prosperous age

Chapter 1097 Rejection

"I've read the Yunnan battle reports you sent me these days. The Burmese army is strong this time. Do you think Li Chengliang needs to send more reinforcements?"

When it comes to serious matters, Zhang Juzheng starts talking.

He has been unable to sleep at night these days. He is the Prime Minister and the head of the empire, so he naturally cares about military affairs. Even though the cabinet has assigned the Ministry of War to Wei Guangde, it does not mean that he has no responsibility at all.

Wei Guangde heard his words and laughed, "Brother Uncle, although the Burmese army is powerful, what kind of people are they? Perhaps they are similar to the inland garrisons. The so-called soldiers are just farmers who have just put down their hoes.

"Three hundred thousand peasants and more than one hundred thousand soldiers are fighting. As long as Li Chengliang is not stupid, he will not be defeated."

“But I heard that there are hundreds of elephants in the Burmese army. The chieftains in the southwest have long raised elephants for use in battle. The threat posed by elephant soldiers is still very great, especially on the battlefield.

Moreover, Yunnan is mountainous and has a complex terrain. Recently, the governor of Yunnan reported that many chieftains on the border were colluding with the enemy, which has caused our army to be in a passive position. The army can only rely on the city to defend, but cannot take the initiative to attack. "

Zhang Juzheng said.

After hearing this, Wei Guangde understood a little. It should be that the Governor of Yunnan reported some things in Yunnan, but he was mainly trying to pass the buck and put the responsibility of causing the war on those so-called "disloyal" chieftains in order to reduce his own responsibility.

These memorials were only made for show, or to fool the uninformed officials in the court and make them less dissatisfied with the Yunnan government.

However, when Zhang Juzheng saw the memorial, he probably thought too much about it.

“There are many ways to deal with elephant soldiers. Attacking with fire is the best way, as animals are afraid of fire.

As for how Li Chengliang will deal with the elephant soldiers, I think he will still rely on the Ming Dynasty's superior firearms.

The elephant's skin is tough, so it is indeed hard to be stabbed by guns or cut by knives. But if it were to be bombarded by Portuguese cannons, I think the elephant would not be able to withstand it.

Even if it doesn't hurt it, it will be painful and frightened.

Therefore, I don’t really care about the elephant soldiers. If Li Chengliang doesn’t even have this ability, there is no need for him to continue to be the commander-in-chief.

As for the terrain you mentioned, it is true that the terrain in the southwest is complex, but I still say the same thing. Since the war has been handed over to Li Chengliang, let him fight first.

Even if our army fails, don't we still have Yu Dayou in the south?"

Wei Guangde said this with a smile, which completely expressed that he was not worried at all.

In fact, Wei Guangde was more worried about the war in Burma than Zhang Juzheng.

Although the Chinese army has always won more battles than lost against Myanmar in history, that was mostly an advantage at the tactical level. At the strategic level, due to the terrain, they would return to the capital as soon as they had the advantage and the enemy surrendered, and would not be willing to stay for a moment.

This also fully illustrates the nature of war. It seems that the army is afraid of the high mountains and steep cliffs in northern Myanmar in a protracted battle.

This battle is really difficult to fight.

However, although the terrain of the Northeast is not as complex as that of the Southwest, it has both mountains and plains, and the terrain is also very complex.

Since Li Chengliang was able to win ten consecutive victories in Liaodong, it seems that he is quite good at leading troops in battle.

The last mention of Yu Dayou was also to reassure Zhang Juzheng. Even if the situation on the front battlefield was not good, as long as Yu Dayou in the south won the battle, it would distract Mang Yinglong's attention and he would definitely have to send troops to rescue him.

You can also take a break from Li Chengliang's call a few times.

Wei Guangde didn't know that Li Chengliang had changed his tactics. Not only did he not give up his original plan, he also planned to launch it ahead of time.

In Wei Guangde's opinion, as long as he waited for the battle report from the south to reach Mang Yinglong's ears, the Burmese army would be distracted and he could just push forward from the front.

Mang Yinglong's ruling center was actually in the central and southern part of Myanmar, where the terrain is flat and is the main habitat of the Burmese people and his foundation.

  Knowing where the Ming army had reached, if he did not send reinforcements immediately, the foundation of his rule in Myanmar might be unstable. What could he use to fight the Ming?

In war, it is better to fight head-on, which is more stable.

Sending out surprise attacks is a last resort when there is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and us.

At least, if Wei Guangde were in Li Chengliang's position, he would never raid the Burmese army again. He would just hold the enemy head-on and prevent them from returning for reinforcements, then chase them all the way. As long as they crossed the mountainous area in northern Myanmar, the battle would be won.

Little did he know that in order to ensure the success of the later wars, Li Chengliang's final bet was to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Burmese army in northern Myanmar, use the news of the war in southern Myanmar to disrupt the enemy's morale, and take advantage of the demoralization to inflict heavy damage on the enemy.

