The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 285
Daming Gate, built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, was built based on the Hongwu Gate of the Forbidden City in Nanjing. After its completion, it has always enjoyed the status of "National Gate".

In front of Daming Gate is a street commonly known as Qipan Street.
Qipan Street is bounded by Daming Gate in the north, Zhengyang Gate in the south, Wende Square in the east, and Wugong Square in the west.

Since the Imperial City occupies the central area of ​​Beijing's inner city, ordinary people are not allowed to pass through it.

Therefore, the main thoroughfare for people traveling from east to west in the inner city is Qipan Street. Because of this, almost all shops are located on the east and west sides, and the flow of people is nearly double that of Chongwenmen.

It is not an exaggeration to describe it as a curtain made up of gussets.

The couplets of the Daming Gate were proposed by Xie Jin, who passed three yuan in high school a hundred years ago.

"The sun and moon shine upon heaven, and the mountains and rivers make the emperor's home."

The Daming Gate has three gates with cornices and ridges on them. The square in front of the gate is surrounded by stone railings, with one lion on the left and one on the left, and one stone tablet on each side of the horse.

In front of the dismounting monument, civil servants dismounted from sedan chairs and military attaches dismounted from their horses. After passing the Daming Gate, there is the royal road.

The back of Daming Gate is surrounded by red walls, and a long corridor with eaves and ridges is built along both sides of the central imperial road, called Qianbu Corridor.

A vermilion palace wall with a height of more than six meters was built outside the Qianbu Corridor. The central government offices at that time were concentrated on both sides of the wall.

When it was first built, there were 110 east-west gallery rooms on the left and right sides of the Qianbu Corridor.

There are 34 north-facing corridors on the east and west sides. They are connected to the left gate of Chang'an in the east and the right gate of Chang'an in the west. They are all connected with eaves and ridges.

Outside the east palace wall are the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Works, the Zongren Mansion, the Qintian Supervisor and other official offices.

Outside the wall of the West Palace are the Military Government Offices of the Fifth Army, the Criminal Department, the Imperial Procuratorate, and the Dali Temple.

The headquarters of the Ministry of War is on the west side of Qianbu Corridor.

The Ministry of War in the Ming Dynasty first had four clean-up official divisions: Sima, Zhifang, Jiabu, and Treasury. Later, it was changed to four-purge official divisions: Wuxuan, Zifang, Chachi, and Arsenal.

Each department has its own doctor and chief executive, and all positions are civil servants.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Fifth Army Governor's Office was set up to be responsible for the management of military posts across the country. When sending troops, the Ministry of War temporarily appointed the commander, awarded the general's seal, and handed over the seal after returning from the expedition.

But after the Tumu Fort, the strength of the Xungui Group was weakened to the extreme. After the Ming Dynasty, the erosion of the guard station became even more unstoppable.

Gradually, a situation emerged where civil servants were superior to military officials, and the power of the governor-general of the five armies declined.

Later, the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion had no real power at all, and the official positions under the government even became those of military attachés.

All the power of the military regime is vested in the Ministry of War. Up to now, the Ministry of War has surpassed the Governor's Office of the Five Armed Forces and has become the highest management organization of the country's military.

It was just after noon, and it was still dull between the main gate and the lobby of the Ministry of War.

Now that the border situation has calmed down for the time being, Jiannu has been released, and the emperor has revoked King Qin's edict.

Most of King Qin's soldiers and horses from various places are on their way back. Logically speaking, there should be no such things to deal with and they can relax a little.

However, in the office of the Ministry of War, a group of officials wearing military attache or civilian uniforms still had hurried expressions and hurried steps.

It seemed as if there was something still urging them to move forward.

Compared to the busy lobby, the Second Hall of the Ministry of War inside seemed extremely quiet.

Yang Sichang, wearing a red python robe and a black gauze hat, was sitting in the second hall, looking at the official document in his hand with a gloomy expression.

Chen Xinjia, who was wearing a scarlet robe, also looked gloomy. He was sitting at the bottom, with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes lowered, thinking about something.

"In July last year, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were already divorced."

"It will be April this year soon. In nine months, Xiong Wencan doesn't even know how many soldiers and horses, how many military strategists, and how much food and grass there are under Zhang Xianzhong's camp."

Yang Sichang was upset. It was really difficult for him to suppress the anger in his heart. He directly picked up the official document in his hand and cursed coldly.

"It's okay if I don't know the strength or weakness. I don't even know the location of the camp."

Yang Sichang only felt the severe swelling and pain in his temples. He felt filled with regrets, but there was no regret medicine in this world.

280 million taels of salary were all wasted because of this idiot Xiong Wencan!
"Xiong Wencan, you are really good at stroking me!"

When Yang Sichang spoke, his eyes narrowed, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

He single-handedly promoted Xiong Wencan to become the prime minister of six provinces and recommended him in front of the emperor.

However, Xiong Wencan did not accept his recommendation at all. Instead, he remained stubborn, turning a deaf ear to all his words and persisting in his own way.

