Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 839: Clearing the relationship
The news of Wang Yue leading his troops across the Yellow River to the north first reached Zhang Yanling, who was in Datong.

Zhang Yanling had sent people to keep an eye on things early in the morning, so he was informed immediately if anything happened.

In fact, when Wang Yue first set out to attack the Hetao region, Zhang Yanling keenly realized that Wang Yue would not risk being attacked by people in the court just to move the Ming Dynasty's northwest defense line forward and go to manage the Hetao region, making a long-term, futile investment.

Wang Yue's painstaking efforts in building a city in the heart of the Hetao region were undoubtedly intended to create the illusion of a fortified position, preparing for his next move to send troops to the grasslands.

As for his previous constant demands for money and provisions from the imperial court, which seemed shameless and rude, Wang Yue wanted to create the impression that "my troops and provisions are not yet ready, and I cannot send troops to the grasslands for the time being."

Wang Yue is a ruthless man. If he really wanted to send troops, he would still dare to ride across the northern desert with only a few hundred men.

"Second Young Master, the current situation is very unfavorable for you."

Qin Yun brought the message over, his face filled with anxiety. "According to the previously established strategy, our army is to march north from here past Mao'erzhuang, heading straight for Weininghai. There will be five or six days of marching time along the way... However, the Tatars have not established a camp at Weininghai. According to the planned northward advance, it is virtually impossible to encounter the main Tatar force..."

Not many people knew that Zhang Yanling was going to send troops directly from Datong Town, but Qin Yun was one of them.

Because Zhang Yanling needed to dispatch a group of men to cooperate with his operation, although Qin Yun had no actual experience in leading troops and fighting battles before, after two years of getting along, he had become one of the men under Zhang Yanling who could be entrusted with important tasks.

This is also related to the fact that Young Master Zhang is too young and has few opportunities to show his abilities in the court, making it difficult for him to gain the complete trust of others.

Having spent a long time with Zhang Yanling, Qin Yun naturally knew of his extraordinary abilities and would obey his commands without hesitation.

Others are different...

We are not very familiar with Zhang Yanling. Even if you are a relative of the emperor and can offer us benefits to win us over, how can you make us completely convinced?

Zhang Yanling's previous stunt in Nanjing was to convince the Ming military officers that following him would indeed bring them benefits, and to establish his prestige within the army, thus preparing for the next step of sending troops to the grasslands.

Just because you have good firearms doesn't mean your soldiers will obey you completely.

Compared to Zhang Yanling, others trusted Wang Yue, who had rich battlefield experience, more, and many even regretted not being able to go to Yansui with Wang Yue...

This is the biggest problem Zhang Yanling is facing right now.

Others did not trust him to accomplish the feat of pacifying the grasslands.

If he leads a lone army northward, who would dare to fully trust him and entrust their lives to him?
This is also a key reason why he unleashed Wang Yue, this fierce tiger, and sent troops to the grasslands first...

Let Wang Yue test the waters first, drawing everyone's attention to him. Then Zhang Yanling will find an opportunity to quietly lead his troops north. This way, the soldiers who fight alongside him, the Second Young Master Zhang, will think that Wang Yue's side is the main force pacifying the grasslands, while they are just following along to gain merit and are relatively safe.

Wait until the right time, then take the initiative.

Zhang Yanling said, "Sending troops before the arrival of winter is one of the alternative plans I have prepared. The temperature in the north is already very low. If the former Earl of Weining can be invincible and establish unparalleled achievements, wouldn't that be exactly the situation His Majesty hopes to see?"

"In this way, although His Majesty's civil administration has not yet been seen, his military prowess has been established first. Who in the court would dare to disobey His Majesty? Implementing reforms will also be much easier!"

Qin Yun was slightly surprised upon hearing this.

He hadn't expected Zhang Yanling to have such a good attitude. He clearly had the opportunity to make a name for himself and could easily earn military merits by simply following Wang Yue. Yet, Zhang Yanling remained hidden in Datong Town, unmoved, and even after hearing that Wang Yue had sent troops, he was still able to face it so calmly...

This mindset is far beyond what most people can achieve.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "The craftsmen we brought are working day and night to produce more firearms. After the war, the military factory and the firearms manufacturing technology will remain in Datong, and the craftsmen will use local materials to supply the troops in the Northwest..."

Qin Yun shook his head and said, "People are longing to return home, and the craftsmen don't seem too willing to stay in Datong."

