The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 429 Picking Fruit Thousands of Miles Away

After the emperor's order was issued, the coalition forces of Wang Shouren and Wang Qiong had formed the strength to fight the Tatars head-on after they withdrew to Maoerzhuang and joined with more than 1 troops sent by Datong.

The Tatars did not advance, and Datong, Piantouguan, and Nuergandusi had no plans to further invade the grassland, so everything calmed down first, and Wang Qiong was in a hurry to withdraw his troops back to Piantouguan.

"Bo'an, if there is no sign of the Tatars mobilizing their troops in the past two days, they will withdraw their troops into the pass and retreat to the Piantou Pass. The safety of the Daming frontier depends on you and me, so we must not slack off."

What Wang Qiong meant was that the Tatars should not be allowed to sneak in at Biantouguan, and even to prevent Huosi from making a comeback. After all, Wang Qiong brought out most of the elite at Biantouguan this time. Instead, it became the weak link of the Nine Frontiers of Ming Dynasty.

He couldn't leave the pass he was ordered to guard in order to help Wang Shouren.

Wang Shouren said: "From what I've seen, the Tatars have continued internal disputes. At this time, it is expected that they will not rashly go south."

Wang Qiong sighed, "It's hard to say."

In fact, without Wang Shouren's reminder, Wang Qiong also knew that the possibility of the Tatars invading was very low.

If Batumenk dares to hit the Piantou Pass, let’s not talk about the Piantou Pass now that the pass has been rebuilt, let’s talk about the heavy artillery, long-range artillery, and yellow gunpowder left in the pass. The Tatars are afraid to avoid it , How dare you come to attack Daming's Guancheng?

You have already fully fallen into the inferior position in field battles. If you dare to attack, it is no different from courting death.

Moreover, the coalition forces of Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren could bypass the Biantou Pass at any time and reach the rear of Batu Mengke.

In front of Wang Shouren was a map, and he pointed to it: "I have analyzed the current defense situation in the northwest, and the current number of new artillery pieces in Pianguan, Datong and Xuanfu is enough to guard the pass, but the distribution of the fortresses is still not enough. Evenly. The farther west you go, the fewer new guns you will be equipped with, and the lower your deterrent effect."

Wang Qiong said with a smile: "The Xuanda line has always been deeply cultivated by the Duke of Lai, and the three sides and other places have not yet penetrated. It is a solid one."

Speaking of this, Wang Qiong is somewhat fortunate.

It's a "beautiful job" in the northwest to follow Zhang Zhou.

And if he followed Qin Hong under the current trilateral system, the situation would be even worse. For example, Ningxia governor Yang Yiqing, after this war, it would be difficult to keep his official position, let alone he might be dismissed and questioned.

"Bo'an, if you want to enter the grassland next step, which direction should you go?" Wang Qiong asked with concern.

In fact, Wang Qiong is also very clear that with Wang Shouren's current achievements, it is easy to jump above him, not only in titles, but also in civil positions.

He just took advantage of Zhang Zhou earlier and made more contributions, but at best he was only an "old bone" in Zhang Zhou's camp.

Wang Shouren said: "This is beyond my consideration. It's too long-term."

Wang Qiong asked: "Could it be that you think it's not time for the Pingsu Grassland?"

"Well." Wang Shouren did not shy away, "Although the new firearms are powerful, the Tatars have been studying tactics in the past two years, trying to overcome the shortcomings of weapons, and the grasslands are sparsely populated. After entering the grasslands, it is difficult to find Tatars. Even if the main force of the Tartars is found, it will be difficult to lead to a decisive battle. After all preparations are completed, we must advance step by step to the grassland, and the grassland is difficult to cultivate, so that we cannot maintain long-term peace and stability, which is like a chicken rib."

Wang Qiong said with a smile: "If you can think about it, then listen to His Majesty more and see how the court will arrange it in the future."

……

……

Wang Qiong originally wanted to help Wang Shouren stabilize the situation in Maoerzhuang before leaving.

But just before he led the troops to leave, the imperial court appointed Wang Shouren as the governor of Datong. , the emperor mentioned the need to ensure the stability of the Weining Sea line.

Wang Qiong originally thought that Wang Shouren would be promoted to the "Xuan Da General System" or something, or be transferred back to the Northwest.

At the very least, the title should be improved.

But the emperor didn't seem to think that promoting Wang Shouren to the title of the governor of Datong was just a regularization of Wang Shouren's status as the interim governor of Datong. The things obtained on the grassland are used as rewards, which means that the court does not want them.

