Chapter 380 379 Chen Ju’s reminder
Chen Ju encountered the biggest crisis in his life. If he failed, he was directly sentenced to death by Emperor Jiajing as a joke.
Of course he was not willing to do so. It was better to die than to live, not to mention that he didn't want to die yet.
Previously, his godfather wanted to save him, but he didn't say it out loud. He knew what was going on, even though he didn't see it with his own eyes.
In the main hall, the only one who could make the godfather dare not continue talking was the emperor.
Although Emperor Jiajing seemed to be just joking, Jun Wu was joking, but he was not just talking to his courtiers.
With his brain running rapidly, Chen Ju finally thought of saying something to make the emperor happy first and let himself get over this hurdle first.
"Your Majesty, my servant said that there will be news from Datong on the 35th. The main reason is because the victory report said that among our troops outside the pass, in addition to General Liu, the chief military officer of Datong, there is also Yu Dayou.
The slave also knew that this man turned out to be the chief military officer of Zhejiang, and anyone who could be a general military officer should be very good at fighting.
We have two generals leading the troops outside, so I think we should be able to win. "
Chen Ju didn't know if he could pass this test if he responded like this, but he had no choice but to take a gamble.
"Then according to your opinion, if I send a few more general officers to the important town of Nine Borders, we will definitely win the war with the Tatars. In the past, we often lost because we sent less general officers. ?”
After hearing Chen Ju's explanation, Emperor Jiajing smiled and said in the same joking tone as before.
Perhaps the current Emperor Jiajing is really bearish. Datong's victory or defeat has been decided, and it is useless to dwell on it.
When Emperor Jiajing said this, he might have just said it unintentionally, but in Chen Ju's ears it was interpreted differently, as if he had said the wrong thing again.
Although the selection of generals in Bianzhen was a matter for the Ministry of War, which usually reported candidates, in the end it was the emperor who made the final decision.
What I just said, when I think about it carefully, seems to mean that I chose the wrong general.
Well, Chen Ju didn't dare to speak again. He kowtowed as before. It felt like he kowtowed more today than in the past month.
"To tell you the truth, is Datong losing or winning?"
Looking at Chen Ju who only kowtowed, Emperor Jiajing had no interest in continuing to play.
In fact, when he asked that question, Emperor Jiajing knew that it was impossible to win, so he asked casually without thinking much about it.
As for the person who answered, as long as he found any reason to fool him, Emperor Jiajing would not pursue anything.
In fact, he just wanted to find psychological comfort. Before the news of Datong's defeat came, shouldn't the emperor be allowed to have any illusions?
Now when the emperor asked, Chen Ju bowed his head and thought about how to answer.
Those words before seemed like a joke, but now they are a bit serious.
What we can refer to is Wei Guangde's previous judgment, but now the situation seems to have changed.
What was Wei Guangde saying at that time?
Liu Han went out to fight and lost. Li Wenjin was still in Datong. As long as he followed Yu Dayou's advice and defended Datong, he should be able to succeed.
But today's good news shows that Yu Dayou is not in Datong, but following Liu Han to fight for the city.
The essence of Wei Guangde's words at that time was that the Ming army could not defeat the Tatar cavalry on the grassland, but when they returned to the border wall, they could defend and delay time.
As long as we delay, even though we are fighting a losing battle, it will not worsen the situation.
By the way, delay.
Thinking of this, Chen Ju learned by himself and figured out a very important key to this battle, a point that seemed to have been missed by others before.
"Your Majesty, I have been following you and heard what the ministers said. The current situation in Datong is very critical, and even the entire Jiubian Town is in danger. However, I still feel that the situation is not as bad as they imagined."
Chen Ju stopped kowtowing at this time, but his head was still buried low.
"If you have any insights, you might as well speak up and listen."
Hearing what Chen Ju said, Emperor Jiajing became a little interested. From what he said, it seemed that everyone had missed something very important.
"Your Majesty, our army has been on the offensive against us in recent years, while most of our border towns have been on the defensive. Although the frontier army is weak in combat, not enough in attack but more than adequate in defense.
As long as the Datong Army can focus on defense, withstand the initial attack of the Anta Division, and delay it for a few days, the soldiers and horses of Ningxia and Yansui Town will still wipe out the Hetao area and return safely.
At this time, even if the Datong Army suffered heavy losses, the situation would not collapse to the extent that the courtiers were worried about. "
Chen Ju knelt there. Although he didn't say anything big, what he said was very constructive.
Defense.
Delay time.
When Emperor Jiajing was still silent, Chen Ju spoke again: 'Back in the palace, Yang Shangshu also said that Liu Han was a good defender, and he thought that the Datong army would not be defeated directly if they attacked the Tatars, so...'
"well said."
