"The capital and the capital are all plains, and the fine cavalry of the Eastern captives are running at great speed. If we wait until Sun Ge Lao takes office, I am afraid that the situation will be over."
Hou Xun's analysis was very detailed, but it also brought a huge blow to the hearts of the monarchs and ministers.
But he had something even more terrifying to say.
"In addition, Zhangjiawan in Tongzhou is a grain distribution center. If we don't rescue it as soon as possible, once it is captured by the Donglu, King Qin's army will lose all their grain supplies and will become enemies. When the situation reverses, our army will not be able to fight even if it wants to.
Fight."
In Zuo Menggen's ventilation to Hou Xun, he focused on Zhangjiawan in Tongzhou.
During the Jisi Incident, the Hou Jin Army was able to toss back and forth in the capital for several months. In addition to plundering enough supplies, the grain and grass in Zhangjiawan was the key.
Hou Xun did not mention this matter, and no one in the civil or military dynasties thought of it.
Chongzhen was so shocked that he almost fell off the throne.
At this moment, he could no longer care about his previous dissatisfaction with Hou Xun.
"Does Hou Qing have any good ideas?"
Hou Xun's face was solemn and his words were shocking.
"For the present plan, I have asked myself to go ahead and rush to Tongzhou. One is to save food and grass to avoid being taken advantage of by the Eastern captives; the other is to pave the way for Sun Ge Lao to take office, so that Sun Ge Lao will not be wasted."
As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in uproar.
Everyone looked at Hou Xun as if they were looking at a fool, but they couldn't help but admire him.
When the Hou Jin Dynasty was raging, instead of hiding in the city, he invited himself out of the city to join the war. This was completely putting himself in danger.
However, under the difficult circumstances, Hou Xun was not afraid of life and death and stepped forward generously. This alone was enough to set an example for the ministers.
Chongzhen's eyes really filled with tears, and he couldn't help himself.
Not easy!
It’s really not easy!
I still have loyal ministers and talented people!
Not only can he make suggestions and suggestions, but he can also share your worries without avoiding danger.
Chongzhen actually stepped off the platform and grabbed Hou Xun's hand.
"Hou Qing is really my Qiancheng! As the saying goes, when the country is in trouble, we miss good generals, and when we are in trouble, we know loyal ministers. I have Hou Qing, so why worry about the arrogance of the Eastern captives?"
Hou Xun made an impassioned speech.
"I am a humble minister with a weak body and no strength to tie a chicken. I wish I could go into battle and kill the enemy myself. If I can be broken down by your father, I will die without regrets!"
Chongzhen was moved.
That's what he is like.
Once you think a person is trustworthy, you will be 100% kind to that person.
Of course, only God knows how long this trust can last.
But now the problem raised by Hou Xun is real, and only Hou Xun is willing to go out of the city to serve at such a dangerous time.
Chongzhen no longer was stingy and hesitant, and announced in public that he would give Hou Xun the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of War and oversee the military and political affairs of the capital.
He rushed to Tongzhou in advance to handle Zhangjiawan's grain supply and at the same time set up a command center for Sun Chengzong.
Before Sun Chengzong took office, all the armies of King Qin were under the command of Hou Xun.
In other words, Hou Xun had the right to mobilize troops.
After accepting the appointment, Hou Xun did not thank him immediately, but hesitated.
Chongzhen was in a better mood and saw that he was hesitant to speak, so he asked, "Do you have anything to say, Qing Hou?"
Hou Xun gritted his teeth and felt that he could not forget morality, so he still spoke.
"Your Majesty, Wang Sima is good at government affairs, disaster relief, flood control, farming, and outstanding achievements in arresting thefts, but he does not neglect military affairs. Respect is the foundation of military affairs, which is really a great promotion. Wang Sima dare not live up to his holy grace and is diligent and diligent. When the Eastern invaders invade,
Since then, I have seen with my own eyes that King Sima has been unable to sleep at night. Although he made some omissions in deploying troops and generals, the crime will not lead to death. He is not good at adapting to emergencies. If he encounters a sudden disaster, he will only see his failure due to the difficult times."
These words were actually quite rude, almost accusing Chongzhen of causing chaos to his face.
Obviously he doesn't understand military affairs, so he can't be a minister of the Ministry of War. But you look at the handsomeness of his parents, and then you put him on the shelf.
Wang Qia has a responsibility, but it is definitely not to the extent of asking for death.
Chongzhen listened silently, the anger in his heart rising again.
But just now Hou Xun had the courage to take on the task and proposed specific and effective measures. If he was convicted on the spot, wouldn't he even lose the face of the Holy Lord and Mingzhu?
Feeling aggrieved, Chongzhen had to respond.
"Wang Qia is in charge of the military affairs. He cannot resist the Eastern invaders if he advances, and cannot rationalize his headquarters if he retreats. Although the crime will not lead to death, he will not escape the crime alive. Hou Qing does not need to say more, I have my own opinion."
However, this sentence was enough for Hou Xun.
It is impossible for Wang Qia, the Minister of the Ministry of War, not to bear any responsibility for such a big thing. But when the death penalty is turned into a living crime, the result is completely different.
The situation was urgent and Hou Xun did not dare to delay. He left the palace immediately after receiving the order. He did not even return home and rushed to Tongzhou as soon as possible.
While he was still on the road, he wrote the first transfer order and had it dispatched eight hundred miles away as quickly as possible.
