Shuntianfu, Changping Prefecture. Shahe Camp, the camp is stationed on the north bank of Shahe River. There are many military tents, stretching for more than ten miles. At a glance, the densely packed military tents are endless and daunting. Countless soldiers are busy digging trenches and erecting wooden fences. It is the cavalry camp in the two towns of Datong and Xuanhua. Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Cheng Guo, set up his camp in Shahe after careful consideration. This place is only more than fifty miles away from the capital. It is neither far nor close. It is enough to threaten and frighten the capital, and it also leaves enough room for detours. Worried about being attacked by King Yi's rebels, the camp did not have many troops. There were only about 40,000 cavalry in the two towns, but the tents set up were enough to accommodate a hundred thousand troops. He knew very well that bluffing could not hide the detection of Dongxing Port, but he did not care. He did not act like this to intimidate King Yi, but to put on a posture of overwhelming the country with a large army and regaining the capital to rectify the world. The common people did not How many people can expose his tricks! In the Chinese army's tent, Zhu Xizhong leaned over the commander's desk and carefully looked at the map of Shuntian Mansion and its surroundings. He didn't know how many times he had read this map. He was already familiar with it, but he still looked at it meticulously. However, his eyes They have always stayed near Tianjin Wei. The troops from the three towns of Datong, Xuanhua and Jizhou were just harassing the capital and just going through the motions. Tianjin Wei was the prelude to this war. After pondering for a long time, he looked at Zhai Luan and said: "Mr. Zhai Ge, the cavalry troops of Shandong and Henan provinces gathered in Cangzhou are not many, only 8,000, while the troops stationed in Tianjin Guard in Dongxing Port are 10,000. " Zhai Luan raised his head and glanced at him and said, "Does Duke Cheng want to divide his troops to attack Tianjin Guards?" "It's already late July, and the weather will turn cold in the blink of an eye." He slowly walked out from behind the commander's desk without sitting down. He walked slowly in the big tent and muttered: "The military uniforms in Dongxing Port are unique. They cannot be prepared on the spot. They must have been transferred from Xiaoliuqiu. , if the logistical supplies of the capital can be completely cut off, the rebels in the capital will definitely be demoralized!" Zhai Luan directly refilled his cup of tea, and then said: "The emperor's intention is to destroy the 40,000-strong army in Dongxing Port. Hold them firmly in the capital until the subsequent troops and horses gather together to annihilate the 40,000 main force in Dongxing Port. If we cut off the capital's logistical supplies at this time, wouldn't it be more of a loss than a gain? Why did the emperor order the cavalry from Cangzhou to cut off the canals and post roads from Tianjin to the capital? " "Does Duke Cheng Guo not know the combat strength of the guards?" Zhai Luan said, sipping his tea, this was so logical. Then he said: "Dongxing Port's muskets are sharp, even if they are fighting against cavalry on foot, they will not fall behind. Those cavalry in Cangzhou can only harass. They cannot cut off the logistic supplies of the capital at all. Your Majesty, this is - to show the enemy's weakness!" The enemy is weak? Zhu Xizhong frowned slightly and said: "Then should we show weakness to the enemy?" Shaking his head slightly, Zhai Luan said: "Those in Cangzhou are the guards, and we are the frontier troops! Now everyone in the government and the public is paying attention to the capital. We hope that the frontier army can defeat the Dongxing Port rebels, but we cannot show weakness to the enemy. We cannot lose the reputation of the frontier army, nor can we let down the morale of the frontier army! Many ministers and officials are waiting and watching. Duke Wei of Nanjing has publicly supported King Yi. We can't lose, even a small defeat! This will be exaggerated by King Yi to attract people's hearts. Therefore, although it is harassment, It¡¯s a guerrilla, but it¡¯s fine if we don¡¯t engage in battle. Once we engage in battle, we will win but not lose!¡± The Shahe camp is more than ten miles away. A cavalry team of more than 200 people came galloping towards them. From a distance, it was clear that the riders on the horses were all wearing khaki military uniforms. The sentinel team cruising nearby ran away when they saw this situation and quickly returned. Camp report. This small group of cavalry who dared to go deep into the enemy's front was none other than the daring Liu Siwu and his guard battalion. Seeing that the enemy camp was not far away, the adjutant quickly reminded: "Commander, we can't go any further, otherwise there is a risk of being outed." Liu Siwu is courageous, but not reckless. They are a group of 200 people. The two horses were not worried about being beaten by the large group of cavalry. He