On October 29, the cold wave in the north had hit, and the weather in Nanjing was already very cold. Zhang Yanling and his party decided to leave for Guangzhou.
In fact, Zhang Yanling was very hesitant. If he went to Guangzhou at this time, he might not be able to return to the capital in time to celebrate the New Year. It would be outrageous if he did not rush back to the capital this year to reunite with his family for the New Year.
But things are imminent, and another year has passed in the blink of an eye, and time waits for no one. All matters related to the trade zone must be arranged at the end of the year, otherwise it will be delayed until the end of the year, which will waste too much time.
Fortunately, there is the Star, which can go out to sea along the Yangtze River Estuary, and then follow the north wind south to Guangzhou. The journey should not take long. And Wang Shouren is waiting for him in Guangzhou at the moment. Wang Shouren, who has been promoted to the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, is in Guangzhou.
, if you go to Guangzhou by yourself, you will get great help.
There are still two months left before the New Year. Arrange things quickly, and some follow-up matters can be pushed forward without Wang Shouren's help. You should be able to rush back to the capital to celebrate the New Year.
Under the farewell of Nanjing officials, Zhang Yanling and his party boarded the ship and left. Three days later, they left the Yangtze River Estuary and arrived at the East China Sea. Then they headed south along the coastline. Ten days later, the ship entered from the Pearl River Estuary and arrived at the Pearl River Wharf.
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In mid-November, when the north was covered with ice and snow, Guangzhou was still as warm as spring and the flowers were blooming. Zhang Yanling and his party were warmly welcomed by Wang Shouren and other officials in Guangzhou, Guangdong. After that, they quickly got into busy affairs
among.
…
While Zhang Yanling was busy in the dark in Guangzhou, holding various meetings to preach and inspect and promulgate the regulations for the trade zone, the imperial court in the far north was also involved in heated discussions and quarrels because of an incident.
On the tenth day of November, a heavy snowfall covered the city of Beijing. Overnight, the entire capital was covered in silver and turned into a fairy tale world.
Zhu Houzhao did not go to court early that day, but he did not snooze either. Instead, he took the eunuch guards to the Meishan Mountain in the back garden of the palace to enjoy the snow early in the morning.
Zhu Houzhao has indeed changed a lot since the issuance of the edict. Although there is a gene in his nature to escape from fetters, when facing the overall situation, Zhu Houzhao's mind is still very clear. He knows that in this kind of situation
At this time, he must control his temper, put his throne first, and can no longer be willful.
Therefore, although I did not strictly follow the promise of the Sinji Edict, I still went to morning court every three days, and held a banquet every three to five days. My attitude towards the ministers became more humble. In the palace
China still keeps a low profile.
Although it was inevitable to indulge in drinking and reveling, and to make some achievements in the palace. But it was done in a low-key manner, not as unscrupulous as before.
For example, today, when we stopped attending court to enjoy the snow, the inner court informed us that due to the heavy snow and severe cold, the emperor could not bear to let the ministers suddenly suffer from the severe cold due to the cold weather in the morning court, so he canceled the morning court out of consideration for his ministers.
Zhu Houzhao played snowboarding in the snow on the hillside of Meishan Mountain for a while. It was actually a sledding game. He sat on a spindle-shaped snowboard on the top of the hillside and rushed down quickly. The speed was extremely fast and very exciting.
Stimulate.
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Zhu Houzhao loves stimulation, whether it is psychological or sensory stimulation. This kind of game is actually very dangerous. The speed of the waxed snowboard is amazing. If you encounter a bump on the snow slope, you will even fly into the air.
When flying, it would fly more than ten feet away, often capsizing people and the board. It would be easy to break arms and legs. But Zhu Houzhao never tired of it.
Fortunately, Zhang Yong made some arrangements in advance. Knowing that the emperor was coming to play snowboarding, he ordered a group of eunuchs to come to the slope of Meishan Mountain at dawn, take the nearby snow, pile it on the slope, and smooth it to make the snow thicker.
, less likely to be injured.
