Fengtian Hall, court meeting.
As Wang Qiong, Zhu Feng and Liu Jin arrived at Piantou Pass, the court finally became more and more mournful for the king.
When the emperor announced the matter in public in the court, even most of the civil servants and military officials in the government and the public looked down upon Wang Yue, and still felt regretful after hearing the words.
Zhu Youtang said: "It's all destiny. If Zhang Shidao hadn't extended his life, he might have died on the way back to Beijing last year. God gave him the opportunity to make contributions, but it didn't give him much time. He It’s a day when we can’t see the Ming Dynasty Beiguan Zhongxing.”
The emperor's words were filled with emotion.
The ministers felt a strong sense of "ambition" from his words.
Even Ma Wensheng and Liu Jian, two people who had known about Wang Yue's death for a long time, did not expect that the emperor would utter the heroic words of "Reviving the Ming Dynasty in Beiguan".
It seems that in the emperor's view, the difference between whether there is Wang Weining in the northwest is not that big. On the contrary, without the banner of Wang Weining, he can free up his hands and show his talents.
Xu Guandao, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, said: "Your Majesty, the situation in Pianguan is unstable now. Should we step up the construction of the fortress? If we only use Anbian Hou as the general soldier, I am afraid that Di Yi will start provoking troubles again."
"Who?" Zhu Youtang asked, "Is it the little Tartar prince or the fire sieve? I also have a battle report here, please publish it."
Dai Yi came out and read out in public the border report written by Chen Rui after arriving in Yansui, especially regarding the movements of the Tatars on the grassland: "...the little Tatar prince Batu Meng moved the Chinese military tent to Hetao Within the territory, more than forty of the Ming Dynasty’s Hetao Passes were destroyed, and Chang entered the Hetao for 600 miles without stopping at night. It was found out that the Tatar military tents were moved to Ordos, and they may have the intention of committing a large-scale invasion. Please mobilize the imperial court..."
Chen Rui's performance is a bit "alarmist".
The Yellow River Hetao area, that is, the zigzag area in the north of the Yellow River, has large areas of loess and desert, as well as fertile soil in the southern part of the grassland. In the past, after the Tumubao incident, and then during the Chenghua period, Wang Yue's northwest had many good news, and then during the Hongzhi period. One year, Wang Yue was reactivated, and the ownership of the "Hetao area" was in progress around the northwest.
Ordos is located in the Hetao area close to the Ming Dynasty. Dayan Khan moved the tribe's Chinese military tent to Ordos, which gave the Ming Dynasty the feeling that Dayan Khan was about to invade in a large scale.
However, Chen Rui's purpose is not to show how urgent the situation in the northwest is. He is mainly to illustrate a theme...
Want money.
After Dai Yi reported the battle report in the northwest, he retreated behind the emperor.
Zhu Youtang said: "Gentlemen, the Tatars are coming fiercely. Uncle Pingjiang is in Yansui, and he can feel the changes in the battle situation around him most vividly. What do you think about his report like this? Should we prepare for war in Yansui and other places?" "
The emperor's question is somewhat "confusing".
Preparations for war are always going on, and there is no need to consult with ministers.
The emperor's so-called preparation for war has gone beyond ordinary defense, and means taking the initiative to "search for traps" and "suppress traps."
"Ministry of War!" Zhu Youtang asked proactively.
Ma Wensheng came out on behalf of the Ministry of War and said: "Your Majesty, Di Yi's intentions are still unclear. All parties should focus on defending."
Zhu Youtang was not very satisfied and shook his head: "Since the Chenghua period, Wang Yue and other officials fought bloody battles to put the Hetao back into the territory of the Ming Dynasty. For twenty years, the Tatars did not dare to linger in the Hetao, but now they do Do you want me to watch the Tatars destroy or take possession of the earthen forts built by the imperial court in the Hetao in my hands, so that they can use the Hetao as their base to invade the northwest without restraint?"
The Hetao area has a very special geographical location for Daming.
Its shape is similar to an inverted "convex".
The important towns of Yansui, Guyuan, Piantouguan, and Datong in the Ming Dynasty were basically established around the Hetao. If the Hetao area had always been under the control of the Ming Dynasty, or the border gates of the Ming Dynasty could form a proper deterrent to it, the Tatars The Tatars did not dare to station their herds in the Hetao. The Tatars would have to cross the Hetao area every time they wanted to invade, and it would take a long time for the Ming Dynasty to prepare.
In the ninth year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was Wang Yue who took advantage of the former Khan, Dayan Khan's uncle Mandulu and other tribes to jointly invade Ningxia and other places. "Yanchi Victory", this battle laid the foundation, and subsequent great victories gradually forced the Tatars to withdraw their troops from the Hetao. The Ming Dynasty began to build various fortresses in the Hetao area and rotate troops to garrison. From then on until the eleventh year of Hongzhi, the Tatars Tatars did not dare to invade the Hetao on a large scale.
