prosperous age

Chapter 518 Chapter 517

"crunch"

The wheels of the carriage rolled on the ground and made a screeching sound. A rather gorgeous carriage passed through the city gate and entered the capital.

Behind the carriage, there was a group of mighty knights following behind, showing the extraordinary identity of the owner of the carriage.

Entering the streets of the capital, the ground became a little smoother, perhaps the people in the carriage felt it too, and then the curtains were lifted slightly, and an old face appeared in the window of the carriage.

The old man's complexion was not good, and he didn't know if it was because of the fatigue caused by the long carriage ride or what.

After all, although the carriage is a very luxurious means of transportation in this era, the journey time is too long, and the feeling is not so pleasant.

After the old man had a clear view of the street outside the car, the car curtain was lowered again.

The old man on the carriage was none other than Yang Bo, Minister of the Ministry of War. He had just returned to the capital from Miyun. From the glimpse of him just now, those who cared could still find the deep worry hidden in his eyes.

Yes, this time he went to Miyun to meet with Governor Yang Xuan of Jiliao, it can be said that he made no achievements.

In his eyes, Yang Xuan believed too much in his so-called intelligence channels.

This kind of trust made him blindly believe the so-called top-secret information that came back. Altan Khan planned to completely control the land outside the Great Wall, and completely confront Daming across the Great Wall.

Therefore, at the meeting between the two, Yang Xuan not only did not listen to his advice, but instead planned to continue to send troops from Jizhen to move eastward, and the striker had even left the customs and entered the castle in the West Liao Corridor to stand by.

Even, Yang Xuan asked the Ministry of War to send an order to the border towns of Xuanda, Yansui and other places, so that after the outbreak of the Liaodong War, they could send elite cavalry to the north to sweep up the Mongolian tribes that could be seen along the way, so that Altan Khan could not concentrate all his troops. Participated in the Liaodong War.

Yang Bo knew very well that Yang Xuan wanted to complete his efforts in one battle and completely wipe out Altan Khan's hand that he wanted to reach out to the east.

According to his thinking, as long as 2 to [-] Mongols are killed, the Inner Mongolians will not dare to look at the Liaodong area for decades.

At the same time, through this battle, Alta Khan's thoughts will be completely wiped out, so that the border areas can maintain peace for a period of time.

Yang Bo understood Yang Xuan's idea, but he didn't think it was feasible.

It's just a pity that Yang Xuan couldn't listen to it, and Yang Bo had no right to command Yang Xuan, even after he moved out of the cabinet, it was useless.

Returning to the capital with disappointment, the only person who can stop Yang Xuan from gambling is probably the one who lives in Xiyuan.

However, Yang Bo wasn't sure what that guy was thinking.

Yang Xuan was a minister directly picked up by Emperor Jiajing.

Yang Xuan was a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Jiajing reign of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty. He was initially awarded the title of official pedestrian, and later promoted to Yushi and served as the deputy envoy of Yizhou military preparations.

In the 37th year of Jiajing, Al Da besieged the right guard of Datong. Datong Governor Zhu Ji was arrested for this crime. He followed his servant Jiang Dong and the commander-in-chief Zhang Chengxun to solve the siege of Datong. Later, Emperor Jiajing leapfrogged Yang Xuan to be the censor of Youqian Capital , took over Zhu Ji's position.

For Yang Xuan, Yang Bo could feel the trust of Emperor Jiajing in him, otherwise he would not have given him the post of governor of Jiliao.

However, in Yang Bo's eyes, Yang Xuan has the ability, but he likes to play tricks.

On the second day after Yang Bo returned to Beijing, he went to the cabinet to communicate with Xu Jie and Yuan Wei about Jiliao.

"Wei Yue, two days ago, when His Majesty summoned me, he mentioned this matter."

After Yang Bo told the result of the trip and revealed his deep worries, Xu Jie spoke to him.

Xu Jie's words revived Yang Bo immediately, and he really wanted to learn more about the details here.

From this, we can also roughly know what the emperor thinks.

"Your Majesty is very contradictory. He wants to cut off I Dahan's arm and teach this opponent a lesson, but he is also worried about repeating the same mistakes of the past."

Xu Jie looked at Yang Bo's eyes and knew what he was thinking, and he didn't pretend to be a joke, and directly said the answer he wanted to know.

Hearing this, Yang Bo's eyes dimmed.

It seems that the emperor is also in a dilemma, but as long as he has such a heart in his heart, it is difficult to prevent him from making a bet and taking a gamble.

"Hehe, Weiyue, don't worry about it."

Seeing Yang Bo's expression, Xu Jie knew what Yang Bo was thinking, and comforted him with a smile.

"It's definitely not a good thing for Ji Town's soldiers and horses to move eastward."

Yang Bo lamented.

