The Prosperous Era of Longwan

At the junction of Pinggu and Miyun, the terrain here is gentle, and a Ming army camp was erected not long ago.

Ma Fang frowned and looked at the official document and a decree sent by the Ministry of War on the table. He had been sitting there for a long time. From the moment he received the order, he had been sitting there in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a great victory two days ago, Ma Fang had not yet received the reward. Unexpectedly, he received an order to lead his troops back to Xuan Mansion immediately.

Could it be that even though we won the battle, we made mistakes?

Or is there something going on in the capital that he doesn't know about?

At this moment, a soldier suddenly shouted outside the camp: "Commander, a sentinel came back to the camp and brought back important news."

"Let him in."

Ma Fang replied immediately.

Soon, the curtain of the camp tent was opened, and a sentry rider, accompanied by his own soldiers, walked into the military tent, and then half-knelt down to salute.

"See the Marshal."

"Get up, what happened?"

Ma Fang raised his hand to help, and then asked.

"Report to the commander, we are more than ten miles north of the camp and found a group of troops approaching in the distance. The number should be more than 10,000."

The sentry replied immediately.

Hearing this, Ma Fang suddenly sat up straight and asked: "Have you confirmed the identity of the other party? Is it a friendly force or an enemy?"

To the north, there is an army of tens of thousands, which is not right no matter how you think about it.

"It's getting late, and it's difficult to determine the identity of the other party without getting close. The commander of the sentry asked me to come back first to report the news. They would go over and have a look in the dark at night."

The sentry replied hurriedly.

"I know, you go down and rest first."

Ma Fang gave an order, then ignored the two people who went out, and fell into thinking.

There is a mountainous area to the north of the camp. What troops are there?

The Ming Dynasty had troops in the mountains, but they were all garrison troops guarding the Great Wall, and it was impossible to gather tens of thousands of troops.

But if he were a Tatar, he would not have received an urgent call for help from the surrounding guard stations here, and there was a beacon tower in Miyun not far from the camp, and there was no beacon lighted there today.

Could it be.

Thinking of this, Ma Fang couldn't help but frown and looked to the west involuntarily.

He led the Xuanfu army through Juyong Pass and entered King Qin of Gyeonggi Province. In addition to the imperial edict and the Ministry of War's writings, he also received an order from Jiangdong, the governor of Xuanda, on the way.

It's been a few days since I entered Beizhili, but I haven't received any news from Jiang Dong and his commander-in-chief Datong Army. It couldn't be that they went north.

The two towns of Xuanda and Dazhou have undergone great changes in recent years. Things have changed and people have changed.

Li Wenjin, the former governor of Xuanda, fell ill after serving for more than a year, and the last person to succeed him was Jiang Dong, the former governor of Xuanda.

At the beginning, Jiang Dong temporarily took charge of Xuanda's defense as a minister of the Ministry of War, and was later promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing due to his merit.

Jiangdong's transfer to the south was, of course, not to help him retire, but to make a transition for further promotion.

I just didn't expect that after Zhang Lian of Fujian and Guangdong rebelled, the Nanjing Ministry of War failed to suppress it, so he was impeached and was eventually dismissed from office and stayed idle for a while.

After Li Wenjin fell ill, the imperial court thought of him again and recalled him again and moved him to the post of governor of Xuanda.

As for Liu Han, who collaborated with Yu Dayou to make meritorious deeds, he was demoted due to his subsequent defeats in several battles with the Tatars. Now the chief military officer of Datong is named Jiang Yingxiong.

While Ma Fang was nervously paying attention to the military situation in the north, Wei Guangde was also receiving a messenger in the Wei Mansion in the capital. Strictly speaking, he was actually Ma Fang's personal soldier.

He was the messenger who entered the city in the early morning to deliver the victory news. However, because the Ministry of War wanted to inquire about the results of the battle in detail, he stayed at the Ministry of War for the whole day without a chance to leave and came to Wei Mansion to deliver the message.

You must know that he reported victory to the capital as a messenger, but he did not dare to tell outsiders that he had another identity, and wanted to deliver a letter from the Commander-in-Chief to someone in the capital.

It was only then that he found the opportunity to leave the Ministry of War under the pretext of taking a rest in the capital.

The letter was naturally written by Ma Fang himself. It basically briefly described the course of the battle, and also included the news that three cartloads of gifts would be sent to Beijing.

Wei Guangde had already read Ma Fang's letter and was not very interested in the gift he mentioned in the letter.

In the past two years, as a staff member of Prince Yu's Palace, he also received many gifts, and an additional room was built in his family's warehouse.

"That Dong Yikui is very good at fighting?"

He asked seemingly casually, holding the letter in his hand.

The messenger was stunned, not knowing whether Wei Guangde was asking him or the Wei Mansion housekeeper next to him.

Zhang Ji was on the side. He knew Dong Yikui, Dong Yiyuan's brother, and had even sent things to the house.

