Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"This is an urgent military matter; send it to the Cabinet Office immediately!"

Lu Chen picked up a vermilion pen, wrote the character "可" on the draft, and then handed it directly to the eunuch standing to the side.

The Mongols have launched a massive invasion!

Moreover, it was indeed Jinang himself who led the army to attack Baiquankou, and Anda who led the army to attack Ningwuguan.

The timing of the invasion was almost identical to the intelligence sent by the commander of the Imperial Guard in Taiyuan.

According to Ouyang Hong, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the secret letter was found by Zhang Yin's men next to the body of the "Mongol spy" along with Xue Ting's waist tag.

The information inside was actually true?!

That "Mongol spy" must be Xue Ting himself. He only escaped Taiyuan City after sneaking into Zhang Yin's residence at night.

If he really had this letter on him at the time, the only possibility is that he obtained it from the Taiyuan Left Guard Commander's Office!

Xue Ting's body was found by Zhang Yin's men. Zhang Yin was fully capable of covering up the matter, so how could he possibly hand this letter over to Ouyang Hong?

He's colluding with the time traveler and is plotting a rebellion!

No one would do something so stupid unless they've lost their mind!

If that's the case, why would Zhang Yin do this?

Yes, as long as Ouyang Hong is not one of their accomplices, the fact that someone had used the waist token of a Jinyiwei commander in Taiyuan City cannot be kept secret.

Zhang Yin personally led his troops to pursue and kill Xue Ting, and there were too many eyewitnesses; he was inextricably linked to the incident.

Unless they rebel immediately, they must give the court an explanation.

Xue Ting's sudden nighttime raid on his residence was beyond Zhang Yin's and the time traveler behind him's expectations. If they were to hastily start an uprising at this time, it could disrupt their original plans.

Therefore, only a sufficiently substantial piece of intelligence can confirm Xue Ting's identity as a "Mongol spy".

This intelligence about the invasion by the right-wing Mongols couldn't be more perfect!

Moreover, the intelligence must be true; at the very least, the scale of Jinang and Anda's troop deployment, the approximate timing, and the initial direction of the attack must be accurate.

In this way, as long as the imperial court receives the urgent dispatches from the border, it can prove that the secret letter Zhang Yin found from the "Mongol spy" is genuine.

Since he was a "Mongol spy" posing as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhang Yin's decision to lead his troops to capture him was undoubtedly meritorious.

snort!

This person planned everything meticulously, but still overlooked one thing!

During the pursuit, Zhang Yin did not see Xue Ting with any companions and assumed that he was alone.

Acting alone is indeed in line with the behavior of a master.

Xue Ting fell off a cliff and died. He wasn't captured alive. Zhang Yin had no idea that Tang Zhe and the others knew what he was going to do that night.

He could never have imagined that Xue Ting was sent by himself, the Prince Regent!

This guy probably thought that as long as the military intelligence about the invasion of the Right Wing Mongols reached the capital, and he could verify it through the secret letter sent back to the Northern Garrison by Ouyang Hong, he could extricate himself from this matter.

As for why Xue Ting's waist token fell into the hands of "Mongolian spies," after a major battle involving 100,000 people, all clues would be cut off, and there would be no way to investigate.

But how could Zhang Yin possibly have accurate intelligence about Ji Nang and Anda's invasion?

Could it be?!

The one who truly colluded with Ji Nang was Zhang Yin and the time traveler behind him!

Lu Chen quickly picked up the secret letter he had found next to the "Mongolian spy's" corpse.

Lu Chen had already carefully read the memorial from the Ministry of War. This time, the Right Wing Mongols mobilized 100,000 troops, and Baiquankou and Ningwu Pass were simply not defensible.

The Ministry of War's response was simply to have the garrison at both locations hold out for as long as possible, buying time for a large army to be mobilized from the rear.

The strategic objective was to control the fighting area in northern Shanxi and drive Jinang and Anda out of the Great Wall.

Lu Chen had never had the opportunity to come into contact with the border troops and knew nothing about the border garrison generals in Shanxi.

