"Haha, I didn't expect that the dignified and invincible Duke of the Loyal Kingdom would also be restrained one day."

After the shock, Zhang Wubo Yang Xin still couldn't help but ridicule, it is true that Shi Heng's current appearance is similar to the high-flying and domineering state in Jingshi in the past.

Yang Xin's ridicule made Shi Heng show an embarrassed look on his face, and he subconsciously wanted to open his mouth to refute, but he didn't know what to say when the words came to his lips. After all, after the First World War of Tumubao, he and Shen Yichen have been fighting secretly in Beijing for so many years, and the other party has relied on various means to pinch themselves to death, and any reason for refutation seems empty.

In addition, the most important point is that Shen Yichen is kind to Shi Heng, the prince of Zhongguo, and he is arrogant, and Shi Heng is still grateful to him. Of course, there is a premise for this, he is good-faced and narrow-minded, you can't trample on your dignity too much, otherwise there will be a scene where you turned against Yu Qian at the beginning.

So Shi Heng could only change the topic and said: "Uncle Zhangwu, you said that the Tartars also hid 50,000 ambush soldiers, is it true or false?" ”

Just like his nephew Shi Biao, Shi Heng was actually reluctant to retreat, and in his opinion, with 10,000 Jiayu Pass defenders rushing to help, he could completely confront the Mongol army head-on.

It's just that Yang Xin conveyed the news that there were still 50,000 ambush soldiers in the Tartars, so he immediately gave the order to retreat, and now that he has calmed down from the battlefield, he feels that it is unlikely. After all, the month has come to the end of the third year of Mingliang, and the new year is about to be ushered in, and in the ice and snow environment, you dare to dispatch an army of 100,000 first?

"It's true, this is the top-secret news that should be passed back from the Mongolian Khanate, and I also sent someone to contact the Eastern Chagatai Khanate early, and the other party provided certain logistics supplies, and then let the 50,000 army go around for hundreds of miles and be stationed in Hamiwei, just waiting for a complete encirclement of the Western Expeditionary Army!"

Hearing Zhangwubo Yang Xin's explanation, Shi Heng asked in surprise: "The Eastern Chagatai Khanate belongs to the forces that support the line of Meng Ke Khan, and it has been independent as early as the previous dynasty, and it doesn't even have the bloodline of the Golden Family, how can it provide supplies to join forces with him?" ”

Don't look at the Eastern Chagatai Khanate belongs to one of the four major khanates of Mongolia, nominally respecting the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty as the co-lord of the world, in fact, this is similar to the situation in the era of Zhou Tianzi, the vassal states are all mixed, and they are simply independent small kingdoms.

Now not to mention the Great Yuan Empire, even the Northern Yuan has been dead for almost fifty years, and the love of the ancestors is still a fart.

Not to mention that Yexian's surname is Zhu Luo, not the son of the Golden Family, according to the concept of law and etiquette of the Central Plains Dynasty, he belongs to a proper usurper and thief. It would be good for the Eastern Chagatai Khanate not to fight for the legal unification of the Mongol Khanate under the banner of recovering the bloodline of the Golden Family, and wouldn't it be tantamount to opening the door to thieves if it cooperated with Yexian?

"The enemy of the enemy is a friend, not to mention the plan of the western expedition formulated by Shen Yuanfu, in addition to opening up the Hexi Corridor to recover the Seven Guards of Guanxi, the Western Regions must be re-returned to the homeland, and the territory of the Han and Tang Dynasties includes the entire Eastern Chagatai Khanate."

"The powerful Ming is a sharp sword hanging over the head of the barbarians in the Quartet!"

Zhangwubo Yang Xin was murderous when he said this, after all, the Jiayu Pass he was stationed in was the most northwestern pass under the actual control of the Ming Dynasty, and many times when he stood at the towering city head and looked into the distance, he saw herds of foreign cattle and sheep.

You must know that in the prosperous Han and Tang dynasties, the location of Jiayuguan can be regarded as the core territory of the dynasty, and the real frontier is thousands of miles away to the west. There is no commander who is not eager to achieve the achievement of opening up the territory, and does not look forward to replicating the title of the champion Hou.

Especially for a middle-aged young Zhuang faction like Zhangwubo Yang Xin, he still has the possibility of impacting the Yongzhen side to tear the earth and seal the king. In the Ming Dynasty, under the leadership of Shen Yuanfu over the years, the finances are abundant, the people are rich, and the soldiers and horses are strong.

Do you wait for the iron horsemen of the Tartars to come to Jiayu Pass to show off their might?

"Haha, it seems that this group of Tartars is really afraid of the Han people to the core, and they are afraid when they hear the word Western Expedition!"

Zhongguo Gong Shi Heng laughed presumptuously, this feeling of making the enemy fearful is simply refreshing, even if the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties has passed for thousands of years, it is still deeply imprinted in the bones of the barbarians in the Quartet.

