The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Yunnan Chief Envoy of the Ming Dynasty, Baoshan City, Yongchang Prefecture.

"My lord, Deputy Envoy Luo, Li Chengliang, the left commander of the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion, has arrived."

Today, the Duke of Guizhou, Mu Changzuo, summoned Luo Rufang, the patrol censor of the Yongchang Prefecture of Yunnan Province, to discuss the deployment of defenses against the Burmese army. Just as the two of them were talking to Tan Lun, a guard of the Duke of Guizhou suddenly came in to report.

"Captain Zuo, Li Chengliang, are they here?"

When Mu Changzuo heard this, he was surprised at first, then hesitantly asked again.

"Yes, sir, we are already outside the house."

The guard hurriedly said it again.

"Quick, open the middle door, please come in."

Mu Changzuo had already stood up, and Luo Rufang beside him also stood up.

The guard who reported the news turned around and ran out, and Mu Changzuo and Luo Rufang also quickly chased after him.

Mu Changzuo had his own source of information, whether it was to spy on the capital or observe the wind direction in the capital. Anyway, although the Duke of Guizhou seemed to be away from the capital all year round, he was always paying attention to every move in the capital.

A lot of money is invested in this news channel every year. Kuaima Chiyi regularly delivers news from the capital to Yunnan.

Therefore, although Mu Changzuo really didn't know the news of Li Chengliang's arrival, the order from the capital regarding the Yunnan incident reached his ears yesterday.

Li Chengliang had documents in his hand, led by the cabinet and sealed by the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Personnel, which could mobilize all soldiers and horses in Yunnan and surrounding areas, as well as the temporary appointment and dismissal of government officials, including money and food from the treasury.

Yes, the appointment and dismissal of officials are temporary, but with this right, the implementation has to be reported to the capital and waited for the official letter.

In the Military Bei Dao, the fifth-grade yamen, officials are naturally appointed and dismissed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, although the yamen are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

With Zhang Juzheng's tacit approval, Zhang Han, the official's minister, also nodded and signed and sealed it.

After all, it was not his turn to fill the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. It was only Zhang Juzheng who had to work hard to get him to the position.

Speaking of which, although Zhang Han was not an official in Huguang, he could still be regarded as someone who was valued and promoted by Zhang Juzheng.

The person who initially fell in love with the Ministry of Civil Affairs was Zhu Heng from the Ministry of Works. He was qualified in terms of qualifications. However, because of Wei Guangde's relationship and Zhang Juzheng's desire to promote reforms, he had to hold the power of appointing and removing officials, otherwise it would be difficult to do so. It's done.

As for Ge Shouli, who was recommended by both the government and the public as the most qualified to be the official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he was almost simultaneously disliked by the first and second assistants.

Because of Ge Shouli's serious nature, if he really wanted to go to the Ministry of Personnel, I'm afraid the private discussion between the two of them on the appointment and removal of officials would be nullified.

Some things, in Ge Shouli's eyes, were nothing at all.

When Mu Changzuo and Luo Rufang arrived at the first door, Li Chengliang dismounted and had already gone up the steps, and they hurried forward to greet him.

"Gong Mu, Deputy Envoy Luo, Cheng Liang is polite."

However, when Li Chengliang saw the two coming, he took the lead and clasped his fists in salute.

"What did Governor Li say? It's rude of me."

Mu Changzuo said hurriedly, and then returned the gift.

Luo Rufang, who was on the side, also said with a smile: "Captain Li is very quick with his troops. We didn't even know he was coming. It's indeed rude of us that we didn't come out to greet him."

"I received the military order from the capital and did not dare to delay. I set out from Yongning Prefecture overnight just to rush to Yongchang to understand the current border situation."

After the ceremony, Mu Changzuo invited Li Chengliang to enter the mansion, talking as he walked.

"Did Governor Li go to Kunming?"

Luo Rufang asked.

"I went to Kunming on the way, and I have already met Governor Wang."

Li Chengliang said calmly.

When the three of them entered the lobby, Li Chengliang introduced his sons Li Rusong and Li Ruzhen who followed him.

The remaining sons were now supervising the troops from three provinces entering Yunnan.

Li Chengliang received a military order from the capital a few days ago, and on the same day he took his two sons and headed westward to Yunnan without stopping.

First, he arrived in Kunming, visited Wang Ning, the governor of Yunnan, and issued a document from the capital, arranging for the Yunnan government to mobilize all the garrison posts in the province to prepare for war, and at the same time, the entire Yunnan treasury was required to be ready to supply the army with food, grass and equipment at any time.

Naturally, the people's power needed to transport these materials fell on Wang Ning.

The collection and distribution of civil service is one of the responsibilities of local governments.

After leaving the logistical responsibility to Wang Ning, Li Chengliang rushed to Baoshan City without stopping.

In the past, he would have definitely gone directly to Luchuan or Yingjiang, because that was closest to the border between Daming and Mengyang.

Unfortunately, these places are actually still managed by the chieftains, and the Ming Dynasty did not actually control the local areas.

