Xian Sun of the Ning Mansion of the Red Chamber

Chapter 181

"Eight hundred li in Datong Town, hurry up!"

"Eight hundred li in Datong Town, hurry up!"

On the loess official road outside the capital, a roll of yellow dust billowed, and the soldiers with the triangular yellow silk dragon pattern banners galloped on their horses, and went straight into the Chengtian Gate, and the general reported to the Ministry of War.

After a while, Yan Huasong, Minister of the Ministry of War, hurriedly left the lobby of the Ministry of War and headed for Wenyuan Pavilion.

In the Huagai Hall, Jiade and more than six ministers from the imperial court gathered together, everyone looked dignified.

I only heard Li Endi, the chief assistant, say: "Your Majesty, according to the military report delivered by Deng Enyu from Datong, [-] troops from the King Zuoguli of the Xiongnu besieged the city, and after that there were [-] soldiers from the King's Court of Borzigit Khan. The main force, the five cities of naturalization, Yunchuan, and Yulin on the central line have been broken, the war on the eastern front has advanced to the front line of Langmatai, Huyukou, and Baiyangkou, and the Piantou Pass on the western line has been breached. The whole line of Datong is in emergency. Deng Enyu asked the imperial court to send troops to the north for support. The situation is critical. Your Majesty should make a decision."

Jiade's complexion is a bit ugly, God seems to be against him, Jiade's dynasty, when there will be waves of ups and downs, when will it be a head!

"Is there any military report from Xuanfu? Where is Jizhou? What do the frontier soldiers do? How could they not have noticed beforehand!"

Yan Huasong, who had just been promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War, had not yet sat firmly on his buttocks, and encountered such a major event, his forehead was covered with dense sweat at this moment.Hearing the emperor's inquiry, he hurried out of the shift and replied: "Your Majesty, a few days ago, Jia Ying, a member of the military department who accompanied the king of Beijing on a west tour, sent an urgent letter to the military department, saying that the grassland may be severely drought this year. The imperial court ordered the border gate to pay close attention to the movements of the Huns.

After receiving Jia Ying's urgent delivery, the minister ordered people to go to Xuanfu and Jizhou two towns to investigate the movements of the Huns.

Five days ago, the Xuan Mansion sent a military report to the Ministry of War, saying that there were suddenly more rangers on the grasslands outside the pass, and the Ministry of War had dispatched a battalion of soldiers and horses to go north, and ordered the general of the Xuan Mansion to send someone to investigate the situation clearly. , has not yet received a return.Jizhou has not yet sent military information to Beijing. "

Zhou Quan, a scholar of the Hall of Martial Arts, frowned when he heard the words, looked at Yan Huasong and asked, "Master Yan, since it was the military report delivered by the Xuanfu, why didn't the Ministry of War report it to the cabinet? There is also the report delivered by Jia Ying, why didn't you see it?" Report to the Ministry of War? You are delaying the military plane!"

When Yan Huasong heard the words, he couldn't help but feel tense. The moment he received the urgent military report from Datong [-] Li today, Yan Huasong had a premonition that someone in the court would definitely think of him, the new Minister of the Ministry of War, as a troublemaker.

that's the truth.

"Old Zhou Ge, it's not that the Ministry of War didn't report it, it's just that most of the things mentioned in the military newspaper delivered by Jia Ying and the Xuanfu were unconfirmed. To be on the safe side, I originally planned to let the Xuanfu report the situation. After verification, I will submit it to the cabinet." Yan Huasong explained.

Fu Donglai on the side also said aloud: "Mr. Zhou Ge, Mr. Yan has reported this matter to me. Mr. Li Ge is also clear about this matter. It is a matter of great importance and we must be cautious. Mr. Yan's handling is not a big deal. inappropriate."

Zhou Quan heard the words and saw Li Endi was silent, so he knew what Fu Donglai was telling the truth, so he didn't speak anymore.

