Zhou Shangwen was frightened by the emperor's boldness.
In fact, what was written on the secret book was to remind him of the possible dangers in Datong, to ask him not to go too deep into the grassland, and to send Ye Bushou to control the situation in Datong.
Because it is actually unknown whether Dayan Khan will enter Datong, or even whether he will only attack Datong.
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao hoped that Zhou Shangwen's ministry would only detach one unit to travel outside Datong.
But Zhou Shangwen didn't care about this at all. As long as Datong was in danger, even if it was possible, he must come back to help at all costs.
Datong and Xuanfu are fortresses that control the capital. Once they are lost, the Tatar cavalry can go straight into the hinterland of the Central Plains.
Especially Datong, the terrain is a small basin between mountains, the terrain is gentle, and it can threaten the capital to the east. Both Tatars and Oaras prefer to take this route. Going west, they can threaten Yulin and then merge with the Huoshi tribe. In this way, the Ming army will be defeated in this battle of Huamachi.
So the threat is too great.
And even if he went back in vain, at least the emperor could see his loyalty in escorting him.
When Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fought in Xingyang, the situation in Xingyang was very critical. Han Xin led his troops outside and resorted to the so-called encirclement of Wei to rescue Zhao, preparing to cut off the Chu army's food route from the back.
This was a success militarily but a failure politically.
The same is true for Zhou Shangwen.
At this time, Ma Rong and Yibula were still trying to recruit and surrender the two right-wing households.
Zhou Shangwen doesn't care anymore. Whether he surrenders or not, the capital is definitely more important at this time. As long as the capital is saved, these duplicitous Mongolians can turn around and deal with it together.
Therefore, there are also war horses running wildly on the grassland. This order is urgent and the eight thousand cavalry led by Ma Rong must be allowed to return immediately.
The main force he led had immediately turned around.
He didn't expect this at all.
If it was given to him in a secret form, it means that the ministers in the court would not know about it at all. The emperor wants to use himself as bait to play out this scene.
Ma Yihuai and Yan Xingkui are his two lieutenants, and they don't know why it is so urgent.
So they hurriedly found Zhou Shangwen.
"Commander Zhou, what's going on? The enemy hasn't been found yet, why did they suddenly retreat?"
The emperor's secrets cannot be shown to them.
Zhou Shangwen had no choice but to forcefully order, "This is a military order! Execute it immediately! On the way back to the division, I will explain it to you! Go quickly!"
There was no other way, so the two generals turned back and organized various troops to complete the retreat of the entire army.
Fortunately, the elite cavalry moved quickly and it didn't take too long.
The array of the Ming army also quickly moved from north to south.
That night, the general camp sent an order to discuss military affairs, and they all went over.
There was not much chatter among the soldiers. Zhou Shangwen said directly to the generals: "Before your questions, I will ask you first, what will happen if the Tatars attack Datong?"
Ma Yihuai and Yan Xingkui looked at each other.
Although their expressions were serious, they were not that panicked.
Yan Xingkui said: "Datong is not an empty city. Even if the little prince really attacks Datong, the city will not be destroyed easily."
Ma Yihuai added, "Yes, the two generals Chang and Liu have always been prudent and will never break the city overnight. Furthermore, although the terrain of Datong is gentle, which is conducive to the iron cavalry army, there are Piantou Pass and Ningwuguan outside. , Yanmen Pass can protect Yulin, and there are Juyong Pass, Zijin Pass, and Daoma Pass to isolate the capital. The Tatars are good at field battles but not good at attacking cities. How can they attack the capital so easily?"
Having said that, the commander-in-chief is not here after all.
Zhou Shangwen is a more powerful famous general. He can think of things that ordinary people can't think of. "Surprise and surprise are the key in war. When we led the troops to go out, no one thought that the little prince might invade Datong. Suddenly attacked, everywhere The general must be in a panic. Although the towns of Datong and Xuanfu are dotted with earthen forts and fortresses, it is difficult to resist the Tatar army.
In addition, there is no problem for Chang and Liu to defend the city, but without the cavalry, what can they do if the Tatar army bypasses big cities like Datong and Xuanfu? "
Just like Hua Ma Chi.
In fact, wars in the Central Plains rarely involve bypassing fortresses, so there is a saying that "military strategists must fight for the ground". Why must they fight?
The key here is logistics. The food and fodder in the rear must be stable, so no general dares to go around easily.
But when the nomads on the grassland entered the Great Wall, they often fought like this.
Because they had everything on horseback and relied on robbing for food and drink. With such a large army, even if a certain city was on its way, the defenders in the city would not dare to attack.
Ma Yihuai and Yan Xingkui were speechless. They just didn't expect this possibility.
"Bypassing Datong, the Tatars will go deep into the pass. As soon as the troops of King Qin from all over the country arrive, the Tatars will be defeated. Why is he like this? How can he defeat the capital that he couldn't defeat at first?"
"It was also delayed for too long back then, so Yu Shaobao had more than a month to organize his troops and prepare for war."
"Then we won't march into the capital regardless of the situation."
This is actually a point of confusion. But Zhou Shangwen is now concerned about the capital. "Right now, it is better to return to the capital quickly. Just think, how many days will the Zijin Pass be defended?"
Zhou Shangwen asked about what happened during the Tumubao Incident.
In October of the 14th year of Zhengtong, Wala also led an army of 90,000 to attack Zijingguan.
Four days later, on October 9, the barrier was broken.
Two days later, on October 11th, after marching four hundred miles, the army arrived at the gates of Beijing.
So Zhou Shangwen had to worry. He didn't care whether the little Tatar prince fought hard or not, but he couldn't let the capital be besieged again.
