The main purpose of Liu Siwu's invitation to Zeng Mian was naturally to test how deep his impression of Hu Wanli was and to see if Hu Wanli could summon him. The Ministry of War currently did not appoint a minister, and Zeng Mian, the Zuo Shilang, was actually the chief officer of the Ministry of War. Meetings are unavoidable at daily meetings. If it is not suitable for him to stay in the capital, he will be released from the capital immediately. Of course, on the other hand, he also had the purpose of testing Zeng Mian's military talents. To this end, he also invited Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo. He said he was hosting a banquet in the military camp, but in fact, he was hosting a banquet at the "Qiyun Pavilion" on the bank of the Gaoliang River. Zeng Mian rushed over quickly. When he saw the guards and soldiers standing guard at the door of the restaurant, he knew that he must have reserved the restaurant. He couldn't help but secretly think about Dong Yangbo's grandeur. When he went up to the second floor, he saw Liu Siwu, Li Jian, Wu Zishun, and Zhu Xizhong sitting at the table. He couldn't help but be startled, secretly feeling something strange, and quickly stepped forward to greet him. Although Ming Dynasty was a noble man and a lowly military man, he, a newly recruited member of the military department, The minister really has no qualifications to show off in front of these four honorable ministers. After waiting, Zeng Mian sat down and exchanged congratulations and greetings. After drinking a pot of tea, Liu Siwu got straight to the point and said: "King Yi oversees the country, the first priority right now is to pacify the northwest. Today I specially invite you to come. , for the purpose of brainstorming" He glanced at Zhu Xizhong and Zeng Mian. The two of them naturally knew that the so-called pacification of the northwest included not only the Tatars, but also Jiajing, and Jiajing was the focus. This was a matter of right and wrong. When Zhu Xizhong was silent, Zeng Xian said bluntly: "The land of Guanzhong." , with thousands of miles of fertile land, surrounded by mountains, and many passes, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. It has always been an important place to control the northwest. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. With the advantage of the convoy's artillery, the logistics supply of the passes is not a problem. Especially the supply of ammunition is the key point. The battle in the northwest has always been about supplies and money and food. Moreover, the terrain in Xi'an is open and it is difficult to advance and retreat. If it cannot be defeated in one battle, it is one thing to waste money and food. What is worrying is that the war will spread and cause harm to Huguang and Sichuan, which will damage the king's reputation. The lower official believes that the conquest is a bad idea and the priority is to attack the heart! "Zizhong's concerns are not unreasonable." "Conquer the northwest. Not only are we facing more than 200,000 frontier troops, but also hundreds of thousands of Tatar cavalry. Firstly, the supply line is too long and can be easily cut off. Secondly, the escort force is limited. Thirdly, the killing is too heavy, which is harmful to Wang Shengde and steals. I thought we should proceed step by step. We should first enter Shanxi, then enter Hanzhong from Sichuan, strictly guard Luoyang, Nanyang, and Xiangyang, and then slowly attack the enemy." Liu Siwu and Li Jian didn't take it seriously. The winning way is steady, but it takes a long time. The consumption of money and food and troops was not something that King Yi could bear. Besides, the casualties were too great. This was not what King Yi wanted to see. After pondering for a while, Li Jiancai said: "What is the situation of the Tatars now? How strong are they? Where is their royal city? Is there a detailed map of the northwest?" "Is there a detailed map of the northwest?" Map." Zhu Xizhong said in a deep voice: "The Tatar cavalry that mainly threatens the Ming Dynasty is Ada Khan who commands ten thousand households on the right wing. He controls 30,000 households on the right wing and has more than 100,000 people under his command. As for the royal city, it can¡¯t be said to be a royal city. The center of Tumote is in Kukuhetun, not far from Datong. ¡°Not far from Datong! Liu Siwu and Li Jian couldn't help but look at each other, with a hint of joy in their eyes! Zhu Xizhong and Zeng Mian couldn't help but be stunned when they saw the two people's expressions. After a while, Zeng Mian hesitated and said: "Isn't the escort team preparing to attack Anda Khan's royal city?" Liu Siwu smiled slightly and said: "Attack on the Heart" For the sake of superiority, I should give Anda Khan a painful beating first, so that he can see the power of the Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, the psychological attack will have no effect. The escort team has always beaten him first and then sat down to talk. He looked at Zhu Xizhong and said: "Gong Chengguo has sorted out the detailed situation of the Northwestern Tatars. The king will definitely ask about it in the next few days." Zhu Xizhong nodded slightly and said: "Don't worry, I am already familiar with the situation in the northwest." He This is not a lie. He was in charge of the capital camp under Jiajing, and he was indeed very familiar with the situation in the Tatars. He surrendered to King Yi, and Jiajing patrolled the west. He had also expected that there would be a war in the northwest, and