Capital City, Ministry of War.
"Master Shangshu, the military camp at the border of Datong Prefecture is in urgent need. Prince Dayan Khan led 80,000 people, burned, killed, and robbed countless of our soldiers and civilians. They lost money and silk. They are now gathering in the direction of Datong. I am afraid they are going to attack Datong Prefecture."
When Ma Wensheng heard this, he jumped up from his chair and said in shock, "What? Bring it to me quickly."
When he grabbed the letter and looked at it, he felt that he was not feeling well, and his heart was mostly cold. It was miserable, it was so miserable. More than half of the seventy-two forts around Datong Mansion were damaged, and there were countless casualties among soldiers and civilians. Now, The weather was abnormal. Datong was already short of food and clothing, and people were in panic. It was only October, and there was heavy snow there. It was conceivable that the Tatars must not be having a hard time, so they came to plunder again, these damn Tatars.
But why did these Tatars suddenly appear in Datong? Could it be that no news was sent to Datong to warn them in advance? This is not normal. It is too late to think about anything else now. It is more important to enter the palace.
"Come here, prepare your horses and enter the palace." Ma Wensheng went out in a hurry.
In the palace, Jinshen Hall.
Zhu Houzhao was discussing political affairs with several cabinet elders and academicians. Since it was not a meeting of the imperial court, only a few cabinet academicians came to the palace to discuss political affairs. This was an unchangeable rule. Even if Zhu Houzhao was reluctant, there was nothing he could do.
Yang Tinghe Zhengshuo Zhou Shu, Huangji Volume 5: "People at that time were just like the emperor. They did not abuse the emperor alone, but were afraid of the wise. People are capable and accomplished, so that they can be ashamed of their actions, and the country will be prosperous. Everyone who is a righteous person, Since you are rich and have a lot of grain, if you can make someone better than you, then people will fail you..."
"Your Majesty, the Minister of War, Ma Wensheng, is waiting outside the palace for an audience." A guard hurriedly came over and knelt down to ask for the order.
Zhu Houzhao said calmly: "Xuan."
"According to the order."
"Ma Wen, Minister of the Ministry of Propaganda and War, entered the palace." Liu Jin said.
As soon as Ma Wensheng came in, he said urgently: "Your Majesty, Datong Mansion is in emergency. The young Tatar prince led an 80,000-strong army to attack. More than half of the 72 military fortresses in the surrounding area have been killed and wounded, and countless people and money have been lost."
Zhu Houzhao's drowsy head suddenly woke up, his eyes widened, he stood up and drank: "What did you say? The Tatars are here again?"
He was so angry in his heart, I haven't gone yet, but you should take the first step to cause trouble. This is, okay, I want you to come back this time, just in time to try my secret weapon.
Hearing this, Liu Jian and others furrowed their brows and said, "Your Majesty, the Tatars are coming with great force, so we must be cautious. There are 80,000 Tatar cavalry, while Datong Prefecture only has 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry. I'm afraid we won't be able to defend it." Stay."
Zhu Houzhao sneered and said, "Can't you hold on? Hum, pass on the decree and order Zhang Mao, the commander-in-chief of the fifth army, and Yang Yiqing to enter the palace immediately."
"My slave obeys the order." Liu Jin went out.
"Your Majesty, calm down."
When all the great scholars saw this, they knew that the emperor was preparing for a big war. Now the tax money from Jiangnan has not been escorted to Beijing, and the national treasury has insufficient balance. In addition, Hejian Prefecture's disaster relief and Nanjing Prefecture's reconstruction after the earth dragon turned over are all necessary. It's money, the national treasury can't afford it.
Li Dongyang is also the Minister of Household Affairs. He naturally knows the situation of the treasury, but is there any way to solve it?
"Old minister, I would like to ask your majesty, are you ready to send troops to Datong?" Li Dongyang asked anyway, he was really worried.
Zhu Houzhao knew what he was thinking. After calming down, he calmly said: "The national treasury is not enough to support a big war. I understand, but people are bullying you. Why don't you still fight? But you don't have to worry, this battle will be fought." , we have to fight, but we don’t need to spend military funds from the national treasury. I have to use my internal funds, and one hundred thousand silver is enough."
