It’s another sunny day, and the morning sun rises as usual.
In Wuying Hall, the atmosphere was a bit solemn.
Since the beginning of the war, the civil and military ministers of the imperial court have maintained great restraint, restraining themselves and refraining from major disputes.
However, during today's morning meeting, a long-lost quarrel broke out.
As for the reason, it is also very simple.
At this morning meeting, a group of nobles led by Chen Mao once again proposed to dispatch the Beijing army to Zijingguan to fight with Tongye first.
This proposal met with collective opposition from civil servants headed by Yu Qian.
In the center of the hall, Yu Qian's face was ashen, facing the emperor who was silent on the throne, he knelt on the ground and said.
"Your Majesty, the capital is the important place of the country, and the capital army is set up to guard the capital. How can we move lightly? Yin Jian is ahead in the civil war, how can we send a large army out of the capital?"
Following him were a large group of censors and six ministers.
The Civil War was a very painful lesson for the courtiers!
Hundreds of thousands of Beijing troops were wiped out overnight. If it happened again, the Ming Dynasty would really have no room for maneuver.
On the other side, a group of relatives led by Chen Mao were equally determined.
Mr. Chen Laohou also had a dark face, facing Yu Qian, and said.
"Yu Shangshu, why are you so alarmist? The Civil War was all caused by Wang Zhen's random command. But now, our army is in the Bauhinia City, how can we repeat the same mistakes?"
Zhao Rong, the uncle of Xincheng, also stood up and said.
"That's right. Zijingguan is a high mountain. It is defended according to danger. As long as there are enough soldiers and sufficient logistics, there is no reason to lose it. If it is not lost, how can the capital be in danger?"
It can be seen that Xun Qi is quite well prepared this time. There are not only bad guys but also bad guys.
Chen Mao and Zhao Rong said forcefully that as long as the Beijing army was sent out, they would be able to hold on.
Immediately afterwards, Prince Consort Shi Jing also came out to persuade.
"Yu Shangshu, the defense of Zijingguan was finalized word by word by you and Chen Hou. Yu Shangshu, you should know best about the specific defense situation."
"As long as the generals are properly guarded and the Beijing army is on defense, we can definitely reject it before we get outside the pass. Is it possible that Yu Shangshu doesn't have confidence in the plan you finalized?"
Using both soft and hard tactics, Yu Qian's face suddenly became extremely ugly.
Of course he knew what the defense situation at Zijingguan was.
In fact, when the emperor was still the king, when he was first appointed to supervise the country, the first thing he discussed with him was to strengthen the Bauhinia Pass.
After Ye Xian began a large-scale invasion, the reason why the imperial court ordered the guards at each pass to defend the city and fight vigorously was to buy more time for Zijingguan.
Even during this period, Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu, personally visited Zijingguan and saw the local defenses with his own eyes.
If Yu Qian put all his energy on the defense of the capital, then most of the emperor's energy was spent on Bauhinia Pass.
However, Yu Qian is still worried!
He didn't dare to gamble because if he failed, the price would be too high.
So even in the face of various methods of Xunqi, Yu Qian remained unmoved.
At this time, the emperor finally spoke, but it was not to Yu Qian, but to Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu.
"Chen Qing, you just inspected Zijin Pass a few days ago. What was the result? Let me tell you from the actual report."
The emperor's voice was calm, but Yu Qian vaguely felt that something was wrong.
Immediately afterwards, Chen Yi stepped forward and said.
"Back to the emperor, there are currently 27,000 troops stationed at Zijingguan, with soldiers, horses, food, grass, and weapons all ready."
"When I went on an inspection tour, I found that all the narrow paths that could lead to people had been blocked by the officers and soldiers with earthen and wooden barriers. All the paths that could lead to horses had also dug deep trenches, arranged horse-stopping stakes, and had officers and soldiers on duty. .”
Chen Yi's tone was calm, and he was simply describing the facts he saw.
But Yu Qian could feel that following his statement, there was some quiet discussion among the officials in the palace.
