Chapter 104 Purple air travels miles from the east, and Hangu Pass is crossed alone for the first time. Hai Rui: Your Majesty?! (Subscribe)
The next day.
It was dawn, in the Yuxi Palace, in the Lingtian courtyard.
At this time, Jiajing had changed his clothes.
Jiajing was wearing a specially made black Taoist robe, but the difference was that this robe was actually a cloak embroidered with simple golden Taoist mantras, which made him look noble and dignified.
At the same time, it made him look a lot more mysterious.
Well, this kind of attire is not uncommon in Sifang City in the world of immortal cultivation, even for independent cultivators or disciples of sects.
Even in the Ming Dynasty, wanderers, performers, or people who did things mysteriously all had the habit of wearing cloaks.
Looking at the master in front of him, Lu Fang's heart was full of anticipation.
Well, he knew that his master was going to fly directly to Datong this time.
"This is Fei Tian. When will I be able to have such a skill like my master..." Lu Fang felt emotional and expectant.
Since ancient times, flying has been a fantasy in the hearts of many people, such as the legendary Chang'e flying to the moon, the celestial palace, and the nine-layered heaven...
Which one doesn’t make ordinary people fantasize?
Naturally, Lu Fang was very curious about the scenery in the sky, but unfortunately, his cultivation was not up to par. In the words of his master, if his cultivation had reached the Qi training level, he could have been taken along.
Although he has now drawn Qi into his body and is considered an entry-level cultivator, from the perspective of the Qi Refining Stage, he is still a mortal.
After going up to the sky, he could fly low, but if he flew into the clouds, he would not be able to withstand it without sufficient cultivation.
Could it be that the master has to fly lower and lower his status in order to take care of him and carry him as a burden?
In Lu Fang's view, his master is the shining star above the nine heavens and should stand among the clouds!
"Don't envy me. If you practice hard, you can also fly." Looking at the excited Lu Fang, Jiajing chuckled, then spread out his palms, and a small and exquisite "Flying Talisman" appeared, which was pinched between his fingers.
With a thought, spiritual energy was injected into his fingertips. With a light "bang" sound, the talisman suddenly turned into a ball of golden breeze and flowed directly into Jiajing's body.
The moment the talisman entered his body, Jiajing felt as if he had been endowed with some kind of ability, as if he was born with it.
Just like when you are hungry you eat and when you are thirsty you drink water, there is only one thought in his mind since birth.
That is, you can fly. As long as you want to, you can fly by circulating your spiritual energy.
"It is worthy of being a high-level talisman, it is indeed magical!" Even though Jiajing knew the power of this high-level talisman, after using it for the first time, he couldn't help but marvel in his heart.
After suppressing the novelty in his heart, Jiajing waved his hand and flicked his sleeves. Surging spiritual energy enveloped him, making his clothes rustle, and he looked like he was about to ascend to heaven.
"Let's go." As he said that, Jiajing took a step forward, turned into a rainbow light, and rushed straight into the sky.
"Your servant respectfully bids farewell to our master, the Emperor." Lu Fang said as he bowed.
No one noticed that a black line in Yuxi Palace went straight into the sky.
……
The governor of Xuanda was from Datong.
(Note: Xingyuan refers to a simple mobile residence in ancient times or during war. In the Ming Dynasty, Xingyuan was used as an office opened by senior officials in a certain area for consultation and military command.)
At this time, sitting on the top tall desk was a burly old man in his fifties, with white hair and beard and a dark face.
His square face was full of seriousness, and there was a hint of murderousness in his bright eyes.
This old man was none other than the Governor-General of Xuanda, Tang Shunzhi, whose courtesy name was Yingde.
On both sides of the lobby, on the left sat the general Wang Chonggu, as well as his deputy generals, lieutenant generals, guerrilla generals and other military officers.
On the right is the highest-ranking civil official, Hai Rui, the governor of Datong, and beside him are the councilor Li Zhiyuan and the deputy envoy Wang Anguo.
In the middle of the lobby, there was a huge desk, on which were placed some official documents, military books, and some map scrolls.
At this time, everyone gathered together, and the atmosphere in the entire headquarters lobby could be said to be extremely solemn.
The only thing that everyone discussed was how to deal with the Mongols' gathering of troops in the Yinshan Mountains.
"Tell me, everyone. This time the Mongols, led by Altan Khan, have gathered a large army in Yinshan. How should we respond?" Tang Shunzhi did not rush to express his opinion, but looked at the people below first.
