King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 473 Proceedings of the Governor’s Office

Now that we have arrived outside the pass, we are considered to be on the battlefield, so Zhu Jinghong did not bring Ke Qing with him.

Firstly, she was too weak to endure such hardship, and secondly, she wanted to prevent others from gossiping. After all, leading a woman into a war was a bit jealous.

Therefore, when Zhu Jinghong, who had not seen a naked woman for more than ten days, met a beautiful woman like Nuo Min, he would naturally feel close to her.

Zhu Jinghong lived east of the governor's office, surrounded by the guards' tents.

Today's governor's office is actually a tent. To the west of the office, there is a cavalry guard stationed in the Beijing camp to firmly guard the safety of this place.

With the strong national power of the Ming Dynasty, there are only 70,000 cavalry today, including 20,000 cavalry in the four guards and nearly 50,000 cavalry in the three battalions of the Beijing camp.

Although there are not many in number, their equipment is absolutely sophisticated. They are two different concepts from the tribal cavalry on the grassland, and their combat effectiveness is not generally strong.

With these five thousand cavalry on the side, even if tens of thousands of Junggar cavalry attack, the governor-general's office can still sit back and relax.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was sitting in the military tent, holding an exquisite dagger in his hand.

The most indispensable thing around him is these rare things. There are too many things given to him along the way. Even if he rejects most of them, there will still be treasures.

Pulling out the dagger, a cold light suddenly shot out, and Nuomin fell in love with it at just one glance.

"This thing is made of fine iron, inlaid with precious stones, and the scabbard is..."

Zhu Jinghong introduced it while fiddling with it. Nuo Min was already fascinated by it in front of him. No girl can refuse such a delicate thing, even if it is a knife with cold light.

After saying a few words, seeing that Nuo Min had no intention of listening, Zhu Jinghong smiled and gave her the things.

Without hesitation, Nuomin pulled out both daggers and waved them twice before she took a closer look.

The more she looked at it, the more she liked it. Finally, she took off the dagger from her waist and tied the one Zhu Jinghong gave her to it.

"How is it?" Nuo Min raised his head and asked Zhu Jinghong.

Zhu Jinghong praised: "With a dashing and heroic appearance, a woman cannot outdo a man!"

After hearing this, Nuo Min became even more happy, and then went to Zhu Jinghong to thank him: "Thank you, Thirteenth Master, for the reward!"

Reaching out to help Nuo Min up, Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "This is not given to you for free!"

"I'm willing to buy it for any amount of money!"

"I don't want money!"

"What do you want?"

"Of course I want you to be my... translator!"

After hearing this, Nuo Min clasped his hands and bowed: "This little girl will definitely live up to the trust of the Thirteenth Master!"

Looking at the fit figure of the woman in front of him, Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "That's great!"

"Girl, you've come all the way, maybe you haven't eaten yet?"

"not yet!"

This was exactly what Zhu Jinghong wanted, so he heard him say: "That's just right. Let's have dinner together later. I have all the fine wine and food here!"

"Thank you Thirteenth Master!"

It's already afternoon now, and dinner will have to wait until evening. If I drink some wine...

Zhu Jinghong firmly believed that he was a decent person, but things were developing so smoothly at the moment, which somewhat surprised and surprised him.

However, before he could be happy for a while, guards came outside to report that a group of generals from the Northern Four Guards had come to pay their respects.

Starting from mid-April, after more than 70 days of continuous march, the Northern Fourth Guards arrived at Yumen Pass on June 25th, not much earlier than Zhu Jinghong and his party.

They also came to participate in the military meeting. Since it was the governor's summer vacation today, they naturally wanted to visit Zhu Jinghong first.

"Invite them in!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

Then he looked at Nuomin and said with a smile: "Girl, please go out for a walk. Someone will come soon!"

If Baochai were here, he would definitely ask in his heart when he heard these words, who is the so-called "wife".

Nuo Min retreated as he was told, and soon the four generals of the Northern Guards appeared outside the military tent.