How do you want to distribute how to distribute.

Wang Shouren also planned to withdraw his troops back to Datong, and then try to go to Liaodong to continue to complete his plan to pacify Liaobei. In this case, he can only stay in Maoerzhuang first, observing the movements of the Tatars at any time, in case he makes a decision. Some military arrangements.

Wang Qiong immediately came to him to say goodbye.

Wang Shouren personally sent Wang Qiong's troops away. Outside the half-built city wall of Maoerzhuang, Wang Shouren and Wang Qiong were drinking farewell wine.

"I'm going to work together in Xuanda again. As you said, this side pass should be safe. Even if the Tatars still want to invade, I guess they should go to Gansu and Ningxia."

Wang Qiong had a friendly smile on her face, but she was still somewhat disappointed in her heart.

One mountain cannot tolerate two tigers.

The two most powerful civil servants under Zhang Zhou's command, Wang Shouren and him, are now living in Xuanda.

As the saying goes, there is me without him. Since I can deter the Tatars at the first pass and prevent the Tatars from attacking Xuanda, why should Wang Shouren stay?Means he is better than me?Can it deter the Tatars more?
Then transfer me away, I can go to Liaodong Pingjurchen, or go to Ningxia to replace Yang Yingning.

Wang Shouren lowered his eyebrows and said in thought: "I always think that His Majesty's expectation for Xuanda's front line is not just to build a city in Mao'erzhuang."

"You mean..."

"Could it be that Your Majesty still wants to make some articles on the front line of Xuanda University?" Wang Shouren said, "I never thought that it would be a good strategy to calm the grassland after everything is ready. On the contrary, it is when the preparations are slightly insufficient. , the chances of winning will be higher, and after this battle, we should take advantage of the situation to drive the Tatars to Mobei!"

"Ha ha."

Wang Qiong didn't answer what he thought was a bit of a dud.

Wang Shouren is still too young, it may be caused by Wang Shouren's adventurous spirit, or Wang Shouren is too pursuing to be like his idol Wang Weining, always thinking of becoming a blockbuster.

For Wang Qiong, strategic victory is important, but steady and steady play is equally important.

"Wait for three or two years. Although Ming has many artillery and strong weapons, the Tatars will also seek countermeasures, and even the Tatars will complete annexation and unification within the Tatars. When they send troops to the grasslands, they may be trapped by the terrain and fall into a Dilemma."

Wang Shouren has his good reasons.

After everything is ready, sending out troops is of course the best result, and it is also the safest.

But if you plan to cast artillery for two or three years, have the Tatars stagnated?
In case the Tatars develop more powerful tactics and find a strategy to overcome Daming firearms, or the Tatars start to take advantage of geographical advantages, they will play a detour with the army of the Ming Dynasty marching into the grassland, and finally destroy the Ming army. The army was dragged down...or the Tatars completed a surprise attack at some point, robbed some of Daming's firearms, and even completed imitation...

The longer the delay, the more surprises there will be.

"Bo'an, your concerns are justified, but you have forgotten who will be in charge of military affairs in Ming Dynasty in the future. It is the Duke of Lai."

Wang Qiongyu said earnestly, "You can think of it, but can't Duke Lai think about it? You have made great contributions to this battle, but you must also learn to be modest. After all, the person your Majesty believes in is always the Duke of Lai. Most of the plans for the grasslands were also formulated by the Duke of Lai. When the time comes when all walks of life attack the grasslands, the Tatars must have no way to escape, and the only way is to surrender to Ming Dynasty."

After hearing this, Wang Shouren nodded and said, "I hope so. Send Wang Zhongcheng off."

"Haha, you are the same, we will meet again."

……

……

Wang Shouren stayed in Datong, but he didn't need someone to stay in Maoerzhuang all the time.

Immediately, he will send out some soldiers and horses to garrison Maoerzhuang with Datong troops, and he will also go to Datong to complete the handover of duties first.

After he entered the pass of the Ming Dynasty, more rewards were issued by the imperial court, most of which were promotions to the ranks of the generals below. Guan Jing, the general who cooperated with Wang Shouren in sending troops in this battle, has been promoted to "Nuer Gandu Commander" "Third-rank military position, and the command of the same governor.

As for the following generals, they all have their own rewards.

