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There is a vast grassland with a Daqing Mountain Range running from east to west. In the west of the Hetao Plain, a new town was built.

Compared with the mainland, this town is very small. The most special thing is that it does not have tall city walls. There are only cement houses on the ground, orderly forming the core area of ​​​​the town. There are four military camps in the four corners of the town. These four military camps are all surrounded by concrete walls, and all kinds of defensive measures that are required in military camps are available here. Another difference from ordinary military camps is that these military camps are built in a diamond shape.

In the middle of the town, there is a building about the same size as a military camp. Just like a military camp, there is a Ming Dynasty flag flying. Needless to say, this is a government office.

If you observe patiently, you can see that there are actually more soldiers than ordinary people here.

This place is the Ming Dynasty's westernmost city on the grassland, Baotou, the city that the emperor insisted on building. That official office is the Baotou Governor's Office.

At this time, in the back office of the government office, two people were drinking horse milk tea and talking.

One of them looked very strong, with a big beard on his face, and seemed a little unhappy. He raised his head and said to the gentle official in scarlet robes on the throne: "Master Zhongcheng, you train your troops every day but you have no battles to fight. I’m almost bored. It’s really not as good as before. At least I can fight every day!”

"Uncle Zhongyong, you can just say what you say here in the back office. If you say it outside, it will have a bad impact. I will impeach you!" Baotou Governor Yang Sichang said with a serious face and seriously advised.

Now the Emperor Shengming has defeated all the enemies in the north of the Ming Dynasty, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is a good thing, but Zhongyong Bo Mangui shouted that it is not as good as before. If you say this, you will definitely be criticized.

If the two of them were not familiar with each other before, Yang Sichang would not be so kind to remind him; of course, this is also related to Man Gui being a rough guy and not even knowing a few words. This kind of words coming from his mouth are not much surprising. But Mangui's loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and to the emperor are also obvious to all. It was also for this reason that he was named Zhongyong Bo by the emperor.

Of course, there is another reason why Yang Sichang is so easy to talk to. He actually thinks so too. Although he is a governor, his political achievements can still be obtained from governing the local area. But this Baotou is built on an uninhabited grassland and does not have a large population. Even if it wants to achieve results, it needs talents. At this time, Yang Sichang often felt that it was difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw.

He has always believed that his talents are actually no worse than those of the naturalized governor. It's just a lack of good opportunities. Hong Chengchou encountered a good time. It happened that Shaanxi bandits were in chaos and his father had no useful generals. Only then did Hong Chengchou, who was just a civil servant in the army, rise to the top with his military exploits. He even became a naturalized man because of his military exploits along the way. in the position of governor.

If there is a battle to fight now, Yang Sichang believes that he can also achieve military success. Only in this way can he be promoted more quickly. Otherwise, staying in this remote place would not be as large as the county magistrate of a superior county within the pass, with as many people under his jurisdiction. Of course, excluding the army.

Therefore, in his heart, Yang Sichang, like Man Gui, longed for a battle to fight.

In the past, the best opportunity to gain military merit was when the emperor personally went on a military expedition. However, Baotou was too far away, and the troops sent from this side of the grassland were only from Guihua City.

Thinking of this, Yang Sichang sighed in his heart and took a sip of horse milk tea.

Looking at the cup in his hand, Yang Sichang couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He had never been used to drinking from the grasslands before, but after a few years, he got used to it!

At this time, he was a little doubtful. Did he make the right or wrong decision when he recommended himself to be the governor of Baotou?

However, in front of Man Gui, a warrior, Yang Sichang still maintained his proper demeanor, put down his cup, and said to Man Gui: "Even in a peaceful and prosperous age, we must train our troops. Otherwise, once war breaks out, how can we defeat the enemy?"

After hearing this, Mangui did not answer immediately. He drank all the horse milk tea in the cup, reached out to wipe the horse milk tea hanging on his beard, and then responded: "Lord Zhongcheng, how about I lead the troops to the north? "

In the north of the Daqing Mountains, there live three large tribes of northern Mongolia, collectively known as the Khalkha Mongols, which have not yet been conquered by the Ming Dynasty. Now if Baotou wants to have a battle to fight, this is the only enemy it has.

