Zhu Youtang made the decision about Qin Hong's dispatch of troops while talking and laughing like this.
Zhang Zhou is also thinking, you don't trust him, you are simply using him, trying to squeeze out the remaining value of Qin Hong before he returns to his hometown.
Before, Zhu Hui led his troops into the Hetao, but almost nothing was gained. But now the Tatars have fully reduced their movement to the north. This will require more troops to be patrolled, and it is unlikely that any results will be achieved. This will lead to a result, and in the end they will be cheated. Still Qin Hong.
It is very likely that Qin Hong will "lose his security at the end of the festival."
Li Rong quickly went to the cabinet to check the room and informed the three cabinet members of the news.
"Your Majesty's intention is to demonstrate the military power of the Ming Dynasty. The scale of this battle will not be too large. The mobilization of troops and horses will be limited to the actual capabilities of the troops and horses in each place. Troops will not be mobilized across towns, and the force of the troops will not be limited to Hetao and other places, including Liaodong, sent troops on all fronts."
Li Rong never mentioned that this was the result of Zhu Youtang's discussion with Zhang Zhou.
But even if they didn't say it, the three cabinet members had long believed that this was Zhang Zhou's instigation of the emperor's militarism.
Traditional civil servants in the DPRK will think, if there is no war, why should the emperor continue to trust you? So it was you, Zhang Bingkuan, who was behind the scenes and instigated our emperor, who was kind, filial and never quarreling with others, into a martial sect who was obsessed with expansion.
After Xie Qian heard this, he smiled and asked, "Isn't that like threshing the grass in the valley?"
Li Rong was startled and said: "It can be understood in this way. The three pavilion elders should also know that the most fertile pastures on this grassland are in the south, while Mobei and other places are covered with ice and snow in winter, making it difficult for herdsmen and livestock to survive. Your Majesty I just want to drive the Tatars to Mobei."
Li Dongyang said: "I'm afraid it won't be easy."
Li Rong said with a smile: "It's not easy for a while, but where there is a will, things can happen. Now the Ming Dynasty and the foreign barbarians have fully taken advantage of the battle. If we don't take advantage of this to drive the Tatars north, it won't be considered a crime." Missed the opportunity?"
Liu Jiandao: "The matter of sending troops is related to the interests of the soldiers and civilians in the border towns. Should this matter be discussed in the court? Should the Ministry of War also issue a detailed plan for the court to consult?"
"Three pavilion elders, if even the patrols and other matters of each border town are brought to the court for discussion, does it mean that the troops of each town are restricted? In fact, what your majesty means is that each town sends troops according to its actual ability. , We do not expect that there will be any great victory or other results in this battle, but we only want to show the majesty of the sergeants. If there is a border town that is really unable to send troops, Your Majesty will not force it."
"Although His Majesty has Qin Laobu Tang as the commander-in-chief, he will not leave Yansui. The troops in each town are still subject to the dispatch of the general commander, governor and general military officer of each town. If the three pavilion elders feel that this battle is possible If it will waste people and money, then I think the towns will not do things beyond their capabilities just for the sake of comparison, right?"
Li Rong's words seemed to support Zhu Youtang's strategy, indicating that this matter was extremely reasonable.
But the three cabinet members immediately noticed some signs.
Each town sends its own troops. As for whether to obey the imperial edict or not, it depends on each town's own choice. Probably at the general level, Qin Hong and Wang Shouren, they must obey the imperial edict, but the governors and generals below are Soldiers and so on have great flexibility in executing military orders.
Don’t your traditional civil servants always boast of having a wide network of contacts?
Then let your people send no troops or send fewer troops, so as to minimize the impact on the livelihood of the soldiers and civilians in the border towns, and give you the opportunity. Not to mention that the emperor will completely ignore your ideas and have the ability to operate on his own.
After Li Rong conveyed the emperor's thoughts, he left.
Later, Li Dongyang also made a certain analysis of the meaning of Li Rong's words, especially the issues related to implementation in each town.
Li Dongyang finally analyzed: "Ningxia has just experienced a fierce battle, the soldiers are exhausted, and the new governor has not yet arrived, so it will naturally not send troops. Gansu, Guyuan and other places have difficulty in dispatching troops. As for Jizhou and Liaodong, they are close to the capital and outside. Liangha and other tribes are weak, so there is no need to send troops for the time being."
Xie Qian smiled and said: "So, the focus of sending troops is on the three towns of Yansui and Xuanda?"
