Chapter 444 443 The Thieves Spread All over the Land

It didn't matter that he didn't stop Yu Dayou from moving. After leaving the palace, Yan Song had a plan in mind. He would try to bring Jiangxi under Hu Zongxian's management. Yu Dayou worked under Hu Zongxian, and he was afraid that he would not find a reason to manipulate him.

Before, although Hu Zongxian was called the Governor of Jiangnan, his actual official position was the Minister of War and the Right Censor of the Censorate, and he was also the Junior Guardian. He was the Governor of the military affairs of Nanzhili, Zhejiang, and Fuzhou. He had no control over the troops in Jiangxi, but he could recruit and dispatch through the Jiangxi Dusi.

Hu Zongxian wanted to punish Yu Dayou, so he naturally put him under his command. He could do whatever he wanted.

After wiping out the remnants of Wang Zhi, Hu Zongxian just found an excuse to sue him. The imperial edict was issued by the Jinyiwei to arrest him. Yan Song just wanted to copy it at this time, and he could easily make him repeat the same mistake.

Soon after people left Xiyuan, the news began to spread in the government offices in the capital, and it was also transmitted to Prince Yu's Mansion at the first time.

In the past, Prince Yu's Mansion was weak in collecting information, but after Gao Gong entered the court as an official, this situation was greatly alleviated.

As the Minister of Rites, a third-rank official, he was in a superior position, so it was naturally much easier to act, and he could also get in touch with some major events in the court, which made Prince Yu's Mansion more informed.

The Ministry of War's response strategy to the border towns had actually been circulated in the court and the public before, and Wei Guangde had predicted it as early as last year, which did not surprise the people in the palace, but also significantly improved Wei Guangde's status in the palace.

Being able to plan military affairs, Wei Guangde can at least sit in the Ministry of War when he enters the court in the future, and he will not worry about not having a suitable position.

At this moment, Wei Guangde is naturally interested in the news from Xiyuan, which is the news that Ma Fang has been promoted to the highest level.

Yu Dayou's transfer to Jiangxi can actually be understood by just understanding Yu Dayou's experience. In the court, it only takes one pusher to achieve it, but Ma Fang is different.

The Nine Border Towns have been in existence for many years, and countless generals have been born during this period. In fact, most of the important positions of the generals and lieutenant generals in the Nine Border Towns are now held by these generals, and they are the experience of training soldiers for generations.

Ma Fang is obviously an outsider who has come to this day step by step with his military merits.

General Officer, Left Commander, these are the highest military positions that a general can achieve, and the rest are just honorary titles. When will they be promoted to the three officials and scattered tutors?

At first, Wei Guangde wanted Ma Fang to go to Jizhen as a deputy general, and make meritorious deeds before he could challenge the position of general officer, but now it seems unnecessary. Is it still necessary to help him seek a transfer?

Thinking of what he knew from the letters with Ma Fang earlier, he still wanted to return to Datong when he was old, and did not want to join the Five Military Commander Office in the capital to hold an idle position, but now Ma Fang is still young and strong, and it is not time to prepare for retirement.

At the level of general, transfer becomes troublesome. After all, there are only so many generals in the whole Ming Dynasty, and they are all registered with Emperor Jiajing. Wei Guangde felt that there seemed to be nothing to help him.

Let it go.

Based on his understanding of Ma Fang in recent years, he is not ungrateful and does not want to be a bridge-breaking person. He also needs someone to protect him in the court.

Although Wei Guangde is of low rank now and even has no power, he has great potential in the future.

Born in Hanlin and a lecturer in Prince Yu's Palace, even if he is not promoted by Emperor Jiajing, it is conceivable that he will rise to prominence when Prince Yu is in power. His peers have always regarded him as the backbone, even more than Zhu Dashou and Tao Dalin.

Wei Guangde made up his mind to write a letter to Ma Fang after returning home to ask if he still wants to make achievements on the battlefield.

As for Yu Dayou, Wei Guangde did not plan to write a letter, because it was not convenient to go back and forth from Guizhou, and he did not know when Yu Dayou could take up his post in Jiangxi.

However, according to past experience, it would take at least two months for Yu Dayou to hand over his post in Guizhou and take up the post of Wan'an garrison in Jiangxi.

Time passed quietly, and soon it was September.

News about Zhang Lian's rebellion continued to reach the capital, but it was not good news.

The rebels continued to attack cities and capture territories during this period, breaking through many counties in Fujian, and even breaking through Nanjing County. The front line went straight to Zhangzhou Prefecture, breaking Zhenhaiwei City, looting Qianshan, Guixi and other places, rushing to Jianning, and also captured Yihuang County.

Bad news kept coming, which once again caused a small shock in the court and the public, especially the news that the Zhenhaiwei City in Fujian was broken, which made the Five Military Governor's Office lose face.

The imperial censors in Fujian and Jiangxi also reported that there were vacancies in local officials, and the new officials were delayed in taking office, resulting in chaos in local management.

The Ministry of War issued urgent orders to speed up the dispatch of troops and horses, and urged the military generals to take office as soon as possible. The Ministry of Personnel also began to check the officials in Fujian, Jiangxi and other places, and dismissed those who were late for office.

