The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 406
Xiao Jing almost didn't stop after listening.

At any rate, he managed to go back to the duty room of the Li Supervisor, and told Wei Bin and Chen Kuan the news he knew, and the two couldn't help being surprised: "Mr. Lai...does he really have a backhand?"

Xiao Jingdao: "The information about the dispatch of troops in Liaodong is inaccurate. Your Majesty did not say much to our family, but it is expected that it is the time of autumn harvest. Except for the establishment of the Nuer Gandu Division, the Xinjian who is going to use troops in Liaobei and other places, is the most leisurely?"

Chen Kuan sighed: "The so-called spare time, it is better to say that he is the only one who spends money on this journey and has no income. Where is it not useful to use troops? But the rush to aid Ningxia from northern Liaoning, isn't it... not very time-sensitive?"

Wei Bin also hurriedly said: "I haven't heard anything about sending troops from Liaodong recently, and there is no news about the mobilization of food and grass."

Among the three Liaodong supervisors, Wei Bin has the greatest influence in Liaodong, but that is also in the past tense. After Liaodong governor Zhang Yu and others were replaced, Liaodong is now basically Zhang Zhou's territory.

But there are still some old departments, and the news channel is very smooth for him.

Xiao Jingdao: "Your Majesty will use the Beijing camp to arrange the dispatch of money, food and materials. Maybe this battle also involves Jizhou. We don't know the details."

Chen Kuan and Wei Bin also felt Xiao Jing's helplessness.

After the rise of Zhang Zhou, even the chief inspector of ceremonies was no longer the emperor's most trusted "person around". The chief inspector of ceremonies did not realize the situation once or twice. They also understood why Xiao Jing would stand with the civil servants to check and balance Zhang Zhou.

But now...

Everything seems to be in vain.

"Duke Lai, is there any movement for him now?"

Chen Kuan asked a question, and then realized that his question might not be appropriate. He added, "It doesn't matter if the Duke of Lai is not in the border areas when using troops on the nine frontiers. The others are not in the north. Now that the impeachment of him has passed, Your Majesty is not in a hurry to call him back when he is using troops?"

Just to say, this is not like our Majesty's style.

Ask Bingkuan if you have anything to do. Now that Bingkuan has retreated unscathed when he was attacked by a crowd, and let him stay in Nanjing, how can you ask your Bingkuan if you have something to do?
Xiao Jing sighed: "The crown prince is also in Nanjing. I guess the Lai Guo Guild will come back with the crown prince. Now we don't even know what His Majesty asked him to do in Nanjing, so let's not worry about it. Go back and inform Zhou Shangshu of the Ministry of Household... Also, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Household and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry may have to be replaced together recently. The Minister of the Ministry of Housing is known to be Zhong Zhong, and His Majesty the Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry has not asked the courtiers for their opinions. Be more careful, and it is best to find someone..."

"It can be ventilated." Wei Bin said, "Understood, in fact, Wang Zongyi, the admiral of Yizhou Shanchang, or Wang Ji, the secretary of the household department of Governor Jingcang, are both acceptable."

Si Lijian wanted to arrange as much as possible "one of his own people" to be the minister of the Ministry of Industry when the court officials were weak.

Wang Zongyi was squeezed out by Zhang Zhou before, and the admiral of Yizhou Shanchang was only a servant. Although Wang Ji was a minister of the household department, he only worked part-time. His identity was more similar to that of the left servant of the household department.

Both Wang Zongyi and Wang Ji did not have the appointment of the six northern ministers in history, and they both ended up with the six Nanjing ministers.

For the three supervisors, it is known that they are relatively on the fringe of civil servants and are easy to be recruited.

"Turn around and take the opportunity to walk around, don't go in person, your majesty will pay attention to our movements at this time. I hope your majesty will not be obsessed with the position of Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, and maybe it is not prepared for the people of Lai Guogong." Xiao Jing said with emotion.

Probably talking.

Once Zhang Zhou intervenes, the position of Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry is likely to be reserved for "someone".

It's hard to say who it is.

Chen Kuan asked, "Why wasn't it prepared for Duke Lai?"

Xiao Jing said: "No, His Majesty has often read the examples of Yang Shan and Wang Ji recently, obviously he wants Duke Lai to serve as Minister of the Ministry of War. There is nothing wrong with this matter."

"Then..." Wei Bin glanced at Chen Kuan, and seeing that Chen Kuan didn't say anything else, he nodded and said, "I'll send someone there later."

