The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Governor Ji Liao?"

Zhang Juzheng was shocked when he heard Wei Guangde asked about this matter.

"I heard it hasn't been decided yet. Why, is Shandai someone recommended?"

Zhang Juzheng asked as if he was unaware.

Wei Guangde laughed loudly and said, "Can I recommend a second-grade official?"

"You are the imperial censor. The imperial court has not mentioned how high the recommender's rank should be when recommending talents."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and smiled, but he also heard from his words that Wei Guangde had no intention of intervening in this matter.

Maybe, it was just a last minute question, just a casual question.

"Mr. Liu was transferred back to the capital from the post of Governor of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian. In all aspects, his performance is not as eye-catching as Governor Jiang, who has made many military exploits this time. I'm afraid he won't be able to compete."

Wei Guangde smiled lightly.

"Master Liu also made countless military exploits in the battle to suppress the Japanese in the southeast and quell Zhang Lian's rebels.

This time, the teacher was transferred back to the capital as a last resort. "

Zhang Juzheng certainly knew that under the current situation, Liu Tao and Jiang Dong really lacked the confidence to compete for the position of governor of Jiliao.

However, the relationship between Liu Tao and Xu Jie is such that they have been old friends for many years, so they naturally do not want to let him stay at home.

Liu Tao, named Renfu and nicknamed Daichuan, was born in Liuxinzhuang, Cangzhou, Zhili. He was a Jinshi in the 17th year of Jiajing.

He has successively served as an official in Jinan Prefecture, in charge of the staff of the Ministry of War, and as a minister in Shaanxi Province. He is an expert in riding and shooting, has a good command of strategy, and has made many military exploits. He was deprived of love twice in his life, which is extremely rare in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

During the period of the Ministry of War, it was the 29th year of Jiajing, when foreign soldiers invaded the capital. Liu Tao, who originally wanted to return to his hometown to observe filial piety, was deprived of his love and participated in Operation Wei Wu. It was not until the end of the war that Ding You asked to return to his hometown.

After being reinstated, he filled the vacancy of Suzhou Military Preparation Deputy Envoy. Another change occurred in his family. At that time, Japanese pirates were rampant in the southeastern region of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Liu Tao was once again deprived of his love and served as Jiahu Military Preparation.

Later, he was promoted to Deputy Envoy and Inspector of Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou. In order to stabilize Lingnan, he was also governor of the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi, and he was also governor of Fujian when Japanese pirates were rampant.

It can be said that Liu Tao's talents in border defense were discovered after the Jinan Prefecture promoted officials. After that, all positions were military and civilian, and he did a very good job.

However, even for such an outstanding commander, he was still inevitably impeached.

In Liu Tao's battle to suppress the Japanese pirates, all the Japanese pirates fled and it was difficult to compete with them. Although he had resisted in the end, such as entangled more Japanese pirates to cause trouble, these were all defeated by the experienced Liu Tao, and Liu Tao also fought hard all the way. promotion.

However, not everything went as planned. It was okay to pacify Lingnan, but in the process of suppressing the Japanese, Liu Tao was criticized a lot.

For example, he did not respond in time to the harassment of a handful or small groups of Japanese pirates, and rebels broke out in the troops. Although he easily resolved the mutiny and rebellion, he did not avoid the jealousy and slander of his "colleagues" who said that he supported the pirates even though he was hiding here and there. Self-respect.

The Japanese pirate rebellion in the Jiajing Dynasty was originally caused by the improper strategies of the imperial court, and it became more and more intense.

Before there is any change at all, the disaster caused by Japanese pirates is like a grassroots, which cannot be burned away by wildfire, but will grow again when the spring breeze blows, and it will always be stubborn and repeated.

The self-respect of the bandits was not only the capital for many Ming Dynasty officials to accumulate merit, but also the source of their final downfall.

Faced with successive impeachments, Xu Jie could only take measures to protect him, which was to arrange for Liu Tao to be transferred out.