"Since you don't want Jizhen's army to go out, and Yang Xuan doesn't want to heed your warning, why don't you just ask your subordinates to withhold a batch of grain and fodder for Jizhen, so that he can't send the army to move eastward."

Xu Jie expressed his thoughts.

It is true that Yang Xuan can direct the troops and horses of Ji Town, and he can completely ignore the orders of the Ministry of War and even the cabinet, but he has to be restrained by the court, that is, Ji Town is a border town, and he relies on the food and grass raised from his territory There is no way to support the operation of the army.

In fact, the imperial court also used this to contain the armies of the towns.

You must know that the soldiers and horses on the Nine Sides have been at war with the northern grassland people for a long time, and their soldiers are naturally the strongest in the Ming army.

If there are people with ulterior motives in the nine border towns, with a large army in hand, it will also be a great threat to the imperial court.

Fortunately, although these officials and generals have soldiers in their hands, they still lack food and grass support for protracted combat.

Later generations only know that it was difficult for the Ming Dynasty to provide food for the soldiers at the border, and the food and salaries were often deducted, but who knew that this was also a means for the imperial court to control the soldiers and horses in the border towns.

Not to mention the shortage of food and grass, even if there is no shortage of food and grass, the imperial court will definitely not send too much food and grass to the border towns, so that they have no worries about food and clothing.

As for whether they are worried about the soldiers rebelling because of this, hehe, in fact, if the officials on the Nine Sides can't handle these things well, it can only show that they are incompetent when it comes to things like triggering a mutiny, and they will naturally be thrown out at that time , as a lamb to quell public grievances.

What's more, since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty to the present, are there few incidents of soldiers fighting for pay, and even causing mutiny because of it?

Xu Jie's suggestion is the best choice to restrain Yang Xuan at the moment.

Yang Bo nodded subconsciously, as he agreed with Xu Jie's suggestion in his heart, and Yuan Wei on the other side also nodded with a smile.

In fact, the cabinet's handling of government affairs and military affairs has already been traced. As long as you read more relevant archives, you can know how to deal with problems.

This is also the reason why the cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty really did not need strong adaptability and local resumes.

They only need to have the ability to communicate with the Sixth Department. After all, the specific matters, in fact, more rights are still in the hands of the Sixth Department.

"Brother Cunzhai's opinion is pertinent, I will arrange this matter when I return to the yamen."

Yang Bo is not the character of a mother-in-law either. Since he has determined this matter in his heart, he will not look forward and backward, and immediately plans to withhold the grain and grass in Ji Town, so that Yang Xuan cannot send troops outside the pass according to his own ideas.

When Yang Bo was about to leave the cabinet, Xu Jie stopped him again and said, "The Ministry of War had better send a message to Fujian to get them to deal with the Xinghua pirates as soon as possible. It has been a long time coming."

"I also know about this matter. It's just that the Japanese pirates in Fujian and Guangdong are frequently active this time, and they are unable to mobilize large troops to support Xinghua Mansion. Governor Zhao of Zhejiang is also unwilling to transfer elites to Fujian to suppress Japanese pirates, so it has been delayed until now."

Yang Bo replied in a low voice.

The local officials below each have their own thoughts. Sometimes even if he, the minister, knows the details, it is difficult to directly order what to do. It is really the unspoken rules of the officialdom, so he dare not tear this layer of window paper easily.

"Hurry up."

That's all Xu Jie could say.

He didn't know what Yang Bo said.

Just knowing is one thing, how to do it is another.

If he had known about Zhejiang Zhao Bingran's decision years ago, he would have sent someone to send a letter there immediately, telling him to focus on the overall situation.

But the time has been delayed so far, sending a letter to Zhejiang to let them send an elite army south will not help the matter.

So, what else can the court do?
Then I can only urge, the official document urges Fujian to start the war as soon as possible, and eliminate the Japanese pirates entrenched near Xinghua Mansion.

The bigger the official, the more party members need to be cultivated, why?
Don't they know that if they do this, sooner or later, something will happen because of some people's insatiable greed, and they will end up burning themselves?

Cultivating party members is not just for the purpose of passing one's orders to the bottom, so that they can be faithfully carried out, and will not be pushed back and forth for various reasons.

Only those who are single-handedly picked up by themselves will truly obey themselves, and only because of this can they enjoy the joy of power.

However, will these so-called own people really do what they want wholeheartedly?
Of course not completely, they also have their own selfishness, that is, the order did not affect their interests.

This is also what he, his predecessor Yan Song, his predecessor's predecessor, and countless cabinet chiefs and assistants are doing, that is, to cultivate party members, even if it may be tainted by party formation and selfishness. reason.

As for the suppression of the Japanese, they only needed some manpower. Xu Jie was confident that Zhao Bingran could obey, because this order would not affect his interests.

While the two were talking, Xu Jie had already walked out of the house and stood in the yard with Yang Bo.