Wang Shouren hadn't arrived in Datong Fucheng yet, but it was Datong's eunuch guard and an old acquaintance, Cao Shun, who came out of the city to greet him in person, and complimented Wang Shouren in every possible way.

Cao Shun is a "meritorious person" who cooperated with Wang Shouren in completing a surprise attack in Weininghai. The so-called meritorious service is only that he didn't help much when he was not helpful, and there were not too many constraints, but if it is said to be a strategist at a critical moment, it is almost nothing.

"The reputation of the Major General is now spread throughout the Northwest. Everyone says that the Major General is Wang Weining who is still alive. Just after Wang Weining went there, a Young General Wang came. The soldiers in the Northwest are really blessed. The Hulu never dared to invade. It is just around the corner to level the grassland."

Cao Shun's flattery was a flattery, but Wang Shouren obviously didn't like it.

"The major general has left for less than a year. To the soldiers, it seems that they have been looking forward to your return for more than ten years. And when you were away, the coal mine in Datong was running smoothly. You don’t know that there is no smoke at all, and the soldiers are now saving coal for the winter.”

Cao Shun was transferred to Datong as the guarding eunuch, and one of his errands was to help Zhang Zhou look after the coal mine.

Let the civil servants watch, it is more likely to happen self-stealing. Although Cao Shun is not a positive role, but fortunately, this kind of person still has enough fear, and the emperor's order is there, and he knows it when he is a mouse. somewhat restrained.

Wang Shouren said: "Based on the order of Duke Lai, Datong should be responsible for the smelting of iron ore collected from Zhangjiakou and other places. I don't know how to proceed?"

"This……"

When Cao Shun mentioned these things, he seemed very embarrassed, "It's not going well. It's not that I don't want to do it, it's that the two sides are not good at arguing. You also know that Lai Guogong is not in the northwest recently, and he is not even in the north. No one is there. , relying solely on his people to run the business here, there are always many people who want to develop mines."

Wang Shouren said coldly, "Does anyone even dare to covet Duke Lai's mine?"

"Hey! It's not coveting, it's just causing some trouble. The army doesn't have enough charcoal. Now they use coal charcoal instead, but it's also beautiful. The soldiers now have coal for the winter, and they don't complain about it. The past two years The salary of the Northwest Army was also paid in a timely manner, thanks to Duke Lai and Uncle Xinjian.”

As Cao Shun said, he suddenly leaned forward and said, "The officials and soldiers below have a lot of filial piety, and there is no way to send it up. Our family must be carrying it for Uncle Xinjian, and you can use it whenever you want. "

Wang Shouren is really awesome now.

Last time in Datong, although he was also respected, in the eyes of most people, Weininghai's victory cannot be repeated, which means that Wang Shouren's achievements are more like a flash in the pan.

But this time around, the situation is very different.

After one year, Wang Shouren has fully proved his military accomplishments. Everyone realized that this is currently the most powerful military general in Ming Dynasty, second only to Zhang Zhou. How can he not flatter him?
As for that Marquis Anbian?
Now more and more people are realizing that there is an essential difference between those who rely on relationships and those who rely on real skills to get to the top.

"Nine months have passed since Mao'erzhuang was built. Why is the progress so far?" Wang Shouren asked responsibly.

Cao Shun smiled disapprovingly and said: "Without money, how can it be so easy to build a city? The imperial court did not approve it, so it relied on local financing, and there was no Yanyin. It was said that it was going to be changed to Liang Kaizhong, but until now Datong has not done so. See some salt merchants come, and the salt is still sent from the capital, we people just watch the excitement."

"We can't afford to offend those princes and nobles in the capital. You don't have to worry about it, Uncle Xinjian. Your Majesty didn't say how long it will take you to build Maoerzhuang. That place is an isolated city, and the transportation of grain and grass is a problem. In the future, we will flatten the grassland. , it’s at most an outpost, it doesn’t matter.”

……

……

The news of the Great Grassland Victory is spreading rapidly across the country.

A few days later, it spread to Nanjing. At the same time, there was Zhu Youtang's edict calling Zhang Zhou back to the capital, specifically mentioning Zhang Zhou escorting Zhu Houzhao to go north together... Maybe Zhu Youtang was worried about his son, if only Yang Peng Bringing escorts, I'm really afraid that Zhu Houzhao will use his power to coerce and make some kind of moth that "disappears in place".

"Sir, you are so awesome. Great victory in the grassland, killing more than 1 people! After I know it, I feel like I'm flying!"