Now that Dayan Khan has stabilized his footing, he somewhat wants to restore the territory of his previous khan and have a tough fight with the Ming Dynasty.
What Ma Wensheng means here is to wait and see what happens.
But Zhu Youtang didn't want to wait.
Dayan Khan wants to restore the glory of his ancestors. Will the emperor of Ming Dynasty lose the foundation he gained during his predecessor's time?
The Hetao area has never been completely under the control of the Ming Dynasty. It is a useless area, but it is also related to the stability of the Ming Dynasty's border. It is also related to my face, okay?
…
…
The scene is a bit tense.
Ma Wensheng came out to make a speech, but was rebuffed by the emperor. There seemed to be information gaps and disagreements between the emperor and his ministers about the situation in the northwest.
Liu Jian came out on behalf of the civil servants and said: "Your Majesty, at this time, the Mongolian right-wing troops were defeated at Pianguan due to Huoshii, which may have aroused the covetousness of the little Tatar prince. The little Tatar prince sent troops to Ordos, and may have taken the opportunity to annex Huoshi's troops. I mean. Now that Marquis Weining is newly mourned, it is not appropriate to start a big war at this time."
Liu Jian is the person who understands the emperor's intentions best.
Zhu Youtang had visited these cabinet ministers more than once before to inquire individually about matters such as hunting for condoms and other proactive actions.
Liu Jian now just wants to put the emperor's heart back. Even if the emperor is ambitious, the ministers sometimes can't persuade him, so he will use the procrastination technique first.
Zhu Youtang was not satisfied with Liu Jian's statement. He said: "Do you all think that the little Tatar prince's move is not aimed at the Ming border?"
The Tatars are all stationed in the Hetao area, but the officials of the Ming Dynasty have no sense of crisis?
"Zhang Zhou! Where's your opinion?"
Zhu Youtang said suddenly, pulling everyone's attention back.
Only then did they realize that the person the emperor was most willing to listen to for opinions on military and political affairs was neither the Ministry of War, the Cabinet, nor the Governor's Office.
It's the "Bing Kuan" that he likes.
Zhang Zhou walked out from behind the crowd, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the Tatars are clearly intending to put pressure on our Ming Dynasty, or the Tatars really intend to complete internal annexation, but if we, the Ming Dynasty, only sit down at this time If you watch the fight between tigers and tigers on the mountain, it will be even more difficult to seize the Loop after the fight between the two tigers comes to an end."
As soon as Zhang Zhou said this, the ministers present were almost in an uproar.
They seemed to have finally determined the emperor's inner thoughts through Zhang Zhou's words.
Take the initiative.
Nip Dayan Khan's ambition in the bud.
Zhang Zhou's attack was not without purpose.
Historically, Dayan Khan moved his tent to Ordos at the turn of the 13th to 14th years of Hongzhi. At that time, Dayan Khan also aimed to annex the Mongolian right wing. However, due to information asymmetry, the result of the discussion between the Ming emperors and ministers was It is very likely that Dayan Khan intended to invade the border areas of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the emperor discussed with Liu Daxia and others to personally conquer the area.
After the emperor was dissuaded from going on an expedition, on Dingmao in the autumn of the 14th year of Hongzhi, Zhu Hui, the protector of the country, and Shi Lin, the admiral and military censor, led a five-pronged division to attack the enemy in Hetao at night, beheading three levels and driving them away. More than a thousand breeding animals have returned, and the rewards are generous."
About the meaning.
Anti-aircraft cannons were used to kill mosquitoes. The Five Route Army took advantage of Dayan Khan's army to attack the Mongolian right wing and launched a surprise attack on the Hetao. In the end, they only killed three Tatars and captured more than a thousand livestock. Then they achieved a great victory and the emperor awarded various rewards...
After all, we are going on an expedition for the emperor, and it doesn't matter whether the outcome is big or small.
Winning...as long as the strategic significance is achieved.
But does the result really achieve strategic significance?
But after that, the Hetao area was still controlled by Dayan Khan, but the horse market transactions were stopped between the two parties.
As for the strategic significance of the expedition in the 14th year of Hongzhi, it is a matter of opinion.
…
…
Historically, Dayan Khan would not move his tent to Ordos until the end of the thirteenth year of Hongzhi.
As a time traveler, Zhang Zhou understood that his appearance had brought about a butterfly effect.
The disastrous defeat in the Battle of Piantou Pass made Dayan Khan think about destroying the Mongolian right wing in advance. Before he could wait until the future, he wanted to take advantage of his illness to kill him. At this time, he moved his tent to Ordos, with the main intention of moving to the grassland. Internal strife.
