"Quick, Lao Zhang, this is the Dunhuang news that I asked about the eighteen merchants in Luoyang. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 info "A military officer rushed into the lobby with small steps, his robe tied straight to his waist with a rope in order to run faster.

A huge map of Hexi has been hung on the wall, and officials from the military department, the household department, and the official department have come and gone. According to Ye Yingwu's transfer, these three departments were transferred from the six ministries to temporarily take full responsibility for the offensive to the northwest, and the remaining three departments were responsible for cleaning up the remaining tails of the reform of the civil bureaucratic system.

"Mark it in Shazhou and Ganzhou!" While receiving the information, Zhang Hao said to an official beside him, "It is expected that there will be 3,000 to 5,000 Hui people stationed in these two state capitals, as well as an unknown number of Mongolian Tatar cavalry. ”

Seeing that the official hurriedly wrote and painted, Zhang Hao didn't have time to catch his breath, glanced at the information in his hand hastily, frowned suddenly, and turned back and said: "In addition, there are sandstorms at this time, and the river under Qilian Mountain may freeze after autumn, and it will be difficult to get water!" ”

A line of fly-headed small letters was carefully marked on the map, Zhang Hao looked up and down, and handed the information to another household official: "You household department first take a look, what do you need to prepare for the army, and then let Luoyang and Guanzhong's Changping Division implement it immediately!" ”

The official responded, and Zhang Hao stepped forward to put away the map carefully: "Herald, send the map to the front of the Shence Army in Guanzhong for eight hundred miles, if you miss the military plane, Lao Tzu will cut off your head!" ”

The whole hall was busy, and the officials of various departments came and went in a hurry, and there was basically no chance to stop and catch their breath.

"Your Majesty!" I don't know who saw Ye Yingwu first, so he hurriedly shouted respectfully.

Although they were busy at this time, they still observed the most basic etiquette between monarchs and ministers.

Suddenly, all the officials in the hall bowed to Ye Yingwu, but Ye Yingwu only raised his hand slightly and asked them to get up: "All of you are busy with your own affairs, I just came over to take a look." ”

Ye Yingwu was wearing an ordinary black robe, if it weren't for the golden dragon embroidered with teeth and claws on the belt, and the dark lines of the red dragon could also be seen on the robe, I am afraid that no one would think that the dignified Emperor Ming would be dressed like this on the street, and because of this, Ye Yingwu walked in just now and no official found out for a while.

Zhang Hao instructed his subordinates to hurry up and work, and walked over and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I just received the news that the scouts of the Shence Army have been scattered, and it is estimated that within two to three days, the situation on the front line will be able to be sorted out, after all, there are many people in the six gates and Jinyi guards in the Longyou area, and there are several cadres in charge, so it is easy to know the situation of the enemy's troops. ”

"Listening to you, it seems that there is still a difficulty?" Ye Yingwu immediately raised his eyebrows.

Zhang Hao smiled bitterly and nodded: "As Su Xianggong said yesterday, the Mongolian Tartars have worked hard in the Western Regions, from Ganzhou to the north, if you want to enter the Western Regions, you must pass through Yangguan or Yumen Pass, which is also the only way for the Central Plains and the Western Regions to travel during the Han and Tang Dynasties, and now the Mongolian Tartars are obviously ready to retreat to the Western Regions, so the defense in the Longyou area is supposed to be tight on the outside and loose on the inside, but it can be determined that the defense along the Yumen Pass and Yangguan is very tight!" ”

"This is also expected, since the Mongolian Tatars dare to attack, they are ready to retreat, after all, Kublai Khan is not a mediocre person, and if he can think of success, he will definitely be able to think of failure." Ye Yingwu said in a deep voice, "For Mongolia, even if the Hexi Corridor is locked, it is just a delay of some time, but this time is precious for them. ”

"The Shence Army is now ready to send arrows," Zhang Hao was a little puzzled, "If this is the case, won't we be equivalent to fighting with the Mongolian Tatars in Hexi・・・・・・"

Although Song Qi of the household department patted their chests to ensure the supply of grain and grass, everyone knew that even if they scavenged the grain and grass in Guanzhong and Sichuan Shu now, it would only support the Shence army to fight for more than half a year, and the roads in Hexi and the Western Regions were rugged and sparsely populated, so it was basically difficult to raise food on the spot.

