"Well, it's good that you know it in your heart!" Liu Cheng raised the wine glass in his hand: "Neiqi, according to Dayan Khan's old practice, the people under the tent will be divided into two wings, left and right, with 30,000 households each. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info the Great Khan is still young, and the 30,000 households of the right wing and the Great Khan's Hanluduo are naturally led by me. I'm not like you, there aren't so many old people in my pockets, and the 30,000 seats on the left are still empty, do you understand? ”

"Yes, yes, the villain understands!" When Neiqi heard this, although he knew that what Liu Cheng threw out was just a blank check, his heart couldn't help but move. He has also seen it in Guihua City these days: the nobles of Liu Cheng Jianba in Gesang were originally just some shepherd slaves, and now who doesn't have hundreds of people on hand? Although he is not yet in time for the Zalut Ministry, he is a descendant of Dayan Khan, and in the past, these people were used as a stool for themselves. If this Abner can really unify Mongolia like Dayan Khan, his two sons are the young playmates of the Great Khan, and he will naturally get a lot of benefits in the future, and it may not be impossible to give it to his subordinates to become the ancestors of a department. He was the first left-wing to defect to the Great Khan, and he didn't dare to think that Liu Cheng would act as the power of the Great Khan, and one of the 30,000 left-wing households would always be unable to escape, right? Isn't it far better than just one Zarut Khan?

Liu Cheng saw that Neiqi's face changed, and he didn't know what the other party was thinking. He is not afraid of this treacherous slippery, his plan is like a rope sheath, the more treacherous and ambitious the opponent, the tighter and tighter the rope stalk, unable to escape. It's a loyal and righteous man who can't work, but no matter how you look at it, the Zarut Khan in front of you doesn't look like a loyal and righteous man. Thinking of this, Liu Cheng glanced at his wife on the side and nodded slightly. Min Min knowingly handed Abnai to the servant girl on the side, stood up and raised his wine glass, walked to Hatch's side, and said softly: "Lord Hatchie, I am also very sad about today's incident, my husband did not expect this, he originally just planned to let your wife and children live with us for a while, and then reunite you husband and wife when the matter is over." Rest assured, I will introduce you to a new wife, a new wife worthy of your status and status! ”

"Thank you Beji!" Hatch lowered his head. Min Min gently patted the other party's shoulder and said loudly, "There are always painful things happening in life, but grief is not the nature of our Mongolians. Now let's eat, drink and have fun! ”

With Min Min's voice, sumptuous dishes were brought in from outside the door by maidservants and servants, and many fine wines that even Neqi had never seen before: Khorasan red wine, Shanxi Fenjiu, Jiangnan rice wine, Luzhou old koji, which had been transported from distant Persia. The wines are aged in deep cellars and then warmed in a warm tube. According to Mongolian custom, the most important thing on the table is beef and mutton: smoked large lamb shanks, roasted beef ribs, large pieces of cheese, and a few fresh fish, which are caught from the Yellow River, which has just broken the ice. Finally, there is a Mongolian stew: tender veal and lamb liver with plenty of mushrooms, radish, Chinese cabbage, and hair cabbage, mixed with various spices and simmered over low heat, the meat and vegetables are soaked in a thick gravy, exuding a rich aroma, and the side is sprinkled with cooked corn, which looks particularly attractive. Min Min took matters into his own hands and poured the first stew into Hatch's bowl, followed by Nezi, and then his two sons who were holding hostages.

"I bet it's the best mess you've ever had! From the beef to the ingredients, my wife prepared it herself, and if it weren't for your light, I wouldn't have been able to eat it! Liu Cheng said with a smile on the side: "It's best to pair it with this red wine, drink a sip of wine and eat a bite of meat, and taste it slowly, I will enjoy it like this!" ”

"If you talk a lot, let's see if I can stop your mouth!" Min Minjiao glanced at Liu Cheng and poured a large spoonful of messy stew into her husband's bowl. Liu Cheng laughed, and lived up to what he had just said, he ate three bowls of stew in one go, and even his deerskin jacket was stained with gravy. Under his infection, Nezi and his two hostage sons also ate a lot, except for Hatch, who had just lost his wife and son, just staring at his bowl in a daze, and Minmin noticed a deep fear in his eyes.

"What, isn't this dish delicious?" Min Min asked softly.

