Chapter 534 Shandong Military Affairs must listen to me!

"Myongshan Gong, teacher, that's the case."

In the VIP room behind the Grand Governor's Office, Zhang Zhun said slowly to Gao Hongtu and Zhang Shenyan.

The light in the VIP room was a little dark because the curtains were not completely opened. Gao Hongtu and Zhang Shenyan's faces were also a little dark and a little sad. After receiving the information sent by Ma Yi, Zhang Zhun summoned Gao Hongtu and Zhang Shenyan to discuss and told the two of them that the Tartars might launch an attack.

The two never expected that the Tartars had just invaded last year, but this year they were going to invade again. Thinking of the losses caused to the Ming Dynasty by the previous two invasions, both of them were heartbroken. The Tartars greatly enhanced their own strength through the previous two invasions, and effectively weakened the power of the Ming Dynasty. The northern part of the Ming Dynasty has not yet recovered.

Zhang Shenyan hummed heavily in his nostrils, trying hard to cheer up, and said coldly: "Do Jianlu really think there is no one in my heaven? Come on when you say it, and leave when you say it?"

Gao Hongtu frowned and said, "There is indeed no one in the Celestial Empire. The Tartars did come and go as soon as they say they were. If Yuan Chonghuan was still there, how could the Tartars be rampant?"

He was a fanatical Yuan fan and wanted to overturn Yuan Chonghuan's case. He would not let him go as long as he could mention Yuan Chonghuan. In fact, Zhang Zhun did not agree with what he said about him. When the Tatars first invaded, Yuan Chonghuan was also there. The result was that the Tatars came when they wanted to come and left when they wanted to?

Zhang Shenyan subconsciously glanced at Zhang Zhun and said slowly and meaningfully: "Yulin, if the Tartars really invade, where will the Hu Ben Army general go?"

Zhang Zhun said without hesitation: "Of course, he fought with him until the last person!"

Zhang Shenyan subconsciously said: "Since that's the case, I will write a letter to all the masters in the cabinet to explain their interests. You can lead the army to the capital to serve the king! At least you cannot let the invasion of the Tartars succeed. Today, the only one who can stop the Tartars' soldiers are the soldiers of the Tiger Army."

Zhang Zhun said with a giggle and laughter: "Myongshan, okay should you not be so naive? What's the use of your book? Will the court ask me to go to Beijing to serve the king? Will they believe your words?"

Gao Hongtu also shook his head and said, "This is absolutely impossible, it is counterproductive."

Only then did Zhang Shenyan realize that he was anxious for a moment and did not carefully consider the powerful relationship, so he rushed out. At this moment, the court dared to let Zhang Zhun lead his army to the capital to serve the king? He thought he was not dead fast enough? Zhang Zhun was nominally the commander-general of the Governor's Office, but his actual identity was a real thief. The court did not know how afraid of the combat effectiveness of the Hu Ben Army, and would not easily let the Hu Ben Army approach the capital, let alone the matter of going to the capital to serve the king.

Speaking of which, the current imperial court is indeed very sad. The Ming Dynasty has people, some powerful troops, and some countless heroes. However, they are not valued by the imperial court. The imperial court is more careful than guarding against them than guarding against the Tartars. For example, the government used the imperial court to encircle and suppress the chaos in Shaanxi to encircle and suppress the troops in Shaanxi than the troops stationed in Liaodong.

In desperation, Zhang Shenyan had no choice but to say: "Even if he can't go to Beijing to serve the king, he must prepare for the future and save the people of the country. We can't watch the Tartars invade, do nothing, watch the fire from the wall and watch the fire from the other side, right?"

Zhang Zhun said in a deep voice: "What I can do now is to tell the court that there is such a thing and ask them to beware of it themselves. In addition, if possible, I will send people to spread news of the Tatars' invasion in the north, so that the local people can move south as much as possible to reduce the possibility of local people being massacred. In addition, even if I want to do it, I am afraid the court will not allow it."

Zhang Shenyan could only sigh deeply.

That's right, Zhang Zhun can do now only by being vigilant and preparing for war with all his might. At the same time, he reminded the court that he hopes that the court can actively prepare for war and reduce losses. It would be even better if he could accept fugitives from the north as much as possible. In other words, even if Zhang Zhun wanted to do it, he would have the will but not enough strength.