Before Chen Ju could finish his words, he was interrupted by Emperor Jiajing. Emperor Jiajing was really affected by the thinking of his courtiers before and thought that the Datong Army was really vulnerable, and he was really troubled for several days.
But now that I heard Chen Ju's words, I felt a little enlightened.
Of course, he would not say this.
But it is true that eight thousand people, as long as they do not collapse, are enough for the Tatars to fight for a while.
And what does the Ming army want?
time.
What I was worried about at the beginning was that the soldiers and horses of the Second Town of Yansui Ningxia were attacked by the Andu cavalry in Hetao. As long as Datong delayed for a few days, the soldiers and horses of the Second Town would withdraw into the pass, and the critical situation would be mostly alleviated.
At this time, Emperor Jiajing found a reason to relieve his tension and was in a good mood.
"Sure enough, Datong is exactly what you said. It should be rewarded."
After saying this, Emperor Jiajing turned around and walked back to the throne.
The tense atmosphere was resolved by Chen Ju's unbridled ideas, which made everyone in the hall breathe a sigh of relief.
At this time, Emperor Jiajing also felt a little sleepy.
He glanced at the five-wheel hourglass placed next to him and saw that it was already midnight. Then he waved his hand and said, "Everyone, go down and rest. I'm tired."
While the city of Beijing was falling asleep, bonfires were burning everywhere in Datong Right Road Killing Fort in the west. Many soldiers were sitting around roasting lamb legs while drinking and laughing.
The large courtyard in the center of Killing Fort was also brightly lit by countless torches, and countless candles were lit in the mansion.
The mansion was crowded, many people gathered here, not for meetings, but to have a drink.
There are three desks at the head of the mansion. Sitting from left to right are Liu Han, Li Wenjin and Yu Dayou. Below them are the generals who are going on this expedition. Killing Hu Bao's garrison can only accompany them at the last table.
After repelling Anda's pursuers at Anyinbao, after a night of rest and recuperation, they immediately broke camp and returned south after confirming that the Tatars had withdrawn dozens of miles away.
The eight thousand troops protected the looted goods and returned to Kill Hu Fort as quickly as possible. That is to say, they arrived here at noon today.
Hearing that Liu Han and Yu Dayou were returning with their troops, Li Wenjin took the Datong Right Guards, Yulin Guards commanders and other people who had been summoned urgently two days ago and left the fort ten miles away to welcome them.
To be honest, Li Wenjin had a strong sense of unreality when he received the battle report from the front line. It was so amazing. It was a complete miracle.
Eight thousand Ming troops fought against more than ten thousand Tatars, and they were able to win without relying on fortified cities. This was absolutely beyond everyone's expectations.
After he returned to Shahubao, he immediately sent people to summon the troops from the surrounding guards and military forts, preparing to assemble the team to go out of the city gate to rescue the Ming army. However, the arriving commanders of the Right Guards and Yulin Guards pushed back and blocked all, with the reason that they were all elites. They have been taken away by the Commander-in-Chief, and it is difficult to mobilize more troops in a short period of time.
Okay, now the Ming army has won a big victory on the grassland, and then Liu Han will deal with these army leaders when he comes back.
Although the governor can give orders to the three armies, military and political affairs are actually separated. The only ones he can mobilize are the Datong generals, and some powerful generals do not necessarily buy the governor's account. They are more controlled by the governor.
In fact, this also shows that Liu Han, the commander-in-chief of Datong, has a poor background, so he is not willing to offend him, a civil servant.
At the banquet, Liu Han asked Yu Dayou to briefly introduce the process of the battle. Although nearly half of the generals in the room participated in the battle of Anyinbao and knew the details, there were still many generals guarding the border forts. Li Wenjin summoned him, so he didn't understand the situation.
The army was not supposed to drink alcohol, but today was considered a victory for the army, so it was meaningless from top to bottom. Even the drinks were ordered by Governor Li Wenjin to find someone to supervise.
After the feast was over, the banquet ended, but Li Wenjin did not let Liu Han and Yu Dayou go back to rest.
Yu Dayou's previous narration was very simple and the process was mostly explained in one stroke. Now he wants to ask more questions in his heart.
After fully understanding the battle situation, Li Wenjin said to Liu Han: "General Liu, what do you think of the military vehicle camp?"
"Useful, very powerful. To be honest with Mr. Li, when I came back this time, I planned to follow suit and set up a military vehicle battalion. After the training is completed, I will take it out to practice. At that time, I will ask the governor to say some good words to me at the Bingbei Road. .”
The chief military officer is supposed to be responsible for all military work within his jurisdiction, but logistics is controlled by civilian officials. This is the way of military preparation.
To build a unicycle chariot and to use those firearms, all the troops must be prepared and coordinated.
