A military report completely changed the atmosphere and rhythm in the palace.
In fact, Zhu Houzhao really wanted to go on a personal expedition, and he had this impulse. The dissemination of information at this time was too slow, and he didn't even know that the memorial he got now was from a few days ago.
Making a blind decision is no different from gambling. Any person in future generations can be killed by this state.
But personal expedition...
On the one hand, although Huaiyan and Huaixiao of Yongshou Palace are already in labor, they haven't given birth yet, and they don't know whether they are boys or girls. There was no movement in the stomachs of the other three concubines.
On the other hand, he has internal worries in his heart.
So leaving Beijing willfully at this time is really not a good choice.
War is about the lives of countless people and the future of the country.
But no matter how bad the choice is, it is better than no choice at all.
After careful consideration, Zhu Houzhao finally began to speak, "Let's draft the decree."
Wang Hao volunteered, "I will write."
"First of all, let Yang Jiefu return to the capital. No matter where he goes on patrol, let him come back. If the emperor's life will be affected, he, an imperial envoy who cannot fight, will have a negative impact."
Yang Tinghe set off two months ago, but actually came back some time later. But I didn't expect that the Tatars would not be able to help but raise troops to attack in the summer.
"Secondly, I and you dear friends must make firm decisions on matters that we can make decisions on, and on matters that we cannot make decisions on, we must truly trust the ministers who guard the border.
The order given to Zhou Shang's Wenbu was drafted, instructing him to strive to conquer the 20,000 households in Mongolia on the right, break into the grasslands, and attack the enemy's lair. If they could not be conquered, there was no need to force them, as long as they did not attack the Ming Dynasty. As for how to fight, the court should not decide for Zhou Shangwen, but let him act easily. But one thing needs to be made clear: as a commander-in-chief, your first priority is to ensure that you can win the war, and you must consider issues from a military perspective rather than a political perspective at all times. Winning is his greatest political achievement!
Then I sent my order to Yang Yiqing. I gave him the troops and horses from Yulin, Ningxia, and Gansu. I asked him to be flexible and not to focus on the gains and losses of a city or a place, but to kill and injure Tatar soldiers and horses as the highest combat principle. If necessary, At this time, we should implement a firm strategy of strengthening the wall and clearing the country. If possible, try our best to evacuate the people and reduce casualties. The Minister of the Ministry of Finance also came. "
Han Wen stepped forward and said, "I'm here."
"Where is Gu Liqing?" Zhu Houzhao asked again.
not here.
"Declarate him into the palace!"
Liu Jin did not dare to delay and hurriedly gave orders.
Zhu Houzhao continued, "The Tatars have invaded Huamachi. This time is unusual. The Ministry of Household Affairs held an imperial edict and mobilized canal boats from the people. The internal funds and the national treasury each allocated 500,000 taels of silver. From Jiangxi, Nanzhili, Zhejiang Purchase grain and transport it from the north to Beijing. I am talking about purchasing grain, not grabbing grain."
He transported these grains to the capital to store them.
Since he knows that his so-called military ability is lower than those of those whose names are recorded in history, he will fight for wealth and fill the capital with food first. Once Yang Yiqing is defeated and Zhou Shangwen is far away, he will most likely have to stick to the capital.
These grains are the guarantee.
"I obey the decree!"
Zhu Houzhao thought about the current season: the awns have passed, and it is time to harvest wheat in the north.
What a bad luck.
"This year, all the prefectures in Northern Zhili are dividing their fields. The imperial court has made great efforts to help the people with spring plowing. The cabinet immediately organized local governments to speed up the harvest of various food crops. Have you ever thought about it, if there is a military disaster, the food will still be there? In the fields, even if you don’t get beaten to death, you will starve to death.”
"Furthermore, I will order the Beijing camp and all the direct guards to enter a state of war preparation from now on." Zhu Houzhao turned around and said to his ministers with a firm expression: "I have a hunch that this time the Tatars will not easily Give up, because they know that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty has changed, and the Ming Dynasty will implement a firm blockade strategy. I will never surrender. The emperor will guard the country, and the king will die. How long will Dayan Khan fight this battle? Just fight him for as long as you want!"
Wang Hao and other ministers were shocked after hearing this, "If that day comes, I will be willing to die with your majesty!"
Strange thoughts flashed through Zhu Houzhao's mind. Why did he die instead of moving south?
…
…
As Zhu Houzhao said.
When the capital received the news.
In fact, Tatars have already appeared on the battlefield.
Huamachi City was first built in the early years of Zhengtong. Later, after the Tianshun, Chenghua, and Hongzhi dynasties, the city was in ruins and sparsely populated.
But since the spring of the eighteenth year of Hongzhi, after the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars, Yang Yiqing felt that the terrain here was open. Ningxia in the west and Yulin in the east were hundreds of miles apart, but they were really not close to each other.
Just two miles east of the old site, a new Huamachi City was built. The east-west wall of the new city is 1,100 meters long, the north-south wall is 1,050 meters long, the bottom is 10 meters thick, the top is 6.5 meters thick, and the height is 10 meters.
And ordered the Ningxia defenders to be stationed here.
The specific location is in the middle of the "ji" shape of the Yellow River. Ningxia is on the left of the "ji" shape and Yulin is on the right of the "ji" shape.
If you go north from Huamachi, you can reach the Hetao.
At this time, this area falls under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi.
It's a hot summer day, and the high-hanging sun seems to be angry and keeps spreading fire poison into the ground.
