prosperous age

Chapter 642 Chapter 641 Shanxi
Coming out of Chen Yiqin's house, Wei Guangde leaned on the carriage, and couldn't help thinking of Ge Shouli in his mind.

This Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs probably didn't even think of it, but he had been abandoned by the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty before he knew it.

In fact, judging from Ge Shouli's work performance since he took over as Minister of the Household Department, this is a person who wants to do things, but the world is unpredictable.

As soon as he took office, he encountered two cabinet bosses choking each other, and he also lay down.

Maybe he just wanted to avoid right and wrong in his heart, but there are some right and wrong that can't be avoided.

In particular, he is already in a high position, Minister of the Household Department, and his ranking among the six departments is not low.

The official department has been delaying the matter that Ge Shouli explained to him. In the first few days, he thought that the official department had to go through the normal procedure, so he didn't think much about it.

But as time went by, after more than ten days, Wei Guangde didn't give him any news, and Ge Shouli couldn't sit still.

But at this time, he wanted to meet Wei Guangde in the official department, but it was a bit difficult. When he went outside the value room and looked inside, the door was closed, obviously no one was in the yamen.

When I asked someone, it turned out that he was out on errands.

Helpless, Ge Shouli had no choice but to see Yang Bo, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and asked him to urge him, so a few more days passed.

What he didn't know was that when he stepped into the gate of the official department, even if Wei Guangde was on duty, he would immediately change places.

It was really difficult for him to refuse in person, because Ge Shouli's request was a common practice, and it was also a very small matter.

But someone above wanted to play tricks, especially Chen Yiqin's intention to change another person, so he couldn't refute this intention.

Don't look at him as the third-rank servant of the Ministry of Officials in the Ming Dynasty, and he can be considered a high-ranking official in the court, but he is still far behind the cabinet ministers and the six ministers.

After more than ten days, Ge Shouli felt that something was wrong, and the officials under the Ministry of Officials secretly spread the news, and they all laughed at him behind his back for his overestimation.

How can you swallow this breath when you are the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs? Now it is only spread in the yamen. If it spreads, will he still have the face of being a dignified minister?
When he came to the official department again, he still didn't see Wei Guangde, so he had to go to Yang Bo.

But this time, the answer he got from Yang Bo was that the merit examination department had reviewed the performance appraisals of the officials of the household department over the years, and there was no one who was inferior, and the current official positions in various places were full, so there was no way to transfer them outside.

It wasn't until this time that he realized that the Ministry of Officials hadn't planned to replace the people in the Ministry of Households from the very beginning.

Although the Ministry of Officials is known as the official of heaven, it is in charge of the official hats of officials all over the world, but it really can't control the Minister of the Ministry of Officials and the Minister.

But his household department is not vegetarian. If the officials want to withdraw money from the household department in the future, you can just dream.

Ge Shouli was still thinking about whether he would suppress Yang Bo's prestige by suppressing the officials' salary and Zhitang silver for three months, but it occurred to him after getting into the sedan chair that he hardly saw important official documents now.

It was only at this time that Ge Shouli became a little bewildered, internally unstable, and it was difficult to take revenge on the bureaucrats.

If this matter is played for impeachment, it may not be effective.

After all, the two ministers of the household department, as well as the minister and minister of the official department were involved.

The most important thing is that if they did this, wouldn't they be afraid that Xu Shoufu would hold them accountable?
Xu Jie?

Thinking of this smiling tiger, Ge Shouli shivered for no reason.

When I went to the household department by myself, everything was normal at first, but it changed a lot after the memorial.

And the memorandum was not signed by him, so Xu Jie would not be hated for it, right?

Xu Ge wouldn't be so narrow-minded?

Or, his generosity in the past was just a disguise?

Ge Shouli was a little uncertain, so he stopped the bearers, and instead of going back to the yamen of the household department, he went to the cabinet instead. He wanted to confirm Xu Jie's attitude towards him.

Those people in the Ministry of Finance dared to treat him like this, obviously not because of their own ideas, but because the people above were fueling the flames.

He hasn't had any grudges with anyone since he arrived in the capital, so it stands to reason that no one should target him.

If there must be one, it can only be Xu Jie.

After a cup of tea, when Ge Shouli walked out from the inside, his footsteps were still a bit vain.

Xu Jie's attitude towards him remained the same as usual, he was still soft-spoken, patted his chest and asked him to go back and wait for news about what he reported, and he would communicate with the officials.

However, he has encountered such a situation several times in the Ministry of Officials, and it is another trick of procrastination.

Although Ge Shouli had only been an official in the capital for a short time, he had rich experience as an official in the local area. Naturally, he could roughly judge it by observing his words and demeanor and his experience in contacting the officials.

Xu Jie and Yang Bo were in the same group, and it was no wonder that when Xu Jie was impeached, Yang Bo would contact some veteran officials to join forces to support Xu Jie.

Ge Shouli knew that he couldn't stay in the household department anymore.

The six ministers can't get the support of Yamen officials, and can't get the help of the cabinet. How can he do things?