He forgot that the task he assigned to Li Chengliang was to occupy Burma, not to defeat the Burmese army.

It was destined that this battle would be a gamble in his official career. If he won, he would be promoted to a higher position; if he lost, he would be dismissed from his post.

The Ming army soldiers were nothing more than dispensable pawns in his hands. It didn't matter if he discarded them. The garrisons could continue to recruit new soldiers from the military households anyway. They were just a group of consumables.

Zhang Juzheng also thought of this. Pulling Mang Yinglong between the north and the south would make him lose sight of the big picture. Indeed, the probability of losing this battle was not high. It just depended on whether Wei Guangde's plan could be realized in the end.

Wei Guangde certainly benefited a lot from the victory, but he, as the prime minister, was the biggest beneficiary.

"Well, since the good loan has been successful, let's put the matter of Burma aside for now and wait for the good news from the southwest.

But right now, there is something I need to discuss with Shandai."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard, his expression changed from worry to joy, and said.

"Brother, please feel free to speak."

Wei Guangde picked up the teacup on the coffee table and took a sip.

I talked too much just now and now I feel a little dry in the mouth. I don’t know if it’s because I drank too much and ate too much irritating food these days.

"It's about the matter we discussed before, about opening a horse market in Datong."

Zhang Juzheng waited for Wei Guangde to put down his teacup before speaking slowly.

"Oh, but Governor Huo has already drawn up the rules and selected the fortress where the market will be opened?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Guangde lowered his eyes to the ground and asked casually.

"Yao Feng had previously reported that he had already finalized the rules for the horse market based on past events and tribute markets. However, when he was discussing the location of the horse market with General Ma, he encountered many difficulties and could not find a suitable location."

In Datong, since Huo Yi had been persuaded by the Shanxi merchants and had obtained Zhang Juzheng's tacit approval, he naturally began to push for the reopening of the horse market with all his strength.

However, Ma Fang created a lot of obstacles for him in the most important link.

If we fail to determine a border fort for opening the port, the horse market will naturally not be able to continue and will have to be abandoned halfway.

Huo Yi is not stupid. Although Zhang Juzheng has a huge say in the cabinet, the influence of the second assistant Wei Guangde is also considerable.

In particular, the opening of the market seemed to be under the jurisdiction of the Civil Affairs Department, but in fact it was led by the Ministry of War.

Ma Fang's attitude towards the site selection gradually became clear. He made excuses and tried every means to prevent Ma Shi from choosing a site.

At this point, Huo Yi naturally realized that the Ministry of War, or Wei Guangde, did not seem to support this matter.

The imperial court sets the policy, but the specific implementation rules still need to be determined by the local authorities and then reported to the higher authorities for approval before they can be implemented.

But now, the horse market is stuck at the last link.

With the power of governor, Huo Yi could naturally forcibly decide on the border fort for opening the market, but Ma Fang would not give in and said he would report the shortcomings of the site selection. If anything went wrong, the Datong military would not be willing to take responsibility, which made Huo Yi a little hesitant.

Things in the North have always been sensitive.

Even if the Mongols are truly determined to submit and not do anything tricky, the grassland is an environment where the strong prey on the weak. If the people at the top are not tempted, the small tribes below may not be tempted.

If a small tribe causes trouble in Ma City at that time, and Ma Fang, the general, reacts a little slowly, it will lead to a disaster.

It was obviously not worth taking such a big risk for such a small benefit. Besides, it was no longer a secret in the Ministry of War that Tan Lun intended to retire.

Although Huo Yi was the governor-general of Xuanda, he still held the title of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and was one of the strong contenders for this position.

Huo Yi could find out more or less about the attitude of the Ministry of War, and from this he guessed that the person who really gave Ma Fang the hint might be someone in the cabinet.

If I want to compete for that position, I have to get this person's nod.

Therefore, he naturally chose to leak the news and let the Shanxi merchants take action themselves. He also passed the news to Zhang Juzheng.

After all, he has the one standing behind him, so who else can he turn to if not the boss to solve the problem at this time.

"During the previous discussion, Shandai did not explicitly support it, but it did not oppose it either. I just don't know what its attitude is now?"

Zhang Juzheng started to ask.

In the cabinet, as long as the two of them can reach a consensus, Lu Diaoyang’s attitude is really not important.

Even if the vote is two to one, the result is a sure win.

Therefore, when the two of them encountered issues involving the distribution of their own interests, they would often leave Lu Diaoyang alone to discuss the matter.

Just leave some soup for people, so as to avoid any rumors that will damage their reputation spreading outside.

Lu Diaoyang was also sensible. After all, he was a cabinet minister who had finally come out of Guangxi, and he didn't want to be driven out of office.