he was very familiar with the situation in the northwest. My heart, I have been thinking about it all this time. "Let's serve." Li Jian said with a smile: "Everyone is happy to be promoted today, so let's celebrate." After saying that, he looked at Zhu Xizhong and said with a smile: "Dong Chengguo also has happy events, and King Yi made Cheng Zhu Xizhong couldn't help but feel happy after hearing this. During this period, King Yi selected a group of Hanlin officials from the Hanlin Academy to attend the Ningdao Hall, ready for consultation and lectures at any time. Although he has no title, he can face the emperor every day and participate in secrets. Not only is he easy to be favored, but he can also be promoted quickly. Zhu Xizhong is a duke. Although he does not seek promotion, he wants to be a holy family member and can advance as a distinguished minister. Ningdao Palace shows that King Yi attaches great importance to him. This is most likely a transition and a signal to reuse him! Zeng Mian was thinking about the escort team beating me.The possibility of Khan's royal city - Kukuhetun. Since the Battle of Tumubao, the Ming Dynasty has never taken the initiative to attack the Tatars. The newly expanded 90,000 recruits of the guard are still being trained. The capital's troops are only 40,000. Liu Siwu and Li Jian dared to think of attacking Anda Khan's royal city, which made him secretly admire him. These two people were really brave. All of a sudden, the food and drinks were served like a stream, and several people exchanged glasses to congratulate each other, because the five of them were all around thirty, with about the same age. After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere immediately became warm and relaxed. After three rounds of drinking, , Li Jiancai raised his glass with a smile and said: "I heard that brother Zichong was a Jinshi in the eighth year of Jiajing I would like to propose a toast to brother Zichong." Hearing this, Liu Siwu and Wu Zishun both raised their glasses to respect each other. Seeing this situation , Zeng Mian immediately understood that the three people were toasting him with the same age as Hu Wanli. He immediately drank the wine in one gulp and said: "I feel ashamed to say that although I am the same age as Brother Changqing, I am also the same age." It is a great pity that he was an official in Fujian but failed to reunite after leaving the capital. " Liu Siwu continued: "The three of you are all servants bought by Ding Guogong when he was in charge of the capital. It seems that I haven¡¯t seen Brother Zi Zhong in half a year" "Brother Changqing is a second-class Jinshi." Zeng Xian said with a smile: "I am from the third-class Jinshi, and I am not in the same government office, and my hometown is Yinan. There was naturally little contact in the north. When the capital was watching the government, Brother Changqing still studied hard every day and rarely participated in the annual banquet. After seeing off his mentor in the suburbs of Beijing, everyone in the same year deliberately distanced himself. There are more than 300 people of the same age in the department, how can we cover everything? Thinking about it now, I really regret it. At that time, all the people of the same age avoided his mentor, and only the three brothers, Changqing, came to see him off. How could they be ordinary people with such character and vision? As far as I can tell, it is a lifelong regret that the capital and Brother Changqing missed it" Hearing his emotion, Liu Siwu, Li Jian, and Wu Zishun were relieved, thinking about it. When Hu Wanli was in the capital, there were only a few people of the same age who came and went. However, Wu Zishun was not relieved. After the banquet, he went to Wang Xiaobao to find out whether Zeng Mian had any relationship with Hu Wanli when he was in the capital. After getting Wang Xiaobao's approval, he was completely relieved and hurried into the palace. Arrive at Xihua Gate. Just in time to see Xue Liangfu bend down and get out of the sedan chair, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. He bowed his head with a smile and said, "Mr. The students were separated and walked a few steps. Wu Zi said by the way: "Mr. Xue, does the title of the three of us, Liu Siwu, have any profound meaning?" After thinking for a while, Xue Liangfu said: "The titles of the princes and dukes of the Ming Dynasty are usually based on the names of ancient counties and places. King Yi will give you The names Dongyang, Nanyang and Xiyang are used by the three of them should mean that they attach great importance to the ocean. It can be said that Dongxing Port started from the sea. It is not surprising that your title is ocean. What do you think? " "I am worried about King Yi? Using Sanyang as the title means something else." Wu Zishun said with a smile: "We are still considering whether we should strengthen the intelligence spying on the West." "Nanyang has been included in the palm, and the East will not survive for another two years." Xue Liangfu nodded slightly: "The West has always been a concern for King Yi. You really need to increase your intelligence collection on the West. The overall situation is determined. Once the war in the East and Southeast is over, King Yi will inevitably use troops against the West. What about an expedition with 20,000 to 30,000 troops? Then It is to deceive a group of officials into conquering the West. It must be a large-scale expedition. You must be sure of this." The two of them talked all the way and soon