prosperous age

Chapter 768 867 Weiyuan Fort

Just when a few people were about to reach the cabinet, a person ran into the Huiji Gate. Although he was panting, his speed was not slow at all.

They saw a person wearing a scarlet patchwork uniform. Although they could not clearly see his face and chest patch, several people involuntarily stopped and looked over.

Where is this place and how can someone be allowed to run like this?
The only explanation is that something big happened in the outer court, so they were in such a hurry.

When he got closer and saw several people clearly, the man shouted: "Several pavilion elders, Datong police call."

At this time, Wei Guangde was the first to recognize the person.

"This is the Minister of War, Zhang Qian."

Wei Guangde whispered to the others beside him.

When they got closer, Li Chunfang, the chief assistant, had already stepped forward to stand in front of the other cabinet ministers and asked Zhang Qian: "What happened in Datong?"

"Sir, Chief Assistant, we received news from the Datong Army Fort today. Tens of thousands of Anda troops raided the Weiyuan Fort on Datong West Road. The Governor of Xuanda, Chen Qixue, has ordered General Hu Zhen, Ma Fang and other generals to lead the rescue force."

Zhang Qian hurriedly handed over the military report and briefly explained the situation in Datong.

"The military report from the past two days didn't say that I was in Pinglu City, so why did I raid Weiyuan Fort again?"

Although Li Chunfang took the military report, she did not open it and read it. Instead, she turned to look at Wei Guangde.

Military reports received by the cabinet are all sent directly to Wei Guangde, who is actually the Minister of Military Affairs in the cabinet.

"The Anda army moved outside Datong a month ago, and all roads in Datong have been strictly defended. The Anda army first invaded the old camp at Pinglu Biankou. Because the officers and soldiers did not dare to invade due to the tight defense, they were forced to go south to Shuoying Mountain Huai. All roads.

Because Datong's commander-in-chief Ma Fang and deputy commander-in-chief Ma Jin were also well prepared, the thieves turned to the area around Shuikou'er on the West Road and attacked Pinglu City. "

Wei Guangde said this, looked at Li Chunfang and said: "Maybe Pinglu City is well-defended. Seeing that there was no chance, the Luqi continued to move westward. This is Weiyuan Road."

Having said this, Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Qian and asked: "Who is the guard of Weiyuan Fort now? Can we take careful precautions?"

"Weiyuan Route Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yuan Shizhu was guarded separately, and General Yang Jin was on guard. However, the Weiyuan Fort was in dilapidated condition, and attempts to repair it were unsuccessful. This is why Governor Chen urgently mobilized the surrounding Ming troops for rescue."

Zhang Qian replied that he obviously had a clear understanding of Datong West Road before coming here. He knew that this place seemed to be the weakest link among the military fortresses in Datong, and the situation was very dangerous.

"After Weiyuan Fort, are there any forts? Is it possible to go directly to Shanxi?"

Although Wei Guangde had seen the map of the Ministry of War, the map used by the Ming army in this generation was very different from that of later generations, and the directions were inaccurate. Therefore, it was difficult for Wei Guangde to determine the specific location based on the map alone.

Although he has been to Xuanfu, he has not visited all of Xuanfu, let alone Datong, which is the westernmost area of ​​Datong and close to Yansui Town.

"The battle report should have been sent to Shanxi, and Shanxi should be prepared."

At this time, Gao Gong intervened and said, "The battle has been fought like this. Let's wait for Chen Qixue to report. It is beyond our reach to issue an order now."

"Also, the Ministry of War should proceed as soon as possible and let other passes of the Great Wall be strictly defended to prevent surprise attacks by cavalry."

Zhang Juzheng said immediately.

"We should mobilize Yansui, Ningxia and other troops to move closer to Shanxi."

Wei Guangde glanced at Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, and said: "It was reported that the grassland was extremely cold in winter last year, and the Anda Department estimated that it suffered heavy losses. The Department moved outside Datong in the beginning of spring. It was obviously well prepared.