This transfer order is of course for Zuo Mengeng.
Moreover, the transfer order specifically emphasized that the left department could act expeditiously. It could make its own decisions on stationing, marching, and fighting, and there was no need to report to Hou Xun for instructions.
This is equivalent to giving Zuo Menggen an environment where the sea is vast and fish can leap, and the sky is high and birds can fly.
As for what kind of success he can achieve and what kind of record he creates, it all depends on him.
Tongzhou was not far from the capital. Hou Xun entered Tongzhou City that afternoon and immediately took over the military and political power of the city.
"You will quickly send people to gather all the large and small vehicles in the city and follow me to Zhangjiawan. In any case, all the grain stored in Zhangjiawan must be transported into the city before early morning tomorrow."
When local officials in Tongzhou heard this order, they all got into trouble.
Zhizhou had no choice but to come forward and complain to Hou Xun.
"My lord, the local transportation capacity is really limited. Even if we deploy all the carriages, I'm afraid it won't be enough..."
Hou Xun was impatient to hear this and shouted: "If your yamen doesn't have enough chariots and horses, go and recruit big families and ordinary people, I will only give you an hour and a half. If you don't recruit enough chariots and horses, I will chop off your heads."
All the officials couldn't sit still anymore and started to cry.
"The general administration doesn't know anything. All the big families in the city have deep backgrounds, and they are all subordinate officials..."
Hou Xun slapped his hand on the table and at the same time displayed the king's order flag.
"I have obtained your majesty's permission, and my main purpose is to resist the Eastern invaders. Anyone who resists and disobeys the order will be punished as a collaborator."
As soon as this threat came out, local officials had no choice but to bite the bullet and start confiscating vehicles.
Under the high pressure of Gaowei, these officials all burst out with unprecedented enthusiasm. It only took one hour to collect the required vehicles.
The heads of two big families hanging on the flagpole at the city gate told the officials and people in the city that the new chief minister really dared to kill people.
As soon as there were enough vehicles, Hou Xun took action immediately and rushed to Zhangjiawan.
It's still peaceful here, the freight is busy, and there is no sense of crisis at all.
When Hou Xun saw it, he was not polite. Whether it was the grain stored by the government or the grain transported by merchants, they were all confiscated and loaded into trucks and sent to Tongzhou City.
Anyone who dares to object will be killed without mercy!
At the same time, Hou Xun sent an order along the canal, asking all cargo ships coming from the south to stop in Cangzhou and not to continue northward to avoid endangering the enemy.
Hou Xun also ordered reinforcements from all walks of life to accept command from now on.
This day is the sixth day of November. Originally, on this day in history, Chongzhen would hand over the command of the troops and horses to Yuan Chonghuan, but now they are all in the hands of Hou Xun.
Hou Xun also made corresponding arrangements based on the situation of each ministry.
The general troops of Datong were stationed in Shunyi to cover the Tongzhou flank.
Hou Shilu, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, no longer went to Sanhe to avoid being driven back to Changping by Yuan Chonghuan, thus avoiding the pain of traveling back and forth.
Hou Xun directly asked Hou Shilu to come to Tongzhou to strengthen the defense of Tongzhou City.
Originally, the grain was sent to Zhangjiawan, but now it was brought into the city. Hou Xun was not sure whether Hou Jin would attack Tongzhou because of this, so it was necessary to increase the defense force.
Changping was given the responsibility of You Shiwei to guard the north wing of the capital.
Liu Ce, the governor of Jiliao, was originally in Jizhou, but Hou Xun ordered his troops to turn around and guard the imperial mausoleum.
Originally Liu Ce would have been sent to Miyun by Yuan Chonghuan.
Poor Liu Ce, as the governor of Jiliao, was not transferred around by Governor Yuan, but was transferred around by Hou Xun.
Anyway, he has no say in the territory that originally belonged to him.
However, after Hou Xun's arrangements, the conditions of the various Ming armies were greatly improved.
First of all, the various armies did not waste time and supplies on the road due to chaotic deployment. They could wait for their work while garrisoned in the fortified city.
In addition, Hou Xun also issued death orders to various places.
One is the place where various Ming armies are stationed, which must ensure the supply of food and grass for the army.
According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, how was food and grass provided for marching and stationed troops?
After receiving the transfer order from the Ministry of War and arriving at a certain place, the Ministry of War will not allocate food and grass that day. Military supplies will not be distributed to the army until the next day.
If it were normal times, there would be no problem in doing this, and all the armies would be waiting.
But this is wartime, and the situation is changing day by day. No one can guarantee when the troops will fight Hou Jin.
If you don't keep the army well fed, how can you fight with it?
Moreover, the Hou Jin cavalry came and went like the wind, and they relied on the Ministry of War to allocate supplies, and they were not afraid of being robbed on the way.
In addition to ordering the local area to provide food and fodder for the garrison, Hou Xun also strictly ordered the walls to be fortified and the country to be cleared.
In fact, in the face of invasion by foreign enemies, strengthening the wall and clearing the field is definitely a very effective move.
When the invaders cannot obtain supplies in the wild, the only option is to attack the city.
Regardless of whether the siege is successful or not, it will be a huge loss for the attacker.
It was precisely because of Hou Xun's early arrival that the Ming army's deployment became more orderly, and the situation was far better than in the original history.