After all, Mongolia in the west has surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and the new Great Khan Eqirtu has a close relationship with the Ming Dynasty. Not only did he train in the new army in the Beijing camp, but after he returned, he also spent a lot of money purchasing Daming firearms, and the emperor approved all of them. Such a relationship, at least in the short term, is unlikely to turn into hostility.

"No, don't do this!" Yang Sichang heard Man Gui's words and quickly dissuaded him, "Our Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette, and there is absolutely no reason to start a war first."

Whether it is from a legal or historical perspective, such a distant place has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty started the war first, it would be an unjust master.

Man Gui didn't care, and thought about continuing to bargain: "Master Zhongcheng, I have my own sense of proportion in this matter. I will definitely let them stir up trouble first, and then how about we fight back?"

"You led troops to their fields to do this, do you think the world is stupid?" Yang Sichang felt a little funny after hearing this, and immediately shook his head and retorted, "Besides, once a war breaks out, the Khalkha Mongolia It’s not something that Baotou can handle, and Guihua City will have to go all out. Maybe they will have to mobilize troops from within the pass. This is going to be a big battle!”

At this point, before he finished speaking, Yang Sichang continued: "The Khalkha Mongols are different from the Liaodong Jianlu. They live in no fixed places. If the Ming army goes on an expedition and they escape, we don't know what the final battle will be. It seems that the material consumption of the expedition alone is astronomical! And these things must be considered by the princes in the court and must be approved by the emperor."

After hearing this, Man Gui opened his mouth to say something. Unexpectedly, Yang Sichang seemed to be a talker, and continued: "And you haven't noticed that the emperor generally does not fight at a loss. I have sorted out the wars in the past few years. I find that most of the wars fought by our Ming army are profitable. For the logistical pressure of the imperial court, it does not count as a war. If we go to fight with the Khalkha tribe, it will consume countless money and food. I think the emperor will not agree. "

When Mangui heard Yang Sichang's disapproval, he became depressed again, poured the horse milk tea and drank it again. He did not think deeply about it. After Yang Sichang mentioned the topic of Khalkha, he kept talking. It was obvious that he had considered this matter before and put a lot of thought into it.

The back office was quiet for a while. Suddenly, Mangui's eyes lit up. He looked up at Yang Sichang and said, "Master Zhongcheng, isn't the Eqirtu Khan in the west fighting against the Khalkha Mongols? Otherwise, go and talk to him. Tell him to ask for help from the Ming Dynasty, so that we can legitimately send troops?"

Hearing this, Yang Sichang couldn't help but look at the bearded man with admiration. This method is at least much better than leading his own troops to stir up trouble as he said before.

He had actually considered this matter before. Therefore, he replied without hesitation: "In this case, who will provide the money and food for our Ming army?"

"Of course we want Oqiltu Khan to come!" Upon hearing this, Man Gui immediately said, "He goes to fight for him, and we have to pay for it ourselves. How does that make sense?"

After hearing this, Yang Sichang couldn't help but think: If in the past, Oqiltu Khan had said more kind words and praised more, as long as he made the emperor feel proud, maybe the emperor would actually pay for his own money and food. However, today's emperor is very pragmatic and it is absolutely impossible to do such a thing. Otherwise, he would have sent someone to hint to Oqiltu Khan.

Thinking of this, Yang Sichang asked Mangui: "Then I would like to ask you, will Oqiltu Khan provide this money and food?"

Upon hearing this, Mangui opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly thought of something, and became dejected again. He immediately shook his head and said: "Then Eqiltu Khan used our military training methods and also purchased a large amount of our Ming Dynasty's military. He is a heavy weapon and has won consecutive battles, so how could he possibly give money and food to our Ming Dynasty again!"

"That's the reason!" Yang Sichang nodded and replied, "Unless Oqiltu Khan is defeated and the situation is in danger, he will not be able to spend additional money to find us, the Ming Dynasty, to send troops."

