Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Beijing City, Xiyuan.

Although the Ming Dynasty court was unable to command frontline operations in time, all military information that occurred would be gathered here, so Zhu Youtang could know the battle situation a few days ago.

The fact that Dayan Khan killed Datong Yushi Tiezhi could be hidden from Datong for several days, but many members of the Night Department of the Ministry of War were born in Yebusu, and their informants had already spread throughout the desert.

Although the news from the capital was also delayed, it actually took no more than three days to be sent back to the capital, and it was even delivered to Zhu Youtang's desk in two days.

The first military report from the Night Department was of course that Dayan Khan betrayed his promise and killed Datong Yushi Tiezhi to break with the Ming Dynasty.

The second was the good news sent back through the Tangbao system by Zhao Chengqing, the commander-in-chief of Jianzhou, Wu Jinghou. The Zhao Army led by him had captured the southern branch of Alchuka.

When these two military reports came back, things were mixed.

The Ming Dynasty is not what it used to be, but the Beiyuan Dynasty has been on the decline in recent years. The sudden break between the two sides is not necessarily a bad thing.

Dayan Khan's renegade approach gave Ming Dynasty ample reason to stop the expansion of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and prevent the emergence of a unified Mongolian regime in the north.

After all, the Mongols are a nation that once occupied the Central Plains. Once they are allowed to grow bigger, their blades will point at the Central Plains again.

It would be better to take advantage of the Ming Dynasty to take advantage of the power of the Ming Dynasty to attack the now ununified Beiyuan Dynasty, thereby completely solving the biggest hidden danger of Mongolia, and even taking the opportunity to incorporate Mongolia into the Ming Dynasty's territory.

Naturally, I am happy about this good news. Although I have lost the help of Mongolia, Zhao Chengqing is a marquis with real talents and knowledge. Now he has successfully captured the southern branch of Alchuka. It is not that difficult to capture Banla City next. things.

But the battlefield was changing rapidly, and the third military report came one after another.

Just when Zhao Chengqing led the Zhao army to approach Banla City, they were suddenly attacked from the rear by the Emu tribe. The 10,000 light cavalry troops were cut off by the Emu tribe.

What's even worse is that the Ming Dynasty's grain transport army was not able to set foot in the Emu Department.

Affected by the terrain, if they want to bypass the Emu tribe, they need to go back and pass through the Ula tribe in the east, or enter the realm of the savage Jurchens.

Just like this, the Zhao family army led by Zhao Chengqing was in a quagmire, and the Ming Dynasty's grain transport army could no longer move forward.

"Emubu should really be cut into pieces!"

"You are so capricious, you really are a despicable person!"

"If we really need to investigate, the person who deserves death is Dayan Khan!"

…

When the news came back, Zhu Youtang summoned all officials from the Ministry of War to come to the imperial study room for a meeting. The officials from the Ministry of War who were present pointed their fingers at Emubu and Dayan Khan.

Although it was the Emu tribe that caused trouble for the Ming Dynasty, the culprit was Dayan Khan.

If Dayan Khan had not chosen to break with the Ming Dynasty and break with the Ming Dynasty, causing the encirclement strategy to be ruined, the Emu tribe of the Haixi Jurchens might not have dared to help the Alchukha tribe.

As a result, something unexpected happened. Dayan Khan killed Ming officials and clearly sent a signal to break with the Ming Dynasty. Only then did the Emu tribe choose to help the Alchukha tribe fight against the Ming Dynasty.

"It's useless to talk about this now. The top priority is how to transport grain northward and how to rescue the trapped Zhao Chengqing Ministry?" Liu Xuan, the Minister of War, seemed more and more pragmatic, and immediately expressed his position with dissatisfaction.

The people who were still criticizing Emubu and Dayan Khan just now stopped and began to rack their brains to find a way to solve the current predicament.

Lu Wen, the left minister of the Ministry of War, considered himself to have outstanding military ability, so he immediately proposed his own plan: "We will immediately mobilize a large army to conquer the Emu tribe. We can not only open up the food route and continue northward, but also take the opportunity to rescue Zhao Chengqing's tribe!"

