The flow of the pen is so strong that it penetrates the back of the paper!
Zhu Yunwen picked up the brush and gently placed one end of the brush on the inkstone.
Looking at Zhu Yunwen's writing, Xie Jin couldn't help but his eyes lit up, and he admired: "What a sentence: "Follow the Tang Dynasty of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and revitalize the vastness of China." The emperor's ambitions are high, which is a blessing for the people of the Ming Dynasty. "
Yu Xin looked down at the flattering Xie Jin and said, "The emperor has worked hard to practice calligraphy, but he wants to imitate Song Huizong and become his own family?"
Jie Jin's face changed. Even Yang Shiqi, Xia Yuanji, Mei Yin, Tie Xuan and others on the side felt that Yu Xin's words were a bit excessive. Who didn't know what Song Huizong was and what his ending was? Zhu Yunwen had only practiced calligraphy for half a month. , are you comparing the two people together?
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Yu Xin, and did not scold him. Instead, he shook his head and sighed: "The affairs in the Western Regions are still undecided, and I can't feel at ease. I am just writing and writing for peace of mind. Since you are all here, let's talk about the affairs in the Western Regions. .”
"You have read the documents of yesterday's Western Expedition. Timur's vanguard army captured the city of Yili, Shamichagan was captured by our army at Alashan Pass, and Harry took advantage of the victory to enter the north of Tianshan Mountain. King Yan Bu The duel between Zhenchandula and Harry should have come to an end today, and the winner has been decided, right?"
Tie Xuan also had some worries, but facing Zhu Yunwen, he had to say: "Your Majesty, King Yan is good at fighting and has rich experience in commanding the army. He also has 100,000 Beijing troops and 50,000 border troops, and there are even more fierce generals in his entourage. I can defeat Harry in one battle."
Mei Yin did not dare to say such heroic words. After taking over the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, Mei Yin had a deep understanding of what kind of person Timur was and how powerful he really was. Can Zhu Di defeat Timur? , defeated Timur's vanguard, Mei Yin was very worried.
firearm?
Mei Yin had never seen the combat power of firearms with his own eyes, so he didn't know if Ming could win with firearms. If firearms are unreliable, what other skills does Zhu Di have to defeat Timur?
The future is worrying!
But as a minister, Mei Yin needed to share Zhu Yunwen's pressure, so she had no choice but to comfort him: "The sergeant is powerful, has a strong fighting spirit, and has many firearms. It shouldn't be too difficult to win over Harry."
Zhu Yunwen was somewhat helpless. The report came in late August and arrived in late September. It was a month apart and it was impossible to get the latest information.
Zhu Yunwen was really not too worried about Harry, but worried about Timur behind Harry. This lame man was a war genius. He had extremely strong dominance and great combat talent.
Ming Dynasty dared to go out of Jiayuguan, gave up the plan of sticking to the city gate, and chose to go to the Western Regions to fight Timur. The biggest reliance was firearms.
But are firearms invincible?
No, it's not!
There are many ways to deal with firearms, such as tunnels, giant iron shields, and heavy cavalry.
I heard that when Harry attacked Yili City, he used a powerful return cannon. This thing can throw a stone of more than 100 kilograms 250 steps. It may not be able to throw a stone as big as a head. , and this huge wooden device cannot be completely destroyed by the fragments of one or two gunpowder bombs.
If Timur pulled a bunch of Huihui cannons to the front of the formation, Ming would throw gunpowder bombs on one side, and Timur on the other side would throw stones...
There are too many variables on the battlefield, and no one can figure out the extent of Timur's methods.
Zhu Yunwen was worried that Timur would know the secret of firearms too early, which would bring difficulties to the final decisive battle. He was also worried about excessive losses. As a result, after defeating Timur, Ming could not completely sweep him out of the Western Regions and was forced to fight a protracted war. war.
Quick victory, this must be done!
But Timur is powerful, and it would be too difficult to achieve a quick victory.
