turmoil

On August 23rd in the fourth year of Xinglong, Beile moved southward in a big way, approaching the land of Hetao.This attack has been brewing for many years, and it was fierce, but it has been going straight in for a few days, including all the land west of Yumen, and the soldiers are pointing directly at the northwest camp in the pass.At the same time, several groups of Beile cavalry broke through the border defense and approached the important town of Datong, as if the wolf's mouth opened, swallowing half of the country in the Central Plains.

This time, the Ganshan Chief Political Officer did not dare to delay, and immediately used [-] miles to rush to send the battle report back to the capital thousands of miles away.Emperor Xinglong was furious when he heard the words, and while summoning a group of officials to discuss countermeasures, he sent someone to the northwest camp to send a letter to question the cause and effect of Marquis Dingbian.

The outbreak of the plague in the Northwest camp was suppressed again and again by those who cared, and until this juncture, the court was still not clear.Because of this, in the early court, when Guo Chen, who had been promoted to Minister of the Household Department, stood up and reported the matter to Emperor Xinglong, Liu Yanzhao immediately froze in place: "What? Epidemic?"

Guo Chen held the jade wat in his hand, and what he said was unexpected by everyone: "That's right! According to the report from the Northwest Police Commissioner, an epidemic broke out in the Northwest camp more than a month ago, and more than a thousand people were infected. The Marquis of Dingbian and the Northwest Police The envoys successively sent memorials to Beijing to ask for help from the imperial court, but so far they have not seen..."

Before the words were finished, the court had already exploded. Emperor Xinglong stood up suddenly and said in disbelief: "Guo Qing, is what you said true?"

"I don't dare to lie to the emperor!" Guo Chen said, "Two memorials issued by the Northwest Procuratorate have been ignored. In desperation, I can only send someone to report to Weichen's mansion. This person is waiting outside the palace now, Your Majesty." If you don’t believe me, Xuan came up and asked.”

Liu Yanzhao was not Emperor Taiping. Seeing Guo Chen's words with certainty, he knew that the matter was probably true, and he couldn't help being furious: "Presumptuous! A plague broke out in the northwest, what kind of military situation is that! Who is so bold that even the Marquis of Dingbian Dare to buckle discounts!"

The officials in the hall were terrified and knelt down to plead guilty.

In fact, the court officials were not unaware of the outbreak of the epidemic in the Northwest, but no one expected that it would become so serious.Secondly, it is common for the Marquis of Dingbian to ask the imperial court for military pay, and the household department's arrears are also part of the question. The officials of the household department only thought that the Marquis of Dingbian came up with a new excuse for debt collection, and they never expected it. Things really got to the point of urgency.

Jian Sihui, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, knew something was wrong, and hurriedly stepped forward in a hurry: "Your Majesty, now that Beile is heading south, the menacing attack, the most urgent task is to transport supplies and military salaries to the northwest, and expel the foreign captives as soon as possible. The rest...you can wait." After the foreign enemies have retreated, we will check slowly."

Liu Yanzhao stared at him with cold eyes, Jian Sihui's scalp felt cold from being looked at, and he lowered his eyes involuntarily.

Liu Yanzhao has been on the throne for four years, and he is no longer the young emperor who relied on his relatives for everything. How can he not see the relationship between Jian Shangshu?Since Zhang Jingche's "death", he has little affection for the harem, even the empress who is the head of the six palaces is only mediocre. With the tragic situation flowing all over the place, I wish I could go up and beg for the bones, and get away with the whole body.

After all, Liu Yanzhao was thinking about Jian Shangshu's support in the past, and saved him face, so he only ordered him to mobilize the medicinal materials for the army as soon as possible, and asked the Ministry of War to help with the details.After everything was arranged properly, the emperor returned to the Hall of Qinzheng, and immediately announced Han Xun, the commander of Jinyiwei.

After Zhang Jingche left, Han Xun took over Youyun and Jinyi's second guards. His grades were not too high, but he actually held a lot of power and was the emperor's confidant.He heard about the changes in the court, and also expected that the emperor would ask questions, so he took the initiative to submit the results of the investigation without waiting for Liu Yanzhao to open his mouth.

Liu Yanzhao scanned ten lines at a glance, and the blue veins on his forehead twitched wildly.In the end, he grabbed the memorial and threw it on the ground, his eyes brimming with anger: "Dingbian Hou Yueyu has never shown up in front of people, and he seems to have contracted the disease? Why didn't you report such a big matter to me earlier! Send it to Youyun Weidu in the northwest What are you eating!"

Han Xun sighed, and accepted the scapegoat helplessly: "Your Majesty, forgive me, it's true that I did not do my job well... It's just that the epidemic has a lot to do with it. Yang Hou blocked the news in the Northwest Army, and ordinary people can't easily find out. Besides... "

His voice paused, and Liu Yanzhao looked sharply: "What time is it, and you're still hesitating!"

Han Xun lowered his eyelashes: "This investigation is extremely unsuccessful, and it seems that someone is obstructing it secretly... I suspect that the outbreak of the epidemic in the Northwest Camp is not accidental, and it is not accidental that Beile chose this opportunity to go south."