Coming out of the cabinet, Ge Shouli went straight home and locked himself in his study, not bothering to go to the yamen.

At this time, he was a little disheartened, thinking that he had seen through all the plots, and it was the old man Xu Jie who was doing the tricks, and he remembered that he refused to take his side against Gao Gong back then.

After thinking about it for a night, Ge Shouli hastily submitted his official post a few months after taking over as Minister of the Household Department for the purpose of protecting his life wisely. He asked Emperor Longqing to allow him to go home to take care of his mother on the grounds that his elderly mother had no one to take care of him at home.

The memorial was sent to the cabinet, and Xu Jiepiao wanted to praise Ge Shouli's filial piety, and repeatedly mentioned that his mother was old and frail, and that Ge Shouli should be allowed to return to his hometown to respect his filial piety.

Emperor Longqing didn't know what the purpose was, perhaps because Gao Gong was in a bad mood after he left, so he approved it directly, and asked the cabinet and the Ministry of Officials to select a candidate for the Minister of the Household Department as soon as possible to report.

According to the usual practice, this kind of resignation should be thoughtful, and it should be rejected twice first, and then approved when it is sent up for the third time.

After all, Ge Shouli was not punished for making mistakes.

The last time he wanted to release the people Xu Dang placed in Ke Dao, Xu Jie found out and stopped him, but when dealing with some people in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Wei Guangde directly took action.

There is Wang Ting, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Zuodu Censor as the internal response, and several Xu party backbones are released directly to the outside, and finally the official department makes a report to the cabinet and the emperor.

The approval of the cabinet and the emperor is not required for the statement. After all, it is only arranged by officials below the fifth rank, and even the cabinet has no right to intervene in the affairs of the officials.

Regarding Wei Guangde's shot, Xu Jie just frowned, although he was not happy, but he didn't want to tear himself apart with Yu Yu's old man in a short time.

Because he also thought that behind Wei Guangde's attack, Chen Yiqin and others should have acquiesced, perhaps the purpose was to vent his anger on Emperor Longqing.

I have offended the emperor and the hidden ministers, and let them vent their anger. It seems that it is not a bad thing if they can end the matter of forcing Gao Gong away.

That's what Xu Jie thought. As for whether Emperor Longqing could vent his grievances, that's unknown.

However, at this time, the attention of the imperial court was once again attracted by the Datong War Report.

Since the [-]th day of May in the first year of Longqing, more than [-] people from Ida's tribe committed crimes at Ren Dagou and other places in Datong. The general Liu Guo led troops to resist, fought in Xishan and Xiejiawa, and Ida led them back.

In the next few months, the Alda Department continued to entangle in the vicinity of Datong, repeatedly sending troops to harass the military forts in Datong, and even a large group of cavalry appeared outside the Great Wall of Xuanfu.

All signs show that Altan Khan's plan this time is very big, and he seems to have plans to find the weak point of Xuanda's defense line and break through again.

After the Ministry of War deliberated, on the one hand, it reported the military situation, and on the other hand, it also allowed the Datong Army to resend the troops it had originally drawn back to the frontline military fort for defense.

According to the military situation in the past, the Ministry of War analyzed that it was unlikely that the cavalry would enter the Kou Xuan Mansion. In fact, the previous raids on the Xuan Mansion did not bring any benefits, especially after the Wanquan battle last year.

Of course, according to the previous intelligence, the Ministry of War also issued orders to strengthen vigilance to other border towns to prevent raids by captive cavalry.

However, such an order is actually meaningless to the border town that has been fighting all the year round.

It's just that for the Ministry of War, it's just an errand.

I have done everything I need to do, and the next step is to wait for the battle report from the general of Bian Town.

As for the war, with the current speed of news transmission, it is impossible for the capital to command remotely. It can only be arranged in advance, and finally the commanders of each town will decide according to the situation.

On the fourth day of September, the capital finally received an urgent report from the border towns. Al Da Khan led [-] cavalry to attack Shuozhou, Laoying, and Piantouguan in three routes.

Among the positions of the three routes, Shuozhou belongs to the defense area of ​​Datong Town, while Laoying and Piantouguan are the defense areas of Shanxi Town. It can be said that the purpose of Altan Khan is very clear. He wants to start from the weak defense of Datong Town and Shanxi Town Everywhere into the army.

Tian Shiwei, the deputy commander in chief of the old battalion, defended Yingcheng by himself, and sent guerrilla general Fang Zhen to lead his troops to fight. After the defeat, he retreated back to the city and dared not leave the city again.

Governor Wang Zhigao heard about the change, and sent [-] cavalry to arrive at Yanmen Pass in the starry night, and [-] cavalry from Datong and Yansui also arrived, but they all looked at each other and dared not go forward.

At this point in the battle report, the Ministry of War has analyzed the key point of Alta Khan's army advance this time, that is, the main force of Alta Khan is to attack the old battalion, and the attack on Shuozhou and Piantouguan is a fake army, the purpose is to disperse the Ming army troops.

In the next few days, battle reports from all over Shanxi continued to come in. The main force of Alda Khan went all the way south. Although he did not break through important cities, he looted along the way and broke down many guards. The Ming army suffered heavy losses.