"Greetings to the Thirteenth Master!"

The commanders of the guards and troops are one level higher than those of the Beijing camp, and each of them is more powerful.

It's just that the so-called rank is nothing in front of Zhu Jinghong. He only heard him say slowly: "Get up!"

The four commanders stood up according to the words, and then looked at Zhu Jinghong, who had been away for two months.

Signaling everyone to sit down, Zhu Jinghong immediately asked: "How about... can the climate, water and soil outside the pass be adapted to it?"

They had just arrived in the northwest, so it was normal for them to feel uncomfortable adapting, which is why Zhu Jinghong asked this question.

"Thirteenth Master, I have a body so strong that I can't adapt to it!"

"Now I have only one idea, and that is to wipe out Junggar as soon as possible, and then go back to Beijing to celebrate the New Year!"

If nothing else, at least these words showed that several commanders were confident, or more appropriately, they were eager to give it a try.

They have full confidence in the combat effectiveness of their new army.

And once they win an overwhelming victory, it will add a lot of luster to their resume, and their hope of promotion in the future will be even greater.

"Returning to Beijing to celebrate the New Year, you really dare to think that if you can reach Ili before the New Year, you should burn incense!"

The capital of the Junggar Khanate is in Ili. There is a distance of more than 3,000 miles from Yumen Pass to Ili. Even Zhu Jinghong thought it was unrealistic to fight there years ago.

"It's almost enough to go back to Beijing next year. If one of them fails...it's not impossible that the stalemate will last until the year after next!"

The decree Ning Huanxiang received was to defeat Junggar within this year, but in fact the emperor himself knew that this was unrealistic, and he was just using it to spur his subordinates.

Zhu Jinghong also had a clear understanding of this, so he clearly reminded everyone present.

Someone immediately accused him and said, "The Thirteenth Master's lesson is correct. I can only laugh at it!"

This is because you are familiar with it, and you can speak so easily and casually.

"Have all the ordnance and ammunition been delivered?" Zhu Jinghong asked again.

"They're all delivered!" Jiang Qingsheng, the commander of Yulin Left Guard, replied.

"Let me know what the configuration of each guard is like!" Zhu Jinghong asked calmly.

Jiang Qingsheng then replied: "Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, in addition to their own armor, guns and shields, each guard officer and soldier has four thousand muskets of one or two types, and nearly 150,000 rounds of ammunition..."

Although they received 6,000 firecrackers, there were actually only 3,000 soldiers who used the firecrackers. The rest were either artillerymen or gun and shield soldiers to prevent cavalry attacks.

As for the remaining one thousand guns, they are mainly used to replace battle losses.

The 150,000 rounds of ammunition were distributed evenly to each shooter, and each person received fifty rounds.

It may not sound like much, but it is actually enough to fight two or three tough battles, not to mention the continuous supply of ammunition delivered to Yumen Pass.

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong responded and signaled Jiang Qingsheng to continue.

"Each guard has a hundred powerful cannons and more than 3,000 shells!"

One hundred artillery pieces can be allocated thirty rounds each, which is also a very wealthy situation.

Like bullets, artillery shells are also being transported to Yumen Pass in a steady stream. When the front lines are used up, they can just come and pick them up.

Next, Zhu Jinghong asked about other situations, and specifically asked about the storage of ammunition. Jiang Qingsheng and others responded one by one.

They are all professionals, and the outcome of this battle is closely related to their interests, so how can they not pay attention to the details.

After saying these things, these people changed the topic, mainly asking Zhu Jinghong's opinion on the battle situation.

After all, Zhu Jinghong commanded the battle against Japanese invaders and also led the training of the Northern Fourth Guards, so he was recognized by the generals on this very professional issue.

However, Zhu Jinghong did not express his opinion, although he already had an idea in his mind. In the military discussion the day after tomorrow, he planned to listen to Ning Huanxiang's thoughts first, and then decide whether to express his attitude.

