The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"I have read the Yunnan war report you sent me these days. The Burmese army is strong this time. Do you think Li Chengliang needs to send more reinforcements?"

Speaking of business, Zhang Juzheng immediately started talking.

He has been unable to sleep these days and nights. He is the chief minister and the head of the empire, so he is naturally interested in military matters. Even if the Ministry of Industry and War is assigned to Wei Guangde in the cabinet, it does not mean that he has no responsibilities.

After hearing what he said, Wei Guangde chuckled and said: "Uncle, although the Burmese army is powerful, who are they? Maybe they are similar to the inland guards. The so-called soldiers are just farmers who have just put down their hoes.

Three hundred thousand farmers and more than one hundred thousand soldiers fight. As long as Li Chengliang is not stupid, he will not be defeated. "

"But I heard that there are hundreds of elephants in the Burmese army. The chieftains in the southwest have been raising elephants for a long time to fight. The threat of elephant soldiers is still great, especially in battle formations.

What's more, Yunnan is mountainous and the terrain is complex. Recently, the governor of Yunnan reported that many chieftains on the border are collaborating with the enemy. As a result, our army has been passive. The army can only rely on the city to defend, but cannot take the initiative to attack. "

Zhang Juzheng said.

When Wei Guangde heard this, he understood a little. It should be the governor of Yunnan who reported some things in Yunnan, but the main reason was to pass the blame and throw the responsibility for causing the war on the so-called "cheating in and out" chieftains, thereby reducing his own responsibility.

These memorials were just for others to read, or to fool the uninformed officials in the court so that they could alleviate their dissatisfaction with the Yunnan government.

However, Zhang Juzheng may have thought too much about the memorial.

"There are actually many ways to deal with the elephant soldiers, and fire attack is the best way. Animals are afraid of fire.

As for how Li Chengliang will deal with the elephant soldiers, I think he will still rely on the Ming Dynasty's dominant firearms.

The elephant's skin is rough, so it is true that it cannot be penetrated by a gun, and it cannot be hurt by a knife, but if it is bombarded by a Franco machine gun, I think the elephant will not be able to withstand it.

Even if you can't hurt it, it will still hurt and frighten him.

Therefore, I don't care much about the elephant soldiers. If Li Chengliang doesn't even have this ability, he shouldn't continue to be the governor.

As for the terrain you mentioned, it is true that the terrain in the southwest is complicated, but I still say that, since I have handed over the war to Li Chengliang, let him fight first.

Even if our army loses, won't there still be Yu Dayou in the south? "

Wei Guangde said with a smile, completely expressing that he was not worried at all.

In fact, Wei Guangde was more worried about the war in Myanmar than Zhang Juzheng.

Although the Chinese army has always had more victories than Myanmar in history, it was mostly at the tactical level. At the strategic level, due to terrain reasons, it usually took advantage of the situation and the other side surrendered and then immediately returned to the country without even a moment's desire. Long stay.

This also fully illustrates the nature of war. It seems that the army is afraid of the high mountains and mountains in northern Myanmar during protracted operations.

This battle is really difficult to fight.

However, although the terrain in the northeast is not as complex as that in the southwest, it has both mountains and plains, and the terrain is also very complex.

Since Li Chengliang was able to achieve ten consecutive victories in Liaodong, he must have a good way of leading troops in war.

The last mention of Yu Dayou was also to reassure Zhang Juzheng. Even if the situation on the frontal battlefield was not good, as long as Yu Dayou in the south won the battle, it would distract Mang Yinglong, and he would definitely have to divide his troops for rescue.

Li Chengliang can also take a breath a few times.

Wei Guangde didn't know that Li Chengliang had changed his tactics. Not only did he not give up his original plan, he also planned to launch it in advance.

In Wei Guangde's view, as long as he waited for the battle report from the south to reach Mang Yinglong's ears, the Burmese army would be distracted, so he could just push it from the front.

The center of Mang Yinglong's rule is actually in central and southern Myanmar, where the flat terrain is the main habitat of the Burmese people and his foundation.

Knowing where the Ming army reached, if he did not immediately return reinforcements, the foundation of his rule in Myanmar might not be stable. What else could he use to fight against the Ming Dynasty?

In war, it is better to fight head-on, which is safer.

Using surprise troops is a last resort when there is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves.

At least, if Wei Guangde is placed in Li Chengliang's position, he will never raid the Burmese army again. He will just drag the enemy troops frontally and prevent them from returning to reinforcements smoothly. He will pursue them all the way. As long as they pass through the mountainous areas of northern Myanmar, this battle will not be possible. Just win.

Little did he know that Li Chengliang's final bet was to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Burmese army in northern Myanmar, use news of the war in southern Myanmar to disrupt the morale of the enemy's troops, and use the dispersion of military morale to severely damage the enemy's troops in order to ensure the smoothness of the later war.

