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Chapter 405 Battle Report 3

"Where is Jianlu at this time? Can he catch up with the reinforcements from Shanhaiguan? How many troops should he bring?" Gao Panlong stretched out three fingers, bending one for each question.

"...The Ministry of War has not yet received the follow-up battle report." These three fingers were like three fish bones, stuck in Wang Xiangqian's throat. No matter how hard he swallowed, he couldn't get out any of them.

"Well, Gao Aiqing asked a good question. The number, location and direction of travel of the enemy are not yet known. Blind deployment will only lead to chaos. I have sent Jin Yiwei to Shanhaiguan with a handwriting, and told Du Song not to move a step, one soldier at a time. Soldiers are not allowed to be deployed, so be prepared to deal with the invading enemy."

Just when the Minister of War was a little embarrassed, the emperor suddenly spoke. First, he spoke highly of the issues raised by Gao Panlong, and then changed the subject and revealed the arrangements that had been made.

"Your Majesty, if we don't send the border troops to come back for reinforcements, what should we do if the Jianlu invaders attack the capital?" As soon as these words came out, everyone including Gao Panlong looked shocked. Xu Honggang, the censor of Zuodu, asked directly When he came out, his brows were filled with deep worry.

"Come here, dear friends!" Hong Tao ignored Xu Honggang's question, but stood up and waved his right hand to shake off the brocade covering the long table, revealing the uneven tabletop underneath.

Yes, this long table is not only huge, but the top is also different. It is not flat and is full of potholes and ravines. If you look carefully, you can see that there are mountains, rivers, towns and farmland, and in some places there are even little people as big as rice grains. A red linear protrusion, winding from the seaside along the mountains, is the Great Wall.

"Hiss, this sand table is very exquisite...is this the capital?" In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall changed from solemn to relaxed. Ye Xianggao pointed to an irregular rectangle with a wide bottom and a narrow top, and he seemed to recognize it.

"Yes, I asked the skilled craftsmen of the Royal Supervisor to make this. It was in a hurry, and many of the directions and dimensions are not very detailed. It is better than nothing. I have ordered people to go to all parts of the country to measure carefully. In a few years, our monarchs and ministers will not leave home. Then you can guide the country."

Hong Tao was quite satisfied with the reaction of the ministers. Although the sand table had been used in the Han Dynasty and was not an invention, this sand table was not that sand table. Both the details and expressiveness were more accurate and intuitive than any sand table in history.

"Your Majesty is far-sighted and has a miraculous stroke. I admire him greatly." If no one quickly flatters him at this time, Hong Tao will be too unqualified to be an emperor. Fang Congzhe took the first photo with a look of admiration on his face.

"It's a small skill, it's nothing to mention, hahahaha..." Hong Tao was very useful, he couldn't hide his laughter, and his laughter was full of laughter.

"Look, here is Taolin Pass, with two passes on land and water. The Qinglong River passes around the pass from the east. After breaking through this pass, there is a large plain to the west, and there is no danger to defend.

Juniper set up two military camps in the north and south here, with 2300 generals stationed there. It can be said that they were not lax in their defense. However, it was breached overnight. I thought there were only two possibilities. First, the enemy force is strong and the frontier troops are outnumbered. Second, the inside should be coordinated with the outside. Someone opened the door and let the enemy troops into the city.

At the moment, like you, I haven't seen a more detailed battle report, so I can't tell what the situation is. However, one thing is basically certain. The enemy is definitely not a small group of harassers and has been planning for a long time.

A few months ago, Li Ruzhang led the Marine Guards to exit the border wall from the entrance of Congjieling and severely attacked the five Khalkha tribes on both sides of the First Rat, destroying their marriage alliance with the Jurchens. This time, Jianlu suddenly detained the border for revenge. . "

Before the officials could join in, Hong Tao suddenly stopped smiling, pointed at a small square on the sand table, and began to explain. Based on existing intelligence, make assumptions about the number and origin of enemy troops. "If it's revenge, the target must have been selected in advance. From Taolinkou to the west, you have to pass through Jizhou Town, Zhongyi Zhongwei, Wusheng Youwei, Yingzhou Wuwei, Zhenshuowei, Xingzhou Houtunwei, Dingbianwei, Shenwu Zhongwei and other 12 defensive fortresses can reach the capital.

Outside Taolinkou are mountains and ridges, and the army can only pass along the Qinglong River. Jianlu will not bring many engineering equipment with him on this trip. If he attacks the city all the way, it will slow down his progress and turn the sneak attack into a strong attack. This is really unwise! "

As the Minister of the Ministry of War, Wang Xiangqian not only watched the huge sand table in front of him, but also watched the doorways. With the help of this tool, I can really see the battlefield and the surrounding terrain, towns and fortresses at a glance, and then I can come up with ideas. Although it is impossible to guess where the enemy has gone, an unlikely route has been eliminated.

"Is it possible that Jianlu will turn around and head east to attack Shanhaiguan from two directions?" Although Gao Panlong is a pure civil servant, he is also very interested in the sand table. His face is almost attached to it, and he carefully identifies the characters on each small flag. As I looked at the words, I saw Shanhaiguan, and suddenly I had inspiration.

"Shanhaiguan is heavily populated with troops and the city is high in food. If a quick victory is not achieved, the rebels will be attacked from both sides, which is not a wise move."

The two men pointed to the sand table and deduced, which immediately aroused the interest of others. Zhao Shiqing, the Minister of Household Affairs, also joined in and raised objections to Gao Panlong's idea.

Even though he is a settler, he was the head of the Nanjing Ministry of War before becoming the Minister of Household Affairs, so he is not unskilled in military matters. In fact, many officials in the Ming Dynasty had a similar situation, and there was no such thing as professionalism. From the Ministry of Rites to the Ministry of Punishment, and from the Ministry of Punishment to the Ministry of Household Affairs, they often shuttled back and forth in several areas that were beyond the reach of eight poles.

Hong Tao could understand why this was done, but he didn't agree. Although it is said that becoming a minister requires very low professionalism, and being able to play people and play politics is the key, but in some matters, it is easier for an expert to lead an expert, and it is not easy to make too many deviations.

So when he was able to rectify the officialdom, he planned to change this bad habit. In the future, senior government officials must not only know how to lead their subordinates, but also know some professional skills. Don't just think about how to play with people all day long, you have to focus on doing things.

"I have something unclear, please clarify my doubts. If Jianlu did not go west through Jizhou Town, but first went south to attack Yongping Mansion, and then followed the seaside post road to Tianjin Guard, would it be feasible?"

As more and more people participated in the discussion, the debate became more and more intense. Weng Zhengchun, who had originally planned to unseat Du Song and remove an important royalist military post, could not help but turn his attention to the sand table. After studying it carefully for a moment, following the path marked with fine white sand, another possibility came up.

Even though the hall had turned into a toad pit for a while, and all the ministers had their own opinions, Hong Tao didn't feel a little irritated. This kind of argument is a matter-of-fact discussion, and it is appropriate regardless of whether it is right or wrong. It is much cuter than using things to frame people.

If they can continue to be like this in the future, even if they are all laymen, they have no intention of learning new things, and still have grudges against the excessive imperial power, I will be willing to make do with it and continue to let them stay in the court until they can no longer work. .

Unfortunately, this kind of idea can only be regarded as a good wish, and the chance of it being realized is very, very low. Culture formed over hundreds of thousands of years cannot be changed by simply changing it. The more successful people are, the less willing they are to change. This set of things is the basis for their survival.

(End of this chapter)