"Shilang Lu, you said it easily! Who will lead the army to open up the food channel? How much time will it take? Do you know how much money and food will be needed?" Zhang Hai, the right minister of the Ministry of War, has always regarded Lu Wen as a thorn in his side, and immediately asked three questions in succession .

Lu Hui, a doctor at the Ministry of War, and other officials immediately smelled a hint of gunpowder in the air and couldn't help but exchange silent glances.

Lu Wen, the left minister of the Ministry of War, had a gloomy face and said matter-of-factly: "Of course, the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong will assemble all the troops in Liaodong and Jianzhou. As the saying goes: defeat the four societies with one force, no matter how many Jurchens there are, they will be nothing more than local chickens and dogs. !”

"Not to mention how much time it would take for Liaodong to suddenly gather so many troops, and how much food it would cost. The troops deployed by the guards in Liaodong and Jianzhou are to guard against the Haixi Jurchens and the Barbarian Jurchens. If they are mobilized rashly, the Jurchens will take advantage of them. What should we do if we enter?" Zhang Hai, the right minister of the Ministry of War, seized on the flaw and immediately questioned him sternly.

Lu Wen, the left minister of the Ministry of War, knew that the Zhang Hai in front of her had been targeting him since he was promoted by Xu Pu. She immediately retorted: "Secretary Zhang thinks that my method is not good. I wonder if you have any good suggestions?"

"Your Majesty, the Alchuka Tribe is a small area, and it is not worth the effort of the king. The Emu Tribe is helping the Alchuka Tribe today. It is not really an enemy of my Qiangming. It is just to relieve the Alchuka Tribe. . I thought that if I immediately ordered Zhang Jinzhi, the governor of Liaodong, to negotiate peace, the imperial court would no longer have to consider transporting grain to the north. It could also ask the Emu tribe to withdraw its troops and allow Zhao Chengqing's tribe to come back out of trouble!" Zhang Hai is an out-and-out Qing sect. He immediately took the opportunity to propose peace talks.

In his view, all troubles were caused by the Ming Dynasty's use of weapons. If the Ming Dynasty can take the initiative to cease the war, then all problems will be solved, and the Ming Dynasty can share the blessing of peace with the Haixi Jurchen tribes.

Xu Hong and other officials from the Ministry of War had the honor to come to the imperial study room to discuss matters today. Although they could not see the emperor in the attic, they were so close to him, and they were secretly happy.

Just hearing that Zhang Hai, the right minister of the Ministry of War, actually proposed peace talks, they couldn't help but look at each other.

Although they did encounter difficulties in this expedition, the sudden cessation of war and peace talks, not to mention the loss of the emperor's face, even the entire Ming Dynasty was also embarrassed.

Even though the Ming Dynasty was at fault, Dayan Khan went back on his words. Alchukha Guard, who was affiliated with the Ming Dynasty, openly asked for increased rewards, and Emu Guard even stabbed the Ming Dynasty from behind.

With all this going on, how can we take the initiative to seek peace? What reason does the dignified China have to seek peace?

Liu Xuan, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, looked at Zhang Hai who was talking eloquently with complicated eyes, and found that this Qingliu faction still did not give in, and did not understand the emperor's painstaking efforts in advocating a strong army and a strong country.

If this group of Qingliu were in power, it would be absolutely impossible to recover Jianzhou, and at least half of the million victims in Henan would die, or a large number of victims would become their servants and tenants.

Above the attic, the fragrance of tea lingers.

Zhu Youtang was lying here sipping tea. He was in a good mood at first, but when he heard the contents of the meeting of the Ministry of War officials below, he couldn't help but feel bad.

As early as when Liu Xuan, the governor of Liaodong, was recalled to the court to serve as Minister of War, he could not even select a suitable candidate for governor of Liaodong. At that time, he had already realized that the Ming Dynasty had too few military talents.

In the original history, Lu Wen, the left minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Hai, the right minister of the Ministry of War, and Ma Wensheng, the minister of the Ministry of War, formed the iron triangle of the Ministry of War for five or six years. They were regarded as the top military talents in this period.