Zhu Yunwen walked out of the house with his hands behind his back. It was late autumn now, and winter was about to enter. The logistics and transportation pressure in the northwest would be increasing. Even if Zhu Di hid Tuocheng in the snow and transferred it to help transport a large amount of supplies, the supplies needed by the Western Regions were still there. Isn’t it just a little bit!
From now on, the decisive battle in winter will be a foregone conclusion! This also means that the Western Army needs to spend the winter in the Western Regions. Only in this way can they continue to march after defeating Timur and then safely control the entire
Western Region!
In other words, what the army needs is not one month or two months of food and grass, but four months of food and grass, at least until the army starts next spring!
Now Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Sichuan are all facing difficulties. In order to raise food and mobilize people to transport it to the Western Regions, problems have arisen in many places. For example, some chieftains in Sichuan took advantage of the situation and killed the food delivery team and took away the food for their own enjoyment in the winter. Some people were afraid of food delivery. , some even escaped halfway.
The people in Shaanxi are even more tired. In order to ensure the northwest military supplies, the people here have been mobilized for the longest time and the tasks are the most arduous. Although many people understand the court, some are still dissatisfied. Some people even take the opportunity to promote the White Lotus Sect and directly They gathered hundreds of people, killed the officers and soldiers, and ran to the mountains to join the bandits.
It is difficult for the people, it is difficult for officials, and it is also difficult for the court.
But no matter how difficult it is, we must also consider the problem of road closures due to heavy snow in winter and the inability to transport food to the Western Regions. We must prepare enough food to send to Hami!
What Zhu Yunwen was worried about was not just the Western Regions, but most of the Ming Dynasty. Although Rujun is in charge of Shanxi, Huangguan is in Sichuan, and Liu Zhen is in Shaanxi, the local problems are not big, but these small problems are accumulating and fermenting. If the war in the Western Regions cannot be ended early, the small problems are likely to turn into big ones. question.
The Cabinet, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, and the Fifth Military Governor's Office all gave their full support to the northwest, sending batches of officials to coordinate supplies and appease the people. The Imperial College even sent a gentleman to the northwest to appease the people.
But these methods can't last long. What the people need is real stability rather than endless levies and grain deliveries. Many people don't care about Timur and Temujin. They only care about their two acres of land.
Telling them about national justice, about protecting the homeland and defending the country, and saying something that is not very nice, is quite a bit of a joke. The people's awareness is far from enough. They still lack deep recognition of China, the Han people, and the country.
Therefore, there was the surrender of the Mongolian cavalry.
Therefore, there is the shaving of hair and braiding that has not happened yet but has happened in history.
But Zhu Yunwen had no better way. In order to solve the people's grievances, he had already spent a lot of money and even exempted half of the agricultural tax for the people who collected and sent grain. If stable logistics could not be achieved in this way, then Zhu Yunwen could only use the last violent machine. , forcing them to deliver food!
There is no room for loss in the Western Region, and there is no room for delay in army logistics!
Mei Yin looked at Zhu Di, who was staring at the northwest, and reminded him: "Your Majesty, there are generals and 150,000 sergeants in charge of the northwest, so don't worry too much. It's just a matter of the Navy asking for a battle..."
Yu Xin frowned and said to Mei Yin: "There are many problems in the northwest right now, so the navy's request for war might as well be postponed for a while. It is not appropriate for the imperial court to start another war at this time."
Xie Jin also had many worries: "I also believe that it is best for the navy to temporarily stay on Qindao for training. The court needs to spare more energy to deal with affairs in the northwest and western regions. If the navy is ordered to go to the Japanese country at this time, the troops will be against the horse. Island, it is impossible to anger the Japanese country and invade our coastal areas in large numbers. It will not be easy to clean up the mess by then..."
Zhu Yunwen said nothing, still looking at the northwest.
Mei Yin was very dissatisfied. Facing the two cabinet ministers Xie Jin and Yu Xin, he said angrily: "The military strategy of sending troops to Tsushima Island has been decided long ago. Our soldiers have been waiting there for a long time. For this battle, they have been working day and night. Training, now that the court wants to delay it indefinitely, how can I open my mouth to them, how can I explain to them?"