But as for Zhang Zhou, could he know that this battle would probably not reach the Ming Dynasty, so he just sat back and watched the Tatars so blatantly fall into the trap and start fighting internally based on the Hetao area?
What is the prestige of Ming Dynasty?
There was no need for Zhang Zhou to comment on some of the words. Zhu Youtang was the first one who couldn't bear it.
Forget it without the two great victories in Pianguan and Ningyuan. Now it is clear that our Ming Dynasty has won two great victories. As a result, you Tatars have "turned away from the guests"? Is this considered getting more courageous with every setback? Or do you want to be shameless?
Do you think that the Ming Dynasty will not take the initiative to attack, or do you think you have the ability to fight hard with the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty's border army?
So what Zhu Youtang wants this time is no longer to stick to the towns on the nine sides, but to teach the Tatars a profound lesson. This is not only something that has happened in history, but also because Zhu Youtang has Zhang Zhouwei After supporting him, he became more confident and couldn't bear things in his heart.
beat!
So what if Wang Weining dies?
Wang Weining died, as did Zhu Zhijie, and more importantly, Zhang Bingkuan.
Zhu Youtang seemed very excited when he heard Zhang Zhou's words and asked: "Zhang Qing family, do you think there is a chance of winning this battle if we send troops to Ordos?"
As soon as the minister heard this, he knew that the emperor had made up his mind.
This must be fought.
Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, I don't quite understand the meaning of these words."
The emperor frowned upon hearing this.
The ministers present also looked at him with curiosity.
Aren’t you monarchs and ministers singing a double act here? He actually asked the emperor what he meant?
If I ask you what is your chance of winning, you are very capable. If you just say 100%, the emperor will not contradict you. If you say 80% or 90%, what else can we say?
Zhang Zhou raised the wat board and said: "The Tatars have been disobedient for a long time. They graze on the grassland but do not guard the pastures given by the imperial court. They have repeatedly invaded our Ming Dynasty, killing our soldiers and taking our subjects captive. Now they are stationed in Hetao with great fanfare. , ignoring my Ming soldiers as if they were nothing. What I am thinking is, how can I allow others to snore on the side of the bed? Even if there is not even a 10% chance of winning in the expedition, we should not go on the expedition? We should continue to watch the Tatars continue to disobey me. road?"
As soon as this statement came out, the ministers talked a lot.
The people headed by Xie Qian almost came up with the idea of having a serious discussion with Zhang Zhou.
Xie Qian was also angry.
You brat!
You have learned all my faults about being eloquent and eloquent, and you have made it even worse. What kind of metaphors are you using?
The emperor asked you what your chances of winning were, but you didn't answer directly. In terms of feelings, you want to be my second Xie Yuqiao, right?
If Zhang Zhou's words were spoken by anyone else, even Xie Qian would be disrespectful.
How dare a minister have the courage to openly question the emperor?
But he has a lot of momentum.
After hearing this, Zhu Youtang felt the same and said angrily: "What Zhang Qing's family said is absolutely true. Not to mention that the current and geographical advantages are on the side of the Ming Dynasty. Even if they don't occupy it, should they just sit back and watch the Tatars gain power?" ? No matter whether there are internal disputes in the Tatars, or no matter what the future situation of the grassland is, it is better to take the initiative than to watch the fire from the other side. I fully agree."
"Your Majesty..." Min Gui, the censor of Zuodu, came out at this time, trying to dissuade the emperor from his ambitions.
Zhu Youtang raised his hand to interrupt Min Gui's words, and continued: "I didn't mention it before, except for Anbianhou and Wang Qiong, I have already discussed with the cabinet ministers and others to declare military affairs under the general control of Qin Hong, and the town is temporarily Determined to be at Pianguan. As for the overall trilateral military affairs and whether to send troops in the future, it also depends on the artillery casting situation. I mentioned to you earlier that we need to increase the amount of money to complete the cannon casting. Dear sirs, now Do you have any opinions?"
Only then did the ministers know.
It turns out that the emperor has been waiting here.
No wonder the northwest seemed safe and sound before, but the emperor took the initiative to increase the budget for cannon casting. The emotional emperor had realized that the northwest must take the initiative to fight.
Li Dongyang came out and said: "I believe that now we should focus on sticking to the partial pass."
"Why do you have to hold on?" Zhu Youtang questioned, "If you stick to the border town, the Tatars will always attack. With the current situation in Pianguan, we are in a dilemma. Do we have to lose the garrison in Pianguan and give the Tatars a chance to march in? If we stick to the defense , what to protect?"
Zhu Youtang once again stated the reason why he preferred to take the initiative.
It is true that the Piantou Pass is not easy to defend, and due to survival issues, the tribes on the grassland now, in addition to completing internal annexations, are constantly harassing the Ming Dynasty's border passes.