After that, he added to the crowd below, "In an emergency, we should act according to the will. We don't have to stick to our official positions. If you have any ideas, just speak up."
The group of officials below were all dispatched by the Qingliu and Yan Party forces in the cabinet over the past six months.
In order to better fight to the death with each other, both sides can be said to have mobilized all the elite troops they could.
It can be said that none of the people here are cowards.
Pick any one of them, whether it is a civil servant or a military officer, they can make full use of their advantages and make unparalleled achievements in their respective fields.
"I think that Altan's invasion this time is not simply to put pressure on the Ming Dynasty!" Datong prefect Zhang Yuanming spoke first.
Zhang Yuanming, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a full forehead, is in his forties and looks quite elegant.
He was sent by Yan Song to Datong at the beginning of the year and can be said to be a core member of Yan's party.
With his ability, if he were in the capital, he would at least hold an important position in one of the six ministries. However, in order to fight against the Qingliu, he was willing to be a small prefect, and he was the one who supervised the policy of suppressing Shanxi merchants.
When Zhang Yuanming spoke, everyone turned their eyes to him. Although there were many people with higher positions than him, no one would underestimate the prefect of Datong.
"If only Altan leads his people here, it is likely that he wants to put pressure on Ming in exchange for some benefits."
"But this time, he and the three Wuliangha guards gathered a large army in Yinshan, which is enough to show that the Mongols must have great ambitions this time."
At this point, Zhang Yuanming's tone became serious, "Just in case, we must be prepared for war! At the same time, we must be prepared to deploy troops in advance, and we must not let Altan break through the defense line!"
After this was said, everyone nodded slightly.
What Zhang Yuanming said made sense. They could all see that this time, Altan had united the three Uriankhai guards instead of gathering troops on his own. It was obvious that he had big plans.
Moreover, no envoys have been sent to discuss the matter, but instead they have directly assembled a large army. Their intention to start a war is too obvious.
So they naturally have to prepare for war.
"I agree with what Magistrate Zhang said," said Wang Chonggu, the general of Datong who often fought against the Mongols. "According to the scouts on the front line, the total number of enemy troops is about 80,000!"
"And they have already begun deploying offensive routes in the Yinshan Mountains. Among them, 30,000 to 50,000 are the main force."
Having said that, Wang Chonggu simply stood up, walked to the big table in the middle, waved his hand, and spread out the map.
Seeing this, as Tang Shunzhi walked down from the high seat, everyone stood up and came to the big table, surrounding the map.
"This is Yinshan Mountain!" Wang Chonggu pointed his fingers like swords and drew a circle on the map to mark the location of Yinshan Mountain. He said:
"We can take advantage of the terrain of the Yinshan Mountains to build a solid defense line and hold on, while preparing enough troops to counterattack." He glanced at everyone and added, "We have the capital behind us, and we must not lose anything!"
"What happened in the 29th year of Jiajing must not be allowed to happen again, so we must be more conservative this time!"
As he spoke, Wang Chonggu looked at Tang Shunzhi, the governor of Xuanda.
"That's right!" Tang Shunzhi was not only an excellent general, but also a qualified civil official. He knew best what was important and how to make choices in moderation.
At this time, not to mention that the Ming army could not fight head-on, even if it could, it absolutely could not take the initiative to attack.
Once the enemy attacks, we must advance steadily and cautiously!
"Cavalry is best!" After seeing that Tang Shunzhi agreed and did not use his power to interfere, Wang Chonggu, a general of the Qingliu faction, felt a little relieved and had some good feelings towards this strict party official.
Looking at the other officials from the Yan Party who were standing nearby, all of them had frowned and looked like they were thinking seriously. Wang Chonggu suddenly felt a surge of energy in his heart.
At the same time, one can't help but sigh that there are still capable people under Yan Song.
"Here," after putting away what he was thinking, Wang Chonggu's eyes were deep, with a gleam of light constantly floating in his eyes.
A pair of tiger eyes quickly scanned the map, looking for favorable terrain. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Tang Shunzhi pointing to a terrain and said, "The main line of defense can be deployed here!"
"Daqing Mountain and Wula Mountain," Tang Shunzhi pointed to two places, and then drew a line on the map with his fingertips, saying:
"These key locations have steep terrain and are the best suited for building a solid defense line!" Tang Shunzhi smiled at Wang Chonggu.