Zhang Yong stood in the pavilion at the foot of the mountain, watching Zhu Houzhao rushing down again and again with a cloud of snow mist, laughing loudly and excitedly. He was quite worried and hoped that the emperor would return to the palace as soon as possible. Not only the skiers
Risk, in such weather, wind and cold are also dangerous. It is easy to catch wind and cold if you sweat, and the emperor's physical condition is not good. Getting sick will be very troublesome, and everyone will suffer.
Zhu Houzhao slipped down the hillside again. Zhang Yong hurriedly stepped forward to help Zhu Houzhao, who fell and laughed in the snow. Seeing that his head was sweating, he hurriedly took a cloak and put it on Zhu Houzhao.
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said: "I still want to skate. What are you doing wearing this sweatshirt?"
Zhang Yongqian smiled and said: "Your Majesty, it's almost over. I'm sweating all over, and I'm going to catch a cold in a while. My body is in danger. Let's go back to the palace quickly."
Zhu Houzhao waved his hands and said dissatisfiedly: "What's the big deal about playing in the snow? Get out of the way and I'll play some more."
Zhang Yong had no choice but to let go. Zhu Houzhao directed two young eunuchs to carry the snowboard up the mountain, and he also climbed up the hillside. At this moment, a guard rushed over and reported loudly: "Your Majesty, Yang Tinghe is leading
I’m bringing a few adults here to ask for an audience.”
Zhu Houzhao was stunned and frowned: "What are they here for? I'm skiing, and they're not happy? Are they going to scold me?"
Zhang Yong said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, it may not be because of skiing, maybe there is something important to report."
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Zhu Houzhao nodded reluctantly, frowned and said, "Ask them to come in."
Zhang Yong hurriedly put a fur cloak on Zhu Houzhao and led him to a pavilion not far away. He ordered the eunuch to make hot tea for the emperor, and blew the charcoal fire in a small stove to make the emperor drink the hot tea.
Warm up the fire.
Zhu Houzhao did not drink tea, but turned to look at the path covered with snowy branches. After a while, several figures staggered on the snow in bulky clothes. It was Yang Tinghe, the chief minister of the cabinet, and Liang, the two cabinet bachelors.
Chu and Fei Hong, as well as Cao Yuan, Minister of War, and others.
Several foreign court officials walked to the pavilion with difficulty. Liang Chu was old, and one of his feet slipped and fell to the ground. Two eunuchs hurriedly helped him up. Liang Chu's face was covered with snow, and he looked very funny, like
He was like a clown. Zhu Houzhao, who was originally frowning, couldn't help laughing when he saw this.
Liang Chu spat out the snow in his mouth, wiped the snow off his face, and said loudly: "If the emperor is happy if I make a fool of myself, I am willing to make a fool of myself every day. But the emperor thinks it is fun to watch people wrestling. This is really good."
What? Those who take pleasure in misfortune are unkind."
Zhu Houzhao rolled his eyes and said hurriedly: "I'm not laughing at you, Bachelor Liang, I just thought of something funny."
Several people entered the pavilion and saluted Zhu Houzhao. Zhu Houzhao said: "How did you find this place? I saw heavy snowfall, and I wanted to come and see if the snow is thick. As the saying goes, auspicious snow heralds a good year. I see if the snow is thick this year, the crops will be harvested next year."
It’s a good harvest.”
Yang Tinghe and others looked sarcastic, they didn't believe this kind of nonsense.
"The emperor is considerate of the people, and I admire him. However, the weather is very cold, so the emperor should pay attention to the dragon body. It is better not to stay outside for too long." Yang Tinghe said solemnly.
"Oh, I'm about to return to the palace. Why are you here? Do you have anything to report?" Zhu Houzhao said.
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Yang Tinghe reached out and took out two memorials from his sleeves, stepped forward and presented them with both hands.
"Master Yang Yiqing, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Borders, together with Ma Ang, the Commander-in-Chief of the Yansui Army, sent an urgent report to Bianzhen. Please take a look at it," Yang Tinghe said solemnly.
