Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall
It was originally a good news, but because Jia Heng sent troops to regain Guanxi, it caused concern among some courtiers in the court, and also made Emperor Chongping's original good mood much worse again.
This kind of talk about abandoning the defense of a certain place was not only seen in Hami, Kansai, but also in Liaodong. Civil servants even discussed whether to abandon the defense of Liaodong.
Even this kind of fear of trouble and high cost of governance will be seen in later generations.
But territory is always the living space of a nation. It is not only strategic depth but also mineral resources. Territory will never be redundant at any time.
Seeing that Emperor Chongping's face was getting darker and darker, Han Huang hurriedly left his post and said: "Your Majesty, what Zhao Shangshu said is not unreasonable. Nowadays, there are successive wars, and the national money is being consumed hugely. I thought that when the time is right, I will stop the army." It is a wise move to stop the war, but since Duke Wei led the troops to defeat the Seven Guards of Kansai, it also makes sense."
Emperor Chongping said solemnly: "Jia Ziyu mentioned in his memorial earlier that when the Dzunggar tribe invades, they must be given a head-on blow, so that when the country becomes strong in the future, it can conquer the Han and Tang Dynasties, and even bring Tibet under its control. As for the military Disasters continue, and the treasury is in deficit..."
At this point, Emperor Chongping looked at Zhao Mo with burning eyes and said: "Jia Ziyu mentioned in his memorial that Qinghai is a natural pasture. After the recovery, through mutual trade, it can provide the imperial court with nearly 10,000 horses and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep every year. In the future, whether it is recruiting and training cavalry, or caged cattle, and sent to prefectures and counties to help people farm, it will be a battle to greatly increase our national strength. If there is no Western Seven Guards Barrier, how can the land of Qinghai and Huang be peaceful? So, what is the meaning of Victory without victory?"
Zhao Mo said: "Qinghai is the elbow and armpit of Xining. It is natural to subdue the barbarians and defend the Northwest Pingfan. We are talking about the Seven Guards of Guanxi. We Han people have not set foot in such barren land for a long time. Even the Western Regions are even more important to me as a big Han. Nothing useful."
Emperor Chongping said coldly: "The Seven Guards of Guanxi are the buffer areas between our dynasty and the Junggar tribe. They are useless. According to what you said, we can abandon Guanxi today, whether we can abandon Qinghai tomorrow, and whether we can abandon Qinghai tomorrow." If you abandon Xining and all the troubles, will it mean that one day, alien tribes will come with their iron hooves, and I, the great man, will abandon Shenjing and live in the south?"
"I don't dare." When Zhao Mo heard this, he was shocked and knelt down.
Yao Yu and Liu Zheng also knelt down one after another, with panic on their faces.
Emperor Chongping said: "Jia Ziyu mentioned in his memorial that if it is not necessary, he will not send troops to the Western Regions in one or two years, but if the time is right, he will take back the Western Regions. What is a barren land? That is the homeland of my Han family. As long as the people Relocation is also the paradise of the Han family. Otherwise, in thirty or twenty years, the barbarians will rise again and invade Hehuang, Qinghai. If it were not for the two emperors of Yan and Huang, who did not insist on cultivating the barbarians, we, the Chinese, would still be living in the Central Plains!"
The faces of several civil servants below showed signs of shock.
The two emperors of Yan and Huang taught and converted the barbarians. This was an act of the wise and holy emperor and was beyond reproach.
Emperor Chongping said solemnly: "If we can capture the Seven Guards of Guanxi and gradually become our Han Dynasty, we can regain the Western Regions in the future. Isn't it just you who read the books of sages who know what the harm of military force and military aircraft are? You won’t know the disaster of continuous war!”
When Zhao Mo heard this, his body shook violently. He bowed to Emperor Chongping and said, "I would like to be taught by you."
Yao Yu said: "I would like to be taught."
Liu Zheng also bowed to express his acceptance.
Emperor Chongping said: "Dai Quan, deliver Jia Ziyu's memorial to Zhao Qing, Liu Qing and Yao Qing for circulation."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Dai Quan responded in a low voice, took the memorial and handed it to the three courtiers.
The three of them can be said to be civil servants who have opposed sending troops from the beginning to the end. By this time, it was no longer a simple factional dispute and needed to be resolved by Emperor Chongping.
Han Huang was silent for a while and returned to Chaoban.
Zhao Mo's expression changed. As he lowered his eyes to read Jia Heng's memorial, the solemn feeling in his heart became stronger. When he handed the memorial to Liu Zheng aside, he frowned.