"No, it's not!" Hatch replied in a bit of a panic, he scooped a spoonful of the stew and stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it quickly, and praised it as he ate: "It's delicious, it's really delicious!" "But everybody could tell that he didn't know what to eat. Min Min glanced at her husband and cast an inquiring look, Liu Cheng shook his head slightly, and drank the residual wine in the cup.

At this time, a personal soldier walked in from outside and whispered a few words in Liu Cheng's ear. Nezi lowered his head in fear and focused his gaze on the food. After listening to the subordinates' instructions, Liu Cheng stood up: "Rank, please continue to eat and drink, I have something to deal with, and Min Min will entertain you for me!" ”

Neqi father and son hurriedly stood up respectfully, Liu Cheng had already walked out of the door, and Hao Shaoqi was like his shadow, following closely behind. As soon as he went out, the smile on Liu Cheng's face disappeared, and he asked Xu Xianming, who was standing outside, "What news?" ”

"Two things, one good and one bad!" It is not difficult to see the excitement on Xu Xianming's face, Liu Cheng looked back at the door, and said vigilantly: "This is not the place to talk, go to my study!" ”

Xu Xianming followed Liu Cheng through a corridor, down another staircase, and came to a small room at the end of the corridor, in front of which were two sentinels. Hao Shaoqi opened the door, and the furniture in the house was all new, and it had just been sent by boat from Chaoyi. The heavy oak bed was covered with fluffy brown cushions and white fleece bedspreads, the stone floor was covered with bearskin, the fire brazier in the corner kept the room warm and cozy, a pair of silver candlesticks on the desk by the window, and a clay pot, cups, and a large piece of feta cheese on top of the cabinet against the wall.

"Sit down and tell the bad news first!" As soon as Liu Cheng entered the door, he took off the outermost mink robe and bearskin hat, hung it on the coat rack, and sat down comfortably on the oak chair next to the desk. ”

"Behead it to thank the world?" Liu Cheng had a mocking smile on his face, if he had just crossed over, he might still be scared, and after reading the Tang Bao in the past few years, he gradually understood the operating rules of Daming's high-level politics. After the Jinshi masters passed the examination, the most awesome group of people went to the Hanlin Academy to be a Jishi to accumulate experience for entering the cabinet in the future; almost went to be the imperial historian and gave things, taking advantage of the fact that the young man's vigor had not been worn out, and he had not been assimilated by the officialdom, and he picked on the auxiliary ministers, scholars, provincial ministers, and ministers who held great power, and by the way, he accumulated prestige for himself. It is not difficult to imagine that their performance is naturally chasing after the wind and shadows, and they are eager to seize an opportunity to disgrace the first assistant of the current dynasty, resign and go home, and they can also establish a reputation for Qingliu and take the opportunity to rise to the top. Therefore, the weight of this kind of excerpt of the imperial history platform, I am afraid that it is too much to make a two or three folds, unless the Son of Heaven has the intention to deal with the impeached person, otherwise most of it is also used as a means to beat the important ministers. Like Yang Sichang, who has just become the first assistant and is still in the past, the effect of this kind of impeachment is similar to that of papyrus. Liu Cheng even suspected that this old man of the imperial history who wanted to behead Yang Sichang and thank the world was actually secretly helping - if he wanted to behead the first assistant he had just entrusted with the important task, wouldn't this be a slap in the face? Who else will not do it?

"What about Bi Ziyan and Bi Shangshu? What is his attitude? Liu Cheng asked, Liu Cheng's question is very knowledgeable. After all, just last year, Donglu led the Mongol Tartars to break the border in Xuanda, and swept Shanxi Province through the shaking of the Beijing Division. But as long as the soldiers are trained, they can't afford not to mention the money, and the emperor is not a hungry soldier! How much does it cost? How? That's the problem. Bi Ziyan is the secretary of the household department of the dynasty and the money bag of the Ming Dynasty, so it is impossible to bypass him in the matter of money and grain. This old man is good at managing money, knows how to manage money, and has never been impartial in dealing with things, and does not waste things because of people, because people waste words, so Chongzhen, who is extremely sensitive to the formation of a party among courtiers, will definitely consider his attitude in the matter of raising taxes.

"No attitude!" Xu Xianming spread his hands, with a helpless look on his face.

