The Yamen of the Ministry of War.

Xie Qian came here in the afternoon and found Ma Wensheng, who had just come out of the palace, before Zhu Youzhi summoned Ma Wensheng to the Qianqing Palace to discuss the military situation in the northwest.

Ma Wensheng met with Xie Qian alone, and when he came up, he showed the situation around Ningxia: "This battle is not optimistic. ”

Hearing this, Xie Qian probably had a number.

With Yang Yiqing alone, with the cooperation of the original system of the Ministry of War, it is difficult to fight a hearty victory.

"Is this not at ease with Yang Yingning?" Xie Qian asked.

Ma Wensheng sighed, and said with a helpless expression: "Ying Ning has experience in Gansu to study, and he also has a lot of experience in military politics, but he has never had experience in leading troops before, and his prestige in the army is insufficient. ”

Xie Qian asked, "How many people can be dispatched in Ningxia?" ”

Ma Wensheng had obviously answered these questions in detail with the emperor before, so he also opened his mouth: "Removing the men and horses necessary to hold on to the fortresses, there are less than 4,000 men and horses that can be mobilized and assembled, and they are still scattered in various passes in Ningxia, and there are less than 100 new cannons that can be mobilized, and there are more than 1,000 shells. The number of cavalry was only two or three thousand. ”

Xie Qian said: "How many people and horses did the Tatars enter the west road of Kou Ningxia?" ”

"Fifty thousand!" Marven ascended, "All of them are cavalry." ”

"Ahem!"

When Xie Qian heard this comparison of strength gaps, he felt that this was not to let Yang Yiqing go to war, but to let Yang Yiqing go to death.

Xie Qian calmed his breath and said: "The Tatars are wise enough to eat a trench, and they know that if they deal with the Ming border army, even if they don't come out, they can't disperse the soldiers and horses to go deep alone." ”

Ma Wensheng sighed: "Ningxia people from all walks of life, even if they can be dispatched from the city fortress, there are only twenty or thirty thousand, and the cavalry is less than four thousand, which is equivalent to pouring out of the nest." Unless Ying Ning decides to take a gamble. ”

"Don't!" Xie Qian said, "It is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice, and she can hold the pass, even if it is a slight loss, there is no room for loss in the northwest border." ”

"Yu Qiao, do you think His Majesty's intention is just to hold the pass?"

Ma Wensheng's question is acute.

The emperor just asked Yang Yiqing to fight a tough battle, if he didn't have this ability, then why did the emperor still believe in him, and why did he believe in the people elected by the traditional civilian forces?

To put it bigger, maybe something went wrong in this battle, and even Ma Wensheng, the current secretary of the military department, had to give way.

Xie Qian said angrily: "Your Majesty's move, it won't be deliberately embarrassing us, in order to show that the imperial court lacks that Zhang Bingkuan, right?" ”

Ma Wensheng didn't answer, but judging from Ma Wensheng's expression, he also felt that this was the case.

Let Yang Yiqing use four or five thousand soldiers and horses that can be dispatched to fight against the 50,000 main force led by the little prince of Tatar, or fight in the wilderness after leaving the city...... Don't say it's to give you new artillery and yellow powder, even if the sky is thundering and bombing everywhere, there is no chance of winning.

The emperor is clearly a pit man.

"It's a big deal, let's go by myself!" Xie Qian was also annoyed, and he didn't like what he said.

Ma Wensheng asked: "Yu Qiao, what we can do now is to use Yansui people and horses, cooperate with Ningxia to send troops, and then return troops to Gansu, so that the number of soldiers and horses can be formed with 30,000 or 40,000 soldiers, and Yansui has elite cavalry on the three sides, but I don't know ......."

This means that our military department needs the policy support of the imperial court.

The emperor said that Yang Yiqing would go to Ningxia and use the local soldiers and horses in Ningxia Town to cooperate with this battle.

However, it did not say that it was not allowed to transfer troops from Yansui, Guyuan, Gansu and other places, and if all walks of life sent together, there would be a chance to withdraw the Tatars.

Xie Qian said: "What about the fire sieve? Isn't the fire sieve now submissive to the Ming Dynasty? He was also stationed in the East Hetao, so why didn't he cooperate with the troops? He has at least one or two thousand elite cavalry, right? If you can work together ......"

Ma Wensheng shook his head and said: "Your Majesty made it clear that first, the fire screen will definitely watch the fire from the other side, if this battle is lost, it will only be a time before the fire screen rebels." ”

"Alas!"

Xie Qian sighed heavily.

Ningxia is short of local people, and the people and horses of the fire screen cannot be counted on, so the Ming Dynasty can only transfer troops from all over the three sides.