In terms of relationships, no matter whether they were his teacher or his fellow townsman, he was completely defeated by Zhang Juzheng of Huguang and Wei Guangde of Jiangxi.

If he was an official from Nanzhili or Zhejiang, he might still have a chance.

Unfortunately he is not.

"This is about it."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly, finally knowing why Zhang Juzheng was looking for him.

My previous concerns about the war in the southwest were just talk. The matter between Huo Yi and the Shanxi merchants will probably be the main topic of my meeting with him today.

"Datong Horse Market, it is better to be cautious and not act rashly."

Wei Guangde spoke up, expressing his attitude, which was still ambiguous. He did not explicitly oppose it, but he definitely did not support it either.

Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes when he heard this. He could understand what Wei Guangde meant, and he actually didn't support it.

This matter actually had little to do with him. He was just asked to do it. After seeing the benefits of Yuegang, he did not object and thought it was worth a try.

Of course, I discussed it with Wei Guangde and did ideological work, mainly because the person in the inner court was also very dissatisfied with this matter.

Yes, Feng Bao also opposed the opening of Datong market.

If the cabinet could not reach a consensus, it would be difficult for him to face the opposition from Wei Guangde and Feng Bao at the same time.

Feng Bao's opposition was actually mainly directed at the Ministry of Revenue. They wanted to steal the money from the inner court, and he couldn't stand this attitude.

So the Ministry of Revenue supported it, but he chose to oppose it this time.

Anyway, the offerings from Yuegang have increased so much, so the inner court will not be short of money in the short term.

Even though Zhang Juzheng talked to Feng Bao once, Feng Bao did not nod.

Perhaps, this time he also made up his mind to let the people in the outer court see who is the big and small king. Even if Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde nodded, without his Feng Bao's consent, the memorial could not be approved and could not be taken away.

"Brother Shuanglin has informed me of this matter, but I'm not in this situation because of him."

Wei Guangde said calmly.

Although there was a rift between him and Feng Bao, the two of them still had a good relationship on the surface and kept in touch in private.

The air that should be communicated is also transmitted to each other.

After all, we are all people who care about our own interests, not enemies, so we should cooperate when necessary.

Zhang Juzheng would not be unaware of these things.

"Now that Altan Khan has been conferred the title and paid tribute, my uncle knows how much advantage they have taken, and the people below have already complained about it.

The benefits they have gained so far are enough to meet their needs. If they open a horse market at this time, they don’t know whether the goods traded will become their reserves to prepare for other things.”

Wei Guangde could only consider it from a military perspective. If he gave too many supplies, would the Mongols relapse and start a war again?

Regardless of whether it is a tribute market or a horse market, they are required to take out grassland specialties for exchange, but looting does not cost anything.

"It shouldn't be that serious. If they have enough supplies, there's no need for them to risk their lives by starting another war."

Zhang Juzheng's answer this time was very straightforward. He directly responded to Wei Guangde's subtle hint, which was that there was still a risk of war between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia.

Wei Guangde actually knew in his heart that Zhang Juzheng's judgment was correct, but he would not nod in agreement at the moment.

He still remembered that until the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Tumed Mongols did not seem to have had a major war with the Ming Dynasty.

As for the Mongols who followed the Jurchens into the pass to plunder, they were actually the Tuman tribe from Liaodong.

Moreover, due to the hostility of the Tumed tribe towards the Jurchens, fierce fighting broke out between the two sides on the grassland.

Of course, the Mongols were defeated in the end. After all, Mongolia at this time was no longer the unified Mongolia of that time.

"If this is true, then what is the need for the governors of Xuanda and Shaanxi, as well as the battle formation?"

Wei Guangde said with a laugh.

"That's different, Shandai is joking."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Although we still have to be wary of Mongolia, if its ambitions grow, the court can cut off the horse market at any time."

"Doesn't that give reason for war?"

Wei Guangde continued with a smile, "Instead of doing this, it would be better not to open the horse market, so there would be no reason to start a war.

As for the Mongols, if the materials exchanged in the tribute market were really not enough for their use, they would also report to the court and request an increase in the trading volume. There is really no need to restore the horse market.

Moreover, if the horse market reopens, Shanxi merchants and Mongolians will have more contact, and it is inevitable that some people will secretly traffic in contraband again.

Even if the imperial court wanted to close the horse market, these merchants would still take risks and continue trafficking to the grassland for the sake of profit.

That was when the most troublesome thing happened. They were familiar with the horse market and all the borders, and had opened up the connections. "

Wei Guangde chose to tactfully remind Zhang Juzheng again that Shanxi merchants might engage in smuggling activities because of the horse market.

Ma Fang passed the message to Wei Guangde that Datong no longer had any channels to freely enter and exit the border and enter the grassland, so he could rest assured about the smuggling.

The horse market must not be opened, at least for the time being.