Chapter 777: The West Wind (I)

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The sky was covered with black clouds, and although it was already midday, I still couldn't see my fingers.

There are eight large lanterns hanging high in front of the Chengtian Gate, because the national mourning has not passed, so they are all covered with white cloths, and the light is bleak, shining on the officials waiting for the court in front of the palace gate, reflecting the gloomy or even frightened faces. The atmosphere was extremely heavy, in stark contrast to the lively scene of the officials laughing and joking before entering the Chengtian Gate.

There was a slight commotion in the silent crowd, and the officials followed the prestige, and saw the scholars walking together from the direction of the cabinet under the guidance of two lanterns, and it was obvious that the cabinet elders had not slept all night, studying countermeasures.

The hundred officials looked around, wanting to see some information from the faces of the elders...... The one who walked in the front was short and one tall, it was the first assistant Xu Jie, and the second assistant Gao Gong, Xu Ge Lao was still an ancient well, no one wanted to see anything, but from Gao Ge Lao Tieqing's complexion, he could guess that the situation seemed to be worse than imagined.

The elders are always stuck when the time is up, and just after standing in the court, the bell rang on the drum tower, and the Chengtian Gate slowly opened. Hundreds of officials silently lined up, rushing in......

On the Golden Palace, Emperor Longqing had been waiting there for a long time, although he was greedy for comfort, and he especially didn't like to get up early, but the successive alarms made the young emperor sleepless all night, and he couldn't wait to see his ministers for the first time.

When Baiguan Mountain shouted long live, the emperor felt some security, but in the voice of the proclamator of Honglu Temple, it quickly disappeared again, and the proclamator first read out the secret recital of the governor of Xuanda, Wang Zhiyu: "The minister has been arrested by the chieftain, and he has bypassed Datong from Jinzhong, and he is afraid that the Beijing division will be shaken, so please come to the aid with a bargain, or go to Juyongguan to increase the guard." ’

He also read out the urgent recital of Cao Bangfu, the governor of Jiliao: 'More than 30,000 cavalrymen of the Tatar barbarian army have advanced along the Chaohe River to Gubeikou, and Jizhen is in an emergency'

Although Longqing is absent-minded about political affairs, but the great tomorrow guards the country, of course he knows that Datong and Jizhen are the east and west gateways of the capital, and now the east gate has been crossed, and the west gate is also in danger, and it has become a trap trend, obviously the Mongolians came this time, and they have a big plan.

Thus, after Emperor Longqing ascended to the throne, the first sternly worded holy decree was born. The proclamator took an edict from the eunuch and read it aloud: 'The border generals are afraid of the enemy, and the army is insensitive, so that the Tartars drive straight in, and they want to shake our imperial capital, and I am very worried. ’

Hearing the emperor's rebuke, Xu Jie stood up from the brocade pier and led the hundred officials to kowtow and ask for guilt.

"What's the use of kowtowing, get up." Long Qing didn't know whether he was angry or lacking in qi, and his voice trembled: "Hurry up and come up with a countermeasure, don't really wait for other soldiers to come to the city." ”

Xu Jie helped Jindun to get up, and comforted the emperor respectfully: "Your Majesty is angry, although the Tartars are menacing, but the imperial court has also done its homework, and it will not repeat the tragedy of the 'Gengshu Change'......" said and looked at Yang Bodao, who was diagonally opposite: "It's better to ask the military department to speak for the emperor." ”

Although the situation was already very urgent, there was no trace of panic on the face of Yang Bo, the secretary of the Ministry of War, he had seen too many storms in his life, and he could keep calm at any time, so he came out and said: "Your Majesty, since the old minister took over the defense of the capital last year, he has been trying to change the defense strategy of the capital, that is, from the original focus on the defense of the city and the defense of the city, to the defense of the entire Gyeonggi region. In order to achieve this goal, Weichen has continuously dispatched the foreign guard flag army to train in shifts in the Beijing division, and built a series of military facilities that echo each other from afar, and now the officers and soldiers of the Beijing battalion have been mobilized, and the troops of the king of Qin have been put in place one after another, and a peripheral defense system has been built, although it is not seamless, but before breaking through our peripheral military towns, the Mongols do not dare to cross the thunder pool and covet the capital. ”

After listening to Yang Bo's words, Long Qing made up his mind, and Long Yan said with great joy: "No wonder my father wants to hand over the defense of Gyeonggi to Da Sima, you are my Ming Dynasty's Dinghai Divine Needle."

