The Eastern Expedition to Fusang seems dangerous, but in fact it is really dangerous.
But that is relative. As long as there is war, there will be death.
The entire officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was a human society, and the army was no exception.
Zhang Zhiji followed the army to Fusang. As the commander-in-chief, Hong Chengchou really dared to bring Zhang Zhiji to the front line to fight hand-to-hand with Fusang?
As long as Hong Chengchou still wanted to stay in the Ming Dynasty officialdom, he would never dare to kill Zhang Zhiji.
As the first military general of the Ming Dynasty, the most noble of the Ming Dynasty, the British Duke who had been a feudal lord for more than two hundred years was so angry that the emperor had to think about it.
Will the generals in the Beijing camp watch their heir apparent in dire straits?
No matter if you go deep into a desperate situation, the thunder in your palm opens the way, and you can quickly and directly push through any desperate situation.
Therefore, Zhang Zhiji went to Fusang to serve the country, but in fact it was to gain experience, and to add some military merit and qualifications to prepare for taking over the British Dukedom, so as not to have trouble convincing the public in the future.
It is estimated that as long as he announces the eastward expedition to Fusang in the court, the other three princes' heirs will probably want to go.
What's more important is the British Duke's words: "If you don't know how to march and fight, and you haven't been on the battlefield to fight with the enemy, you're not a good general."
This sentence seemed to be a lesson to his son, but in fact it was a test of the emperor. Perhaps he saw that the emperor was going to reform the military generals.
In fact, this is also the case. In response to the incompetence and indiscriminate use of weapons by the military generals in the Ming Dynasty and border towns in recent decades, he and Yuan Keli discussed finding the right time to strike hard.
Since Zhang Weixian proposed it and happened to catch it, let him be the knife!
That's why he asked, have you thought about it?
"Yuan Aiqing, go and do your work!"
"I obey the decree!"
Yuan Keli bowed and slowly exited the lobby.
After Chongzhen drank a cup of tea, he took up his pen and wrote down a series of names, starting with Yuan Keli, Sun Chengzong, Zheng Zhilong... and then fell into deep thought.
"Go to hell, take some rest first, and think about it later when you get back to Beijing!"
An hour later, Chongzhen threw the pen aside, lay back, and rubbed the swollen corners of his eyes, his eyes filled with helplessness.
The war is over, and the reward is the biggest headache.
While waiting, the Fang family came over with a few stacks of snacks, poured tea and whispered: "Your Majesty, you have been sitting here for almost two hours, why don't you go out for a walk and appreciate the mountains and the sea? Qiguan?"
"Hey...your words really reminded me!"
Chongzhen's hand holding the pastry suddenly froze, and he immediately realized that this was the first level in the world.
There are countless landscapes in China in later generations, but the Great Wall connecting Shanhaiguan is still recognized as the first scenic spot in the country.
Even the Forbidden City ranks behind Shanhaiguan, which shows how majestic and spectacular it is.
If you don’t take a stroll in Shanhaiguan now, it will be difficult to come back in the future.
"Go to the British father-in-law and ask him to find two people who are familiar with Shanhaiguan to be my guides. Let's also take a half-day tour of Shanhaiguan!"
After resting for a while and eating some snacks, Chongzhen got up and walked out of the lobby, taking Cao Bianjiao, the Fang family and others for a walk in Shanhaiguan.
In the square in front of the east gate of Shanhaiguan, Chongzhen stood with his hands behind his back, and behind him were British Dukes Zhang Weixian, Yuan Keli and others who came after hearing the news.
Looking at the majestic city gate tower, Chongzhen's scalp felt numb.
In front of Shanhaiguan, you can also feel the insignificance of people.
"Your Majesty, Shanhaiguan is the only place where the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty intersects with the sea. To the north is the western section of the Liaoxi Corridor. The terrain is dangerous. Guancheng relies on Yanshan Mountain to the north and connects to the Bohai Sea to the south, so it is named Shanhaiguan.
There are four city gates in Shanhaiguan City. The east gate is the Zhendong Gate, the west gate is the Yingen Gate, the south gate is the Wangyang Gate, and the north gate is the Weiyuan Gate. There are gate towers built on the platforms of the four gates.
The place where we are standing now is the east gate of the town, which is where the world calls the first pass in the world. "
Zhang Weixian introduced it unhurriedly, and Chongzhen stared at the plaque with the word "World Under Heaven" written on it, and said softly: "Who wrote this plaque?"