Li Dongyang was slightly shocked and confused, and said, "How many troops are your Majesty prepared to send?"
One hundred thousand silver sounds like a lot, but it is just a drop in the bucket. It can support an army of 20,000 people for a month at most. This is child's play for Your Majesty! Sure enough, you are still a young man at heart. Don’t you know that once the army moves and you have millions of grain and fodder, what can your 20,000 army do? Moreover, the 20,000 army can only be cavalry. If it is infantry, the cost of civilian soldiers and horses is not enough. Pay for Army Action.
That's why he asked worriedly, and the others looked at him with puzzled expressions.
Zhu Houzhao chuckled and said: "I am only going to bring the Iron Eagle Guard to support Datong."
Ouch, ouch, ouch..., the divine beast howled and rushed through the hearts of the ministers present.
The corner of Yang Tinghe's mouth twitched, Your Majesty, my ears are not working well. Did you hear wrongly? Please tell me more, how much?
Liu, Li, Xie and the other three pavilion elders turned dark when they heard this.
Your Majesty, are you done laughing, Iron Eagle Guard? Five thousand Iron Eagle Guards, you want them to deal with the 80,000 Tatars' wolf-like iron cavalry? Are you going to kill someone, or are you supporting Datong? Isn't this nonsense?
Only Yang Tinghe, who has been with the emperor recently, probably knows a little bit about the secrets. Recently, there are always thunderous noises in the Xishan Mountain. I don’t know what they are doing. Maybe it is the emperor’s support.
Yang Tinghe thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, there is a way to win by surprise. I have been hearing about the news in Xishan recently. I wonder if your Majesty can tell you so that we can learn more about it for your Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao pointed at him with a smile and said: "Yang Aiqing, your information is quite good. Yes, that is what I have prepared to deal with the invading enemy. Don't be in a hurry. Since Aiqing mentioned it, follow me in a moment." Take a trip to Xishan and let you know what it means to be thunder-washed and long-range strike."
Thunder washes the earth, what does long-range strike mean?
They looked at each other and didn't know why. They were already used to the new words appearing in the emperor's mouth recently. They could even accept that the earth under their feet was round. There was nothing else they couldn't accept. Let's go there in a moment. Come to Xishan and see how thunder can wash away the earth and how it can strike from a distance.
When Zhang Mao and Yang Yiqing came to see them, they heard that there was a war in Datong Mansion and that the Tatars had invaded. This was good news. The two immediately geared up and competed for the right to lead the army, but Zhu Houzhao did not choose them. Zhang Mao He is a veteran, so naturally he has good battle experience. Yang Yiqing is a civil servant turned military general. He has military talent but no battlefield practice. Now is not the time to use them.
If a general has not fought in a war, he is still called a general. A general who has not been on the battlefield is not qualified to lead the army and serve, especially if he wants to fight a modern thermal weapons war that Zhu Houzhao willed and transcends the times. This is even more impossible. These two People must be reused, and naturally they must be well cultivated. What is modern warfare?
Therefore, this battle does not require them to fight, but they need to observe and learn how to fight this battle. The battle is not about large numbers of people, nor cold weapons, but hot weapons that they have never seen before. Naturally, Zhu Houzhao is prepared to fight in person. Yes, no one can stop it.
After everyone understood what he meant, a group of ministers headed by three cabinet elders stood up and tried to dissuade him hoarsely.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember what happened to Yingzong? How can your Majesty be so lenient when your rich son cannot sit down in the hall? I dare not obey my orders. Please take back your orders." What a flaw.
Zhu Houzhao knew they were going to retort like this, but he said indifferently: "You only remember the Yingzong incident. Have you forgotten the Taizu Hongwu and Chengzu Yongle affairs? I have made up my mind, and it is useless for anyone to dissuade me. Moreover, I must return with a great victory. Remember, don’t think of playing any overt and treacherous tricks on me. It’s also best not to play with Chunqiu’s brushwork. I don’t want to have people gossiping behind my back while I’m fighting abroad. Legs, if our rulers and ministers live in harmony and unite as one, a hundred years from now, there may still be a good story in the history books."
