The matter of sending troops could not be opposed by Ma Zhongxi, and it was decided by Zhang Zhou at this corridor meeting.
When Ma Zhongxi returned to the governor's office, his people had already moved out all the large and small boxes of things. He knew that he wanted to free up the official residence for Zhang Zhou to live in, and the unfinished document from before was still on his desk.
A memorial to beg old men and return to their fields.
"Zhongcheng, it will get dark soon. If I can't finish writing today, I won't be able to send it out in time."
The subordinate officer had seen Ma Zhongxi very resolute in resigning. When he saw Ma Zhongxi come back, he felt that Ma Zhongxi's attitude and behavior had changed.
An official who could reach the level of governor of Xuanfu was almost a civil official second only to the minister of ministers in the Ming Dynasty. What Governor Ma was thinking in his heart was not something that an official could figure out.
Ma Zhongxi picked up the pen and seemed a little hesitant.
But he still moved his pen as fast as he could and finished writing the memorial to his resignation.
"Send it to the capital overnight."
Ma Zhongxi seems to have figured it out too.
The subordinate officer asked: "Have you already said hello to Zhang Zhitai? If you resign rashly, he may deliberately make things difficult for you."
I feel it is necessary to give a reminder.
If you resign like this, you can say that you are tired of officialdom, but Zhang Zhou can sue you for running away from the battlefield, and can also find various excuses to mess with you.
There are many ways for bosses to mess with subordinates.
Ma Zhongxi looked old-fashioned and his attitude was extremely resolute: "I sit up straight and have a clear conscience. No matter what he wants to do, I will never play nonsense with him again!"
The official looked embarrassed, but he almost didn't ask, what else could Zhang Zhitai do?
Didn't he come here to practice artillery, military training, and mining? Does he have other errands?
…
…
Zhang Zhou moved into the governor's Yamen in the rain that night.
There were many houses, but they were still not enough for the people Zhang Zhou brought. Many Jin Yiwei had to squeeze into the temporary Tongpu room. In order to show that he shared weal and woe with the soldiers, Zhang Zhou personally went to Tongpu to inspect and gave each of them two rations.
One hundred cents is used as daily living allowance.
But after the inspection, he went back to his big room, lying on the high bed and soft pillows, recalling the comfortable life at home in the capital.
"It's a pity that I don't have any female relatives around me, so life is difficult."
Zhang Zhou is obviously a person who wants to think about something when he has nothing to do.
Immediately, Liu Guilai announced at the door: "Master, Chief Tang is here."
Zhang Zhou then calmed down and went to the back hall to see Tang Yin who looked hesitant and even a little worried.
"Junior brother, why are you here? I didn't say you wanted to live here. The place is too small and I didn't arrange a room for you." Zhang Zhou said with regret on his face.
Tang Yin said: "I'll just live in the post house."
Zhang Zhou nodded.
Be aware.
Tang Yin asked: "Zhitai, when you mentioned that you were going to send troops earlier, did you have any intention of letting me and Deputy Commander Ma send troops?"
Only then did Zhang Zhou understand why Tang Yin looked like this. He might have felt that his withdrawal forced Zhang Zhou to temporarily dispatch others to coordinate the troops, and it was most appropriate for him to send troops himself.
"Bohu, tell the truth, do you want to go?"
Regardless of how many years Tang Yin is older than Zhang Zhou, in terms of seniority, Zhang Zhou, as a senior, can show off the style of a senior.
Tang Yin said: "I'm not good at bow shooting, or I'm not used to galloping on horseback for long distances. I would like to ask, who does Zhang Zhitai plan to go with?"
"Wang Bo'an, you don't know that he has the ambition to make great achievements?" Zhang Zhou was still puzzled.
Tang Yin and Wang Shouren also went to Piantou Pass together. Although the two went to Piantou Pass for different purposes, they were both Jinshi in the same year and worked together in Yanwu Hall. Could it be that Tang Yin had no regard for Wang Shouren's ambitions?
Known?
"He is not……"
"You want to say that he went to Daming Mansion to attend the funeral for Wang Weining? The errand can be changed at any time. Besides, so many nobles and generals under the Yanwu Hall are now in the northwest, why is he the only one to do something?
Is it a trivial matter? With his enthusiasm for military affairs, it would be perfect for him to coordinate the dispatch of troops."
"What if he doesn't want to go?"
Tang Yin asked a question that deeply troubled him.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "If he doesn't go, you go. Who made you my junior brother?"
Tang Yin seemed to get the answer he wanted instantly. He was just vaguely worried before, but now this uneasiness seemed to burst out.
