I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 374 Wang Chonggu's Response
The unusual movements of the Tumed tribe immediately attracted the attention of Wang Chonggu, the governor of Shanxi, Datong and Xuanfu.

He summoned Shanxi Governor Zhang Xueyan, Shanxi General Ma Fang, as well as Ma Lu/Ma Gui father and son, Niu Bingzhong and other generals to the Governor's Office to discuss matters.

"Everyone, Altan Khan has sent an envoy with a golden tablet to summon the taijis, zaisangs and nayans of the Tumed tribes to the king's tent for a discussion."

Wang Chonggu went straight to the point.

"I think Altan Khan has already learned about the latest situation of the Chahar tribe." Wang Chonggu turned to an aide and said, "Read the military intelligence report sent by the Supervisory Office to everyone."

After the staff read out the details of the Liaodong victory, everyone was shocked.

A few days ago, the imperial court only announced the great victory in Liaodong in a small circle, but did not disclose the details, because they did not want the news to spread to the north. Those Shanxi merchants who were happy to take military intelligence as gifts were killed, but the northern barbarians must have planted secret agents in the border areas, so they kept it secret for a while.

Zhang Xueyan stroked his beard and said, "Mr. Zili has made great achievements in Liaodong! He defeated Tumen Khan, annihilated his main force, plundered the king's tent of the Chahar tribe, and forced him to lead the remnants to flee north to Khalkha.

We have recovered thousands of miles of territory, a rare great victory since the founding of our dynasty."

Ma Fang stroked his graying beard and said, "Yuan Jing has gotten ahead again."

Ma Lu, who was also familiar with Qi Jiguang, nodded and said, "Ma Bo is right. Qi Bo has made such a great contribution and will definitely be granted a title of nobility. From now on, we should call him Marquis Qi.

Ma Bo, you have to try harder. "

Ma Fang shook his head: "I am old and can no longer fight. I am satisfied with being named an earl and having the title passed down from generation to generation. Malu and Bingzhong, you should work harder!"

Malu and Niu Bingzhong looked at each other with sharp eyes.

After Wang Chonggu and the others digested the military situation in Liaodong, they continued, "Altan Khan is a great hero in the south of the desert. He will definitely not sit idly by when he hears of Tumen Khan's defeat."

Zhang Xueyan agreed with Wang Chonggu's words very much, "Vice Governor Wang is right! Altan Khan must have seen that after the Ming Dynasty conquered the Chahar tribe, it threatened them from the flank, and from then on, the offensive and defensive positions changed.

He will certainly take measures to prevent the situation from developing further.

Altan Khan was also from the Borjigin clan, but he was a illegitimate descendant of Dayan Khan. He had always wanted to seize the title of the Great Khan of Mongolia from Tumen Khan, who was the eldest grandson of Dayan Khan and the legitimate descendant.

Now that Tumen Khan has been defeated and the Chahar tribe has been badly wounded, this is also a great opportunity for Altan Khan."

Ma Fang spoke on behalf of the generals and said, "Wang Du, today is different from the past. Altan Khan still wants to invade the border. We have 100,000 soldiers from three towns, and we will make sure he never returns!"

Wang Chonggu waved his hand, signaling his staff to open the curtain on the wall to reveal the map on it.

He stood up, walked to the map, held a thin wooden pole and said: "I have discussed with several staff members of the Governor's Office and believe that Altan Khan may have two measures to deal with it. The first is to support the Chahar tribe to the east, but we think it is unlikely.

Why?

First, Altan Khan only knew that Tumen Khan was defeated and his base was destroyed, but he didn't know the details of the battle. Would my victorious Liaodong army ambush him on the way to the east? I don't know. Now my Liaodong army, with the momentum of a great victory, is in high spirits. Altan Khan has a strong army and it will be difficult for him to win.

Besides, Tumen Khan and he were nominally relatives, but in reality they were enemies. Would Altan Khan be willing to give up his capital and take the risk to rush to the aid of the Chahar tribe and save Tumen Khan from the dire straits?

Impossible, Altan Khan is a great hero in the south of the desert, but he is not as talented and wise as this!"

Wang Chonggu tapped the map with his wooden stick.

"So if Altan Khan wanted to break the impasse, he would most likely head south, raid the border, and force the Ming Dynasty to transfer its main forces back from Liaodong, thus achieving the goal of besieging Wei to save Zhao.

I and the General Staff have discussed this issue repeatedly and feel that this possibility is very high. But where can we break through the border? Tumed has broken through the border in several places before, one of which is from Jizhou Town. Breaking through the border here has an advantage for Altan Khan, as it will immediately penetrate into the capital of the Ming Dynasty, shocking the whole country and will definitely dispatch troops to defend the king.

However, since our army conquered the Kharchin tribe and took control of the upper reaches of the Luan River, if Altan Khan wanted to break through the border from Jizhou, he had to break the iron wall formed by the three cities of the Luan River and more than a dozen fortress castles.

I don’t think Altan Khan is as stupid as Tumen Khan, who insisted on fighting for the city.”

