The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

With great reluctance, Chen Rui led more than 3000 troops to help Ningxia.

For Chen Rui, this was a death mission, so he didn't plan to arrive quickly. As for crossing the Loop... he didn't even think about it. Chen Rui adhered to the principle of "going outside" and refused to listen. Qin Hong's dispatch still took the route within the pass.

At the same time, in Zhu Hui's army, Xiangcheng Bo Li Ao and Wu'an Marquis Zheng Ying each led two thousand troops as the vanguard to advance towards Shigou City.

Zhu Hui's troops, on the other hand, traveled less than thirty miles in a day, slowly waiting for the arrival of all the people from all walks of life.

The first ones to come... to Zhu Hui's surprise, were actually the men of Jianchang Bo Zhang Yanling. And Zhang Yanling also heard that after the Ming Dynasty frontier army achieved a great victory in Huamachi, he hurriedly brought his men over for this purpose. "Seize the opportunity."

"Uncle Jianchang, you are so unprofitable that you can't afford it early."

When Zhu Hui saw Zhang Yanling at the gate of the military camp, who was coming from all walks of life, his tone was as if he was carrying a gun and a stick, which made most people feel uncomfortable hearing it.

But Zhang Yanling was like a heartless person and didn't take it seriously.

Zhang Yanling jumped off the horse and said hurriedly: "Where are the Tatars? Is it still too late? The road to the north is really hard. There is no road. Are they walked by people? Have the Tatars been driven in? In the back alley?"

A flattering general on the side said: "Uncle, the Tatars are now heading towards Shigoucheng. That side is already the hinterland of the Ming Pass."

"Damn it, you idiots didn't defeat the Tatars? What a shame. Didn't you say that the Tatars have been bombed all over the ground and are looking for teeth? This can't annihilate them all in one fell swoop? Are you just waiting for me to come? Give me the opportunity to make meritorious deeds? Hahaha..."

Zhang Yanling is so passionate.

The generals following Zhu Hui were also wondering. It seemed that they couldn't listen to the rumors outside. After all, this Jian Changbo was a "hero" who had been on the battlefield. He had actual combat experience. I heard that he had killed him with his own hands. Tatars speak in a different tone from ordinary people.

Let’s compare our coaches...are we really one in the sky and one on the ground?

and many more.

When did Jian Changbo become a positive figure?
While the generals were still wondering, Zhu Hui also spoke: "Uncle Jianchang, you came at the right time. I am still worried about which troops to attack. Since the four thousand troops you brought have arrived, it is up to you to provide reinforcements." And up."

Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "You don't want me to rush ahead and die, do you?"

"How could that happen?" Zhu Hui was trying to trick a fool into taking the bait. Of course, he couldn't say it clearly. Instead, he said in a gentle tone, "I have sent two groups of people as the vanguard, and you are already the third group, but for reinforcements." Go up, just when the first two groups of troops and the local defenders of Ningxia are encircling the Tatars, you take the opportunity to lead the troops to fight out. It can be said that you can advance, attack, retreat or defend."

"is it?"

When Zhang Yanling heard this, she immediately felt happy.

I'm still thinking in my heart, it's this Duke Bao who takes care of me. Listen to what he said, you can advance, attack, retreat or defend. This is indeed the way I like.

Zhu Hui said: "How about Jianchang Bo stationed outside the camp first, and then send out troops early tomorrow morning after rest?"

Zhang Yanling asked: "How long does it take to get to Shigou City from here?"

Someone replied: "If we send troops here, we can reach it in one day and one night, and it will take less than 120 miles."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Zhang Yanling seemed to be eager to achieve success at this moment. He didn't care about tiredness and fear. It seemed that if he led the troops there, he would have huge achievements waiting for him. "I won't deal with the Tatars in the future." You are too shameless to walk in the ranks! You bastards, cheer up for me, fill your stomachs, fill your stomachs, and go fight the Tartars with me!"

……

……

Waiting for Zhang Yanling to take people back to his military camp.

The look on Zhu Hui's face was a little stiff, and he was also thinking, is this Jian Changbo really so brave and fearless?Or are you being blinded by one-sided news and thinking that you can get credit for going there?

"Jian Changbo really doesn't have much brains. He gets the credit. In the end, doesn't this credit belong to you, the coach?"

