The troops from three sides have been dispatched.

The staff officer Xie Qian and Wang Qiong made the decision and sent 50,000 troops to assist the Xuanfu.

The troops were led by Yansui General Wu Jiang and Deputy General Lin Heng, as well as the generals and several generals, and the first batch of troops were arranged from Yansui Town, and rushed to Xuanfu in two groups. Lin Heng's troops set off with cavalry and infantry. The first batch of troops set off with cavalry as the main force, and the marching speed would be much faster. As for the infantry led by Wu Jiang, they would arrive later.

When sending troops, Xie Qian and Wang Qiong saw each other see each other personally. Xie Qian watched the soldiers leaving on the city tower, silently.

Wang Qiong sent his troops out of the city and also came to the top of the city. He looked at the team going east with Xie Qian, and couldn't help but sigh: "When people from all over the place arrive at Xuanfu, I'm afraid that it will be until mid-July. Will the battle be held at the end of July?"

Xie Qian stood with his hands behind his back, with deep eyes: "What if he doesn't matter, since His Majesty has made up his mind, he will let him go... Hundreds of thousands of troops gathered in Xuanfu, at least there will be no more security problems. As long as the emperor has no worries, the court will be stable and it will be difficult to change!"

Wang Qiong looked worried, but when Xie Qian looked over, he tried to squeeze out a smile and faced him.

Xie Qian said seriously: "Dehua, now there are a large number of troops on the three sides, and we need to step up our defense. If there are Tatars coming to harass you in the future, there is no need to ask whether you send troops or not. Just keep the city and defend the enemy. Even if you don't fight, the court will understand!"

Wang Qiong couldn't help but shake his head and smiled bitterly, because the troops on the three sides are now empty, and there is no need to discuss whether to send troops or not. As long as there is no fight, the possibility of failure will be eliminated.

During Shen Xi's tenure system, the Folang cannons and muskets were basically distributed to each thousand households, so that the Tatars basically dared not approach the city blockage now, but even so, the Tatars still offend the border every year, because the Ming Dynasty was not only strong in defending the city, but when they arrived at the wilderness, they seemed very powerless.

Wang Qiong was going to send Xie Qian back to the Governor's Office in person, but Xie Qian waved his hand and told Wang Qiong to go and manage the city defense first. He got off the city tower by himself, and there were already carriages waiting below.

Deputy General Hou Xun appeared beside Wang Qiong. Wang Qiong withdrew his gaze and looked back at the horizon in the east again, with deep worries emerging on his face again.

After Hou Xun saluted, he said, "Sir, you have strengthened the city defense as you ordered. Even if the Tartars mobilize heavy troops to attack the city, there will be no problem."

"Um."

Wang Qiong's face was gloomy and solemnly ordered, "I have been watching the movements of the Tatars these days. If they continue to harass them, they cannot completely ignore them. They can appropriately send cavalry out of the city and make a move, as long as they don't confront them head-on."

Hou Xun thought about what Wang Qiong said and asked in surprise: "What sir means is... to fool the Tartars and not let them know that our city is empty?"

Wang Qiong glanced at Hou Xun with a slanted glance: "Some things are OK if you know, there is no need to expose them! If the artillery on the top of the city cooperates with the cavalry, you can't let the Tartars approach within five miles of the city. You are responsible for this matter yourself. If you encounter any incident, go to the Governor's Office to report to me directly, and don't pay attention to the instructions of others!"

Hou Xun was just a deputy general. He was originally in a thankless position, but now the general and another deputy general left. He was in charge of the entire Yansui defense, and he was a little uncomfortable for a while. However, he knew that it was always right to follow orders, and after getting along during this period, he knew that Wang Qiong was more pragmatic than Xie Qian and his arrangements were more targeted, so he immediately bowed down and obeyed.

...

...

People everywhere were being transferred to Xuanfu in an orderly manner.

Zhu Houzhao drew troops from the nine sides, and the troops he brought to Zhangjiakou Fort to garrison the capital, a total of about 300,000 people.

In the past, Zhu Houzhao thought that one million soldiers would have to be used to start a war, but Chen Xi explained that the Tatars might not be able to make up 100,000 for all the strong men who could go to the battlefield. Zhu Houzhao understood that a battle of 300,000 could already determine the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Houzhao's view, relying on Zhangjiakou Fort and commanding a 300,000 army to confront the Tatars can basically guarantee a 100% chance of winning.