He even accepted bribes, colluded with the thieves of the 72nd Battalion, and turned a blind eye to many of their actions.

With the title of Prime Minister of six provinces, the first thing on his mind is not to suppress thieves, but to make money!

Until now, it is still in the official documents, hiding something from him.

When Xiong Wencan first reported the chaos in the south, Yang Sichang kept an eye on it and secretly sent people south to detect the situation.

The official document in his hand now is a secret message about the real situation in the south, which has been urgently delivered from [-] miles away from Huguang.

Now that it is almost impossible to cover the lid, Xiong Wencan is still hiding something at this time.

"Xiong Wencan was so clever that he whitewashed official documents. The South has found out the details of Xiong Wencan's recruitment and surrender of Zheng Zhilong."

Chen Xinjia looked gloomy. The reason why Zheng Zhilong surrendered was not because of Xiong Wencan's method, but because Zheng Zhilong was suppressed by Liu Xiang, a big pirate on the coast, and had long wanted to surrender.

Xiong Wencan simply got a bargain for nothing.

Later, when Zheng Zhilong defeated Liu Xiang, there was another episode.

Xiong Wencan saw that Liu Xiang was about to be defeated and wanted to appease Liu Xiang, so he sent an envoy to find Liu Xiang to discuss recruitment matters.

However, Liu Xiang took the group of people hostage. Later, when Xiong Wencan reported the news to the court, he shifted the responsibility to other officials, accusing them of disobeying orders and acting without authorization.

"The situation in the south is not completely out of control yet. Zuo Liangyu is still in Henan and there is still room for maneuver."

The situation in the south is like a powder keg that has been kept tightly closed. A little spark or a little collision may cause a shocking explosion.

Because of Xiong Wencan's previous concealment and cover-up, they even issued an edict to summon Zuo Liangyu to go north to King Qin at the beginning.

That is to say, Yang Sichang kept an eye out, found out the true situation of the Huguang Fu Bureau, and immediately issued an order to let Zuo Liangyu, who was about to leave Henan, return again.

It is precisely because of this that Zuo Liangyu happened to be near Zhenping Pass and blocked Li Wanqing who was about to attack Zhenping Pass.

"Zuo Liangyu is indeed a brave general, but he has always been arrogant, and he has always been at odds with Xiong Wencan. What if..."

Yang Sichang frowned slightly and hesitated.

Zuo Liangyu did have outstanding military exploits, but he was unruly and difficult to discipline. After the Xuzhou mutiny, he and Xiong Wencan were incompatible with each other and were completely incompatible.

Zuo Liangyu's military discipline was undisciplined, and as early as the Three Sides period, his generals had committed many robberies.

Some time ago, when the troops passed through Batou and Wuqiao, they looted places and were impeached by the eunuch Lu Jiude. The matter was brought to the capital. However, it was during the Qingshan Pass War at that time, and there were few soldiers in the south. Zuo Liangyu still needed to be relied on to suppress them. Thief, so he was just ordered to commit crimes and perform meritorious service. "Zuo Liangyu has always been arrogant, but he can still clearly distinguish between right and wrong. He is quite brave in fighting against bandits. Li Wanqing cannot make any waves."

Although Chen Xinjia had never met Zuo Liangyu, since he took charge of the affairs of the Ministry of War, he had checked the resumes of a number of important generals and officers, as well as the leaders of the enemy's generals.

Although Zuo Liangyu had the experience of being defeated and fleeing when fighting bandits, he was basically defeated in battle.

Although the Southern Fu Bureau is now like a spider web floating in the wind and rain, it may break at any time, but it will take some time before it actually breaks.

If Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were ready, they would now cooperate with Li Wanqing in the uprising.

But it was obvious that Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were not ready yet and did not respond to Li Wanqing's attack.

If Li Wanqing wins, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai may start an uprising in advance.

But Li Wanqing couldn't win, and Zuo Liangyu couldn't lose.

And after Zuo Liangyu defeated Li Wanqing, he could temporarily curb the mentality of other bandits who were ready to move.

"Since Zuo Liangyu and Xiong Wencan have always been at odds with each other, I thought maybe the cabinet department could start with this."

"what do you mean……"

Yang Sichang's eyes moved slightly, and in just a moment he understood what Chen Xinjia was saying.

Xiong Wencan has done so many wrong things, causing the current situation to be almost collapsed.

Might as well use his life to do something to make up for this broken situation...

Yang Sichang nodded slightly and acknowledged Chen Xinjia's advice. Some words did not need to be truly spoken.

"The main force of our army is now in the north, and the south is extremely empty. It is undoubtedly the best time to rebel."

"But Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai have not rebelled yet. They are probably not fully prepared yet."

Yang Sichang pondered for a moment. Chen Xinjia's words gave him some idea of ​​the situation in the south, and he now had a plan in mind.

"What troops are currently available near Huguang and Henan?"

"There are still two troops and horses that can be mobilized for the time being."

Chen Xinjia thought for a moment and answered quickly.