When Zhu Hui walked towards his camp, the flattering staff around him were analyzing the situation with Zhu Hui in a low voice.

When Zhu Hui heard it, it really made sense.

I am the coach and I get the credit, no matter who gets it, it must be mine.

As for any deviations, I will nod them one by one and let them take the blame.

"Mao Ren, he..."

"My lord, have you forgotten? You let him go with Marquis Wu An's people."

"Yeah, why did I forget about this? He shouldn't have been allowed to go."

Zhu Hui suddenly regretted sending Cui Yuan with his vanguard troops.

The staff asked: "My lord, don't you dislike the Princess Yongkang's consort who is always nagging around you? Why..."

Zhu Hui said: "You still haven't seen the situation clearly. After all, Jianchang Bo is the queen's biological brother. If he gets credit, even if it is just as big as a sesame seed or a mung bean, he will be written down in a big book. It will not be easy to get it. At the critical moment, Your Majesty, do you listen to me or Uncle Jianchang?"

"This..." The staff didn't know how to answer.

It's easy to take the credit from others, but to take the credit from Zhang Yanling... Who gave you the courage of Zhu Hui?
Having said that, who really thought that Zhang Yanling could achieve great success on the battlefield?Is there anything worth taking credit for from him?

"But your Majesty still respects Cui Maoren very much. If Maoren is still in the army and your Majesty asks about something, he can still help to speak. When you are leading troops, you always need someone who can talk to you." Zhu Hui sighed with emotion. With.

The staff member said: "Are you going to call back Princess Yongkang's consort?"

"It's too late." Zhu Hui said, "The few remaining troops should all arrive tonight. Send them all out. After I take charge of the three armies, I will let the local defenders of Ningxia do the charge. I will do it based on the situation. Transfer.”

"Yes, sir, you are wise, as the saying goes... you can advance, attack, retreat or defend."

"exactly."

……

……

Lingzhou Institute.

Ningxia Governor Yang Yiqing, Ningxia Commander-in-Chief Guo Jun, guarding eunuch Zhang Xu and others led the troops to withdraw after completing the Battle of Huamachi.

When they arrived at Lingzhou Station, they learned that the Tatars did not chase them from the back road, but headed towards Shigou City. Yang Yiqing had already warned Zhu Hui along the way, but when Yang Yiqing's troops arrived at Lingzhou Station, , only to learn that Zhu Hui did not fight the Tatars head-on.

"...According to Master Yang's instructions, I mentioned the current situation to Duke Bao, but Duke Bao was only willing to send a few thousand Qingqi to Shigou City. According to the situation, they want to wait for us to finish the battle before coming to harvest the results of the victory. .”

When his subordinates reported the news, the eunuch guarding Zhang Xun's nose was so angry that he became angry.

Zhang Xuan said angrily: "He missed the opportunity to protect the country. Let's see how our family can help impeach him so that he can't live without food!"

Guo Jun asked for orders: "Master Yang, I am willing to lead the troops to Shigou City to intercept the invading Tatar enemy."

There were many generals present, all of whom could be regarded as Yang Yiqing's "direct descendants". Yang Yiqing had been in Ningxia for more than a year. In the eyes of the government and the public, he had not made any achievements, and he was almost imprisoned for his battle with the little Tatar prince in the first year. The emperor held him accountable and lost his official position.

But in fact, he ran a very good business in Ningxia. At least everything from military food and supplies to the morale of the army was kept in order, and he also won the respect of everyone in the army.

Without these prerequisites, he would not be able to gain a foothold in Ningxia, and he would not be allowed to lead this battle.

Yang Yiqing said: "With the currently dispatchable men and horses, the number of cavalry is less than [-]. Even if we include infantry and cavalry, it is only about [-]. And the enemy of the little Tartar prince is at least [-]. The number of enemies that were previously spent During the Battle of Machi, the Tatars had not yet figured out the situation of our army, and now if they want to make a surprise attack, they must cooperate with Duke Baoguo's men and horses."

Zhang Xu sneered and said, "But if they don't cooperate with you, what can you do?"

"I have reported victory to the court before. Someone will go to Yulin Guard and ask Qin Laobu to mobilize troops for reinforcements. I believe that reinforcements from all walks of life will arrive in a few days." Yang Yiqing's words were loud and clear, as if to boost the morale of the army.