Zhu Houzhao frowned and took it, opened the memorial and read it quickly. Whether it was because of the content of the memorial or because of the cold weather, Zhu Houzhao shivered.
"How could this happen? The Tatars are gathering troops and intending to attack Yansui Border Town on a large scale? Is this information accurate?" Zhu Houzhao frowned.
Yang Tinghe said in a deep voice: "The news is absolutely true. Mr. Yang Yiqing also has a detailed attachment. We have spies from the Ming Dynasty in Baichengzi, Hetao, controlled by the Tatars. They have found out that for more than a month, the Tatars have braved the wind and snow.
Due to the severe cold, a large number of soldiers and horses were mobilized from the north of the Yellow River and assembled in Baichengzi. The number of soldiers and horses has reached 60,000, and the follow-up is coming in a steady stream. Food and grass supplies are also being assembled."
Zhu Houzhao frowned and said: "It's such a cold winter in the Hetao and Yansuibian Town. How could the Tatars choose this time to attack? It's unlikely, right?"
"Your Majesty's warning. It's snowy and cold in the north, so the Tatars will not send troops at this time. We judge that they are taking advantage of the snowy and cold weather to gather troops and wait until the ice and snow melts in March next year to launch an attack. But we can't rule it out.
They will take risks desperately. You must know that Tatars are accustomed to severe cold weather and cannot take it lightly," Yang Tinghe said.
Zhu Houzhao pondered: "However, since Yang Yiqing, Ma Ang and others knew the enemy's situation in advance, they would make defensive arrangements. With two hundred thousand soldiers and horses in the two towns, relying on the fort's Great Wall and pass defense, they should be safe."
Yang Tinghe said: "Your Majesty, the Tatars are making a big move this time and should not be underestimated. The two towns of Yansui and Ningxia have a lot of soldiers and horses, so the defense is safe. But if the Tatars take advantage of the wind, snow and cold weather to make a surprise attack, I'm afraid it will be a disaster."
It is difficult to stop them from breaking through. The Great Wall of Zhaibao in the Yansui Land has been seriously damaged, and there has been no way to repair it. This may be a hidden worry. If we prevent it this time, I am afraid it will happen again next time."
Zhu Houzhao frowned and said, "What do you mean by that? It's too late to repair it now. Do we need to mobilize troops? Or are there any other countermeasures?"
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Yang Tinghe said: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty Yang Yiqing and Commander-in-Chief Ma Ang have proposed a plan. After discussing it with all your lords and Lord Cao of the Ministry of War, I think it is feasible. So I came to ask the Emperor for his advice and make a decision."
Zhu Houzhao said: "Oh? What's the plan?"
Yang Tinghe glanced at Cao Yuandao, the Minister of War, and said: "It is better to ask Mr. Cao to report to the emperor about the battle in the army. It should be more clear."
Zhu Houzhao looked at Cao Yuan.
Cao Yuan hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "I would like to report to the emperor that Mr. Yang Yiqing's plan is that since the Tatars are coming this time, we will simply use our tactics to end everything once and for all. The Tatars will never be allowed to act recklessly."
Zhu Houzhao frowned and said, "Let's be more clear. What's the point of using a general's plan to solve a problem?"
Cao Yuandao: "That is, we will use the Tatars to gather the main force in the Hetao area. We will gather heavy troops and fight decisively with them. We will annihilate the main Tatar force in one fell swoop and recover the area in the Hetao. We will drive the Tatars to the north of the Yellow River. In this way, we will delay the
Sui Datong will no longer accept the threat of Tatar harassment. With the Yellow River as a natural barrier, the Tatars will no longer be able to
It directly threatens our hinterland of the Ming Dynasty. And if they lose the fertile land of Hetao, the Tatars will lose the largest grain-producing land and the breeding place for the most powerful horses in Hetao. It will be a heavy blow to them. Once successful, the Tatars will
We will no longer be able to harass our Ming border town. This is the plan set by Master Yang Yiqing and Ma Ang."
Zhu Houzhao opened his mouth wide and looked at Cao Yuan blankly, speechless for a moment.