Southern Ming Rebel Army

Xi'an City.

Babaksu was sent to Lin Shiqi's military camp under the protection of a team of Qian army soldiers.

As soon as they met, Babaksu proposed to go to the capital to meet the emperor.

In response, Lin Shiqi said that he would present it to Babaksu, but before that, he hoped that the prince could tell him in detail about the equipment, combat power, number of troops of the Junggar, as well as the geography of the Yarkand area and the strength of the garrisons in various places.

In fact, Babaksu had a detailed map of Yarkand in his hand, but at this time Babaksu was unwilling to give up the map. What he wanted was to present it to the Emperor of the Qian Dynasty in person as a guarantee for the restoration of Yarkand. If he gave the few chips in his hand to Lin Shiqi, then in the end, even if Junggar was destroyed, Yarkand would not be able to restore its country.

In response to Lin Shiqi's questioning, Babaksu told him most of what he knew, but when describing the strength of the Dzungar Khanate, he greatly discounted the number of Dzungar troops, their combat power, and their equipment.

At the same time, Babaksu patted his chest and said that the destruction of Yarkand was caused by the betrayal of an internal traitor. Countless people in Yarkand were concerned about their homeland. As long as the Qian Dynasty could send troops, he, Babaksu, was sure that once the banner of restoring Yarkand was raised, there would be a large number of followers.

Although Babaksu belittled the strength of the Dzungar Khanate and exaggerated the role of his identity as the Prince of Yarkand, much of the information he provided was of great reference value to Lin Shiqi.

Later, Lin Shiqi declined Babaksu's request to send troops on the grounds that the emperor's judgment had not yet arrived. However, regarding Babaksu's wish to meet the emperor, Lin Shiqi agreed to write a letter on his behalf.

Time passed quickly and it was early October. Lin Shiqi had already received the emperor's secret order to use military force. While selecting elite troops in the army, Lin Shiqi was also making various preparations before the war.

At this time, Yang En also came to Xi'an City.

In response to Yang En's arrival, Lin Shiqi specially prepared a table of wine and food to entertain Yang En.

The two have known each other for many years. They have often dealt with each other since Meng Jun just started his army. It's just that in the past few years, because Lin Shiqi was stationed in Guanzhong and Yang En was in a high position in the government, the contact between the two has become less. At this banquet, Lin Shiqi did not invite his generals to accompany him. There were only Yang En and Lin Shiqi at the banquet, and there were no servants or maids.

After three rounds of drinking, Lin Shiqi filled Yang En's glass and said with a smile: "Mu De, many years have passed since your majesty started the army. We used to get together often, but now we are all busy with state affairs and our contact has become less and less. It is indeed a pity."

Yang En picked up the wine glass, drank it all, and sighed slightly: "Yes, time flies. Brother Lin is in charge of Guanzhong, while I am in the court, entangled in trivial matters."

Lin Shiqi looked at Yang En and said, "Mu De, I have also heard about the case of Uncle Yang Zhongliang. Your Majesty must be in a difficult situation facing this situation. Although he has temporarily retired from the cabinet and demoted to Shaanxi as a governor, Mu De is still in the emperor's heart. Given time, it will not be difficult for him to return to the center."

Yang En shook his head and said, "Brother Lin, you worry too much. His Majesty has shown some mercy to me in the case of my uncle."

At this point, Yang En suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "As the saying goes, strong winds reveal strong grass, and time reveals a person's true character. Before my uncle's case was exposed, many officials in the court wanted to visit me, but when I fell into trouble, many people avoided me for fear of being implicated."

After hearing this, Lin Shiqi waved his hands and said, "This is not normal. When you succeed in attacking Junggar this time, when you return to the center, those people will come rushing over."

Yang En laughed, but felt a little emotional in his heart. Ever since he was demoted from the cabinet by the emperor, many people in the civil service group had changed their attitude towards him. Only those nobles, whom he had deliberately alienated, still respected him as always.

The two then chatted for a while before turning the topic to the current situation.

Lin Shiqi said in a serious tone: "Guanzhong has been relatively stable in the past few years, and God has not been angry. However, if we use troops in the Western Regions, Shaanxi Province alone will definitely not be enough."

"Oh, Brother Lin, are you so sure that His Majesty will send troops to the Western Regions?"

Lin Shiqi was stunned when he heard this, then pointed at Yang En and said with a smile: "Why are you playing Tai Chi with me? You came to Shaanxi to be the governor, and His Majesty asked me to select elite soldiers in Guanzhong. Isn't this to prepare for the expedition to the Western Regions?"

Yang En also smiled, and then said: "You also said that if we use troops in the Western Regions, the food and salary supply from only Shaanxi Province will definitely be insufficient. How can I, the governor of Shaanxi, be qualified?"

Lin Shiqi waved his hands and said, "I don't believe you can't see it yourself. You are here as the governor of Shaanxi for a transitional period. As long as the war against Junggar starts, you will definitely be promoted to governor-general. As for how many provinces you will be governor-general of, I don't know.

Besides, His Majesty just demoted you from the cabinet, and then promoted you to Governor General. What kind of words is this? Only when the war breaks out and the situation changes, no one will gossip about you being promoted to Governor General. His Majesty really cares about you!"

Yang En did not respond to Lin Shiqi's sigh, but frowned and said: "Brother Lin, the situation in the Western Regions is complicated and the journey is long. Your Majesty intends to conquer Junggar, but to be honest, I do not agree to send troops now."

Lin Shiqi objected, saying, "The Junggars are ambitious. When the Western Mongols were not unified, they sent out more than 90,000 cavalry to invade Guanzhong. Now Sengge has unified the Western Mongols and conquered the Western Regions. Their power has greatly increased and they have become a huge threat to the northwest. If we don't use our troops now and wait until Sengge becomes more powerful, it will not be so easy to fight him again!"

Yang En put down his wine glass, his expression solemn: "In the court, there are voices for and against sending troops. Those who agree with Brother Lin think that the Junggars are a serious threat and should be eliminated as soon as possible. But those who oppose are not ministers who will harm the country. The Western Regions are far away from the Central Plains. If a war starts, it will inevitably cost a lot, and long-distance expeditions are difficult."

Lin Shiqi tapped the table lightly, thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, sending troops is imperative. After so many years, your majesty is a man of great talent and strategy. It is impossible for you not to see that the Junggars are ambitious. After Sengge unified the Western Regions, the threat to the northwest defense line of Guanzhong and the Mongolian tribes south of the desert is real."

Yang En sighed and said, "That being said, it is conceivable that once the war starts, it will not be easy to quell. The preparation and transportation of food and fodder, as well as the communication and coordination of various departments are all difficult problems."

Lin Shiqi laughed and patted Yang En on the shoulder: "When you send troops to the Western Regions, you will definitely use me. As for the food and logistics, I will leave it to you. When I recover the Western Regions and my name goes down in history, I will definitely not forget to ask the historian to record your name, Yang En."

Hearing this, Yang En laughed and drank the whole cup.