Zhang Zhou stood up and said with a sarcastic expression: "Don't worry, if you don't want to go, I will find someone else. Not everyone has such an opportunity to make contributions. You and I are fellow disciples, so I have a good chance."
I still want to leave it to you, but don’t embarrass me here!"
"knew."
Tang Yin is so shameless.
But he really didn't dare to follow the expeditionary cavalry to raid Weininghai. This seemed to be beyond his expectations, and he didn't think he had such ability.
…
…
The matter of reorganizing the army was in progress that night.
Ma Yi will select some soldiers to cooperate with the people in the capital camp. At the same time, Zhang Zhou will also send Sun Shangqi and Liu Gui to follow...the purpose of their going is to "supervise the army".
He said that he had confidence in Ma Yi, but there still needed to be proper supervision.
On the same day, Zhang Zhou also wrote a memorial immediately and sent it to the capital overnight, so that Zhu Youtang could know the detailed plan of the battle.
The next morning, the plan was placed in front of Zhu Youtang.
Dai Yi, Xiao Jing and others were all silent because they did not know in advance that Zhang Zhou was going to raid Weining Hai, and they did not know whether the emperor knew about it.
But they also understood that the emperor would fully support Zhang Zhou's ideas, even if it meant completing a surprise attack of nearly a thousand miles back and forth.
"Your Majesty, I also sent you a memorial from Ma Zhongxi, the governor of Xuanfu. He said that he was too old and frail to bear the heavy responsibility of governing Xuanfu. He also said that his health has been getting worse in recent years..."
When Dai Yi said this, he was also waiting for the emperor to show his power.
Zhang Zhou said he was going to go on an expedition, but Ma Zhongxi, as Zhang Zhou's number one subordinate, actually said he wanted to resign.
Are you not asking for trouble by being so uncooperative?
Sure enough, after hearing this, Zhu Youtang shouted sharply: "The war is about to begin, but he wants to stay out of it? Is the so-called justice in his heart more important than the stability of the Ming Dynasty's border? If he leaves at this time,
Who should replace him and manage logistics, military pay and other matters?"
Dai Yidao: "Mr. Zhang may have some capable people around him."
"Are you talking about Tang Yin and his like? They are all a bit young. Unless Wang Qiong is allowed to go, the defense at Pianguan cannot be relaxed at all."
Zhu Youtang waved his pen and said, "Let him not think about resigning for the time being. After this battle is over, regardless of victory or defeat, he can go wherever he wants to go. I will never stop him!"
Just as he was talking, a young eunuch came in at the door.
Xiao Jing went over to take it, and when he came back he said: "Your Majesty, the three ministers, as well as Minister Ma, the British Duke is waiting to meet you outside the palace."
There was a war about to break out in the northwest. Unlike his father, Zhu Youtang mostly wanted to ask the opinions of the orthodox civil servants in the DPRK and the DPRK. He also did not want to have too serious a relationship with the ministers in the DPRK and the CPC.
…
…
Inside the Qianqing Palace.
The detailed troop dispatching plan presented by Zhang Zhou was circulated among Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, Ma Wensheng and Zhang Mao. Zhu Youtang looked calm and was not in a hurry to let them give their opinions.
According to Zhu Youtang's estimation, except for Zhang Mao, this group of people would probably oppose it.
However, after the circulation among several people, the opinions expressed by Ma Wensheng did not follow the path Zhu Youtang expected.
Ma Wensheng said: "If the tent in the fire sieve is indeed north of the Weining Sea, it is no problem to send troops from Xinghe around the Daqing Mountains. But with only three thousand cavalry to attack, there is the possibility of falling into a heavy siege. Around the Weining Sea, not only the Manchu Army In the past, when Marquis Weining sent out troops, the Guanhao Department would take advantage of the snow, day, and night, and they would not have to travel more than three hundred miles, but they would sneak for twenty days before arriving."
Zhu Youtang frowned and said: "Ma Qing's family, do you think that Bingkuan's plan to send troops is too public and that it is easy for the news to be leaked in advance?"
Ma Wensheng didn't expect the emperor to be so direct, but that's what he meant.
Wang Yue made a surprise attack on Weininghai. He hid during the day and moved at night. He sent troops from Datong Town and took more than 20 days to reach Weininghai. However, you wanted to send troops from Xuanfu, which was an extra 200 miles away, but you wanted to arrive in three to five days. I've never seen you make such a sudden attack.
Are you afraid that others won't know?
Zhang Mao said: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, there are no signs of Di Yi activities on the Daqing Mountains. It may be possible for them to remain unnoticed."
Xie Qian smiled and said: "The British Lord, the terrain of the grassland is different from that of the Ming Dynasty. Many places can be seen within dozens of miles. They send out troops with great fanfare and want to cover up the enemy's rear. I'm afraid it is too ideal."