Wang Chonggu was stunned at first, and then his eyes flashed with admiration. He did not expect that Tang Shunzhi, who was highly regarded by Yan Song and was said to be as famous as Hu Zongxian, the pillar of Yan's party in the southeast, was actually a great military talent, and he seemed to have studied it long ago.
"When I was assigned to Datong, I was already studying a hypothetical war with Mongolia," Tang Shunzhi explained casually.
"General Wang, if you have any other deployments, please come all at once." Tang Shunzhi said, withdrawing his gaze from the map.
The Japanese in the south and the Tatars in the north, both of them were famous generals who fought against foreign enemies.
At this moment, they saw through each other's deep meaning in strategic deployment in just a few words, and for a moment they felt a sense of mutual understanding.
Wang Chonggu couldn't help but feel extremely happy.
"In addition to setting up defenses in Daqing Mountain and Wula Mountain, we also need to quickly mobilize a large number of main infantry, supplemented by artillery and cavalry, to ensure the stability of the defense line and firepower support."
"We also need to set up multiple defensive positions and firepower points," Wang Chonggu said, picking up a pen and drawing a circle on the map, marking Daqing Mountain, Wula Mountain and other places, and marking on both sides, "forming a cross formation to prevent the enemy from breaking through the defense line."
Wang Chonggu, worthy of being a veteran on the battlefield, quickly planned a set of deployments to reinforce the defensive line in the shortest time possible.
There was no mediocre person present. Even civil servants such as Hai Rui were being led by the two men in the simplest and most refined language, and a rough outline of a solid defensive line was vaguely formed in their minds.
This is the ability of a famous general. Even people who are not very familiar with strategic deployment can see the power of his words, and they can't refute them and agree with them deeply.
"Governor, do you have anything to add?" Wang Chonggu looked at Tang Shunzhi who was staring at the defense line.
His intuition told him that this great talent must have more to say.
"In fact, we can also form a separate elite cavalry, mainly responsible for reconnaissance, flanking attacks and pursuit missions."
"This cavalry should be deployed in a dispersed manner on both wings and in the rear of the main defense line," Tang Shunzhi said, pointing to both sides of the cross defense line, "and be flexibly deployed at any time according to the battlefield situation."
Hearing Tang Shunzhi's words, Wang Chonggu's eyes flashed, "I'm afraid the Governor's move is not just to cover the defense, right?"
"That's right," Tang Shunzhi nodded and said, "Although our main task for the safety of the capital is defense, we must fight a war of attrition with Mongolia and steadily drag it into the quagmire and exhaust it to death."
"But blindly defending is not a wise move. We need to properly guide and lure the enemy to ensure that we hook them!"
"And this elite cavalry needs to quickly counterattack and flank the enemy. Through flexible tactical maneuvers and firepower support, disrupt the enemy's offensive rhythm and deployment."
"Make them so exhausted that they have to disperse their main forces!"
"Good!" Wang Chonggu said, and he admired Tang Shunzhi's flexibility in military strategy and tactics.
Indeed, if you just defend yourself blindly, the enemy will concentrate its forces and even divide them to attack from other directions.
If they actively launch harassment attacks, coupled with the assistance of the terrain, it would actually be a better defensive strategy.
"In addition, we must ensure the safety of the baggage train and the smooth flow of supplies."
"We must set up logistics support in key areas and store sufficient food, fodder, and weapons to support the front lines."
As he spoke, Tang Shunzhi looked at Hai Rui who was standing beside him.
Since its establishment, the Datong Governor has gradually assumed the responsibilities of supervising grain storage and grain fodder in various warehouses.
Therefore, ensuring the logistics and food supplies were in place was the responsibility of Hai Rui, the governor of Datong.
Tang Shunzhi naturally knew what kind of person Hai Rui was.
The name of "Hai Bi Jia" is known to everyone.
Although the behavior of this "Hai Bijia" was somewhat abnormal after coming to Datong, he seemed to still be the same "Hai Bijia" when it came to dealing with corrupt officials and oppressing the people.
Therefore, Tang Shunzhi felt relieved to hand over the logistical supplies such as food and fodder to Hai Rui.
"Governor, please rest assured. Hai Rui will ensure that all the supplies needed for the front line are available. There won't be any mistakes!"
Although he had already guessed that this war would not break out, Hai Rui still fulfilled his duties as an official.
"Everyone!" After receiving Hai Rui's assurance, Tang Shunzhi didn't waste any words. He looked at everyone and clasped his fists and said, "The total number of elite troops on the border is only 50,000. If you include the soldiers and civilians who can be recruited, there are less than 60,000 in total!"