"No attitude?" Liu Cheng was stunned for a moment, he also thought that this Bi Shangshu would write a letter to refute Yang Sichang's policy of raising taxes and training troops, if this is the case, it will be very troublesome, after all, this person has presided over the money and grain work in Liaoxi and Denglai Town in Tianjin as early as the Apocalypse, in today's words, Comrade Bi Ziyan has been in charge of financial and economic work for a long time, has a profound theoretical foundation and rich practical experience, and has a deep understanding of the objective laws of economic activities. If this kind of person opposes tax increases, what he writes must be full of dry goods, he wants facts to have facts, he wants data to have data, and he wants things to be right and not to people, and his weight is naturally not comparable to those articles of the old men of the imperial history.

"Yes, Lord Yang once went to Bi Shangshu's Mansion before the tax increase and military training strategy, and I heard that the two stayed in the study that night until the second watch, but as soon as Lord Yang went to the book, Lord Bi became ill, closed the door and thanked the guests, and no one was seen!"

"Sick?" This answer was unexpected by Liu Cheng, but it was expected when you thought about it carefully, after all, with Bi Ziyan's knowledge, it was naturally impossible not to see that the capital of Shenyang, based on the Liaodong Plain, had already controlled half of the Southern Mo Nan, and the Houjin regime was a mortal threat to the Ming Dynasty.

Unlike the Han dynasties of the past, the Ming Dynasty was the first and last Han Chinese regime with Beijing as its capital and the northern part of the North China Plain as its heartland. From the perspective of military geography, Beijing City, located at the northern end of the North China Plain and at the southern foot of the Yanshan Mountains, was the bridgehead for the nomadic fishermen and hunters from the northern grasslands or the forest and marsh areas of Liaodong to enter the Central Plains, and it was also the initiation of the Central Plains Dynasty's northward exploration of the grasslands and Liaodong. In other words, from the point of view of military science, whether it was for the Central Plains Dynasty or for the nomadic fishing and hunting people outside the Guan, it was only advantageous when it was in an offensive position, and if it was on the defensive, it would be harmful to make Beijing the capital.

Because there is only one Yanshan Mountain Range and the Western Liaoning Corridor separating Beijing from the Mongolian steppe and the Liaodong Plain, it lacks the depth of defense, and if it is in a defensive situation, as long as it loses a battle, it will be under the siege of the city, and there is a danger of losing the country. Therefore, since ancient times, the regime that has fixed the capital of Beijing will definitely fight for the ferries on the Yellow River to the south, and will definitely control Liaodong and Shannan prefectures to the north, otherwise it will only be a matter of time before they will perish.

If only considered from a military point of view, there were actually only two options for the Ming Dynasty's war against the Houjin: 1. Make every effort to eliminate the Houjin, regain control of many Mongolian tribes at the northern foot of Yanshan and the Liaodong region, and push the defense line north to a safe position; 2. Move the capital, move the hinterland area where the capital is located to the south outside the enemy's strike range, so as to ensure the safety of the center. All other roads were not feasible from a military point of view, so although there were people in history who proposed to withdraw all the towns outside the Guanguan, only defend the Shanhaiguan Pass and negotiate peace with the Later Jin, the result was opposed by everyone and ended up. Many descendants believe that this is the reason for the failure of the Ming Dynasty, and attribute it to the moral factors of a certain person or a certain group. However, neither the withdrawal of the towns outside the Shanhai Pass nor the negotiation of peace with the Later Jin could change the fact that the Later Jin controlled Liaodong, and under the premise that the Ming Dynasty continued to set the capital in Beijing, neither of these two strategies could bring enough depth to the capital and bring security to the country, and how could a strategy that could not bring security to the country gain support?

In fact, Shanhaiguan has never stopped the invasion of the Houjin army, because the entrance to the North China Plain is not only the Liaoxi Corridor, and the Houjin army on the offensive side can choose any weak point to attack. As long as the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty is in the north of the North China Plain, when the Houjin army attacks, it is impossible for the commander of the Ming army to adopt the strategy of strong walls and elastic defense (the area around the capital is the essence of the country, if the loss of strong walls and elastic defense is too great, it is not politically acceptable), and can only evenly deploy most of the troops in the first line, and even take offensive defense in the case of weak forces, and accept the battle under unfavorable conditions, because only in this way can it be possible to relieve political pressure on all sides, And this also limited the tactics that the Ming commanders could choose, and its failure was not surprising. (To be continued.) )