This time around the Datong Fort, perhaps they wanted to break into Shanxi and plunder.

Since our department suffered heavy losses last winter, it was an opportunity to hit them hard. "

"What does Mr. Wei Ge mean?"

When Zhang Qian heard Wei Guangde's words, he understood a little, but also didn't understand. So he opened his mouth to ask for clarification.

“The Ministry of War immediately sent a message to surrounding military towns and capital offices in Shanxi, asking them to assemble troops as soon as possible.

If Weiyuan Fort is lost and the captives march south to Shanxi, all the troops will immediately encircle them, and they cannot be allowed to come or leave as they please.

Ma Fang led his troops to guard the front line of the Great Wall, and they must stop people in the pass and suppress them. "

Wei Guangde continued, "This matter needs to be done as soon as possible. The Ministry of War will report to all ministries today to supervise this matter."

"The following is easy, but if Weiyuan Fort is defended, I will go north."

When Zhang Qian was still hesitating, Wei Guangde smiled and said: "The Ming army won the battle, wouldn't it be a good thing to defeat An Da?

This arrangement is just to prepare for the worst. The border town will be destroyed, and the captive cavalry will go south to plunder in large quantities. Xuanda and Yansui troops must put themselves in their pockets and prevent him from getting away. "

In the past few years, Anda Khan was stopped by the Ming army several times when he went south. However, an accident occurred the year before last. Anda Khan broke into Shanxi and the Shizhou City massacre occurred, which triggered a major earthquake in the officialdom. Many people were dismissed from office and exiled.

Zhang Qian was obviously thinking about his previous years, so he was very worried about the consequences of such an arrangement.

It would be best if he could stop Lu Qi, but if he couldn't, it would be another big earthquake in the officialdom, and countless people would be punished for it.

"Don't worry about victory before thinking about defeat. The words of good lending are justified."

Gao Gong took the lead to speak again, supporting Wei Guangde's words.

No matter how the battle at Weiyuan Fort turns out, we must first make preparations for the captives to march south. The final result will depend on how the border generals fight.

If you do well, you will be rewarded with promotion. If you do not do well, you will be dismissed and demoted. But this is a matter for military officers. Civil servants only need to decide on the strategy.

"In this way, Shandai will be fully responsible for this battle. He will coordinate the matter with the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Revenue will provide support. Shandai will directly ask Liu Tigan for the request."

Only then did Li Chunfang speak up and tell her her arrangement.

After the chief assistant's words came out, the others had no objection and nodded in agreement.

Mobilizing troops and horses from military towns and capitals around Shanxi will be very expensive as long as there is a war. However, regardless of whether there is such expenditure, the Ministry of Finance must come up with military supplies, otherwise they will not be able to bear the responsibility for defeat.

"Then I'll go directly to the Ministry of War with Mr. Zhang to have a look. I'll leave you all with the cabinet matters."

Wei Guangde did not flinch, he directly cupped his hands at several people, and then walked to Huiji Gate with Zhang Qian.

"Hey, when will the provocation here end?"

Li Chunfang looked at Wei Guangde and Zhang Qian leaving and sighed.

It was very difficult to maintain the Ming Dynasty in these years. In addition, the Anta Ministry had to provoke conflicts several times every year, and it was also very difficult for the court to support it.

"I hope Weiyuan Fort can win a big victory this time, otherwise the war will spread to Shanxi and the court will have a difficult time this year."

Only then did Chen Yiqin say, "The flood control alone has almost exhausted the remaining quota of the imperial court this year. Last time, I asked the Imperial Procuratorate to send various censors to collect the tax arrears from various local governments." , I think you really need to think about it carefully."

"It doesn't matter if it's urging, but those people in the province are thinking about waiting for the government to exempt taxes all day long. They are harming the public and enriching themselves, and they are doing so under the guise of benefiting the people."