In fact, through the deaths of Zhang Jing and Yang Xuan, it can be seen that Emperor Jiajing was a man who was eager for quick success and quick success. He only hoped to complete the errands assigned to him as quickly as possible and did not have much patience.

When his patience is exhausted, he often kills the donkey.

Zhang Jing's death is not so much that he was murdered by Yan Song and others, but rather that Emperor Jiajing underestimated the seriousness of the Japanese invasion. After being unable to make progress for two consecutive years, he ran out of patience and captured Zhang Jing with the help of others. After that, No matter whether you ask or not.

As for Yang Xuan, it was because he knew that there were only more than 10,000 Tatars who invaded, but they were unable to advance and suppress them as quickly as possible, and even suffered repeated defeats.

"Actually, in my opinion, it might be safer to let Mr. Liu governor Ji Liao and Baoding."

Wei Guangde also took advantage of the situation and said.

"Oh, what's the point of philanthropic loan?"

Zhang Juzheng was a little curious when he heard that Wei Guangde supported Liu Tao, so he asked.

"Both Mr. Xu Ge and Yang Shangshu have good relations with Prince Yu's Mansion, so I can be more impartial about the candidate for Governor of Ji Liao."

Wei Guangde smiled and said: "I also heard that Mr. Liu is an expert in cavalry and archery, and has a good command of strategy. When he was serving as the governor of Shaanxi, he led his army to fight the Tatars who broke into Shaanxi and shot the bandit chief Miria. This shows that he was against the Mongolian Tatars. Zi also has a skill.

In Jiangnan, he participated in many battles against Japanese pirates and pacified Lingnan. His military exploits were brilliant and his prestige was enough to intimidate the entire army.

As for Master Jiang Dongjiang, he should be on par with Master Liu in terms of strategy, but the difference is in the skill of riding and shooting.

Governor Ji Liao is defending the capital. If he doesn't even dare to go to the battlefield, he will only strategize in the rear, which may not inspire the soldiers to use their lives.

Yang Xuan is a good example. The Tatars went north and he went south. Compared with Lord Liu shooting the bandit chieftain, it is clear which one is better and which one is worse. "

"To be honest, Your Majesty, the teacher must have something to say, but the biggest problem now is that Yang Bo intends to let Jiangdong take over Ji Liao. What he means is that Mr. Liu has just returned not long ago, and I am afraid that he is already a little unfamiliar with the Tatars, so it is best to Patrol the border first, let’s get used to it for a while and then make arrangements.”

Zhang Juzheng said.

"Xu Ge Lao can't convince Yang Shangshu, so we might as well add King Yu. I think if both parties support Mr. Liu to be the governor of Jiliao, Yang Shangshu will give it some serious consideration."

Wei Guangde said with a smile still on his face.

"Is there a way for Shandai to get King Yu to express his stance?"

Zhang Juzheng asked suspiciously, and then he cupped his hands and said: "To be honest, I have mentioned this matter to Prince Yu in private, but Prince Yu, as you said, Mr. Xu Ge and Yang Shangshu are both helpful to Prince Yu's palace. I don’t think it’s appropriate to support anyone.”

"So, Prince Yu rejected your request?"

Wei Guangde answered and asked.

"exactly."

Zhang Juzheng didn't hide anything and nodded immediately.

"I will ask to see Prince Yu later to discuss the matter and see if there is any room for change."

Wei Guangde said immediately.

"Then Labor Charity Loan can help."

Although Zhang Juzheng had already guessed in his heart that Wei Guangde did this for no gain, but now he didn't know the real reason why Wei Guangde did this, so he naturally had to treat him politely.

It's hard to say that the conflict between Wei Guangde and Jiang Dong is enough for him to deal with it at the expense of his face.

At the very least, Zhang Juzheng really didn't know why Wei Guangde and Jiangdong were at odds with each other.

Without knowing the reason, it is naturally impossible to make an accurate judgment.