did not pay attention to the small group of cavalry at all. Hearing the reminder, he immediately reined in the horse, slowed down the horse, and then raised the binoculars to observe carefully. The opponent's camp. In just a few seconds, a horse came galloping over and reported hurriedly: "Report to the commander, thirty miles to the east, a large army was found, heading towards the Shahe camp. The flag was "Zhu", and it should be the commander of the Jizhou Army. "Zhu Xiong." Liu Siwu said in a deep voice: "How many troops are there?" "It should be around 20,000." "There are 20,000 cavalry in one town of Jizhou?" Isn't there as many as 40,000 troops in the town? " "Are you afraid?" Liu Siwu said solemnly: "These 60,000 cavalry are just the vanguard. In the battle of the capital, Jiajing has made a big move.At least 200,000 yuan will be invested in border troops! " "What are you afraid of? No matter how much comes, it¡¯s like a sheep entering a tiger¡¯s mouth! The adjutant puffed up his chest and said, "I'm just worried that the killing will be too heavy." " "One general's achievements will lead to thousands of bones being withered, let alone fighting for the world! Liu Siwu said disapprovingly: "This is already the minimum price!" "After a slight pause, he continued: "The order is given. Early tomorrow morning, the Mini gunmen will patrol within thirty miles of the capital in squad units and kill the opponent's patrol sentries. Remember, don't hit anyone. Horses, bring all the horses back. " Troops were pressing down on the border, and cavalry sentries or patrol teams from the three towns could be seen from time to time outside the city. News also came from time to time that merchants and common people who left the city or returned to the city were killed. The entire capital could not help but panic, and there were many discussions. Jiajing led The news that hundreds of thousands of frontier troops fought back to the capital spread like wildfire and spread in the city. The number of cavalry in the Shahe Camp instantly rose to more than 200,000. Just when the city was panicking, another News spread that the cavalry from Shandong and Henan attacked the baggage fleet and horse teams in Dongxing Port. When the news spread, the officials, gentry, merchants and people in the city were even more panicked. Although the city was in panic, there was no martial law and only more soldiers were patrolled. , King Yi did not post a notice to calm the people. Naturally, the people could not sit still at home, and rushed to their homes to inquire about the news. Various discussions could be heard everywhere in teahouses, restaurants, and streets. "Dongxing Port is in the capital." There are only 40,000 troops, and there are 200,000 frontier troops outside the city. This is probably going to be a disaster. The frontier troops are not comparable to those old soldiers in the Beijing camp. " "Thirty-six strategies are the best. It's better to leave the city quickly to avoid trouble. " "There are soldiers outside the city. If you leave the city, you will die faster!" " "A person who can be killed with a thousand swords is worse than Dongxing Port. The soldiers in Dongxing Port still kill the people indiscriminately!" " "This is killing a good person and taking credit for it! " " In troubled times, human life is as cheap as a dog. Even if you kill a good person and take credit, there will be no way to redress the injustice. " "Hey, you say it. Will King Yi give up the capital? "It's hard to say. Now I heard that Nanjing has also fallen into the hands of King Yi. Will King Yi go to Nanjing?" " "I said, you are all just taking carrots and not worrying about it. The army is approaching the border. How could King Yi not know in advance? I have to run early. Look at Master Jiajing, King Yi's army has not yet arrived at the city, and they have already patrolled the west in a hurry. King Yi really wants to abandon the city and flee, can he wait until now? " "Have you not heard that a large group of troops from the camp outside Dongzhimen went south? " "Then a large group of soldiers and horses have entered the city. Besides, there is no movement at all from the camp outside Xizhimen. It doesn't look like they are trying to escape. " "Why. It would be great if King Yi was really willing to go to Nanjing. The capital could at least avoid a disaster. " "Innocent! Do you think the border troops are Dongxing Port Guards and have done no harm to the common people? The escort team is extremely rich, but the border troops are very poor. Hundreds of thousands of border troops entering the city are also a disaster! " These comments were quickly collected and sent to Hu Wanli's desk. After browsing for a while, Hu Wanli put down the book. He got up and left the study. During this period, although he spent a lot of money to win people's hearts, he didn't do anything. He dares to expect the people of the capital to share his hatred and stick to the capital with one heart and one mind. It takes a process to accumulate people's support, and it is impossible to achieve immediate results. He