"Ma Butang, you should know the situation of the imperial court now, the treasury really can't dispatch the money and grain used in a big war, and now it is the autumn harvest, and the three sides are all in the collection, if you transfer troops from everywhere at this time, you are only afraid of losses...... Countless! So Ying Ning's side can only ...... Alas! ”

In the end, Xie Qian was sighing again.

Approximate meaning.

As soon as Yang Qing, he relied on his own ability.

If you can go out to fight, you can fight, and if you can't fight, you will shrink back, and it is a big deal to be dismissed and questioned after the defeat, which can be regarded as a sacrifice for the overall situation.

Ma Wensheng's face was silent, and he also understood that Xie Qian did not deliberately not help, but because the situation in the northwest was indeed the case.

"Then can you ask Your Majesty to transfer troops from Biguan, Datong, and Xuanfu?" Ma Wensheng put forward a new concept.

Xie Qian almost rolled his eyes.

Xuanda is now Zhang Zhou's territory, and the traditional Wenchen in the Ming and Ming dynasties said that Zhang Zhou can still stand without Zhang Zhou in the northwest, but now he has to transfer troops from the front line of Xuanda, which is deeply cultivated by Zhang Zhou...... Isn't this a slap in the face?

"If the three sides want to ensure revenue, doesn't Xuanda need it?" Xie Qian sighed, "Let's see." In this situation, which side of the Nine Sides can draw people from all over the nine sides? It's too late for each to guard against the jackals...... Now the situation in Jizhou is also quite tight...... I can see that the hungry wolves in the grassland are also treacherous and cunning. ”

It is not clear why the steppe people are cunning.

But the meaning is obvious...... Zhang Zhou's influence was in Xuanda, Liaodong, Tatar and other steppe tribes were outside Zhang Zhou's sphere of influence...... Three sides and Jizhou left and right bows.

Zhang Zhou's territory didn't dare to move, so he took the traditional territory that Qin Hong, Wang Xian and others were responsible for...... The Tatars are simply picking soft persimmons and pinching them.

Ma Wensheng said: "The number of cannons cast in Xuanda and Liaodong in the past two years is obviously too much, and they should be transferred to the rest of the country, and the defense of the three sides should also be strengthened." ”

Xie Qian said: "In the past, there were many people in the DPRK and China who asked His Majesty to stop mining, but now they want to increase the artillery cantonment on three sides and other places, will it ...... Contradicting yourself? ”

Ma Wensheng said with an unkind face: "The military department has never had such an invitation. ”

"That is, Zhang Bingkuan is in the Ministry of War, and now he is also a member of the Ministry of War, right?"

Xie Qian was about to unfold his poisonous side again, and when he saw that Ma Wensheng's face was not good, he had no choice but to turn his head away and sighed, "Then increase the casting cannon, isn't it just mining a mine?" As long as he Zhang Bingkuan has the ability, even if he smashes the mines everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, he will be infamous for being alone! Alas! What an eventful time! ”

……

……

Xie Qian can naturally feel that the border defense of the Ming Dynasty has been very tight in the past two years.

Even if there were several great victories, each great victory was only one or two thousand men and horses that killed the Tatars, and the princes and uncles were sealed several, but the combined Tatar losses were only about 10,000.

It's just that the credit has become greater than in previous periods, but it has not reached the point of hurting the grassland tribe at all.

That's when ...... He also sent Zhang Zhou to Nanjing...... It is not difficult to understand that the Tatars "took advantage of the situation".

"Infighting, how long will it take?" Xie Qian is relatively open-minded, which will also feel that Zhang Zhou is indispensable.

seems to think about it again, and he didn't support the impeachment of Zhang Zhou before.

I was angry that those colleagues had no ability to do it, and they had to suppress Zhang Zhou.

When he returned home, he also had to sort out the wording, prepare to play with the emperor in the morning of the next day, and ask for the transfer of troops from the three sides and other places...... It was a last resort, and it cannot be said that in order to ensure the autumn harvest everywhere, Ningxia West Road and other places were abandoned, and the emperor's main attack strategy was changed...... He Xie Qian didn't want to be a sinner.

"Sir." A servant appeared in front of Xie Qian.

"Hmm." Xie Qian was in a bad mood when he saw the people in the house, and was about to go in to prepare to tidy up, when he immediately thought of something, "Something?" ”

The servant said: "Master, the second young master has returned to his hometown." ”

"What?"

Xie Qian frowned.

His second son, Xie Pi, has been studying in the capital, and Xie Qian felt that the atmosphere here was suitable for his son to take the entrance examination in the future, who would have thought that Xie Pi would run away by himself.

Xie Pi is eighteen years old, he is married, and he can be said to be the absolute leader among the children of the Jingshi family, but he has not even taken the township test.

The servant lowered his head and said, "The young master has been gone for three days, and I haven't seen the master come back in the past few days, so I ......"