The Ming Dynasty announced the launch of the Western Expedition Plan, and the Seven Guards of the Western Empire and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate gave up their grievances and grievances and jointly united with the Mongol Khanate to fight against the Ming.

But so what?

Since ancient times, the meaning of the existence of the great unified dynasty of the Central Plains is to sweep the Quartet, where the rivers go, the sun and the moon shine, all are Han soil. Dynasties that fail to do this are not worthy of adding a "big" word in front of the national name, let alone shouting the slogan of recovering the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties.

"Zhongguogong's words reminded the younger generation of a famous quote from Shen Yuanfu."

"Da Ming, it's never liked, it's used to make people afraid!"

"Uncle Zhangwu, you also said that my father was restrained by Shen Yuanfu, it seems that you don't let it go."

When Shi Heng, the Duke of Zhongguo, heard the words of Yang Xin, he teased and replied, and after the two looked at each other, they laughed tacitly.

The heroic laughter resounded in the desert sunset, and the soldiers guarding the four directions saw the appearance of the commander, and wiped the blood on their swords with coarse cloths, and their eyes were full of fierce fighting intent.

In many cases, it will be the courage of the soldiers, the words and deeds of the commander will determine the degree of bravery of the soldiers, and the Western Expeditionary Army of the Ming Dynasty does not have the slightest consciousness of retreat, they just take a short rest, waiting for the arrival of the next battle!

……

On the Chinese New Year's Eve of the fourth year of Ming Liang, brilliant fireworks lit up the entire night sky, as if Daming Kaifeng Mansion had become a city that never sleeped.

Shen Yichen, Li Da, and Li Tingxiu, teachers and students, sat in the courtyard while drinking tea, looking at the beautiful night sky, with a surging smile on the corner of their mouths, and their hearts were filled with a sense of relief.

"To the north, it seems that the people can have a good year this year."

Li Tingxiu said softly, you must know that the fireworks of the Ming Dynasty can be called a "luxury", if the poor people can't even afford to eat, then they can't set off fireworks to welcome the New Year on Chinese New Year's Eve.

The more lively Chinese New Year's Eve is, the more people have some spare money, and the fireworks in the city are that good sign.

"The land property tax in the fourth year of Mingliang will be officially implemented, and the people will live better in the coming year and will see a more brilliant night sky."

Shen Yichen replied in a longing tone, after quelling the protests against the new policy at the grassroots level of the northern gentry, he did not return to Beijing as soon as possible.

First, he has not seen his teacher Li Tingxiu for many years, and Shen Yichen wants to accompany his teacher more in the academy. The second is that Yang Hongze's injury has not fully recovered, and in this case, he will definitely not be able to preside over the development of the new policy, not to mention that the protests of the gentry class have been suppressed, and it is easy to rebound from things involving damage to interests.

Shen Yichen had to ensure that the new policy could be thoroughly implemented in the fourth year of Mingliang, so he simply sat in Kaifeng Mansion and took over the expatriate Yanguan Qingliu, and at the same time matched Jinyiwei and Jingying soldiers and horses to ensure that there would be no more scenes of Shilin forming a party and connecting with each other.

Once the new policy is officially implemented, Daming's annual income this year will at least exceed 40 million taels, counting the gradual lifting of the restrictions on the household registration and road introduction system, encouraging the vigorous development of various businesses, and the continuous expansion of overseas trade, it is not impossible to touch the threshold of 50 million taels.

In just a few years, the Ming Dynasty has developed from the verge of financial collapse of the Orthodox Dynasty to the nearly doubling of the revenue of the Ming Liang Dynasty, which has poured too much effort into Shen Yichen.

"Yes, a whip law and the implementation of the land property tax have reduced the burden of harsh taxes on the people by more than half, and if it can continue, it can already be called a peaceful and prosperous era!"

Li Tingxiu said this sentence with great emotion, the situation has changed too much, and it makes him feel a little like a dream.

"To the north, the New Year has arrived, and Yang Ge's injuries are almost recovering, as the head of the cabinet, you should return to the capital as soon as possible, and the court cannot be left without a leader."

After sighing with emotion, Li Tingxiu urged again, the heavy responsibility on the head of the cabinet is actually similar to that of the emperor, he has to be at the helm of the major affairs of the family and the country, how can he stay in Kaifeng Mansion for a long time.

He mentioned it many times during this time, but Shen Yichen never took it seriously, and used Yang Hongze's injury as a shield. In fact, Li Tingxiu knew very well in his heart that the student wanted to be with him as a teacher.

But loyalty and filial piety are in a dilemma, and state affairs must be greater than family affairs.

"The elder of the Shang Pavilion also has the resources to assist him, and the general policy of the implementation of the eight departments of the cabinet has been determined, even if I am not in the Jingshi Imperial Hall, it can still run smoothly. In other words, the future direction of the Ming Dynasty should not be pinned on one person, no matter who this person is. ”

Shen Yichen calmly replied, why the Chinese dynasties couldn't get rid of the fate of three hundred years of reincarnation, in addition to the unsolvable drawback of land annexation, there is also the fate of the country that is too pinned on whether the emperor is wise or not.

