Binhai City, inside the palace.
It was already late at night. Mou Bin, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, went to the palace to see Zhu Youtang with an important battle report. As his identity, it was easy to pass through the first door, but he wanted to see Zhu Youtang in the inner hall. Zhu Youtang, who had rested, was beyond his power.
Wei Bin, the only eunuch in charge of the night watch, said with a cold expression: "Governor Mou, you are not an outsider and you should know the rules. Your Majesty has already rested. You are not just seeing anyone who wants to see you. What's the matter? , can’t we wait until tomorrow?”
Mo Bin said: “There is a war in the northwest, and there is an urgent report.”
Wei Bin smiled and said: “There is something going on in the border area. The war situation is a normal thing. What if there is no war? But if it affects His Majesty's rest, we can't bear the responsibility. Let's go back and wait until His Majesty wakes up tomorrow morning. Come, our family will pass the news for you."
"But..." Mou Bin saw that Wei Bin was really arrogant. It seemed that even the eunuch in charge of the ceremony was not as incompetent as Wei Bin. Close to humanity. < /p>
Mo Bin said: "But Cai Guogong went out to the city to supervise the construction of railway tracks, and he is not in the city now."
"Then you have gone to find him?" Wei Bin shook his head and said, "Don't bother, As long as it’s not a big victory or a big defeat, if you’re not too anxious, just wait. I believe Cai Guogong will come back tomorrow and explain it to His Majesty in detail.”
Mo Bin really wants to tell people directly. He pushed Wei Bin away, but after much hesitation, he gave up the idea.
"Then I'll wait outside first. If His Majesty gets up at night, I hope I can let you know." Mou Bin did not dare to put things down directly and go back to rest. Instead, he prepared to stay up late in the palace and wait for the emperor to wake up. Come.
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……
Outside the city.
Zhang Zhou worked until late at night before coming out of the steel factory where the rails were smelted. Although it was still very cold in February, he was still soaked with sweat. After coming out, he planned to take a shower before going to rest. , just at this moment, I saw Zhu Feng coming over in a hurry.
"Brother Zhang, something big has happened. The Tatars are coming again. This time it's Huamachi." Zhu Feng said, approaching.
He did not bring any battle report and only conveyed it verbally.
Zhang Zhou asked about the situation in general, and Zhu Feng said: "I don't know the details, but this matter is quite serious. Your Majesty is not in Beijing, and the negotiations between the DPRK and the Central Government will be more cumbersome. Brother Zhang, as the Minister of the Ministry of War, , it’s best to respond quickly.”
Zhang Zhou said: “I’ll sort it out first, then follow me back to the city.”
Zhu Feng said: “It’s already time, is it necessary to go to the city. ? Even tomorrow."
Zhang Zhou shook his head and said: "Since the war situation is urgent, we cannot slack off. If the situation in the northwest changes too drastically, or if we need to dispatch generals to the northwest, do you have the troops? Plan?"
Zhu Feng thoughtAfter thinking about it, he looked confused: "If there is really no one else to send, it is not impossible for me to go, but even Ningxia... is too far away from the capital."
While saying that he could go, he said that he could go. Complaining again.
Zhang Zhou didn't talk too much to Zhu Feng. He waved and Liu Gui came over from the other side.
"Prepare the official uniform for me. I'll rinse it and then go to see the saint." Zhang Zhou said.
"Yes." Liu Gui quickly took a leather jacket from Zhang Zhou and ran into the yard to order people to do things.
......
......
When Zhang Zhou entered the city, he also went directly to the palace. When he arrived at the entrance of the palace, he saw Mou Bin there with a few people. The famous Jin Yiwei spoke.
Mo Bin was also surprised by Zhang Zhou's return, but he seemed to have found his direction and hurried over and said: "My lord, I went to ask your Majesty to see you before, but was not summoned. Your Majesty has rested."
Zhang Zhou said: "Come in with me again."
Mo Bin then followed, and the two of them entered together.
This time, before waiting outside the inner hall, Wei Bin learned the news and hurried over. Wei Bin quickly saluted Zhang Zhou and said: "You are here, Mr. Cai Guo. I heard that there is urgent military affairs, so why don't you come?" I don’t know how to mention it to Your Majesty. You’re here just in time, so it’s most appropriate for you to mention it.” Upon hearing this, Mou Bin felt very unhappy.
That’s not what you just said.
However, he seemed to feel relieved when he thought that Zhang Zhou was qualified to disturb the emperor at any time, while he, as the commander of the Imperial Guard, was a marginalized person.
……
……
Zhu Youtang was still woken up late at night.
Zhang Zhou, Zhu Feng, Wei Bin and Mou Bin stood in front of Zhu Youtang. Zhu Youtang was covered in heavy clothes. There was a lantern next to him, and the light was not very bright. , Zhu Youtang personally opened the battle report brought by Mu Bin, read it carefully, and put it aside.
