.
According to what Zhang Zhou said, Zhu Youtang pointed on the map and said: "This is it? Then... the people who were previously dispatched to the northwest are still in Ningxia. The Tatars should be There's not much chance."
Zhang Zhou said: "But your Majesty has already transferred the British ministers back to Beijing."
"This..." Zhu Youtang thought for a while. , said, "I later dispatched troops and horses from Datong to Ningxia, but in the past few days, I haven't heard any news about this, and I don't know whether the troops and horses have arrived on time."
Zhang Zhou Pointing to the map in the northwest, he said: "From what I can see, if the Tatars really intend to invade, they will definitely bluff. He will disrupt the sight and hearing of our border officers, and will make some feinting moves in the east, and then they will We will send troops to plunder Ningxia and other places..."
Zhu Youtang searched around the map with his finger, and finally placed his finger on the location of Huamachi and asked: "Bingkuan, what are you doing? Did you say it would be here?"
Zhang Zhou nodded and said, "It's probably possible."
This is not Zhang Zhou's random guess, but the Tatars' presence in history. Several bandit operations after the 14th year of Hongzhi were all carried out from Huamachi. Obviously from the perspective of the grassland tribes, Huamachi was a very special place, and it was an attackable place for the Tatars. You can retreat and defend.
Maybe this place is not the best, but it is the best choice under certain circumstances. It may also be that the backbone of the Tatars, Dayan Khan Batu Monk, likes to attack from here, because It is closer to the location of the main force of his army, where they graze, and what they consider to be a geomantic treasure, making it more suitable for their development.
Zhu Youtang said: "That was my fault. Previously I just wanted to transfer Zhang Tingmian back and let him be an idler. Now it seems that I should let him stay in the northwest for a while longer. . It would not be a good thing if the Tatars took the opportunity to attack. However, it is expected that the Tatars have just disturbed Huamachi and will not come again."
At this point, Zhu Youtang felt a little relieved. Come down.
The Tatars just invaded Huamachi just after the year, and also achieved victory. After the withdrawal, the Ming Dynasty's defense will definitely be strengthened. The possibility of the Tatars coming to invade seems to be Not very big.
Zhu Youtang may have felt that this topic was a bit disappointing, so he immediately said: "Bingkuan, aren't we currently deploying troops in Liaodong? Things in the northwest should be dealt with first.Let me go, please tell me about Liaodong's military plan. I want to know how important this place is. I also know that if you want to level the grassland, you must first eliminate those unstable factors. Sooner or later, Liaodong should be completely peaceful. I want to know all this from your mouth...What you say is more effective than anyone else..."
...
...
Just When Zhang Zhou and Zhu Youtang were talking about military affairs in the northwest and Liaodong at night, the military situation in the east and west of the Ming Dynasty was also changing, and the Tatars had begun to gather troops in Huamachi. , at the same time, some early warning messages also began to be sent eastward from the surrounding areas of Huamachi.
As the trilateral commander, Wang Qiong was in Yansui, but he was concerned about the military changes in Ningxia. /p>
Immediately he felt that the Tatars were coming, not just as a nuisance, but more like a full-scale invasion.
At this moment, he got it. According to the battle report from Xuanda University, the Tatars sent troops and horses to cause nuisance in Xuanfu and Datong respectively. Wang Shouren, as the commander-in-chief of Xuanda University, postponed sending troops to Ningxia on the grounds that local military affairs were tight. This is why The reason why Ma Yi’s three thousand elite cavalry have not yet taken off.
“Sir, the situation is not good. "When Shenying sent the battle report to Wang Qiong that day, he also mentioned this matter face to face, "If the Tatars really wanted to invade, they would definitely choose a place, and with so many battle reports, there must be something real. False, it seems that the Tatars are still evil-minded. They still want to plot against my border fortresses and plunder my people, livestock, and property. "
Wang Qiong said: "In my estimation, the Tatars will have a very difficult time this winter. ”
Shenying nodded and said: “We have sent troops to attack the Tatars several times, and we have achieved great victories on both the east and west fronts. The Tatars have lost so much property, it’s no wonder they can live a good life.” For us, it is spring famine now, and for them, it is even more so. "
Wang Qiong sighed: "So it's not whether they want to invade or not, but they have no choice. "
Shenying said with a slightly suspicious look: "Don't they know that doing this is actually of little significance, and they won't be able to steal much from us? If you come here, you might lose your life? "
Wang Qiong said: "If you are the person in charge of the grassland, the people will not even have enough to eat, and the livestock will starve to death in large numbers due to lack of fodder. What should you do? "
"Leading troops to invade our Ming Dynasty? Shenying asked.
"Yes." "Wang Qiong nodded, "It doesn't matter to them whether it succeeds or not. The key is to share the same hatred and hatred. Only when they send troops to the Ming Dynasty, their internal strife will be the least, otherwise they will kill each other. "
Shenying suddenly said: "No wonder they dare to come even though they know they are going to die. They are afraid of internal disputes... But even if this is the case, there will be no other tribes targeting them? There are so many tribes in the grassland, shouldn't every tribe come to attack us? "
Wang Qiong said: "Under the same goal, whoever betrays the covenant will be attacked by other tribes.Attacking, it just so happens that they can't get any advantage from the Ming Dynasty. When they retreat without defeat, won't those tribes who have changed their minds and changed their minds become their targets?
Shenying said angrily: "Are they trying to eradicate dissidents by fighting against me, the Ming Dynasty?" "
Wang Qiong also looked at the hung map and said: "The Tatars are probably sending troops from the Ningxia rear guard, and there is a high possibility that Huamachi will invade. "
"Then it's time for us to send reinforcements. Shenying said, "If we don't send it, it might be too late." "
Wang Qiong said: "We can't take care of Ningxia anymore. Even the local defense in Yansui has been tightened now. There are still a large number of our herdsmen in the Hetao area, and some newly built fortresses also need to be guarded by troops. Where did they send troops and horses to help Ningxia? "
"Then..." Shenying was obviously a little worried.
Wang Qiong looked very cautious and said: "I have sent a letter to Ningxia before, asking them to mobilize troops everywhere. Rush for reinforcements. If there is really nothing you can do, first ensure that the passes are not disturbed. The defenders everywhere must do their best. This time the Tatars are coming fiercely. In the battle of Ningxia last year, it was Yang Yingning and the Marquis of Jingshan who relied on them. But I don’t know who to rely on anymore. ”
Shenying said: “Isn’t there still that Eunuch Liu Jin? "
"Rely on him? "Wang Qiong said helplessly, "He is just a long-term follower of the prince. He has no actual combat experience. At most, he only knows some skills on paper. Even if he takes a step back, he really has that strength, Huamachi does not give him a stage to show off. "
"There are not so many soldiers, horses, and food to supply him. The best choice for him is to withdraw his troops to the Ningxia rearguard station, or to hold on. "
"The possibility of the Tatars invading the fortress is not high. As long as he stays within the fortress and relies on the sharp artillery and the barrier of the city wall, he can still wait until the Tatars withdraw. "(End of Chapter) Transcoding has been serious recently, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to exit the reading mode. Thank you