"Why did he go home?" Xie Qian was so angry that he almost threw something.

The servant handed over a letter and said, "This is a letter left by the second young master, master, the little one still has something to do, so he will retreat first." ”

When Xie Qian took the letter and read the content on it, his nose was directly crooked.

The son said that he was going back to Yuyao, but he said that he wanted to rush to Nanjing to participate in the so-called literary event, and said that there is only one chance in this life, and if he misses it, he will not exist, and he said that he will study hard after returning to Yuyao, and he will be admitted to the examination in the future......

"There's not a fuel-efficient lamp!" Xie Qian almost looked up to the sky and roared, "Zhang Bingkuan, Zhang Bingkuan, there is no more poison in people's hearts!" ”

……

……

The next morning.

Led by Ma Wensheng and the cabinet, Yang Yiqing's appointment to Ningxia was singled out in the court, and the plight of Ningxia's troops was mentioned now, which made Zhu Youzhi very unhappy.

Yesterday he had just discussed with Ma Wensheng for an afternoon, and the next day the cabinet seemed to know everything, and in the name of difficulty, he asked all localities to mobilize troops to cooperate, and almost said that he would withdraw his will to take the initiative...... How could Zhu Youzhu not be angry?

“…… Ladies and gentlemen, please say, Ningxia is short of soldiers and horses, where are there enough soldiers and horses, can you transfer troops? or to point out a suitable candidate to lead the troops, and I will consider it at my discretion to adopt your opinion. As long as I can play the prestige of the Ming Dynasty in the first battle of Ningxia, who to use and how to use it, you can speak freely. ”

The emperor was also angry.

You will say that you will move troops everywhere...... You also know that the defense is also very tight everywhere now, where do the soldiers and horses come from? Where did the grain and grass and baggage for the war come from? And because the war affected the autumn harvest of the military tun, the soldiers survived the winter because of lack of food, who will bear this responsibility?

Who wouldn't? Let's be realistic!

Li Dongyang came out and said: "Your Majesty, in the previous battle of the partial pass, because the city pass was damaged, nearly 10,000 soldiers and horses were temporarily transferred from Taiyuan and Datong to reinforce the defense, and now the partial pass has been rebuilt, and soldiers and horses can be dispatched from the partial pass to cooperate with the Ningxia battle!" ”

"Will it be too late?" Zhu Youzhu didn't say no, but only asked if it would be a bit reluctant to transfer troops from Yatouguan to Ningxia?

Immediately Zhu Youzhu added: "From the pass to Ningxia, the nearest road is to pass through the land of the Hetao, and you will pass by the place where the fire screen is stationed on the way, do you think that the fire screen will cooperate with the Ming Dynasty to send troops, or do you think that he will not cause trouble for the Ming soldiers of the Western Expedition?" ”

Li Dongyang said: "Send troops to the pass, or do not need to rush to Ningxia, but go north to the hinterland of the steppe and force the little Tatar prince to withdraw his troops." ”

"Did Wei save Zhao?" Zhu Youzhu said, "Do you know where the tent of the Chinese army in Tatar is? Or do you hope that you can find the exact location of the rear of its tribe like the surprise attack on Weininghai a year ago? The little prince of Tatar said that he was pouring out of the nest, but he only sent 40,000 or 50,000 troops, and there was still an absolute main force enough to garrison the headquarters camp, how many troops do you think could be sent from the side pass to achieve the goal of encircling Wei and saving Zhao? ”

The question of the emperor is acute.

Even a scheming person like Li Dongyang felt that the emperor seemed to be much more mature and sophisticated than before.

And from the emperor's gaze at the ministers, Li Dongyang could feel a kind of "promotion of narrowness".

Or rather, the emperor was laughing at them.

Look at you, I never supported my plan to send troops on my own initiative, now listen to what you are talking about? He actually took the initiative to send troops to the grassland, intending to force Batu Munch to withdraw his troops? This forgets who it was, when Bingkuan had the intention of sending troops, he said that he had taken the liberty of his troops?

Who doesn't know how to soldier?

Seeing that even Li Dongyang didn't answer, Zhu Youzhu said: "I also learned from the military department that it is a little difficult for Ningxia to dispatch enough men and horses to fight back the men and horses of the little prince of Tatar in a head-to-head confrontation. But being difficult doesn't mean not doing it...... I also lowered my requirements, as long as I don't stick to it, even if it is a roundabout battle, no matter what kind of trick I use, it is really a few parties to send troops to cooperate, or to surround Wei to save Zhao, and can drive the enemy away head-on, I will remember his credit. ”

Yuan Shou, the general political envoy, said straightly: "Your Majesty, now it is the best policy to stick to the cities of Ningxia!" ”

Zhu Youji's voice raised an octave, and he shouted angrily: "That means that the autumn grain from all over Ningxia will be handed over to the little prince of Tatar?" Have you ignored the people, animals, and goods outside the fortress? Will Bingkuan's advantage in border warfare accumulated in the past two years be wiped out because of your retreat? ”

A series of aggressive rhetorical questions, not to mention that Yuan Shouzhi couldn't parry, and the vast majority of the ministers on the scene felt that the burden on their shoulders was overwhelming.