But what the master asked was whether this man was good at fighting. How could he know? If asked what gifts he had given, he could probably tell something. Although he couldn't remember clearly, he could probably tell.

With this thought in mind, he turned to look at the messenger who was standing there blankly and said, "What about you?"

I don’t know, so why don’t I just ask this person from Xuanfu?

"Oh, oh, yes."

The messenger was reminded by Zhang Ji, and then he reacted, and then he lowered his head and thought for a while before saying: "In Xuanfu, when it comes to fighting, my general is definitely the most powerful.

However, this Dong Yikui is usually close to my general and can complete his orders.

The few battles he led his army against the Tatars also resulted in wins and losses, and he was considered a general that Xuanfu could fight. "

"Is he a staff general or deputy commander in chief now?"

Wei Guangde smiled and then asked again.

"The deputy commander-in-chief of the branch who has been talking about being promoted to Xuanfu East Road has actually assumed this responsibility, but it seems that the official appointment from the Ministry of War has not been made."

The messenger was worthy of being Ma Fang's personal soldier. He also knew a lot about the inside story of the senior officials of the Xuan Mansion and was able to answer the questions raised by Wei Guangde.

"Zhang Ji, give him money and send someone to take him back to rest."

Wei Guangde ordered: "I will send someone to deliver a letter to you tomorrow morning, and you can take it back to General Ma."

"Yes, sir."

The messenger hurriedly bowed and clasped his fists in reply.

After waving his hand and watching Zhang Ji take the person out of the house, Wei Guangde took out a piece of writing paper, picked up a pen and started writing.

The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was about to get dark. The major gates in the capital that were bustling with traffic during the day were much deserted at this time.

People entering and leaving the city have already passed by here, and will never wait for the city gate to close before rushing in and out.

Soon the gates of the capital will be closed. At that time, the censor will go around the city and collect the keys of all the gates.

Soon after, the capital city will begin a night ban under darkness.

Most people will go back to their homes at this time to have dinner, sleep, or do some exercise.

"crunch"

The heavy city gate made a harsh friction sound under the push of the gatekeepers, and in the distance, a fast horse was running towards them.

From a distance, they saw that the city gate was being closed. The soldiers on the horse were also impatient. They quickly waved a few horse whips and urged the horses under their crotches to increase their already slow speed.

"Da da da"

The sound of horse hooves became louder, and the soldiers who closed the door couldn't help but stop their movements and looked over.

It's okay to close the city gate early or late for a while, but it will be a bit troublesome if you offend the big shots who are rushing to enter the city, especially when they watch you close the city gate.

Even if someone else is not your boss and cannot directly control you, the relationships in the capital are so intricate that a Shangguan might come to find trouble tomorrow.

When it comes to ordinary people, they will give them whatever convenience they can, depending on their mood. When it comes to people riding horses, it's best to let them pass through the city gate first.

This is called "it is better to do less than to do more" and "it is convenient for others to facilitate ourselves."

When the horse was about to approach the city gate, the soldiers saw that the person on the horse was not the young master, but the messenger of the Ming Army. At this moment, the man on the horse shouted loudly: "Urgent military report, Open the city gate quickly."

Only half of the city gate is closed, but there is a gap in the middle for people to pass through.

However, this horse is a bit fast, and it seems that it has no intention of slowing down.

There was no other way, so a few soldiers had to push open the city gate again to make the gap wider, making it easier for horses to pass through.

If you don't know, forget it. Once the city gate is closed, it will be closed. There will naturally be procedures to deal with these messengers.

But the city gate was not closed, and it was an urgent military situation, so naturally there could be no delay.

The fast horse passed through the city gate like a gust of wind, and a small gust of wind blew on the faces of several gatekeepers.

"What the hell, rush to reincarnate."

A young soldier cursed dissatisfiedly.

"Stop scolding, save your energy, and close the door quickly."

"I'm from the north, so there won't be any trouble again."

Several people nearby were chattering away, but their hands were not moving slowly.

With two "creaks", the city gate was closed.

Xiyuan, Yongshou Palace.

"Gao Zhong hasn't come yet?"

This was the time when the Chief of Ceremonies sent a memorandum to the cabinet to deal with it, but today Gao Zhong has not asked to see him.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the cabinet is busy with affairs, so it may take a while."

Huang Jin on the side hurriedly smiled.

"Then bring over the note sent by the factory guard in the past two days. I want to take a look."

Emperor Jiajing said casually.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Huang Jin agreed and hurried to the door of the palace to give instructions. After a while, the waiter brought a box with a lock on it.

Huang Jin took the box and checked it, then carried it into the palace, placed it on the imperial desk, took out a key from his arms and opened the small copper lock.

At this time, in the Wuyi Hall of Xiyuan, Yang Bo, the Minister of the Ministry of War, who had just entered the palace, intercepted the eunuch Gao Zhong, the eunuch Bingbi, who was about to leave.