Sure enough, the generals at the meeting were also excited.

"The Tatars dared to commit crimes in our territory of the Ming Dynasty and suffered a huge defeat. All our people must have come to kill them! Who doesn't want to take credit?"

"Isn't that true? We already have the lion's share of the merit, and they don't mind sharing it at all!"

A group of people have already discussed how to use other groups of people to help the Ningxia local defenders gain military glory.

Yang Yiqing raised his hand to interrupt the discussion of the generals present, and sighed: "After all, it is the little Tatar prince who personally leads the troops, and they are all Tatar elites. It is not easy to swallow them all at once. Although they have not withdrawn yet, if they After skimming the border and retreating to the north, it will not be easy for us to resist alone."

Zhang He said: "The Tatars know how powerful our firearms are and will not fight us head-on. I just don't know if Cai Guogong has mentioned where the Tatars will withdraw?"

"It's impossible to calculate." Yang Yiqing said, "We already have an advantage if we know where they are coming from. If we even know their movements, wouldn't it be..."

Yang Yiqing wanted to say, wouldn't this group of people become marionettes?How to fight? It all depends on how he opens his mouth?What else is there to fight for?Just use a spell to kill them.

Zhang He muttered: "But I don't know, how did Cai Guogong know that the Tatars would go towards Shigoucheng? Do the Tatars really suffer a new defeat and don't want to withdraw their troops, but want to go deep into our territory of the Ming Dynasty?"

Yang Yiqing said: "This is a judgment of the situation, not a secret. The Tatars raised their troops to invade. Our army set up an ambush on the Tatar rear army in Huamachi, and there were tens of thousands of Baoguogong soldiers and horses in the Hetao area. The Tatars were at this time It would be unwise to withdraw the troops, and if the little Tatar prince withdraws to the grassland, his reputation will be completely ruined. He must want to plunder at the border of the Ming Dynasty before withdrawing his troops."

"It makes sense." Zhang Xu said.

"It is true that the Tatars did not know the movements of our army in the early stage, and they hurriedly responded to the battle and were at a disadvantage. However, they did not harm them after all. After they knew that our Ningxia garrison only numbered tens of thousands of troops, they must have wanted to go smoothly. Follow the river ditch to the direction of Shigou City, because in the past two years, a large area of ​​farmland has been developed there, and even if the people learned to evacuate, they did not evacuate in time. Shigou City is located in an isolated fort, in disrepair, and the terrain is The open space is most conducive for the Tatars to retreat northward at the right time."

When Yang Yiqing said this, his hand also clicked on the map where Shigou City was.The generals looked over and saw that Shigou City stood alone, and the surrounding fortresses were relatively far away.

Yang Yiqing continued: "If the Ming Dynasty did not send troops to fight with them, they would definitely go south towards Xiaoyanchi and plunder Pingliang, Guyuan, and even Guanzhong. This was their original purpose... Cai Guogong just took advantage of the situation and gave them After creating a certain condition, they marched as planned... This shows that everything was as expected by Cai Guogong."

Yang Yiqing was still saying before that Zhang Zhou was not omnipotent.

But at this time, he started to help Zhang Zhou to praise him again.

A man like Zhang Xu can naturally tell that. What Yang Yiqing wants now is the morale of the army, and if the Ming Dynasty has a "heavenly master" who can control and calculate to command this war, the soldiers' morale will naturally be shaken, so Yang Yiqing had no choice but to boast about Zhang Zhou's abilities.

Don't worry you melons, everything is within Cai Guogong's plan. It's really trivial to defeat the Tatars.

Zhang Xu said: "Now we need to stop the Tatars and not allow them to go south from Shigou City. But now, what should we do if Baoguo Gong delays the Ningxia rearguard and prevents them from advancing?"

"Then it's up to us to fight." Yang Yiqing clenched his fist and slapped the map, saying, "The majesty of the Ming Dynasty's soldiers is not sustained by timid and cowardly generals like Bao Guogong, but by generations of our frontier troops. It is maintained by the generals. If he does not advance, as long as we exert our power and push the Tatars into despair, he will fight even if he does not."