Zhang Mao and Yang Yiqing saw that His Majesty was determined and even threatened him, so they had no choice but to shut up. His Majesty's prowess in martial arts, isn't that what they need? Only by following such an emperor can we fight. Otherwise, if we are idle at home all day long and our body has gained weight, we would still be fighting for nothing.
The three elders refused to give up. Liu Jian said, "I know that I cannot dissuade His Majesty from changing his mind. However, I also have something to say. Please allow Your Majesty to approve it." I wonder what he wants to say?
Zhu Houzhao looked at him indifferently. Others didn't know it, but he knew it. The imperial court had court rules, and the heavenly family also had the rules of the heavenly family. If the emperor insisted on having his own way and wanted to go on a personal expedition, he must fulfill two conditions. First, he must have an heir. The second is to establish a crown prince.
This was after Tumu Fort, when Zhu Qiyu, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, reorganized the system and established rules. Because of the Yingzong incident, it left a shadow on the court, and even the emperor was arrested. The consequences were terrible.
Now Liu Jian is preparing to bring up this rule agreed upon by the Tian family and the courtiers to prevent Zhu Houzhao from being willful.
"Master Liu, you are a veteran of three dynasties and the chief minister of the current dynasty. I can't be too harsh on you. You don't have to say it. I know what you want to say. I ask Master Liu to accompany me on a trip to Xishan. If you still feel that If I should stay, how about I give up the idea of conquering personally?" Zhu Houzhao said with a half-smile.
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree in the end, it doesn’t matter whether you are happy or not about what I want to do, huh.
This expression was so familiar to them. His Majesty's expression had been like this on several occasions, making them fall into His Majesty's conspiracy. Unconsciously and inexplicably, they agreed to His Majesty's plan.
The three pavilion elders suddenly felt alarm bells in their hearts, wondering what tricks the emperor was going to play again.
Li Dongyang was defeated at the hands of the emperor several times. Although he smiled, he also felt like he was being teased. He said warily, "Your Majesty has no jokes, so why not just follow your Majesty to the west mountain."
Zhu Houzhao smiled proudly in his heart. The old guy is quite cautious. I won't scare you to death for a while. We'll see.
"Liu Jin, let's drive to the west mountain."
"My slave obeys the order."
It was the first time that Zhu Houzhao left the palace in such a swaggering manner, followed by three thousand forbidden troops. Along the way, the people rushed to kneel and worship, shouting "Long Live the Mountain" endlessly.
Heading all the way towards the Xishan Mountain, when we arrived at the mountainside, the Jingying Xishan Guards were guarding the place, and all irrelevant tourists were driven away.
Zhu Houzhao was sitting in a temporary tent that had been prepared in advance. The ministers accompanying him were standing on the left and right sides. At this moment, there was no room for them.
Liu Jin walked in with a general wearing a red robe. It wasn't Zhang Zhong, but who was it? Just listen to what he said: "Your Majesty, we are ready. How about we start now?"
Zhu Houzhao said calmly: "Give each of you my beloved clairvoyance a clairvoyance. I'm worried that the distance is too far and you adults won't be able to see clearly enough."
Zhang Zhong received the order and ordered to go down and fetch them a pair of binocular telescopes. These were made by the Royal Manufacturing Bureau. Zhu Houzhao just gave them a brief lesson. Monocular telescopes were available in the Yongle period, but they were multi-purpose. In Qintian Prison, no military use has been found, and it is a good thing that has been seriously buried.
When the binoculars were distributed, Zhang Mao and other generals immediately fell in love with them. If they were used on the battlefield, they would be really good things. Even the civil servants were amazed.
Zhu Houzhao said calmly: "This thing is just a gadget made by the Royal Manufacturing Bureau. If you all like it, I will give it to you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."
Zhu Houzhao nodded to Zhang Zhong, and after receiving the order, he left, waving the order flag, and a group of forty Iron Eagle Guards walked out in neat steps. Twenty of them each carried a black stick on their shoulders. The iron cylinder was half-kneeling on the ground quietly, looking forward, and his movements were uniform.
