With Xie Qian's words as a foundation, even Zhu Youzhu seems to feel that it is meaningless to discuss the question of whether to engage in war or not.

Isn't it just to prepare for war when Wang Yue is sent to the deviant pass?

When the matter comes to an end, he will make an edict to shrink if he can, not to mention that Wang Yue is depressed, and even the emperor will feel very wretched.

The court meeting is temporarily over.

However, the discussion of the war did not stop, and then there was a closed-door meeting of the inner court, and many of the discussions involving the deployment of defenses and the dispatch of troops were confidential, and only a few officials, including the military department and the cabinet, were qualified to attend the meeting of the Qianqing Palace.

On the way to the Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Jing led the way, and several people followed.

Liu Jian and Xie Qian, the cabinet, went to discuss the overall response.

Ma Wensheng, the secretary of the Ministry of War, and Wang Zongyi, the right attendant, were responsible for discussing the strategy and the response of the Ministry of War.

The purpose of going to Zhou Jing was to discuss the issue of grain and grass dispatch in the northwest.

As soon as I arrived outside the Qianqing Palace, I saw a person who had arrived early and was standing there smiling at them.

British Gong Zhang Mao.

The emperor did not participate in the previous court meeting, but the Governor's Office was obviously aware of the changes in the military situation in the northwest, and when the emperor solicited the military opinions of the northwest, he did not call others, but only called Zhang Mao, which also reflected the importance of Zhang Mao, and probably wanted to use Zhang Mao's old success to stabilize the morale of the army.

"British duke, are you still laughing?" Xie Qian walked over and saluted after saluting.

Zhang Mao replied: "Yu Qiao, you usually laugh in the court, all for the court, why care about this situation?" ”

Xie Qian was stunned.

Then I thought that when I made fun of Wang Yue in the court before, didn't I say it with a half-smile like Zhang Mao?

"A few elders, please come in!"

After Xiao Jingtong passed the word, he came out to say hello to a few people.

……

……

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youzhu had a lot of northwest war reports in front of him, and Zhu Youzhu seemed to be still studying these war reports before the arrival of several important military and political officials.

“…… Early this morning, it was passed over, and there are still one after another, and at present, the head pass and other places are all soldiers. ”

Zhu Youzhu pointed to Xiao Jing on the side, "Give me a seat!" ”

I moved a number of chairs at once.

At first glance, the ministers saw that this posture seemed to be to be discussed for a long time, and it is likely that such closed-door meetings would be held frequently recently.

The emperor attached great importance to the war in the northwest.

After the ministers took their seats in Shane, Xiao Jing circulated the battle report of the northwest to those present, and everyone only had time to glance at each note.

Zhu Youzhu said: "How many troops are currently stationed around Yatou Pass?" ”

Ma Wensheng put down a piece of music in his hand, got up and said: "Back to Your Majesty, there are 8,000 infantry and cavalry stationed in the Bitou Pass, 14,000 adjustable preparations, inspections, and servants, and 3,000 troops and horses from the Beijing camp......

"In addition, the garrisons around the Partial Pass can gallop to the Partial Pass within three days, especially the three passes are heavy on men and horses, or they can dispatch more than 5,000 cavalry to ......."

Zhu Youzhu said: "That means that there are only 20,000 people available to Wang Yue when the battle is full, right?" ”

Ma Wensheng calculated in his heart, he wanted to say, are there so many?

But he still arched his hand and said, "Yes." ”

Zhu Youzhu sighed: "The Tatars sent troops this time, maybe more than 20,000!" ”

Ma Wensheng said: "At present, there is no clear report on the number of Diyi soldiers and horses outside the border......

"There's no need to rush." Zhu Youzhu said, "There will be a detailed report soon, if it weren't for Wang Yueren's bias pass, maybe the information he collected would not be so fast, and he should have taken sufficient precautions." ”

Ma Wensheng had to admit it.