"By the way, I have one more thing to do today, and I would like to hear your uncle's opinion."

Wei Guangde changed the topic and said.

"What's the matter?"

Zhang Juzheng said curiously.

"This matter is of great importance, please keep it secret."

Therefore, Wei Guangde told Zhang Juzheng about Ma Fang's plan to attack the North Beach of Mongolia after he led his troops back to Xuanfu.

"What you mean is that Ma Fang received a secret report that Anda Khan's tent was erected on the North Beach?"

Zhang Juzheng asked with a frown.

"It should be that he said that this sneak attack was intended to severely damage the main force of Anda Khan. If he is not in Beishandang, how can he say that he will severely damage it."

Wei Guangde replied seriously.

"If the news is true, with the talents of General Ma, as long as he arranges carefully, he will be able to win a great victory."

Zhang Juzheng rubbed his hands and said, but seeing Wei Guangde's serious expression, he asked strangely: "Shandai, this is a good thing, why are you frowning?"

"When I first learned about this, I was no different from you."

Wei Guangde lowered his head as he spoke, then looked up at Zhang Juzheng and said, "But in this sneak attack, the Tatar Huang Taiji had just entered the Kou capital, and he rushed to the North Beach non-stop. I always feel a little uneasy."

"Why?"

Zhang Juzheng was still suspicious and couldn't figure out what Wei Guangde had to worry about.

"I checked the court documents about Amada Khan and found that he had extraordinary strategies, especially in the battles to defeat Ulyanha and conquer Qinghai Yiyi, he showed amazing ability to predict.

Even if he threatened the capital more than ten years ago, it was not something he did casually. It should be an astonishing move made after careful consideration. "

Wei Guangde shook his head, "I feel that I have raised him too high, but this person is indeed extraordinary, otherwise he would never be able to unify the prairie, and he would be a serious problem for the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, I am worried that Huang Taiji's reversal in the final stage of this battle will alert him to the fact that the combat effectiveness of the Ming Dynasty's official army in Xuanda Town is increasing. "

In the past, the Mongolian tribes only expressed harmony, but in fact they were in a state of disintegration, so they did not gather all their strength every time they went south.

Before Anda Khan showed up, his brother Ji Nang only had 30,000 households, and he dared to wreak havoc in Xuanfu, Datong, Liangzhou and other places, and also had to guard against tribes such as Yibula and Bu'erhai.

But now, the surrounding tribes have surrendered to Amada Khan. He has huge power and can mobilize huge Mongolian troops.

Raid attacks like Ma Fang's often do not gather a large army, but only take away more than 10,000 elites to facilitate a quick rush to carry out the raid.

Even though Ma Fang's troops are smaller than Anda Khan's, if he is commanded properly, he can take advantage of the enemy's chaos and take advantage of the situation to achieve unparalleled achievements.

However, such a sneak attack also carries a huge risk, that is, if the enemy detects or predicts it, it will often be trapped and difficult to escape.

What Wei Guangde was afraid of was that Anda Khan would be alerted by the battle at Huang Taiji. If so, he would ambush Ma Fang in the middle of the road, and the outcome would be unpredictable.

"The people who made great contributions this time are the Xuanda troops. Now that the two units have returned to their base together, will Datong Jiang Yingxiong's unit also participate in this sneak attack?"

Zhang Juzheng suddenly interrupted and asked.

"No, if we contact the Datong Army, I'm afraid the information may be leaked.

The Xuanfu Army has been under his command for many years and has been completely controlled by him, so he naturally knows what to do to keep it secret.

The Datong Army, on the other hand, does not understand it at all and is difficult to command. Ma Fang will never unite with Datong to march together. "

Wei Guangde shook his head directly.

"Then what do you mean? Do you want to stop it?"

Zhang Juzheng is still very strange and does not understand Wei Guangde's true intention.