Yu Xin said with a straight face: "The sergeant obeyed the order, why is there any need to explain? The northwest is the most important thing, so if you can avoid other things, you should strive for stability. Mr. Rong Guo, this is not an indefinite postponement, but things have to be prioritized. Once the northwest Once the matter is over, it won’t be too late to send troops to Tsushima.”
Mei Yin's face was confused: "What priorities! The Yangjiang Shipyard was attacked, the sergeants were killed, and the shipwrights were robbed. How can we say that this matter is not serious? Our Ming Dynasty has declared war on the Japanese country for a long time, but there has been no real action. It's just If we intercept some Japanese ships, wouldn't it become a joke if it goes on for a long time?"
"The countries in Southeast Asia are looking at us, and North Korea is also looking at us. I am afraid that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu of the Japanese country is already laughing at our incompetence! Your Majesty, please give orders to the Kotoshima Navy to go to Tsushima Island! "
Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath, turned around, and said seriously: "King Yan will definitely defeat Tie.
Mu'er, things in the Western Region will definitely end in the beginning of spring! Quick horse orders the chief envoys and general envoys of the three provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Sichuan to deliver the last batch of grain before November. If you think you can't do it, resign immediately without my approval. The deputy will take over. If the deputy cannot , take over! Even if all the officials in the Chief Envoys Department and the Capital Command Envoys Department are replaced, I still want them to try their best to deliver food on time! "
Listening to Zhu Yunwen's order that could not be opposed, the faces of Xie Jin, Yu Xin, Xia Yuanji and others became solemn. This was no matter the cost! But the matter has come to this, the war has begun. If Timur is not defeated, there will be no way back for the Ming Dynasty!
Even if it means humiliating the people or the local government, it must be done.
Zhu Yunwen looked at Tie Xuan: "How do you, the commander of the military department, view Qindao Navy's invitation to fight?"
Tie Xuan hesitated and looked at Yu Xin and Jie Jin.
Zhu Yunwen scolded sternly: "I am asking you questions, not them! Why, you are a dignified minister of the Ministry of War, and you have become a subordinate of the cabinet minister?!"
As soon as these words came out, Xie Jin and Yu Xin felt cold all over.
What does it mean?
Is the emperor talking about forming cliques in the cabinet, controlling the six ministries, and manipulating the courtiers?
Tie Xuan shuddered. The cabinet handles many government affairs on weekdays, and the status of the six ministries seems to be lower than that of the cabinet. However, at the beginning of the establishment of the cabinet, including its operation to this day, no one said that the cabinet was above the six ministries, let alone that the six ministries needed to be accountable to the cabinet.
For a long time, the cabinet has held some power to handle government affairs. In addition, in the palace, it had too much contact with the emperor and had a heavy voice. As a result, court officials often regarded the cabinet minister as the "prime minister" and consciously felt responsible to him.
Now according to Zhu Yunwen, the cabinet is the cabinet, not the prime minister, and the six ministries are the six ministries, nor are they the government offices and vassals under the cabinet. Perhaps Zhu Yunwen was a little dissatisfied with many actions in the cabinet...
Tie Xuan saw that Jin and Yu Xin apologized, and quickly explained: "Your Majesty, the reason why I look at these two cabinet ministers is just because their opinions are inconsistent with my own. I think that the march to Tsushima Island has been finalized long ago, and it should not be delayed to avoid letting the water go. The division's officers and men were disheartened, and it was only a joke to North Korea, and they lost their national prestige."
Zhu Yunwen's expression softened a little and he looked at Yang Shiqi: "What do you think?"
Yang Shiqi analyzed: "The worry about the northwest affairs lies in logistics, and logistics focuses on Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan and other places. It has little to do with Shandong Qindao Navy, and the corresponding provisions of the Navy have already been in place, and there is no additional increase. It’s a burden. In addition, the military strategy has been decided and the war has been declared for a long time. It is time to use a war to tell the Japanese and vassal countries that the Ming Dynasty is not easy to mess with. "