Gao Gong immediately expressed his support.

At the beginning of the month, a quarrel between the two yamen arose because the Ministry of Industry asked the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate money, and it went to the cabinet.

So Wei Guangde suggested sending censors to various provinces to collect tax arrears and collect more money.

It's just that this kind of thing is very involved, because most of the people who owe taxes are large local households, and the relationships in the officialdom are complicated. If it doesn't happen, there will be many people asking for mercy. Therefore, the court will usually not send people to collect the taxes unless it is a last resort.You know, these tax arrears would drag on for several years. At some point, the emperor would be happy to waive the taxes, which was equivalent to making a lot of money in vain.

As for the so-called benefits to the people, that is just what officials say.

If the people dare to owe taxes, I really think that the government officials will not dare to go to their homes and confiscate their money.

Except for those local tycoons, the small country squires dare not owe taxes, otherwise the county magistrate Wu Shamao will still have to give up.

"When Ge Yushi arrives, we will discuss this matter with him."

Zhang Juzheng saw that Chen Yiqin and Gao Gong had expressed their opinions, and he also expressed his support.

“But when the time comes, we should also discuss a charter to increase penalties for local tax arrears and assessments.

Those who get the best evaluation will not be required to pay taxes in arrears during their term of office. "

Gao Gong suggested.

"But if this is the case, what if the people encounter accidents and cannot pay taxes? Wouldn't they be forced to go bankrupt and have their families destroyed by the cruel local officials?"

Chen Yiqin hesitated.

In fact, those who were in arrears with taxes in the local area were large households, but when the taxes were reported, they became poor people. This is also the reason why tax arrears persisted from beginning to end in the Ming Dynasty. The imperial court could not order strict tax collection and no arrears.

Because if such a government order is issued, it will be criticized by thousands of people and despised by everyone.

"If we don't check it, we'll just let it become popular, huh."

Gao Gong was quite dissatisfied with Chen Yiqin's words. After speaking, he couldn't help but snorted, and Fo Xiu walked towards the cabinet.

"Let's go back to the pavilion to do some business. I still have a lot of official documents that I haven't read."

Li Chunfang just glanced at Gao Gong, who had taken the first step, shook her head and greeted the others.

But Chen Yiqin stood there, definitely looking at Gao Gong leaving, with a trace of sadness in his heart.

"Yifu, let's go."

Seeing Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng also walking back, Yin Shizhen took two steps and then stepped back, and said to Chen Yiqin.

"What do you mean by Gao Suqing's statement that the wind covers the sky?"

Chen Yiqin didn't move his feet, but asked Yin Shizhen.

"Fengwei" describes a scene where wind blows dust and the sky is gloomy. Gao Gong just said that "wind covers the sky". Doesn't it mean that the sand and dust in the court blocked the emperor's sight and made him look down on the situation.

And if he said it with Gao Gong, wouldn't it mean that other people in their cabinet were uniting the court to deceive the emperor and prevent him from seeing the real situation.

Yin Shizhen was actually furious when he heard Gao Gong say this, but he barely suppressed his temper and answered Chen Yiqin's question: "Of all the officials in the world, he is the only one who is an upright official."

"wrong."

But obviously, Chen Yiqin was not thinking about this, but asked suspiciously: "You said that he is now in charge of the official department. Will he use this as an excuse to raise interregnums one after another?"

"Are you worried that he has ulterior motives in manipulating the police to eliminate dissidents?"

After being reminded by Chen Yiqin, Yin Shizhen also realized that what Gao Gong said was probably not that simple.

"Let's see, if he is really like this, we will have a good fight with him in the cabinet.

Wanting to take advantage of this to retaliate, we used the discord system as an excuse to propose the abolition of the intercession police in order to purify the atmosphere in the court. I think we will get the support of all officials. "

Yin Shizheng said.

