prosperous age

"Lady Chungshun attempted to blockade Bansheng City, but was met with a fierce battle by Chataiji's troops."

Mu Tianyu immediately answered, but was interrupted by Zheng Luo before he could finish.

"What did you say? They've started fighting?"

Not long after Hannaji died, the forces on the grasslands were already on the verge of conflict because of the legacy he left behind, and were even willing to use force.

Only then did Zheng Luo truly understand the cruelty of the infighting between tribes on the grasslands. You must know that Huang Taiji is still the Great Khan.

If even the Great Khan is like this, then what was the situation like when the grasslands were in chaos?
"Yes, Your Excellency, our spies sent to Bansheng City discovered activity outside the city and secretly investigated. They found that two groups of people had engaged in fierce fighting."

Based on the intelligence relayed from Guihua City, it can be basically confirmed that the two sides in the diplomatic battle at Bansheng City are Lady Zhongshun's troops on one side and Qia Taiji's troops under Huang Taiji on the other.

Mu Tianyu bowed and replied.

At this moment, Zheng Luo could no longer sit still. He got up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the room.

This is not a good sign. According to Mu Tianyu's report, San Niangzi and Huang Taiji were willing to clash over Bansheng City. It is clear that if the Ming army intervenes in Bansheng City as Wei Gelao requested, the consequences will likely be the worst possible outcome.

Cha Taiji's deployment of troops was not ordered by Huang Taiji.

However, due to the short notice, the Jinyiwei spies in Guihua City failed to detect this information.

They discovered that Lady Chungshun's guards and Chataiji, along with their men, had headed directly towards Bansheng City.

"Lord Zheng, Bansheng City will soon be ravaged by war. Should we take action?"

Because of the close relationship between Bahanagi and the Ming Dynasty, they took good care of him.

Now that Hannaji is dead, it would be unpleasant if his wife and children were bullied by the forces of the grasslands.

Zheng Luo stopped in his tracks, finally making up his mind.

Grand Secretary Wei's suggestion is that it must be done.

As for the consequences, even in the worst-case scenario, there seems to be nothing that can be imagined; one can only face it calmly.

Zheng Luo called out to the door, "Someone come here."

A servant entered and bowed before him to receive his orders.

"Go and fetch General Ma and General Ma immediately. I have orders to give."

After Zheng Luo finished speaking, he waved his hand to dismiss his attendants and call for help. He then returned to his desk, took out some paper, laid it out, and began to quickly write down his orders.

Soon, he wrote two military orders with swift and skillful strokes.

However, he did not immediately send the order, but waited patiently for the Xuanfu commander to come and discuss the matter briefly before issuing the order.

Soon, Ma Gui, the general of Xuanfu, arrived first, and a while later, Ma Fang finally arrived late.

Ma Gui is now handling all the major military affairs in Xuanfu. Although Ma Fang has not yet stepped down, he has actually relinquished his power.

"This is a document from the Ministry of War. Please take a look, gentlemen."

Zheng Luo did not show the usual contempt and disdain that civil officials have for military generals. Instead, he handed the Ministry of War documents to Ma Fang as if he were a colleague.

Ma Fang's eyesight is not very good, and she looks somewhat strained.

Ma Gui waited on the side until Ma Fang finished reading the document and handed it over, then he reached out and took it without daring to urge her.

"Did the Governor summon us here regarding the deployment of troops to Bansheng City?"

Ma Fang then spoke up and asked Zheng Luo.

Ma Gui had already read half of the Ministry of War documents when he heard Ma Fang's words. He looked up at Zheng Luo in surprise, then continued to read the documents.

"The incident at Bansheng happened suddenly. This is Mu Tianyu, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He just delivered the news that yesterday, Lady Zhongshun sent guards to Bansheng City, and shortly after, Qiataiji also left Guihua City with his men."

This morning, a fierce battle broke out outside Bansheng City. Preliminary assessments indicate that the two sides were Lady Chungshun's guards and Chataiji's men.

Zheng Luo slowly explained the reason: these documents were not in the Ministry of War's records, but were just secretly reported by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Hearing this, Ma Fang turned her head to look at Mu Tianyu, nodded slightly as a greeting, and then asked, "Is the information from the Embroidered Uniform Guard accurate? Is it confirmed that Qia Taiji went there on Huang Taiji's orders?"

Ma Fang was the first to discover the key, but she wasn't entirely sure.

"This matter cannot be confirmed at present, but it is certain that Chataiji led troops to Bansheng."

Mu Tianyu dared not underestimate Ma Fang, as she was one of the earliest people from Xuanfu to join Wei Guangde's faction.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is well-informed. If Wei Guangde is promoted to Grand Secretary, it's best not to offend his subordinates if possible.

"The Ministry of War wants us to get involved in Bansheng's affairs because they are worried that Huang Taiji will take the opportunity to annex Bahannaji's power and prevent his influence from overshadowing Lady Chungshun."

Is there any news from the cabinet?

In an instant, Ma Fang changed the subject and looked at Zheng Luo, asking a question.

"The Grand Secretary has written a letter, urging us to stop this at all costs. The court may allow the Third Lady to annex Bansheng, but it will absolutely not allow Huang Taiji to succeed."

