Emperor Ming Dynasty

By mid-February, there was no snowflakes in Beijing, and Monan night entered the stage of spring grass luxuriant. The news about the Chechen Khan finally arrived in the capital.

"Chechen Khan Babu led his troops to the north and was stolen by the Manchu Qing——"

The news caused an uproar in Beijing.

The emperor hurriedly convened an imperial meeting, and ordered the cabinet, the governor's office of the five armies, and the nine ministries to discuss matters together.

The ruling and opposition parties know that the matter is important. After all, if it is an ordinary matter, it is enough to discuss it with the cabinet. It is inconvenient to have too many people.

"Tell me, how should I face it?"

Zhu Yixi sat high on the dragon chair, and a deep voice sounded: "The grassland is indeed going in an unexpected direction, Manqing's ambition is not dead!"

"Your Majesty, I predict that after the Manchus annexed the Chechen Khans, the Zasak and Tushetu Khans were like panicked birds, so they had to recruit troops on a large scale to deal with the Manchus."

You Shiwei is not old at heart, he raised his head and said loudly: "The current situation in Mobei is that the two armies join forces to deal with the Manchus, and based on the veteran's understanding of the Manchus, they must have strong strength before they will take such a move."

"In other words, the strength of Manqing at this time may be enough to suppress the tribes in Mobei..."

"This is the worst situation—" Wang Yingxiong sighed: "All the ministries in Mobei and Xinli, how much strength can they have in the face of foreign enemies at this time?"

"Presumably the day of its downfall is not far away!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone fell silent.

There must be no accidents in Mobei. This is the imperial court's border defense needs, and it is also a lingering fear of the former Ming Dynasty.

"The imperial court will not allow another Liaodong."

The emperor said decisively.

Obviously, if Mobei is out of control, the nearby Monan area will be full of wars, and the vast grassland will be safe to defend.

This is even more dangerous than when the Manchu Qing was confined to Liaodong.

In a few words, the dispatch of troops was settled.

However, the candidate for the challenge is difficult to decide.

The most enthusiastic ones were Zhu Meng, You Shiwei and Li Jizu.

But it is undeniable that all three have their own shortcomings.

You Shiwei is over 60 years old, and he is in poor health; Zhu Meng can only fight dull and tough battles; not to mention Li Jizu, he is a character who escapes, and when he let Sun Chuanting's big banner in Tongguan, it makes people scold him when he thinks about it now .

Zhu Yixi thought over and over again, the one he trusted the most was Chen Yongfu.

He is nearly sixty years old, mature and steady, able to hold the situation together.

"His Majesty--"

After Chen Yongfu was summoned, he understood something in his heart and responded calmly.

"Let me ask you, what should be done about the situation in Mobei?"

Zhu Yixi pointed to the vast grassland map, where the huge Mobei region was extremely conspicuous. The Chechen, Zasak, and Tuxietu tribes were intertwined with each other, and some small tribes were also mixed in during the period.

It can be said that although Mobei is barren, there are still many people.

After so many years of peace, the population is no less than that of Monan.

"Wait—" Chen Yongfu stared at the map for a long time before uttering a word with difficulty.

"Oh?" Now the emperor became interested and hurriedly asked, "Why?"

"Look, Your Majesty, the Mobei grassland is extremely vast, and the spring snow thaws soon. Even if Zasak Khan and Tushetu Khan jointly send troops, it is absolutely difficult to gather without a month or two of mobilization."

"And it will take more than half a month to join forces on the road."

Chen Yongfu said in a deep voice: "Man Qing must also know that he will not easily take down Mobei, and must use a large army."

"Instead of working hard on an expedition and defeating each one, it is better to wait for the work at leisure, and deal with the soldiers after one battle, and then the tribe will naturally fall without a fight."

The entire Mobei region is vast and boundless. If the Manchu Qing wanted to steal the hometowns of the two major tribes like they attacked Chechen Khan, that would be just a delusion.

The wind and grass along the way are enough to betray the footprints.

Therefore, it is very likely that Manqing will adopt the method of static braking.

Zhu Yixi nodded, his words made sense.

"In addition, although His Majesty bestowed the title of Prince of the Two Khans, he was particularly dissatisfied in his heart. Few of the Mobei tribe knew His Majesty's name."

"Suddenly dispatching troops, I'm afraid it will cause turmoil in Mobei. I'm afraid the two Khans will be jealous, thinking that our army will annex all the tribes in Mobei..."

"What do you mean, we have to wait?"

Chen Yongfu said decisively: "That's right, when the two ministries and the Manchu Qing both lose, they will definitely send people to ask for help."

"Our army dispatches troops according to the trend to save the people from fire and water. At that time, not only will we be able to severely injure the Qing Dynasty and eliminate these remaining evils, but we will also be able to take over the tribes in the northern part of the Mobei, and the frontier will be safe..."