Wang Chonggu turned his stick on the map and said, "Another way is to break through the border from Xuanfu. But even if we break through the border and enter Xuanfu, if we want to disturb the capital, we must pass through Juyongguan and other important passes, which are equally difficult to attack!
Another point is that if Altan Khan breaks through the border from Xuanfu, our Shanxi troops will go east, the Jingji troops will go west, and the Luanhe troops will attack from behind, Altan Khan may be trapped in the narrow area of ​​Xuanfu. At that time, he will not be able to exert his cavalry mobility, and will be attacked by our army step by step, with firearms in the vanguard. Even if the Tumed army is not completely annihilated, it will be seriously injured.

It is impossible for Altan Khan not to see this. He fought with us many times before the peace talks, and he must have been impressed by our improved firearms and chariot formations. "

Ma Fang chuckled, "It's impossible not to have a deep impression. His eldest son, Xin Ai, who was also a rebellious son, was defeated by firearms and chariots and eventually died."

Everyone followed suit and laughed softly.

Wang Chonggu smiled and waited for everyone to stop laughing, then pointed to the map and said, "Go west, and break through the border from Yulin, Jingbian, and Ningxia. The border there is long and the defense is weak, so it is indeed easy to break through.

But it's poor there, what's there to plunder? The biggest purpose of the northern barbarians in breaking through the border is to rob property and people. If they can't rob anything, Altan Khan's followers will complain. "After saying this, he tapped the Shanxi position on the map with his stick.

"The only place left is Datong! After we take down Datong Town, we can go straight to Shanxi. There is the second industrial center of the Ming Dynasty, and there are also a lot of wealth and goods that have been stored since the opening of the border trade. Plundering Shanxi can not only fill the horse bag, but also threaten the capital to the east and the Central Plains to the south. The Ming Dynasty must dispatch troops to encircle and suppress it, and then we can achieve the goal of surrounding Wei to save Zhao."

After Wang Chonggu finished his analysis, he put the stick on the shelf.

"Everyone, our mission is to focus on the defense of Shanxi Town. Malu, you and your son are familiar with Xuanfu, so the defense of Xuanfu is left to you. Although the possibility of the northern barbarians breaking through the border is small, we cannot take it lightly.

"Obey military orders!"

"Uncle Ma, you are a veteran. I leave the defense of Shanxi Town to you."

"Obey military orders!" Ma Fang responded happily.

"Niu Bingzhong!"

"The general is here!"

"You lead the three towns' mobile cavalry and are on standby at all times."

"Follow the order!"

After arranging the tasks, Ma Fang and others left, and Wang Chonggu left Zhang Xueyan behind.

"Brother Ziyu, the military preparations have been made, just in case. The message sent by the Supervisory Office to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince means that if Altan Khan wants to move, we must find a way to stop him!"

Zhang Xueyan's eyes flashed: "Wang Du, how can we prevent Altan Khan from moving?"

"Wang Boyu will arrive in Shanxi soon."

"Wang Boyu, Wang Daokun?"

"Yes, the prince promoted him to be the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, and he was in charge of the Intelligence Bureau."

Zhang Xueyan had heard of the Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau, and immediately asked back, "Did the prince send him to Shanxi to use a trick?"

"Yes, from the secret documents sent by the Supervisory Office, I guess that Wang Boyu made preparations and planted a stake when he went to Tumed last year to celebrate Altan Khan's birthday."

Zhang Xueyan nodded and agreed, "That makes sense. Xiyuan always looks ahead when doing things, and would never send Wang Boyu as a birthday envoy for no reason.

Our army's strategy for the nine frontiers is to attack the east and make peace with the west. To ensure that the attack on the east is safe, we must make sure that Altan Khan does not act rashly. In addition to external factors, there can also be internal factors for not acting rashly.

Wang Boyu must have gone on this mission last year for this very purpose."

Wang Chonggu stood in front of the map. "It would be a great thing for us to be able to suppress Altan Khan with a strategy. But as the secret order from the crown prince sent to the court said, we cannot put all our hopes on strategies. We must first prepare for a big fight and be able to win, so that we can be invincible!"

After saying this, he slapped his hand hard on the position of Altan Khan on the map.

Altan Khan also convened a meeting of important officials. After intense discussions, they finally reached a consensus. Under the pretext that the Ming Dynasty had invaded the brother Chahar tribe, they marched south to Datong Town to ask for an explanation.

Why is Datong Town instead of Jizhou or Shaanxi Town?
The situation is clear, and Altan Khan and his men are not fools. They know that there is a solid wall but they still want to hit it. Everyone knows that you should pick the softest persimmon.

Altan Khan began to make arrangements, "Beshar, Buyan, you lead 15,000 troops and horses, raise the banner of 30,000 troops and horses, bluff, and attack Xuanfu directly. Wander around Zhangjiakou and Longmen, waiting for an opportunity to act."

"Follow the order."

"The main force follows Ben Khan"

"Report!"

An attendant reported loudly outside the tent.

"What's up!"

"Khan, something big happened in Ordos!"

(End of this chapter)