What's more, the main force of the Shence army is still foot soldiers, and the terrain under the Qilian Mountains in the Hexi area is open, once the Mongolian cavalry adopts the method of guerrilla warfare, even if Wang Jin has three heads and six arms, they will be powerless.

In the Han Dynasty, Huo Quai's development of Hexi was based on the rapid assault tactics of the cavalry, and the Xiongnu were caught off guard; When they arrived in the Tang Dynasty, Hou Junji and Li Ji made several expeditions to the west, they also relied on the cavalry and elite Mo swordsmen who had been tempered by the war in the Tang Dynasty, and they could attack, retreat and defend. When it came to the Huangkai side of the Northern Song River, although there was a lot of commotion, and it did indeed open up the first piece of land for the Great Song Dynasty, it was soon lost due to the advent of war and the lack of cavalry in the Great Song Dynasty.

If the Shence army does not have enough cavalry now, it will be difficult to advance and retreat freely with only bows and crossbows and firearms.

Although Zhang Hao didn't say the main point, Ye Yingwu was the emperor immediately, so he naturally understood what he meant, and immediately said without hesitation: "It's not difficult to transfer cavalry, just from the Sichuan Shu Army, Jinghu Army and Tianwu Army, and the forbidden army cavalry I carried north this time also transferred 500 people to Wang Jin, let the Shence Army take my edict, and you must give as much as you want!" In addition, the Ministry of Industry must ensure the supply of arrows and firearms, and if there is less, I will not hesitate to cut off a few more heads! ”

Ye Yingwu said it in a loud voice, Zhang Hao breathed a sigh of relief, with His Majesty's edict here, no one would dare to disobey the order, even the most grumpy Tianwu Army Jiang Hao, he would not be able to say a word at that time.

"Also, tell Wang Jin," Ye Yingwu paused and said, "I will send him as many cavalry as I send him now, and they will all have to be returned at that time, and if it is a loss-making deal, let Wang Jin pay it back by himself if he has a favor and price difference in the middle." ”

Zhang Hao's always nervous face also showed a hint of a smile. The water and grass under Qilian Mountain are abundant, and it has been a place to raise horses since ancient times, once he tried his best to take the Hexi Corridor, Wang Jin may not have a headache is not the problem of not being able to return to the cavalry, but the problem of how to deal with too many war horses. Ye Yingwu said that this sentence was actually more of a urge, asking Wang Jin not to really stumble.

Looking at the busy scene of the surrounding officials, Ye Yingwu also nodded approvingly, although these young people have a hot temper and lack the calmness of those who have been in the top positions for a long time, but they are also vigorous and resolute in doing things, compared with the Nanjing court, the efficiency is much higher.

Anyway, with Ye Yingwu and Liang Yanwu personally staring at it, there will be no big mistakes, not to mention that it is already early autumn and is about to enter winter, once it is delayed any longer, I am afraid that the Shence Army will only be able to live in Guanzhong Maodong, so what Ye Yingwu needs now is time.

"Go ahead with your business." Ye Yingwu commanded, and just as he wanted to walk outside, a figure had already come into view.

Su Zhi, who had already changed into the official uniform of the Ming Dynasty, strode over, although his face was still a little pale, but it could be seen that he had recovered a lot of vitality in his gestures.