Zhang Yanling laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright, we'll just give them generous salaries... Those who don't want to stay can return to the capital to work, while those who stay can receive high rewards and also serve as managers of military factories, acting as mentors to train a new batch of craftsmen."

"Second Young Master, based on our current strength on paper, even if Datong produces more firearms, it won't help the overall situation," Qin Yun said with difficulty. "The cannons previously cast in the capital have mostly gone to General Wang's side, and we don't have any heavy firepower support here."

The new cannons that Zhang Yanling had previously built were all taken away by Wang Yue.

Wang Yue had a great fondness for large weapons, perhaps because he felt that the new cannons would be more effective against the Tatars. He almost abandoned the mobility of his troops in favor of cannons, all in order to suppress the cavalry when the Tatars attacked.

This way, even if we can't win, we can ensure we won't lose. Even if our advance and retreat are relatively slow, we can still ensure an absolute advantage in positional warfare.

In addition, the new army was equipped with various flintlock muskets, which made Wang Yue feel that the conditions were much better than the many wars he had fought against the Tatars during the Chenghua era. He had never fought such a prosperous war before.

In the past, the Battle of Weininghai relied entirely on surprise attacks. This time, we're leading a large army openly into the grasslands, threatening the Tatar royal court. Let's see what the Tatars can do to us!
The specific strategy also relied on ostentation to provoke the Tatars and provoke them to seek out war.

Since mobility has been abandoned, the best course of action is to fight a defensive counterattack, taking advantage of the Tatars' ignorance that the Ming Dynasty has improved its firearms and still using the old tactics to fight the Ming Dynasty on the open grasslands. In this way, wouldn't the artillery under Wang Yue's command show its value?
Zhang Yanling said, "We and Wang Weining use two different combat strategies. He uses large-scale army operations, focusing on artillery coverage to ensure firepower suppression in frontal battles, but he gives up mobility; while we use light troops, relying on the mobility of cavalry equipped with muskets to ensure that we can advance and retreat freely. This also fits our characteristics of hiding in the shadows and waiting for the right opportunity to strike."

"I understand."

Qin Yun was indeed quite intelligent.

Since Zhang Yanling has sent Wang Yue out as a decoy, the number of troops hiding in the shadows doesn't need to be too large. In addition, there's no need for dedicated laborers to transport artillery, so mobility will be fully guaranteed. This will allow them to avoid direct confrontation with the main Tatar force. They only need to constantly maneuver and infiltrate, keeping the Tatars busy dealing with them...

This puzzled Qin Yun.

Is this a harassment operation, or is it an attempt to pacify the grasslands?
It doesn't sound like they're planning to establish a great achievement like sealing the wolf's lair, but rather like they're planning to steal something and run away.

"Then... Second Young Master, when shall we send out our troops?"

Qin Yun asked for instructions.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Wait a little longer."

Qin Yun said, "It's almost winter, and the weather is already cold. Once it snows, the roads will be even more difficult to travel. We're not very familiar with the roads once we cross the border, and the climate on the grasslands is unpredictable. If we encounter bad weather, I'm afraid it will put us in a very passive position."

Zhang Yanling said, "We should wait until there's some noise in the west, and that we've drawn the Tatars' attention to that before we send out our troops... This time, our main goal is to pick off the weak points. Ideally, we should be underestimated, so that people think we're just going to harass them and get some credit, and that I'll give them a bigger surprise later."

"Yes."

Qin Yun agreed verbally, but harbored great doubts in her heart.

With the current forces under Zhang Yanling's command, apart from the thousand new army guards he had taken to the south, he also transferred some Beijing garrison troops to accompany him, plus some supply troops, the total number is just over three thousand, of which the actual combat soldiers are probably less than two thousand.

With just this small group of people, if they went to join Wang Yue, he might think they were too few and ineffective.

They actually want to carve out their own path and pacify the grasslands?

Zhang Yanling said, "It's time to spread the fame of that Earl of Weining... I'm going to submit a memorial to His Majesty, impeaching him for disobeying orders!"

"You... want to impeach General Wang?"

Qin Yun was very surprised.

Wasn't he supported by your Zhang family? If you impeach him now, even if Wang Yue achieves military merit, won't he still not appreciate your Zhang family's favor?
Zhang Yanling said, "We need to create public opinion. At this time, many things cannot be judged by common sense!"

