Because Shang Cheng entered Beijing secretly, and the top secret military to be discussed, Xu Shilang took Shang Chengcheng not to go through the gate, but to enter the imperial city through the Lixing Gate, which is known as the "Little West Gate", and then went straight to the Prime Minister's Mansion through the Yuehua Gate. This road is a special passage for the prime minister and deputy ministers to go up and down the public office, and few other people enter and exit at ordinary times, so it is used to keep secrets at this time.

By the time they arrived at the public office, there were already more than a dozen people waiting here. The two prime ministers and the three deputy ministers were all there, and several Shangshu servants from the important yamen of the imperial court were also there, and there were also several senior generals in the army who wore regular uniforms, and the leader was the old general Xiao Jian.

Most of these people Shang Cheng had seen them when he entered Beijing last time, and seeing that they all went out with the two prime ministers to greet him, hugging their fists and turning in circles to give salutes, and wanted to be polite again, the old Xiangguo Tang Xing opened his mouth first: "Kind words go back and say slowly." Yan Du, everyone is waiting for the details of your new strategy. ”

The main hall of the public hall has already set up a big picture of the situation in Yanshanwei and the grassland. More than a dozen people sat down, gathered in front of the map, listening to Shang Cheng's brief overview and explanation of the various temporary changes that might occur, and occasionally someone would ask a question or two. Of course, the generals were concerned about how to deal with Yan Shanwei if the war was unfavorable, while the civilian officials were naturally concerned about how to solve the problem of requisition and how to raise and transport grain. After all, it is already autumn now, and grabbing the autumn grain harvest is also a major event that cannot be delayed, if Yan Shanwei raises troops at this time, will it affect the harvest of the year?

Shang Cheng had discussed this issue with Lu Ji before he set off. Yanshan is another year of shortage, and it is an indisputable fact that grain production has been reduced on a large scale or even partially lost. In many places in Yanzhongbei, it is impossible for the peasant households to support their rations until next year's spring ploughing, and even if they can barely cope with next year's spring ploughing, there will inevitably be a problem of lack of green and yellow crops after that. Under such circumstances, it is imperative for the government to provide relief. After discussing with Lu Ji, Shang Cheng decided to link the matter of relief with the issue of levying the money.

Without waiting for Shang Cheng to finish speaking, the head of the household department immediately objected. Yan Shanwei had already requisitioned the people in the war a few months ago, and according to Zhao Law, even if the people in these places have completed or partially completed the tax payment this year, if they forcibly requisition the people now, it will undoubtedly be a loss for the forcible faction, regardless of whether it has anything to do with the relief or not. Shangshu, who was also also a deputy minister, warned: "Yan Du, have you thought about it, will this provoke a popular uprising? ”

Shang Cheng said: "We have considered this issue. We are not trying to force the requisition, but we are just linking it to relief. The government's relief is not something that can be achieved overnight. We will not and dare not withhold the rations of life; However, after the beginning of spring tomorrow, we will certainly give preference to those peasant households who are enthusiastic about the distribution of seeds and grain, the leasing and use of large government-owned livestock, and the dispatch of irrigation water for acres of land. The Department of Health is also preparing to apply to the Ministry of War for an emergency payment to pay the wages of the indeputies, and the standard is calculated according to the wages of the ordinary warehouse hired short-term workers. In addition, the Yanshan Pastoral Government also intends to reduce or exempt the taxes of the peasant households who have lost their labor, and the taxes will also be preferential for a certain period of time in the future. Of course, because I was in too much of a hurry to wait for the Pastoral Government to come up with a comprehensive preferential decree, I can't go into detail now. However, I believe that the Yanshan Pastoral Mansion will definitely not let those who enthusiastically lose the army suffer. ”

In this way, Tobe Shangshu has no opinion. He was even wondering if the household department should further develop and improve Yan Shanwei's emergency method, and then promote it as a system? In the future, if there is any emergency in various places that requires tribal labor, there is no need to spend a lot of time on official documents exchanged between the yamen for a few more and less wages.