Liu Yanzhao understood what he meant, and his face changed slightly.

Since Zhang Jingche "died in prison in vain" four years ago, the brotherhood between Liu Yanzhao and Yang Fan has faded a lot.These years, Marquis Dingbian has been stationed at the frontier with heavy troops in his hands. Liu Yanzhao wanted to win him over and guard against him. The military pay and food were delayed again and again. It was nothing more than putting chains around the necks of the Northwest Army so that they would not dare to act recklessly. .

There is nothing wrong with this thought of taking precautions before they happen, but it really chilled the hearts of the frontier soldiers.

A few months ago, the Household Department sent the rotten grain truck to the northwest, and Dingbianhou was so enraged that he actually beheaded the head official of the Household Department, and ordered Chao Xing, the eunuch of the supervising army, to take the moldy grain truck and the human head together. and brought it back.

Chao Xing has been with Liu Yanzhao since he was a child, has he ever seen such a scene?Before returning to Beijing, he was frightened and crazy, and he was in a daze every day, and he couldn't even speak clearly.Although Emperor Xinglong was angry, he was also very dissatisfied with Yang Fan's self-assessment-even if the household department switched military rations and shoddy them as good ones, he was an official ordered by the court.

However, it now appears that this series of events is not isolated, and there seems to be a series of clues in the middle, vaguely pointing to a shocking possibility.

"There are spies from Beile people in Beijing... and their status is not low!" Liu Yanzhao gritted his teeth, "They cooperated with each other inside and outside, and even I was kept in the dark... Good! It's really good!"

Han Xun looked at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, knowing that the emperor had more to say.

Sure enough, I heard Liu Yanzhao's next sentence: "This matter is of great importance, Han Xun, I will leave it to you! No matter how you check it, I will only tell you one thing, the capital can't tolerate such things that eat inside and outside and stir up trouble!"

Han Xun's heart shuddered, and he hurriedly said, "Minister, take the decree!"

The coming storm in the capital didn't stop Beile from going south. For a while, there was a lot of noise in the border towns, and the garrison generals erected high walls on the border and moved the people of the border into the fortress. Take advantage of this opportunity.

At the same time, the army of Beile came to Yumen Pass and fought hand-to-hand with the Northwest Army several times, but the commander-in-chief of the Yin Army was never seen from the beginning to the end.Tumen Khan felt relieved, convinced of He Ling's intelligence, and ordered the army to attack the city with all its strength, and to take the land of the Central Plains into its pocket within three months.

Fortress Jiangnan trembled under Beile's iron hooves, and the huge mountains and rivers of the Central Plains smelled the signs of a bloody storm.

Beile Youqi repeatedly provoked and invited battles under Yumen Pass, but the Northwest Army just ignored them and defended the city inside the pass.The Beile people were furious, and they found many people from the Central Plains from nowhere, they marched to the front of the battle in groups, and slaughtered them all in front of the northwest garrison.

Zhuo Jiusi, who was stationed at the city gate, couldn't help being furious. Inspired by the people's heads and blood, he couldn't hold back any longer and ordered someone to open the city gate.The northwest iron cavalry roared out, tearing apart the army formation of the Beile people, and when they had killed enough and relieved their hatred, when they looked back, they were shocked to find that they couldn't get out!

The Beile people surrounded them from all directions, and cut off the retreat of the northwest garrison like a tide. They were gearing up and bearing the humiliation, waiting for the day of revenge.Although the Northwest Garrison is well-trained, they are trapped in a heavy siege and have no way to recover.What is even more frustrating is that, as the coach, Dingbianhou never showed his face from the beginning to the end, which convinced the Beile people of the information that "Yang Fan was infected with the disease and could not get up".

The Beile people were confident and prepared to slaughter the northwest garrison. They tightened the encirclement layer by layer, and tasted the taste of victory in advance amidst the blood.

This was a massacre with disparity in combat power. The Northwest Garrison retreated steadily and was finally cornered.They didn't hesitate anymore, and fled in a hurry, behind them were the prairie wolves showing their claws.

The Beile people have endured for too long, held back for too long, and finally waited for the opportunity of revenge, so how could they accept it as soon as they see it?After chasing all the way, the defeated Central Plains people fled into a valley in a panic.

Here is the extension of the Qilian Mountains, and to the west is the endless Qilian Snow Peak, where the endless desert encounters obstacles, and the stacked mountains pierces the blue sky.

Tumen sensed something was wrong in the abnormal silence - the Northwest Garrison was a sharp weapon honed by several generations of Dingbian Marquis. Even if they were defeated, there was no reason for them to run away without fighting.He reined in the horse and immediately gave the order to stop. Almost at the same time as the order was conveyed, loud shouts of killing came from the two wings.

Tumen raised his head suddenly, and saw countless cavalry rushing out from the high ground on both sides. The first one was wearing black armor and holding a longbow. Even though the helmet covered his face and he couldn't see his face clearly, it still didn't prevent others from guessing his identity.