After listening to the emperor's praise, Yang Bo smiled faintly and said, "However, the defense of Gyeonggi is still short, and the funds have been stretched, especially the lack of mobile troops, so ...... It's okay to defend Kyoto, but there's nothing you can do to retreat from the enemy. "The old man is very self-aware, he has less than 10,000 cavalry under his command, and the rest are infantry, and it is okay to defend the city with infantry against cavalry, but there is nothing to be done about field maneuvers, so he has already said ugly things in front, so that in the future, someone will participate in his own 'fear of the enemy and dare not go to war' and so on.

"The imperial court raises soldiers, not just to guard the capital," Gao Gong was unhappy when he heard this, and said: "If the 100,000 troops dare not go out of the city and sit back and watch the people suffer miserably, what is the point of guarding the country that day?" ”

Yang Bo blushed a little when he said this, and snorted: "It's not that I don't want to protect the people, but I can't do it, but the reality is like this, what can I do?" If the elder Gao Ge thinks that anyone can do this, I am willing to let Xian. ”

"Don't argue......" Seeing that the two were about to argue, Xu Jie interrupted: "Let's ask the emperor to judge." ”

"Yuan Weng ......" Long Qingxin said, what can I cut? Then he looked at Xu Jie and said, "What do you think?" ”

"Lao Chen means that the defense of Gyeonggi should be done well first and be invincible." Xu Jie said in a deep voice: "Then order Wang Zhiyu and Cao Bangfu to quickly mobilize troops and expel the two Tartars as soon as possible." ”

"Good strategy. Then it will be left to the cabinet to co-ordinate. Long Qing's mood finally relaxed and said: "You Aiqing should also work together to do a good job of backup." As soon as the mood relaxed, a wave of tiredness hit, and the emperor said in his heart, I have to go back quickly to make up for sleep......

"Obey the order...... all the officials received the order together.

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In fact, the role of the Great Dynasty Meeting is at most to mobilize and boost morale, and because there are many people, there are almost no details involved; After the dispersal of the dynasty, the cabinet will hold a small meeting, which is the occasion to really finalize the strategy and assign tasks.

In this cabinet meeting, in addition to the four cabinet elders and Jiuqing, there were also British Gong Zhang Rong, Dongning Hou Jiaoying and other dignitaries in charge of the army, as well as the head of the military department and the household department, and other relevant officials such as the head of the military department, the head of the military department, and the head of the household section attended as observers, which just filled the two rows of chairs in the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion.

The level of secrecy of the meeting was the highest, and around the hall, in the courtyard, and outside the gate, there were all the brocade guards who were on guard, and even flies did not want to fly in. The meeting of this level is to solve the problem, so it will not be as secretive as the court meeting, and report good news but not bad news, so Xu Jie's tone was set and said: "The scale of this invasion is really rare in recent years, and the strategy has changed significantly, no longer going straight to the capital, but to Shanxi, Tianjin and other places to invade, deep into our country, it is rare." ”

Everyone present suddenly buzzed, and just then said to the meeting that the two Tartars were coming to the capital, but now Xu Ge Lao said again, they didn't come, what the hell is going on?

"Quiet." Gao Gong coughed and said: "The cabinet said this, firstly, to calm people's hearts, and secondly, to facilitate mobilization, there is no need to let everyone know the truth." That's not ridiculous at all...... Beijing City is the strongest city in the Ming Dynasty, with the most complete defense system and the most sufficient soldiers and materials. In addition, the Mongols were not good at attacking cities, so although everyone was nervous when they heard that they were approaching Beijing, they did not panic. And if you want to mobilize manpower and material resources to the maximum, there is no more effective reason than the capital facing an attack.