To put it bluntly, it's all about survival.
Piantou Pass was controlled by Wang Yue's power and nothing happened. Could it be that if Zhu Feng and the others were transferred there, it would definitely work?
Since defending is full of loopholes, it is better to adjust the strategy to take the initiative and move possible battlefields from Piantou Pass to the hinterland of the grassland, at least to the Hetao area first, such as Ordos.
Li Dongyang is so resourceful that it’s hard to say anything at this time.
Should we tell the emperor that we believe that Zhu Feng and Wang Qiong will be able to hold the Piantou Pass?
Or do we believe Qin Hong?
Zhu Youtang continued: "The candidates for the military affairs of the three sides of the General Administration must be discussed in advance in the next few days. As for whether and how to send troops to Hetao, the Ministry of War will draw up the marching regulations. The cabinet will keep one person on duty at night every day. , the Superintendent of Ceremonies will submit emergency reports on military matters at any time, and no matter how late it is, I will read them personally."
"yes."
Dai Yi came forward to accept the request on behalf of several named yamen in Shangshu.
The emperor means that it is already a wartime situation.
You should stop thinking about how to defend. You should first think about who will be in charge of trilateral military affairs, discuss how to send troops to teach the Tatars a lesson, and figure out the costs. Even if I said I would. Regardless of the cost, at least tell me how much we might lose in this battle.
…
…
After the meeting.
When the ministers left Fengtian Hall, the pot had already exploded.
Many imperial censors planned to admonish the emperor...
"... During the Chenghua period, Duonai had no choice but to attack because of repeated attacks by the Tatars. Now the Tatars have made several incursions and returned without success. If we start the war lightly at this time, I am afraid that there will be endless disasters. The three pavilions I should advise your Majesty to give up the idea of sending troops to Hetao..."
The three people in the cabinet naturally became the target of public criticism.
In the past, Xie Qian would also say, if you can do it, you can do it, but if you can't, don't act blindly.
But he won't say that this time.
Because from this standpoint, the civil servants have become a community of destiny. It is difficult to distinguish the pros and cons of sending troops in the Ming Dynasty. Whether to send troops or not has its own advantages. It all depends on the position.
If Xie Qian went to question these censors, it would be equivalent to saying that they were on the opposite side of the censors. Then who would listen to them in the future?
"Where is Zhang Bingkuan?"
Li Dongyang deliberately pointed the finger at Zhang Zhou.
He seemed to be looking for Zhang Zhou, but more like he was reminding the ministers present that if you want to advise the emperor, it would be more appropriate for Zhang Zhou to come.
Xie Qian looked at Li Dongyang with an "It's still you, old Li" arrogant look. He probably thought that this trick of "diverting trouble to the east" was very awesome, and asked the ministers to besiege Zhang Zhou.
But the ministers did not find Zhang Zhou in the crowd.
Zhang Mao came over and said, "After the court meeting, His Majesty summoned Bingkuan to the inner court. Didn't you see?"
Yuan Shouzhi asked: "Does your Majesty want to discuss military affairs with Mr. Zhang alone?"
Zhang Mao said with a smile: "Liangbi, if you can predict the enemy ahead of others, it is not impossible for His Majesty to ask you for advice!"
"You!" Yuan Shouzhi almost wanted to go over and fight Zhang Mao.
But Wu Xun's attitude is also very tough now, and they still want to advance and retreat together. Seeing Yuan Shou facing the red-necked man and preparing to provoke, a group of Wu Xun stood beside Zhang Mao, as if in solidarity.
Yuan Shouzhi was very understanding, he just stared and didn't move forward.
A fight?
He really couldn't pinch him. Even if Old Man Zhang was nearly sixty years old, he was still from the military. Why should Yuan Shouzhi pinch him?
When Li Dongyang saw that Zhang Zhou could not be found, he asked Zhang Mao: "British Lord, has your Majesty consulted the Governor's Office about sending troops?"
If the conflict cannot be transferred to Zhang Zhou, it will be transferred to Wu Xun. After all, we cannot let those people always stare at our ministers.
Zhang Mao smiled. He came here to help Liu Jian and the others. Although he usually laughed and laughed, in terms of political thinking, he was no worse than anyone in the cabinet. This was the experience he had honed over decades.
Zhang Maodao: "Everyone, trap hunting has happened before, and this is not the first time. Why is there such a big reaction? Is it just because Zhang Bingkuan has a greater chance of winning the trap? Or are you afraid that he will take this opportunity? Jumping on your head?"
"Zhang, you... are simply too much of a bully!"
"All silverfish in the Ming Dynasty look like you!"
Because of Zhang Mao's questioning, the scene became chaotic again.
(End of chapter)