In other words, the Ming Dynasty may have only controlled the city, and the large areas of land outside the city were managed by chieftains.

For a place like this, Li Chengliang would certainly not risk his life foolishly.

After introducing his two sons, Li Chengliang immediately began to ask about border affairs.

"Mr. Mu, Mr. Luo, are the Iron Wall Pass, Tianma Pass, Hanlong Pass and Nanya Pass garrisoned by our Ming military guards, or are the local chieftains responsible for their defense?"

Li Chengliang knew very well that a lot of the information he saw in the capital may not be true. What was reported locally was one thing, but the actual operations below might be another thing, and they should not be taken seriously.

The four passes he mentioned are the four pass cities currently facing the border between Mengyang and Mubang.

Based on Li Chengliang's judgment, any one of these four enemies may become a target for the Burmese army's attack.

As long as a gate city is broken, the Burmese army can swarm in and plunder the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Hearing Li Chengliang's question, Mu Changzuo's face immediately showed embarrassment, and he did not say anything.

On the other hand, Luo Rufang sighed deeply.

"Alas, Governor Li has a keen eye."

Luo Rufang bowed to Li Chengliang and said, "If these four cities are in the hands of the garrison, the governor wants to see us now, I'm afraid he really has to go to Luchuan."

"Why, these four cities are not garrisoned by garrisons?"

Li Chengliang frowned slightly, he had a premonition of something, and it was indeed different from the defense map he saw in the Five Army Governor's Office.

"Then where is Weiyuan Guard stationed now?"

Immediately, Li Chengliang asked.

Weiyuan Guard was a garrison established at the southernmost tip of Yunnan after the Ming Dynasty took control of Yunnan. The purpose was naturally to deter the Xuanweisi such as Mengyang and Mubang.

The garrisons in Yunnan are centered in Kunming, and are distributed along the post roads.

There are three roads from Sichuan to Yunnan. The Hunan-Guizhou official road from Guizhou and the Sichuan-Yunnan official road from Luzhou merge into one in Zhanyizhou, passing through Qujing, Malong, Mumi, Songming, and Yanglin to enter Yunnan Prefecture.

Then one road goes south to Lin'an Prefecture, which is the main road to Jiaozhi, and one road goes west to Qujing, Dali, Yongping, Jinchi, and Tengchong, which is the main road to Luchuan and Myanmar.

These important transportation routes constitute the framework of the Ming court's control over Yunnan, and naturally the guards are also distributed around them, which is convenient for protecting the roads and can be deployed flexibly along the roads.

Weiyuan Guard is to the west of Luchuan, but from the expressions of Mu and Luo, Li Chengliang already knew that it was probably another empty guard.

Sure enough, Luo Rufang's next words confirmed Li Chengliang's guess.

"Although Weiyuan Guard was established, it was never actually completed. In the early Ming Dynasty, only three thousand households were built, and some military households were transferred here to garrison several fortresses.

Afterwards, cough cough. Governor Li should be able to imagine that many military households fled, and no more were added afterwards.

Afterwards, several fortresses were handed over to local chieftains to guard, and the local government only sent officials to patrol regularly."

In a few words, Luo Rufang shirked the responsibility, although it really had little to do with them.

Since its establishment, Weiyuan Guard has always been just an empty-shell guard, and the military households have not been fully transferred.

Afterwards, due to the problem of food and salary supply, the military households fled, and naturally collapsed long ago.

These things, if the court does not send people to check, the local government will naturally conceal them and not report them. Generation after generation of officials have covered them up, and none of them are willing to expose thunder in their own office.

In the final analysis, it is because the world has been peaceful for too long and the military is relaxed.

If the capital had not noticed the change in the situation in Myanmar, and if it had not been for the expansion of the Burmese royal court, who would have paid attention to this small garrison on the border.

And how many garrisons like Weiyuanwei are there in the world?

The Ming Dynasty claims to have a million troops, but in fact most of the current garrisons are not fully staffed.

The reported military strength is the total military strength calculated by multiplying the number of garrisons and guarding thousand households by the standard quota, and the water content can be imagined.

In other words, it is to fool the person sitting high in the court, and everyone below knows these situations.

However, no one can tell how bad it is.

Unless you find someone familiar with the inside story below, you can't ask.

"Then tell me what you know about the situation in northern Myanmar now. I heard that traces of Burmese military activities have been found more than ten miles outside the border. I wonder what measures can be taken."

Li Chengliang didn't want to continue to pursue the matter, so he asked about the current situation.

The document Wang Ning gave him mentioned that the Burmese army was approaching the border of the Ming Dynasty, so he took it very seriously and wanted to know what countermeasures Mu Changzuo and Luo Rufang would take.

"I have mobilized the troops of the nearby garrisons and deployed them in Tengchong, Shidian and Baoshan.

The three cities are located in a corner and can protect each other. They are also located on the main road into Yunnan.

As long as the three cities are defended, the Burmese army will not be able to get in anyway."

At this point, Mu Changzuo hesitated a little, and said after a while: "As for Ruili, Yingjiang and other places in the west, we have to give up.