If there is Wang Yue at the head pass, it is indeed twice the result with half the effort, and it is not possible to speculate on the two situations of Wang Yue and no Wang Yue with common sense.

Because Wang Yue has a good way of governing the army, coupled with the confidence of the soldiers below, and there is also hope for meritorious service, a group of soldiers can play extraordinarily, not to mention that Wang Yue originally mobilized the elites around Taiyuan Town.

"If you fight, what are the odds of winning?"

Zhu Youzhu asked a question that seemed amateurish.

From this point, the ministers present also understood the tension in the emperor's heart, or the utilitarian mentality of the emperor at a critical time.

Don't talk about the specific situation, just talk about the odds, which is a bit of a gambling mentality.

Liu Jian said: "If Wang Weining is stationed at the side pass and sticks to the side pass, the chance of winning is nearly ten percent, but if you go out of the city and fight against the pass, the result is unpredictable." ”

"Elder Liu Ge, let's not talk about letting Wang Yue stick to it, this is not his style." Zhu Youzhu said, "If I don't use him, or if I place him somewhere else, it's okay to let the head pass stick to it." But in this situation, any concession will make Di Yi even worse, and I don't want to see war in the northwest in the next few years. ”

In the emperor's mind.

This battle should still be fought, in order to have confidence.

Then Zhu Youzhu glanced at Dai Yi on the side, meaning that Dai Yi would explain the situation around the deviation of his head.

Dai Yi said: "Elder Pavilion, Ministry of Ministers, Guogong, at present, the use of troops in the northwest is imminent, it is the rise of the little prince of the grassland, the past few years of grassland wars, I thought that this can be used to weaken the grassland tribes, and the border army can sit on the benefits of fishermen, but the grassland tribes are more and more courageous, and the internal merger has not ended, and the matter of committing my Ming Dynasty has not stopped." If the border army retreats in this battle, I am afraid that in the next few years, all the towns on the nine sides will be attacked and harassed by the grassland tribes one after another......"

This is to show the necessity of this war.

After Dai Yi finished speaking, Zhu Youzhu looked at Ma Wensheng and said, "Ma Shangshu, you know the situation in the northwest towns, but do you think there is some truth to this?" ”

Ma Wensheng said: "Back to Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that even if the Tatars attack the pass this time, the purpose is still to plunder, or they will also play the horse market." ”

Zhu Youzhu nodded: "Actually, the Tatar war about the opening of the border city has not stopped since the end of the Helan Mountain War last year, but in this situation, I have done trade with the Tatars, isn't it giving people a spear to attack my shield?" If the purpose of the Tatars is to plunder, it will never be so, and if they want to destroy the pass, they will have the intention to disturb our Ming border preparations, so that my Ming soldiers and horses have no time to look north. How difficult it is to be careful! ”

After listening to the emperor's words, Ma Wensheng didn't argue anymore.

As the emperor said.

At the critical time when the main Tatar tribe, that is, the Dayan tribe wanted to annex the right wing of the Mongols, the Tatars poured out their nests to attack the Yatou Pass, and their purpose was naturally to achieve some strategic results in addition to plundering, so as to ensure that the Ming Dynasty would not have the spare strength to send troops to the steppe before they completed the annexation within themselves.

Dai Yi continued: "At present, with the chief military officer Ping Jiangbo Chen Rui analyzing the enemy's situation, the grassland headquarters of the Biaotou Pass is dispatched, or the fire sieve that has knocked on the pass many times before! ”

When the people present heard the name, they couldn't help but take a breath.

Although Dayan Khan is the current titular little prince of the steppe, this fire sieve ...... It can be said that Dayan Khan's "head horse", Dayan Khan and the fire sieve are nominally monarchs and ministers, but in fact they are interdependent, and in the war of Dayan Khan to unify the steppe, the fire sieve can be said to have made great contributions.