"Eunuch Gao, stay here. I have an urgent military report that I want to send to His Majesty."

"Emergency military situation? Good thing or bad thing?"

Gao Zhong felt his eyelids jump when he heard the urgent military situation.

Forget about the good things, the emperor looked happy and would reward them even if it was not good, but if it was bad news

"Good news, good news."

Yang Bo replied with a smile on his face.

The conversation between the two naturally alarmed Xu Jie and Yuan Wei inside.

At this time, only the two bachelors from the Zhixi Garden were left in Wuyi Hall. They had just finished the work at hand and were drinking tea. They would have dinner and rest later.

Hearing the sound outside the palace door, both of them looked over, and immediately saw Yang Bo and Gao Zhong coming in.

"This is the battle report from Governor Xuanda Jiangdong. You two elders, please take a look at it."

While talking, Yang Bo took out an official document from his sleeve and handed it over.

Emperor Jiajing had just read the note sent by the factory guard. This was his way of understanding what was happening inside and outside the capital.

"Are all the notes from the past two days here?"

Put down the note and asked.

"Your Majesty, they are all here."

Huang Jin on the side replied hurriedly.

"Um."

Emperor Jiajing agreed, but inadvertently, he took a deep look at Huang Jin who was bowing next to him, and said nothing more.

In Wuyi Palace, Gao Zhong had already left with today's memorial and headed to Yongshou Palace.

Yang Bo looked at Xu Jie, then at Yuan Wei, and then asked: "I don't know, Sir, have you ever read the memorial to the Ministry of Punishment?"

Xu Jie didn't answer, and Yuan Wei just nodded.

They also knew why Yang Bo was so concerned about that memorial.

Just try to figure it out. As for how to deal with it in the end, it will depend on the emperor's instructions.

First, please put Yang Xuan, Xu Shen and others in prison.

Although Yang Bo didn't wait for an answer, when he saw Yuan Wei nodding, he generally knew the contents of the cabinet's vote and felt relieved.

Immediately, they left after chatting for a few words.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Gao is outside asking to see you."

Ask Huang Jin to put away the box, and the chamberlain will come into the palace to report.

"Let him come in."

Emperor Jiajing whispered.

Immediately, the chamberlain went out, and soon Gao Zhong was brought in. Behind them were two little chamberlains who were holding slow memorials.

"Is there any urgent memorial to deal with?"

Huang Jin next to him asked.

This is also the rule. If there are urgent matters to be dealt with, they should be dealt with individually and firstly, with the emperor's personal approval.

After all, the emperor may not have the leisure to read all the memorials. Now that His Majesty is here, he must take care of important things first.

"Governor Xuanda has reported an urgent military situation. Since the reinforcements were sent in, his subordinates, Datong Commander-in-Chief Jiang Yingxiong and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Ma Lu, came down from the Great Wall to come in for reinforcements, and joined forces with Gubei Commander-in-Chief Guo Hu to fight the enemy at Pigeon Cave.

Jiang, Ma and other generals prepared firearms to wait for them, and beat them with wood and rolling stones. Many of the captives were burned and killed, so they escaped through Longwang Valley, Zhuan Kiln and other places.

Relying on His Majesty's blessing and the efforts of all the generals, two hundred and ninety-nine levels of prisoners were beheaded. I would like to report the victory. "

Gao Zhong hurriedly recounted the good news that Yang Bo had specially sent to the palace that he had seen before. He then took a memorial on the page from the hand of a chamberlain behind him and bowed to deliver it to him.

Emperor Jiajing took the battle report from Gao Zhong, lowered his head and read it carefully, and couldn't help but murmured: "They all say that Xuanda produces good generals, and it's true."

Then he looked at the cabinet draft, and when the memorial was returned to Gao Zhong, he said calmly: "Summon Jiangdong back to Beijing, and work with the Ministry of War to commend the meritorious officers and soldiers."

These words were not included in the draft, but Gao Zhong knew what they meant. This was to criticize people.

"According to the order."

Gao Zhong agreed, then took up a pen on the desk next to him and quickly wrote down Emperor Jiajing's instructions.

"The Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Dali Temple have issued a report."

After writing the red report of Jiangdong's success, Gao Zhong picked up another memorial and handed it over, saying.

"Yang Xuan, Xu Shen, Feng Zhao."

Emperor Jiajing lowered his head to read the memorial of Huang Guangsheng, the Minister of Punishment, and murmured.

Yang Xuan was the minister he appointed. This time his fault was so great that someone with enough weight must take the blame.

As for Xu Shen, Feng Zhao and others, as well as Bingbei Dao Lu Yi and others, they were all guilty of poor defense, but they had to be jailed and interrogated before they could be punished.

"Gao Zhong, tell Huang Guangsheng to focus on verifying Yang Xuan's collusion with the enemy."

Emperor Jiajing said expressionlessly, and then threw the memorandum on the imperial desk, "It's done."