Of course, Ma Wensheng could not let the court advance border defense issues according to the views of a young alchemist.
He was about to come out and say something.
This time it was Zhu Youtang who made the final decision: "... Dear members of the family, you don’t need to say anything more. I am willing to adopt the opinions of the Zhang Qing family because I mentioned it in the court before. I hope that all ministers can understand me in some court affairs. Please accept the opinions of Zhang Qing’s family.”
When Ma Wensheng ascended the throne, he remembered what the emperor had said earlier in the court.
At that time, I felt that the emperor was very gentle. He had predicted an earthquake, took precautions in advance, and did not argue with the ministers afterwards.
Waiting here!
"I also express my position that there should not be any slack in the defense of the northwest. Whether the barbarians come or not, isn't it necessary to prepare the northwest well?"
Even Ma Wensheng couldn't refute this time.
Let's not talk about whether the news that Di Yi will invade the border in February is reliable. Let's just say that a unification battle is being completed on the grassland, which requires the Ming Dynasty to be careful in border defense.
Fundamentally speaking, Zhang Zhou’s proposal is correct.
It's just that the emperor skipped the court and adopted Zhang Zhou's opinion, which was not what Ma Wensheng wanted.
This opinion should be raised by civil servants...
"As for who will prepare for this strengthening of border defense, I also authorize Wang Qing's family." Zhu Youtang looked at Wang Yue, seeming to trust Wang Yue's ability.
Ma Wensheng was very unhappy again.
Zhang Zhou was just a scholar, he could even be said to be an alchemist, not a civil servant, so he had to be on guard.
Wang Yue is a civil servant, but he has different political views, so he still needs to be on guard.
For professional politicians such as civil servants, principles are not important. What is important is that the party is united and opposed. Even if the emperor changes tomorrow or the dynasty changes, it does not seem to affect their ability to go to court...
It is said that he is an official who is a smooth official in the imperial court.
But in fact, he is an iron-clad loyal minister and a flowing dynasty.
"I want the Ministry of War and the Governor's Office to fully coordinate." Zhu Youtang looked at Zhang Mao, who had been watching the fire from the other side as if nothing was wrong, "Mr. British, what do you think?"
Zhang Mao said: "The veteran also believes that precautions should be taken in the northwest, but it must be done according to the circumstances and not publicized, lest it be known to the Tatars and cause unrest in people's hearts."
Saying it is the same as not saying it.
Zhu Youtang thought to himself, you talk so much nonsense, why should I sum it up with 伱?
"That's good." Zhu Youtang said, "That's settled. At the beginning of the year, I will use my discretion to let Wang Qing's family take charge of the military affairs of the Xuanda University and the Headquarters as the censor of the right capital and the left minister of the Ministry of War. Send you Go to Piantou Pass and try not to be known to outsiders."
"yes!"
Wang Yue was full of confidence.
Now Zhang Zhou can even predict earthquakes. How do you think it is much easier to predict when the Tatars will invade the border than to predict earthquakes?
Coupled with the support of the emperor and the help of "divine power" provided by Zhang Zhou, this battle can be said to be the last and best opportunity in his life.
Zhu Youtang looked at Ma Wensheng again and said: "Ma Qing's family, if you have any concerns, it's best to tell them now. After you walk out of here, I hope you can keep the secret strictly."
Ma Wensheng heard it.
This is what makes me the most unstable of these people.
While he felt a little unhappy, he also saw that this group of people, except for himself, were all "working together", while he, the Minister of War, seemed to be an outsider and had to be guarded against.
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask, if Di Yi really invades, how will this war end?"
Ma Wensheng wanted the emperor and Wang Yue to give him a promise.
It was said that it was precautionary.
You must not take the initiative.
If the Tatars don't come, Ming's army can't just go out and invite war. This is the bottom line that Ma Wensheng can bear.
Zhu Youtang also seemed to think that what Ma Wensheng said made sense. If the military power around Xuanda was handed over to Wang Yue, it would naturally be necessary to regulate Wang Yue's behavior. What if this old boy led the troops into the army at the risk of his life for the sake of military glory? grassland……
When the king becomes more happy, the balance of the Ming Dynasty's border will be broken by it, putting Xuanda's front line and even the capital in danger.
Zhu Youtang said: "I will send the general military officers, guarding eunuchs, etc. to assist Wang Qing's family in completing this battle. The principle is that if the barbarians do not advance, our soldiers and horses are not allowed to advance further; if the barbarians do not retreat, our Ming soldiers will also Don’t lose any size of land, don’t lose even a corner of the city!”
After hearing the emperor's assurance, Ma Wensheng handed over his hand and said: "The Ministry of War will definitely coordinate in this battle. But please also restore peace to Xuanda and other places before March, so as not to delay the spring plowing!"
…
…
Ma Wensheng and Zhang Mao left Qianqing Palace.
Zhang Zhou and Wang Yue were left behind by Zhu Youtang, and they seemed to have detailed matters to discuss.
Previously, we just set a general direction and planned to start the war in February.
The next step is to formulate a detailed strategy, which must be arranged based on the forts and terrain around Piantou Pass, so that everything can be controlled.
"...This is the picture of the northwest frontier fortress that I asked someone to draw in the past two days."
Zhu Youtang asked Dai Yi to bring over a map.
He found a table and set it up in the Qianqing Palace, with the map spread out.
Zhang Zhou knew just at a glance how poor the quality of the map was, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was pretty good to be able to draw a map of the northwest just by relying on the stream of consciousness.
Zhu Youtang raised his head and looked at Zhang Zhou and Wang Yue and said: "There is no room for loss in this battle!"