Zhu Yixi was silent, he paced and walked, his brain was working extremely fast.

Needless to say, the choice of waiting for the opportunity is very challenging.

Because all these conjectures are based on the fact that the Qing Dynasty will follow their ideas.

If the Manchu Qing would not wait for work with leisure, but took the initiative to attack and take the opportunity to eliminate the Tuxietu Khan tribe entrenched in the center, it would be a great loss for Ming Dynasty.

But it is undeniable that Chen Yongfu's ideas are very forward-looking and feasible.

Later, the emperor summoned Li Jingwu and asked about Mobei.

Li Jingwu was born as a cavalry soldier, and he spent more time riding than walking. He was in favor of sending troops to Mobei, because there was a great possibility that he would be appointed.

When the emperor asked about Fanglue, he said bluntly: "Mobei has been in business with me for the past two years. The Tuxie Tuhan tribe and its Khan tribe are stationed in Urge, which is the place where King Jebtsundamba passed on the scriptures and taught the Dharma."

"So, our army can go straight into its heart and unite with the Tushetu Khan to fight against the Manchus; or sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, guarding near Urge, and look for opportunities after the Manchus fight against them."

"At that time, regardless of whether the Manchus win or lose, they will definitely be exhausted. Our army will attack just in time and win a big victory."

Hearing this exciting plan, Zhu Yixi fell silent.

It sounds good, but the feasibility is a bit low.

Subsequently, the emperor summoned Wu Sangui.

It is undeniable that although Wu Sangui was notorious in history, in this time and space, he has performed well, and he has done well in sending troops to North Korea and Liaodong.

To the court's satisfaction, he simply handed over the control of the Guanning Army, so that he had no military power in his hands, and naturally there was no fear.

Regarding Wu Sangui's strangulation of Yongli and Kunming's rebellion in history, Zhu Yixi made a conclusion:
It is short-sighted and has no destiny, brave but not strategic.

In other words, he mistakenly identified himself as Mu Ying and Man Qing as Zhu Yuanzhang.

When accepting the emperor's summons, Wu Sangui was cautious. When asked about how to deal with the situation in Mobei, he thought for a moment before saying:
"Your Majesty, the imperial court's dispatch of troops will be very much approved by the general in the end."

"Well, keep talking." Zhu Yixi nodded and continued to look at him.

"Yes!" Wu Sangui, who was only in his 40s at this time, still showed the demeanor of a fierce general.

"In the eyes of the general, the various tribes in Mobei are scattered, so they must not be the opponents of the Qing Dynasty."

"And the goal of the imperial court's dispatch of troops is not to rescue Mobei, and the first priority is not to subdue the tribes in Mobei. This is not a temporary achievement."

"did you mean?"

"In the mind of the last general, there is only one purpose for the imperial court to send troops, and that is to completely wipe out the remnants of the Man Qing, and prevent them from running around and threatening the frontier."

Wu Sangui's face was full of determination: "I heard that the Manchu Qing seems to have built a city near Lake Baikal. This is a sign of rooting and cannot be ignored."

"For this reason, the imperial court should reward the three armies, raid the city, capture its soldiers and horses, and bring the power to destroy the city. Who in Mobei will not accept it?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yixi was silent.

It was well said before, but why is it so radical later?

The fact that the Qing Dynasty was able to build a city meant that there were at least tens of thousands of people stationed there. How to break through in an open grassland?
"I see, you go down!"

Touching his forehead and sighing, the emperor waved his hand.

Afterwards, he asked someone to invite Zhao Shu.

Everyone else was summoned, but Xiaoshu used the word "please", which shows that the emperor attaches great importance to and respects him.

Three choices were placed in front of the latter.

Zhao Shu's sensitivity to the military is beyond doubt.

He was born in Sun Chuanting's staff, and he was also a fellow villager. He knew everything about the important affairs of the army and the dealings in the imperial court and official circles.

Sun Chuanting's military planning also mostly refers to him.

Then Sun Chuanting finally failed, but the Daming Building was about to fall, and Li Zicheng was in full swing, so he couldn't beat him no matter what.

It's like a Chuangjun who was defeated from Beijing and retreated to Xi'an. His momentum plummeted, his heart was lacking, his foundation was unstable, and he would not be tough. Losing to Manqing and Zhu Yixi was like playing.

Although it was incorporated into the Anti-Qing Dynasty in history, it basically relied on Li Dingguo in the later period.

Far away.

Although Zhao Shu's ability to lead troops to fight is not good, he still has a strategic vision.

He heard the three plans, pondered for a while, and then said: "In my opinion, Chen Yongfu's plan is the most appropriate, but it may be a bit conservative."

"While it's good to wait for a good opportunity, sometimes you'll miss the opportunity if you wait."

"That's right!" Zhu Yixi nodded in agreement.