It’s just that the Hongzhi Dynasty in history was the period when Sun Tzu was in power. During that period, there were no foreign wars at all, and they were completely indifferent to the chaos and unification of Mongolia. In fact, all the requirements for the officials of the Ministry of War were to kneel down.

Now I hope that the officials of the Ministry of War will be hard-working men. After repeated inspections of Lu Wen, the left minister of the Ministry of War, and Zhang Hai, the right minister of the Ministry of War, in the end, the position of governor of Liaodong was not given to these two "top military talents."

Although Zhu Youtang knew that Zhang Hai was a peace seeker, but now that the war was facing difficulties, he jumped out to hinder him, which made him feel depressed.

Even though he has relegated the so-called Qingliu to the corner of the officialdom, kneeling party members can still be seen everywhere, and they still occupy the important position of Right Minister of the Ministry of War.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea!" Sensing Zhu Youtang's displeasure, Han Youying knelt down to hand the tea with her head obviously lowered, and her posture was also very low.

Her mentality has slowly changed now. No matter what the man in front of her wants to do, as long as this man can be happy.

Zhu Youtang looked at the docile woman in front of him and realized that he was a superior emperor: "I called you here today for a ministry meeting. I hope that your Ministry of War can come up with a feasible solution to the problem, instead of just running into trouble when encountering difficulties." I just want to retreat!”

"Your Majesty taught you a lesson, please remember it!" Lu Wen, the left minister of the Ministry of War, naturally would not miss the opportunity to attack Zhang Hai and expressed his position loudly.

In fact, Zhang Hai just wanted to express his attitude of seeking peace and let the history books leave a grand mark for him. He did not expect the tyrant in front of him to adopt it: "I also want to make suggestions to your majesty, and please be aware of it!"

Xu Hong and other officials exchanged glances silently, but they knew that the two ministers in front of them had their own plans. However, the war department burned down the imperial study room in this fight.

"Your Majesty, I think I can send an order to Zhang Jin, the governor of Liaodong, to immediately dispatch troops to support the front. The Ming Dynasty can use a large army to eradicate these two rebellious guard posts, and it can also deter the Jurchens from all sides who are ready to make a move!" Lu Wen, the left minister of the Ministry of War, realized Zhu Youtang was the main combatant and once again proposed his own plan.

Although the candidate for the governor of Liaodong is still vacant, Zhu Youtang personally arranged the candidate for the governor of Liaodong, who was Zhang Jin, the former prime minister of Zuosi of Dali Temple.

Zhang Jin was a Jinshi for five years in Chenghua. He is one of the few talents who was born as a fullback and was named on the gold medal list. His ancestor Zhang Jing once served as a counselor in political affairs in the Yuan Dynasty. He was banished to the garrison in the early Ming Dynasty and moved to Minzhou.

Although he was born as a fullback and was not taught by a famous teacher, Zhang Jin is extremely talented and diligent. At first he studied Buddhism, then Taoism, and Confucianism. He studied asceticism and was able to pass the imperial examination with what he earned.

The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty paid great attention to relationships. Although Zhang Jin was the first to allow the children of the border guards to obtain the title of Jinshi, his official career was not smooth and he only started as a Jinshi to watch politics.

Twenty-one years into his official career, he was only the Zuosi Cheng of Dali Temple, but he did well in the ministry examination. As a result, Zhu Youtang made an exception and promoted Zhang Jin to the governor of Liaodong.

Due to Mongolia's sudden renegade, the burden of the Ming Dynasty's campaign to conquer the Haixi Jurchens fell on the shoulders of the Liaodong governor, which was full of drama.

Liu Xuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, looked more and more steady, but he stopped him and said: "Shilang Lu, what Shilang Zhang just said makes sense! Not to mention that it will cost a lot to assemble the Liaodong Army and the Jianzhou Guard, and there may not be enough time! The plan for now is to Find a way to cleverly solve the dilemma, rather than sending troops outside the wall regardless of the cost!"

