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Chapter 148 Tianjin Guard was attacked

In the early summer of the fourth year of Jingyang, bad news suddenly came from Tianjin Wei. A group of pirates took advantage of the monsoon wind to sail a boat and landed near Dagukou at night.First they attacked the nearby forts, and then went all the way north along the Haihe River, burning, killing, and looting. After struggling until noon the next day, they took a boat into the sea and disappeared.

The news was passed to the Ministry of War in the evening of the same day. Three horses were killed and a postman was injured by a fall.Hong Tao was woken up from his bed by Wang An. He was dressed neatly and rushed to the cabinet room. All six ministers and nine ministers were already there.

"Bah... bang! It's rubbish, it's all rubbish... Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers can't stop a few hundred pirates. Are they all blind and deaf? Sun Wei, tell me, who is leading the three guards in Tianjin? , what crime should be committed!"

He was thrown to the ground hard just after reading the battle report. The emperor became anxious, staring with bloodshot eyes, roaring through the roof and resounding throughout the court room, and wanted to find someone to punish him without even asking the cause and effect.

"I have sent someone to rush to Tianjin Guard to investigate. The detailed report will not be available until tomorrow."

Sun Wei, the Minister of War, also looked tired and could not provide anything useful when facing the emperor's questioning.This can't be blamed on him. All the current situations are written in the military newspaper, and the ministers and the emperor see as much.

"Wait for tomorrow? Since the pirates can break through Tianjin's right guard, who can guarantee that they will not attack the capital? Are I and all the ministers just waiting to die here? You can wait, but I can't wait! Pass the order and let the three major The battalion is reorganized, come with me to see what kind of pirates are more powerful than the Japanese pirates, and dare to attack our capital city of the Ming Dynasty!"

This answer not only failed to calm the emperor down, but also stirred up a hornet's nest.Scolding was no longer enough to relieve his hatred, so he called the young eunuch to prepare his armor, and at the same time shouted a heart-stopping slogan, "I will conquer in person!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down if you don't sit down in the hall with a body of ten thousand gold. There is something fishy about the Tianjin Guards. Rong Chen and others should think about it carefully and come up with a perfect plan before dealing with it."

As soon as they heard that the emperor wanted to go on a personal expedition, all the ministers present knelt down and tried their best to dissuade him.The tone was firm and the attitude was pertinent. It seemed that as long as the emperor did not withdraw his orders, they would all give up.

If the emperor is just going to Tianjin Guard, which is more than 200 miles away, to exterminate pirates, does he need to be so nervous?It may not be possible in other dynasties, but the Ming Dynasty must be able to learn from past mistakes.

What did the ministers in the middle and late Ming Dynasty fear the most about the emperor? The first thing that ranked first was not the neglect of government affairs, nor the excessive debauchery. It could only be the words "imperial conquest".

Looking at the fifteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, there are not many who have personal experience in military campaigns. Five of them are Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, Chengzu Zhu Di, Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, and Wuzong Zhu Houzhao.

Judging from the number, it accounts for one-third. It seems that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were quite capable of fighting and dared to fight.But if you carefully analyze the background and record at that time, you will find that at least three and a half of these five are bastards. They either show off and show off, or they win less than they lose and waste more money and people.

Let me first explain the great ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang. He was the founding emperor. He was born in an armed riot. He couldn't do it without fighting.However, after he became emperor in Nanjing, he no longer went to the front lines to command operations, so Zhu Yuanzhang never really went on a personal expedition in his life.

Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was truly the imperial commander, and he was dedicated to fighting against the strong.From south to north, from land to sea, whoever disobeys or makes loud noises will be punished.In the entire history of China, as an emperor, he may be ranked first among those who are so adept at fighting and have outstanding military achievements.Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji was Zhu Di's grandson. He personally led an army to conquer the Duoyan Three Guards and killed Wu Liangha by surprise.But that was just it. After the victory in the first battle, the emperor, who had followed Zhu Di in the north and south since childhood and knew military skills, knew very well that the outcome would be uncertain if he continued to fight, so he immediately withdrew his troops and returned to the dynasty.

Zhu Qizhen, the Yingzong, had the worst record, and suffered the worst defeat in the Ming dynasty.The battle of Tumubao almost destroyed [-]% of the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty, and he himself was captured alive.He is a typical representative who is addicted to technology but does not know his own capabilities. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a disaster for the country and the people.

Wuzong Zhu Houzhao was the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty who dared to lead a personal expedition. His opponent was a young Mongolian prince, which was known in history as the Battle of Yingzhou.However, there is no detailed record of the process of this war in the history books. It only states that more than 50 soldiers died in the battle and more than 10 Mongolians died in the battle. Then the Mongols retreated and the Ming army won.

At that time, the Mongolian army numbered between 5 and 6, and the Ming army numbered as many as 10. A battle involving the emperor would certainly not be too small. The battle lasted for several hours, and less than a hundred people died in total. This sounds a bit illogical.

But it turned out that the little Mongolian prince withdrew his troops and stopped going south for many years. This confirmed the victory of the Ming army from another aspect. It is impossible to verify what the situation was at that time.

Obviously, only Zhu Di, the horse-riding emperor, was the only one who truly fought in person and achieved good results, both tactically and strategically.Although Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Houzhao both won, they did not expand the territory and did not severely damage the enemy's main force. Compared with the cost of the emperor's personal visit to the front line to command the battle, it was barely a small loss.

Zhu Qizhen, on the other hand, was a typical example of losing his wife and soldiers, and also cheated his brothers and most of the subsequent emperors.It was from him that the emperor's personal guards were weakened to an almost negligible number, allowing the civil servant group to gradually grow in military power.

Why did the same emperor, who gathered the best soldiers and generals from all over the country, get very different results?In addition to the background of the times and the different strengths and weaknesses of the opponents, the most fundamental reason is people.

Zhu Di and Zhu Zhanji, both their grandsons, are professional soldiers who have witnessed countless battles since childhood and treated weapons as toys.They understand war techniques, so they know how to fight, can fight, and dare to fight.

Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Houzhao, on the other hand, were born in the Forbidden City and grew up among palace maids and eunuchs. They had never had any combat experience. They relied on their boldness to try their luck, and ended up memorizing every point.

Not only Hong Tao understood this truth, but also the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.Seeing that the emperor, who had grown up in a deep palace compound and had never killed a chicken except for hunting in Nanyuan, was about to go on a personal expedition, no matter what the purpose, he would try his best to stop him.It's not that I'm worried about the emperor's life, but I feel sorry for spending money and my own life.

Just listening to the imperial chariot marching in person was very inspiring and empowering, but little did you know that the emperor didn’t just put on his armor, mount a horse and follow the army. He also had to be accompanied by a large group of eunuchs and civil and military officials. Just the cost of various support and food was Doubling military spending may not necessarily have a positive effect, and failure to ensure adequate protection will only add to chaos.

If only a little money was spent, the ministers would hold their noses and admit it, which would make the emperor happy and accept more suggestions, and the money spent could be earned back.But the emperor has gone to the front line, and apart from the necessary ministers staying behind, the remaining dignitaries in the court may have to follow him. This is the most terrible thing.

(End of this chapter)