"Ladies and gentlemen, so the focus of this meeting," Xu Jie said, "It's not about the defense of the capital, it's about how to retreat from the enemy." Saying that, he sighed and said: "I have already slaughtered Shizhou City, and the barbarians have also dyed the water of the Luanhe River red......" His gaze swept over the people present, making them feel their resoluteness: "No matter what method is used, they must be stopped, this is the requirement of the cabinet"

"My attitude has not changed," Yang Bo said first: "Jingshi is the head of the country, and it is related to the survival of the society, so we must act cautiously and never act rashly. After a pause, he said: "The Tartars came for plunder, and after plundering enough, they naturally retreated without a fight." Under the circumstance that our army is unable to cope with the battle, this is the strategic point of resisting the enemy this time, and it cannot be changed, and if it changes, it will be dangerous. ”

Hearing his words, Hou Jiaoying of Dongning over there said anxiously: "So, our Beijing camp can't attack?" "Although he is in charge of the four guards of the Beijing camp, the Ming Dynasty has to listen to Yang Bo's command.

"This time the Tartars are almost out of the nest, how many cavalry are there in the Beijing camp? Rash attack, defeat and no victory. Besides, Hou Ye's subordinates are all tasked with guarding Kyoto, what if the Tartars are allowed to take advantage of this? Yang Bo said lightly.

Seeing that he had made up his mind, the tiger did not move, Jiao Ying paused: "It is about the life and death of the people, can you only turn a blind eye?" ”

Yang Bo just sighed and ignored him, Jiao Ying had to stop his mouth and sit there depressed.

Seeing that the military people wanted to be a turtle with a shrunken head, Gao Gong patted the case and said: "Dignified China, towering China, but they have to be raised again and again by the people of this ** people with their own blood, and in the end the enemy invades the homeland, but the soldiers raised by themselves turn a blind eye and say anything, the Tartars come to attack, just to loot and just stand by, just wait for them to loot enough and withdraw on their own." Saying that, the tiger burst into tears and said: "Poor people, why are they always sacrificed by us"

Everyone was silent for a while, and they were all ashamed of what Gao Gong said. Yang Bo's heart was on fire: 'Okay, you Gao Suqing, Lao Tzu took the initiative to carry the black pot for your cabinet, if you don't appreciate it, it's just that, how can you still scold me' said with a sneer: "Then let's see, what tricks does the new Zheng Gong have?"

"We can't afford to sit idly by any longer." Gao Gong had an idea, and said in a deep voice: "Since the Tatars entered the country, they have plundered more than ten prefectures and counties one after another, and they must have gained a lot of money, but they have long lost their original speed due to the heavy burden, and their mentality will also change. Order our army to take the initiative to meet the enemy and pursue at the tail of the tail, even if they can't destroy the enemy, they must be overwhelmed and the gains outweigh the losses, and they will naturally have the intention of retreating."

"It's easy to say." Yang Bo snorted and said: "The Mongols are not short of horses like us, they have special horses to pack things, and there are war horses for war, which does not affect the combat power at all." ”

"I'm talking about speed, not combat power." Gao Gong retorted: "Didn't you say all day long that people come and go like the wind, and you can't catch up?" Now that I can catch up, why do you talk about combat power? ”

"Officers and men are short of food, salaries, and quotas." Yang Bo said lightly: "More importantly, lack of field experience, if they are allowed to pursue, it is tantamount to sending sheep into the mouth of the tiger, in case of a fiasco, who will bear it?" After a pause, he said, "Don't forget, this is in front of the Son of Heaven." ”

This was said to Xu Jie's heart, but he didn't say anything, because he expected that this would be criticized.

"Why is this argument so familiar...... Sure enough, Gao Gong's face was pale: "It seems that Yan Song also said something like this." ”

"You ......" There was silence in the hall, only Yang Bo roared angrily: "I'm like Yan Song, where did you put Yuan Weng?"

"Hmph......" Gao Gong stopped talking, but he must have another idea in his heart.

"Stop arguing." Xu Jie finally spoke out to dissuade him: "Quarrel and quarrel, from the court to the cabinet, can quarrel solve the problem?" He sighed and said, "Sincere unity and collective efforts are the right thing to do." ”

"Hey......" Yang Bo nodded and stopped talking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I repeat, the cabinet has agreed on a unified opinion," Xu Jie said slowly, "no matter what method is used, the Mongols must be stopped. Saying that, he looked at Shen Mo and said: "Humble words, you have also led troops to fight, and you have dealt with the Mongols, what do you think?" ”

"Yuan Weng, my lords." Shen Mo didn't want to speak, but he was named by Xu Jie, so he had to clear his throat and say: "I see that the Mongols are coming this time, it is not just a simple robbery, it seems that there are other plans. ”

"What do you mean by that?" Xu Jie asked, and everyone's attention was also focused on Shen Mo.