Obviously, Zhu Youtang is also under pressure.
Now it was time to skip the court and fight a war.
Although it was only for defense in name and did not destroy the Ming Dynasty's principle of being defensive in the northwest, Ma Wensheng finally compromised and agreed, which also shows that the emperor did not disrupt the layout of the Ming emperors in the northwest.
And Wang Yue...
Even if Ma Wensheng refuses to take a serious look, he must admit that this is a master who can fight a tough battle.
If the emperor had replaced the emperor and arranged for someone else to preside over this war, even if Ma Wensheng knew that he would be disobedient to the emperor, he would definitely dismiss it on the spot, and even make the matter public.
But if you lose.
The emperor's face was completely gone.
Wang Yue looked at Zhang Zhou and said, "Mr. Zhang, is the time you mentioned accurate?"
Obviously, Wang Yue was very confident in his marching strategy and did not need to ask Zhang Zhou.
He now only needs Zhang Zhou to provide a specific time.
Zhang Zhou said: "People's hearts are the most unpredictable. However, judging from the current situation in the grasslands, with the horse market cut off, some tribes' supplies are simply not enough to survive the whole winter. They plundered the Ming border areas because they felt that we were not worthy of our support. They will realize that they will come at a time when there is no border in normal years. Secondly, they have to ensure internal stability and prepare for a battle that is related to the survival of their tribe!"
Wang Yue thought for a while and said to Zhu Youtang: "Your Majesty, after Mr. Zhang's analysis, even the veteran feels that a war will occur within February."
Zhu Youtang frowned.
Are you, Mr. Wang, flattering you again?
Everyone knows your character, so much so that when you don’t flatter a horse, it’s almost like flattering you. You didn’t have this awareness before, but now you suddenly have it.
You'd better say less!
Zhu Youtang ignored Wang Yue and asked Zhang Zhou: "Bingkuan, from which direction do you think the Hulu will come?"
Zhang Zhou looked at the map and found it a bit difficult to point out a direction.
Not to mention that even if the Tatars are dispatched in large numbers, they will still be in batches. There will be a gap of one or two days before and after. This is due to the time difference between the Ming Dynasty's border defense responses. Let's talk about this map...
Zhang Zhou said: "I want to redraw the northwest map!"
"What?"
Zhu Youtang didn't seem to understand for a moment.
Zhang Zhoudao: "What I mean is that there are some inaccuracies in this map, and there are still some deviations. I want to make a map that is drawn strictly in accordance with the scale to ensure that the battle can be rehearsed and troops are mobilized. More precise.”
Zhu Youtang was smiling bitterly.
He never imagined that Zhang Zhou's first step in preparing for the northwest battle was to redraw the map? !
"Prepare paper and pen for him." Zhu Youtang said to Dai Yi.
Zhang Zhou said: "Please, Mr. Dai, please prepare some more charcoal pencils, rulers, etc. It is better to have calipers, ring rulers, etc. I need to draw. By the way, the paper should be made of more than four layers of rice paper. After the drawing is completed, Let someone make a few more rubbings to prepare for this battle..."
…
…
Zhu Youtang didn't quite understand Zhang Zhou's weirdness.
But Wang Yue seemed to support Zhang Zhou's behavior.
Because he himself also felt that there was a big problem with the northwest map, but the problem was that under the current conditions of the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible to draw a detailed map. If Zhang Zhou could draw a map with very high accuracy... For a coach First of all, you can "know your enemy and yourself".
How can you be flexible and adaptable on the battlefield when even your own location is recorded incorrectly?
Ever since.
Zhang Zhou drew the map on the spot under the eyes of Zhu Youtang, Wang Yue, Xiao Jing and others.
Everyone is Zhang Zhou's helper.
Zhang Zhou did not completely give up on the original map. Many important landmarks marked on the map in another chapter will also be marked on his map.
"...The ratio is one inch, which is approximately equivalent to forty-three miles. If the Tatar cavalry marches ninety miles per day, it is approximately equivalent to walking two squares per day..."
Forty-three miles in the Ming Dynasty is roughly equivalent to fifty miles in later generations, which is 25 kilometers.
Zhu Youtang next to him frowned after hearing this.
Walk two squares a day?
Why does it sound more and more like the "sand table drill" that Zhang Zhou played for Zhu Houzhao before?
If you look closely at the map drawn by Zhang Zhou, you can clearly see that the terrain of the sand table is reproduced on the paper.
Zhu Youtang couldn't help but ask: "Bingkuan, I seem to have seen this thing before. Did you give it to the prince..."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this is the prototype of the sand table I used for the prince. At that time, I also described the situation in the northwest in detail to the prince."
"Bingkuan, you are really... haha."
Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "The map still needs to be drawn, and there must also be a sand table. I have thought about it. If there is a sand table for on-site narration, ordinary soldiers will understand it clearly after reading it, which will help to mobilize troops. Send generals.”
Zhang Zhou said: "But Your Majesty, the material of the sand table I have is not very good, so I'm afraid it won't be of much use."
Zhu Youtang glanced at Zhang Zhou and said, "Since I have to redo it, am I going to lose some money from you? Dai Yi, go make arrangements and find the best craftsmen. At any cost, we must complete the sand table within two days." manufacture complete."
"Yes." Dai Yi smiled.
Zhu Youtang suddenly seemed to remember something, looked at Zhang Zhou apologetically and said, "Bingkuan, I'm afraid it will delay your preparation for the exam again!"
Zhang Zhou raised his hands in a free and easy manner and said, "For the sake of the world, I have no shirking duty."
(End of chapter)
