Wu Dui and Liang Menglong arrived at the top of Gao Shishi in Zhaohui Jinggongfang almost at the same time, although both of them were confused, they also knew that Gao Shishi sent someone to wake them up from their beds in the middle of the night and invited them here, it would never be a surprise to want to chat with them, this must be something important to happen, and most of them are urgent.

The three of them did not meet in the flower hall, but were directly invited into the highly pragmatic study, and everyone tacitly did not exchange too many pleasantries.

Gao pragmatic only said: "I'm sorry for the disturbance late at night." Then he raised the secret letter in his hand and sighed: "Xining lost the urgent report I just received." ”

Wu Dui was born in the old big Sima, and when he saw the secret letter in Gao Shishi's hand, he twisted his eyebrows and asked, "Isn't it a military report from the imperial court?" Is this Jinghua's own secret report? Liang Menglong also immediately looked towards the secret letter.

Gao Pragmatic didn't explain, just nodded and said, "It's about Jinghua." Then he handed the secret letter to Wu Dui, and Liang Menglong also turned his head to check it together.

The secret letter was not too long, and the two of them quickly read it, and they both gasped and glanced at each other.

Wu Dui groaned: "If what Cao said is true, then this matter should be Yongchangwei's crime, and it should not affect Jinghua." ”

Liang Menglong said: "Jinghua is not at fault, but the consequences of this incident are unimaginable. ”

Wu Dui also said: "Yes, in recent years, the center of gravity of the imperial court has not been on the three sides of the northwest, and the military affairs of the three sides have been mainly defense, but now that Xining has fallen, I don't know how to take measures to recapture it." ”

Liang Menglong pondered: "Gao Wenchuan has enough people on hand...... I always feel that the three sides of Shaanxi are more than enough to defend and the city is insufficient, and the military department may have to help him. ”

Gao Wenchuan he mentioned, Wenchuan is his name, this person's real name is Gao Guangxian, the word Zixiao, is the then governor of the trilateral, the full title of the official title is the governor of the Shaanxi Trilateral Military Affairs Department Shangshu and the left deputy capital of the Imperial History.

In other words, this old man has almost reached the peak among the governors, hanging the rank of Shangshu of the Ministry of War and the Imperial History of the Left Vice-Governor. He was originally a Jiajing 38th Jinshi, and at that time he was ranked in the middle of the gold list, but he could not stay in Beijing and was awarded the prefect of Shanghai County. Later, he was promoted to supervise the imperial history and the Shaoqing of Dali Temple. Promote the right to the imperial history, the right deputy to the imperial history, the governor of Yansui. Later, he changed the left deputy capital of Yushi, governor Jizhou, Liaozhou, and Baoding, and also took charge of border affairs. The year before last, he was promoted to the right squire of the military department, the governor of the trilateral military affairs, and was promoted to the current rank last year.

Wu Dui nodded and said, "If Gao Wenchuan is in need, the military department will definitely help him......"

Liang Menglong didn't say much, but he understood it very well. If the then governor of the trilateral was a person who had nothing to do with "everyone", the military department would not have to worry now, after all, they did not report to the court for help, then this matter was still the governor's own errand, and the military department could not be so proactive.

But Gao Guangxian is different, he is a native of Changzhi, Shanxi, a governor from the Jin Party, and an important border minister in his "own people", so he has to prepare a hand as soon as possible.

Besides, Zhang Siwei has been worried for so long, in case he returns to the dynasty and finds that his important subordinates have fallen due to the ineffective handling of the military department and insufficient support, this anger will not be spread to his Liang Menglong?

In fact, even Gao Pragmatic didn't know if his uncle could return to the dynasty, because in the original history, Zhang Siwei's parents died one after another, and Zhang Siwei himself passed away because he couldn't stand this continuous blow and was overly sad. However, Liang Menglong can't be unpredictable, of course he doesn't know this, so he is worried that Zhang Siwei will settle accounts with him when he returns to the court, which is a normal idea.

After all, when it comes to intimacy, Gao Guangxian, who was born in the Jin Party, is more important than him Liang Menglong in Zhang Siwei's heart.

As a pavilion elder, Wu Dui considered a higher level, and he shook his head at this time and said, "I am afraid that the support that the imperial court or the military department can give him is limited. ”

Liang Menglong didn't understand for a while, and asked rhetorically: "Why is this?" We don't have any other big war at the moment, and it shouldn't be difficult to mobilize one or two elite troops to support the Gansu side. ”

By the way, the governor of Shaanxi is not only in charge of Shaanxi, and it is necessary to say about this position (it is easy to understand the plot later, and I took a look, Baidu Encyclopedia said it too briefly).

The trilateral general system of Shaanxi, also known as the trilateral governor, and the governors of Liangguang, Xuanda and Jiliao are known as the four permanent governors of the Ming Dynasty.

