Li Dongyang was ordered to inspect Yingtian, and He Jian, the original governor of Yingtian, was probably already on his way to Beijing.
Xie Qian did not stay long.
Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied with this arrangement. It was not easy to change this kind of ideological concept, but there were indeed virtuous ministers who could allow them to land safely, which was a kind of relaxation of the political atmosphere.
And a relaxed political atmosphere can make everyone less nervous.
If you leave a little room for each other, you will actually leave room for many things.
According to the decree, Xie moved to governor Huguang.
In this case, the cabinet is nominally composed of two people at this time, but in fact there is only one person in Beijing, Wang Hao.
The cabinet is also an important minister. It is really inappropriate to come to the military to report at this time.
Yang Tinghe of the Military Aircraft Department has already been ordered to patrol the border, so at this time, there is only one person in the Military Aircraft Department, Wang Bing, Shangshu of the Ministry of War.
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao issued decrees one after another, summoning Liang Chu, the Minister of Personnel, Lin Han, the Minister of Rites, Han Wen, the Minister of Hubu, and Min Gui, the Minister of Punishments, to enter the palace.
Zeng Jian, minister of the Ministry of Industry, was still ill and could not get out of bed.
In addition, there are Zhang Fuhua, the censor of Zuodu, and Wu Jiao, the minister of Dali Temple.
The second decree was given by Zhu Houzhao to Uncle Wei Ning with an extra insight.
What Wang Zhi of Weiningbo Mansion said earlier about the Tatar invasion of Datong still frightened him a little. It is enough to show that this woman is indeed knowledgeable.
So he sent someone out of the palace and handed the news to her.
Of course, major national affairs were mainly discussed between the emperor and his courtiers. However, he had a vague intuition that this woman might be able to give him some inspiration.
Wang Zhi has been nursing the injury on her foot these days.
She was sitting alone in the yard, and someone was fanning her some cool air. The time was leisurely.
It was her second brother who had a hard time gaining the emperor's trust, so he could only often go under the bright sun to secretly investigate the land allocation matters, and his whole body became darker and thinner.
But it does look stronger.
Because it was a palace matter, Wang Xuan didn't dare to be careless. He picked up the things and delivered them to Wang Zhi himself without disturbing others.
After all, it is not convenient for outsiders to come in where the family members are.
Wang Zhi is wearing a light blue dress today. Her temperament is elegant, elegant and quiet. She sits quietly and reads by herself, making her look like a talented woman.
"Sister, look at this. His Majesty ordered someone to hand it over."
"His Majesty?"
There was something strange in Wang Zhi's expression, and her mind suddenly fell on the paper letter.
However, when she opened it, her beautiful eyebrows couldn't help but stand up.
"What's wrong?"
"Second brother, look."
Wang Xuan took it, and he couldn't sit still even more, "Tatar invasion?!"
"It's still a sieve of fire, it's still a flower pond, it's still 40,000 soldiers and horses."
Huamachi is to the right of Ningxia, to the left of Yulin, and directly faces Guyuan. The terrain in this section is open. It is recorded in history that in the middle of Ming Dynasty, Tao barbarians often invaded from this area and became a border threat.
The so-called Taoyi refers to the north of Huamachi, which is actually the Hetao area.
Generally speaking, it is the section of the Yellow River that is shaped like a zigzag.
Wang Zhi is not surprised at Huamachi.
Just the same people, the same soldiers and horses, and the same location.
"Dayan Khan, this is to let Huo Si avenge his humiliation."
Wang Xuan said: "That's fine. Huamachi was mostly invaded by Tatars. Ningxia has Yang Shangyi and Guyuan has Yang Yiqing. They have made sufficient preparations and will definitely not be defeated. But...but My sister told His Majesty that Datong was dangerous before, so I’m afraid she might be in trouble now.”
"I am a woman, and I don't have the dignity of a man. Of course it would be best for the Tatars to invade in the way we expected. What does it matter to me?"
"So His Majesty sent someone here..."
Wang Zhi smiled softly and said, "Okay. I guess I was wrong. Since Your Majesty has written a letter, it would be good if I also wrote a letter admitting my mistake. In fact, it would be bad if I was right."
Of course Wang Xuan knew what he meant, "I think it's the same anyway. The emperor worked hard and innovated, and now the Ming Dynasty will have strong troops and fierce troops, which is no longer what it used to be. As long as the Ming Dynasty is stronger than the Tatars, this war will be easy to fight. That's it. It's easy to fight in Datong."
