prosperous age

Chapter 533 532 Decoy
After confirming that there was indeed a fire in the distance to the north, Emperor Jiajing didn't say anything, but just got off the high platform with a flick of his sleeves.

On the way to Yongshou Palace, Emperor Jiajing suddenly stood still, and ordered Huang Jin who was following behind him: "Quickly declare Xu Jie to come to the palace to see me."

Although it was late at night, the emperor had to open the locked palace door if he wanted to see the chief minister of the cabinet.

After returning to Yongshou Palace, Huang Jin hurriedly took out the gold medal, called the eunuch outside the door and told him, "Go to Lord Shoufu's residence quickly, and invite him to meet you in Xiyuan."

With this gold medal, the eunuch had a chance to get out of the palace, and the eunuch naturally knew how powerful it was, so he hurriedly took the gold medal and hurried out.

By the time Xu Jie entered the gate of Xiyuan, nearly an hour had passed.

It’s not how far Xu Jie’s mansion is from Xiyuan, but the eunuch is holding a gold medal to leave the palace. There are quite a few eunuchs and palace guards who need to be alarmed. Without the approval of one person, the eunuch can’t leave the palace even half a step according to the order. .

Xu Jie was walking in Xiyuan. To be honest, he was also in a complicated mood.

It wasn't him who entered Xiyuan today, it should be Yuan Wei, but somehow the emperor announced him in.

Moreover, it has been so long, and I don't know if His Majesty still has time to wait for me.

The two servants in front walked forward quickly with lanterns in hand, and Xu Jie had no choice but to follow closely behind.

When he stepped into the gate of Yongshou Palace, Xu Jie was panting and sweating profusely.

While waiting at the palace gate to be summoned by His Majesty, a servant next to him wiped him with a hot towel and drank warm tea, which made him feel a little better.

Getting old, being woken up from the bed, and driving such a long distance, the most important thing is that I don't know why the emperor summoned me, so I can't help but feel extremely disturbed.

When everything came together, Xu Jie really felt that this official was really tired in front of him.

However, this is only when he feels uncomfortable all over. If he is really asked to abdicate, I am afraid it will be another story.

After all, that is a right.

Whether it is for the happiness brought by his own enjoyment of power, or for the good news of the family, he will not give up the position of chief assistant easily.

Not long after, the servant who notified came out and led him into the hall.

After he entered the hall, he found that the atmosphere in the hall was solemn, even though the hall was brightly lit by candles, the oppressive atmosphere still lingered.

Xu Jie was slightly startled. There was no one else in the hall except the emperor and Huang Jin. Could it be that Yuan Wei hadn't been summoned?
He entered the Zhiwuyi Palace today, what happened?
"I have seen Your Majesty."

Xu Jie managed to suppress his fear, and bowed to Emperor Jiajing who was sitting on the throne.

"Aiqing is flat."

Emperor Jiajing looked at Xu Jie and said after finishing the salute, "I called Aiqing into the palace so late, I just want to know where the Tartars are fighting now? How far is it from the capital?"

When Xu Jie heard Emperor Jiajing ask about the war in the north, he relaxed a little.

It's not that he doesn't worry about it, but because he has the minister of the Ministry of War to back him up, even if he has any responsibility, it's not as big as Yang Boda.

After thinking for a while, Xu Jie said, "In the afternoon, the Ministry of War sent reports from various parties and news from the Beijing camp. At present, the Mongolian Tatars, led by the bandit chief Huang Taiji, should still be harassing places near Shunyi."

"Is it just Shunyi?"

Emperor Jiajing frowned slightly and asked.

"It is reported that most of the Tartars are in the vicinity of Shunyi and Pinggu, and a small number of them have been in and out of Huairou, Sanhe and other places."

Xu Jie replied, then recalled the documents he had read two days ago, and hastily added: "A few days ago, a small group of Tartars appeared near Tongzhou, but they were not allowed to advance because of the obstruction of the river."

These, the cabinet sent them to the palace immediately after receiving the official letter from the Ministry of War. At this time, Emperor Jiajing's question made Xu Jie very puzzled.

"Is there something wrong with the official documents of the Ministry of War?"

A terrible idea appeared in his mind, but then he thought that Yang Bo is a man, he still has to be cautious, and there should be no mistakes.

"I climbed the high platform tonight and saw the fire. This thief is not far from Beijing."

Compared with the information obtained by Yang Xuan, the governor of Jiliao in Sanhe County, and Sun Bin, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, the military department has obviously discovered that the leader of the Tazi army this time is not Altan Khan, but his son Xin Aitaiji.

In fact, the official document has been delivered to all parties, but Sanhe has not received it yet.

Xu Jie's face changed drastically when he heard Emperor Jiajing's words.

Looking out from the high platform in Xiyuan, how far can you see with your eyes?
Can actually see the fire, this
At this time, Xu Jie came to the conclusion in his mind that someone from the Tartars should have crossed the Wenyu River and was approaching the capital.

Damn it, he didn't get this information from the Ministry of War when he left the Yamen this afternoon.