"From the first time I discussed military aircraft with Bingkuan, he told me that don't think that ten years before Hongzhi, the Tatars rarely invaded the border, and that the Tatars would keep to themselves. This is precisely their forbearance. ”

"After the eleventh year of Hongzhi, the drought in the north continued, and the little prince of the steppe Tatars, Batu Munk, took advantage of the situation to rise, and he has annexed many tribes such as Warat, and those tribes in the cracks have been difficult to survive, so in this situation, if the Ming Dynasty still uses a defensive position to deal with the invading enemy, it will only make the enemy worse."

"In the future, when the little prince of Tatar can really unify the grassland, and then start a war with the Ming Dynasty, there will be beacons everywhere in the nine sides."

"These things, I don't want to discuss with you, if you think Bingkuan is alarmist, then you look at the current situation at the border, can there be any changes because of the forbearance of the Ming Dynasty? Doesn't it tell a lot that only those places where the Tatars have taken the initiative and won big victories? ”

Zhu Youzhi is also tough now.

Tu Chu, Xu Qiong, and Bai Ang have retired, and there is still a missing Imperial Shi Min Jue of the Left Capital, and there are fewer and fewer ministers in the court who can compete with the imperial power, and the military deterrent brought by Zhang Zhou is becoming more and more effective.

also made him, the emperor, who has always advocated governing the country with filial piety, finally be able to open his heart to mention his achievements in martial arts.

In front of the ministers, he also seemed to be raising his eyebrows.

"Ladies and gentlemen, think about it carefully after you go back, you have a good strategy, just mention it to me, and I will treat you and others equally." Zhu Youzhu didn't seem to want to listen any further, and waved his hand, "Retreat!" ”

……

……

There are still many issues in the court, but Zhu Youzhi doesn't like to listen to them, so skip them directly.

Out of sight is still.

Wouldn't it be nice to go back and reunite with your concubine, hug your newborn son, and enjoy the joy of family?

But on the minister's side, it was like overturning the vinegar jar, after the end of the court meeting, a bunch of people were not angry again, this time their target was not aimed at the three cabinet members, but pointed the finger at Ma Wensheng, who was a "corpse vegetarian meal".

"Ma Shangshu, you were also a famous commander in the northwest at the beginning, and it was not a problem to transfer troops, but now you want to watch Xiao Xiao make trouble in the DPRK and turn a deaf ear?"

"The affairs of the Ming Dynasty military and politics should not rely on a man who believes in his words!"

The words of the ministers will be somewhat extreme, but Wenchen is like this, and any major affairs of the family and the country are not as real as the partisan struggle.

Change the emperor or change the name of the country, still be a minister, and still use the loyalty and patriotism to suppress political enemies, there is no essential difference, what goes to the country, that is a legendary story.

Xie Qian stepped forward, smiled and waved his hand, "You don't have to be excited, in fact, Your Majesty has already made a plan for this battle, and the military department has already had a complete plan, so don't speculate." No matter how tight the battle of Ningxia is, it will not affect the stability of Gyeonggi. ”

"Elder Xie Ge, this is not right, the land of Ningxia is related to the stability of Guanzhong, Guanzhong has always been the production area of the northern Ming Dynasty, only about Zhong'an Central Plains, you don't understand this truth?"

Xie Qian smiled and said: "This is meaningless, why don't you ask for an order and let Your Majesty recall Lai Guogong?" ”

At the mention of this, all the ministers stopped talking.

The opinion of Zhang Zhou is very large, but now the emperor thinks that the best solution is to transfer Zhang Zhou or Zhang Zhou's people to Ningxia.

Xie Qian means.

Since you are so excited, then transfer Zhang Bingkuan back, and the responsibility for success or failure will be borne by him...... This is what you want, right?

Zhou Jing said: "Before the next year or in the battle of Ningxia, you should stop for a while." Let His Majesty and the ministries of the DPRK and the Central Committee discuss with the localities the matter of mobilizing money and grain. ”

"Yes, yes."

Immediately, moderates came out to ease the contradictions.

Someone said: "Can that Yang Yiqing really do it?" Ningxia asked him to lead the troops, why not send the famous people in the army to go? Even if Qin Lao sent troops. ”

"Or don't." Xie Qian said, "This arrangement must have a deep meaning." To ensure the stability of the three sides, Your Majesty is more anxious than anyone else, and Your Majesty will definitely have reasonable arrangements. ”

(End of chapter)