Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 107 Going to Datong

On the eighth day of June in the 40th year of Jiajing, Tatar invaded Datong.The city of Datong was broken that day.Datong Governor Zhao Jianzhi was martyred.Li Hu, the commander-in-chief of the Datong Guard, was seriously injured.More than [-] of the [-] guards died in battle.On June [-]th, the Tatars plundered Datong City and retreated.

The news spread to the capital, shaking the government and the public!
In the Yongshou Palace, Emperor Jiajing let out a roar in the green gauze tent: "Li Hu, the chief soldier of the Datong Guard, misled the country! Are the guards, guerrillas, generals, deputy chief soldiers, and chief soldiers of the Datong Guard a bunch of idiots? I gave them 8 Thousands of people defended Datong, and within a day, the Tatars broke through the city! More than 8 people were wiped out by the Tatars' 5 horses!"

Zhang Juzheng, Minister of the Ministry of War, knelt down and kowtowed: "My Majesty, I am the official of the Ministry of War. I am also responsible for the destruction of Datong City."

Zhang Juzheng rushed to admit his mistake at first, and then changed the subject: "However, as an official of the Ministry of War, I claim to be a master of military strategy. The battle of Datong Guards was a bit strange. 7 people were stationed in Datong City, and 1 people were scattered on the two wings. Defend Datong, no matter how you fight, it is impossible to lose Datong City in one day!"

There was something in Zhang Juzheng's words - he obviously suspected that there was something tricky between the Datong Guards and the Tatars.

Li Hu, the commander-in-chief of the Datong Guard, is Yan Song's godson.Yan Song must stand up and defend Li Hu at this moment.But Yan Song is an old fox.He didn't say good things for Li Hu, but changed the subject: "Actually, our Da Ming didn't lose completely in the battle of Datong Wei. The Zuoge Third Battalion under the rule of Datong Wei set up an ambush in Jiming Valley , beheaded more than two thousand Tatars!"

Emperor Jiajing in the green gauze tent said angrily: "A small victory in a big defeat is not worth mentioning! The law of the Ming Dynasty! The generals in the army who lose their land in battle, kill! General Li Hu..."

Yan Song knelt down and said: "Report to the emperor. Li Hu suffered eight stab wounds in order to fight against the Tatars! If Li Hu is beheaded, it will chill the hearts of the soldiers who guard the border town for the imperial court!"

Lu Bing, who was standing aside, laughed inwardly: Mr. Yan Ge's words can also fool the emperor.With eight stab wounds but survived?Are all Tatar sabers made of paper?Or, the Tatars were too lazy to move the saber up a few inches and chop it on Li Hu's head?
There was silence in the green gauze tent.

After a while, Emperor Jiajing said again: "Then spare Li Hu's life. Death is inevitable, but life is inevitable. Dismiss him and put him in imperial prison. In addition, search his mansion in Datong City!"

Many officials were puzzled.Didn't it mean that Datong City has been ransacked?So what else is there to copy about Li Hu's mansion in Datong?

Emperor Jiajing continued: "In addition, the Tatars have retreated. The Ministry of War will mobilize the guards of Beizhili, Shandong, and Xuanfu to strengthen the defense of Datong. Alas, unfortunately, the Japanese invasion in the southeast has not yet been calmed down. Qi Jiguang wants to guard Zhejiang! If Qi Jiguang To be the commander in chief of Datong, why did this battle end like this?"

Minister of the Ministry of War Zhang Juzheng kowtowed and said: "I obey the order."

Emperor Jiajing said again: "Okay, let's go! Lu Bing, you stay!"

After the ministers left, only Emperor Jiajing and Lu Bing remained in the hall.

Emperor Jiajing asked Lu Bing: "What do you think about the battle of Datong?"

Lu Bing replied: "My Majesty, in fact, just now, Zhang Shangshu of the Ministry of War has expressed the doubts in my heart on behalf of my ministers. This battle is very strange! There are [-] strong and strong men stationed in Datong City, isn't it? Seventy thousand women and children waiting to be slaughtered! If the battle lasts for ten and a half months and the city is destroyed—it is called victory or defeat, which is a common event in military affairs. But the city is destroyed and the army is defeated in just one day? There must be something hidden in it.”

Emperor Jiajing said: "Yes. I have issued an order just now to search Li Hu's mansion in Datong City. I see this matter and leave it to He Liu to do it. He has always been effective in his work. He is responsible for Ding Wang's case, The handling of the Jiangnan private salt case is very sophisticated. You tell him for me that his visit to search Li Hu's mansion is just a cover! He wants to find out the truth about the defeat of Datong Wei for me!"

Lu Bing kowtowed and said, "I obey the order!"

Emperor Jiajing said again: "The main army was defeated, but Zuoge's third battalion fought well. Let the Tatars know that there is a price to pay for invading our Ming land. All the soldiers of Zuoge's third battalion must work hard Confer the reward! The matter of passing the decree to confer the reward is also handed over to He Liu!"

. . . . . . .

Jinyiwei North Town Fusi.

Lu Bing found He Liu and gave him the errand.

He Liudao: "Commander, this subordinate requests Lao Hu to go to Datong with me."

Lu Bing nodded: "You and Lao Hu have always been inseparable. Let him go with you on this errand."

He Liu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you Commander. If there is nothing else, the subordinates will go to prepare first."

Lu Bing called He Liu to stop: "Wait a minute. Li Hu is the godson of Mr. Yan Ge. If there is indeed a secret behind the defeat of Datong, and Mr. Yan Ge is involved...you know what to do."

He Liu replied: "Understood! Li Hu is Li Hu, Mr. Yan Ge is Mr. Yan Ge. This subordinate has his own sense of propriety!"

When He Liu returned to the guard room, Lao Hu was drinking Xiliang wine.Since the last time I met Pirate Saint in Yangzhou and had a drink of wine, Lao Hu has fallen in love with this exotic wine.

Bai Xiaoyan knows how to be a human being, and she doesn't lack money.She made a special trip to send someone from the south of the Yangtze River to bring dozens of jars of Xiliang wine to Lao Hu.

"In broad daylight, drink in the duty room. If Liu Zhenfu sees it, he will scold you again!" He Liu complained.

Old Hu smiled: "As an apprentice, Liu Da, how often do you teach me as a guide? Who made him occupy a high position now? I have long been used to it. By the way, my niece and daughter-in-law, yes I am really filial! These dozens of large jars of wine are transported from the south of the Yangtze River to Beijing, and the cost of the journey is not thousands of taels of silver?"

He Liudao: "My Mrs. Xuxian is quite resourceful. She subdued that girl Xiangxiang with delicacies, and subdued you, Hu, with fine wine."

Old Hu said: "Oh, I am always an elderly person. I have seen more people than the hairs on your head! I have eaten more shit than you have eaten rice! I see my nephew and daughter-in-law Er Bai Xiaoyan, she is a courageous, knowledgeable and intelligent woman! You are lucky to have such a good wife!"

He Liu nodded: "You are right. She has only been in Beijing for one month, and she worshiped the wife of Zhao Dudu, the former military governor's mansion, as her godmother; Tian also fights with Commander Lu's wife all day long..."

Old Hu said: "She is looking for foreign aid for your sixth son! Now you are the godson-in-law of Zhao Dudu, the god-in-law of Zhu Guogong, and the husband of Commander Lu's wife Ma Diaozi... When will you If something really happened, these people still have to try their best to protect you? Even if nothing happened to you, it would not be a bad thing to have more marriages in the court."

He Liudao: "Let's get down to business. The emperor sent us another job. Let's go to Shanxi..."

(End of this chapter)