The officials looked at it unclearly, only Zhang Mao nodded happily. If he likes soldiers, he must be strict and follow orders and prohibitions, so that he can be like a soldier. Zhang Zhong is very good, but it is a pity that he became a eunuch on the battlefield.
Yang Yiqing stared closely at the iron cylinders, and there seemed to be a very terrifying smell of gunpowder, but it was actually the smell of gunpowder.
Zhang Zhong waved the command flag again, and the soldiers moved again, with twenty steel cannons. The twenty soldiers held a strange-looking object in their hands, placed it above them, and stood still, with their eyes still serious. Keep your eyes on the front.
Zhu Houzhao raised the telescope and put it in front of his eyes. The ministers also followed suit, wanting to see what was in front of them, but there was nothing in front of them except mountains, rocks and trees, and they didn't know what the emperor wanted them to see.
Just when they were secretly complaining.
Boom~boom boom~! ! !
There was a dull sound in his ears, and then a horrifying scene appeared in the telescope. The minister only felt the mountain below his feet shaking, sand and stones flying all over the sky, smoke and dust rising, and the mountaintop opposite collapsing.
Hiss~.
The sound of gasping for air kept coming.
It's terrible. This is the emperor's new thing. It's so powerful. How can manpower resist it?
The three pavilion elders Liu, Li and Xie opened their mouths wide and were stunned. They looked at the smoking iron cylinder on the ground and knew that this scene of landslides and ground cracks was caused by these little things. It was terrible. How on earth did your majesty do this? Yes, one by one, these seemingly unbelievable things were accomplished so easily in His Majesty's hands.
When they punished King Ning and his party, they saw His Majesty's decisiveness. When he instituted the maritime ban, they saw His Majesty's strategy. The Seven Cities of Nanjing saw his kindness, but on the moonlit night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, they saw the incredible gods. The scene was gone, and now this scene of raising a hand and raising a foot, landslides and earth shattering happened before their eyes again, and they could only describe it as terrifying.
Throughout the ages, have you ever heard of such an emperor appearing?
Zhu Houzhao said with a smile; "How about the newly developed artillery developed by the Royal Manufacturing Bureau? This thing is lighter than the bulky cannon. Although the range is not as far as the cannon, when it comes to damage, the cannon cannot do the casualties caused by the cannon."
No one disagrees. What else can be said? They can even think that when the Tatar cavalry charges, they don’t need many artillery, just a hundred cannons, which can cause a devastating blow to the Tatars.
Cannons cannot explode and cause limited casualties, but artillery can explode.
They finally understood what it meant to be struck by thunder and thunder from a distance.
However, even if there are these guys, 5,000 people cannot be the opponent of 80,000 people, and they will not stand there waiting for you to kill them.
The three elders Liu, Li and Xie still refused to let go. Zhang Mao and Yang Yiqing even disagreed. The emperor personally led the army. This is not child's play. Is this going to kill people on the battlefield?
Zhu Houzhao had no choice but to take out the ultimate weapon, fire blunderbuss, which was available in the Shenji Camp. This was not unusual, and its lethality was limited. Zhang Zhong waved the flag in his hand again, and a group of soldiers walked away carrying what looked like fire blunderbuss. , twenty people each have one shot.
Yang Yiqing was more curious and asked: "Your Majesty, what kind of weapon is this? It looks like a blunderbuss to me?"
This is a modern and simplified version of the firearm built by Zhu Houzhao himself. It is similar to the one made in Hanyang. As a military fan, firearms are a must to be good at. In addition to repeating firearms, there is still no problem with guns like those made in Hanyang. Now In this era, it is already considered a weapon that transcends its time.
Originally, he wanted to make a repeating gun, but unfortunately the conditions did not allow it, so he gave up temporarily. As for the future, there will definitely be one.
Zhu Houzhao smiled mysteriously and said, "This weapon is not a fire gun. It is derived from the fire gun. However, after a while, you will know that its power is not comparable to the fire gun."
"Then I will wait and see how powerful this weapon is." Yang Yiqing bowed and stepped back.
This time, the ministers saw someone setting up ten wooden boards in front of them and watched curiously.
Zhang Zhong pointed the flag in his hand at the target ahead and shouted: "One hundred steps, high and low volleys."