Xu Jie immediately panicked and said: "Your Majesty, I don't know about this matter, so I will go to the Ministry of War to find out."

"Go ahead, order the Ministry of War to order all the troops to exterminate them vigorously. If there are those who cowardly fight against the enemy, they will be severely punished."

Emperor Jiajing then spoke.

Seeing Xu Jie quickly walk out of the palace gate, he got up, walked slowly to the palace gate and looked out.

To be honest, at first he had great confidence in Yang Bo, but the flames he saw tonight made him a little worried about the current court.

Returning from Gaotai to Yongshou Palace, he asked Huang Jin to find the war reports of the Ministry of War for the past few days. After reading them in detail, he confirmed that there was no mention of Tartars crossing Wenyu River or Baichao River. Where did the fire come from.

It can only be said that the Ministry of War has neglected its duties, and the cabinet is also responsible.

I did not hesitate to call Xu Jie here today to remind him, I hope he can figure it out.

Xu Jie had already left the Yongshou Palace at this time, and hurried out of the palace under the leadership of the servant in front of the gate. He wanted to go to the Ministry of War to find out the situation immediately.

He already wanted to understand the reason why Emperor Jiajing called him here, maybe it was just to torment him and let him understand that now is not the time to enjoy himself comfortably.

Xu Jie made up his mind to find a room to rest in the Ministry of War tonight, to know the enemy's situation as soon as possible, as well as the movements of the Jizhen army.

However, what if the Tartars really found a ferry to cross the Wenyu River?
Then face the capital directly.

Thinking of this, Xu Jie couldn't help becoming more irritable. He knew what the soldiers in the Beijing camp looked like, and there were not many soldiers there to fight.

It's not that the Beijing camp raised a group of wastes. In fact, there were tens of all-round fighters in the Beijing camp. It's just that most of these people went to the homes of the rich and powerful in the capital to guard their homes and farms outside the city.

What they don't want is naturally a bunch of old and weak soldiers.

No, you have to ask Sun Bin to station a soldier outside Dongzhimen to guard against a sudden attack by the Tartars.

When the sun came out the next day, Xu Jie had already had a night's rest at the Ministry of War and returned to Xiyuan to handle official duties.

At this time, because of the war, the cabinet had moved to Xiyuan, and all official documents were sent to Wuyi Hall for processing.

The Ming army's Jizhen cavalry, also under the leadership of Sun Bin, galloped away thinking of Tongzhou.

After the Tartars descended from Miyunan, they mainly harassed the east of Huairou, the west of Pinggu, and the surrounding areas of Shunyi. There was no large group of Tartar cavalry in Tongzhou, so it was of course very safe.

Sun Bin is willing to accept Yang Xuan's order.

As for leading troops to attack from south to north, it must be carried out, but how to operate it is another matter.

Sun Bin has already made up his mind, now rest in Tongzhou for two days, let the soldiers recuperate before discussing the matter of marching north, I only hope that the Tartars will go back in these two days, the vanguard of the Xuanfu should have passed Juyongguan.

The cavalry marched very fast, and Sanhe was not far from Tongzhou. In just half a day, the army had already arrived in Tongzhou.

However, the city of Tongzhou was under martial law at this time, and Sun Bin could only lead his troops to wait outside the city until Lu Yi, the deputy envoy of Tongzhou military preparations, went up the tower before opening the city gate to let them in.

It's just that he didn't rest after entering the city, and Sun Bin quickly accepted an order from the Ministry of War.

"Separate a team to station at Dongzhimen."

At this time, Sun Bin was dissatisfied.

If you don't need 8000 troops, the Ministry of War will allocate [-] cavalry to strengthen the defense of the capital.

Late yesterday afternoon, the news that a small group of Tartars had crossed the Wenyu River and looted several surrounding villages had spread to the capital last night, and Xu Jie could only sleep peacefully after seeing this urgent report.

As stated in the battle report, there were no more than a hundred Tartars who crossed the river, and they had already returned to the north bank of the river after looting. They only had one boat, which could not meet the needs of the army to cross the river.

With the answer to the emperor, Xu Jie was naturally relieved.

However, Xu Jie reminded Yang Boyi about the accidental crossing of the river by a Tartar.

Regarding what happened tonight, Emperor Jiajing summoned him to Xiyuan in the middle of the night instead of hearing the news from the Ministry of War.

The emperor just wanted him to supervise the ministries, and he should be more diligent in his work at this time of national crisis.

At the same time, in order to prevent similar incidents from happening, a team of troops is needed outside the capital city to stand by. Once a Tartar is found crossing the river, it will attack immediately to eliminate the enemy.

Therefore, the Ministry of War issued this order overnight.

At this moment, the closest to the capital is naturally the Jizhen army under the command of Sun Bin, and it is not surprising that the order came here.

There are still 6000 troops, let's wait until the Xuanfu army arrives.

Regarding the order of the Ministry of War, Sun Bin naturally did not dare to delay, and immediately selected 2000 people, and ordered them to set off again after lunch, and rushed to Dongzhimen of the capital overnight.