However, Jia De, who was sitting on the throne, said: "There has been a war on the Datong line. Since there are cavaliers outside the Xuanfu, the situation will not be much better. What about the other places on the Nine Sides? Piantouguan is already here. It was breached, and the most urgent thing at the moment is that the cabinet should come up with a response plan, instead of asking who is responsible here."

"At the moment, the elders of the cabinet and the six ministers of the court are here. Let's talk about how to deal with it."

The emperor asked the cabinet to come up with a countermeasure. As the chief assistant, Li Endi naturally had to take on the responsibility that the chief assistant should have at this time.

I saw Li Endi said: "Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that there are five things that are most important right now. One is that the court must find out whether the Huns only invaded Datong Town, or whether wars broke out on all nine sides. In addition, the west The towns of Gansu, Guyuan, Yansui, Ningxia, and Datong, as well as Liaodong Town in the east, are too far away from the capital, and it is inconvenient to communicate information.

Second, Deng Enyu said in the report that there were only more than 5 guards in Datong, while the Xiongnu only had 10 people in the Zuoguli king's department, not to mention the [-] main force of the Huns' royal family. Therefore, the court Reinforcements must be dispatched as soon as possible.

The third is the issue of military expenditure. The imperial court must be prepared to go to war on all fronts on all nine sides.The old minister and Mr. Fu made a rough calculation, the nine sides have a total of 40 troops, and the court needs to prepare 500 million taels of military expenses for the first phase, and also allocate 100 million taels of military expenses for Datong Town in advance.

The fourth is the problem of food and grass. Once a war breaks out, food will inevitably become scarce and food prices will rise. Buy grain from local merchants in case of emergencies.

The last point is about the resettlement of the victims. The Xiongnu army has broken through the first pass, and there will inevitably be a large number of victims going south or east. The imperial court needs to send special personnel to deal with the issue of resettlement of the victims. "

After Li Endi's words fell, Fu Donglai continued: "Your Majesty, what Li Ge said is justified. The Ministry of Household Affairs will raise food and grass for military expenses as soon as possible. However, the treasury has just improved, and the Ministry of Household Affairs can't come up with 500 million taels all at once. When the military expenses came, I discussed with Mr. Li Ge that the remaining money should be obtained from salt roads and weaving. I asked His Majesty to send imperial envoys to the south of the Yangtze River to raise money and buy grain.

In addition, the King of Beijing is currently in Shanxi, and the Marquis of Xining, Ye Baichuan and Wang Ziteng are in Shaanxi. His Majesty can order the four of them to take over the border towns of Datong and Yansui to fight against the Xiongnu in the north. "

Jiade not only nodded when he heard the words, but looked at Li Endi and Fu Donglai with a trace of satisfaction in his expression. Although Fu Donglai has not officially taken over the position of assistant left by Xu Zhemu, it will only be sooner or later. For the matter, the first assistant and the second assistant can cope with the difficulties together, and he, the emperor, finally feels a little easier.

"The two lovers should be my good ministers who plan the country. How lucky I am to have your help."

Li and Fu hurriedly bowed and said: "To be loyal to His Majesty is the duty of a minister."

"According to the words of the two lovers, the king of Beijing was ordered to be the commander of the Western Army, followed by Prince Teng, and Ye Baichuan was the supervisor of the army, commanding and controlling the seven towns of Gansu, Guyuan, Ningxia, Yansui, Datong, Pianguan, and Xuanfu. The army is fighting against the Xiongnu in the north. Order Lantianyu, Hou of Xining, as the commander of the right army, and go to Jizhou and Liaodong to prevent the Donghu people from invading the border."

"Well, as for the person who goes south to the south of the Yangtze River to raise food and wages, do all the lovers have a suitable candidate?"

Jade looked at the crowd and asked.

Li Endi and Fu Donglai have noticed the emperor's arrangement, but other people's arrangement is not a problem. King Beijing is just a commander in name, and Wang Ziteng and Ye Baichuan are actually in charge of the power, but why? What about transferring Lantian jade to the front line of Liaodong?Although Lantianyu was defeated a while ago, he has been in the Western Army for more than [-] years, and his familiarity with the Northwest is unrivaled. If he is transferred away, wouldn't he kill himself as a strong general?