Wang Zhi shook her head. She didn't want to fight anymore. She wasn't going to join Datong anyway.
"Is it really difficult to fight? There are ways to deal with it, right?"
"Yes, but I can't mention it."
"Didn't you tell His Majesty that you didn't?"
"If you can't mention it, doesn't it mean you don't have it?"
"ah?"
Wang Zhi's convoluted words really confused a simple-minded person like him.
"Is there anything that can and cannot be mentioned? Didn't you say that what His Majesty wants is our sincerity?"
Wang Zhi tilted her head helplessly, a little impatient, "Second brother talks a lot."
…
…
Military reporting is a big deal.
But the fire sifted 40,000 soldiers and horses into the flower horse pool.
The monarch and his ministers were not too panicked, after all, they were well prepared.
Although they obviously came for revenge, Daming still had a grudge against them.
There's just one thing.
This is what Wang Bingzheng, the Minister of War, is saying.
"According to the previous correspondence with Zhou Shangwen, the commander-in-chief of Datong, if the frontier troops are plundered, the Datong soldiers and horses should attack the enemy's rear as soon as possible. If the enemy can be flanked from the front and rear and defeated in one fell swoop, then the success of the complex can be accomplished."
What he meant was that the imperial court was going to issue an order for Zhou Shangwen to send troops.
But after he finished speaking, the emperor looked up at the simple map hanging on the wall without saying anything.
Wang Hao was also surprised. He raised his head and called softly, "Your Majesty?"
"...You guys are asking, is it possible for Dayan Khan to divide his troops and enter Datong again?"
Several veterans were slightly shocked when they heard this, but quickly denied this possibility.
"Tatar marches rarely divide their troops. Now that the Ming Dynasty has cavalry, it is the best choice to unite the troops in one place and camp for hundreds of miles. Divide the troops into two places and then enter Datong. What can be done in Datong? As long as Zhou Shangwen returns to support, he will be like a sheep in the tiger's mouth. Besides, this is not how the Tatars fight."
Zhu Houzhao asked: "What is that like?"
"In the Grass Valley, you pass by one place and plunder one. If one place doesn't work, then plunder another place. If you enter Datong, it is very likely that our army will be shut down by the returning reinforcements. In this way, isn't it a fight to the death?"
Zhu Houzhao crossed his arms and touched his nose with his right hand.
Damn it, the Minister of War is not unreasonable, and the ancients cannot underestimate it.
In the past, the Tatars always wanted to plunder property, but this time they wanted to enter Datong and fight against the main force of the Ming army? Are you overthinking it?
If it is just looting of property, then Datong is not special, the looting is the same everywhere.
Think about it this way,
Zhou Shangwen should indeed be ordered to send out troops.
The previous preparations for food, grass, military supplies, etc. were all made in advance, and all that was needed was an imperial edict.
But what if?
What if Zhou Shangwen leads his troops out, Datong is empty, and the Tatars attack Datong again, just like what Wang Zhi said?
Zhu Houzhao finally felt that a real major decision involves too many things, one thought of heaven and the other thought of hell. This is not a game, and there is no so-called halo of the protagonist. In the feudal era, the information available was even more limited.
The current situation is,
If he ordered Datong to stand still, then at most Huamachi would be second, and Ming and Tatar would still be in a stalemate with each other.
In the last battle of Huamachi, at least Yang Shangyi had 20,000 cavalry to help him. Not even that this time. Whether it can achieve the same results as last time is hard to say. Because if Zhou Shangwen is asked to support, Datong is still empty, and the risk is the same as letting him break into the grassland.
If the fight is not ideal, it means that he, the emperor, has been in power for two or three years and has not embarked on the so-called road to resurgence. Considering the various previous reforms, he himself still has political pressure. If it is not a greater military victory, it will be a political failure for him.
If Datong had not been invaded by enemies during the entire war, the pressure would have been even greater. After all, so much money was spent on raising so many soldiers and horses, but in the end they were not used. What's the meaning?
But if he really wanted to send Zhou Shangwen out, he would have to take risks. Once the Tatars pass through Datong and go straight to the capital, the capital will be shaken. When internal troubles arise again, the consequences will be disastrous.
So, is this choice really easy?
Maybe it's easy to be a bystander, but he really bears the consequences, and the feeling is completely different.
Should I be bolder or smaller, that is the question.
(End of chapter)
