Jizhou, Governor's Mansion.
According to the usual practice, today is the day when Yang Bo, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and Yang Xuan, the governor of Jiliao, gather together to discuss how to prevent Tatar intrusion. In addition to them, some generals will also participate in this meeting.
In the huge hall, many senior generals were sitting together. As the initiators of this meeting, Yang Bo and Yang Xuan naturally sat at the top.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Yang Bo nodded to Yang Xuan, indicating that the meeting could begin.
Then, Yang Xuan coughed twice, turned his eyes to the generals on both sides, and immediately asked.
"It has been some time since the imperial court issued a corresponding notice to prepare us for the possible Tatar invasion. During this period, have you collected any valuable intelligence?"
As soon as Yang Xuan finished speaking, a general stood up and reported respectfully.
"Your Excellency, Governor, in recent days, according to reports from frontline scouts, a small group of cavalry is heading towards Jizhou."
"There are about three thousand people in this cavalry. From the direction in which this cavalry is coming, we can roughly judge that it should be the command of Tumaihan, Sun's son!"
When Yang Xuan learned the news from the general, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Why did it come so early this year? According to past practice, shouldn't the infestation start in summer and autumn?"
As soon as Yang Xuan finished speaking, Yang Bo frowned on the side, and a guess suddenly appeared in his mind.
"The weather this year is quite strange. The temperature has dropped sharply, and the water and grass on the grasslands are far less lush than before. They cannot support so many horses and livestock. Perhaps this is why they chose to invade my Ming Dynasty in advance!"
Yang Xuan also quite agreed with Yang Bo's words, then nodded his head in a subtle way and continued.
"Well, what Brother Wei Yue said makes sense. It seems that they were desperate and had to take a gamble!"
When Yang Xuan said this, he paused for a moment and then continued.
"If my guess is correct, this is just the vanguard, used to test the reality of my Ming Dynasty!"
"Tumaihan's large army should be waiting and watching from behind. If this cavalry can achieve the desired effect, then what we will face next is Tumaihan's large army!"
When Yang Xuan said this, his face suddenly became solemn. Immediately, he called his subordinates and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Immediately report the news that the Tatar cavalry is about to invade Jizhou to the capital without delay!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
After the subordinate responded, he quickly left the room.
Soon, an urgent message traveling eight hundred miles was sent to the capital via the inns along the way.
After sending someone to deliver the news, the solemn look on Yang Xuan's face also faded a lot.
Then, he changed the topic and asked the generals on both sides about the use of the new weapons sent by the imperial court.
"By the way, what do you think of the new batch of weapons sent by the imperial court not long ago?"
After hearing Yang Xuan's words, the generals seemed to have opened their chat boxes and rushed to report to him.
Then, Yang Xuan pointed at a general not far from him, and immediately spoke.
"Li Ran, the soldiers under your command have the largest number of new weapons. Please tell me!"
After hearing what Yang Xuan said, Li Ran immediately calmed down and after finishing his words, he respectfully reported.
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
"The general feels that these new weapons sent by the imperial court are quite practical, especially the new weapons called grenades, which are not only extremely lethal, but also easy to carry!"
"The power and range of the rest, such as muskets, cannons, etc., have also been greatly improved compared to the past!"
"The quantity is just not enough. If these new weapons can be officially installed in the Nine-Border Frontier Army, we will no longer have to worry about Tatar invasion!"
After listening to Li Ran's words, Yang Xuan nodded slightly, then motioned for Li Ran to sit back in his seat before continuing.
"Don't worry, I have received the news. The imperial court is currently working hard to produce these new weapons. It won't be long before we can all equip them!"
"When that time comes, we will be able to attack across the board and attack the Tatar base camp!"
"When the time comes, we will all be enshrined in the annals of history and be admired by future generations!"
There is no doubt that Yang Xuan's words gave a shot in the arm to many generals present. Who doesn't have the wish to seal the wolf as his subordinate and leave his name in history?
Some generals have even begun to gear up and hope that Tumaihan's cavalry will arrive in Jizhou as soon as possible and use their lives to build a ladder for themselves to climb up.
Seeing that the meeting was coming to an end, Yang Bo on the side quickly asked many generals present.
"Have prices stabilized?"
After hearing this, a general stood up and reported respectfully.
"Your Excellency, since the imperial court began to transport large quantities of physical goods, the current prices in Jizhou have basically stabilized, and are only slightly more expensive than those in the capital!"
When Yang Bo heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately gave the order.
"Well, in that case, let's stay here for now. You can go back and count your own troops and prepare for the battle!"
"Yes, sir, I'll leave now!"
…
Forbidden City, Cabinet.
Everyone was dealing with the corresponding memorials as usual, and no one had the intention to speak.
At this moment, Xu Jie put the finished memorial aside and then spoke.
"Now in the streets, both officials and ordinary people are discussing the newspaper that is about to be published by the imperial court."
After Xu Jie finished speaking, Yan Song sighed with emotion.
"Yes, even my servants can hear the stall owner talking about this when they go shopping!"
After saying these two sentences, the cabinet fell into silence again, with only the rustling of paper being turned.
At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps from outside the door, and a subordinate was seen hurriedly entering the cabinet, panting.
"Ge...Mr. Ge, this...this is from Jizhou. There is...an urgent message coming from eight hundred miles away!"
After hearing this, everyone's faces were full of surprise, and no one spoke for a while.
Everyone present knew what the eight-hundred-mile rush coming from Jizhou meant. It meant that the Tatars were about to lead their troops to invade the Ming Dynasty border!
Yan Song came to his senses, took the envelope from the subordinate's hand, and opened it with trembling hands.
After he finished browsing the above content, the expression on his face suddenly became ugly.
Seeing this, Xu Jie on the side quickly asked with concern.
"Mr. Yan Ge, what does it say?"
Yan Song shook his head imperceptibly, handed the envelope in his hand to Xu Jie, and explained.
"It says that there is a cavalry force of 3,000 people, rushing towards Jizhou. They should be the subordinates of Tumaihan, Sun's son!"
"In addition, we cannot rule out the possibility that there are large forces waiting for the opportunity in the rear."
After Xu Jie read the contents of the letter, his expression suddenly became solemn and he couldn't help but exclaimed.
"How come this year has come so fast!"
(End of chapter)