When they got there, the Ministry of War and the Beijing Camp naturally allocated supplies to them.

Everything seemed to be in his own hands, and Sun Bin did not feel worried about the transfer of two thousand soldiers.

This kind of mood just disappeared on the second day.

When he received an official document from Yang Xuan asking him to immediately lead his troops to Zhengguantun on the border of Sanhe County to rescue General Fujin of Sanhe who was besieged by the Tartars, he didn't know what language to use to express his feelings at the moment.

Just rushed to Tongzhou from Sanhe, and only had a day's rest, and the soldiers and horses were divided into 2000 people, not to mention, and now one part is surrounded by Tartars.

Immediately, Sun Bin summoned the generals Feng Zhao, Zhao Qin, Hu Can, Guerrilla Yan Zhan and others to discuss the matter.

According to Yang Xuan's official document, he was asked to lead 3000 troops to rescue and pay the allowance. The previous order is still valid, and the remaining 5000 troops are required to attack in the direction of Shunyi.

He took away 3000 people, and where did the remaining [-] soldiers come from? Now Sun Bin was really roasted on the fire.

He deliberately ignored this order, but the biggest official in Tongzhou City was not him, the Chief Soldier of Ji Town. Although he was the highest rank, it was Lu Yi, the deputy envoy of military preparations, who really kept his word.

Does he dare to disobey?
dare not.

In the current Ming Dynasty, military generals really dare not contradict civil servants. The most important thing is that he has no foundation in the court, and there is no one to talk to when something happens.

The mission that was originally thought to be foolproof did not expect to encounter repeated accidents. At this time, Sun Bin's depression can be imagined.

But fortunately, according to the official document, Hu Zhen, the deputy general of Miyun, will also lead his troops, and he will lead two thousand cavalry to flank the Tartars. According to the official document, there are only more than 2000 Tartar cavalry in Zhengguantun. It is the largest force nearby.

Speaking of which, according to Yang Xuan's plan, the Ming army will invest nearly 7000 troops in Zhengguantun, including 2000 cavalry and more than 2000 infantry. It is indeed capable of fighting with more than [-] Mongolian Tartars.

After letting the generals see Yang Xuan's warrant, Sun Bin began to order generals.

"Feng Zhao and Zhao Qin led the troops to follow me to Zhengguantun to rescue General Fu, and Hu Can led the remaining troops to go northward and move closer to Shunyi."

Relatively speaking, after this order was issued, Hu Can was the most dissatisfied. He only had 3000 people, but he wanted to go to Shunyi, that is, to eliminate the Tartars he saw along the way.

Although they were all stragglers, he only had less than 3000 men in his hands. If the tartars reacted quickly enough to quickly contact a few stragglers, he would be in danger.

And the soldiers led by Sun Bin will expand to 7000 after arriving in Zhengguantun, so safety is assured.

Helpless, Lu Yi, the deputy envoy of Tongzhou military preparations, was staring at the side, how could he dare to disobey the military order.

"I have sent people to prepare food and grass for you. According to Governor Yang's order, you should unite sincerely and fight the enemy with all your might."

Lu Yi saw that everyone had received the general order, and immediately said with a smile.

But in his heart, he still despised these warriors.

I was very active when I was fishing for money, but when it was time to go all out, I couldn't see a few warriors.

He also has another order from Yang Xuan in his hand, that is, when Yang Xuan is worried that Sun Bin and others are afraid of the enemy, he can directly take down Sun Bin in the name of military preparation.

He has no right to deal with Sun Bin, a second-rank military general, but he can be ordered to detain him first.

Soon, the hall was empty, only Sun Bin and Lu Yi were left.

The other generals had already returned to their respective barracks to prepare, and at this time, of course, rescue was like putting out a fire, and there was no delay.

Although, in their hearts, they may still be planning to procrastinate for time, but it is obvious that Lu Yi will not give them this chance.

When he led his troops out of the city again, Sun Bin was in a very complicated mood.

Unknowingly, he had an ominous premonition after repeated accidents.

At this time, in Zhengguantun, the more than 2000 people led by Fu Jin had suffered heavy losses, and there were no more than a thousand soldiers capable of fighting.

He and Sun Bin left Sanhe one after the other. Their original intention was to inspect the border of Sanhe and expel the Tartars who invaded and harassed. However, they were surprised by a large group of Tartar cavalry and had to retreat to Zhengguantun to defend.

How did he know that when Sun Bin led his troops into Sanhe County, the whereabouts of the Ming army had been discovered by Huang Taiji's scouts.

Raiding infantry with cavalry is the Mongols' favorite style of play, which naturally caused heavy losses to Fu Jin.

And letting them retreat into Zhengguantun was actually a bait that Huang Taiji wanted to put on the Ming army.

Although they did not plan to attack the capital, they had to teach the Ming court a lesson. It would be impossible not to annihilate a Ming army.

At this time, Huang Taiji was recalling various stragglers, telling them to suspend the looting, and prepared a pocket to hold the cavalry of the Ming army in Jizhen.

(End of this chapter)