At this point, Zheng Luo paused slightly, then said proudly, "For this, I am willing to fight."

Upon hearing this, Ma Fang's expression remained unchanged, but Ma Gui and Mu Tianyu both looked over in shock, staring at Zheng Luo.

"Then let's send troops. Since the imperial court has already decided on the strategy, we should just do our best to carry it out."

Ma Fang remained calm as she spoke.

"General Ma, I hereby order General Ma to lead the two battalions of cavalry, chariots and infantry from Xuanfu northwards as soon as possible and reach Bansheng City."

At the same time, he would order the Datong garrison to send out a cavalry unit to the north to meet with General Ma at Bansheng.

The Datong military vehicle battalion and infantry battalion began to assemble, ready to support passes in various places at any time.

All fortresses in Xuanfu and Datong were placed on high alert, and the border walls were sealed off.

Xuanfu established two cavalry battalions, mainly composed of Ma Fang's cavalry, and later formed a chariot battalion and an infantry battalion, completely imitating the troop setup of Qi Jiguang.

It can only be said that Qi Jiguang's troops have demonstrated remarkable combat effectiveness against both the Liaodong Jurchens and Mongols, and have gradually been accepted by the border generals.

In the past two years, not only Jizhen and Xuanda, but also towns such as Ningxia have followed suit and established their own vehicle and horse camps.

However, there are still some disagreements regarding the infantry.

Zheng Luo commanded the Xuanda and Dazhen towns, and naturally both formed battalions. The only slight difference was that the wagon battalion was actually a combination of Qi Jiguang's wagon battalion and the supply battalion.

The wagon camp was not only equipped with sidecar wagons, but also carried a large number of supply wagons to transport food and ammunition.

However, the cavalry of Datong were not as good as those of Xuanfu. After all, Xuanfu was closer to the capital and had previously undertaken the task of rushing to the aid of the capital, so it was able to form two cavalry battalions.

This time, Xuanfu mobilized its entire force, and Datong also sent out its only cavalry battalion, demonstrating that they had deployed all their elite troops.

"With an army of 20,000 and the addition of the Third Lady's 10,000-strong household, we should be able to contend with Huang Taiji's royal court."

Ma Fang nodded slightly, making her own judgment.

"Ma Gui, obey my command."

Having gained Ma Fang's approval, Zheng Luo immediately stopped hesitating and shouted at Ma Gui.

"The end will be here."

Ma Gui stood up, walked to the desk, and bowed to receive the order.

Zheng Luo took out the official seal, stamped it on a warrant, and then handed it to Ma Gui, saying, "Immediately reorganize the new camp."

After a slight hesitation, he continued, "Send one battalion forward first to get to the vicinity of Bansheng City as soon as possible to monitor the surrounding area. The main force will depart no later than the morning of the day after tomorrow."

I will instruct the military commissioner and the governor's office to allocate sufficient provisions and supplies for you.

"Your subordinate obeys." Ma Gui took the warrant from Zheng Luo and answered loudly.

"Someone is coming."

With a loud shout from Zheng Luo, his attendant entered and quickly took another sealed warrant from his hand.

"Send it to Datong by express courier, and order General Wang to carry out the military order immediately."

Once the order is handed over to the attendant, a messenger from the headquarters will naturally be dispatched to Datong to deliver the message.

"Shepherd of a Thousand Households".

After everyone left, Zheng Luo looked at Mu Tianyu and said.

"The humble position is here."

Mu Tianyu hurriedly stood up and stood solemnly in front of the desk.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard belonged to the military garrisons, it was not actually under the control of military generals.

However, Mu Tianyu had received orders to fully cooperate with the Governor-General of Xuanda, which is why he stood up like a subordinate to receive the order.

"All intelligence on naturalized, board-promoted, and various forces on the grasslands, in addition to being sent to this governor, must be sent to General Ma's command immediately. Do you understand?"

"Your subordinate understands. All intelligence from the grasslands should be delivered to the Governor-General's headquarters and General Ma's office in a timely manner."

Mu Tianyu immediately accepted the order after Zheng Luo gave it.

"Have you reported the matter of Bansheng to the capital?"

Zheng Luo asked again.

"The messenger has already set off and should arrive in the capital by noon tomorrow at the earliest."

Mu Tianyu replied immediately.

"That's good, this matter cannot be delayed."

Zheng Luo also breathed a sigh of relief. At least when facing the most serious situation, he had the Jinyiwei's backing. Before the government troops received the news, the fighting on the grasslands had already started. It wasn't because Xuanda was slow to send troops.

Afterwards, Zheng Luo ordered someone to bring a map. Several people carefully examined the map and finally determined the route of advance.

The reason for this was, of course, to ensure that they could reach Bansheng City as quickly as possible, while also ensuring their safety and avoiding the surrounding grazing tribes.

Of course, the most important thing is to let Mu Tianyu know where to send the intelligence for the next few days.

Once the Ming army leaves the pass, they will certainly not report their subsequent movements to Xuanfu in a timely manner, and the route of their advance is the only place where Mu Tianyu's messenger can find the army.