After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongol tribes retreated to the steppe, and confronted the north and south of the Ming Dynasty for a long time, almost always with the Ming Dynasty's rule, and the two formed close political, military, and economic relations. The trilateral general system was created in response to the military situation in the north, and complemented the formation and construction of the four towns on the three sides of Shaanxi.

The so-called "Shaanxi" in the Ming Dynasty actually referred to the entire northwest region most of the time, including Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Qinghai and parts of Inner Mongolia in later generations.

In order to strengthen the military defense of the region, the Ming Dynasty successively established four major military towns here, namely Ningxia Town, Gansu Town, Yansui Town, and Guyuan Town (Shaanxi Town). The three sides refer to the Ningxia, Gansu and Yansui regions. By the middle of the Ming Dynasty at the latest, the trilateral military town had been established and gradually improved.

According to the "Ming Huidian", "Hongzhi ten years of deliberation and dispatch of important ministers, the overall control of Shaanxi, Gansu, Yansui, Ningxia military affairs. Fifteen years later, it will be set up or reformed. It was established in the fourth year of Jiajing. The soldiers and horses of the four towns should be disposed of as appropriate as a matter of military affairs. The town patrol and the subordinates are all subject to military law. ”

There have always been many theories about the initial establishment of the trilateral general system in Shaanxi, and the more mainstream one is that it was earlier than the tenth year of Hongzhi. Specifically, in the tenth year of Chenghua, Wang Yue already had the name of the general system, commanding all kinds of military horses.

When Polohu, Mandulu, Zijiaslan and other permanent residents in the Hetao area, in successive years into the border area of Kou Shaanxi: "At the beginning of Chenghua, Maoli children and Gaslan, Polohu, Mandulu followed, and it was not often for the beginning to live. Six years later, he began to live for a long time, and went deep into the counties to kill and plunder people and animals, often tens of millions at every turn, and often entered four or three times a year. The border generals sat back and watched, or regarded them as the end of the army, and occasionally captured the old and weak, and bluffed the number of gains. What's more, those who kill our people as captives are all risked for merit, and they are rewarded without punishment, and those who are defeated will be punished for their crimes. ”

It is precisely because of the fact that there are many border generals who do not need to die at this time, and the captivity is blazing. And Wang Yue attacked it several times, but he gained a little. On September 12, the ninth year of Chenghua, Wang Yue attacked and broke the "captive camp" in the red salt pool. On October 11, the ninth year of Chenghua, Wang Yue and others won the victory of Weizhou and returned 1,934 men and women.

Xianzong wanted to take a long-term view and force the "thieves" not to dare to violate the border, so he granted Wang Yue the power of moderation to promote his success. However, in July of the tenth year of Chenghua, Wang Yue returned to Beijing due to his increasing illness.

In the tenth year of Hongzhi, the Mongol Kousu Prefecture of Shawo Fort, the governor of Gansu Imperial Shi Wu Min could not resist, and the military department was to set up a general officer, so he ordered Wang Yue to control the border affairs of Ganliang and the governor of the place. Soon, he ordered the trilateral armies of Gansu, Ningxia, and Yansui to listen to Wang Yue's general system, and the governor of Gansu chose another person.

During Wang Yue's tenure as the general system, he mainly dealt with the Mongolian part behind Helan Mountain, and Xiaozong specially told him: "After Helan Mountain is a den of thieves, and many times Koubian, all of them enter from the other, so that they live for a long time, and they are familiar with the place or lure the people of the north, or attract wild people such as Keli. ”

In February of the first year of Zhengde, Yang Yiqing, the governor who was supervising Ma Zheng in Shaanxi, was repeatedly invaded in Ningxia Huamachi, and the Yansui guerrillas were not transferred for a long time, so he asked for a general system to be dispatched in the center. After being recommended by the Ministry of War and the courtiers, Wu Zong ordered Yang Yiqing to take charge of the border affairs of Shaanxi, Yansui, Ningxia, Gansu and other places and supervise the affairs of the local horses. Little Snail Chinese Network

It can be seen from this that the trilateral system was initially set up on a temporary basis, mostly in response to the severe military situation, and the term of office was relatively short, either due to illness or due to a short period of war. With the increase in the number of assignments and the extension of the tenure of the general system, the assignment of the official position has gradually stabilized.

Yang Yiqing took office in May of the fourth year of Jiajing and left office in November, Wang Xian took over in December of that year, and was not recalled until February of the seventh year of Jiajing.

It can be seen that since the fourth year of Jiajing, the trilateral general system of dispatching the central court has become customized, and regardless of whether there is a military crisis, it follows the regulations, appoints continuously, and becomes a relatively fixed central dispatch official.

In the fifteenth year of Jiajing, because of the avoidance of the word "system" (there is a category in the holy decree, called the system), the imperial court changed the name of the Shaanxi trilateral general system to the Shaanxi trilateral governor. Since then, the name "Governor-General" has been used.