It is very necessary to remind the court that the Tartars will invade. In the first two times, the court was caught off guard by the Tartars and suffered heavy losses. If the court was caught off guard by the Tartars again, the losses might be even heavier. If Shanxi, Northern Zhili, Shandong and other places were all broken into ruins, it would definitely not meet Zhang Zhun's interest. However, with the current capabilities of the Hu Ben Army, it is impossible to fully occupy these places. It should be known that the Hu Ben Army is currently encircling and suppressing the Wenxiang Sect.

The last possibility is to create rumors in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty, saying that the Tartars were about to invade and hope that the local people would move south as soon as possible. This is the only way to preserve the local people. If the people believe these rumors and move south as soon as possible, they can avoid losses. However, if the local people do not believe and the Tartars arrive, they will still be poisoned by the Tartars.

Will the court believe Zhang Zhun’s reminder?

It's hard to say.

The court was also very concerned about Zhang Zhun. In the eyes of the court, any of Zhang Zhun's actions were ulterior motives. Especially after Zhang Zhun ignored the content of the edict and sent troops into Andongwei, the court would not easily believe Zhang Zhun's words. Maybe, the court thought it was Zhang Zhun's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain! If the Tartars came, the court believed that the daylily would be cold.

Similarly, the same is true for creating rumors. If the local government believes that rumors have ulterior motives and prohibited spread, the effect may not be good. It is October now, and it may be less than two months before the Tatars invasion. If the people in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty do not move south as soon as possible, they will suffer from the Tartars' murder.

Gao Hongtu suddenly said, "Miaoshan, Xianzhi is said to have arrived in Shandong and will soon arrive in Fushan City. It is better to ask him to convey this matter. If the Tartars invaded, Xianzhi will definitely not ignore it. If he comes forward to repost it, it may lead to this matter."

Zhang Shenyan said worriedly: "Others are slight and have weak power, so the court will not believe it."

Gao Hongtu said slowly: "Even so, Xianzhi must do his best to make the court more vigilant as much as possible. Even if the court does not believe it, the government in the north must believe it, take the people into the city as much as possible, or allow the people to move south in large quantities. As long as people can be kept, there will always be a chance to make a comeback in the future."

Zhang Shenyan said helplessly: "That's the only way."

Zhang Zhun pondered and said, "Teacher, Duke Miaoshan, do you think that if the court is prepared and vigilant, and deploys heavy troops on the nine sides, can it defeat the Tartars?"

Zhang Shenyan shook his head and said, "It's difficult."

Gao Hongtu also shook his head and said, "It's very difficult."

Zhang Zhun could only be speechless.

If the court knew that the Tartars were coming to invade and still could not stop it, then what effect would this reminder have? The imperial army in Shandong was so useless, and the army in the nine sides were so useless. It was incredible that such an imperial court could still support it.

Zhang Shenyan said slowly: "The army on the nine sides is the Qin army. Unfortunately, the Qin army cannot be transferred in the Central Plains. The Jin army is decayed and has no combat power, so it is useless to come. The Ji army lacks enough troops and has only a false reputation. Qin Liangyu's white-rod soldiers cannot save the near fire from far water. Only more than 100,000 people in Liaodong still have combat power. However, how dare the court let the Liaodong army leave the Ningjin front line? Once the gate of the Jinzhou front line opens and the Tatars enter directly from Shanhaiguan, the country will be destroyed and the race will be destroyed."

Gao Hongtu also had deep worries and said slowly: "From Datong, Shanxi to the north of Jizhen, the Great Wall stretches for thousands of miles, with dozens of passes in the middle, which are all breakthroughs for the Tatars' invasion. If the Tatar soldiers really exceed 50,000, they must attack in multiple ways and cross the Great Wall from multiple places. The government forces are bound to lose sight of one thing and be captured. The Tatars' cavalry is fast, and if they are roundabout, the government forces will suffer greater losses. Therefore, the government forces will inevitably be huddled in a few points like before. Other places can only give up temporarily."