"It's not a big deal." Zhu Youtang said, "Tatars are said to be thieves, but in my opinion, it is difficult for the Tatars to make a living, and they have to do that thing. "
Wei Bin said with a smile: "Your Majesty has learned clearly that the Tatars are like grasshoppers after autumn and can't live for a few more days."
What Zhu Youtang said to Wei Bin. Ignoring it, he looked at Zhang Zhou and said, "Bingkuan, do you think this battle is stressful?"
"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded, "The war in the northwest is changing too fast, and so are many things. Exceeding expectations."
Zhu Feng said from the side: "The heavy troops stationed in Huamachi are not prepared in advance? Your Majesty, I believe that Cai Guogong should have been prepared for this matter. He will not give the Tatars an opportunity to take advantage of him."
At this time, Zhu Feng stood firmly on Zhang Zhou's side, just like a little fanboy.
Zhu Youtang said: "I transferred Zhang Mao back to Beijing too hastily. There are many defenders in Huamachi, but the Tatars are not there either.Not necessarily a good thing. Bingkuan, I think we should immediately rush to Huamachi with troops from Yansui and Ningxia. What do you think? "
Zhang Zhou said: "I also have this intention. ”
“That’s okay. "Zhu Youtang said, "I think it would be better for Wang Qiong to be in charge of this battle. He has been in the northwest for a long time, and he rarely has the opportunity to make meritorious deeds. This time, let him perform well. If you can do well, you can be transferred back to Beijing. "
Wei Bin asked for instructions: "Your Majesty, do you want to convey your intention to the capital and let them announce the decree? "
Zhu Youtang said: "I can just issue the decree here and go to the northwest. Why do I need to use people from the capital? Bingkuan, if there is anything else that needs to be considered, you can consider it yourself. I have been a little tired these past two days, so I will not ask about it tonight. When the results are available tomorrow, just send someone to inform them. ”
Zhu Youtang seems not to want to answer any military and political matters.
With Zhang Zhou here, it is completely up to Zhang Zhou to arrange and plan. He only needs to formulate a general direction... ...that is, let Wang Qiong be responsible for resisting the Tatars this time.
As for the problem of the three sides not being subordinate to each other, Wang Qiong can be easily solved with this order from the emperor. Now he has to be responsible for all military matters on the three sides, and he needs to bear all the merits and demerits.
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……
Zhang Zhou. When leaving the palace, Zhu Feng followed behind worriedly, as if he was afraid of being transferred to the northwest by Zhang Zhou.
“Go back. "Zhang Zhou said.
Zhu Feng's eyes widened with fright and asked: "Where to go? Is it the capital, or go..."
Zhang Zhou said: "I mean, you go back and rest first, and then dispatch the generals from here to the northwest. It will take ten days at the fastest to arrive, and it will require non-stop travel day and night. , you may not be able to improve the situation after going to the northwest, so why is it necessary? "
Zhu Feng then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I think so too. Brother Zhang, how should we arrange it? I heard that the terrain at Huamachi is very open, and the Tatar cavalry are good at showing off and can come and go freely. If the defenders cannot stop them, the towns around Ningxia will suffer. "
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "It seems that you have a deep understanding of the situation in the northwest. "
"No... I have only been to Ningxia, and I know a little bit about it. It is by no means proficient. " Zhu Feng said, "Many places in Ningxia are desert lands. In some places, there are no human settlements for dozens of miles. The Tatars are advancing with light cavalry. We cannot catch up with them with artillery, and their scouts are everywhere. I was leading the troops there at that time, and I had no countermeasures against them. ”
Zhang Zhou said: “Didn’t Your Majesty leave the matter to Wang Qiong? He has been in the northwest for many years, so he probably has a way to overcome it. "
Zhu Feng asked: "When Mr. Qin was working on the three sides before, he heard that he built a lot of chariots. Can they be used this time? Is it possible to catch up with the Tatars by attaching artillery to the chariot? ”
Zhang Zhou shook his head.
Using a carriage to chase war horses is nonsense in itself. The Ming Dynasty’s horses were originally superior in combat power.There is also a certain gap between the horses of the Tatars.
Zhang Zhou said: "If it were me, I would take it by surprise and use firecrackers as the main body of the battle. However, the range of firecrackers is not much higher than that of bows and crossbows. Once caught in a mid- to close-range fight, , the advantage is not necessarily that obvious."
Zhu Feng said: "Then it probably depends on luck. If the artillery happens to be transported to the Tatar camp, and the Tatars don't know... ”
Zhang Zhou smiled.
Zhu Feng had previously achieved military exploits by relying on this almost opportunistic method.