Another Liubu Shangshu said: "Yan Du, your army of Liuzhen itself has 14,000, plus more than 10,000 who are likely to pass from Duanzhou, there are almost 25,000 people. With so many soldiers, it is not a small number for people to eat horses and chew every day, and the grain road in the rear stretches for thousands of miles, and there are no more than 10,000 people who cannot be supplied at all, do you think that so many people can be hired in the autumn harvest season? ”

Shang Cheng noticed that although the Lord Shangshu standing next to Zhang Pu was asking him about the logistics support, he never talked about whether he should fight this battle or not, and he also said "10,000 soldiers from Duanzhou" and "the grain road stretched for thousands of miles", obviously talking about the shame of Zhao Junbing's arrival in Heishui City for a hundred years. Regardless of use, this must be a supporter of Yan Shanwei's re-entry into the grassland. And when this person spoke, Zhang Pu not only did not show a displeased look on his face, but also stared at himself with blazing eyes, could it be that these people all supported his military plan?

He replied solemnly: "We have carefully calculated that according to the announcement to be issued by the Health Department and the Pastoral Government, the Yanzhong and North regions should be able to raise 7,000 to 8,000 people; In addition, there are still more than 2,000 peasant households that can be requisitioned and transferred in these places, and they can barely guarantee the loss of the army. He paused for a moment and then said, "No, we can raise the standard of wages, and we should be able to recruit more." As long as there are 13,000 people, then there will be no problem for the army to lose. "The problem is that there are not enough troops to maintain the grain routes. Especially after Mogan, there will be a war in the front, and there will be a clean-up in the back, and I don't know how many problems will be encountered at that time......

The Prime Minister's Office is clearly aware of this problem. Zhang Pu nodded and said, "Because the time is too tight, the court can't help much with the affairs of the people." ”

When he said this, Shang Cheng was not surprised. is Zhang Pu's sentence, time is too tight. Seeing that Yanshan was about to start a month later, even if the imperial court wanted to recruit people from all over the Central Plains to support, it would be too late in terms of procedures, not to mention the more complicated related matters such as pacification, marshalling, movement, and routes that must be considered for the loss of troops in different places. In fact, he and Lu Ji only considered the peasant households in the northern part of Yanzhong on the issue of conquest, and did not mention Yandong and Yanxi, which was also based on the same reason, and it was also for the same reason that the people's organizations in Yandong and Yanxi were in place, and it was estimated that the autumn campaign could only be changed to the spring campaign.

“…… However, seven battalions of garrisons can be drawn from Quzhou and other places to be sent to you. Zhang Pu continued. As the prime minister, of course, he knew that these soldiers could not fight, so he immediately explained, "These garrisons may be a little worse used to fight, and there should be no problem in maintaining the grain route to disperse harassment." To be honest, he didn't want the blind man to fight this battle. As soon as Shang Cheng's share of "Strategy" arrived, the prime minister's office was immediately full of emotion, and even the two important figures of the Southern Advance faction were rolling up their sleeves and arms, blushing and hating to go into battle in person, could he still stop it? Moreover, the blind merchant commander and the guard, whether they fight or defend, have the right to judge on their own, and they can fight and defend if they want to fight, and they don't need to report to the court at all; At present, people give the Prime Minister's office a lot of face, personally send the "Strategy" to Beijing, and listen to the Prime Minister's office in person, what else can he do besides agree? He really regrets it now: he knew that the blind man of Shang would not succeed in asking for help and change the defense to attack, so he would send an army and several brigades as soon as possible to help the blind man of Shang defend Yanshan as firmly as an iron bucket......

Because he regretted that at the beginning, he forgot another thing, if Shang Cheng had more soldiers, even if it was only the scale at the beginning of the year, where would he be nervous for a month because of the overstretched deployment of troops, I am afraid that he would have clenched his fists and went to the king of Donglu Valley to "talk"!

Zhang Pu's words made Shang Cheng overjoyed. With these seven battalions of soldiers, the problem of transporting food and ordnance, which he was most worried about, was also guaranteed to a large extent.

But he still asked very shrewdly: "These seven battalions of out-of-state garrisons are not counted in the two brigades of the Liyuan Forbidden Army that the Ministry of War wants to assign to us, right?" ”

Hearing him ask like this, the people in the main hall, from civil officials to military generals, from the two prime ministers to the two old generals that Shang Cheng didn't know, all smiled together. Tang Xingwan smiled: "Of course it's not among them. However, after the war is over, these Liyuan forbidden troops and garrisons in other states must also be returned to the establishment. ”

Shang Cheng also nodded happily. He never thought of receiving these soldiers to Yan Shanwei; If it weren't for the loss of more than 4,000 people in the spring, he might not have asked the imperial court for reinforcements this time.