After thinking about it, Yu Qian said.
"Your Majesty, although our troops are well prepared, the terrain of Zijingguan Pass is complicated. If we are attacked by surprise troops first, there will inevitably be no accidents."
"Secondly, the officers and soldiers stationed at Zijingguan have been in peace all year round without seeing any blood. Their combat power has yet to be tested. Therefore, I believe that stability should be the priority and no rash advances should be made."
It should be said that Yu Qian's concerns are not unreasonable.
Although the terrain of Zijin Pass is dangerous, it is one of the three inner passes of the Great Wall.
Since Emperor Taizu expelled the old Yuan Dynasty, no army has been able to reach Zijin Pass for decades.
Emperor Taizong Jingnan did not go through Zijingguan at all, but directly went to Juyongguan.
This led to the fact that the officers and soldiers at Zijingguan had not really fought a war in these years.
Even when the Supreme Emperor went on a personal expedition, he did not touch the troops at Zijingguan.
Although this time after the army reported to Beijing, the imperial court quickly dispatched Tao Jin, the governor and deputy governor, and Sun Xiang, the right deputy governor, to take over the defense of Zijingguan.
Needless to say, Tao Jin had many military exploits. From a member of the Yangzhou Guard, he was promoted step by step to the rank of Zuo Erguan in the Governor's Mansion of the Chinese Army based on his military exploits. His abilities and strategies were first-class.
Although Sun Xiang was born in the imperial examination, he was from Datong and came from a military household. When he was young, he had followed the army to fight against Oara.
There is no need to question the ability and bravery of the two of them, but it must also be taken into consideration that the Zijingguan garrison has indeed been weakened by training over the years and their combat effectiveness is not high.
Although efforts have been made to improve these days, there is still a question mark over the actual combat power.
What's more, although Zijin Pass has a steep terrain and high mountains, it is only very disadvantageous for the cavalry.
The high mountains mean the terrain is complex and there are countless rugged but walkable paths.
Although these days, the officers and soldiers of Zijingguan have blocked most of the known paths, even dug trenches, and deployed defenders on important paths.
But what if there is any oversight and the enemy sneak attacks?
All aspects need to be considered!
As Yu Qian said, Ming Dynasty is now fighting against the odds. They cannot afford to lose this battle!
Yu Qian looked sincerely at the emperor on the throne. He extremely hoped that the emperor could stand by his side and give him full support as always.
However, this time, he was destined to be disappointed!
Zhu Qiyu pondered for a long time, and finally asked Chen Mao.
"Marquis Chen, if you want to send the Beijing army to support Zijingguan, who can lead the army?"
Yu Qian's heart sank and he spoke.
"His Majesty……"
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was cut off by the emperor.
Zhu Qiyu stood up from the throne, breathed a long sigh of relief, and said.
"I know what you are worried about. However, in the battle of Tumu, our army was severely defeated, hundreds of officials were in trouble, and the emperor hunted in the north. This is a great shame and humiliation."
"The heroic spirits of our ancestors and ancestors are above us. The capital is the capital of a country. If we are really driven straight into it by Wala Chang and form a formation outside the capital, how can you and I have the face to see all the people in the world again?"
"If our passes are empty, that's all. We have no choice but to let it go. Now that our army is fully prepared, our soldiers are well-fed, and we are defending according to the danger, we are very sure that we can keep the Wala army from outside the pass. How can we hold back because of unnecessary worries? , causing countless border soldiers to die in vain?"
Yu Qian wanted to persuade him again, but Chen Mao had already moved forward and said.
"I recommend Ning Yuanbo to be appointed as Li. This man once accompanied Jiang Gui, the Marquis of Pingxi, to defeat the Tatar Adai Khan, and also fought against Ye Xian. I think that I can appoint Ren Li as the chief military officer, and Tao Jin as the deputy chief soldier, guarding the army. Zijingguan will definitely ensure that Zijingguan is safe."