These days, Zhu Houzhao no longer shut his eyes and listened, because the Zhangjiakou Fort garrison yamen is too cramped, and it is hard not to contact the outside world if it is as big as a palm in the backyard.

At this point, Zhang Yuan finally gave up stopping the emperor from contacting the ministers. In addition to hanging out with some women at night, Zhu Houzhao would usually take time to meet with the ministers who led the troops, and privately study sand tables and military maps, and find Concubine Lai to discuss the war situation.

Zhu Houzhao did not bring advice, or he had a rift with those advice, and the distrust of his ministers some time ago caused the backlash in the army, which made Zhu Houzhao only hear some truth from Concubine Li. In fact, even Concubine Li would not really give advice to Zhu Houzhao, because Zhu Houzhao had a strange temper and only liked to listen to some praise, but did not believe that Chen Xi's plan would be successful, leaving Concubine Li helpless.

Concubine Li finally only helped Zhu Houzhao to advise on the possibility of holding a battle in Zhangjiakou Fort, and did not interfere too much in the formulation of specific strategies. She mainly talked about some simple and easy-to-understand things, and analyzed the situation of both sides of the enemy and us to the emperor. Even so, Zhu Houzhao also benefited a lot.

Zhu Houzhao always yelled to the emperor to personally lead the army and fight, thinking that he had superior experience in leading troops and combat, but in fact, it was all about paper talk and it was difficult to cover everything in strategic arrangements. Even when he went to the front line, he never cared about logistics supplies and food supply issues. All of these matters were responsible by Wang Shouren, Hu Lian and others.

By the tenth day of June, Zhu Houzhao was ready for war.

That night, Zhu Houzhao called Zhang Yuan, Hu Lian and Wang Shouren, and asked Concubine Li to listen behind the screen, and finally couldn't help but make some achievements.

When the three arrived, Zhu Houzhao sat down behind the table in the main hall of the garrison yamen. The simple ceremony of the monarch and minister passed by, Zhu Houzhao waved his hand: "I asked you to come today to ask about the current situation and plan to send troops to fight the Tartars outside the pass tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so that the Tartars can know how powerful I am!"

Zhu Houzhao suddenly had no reason to send troops, making Zhang Yuan, Hu Lian and Wang Shouren incredible.

Zhang Yuan said: "Your Majesty, the troops in each army have not been transferred yet. Is it too hasty to send troops at this time? Or it is not too late to fight with the Tartars again when the troops are complete."

Although Hu Lian and Wang Shouren didn't say anything, the general meaning was the same.

You, the emperor, mobilized all kinds of troops to come to fight, but the army was still on the way, so you took the initiative to start a war. Isn’t this a joke about the lives of the Ming soldiers?

Zhu Houzhao said: "So I have to ask clearly the situation first... How many soldiers and horses are there in the Ming Dynasty around Zhangjiakou Fort now?"

Zhang Yuan couldn't answer this question, so he could only look at Hu Lian and Wang Shouren on the side.

As the Governor of Xuanda, Wang Shouren only cared about local military affairs and did not understand the overall situation. This matter could only be asked about the nominal governor of Xuanfu Hu Lian.

Hu Lian reported: "I heard from Your Majesty that there were 6,000 soldiers in Zhangjiakou Fort. If there were more than 10,000 people, plus the men personally led by His Majesty and subsequently arrived at Zhangjiakou Fort, there were more than 76,000 people. On the premise of ensuring the stability of the city, 50,000 troops can be mobilized to attack!"

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Only 50,000 people?"

Obviously the emperor was not very satisfied with this number. Zhang Yuan observed his words and expressions. He did not support sending troops before, because he was afraid of taking risks. However, as long as the army did not enter the grassland and Zhu Houzhao would not leave the city block, whether to send troops would not have much impact on him. Anyway, this battle was only launched in the wilderness north of Zhangjiakou Fort.

Zhang Yuan said: "Mr. Hu, there were only 6,000 troops stationed in Zhangjiakou Fort before. Why is it now that it is the turn to send troops? More than 20,000 people are left to garrison?"