"Yeah." Li Dongyang nodded.
Xie Qian said: "Recently, Wang Bo'an has been begging the court for money and food. In his memorial, he complained many times about the treatment of local soldiers and other issues. If he can be persuaded not to send troops or to send fewer troops, then this battle will be a fate. But it’s hard to follow.”
Li Dongyang said: "The troops dispatched from the front line of Xuanda would have been concentrated in Datong, which is close to the Weining Sea. But now there are no signs of Tatar herdsmen activities in Weining Sea and other places. As long as Wang Boan patrols the Weining Sea normally, Your Majesty will not Will be picky."
"That's a good relationship, but in the end it's just a fuss! Haha."
Xie Qian listened to Li Dongyang's analysis. Regardless of whether it was the emperor's decision or Zhang Zhou's idea, the dispatch of troops from various towns was a "farce."
Some places really do not have the ability to send troops, and the places that have the ability to send troops have no police outside. Now every town is competing for money and food for their own interests. The money and food allocated by the court to the northwest is always limited, and it can guarantee the soldiers of Datong. If you have enough food, clothing, and money to spend, you will have to live in poverty elsewhere.
At a time like this, who would fight tooth and nail for a war that would have no military merit in the first place?
I have destroyed my family fortune, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to survive this winter.
As before, it is better to stay in the pass and watch the Tatars making trouble outside. This is the most cost-effective combat strategy.
Liu Jian didn't seem as optimistic as Li Dongyang. He said: "The most important thing now is to see Qin Shiying's attitude towards this matter. If he is determined to send troops, the momentum will not be weak just by sending troops from the towns on the three sides."
Li Dongyang said: "Qin Shiying considers himself poor and honest. At his age, he attaches great importance to integrity and other matters. Now that he has submitted his resignation many times, at this time, he will be willing to risk his reputation and ruin his reputation. ?"
"It makes sense." Xie Qian agreed.
Liu Jian did not comment on Li Dongyang's views.
Li Dongyang said: "Is Mr. Liu worried about anything?"
Liu Jian sighed: "What I'm most afraid of is that the soldiers all over the northwest are now impetuous. They think they have won a few victories, so they don't pay attention to the Tatar cavalry. They will use this trend to boost their momentum. Maybe someone will use this opportunity to fight because of Zhang Bingkuan's power." Being attentive and showing off one's abilities has led to competition among all fronts in sending troops."
"this……"
Li Dongyang thought for a while, and then said seriously, "Then it's up to me and others, as well as the influence of Ma Futu and others in the border town, to state their interests to them. Now the Ministry of War does not have the authority to allocate money and food. They have to send troops. But we have to consider the consequences of this, whether it is more important to achieve temporary military success, or whether it is more important to be able to take root in the border town for a long time."
Disobedient and want to send troops to please the emperor and Zhang Zhou?
Then I will dig a hole for you and torture you to death!
Wherever troops are sent from border towns, the Ministry of Revenue will impose restrictions on the allocation of money and food. Then they will be left without enough food and clothing, and the old, young, women and children in your family will be allowed to drink the northwest wind together!
Of course, it cannot be said that our civil servants are deliberately making things difficult for you. Originally, it was difficult for the northwest to regulate money and grain in a bowl of water. Arrears of pay occurred almost every year. Whether or not to pay or how much to pay all depends on whether the court has "surplus grain." ”.
Now it's just a matter of tilting the bowl of water towards the obedient side. If troops are sent in and out of nowhere, you deserve to be without food.
"That's it." Liu Jian also nodded in agreement with Li Dongyang's opinion.
The emperor's formal edict has not yet been issued, but for a while everyone in the official circles of the capital seemed to know that there was going to be another war in the border town.
It's just that the situation this time is very different from before. It's a matter of individual exertion. The emperor and the Ministry of War do not impose restrictions. They say they are doing their best, but in fact the upper and lower limits are very high. This makes it look a bit childish, compared to Zhu Hui. The dispatch of troops to the Hetao seems even more disorganized.
With Zhang Zhou being ordered to rectify border affairs, some people in the court thought that Zhang Zhou would take this opportunity to punish those who were unreliable in their work or who were not active in sending troops.
The old ministers in the capital are also actively seeking to participate in this war for the emperor's face. Northwest Xuanda and the three sides may be in danger, but there is no problem in going to Jizhou and Liaodong, right? If you send troops to this place, you will probably not see any trace of the foreign barbarians for hundreds of miles after you go out. You can also brag about it and make people think that you are a wizard who leads the army or something.