Mangui became depressed when he heard the news. The news came from years ago that Eqiltu Khan had won consecutive battles, and there was no sign that he had lost the battle and that the situation was in danger. Now that spring is blooming, the grasslands are recovering, and it's the time to use troops to fight. Maybe Ertu Khan of Oqil will send people to the Ming Dynasty again, and they will buy a large amount of the Ming Dynasty's military equipment!

Firearms are different from cold weapons, and the loss is very high. If a flintlock gun is fired too many times, the chance of the barrel exploding will increase, the shooting accuracy will also decrease, and it must be scrapped. Of course, you don’t have to scrap it, you can keep using it until it is scrapped. In addition, gunpowder accounted for most of the losses, but Western Mongolia did not have the ability to produce gunpowder on a large scale, let alone the high-quality gunpowder provided by the Ming Dynasty.

According to past practice, Western Mongolia will soon send people over to purchase firearms and replenish gunpowder from Daming.

If it were the past, Man Gui would definitely be very jealous. But now, the Ming Dynasty War Bureau heard that some steam engines were used and some assembly lines were set up. The production of flintlock guns has increased, and all his ministries have begun to be equipped with flintlock guns. Therefore, he doesn't mind so much about Western Mongolia's continuous purchase of flintlock guns.

Of course, he didn't know that the price of buying one flintlock gun in Western Mongolia could actually make four flintlock guns. These flintlock guns under his command were actually paid for by Western Mongolia.

"Grandma, Oqirtu Khan has our Ming Dynasty as his backer. It's really a good deal!" After hearing this, Man Gui swore and became very depressed.

After hearing what he said, Yang Sichang automatically ignored the foul language. He nodded in response to the other words. He still agreed with this point.

The back office became quiet again. Yang Sichang looked up at the sky outside and sighed in his heart. Another day was about to pass. Could it be that I have made no achievements in this position and can only drink tea, chat, count sheep, and wait to die with a vulgar warrior?

To be honest, he was very unwilling. There was nothing he could think about in terms of military affairs, so he lowered his head and pondered again. Should he ask his father for help and ask more prisoners in the prison to come and dig holes? The customs are also very troublesome!

After much deliberation, Yang Sichang was overwhelmed with ideas, but had no idea.

Or because he really had nothing to talk about, Mangui stood up, clasped his fists and saluted Yang Sichang: "Now the wolves on the grassland have begun to become rampant again. At the end of tomorrow, I will personally lead some people to hunt wolves in the grassland, and then I will dedicate the first wolf to China." Sir Cheng!"

If you can't help it, you can't just sit idle, just take it easy.

Yang Sichang nodded, which was considered a response. He actually doesn't care about this kind of sacrifice. What he cares about is political performance, merit, and promotion.

Seeing this, Mangui turned around and walked out of the lobby immediately.

But who would have expected that at this moment, there were rapid footsteps outside, and a personal guard of Yang Sichang appeared in the field of vision, looking a little hasty, and walked in quickly.

For some reason, Mangui felt happy when he saw this. He immediately stopped, turned around and walked inside again, wanting to hear what the news was.

"Report to Lord Zhongcheng that the Oirat Mongolian envoys are about five miles away from Baotou. They will not receive urgent reports at night, saying that the Oirat Mongolian tribes have been severely damaged and are in urgent need of reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty!"

After hearing the report from his personal guard, Yang Sichang stood up from his chair and asked in surprise: "What?"

Man Gui, who had just come in at the door, quickly walked in and stood beside the bodyguard. He raised his voice and asked with the same surprise: "Eqirtu Khan suffered a big defeat?"

The two of them had surprise on their faces, but there was no worry in their voices, but surprise.

"The specific battle situation is unknown, but it seems that the report was not accepted at night, and it seems that the defeat was miserable." The guard replied, "It seems that Oqiltu Khan was seriously injured!"

Hearing this, Yang Sichang and Man Gui glanced at each other, and both could see the excitement in each other's eyes.

Yang Sichang immediately walked quickly to the outer office, and at the same time ordered: "As soon as the envoy arrives, he will be brought to see me immediately without any delay!"