There was no one around, so Xu Jie asked in a low voice: "During this time, the Tartars have been harassing the border, do you think there will be a war this year?"

Fujian is too far away, and the capital cannot take care of it. Xu Jie is actually most concerned about the safety of the important towns on the Nine Frontiers. He is also a person who has experienced the changes of Gengxu.

Yang Bo was a little surprised by Xu Jie's behavior, but after hearing his question, he thought about it before answering: "Since last year, the number of Tartar invasions of Liaodong has indeed increased, but this is definitely not the result of Ida Khan's ambitions for Liaodong. evidence."

Until now, Yang Bo still didn't think Liaodong was worth anything, at least there was no need to lose troops and fight against Daming to death against Liaodong. In his eyes, this was really unwise.

"I replied that Khan would never take Liaodong?"

Xu Jie was not very satisfied with Yang Bo's answer, so he asked again.

This is forcing him to express his opinion, but at this time Yang Bo has no time to get angry, but thinks for a while before nodding.

He didn't think that Altan Khan would make this decision, Liaodong was really worthless.

For the grassland people, what they want is actually to go south, cross the Great Wall and continue to expand their land southward. What they covet is the warm land in the Guan, where they can graze and avoid the cold in the north.

Occupying Liaodong, although the pastures can be expanded, the living conditions are difficult.

For the prairie people, they still cannot get much value from it, and it is still difficult to multiply their tribe in large numbers.

Yes, no matter how big the land is, their population is so large, what's the point.

Only by crossing the Great Wall and seizing the warm land in the south can they guarantee the expansion of their ethnic group.

Don't say that the Mongols have adapted to the cold in the north, don't they know to look for a place with better conditions to live.

Think about Liaodong under the control of the Ming Dynasty. If the army hadn’t blocked the way home, how many of the people who immigrated to Liaodong would be willing to stay there. choose.

And once they have the opportunity to leave, they will find a way to leave even if they lose their fortune.

As the chief assistant of the cabinet, Xu Jie certainly knew what happened in Shandong.

It's just that the situation hasn't reached the point where it can't be dealt with, so he said that it can be temporarily suppressed.

"Okay, I know what to say in front of His Majesty."

Xu Jie nodded and watched Yang Bo leave.

The upper reaches of the Liaohe River, such as the Laoha River, Wulijimulun River, and Xilamulun River, flow into the Liaohe Plain. Due to the flat and low-lying terrain, the flow rate slows down, the riverbed is silted up, and the river overflows, forming a large area of ​​protection in this area. The marsh formed Liaoze.

In the early years of Zhengde, Li Chengxun, the governor of Liaodong, "asked to build a side wall, from Liaoyang Sancha Hebei to Kaiyuan, extending more than five hundred miles."

After several constructions, the Liaohe side wall started from Baituchang Guanshun to the south along the west bank of the Liaohe River in the west, passed through Dongbianhao in Heishan County, Dataizi and Liutaizi in Taian County, crossed the Liaohe River in the northwest of Niuzhuang Town in Haicheng County, and then turned to the northeast. From the east bank of the Liaohe River to Kaiyuan and Changtu counties, it ends at Zhenbeibao.

Because this Great Wall circles a big V shape to the south and is placed along the east and west banks of the Liaohe River, it is called the "Liaohetao Great Wall".

Beginning with Li Chengxun, the side wall built in Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty deliberately bypassed Liao Ze and placed this area outside the side wall, naturally hoping to reduce the influence of Liao Ze on the construction of the side wall.

However, this strategy was later regarded as a major mistake by countless people.

Liaoze is only formed during the summer flood season, while spring, autumn and winter will gradually dry up and then shrink. However, the Ming army has hundreds of kilometers of defense lines in this area, which requires huge manpower and material resources to defend.

The result of this is that during the spring and autumn season, the Mongol tartars would enter the Liaohetao area, looking for a Ming army fortress that could be attacked, and breaking through the side wall to enter the Ming Dynasty-controlled area to the south of the side wall to plunder.

And because of the V-shaped side wall, the troops of the Ming army in Liaodong and Liaoxi could only move along the side wall. Therefore, Baituchang in the north of Guangning was closed to Pingnubao in the west of Shenyang. At that time, it took a detour of hundreds of miles to arrive.

In fact, it is also the reason for this V-shaped side wall that divides the entire Liaodong region into Liaodong and Liaoxi. This section of the city wall is also known as the Liaohetao Great Wall.

At this time, a long team of Tazi cavalry troops entered here taking advantage of the dry season in Liaoze, looking for defensive loopholes in the Ming army's side wall, and waiting for an opportunity to move.

"Taiji, not far ahead is the Permanent Fort, and further ahead is Huangniwa."

"Speed ​​up and see how thick the city wall is."

(End of this chapter)