Managing experts with an amateur's knowledge is a cardinal sin in military strategy!

Lu Chen naturally wouldn't hinder this large-scale battle involving 100,000 people, and directly approved it with "Approved" on the draft document.

The first part of the secret letter has been confirmed, but what about the second part?

Did Jinang really intend to capture Taiyuan City during this invasion?

According to the latter part of the secret letter, Jinang wanted Deng Huai, the deputy commander of the Taiyuan Vanguard, to act as an inside agent in the city, launch a mutiny, seize a city gate, and let the Mongol army into the city.

Deng Huai has already been captured by the commander of the Jinyiwei in Taiyuan, so it's impossible for him to be an inside agent. Moreover, he should just be an unlucky guy who was framed.

Could it be that Zhang Yin is actually the real inside man?

The fact that they were able to obtain accurate intelligence about the attack routes of Jinang and Anda in advance undoubtedly indicates that the two sides were colluding.

However, collusion does not equate to a willingness to help the Mongols capture Taiyuan!

Taiyuan, formerly known as Jinyang, was a vital town and the foundation of emperors!

Erzhu Rong and Gao Huan successively established their territories in Jinyang, which was also the birthplace of the Tang Dynasty. When Li Yuan raised an army against the Sui Dynasty, he was the governor of Taiyuan.

The Later Tang, Later Jin, and Later Han dynasties of the Five Dynasties period all established their dynasties here.

What would happen if the Mongols had captured Taiyuan?

The Mongols were better at field battles than city defenses, and both Jinang and Altan knew this very well; they could not hold Taiyuan!

Since that's the case, let's loot Taiyuan City clean!

Behind Zhang Yin is an ambitious transmigrator who has already built up a considerable force!

Since they established their base, "Black Cliff," in Pingding Prefecture, about 100 kilometers from Taiyuan, and had already controlled more than half of Taiyuan's military forces.

This man probably already considered Taiyuan to be his for the taking. As the first capital after his rebellion, how could he allow the Mongols to plunder it?!

A time traveler with ambitions to conquer the world would only exploit the Mongols and would never actually benefit them.

Lu Chen casually tossed the secret letter onto the table.

The battlefield situation changes rapidly, and it's not something that can be achieved simply by having a plan.

Even if Jinang and Anda's armies were to besiege the city, Zhang Yin and the time traveler behind him would never allow the Mongols to take Taiyuan.

With the invasion of the Right Wing Mongols this time, I have no need to worry about the fall of Taiyuan.

The real danger came after the Mongols withdrew from Shanxi!

Although Zhang Yin managed to get away with Xue Ting's death in this way, the fact that a top-level martial arts expert with the badge of a Jinyiwei commander appeared in Taiyuan City and even sneaked into Zhang Yin's residence at night had already alerted the enemy!

Zhang Yin and the time traveler behind him must have realized that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was likely already investigating them.

This secret letter is nothing but a delaying tactic!

Furthermore, with the Mongols launching a large-scale invasion, the imperial court was preoccupied and could buy at least a few months of time.

During this period, they should also be making intensive preparations for launching a rebellion!

Shanxi is surrounded by mountains on the outside and has river valleys on the inside, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It also has a rich basin inside, which can be self-sufficient and support troops and farmland.

It has been one of the most typical breeding grounds for separatism since ancient times.

After the Mongols retreated, the troops that had fought in various parts of Shanxi were exhausted and suffered heavy casualties, which was the perfect time for them to raise an army!

This mysterious time traveler has a base called "Blackwood Cliff" that can accommodate 10,000 people, and it is very likely that he has secretly manufactured and stockpiled a large number of advanced weapons.

With Zhang Yin, the commander of the Taiyuan Left Guard, acting as a major traitor, they could easily control Taiyuan City once they raised an army, and might even be able to do so without shedding a drop of blood!

Then, based in Taiyuan, they swept across the entire Shanxi province in a very short time.

By the time the imperial court reacts, it will probably be too late!