Yu Qian finally took over the important task.
If he could, he would definitely not take it, but the problem is that no one can carry it now, and no one wants to carry it.
Zhu Qiyu shouldered the responsibility of the emperor, but he couldn't be allowed to command large-scale operations when he was King Xiaoyao just a few months ago, right?
Yu Qian took over the heavy responsibility, everyone was satisfied, Zhu Qiyu could breathe a sigh of relief, and the ministers also achieved their goals, it can be said that everyone was happy.
Only Yu Qian was suffering, and he knew what it meant.
However, as Zhu Qiyu said, "When the national crisis is facing us, we must give in to everything," he couldn't say no.
Alas, I hope it can be remedied afterwards... Yu Qian sighed secretly in his heart.
~
Early next morning.
Shi Heng led his army to the capital.
As the chief military officer of Datong, Shi Heng was by no means a reckless man who only knew how to fight. He stationed his army outside the city and entered the city with only a dozen personal guards.
At this juncture, bringing nearly 15,000 soldiers into the city without asking for permission is really eye-catching. The more critical the moment, the more cautious one must be.
He came here to perform meritorious service, and not to be unhappy.
Shi Heng did not go to the palace. He was not familiar with Zhu Qiyu, so he went directly to the Yamen of the Ministry of War.
Datong is not far from the capital. Shi Heng is determined to climb up, so he is naturally concerned about the situation in the capital. He knows that Yu Qian and Zhu Qiyu have a very close relationship.
The back hall of the Yamen of the Ministry of War.
The two of them sat down and Yu Qian got straight to the point:
"How many people did you bring this time?"
"Fifteen thousand." Shi Heng skillfully claimed the credit, "They are all foot soldiers. I was afraid that I would be late, so I really risked my life this time. The soldiers had a hard time on this trip."
"Thank you for your hard work." Yu Qian gave a positive affirmation, "I will ask the emperor later to reward the soldiers."
No matter what Shi Heng's mentality was, he came back in a hurry to solve the national crisis. A general's determination to make achievements was always a compliment and should not chill people's hearts.
Shi Heng said reservedly: "Eating the emperor's salary will help you share your worries. The Tatars are attacking in the direction of Xuanfu. To rush from outside the pass is like beating a dog with meat buns. From inside the pass, you are afraid that you won't rush;
The capital is the capital of the country, so Xiaguan led his troops to rush over as soon as possible. Fortunately, he did not arrive too late. "
Yu Qian nodded and said happily: "General Shi is so decisive, it is really timely!"
Ten thousand and five soldiers is already a lot. With the addition of these people, Yu Qian is more confident.
This is in the Ming Dynasty, and it is still the capital. As long as they can hold on and avoid a wave of sudden death, the Tatars cannot win at all.
Shi Heng said coquettishly: "Actually, this is also Li Qipin... ahem, Li Du gave me some advice on the matter."
He is not a gentleman, but when Li Qing said this, many people heard him. He was afraid that it would be leaked later, so he simply spoke openly.
"Anyway, it's a great achievement that Mr. Shi arrived in time." Yu Qian still affirmed Shi Heng, but secretly sighed in his heart: Sir, did you really die for your country?
To be honest, Yu Qian was also panicking. Could he not be panicking?
If we lose this battle, it will be all over. With such great pressure, everyone will panic.
"The Tatars should be able to arrive at the city as early as tomorrow morning or as late as the evening of the day after tomorrow." Yu Qian said solemnly, "We can't take chances and must prepare for the worst. You will leave the city immediately and bring the army in."
"Your Majesty, I obey." Shi Heng said respectfully, stood up, took two steps, and then turned around and asked, "May I ask Yu Shangshu about the garrison in the capital..."
"They have been stationed at Jiumen, you should have seen it." Yu Qian was a little surprised.
Shi Heng said with a smile: "Xiaguan means, how many people are there in the capital now?"
"Quite a few." Yu Qian pretended to be relaxed and said, "Including what you brought, it's over a hundred or tens of thousands."
Yu Qian didn't lie, but he lied again.
Nearly half of these people are garrison soldiers. Of course, garrison soldiers are also soldiers, and they can also drill, but they basically have no combat experience, and only 60,000 to 70,000 can actually fight.
Even including what Shi Heng brought, it was not enough for 90,000.
But the number of people is indeed hundreds or tens of thousands, the combat strength is reasonable, and the number of soldiers is real.
Shi Heng didn't know what was going on and said in surprise: "How come the troops came so quickly?"
"Ah, I have made arrangements in advance," Yu Qian said, "We will have more and more reinforcements in the future."
The second half of the sentence is true, because the order to mobilize troops has been sent out, but the mountains are high and the roads are far away, so there is no guarantee when they will arrive.
However, the reinforcements from Shandong should not take long. It is estimated that they will arrive in as soon as five days and at most seven days.