Hu Lian was not polite and directly refuted: "The number of troops stationed in the six thousand people was not wartime. If the number of troops in the city during wartime will inevitably double. This common sense also needs to be introduced to you by Eunuch Zhang?"

Zhang Yuan was disappointed. If Zhu Houzhao's understanding of military affairs was only half-knowing, he would be ignorant of it. Zhang Yuan was completely a layman and knew that he could not argue with Hu Lian.

Zhu Houzhao nodded: "Now there are at least 50,000 Tatar soldiers outside the city. If you can only use 50,000 troops, then you should really consider the matter of sending troops."

Hu Lian couldn't help but explain the true situation of the Tatars outside the city. Wang Shouren noticed Hu Lian's abnormal movement and stepped forward first: "Your Majesty, now the Tatar soldiers are harassing outside the pass, and the beacons are constantly on the frontier every day, which has disturbed the people. It is indeed time for our army to send troops to fight head-on to boost the morale of the military, civilians and military..."

Zhu Houzhao seemed very excited: "The Wang Qing family also thinks that my idea is very good, right? I really feel that I shouldn't let those Tartars go wild anymore. When I came to the city several times, I saw the traces of Tartars. They were wandering around the area five or six to ten miles outside the city. They didn't give them a little color and thought I was easy to bully!"

Hu Lian and Wang Shouren couldn't help but frown. The emperor's words were so much like a child's temper, which made people feel uncomfortable when they heard them.

Zhang Yuan said: "Your Majesty's dispatch of troops is of great importance, so you have to consider it carefully..."

Before, Zhang Yuan felt that there was no problem with sending troops, but now Wang Shouren took the initiative to ask for a battle from the city, and he felt that there was any conspiracy. In short, if the enemy agreed, he must object. This is the official philosophy that Zhang Yuan is adhering to now.

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand: "Since there are not many people and horses to mobilize, let's focus on cavalry with strong mobility... I'll try sending 30,000 troops first. If the Tartars transfer all the troops and horses to fight, I will make arrangements and make sure to let them know that I'm not easy to mess with!"

The emperor's words were completely a fight between children. Wang Shouren and Hu Lian both felt that it was too unreliable, but they remained silent after looking at each other.

Hu Lian had a big opinion, but Wang Shouren advocated sending troops. As an ally, he had to agree before he could think clearly.

Zhu Houzhao had other programs in the evening, so she waved her hand to ask the few to retreat. After they left, Concubine Li walked out of the screen accompanied by Xiao Tiaozi.

"Concubine Li, what do you think I said just now? I want to boost the morale of the soldiers and let them achieve a brilliant victory with me!"

Zhu Houzhao was very excited and was like a child who was excited to show off his skills.

Concubine Li lamented in her heart: "Isn't this just a child?"

Thinking that what she asked for was unhelpful, she actually asked for favor from a young man with a childlike innocence. With her mature and ambitious mentality, she was very good at self-reliance. Then she thought that she was the Lord of the Nine Five, the Lord of the World, and more importantly, the son of the person in front of her could inherit the country of the Ming Dynasty. In an instant, Concubine Li felt that she was not so resistant.

Concubine Li smiled and said, "Your Majesty is good at planning and is deeply aware of the essence of military strategy. Lord Wang also highly recognizes Your Majesty's strategy, but... Eunuch Zhang and Lord Hu seem to be retaining their opinions."

Zhu Houzhao thought about it for a while and nodded, "Concubine Li, I haven't remembered it yet. Zhang Yuan really wants to object. He is a slave who is not good enough to make trouble. I will never use his opinions as a reference... Concubine Li, early the morning after tomorrow, you put on military uniforms and go to the city wall with me to watch the battle?"

Concubine Li was frightened and didn't want to take risks with her. This war had nothing to do with her, but she still pretended to be happy: "Your Majesty wants to supervise the battle himself, so I naturally have to accompany you and protect you."

"Haha, my dear concubine, you are so loyal. I like you, a wise hero. Unfortunately, you are not a man and cannot accompany me to kill the enemy on the battlefield. But it is also your honor to accompany me to see a victory!" Zhu Houzhao said with a look of shame.

Concubine Li felt disgusted, but she did not show her face. She saluted respectfully and received Zhu Houzhao's kindness.