During his tenure as Governor of Liaodong, he knew that it was easy for the imperial court to mobilize troops with just words, but the deployment of each soldier required a large amount of money and food.

Although it cannot be said that Lu Wen's method cannot be effective, if a hundred thousand troops are deployed to fight two tribes with a combined population of less than one hundred thousand, even if they win, it will be a victory that is not worth the loss.

Lu Hui, a doctor at the Ministry of War, and other officials nodded silently. Although Zhang Hai's request for peace was unreliable, Lu Wen's approach was also undesirable.

"I believe that the military information we have obtained in the Hercynian region has seriously lagged behind. It is not appropriate for the imperial court to direct the war now. Instead, we should retain the frontline officers to continue to direct the operations. The imperial court can now make a fuss in diplomacy and immediately remove the title of Emu Guard from the Emu Department and order The other five major tribes surrounded and suppressed the Emu tribe and the Alchuka tribe." Xu Hong stood up and immediately expressed his opinion.

Huh?

When Liu Xuan, the Minister of War, heard Xu Hong's proposal, he couldn't help but take a serious look at this low-key Enke Jinshi.

"I second the proposal!" Lu Hui, a doctor at the Ministry of War, and other officials realized that Xu Hong was the correct entry point to solve the problem, and they agreed.

A smile finally appeared on Zhu Youtang's face. He realized that not all of them were idiots like Zhang Hai and Lu Wen. There were also some outstanding young talents. He silently tasted the tea handed over by Han Youying: " Xu Hong’s words are in line with my heart! In this case, the Ministry of War has drafted a report and will send a message to the Emu Ministry today!"

"I obey the order!" Liu Xuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, saw that the emperor had made a decision and led all the officials of the Ministry of War to salute respectfully.

Since the discussions on the Haixi war had been completed, Liu Xuan, the Minister of War, wisely led the officials of the Ministry of War to resign.

Although Lu Hui, a doctor at the Ministry of War, and other officials wanted to pay homage to Long Yan, they also knew that it was a privilege to be here, but they could not force too much.

When Zhu Youtang saw the Ministry of War officials retreating, his eyes fell on the long-legged woman in a purple dress in front of him. What was even more rare was that she exuded a faint floral fragrance.

Han Youying stood up wisely, knowing what Zhu Youtang's look meant, and then silently walked into the rest area in the attic.

Here in the capital, things are going up and down, while in the Haixi region thousands of miles away, there are flashes of swords and swords.

puff!

puff!

puff!

…

A vanguard carrying the Zhao flag followed the mountain road and tried to seize the hilltop in front of them. However, the Jurchens hoarded heavy troops and set up fences here, and the arrows in the sky forced the Ming army to retreat.

Zhao Chengqing's troops faced the Emu tribe and formed an army of 15,000 people. They did not choose to fight head-on. Instead, they chose to avoid its edge and leave through other routes.

It's just God's will. The Long Snake Rift Valley originally marked on the map has been blocked by collapsed rocks at some point, causing it to become a dead valley in front of us.

It was already too late for Zhao Chengqing to lead his troops to withdraw. The terrain of this Long Snake Valley was connected to other mountains, and there was only one way out, making it a veritable Sleeping Dragon Valley.

As a result, the Emu tribe chasing behind them cut off the retreat, causing all the troops led by Zhao Chengqing to be trapped here, and had no choice but to ask for help from Shanhaiguan.

It's just that the bad situation was beyond everyone's expectation. They thought they could hide in the valley for two or three months and wait for reinforcements. However, in the morning they were looking at the endless spring water, which suddenly dried up.

At any time, water is the life resource that the military needs most, and it is also the confidence that they can persist. If there is no water source, they can only hold on for seven days at most, which is very similar to the terrible situation of the Tumu Fort back then.

"Master Marquis, we have dug ten meters and still can't find the water source. The soldiers can't dig anymore!" General Chen Dadan said anxiously when he saw that the situation was not optimistic.

Zhao Chengqing's left arm was wounded by an arrow. He looked at the clear sky and said helplessly: "Kill the horse and drink blood to quench thirst!" (End of this chapter)