The Minister of Personnel Qiu Yu knew that he did not know how to deploy troops, so he simply gave up the opportunity to speak.
Li Banghua thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I think there are many different ways to use troops. I do not agree with what Minister Fang and Minister Fan said."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Chongzhen became interested.
"The imperial court is short of soldiers and generals. Since the Jiannu want to enter the country, let them enter because there is no way to stop them."
"Without Huang Degong's help, Liu Wenyao, Wang Yongji, and Bakyong would not be a match for Duoduo no matter if they were divided or joined together."
"Using them to stop Duoduo is like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth!"
"The only thing we can do is to protect the capital and Shanhaiguan!"
"As long as these two places are not lost, there will be no threat to the court. Wait until the war over with Huang Degong is over, and then let all the troops unite and find a way to drive the Jiannu out of the border!"
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
This is really the only solution.
Previously, 100,000 troops were mobilized to defeat Dorgon on the battlefield!
Excluding the other troops responsible for containment and encirclement, the number of soldiers fighting against Dorgon on the battlefield also exceeded 60,000!
Sixty thousand people eat up twenty thousand, a ratio of three to one!
If you want to eat up Duoduo's 50,000 or 60,000 men, you can imagine how many troops you will need...
After discussing for a while, the five ministers, the king and his subjects, decided on a strategy to avoid the enemy's attack.
In order to delay the enemy's advance, Chongzhen sent a fast horse to deliver a letter to Yan Yingyuan in Xuanfu Town, and at the same time sent an express 300-mile-long message to Dengzhou.
Before the cabinet members left, Chongzhen left Qiu Yu alone.
"I wonder what your majesty wants me to do?"
Qiu Yu hadn't been summoned alone for a long time, so he was very excited.
Chongzhen stared at Qiu Yu calmly for a while, then asked, "I asked you to prepare for the Beijing inspection earlier, to check those with outstanding political achievements, and which officials they recommended for posting outside the capital!"
"How are the preparations going?"
Qiu Yu hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have compiled a list of all the outstanding officials in the imperial examinations since the first year of our dynasty, as well as the names of officials they recommended for posting and their achievements."
"The book is kept at my home. I did not bring it with me when I entered the palace this time. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"It's okay, I'm not in a hurry to watch it."
"When you return, you will make two copies of the booklet. Give one to Wang Zhixin, another to me, and the remaining one to Lord Li."
Heart of the King?
Qiu Yu had a bad feeling.
Wang Zhixin only has two words to describe his life: cruel and greedy!
If he were allowed to take the lead in rectifying the administration of officials, the situation would not be optimistic.
After Chongzhen asked about some official business of the Ministry of Personnel, he let Qiu Yu leave on his own.
Chongzhen returned to the harem and hugged Queen Zhou's delicate body without saying a word.
He is too tired!
The Ming Dynasty was plagued by internal and external troubles, and wars broke out everywhere!
We must not only deal with external enemies, but also internal pests.
The body is tired, and the mind is even more tired!
After an unknown amount of time, he fell into a deep sleep.
Although Chongzhen fell asleep, Yan Yingyuan, who was hundreds of miles away, couldn't fall asleep.
In fact, from the moment Duoduo left Xuanfu Town, he sent people to keep an eye on Duoduo's movements.
"After slaughtering the Longmen guards, they left from Dushikou? It seems that there was a problem with Duoduo's food and grass!" Yan Yingyuan said while sitting on a chair after receiving the news.
"Why do you say that, Lord Yan?" asked guerrilla general Ding Yi.
Yan Yingyuan did not answer his question, but looked at Zhang Feng, a captain of the Imperial Guard, again: "Captain Zhang, am I right?"
Zhang Feng sighed and nodded with a dim look in his eyes: "You are right. After Duoduo left, my people went into the city to check and found that the dead included men, women, old people, young people, and children."
"This kind of indiscriminate killing is a massacre!"
Having said that, Zhang Feng clenched his fists and his eyes flashed with ferocity.
Yan Yingyuan also sighed helplessly.
Apart from Ding Yi, he had no other soldiers under his command. Even if he wanted to save the Longmen Guards, he was powerless to do so.
"If it is true as Captain Zhang said, then I am basically certain that there is something wrong with the Jiannu's food and fodder!"
In the eyes of everyone's doubts, Yan Yingyuan explained: "Everyone, why did the Jiannu enter the pass?"
Ding Yi answered without hesitation: "People, food, and money!"
Yan Yingyuan nodded and continued, "That's right! Before this, when the Jiannu entered the pass and plundered the people, they would kill the old and the young, and only take away the young and strong. The purpose was to make these people follow them back to Liaodong to farm!"
"And now? Instead of taking away those strong and young men, they killed them. The only explanation for this is that they are desperately short of food!"
"If there were any left, we wouldn't have to kill everyone in the city!"
Zhang Feng disagreed with Yan Yingyuan's point of view: "The Jiannu attacked Xuanfu for a long time but failed, and then turned to attack Juyongguan, but still failed. I think the frustrated Jiannu massacred the city just to vent their anger!"
"The Jiannu are not fools. They will not kill all the young people who can farm just to vent their anger. It doesn't matter whether there are other reasons, but food shortage is definitely a fact! It's already the end of June, so there should be some movement from the Mongols, right?" Yan Yingyuan looked at Zhang Feng.
The original contact was made by sending Zhang Feng to contact the Mongolians.
Zhang Feng counted on his fingers and said, "Your Excellency, the Zasaktu Khan of Khalkha Mongolia did promise to send troops, but I am not sure whether they will fulfill their promise."
Yan Yingyuan stood up and began to pace back and forth.
His mission was not only to defend Xuanfu Town, but also to unite with the Mongols.
Whether defending Xuanfu or joining forces with the Mongols, the ultimate goal was to contain the Jiannu's military forces.
Now Duoduo has given up Xuanfu Town. If the Khalkha tribe does not send troops, it will disrupt the deployment of the emperor and the court!
Bring pressure to the border!
After thinking this through, Yan Yingyuan stopped.
He picked up a pen and paper and leaned over the table, starting to write quickly in the light of the lamp.
Soon, a simple letter was completed.
After writing it, he considered it over several times, and finally stamped his official seal on it.
"This is an urgent matter. Please trouble Captain Zhang to go to Mobei again! I have already written down everything I want to say in the letter. If Subadi breaks the contract, it is not Captain Zhang's fault."
Zhang Feng's expression was startled and he quickly took the letter.
Yan Yingyuan thought for a moment and added, "The content of the letter is limited. Please help me pass some of the words to Subati."
"Master Yan, please speak."
"Winter has always been difficult, and this year is no exception! In the bitterly cold Mobei, cattle and sheep are frozen to death everywhere when snowstorms hit! If we don't prepare some food, it will be difficult to survive the winter."
"Xuanfu Town has hundreds of thousands of shi of grain in stock, as well as all kinds of supplies he needs. Subadi can trade with me while harassing Daning. There is no upper limit on this transaction, as long as he is willing to come!"
"He provides horses, cattle, and sheep, and I provide food, iron tools, cotton and linen."
"This is a mutually beneficial matter. I hope he will seriously consider it!"
Zhang Feng repeated it several times in his mind and nodded heavily: "I'll remember it."
Yan Yingyuan ordered people to prepare horses, camels, and various supplies needed for the journey for Zhang Feng.
In the night.
Zhang Feng, accompanied by two personal soldiers, followed the guidance of the light of the Qisifeng lamp and rushed out of the city, first heading west and then north.
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