Zhang Juzheng was also silent when he returned to check the room. He didn't know if Li Chunfang had realized it. Anyway, like Chen Yiqin, he also felt that Gao Gong's words were a little unusual and seemed to mean something.

"Well, it depends on the situation."

After thinking for a long time, Zhang Juzheng just sighed.

We should not only listen to his words, but also watch his actions for this kind of thing. Only when he actually does it can he get into trouble.

Just relying on the movement of his mouth is just a guess, and it is not easy to use it as an excuse.

Wei Guangde had also entered the Ministry of War at this time. In Huo Yi's duty room, he learned about the current situation of the Ministry of War and shared his thoughts.

"Then I will immediately summon officials from the Staff Department and the Military Selection Department to discuss the deployment of troops and generals. Once the recruitment of troops and horses is confirmed, I will immediately issue a summons."

After hearing Wei Guangde's plan, Huo Yi planned to mobilize soldiers and horses from various towns outside Shanxi to prepare for a large-scale encirclement battle. He did not object, but supported it.

As far as the moment is concerned, it is not difficult to prepare the various departments below.

After all, we don’t know what Weiyuan Fort will be like now, but it is still necessary to prepare the surrounding areas.

When the Anda tribe broke into Shanxi, it was because of the lack of preparations of the various tribes that the captives felt like they were in an uninhabited land. They could come and go freely in the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, which was really embarrassing.

When Huo Yi gathered his men, Wei Guangde also sat down and then carefully read the report of the Xuan War. He knew that Chen Qixue had spent almost all his money on this battle. Except for the Xuanfu army, which did not move, almost the entire army of Datong and Shanxi was mobilized. Fight.

Just the mobilization of nearly ten generals including Guo Hu, Ma Fang, Hu Zhen, Bai Tianfu, Ma Kongying, Yang Jin, Ma Jin, etc. Wei Guangde's brows jumped when he saw this.

Many of them are the general guards of Datong and Shanxi towns. With the mobilization of these troops, other roads will be empty.

I just hope that Chen Qixue's information is correct and that the main force of the An'ansai Department is here. Otherwise, if the strategy is to attack the east and attack the west, Datong will be in danger.

With the arrival of officials from the Zhongfang Department and the Military Selection Department, they quickly planned the various military posts to be deployed according to the military system and maps. The Military Selection Department then determined the candidates for the main generals and deputy generals of the Ming army. The Ministry of War immediately issued a document everywhere.

The Ministry of War showed rare high efficiency. In the afternoon, all official documents were sent out by fast horse before the official office.

"Shandai, we have mobilized a lot of troops from various places this time. Do you think the Ministry of War should send someone to take charge of this battle?"

After the arrangements were made, Huo Yi asked Wei Guangde privately.

"Leave it to Chen Qixue to fight first. If the war really spreads to Shanxi, it may be necessary to do this."

Wei Guangde thought about it and said that Chen Qixue had the right to command the Xuan army, but he could not just garrison troops in Shanxi, Gansu, Henan and other places. When the time comes, the command must be unified, either by delegating power or by sending minister-level officials from the Ministry of War.

But it seems that there is no need to make such preparations hastily at this stage. What if Hu Zhen and Ma Fang win?
When the time comes, the order from the Ministry of War to send senior officials to supervise the war will become a joke.

"By the way, I will also send a message to Tan Lun, asking the forts in Ji Town to strictly defend themselves. Qi Jiguang left a force behind, and the rest of the troops left Santun camp and moved westward to Miyun, ready to support at any time.

Xuanfu and Jizhen are always the most important and cannot be lost. "

Wei Guangde suddenly thought of his previous worries and spoke.

Even if Anda Khan defeated Datong, he would have only two choices, either go south to Shanxi to plunder, or attack east to attack Xuanfu.

Shanxi has already made arrangements, and all that remains is to strengthen the defense of Xuanfu.

(End of this chapter)