The memorial explains the importance of the Seven Guards of Kansai, and also mentions the threat of the Junggar Mongols. If Qinghai is defended, the Seven Guards of Kansai have to be taken in. If we want to permanently eliminate the troubles of the Fans, the Siyi Bin, the Hami Guard and even the Western Regions must be conquered. It must be conquered in the end, otherwise the Han court will never have peace. Once the Han court is weak, a repeat of what happened in the previous Ming Dynasty is just around the corner.
He took one look and was convinced by it.
This Duke of Wei is even more sophisticated than when he was fighting floods in the south of the Yangtze River.
Emperor Chongping pondered and said: "In the next few days, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will escort a batch of grain and rice from the south to be transported by water to support the capital. The Ministry of Household Affairs will transfer the grain from the warehouse to Xining in the form of military grain and fodder. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will then replenish it. This war won't last long."
Qi Kun cupped his hands and responded: "For the food and fodder problem, the Ministry of Revenue can find ways to raise funds. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
Emperor Chongping said: "Although the Seven Guards of Guanxi have been recovered one after another, the war between Guanxi and Junggar is still going on. If Jia Ziyu wins this war, the border area should be peaceful for a year or two, and then we can all-out peace." After destroying Liaodong, at that time, I will celebrate the victory with all the ministers and drink together to achieve peace."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The courtiers below responded with their hands.
After the officials in the palace dispersed, Emperor Chongping also returned to the harem.
The ministers walked out of Hanyuan Hall with different expressions and worries. As the courtiers dispersed, the entire Shenjing City began to discuss the war in the northwest.
Palace Garden, Kunning Palace
Empress Song was sitting on a chair covered with soft mattresses, talking to Mrs. Shen and Concubine Duanrong.
Since returning to the capital halfway, as Emperor Chongping's body and bones gradually recovered some strength, this beauty gradually felt relieved.
Under the majestic bun, her gorgeous face was white and rosy, like a peony in full bloom, and her skin was as delicate as a girl's.
The beauty's pink lips parted slightly, she softly uttered orchid words, and said, "Sister, it's been more than half a month, but it's true, I haven't written a letter yet."
Concubine Duanrong said softly: "Ziyu led the troops and annihilated tens of thousands of enemy troops. There must be a lot of aftermath. Is King Wei busy with this?"
Mrs. Shen listened to the conversation between the two concubines, one who was showing off his son and the other who was showing off his son-in-law, and said softly: "State affairs are still important, so it doesn't matter if I don't write a letter."
Empress Song nodded and said with emotion: "Now His Majesty and the civil and military forces of the entire dynasty are paying attention to the war in the northwest. This war has been going on for almost half a year."
This morning, His Majesty mentioned that he was going to meet with the courtiers, most likely to discuss the war in the northwest.
Just as the two sisters were discussing matters in the northwest, a prisoner's voice suddenly came from outside: "Your Majesty is here!"
While he was talking, Emperor Chongping was seen walking into the palace with his guards from the inner prison. He met the eyes of Empress Song and Concubine Duanrong and said, "Zitong, Concubine Rong."
In the past few days, the Great Victory in the Northwest seemed like a shot in the arm, making the emperor who had been lingering on the sickbed a few days ago regain his high spirits.
"Your Majesty has just met the courtiers." Empress Song asked with concern, her beautiful eyes flowing charmingly.
Emperor Chongping nodded and said: "Today Ziyu came with good news, saying that he had successively recovered the Chijin Mongolia, Shazhou and Handong guards of the Seven Guards of Guanxi, and not long after that, he would meet the enemy in Hami."
Empress Song said with a smile: "I am confused by the place names Your Majesty mentioned and I don't know their names. However, recovering the lost land is a great joy after all."
Emperor Chongping said: "But not everyone sees it that way."
He was not overjoyed to achieve great success, but Ziyu's memorial in that letter spoke to his heart. If he wanted to protect China from barbarian invasion, he had to continue to expand abroad. Otherwise, other Mongolian tribes would invade after Junggar, such as the Yashan Incident in the Song Dynasty. Ming Gengxu changes will occur one after another.
Emperor Chongping said in a deep voice: "I am also quite worried about Ziyu's fight with Junggar this time. The troops he brought with him on this expedition are still too few."
If it weren't for that idiot Yan Ye, who lost troops and generals and wasted money and food, how could things in the northwest be so difficult?