"Your Majesty, this plaque is five meters long and 1.5 meters high. It has a dignified writing style, strong bones, and heroic momentum. It was inscribed by Xiao Xian, a Jinshi scholar in the eighth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty and a native of Shanhaiguan.
Before I came, this plaque was indeed inscribed by Yan Song, and the one inscribed by Xiao Xian was placed in the Jinglue Mansion. However, since His Majesty smashed the plaque of the Holy Palace of Confucius, I replaced the plaque inscribed by Xiao Xian. Go up. "
"Um!"
Chongzhen fully recognized Zhang Weixian's approach.
It would be shameful if the first pass of the Ming Dynasty had the title of the most traitorous official of the Ming Dynasty hanging on it.
Although art has no political affiliation, he just wasn't happy with it.
"Your Majesty, the perimeter of the Guancheng wall is 4,800 meters, the city is 40 meters high and seven meters thick. There are urns outside the four gates. The southeast and northeast corners are on the main line of the Great Wall. Both have turrets and turrets. ,
After I came to Shanhaiguan, I built some corner towers along both sides of the Great Wall for defense, and built a wing city on the north and south sides two miles away from Guancheng.
The wall is two feet high, with three walls of one hundred and eighty feet. Each garrison has two thousand troops, all equipped with twenty Folang machine guns and fifty squatting tiger cannons. The rest are equipped with firecrackers, which serve as horns with Guancheng. !
I have not relaxed for a moment during these three years. I can proudly say that if Jiannu had not been destroyed, with the strength of Shanhaiguan troops and the combat power of the soldiers,
Even if Jiannu uses all the strength of the country to attack Shanhaiguan, I am confident that I can hold on for more than half a year! "
Zhang Weixian's words were sonorous and powerful, full of confidence and passion.
"Okay, okay, okay...hahaha..."
Chongzhen said three good words in a row, his voice full of excitement.
He believed this. Even more than ten years later in history, the Ming Dynasty was already dilapidated. If Wu Sangui had not taken the initiative to open the gate of Shanhaiguan, Jiannu would not have even thought about entering.
Even if Fuso invaded the three eastern provinces in later generations and intended to enter the pass, more than 4,000 people attacked Shanhaiguan with the cooperation of six aircraft, two warships and tanks, and fought for twelve days before occupying Shanhaiguan.
Among them was the tenacious resistance of the soldiers, which further illustrates the strength of Shanhaiguan.
"But, Your Majesty, hey..."
"Mr. British, what are you doing?"
"Your Majesty, I have worked hard to train elite troops, carefully built defense lines, and prepared for various emergencies, but I have forgotten about Your Majesty.
Yesterday, after listening to Mr. Yuan Ge's talk about the Northern War to Conquer Jiannu, I instantly felt that the impregnable Shanhaiguan was like dregs in front of the flying thunder cannons and Zhentian Lei.
If one cannon is not enough, then ten cannons, one hundred cannons, or one thousand cannons can directly level the city wall.
How could the flesh and blood of a sergeant resist the power of firearms? It was unlikely that he could hold on for even half a year, let alone half a year. "
After Zhang Weixian said this, the faces of the generals also changed, and a trace of loneliness flashed in their eyes.
In the face of firearms, especially firearms such as thunder cannons that explode in large areas, cavalry, military formations, and cold weapons are almost useless.
Seeing the lonely expressions on everyone's face, Chongzhen shook his head gently.
This is the discomfort caused by the rapid development of firearms.
Before the Spring and Autumn Period, wars had to complete five etiquettes before they could begin, but since the birth of Sun Wu, wars no longer follow routines.
Nowadays, the firearms of the Ming Dynasty are almost the same. How can we use powerful firearms to fight cold weapons?
Not to mention the current situation where firearms are imperfect and not powerful, even in the decades of internal and external wars in later generations, city walls can still play an important role in defensive battles.
Such as the Battle of Ping'an City, the Battle of Changsha, the Battle of Hengyang City, the Sixing Warehouse, etc., all illustrate the role of solid buildings.
But these were all firearms attacks that occurred before World War II. Under current conditions, solid city walls are even more important in resisting firearms.
After thinking about it, Chongzhen said calmly: "Forget it, today I will tell you what is called firearms war!!"