does not want to use public opinion to brainwash the people. That method is very effective, and it is definitely immediate, but it is unbreakable. Dumb people! Although stupid people are conducive to governance, they also kill individuality and kill creativity. The Chinese, who are famous for their intelligence, have always been overwhelmed by the West in modern civilization and lack creativity. In the final analysis, the main culprit is It's a policy of obscuring the people! Now that he has the opportunity to change this situation, how can he repeat the same mistake! When he left the study, he saw that it was getting dark, so he went straight out of the courtyard and looked up to see Guan Furong waiting outside the courtyard with two maids. Although Furong is still a palace maid, she is the only palace maid that Hu Wanli has favored since he came to the palace. Everyone knows that as long as King Yi ascends the throne, she will at least have the title of a concubine, and no one dares to treat her as a palace maid. Guan Furong knew that Hu Wanli had the habit of walking at dusk, so she waited outside the yard early. Although Hu Wanli didn't talk much when he walked and seemed to be thinking about things all the time, it was nice to be by his side quietly. The eunuchs and maids in the palace are the most snobbish, so naturally she would not easily let go of this opportunity to consolidate her status. When Hu Wanli came out, Guan Furong hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, knelt down and said, "I have seen your highness before." . " Hu Wanli nodded and said: "Let's take a walk. " After leaving Wuyingmen, Hu Wanli did not go to Wenhua Palace as usual. Instead, he strolled along the Neijinshui River outside the door, silently thinking about his thoughts. He did not pay attention to the so-called large army outside the city. On, just tens of thousandsIt is impossible for the enemy to pose a threat to the capital. What he is worried about is the counterattack launched by Jiajing. When it comes to the throne, or even life and death, Jiajing will definitely do his best, at least deploying as many border troops as possible to counterattack the capital. Two hundred thousand is probably a small number, it may be three hundred thousand, or even four hundred thousand! Jiajing stayed in Taiyuan for a long time, so he was naturally gathering troops. It took so long, and one can imagine the scale of the troops gathered. He is not too worried about the 200,000 frontier troops, but if it exceeds 300,000, it will be enough to give him a headache. Even if he can win in the end, his vitality will definitely be severely damaged, the frontier troops will be disabled, and the nine sides will be empty. The Tartar cavalry must take advantage of the situation, and not only the northwest will be corrupted, but all the northern provinces may be corrupted as well. Cutting off the grain supply, capturing Nanjing, getting Wei Duke Xu Pengju to publicly support it, and getting Yang Jue and other officials to criticize Jiajing. These methods were all intended to curb the scale of Jiajing's military buildup in terms of money and food. But now it seems that Jiajing was desperate, knowing full well that They can't keep up with the money and food, and they don't care about their own health, so they forcefully gather people on a large scale. As a result, all the northern provinces will suffer military disasters! It was not that he had never thought about inciting soldiers and horses in several towns to rebel, but he knew very well that this was almost impossible. The governors, governors, and soldiers of Datong, Xuanfu, and Jizhou towns were all Jiajing's trusted ministers. When he does not have a clear advantage, these officials and generals have no possibility of instigating rebellion. There are not many soldiers and horses in the Shahe camp now, probably only about 60,000. If he can win a big victory, it will not only greatly damage the morale of the frontier troops, but also encourage more officials to recognize the situation and completely fall to his camp, thus greatly weakening Jiajing's confidence and low morale. Money and food are not available. Even if Jiajing is unwilling to do anything, he can't save himself! However, the 60,000-strong army in the Shahe Camp will obviously not fight to the death with the Dongxing Port Guards at this time. It can be seen from the almost uniform cavalry that Jiajing¡¯s intention is to use this 60,000-strong army to show the world its determination to regain the capital. , nothing more. This 60,000-strong army will never fight with them during this period! How can we tempt the other party to start a war? While Hu Wanli was walking along the river aimlessly, he secretly thought that the commanders of Shahe camp were Duke Zhu Xizhong and Zhai Luan. Zhu Xizhong was Jiajing's confidant. Although he was young, he had always been steady. Zhai Luan Not to mention Luan. There are few high-ranking officials who can enter the cabinet who are not stable. This is not an ordinary difficulty. Guan Furong had been silently accompanying