"On Ma Fang's side, if my guess is correct, I'm afraid he has already led his troops to the foot of the Xuanfu Great Wall by this time and will sneak out of the pass at any time."

Wei Guangde knew that if such a plan was to be implemented, the most critical thing would be what was happening outside the Xuanfu Great Wall at this time.

If Tatar scouts appear, Ma Fang may directly cancel the invasion plan.

In other words, Ma Fang will only consider feasibility, but whether to implement it in the end depends on the situation and the specific situation.

However, there is no need to talk about these details to Zhang Juzheng.

"Since we can't control it, why not find a way to remedy it?"

Zhang Juzheng said at this time.

"What? Remedy?"

Wei Guangde wondered.

"Since General Ma has sent troops, and Shandai is worried, it is better to think of ways to see how to reverse the defeat if General Ma is really defeated, such as sending generals and troops to enter the Xuan Mansion in the name of patrolling the border to find out the news. , if something goes wrong, we will immediately send troops to rescue.”

Zhang Juzheng said, "It depends on Shandai's opinion on what possible situations may arise if General Ma's troops are actually detected by An Dahan. We may as well prescribe the right medicine and find a solution."

"Ma Fang will lead his troops to attack. In the past, he always took the lead when going to fortresses."

Speaking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly realized a problem, that is, after Ma Fang left the fortress, Dong Yikui temporarily took over the defense of Xuanfu. Now Dong Yikui has been transferred to Shanxi as the commander-in-chief. He does not know that after Ma Fang left Xuanfu this time, How is the rear arrangement arranged?

However, this is not important.

Because Wei Guangde had already thought of Zhang Juzheng's suggestion just now, an idea swirled in Wei Guangde's mind.

Let Dong Yikui, as the commander-in-chief of Shanxi, bring Shanxi soldiers and horses to patrol Xuanfu. If Ma Fang's tribe really encounters trouble, let Dong Yikui lead the rescue, and if successful, he will be responsible for returning him.

However, at this time, Zhang Juzheng was minding his own business and said: "If Ma Fang's tribe is detected by An Da Khan, there are three possible ways.

The first is to lead his troops to escape directly, but the probability of this is extremely small; the second is to set up an ambush with the intention of severely damaging or even annihilating Ma Fang's troops; the third is"

"Then what?"

Wei Guangde asked.

"Bypassing Ma Fang's sharp edge, sneak attack on the empty Xuan Mansion."

Zhang Juzheng said.

"hiss"

Wei Guangde took a breath. If An Dahan adopted the third strategy mentioned by Zhang Juzheng, he could not only rob countless supplies, but also force Ma Fang to a dead end.

Just kidding, the emperor asked you to guard the Xuan Mansion, but you ended up losing your nest.

It is hard to say that the sword was not struck by An Dahan, but by Emperor Jiajing.

"Which one do you choose?"

Zhang Juzheng asked suddenly.

"third."

Wei Guangde replied subconsciously.

"So, we should first think of ways to supplement the Xuanfu's lack of troops. Ma Fang will take away the Xuanfu elite. Once the Tatars suddenly arrive, we may not even be able to draw out the rescue troops.

By then, the entire Xuanfu will be full of loopholes and passive, and there is a possibility of being cooked by the Tatars. This will really cost Ma Fang his life. "

Zhang Juzheng said, stroking his beautiful beard, but there was a hint of sinisterness in his eyes.

Wei Guangde had never seen this look in Zhang Juzheng's eyes before.

For the first time, Wei Guangde looked at him with admiration. He seemed very scary when he was ruthless.

Moreover, Wei Guangde also heard from Zhang Juzheng's words just now that Zhang Juzheng actually had a lot of ideas.

Maybe he just wasn't interested in the military.

Also, the path Xu Jie arranged for him was not to become a military and civilian official, but to support him towards the throne of chief minister.

With some calculations in mind, Wei Guangde sat here for a while, looked at the time, and asked the chamberlain to go in and ask about King Yu's situation.