"There are more than 1 troops and more than 3 Tatars..."

Zhang Xun first doubted himself.

Yang Yiqing said with a confident smile: "When we set up an ambush before, our three armies only had tens of thousands of troops. Why didn't we still defeat Di Yi until they couldn't find the north? When we harvested the heads of the Tatars, tens of thousands of Tatars were just a dozen miles away." Besides, is there anyone who dares to come forward?"

"This moment, this moment..." Zhang Xun still showed the eunuch's fear of death style.

He wanted to remind that the Tatars were stunned at that time and they did not dare to come. Now you try again.

Yang Yiqing smiled and said: "Now that all the people of Ming Dynasty are gathering, and we also have artillery and muskets as sharp blades, wherever the main soldiers of our three armies go, they will not dare to face the enemy head-on. Even if it is only a few hundred armed with guns. When the soldiers pushing the cannon are killed, they must also take a detour."

"Then let's..." Zhang Xun looked at the soldiers around him and found that these people seemed to be fearless. All of them had red eyes. They all seemed to be inspired by Yang Yiqing and wanted to make contributions.

Zhang Xun was also impressed by Yang Yiqing's method of confusing people.

Guo Jun asked for orders again: "Please lead the troops with me, General Mo."

"It's not you who led the troops, but my three armies marched together, making a desperate move without leaving any retreat. Only by defeating the Tatars in Shigou City will they not dare to invade the territory to fight in the future! Everyone, the face of the Ming Dynasty soldiers, and My reputation depends entirely on you."

"I am willing to follow Yang Zhongcheng!"

……

……

The capital, Qianqing palace.

It was another long night. Zhu Youtang had been suffering from insomnia recently, so he ran to the Qianqing Palace and called the Supervisors of Ceremonies over. Originally, the Supervisors of Ceremonies were still on duty in batches, but in the end they found that the emperor would come every night. , they can only choose to rest in batches during the day.

then……

The four supervisors and supervisors will be on duty at night.

This is okay for Xiao Jing and others, but it is a bit too much for Li Rong, who is already in his 70s and approaching [-].

But that night, an urgent piece of news came from the northwest, inspiring the entire Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty...good news."

Li Rong went out for a while, and when he came back, he ran into the palace gate with brisk steps.

When Zhu Youtang heard the news, he almost jumped up from his chair after looking slightly confused.

"quick……"

Zhu Youtang asked Xiao Jing to go over and help someone to receive the news, but in fact he got up while saying that he was faster than Xiao Jing.

Li Rong stepped forward, not even caring about etiquette, and said in surprise: "Your Majesty, good news about Huamachi!"

"call!"

When Zhu Youtang heard this, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

Li Rongdao: "It was just submitted from the superior. Huamachi set up an ambush, killed more than a thousand enemies, and got nearly [-] heads. The Tatars entered the pass from Huamachi. Now Baoguo Gong has come from behind." The road cuts off their retreat, which is a gesture of closing the door and beating the dog.”

"is it?"

When Zhu Youtang heard that he had only killed more than a thousand people, he felt a little unhappy.

The main reason is that the threshold of expectations is too high. In the past, just killing a few dozen people would be considered an absolute victory, but now...if he doesn't kill a thousand people, he feels that he has failed Bingkuan's conspiracy.

Xiao Jing immediately took the good news and brought it to Zhu Youtang. Zhu Youtang waved his hand and said: "I don't know why, my vision is a little blurry recently. Please give me more light when you come."

Xiao Jing and others were still puzzled.

Your Majesty, you didn't raise this point when you read the memorial or something just now. You just made guesses about your feelings. You didn't pay attention anyway. We will deal with it in the end, right?You are not here to work, you are here to be a supervisor, to supervise our group of people in reviewing the memorials.

……

……

The good news is listed in great detail.

After Yang Yiqing won the victory in Huamachi, he hurriedly petitioned for merit. Due to the lack of defensive power and the menacing attack of the Tatars, Yang Yiqing finally retreated to the direction of Lingzhou as ordered, which also gave way to the continued invasion by the Tatars. The territory of the Ming Dynasty brought convenience.

After Zhu Youtang was pleased, a big problem became apparent.