It can be said that Emperor Chongping also had the same thoughts as Jia Heng.
That is, if he does not throw away the 60,000 elites of the capital camp and the 100,000 troops, plus these soldiers and horses, can Jia Heng be able to sweep the Western Regions in one fell swoop and penetrate Junggar?
Rather than being like now, the national treasury was stretched thin due to the war. Fortunately, the Ministry of Internal Affairs had a lot of surplus in these years, and it was able to supplement it.
Seeing Emperor Chongping's unfazed look, Empress Song comforted her and said, "Your Majesty, Ziyu is good at fighting. Since he has raised an army, I think he is confident."
Emperor Chongping's eyes were dark and he said: "I'm not worried about this. I'm worried about the Western Regions and Tibet. I don't know when we can regain these homelands."
Not to mention Liaodong, if the three places were equal, he would not have any doubts even if he added Ziyu as a prince with a different surname.
The Empress of Song Dynasty didn't know the grand ambitions of Emperor Chongping. Her beautiful eyes were soft and she sighed quietly in her heart.
…
…
Shazhou Guard, Acropolis, among the official offices
An oil lamp swayed in the wind, and the light danced non-stop, making the burly figures appear shorter or longer on the wall.
Xie Zaiyi stood in front of the screen and looked at the map hanging on it. To the northeast from Shazhou were Guazhou and Shagua two states, which were the lands formerly occupied by the rebel army.
Wang Xundao: "Captain, the Junggar tribe has divided its troops and headed east to intercept our army's food route."
Xie Zaiyi pondered and said: "They can't capture the city, so this is the only one they can use. However, the food and fodder in the city can be used for ten days. In five or six days, the army of the Commander-in-Chief will come. At that time, it is time for the enemy to retreat if they don't retreat." .”
What he is doing now is to wipe out the superior strength of the Junggar tribe as much as possible, leaving only 10,000 or 20,000 people, thereby reducing the pressure for the subsequent battle.
Wang Xun thought for a moment and asked, "When Commander Ji arrives, those bandits may escape back to Hami. How does the governor want to defeat the enemy?"
Xie Zaiyi said: "Don't worry about the back road. After two days, I will ask Generals Jia Fang and Dong Qian to go ahead and clear the back road. We will pretend to be out of stock and attack the enemy cavalry head-on when we leave the city. Defeat them all in one fell swoop.”
Wang Xun nodded and said: "With the combat power of our army, we are not timid if we fight head-on in the field."
Xie Zaiyi said: "It has been three years since the Jieshuai Jingying camp reorganized the army. We have fought in the north and south, and fought dozens of battles. Finally, this day has come."
Since the Han army fought against the Jurchens in Liaodong, they have mainly fought with the larger numbers and never had a direct collision. After successive battles, the Han army now has the courage to collide with the Mongolian cavalry.
After all, compared to the Jurchen Eight Banners troops and horses, the Mongolian cavalry is still a notch behind.
The Jade Rabbit sets in the west and the Golden Crow rises in the east. Time flies and the next day arrives in a blink of an eye.
Wen Chun sent troops and horses to the rear to intercept the grain roads of Shazhou City.
This food road was supplied by Jia Heng from Qinghai and other places after Xie Zaiyi defeated the Shazhou Guards to build the city and supply the army. Therefore, Wen Chun's troops indeed cut off the military supplies of the Shazhou Guards, but he did not know that Xie Zaiyi had previously raided them. He bought a lot of food and reserves from the Fan clan in the city, enough for ten days.
No matter what, this is also the difficulty of the Central Plains Dynasty's expedition to the Western Regions. The food roads are long, and the grassland soldiers and horses can attack and harass. As long as the food roads are cut off, the army's sustainable combat capability will plummet.
As the Han army's food route was blocked due to the harassment, the Fan tribe, which was originally full of resentment, seemed to have regained its energy and began to attack the Shazhou Acropolis in a big way.
From morning to night, attacks were launched in turn like wheel battles. The Shazhou Acropolis seemed to be crumbling in this life-threatening battle, which lasted for three days.
However, Xie Zaiyi led his troops to guard and defend to the death, and they refused to retreat.
At night, in the camp set up by the Junggar Mongolians, clusters of bonfires were as dense as stars, and groups of soldiers carrying pine oil torches passed through them.
In the military tent, the lights were bright and there were crowds of people.
Wen Chun is convening the generals to discuss matters.
Wen Chun said in a deep voice: "The grain road was robbed, and the Han army was really in a panic today."