……

……

Ningxia Town.

Although Zhu Feng set off from the capital and Yang Yiqing left from Nanjing, the two of them arrived at almost the same time, and Zhu Feng only arrived one day earlier than Yang Yiqing.

After Yang Yiqing arrived in Ningxia during the starry night, he didn't care about rest. He was about to start a battle against the main force of the little Tatar prince. Even he didn't know much about the current preparations for the battle in Ningxia, but the emperor's orders came one after another, and even the top civil servants in the court were full of expectations for him. He could feel the invisible pressure.

"Yang Junmen, you may not know that there are really not many soldiers and horses that can be dispatched around Ningxia Town. There are not even tens of thousands of cavalry alone, and they are still scattered in various cities, and some are in the fort towns of Yuanguan. If they are mobilized in a hurry, they can only dispatch three thousand."

The one who reported the situation to Yang Yiqing at the military meeting was former Ningxia General Soldier Song Lan. Now that Zhu Feng arrived, Song Lan became the Deputy General Soldier.

Song Lan doesn't have a knighthood, but works as the commander of Ningxia West Road.

Before, he was the deputy of Duke Zhu Fu, and now he is Zhu Feng's deputy... The father and son of the old Zhu family took turns to be his chief, but if you ask him who he wants to work with... Naturally, he wants to work with Zhu Feng, because Zhu Feng is famous, and it is easy to get famous.

Yang Yiqing said: "It's not that we have to send out cavalry."

Zhu Fengdao: "But if there are no cavalry, if you mix infantry and cavalry, if you want to compete head-on with the Tatar cavalry, I'm afraid..."

"Isn't there Mighty Sky Gunpowder and Shenwei Cannon?" Yang Yiqing looked at Zhu Feng.

He obviously didn't want to rely entirely on the new firearms. His words were more like reminding Zhu Feng that you shouldn't sing bad tunes or even bad-mouthing in this kind of military meeting.

As the commander-in-chief, you are only responsible for executing military orders, not for issuing orders, nor participating in decision-making.

By teaching Zhu Feng a lesson, Yang Yiqing instantly raised his prestige among the generals, and even Marquis An Bian dared to face reprimand... Then he must have real skills, otherwise why would Marquis An Bian swallow his anger so much?Don't say that military generals should listen to civil servants. Since ancient times, there have been frequent discords between generals and generals, not to mention that Marquis Anbian has won the trust of the emperor and the Duke of Lai.

Yang Yiqing said: "This time there are not many soldiers and horses, so they are divided into parts. Troops must be dispatched at each border pass and divided into two groups. The cavalry should be responsible for guarding the area within fifty li of the pass, while the infantry should go thirty li outside the city to ensure that the surrounding pass is not looted by the Tatars."

The generals present couldn't help but look at each other.

There are tens of thousands of Tatar cavalry, even if it is less than the [-] rumored number, but there is no problem with [-] to [-]. Even if the Tatars are broken up to loot, there are at least [-] to [-] cavalry along the way.

Just like that, what are the few people in each pass and city fortress enough for?

If the Tatars invaded within [-] miles of a certain pass, would they dare to fight head-on if they attacked the troops protecting the autumn harvest at the pass?Haven't you retreated into the pass and watched the Tatars wreak havoc?
"General Zhu." Yang Yiqing said suddenly.

Zhu Feng reacted for a while before realizing that he was calling himself, he still looked a little dull, and said, "Yes."

"You personally lead the elite cavalry in Ningxia Town, with gunpowder and mighty cannons, and four thousand infantry, roaming around the passes." Yang Yiqing issued the military order.

"This... this..." Zhu Feng wanted to say, is this asking me to die?
But he held back in the end, because he was indeed not familiar with Yang Yiqing. Before the meeting, he only went to pay respects to Yang Yiqing, which was at best the second meeting between the two.

"Yes." Zhu Feng also took orders directly.

……

……

When Yang Yiqing came up, he wanted to mobilize the soldiers and horses from various places in Ningxia Town, and drive the Tatars away by the so-called "breaking the whole into parts".

After the military meeting was over, in addition to dispatching the cavalry of Chuanyi, the general's orders were reported everywhere, and even the soldiers of the Ningxia garrison army began to dispatch, preparing to go out with Zhu Feng to "fight guerrillas."

Generally speaking, wherever there is a gap, Zhu Feng will go to it.