Both of them couldn't understand Jiade's arrangement, but it was a difficult time for the monarch and his subjects to help each other, so it was difficult to ask questions.

Facing the emperor's inquiry, Fu Donglai stood up and said: "The minister recommends Lin Ruhai, the left deputy capital of the Inspectorate, to take up this post. Your Majesty Lin Ruhai has served as a salt Taoist official in the south of the Yangtze River for several years, and is familiar with local folk customs and political conditions. Excellent choice."

Jia De nodded, then looked at Li Endi again and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Li Ge?"

Li Endi replied in response: "I agree with Mr. Fu's suggestion. However, the transformation of rice into mulberry in Nanzhili, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces has just started on the right track. It is inevitable that the court's raising of military expenses will affect the local political reform plan. The veteran believes that There should also be a deputy envoy, who should be a local official who is familiar with Jiangnan government affairs."

"Does Elder Ge have a suitable candidate?" Jiade asked calmly.

"The veteran recommends Yin Jia Yucun of Shuntian Prefecture to serve as the deputy envoy." Li Endi played.

Jiade looked around between Li and Fu, and nodded in response.If the courtiers were really harmonious, then he, the emperor, would be worried.

Jiade turned his gaze to Yan Huasong and asked, "Yan Aiqing, what do you think about the deployment of troops to reinforce Datong?"

Yan Huasong thought for a while, and replied: "Your Majesty, the soldiers and horses in the north of the imperial court are mainly the [-]th Battalion of Beijing Defense and the guards of the capitals in various places. Now a battalion of soldiers and horses has been transferred from the Beijing Battalion to go north to Xuanfu. No matter what, you can’t move anymore. If the imperial court dispatches soldiers and horses from various guards, it will take time, and I’m only afraid of Datong.”

"How long does it take for the military department to dispatch reinforcements from various places?" Jiade asked.

Yan Huasong replied: "Your Majesty, I have discussed with several colleagues in the Ministry of War. If we want to break the siege of Datong, the imperial court needs to send at least an army of 5 people, plus the logistics. We will get 15 people. The Ministry of War can mobilize the required troops, horses, food and grass from Shandong and Henan provinces, and from the assembly of the army to the rush to help Datong, it may take at least a month."

Jia De's face was solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "One month is too long, when the people you send arrive in Datong, I'm afraid the Huns have already attacked our capital!"

Everyone in the main hall also started to discuss one after another, soldiers are expensive, and a month is really too long.

Yan Huasong didn't understand this truth, but he couldn't help it!The local guards are scattered all over the place, and ten days and a half a month is already too short to gather these people together.What's more, there are civilian husbands, and now it's the autumn harvest season, there is a shortage of food in the war, and the autumn harvest should not be delayed anyway, this is what Fu Donglai specially told him.

He is holding back everywhere, what can you do if you let him, the minister of the Ministry of war, do it?
While everyone was arguing endlessly, Yang Jing, a scholar of the Linjing Temple who had been silent all this time, stood up and said, "Master Yan, the Ministry of War can let the soldiers and horses of the guards of the two provinces not set off after finishing their assembly, but go north first. Wait until they are assembled in Shanxi, or the assembly is completed on the way to the march, and the logistics of civilians and food and grass can be delayed a bit, so the time will be shorter?"

When Jiade heard this, his eyes lit up, and he looked at Yan Huasong.

Yan Hua Matsumoto wanted to say something more, but seeing the eyes cast on him by the people in the hall, he finally nodded and said, "That's the only way."

What Yang Jing said is not unreasonable, but Yan Huasong is not optimistic about this suggestion from the bottom of his heart. Yang Jing is too high on the quality of the soldiers in the main guards. The army marched, but the sheep were herded, and the flocks ran around the mountains and plains.

But it was hard for him to say these words again.