"Zhijie, what you said may be opportunistic once or twice, but you cannot rely on this method every time." Zhang Zhou said, "When the Tatars attack, the defenses in the northwest will also be To be considered perfect, it still depends on the performance of the generals. Previously, we have already taught what should be taught in the Yanwu Hall, and what is left is to see how they perform on the spot."
...
...
Late night.
Chen Kuan returned to the Li Supervisory Room. At this time, only Wei Bin was left in the room. When Wei Bin saw Chen Kuan, he quickly submitted the battle report to Chen Kuan and Explained the details to Chen Kuan, especially the conversation with Yang Peng.
"The person named Yang is right," Chen Kuan said.
Wei Bin said: "You are saying..."
Chen Kuan said: "Those senior ministers in the capital all feel that if there are mistakes in the northwest war, they will be the first to take responsibility. It must be the Minister of War, but the problem is that the Tatars are just invading the country. The Minister of War has made appropriate arrangements in advance, and even made up for the gaps in the northwest defense, and even found the direction of the Tatar invasion... It’s Huamachi. What does this have to do with the Minister of War?”
Wei Bin thought about it and said helplessly: “If we lose this battle, what will happen to our Ming Dynasty?” The influence of military vitality is not small."
"It cannot be defeated." Chen Kuan said, "After so many changes, the Ming border army is no longer as loose as before. Now it is Wang Qiong who guards the three sides, and Xuanda. It's Wang Shouren. Both of them are extraordinary in terms of military and political views. Even if there is a temporary gap in Huamachi, these two people can lead the troops to fill the gap and even recover what was lost. "< /p>
Wei Bin asked tentatively: "Then we have no countermeasures against Cai Guogong...? Mr. Chen, the Superintendent of Ceremonies is in charge of the affairs of the world, but now, His Majesty's trust in us It’s been greatly reduced, aren’t you anxious?”
Chen Kuan sighed: “It’s useless to be anxious.”
As he said that, Chen Kuan put down the battle report and asked, “Someone. Have you gone to inform your Majesty?"
Wei Bin said: "I think someone has gone to report it. Your Majesty and Cai Guogong are not in Beijing. If the Tatars take advantage of this opportunity..."
Chen Kuandao: "You are right to the point. Unless the Tatars can march straight into our capital and use the capital to commit danger, it may affect the status of the Minister of War in the court. Otherwise... No need to discuss anything."
Wei Bin said with a slightly shocked expression: "Tatar.Is it possible that the son came to the capital to kill him? "
"Humph! If the Tatars can really defeat the capital, how incompetent will the northwest army be? After winning for so many years, how can we lose our great advantage in one fell swoop? Even if the soldiers in the northwest are incompetent, wouldn't there still be Cai Guogong? Although he has no personal experience on the battlefield, in the wars in recent years, has he not been involved in any of them? It is almost impossible to suppress Cai Guogong from the Ministry of War. "
When Chen Kuan said this, he raised his head and looked into the distance and said, "I just hope that the court will not fall into a one-sided situation. Otherwise our life would not be easy. "
...
...
Datong Town.
After experiencing several border violations by the Tatars, Wang Shouren Finally, he was ready to send Ma Yi and Zhang Rui to Huamachi.
He called them to the Yamen. They were both confused because Wang Shouren had mentioned before that the crisis on the Datong border was not resolved. , the two of them should not leave.
"Sir, it will take more than ten days to lead the troops from here to Huamachi. If we transport heavy artillery, the march will be slower, regardless of Huamachi. If something unexpected happens, it is already too late to send troops now. "Ma Yi said to Wang Shouren face to face.
Wang Shouren said: "How did you come to Datong? ”
“Sir? "Ma Yi was a little confused about the situation.
Zhang Rui seemed to understand something and asked for instructions: "Wang Junmen, what do you mean, let us lead troops to attack back from the grassland? ”
“Yeah. "Wang Shouren nodded and said, "The Tatars think they are right. If they send troops to contain all the troops at our border, they can wreak havoc in one place. But I have forgotten that the offensive and defensive momentum is never static. Who said that in this battle, we can only defend but not attack? "
Ma Yi said: "Are you going to lead troops to kill the Tatars in the rear?
Wang Shouren said: "There is no need for this. You only need to send troops from Datong and lead them across the grassland. How did they come here and how do they go back? The Tatars are not trying to invade our country from Huamachi." land? When they found out that Datong had sent troops, they had no choice but to retreat. "
Zhang Rui said: "However, it will take time to cross the grassland from here to Huamachi.
Wang Shouren said: "You don't need to bring artillery, just muskets and swords. Three thousand fine cavalry, each equipped with two muskets, and fifty rounds of fire bombs." Just go like this. As long as you can force the Tatars into a dilemma, the strategic significance has been achieved. "Recent transcoding has been serious, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to exit the reading mode. Thank you