Becoming a stepmother of three children gives me space

At the same time as the request for help from Yansui Town arrived in Beijing, news from Northwest China and Jinzhou also arrived. The news from Jizhou arrived earlier than them.

The emperor had a headache.

He was discussing support for Jizhou, but it turned out that support was needed everywhere. He was overwhelmed and summoned the cabinet ministers, the six ministries and the five military governors to discuss countermeasures.

In the imperial study, amidst the heated discussion, a rough and bold shout was heard:

"Your Majesty! I request to go into battle!"

"I don't want 10, I don't want 8, I want 5, and I want to make sure the Northern Barbarians never return!"

Everyone in the imperial study was cursing.

Old Chen only knows how to brag. The Shuote and Torghut tribes, along with other tribes, have about 13 people. Including the vassal army, there are a total of 30 troops.

5 people are useless!

The emperor glared at Lao Chen, telling him to shut up, and then he slowly said:

"Everyone has decided to send troops to support us. Please share your thoughts on how to provide support."

Military affairs are mainly handled by the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissioners' Headquarters, while the other five ministries are auxiliary and naturally will not take the initiative to speak.

The Minister of War stepped out and said,

"Your Majesty, I believe that... the capital is transferring troops to Jizhou. The situation in Liaodong is unclear. Shanhai Town can provide support at any time. The reinforcements from Datong Town, Shan Town, and Ning Town will remain in Yansui for the time being..."

As soon as he said this, the commanders of the Five Military Commanderies all frowned.

Shanhai Town and Datong Town belong to the rear army governor's office, Yansui belongs to the right army governor's office, and Liaodong belongs to the left army governor's office. This transfer will benefit some people and lose others.

There is suspicion that he deliberately provoked internal disunity within the Five Military Commandery.

The three parties involved were reluctant to speak, and the commander-in-chief of the Central Army did not care:

"What if we mobilize troops from other border towns and the Northern Barbarians make a feint to attack Shanhai Town or Datong Town?"

The Minister of War remained calm:

"Leading the war is the responsibility of the Five Military Commands Office. Do we really need instructions from the Ministry of War?"

Daxia has six departments.

In terms of military affairs, there is a "dual-track system" of military leadership with the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commandery running side by side.

The Ministry of War was responsible for the appointment and dismissal of generals, promotions, training, border defense, and weapons deployment, but had no responsibility for commanding troops. The Five Military Governor's Office was in charge of warfare, military farming, military registration, and the selection of generals, but had no power to mobilize the army.

The two have their own responsibilities and check and balance each other.

In the era when imperial power was supreme, the Five Military Commissions fought side by side with the Ministry of War to consolidate imperial power and at the same time allow the emperor to achieve ultimate control over military forces.

Everything has its pros and cons.

Where there is checks and balances, there is bound to be competition. Competition can be benign or malignant.

Healthy competition is conducive to mutual progress.

In the early days of the establishment of Daxia, there were differences between the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commanderies. The purpose was to serve the country and the people. When there were disputes, they sought common ground while reserving differences. The overall atmosphere was benign.

right now,

The purpose of competition is power, which means losing one's original intention and stabbing others in the back.

For example, when the Ministry of War appointed generals, the Five Military Commanders' Office would find faults and not give the Ministry of War the opportunity to appoint its own people.

The Ministry of War was even crazier, and would rather hurt itself than propose to abolish the Liaodong Town.

Liaodong has been under weak control in recent years, with the expenditure of materials and manpower far exceeding the benefits, and personnel transfers being even more troublesome. The proposal to abolish it is reasonable and well-founded.

however,

Liaodong is an important part of the power of the Left Army Governor's Office. If Liaodong is abolished, can the Left Army Governor still be considered a governor?

"Not a single inch of land in Daxia is redundant. You just give it up like that. Your heart is damned!"

"There are 30 troops in Liaodong, but they can't even deal with the small Jurchens. What's the point of keeping them?"

The two men fought fiercely in the Golden Palace at that time. The Ministry of War and the Governor's Office had completely torn their faces apart and were no longer compatible. They often fought with each other.

The emperor wants to see the conflict between the Governor's Office and the Ministry of War, but there must be limits to the conflict. How can he tolerate a fight in front of him?

"I asked you to give advice, not to argue. Anyone who says something useless will be dragged out and given 50 lashes!"

The Central Army Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of War immediately became honest, their eyes watching their noses and their noses watching their hearts.

The emperor was too lazy to pay attention to them

"Minister Zhang, please tell me."

The war was related to the Ministry of War, and the two assistant ministers were also present, but they could only stand at the back in front of the big boss. Now that they were called, Zhang He bowed and said, neither humble nor arrogant:

"Your Majesty, I believe that Liaodong, Jizhou, and Yansui are not the key points. The real key lies in the northwest."

Everyone looked at him with different expressions. The emperor motioned him to continue.

"It's well known that whether it's the Northern Barbarians or the Jurchens, their purpose in attacking border towns is to seize food and people. Why are the Jurchens launching a large-scale attack in Liaodong during the icy and snowy weather? What's their goal?"

"The Shuote and Torghut tribes? A large-scale attack on Gubeikou. Are they planning to attack the capital? Otherwise, what exactly are they aiming for?"

"It's spring now, the season for planting. Are you trying to take the seeds back?"

Zhang He's analysis was agreed upon by everyone, but his superior, the Minister of War, raised a question:

"The Northern Barbarians have a precedent for launching winter offensives. The grasslands have suffered a white disaster, and cattle and sheep are widely sick. They are in urgent need of food. It makes sense to launch an attack at this time."

"What Shangguan said makes sense, but the Northern Barbarians' behavior is still strange."

Zhang He was well aware of the intricacies of officialdom, so he first confirmed the situation and then raised questions to avoid offending his immediate superior.

"If you want to seize food, it's better to choose Datong and Shanzhen than Liaodong, Jizhou, and Yansui."

Jizhou is the defense of the capital. It has inner and outer Great Walls and a large number of troops. It is the most cost-effective attack point. Yansui has little food production capacity, and Liaodong is still in winter.

You would never choose these three points to steal food, unless you are crazy.

"Northwest Commander-in-Chief Murong Hai has reported military intelligence that a large number of Northern Barbarian troops have appeared in the heart of the northwest. They have been hiding there for a long time, so they are likely to make a major move."

"The northwest is short of troops, and the sudden and unreasonable outbreak of war in other places is not accidental. The northern barbarians are targeting the northwest, and launching wars in other places is a diversion."

"Ningzhen and Shanzhen support Yansui. If the war breaks out in the northwest, we can only rely on ourselves. The Northern Barbarians can achieve better results."

Zhang He’s analysis makes sense. If this is true, the northwest is indeed very dangerous.

The emperor was very satisfied.

"Then tell me what good solutions you have. If you speak well, I will reward you handsomely."

Zhang He thought for a moment, as if thinking, and then said:

"I believe that we must first determine the candidate for the Northwest Commander. Only by unifying the command and eliminating any conflicts can we unleash our full combat effectiveness. Secondly, we must recruit troops locally in the Northwest, expand the army, and prepare for a protracted war. Finally, we must order the nearest vassal king to dispatch troops... As for logistics, my superiors have already explained it, so I will not elaborate further."

His suggestion is the most practical and effective method, but I don’t know how effective it will be.