After all, Su Zhi was born as a military attaché, and he was able to be selected to go deep into the Western Regions, and he came back from the Western Regions all the way back after twists and turns, which shows that Su Zhi's own physique is strong, and the reason why he was weak yesterday was mainly because of the reasons that had supported his belief for a long time. After all, sometimes people will try their best to do something because of obsession, but after doing it, they will also faint due to a lot of physical exertion and extraordinary persistence.

Looking at Su Zhi, Ye Yingwu's face also showed a look of appreciation. Years of wind and sand have made this man's every move with the implication of being strong and different from that of civil officials, and this time he returned from thousands of miles and suffered a lot, which can be said to be a good experience for Su Zhi's character, making him a little more stable than the rest of the young generals of the Ming Dynasty.

"The last general will see Your Majesty!" Su Zhi's voice was still a little hoarse, and he tried to raise his tone as much as possible.

Ye Yingwu stepped forward and said with a smile: "Su Qing's family is not good at recuperation, what are you doing here, if you are seen by others, wouldn't it be a joke that I will treat the heroes badly?" Su Qing's family wants to frame me, and they are not small! ”

Ye Yingwu said it in a witty tone, and Su Zhi also knew that His Majesty was joking with him, but there was no trace of a smile on his face, but a few more solemn looks: "Your Majesty, the minister has a reluctant request, and I also ask Your Majesty to allow the minister to follow the Shence army to the west!" ”

Ye Yingwu's hand stiffened, and the officials in the entire hall also subconsciously held their breath and turned their eyes to this side.

"Su Qing's body is still weak・・・・・・," Ye Yingwu frowned.

Su Zhi said without hesitation: "Please rest assured that Your Majesty is this." The minister knows how his body and bones are, and he will never do such a reluctant thing. ”

Seeing that Ye Yingwu's face was full of hesitation, Su Zhi simply knelt on the ground, raised his head and said loudly: "Your Majesty, there were hundreds of people who went north that day, and only one of the ministers could come back today, the reason why the ministers returned here was because of Qin Xianggong's entrustment, and now that the minister has completed the entrustment, of course he has to go back and tell Qin Xianggong the news." ”

After a pause, Su Zhi kowtowed heavily: "Minister, I have to return to the place where Da Ming Erlang died in battle, all those who slaughtered my compatriots, the minister must watch them be slaughtered with his own eyes, and the minister must personally burn incense for Qin Xianggong's grave!" ”

The autumn wind swept the sleeves of the two of them, Ye Yingwu was silent for a long time, and then said in a cold voice: "The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty swept across the north and south of the river, conquered the world's Kyushu, and unified the six and eight wildernesses, but they never knelt down and said, give me up!" ”

Su Zhi was stunned, but he still got up, looking at Ye Yingwu with a look of expectation.

Stepping forward and patting Su Zhi's shoulder, Ye Yingwu said lightly: "Since Su Aiqing has made up her mind, there is no need or reason for me to stop it." If you want to go, go ahead, I will send the guards to accompany you, and I will also have someone tell Wang Jin that if you lose a hair, I will make him a general in the future! ”

Su Zhi showed a bitter smile, but he also understood that Ye Yingwu was for his good, so he just bent down in a deep tone at the moment: "Minister, I am willing to hold the flag and return to the Western Regions!" ”

Ye Yingwu walked by Su Zhi's side and muttered: "Remember to replace me, put three incense sticks in front of Qin Qing's family's grave, look for the marquis for thousands of miles, and swear to die to serve the family and country, I will not forget these great Ming sons and daughters who buried their bones in the Western Regions, nor will they let future generations forget." ”

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Hexi Corridor, Yongchang Road.

This is the easternmost point of the Hexi Corridor, and if you want to enter the Hexi Corridor, you must first break through Yongchang Road. For the merchants on the Silk Road from the Western Regions to Chang'an and then to the Central Plains for thousands of years, going west from here meant being far away from the prosperity of China and living with barrenness and loneliness for months, and from here to the east meant that countless money and wealth were beckoning to them.

The name of this city is Yongchang Road.