"The Tatars' invasion last year, the farthest soldiers reached Baoding Prefecture. This time, they might have to go directly to the Yellow River. The Tatars' invasion last year killed Yan Shengdou, the governor of Bao'an Prefecture, to serve as a warning. I expected that the Tatars would come again this year, and there would be very few people like Yan Shengdou. If the official army had no desire to resist and just wanted to defend the city to survive, the Tatars' military pioneers could go further. It was even impossible to siege the capital."

After the two of them finished speaking, they kept sighing.

Although the Hu Ben Army had a bad relationship with the imperial court and the hostility between the two sides was very serious, Zhang Zhun and others were unwilling to see the imperial court bullied by the Tartars again. In fact, every time the Tartars invaded, the sufferings were all innocent people. The powerful and nobles of the court were all huddled in the capital, and they had three major camps to guard it, so there was no harm. Only the people outside the city were affected by disasters.

I remind the court that it is necessary to try its best to avoid the people of the Ming Dynasty being poisoned by the Tartars. However, even this small wish may not be achieved. If the people in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty cannot quickly enter the big town to take refuge in the area, or go south to escape, if the Tartars arrive, they will never have the chance to escape.

Zhang Shenyan suddenly said, "Yulin, do you think the Tartars will really enter Shandong?"

Zhang Zhun said affirmatively: "There is 90% possibility."

Zhang Shenyan frowned and said, "Is Zhu Dadian the opponent of the Tartars?"

Zhang Zhun shook his head and then remained silent.

Of course, Zhu Dadian was not the opponent of the Tartars. If the Tartars' cavalry really came to the city of Jinan, Zhu Dadian would only be defeated. If he was strong enough, he might be captured, might die in battle, or he might commit suicide to sacrifice his country. But if he was not strong enough, he would be very likely to become a traitor. The Han people never lacked heroes, but they never lacked traitors.

Zhang Shenyan said hopefully: "Yulin, what are the solutions to prevent the Tartars from entering Shandong?"

Zhang Zhun said calmly: "The defense must be set up in Dezhou, Jinan and Yanzhou at the same time."

Zhang Shenyan frowned and said, "Does three places have to set up defenses at the same time?"

Zhang Zhun said affirmatively: "Three places must set up defenses at the same time, and none of them are missing."

Zhang Shen was speechless.

At the same time, it is impossible to set up defenses in three cities, with Shandong's military strength. Even if the Hu Ben Army is added, it is impossible. The Ming army in Shandong has only 50,000 or 60,000 people. Even if the troops were temporarily transferred to the garrison and the young and strong people were temporarily mobilized, at most, there were 100,000 people. However, the 100,000 people were definitely not three big cities, and there were still many county towns that needed to be defended. After the troops were divided, they became very weak.

The Tatar cavalry has strong mobility, and the western part of Shandong is mainly plains, which is conducive to the rapid maneuver of the Tatar cavalry. Once the Tatars send a small number of troops to monitor other towns, and then concentrate their main forces and attack a big city, the big city will not be able to defend at all. In other words, the Tatars can adopt such a method to break through all towns one by one. As long as one of the cities in Dezhou, Linqing, Jinan, Jining, Yanzhou and other cities is captured by the Tatars, the losses will be very heavy.

If the Tatars really go south to Shandong, the two most dangerous towns are undoubtedly Dezhou and Linqing. Dezhou is the northern gate of Shandong and the first line of defense for Shandong to fight against the Tatars. Linqing is a famous and wealthy town in Shandong, which can easily become the target of the Tatars' attack. However, the defense capabilities of the two cities are much worse than those of Jinan City and Yanzhou City. If the Tatars attacked these two towns fiercely, the local military and civilians would have no way to resist.

However, Zhang Shenyan did not give up. He always felt that Zhang Zhun would not be so passive in dealing with the Tartars. To talk about the entire Ming Dynasty, which army has the most psychological advantage over the Tartars is the Hu Ben Army led by Zhang Zhun. The Hu Ben Army's achievements in Huang County are beyond the reach of all other Ming troops.

Sitting beside Zhang Zhun, Zhang Shenyan never worried that the Tartars would rage Laizhou Prefecture, let alone rescue the Tartars in Dengzhou City. He estimated that Zhang Zhun must be keeping a secret, and some secret ideas were not raised. Zhang Zhun had no reason, and could not watch the Tartars rage on the land of the Central Plains. Therefore, he continued to ask: "Yulin, is there any other way?"

