The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 148 Closed-door meeting
With Xie Qian's words as the basis, even Zhu Youtang seems to feel that it is meaningless to discuss whether to join the war or not.

Wasn't Wang Yue sent to Biantouguan just to prepare for the battle?

When things come to an end, if you order to shrink back if you can, let alone Wang Yue is depressed, even the emperor will feel very useless.

The court meeting is temporarily over.

However, the discussion on the war did not stop, and there will be a closed-door meeting of the inner court. The discussions involve issues such as deploying defenses and dispatching troops. s meeting.

On the way to Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Jing led the way, and several people followed behind.

The cabinet Liu Jian and Xie Qian went to discuss and coordinate the response.

Ma Wensheng, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Wang Zongyi, Minister of the Right, are responsible for discussing the strategy and the response of the Ministry of War.

The purpose of Zhou Jing, Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, was to discuss the issue of grain and grass dispatch in the northwest.

As soon as they arrived outside Qianqing Palace, they saw a person who had arrived early and was standing there smiling at them.

British public Zhang Mao.

Xun Chen did not participate in the previous court meeting, but the Governor's Mansion was obviously aware of the changes in the military situation in the Northwest. When the emperor asked for opinions on the Northwest military, he did not call anyone else, but only called Zhang Mao, which also showed the importance he attached to Zhang Mao. Probably also wanted to use Zhang Mao's maturity and prudence to stabilize the morale of the army.

"My lord, can you still laugh?" Xie Qian walked over and saluted after seeing the salute.

Zhang Mao replied: "Yu Qiao, you usually laugh in court, it's all for the court, why should you care about this situation?"

Xie Qian was taken aback.

Then he remembered that when he teased Wang Yue in the court earlier, didn't he say it with a half smile like Zhang Mao?

"Several pavilion elders, please come in!"

After Xiao Jing passed the pass, he came out to speak to a few people.

……

……

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

There are quite a few battle reports in the Northwest in front of Zhu Youtang, and Zhu Youtang seems to be still studying these battle reports before the arrival of several important military and political officials.

"...It was reported early this morning, and there are more one after another. At present, there are so many rumors at Piantouguan and other places."

Zhu Youtang pointed to Xiao Jing who was at the side, "Give me a seat!"

Moved several chairs over at once.

The ministers saw that this posture seemed to be discussed for a long time, and it is very likely that such closed-door meetings will often be held recently.

The emperor attached great importance to the war in the northwest.

After Xie En was seated by the ministers, Xiao Jing circulated the Northwest battle report to those present for reading, and everyone only had time to glance at each report.

Zhu Youtang said: "How many troops are stationed around Piantou Pass?"

Ma Wensheng put down a memorial in his hand, got up and said, "Return to Your Majesty, there are [-] cavalry stationed in Piantou Pass, [-] can be adjusted for preparation, inspection, and servants, and [-] soldiers and horses are dispatched from the Beijing camp. If we want to fight head-on, we can send less than [-] cavalry, and less than [-] soldiers who can use the magic weapon camp..."

"In addition, the troops stationed around the Piantou Pass can rush to assist the Piantou Pass within three days, especially the troops at the San Pass, and perhaps another [-] cavalry can be dispatched..."

Zhu Youtang said: "That is to say, there are only [-] troops available to Wang Yue, right?"

Ma Wensheng made up his mind, he wanted to say, are there so many?
But he still cupped his hands and said, "Yes."

Zhu Youtang sighed: "The Tatars sent troops this time, perhaps more than [-]!"

Ma Wensheng said: "At present, there is no clear report on the number of Diyi soldiers and horses outside the customs..."

"Don't worry." Zhu Youtang said, "There will be a detailed report soon. If it weren't for Wang Yueren at the head pass, perhaps the information collected would not be so fast. His precautions should be the same. That's plenty."

Ma Wensheng had to admit it.

If there is Wang Yue at the Piantouguan, it will indeed get twice the result with half the effort. It cannot be inferred from the common sense that there are two situations of Wang Yue and no Wang Yue.

Because Wang Yue is good at running the army, and the soldiers below are full of confidence and hope for meritorious service, a group of poor soldiers can perform exceptionally, not to mention that Wang Yue originally mobilized the elite around Taiyuan Town.

"If we fight, what are the chances of winning?"

Zhu Youtang asked a seemingly amateurish question.

From this point, the ministers present also understood the tension in the emperor's heart, or the emperor's utilitarian mentality at critical times.

Don't talk about the specific situation, just talk about the odds of winning, which is a bit of a gamble mentality.

Liu Jian said: "If Wang Weining is stationed at the side pass, the chance of winning is close to [-]%, but if he goes out of the city and fights behind the pass, the result is unpredictable."

"Old Liu Ge, let's not talk about letting Wang Yue stick to it. This is not his style." Zhu Youtang said, "If I don't use him, or arrange him in another place, let Piantouguan stick to it." , It’s not impossible. But in the current situation, any concession will make Di Yi worse, and I don’t hope that in the next few years, there will always be wars everywhere in the Northwest.”

In the meaning of the emperor.

This battle should still be fought in order to build confidence.

Then Zhu Youtang winked at Dai Yi who was beside him, meaning that Dai Yi would explain the situation around him with his head turned.

Dai Yidao: "George elders, ministers, and dukes, the use of troops in the Northwest is imminent at present, because of the rise of the little prince of the grassland. In the past few years, there have been constant wars in the grassland. I thought this could weaken the grassland tribes, and the frontier army can sit on the fisherman However, the grassland tribes are becoming more and more courageous, and the internal annexation has not ended, and the crimes against our Ming Dynasty have not stopped. If the frontier army retreats in this war, I am afraid that in the next few years, the towns on the nine sides will suffer from the grasslands one after another. Tribal bandits harass..."