Soon, the governor of Xuanfu and the deputy military commissioner also arrived.

After putting away the map, everyone else took their leave, and Zheng Luo began to arrange for the various government offices to prepare supplies.

The grain, gunpowder, and other supplies were inventoried overnight and distributed to the main camp.

Even if there are any shortages, supplies must be transferred from various towns and fortresses and temporarily allocated to the main camp.

The rest can be raised later.

Fortunately, although the borders have been peaceful in recent years, Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde have not neglected to supply materials to the border towns in various places, and the warehouses are full of various strategic materials.

Especially gunpowder, this stuff is actually a bit overkill.

As for the reason, it was naturally because Wei Guangde was worried about the safety of the large gunpowder depot in the city.

I simply can't believe it if something unexpected happens.

Therefore, Wei Guangde specifically sought out Feng Bao to transport a large amount of gunpowder to various towns.

Even so, the amount of gunpowder stored in the capital's gunpowder bureau was still enormous.

When Feng Bao questioned him, he was also taken aback.

No matter who it is, it's impossible not to feel terrified knowing that there's such a powder keg in the capital.

Therefore, the construction of barbicans outside the capital to store gunpowder has become one of the most important tasks of the inner court in the past two years.

However, since the matter was being handled by the inner court, Wei Guangde couldn't urge the matter to be done.

I've only heard that the Imperial Horse Stables are still arguing over the selection process.

The location of this barbican could not be too far from the capital. It would serve as a rotating garrison for the four guards, and once completed, it would become a place completely under the control of the inner court.

The Ming emperor's personal guards were originally the Twenty-Six Upper Guards, but they have now been reorganized into the Four Dragon Guards, responsible for escorting the emperor during his travels and visiting the palace. In addition, there is an Imperial Guard in the inner palace, composed of strong eunuchs, responsible for guarding the palace.

The twenty-six guards of the Upper Guard were mostly incorporated into the Military Affairs Bureau, undertaking the task of guarding the various gates of the capital and becoming the main force in the defense of the capital.

As for the Beijing Garrison, it was actually the outer defense force of the capital. Although Wei Guangde intended to reorganize it in the past two years, it was mostly the private domain of nobles. Reorganization would inevitably reduce a large number of official positions, thus affecting the resettlement of the sons of nobles.

Ultimately, in addition to the reinforcement of the Three Thousand Battalion and the Divine Machine Battalion, the Five Armies Battalion selected its best and strongest men to form an infantry battalion and a chariot battalion as its main fighting force.

In reality, the Three Thousand Camps was only the size of a cavalry camp. The main problem was that the Imperial Horse Administration was too domineering and seized most of the warhorses for the Tengxiang Left and Right Guards, which thwarted Wei Guangde's plan to expand the Three Thousand Camps.

Don't think that cabinet ministers like this have any authority, since they are actually suppressed by eunuchs.

In fact, even when Zhang Juzheng was in good health, he could only try his best to satisfy the demands of the inner court, and at most argue about minor details.

The things the eunuchs fought over were all tacitly approved by the palace, and they were also the basis for them to judge whether the court officials were obedient.

To put it bluntly, it was a test to see if Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde were truly loyal.

In such a situation, even if it's slightly unreasonable, you have to accept it reluctantly.

Unless they no longer want this official position or to continue enjoying wealth and luxury.

The saying "when people leave, the tea cools" was actually perfectly exemplified long ago.

Zhang Juzheng was unwilling to give up his position as Grand Secretary, and Wei Guangde naturally did not want to either.

As for the idea that a rebellion was necessary at this time, well, the Ming Dynasty during the Wanli era was actually at the peak of its national power, not at all the decline that many later generations believed it to be.

Official corruption is rampant, but the domestic economy is booming and the data looks very good.

The decline of the Ming Dynasty actually began in the later years of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

However, his death meant that subsequent emperors basically did not receive a formal royal education. In particular, the Tianqi Emperor ascended the throne at a young age, and in the first two years, the situation in Liaodong, Ming Dynasty, completely collapsed, foreshadowing the downfall of the Chongzhen era.

After seeing everyone off, Zheng Luo still couldn't rest. He wrote a memorial to the capital that very night, presenting all his arrangements for the night.

This was also his own calculation: if the situation on the grasslands really got out of control, at least he hadn't delayed the battle and had done everything according to the instructions of the Ministry of War.

If there was a mistake, it was due to the mismanagement of the imperial court and the Ministry of War.

Zheng Luoke will not take the blame for Wei Guangde, especially after something serious happened.

The people gathered around Wei Guangde, cheering him on, all for the sake of promotion and wealth, not to protect him from harm.

In fact, both Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde knew these things, but neither of them cared.

Even the later Donglin Party was essentially the same.

Everyone gathers together loosely, scrambling for good things and shifting blame when things don't go well.

The so-called gentlemen of Donglin were nothing more than people they pushed out to shield themselves from disaster.

Wei Zhongxian focused his attention on these few gentlemen, while his other cronies could continue dancing and partying.

Of course, before Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde left the court, they were still willing to follow orders and do things.

And this is exactly what the imperial court needs. (End of Chapter)