After everything was finalized, the monarchs and ministers of Daqian took their own actions.

Not long before the court received the Datong emergency military report, Guyuan, far to the west, also received a military report from Yansui Town.

"What? King Beijing is trapped at Mahekou?" Jia Ying exclaimed after hearing Ye Baichuan's words.

The news of the Xiongnu invaders shocked Jia Ying without realizing it. He had noticed it when he was in Datong Town, and he even handed over a note to the Ministry of War.After coming to Guyuan, he also mentioned this matter to Ye Baichuan.

There is also Wang Ziteng, who is also aware of it, and has already made the deployment as quickly as possible.

But what he didn't expect was that the Huns broke through the Great Wall's defense line so quickly, both Yansui and Piantouguan were breached, and more importantly, the King of Beijing was trapped at Mahekou.

Several generations of the Beijing Palace have fought against the Huns to guard the northern border of Dagan. To a certain extent, the three words "King of Beijing" have become synonymous with the nine borders of Dagan. If the King of Beijing falls into the hands of the Huns, Jia Ying Can't imagine what kind of dire consequences that would be.

Ye Baichuan also said with a solemn expression: "Yansui Town is too busy to take care of itself now, and has no troops to rescue. There are also military reports from Ningxia and Gansu. The army can't be transferred either, and there is only Guyuan at the moment."

But Guyuan also couldn't draw too many troops.

"It is impossible for the Huns to make such a large-scale invasion of the south this time. It is impossible to drag the front line so long. To attack the city itself requires several times the strength of mine. The nine sides stretch for thousands of miles. Even if Borzigit takes all the Hun tribes The old and the young are all drawn here, and they can't fill such a long battle line. Now it seems that the line from Datong to Yansui is their main direction of attack, and the other places are just to restrain our army from helping each other."

This trick of the Huns is not new in Jia Ying's eyes. As long as you understand the history of the Hu people in the north, you will know that Shaanxi is desolate and Jizhou in Liaodong is bitterly cold. The Huns will not spend too much energy to attack For these two places, the loss outweighs the gain for them.

And Xuanfu is inevitably the capital, where the defense is tight. The Great Wall is not only thick, but also high. The town of Xuanfu stretches for more than 1000 miles without leaving a gap. The Huns who are short of food and grass will not take the risk of attacking Xuanfu.

Only the Yansui line in Datong, after the war, the border wall is broken, and there are several gaps, which is the best direction for the Huns to attack.The most important thing is that Shanxi has the food they want.

Ye Baichuan nodded, but said in his mouth: "But even so, the armies of Gansu and Ningxia cannot be moved at will."

"Where's Mr. Wang?" Jia Ying asked aloud.

Ye Baichuan said: "I sent a letter a few days ago, and I'm already on my way to Ningxia Town. I'm afraid it will arrive in two days. If I want to solve the difficulties in Yansui, I can only rely on the soldiers and horses of Ningxia Town not far away."

"What does your lord want me to do?"

Since Ye Baichuan called him over for a discussion, there would be no arrangements and time was running out, so Jia Ying asked directly.

I only heard Ye Baichuan say: "The old man wants you to take more than [-] people from the Hunan Army camp to go east immediately, break the siege of Mahekou, and escort King Beijing back to Taiyuan Mansion. Then organize troops in Shanxi to stop the Huns from going south As for whether you can rush to help Datong, you can decide according to the camera. Wang Ziteng will give you the right to do things cheaply in the name of the governor of Nine Borders. As for the old man, he still needs to be nailed to Guyuan, so that Wang Ziteng will have no worries and try his best to solve the delay. Suizhi trouble."

Jia Ying got up and clasped her fists together and said, "I will definitely live up to my lord's fate."

Ye Baichuan nodded, stood up, patted Jia Ying on the shoulder, and said, "This world belongs to you young people after all, so go as soon as you get ready, and take care all the way!"

"My lord, take care!"

After Jia Ying cupped her fists and saluted, she turned and went out.

(End of this chapter)