And if he is worried,
The Central Cabinet and the Six Ministries of the DPRK were frightened out of their wits.
Datong was attacked, but the commander-in-chief Zhou Shangwen was not there! Is this okay? !
So Wang Hao and other officials all entered the palace.
On the way out of the palace, Wang Zhi saw many old ministers who were walking fast. In the past, they really thought that these people were old.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
At this time, Zhu Houzhao held a shining sword in his hand.
"I heard that the little prince attacked Datong!!"
Zhu Houzhao looked at these panicked veterans, frowned, and scolded: "Why are you panicking?!"
"I am worried about the capital and your majesty's safety!"
Perhaps while he was talking, the little Tatar prince had already led his troops to bypass Datong. They were either passing through Xuanfu, or they were going through the old route of Zijin Pass first. Anyway, there was indeed some danger in the capital.
"When the enemy comes, just fight him."
Wang Bing, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, said very worriedly: "Zhou Shangwen has led his troops on an expedition and is far outside the Great Wall. It is difficult to convey his orders. How can we let him know about the current situation?"
"Your Majesty." Wang Hao also looked at the emperor worriedly, "For the sake of the country and the country, we should make plans in advance."
Although Gu Zuo was in charge of money, he also said at this time, "Your Majesty, when I think it is critical, the imperial court must not disrupt its position first. When the soldiers come, they will block the water and cover it with earth. There are still several passes from Datong to the capital, and the imperial court can increase troops everywhere. , strengthen the defense force, and delay the march of the little Tatar prince. Furthermore, he ordered the troops of the King Qin from all over the country to gather in the capital, prepare warehouses, and allocate special money and food from the treasury. As long as the court is stable, it will be impossible for the Tatars to win quickly. . And as long as they cannot win quickly, their army will be defeated!"
The previous speculations and collisions will now evolve into actual battles.
Zhu Houzhao felt it was a pity that he should have kept Wang Shouren.
But under the circumstances at that time, no one could have imagined that the little Tatar prince would invade Datong.
So much so that Yang Yiqing, Yang Shangyi, and Wang Shouren were all in Datong.
Zhou Shangwen can still rely on Zhong, but before he comes back, he must still rely on himself.
"Has the new Minister of Industry arrived?"
"Your Majesty, He Jian, pays homage to your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao ordered: "The Ordnance Bureau is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry. As soon as you take office, you should immediately take charge of the affairs of the Ordnance Bureau, including craftsmen, materials, and existing artillery and muskets. All these will be brought out. With the Tatars Firearms are a sharp weapon in a battle between Tatar and Tatar. Fortunately, I started preparing to rebuild the Shenji Camp last year. So all my dear friends, please rest assured that the sky will not fall. Han Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue?"
"I'm here."
"More than a month ago, I ordered the Ministry of Revenue to release money to purchase grain. At that time, it was to prevent Yang Yingning from going unfavorable in the war. Now it seems that the purchase of grain is out of date and too slow. In the past month, how much grain has the Ministry of Revenue bought? Transported it in How much more?"
Han Wen did not dare to evade, "There are water boats going south and north on the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal every day. It is easy to buy grain but difficult to transport it. This month, although I tried my best, I only transported 120,000 shi of grain."
"Water from afar cannot quench the thirst that is near. I wish to open the Jingtongcang to the common people and officials of the capital. Use the method used by Yu Shaobao."
The so-called Jingtongcang refers to the grain storage warehouses established by the imperial court in the capital and Tongzhou since the Hongwu period. The capital also has the so-called five altars, eight temples and thirteen warehouses.
This thirteen warehouse is Jingtong warehouse.
During the time of peace, there was no problem where these granaries could be built. However, during the Zhengtong years, large armies came to the city first, and Jingtong Granary faced the test for the first time.
The warehouses within the walls of the capital were fine, but the warehouses in Tongzhou were very dangerous.
So during the battle to defend the capital, someone suggested to Yu Qian that it would be better to burn it before it could be delivered than to have it snatched away first.
Yu Qian refused. At that time, there were more than 9 million shi of grain in Jingtong warehouse.
Therefore, he ordered a one-time payment of salary in advance. The officials in the capital would be paid nine months at a time, and the soldiers guarding the city would be paid six months. At the same time, the people in the city and along the way were mobilized to help officials and soldiers transport food, and rewards were given:
Anyone who can transport 20 shi of grain from the official warehouse in Tongzhou will be rewarded with one tael of silver.
In essence, these official grain reserves are now all released, and everyone is open to transportation. It's just that some people take food and some people take money. That's the difference.
Good guy, with this decree, the whole city's soldiers and civilians went crazy.
The road from Tongzhou to the capital was suddenly filled with grain transport teams, and they brought their own carriages and horses, so the court did not have to worry too much. It could be said that carriages and horses kept close to each other during the day, and torches were brightly lit at night.
For the first time, Yu Qian showed what the power of the people is.
In just a few days, all the granaries in Tongzhou were moved.
The capital also reserves enough food for the entire city's soldiers and civilians for more than a year. It can be said that every family has food in stock, and people are at ease for a while.
This was an effective method, and Zhu Houzhao was willing to do it. The food did not disappear out of thin air, but was simply distributed to thousands of households in advance.
As long as the food has entered the capital, there is nothing to panic about?
There were also well-educated people in the Qianqing Palace. When they heard the emperor mention Yu Shaobao, they knew what it meant.
Han Wen, the Minister of Household Affairs, immediately took the order, "We will mobilize the people to transport grain!"
No one else had an opinion either.
We have firearms and food.
Next is the third key, increase the number of troops!
(End of chapter)