"I have done a statistical analysis of the Mongol invasions since the Xuande period." Shen Mo's words must be substantiated, which is one of the reasons why his words are always convincing: "I found that this invasion is the deepest invasion of our country by the Mongols, as of yesterday, I have sacked eleven prefectures and counties one after another, and also breached the cities for the first time, which is very different from their previous invasions for the purpose of plundering. Then he explained: "If it is only for plundering property, then there is no need for them to invade so deeply, even if they don't gain enough along the way, then after capturing Shizhou City, they should be completely satisfied and go home...... But now, while our soldiers and civilians are all on alert, they continue to move in depth towards us, and it is obvious that they are drunkards who do not want to drink......

"What's that?" Guo Pu asked out loud.

"Hehe, how can this be guessed." Shen Mo smiled and said, "But I expect that in a few days, we will know their purpose." ”

Although he was silent and didn't say anything, everyone present guessed from his analysis, but no one would say anything about it in less than that day.

Xu Jie was very pleased that Shen Mo could say this...... Since he became the first assistant, he really realized Yan Ge's hardships back then, as the actual decision-maker of this country, every decision may push the country into the abyss, and also ruin his own reputation. Whoever sits in this seat may invariably seek stability first. is already under one person and above ten thousand, first of all, there is no room for mistakes, and it doesn't matter whether you make meritorious service or not.

Although he was forced by the pressure of public opinion and morality, he had to represent the court and show a resolute attitude, but in his heart he really wanted to slow down, be steady, and see the situation clearly before making a decision. Therefore, silence is equivalent to giving him a step, and let Xu Ge Lao get off the donkey, while stepping up the mobilization of grain and grass and deploying troops, and on the other hand, ordering his subordinates to send scouts to closely monitor my movements, and then determine the next military action after the situation is clear.

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After all the tasks were assigned, Xu Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief. After the meeting ended, he left Shen Mo and Zhang Juzheng to speak alone.

In the duty room, the old Shoufu no longer had to pretend to be calm, and said with a worried face: "You say, how will it end this time?" ”

"Jiang Nan is right." Zhang Juzheng said: "I also think that I am eighty percent watching my new monarch ascend the throne, taking the opportunity to press the situation in a big way, trying to coerce the emperor to sign the alliance of Lanyuan and reopen the border trade ......"

"Hmm." Xu Jieshen thought and said: "The Tartars are eager to open the border for a long time, and when the teacher was in the Jiangnan position, he encountered a similar situation, when the imperial court was forced to come under pressure, and the right agreed to open the horse market in Xuanfu, but soon because the Tartars forced to buy and sell, openly looted, and even killed the officials of our mutual market, it was closed by the imperial court again. ”

As I said before, there are millions of Mongolian tribes, but because of the characteristics of nomadic people, they can only graze and milk goats, and do not produce daily necessities, so they want to buy from the Ming Dynasty, right? But the two sides are at war, and the Ming government does not allow the people to do business with them, so they can only rob. So again and again the Mongolian iron cavalry rushed into the Central Plains, and when it returned with a full load, you can see that the most on horseback is not gold and silver treasures, but pots and pans.

Don't laugh, if you don't get the teacher out to grab it, you won't even have this little thing. Don't look at the Mongols showing off their military power every year, but their hearts are already tired and crooked, and they always come out to rob for this little thing, which is high-risk, insecure, and the input-output is seriously inconsistent, which is too cost-effective.

Who doesn't want to be safe? So they have been longing to get back to the way they did 50 years ago, when people could open a market on the border and get enough necessities without having to fight and kill.

It may seem that 'open borders' is a good way to eliminate war and enjoy peace forever, but this is not the case - because trade can bring peace only if there is equality of strength. The reality is that the Mongols are strong, the Ming Dynasty is weak, and it is impossible for people to do business with you honestly. If you don't give it, you will smash and rob. No matter how shrewd the Han people are, they can't make money in the mutual market, so the people are extremely uninterested in this, and the imperial court is even more ashamed.

Partition -

Sorry, this is yesterday's, another post today.