After the military meeting ended, Zhu Feng did not go with Song Lan and the others. Not only was he not familiar with Yang Yiqing, but he was also not familiar with the local generals, which meant that he was a strange general who was going to fight an unprepared war under the pressure of the emperor when he went to a strange place and did not know the situation well.

The people on Song Lan's side didn't understand the situation after attending the meeting.

"General Song, what do you think Yang Junmen is going to do? Just leave the city gate like this, I'm afraid he will be chased by the Tartar cavalry, and if he is not careful, he will lose his troops and lose his generals." Qianhu, a subordinate named Li Sun, said.

Li Sun was in such a hurry because he was one of the people who followed Zhu Feng out of the city.

Song Lan said: "Don't you all know this? In fact, Yang Junmen is not the direct line of Duke Lai, but Marquis Anbian is."

"We know that." Not only Li Sun was talking, but there were also people around.

The sphere of influence of the DPRK and China, and the number of these soldiers in the northwest are still clear.

Song Lan said coldly: "Then His Majesty has great expectations for the local soldiers in Ningxia. At this time, Yang Junmen knows that the attack strategy is not appropriate, but he has no choice but to send troops. If he gives the authority to command and govern the army to Marquis Anbian, won't the responsibility be pushed away?"

"Isn't it?" Li Sun said, "If the army is defeated, what good will it do to Yang Junmen? Shouldn't this be to abandon the previous suspicions and meet a strong enemy together?"

"Humph."

Song Lan is obviously not the kind of general who obeys orders, he looks very black-bellied, which probably has something to do with his reading and being baptized in the Four Books and Five Classics.

Song Landao: "In the end, we are following orders. It's best if the blame doesn't fall on us. Everyone, I would like to advise you, keeping your son by your side and your own life are more important than anything else."

……

……

When Yang Yiqing came to Ningxia this time, the only "person of his own" available around him was his aide, Wu Ying, who was now serving as the governor of the governor's yamen.

Wu Ying was a little older than Yang Yiqing, and was born in Juren. He had served as a local teacher in his early years, and he had been in Shaanxi for many years.

"Ying Ning, if you send people out like this, I'm afraid they will be criticized." Wu Ying and Yang Yiqing have always been friends.

Because Wu Ying is from Shaanxi, she speaks with a strong Guanzhong accent.

Yang Yiqing said: "Depending on the soldiers and horses of Ningxia Town, it is impossible to achieve great things. I have written many times to Mr. Qin, who is in charge of the trilateral military affairs, asking him to send troops to cooperate, but now I have not received a single reply. Now that I have taken office, it is time to ask him for soldiers, horses and food."

Wu Ying was also helpless.

The battle is about to start, there are not enough troops, and they are still scattered, so they actually want to hold on to the Buddha's feet temporarily and go to the trilateral general system stationed in Yansui to ask for troops, horses and supplies?

"Ugh!"

It may be that Yang Yiqing also felt that this battle came too hastily, he said, "Just put on a show and do it. I know that the soldiers and horses in Ningxia don't have the heart to fight decisively, and they don't have high morale to fight, but I also understand that your majesty is eager to defend against the enemy. The layout of the border towns has changed in recent years, and even the generals below have lost their minds, thinking that they can compete with the Tatars on the battlefield."

Wu Ying said: "Just don't be influenced by them."

"Even Your Majesty thinks so, what else can I do? But you should also know that the most powerful force of the Tatars is always the headquarters of the little Tatar prince, but what has the little Tatar prince lost in the past few years?"

Yang Yiqing said with a lot of emotion, "In the past few years, no great victory against the enemy has occurred in the three sides, and Ningxia is to the west of the three sides, almost isolated from the pass. In the past few years, apart from being invaded by the Tatars again and again, does Ningxia have any achievements worthy of praise?"

Wu Ying pondered for a while, and said, "If you want to talk about Marquis Weining..."

This has to mention Wang Yue's "Helan Mountain Victory".

Yang Yiqing said: "So I also want to learn from Wang Weining."

"Ying Ning, what do you mean?" Wu Ying opened her mouth wide.

It should be said that Wang Yue, as the head of the trilateral system, sent troops from Ningxia to Helan Mountain, and the number of troops sent was only more than 1.

And what Wang Yue used was also broken down into pieces-the deputy commander-in-chief of Yansui, who commanded Tongzhi Zhu Jin, led [-] troops to the south;

Wang Yue's headquarters is in the middle.

Yang Yiqing said: "What Wang Weining and Wang Xinjian can accomplish, why can't I? The battle in Ningxia is probably the best and only opportunity in my life!"