Although there was constant bad news in the court, Wei Guangde also sensitively discovered during his contact with Prince Yu during this period that Prince Yu seemed to have become more determined to lift the sea ban.

It was normal to think about it. The root cause of the Fujian and Guangdong bandits' troubles was the increase in troops in recent years, which made the people helpless and had to take risks. If the sea was opened, the Japanese threat could be gradually calmed down, and there would be no need for additional troops, so there would naturally be no soil for the bandits to launch a campaign.

That day, when Wei Guangde and Prince Yu were alone, Prince Yu said, "Yesterday, I heard that Li Sui, the Minister of War in Nanjing, requested to decide on the establishment of a governor sitting in the camp in Nanjing. What do you think of Shandai?"

Wei Guangde thought about it and replied, "The situation in Fujian and Zhejiang is critical, and Nanjing may have sensed it, so please transfer the governor sitting in the camp, just in case."

After saying this, Wei Guangde thought of the official documents from the Ministry of War two days ago, and said: "The Ministry of War has ordered two days ago that the battle report against Zhang Lian's rebels should be reported every five days. It is no longer the responsibility of local officials to do it on their own. We need to keep abreast of information, it seems that the Ministry of War may have a bad premonition.”

Previously, local officials reported information about Fujian-Guangliu bandits after they fell into a certain area. Now they are required to report on time, regardless of whether there is war or not. It can be seen that the Ministry of War has noticed that local officials have some tendency to conceal and slack off, which is not conducive to them. Take control of the battle.

"Is there any news from the Ministry of War? Who has been decided to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Nanjing camp?"

King Yu's face was full of worry at this time, and he asked.

"I heard that Liu Xian was initially chosen, but we will have to wait until the Ministry of War reports."

Wei Guangde replied.

Although Prince Yu's Mansion cannot influence government affairs, nor can it interfere with the appointment and dismissal of officials, it still keeps a close eye on any disturbance in the officialdom.

Nowadays, those officials in the yamen are also willing to pass news to Prince Yu's Mansion. After all, Prince Yu's Mansion is no longer what it used to be.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of footsteps outside the door, and soon the whispers of Li Fang and the visitor were heard.

King Yu and Wei Guangde's eyes turned to the door of the house at the same time, and soon they heard the voice of Li Fang who was guarding them outside.

"Your Highness, the emergency military report from Ji Town has arrived in Beijing."

"Come in and talk."

King Yu spoke.

The door curtain was opened, Li Fang quickly walked into the room and handed the note in her hand to King Yu.

King Yu took it and glanced at it, then handed the note to Wei Guangde, but his eyes were full of anxiety.

Wei Guangde took a look at the note and was a little surprised.

"More than 60,000 mounted prisoners were captured at the intersection of Yongchao Road. The officers and soldiers guarded them. General Jiang Yingxiong advanced and met the captives in Nangou. The captives surrounded them on horseback. Yingxiong was wounded five times and fell off his horse. He joined forces with Hu Zhen's command. During the battle, he shot and wounded several captives, captured the bear and returned, and the captives escaped."

"Ada Khan still wants to raid the capital?"

Wei Guangde was also shocked when he saw this note.

Wei Guangde's previous guess was that Anda Khan's most likely target would be Zunhua or Miyun. Unexpectedly, tens of thousands of troops dared to take dangerous trails to approach the Great Wall, hoping to break through the Great Wall around Juyongguan.

You must know that once the Ming army detects and encounters obstacles, the Ming army mobilizes soldiers and horses from Ji Town and Xuanda Town to encircle them. I am afraid that not a single Tatar can escape.

But obviously Anda Khan made the right bet, and the Ming army was unprepared. Fortunately, Jiang Yingxiong led his troops to fight and charge fiercely, and frightened Anda's army back, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

"Do you think Anda Khan is really refunding the money or is it a fake refund?"

At this moment, King Yu suddenly asked.

Wei Guangde recalled the terrain of Juyongguan and guessed the route of Anda's troops before replying: "Anda Khan's advance is very risky. He probably wants to sneak attack on our city. Now that his whereabouts have been exposed, it will not be easy to attack the Great Wall Pass with cavalry."

After saying this, Wei Guangde thought for a moment and then said: "I bet that Anda Khan will give up attacking Ji Town and lead his army to attack other important border towns."

"Huh? What you mean is that instead of attacking Ji Town, Ananda Khan will attack other places?"

King Yu was a little surprised.

"Before, Anda Khan sent several troops to harass Xuanda, probably to attract the attention of the court, and the elite is this thunder blow. Now that it is exposed, I am afraid that they will no longer hang around Ji Town and Xuanda, and may turn to attack Liaodong or Shanshan, Ningxia."

Wei Guangde replied.

This is the advantage of the Mongolian cavalry. Today they can attack Ji Town. After retreating for a few days, the troops may appear near Yansui and Ningxia. Their mobility is indeed the fastest in this period.

"Li Fang, find someone to keep an eye on the paintings praised by the Ministry of War, and report any news in a timely manner."