The yellow walls of Huamachi City look like camouflaged animals on this yellow land, but the outposts, cold arrows and sparse firearms on the walls still make it difficult to ignore.
After Wang Yangming inspected Shaanxi, the first thing he did was to inspect the border defense. The Shaanxi Xingdu Division did not care about him for the time being. He walked around the various guard posts in Zhuanglang, Lanzhou, Jinglu, Ningxia and other places under the jurisdiction of the Shaanxi Dusi. When he was guarding Jinglu, he heard the news that the Tatars were invading the border, so he headed north and west, heading straight for the Guyuan Governor's Palace.
As the governor of the three sides, Yang Yiqing has great power. If the enemy is found here, he has ordered the Yulin Guard and Ningxia Guard to shrink inward. This is the troops he has trained here, and they are still capable of fighting. The other small forts , thousands of households, each built a wall to defend it.
As for military supplies and food, Yang Yiqing is not particularly worried. The imperial court has not been short of military supplies in the past two years. Last year, it allocated one million in silver, and this year it will be another one million.
This battle can be fought.
In the past, the reason why the Tatars were as happy as swimming in the pass was because although many types of garrison and castles were repaired, their long-term erosion led to a sharp decline in the combat effectiveness of the army.
Not to mention the soldiers, even the generals were unwilling to go to war.
If you can't win the battle, you have to go out and fight. You will either lose your life or lose the battle. If you lose the battle, you will still be beheaded by the court, so the ending is the same.
It would be better to hide in there and not come out.
Anyway, the Tatars are here to rob, not to capture the city and establish themselves as kings. They only need to defend their own city, and the people outside will rob, and they will leave after the robbery. So what if there are corpses everywhere? What is important is that your official position is not affected.
There are even more crazy people who have no ability to fight but are greedy for promotion. Then they kill their own people and pretend to be the heads of their enemies, and then report rewards to the court.
It's not like Yang Yiqing has never seen these things before, so his order this time is very clear.
When Wang Shouren arrived at the Governor's Mansion, Yang Yiqing was giving a lecture.
"...Today we will pass on the order from the Governor-General's Mansion. This battle is related to the imperial court's restoration of national policies, the hope of reviving the Ming Dynasty, and the governor's head. Therefore, from the governor and the commander-in-chief, to the lowest Any general or soldier who disobeys military orders or is afraid of the enemy will be beheaded! I have the king's flag with me, so I can behead first and then play!"
Yang Yiqing also noticed Wang Shouren as he spoke. He knew this character.
An unknown person was suddenly promoted to the position of governor of Shaanxi. It is said that the emperor admired his talents very much.
"My subordinates pay homage to Yang Butang."
In this meeting hall, the main generals are actually not present. Yang Shangyi, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, is the general Yang Yiqing relies on most. At this juncture, troops should have been stationed in Ningxia and are approaching Lingzhou and Huamachi.
The same is true for Gui Haiyuan, the commander-in-chief of Yulin.
In the Governor's Mansion were the civil servants from the Governor's Office, as well as the commanders stationed at the Guyuan Guards Station. Of course, there were also the Shaanxi Chief Envoy, the Inspector-General and other officials who had arrived before Wang Shouren.
When Wang Shouren saw that everyone had gathered and he was the last to arrive, he said, "My subordinates went to Jinglu Guards and were delayed a lot on the way. Please ask the Ministry to punish you."
"It's okay, I'll give you a seat."
The news here was more timely. Yang Yiqing waved, and a servant behind him also presented the general report to Wang Shouren.
"It's better than three years ago. At least the Ningxia defenders in Huamachi City are firmly nailed there. The two sides have come into contact and suffered casualties on each other. The 40,000 soldiers of the Fire Screen Division did not attack the big city. They have already crossed Huamachi. , heading towards Lingzhouwei."
Wang Shouren had a map in his mind, and he knew the key point as soon as he heard it. "In this way, the Ningxia soldiers and horses will encounter him. General Yang only has more than 10,000 cavalry, which is obviously less than him."
"How do you think we should fight?"
Yang Shangyi was the one who chased the Fire Screen Tribe three years ago. At this time, in this location, he was an old rival again, and the Fire Screen was here for revenge.
"Previously, my subordinates have discussed with the commanders of the various guards. I believe that General Yang's army is weak and the time for a decisive battle with the Huoshan Department has not yet come. Moreover, Huoshan is eager for revenge, so he must be eager to fight. The more anxious he is, the more anxious we will be. The less urgent it is.”
"Why don't you hurry?"
"Send more troops and horses, resolutely engage in small-scale battles with him in turns, and at the same time concentrate his troops so that he can't destroy me. Use all your strength to tire out the enemy and wear him out. As for General Yang, let him stand still. If he doesn't move, the battle will be sieved by fire. If he doesn't dare to use his full strength, he won't dare to use his full speed when chasing. As time goes by, he will become impatient!"
Wang Shouren's method was a bit like sugar candies, sticky and sticky, not like a neat warrior on the battlefield.
And just saying it makes some sense, but it is not without risks. The Ming Dynasty has insufficient cavalry and only uses infantry to entangle the enemy. If they are completely wiped out, morale will be greatly reduced. How will the battle be fought then?
"If this battle lasts for half a year, we will be dragged down."
Wang Shouren insisted, "If it really takes half a year, these 40,000 troops will never be able to get out of the Great Wall. If the Tatars are hit so hard, won't it be enough to suppress them?!"
"The key is who should be the first person." Yang Yiqing flashed his light and said the most crucial words.
Only if the first battle is fought well will there be more to come.
(End of chapter)
