In this year, the grassland suffered a heavy snowstorm, more than half of the livestock froze to death, and the Ming court limited the number of tributes.

Although the border horse market was opened, it was not fair trade.

The clouds of war are beginning to gather!

Both sides were secretly preparing for war, and the imperial court invested millions of silver in the northwest border pass within three years to train soldiers and reorganize the border defense.

It can be said that the current border guards are much better than in history.

Wang Zhen is also a warmonger, and he also wants to leave a name in history, not to mention, only by making military exploits can he be crowned a marquis.

The more he swallowed his anger, the more the court naturally pressed forward step by step.

In the thirteenth year of orthodoxy, according to the previous agreement, the first side could send up to 500 people into Beijing, but in fact there were more than 900 people.

Wang Zhen used the number of tributaries exceeding the agreement as an excuse to cut the price of horses!

This is unacceptable for Ye Xian, it is an unequal trade, a high-quality war horse, bartering can only be exchanged for a hundred catties of tea bricks, if the quality of tea bricks is better, it is reasonable.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty purchased inferior tea bricks, but they also suffered first.

There is no way to do it first, the tribes on the grassland eat meat every day, if you don't eat tea, then the body will not be able to bear it.

This is a necessity, and it can only be purchased from Daming, and it cannot be bought anywhere else.

If we do not agree to the Ming Court's request to reduce the price of horses, with the Ming Court's current tough attitude, I am afraid that the border horse market will be abolished tomorrow, which will undoubtedly be a disastrous consequence for the grassland.

At this time, he didn't want to confront the Ming court directly, although he also knew that the Ming court had strengthened the defense in the north and shifted the focus of national defense from the south to the north.

He was not completely pacified internally, and preparations for war were not completed. Launching a war at this time is undoubtedly in the hands of the Ming court.

History often has its own peculiar laws, moving in its own direction.

In the spring of the fourteenth year of orthodoxy, Meng Yan was promoted again because of the creation of new firearms.

Twenty-two-year-old Zheng Sanpin. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, except for those who have a father's shadow, those who have risen step by step from the bottom by their own ability can be said to be unique.

Although Ma Shun is still the commander, he no longer has the ability to suppress Meng Yan, Fu Xiaochen, the commander of Tongzhi, was transferred to the Han General Camp, and the original commander Tongzhi is old and retired to go home to recuperate.

The Han general's camp was in the hands of Meng Yan again, which is equivalent to mastering the security inside and outside the palace.

It's a terrible thing. Both Wang Zhen and Empress Sun objected, but the emperor did not listen to them this time.

And Ma Shun, Lu Zhong and others can only control a Beiya and continue to fake the tiger.

War is inevitable, judging from the information that Guo Nu keeps transmitting back about Warat.

He has also officially united with Totobuhua first, and is working hard to prepare to deal a heavy blow to Daming.

On the Ming side, it is also deploying troops to continuously increase the defense of border passes.

"Stone. It looks like a big war is about to break out. I just don't know when it will start? "Since Fu Xiaochen took over the Han General Camp, he has rarely had the opportunity to meet Meng Yan.

After all, this guarding the safety of the palace is not sloppy at all.

But fortunately, he still has Du Chong's helper, and he quickly gained a firm foothold in the palace, although he is the highest commander of the Han General's camp, but in the palace. He also had to take orders from the commander of the Praetorian Army, who was in charge of the guards.

"It's coming!"

"Soon?" Fu Xiaochen was stunned for a moment, "Could it be that you really want to fight?" ”

"I'm afraid that the scale of the fight this time will not be small, isn't there a rumor in the palace that the saint wants to follow the example of Emperor Chengzu and wave Mobei?"

"It's all Wang Zhen, the old Wang Ba, who is bewitching all day long. I think he wants to be able to do it himself, he is a eunuch, he wants to learn what Yu Chaoen, does he have that ability? Fu Xiaochen scolded.

"I'm afraid this time it's the emperor's intention, our emperor is also a very high-spirited master, wait, there is a drama to watch." Meng Yan Road.

"You don't plan to speak, persuade you, this son of a thousand daughters can't sit down, the saint is not an ancestor, he grew up on horseback, and he killed all the way."

"Persuade, we still have to persuade, I'm afraid we can't persuade it." Meng Yan sighed, who can tell the emperor's meaning?

What's more, there is also a Wang Zhen who is constantly fanning the flames, judging from the current situation, the imperial court seems to have the upper hand.

As long as the emperor does not go north lightly, there is no problem with safety.

But who knows what the truth is?

"My lord, is Grandpa Huang here?"

"What's the matter?"

"The Holy One has decreed that you will enter the palace." Guo Xiaochao said.

"At this time, the stone, will it be ......?"

"I don't know yet, I'll go to the palace and then say, Uncle Fu, will you go back first, or wait for me to come back?" Meng Yan Road.

"I'll wait here for you to come back, I'm okay today, I'll go see your little ones." Fu Xiaochen said.

"It's good!"

Meng Yan changed into the official mansion and hurriedly entered the palace with Huang Jing.

The emperor was really moved by Wang Zhen's words, and he had the intention of personally inspecting the border passes, and suddenly summoned his cronies and ministers, just to listen to everyone's opinions.

It was obvious that the emperor's idea could not be approved by the ministers, but the generals and nobles agreed.

The two factions quarreled endlessly.

Meng Yan was also asked, he knew very well the emperor's ambitions, and the more he went against the grain, the more he would not compromise.