But a long time ago, it had another name that has been famous for thousands of years - Wuwei.

The wind blew and blew in the face, as if to uproot everything on the ground, and the wind carried an indissolvable bitter cold all year round, mixed with grit, and knocked on the body to make a popping sound, if it were not for the thick clothes, I am afraid that they would feel pain.

Those who had not walked this road would never have thought that at the foot of the continuous Qilian Mountains not far away, there would be such a scene more similar to the desert of the ancient wasteland.

This is the Hexi Corridor, where Shangcang seems to have used a knife to split the connection between the Qilian Mountains, the Helan Mountains and the Mongolian Plateau, making the northwest side of the Chinese land have such a narrow and long passage. The wind from the northwest howled from the narrow passage to the southeast, and it was as if all the winds in the world were being squeezed into the small corridor, without stopping for a moment.

Because of such a passage, Qin Shi Huang had to extend the Great Wall to Lintao to guard against enemies from the northwest; Because there is such a passage, the Han and Tang Dynasties can unscrupulously expand their strength to the Western Regions without worrying about being cut off; Because of such a passage, the Silk Road for thousands of years has maintained its most basic vitality even if it has gone through wars again and again, and even in the Ming Dynasty in another time and space, there can still be sporadic merchants from the west across thousands of mountains and rivers to find business opportunities.

Such a passage brings the wind of the northwest to China, and also brings the possibility of leading to another new world.

Because such a passage is related to the safety of Guanzhong, because such a passage condenses the efforts of thousands of years of Han people, because such a passage has too many Ming merchants who have been innocently killed, because such a passage can connect the Ming Dynasty and the Western Regions Tubo, because ・・・・・・

For various reasons, now Tang Zhen, as the superintendent of the Shence Army, is standing outside the city of Yongchang Road, looking up at this city that has been carved by years and eroded by wind and sand.

I don't know what age this earthen city was built, under the condition that it has not been properly repaired for so many years, it has become dilapidated, the windward side seems to have accumulated a lot of soil, and the battlements on the leeward side of the city wall have even collapsed cleanly, and only the traces of the existence of battlements, horse faces, and enemy platforms in the barren grass can be faintly distinguished.

Obviously, the Tang Wu people stationed here have also received orders in advance, although they have not strengthened the city, but the patrols above and below the city are becoming more and more strict day by day, and even before evening, the city gate has been closed and no one is allowed to enter or exit.

Anyway, this Yongchang Road City prospered because of the Silk Road on the Hexi Corridor, and also declined because of the Silk Road, now Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty are still in a state of hostility, naturally there are no merchants to come and go, the people in the city have been in this war-torn place for a long time, and naturally they have smelled the rolling killing intent in the wind, not to mention the city gate, there are very few people who leave home all day long.

This made Tang Zhen and his group of more than ten people seem a little abrupt.

However, Tang Zhen didn't seem to think so, and still slowly urged the war horse to move forward. The guards who followed her were also carrying black flags, with a faint look of exhaustion on their faces, and they were all Mongolian bantam horses under their crotches, and they were carrying ordinary Mongolian sabers around their waists.

Originally, there was not much difference between the Mongols and the Han in terms of body size and appearance, and if they were dressed up a little, they couldn't see it clearly when they were far apart.

Several Tang Wu people standing outside the city gate obviously also noticed the team on the horizon, and subconsciously cast their eyes one by one, but when they saw that there were only more than a dozen people, and they were all dressed in Mongolian clothes and even carrying Mongolian flags, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although I don't know if it's the respected Mongolian lords or those humble Han people, but what's the difference, at least it's my own people.

For these Tang Wu people, who are actually eating and drinking, and the above warning is just a pretentious and reasonable on the surface, it is enough to know that these people are their own people.

Anyway, there are still so many state roads to the east and south of Yongchang Road, and no matter how powerful the Southern Barbarians are, they will not appear here in the blink of an eye. (To be continued.) )