"Hmm." Wu Ying could only swallow a thousand words in her heart.

This is to bite the bullet and rush forward.

……

……

After Yang Yiqing entered Ningxia, he decided on a strategy for using troops, and his strategic propositions quickly spread among the court.

Zhu Youtang didn't mind Yang Yiqing's trouble.

Because in the past two years, the several victories presided over by Zhang Zhou, in the eyes of outsiders, were all obtained by "tossing", and none of them were serious gains.

"Send someone to pass Ningxia's military strategy to Nanzhili, let Bingkuan have a look, and then send the letter back quickly." Zhu Youtang didn't make too many comments himself, and he didn't bother to listen to the minister's opinion. It would be better to ask Zhang Zhou directly.

Xiao Jing took Zhu Youtang's autographed letter and Yang Yiqing's performance, etc., and then found someone to deliver to Zhang Zhou.

He was also thinking in his heart, if Zhang Bingkuan was really indispensable in this battle, why didn't he call him back, but asked him for his opinion?
……

……

In Nanjing City.

Zhu Houzhao has been very frightened these days, a wild horse, and he wanders around everywhere.

I also went to the literary conference, listened to music and opera, and went to visit various places. This was a pain for Xu Jing and other Jinyiwei who were in charge of secretly watching.

Yang Peng was in Nanjing and was not dispatched by Zhang Zhou. He was also secretly helping to protect Zhu Houzhao. When he learned that Zhu Houzhao often went to crowded places and would often lose sight of the guards, he was also very anxious.

Finally he waited for the emperor's will, and finally had an excuse to visit Zhang Zhou.

On this day, Zhang Zhou had just been to Yingtian Mansion, and when he came back, he met Yang Peng in the Yamen of the Ministry of War in Nanjing.

"Ningxia is using troops." Yang Peng took Yang Yiqing's memorial and the emperor's letter to Zhang Zhou.

After Zhang Zhou finished reading, he just nodded.

Yang Peng said: "Master Zhang, please give me an opinion quickly, Your Majesty is still waiting."

Zhang Zhou frowned and said, "Let me think about it? From here to the capital, it will take three or four days to send a message to the capital. No matter how fast the horse is changed along the way, why worry?"

Yang Peng lowered his head.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Yang Yingning's spirit of adventurism is there, but it's a little unrealistic."

"What?" Yang Peng stared wide-eyed.

"Don't you want to comment? Come, find someone to record it." Zhang Zhou greeted.

"No, you tell me, I can write it down." Yang Peng said, "Or you can write it yourself, so His Majesty can agree more. Are you saying... the tactics are unrealistic?"

Zhang Zhou got up and said, "Actually speaking, I shouldn't deliberately evaluate a general who uses troops in the frontier. He has the power to make appropriate strategic arrangements, and he may not be inferior to me in terms of the ability to manage the army. I don't have to deny the arrangements he made according to the actual situation."

"Yes."

Yang Peng thought to himself, you say that he is unrealistic, and you still deny it?

Zhang Zhoudao: "The problem is that he has too few soldiers and horses at his disposal. I understand that he wants to imitate Wang Weining and use his military skills in exchange for the initiative in the situation. But Wang Weining fights on the basis of prestige, while Yang Yingning does not."

Yang Peng said: "Isn't there still Marquis An Bian?"

Zhang Zhou laughed and said, "So he sent Zhu Zhijie out as a vanguard."

"is it?"

Only then did Yang Peng carefully read Yang Yiqing's previous performance, and then he seemed to understand that Yang Yiqing told the emperor that he was going to send Zhu Feng to fight guerrillas after he arrived in Ningxia, not to use Zhu Feng as cannon fodder, but as...a pioneer?
The rhetoric changed a bit, and it felt instantly that Yang Yiqing had changed from a master of throwing pots to a man of war.

wrong.

Zhang Shike clearly said that Yang Yingning was unrealistic.

Zhang Zhoudao: "If you lose less, you win. Maybe the little Tatar prince is really afraid of this pair and led the troops to withdraw?"

"Ahem, it seems that Master Zhang is not very optimistic about this battle." Yang Peng said.

"I can't be optimistic." Zhang Zhou said, "I told you before that I have no choice but to face such a situation. It is not the right way to fight a war based on reputation. In this situation, unless I am given [-] cavalry and [-] artillery pieces, I can drive away the [-] elite of the little prince of Tartar, otherwise... a drop in the bucket."

(End of this chapter)