The governor's office is fighting for it, while the imperial court, headed by traditional civil servants, is planning a "non-violent non-cooperation" plan to make the border towns respond passively to this dispatch of troops as much as possible.
After Zhu Youtang recuperated for more than ten days, he finally returned to the court.
From beginning to end, Zhu Houzhao was given the opportunity to listen to politics in the Wenhua Hall only three times in total. Except for the first time when Zhang Zhou was there to give guidance, the remaining two times were just Zhu Houzhao and the ministers facing each other alone.
Except for Zhang Zhou to support the scene, the others really couldn't help him.
After Zhu Youtang resumed his duties, Zhu Houzhao also had a holiday. It was also at the end of May that he came to Zhang Zhou's laboratory. It was Jin Yiwei who found out in advance that Zhang Zhou was conducting research here, so he came to join in the fun. .
"Sir, there is no need to ask. For my part, my father thinks that I have been doing quite well recently and allowed me to leave the palace, saying that I can go back before dark."
The purpose of Zhu Houzhao's leaving the palace before was to go to the private market to experience the fireworks in the world.
But since he met Zhang Zhou, he always went to Zhang Zhou's place when he left the palace, because every time he came to Zhang Zhou's place, he could encounter some new and interesting things. For Zhu Houzhao, it was no different from the New World.
On the contrary, the atmosphere of the market has become sparse and ordinary to Zhu Houzhao... What's the point of getting together with those people in civilian clothes?
Or a bit of fantasy and science fiction can better explore the potential motivation in people's hearts.
Zhang Zhou immediately called Zhu Houzhao out of his laboratory.
"Why don't you let me in? What's in those jars? Is this bottle water? What's that bottle? Why is it still yellow? It couldn't be you from the toilet... Hehe." Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang with narrow eyes. week.
Zhang Zhou said: "These things are collectively called chemicals. If you don't want to have multiple scars on your body, or lose arms or legs, it's best to stay away."
"Who are you trying to scare?"
Zhu Houzhao looked like "I have seen the world, don't try to deal with me like a blind kid." He turned his head to one side.
Zhang Zhou casually picked up a glass vessel, poured the solution inside into a larger glass basin, and then threw a piece of metal into it. Then, as Zhu Houzhao's eyes widened, the outer layer of the piece of metal was dissolved, and It is still being gradually eroded.
"What, are your hands and feet stronger than this thing?" Zhang Zhou asked.
"Hey, that's great, sir. Let's go outside and talk. It's too stuffy in here."
This time there was no need for Zhang Zhou to greet him, Zhu Houzhao just knew how to get out of the door.
After he came out, he still looked scared and murmured: "Fortunately, I didn't reach out and touch it just now. This place is simply the Palace of the King of Hell. No wonder Father himself didn't come."
In the guest house.
Zhu Houzhao complained to Zhang Zhou about the things he encountered during the last two court meetings. Generally speaking, the ministers bullied him because he had no decision-making power, and always used some clichés to deal with him, which made him feel that his little heart was hit hard by 10,000 points. , I even want to leave my pick and travel around.
"Traveling around the world is like reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles. What do you think?" Zhu Houzhao asked in a mocking tone.
Zhang Zhou said: "Very good, as long as your father agrees."
"Your Majesty? Hey, you mean my father? He must not agree. Next time you go out, just take me with you."
Zhu Houzhao is also "reasonable". At least he knows that he still has a certain status in his father's heart, and his father will not let him act casually.
"By the way, sir, I also heard that the border towns are sending out troops to search the grassland recently. The search is more direct than the previous search. There may be another war with the ***. How about you go and lead the troops and take me with you? One, I will serve as your assistant." Zhu Houzhao said eagerly.
Gao Feng and other eunuchs who were following him listened and almost wanted to go up and pull the young prince away.
It was said that the prince's purpose of meeting Cai Guogong was not simple. It turned out that he was thinking about running away from home again. Zhu Houzhao's previous trip to Nanjing almost cost the lives of his group of eunuchs.
It’s scary to think about it.
Zhang Zhou said: "Don't go, it's too dangerous."
Zhu Houzhao almost wanted to curse, wrinkled his nose and said: "As the Minister of the Ministry of War, you are so awesome, but you are still afraid of death? Who are you lying to? If you don't want to take me, just say it clearly, don't fool me with such words."