Hu Wanli. When she saw the sky getting dark, she ordered a lantern to be lit and held it to light the way for him. Only then did Hu Wanli realize that the sky had turned dark without him realizing it. . Immediately he stopped on the trail and said, "Go back." Guan Furong responded softly and turned the lantern. Hu Wanli said softly, "Do you feel bored walking with me?" "It's not boring." Guan Furong said softly: " "How old are you?" Hu Wanli said with a smile, "Thank you, Your Highness." Guan Furong said boldly, "I'm new to this." How many Jiangxi dishes" Jiangxi dishes? Hu Wanli couldn't help but be stunned, and then realized that Yi Wang Zhu Houye was in Jianchang Mansion, Jiangxi Province, and this little palace maid was deliberately trying to please him. Of course he didn't like Jiangxi cuisine, and he didn't like her thinking about his hobbies and habits. He said with a smile: "It's hard for you to have such thoughts, but. You should cook your hometown cuisine. I am not a feudal lord in Jiangxi now." "King." These words were a bit serious. Guan Furong was so frightened that she quickly squatted down and said, "Slave" "Get up," Hu Wanli said, gently pulling her up. I don¡¯t mean to blame you. I have a very mixed taste. I like Jiangsu cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Beijing cuisine, and food outside of China. I also heard that I heard about various new vegetables and potatoes from Fujian, sweet potatoes, corn, etc. They are cultivated in the capital. If they want to promote it, the palace should take the lead and pay tribute to them. This king likes to eat it, which will help promote it among the people." Hearing this, Guan Furong couldn't help but feel happy and said hurriedly: "I understand, tomorrow. "Just tell me to go down." Hu Wanli nodded slightly and stopped talking. Although Guan Furong had been in the palace for a long time and was decisive in dealing with things, she was still too young and the situation in the harem was complicated. It was definitely not possible for her to take care of it. It was Xu Qingman who came, and she could only help Xu Qingman. Counting the days, Xu Qingman should arrive in Tianjin Wei in the next few days. With Li Jian and Wang Fugui, it is impossible for anything to go wrong. Now that the situation in the harem is chaotic, Xu Qingman can sneak in unknowingly and no one will be suspicious. If he really has to wait until he ascends the throne, it will be troublesome! Early the next morning, just after Chen hour, a group of officials rushed outside Xihua Gate early to discuss the current situation. The army was pressing on the border, and there were rumors that there were more than 100,000 or 200,000 troops. Everyone was inevitably a little panicked. Their His official career and even his life and fortune now depended on King Yi. Jiajing led the armyHow can they not panic when they come back? "How many troops does the Shahe camp have? I heard it is a joint force from the three towns of Datong, Xuanfu, and Jizhou." "Who knows, as long as King Yi has no intention of abandoning the city." "The question is whether King Yi can hold it. The capital? There is a frontier army outside the city, and its strength is several times higher. "What about the frontier army? Dongxing Port has never been defeated." "Hush, I heard that the emperor is still in Taiyuan." When they came out, all the officials looked at each other in confusion. Is Jiajing going to mobilize 40,000 to 50,000 frontier troops to attack the capital? If this is really the case, even if Dongxing Port has superior combat power, it may be a disaster! After a long while, someone said: "King Yi is not in a hurry, why are we in a hurry?" "Master Xue and General Liu are here!" Everyone looked back and saw Xue Liangfu and Liu Siwu talking softly all the way. They looked at their expressions. , were all very relaxed, and a group of officials rushed to greet them. Seeing this situation, Liu Siwu smiled and said: "I know what you adults want to ask?" After a slight pause, he glanced at everyone, and then he continued: "Shahe The camp only has 40,000 to 50,000 people, all of whom are cavalry, so it is impossible to attack the city. There are even fewer cavalry in the direction of Cangzhou, only a few thousand, so you can just go about your business with peace of mind." As he spoke, he raised his voice and said: "Dongxing Gangliang. Since the flag was raised, there has not been a single defeat. The smaller the number, the greater the victory. Even before King Yi entered the capital, he had already known that he would be attacked by hundreds of thousands of border troops. You can relax after hearing these words! All the officials couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Siwu's words were indeed true. The Dongxing Port Guards had always defeated more with less and never lost. This was a well-known fact, and King Yi had already expected it before entering the capital. Jiajinghui led hundreds of thousands of troops to counterattack the capital. They were obviously fully prepared. In that case, what else did they have to worry about?