Zhu Houzhao said to Xiao Tiaozi next to him: "Xiao Tiaozi, please arrange the matter of the imperial carriage quickly. I will go to the city to watch the battle the day after tomorrow. No mistakes can be made. As for the early intelligence work, you must do a good job and investigate the movements of the Tartar soldiers clearly. I don't want to fight an unprepared war!"

Zhu Houzhao had little understanding of military affairs, and the errands arranged made Xiao Tiaozi confused.

"Will Lord Hu and Lord Wang not be responsible for investigating information? How can I do it? Where can I have the ability to investigate the Tartar trends?"

Although Xiao Taozi felt that Zhu Houzhao's arrangement was very unreliable, he still honestly accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao was very excited and held Concubine Li in her arms and said, "Concubine Li, there are still two days before the war begins. I must relax. When the time comes, I will be very busy. You should try to arrange the program as exciting as possible in the past two days. I think you are getting more and more aware of doing things recently..."

...

...

Hu Lian and Wang Shouren left the garrison yamen and rushed to the camp north of Zhangjiakou Fort, and went directly to Hu Lian's military tent.

After getting off the carriage and entering the tent, Hu Lian asked, "Boan, why do you suddenly support Your Majesty in sending troops? You know that the city is not prepared now, and various problems will definitely arise when sending troops at this time, and there is also a lack of cooperation among all the people..."

Hu Lian has been in the army for a long time and knows what kind of soldiers he is carrying.

Originally, it was the recruitment of troops from all over the capital to exchange garrisons. Among them, the elite troops who had followed Shen Xi to fight in war in Huguang, Jiangxi, Guangdong and other places have now followed Shen Xi to fight in the grassland. The rest were taken to Xuanfu by him. The officers and soldiers from all over the country were not well-versed, and the generals led the troops were divided into different administrative departments, and they suddenly merged together and began to fight for the sake of interests.

As a result, Hu Lian realized that his subordinates were simply a group of wine bags and could not get on the table, let alone fighting against the Tatars head-on.

Wang Shouren said: "Brother Chongqi has not found out before. In fact, there are only about 10,000 Tatar soldiers outside the pass, and it is possible that they are even less than 10,000?"

Hu Lian frowned: "Boan, what do you mean is to let our army take the initiative to test the enemy's reality?"

Wang Shouren shook his head: "There is no need to test the virtual and the real. In fact, according to the observations in the following days, the number of Tatars around Xuanfu is basically the same as the situation found by the Chongqi Brother. Moreover, these people are not elite Tatars. In other words, many of them are just small and medium-sized tribes that were brought to the Dayan tribe to strengthen their momentum. It is impossible for us to form a stalemate with our 50,000 troops."

"so what?"

Hu Lian couldn't keep up with Wang Shouren's thinking.

Wang Shouren seemed very firm: "I want to make Your Majesty realize in this way that there are not many Tatar soldiers and horses at present. When the Tatars are defeated, Your Majesty will realize that the Tatars on the front line of Xuanfu are actually the scattered soldiers and raiders used by the Tatars to restrain our central army and prevent us from sending troops. The real main battlefield is next to you!"

Only then did Hu Lian understand Wang Shouren's good intentions.

Hu Lian sighed: "It's feasible, but is this too risky? You should know that there are many Tatar cavalry around Xuanfu now. Even if it is not the elite of Dayan tribe, the Tatars grew up on horseback since childhood, and their personal combat power is undoubtedly. If they can't fight, they will probably damage His Majesty's dragon power."

Wang Shouren asked: "Brother Chongqi believes that is the seriousness of Your Majesty, or is the final victory important?"

Hu Lian didn't know how to answer for a moment.

After thinking about Wang Shouren's words carefully, the emperor is now deceived and exploited by treacherous people, and the Tatars are restrained, and the Xuanfu is delayed in sending troops, which makes Shen Xi's troops fall into danger...

Finally, Hu Lian sighed: "Since Your Majesty has made a decision and is a minister, I naturally have to obey Your Majesty's imperial orders. Alas! I hope that this war will go smoothly, and that it can not only defeat the Tatars, but also let Your Majesty see the situation clearly... However, I am still very worried!"
Chapter completed!