King Yu ordered Li Fang.

After Li Fang agreed to withdraw, Wei Guangde noticed an imperceptible smile on the corner of King Yu's mouth.

Wei Guangde roughly guessed what King Yu was thinking after just thinking about it. After King Jing left, King Yu stayed alone in the capital. In fact, he had already lived the life of a successor emperor. Apart from being unable to participate in politics, he was actually not much different from the one in Xiyuan. .

At this time, I only saw King Yu touching his chin and said casually: "Shandai, do you think that if the Ministry of War did not consider that the Anta cavalry might turn to attack other border towns, should we send someone to warn them."

Time passed quietly for another ten days, and the northern captives disappeared again after retreating from Nanshan. However, as the battle reports from Jiangnan came on time, the officials in the capital also had a deeper understanding of the current situation in Fujian.

From April to June, the Chengxiang and Sanrao bandits from Guangdong, the Japanese bandits from Tangxia Nan'an, and other bandits from all walks of life appeared in all counties, and the police were called to the police every day.

From July to September, they began to attack the city and plunder the territory. The five prefectures of Fu, Xing, Quan, Ting, and Zhang were troubled by Kushan bandits and stray bandits, and the traitors from the mainland assisted them. Today, the two cities of Chong'an and Nanjing Fallen one after another.

A series of reports were delivered, which not only shocked the government and the public, but also everyone in Prince Yu's Mansion frowned when they looked at the map.

Dozens of counties in most of Fujian, southeastern Jiangxi, and northeastern Guangdong have either fallen or closed their gates, and the four fields have been occupied by Zhang Lian's rebels.

With the news that Longquan County, Zhejiang Province was raided by bandits, it was announced that the anti-bandit forces had gradually begun to invade Zhejiang from Fujian.

"In less than two months, the bandits have already established a foothold in Jiangxi, conquering more than ten large and small cities. From Jiangxi, they broke into Chong'an County in northwest Fujian and plundered Longquan. How did Hu Zongxian suppress the bandits in Zhejiang? The bandits became more and more powerful. Big."

Looking at the map that was constantly being marked, King Yu's expression became increasingly uglier these days.

The prefectures and counties captured by Zhang Lian seem to be larger than the entire territory of Fujian. It is not an exaggeration to say that they have lost a province.

"Your Highness, don't worry. I saw in the official document of the Ministry of War yesterday that Yu Dayou has been transferred to Jiangxi. It only takes time to reorganize the troops and horses, and the lost territory can be quickly recovered."

Wei Guangde could only comfort him on the side. In fact, he was a little nervous at the moment.

He had no impression of the rebellion of Zhang Lian and his gang, but the situation was very bad as far as he knew.

Ganzhou Prefecture, Jianchang Prefecture and Guangxin Prefecture in Jiangxi were all plundered. If there were bandits fighting northward from Guixi and breaking through Raozhou Prefecture, they could go north to Nanzhili, and west to Jiujiang, and the first stop would be Bengshanbao.

In the past, Wei Guangde felt that his hometown was in the heart of the Ming Dynasty and should be a stable place, but now looking at the map in front of him, he felt a little nervous for no reason.

The only thing that made Wei Guangde feel at ease was that he knew that Zhang Lian's rebellion would definitely fail, otherwise there would be no Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng and Nurhachi.

In addition, Yu Dayou was a famous general in the Ming Dynasty, and Wei Guangde had extraordinary trust in him.

As long as the Jiangxi troops were handed over to him, Wei Guangde believed that Zhang Lian's troops would be driven out of Jiangxi soon.

Before, Wei Guangde always believed that although Zhang Lian's troops were making a lot of trouble and even played tricks of ascending the throne and becoming emperor, they were actually just petty thieves, and the government could defeat them overnight if they took it seriously.

Therefore, when he was asked to go to Fujian as a patrol inspector, Wei Guangde was unwilling to do so, thinking that there was no merit to be gained.

However, the situation has developed to the present, the bandit forces have shown a trend of spreading like wildfire, and the number one general Yu Dayou is about to go to war. Wei Guangde's mind has also begun to become active in the past two days. He is worried about the safety of his family and is also a little greedy for the credit of suppressing the bandits.

Just when he was in a dilemma, the eunuch outside brought another small note with the latest battle report of the border town.

"More than 20,000 enemy cavalry entered Shaanxi and Ningxia, and attacked Luoshan, Tiezhu, Quanxiao, Yanchi and other places, approaching Guyuan, and plundered westward for several days before escaping."

"You guessed it again."

After reading the note, Prince Yu did not hand it to Yin Shizhen, but handed it directly to Wei Guangde.

Wei Guangde took a quick look, felt relieved, and smiled: "That's roughly it. Altan Khan's troops were divided into many routes to harass the border towns. As long as the towns strictly guarded the city, they should be invincible."

"That's right, so the Ministry of War can also focus on Fujian."

Yin Shizhen took the note from Wei Guangde, took a look, and echoed.

"But shouldn't I remind the Ministry of War that Datong has been a bit active recently."

Zhang Juzheng frowned and said at this time.