"Once the enemy attacks and a war breaks out, in addition to the main force that will hold the front-line defense, we will also have to dispatch 10,000 to 20,000 people!"
"Even if we have formulated a tenacious defense deployment, this is still a war of attrition, and our goal is to consume the enemy's forces. If any link in the rear fails..."
Tang Shunzhi said in a deep voice: "It will lead to the collapse of the front-line defense. At that time, we will have to fight the Mongolian army head-on. If reinforcements cannot arrive, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger!"
"I don't care who you belong to or whose disciples you are." Tang Shunzhi looked around at everyone with his fierce eyes and said coldly, "If someone takes advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos and still wants to fight among himself at this time..."
"Then don't blame me for being rude!" As he spoke, Tang Shunzhi stared at everyone with his tiger eyes, with a fierce light in his eyes, as if he was a vicious tiger waiting to devour its prey.
"Roar!" At this moment, an invisible roar of a tiger seemed to be heard in the lobby of the headquarters. The momentum that burst out from this veteran general at this moment made even the military officers feel a chill in their hearts.
At this moment, no one dared to look at him!
Tang Shunzhi, like Hu Zongxian, had a clearer grasp of the situation than anyone else. He knew that the national policy of stationing troops in the north to promote agriculture was actually a game between the Yan Party and the Qingliu Party.
In his opinion, the current situation in the North was the result of a fight between the two factions.
If any faction wanted to kill the opponent at this time, they would have accomplished it by causing the front line to collapse. Once the matter was investigated later, it would definitely be an unforgivable sin.
Of course, what reassured Tang Shunzhi was that the governor of Datong was Hai Rui, a good official known as "Hai Bijia".
Before coming, Lord Yan had already told him that Hai Rui was a double-edged sword. He could be used, but he also had to be on guard against him.
And this sword is essentially an emperor's sword.
The meaning of the Emperor's Sword is self-evident, which shows that Hai Rui is the emperor's man.
Since he is the emperor's man, there is no need to worry that he will stand on the side of the Yan Party or the Qingliu Party. He will definitely put the overall situation first.
With Hai Rui in charge of the rear, Tang Shunzhi no longer had any worries. As for Wang Chonggu on the front line, although he was also on the Qingliu side, Tang Shunzhi was confident that with him around, this general would not be able to cause any trouble.
Because the military power at the border was in his hands, the only ones who could mobilize the army were himself and Governor Hai Rui.
Yes, although he admired Wang Chonggu, it did not mean that Tang Shunzhi would completely trust him.
This is him. Once on the battlefield, he puts the war first.
"Please rest assured, Governor. We will work together to cooperate with you and the Governor-General to defend the border of the Ming Dynasty!"
All the officials clasped their fists together, each with a serious expression.
Hai Rui couldn't help but feel emotional as he looked at the officials representing the two factions who all had serious expressions and were working together.
"Both factions are capable officials, but why are they thieves!"
"Instead of thinking about serving the country and sharing the emperor's worries, you think about party struggles. Fortunately, the emperor has found a chance to become an immortal!"
"Whether it's the Qingliu or the Yan Party, they will all be used by the emperor in the end, so that when the great reckoning comes, talents will not be lost in vain... We can't just use the Yan Party, nor can we just use the Qingliu."
Hai Rui seemed to understand something vaguely in his heart.
Hai Rui came out of the headquarters and returned to the governor's office in a sedan chair. After arranging Deputy Envoy Wang Anguo and Councillor Li Zhiyuan to prepare all military and logistical needs, he came to the back hall again.
Well, he wants to report the border affairs to the emperor.
However, as soon as he arrived at the study in the back hall, he saw a figure standing with his hands behind his back, his back to him.
This man was wearing a dark cloak and had an indescribable meaning about him. Hai Rui had never seen such a person in Datong.
The most important thing is that this person's attire is too different from that of an ordinary person. Thinking that the two sides might go to war, Hai Rui's face turned cold.
"Who is it?!" Hai Rui shouted.
"The purple air comes from the east for thirty thousand miles, and I walk alone through Hangu Pass for the first time..." At this moment, as the mysterious man slowly turned around, a relaxed and pleasant limerick came out faintly from under the cloak.
The moment he heard this familiar voice, Hai Rui was startled. He stared at the mysterious man who slowly turned around with wide eyes in disbelief, and his breathing stagnated.
"emperor?!"
"..."
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(End of this chapter)