"Yes!" the guard agreed and hurried away.

Man Gui followed Yang Sichang out, grinning at the same time and said: "Master Zhongcheng, the Oirat tribes are asking for help. If we send troops, it will be Baotou's turn no matter what, right?"

From a geographical point of view, this is true.

However, when he was blown by the wind when he came out, Yang Sichang had calmed down a lot, and said with a serious face: "Let's hear the specific battle situation first. Logically speaking, even if Gushi Khan took away many elites from Oirat Mongolia, they would not have suffered such a disastrous defeat. , even Oqiltu Khan was seriously injured, right?"

When Mangui heard this, he was a little stunned. He was a veteran when it came to marching and fighting. He immediately thought about it and said, "Okay, let's see how Eqiltu Khan fought this huge defeat?"

If he had been a fool, he would not be alive now, not to mention that he had no connections in the court before. He had been promoted step by step through fighting as a soldier and meritorious service.

The five-mile journey is really not far for those on horseback, and they can be reached in a blink of an eye. However, Yang Sichang, Man Gui and others had to wait for a long time. After an unexpected wait, they finally received the envoy from Oirat Mongolia.

As soon as he saw the envoy, Yang Sichang understood why it took so long for the envoy to travel only five miles. There was no other reason. This messenger was at the end of his strength. It was obvious that he rushed here desperately to ask for help. There was no pause on the way and he was exhausted.

In the lobby, the envoy could no longer stand, but two guards from the governor's office held him up.

It was at his signal that the guard took out a piece of parchment from the messenger's arms and presented it to the governor of Baotou.

Yang Sichang unfolded it and was surprised. This is a blood letter, written in blood. It was written in Chinese characters and stamped with the seal of the Mongol Khan of Oirat.

After a brief glance, Yang Sichang frowned, and immediately raised his head and asked the panting envoy: "How is Oqirtu Khan's injury?"

"Dahan was hit by a firearm. Although the lead was taken out, he often fell into coma. The witch doctor of the tribe said that it was more dangerous than good!" The messenger held his breath, said this in one breath, gasped again, and then begged, "Big Khan" Khan begged the Ming Dynasty to send reinforcements quickly, otherwise the Oirat Mongols would be in danger!"

Man Gui, who was standing next to him, was scratching his head a little. Hearing this, he couldn't hold it back any longer. He interrupted and asked loudly: "What's going on? Why did it end up like this?"

Anyone who is Mongolian will recognize Mangui. It was also for this reason that Emperor Chongzhen always put him on the grassland as an example.

The Oirat Mongolian envoy was no exception. He recognized Mangui and immediately replied: "The Khalkha Mongols and Tsarist Russia quietly colluded together during last winter. This year's ice and snow have just melted. We, the Oirat tribes, have just finished their winter." In the severe winter, when there was no preparation, a sudden attack occurred. All the tribes suffered heavy losses when they were caught off guard. Among them, our Heshuote tribe and Jungar tribe were the focus of their raid, so the losses were the worst. Eqirtu was captured Seriously wounded by Tsarist Russian firearms."

At this point, after the envoy took another breath, he took the initiative to add with a sad face: "This time is different from the previous wars with the Khalkha tribe. Whether it is the Khalkha tribe or Tsarist Russia, everyone kills everyone on sight, even Women and children were not spared. Especially the Tsarist Russian army was even more inhumane. Now the Oirat Mongolian tribes are unable to fight back and have all fled!"

When Yang Sichang heard this, he recalled that Oirat Mongolia actually had two major enemies, one was Tsarist Russia and the other was Khalkha Mongolia. However, Tsarist Russia is located further west. In the past, the conflict with Oirat Mongolia was not very serious. Unexpectedly, this time, Tsarist Russia also dealt a cruel blow to Oirat Mongolia.

With this in mind, he asked some more questions and then immediately said: "I will report this matter to the emperor immediately!"

Thanks to Ling Huanhuan, who specializes in little wives, and anniexie for the reward, and to book friend 160506185430084 for the reward!