He forgot that the task he gave Li Chengliang was to occupy Burma, not to defeat the Burmese army.

It was destined that this battle was a gamble in his official career. If he won, he would be promoted to heaven, but if he lost, he would be dismissed from office.

As for the soldiers of Ming Dynasty, they were just dispensable chess pieces in his hand. It didn't matter if they were discarded. Anyway, the guard station could continue to make by-elections from among the military households. They were just a group of consumables.

Zhang Juzheng also thought about this section, pulling Mang Yinglong from the north to the south to make him focus on one thing at the expense of the other. It is true that the probability of losing this battle is low, it just depends on whether Wei Guangde's plan can be realized in the end.

Wei Guangde certainly benefited a lot from winning, but he, the first assistant, was the biggest beneficiary.

"Well, now that the charity loan has been successful, let's put the matter of Myanmar aside for the time being, and we can just wait for the good news from Southwest.

But at the moment, there is still something that needs to be discussed with Shandai. "

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard, his expression turned from worry to joy, and said.

"Uncle, it's okay to say so."

Wei Guangde picked up the teacup on the coffee table and took a sip.

I talked a lot just now, and now I feel a little dry. I don't know if it's because I've been drinking and eating too many irritating things these days.

"It was discussed before about opening a horse market in Datong."

Zhang Juzheng waited for Wei Guangde to put down his tea cup before speaking slowly.

"Oh, but Governor Huo has already decided on the charter and chosen the border fortress where the market will open?"

When Wei Guangde heard this, he lowered his eyes to the ground and asked seemingly casually.

"Yao Feng made a report before and said that the regulations of the horse market have been determined based on the past and Gong City. However, when discussing with Ma Zongbing about the location of the horse market, there were many difficulties and a suitable location could not be found for a long time. ”

Over in Datong, since Huo Yi had been persuaded by Shanxi merchants and had Zhang Juzheng's acquiescence, he naturally began to push for the reopening of the horse market.

However, Ma Fang created many obstacles for him in the most important aspects.

If the border fort to open the port cannot be determined for a long time, the horse market will naturally not be able to continue and will have to give up halfway.

Huo Yi is not stupid. Although Zhang Juzheng has a huge say in the cabinet situation, the influence of his second assistant Wei Guangde is not small.

In particular, the opening of the market seems to be a matter of civil affairs, but in fact it is led by the Ministry of War.

Ma Fang's attitude towards the location of the horse market has gradually become clear. He is trying to block the location of the horse market by pushing back and forth.

By this time, Huo Yi naturally understood that the Ministry of War, or Wei Guangde, did not seem to support this matter.

The imperial court sets policies, but the specific implementation rules still need to be determined by the local government before being reported, and they can only be implemented after approval.

But now, the horse market is stuck on the last link.

With the power of governor, Huo Yi could naturally decide on the border fortress for the opening of the market, but Ma Fang refused to give in and said that he would report the shortcomings of the site selection. If something went wrong, the Datong military was not willing to take responsibility, so Huo Yi The wings are a little numb.

Things in the north have always been sensitive.

Even if the Mongols really want to surrender and don't make any small moves, the grassland is an environment where the jungle is strong and the strong prey on the weak. If the people above are not moved, the small tribes below may not be.

If there is a small tribe causing trouble in Ma Market, Ma Fang, the general in charge of the army, will be a little slow to react, but it will lead to a big disaster.

It's obviously not worth taking such a big risk for this benefit.

What's more, it is no secret in the Ministry of War that Tan Lun intends to become an official.

Although Huo Yi is the governor of Xuanda, he still has the title of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War, and he is also one of the strong contenders for this position.

He, Huo Yi, could more or less find out the attitude of the Ministry of War, and guessed from this that the person who really gave Ma Fang the hint might be the person in the cabinet.

If I want to compete for that position, I need this person's nod.

Therefore, he naturally chose to spread the news and let Shanxi merchants take action on their own. He also passed the news to Zhang Juzheng.

After all, he is the one standing behind him. If not the boss, who should he turn to to solve the problem at this time?

"We discussed before that although there is no clear support for Shandai, we are not opposed to it. I just don't know what the attitude is now."

Zhang Juzheng asked.

In the cabinet, as long as the two of them can unify their opinions, Lu Tiaoyang's attitude really doesn't matter.

Even if the vote is two to one, the result is a sure win.

Therefore, when the two people involved in the distribution of their own interests, they often left Lu Tiaoyang to discuss alone.

Just leave some soup for others. This is also to prevent any bad rumors about their reputation from spreading outside.

Lu Tiaoyang also knew what was going on. After all, he was a cabinet minister who finally came out of Guangxi, and he didn't want to be kicked out of office.