And his father, Emperor Xuande, has a precedent to follow, dating back to Emperor Chengzu and Emperor Taizu, all of whom rode horses and fought bloody battles.

However, the civil bureaucracy would never allow the emperor to do this, and for them, it was best for the emperor to stay in the palace and listen to his opinions and issue edicts, and the world would have to be governed by the civil bureaucracy according to the Confucian system.

Meng Yan is in this group of people, and those who belong to the junior generation in terms of official positions and seniority have no part to speak at all.

Although he knew that the emperor had called him here for the platform.

On such an occasion, Meng Yan himself knew that it was not appropriate to express his position, otherwise. He's going to be attacked.

But if you don't speak, you can't do it, and the emperor still expects him to help attract some firepower.

Meng Yan also thought about it, so he said: "Where the saint is, where is Weichen!" ”

That's right, and it means to show loyalty, and it's comfortable to listen to. However, for the emperor and the ministers of cultural relics below, it is of no use.

But if Meng Yan was forced to express his position, he simply didn't speak, whoever came, he would say this, and later, he also knew that this kid surnamed Meng was so shrewd, he definitely didn't expect him.

Gradually. Everyone was arguing and arguing, so they ignored him.

The quarrel is nothing more than a question of propriety, but the previous emperors have done this, and there is a precedent to follow.

As a result, the matter of the emperor's tour broke up unhappily.

Here's what happened in May.

Meng Yan soon received information from Guo Nu and Jinyiwei, and the reconnaissance cavalry of Warat and Tatar entered and exited the border more frequently.

This qiē is a sign that a great war is coming.

Meng Yan has already ordered Wu Banxian of Black Tiger Mountain in Liaodong to prepare, within three years. The money earned by Meng Yan was basically spent on three teams, the first being the Iron Cavalry of Black Tiger Mountain. From a thousand to three thousand, and now to six thousand.

This is already the limit that Black Tiger Mountain can accommodate, and it is also the limit of the financial resources that Meng Yan can support.

Six thousand iron horsemen, all equipped with the best horses, the sharpest weapons, and the most rigorous training. Arguably the most powerful cavalry of its time, this cavalry was also equipped with a musket corps of 1,000 men and logistical baggage infantry of 3,000 men.

This team, so to speak. It could have swept across the entire Liaodong, but it didn't show any sharp fangs.

In order to conceal this army, Meng Yan also took great pains, and the supply of grain and grass was all through guò smuggling channels, and for this reason, he had to pay a large amount of taxes and fees to the past checkpoints.

Second, there is the fleet at sea, which is the main source of economy, and it has made a lot of money on the surface, but in fact, the real profit is several times the apparent profit.

The fleet sailed to the South Seas twice a year, armed with sharp muskets and new artillery, and there were almost no rivals at sea, and the pirates fled as soon as they saw the raised black dragon flag.

Third, it is the Jinyi Guard Wild Wolf Valley, adopting the principle of more entry and less exit, and the Wild Wolf Valley base already has an elite new army with a scale of 3,000 people.

This army is all equipped with new flintlock pistols, new artillery, and new formations and tactics.

This team was originally based on Meng Yan's private soldiers, but the Wild Wolf Valley base is the most secret core of Jinyiwei, so even Dongchang didn't know that the Wild Wolf Valley base would have such an elite army.

This is a team that is completely loyal to Meng Yan, just like the iron cavalry of Black Tiger Mountain.

In July, the first four-way army began to knock on the pass, one route also led the first to attack Datong, the Tatar Khan Tokhtobu led the army to threaten Liaodong, the prefect A Ra led the army to attack Xuanfu, and there was a large army to threaten Zhangye, Gansu, and the four-way army advanced, claiming to be 400,000.

The Great War is on the verge of breaking out

On July 11, in the face of the scolding of Yexian outside the pass, Wu Hao, the right staff general of Datong, led his troops out of the pass and fought fiercely with the Yexian army in Maoerzhuang, and all the Ming troops were killed.

When the news came, the imperial court was shaken, and the emperor then appointed Song Ying, Marquis of Xining, as the governor of Datong, and urged the general of Datong, Wu Jinbo, Zhu Mian, and Shi Heng, the general of Zuo, to lead the army to resist the Wara cavalry at Yanghekou.

At the same time, make the decision to drive the expedition!

This time, the emperor was determined to go to Saibei for a trip, and no one could stop him, even Empress Sun and Empress Qian cried and begged him not to go, and sent a good general to Dubian.

Yu Tingyi, the governor of Xuanda, also sent an 800-mile expedited performance, begging the emperor to stay in the capital and take command, so that he did not have to risk himself.

The ministers couldn't persuade him, and the emperor also said that he ascended the throne at a weak age and had no achievements, which was a great opportunity to revive the majesty of his ancestors.

The generals and nobles are naturally supportive, and the emperor will definitely bring them with him, this is a good opportunity to make war achievements.

As for the danger, it is just the rhetoric of those sour and rotten civil officials, under the protection of hundreds of thousands of troops, what danger can the emperor have?

On July 12, the emperor issued an order to drive the expedition in person, and Meng Yan, the commander of the Jinyi Guard, and the Qihuang Holy Hand, was naturally arranged in the escort.

The Tai Hospital also sent an imperial doctor to follow, and Wen Liangdong personally took the lead and acted with Meng Yan. (To be continued......)