There was a fight here in the court first.
Dai Yi originally wanted to say a few words, but was interrupted by Zhu Youtang's hand.
"Several lords, if Bingkuan's calculations are accurate and the Chinese army's tent in Huoshan is indeed in Weininghai, then in your opinion, his troop dispatch plan should be feasible. It's just that the details need to be further elaborated. Is that what you mean?”
Zhu Youtang actually didn't want to discuss the feasibility with these people.
He was more of a regular note, telling you about the matter, letting you know in advance, showing that I rely on you, rather than saying that I must listen to your opinions and stop this matter.
The military affairs in the northwest are more often decided by the generals based on the actual situation. Just like when Wang Yue went to Weininghai, he only discussed it with Wang Zhi, and even the accompanying Duke Zhu Yong and others did not participate. Why should the emperor do anything? Do you have to discuss it with the minister?
Liu Jian and others all looked at Ma Wensheng.
Even the cabinet does not seem to have much say in such a key issue of sending troops. It depends on how the Ministry of War decides on this expedition.
Ma Wensheng said: "Your Majesty, that's the case."
"That's okay." Zhu Youtang said, "Before Bingkuan left, he mentioned to me that if we send troops to the grassland, there are two options."
When Ma Wensheng and others heard this, they said, "My dear, Your Majesty, you have discussed this with Zhang Bingkuan in advance, but you are still pretending to discuss it with us?"
Zhu Youtang continued: "Either we fight steadily, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses divided into several groups, marching no more than forty or fifty miles a day, advancing step by step on the grassland, and driving the Tatars out of the Hetao."
"Beyond that, we have to take the enemy by surprise, or like Wang Weining, who spends ten or even dozens of days day and night planning a surprise attack and then suddenly bursting out."
"Or it could be a long-distance attack and arrive at the place of battle within three or two days. Even if the opponent has learned the news in advance, as long as the attack is fast and decisive enough, the battle can be successful."
After the emperor finished speaking, the Qianqing Palace fell into silence.
The three cabinet ministers present, Ma Wensheng and Zhang Mao, all heard that Zhang Zhou had predicted their predictions.
Zhang Zhou was sure that they would drive in with such a long distance of four hundred miles, but still wanted to travel day and night, which would be too showy, so that the Tatars would be prepared and complete the encirclement.
Zhang Zhou just told the emperor and asked the emperor to tell them. This does not mean that if the news is leaked in advance, the effect of the surprise attack will definitely not be achieved.
More importantly, it depends on whether the enemy has time to react.
After Zhu Youtang finished speaking, several people remained silent and pointed to Dai Yi, who then came out and added: "Mr. Zhang mentioned in another memorial that the current little Tatar prince Batu Mengke, Huoshai, Yibula and other tribal leaders are meeting at the Fengzhou line, and the place where the two sides will fight is either at Chi'er Mountain, which is more than 800 miles away from the Weining Sea."
Li Dongyang couldn't help but come out and question: "Why did the Huosi and other troops completely expose their backs? Such a rash advance with light troops is not the Tatar style of military use."
Dai Yidao: "Because it involves the annexation of grasslands, we cannot speculate based on common sense."
Zhu Youtang interrupted Dai Yi and said, "Just explain Bingkuan's meaning."
Let you explain to them what Zhang Zhou meant. Who do you think you are if you are still meddling in your own opinions? You, a eunuch, still want to participate in the most direct planning of sending troops to the grassland?
Dai Yi felt somewhat disappointed after hearing the emperor's words.
As the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, he was suppressed by the civil servants before, but now he is suppressed by Zhang Zhou. There are also Xiao Jing and others below who are eyeing his position. The emperor seems not to be optimistic about himself... I am just a mouthpiece, emotional planning, etc. The big thing has nothing to do with me, right?
"Mr. Zhang mentioned that even after the troops are dispatched, Huo Si and other troops react, and they will move as far west as possible under the attack from the front and rear. As long as the troops are dispatched quickly enough, they can catch up within a day or two. After all, the grassland There are many livestock, old, weak, women and children around the tribe's tent, so they can't run fast."
Dai Yi finally finished.
Zhang Maoze said with a smile: "This Mr. Zhang really likes to hide things. Before he went to the northwest, he didn't even realize that he was going to do this. I even made two copies of the memorial."
Zhu Youtang said: "Mr. British, do you have any objections?"
"Back to Your Majesty, I have no objections to Zhang Zhitai's sending troops. I strongly support the use of troops. It can bring out the power of the Ming Dynasty and demonstrate the fierceness of our soldiers on three sides."