Zhu Houzhao also got the news from Liu Jinna, and ran all the way to Zhang Zhou to inquire about the situation.

At this time, Zhang Zhou was in front of the meeting with Wei Guogong Xu Yu who came to congratulate him, and Nanjing Co-garrison Huairou Bo Shi Zan who accompanied Xu Yu, and behind him stood Yang Peng, the admiral of the East Factory.

Originally, Yang Peng was considered to be the highest among them, but with Zhang Zhou's brilliance reflected, Yang Peng, as the owner of Dongchang, was very low-key in Nanjing City, not to mention seeing Xu Yu and Shi Zan, even if he met Ying Tianfu Yin Wuxiong, he is always polite.

"Meet the prince." Xu Yu and others were not qualified to visit Zhu Houzhao directly, and it was an honor to meet him by chance, so they hurriedly saluted Zhu Houzhao.

It can be regarded as familiar in front of the prince of Ming Dynasty.

Maybe he will be appreciated by the prince in the future, and he will be entrusted with important tasks after he ascends the throne.

Zhu Houzhao said with a smile: "You're welcome, I'm here to see you, you all know about the great victory in the north, right? That's the result of Mr. Zhang's strategizing, and Wang Shouren is also very good. It's Mr. Zhang's discerning eye, picking out the best from the crowd." He came out, I heard that this person is very reckless, he dared to fight in the hinterland of Tatar with thousands of people, you should learn more."

Like Wang Shouren's recklessness?
Xu Yu and Shi Zan pondered for a while, and they really couldn't learn this.

Who knows how Zhang Bingkuan would appreciate a Jinshi of the same year?Also cultivated this old and friendly son of the number one scholar of the Ming Dynasty to become a famous general?The blame lies here. It stands to reason that Wang Shouren, as the son of Wang Hua of the traditional civil servant faction, cannot be won over by Zhang Zhou.

"Mr. Zhang, please tell me quickly how I won this battle. I know too little. Do you want to hear it too?" Zhu Houzhao looked at Xu Chu.

"Yes." Xu Yu said with a smile.

Yang Peng came forward and said, "His Royal Highness, it's like this..."

"Did I talk to you?" Zhu Houzhao's face was displeased.

The crown prince wants to discuss the use of troops with your husband, why are you a eunuch joining in the fun?Admiral East Factory?That's also the gatekeeper of our old Zhu's house, isn't he enlightened?

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "The crown prince is absurd. I just did a little bit of responsibility and proposed to create pressure on the Tatars. As for Uncle Xinjian's detailed plan for dispatching troops, he personally completed it. I really dare not take credit for it. After all... The course of this battle, the minister, the crown prince, and Wei Guogong only knew about it through the imperial court's edict."

"Don't you know how to count? Do you dare to say that you didn't figure out that you must win?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes widened.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Of secrets, things can't be done right. It depends on human efforts. It all depends on the bloody battle of Uncle Xinjian and six thousand soldiers. It is said that the herdsmen in the rear of the Tatar tribe were figured out by Uncle Xinjian. By intercepting and chasing them, they forced the Tatars. It is only through a decisive battle with him that we can win."

"That must have been calculated by you!"

Zhu Houzhao was grinning.

As if to say.

Sir, don't hide it. I don't know what level Wang Shouren is. He definitely can't figure it out. You must have reminded him.

Zhang Zhou really couldn't remind him of this.

Zhang Zhou shook his head and said, "The crown prince misunderstood. I wrote to Uncle Xinjian about the situation. For example, after entering the grassland with cavalry carrying light cannons, we only need to avoid the battle as much as possible and kill the enemy by surprise. Pulling each other, creating opportunities to fight with them, etc... But I just didn't mention to Bo Xin about where the main force of the Tatars and the rear herdsmen are."

"do not have it?"

Zhu Houzhao seemed incomprehensible.

Yang Peng laughed beside him and said, "Master Zhang, even if you hint at it, Uncle Xin must have known about it, so you don't have to be humble."

"Hehe." Xu Chu was just laughing, without any support.

But Shi Zan was surprised when he saw it.

What's happening here?
Duke Lai doesn't even admit that the credit is his own, so the crown prince and Duke Dongchang insisted on giving him the credit?From the looks of it, it seems that the whole court thinks that Duke Lai deserves the first victory in this battle... But Duke Lai has not been in the capital for the past two months...

The way to obtain miraculous achievements on the Ming battlefield, can someone pick the fruit thousands of miles away?

(End of this chapter)