After some arguing with the generals of the Northern Four Guards, Zhu Jinghong also asked them to stay for dinner.

Building a good relationship with these people is also very important to him. In comparison, Nuo Min has to step aside.

So after settling several generals, Zhu Jinghong found Nuo Min and went into another tent with her to talk.

It's really just a conversation. Zhu Jinghong is not an impatient person. After all, he is not really short of women now.

Unexpectedly, before the conversation lasted long, someone outside reported that Su He was here.

When he learned that his biological father had come, Zhu Jinghong knew that it was time for Nuo Min to leave, so he wanted to send her out.

"Master Thirteen, didn't you keep me as a translator? Why are you driving me away now?" Nuo Min was particularly reluctant.

The more I miss you, the stronger the friendship becomes.

Now that he has seen his sweetheart, how could Nuo Min be willing to leave.

Zhu Jinghong smiled and said: "Your father is leaving in the next two days, why don't you stay with her?"

"So I can come back at any time?" Nuo Min asked with great joy when he realized that he had thought wrong.

"But no one is driving you away!"

"Thank you Thirteenth Master!"

After saying this, Nuo Min jumped directly in front of Zhu Jinghong, then reached out and hugged him.

Am I...being taken advantage of by this girl?

"You're welcome!" Zhu Jinghong patted Nuo Min.

At this time, Nuo Min also realized that she and Zhu Jinghong were too close at the moment, so she quickly took two steps back.

After saluting him again, Nuomin turned and left the military tent.

"This girl... is really interesting!" Zhu Jinghong muttered in a low voice, feeling that the following days would be even more interesting.

Let us say that when Nuo Min left the military tent, he saw his father and brother outside. At this moment, Su and the two were stopped outside by the guards.

Seeing his daughter come out safely, Su He was happy at first and then turned cold, his expression full of indignation.

Even though the tribe was informal, it was normal for Su He, a father, to feel angry when Nuo Min followed another man.

As a man, he knew very well what was going on with men. How could his daughter, who was as pure as a Gesang flower, not be remembered by others?

"Father!"

"You also know that I am your father. You have been running away alone for so long, and you never thought that your father and brother would be worried?"

Su He spoke in Mongolian, so the guards present could not understand him, but they could feel his anger.

"This is the residence of His Royal Highness Prince Xiang. This is not a place for you to make noise. Leave quickly!" the commander-in-chief on duty yelled loudly.

He didn't care what kind of tribal leader Su He was. Anyway, he only thought about Zhu Jinghong's safety, and he had to eliminate any unstable factors.

"Father, let's go back and talk about something!" Nuo Min looked embarrassed. She didn't want Zhu Jinghong to see this scene.

Su He wanted to curse a few more times, but in the end he was afraid of Zhu Jinghong's majesty, so he could only let Nuo Min drag him away.

But if he knew that his precious daughter was afraid that he would be embarrassed here, she would be so angry that she would beat him up on the spot.

…………

Two days later, the imperial officers and soldiers and the generals who had been deployed from various ministries all appeared at the Governor's Office to prepare for discussions.

The scene was really lively, with all kinds of fancy clothes. In comparison, the generals of the Ming Dynasty looked much more "regular".

The army for this northwest war was composed of the guards, the Jing camp, the various divisions, the Xingdu division, the Mongolian tribes and alliances, the Jurchen tribes participating in the war, and the Tibetan chieftains. There were many people on site, so the discussions were held in the open air. conduct.

At this time, everyone had taken their seats, waiting for Ning Huanxiang's arrival.

There are two chairs set up for you, and everyone present knows whose chairs they belong to.

Zhu Jinghong said on the surface that he was not suitable to attend, but how could Ning Huanxiang not understand his intentions, so he came to Zhu Jinghong's camp in person to invite him.

After some false politeness, Zhu Jinghong finally agreed to appear and was chatting with Ning Huanxiang on the road.

When they arrived outside the venue, the two regained their composure, and after some humility, they walked side by side into the venue.