Those places are mostly run by local chieftains, and it is difficult for the army to enter and deploy defenses.

When the governor arrived earlier, I was discussing this matter with Deputy Envoy Luo."

"What is Lord Luo's attitude?"

Li Chengliang heard that it seemed that the two had different opinions and were not in agreement.

Mu Changzuo said that he was more inclined to strengthen defense, at least before the court ordered an expedition against the Burmese king, it was the best countermeasure for the border army.

This is probably what Mu Changzuo thought.

So, Li Chengliang turned his inquiring eyes to Luo Rufang, wanting to know his response.

"General Li, in your opinion, the news from the front is that the Burmese army has occupied Mubang and is now besieging Mengyang.

Mengyang Tusi Si Ge should have been prepared before, so his subordinates heavily defended the main road intersection leading to Mengyang, and now they are fighting fiercely.

Before that, Si Ge had sent two waves of death warriors to ask for help from the Ming Dynasty. The day before yesterday and yesterday, I ordered people to send the messenger to Kunming.

The general may have missed them on the way and didn't meet them."

Luo Rufang clasped his fists and replied, "In view of the current critical situation in Mengyang, I support sending troops to Mengyang immediately to defeat the Burmese army near the Ming Dynasty and provide some help to Mengyang.

Alas."

At this point, Luo Rufang suddenly sighed.

Li Chengliang naturally knew the reason why Luo Rufang sighed, so he continued: "There is no order from the court to send troops, so the army cannot go to support Meng Yang?"

"That's right."

Luo Rufang smiled bitterly and said, "Now the main forces of the Burmese army are all around Mengyang. If the troops are properly deployed and the deployment is thorough, they will surely be able to achieve success in one battle and eliminate most of the Burmese army in one fell swoop.

In this way, the Burmese situation can be settled."

Li Chengliang understood that Luo Rufang was in charge of the attack and believed that the Ming army should take the initiative to attack and take advantage of the opportunity of the war between Myanmar and Mengyang to defeat the main forces of the Burmese army in one fell swoop and calm the situation in Myanmar.

However, before receiving the imperial edict, they finally chose Mu Changzuo's opinion, which was to strengthen defense.

"The three cities are mutually supportive. I'm afraid you have seen too much of the Three Kingdoms."

But before Li Chengliang could speak, Li Rusong sneered behind him.

"Shut up, you don't have the right to speak here."

When Mu Changzuo's face changed slightly, Li Chengliang had already roared at Li Rusong.

Li Rusong didn't dare to argue with his old father, so he could only shut up in dismay, step back half a step, and lower his head.

"Lord Mu, I'll take my son to apologize. He's still young and doesn't know anything.

In fact, given the previous situation, strengthening defense is a safe strategy."

After Li Chengliang yelled at his son, he immediately smiled and said to Mu Changzuo.

What status does the Mu family have? The hereditary Duke's Mansion is not comparable to him.

Don't think he is the left commander-in-chief now, how can it be so?

This is in Yunnan, the territory of the Mu family.

But Mu Changzuo was still angry about what Li Rusong said, and didn't notice that Li Chengliang was talking about the situation "before", not the current situation.

Of course, he couldn't say anything to the younger generation. Li Chengliang gave him a way out and scolded his son, and he just smiled.

Mu Changzuo didn't notice it, but Luo Rufang did.

Immediately, Luo Rufang stood up and asked Li Chengliang: "May I ask Commander Li, but I brought the order from the court."

Not many people knew that the court intended to use troops, and even fewer in Yunnan.

Even though Mu Changzuo knew that the court was paying attention to Yunnan and Myanmar, he didn't know that the court was planning to completely annex Myanmar this time. Naturally, he thought that Li Chengliang was sent here to support the battle because of his achievements in Liaodong.

He really didn't think that the purpose of Li Chengliang's trip was to expand the territory for the Ming Dynasty.

Now that Luo Rufang asked, Li Chengliang looked at him and felt a little suspicious.

After all, Luo Rufang had a special identity.

On the way here, Li Chengliang checked that the deputy guard of Yongchang Prefecture was from Jiangxi.

He couldn't help but think about whether Wei Ge Lao had made arrangements a long time ago and sent his fellow villager to watch.

Luo Rufang certainly had nothing to do with Wei Guangde. Although the two were fellow villagers, they were too distant and really had nothing to do with each other.

He was a juren in the 22nd year of Jiajing. After that, he traveled for ten years and went to Beijing in the 32nd year. He participated in the joint examination and got a Tongjinshi, that is, the top three.

The ranking was not high, so he was naturally sent out.

"It's interesting to achieve success in one battle."

Li Chengliang made a decision after just a little thought.

He did not directly answer Luo Rufang's question, but commented on his countermeasures.

At this time, Li Chengliang was considering the pros and cons of Luo Rufang's countermeasures and the purpose of his trip.

"Is he thinking about obeying the imperial edict? Did he go to Kunming before?"

Li Chengliang asked calmly.