Fighting for connections, whether he was a teacher or a fellow countryman, he was completely defeated in front of Zhang Juzheng of Huguang and Wei Guangde of Jiangxi.

If he were an official from Nanzhili or Zhejiang, he might still be able to give it a try.

Too bad he wasn't.

"This is about it."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly, finally knowing why Zhang Juzheng was looking for him.

I was worried about the war in the southwest, but I just wanted to talk about Huo Yi and Shanxi merchants. I'm afraid that was the main topic when I met him today.

"Datong Horse Market, please be kind and think that you should be more cautious and don't act in a hurry."

Wei Guangde spoke, which could be regarded as expressing his attitude. It was still ambiguous, not clearly opposed, but definitely not supportive.

When Zhang Juzheng heard this, his eyes suddenly narrowed. He could tell what Wei Guangde meant, but he still didn't really support it.

This matter actually had little to do with him, but it was just a request he received. After seeing Yuegang's interests, he did not object and thought he could give it a try.

Of course, after discussing with Wei Guangde and doing ideological work, mainly the person in the inner court was also very dissatisfied with this matter.

Yes, Feng Bao also opposed the opening of Datong.

If the cabinet cannot unify its opinions, it will be difficult for him to face the opposition of Wei Guangde and Feng Bao at the same time.

Feng Bao objected, but he was mainly targeting the Ministry of Revenue. He wanted to rob the inner court of money. He couldn't stand this tone.

So the Ministry of Revenue supported it, but he chose to oppose it this time.

Anyway, the offerings at Yuegang have increased so much, and the inner court is not short of money in a short period of time.

Even though Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao talked once, Feng Bao didn't nod.

Perhaps, this time he also made up his mind to let the people in the outer court see who the big and small kings were. Even if Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde nodded, without Feng Bao's consent, the memorial would not be approved or taken away.

"Brother Shuanglin informed me about this matter, but it's not because of him."

Wei Guangde said calmly.

Although there was a rift with Feng Bao, the two still had a good relationship on the surface, and they did not stop communicating in private.

The qi that should be circulated are also being passed on to each other.

After all, we are all people who care about interests, not enemies, and we still need to cooperate when we should.

Zhang Juzheng would not be ignorant of these things.

"Now that Anda Khan has been granted the title of tribute, my uncle knows how much advantage they have taken, and the people below were quite critical of this.

Their current benefits are enough for their needs. If the horse market opens at this time, they don't know whether the traded goods will become their reserves to prepare for other things. "

Wei Guangde could only consider it from a military perspective. If too many supplies were given, would the Mongols relapse and start another war?

Regardless of whether it is a tribute market or a horse market, they all need to exchange special products from the grassland, but looting is free of cost.

"It shouldn't be the case. If they have sufficient supplies, there is no need for them to risk their lives and start another war."

Zhang Juzheng's answer this time was very direct, and he directly answered Wei Guangde's euphemistic reminder that there was still a risk of war between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia.

Wei Guangde actually knew in his heart that Zhang Juzheng's judgment was actually correct, but he would not nod in approval at the moment.

He still remembered that until the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols of the Tumut tribe did not seem to have a major war with the Ming Dynasty.

As for the Mongols who followed the Jurchens into the country to plunder, they were actually the barbarians from Liaodong.

Moreover, because of the hostility of the Tumut tribe towards the Jurchens, fierce battles broke out between the two sides on the grassland.

Of course, the Mongols were defeated in the end. After all, Mongolia at this time was no longer the unified Mongolia of that time.

"If this is really the case, then what is the need for Xuanda, the governor of the Shaanxi border, and the military formation to exist?"

Wei Guangde chuckled and said.

"That's different, Shandai was joking."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Although we still have to be wary of Mongolia, if its ambition grows, the imperial court can shut down the horse market at any time."

"Doesn't that give you a reason to go to war?"

Wei Guangde continued with a smile, "Rather than this, it would be better not to open the horse market, then there would be no reason for war.

As for the Mongols, if the supplies exchanged in the tribute market were not enough for them, they would also report to the court and request an increase in trading volume. There is really no need to restore the horse market.

Moreover, if the horse market reopens and Shanxi merchants have more contact with the Mongols, it is inevitable that someone will secretly traffic in contraband again.

Even if the court wants to close the horse market, these merchants will take risks and continue trafficking to the grassland for profit.

That was the most troublesome thing at that time. They were familiar with the horse market and all the border areas, and they had opened up their joints. "

Wei Guangde chose to tactfully remind Zhang Juzheng again that Shanxi merchants might engage in smuggling activities because of the horse market.

Ma Fang passed the news to Wei Guangde, that is, now there is no passage in Datong to freely enter and exit the border and enter the grassland, so you can rest assured about smuggling.

The horse market, at least for the time being, must not be opened.