……

……

When news of Wang Yue's expedition reached the capital, it came to the attention of Zhu Youcheng.

Zhu Youcheng did not react much when he heard about it, and he did not even intend to discuss the matter with the court officials... It seemed that he wanted the court officials to feel that everything was under control, and whether Wang Yue actually marched into the grasslands was not important.

"Go ask your father-in-law for his opinion."

Zhu Youcheng, as always, expressed his trust in his father-in-law. This time, he directly sent the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Qin Chang, to consult him. "Remember to tell your father-in-law that I am aware of Wang Yue's actions, and Yanling has already warned me. Even if Wang Yue achieves some success in his northward expedition, he is still far from achieving his goal of pacifying the grasslands. If your father-in-law has any opinions, you can convey them directly to him."

"Yes."

Qin Chang was also pondering this.

No wonder His Majesty didn't want to discuss this with the court officials. It turns out he had already anticipated that Wang Shichang would make this move and was on guard... It seems that His Majesty reached this conclusion after discussing it privately with that young imperial brother-in-law.

Furthermore, it was concluded that Wang Shichang's trip north would not yield any results?
……

...When Qin Chang met Zhang Luan, it had been almost two hours since he left the palace.

Qin Chang and Zhang Luan met at a residence outside the Donghua Gate. This was a private property of the imperial family, a residence provided free of charge by the emperor to court officials, which would be returned upon retirement.

The mansion had been vacant since an official returned to his hometown.

There were dedicated eunuchs in the palace to take care of everything, so everything here was readily available. Qin Chang then took the initiative to set up a table in the main hall, the gist of which was to let Zhang Luan feel his respect and admiration through a banquet, and to take the opportunity to curry favor with him.

Qin Chang had no choice but to do so.

Because Qin Chang now deeply felt that the emperor not only relied on the Zhang family father and son in court affairs, but also seemed to prioritize the opinions of the Zhang family father and son in military matters...

If this trend continues, the Zhang family will eventually become a dominant force in the court.

Regardless of the relationship between the court officials and the Zhang family, at least the court officials had to rely on the Zhang family for survival.

If Zhang Yanling were to cooperate with Wang Yue to pacify the grasslands, and even have Zhang Yanling claim all the credit...

Qin Chang could hardly believe the situation in the court at that time.

"Why are you being so polite, Eunuch Qin? I'm embarrassed."

Zhang Luan had come from afar and was initially in a bad mood, but when he saw Qin Chang hosting a banquet and dismissing his servants, his heart skipped a beat and his expression suddenly turned serious. He thought that Qin Chang wanted to discuss some important matter with him.

Qin Chang said, "Mr. Zhang, His Majesty has sent me here."

"Why don't you come to my house to discuss this? Why do you have to come here?"

Zhang Luan looked around and asked.

"Isn't it because we can't find you at your residence? Who would be able to pay a visit and get an audience?"

Qin Chang asked with a smile.

Zhang Luan then realized that his avoidance of affairs had made it difficult even for the emperor to see him, let alone anyone else.

This displeased Qin Chang, the chief minister, so he held a banquet to remind him of his mistake.

Zhang Luan quickly replied modestly, "Eunuch Qin can send Eunuch Li to visit. I will naturally rush back upon hearing the news. How could I dare to trouble you?"

“There are some things that are better left for us to do ourselves… We’ve known each other since the time of the late emperor, so we’re old acquaintances and it’ll be easier to talk to each other.” Qin Chang smiled and invited Zhang Luan to sit down, then poured him some tea.

Zhang Luan did not refuse again. He was in a hurry to get on his way and was a little thirsty, so he reached out, picked up the teacup, and took a big sip, accepting Qin Chang's courtesy as a matter of course.

……

……

Once the two were seated.

Qin Chang truthfully recounted what was happening in Northwest China at that time.

This gave Zhang Luan a huge fright.

"What? Wang Shichang really dares to lead his troops across the Yellow River to the north? It turns out that his previous entry into the Hetao region was just a pretext, and his real target was the Tatars... Hmph, I always felt that Wang Shichang had ill intentions."

Zhang Luan said, "I had already submitted a memorial to His Majesty impeaching him for his unauthorized military action, but it seems that the effort was not strong enough!"

Qin Chang laughed and said, "You and your son really work together as one."