Li Rongdao: "Your Majesty, when you go to court tomorrow morning, the government and the public will definitely point out that withdrawing troops when encountering the enemy will damage the country's prestige, and the Tatars will invade because of this, and retreating when encountering the enemy is a taboo. If the local garrison in Ningxia Guard the Ningxia rear guard and other important passes. In a few days, Duke Baoguo’s men will arrive, and by then the situation will not be at a disadvantage."

Zhu Youtang said with an indifferent expression: "Have the Ningxia rearguard and other fortresses been lost?"

"This... not really." Li Rong said, "It's just that they are very passive. The soldiers who stayed behind can only stay in the pass fortress. There is no detailed report on how the Tatars marched and looted in the past few days. Report. But Cai Guogong has already warned that the Tatars may advance towards Shigou City without attacking the city."

"Isn't this the end? Concentrating our forces and fighting the Tatars head-on will be the difficulty in fighting the Tatars in the future. Only by putting the Tatars into the pass can we have a chance to fight them head-on. Only then can we have a chance. Form an encirclement, otherwise do you expect to catch the wolves in the wilderness?"

Zhu Youtang didn't seem to care much about the fighting situation. As long as he could win, it didn't matter if the situation didn't look good.

What I want is flat grassland. Under this premise, it is not unacceptable to lose some customs and defense benefits.

But what Li Rong wants to remind you is that your majesty accepts things. Traditional civil servants do not accept it. They will think it is an infringement of the interests of the Ming army and people.

Zhu Youtang asked: "Who is on duty at Shangting today?"

Li Rongdao: "It's Wang Qiong, the Minister of Household Affairs."

"It's him again." Zhu Youtang nodded, "Since the beginning of the war, he has been working hard. Whenever there is a big event, there is always someone to discuss it. His efficiency and ability are no worse than those three elders. "

Li Rong and others were thinking that the establishment of the Shangting Office was actually to share the errands of the cabinet. Isn't this just an internal minister?
Moreover, Shangtingchu is in charge of major military and political affairs, and the major affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs. Whoever controls the military and political power is equivalent to mastering the foundation of the country, and the power of the cabinet is outshone.

"Tomorrow morning, let Bingkuan come too." Zhu Youtang suddenly said with a smile.

When he spoke, he was content and intoxicated.

Li Rong said: "Your Majesty, Cai Guogong seems to be testing new cannons these days. It is said that the cannons can now shoot three or four miles away, and they have begun to be manufactured in batches. They can already be used in the city defense of the capital. They can also be transported to the northwest towns later. …”

"In just one or two days, when there is good news, what should I do if Bingkuan is not here? I want those courtiers to see that as long as Bingkuan is in charge of military affairs in the Ming Dynasty, even if others are in the capital, they can achieve miraculous results. , let’s see who dares to make irresponsible remarks about my use of Bingkuan!”

Zhu Youtang seemed to be still angry with the minister.

It is also because the court now mainly praises Wang Shouren and other border town generals, opening up a topic, which means that only those who lead troops in border towns and gain credit are the pillars of the Ming Dynasty.

Indirectly, it is said that those who only know how to talk in the capital are cowards who occupy the latrine and do nothing.

In fact, this wave of discussion was directly aimed at Zhang Zhou. It could be said that it was an indirect attack to attack Zhang Zhou's prestige in the court.

Now the emperor is about to fight back against this unhealthy trend.

Who said that the absolute pillars of Ming Dynasty should be erected at the border fortress?Standing in the capital, he can still hold up the Ming Dynasty.

"Wang Qiong has worked hard." Zhu Youtang was already going to rest. He also planned to share the joy with the woman around him, but he hadn't figured out yet whether he wanted to find the queen or his "beloved concubine". , "The reward I gave him is a little short, so I'll give him something. Just give him the jade Ruyi I usually have."

Xiao Jing smiled and said: "Your Majesty, this reward is generous enough."

Zhu Youtang said: "If I hadn't rewarded Bingkuan with several jade Ruyi, I would have planned to give it to Bingkuan. If I gave it too much, it wouldn't be a rarity."

Now Xiao Jing and others understood it again.

The emperor was trying to buy people's hearts. Before, he wanted to win over Zhang Zhou. Now, together with Wang Qiong and others, the emperor was also prepared to use some "small favors". (End of chapter)