What's worse is ...... The biggest feature of this fire sieve is that it has nothing to do to harass the border of the Ming Dynasty, and it is very experienced in sorties.

You can always choose a place where the Ming Dynasty's defense is weak, grab a wave and leave, and you don't love war.

There will also be a situation where the entry pass goes south and plunders for hundreds of miles......

Pingjiang Bo Chen Rui can be said to be the most experienced border army general in the northwest, he said that this time he came to the fire screen, so it is estimated that he has seen the style, which should be right.

Xie Qian said coldly: "Uncle Pingjiang? Isn't it a sieve? If he is allowed to lead the troops to fight, I am afraid that it will be ......"

Some of the words were not too clear, but they already reflected Xie Qian's contempt for Chen Rui.

As we all know, Chen Rui likes to drink cold wine, and there are rumors in the army that the reason why Chen Rui does not drink hot wine is that he is afraid of the fire sieve, and he is afraid that he will provoke the fire sieve after drinking hot wine.

Chen Rui has been operating in the northwest for many years, and he has no great achievements but can basically maintain no merit, but only in the fire sieve, he has suffered a lot of losses, and even once almost fell into a deep siege and was slaughtered by the fire sieve, since then, he is afraid that the rumors of the fire sieve will become more and more evil.

Liu Jian said: "If it is really a fire screening, the situation will be even worse for the border army. ”

Zhu Youzhu said: "This fire sieve, in the northwest many times to kill the border people and rob the pass, this time let him fight Wang Yue head-on, isn't it a good opportunity to raise the prestige of the border army?" ”

Even Ma Wensheng was thinking, this is really easy to say.

Can the fire sieve become a figure on an equal footing with Dayan Khan in today's grassland, do you really think that his ability is blown? It's okay for Wang Yue to beat others, but if he goes head-to-head with the fire sieve, I'm afraid the odds of winning are not so high, right?

"Zhou Shangshu, is the current supply of grain and grass in the northwest still enough?"

Zhu Youzhi didn't want to listen to the advice of this group of people about fighting or not fighting, this question actually had a tone in the court, and he was more concerned about the preparation for this war.

Zhou Jingdao: "Your Majesty, last year, Liu Shiyong, the right attendant of the Central Household Department to inspect the Xuanfu, has prepared more than 500,000 stone of military rations in the northwest, and this year has sent more than 200,000 taels of silver to Xuanda, I expect ...... There will be no deviation in the procurement of grain and grass. ”

In the past, the border army relied on grain to open the middle, and the Shangtun in the northwest could complete self-sufficiency, but the treasury was empty.

At present, the grain used in the northwest is all transferred from the Beijing division and let the northwest buy it by itself, and the area of the border fields in the northwest is also declining year by year.

Zhang Mao came forward and said: "Your Majesty, now there is an enemy situation everywhere in the nine sides, please put martial law around the Beijing Division, strictly prevent Tatar spies from mixing into the hinterland of our Beijing Division, and then send troops and horses to strengthen the defense of Juyong Pass and other places." ”

At this time, it seems that only Zhang Mao understands the emperor's mind to fight a tough battle.

He mentioned very pragmatically, no matter whether Wang Yue wins at the Bitou Pass or not, at least the stability of the capital will be preserved first.

Zhu Youzhu nodded and said: "I also have such an idea, strengthen the garrison of the inner three passes to ensure that the Jingshi is safe, and the few Qing families should have no opinions, right?" ”

Of course, those present have no opinion.

Seeing that the matter was almost settled, Wang Zongyi, the right attendant of the military department, asked out of his words: "Your Majesty, dare to ask, Wang Yue, the left attendant of the military department, went to the border to guard the town, who proposed it?" ”

The people around them looked at the past with curious eyes.

As if to say.

It's a very inappropriate question, don't you know until now, this is from a scholar and scholar, the one named Zhang Zhou pinched his fingers?

(End of chapter)