"There are still troops and horses in Sichuan and Shaanxi that can be used for reinforcements. Now I have ordered people to send the map of the situation in the south into the hall. Please take a look at the cabinet."

Yang Sichang stood up in the direction pointed by Chen Xinjia, and then walked all the way to the map hanging vertically beside the hall.

This map is mainly centered on Henan, and the surrounding area includes the southeastern part of Shaanxi, the eastern part of Sichuan, all of Henan and Huguang, as well as the northwest of Nanzhili and southern Shanxi.

Chen Xinjia stood in front of the map with Yang Sichang and said.

"The troops and horses in Southern Zhili cannot be mobilized for the time being. There are still rogue bandits in the Dabie Mountains at the junction of Southern Zhili and Huguang. The reason why the soldiers and horses in Southern Zhili cannot be mobilized is to prevent these bandits from escaping into Southern Zhili. scribe."

"This bandit is also an old bandit of the 72nd Battalion. There are five leaders, namely Lao Huihui Ma Shouying, Ge Liyan He Yilong, Zuo Jin Wang He Jin, Chaos King Liu Xiyao, and Zhengshi Wang Lin Chengcheng. These five people are closely related to each other. Qian, regardless of whether they are advancing or retreating, they are all integrated, and are collectively called the Five Camps of Gezuo."

"The Ge and Zuo are no less cunning than Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, and there are tens of thousands of elites who are good at fighting."

Yang Sichang frowned, his eyes slowly glanced over the map, and his mind became even more confused.

Because of Xiong Wencan's previous concealment, he misjudged the situation in the south.

As a result, there are not many troops that can be mobilized in the south.

"The only solution for now is to mobilize troops from Sichuan and Shaanxi."

Yang Sichang calmed down, and there was no time for him to blame others anymore. He said that it was still his mistake of not knowing others.

No matter how much regret he had, it didn't change the established fact, and it was not his nature to blame others.

Yang Sichang readjusted his mentality. Now what he needs to do is to make up for the loopholes as much as possible.

"Zhang Xianzhong is in Gucheng and Luo Rucai is in Fang County. They are both in the Yunxiang area in northern Huguang. If there is an incident, there are only two ways out."

"Either go north or west..."

There are large rivers and high mountains in the east, which are difficult to cross, so naturally we cannot go eastward.

And going south is impossible, because if you want to go south, you must break Xiangyang.

Yang Sichang set his sights above Xiangyang, where Xiong Wencan was leading the main force of the army.

Xiangyang's terrain is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack.

You must know that in the original battle of Song and Yuan Dynasties, Xiangyang City was defended for six full years under the siege of the Yuan army with a large number of siege equipment.

The rogue bandits lacked siege weapons and could never capture an important fortress like Xiangyang.

Therefore, there are only two truly feasible roads, one going north to Henan and entering Nanyang Fuzhong.

The other is to go west into Hanzhong Prefecture in Shaanxi. After entering Hanzhong Prefecture, you can choose in Xing'an whether to continue moving to Shaanxi or continue to Sichuan.

"Order Fu Zonglong, the governor of Sichuan, to lead the soldiers from eastern Sichuan to Yunyang Prefecture via Hanzhong Prefecture and cut off the roads into Sichuan and Shaanxi."

"He ordered Zheng Chongjian, the governor of the three sides, to enter Henan via Tongguan and Luoyang areas and rush to Nanyang Mansion to help Henan."

"Send an order to Xiong Wencan, asking him to order the pacesetters to stay in Xiangyang, and to order Zuo Liangyu, Zhang Renxue, Chen Hongfan, Long Zaitian and other battalions to guard Nanyang Mansion in Henan to cut off the rogue bandits' way north."

Yang Sichang recalled the situation in Sichuan and Shaanxi.

After such a long period of development, Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and others, coupled with the drought in Henan this year, have caused a large number of refugees to flow into the Yunyang area, their strength has probably expanded to an extremely terrifying level.

He knew in his heart that if he wanted to destroy Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai, these troops would definitely not be enough.

This time Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting went north to King Qin and almost took away all the elites on the three sides. Zheng Chongjian's troops were not many and their combat power was not high.

Yang Sichang did not place all his hopes of suppressing the thieves on the ideas of the Sichuan soldiers.

Sichuan is still experiencing internal turmoil, and in the northern region, the rogue bandits that once roamed the mountains are flourishing again.

Most of the main forces of Sichuan troops are now in northern Sichuan, and there are not many available troops in eastern Sichuan.

"Calling Ningxia Town Chief Soldier Zu Dabi, Lintao Town Chief Soldier Cao Bianjiao, Yansui Town Chief Soldier He Renlong, and Hanzhong Town Chief Soldier Chen Wang to prepare to go south to assist Huguang."

Yang Sichang's eyes were deep, staring at the map hanging in front of him.

The military situation is like a fire and there is no need to delay.

　"History of the Ming Dynasty": The evil of bandits began with Yang He, succeeded with Chen Qiyu, and then burned with Xiong Wencan and Ding Qirui.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)