One of the two old generals he didn't know asked: "If the battle of Yandong fought in the Bailan River Valley, the king of Donglu Valley saw through your intentions, did not return to the aid and did not set up an ambush in the Bailan River Valley, and directly led thousands of big tent soldiers and tribal soldiers from the four tribes on the left side of the mountain to the White Wolf Pass to attack the army of Liuzhen, what are you going to do?" ”

Since Shang Cheng entered the public office, Shang Chengcheng felt that this person always looked at him with slanted eyes, intentionally or unintentionally, as if he had owed him something. So Shang Cheng glared at him twice, and said with a smile: "If the king of Donglu Valley really wants to rush to the White Wolf Pass, then it is unbelievable, I just want to chase him and give him a ride, and finish his work in the White Wolf Pass, and by the way, I did the thing that was not done well in the first half of the year." ”

The old man snorted in his nostrils, pouted and glanced Shang Cheng up and down, and sneered again.

He didn't say anything, but the contemptuous look was clear to everyone. He was undoubtedly ridiculing Shang Cheng: Even if you are blind in business, you dare to say such big things?

The old general next to the old man looked very kind, dragged the old man behind him, smiled and arched his hand to Shang Cheng and said, "Don't pay attention to him." He saw that there was a bargain and wanted to go to Yandong to make money, but the ministers did not agree, so he wanted to spill his anger on your head. ”

As soon as the old general said that, Shang Chengcheng knew who the old man who didn't look at him was who he was. The battle of Yandong is facing a strong enemy Donglu Valley King, this battle is a light fight, heavy retreat, early retreat and late retreat, a slight difference will make the situation change, it can be said that it will affect the overall situation, dare to volunteer to Yandong in this complex situation There is only one general who has volunteered to go to Yandong, except for the old Yang Du, the old prince of the auxiliary country, there is no second person......

guessed that the old man was Yang Du, and the person who came out to persuade him was about to come out. Yang Du, nicknamed Yang Liehuo, has a big temper and dares to fight with people in the Jinluan Palace, and there are not many people who can dissuade him; This person not only pulled Yang Du away, but also exposed Yang Du's idea of stealing merit in person, and Yang Du was not angry, obviously, the old general who persuaded him could only be Poyang Hou One by one It is said that when Yang Du has not yet emerged in the army, there was a time when he did not obey the general's order to violate the law in the army and should be beheaded according to the law, and it was Poyang Hou who saved his life, so the friendship between the two was very deep. It is because of this incident that the generals of the Yang Du system and the generals of the Poyang Marquis family in the army have close contacts, and sometimes it is difficult for outsiders to distinguish whether those generals are Yang Du or Poyang Marquis.

With Poyang Hou coming forward to persuade him, Yang Du was silent anymore.

Yang Du didn't make a fuss, Xiao Jian didn't object, Zhang Pu had already made it clear that the imperial court supported Yan Shanwei's autumn battle strategy, so the rest were trivial. Several generals asked about some variables that might be encountered during the march, and then nodded together and said: This battle can be fought!

The Prime Minister's Office redrafted the official document, detailing the strategy of Yanshan and the possible changes in victory and defeat, and went to the Great Inner to ask the Eastern Yuan Emperor to look at it and use the seal.

In less than half an hour, the official document was sent out with a seal. Emperor Dongyuan wrote only one word in the official document: Quasi!

Xiao Huangmen, who sent the official document, also conveyed a sentence from the Son of Heaven to Shang Cheng: Shang Yanshan doesn't have to worry about anything else, just let go of his hands and feet; I burned incense in the palace and prayed to heaven and earth, but I hope that the general will return victorious!

The Son of Heaven also agreed to the autumn grassland battle in Yanshan, and Shang Cheng no longer had a reason to delay in Shangjing. He resigned to several Xiangguo and the generals at the gate of the public office, and prepared to embark on the journey back to Yanshan on the same day.

Seeing the back of the fake Admiral of Yanshan who was accompanied by the Shangshu Shilang of the Ministry of War disappear behind a red wall, the Marquis of Poyang, who had been standing for a long time, sighed with emotion and said: "This young offspring is amazing! ”

Lao Xiangguo Tang Xing also watched Shang Cheng here, listened to Poyang Hou's exclamation, and said with a smile: "Fortunately, he is just a descendant." ”

Poyang Hou was stunned for a moment, and asked in confusion: "What do you mean by this of Lao Xiangguo?" ”

Tang Xing smiled and whispered: "If this son was born thirty years early, how can you and me be today?" ”

Poyang Hou was stunned for a long time, and then stroking his palm and said, "...... Well, it makes sense, it makes sense! "Laugh heartily.