Dorji smiled and said: "The Han people are like this. They need to eat rice. Unlike us, drinking some goat milk and eating some cheese can last for most of the day."
Wen Chun nodded and said: "Although the Han army lacks food, they can plunder cattle and sheep in the city, and even kill horses when they are desperate. Our army should not be careless. Shazhou Guard is besieged here, and the Han army in Qinghai The main force of the army will definitely rush to help, and we don’t have much time left.”
Dorji smiled and said: "Don't worry, brother Wenchun, I have sent four to five hundred scouts, divided into more than ten groups, to explore in different directions, far and near. As soon as we find traces of the main force of the Han people, we will immediately If you come and report, we will withdraw to Hami, and they will not be able to catch up with us."
"That's not bad." Wen Chun paused slightly and said in a low voice: "The Shazhou Acropolis without food will soon be unable to hold up, and then it will be easy to capture."
"After defeating this Han army, there are basically not many Han soldiers left. When Uncle Baturhun arrives, they will not be our opponents." Dorji said with a smile.
Galdan listened to the conversation between the two, with a thoughtful look on his face, and vaguely felt that something was wrong.
Wen Chun said in a deep voice: "Have a good sleep today and continue to attack the city tomorrow!"
In today's siege, the Han army's defense on the city wall was obviously affected by the interruption of the grain road, and it seemed that morale was low. This undoubtedly gave Wen Chun confidence.
Anyway, the real consumption of the siege was the Mongolian tribes who were originally in Shazhouwei. If they wanted to graze their cattle in Shazhouwei, they had to take back the city that was robbed by the Han people.
The next day, the morning light was slightly dewed and the autumn wind was bleak. In Shazhouwei, which was gradually entering autumn, the surrounding grass was also vaguely turning yellow.
"Woooo..."
Under the desolate sky and the morning light, the Junggar soldiers wearing felt hats blew their horns fiercely.
“Dong dong!!!”
The Han troops on the city gate tower also rounded their arms and beat their war drums.
The desolate and distant sound of horns and the sound of drums as dense as raindrops resounded in the open wilderness. At this moment, accompanied by the collision of weapons and the hoarse shouts of the soldiers, a clank sound of killing was played.
Xie Zaiyi stood on the top of the city, with piercing tiger eyes, looking at the soldiers and horses below, and sneered: "These Mongolian Tatars think we can no longer resist."
Yesterday, the rear grain road was attacked, which somewhat affected morale. But last night, Xie Zaiyi comforted the generals in the city and mentioned that the army would arrive in Shazhou in five days at most. The generals gradually regarded it as normal.
"Give them a head-on blow!" Xie Zaiyi ordered Wang Xundao.
Compared with the loss ratio in field battles, the Han army did have an advantage in defending the city. Relying on the city wall, it could cause more casualties to the Junggar and Heshuote tribes.
But the disadvantages are also obvious, that is, being passive and unable to get the chance to defeat the enemy or even win a complete victory. If the city is broken, there is a risk of defeat.
In this way, the two sides were in a stalemate again. Junggar and Heshuote Mongolia, apart from throwing corpses under the city wall again, were still helpless against the Shazhou Acropolis.
On the other side, Jia Heng led a mighty army to Shazhou Guard.
"Captain, the flying pigeon delivers the letter." Li Shu, the accompanying bodyguard of the Jinyi Mansion, handed over the letter with a piece of paper.
Jia Heng took the paper and read it, his brows furrowed and his eyes flickering, clearly deep in thought.
"What's wrong?" Chen Xiao asked.
Jia Heng's brows widened, his eyes were as bright as stars, and he smiled and said: "Wen Chun of the Hami Guards did not hold back. He led 30,000 troops out of Hami City to attack the Shazhou Guards."
Chen Xiao said: "This... Xie Zaiyi has less than 30,000 soldiers and horses, can he resist it?"
"Xie Zaiyi can definitely resist it, but this is an opportunity." Jia Heng said: "If Wen Chun stayed in Hami honestly, we would not be able to capture the city if we attacked from afar, but he dared to leave Hami city , is our opportunity.”
Chen Xiaofang's heart was slightly shaken and she said in surprise: "You want to seize Hami?"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "This time we will cut off the key areas of the Junggar tribe so that they will not dare to attack from the west."
"The Hami Acropolis is very far away from here. It will take more than ten days until the army arrives." Chen Xiao said.