This is to show the necessity of this war.

After Dai Yi finished speaking, Zhu Youtang looked at Ma Wensheng and said, "Ma Shangshu, you know all about the situation in the towns in the northwest, but do you think it makes sense?"

Ma Wensheng said: "Your Majesty, the old minister believes that even if the Tatars attack Pianguan with heavy troops this time, their main purpose is still to plunder, and they may also play a memorial to invite the horse market to open."

Zhu Youtang nodded: "Actually, Tatar's memorials about Kaibian City have not stopped since the end of the Helan Mountain War last year, but in this situation, if we trade with Tatar, isn't it giving people spears to attack us? Shield? If the purpose of the Tatars is to plunder, it will definitely not be like this. If they want to destroy the pass, they will deliberately disturb our Ming Dynasty's frontier defenses, so that our Ming soldiers will have no time to look north. How dangerous are the intentions!"

After hearing what the emperor said, Ma Wensheng didn't argue any more.

As the emperor said.

At the critical time when the main Tatar tribe, that is, the Dayan tribe, was about to annex the right wing of Mongolia, the Tatars came out to attack Piantouguan. The purpose was not only to plunder, but also to achieve some strategic results, so as to ensure that the Ming Dynasty would not attack them. Before the internal annexation is completed, there is spare power to send troops to the grassland.

Dai Yi continued: "Currently, the commander-in-chief Ping Jiangbo and Chen Rui's analysis of the enemy's situation will be used to send troops to the Grassland Division at the head pass, or the fire screen that has repeatedly plundered the pass!"

The people present couldn't help but take a deep breath when they heard the name.

Although Dayan Khan is currently the nominal little prince of the grassland, this Huozhai... can be said to be Dayan Khan's "head horse". Dayan Khan and Huozhai are in name monarchs and ministers, but in fact they are interdependent , in Dayan Khan's battle to unify the grassland, Huoshai can be said to have made great contributions.

What's more terrible... The biggest feature of this fire screen is that it has nothing to go to the border of the Ming Dynasty to harass, and it is very experienced in attacking.

You can always choose places where the Ming Dynasty's defenses are weak, and you can leave as soon as you grab a wave, and you don't like fighting.

There will also be situations where the entry point goes south to plunder for hundreds of miles...

Ping Jiangbo and Chen Rui can be said to be the most experienced frontier generals in the Northwest. He said that this time he came to Huozhai, so he must have spotted the style, and he should be right.

Xie Qian said coldly: "Uncle Ping Jiang? Isn't it very frightening? If he is asked to lead the army to fight, I'm afraid it will be..."

Some words were not very clear, but it already reflected Xie Qian's contempt for Chen Rui.

As we all know, Chen Rui likes to drink cold wine. There are rumors in the army that the reason why Chen Rui doesn't drink hot wine is that he is afraid of the fire, and he is afraid that the fire will be provoked after drinking hot wine.

Chen Rui has been operating in the Northwest for many years. He has made great achievements, but he can basically maintain no merits. However, he has suffered a lot from Huozhai, and was even slaughtered by Huozhai once when he was trapped in a tight siege. From then on, the rumors that he was afraid of the fire sieve became more and more evil.

Liu Jian said: "If it is really a crime of fire screening, the situation will be even worse for the frontier army."

Zhu Youtang said: "This Huozhai has repeatedly killed border people and robbed the pass in the northwest. Isn't it a good opportunity for him to fight Wang Yue head-on this time?"

Even Ma Wensheng was thinking, this is really easy to say.

Huo Sha can become a figure on an equal footing with Dayan Khan on today's grasslands. Do you really think his ability is blown out?Wang Yue was fine in beating others, but in a head-to-head confrontation with Huozhai, the chances of winning might not be that high, right?
"Zhou Shangshu, is the supply of grain and grass in the Northwest still sufficient?"

Zhu Youtang didn't want to listen to this group of people's suggestions on whether to fight or not to fight. In fact, this issue had already been set in the court, and he was more concerned about the preparations for this war.

Zhou Jingdao: "Your Majesty, Liu Shiyong, the right servant of the Central Household Department and governor of the Xuanfu last year, has prepared more than 50 shi of military rations in the northwest. on, there will be no deviation."

In the past, the frontier army relied on food supplies, and the commercial villages in the northwest could be self-sufficient, but the treasury was empty.

At present, the grain used in the Northwest is transferred from the capital to let the Northwest buy it by itself, and the area of ​​the border farms in the Northwest is also decreasing year by year.

Zhang Mao came forward and said: "Your Majesty, now there are enemies everywhere on the nine borders. Please put a martial law around the capital to prevent Tatar spies from infiltrating into the hinterland of our capital, and then send troops to strengthen defenses at Juyongguan and other places."

At this time, it seems that only Zhang Mao understands the emperor's intention to fight a tough battle.

What he said was very pragmatic, no matter whether Wang Yue won the Piantouguan or not, at least the stability of the capital should be preserved first.

Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "I also have the same idea to strengthen the garrison of the three inner gates to ensure that the capital is safe. The Qing family should have no objections?"

Those present certainly had no objections.

Seeing that the matter was almost settled, Wang Zongyi, the right servant of the Ministry of War, asked, "Your Majesty, dare to ask, who suggested that Wang Yue, the left servant of the Ministry of War, go to guard the Pianguan?"

People around looked at the past with curious eyes.

As if to say.

You asked this question very inappropriately. Don’t you know that it came from a alchemist and scholar named Zhang Zhou?
(End of this chapter)