"This is a map of Shanxi. Let's see what I Dahan's plan is?"

In Chen Yiqin's study room, there was a map of Shanxi spread on the desk. Chen Yiqin stood in front of the map and indicated to Wei Guangde that the imperial court knew the route of Alta Khan's march.

Since the old camp went south, Altan Khan did not attack Yanmen Pass as most people expected, and he didn't even go to Daizhou, but went south along the Fenshui River.

When Shanxi officials panicked, thinking that the purpose of Alta Khan's attack this time was to attack Taiyuan, there was no trace of Alta Khan's army around Taiyuan Mansion.

"Until now, there has been no military report from Shanxi, and I don't know where the An Da Khan army has gone. It's really hard to sleep and eat. Your Majesty has urged me many times today."

At this time, Chen Yiqin was no longer as graceful and calm as before. You must know that this was the first time Emperor Longqing came to the throne. If he suffered a major blow at this time, it would be a provocation to the emperor's prestige, and the emperor would lose face.

"The largest city in Shanxi is Taiyuan Mansion. The Tartars are running thousands of miles away. If Taiyuan Mansion is not the target, then what is the plan?"

Speaking of this, Wei Guangde stopped at Yangqu in the north of Taiyuan Mansion, then slid eastward, all the way to Meng County, and finally to Guguan.

"According to the military report, there are only 3 cavalry troops on this road, and they are attacking Guguan. Do they want to attack Zhending Mansion!"

Thinking of this, Chen Yiqin dared not say any more shocking words.

But soon he shook his head, "I Da Khan has insufficient troops, so he should not dare to invade the capital again.

Someone from the Ministry of War has analyzed this route of entry, although this is the most reasonable explanation given by the Shanxi Military Daily. "

Break through the Guguan, and the cavalry can reach Zhending, and then go north to Baoding and other prefectures, until approaching the capital from the southwest.

This route is a bit far, but it can bypass Yanmen Pass, Daotou Pass, Zijing Pass and other important passes on the Great Wall, and go directly to the foot of the capital.

Such a scene at the new emperor's enthronement ceremony was a big blow to Emperor Longqing's prestige in the country.

It is precisely because the distance is too far that there is a lot of opposition in the Ministry of War. Once the captive cavalry is defeated in one battle, it may lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

Fighting wars is actually about arrogance, and the aura of continuous victories is high. Once defeated, once an expedition with this kind of hard work encounters obstacles, it is very likely that they will be surrounded and wiped out by the swarming Ming army.

"Tarzi are sure you have passed Jingle?"

Wei Guangde asked with a frown.

"Yes, Jingle has discovered the traces of the captive cavalry."

Chen Yiqin replied.

Wei Guangde pointed to Lan County to the west of Jingle and asked, "Are there any traces of Tartars in Lan County?"

"No."

After receiving Chen Yiqin's affirmative answer, Wei Guangde shook his head, and then his face became gloomy: "The Tartars have entered the pass and raided for hundreds of miles, and have entered the hinterland of Shanxi, and they can even disappear."

Yes, according to the last military report, Jingle is only two hundred miles away from Taiyuan Mansion.

"The army marches in cover, doesn't it?"

Chen Yiqin asked without knowing it.

"You can still hide in the hinterland. The only thing you can do is to kill everyone along the way, otherwise the scouts sent by the surrounding cities will find out the news."

Wei Guangde just replied in a low voice, "It's been a few days, has the Ministry of War sent a message to Zhenwu, Baoding and other prefectures to urgently mobilize the guards in Beizhili to support Shanxi?"

Afterwards, he slid his finger up and quickly found Yanmen Pass and said: "The army here should be ordered to send a part of them to the west and station at Ningwu Pass, and the Yansui Army will enter the old camp to block the retreat of the Tartars."

"The Ministry of War received news last time. It is rumored that the traitor Zhao Quan once told Al Da Khan that Shizhou and Xizhou are rich and rich in iron. Do you think the target of the cavalry is there?"

Chen Yiqin said suddenly.

Wei Guangde soon found Shizhou in the west of Taiyuan Mansion, and the south of Shizhou is Xizhou.

After confirming the locations of Shizhou and Xizhou, Wei Guangde suddenly discovered a problem, that is, if the target of An Dahan's entry into the customs is really the two places Zhao Quan said, after the Yansui Army advances eastward to support Shanxi, the Tartars can completely After the looting, they also went west, entered Yansui Town, and exited the side wall from Yansui. The distance seemed to be closer than the way they came from.

"The official road to the west of Shizhou, Wubao, Suide, and Mizhi, can reach the Yansui side wall."

Wei Guangde looked at Chen Yiqin after sliding his finger, "Where are the 1 people in Yansui?"

"It should be at the top of the head. Someone suggested to let them follow and chase, but you also know that the order may not be executed."

Chen Yiqin replied.

The Ming army was able to defend the city, but the field battle had little chance of winning.

"It's over, it's over."

Wei Guangde shook his head and sighed.

(End of this chapter)