Zhang Zhun said without comment: "It is okay to defend Qingzhou City to the death. However, defending Qingzhou City to the death is equivalent to giving up Dongchang Prefecture, Jinan Prefecture, Yanzhou Prefecture and other places."

Zhang Shenyan immediately frowned.

The main economically developed areas of Shandong are all located in Jinan Prefecture, Dongchang Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture to the west, especially the front line of the canal. Dezhou, Linqing, Liaocheng, Dongping, Jining and other towns are the richest towns in Shandong. The land on both sides of the canal is also the most fertile land in Shandong. If you give up these areas and let the Tartars rage, what is the difference between giving up?

Gao Hongtu said tentatively: "If the court can defend Baoding Prefecture and Hejian Prefecture, Yulin leads his army to assist in the defense of Dezhou or Jinan, perhaps Shandong can protect itself."

Zhang Shenyan frowned and said, "The northern Zhili horse is flat, and the Tartars are all cavalry, and they come and go freely. How can they defend themselves? You don't know the combat effectiveness of the official army. Unless Yulin personally led the army to guard Baoding, don't expect it at all."

Before he knew it, he had already put all his hopes on Zhang Zhun. This was also a huge change. When he first served as the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture, he had a lot of feelings for the court. Now, his confidence in the court is getting less and less. His impression of the court is getting worse and worse. Naturally, the distance between the two sides is getting more and more distant.

Zhang Zhun said with a smile: "Then I can't help you."

Zhang Shenyan said suspiciously: "The Hu Ben Army can really only defend the front line of Qingzhou Prefecture?"

Zhang Zhun nodded and said with certainty: "The central and southern Qingzhou Prefecture are all mountainous areas, and there are no cavalry, and only the northern cavalry can pass. If the Tatars who go south want to meet with the Tatars in Dengzhou City, they must take this road. Qingzhou City is just on this only road. As long as the city is stuck, the Tatars who go south and the Tatars in Dengzhou City are stuck, they will never have the chance to meet."

Zhang Shenyan said with hope: "Then... can the attack route of the Tartar cavalry in other places be blocked?"

Zhang Zhun shook his head with a smile.

Zhang Shenyan finally couldn't help but said straightforwardly: "Yulin, if you have any ideas, just say it directly. I, Zhang Miaoshan, will never drag you down. If you are beneficial to the country and the people, I will definitely support you."

Zhang Zhun said slowly: "I do have an immature idea. This idea does require strong support from Duke Miaoshan."

Zhang Shenyan said readily: "Yulin, tell me quickly. As long as I can stop the Tartars from rampant and prevent the people from suffering from the Tartars' poison, I can do it even if I go through fire and water."

Zhang Zhun nodded gently and said slowly: "Myongshan Gong is serious. My idea is very simple. Since the Tartars are going to invade, we will let him invade. Since the Tartars are going to come to Shandong, we will let him come to Shandong. We always have to take advantage of it when fighting at our doorstep."

Zhang Shenyan said in confusion: "Let the Tartars come to Shandong? Take advantage of it? What does it mean?"

Zhang Zhun said softly: "I hope the court appointed me to preside over the military affairs of Shandong. I will set up enough battlefields in Shandong to annihilate the Tartars on the territory of Shandong. The more Tartars come, the more they die."

Zhang Shenyan's eyes sank slightly, and he frowned and said, "Yulin, at this time, you are still thinking about expanding power and expanding territory. Isn't it a bit frivolous? The Tartars are atrocities, and people and gods are angry. Even if you don't preside over the military affairs in Shandong, you must fight against the Tartars!"

Zhang Zhun said slowly: "No! To effectively annihilate the Tartars, Shandong's military affairs must listen to me! If Duke Miaoshan feels that there is a better way, please come up with it. The Tartars invade, I do not have the ability to defend the Northern Zhili, and it is too far away from me. However, I have the ability to make the Tartars unable to get a good idea in Shandong. The premise is that Shandong's military affairs must obey my command. If anyone does not obey the order, I will cut off his head on the spot."

Zhang Shenyan shook his head and said, "This is impossible, and the court will definitely not agree."
Chapter completed!