When encountering a talented hero, the dynasty will be able to continue its life, and maybe it will be able to take advantage of the situation. When encountering a mediocre and unscrupulous monarch, it will accelerate the progress of the demise of the dynasty, and if you hurry up, you will directly become the king of the dead country.

A healthy and reasonable system cannot put all its eggs in one basket, and it cannot pin its hopes on one person. The head of the cabinet has the role of a brain, but the entire cabinet should be a group decision-making body, and the existence of the first assistant can still play a role.

Or further, even if it is the Ming Emperor, he only needs to rule by hanging the arch in the future, which can really break the fate of the dynasty. Of course, Shen Yichen can't tell Li Tingxiu, a traditional literati, these things, even if the other party is his teacher.

"I don't understand the major affairs of the family and the country, but although the man is ambitious, he can't forget the love of his children, and his wife and children are still waiting for you to go back, so why accompany me, an old man."

Hearing Mr. say the word "wife and children", Shen Yichen fell silent from the high-minded talk, indeed Qingtong and his daughter Qingying are the worries that he can't let go of no matter where he is.

Seeing that Shen Yichen didn't speak, Li Da, who was sitting on the side, immediately said: "Sir, don't worry, the two of us will accompany you for a few more days and return to Beijing, maybe you will be reluctant to do so then." ”

"Of course, I will be reluctant to be a teacher."

Li Tingxiu responded with a smile, in fact, everyone is in a kind of disconnection and entanglement in their hearts, but they are reluctant to give up, but there are too many burdens on their shoulders.

Just when the master and apprentice were talking on Chinese New Year's Eve, the wooden door of the small courtyard was pushed open by Bian He, and he walked to the three of them and arched his hand towards Li Tingxiu to apologize, then leaned over and whispered next to Shen Yichen's ear: "Lord, there is a change in the northwest." ”

The direction of the northwest must refer to the Western Expeditionary Army, and when he heard the news conveyed by Bian He, the expression on Shen Yichen's face immediately became serious, and he asked rhetorically: "Are there any major casualties?" ”

"No, but the expedition is blocked."

Knowing that there were no major casualties, Shen Yichen let go of the heart hanging in his throat.

Although he was the chief assistant of the cabinet, there was considerable resistance to the westward expedition, and it was better to say that the march was smooth, but if the army was not conducive to suffering heavy casualties, I am afraid that the grand plan to flank the Mongol Khanate from the left and right would be shelved.

"Sir, there are important matters to be handled by the students in the court, please allow me to retire for the time being."

Shen Yichen has been away from his teacher Li Tingxiu for too long, and the next time he has time to come out after returning to Beijing this time, he doesn't know what year and month he will have to wait, he is extremely eager to spend this complete New Year with his teacher.

"You don't have to retire temporarily, let's go back to Beijing."

Li Tingxiu waved his hand, and asked Shen Yichen to leave unusually freely.

"But ......"

"No, how many people in this world pin their hopes on you, and they look forward to happiness and abundant food and clothing."

"To the north, you are far from the time when you can stop, and it is impossible to live up to the high expectations of the world, let's go!"

Yes, even if the direction of the Ming Dynasty should not be pinned on one person, it is not enough to achieve this step now, and the planning of the entire Western Expedition and even the Northern Expedition in the future is still pinned on one person.

"Sir, the student is leaving."

Shen Yichen slowly knelt down, said goodbye to Li Tingxiu in a choked voice, and then got up and left the small courtyard without looking back.

"Sir, the student is leaving."

Shen Yichen decided to return to Beijing, and Li Da, as the commander of the Shenji Battalion, naturally had to return to Beijing together and protect his safety, so he said goodbye.

"Go ahead."

Li Tingxiu responded with a surging smile, and then looked at the backs of the two students sitting in the courtyard, silently watching the two students drift apart, and a tear quietly slipped from the corner of his eyes.

In fact, as a teacher, he didn't want to get along with his students more, but Shen Yichen's achievements were too high, so that to the point that his family and country were indispensable for a day, and being in charge of the world was his stage.

"Mr. Bian, what happened to the Western Expeditionary Army?"

"Zhongguo Gong did not fully implement the proprietor's order, and led his troops out of Jiayuguan to station in the territory of Chijin Mongol Guard, and encountered the attack of soldiers and horses led by Tiansheng Khan, and the two sides launched a big battle."

"In the process, the Chijin Mongolian Wei rebelled, united with Shazhouwei and Andingwei to attack the flank of the Western Expeditionary Army, fortunately, the Zhangwubo reinforcements stationed in Jiayuguan arrived in time, forcing back the idea of continuing the pursuit first, and now all the staff have retreated into Jiayuguan."

Chijin Mongolian guards reversed?

Hearing this news, Shen Yichen's face instantly became gloomy, the consequences of betraying Da Ming were very serious!