"Quickly, transport these stones up quickly. They are waiting to be used."
This small town of Miyun, more than 200 miles away from the capital, is currently being completely renovated and strengthened for city defense.
Because this may be the key to victory in this battle, Zhu Youxiao wants to use his name to attract Lin Danhan to come here.
To this end, he did not hesitate to use more than 10,000 sergeants and more than 3,000 young workers to participate in the repairs.
These workers were recruited ten days ago. Li Zhilong originally recruited them to build military camps and warehouses.
"Your Majesty has decreed that water wells must be dug everywhere in the city, and all households near the city wall must be moved inward within a five-day time limit. Those who exceed the deadline will be severely punished!"
When acting, you need to be realistic, at least on the surface, so as not to make people suspicious.
"Hang up my royal flag and banner!"
The imperial flag belongs exclusively to the emperor. Whether he is on a patrol or on a personal expedition, he must carry this flag with him.
The military flag of the Ming Dynasty is the sun and moon flag, while the emperor's royal flag is the dragon flag. The big banner is the most important, it is the soul of the entire army. (The emperor's dragon flag can refer to the Ming Dynasty Fenghua, that flag is more restored, and later
The Manchu and Qing flags were also copied from the Ming Dynasty.)
The ancients often said that beheading a general and seizing the flag refers to the banner. If the banner falls into the enemy's hands or is destroyed by the enemy, the army will quickly flee, just as if the enemy general had been killed.
Therefore, there are many such examples in history. At first, I could hardly stand it, but in the end, a fierce man rushed out and killed the opponent's general, or cut down the banner, so that even if I could not turn defeat into victory, I could still be safe.
The matter was withdrawn.
That kind of battle between generals is even more unlikely to happen. During the war, the general will basically not even come out, let alone challenge you one-on-one?
It is normal for a general to lead an elite assault in a surprise attack to boost his own morale.
Moreover, when people charge into battle, they are surrounded by dozens or hundreds of guards for protection. If you want to kill a general, unless you are really brave like Zhang, you will be chopped into pieces by the guards before you even get close to them.
.
At this level, it's no longer about fighting hard, it's about who can strategize better and think faster.
"Is it possible to complete it before the army sets out?"
The person in charge of supervision was Zhou Xingwu, who stayed in Miyun, and said:
"Your Majesty, even if we work day and night, I am afraid that just a few days will not be enough. Although there is no shortage of manpower and materials, the time is really too short."
Zhu Youxiao also knew that such a large project would be impossible to complete in a short time, but Miyun was in disrepair for a long time and was dilapidated in many places. If the city was not fortified, it would be difficult to stop the Mongolian cavalry.
"It can be shortened, and all the fortifications outside the city can be stopped. The focus is on the city walls and city gates. I don't want them to be very strong, as long as they can temporarily block the Tartars!"
"I will change it now!"
Zhu Youxiao walked around Miyun City twice more, checking everywhere, and finally found no other problems. He went into the city to observe again, and said to Wang Zaijin:
"If it is completed as expected, even if the Tartars have tens of thousands of elite soldiers, they will not be able to even take a step into the city in less than a month and a half!"
Wang Zaijin cupped his hands and said:
“Your Majesty’s thorough consideration is admirable!”
"I have to do this. Ming Dynasty can no longer afford to lose, and I can't afford to lose."
"In a war, no one is sure of victory, so we must go all out!"
"Your Majesty is brave and careful, and our army will win this battle!"
Zhu Youxiao looked into the distance and smiled:
"But as Aiqing said!"
…
"Tell me, gentlemen, let's count the days. The emperor has reached Miyun. What should we do?"
"If you want to follow my wishes, you should contact the outside world as soon as possible."
One gentleman said:
"I also have this intention. The emperor is originally full of hostility towards the gentry and officials like us. If we win a great victory in the Northern Expedition, we will have no chance to turn around. This moment is the moment of life and death for us."
"But do we need to be notified of such a big matter?"
As soon as this person finished speaking, another person retorted:
"How could we do such a thing without a king or a father? Even though His Majesty has made mistakes today, after all, his nature is not bad, and there is still a chance to change it."
"You want to bring His Majesty to death. You are so audacious. Do you still have the courtesy in your heart?"
Chen Suoxue, the head of the Household Department, slapped the table and said:
"Are you deceiving yourself? Haven't you seen what happened to Duke Zhang, Duke Liu and others? The current emperor's comatose behavior is rare in the world, even worse than Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty."
He Shijin, from the military department, also echoed:
"What you said is correct. Who in the world knows about the poisonous effects of factory guards?"
"Ye Gong and Liu Gong are still being tortured in prison. Can't you see it?"
"If we don't do anything, who among you will be spared when the emperor comes back?"
"If Liu Gong and Han Gong, the auxiliary ministers of the three dynasties, can't protect themselves, let alone us?"
"The emperor massacred his courtiers and officials at the slightest disagreement. He did not think about governing the country. He only cared about military affairs all day long, riding horses and shooting arrows. He favored the eunuchs and corrupted the imperial court."
"In less than half a year after taking the throne, how many colleagues, loyal ministers and righteous men have died innocently and cruelly under the butcher's knife of the imperial edict and factory guards?"
"Looking at all his actions, are there any images of a saint and a wise king? In this time of crisis, we should act out of righteousness and stand up for the people of the world, instead of being a coward!"
This person was speechless after being rebutted, and that was indeed the case. He said in a weak tone:
"That doesn't have to be like this. Are you going to ignore my 100,000-strong army? Or are you going to treat the people of the border town like nothing?"
"Have you thought about the consequences of returning from the Northern Expedition with a huge defeat? The old slaves in Liaodong are now in good morale. Do you want to make things in Northern Xinjiang get out of hand?"
He Shijin snorted coldly and said:
"So what? We are doing this to save the Ming Dynasty. Don't you understand the principle of abandoning the small and broad?"
"As for the rise of the old slaves in Liaodong, it is just due to the self-respect of the civil and military generals who support the bandits, and there is nothing to worry about at all. The first priority now is our Ming Dynasty."
He Shijin said categorically:
"With such a monarch, even if everyone in the world is Zhuge Kongming, it will be difficult to achieve anything."
"Back then, Emperor Yingzong's Tumubao army was completely annihilated, and his army first came to the gates of Beijing. How could he help me, the Ming Dynasty?"
He Shijin stared at the rebuttal official and said:
"The top priority is that we should follow the orthodox practices. Only in this way can we reorganize the government, save thousands of people, and revive the Ming Dynasty!"
The so-called orthodox thing refers to the fact that after Ming Yingzong in Tumubao was defeated and captured by the enemy, the civil and military officials supported Zhu Qiyu, the king of Cheng, as emperor.
Everyone understood it, and saw that he wanted to unite with outsiders to betray the emperor. It would be best for the emperor to die on the battlefield, and then they could establish a new king to gain the merit of following the dragon.
Then they would rely on the trust of the new king, return to the court, and take over the power again, so as to realize what they wanted in their hearts.
It was so bold. Everyone present was already breaking into a cold sweat. Although they were silent, no one objected to this statement.