"I would like to let the [-] Beijing camp be stationed in Hongli Temple and the Fourth Prince's Department to sit and watch."

Both Hongli Temple and the Fourth Prince's Ministry are located a hundred miles north of Guihua City. They are stationed in these two places, which can not only be supplemented by Guihua's food and grass, but also avoid arousing the fear of the two departments.

After all, theoretically, this place still belongs to the jurisdiction of Suiyuan Province.

"How about cavalry and infantry?"

"Thirty thousand cavalry, twenty thousand musketeers."

The emperor thought for a while before deciding.

He originally wanted to take down [-] cavalry directly, but the logistical pressure would be enough to crush Suiyuan.

One horse is worth five soldiers, and 30 cavalry conservatives need [-] horses. Good guy, this is the food intake of [-] people.

In fact, there is forage supplementation on the grassland, but the difficulty is predictable.

"In this case, the imperial court will mobilize at least [-] civilians to transfer food and grass."

"Spring plowing is just around the corner, and it would be a bad thing if the peasants come out at this time..." Zhao Shu advised gently.

"I understand." The emperor nodded and said, "But the situation is like this, and it concerns the safety of the frontier for decades, or even hundreds of years, so the imperial court has no choice but to move."

"That's the case, why doesn't Your Majesty waive this year's summer tax for civilian husbands?" It seems that the older Zhao Shu is, the more he will cherish the power of the people.

Zhu Yixi glanced at him, but was a little surprised.

Think back in the past, Zhao Shu immediately agreed, how can there be such a mother-in-law today?

However, Zhu Yixi directly rejected the proposal of tax exemption.

In today's bureaucratic system, tax exemption will definitely give the local government an opportunity to take advantage of.

At that time, the tax-exempt people will become other people, while the corvee men will serve solidly. There are many such things.

The emperor pondered and said: "According to the principle, spring plowing is not suitable for mobilizing troops, but all the people who serve in corvee can get two silver coins every month as a reward."

"As for civilian husbands who serve in corvee, they are not allowed to be recruited from the family of only sons or only men."

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhao Shu cupped his hands and bowed, and then suggested: "Then, why don't Your Majesty just give each person five silver dollars as a settling allowance, so as to save these people from worrying about spring farming?"

"Forget it, Mr. has the common people in mind, the blessing of Ming Dynasty and the blessing of the world."

Zhu Yixi waved his hand and agreed with a smile.

Soon, the mobilized civilian husbands were confined to the vicinity of Hebei and Gyeonggi. Although there was a lot of complaints, the distribution of resettlement allowances reassured many people.

Five silver dollars, even if the fields are barren, it’s okay.

And with the decision to send troops, Taipu Temple became busy in an instant.

In the previous dynasties, Taipusi Qing, as one of the nine ministers, was very famous. In the Ming Dynasty, Taipusi was placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War and was responsible for horse affairs.

The first racecourse of the Ming Dynasty in history was in Chuzhou.

But now with the capture of the Monan region, Daming has a lot of racecourses.

Taipu Siqing came in a hurry and reported to the emperor: "Since Your Majesty recovered Beijing, the Ministry of War has set up horse farms in Miyun area, and then set up horse farms in Chahar, Suiyuan, Hetao, Liaodong, Hexi, Datong, Jilin and other nine places. , to establish nine racecourses."

"Among them, the largest horse farms are located in Chahar and Suiyuan. Due to the large number of Mongolian people, they are good at raising horses, supplemented by veterinary prescriptions, and the stock of war horses has greatly increased."

"Don't tell me those fake things, just tell me how much you keep!"

Zhu Yixi was too lazy to listen to the data.

Taipu Siqing could only say tremblingly: "There are nearly 30 horses in stock, including [-] war horses and about [-] crossbow horses..."

"Why are there so few war horses?"

"Your Majesty, war horses are rare and have to be trained. If they are on the grasslands, they are basically one in a hundred. We have trained for many years to have such a stock..."

The emperor was silent.

Horses that can be ridden and war horses used in combat are fundamentally two different things, just like the difference between military drones and civilian drones.

Not to mention the requirements of war horses, at least they must be trained so that they are not afraid of the sound of guns. The energy consumed by this is enough to make people daunted.

"By the way, where are the camels? Where's my camel army!"

Suddenly, the emperor jumped up, and he suddenly thought that he had introduced camels from Suiyuan and Gansu a few years ago and carried out some reproduction.

Compared with the gold and preciousness of war horses, although camels eat more, they can't stand up enough and are easy to serve. Isn't this the right time to use them?

The Minister of Taipusi was startled, and hurriedly bowed down: "Your Majesty, Camel, Camel gave birth to a pair of white camels this year. This is a great auspicious sign. I just want to say something to you..."

"Don't give me a sloppy eye, how many camels are there?"

the emperor pressed.

"I don't dare to be negligent. The number of camels is really small. So far, there are only about [-] camels..."