Zhang Zhou had time to calm down and said: "Who in the world is not afraid of death? If the Tatars come close, the troops, horses and baggage are well prepared, and even if the soldiers under my command have cannons and muskets, they will not be able to withstand the Tatars' repeated attacks." If the Neruya flies over, your life will be gone."
"No." Zhu Houzhao said, "Don't our artillery and muskets have a farther range than theirs?"
"But there will always be enemies that rush within our range. Do you know which direction the arrows are coming from then?" Zhang Zhou continued to explain his reasons for not wanting to go to the battlefield.
Zhu Houzhao said: "I asked the shield soldiers to set up formations around me. They are just bows and arrows. Who is afraid of whom?"
Gao Feng reminded: "Your Highness, the army can also use artillery and firecrackers, the same ones we used to have. Many of them were snatched back from the Ming Dynasty. If you only use a shield, I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop them."
"What?" Zhu Houzhao frowned.
In this naughty child's impression, the Ming Dynasty used hot weapons, while the Tatars all used cold weapons, which suddenly subverted his perception.
Zhang Zhou said: "If the prince goes into battle, and dozens or hundreds of people are needed to protect your safety, then are you going to assist in the battle, or are you going to be a burden?"
"Damn, who are you looking down on? I can charge directly on horseback, I'm not afraid of death!"
When Zhu Houzhao said this, he looked completely righteous and awe-inspiring, which actually made the eunuchs on the side stamp their feet in fright.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "If the value of the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty is to charge on the battlefield, then the Ming Dynasty is not far away from trouble. The prince should first learn how to control hundreds of officials and how to control the people who lead the army, and then think about how to fight. Bar."
Zhu Houzhao felt a little unhappy when he heard this.
If someone said that to him, he would definitely glare and get angry, but if it was Zhang Zhou who said it, even if he was angry, he would be a little helpless.
How could he let this guy be his husband and a person trusted by his father, yet he had to rely on this guy for fun, and even if he had the opportunity to "conquer personally" in the future, he would need Zhang Zhou to protect him?
Without Zhang Zhou's help, fighting would be half the result with half the effort.
"Prince, you don't have the experience of leading troops yet. There are actual combat formation drill classes in Yanwu Hall. Prince, you can go to a few classes to simulate the battlefield as a drill. Prince, you can also lead a group of troops and give it a try." Zhang Zhou said.
Zhu Houzhao looked sideways at Zhang Zhou, as if he was still sulking, and said, "It's all just a small fight, it's boring."
Zhang Zhou said: "The military exercises at Yanwu Hall are not as simple as the prince thinks. Sometimes they even use live ammunition. You should have seen it, prince. During the exercises, soldiers are often injured. Prince, you don't want to go." Never mind."
"Cai Guogong, can we... say something else?" Gao Feng really couldn't bear it anymore. He originally thought that the prince going to the battlefield was quite far away.
But according to Zhang Zhou, he does not support the prince going to the battlefield, but he seems to think that it is not troublesome enough and actually wants to take the prince to the actual combat training ground. He also said that there is any risk of injury and death, so maybe it is better to go to the battlefield directly. At least the prince would still be under heavy protection on the battlefield.
Zhu Houzhao shouted angrily: "Who told you to speak? Stand aside! Mr. Zhang, are you saying that this military exercise is for real, right?"
Zhang Zhou said: "If everything is in vain, what's the point of conducting military exercises? Actual situations will also be simulated during military exercises, such as offensive and defensive drills on various terrains, situations where soldiers, horses, and food are insufficient, or even being trapped in a tight siege on the grassland. , there were even cases where foreign barbarians seized my Daming firearms and attacked them..."
"Stop talking about it, I'll do the military drill anytime! Just today, I happen to have itchy hands."
Zhu Houzhao originally thought that he was thousands of miles away from going to the battlefield, and it only existed in his dreams.
After listening to Zhang Zhou's description, he even felt that this kind of military exercise might be more fun than the actual battlefield.
After all, as far as he knew, it was very common to go to the battlefield and send troops for dozens of days without seeing an enemy.
When it comes to fighting, it doesn't mean that everyone will rush to the front, and he is obviously the one who has to sit in the center and has no chance to show off.
But this kind of military exercise seemed to satisfy his inner need to have fun and be a hero.
"The latest military exercise may have to wait until June, and the layout of the new venue is still being prepared. I am still not satisfied with the effect of the previous military exercise. If the prince is interested, you can also ask your Majesty for permission. I cannot do it casually. I promise you. You should understand this."