Zhang Mao said this, but he couldn't help but look at Liu Jian and the others.
How could Liu Jian and the others not see the anxiety in Old Man Zhang’s heart?
Don't you, Zhang Mao, really like to think about things from the perspective of that boy Zhang Zhou? Now that he has secretly planned a surprise attack on Weininghai to make it happen, the title of knighthood is almost guaranteed to fall to him, and there is no need to wait until then. For the next generation, I guess you, Old Man Zhang, will hand over your responsibilities as admiral of the capital camp in your later years.
If you, Mr. Zhang, didn’t know what raising tigers meant until now, you would only be aware of it later.
We should be of the same mind when it comes to preventing Zhang Zhou's rise. Only you, Wu Xun, were stubborn at the beginning.
"The vanguard will send out troops, probably tonight." Zhu Youtang said another news that was somewhat unacceptable to the people present, "Three thousand cavalry, one man and two horses, no cannons, each man has a musket, and a bow and arrow. and armor, etc. After three days and four nights, a surprise attack on the Weining Sea was launched at dawn. This was to prevent the Ming soldiers from being unfamiliar with the terrain, so it was better to raid during the day. As for the Chinese army's soldiers and horses, they were personally led by Bingkuan. Set off tonight and leave early tomorrow morning..."
Zhu Youtang's words also made Liu Jian and others completely understand that this was just a routine notification.
Liu Jian cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, are you going to mention this matter in the next two days?"
"I don't want too many people to know about it before things come to an end." Zhu Youtang said, "Even Bingkuan's mission to the fortress was just for artillery and troop training. Given the progress of the troops, there is no sign of a surprise attack. It can be Paralyzing the grassland tribes."
"Haha." Xie Qian smiled.
This method of laughing out loud also made the atmosphere at the scene a bit weird.
Of course, the people around him knew why Xie Qian was laughing. He felt that Zhang Zhou was playing a conspiracy. They all felt that if he sent troops to the grassland, it would be Zhang Zhou who led the army, whether it was the generals of the Ming Dynasty, the people of the world, or even the grassland. People also felt that only Zhang Zhou was qualified to lead troops to raid the grassland.
But Zhang Zhou did the opposite. The commander-in-chief Zhu Hui and deputy commander-in-chief Zhang Heling followed him out to shoot rabbits, and they slowly and leisurely went out to practice troops along the way.
As a result, the incident of Ma Yi leading troops to raid Weininghai was covered up.
Xie Qian's smile was mostly because Zhang Zhou was too "idealistic" in what he did.
If it were that easy to raid Weininghai, Wang Weining wouldn't have to walk more than 200 miles and 20 days. If you want to succeed in one battle, you also want to win it quickly?
How can anything be so cheap in the world?
Zhu Youtang said: "My expectations for Bingkuan were originally to let him establish the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, drive away all the barbarians around Xuanfu, mine and smelt iron cannons, and strengthen border preparations. This battle is for him to assess the situation. I will not demand that he will definitely win the decision he made later, but sending troops in this way is also what I hope to see. The success lies with him, and the failure lies with me."
Several people present felt uncomfortable after hearing this.
The emperor is still saying what he always said, if Zhang Zhou wins, I will double the reward; but if the troops go wrong, I will not hold him responsible.
This is such a shield, Your Majesty!
Li Dongyang asked: "Who will lead the troops when we send troops to Weininghai?"
"Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Ma Yi." Zhu Youtang said.
This statement seems to explain why Zhang Zhou protected Ma Yi as soon as he arrived at Xuanfu and did not hesitate to turn against Ma Zhongxi, the governor of Xuanfu.
"By the way, it still rained in Xuanfu." Zhu Youtang said, "Bingkuan successfully prayed for rain in front of the people, which also let the soldiers and civilians know which side God's will is on."
Li Dongyang wanted to say, I don't want to let the people know which side God's will is on.
Instead, he made the soldiers think that Zhang Zhou was awesome, so Zhang Zhou came up with a strategy of surprise attack on Weininghai, so those border soldiers who were afraid of death would follow him.
By doing this, he was establishing his authority.
"I wonder who your Majesty, the civil servants, and the senior officials will coordinate to send troops?" Li Dongyang continued to ask.
Zhu Youtang said: "Cao Shun, the lieutenant in charge of Xuanfu, and Wang Shouren, the chief of the Ministry of War."
"this……"
When Li Dongyang heard Wang Shouren's name, he still couldn't understand it.
Zhang Zhou actually used a descendant of their traditional civil servant faction? Wang Shouren... In Li Dongyang's view, this was definitely not something Zhang Zhou could win over.