"It's the Marquis of Dingbian!" Tumen heard the horrified voice of his general, "It's Yang Fan, the Marquis of Dingbian! He's not dead...he's still alive!"

The fierce battle five years ago was impressive. The Beile people suffered a great loss under Dingbianhou's men, so that when they heard his name, their fighting spirit disappeared without a fight.

Tumen Khan was also taken aback, and he had countless thoughts in an instant—why did Yang Fan suddenly appear here?Why were the people of the Central Plains not surprised by Beile's move to send troops, and even made the deployment one step ahead?Did the Northwest Army deceive He Ling's eyes and ears and lead him to deliver wrong information, or did He collude with the Central Plains people early in the morning and jointly put Bei Le together?

"These cunning people from the Central Plains!" Tumen Khan gritted his teeth for a while, and felt helpless for a while. Faced with this situation, he made a choice without hesitation, "The whole army retreats!"

The Beile cavalry is a strong force sweeping across the grasslands, even if they are at a disadvantage, they still retreat in an orderly manner.In an instant, the scene was turned upside down, the Northwest Army was chasing after him, and the Beile people fought and retreated.

The northwest garrison originally wanted to cut off the Beile people's retreat from the left and right wings, but the horses of the Beile cavalry were too fast. They were hybrids of grassland horses and Dawan famous breeds, far faster than ordinary Central Plains horses.They tore through the encirclement circle of the Central Plains people like a storm, and opened the distance in an instant.

Tumen Khan felt ashamed in his desperate run. He called himself the Prairie Wolf King. Except for being defeated by Dingbianhou five years ago, he had never tasted the feeling of running away with his head in his arms.He reined in the horse's reins, and turned the horse's head sinisterly and sternly: "It's not right!"

Guarding him was a general named Su Shina who had followed the wolf king for more than ten years.He stopped and looked at Tumen anxiously: "Khan, what's wrong?"

There is nothing wrong with Tumen, but he just has a strong intuition—if Marquis Dingbian is safe and sound, and the so-called "critical illness" is just a trap to lure the enemy into deep, why would he do this?

This is not the best time to launch a war, this is true for Beile, and it is also true for the Central Plains.Tumen heard that last year, there were frequent natural disasters in the Central Plains, food and wages were repeatedly deducted in the Northwest, and all the rice and rotten noodles were sent.If Marquis Dingbian is smart enough, he should maintain the confrontational situation, and while wooing Huihe in the west, he will press forward step by step, trapping Bei to death on the grassland.

But he didn't do that. Instead, like Tumen Khan, he couldn't wait to start the war.

Tumen is eager to start a war because he has a premonition that this is his best chance, but why is Yang Fan so anxious?

Before Tumen could figure out the cause and effect, there was a sudden commotion in the rear army of the Beile people, and a group of miscellaneous troops came out of nowhere, and rushed forward unexpectedly.

Tumen turned his head abruptly, and saw a row of strange-looking military chariots at the beginning, three-finger-thick wooden boards with interlayers hidden inside, and the walls of the chariots poured with cast iron were strong enough to withstand strong crossbows.And there is also an arrow slot in the mezzanine, each round can shoot dozens of flying crossbows, and after a round, thousands of arrows are fired, and the Beile people are defenseless, crying for their parents and mothers in the rain of arrows.

The sudden Cheng Yaojin made Tumen Khan furious. He was afraid of Dingbian Hou, but he didn't want to fall at the hands of unknown pawns one day.For a moment, the Beile Army was in chaos, and Tumen made a decision in a very short time-ignore the Northwest Garrison who was chasing after him, and charged with the whole army, making sure to kick away the stumbling blocks blocking the way as soon as possible.

It cannot be said that Tumen Khan's decision was unwise. At the moment when he was under attack, this was already the best way he could think of.He had the Beile cavalry as his reliance, which was enough to settle all Xiaoxiao, but he didn't expect to kick the iron board this time.

The Beile people charged with all their strength, but the chariots withdrew at this moment, followed by infantry in neat rows, holding the firecrackers that Yang Fan had seen in Qidal.

It was an improved firecracker, the tail did not drag the cumbersome matchlock, the first row kneeled down to shoot, and the last two rows took turns to reload. They had trained countless times, and they were very familiar with every step. They had honed their knives for many years. Just waiting for the moment of revenge.

There were explosions like fried beans one after another, and the bullets were launched like a mountain, and the Beile people who were charging ahead were caught off guard and were overturned head-on.

No matter how elite the Beile cavalry is, they are flesh and blood after all, and they are not yet strong enough to face head-to-head with gunpowder bullets.Seeing the three rounds of gunshots and countless casualties among the elite under his command, Tumen couldn't help gnashing his teeth, looking past the two armies in the melee, and looking at a military chariot in the middle.

The military chariot has windows, and the shutters are movable. At this time, they are half opened, revealing a beautiful face.Even after so many years, Tumen still recognized the person at a glance. In an instant, old and new hatred surged into his heart, and every word contained deep-seated hatred: "...It's him!"