arrived outside Wuying Gate. They handed over the sign and were soon greeted by Su Yunlu in person. When they came out, he greeted them neatly and said with a smile on his face: "Congratulations to Mr. He said with a smile, and then took out a hundred-yuan silver note and handed it over. Su Yunlu took a look at it and quickly waved his hand: "Thank you, Mr. "With that said, he bowed and said: "Your Highness is in the study room of Jingsi Palace. You two gentlemen, please¡ª¡ª" Xue Liangfu took back the bank note after hearing this smile, but he thought to himself, it seems that King Yi treated the eunuchs the same way. There was no need for him to waste words on adopting a repressive attitude. Before, when Hu Wanli took office in Nanjing, he had written a letter on the separation of powers and suggested using eunuchs to check and balance Wu Xun and civil servants. He was really worried about what Hu Wanli would do after he took over the country. Emphasize the importance of eunuchs. Eunuchs cause too many disasters and are easy to release but difficult to recover. When the two of them entered the study room and were greeted by the greetings, Hu Wanli said: "You all have to sit down, there is no need to be formal." As soon as the two of them took their seats, he said slowly: "Ninety thousand new soldiers, logistical supplies, military uniforms and uniforms, and training ammunition cannot be ignored. Now that there is a tax exemption for one year, everything will be settled in Ryukyu Province. Ryukyu Province needs someone to coordinate. Zuo Qing must return to Xiaoliuqiu as soon as possible. There is no need to be too concerned about winter clothes and quilts. There is no shortage in the northern provinces.Although the weapons and ammunition for training and battle are not easy to transport from Xiaoliuqiu, although Tianjinwei is a good port, it will freeze in winter. We must rush to the freezing point and try our best to transport firearms and ammunition to Tianjinwei. " The live-fire training ammunition for 90,000 soldiers and the ammunition for the expedition to the northwest must be delivered within two months. Xue Liangfu was really unsure. After thinking for a while, he said: "Your Highness, Qingniwakou, will it happen in winter? Freeze? " Hearing this, Hu Wanli couldn't help but be stunned. The so-called Qingniwakou is Dalian. Is Dalian an ice-free port? Yes! Dalian and Qingdao are both ice-free ports! There is also Qinhuangdao, but he doesn't know about Qinhuangdao Where does it belong now? After pondering for a while, he said: "The name of Qingniwakou is indecent, change it to Dalian, Dalian is an ice-free port! The construction of Dalian Port is of great significance. The construction of Dalian Port must be accelerated. Firearms and ammunition can first set up branch workshops in Dalian! The Jinzhou Guard was directly assigned to the escort team and Liu Siwu was put in charge. " "Yes, I obey the order. "Xue Liangfu bowed in his horse jacket and said, setting up an ammunition base in Dalian will undoubtedly greatly reduce the pressure on Xiaoliuqiu, and this Qingniwakou is also the place where Hu Wanli ordered to build a private port. Regarding Hu Wanli's vision, Xue Liangfu has never There is no doubt that after so many years and countless practices, he no longer dares to doubt Hu Wanli's vision and judgment. After a slight pause, Hu Wanli continued: "In addition to Dalian, there are also Jimo, Tianjin, Dalian, Jimo is the three major ports in the north and cannot be ignored. The biggest advantage of Dongxing Port is at sea " "Weichen understands. " As soon as the news of the establishment of the province is made public, a large number of people will definitely flee Ryukyu. These people must be properly resettled and guided well, so as not to ruin the reputation of the Ryukyu province. Furthermore, the construction of clipper ships must be accelerated, and the tonnage of clipper ships must be gradually increased. Although clipper ships are not conducive to naval warfare, they are conducive to commerce and population transfer. Five overseas provinces must be developed quickly. Must have a lot of clippers. " "We all obey the decree. "Xue Liangfu bowed. "The establishment of Dalian Port is not only for the development of Liaodong, but also for the transshipment of firearms and ammunition. Hu Wanli continued: "After the conquest of Japan, there is no need for North Korea as a buffer zone. We must first open up maritime trade channels with North Korea, and then merge North Korea and Japan into the province of the Ming Dynasty." For today¡¯s Ming Dynasty, there is no need for the existence of vassal states. It must either be merged into the Ming Dynasty and retain their titles, or be completely destroyed. How can others be allowed to snore next to the bed? All the countries that were not conquered by Emperor Taizu Gao in the fifteenth year must be incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty! You must pay enough attention to the construction of Dalian and Jimo ports and increase investment in all aspects of human and financial resources. " "Your Highness, please rest assured that Wei Chen and others will do their best to support the construction of Dalian and Jimo ports. "After Xue Liangfu finished speaking, he stood up, hesitated slightly, and then said: "Your Highness, Zhou Zhiwei of the Charity Federation asked someone to bring a letter to Wei Chen, saying that Wang Tingxiang asked him to tell him that there is no need to kill Jiajing, and he can be enfeoffed overseas. "(To be continued)