"There are not many firearms in the Bingbei Road warehouse. This time we will discuss how to write a victory document and ask the court for more firearms." Li Wenjin was silent for a moment before saying.
Thinking about it, Li Wenjin had acquired hundreds of Franco cannons and thousands of muskets, and there were probably not many left in the warehouse of Bingbeidao.
At this time, Yu Dayou on the side took out a pamphlet from his arms and handed it to Li Wenjin with both hands and said: "Sir Li, this is the credit book of the attack on Bansheng City written by me. Please check it."
"Um."
Li Wenjin nodded, took the pamphlet handed over by Yu Dayou and just glanced at it.
You don't need to guess the names on this to know that the people who followed him to Bansheng City must be Liu Han's people.
"The matter of the merit book should not be separated. We will discuss it together tomorrow.
This time we went on an expedition outside the Great Wall and won two battles. It is not good to give credit to one and give equal credit to others. When the time comes, we will balance it out and make a unified merit book to submit to the capital for reward. "
Yu Dayou has no objections to these.
In fact, the people on the merit list have little to do with him. They are either Liu Han's people or Li Wenjin's subordinates. As long as he is not kicked out, Yu Dayou also hopes that this great achievement can ask the court to restore their family's hereditary military position.
"Let's talk about the military vehicle camp. Should we highlight it in the memorial?"
Li Wenjin continued.
"The unicycle chariot is very adaptable. I think it can be used not only in Datong, but also in Xuanfu and other border towns. It really has a lot of potential."
Liu Han nodded and said.
"I consulted Mr. Liu at the beginning, what about the creation of mounted infantry that General Yu proposed?"
Li Wenjin spoke again.
"Well, Mr. Li, this town is already short of horses, and there is not enough cavalry. How can there be any spare horses to compensate for the chariot camp?"
After Liu Han hesitated for a while, he shook his head and said: "General Yu's suggestion is very good. According to what he said, this mounted infantry was used during the suppression of rebellion in Guangdong and Guangxi. It can greatly improve the mobility of the infantry, but the horses in Guangdong and Guangxi are not suitable." If we use it here, the terrain in the south is not suitable for cavalry combat."
Li Wenjin just nodded and said no more.
Think about it, if you don't develop cavalry even if you have war horses, how can you really develop mounted infantry?
Forget it, forget this proposal.
"Dayou, tomorrow you will also rewrite the concept of the military vehicle camp and build it based on the blueprint of my standard camp.
I think the imperial court will attach great importance to this memorial and build such a military vehicle camp on the nine sides. Therefore, the cost of building the army must be controlled well. Don't kill a good way to improve the combat effectiveness of the border army because of money. . "
Li Wenjin wanted to fully promote the chariot camp, not only because this could improve his contribution to the Anyinbao victory, but also because the main battle force was under his command, and he could also spread his name to the central court, and he might even stay in the army. In historical records.
Shouldn't finding a way for the Central Plains army to fight against the prairie cavalry be remembered by future generations?
Although the military vehicle camp was conceived by Yu Dayou, without his own promotion, who would know?
After Huang Jin served Emperor Jiajing to sleep, he left the palace gate. Gao Zhong and Chen Ju were still waiting outside the gate.
"follow me."
Huang Jin walked past the two of them and said something lightly.
Soon, they walked into a small courtyard next to the Yongshou Palace, and the three of them entered a room where the candles had already been lit by the waiter.
This is the room where Huang Jin rests. Gao Zhong and Chen Ju were called today because they had his own ideas.
"You guys sit down."
Huang Jin sat down at his accustomed place and said to them.
However, only Gao Zhong sat down, and Chen Ju just stood beside Gao Zhong in an orderly manner.
Without any pleasantries, Huang Jin went straight to the topic.
"What Xiao Chenzi said today makes sense. I remember Yang Bo said last time that Liu Han is not good at fighting, but he is still good at defending the city."
Huang Jin said at the beginning.
"Yes, I have the impression that Yang Bo said so in the main hall that day."
Gao Zhong nodded in agreement.
"Looking back now, we were all too pessimistic at the beginning. As long as Liu Han can defend this time, just like Xiao Chenzi said, if it takes a few days, we will win."
"Indeed, Yang Bo said the most pessimistic words from the beginning, and we were all affected by him."
After Huang Jin finished speaking, Gao Zhong took over.
"If you want to talk about this news, Jinyiwei came quickly. Tomorrow morning you go to Zhu Xizhong and let him receive the message from Datong. No matter good or bad, the prophet will tell us. These days are so sad."
Huang Jin said to Gao Zhong.
He did not ask Chen Ju to go. After all, Chen Ju's status was too low and he was not qualified at all.
Gao Zhong nodded slightly when he heard this, "I'll go there early tomorrow morning."