Zhang Luan frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"That's right, your son... also known as the young emperor's brother-in-law, is in Datong, and he has also submitted a memorial impeaching Wang Shichang," Qin Chang said. "He accused him of sending troops without authorization and of disobeying orders."

"what?"

Zhang Luan muttered to himself in surprise, "Wasn't Wang Shichang the one who liked to listen to my son's opinions the most? So they've fallen out? Haha! It's strange that my son can misjudge people sometimes."

Qin Chang asked, "From what you're saying, it seems that Minister Wang has deviated from the original battle strategy and wants to launch a war against the grasslands on his own? Will this... affect the subsequent plans?"

He deliberately avoided revealing the emperor's instructions.

The purpose was to test how much Zhang Luan knew about this matter, and at the same time, to extract from Zhang Luan the absolute secret that the emperor and Zhang Yanling had long ago discussed but had not told him.

"what's the plan?"

Zhang Luan spoke first, asking the question.

"It's about... the war plan to pacify the grasslands... Didn't you discuss it clearly with His Majesty, sir?"

Qin Chang asked curiously.

Zhang Luan frowned and shook his head, saying, "I did mention it to Eunuch Li before. His Majesty intends to complete the great feat of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong in pacifying the grasslands and forcing the northern barbarians to submit. The original plan was to send troops in the spring of next year. Now that Wang Yue has suddenly caused this trouble, I don't know what's going on!"

"You...you were unaware of this?"

Qin Chang asked doubtfully, "Could it be... that the front line has suddenly spiraled out of control?"

Zhang Luan said dismissively, "Wang Shichang is a very capable man. He has never failed in his military campaigns against the northern nomadic tribes. How many people in the court can truly control him?"
“When he was training the new army, he often asked for my son’s opinion, but at that time he had not yet gone to the Northwest to lead troops. Now that he has become powerful, I’m afraid we can’t count on him.”

Qin Chang hurriedly said, "If the court officials find out that Wang Yue has sent troops without anyone's permission..."

Zhang Luan was quite surprised and quickly asked, "Don't people in the court know this yet?"

"We don't know for now."

Qin Chang answered truthfully.

"Actually, I can understand Wang Shichang..."

Zhang Luan sighed, “Just like the Battle of Weininghai back then, didn’t he also plan ahead and decisively send troops to achieve great success? However, the situation on the battlefield changes in an instant, and the generals on the Northwest front have their own understanding, which is understandable! Since the court has appointed him as the commander-in-chief to supervise the army, he naturally has the authority to act expediently.”

Qin Changdao said, "Don't you think he's being too hasty?"

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "That's just Wang Shichang's personality. Now that he's old, he's determined to complete the unfinished work of the past. Why would he care about what others think? However... if he wins, everything will be fine, but if he loses, he'll probably suffer! If he loses thousands of soldiers and generals... and the number of enemies killed is not enough... then someone will hold a grudge against him!"

What are your thoughts?

Qin Chang quickly inquired.

Zhang Luan stood up and said, “Eunuch Qin, please forgive me for not being able to have a banquet here... Firstly, I cannot drink alcohol, and secondly, I am not in the mood... I have to go back and write another memorial impeaching Wang Shichang, to sever ties with him! Whether he wins in the Northwest or not, or whether he achieves great things, will have little to do with me.”

"Huh? Didn't you recommend Wang Yue? Why are you suddenly trying to distance yourself?"

Qin Chang stood up and asked.

Zhang Luan smiled and said, "Eunuch Qin, I have never recommended any minister... Apart from Grand Secretary Xu, I may have mentioned it to His Majesty! Who else is there? I can't think of anyone right now, but... Wang Shichang's appointment as Vice Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Three Border Regions was not my doing."

"Therefore, I do not want to get involved in Wang Shichang's merits and demerits! I just want those officials to impeach him without linking me to them."

Qin Chang said, "There is still a possibility that Wang Yue will be able to establish merits in his expedition to the grasslands... After all, he has won many battles and the tribes on the grasslands fear him like tigers. They are afraid of him even before the battle. It is possible that he will sweep across the desert and reach the vast sea."

"is it?"

Zhang Luan was already walking towards the door when he heard this. He waved his hand and said with a smile, "Then I wish him a great victory! If he can really pacify the grasslands all by himself, what use are my father and me? It just so happens that my Yanling doesn't have to go to the front line, so I can rest easy! Haha!"

(End of this chapter)