Shi Heng felt a little relieved and asked cautiously: "How many hundreds of thousands are there?"
"Probably around 160,000." Yu Qian gave an accurate figure. "The food, grass and weapons have already been put in place. You bring the people into the city, and I will go and ask the emperor for rewards for the army."
The soldiers are going to fight tooth and nail this time. Although they haven't fought yet, they still have to reward them first, which can effectively boost their morale.
160,000 against 100,000, and they are still defending the city. It stands to reason that the army has the upper hand, but the calculation is not that way. The Tatars are cavalry and can quickly change the focus of their attack.
There are nine portals in the capital, so there are too many options to choose from.
The party attacking the city can even choose to attack a point of it, but the party defending the city cannot, and can only set up defenses everywhere. Therefore, the Ming army defending the city suffers.
The main disadvantage is that the capital is too big. Each gate is far away from each other, and two legs can't run faster than four legs.
Shi Heng nodded: "Then I'm going to prepare?"
"Go ahead and come over at noon." Yu Qian said, "I'll go and apply for funds from the emperor right away. Come and collect the rewards and distribute them to the soldiers."
"Okay." Shi Heng chuckled and said, "I'm going to resign."
~
Royal study room.
Zhu Qiyu looked at a memorial letter, his eyes were dull and he didn't read it at all.
The capital was in danger, and he couldn't think of anything to manage, so he simply stopped looking.
"Alas...!" Zhu Qiyu stood up and said anxiously: "Go and tell Yu Qian to come over."
The enemy is about to attack, and nothing is more important than this.
Xiaohuangmen said yes again and again, and hurriedly walked out of the door with small steps. As soon as he went out, he turned back and said, "Your Majesty, I want to see you at Shangshu."
"Xuan, Xuan quickly."
After a while, Yu Qian walked in.
"No need to salute." Zhu Qiyu stepped forward to support Yu Qian, "Is the capital's defense prepared?"
"Yes." Yu Qian nodded and said thoughtfully, "Your Majesty, the Tatars are about to attack, and the soldiers will fight in blood. I suggest... that you can reward them to boost morale." gòйЪ.ōΓg
"Okay." Zhu Qiyu asked without even thinking, "How much do you need?"
Seeing how happy he was, Yu Qian immediately relaxed and swallowed the words he had prepared, "If each person is rewarded with two taels of silver, it will cost more than 300,000 taels."
"Each person will be rewarded five taels." Zhu Qiyu was super generous, "The generals will also be rewarded. I will give you one million taels, and the money will come from internal funds."
Zhu Qizhen's small treasury is very rich. He spends one million and several million. Zhu Qiyu doesn't care. Besides, this is not the time to worry about money.
…
At the time of application in the afternoon, the reward money from the imperial court was distributed to each soldier.
At this critical moment, and at the feet of the emperor, no one dared to hold back, and the rewards were accurately distributed to every soldier.
With money, soldiers will naturally be more motivated.
At the same time, it also reduces the pressure on Yu Qian to coordinate the overall situation.
After all, civilian officials led the troops, and soldiers were somewhat repulsive. Zhu Qiyu knew something about it, and specifically stated that it was Yu Qian's suggestion.
Five taels of silver was really a lot, and the soldiers were very grateful. Previously, the emperor only paid one tael.
At the Yamen of the Ministry of War, all the generals gathered.
Yu Qian said in a deep voice: "Everyone, this battle is of great significance. It is a crucial battle for us and the entire Ming Dynasty;
In the same way, the same is true for the Tatars. They went all out this time and risked everything. We... need to do the same! "
The generals nodded, understanding the significance of this battle.
If you win, everything will be fine!
If we lose, we will repeat the mistakes of the Jingkang Incident.
Shi Heng said: "Yu Shangshu, please tell me exactly how to fight."
Others echoed and looked at Yu Qian.
"They are sinking the cauldron, and we are sinking the cauldron!" Yu Qian said, "The battle cannot be about them attacking and us defending; they attacking, and we also attacking."
"Ah?" The generals changed their colors and Shi Heng said, "Yu Shangshu, it is easier to defend the city and the damage will be smaller!"
Yu Qian shook his head: "If you defend the city, it is possible to break it, but if you break the city, there is no chance of saving it. If more than 100,000 Tatars break the city and reach the palace, everything will be over!
Therefore, the battlefield must be outside the city gate, rather than defending it within the city! "
The generals were silent. Yu Qian's meaning was very clear. He could not just stick to the last line of defense. If he wanted to stop the Tatars, he had to cut off his own retreat first.
Yu Qian saw their serious expressions and said solemnly: "I will guard Desheng Gate!"
When Deshengmen faces the Tatars, it will definitely be the most tragic. Yu Qian, a civil servant, said so, and a group of military generals couldn't say anything.
Yu Qian glanced around and saw that no one had any objections. He continued: "The next step is the military regulations during the war. Listen carefully."