Everyone at the scene stood up to greet him. Even people who didn't know Zhu Jinghong could tell his identity by his age.

When the two of them sat down, everyone who had been told the etiquette in advance bowed and paid homage to them.

"I will pay my respects to His Highness Prince Xiang!"

"Meet the governor!"

Zhu Jinghong didn't say a word, just waiting for Ning Huanxiang to greet him. At the moment, he was still abiding by the rules.

At this time, Ning Huanxiang was no longer polite. He picked up the momentum of the governor, glanced at everyone, and then stood up.

"Everyone, the situation in the northwest has changed, and the Holy One is particularly concerned about it. He then specially ordered me to go to the northwest, specifically to call on you and others to work together to wipe out the Junggar and other rebels..."

"All of you are..."

Ning Huanxiang kept talking, these are things that everyone knows, and everyone is waiting for him to tell them what to do.

First he talked about the importance of the situation in the northwest, then Ning Huanxiang analyzed the situation at hand, and then he asked about the deployment of each army.

When the generals took turns to speak, Zhu Jinghong glanced to one side, but it was Sun Shaozu who was sketching with a pen.

Yesterday he came up with the idea of ​​marking the distribution of troops. Sun Shaozu immediately took over the task, so he has been busy from the beginning to now.

Looking at his combat staff officer, Zhu Jinghong felt that except for his lack of kindness, he had almost all other advantages.

After everyone finished speaking, Ning Huanxiang looked at Wang Ziteng, who was approaching him on the left, and asked: "Envoy of the Royal Capital... What are your opinions on how our army should respond to the current situation?"

Wang Ziteng was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Anxi Xingdu Division, controlling the main force of the Xingdu Division and the troops deployed by chieftains from various tribes and alliances, and was responsible for commanding the entire northern battlefield.

With the same status as him, there is Yang Longshan, the commander of Qinghai Xingdu Si. This officer is the former military governor of the military governor's office.

Although the actual position is similar, Yang Longshan's qualifications are obviously more senior, just because he is still a first-class viscount, while the prince has not yet had a title.

Without a title, he was able to reach the position of Governor Qianshi, and now he has become a popular candidate for Governor, which also shows that Wang Ziteng is indeed capable.

It is also his bad luck that he was not in the capital ten years ago. Otherwise, if he was also a hero of the Donghua Sect, his official rank would not be lower than Ning Huanxiang's now.

There are no ifs in the world. The current situation is that both Wang Ziteng and Yang Longshan have to listen to the control of the governor Ning Huanxiang.

Therefore, when Ning Huanxiang asked Wang Ziteng to express his opinion, the latter could only analyze it carefully.

In such public occasions, Wang Ziteng naturally spoke in a safe manner, mainly expressing his views from the northern battlefield.

Wang Ziteng's idea was step by step. Although he analyzed a lot, the central meaning could be summed up in one sentence.

It is necessary to put down the rebellion of the Zhasak and other Khanates, and then the north and the south jointly send troops to Junggar.

It sounds good, but the problem is that Junggar is not stupid and has been sending troops to support domestic rebel forces such as Zhasak.

If we fully support the northern battlefield, let alone whether we can quickly assess the situation, it is foreseeable that the battle line will be longer, and the consumption for the court will also increase sharply.

"Master Yang, what do you say?" Ning Huanxiang looked at Yang Longshan on the other side.

Although the southern legion in charge of Yang Longshan was in confrontation with the Junggar army, it was much easier to deal with than the pressure on the northern front. After all, they had no specific strategic mission.

"My Lord Governor, I despise my position... things should be prioritized. The root cause of the chaos in the northwest is Junggar. We still have to focus on defeating the Junggar people!"

"Things have become very clear. As long as the Dzungars are defeated, those bastards Zhasak will be defeated, and it will only be decided by propaganda!"

[PS: As an easter egg at the end of the chapter, there is a map of the current troop distribution in the northwest, you can take a look! 】

(End of this chapter)