Jia Heng pondered and said: "I'm going to take a detour, it's still a little further. Wen Chun must have sent scouts to find out the news about the main force of our Han army. The army will rush to the rescue unhurriedly, and there should be a time difference of four or five days. I will take a detour to capture Hami first."
This is all common sense. Wen Chun's troops will definitely send scouts to detect the arrival of reinforcements from multiple directions to judge how long the army will attack Shazhou Guard.
Once the main force of the Han army comes to help in a big way, the Junggar tribe can easily escape.
In other words, the reinforcement of the Shazhou Guard this time did not play a very important strategic role. It was probably to continue the expedition to Hami and be blocked by the Junggar troops.
Chen Xiao asked: "Then what are you going to do?"
Jia Heng said: "I will lead ten thousand cavalry first, march day and night, take a detour with dry food and attack Hami, capture the city of Hami, and capture Wenchun's lair. Then the Shazhou Guards and the main army will march across the vast sea." He chased Wen Chun in the desert and scattered his troops."
"It's too risky." Chen Xiao frowned, a hint of worry flashed through his eyes, and said, "And the troops he leads are too few, so things can easily go wrong."
Jia Heng said: "If you bring many soldiers and horses and make a big show of it, your intentions will be exposed easily, and if the troops are not used well, it will be difficult to transfer. In addition, you must leave enough soldiers and horses to support the Shazhou Guard."
He has measured the number of his troops and horses. If it is too few, it will definitely not work. If it is unexpected, Hami City cannot be captured. If there are too many troops and horses, the target will be huge. Once the Fan tribe notices it, Wen Chun will definitely flee. That would be self-defeating.
Chen Xiaoyurong looked thoughtful and said nothing for a moment, "Then I will lead my troops there."
Jia Heng chuckled lightly, looked at the girl with a face as cold as frost, and said, "How can you lead troops and horses across this vast grassland and desert?"
Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows, his eyes looked dangerous, and asked: "Are you looking down on me?"
Jia Heng said seriously: "No one can do this except me."
He is the commander-in-chief of the army, and he is also one of the best in terms of military force. Only by leading the cavalry to the Acropolis of Hami can he have a chance to capture the city.
Jia Heng said: "You lead the army here, calculate the time, and advance to Shazhou Guard. This will take about four or five days. Let Xie Zaiyi hold on for as long as possible and try to attract Wenchun's Junggar troops. Stay in Shazhou."
Xie Zaiyi thought about how to attract Wen Chun's soldiers and horses, and then eat one of them. This was the idea of leading a general.
And he wanted to take advantage of Wen Chun's dispatch of troops to seize the Hami Acropolis in one fell swoop, occupy this important military location, and drive a wedge into it. This would make Wen Chun and others lose their lives, and at the same time, he would also block the incoming troops of the Junggar tribe in the future. Attack to seize the opportunity.
This is Shuai's idea.
Of course it is risky because it involves traveling a long distance.
Chen Xiao thought for a while and said, "Otherwise, after you take the Hami Acropolis, I will lead another 10,000 troops to quickly respond to you, and the remaining troops will rush to reinforce the Shazhou Guard. Once you take it, In Hami City, the Dzungars are fleeing in panic and will definitely attack the city. We will lead a large army to pursue and kill them, and we can also support you."
Jia Heng nodded and said: "That's fine. Let's move to Hami City. The future battle with Junggar should be centered around Hami.
So this was probably another fierce competition for Hami between the Ming Dynasty and the Turpan Khanate.
Chen Xiaoqing's eyes were full of worry and she whispered, "Then be careful."
Jia Heng nodded, looked for the cavalry commander in the capital camp, and told him what to pay attention to when marching.
Jia Heng immediately divided his troops with 10,000 cavalry and took a detour to attack the Hami Guard, while Chen Xiao and the generals from the Beijing camp went to Shazhou for reinforcements.
Time flies by like water, and three days pass in a flash.
Shazhouwei
Xie Zaiyi stood on the top of the city and looked at the Mongolian camps in Junggar.
Looking at the Mongolian guards outside the city, they stopped attacking the city. It was obvious that the heavy casualties suffered during these days of siege made these Mongolian tribesmen start to passively attack.
Xie Zaiyi felt that the time was almost ripe and began to send two generals, Jia Fang and Dong Qian, to clear the way back. This undoubtedly made Wen Chun and Dorji think that the Han army was short of food and fodder and was in crisis, and they were very happy.
So Dorji sent out cavalry and began to intercept and kill the Han army's cavalry.
Both sides began to send out rangers to fight and intercept and kill.
(End of chapter)