The powers and responsibilities of the trilateral governors have been clearly explained, and the responsibilities of Gao Guangxian, the trilateral governor of Shaanxi, have also been very clear.

Because he "oversaw the border affairs of Shaanxi, Yansui, Ningxia, Gansu and other places and supervised the horse administration of the respective localities", and "the soldiers and horses of the four towns, money and food, should be disposed of as appropriate." The town patrol and the subordinates are all listened to and controlled, and those who do not need to be ordered before the army are all under the command of the subordinates to be engaged in military law", so in accordance with the principle of "equal power and responsibility", if something happens in these four towns, it is his head and tail first.

Liang Menglong was worried that he would be impeached due to the fall of Xining, which would cause Zhang Siwei to be dissatisfied with him in the future, so when he heard Wu Dui's words, he seemed to have a sense of not wanting to care, and he was a little anxious at that time.

Wu Dui doesn't have to worry about this, because he is a high-ranking party with strong roots, and he has an excellent relationship with Gao Pragmatic, Liang Menglong asked himself that the relationship with Gao Pragmatic is not bad, but unfortunately he doesn't have such a good background as Wu Dui, so naturally he can't help but be nervous.

But when Wu Dui heard this, he didn't answer directly, but looked at Gao Shishi.

Liang Menglong was a little puzzled, and then cast an inquiring gaze to Gao Pragmatic.

Gao Shishi frowned slightly, and then said with a wry smile: "Mingquan Gong, it's not that the imperial court has no soldiers to adjust, the difficulty is that there is no money." ”

Liang Menglong was a fan of the authorities, but he actually forgot about this stubble, and was reminded by Gao Shiyi, so he suddenly realized, slapped his thigh hard, and said with some annoyance: "I have no money again, I am a Ming Huanghuang Heavenly Dynasty, why do I always have to do many things because I have no money?" ”

Gao Shishi almost couldn't help but roll his eyes, and said secretly: Isn't that it, I'm afraid that the Ming Dynasty is the poorest "Celestial Empire" in history, but this poverty is limited to the imperial court, and the people are not poor at all.

But Gao Pragmatic couldn't ignore Liang Menglong without saying a word, so he had to smile bitterly: "Mingquan Gong, bear with it for another two or three years, and when the ban is successfully lifted, the court will have less than 30% of the burden, and many things will be easier to do." ”

"Alas, it's not that I can't wait, it's not that I don't know this truth, but what now?" Liang Menglong's face was full of trouble, and he sighed and said: "Xining can't be lost, how important this place is, don't you two know?" ”

Of course, the "two" are clear, and Wu Dui is also a cabinet that has been promoted from the Ministry of War, how can it not be clear? Not to mention Gao pragmatism, he has compiled the "Daming Huidian", and he is a traverser, for this era, it can be called a connection between ancient and modern, how can he not know?

To put it in the simplest sentence, that is: Xining is in, Gansu is safe; Xining is lost, Gansu is in danger!

Topographically speaking, the "Silk Road" line in Gansu is north of the Qilian Mountains, while Xiningwei is south of the Qilian Mountains. If Xiningwei is lost, from a strategic point of view, Qinghai Tumut occupies the entire area south of the Qilian Mountains, which is in a state of easy defense and difficult to attack, not to mention, it can also go north from Qilian at any time, threatening the entire Silk Road.

Don't think that only the Silk Road of the Han and Tang Dynasties was smooth, and the Ming Dynasty was also smooth, because the Ming Dynasty also needed this road to trade with the Western Regions, obtain some Western Regions specialties and even individual resources, and the Western Regions needed this road to obtain various fist products of the Ming Dynasty.

But if this is all there is to it, it is only an economic threat, and in fact, the loss of Xiningwei will be at a serious strategic disadvantage. In terms of situation, Qinghai Tumut at that time was a bit like Tubo after the Anshi Rebellion, a state of "I want to hit you, I can't hit me if you want to" - unless you can go to the fortress after crossing the Qilian Mountain.

Of course, there are still differences between the Ming Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, and the biggest difference is that the Ming Dynasty has firearms.

The Tang Dynasty had no artillery, and after crossing the Qilian Mountain, looking at the fortresses in those dangerous positions, they could only take human lives, while the Ming Dynasty had artillery, and theoretically it was still possible to rely on artillery to conquer these fortresses. Another point is that although the Tibetans were also nomadic and had good cavalry, they were relatively good at guarding fortresses, and the Mongols did not seem to be very good at this.

Wu Dui said at this time: "I naturally know that Xining is important, but the court has no silver, and it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, and my old man can't make money...... Alas, this matter can only depend on Gao Wenchuan's own ability. ”

Liang Menglong was disappointed, and looked at Gao Shishi, and said with hope: "Seek the truth, you are the golden saint......"

"The recovery of Xining is different from the fight against Burma, this cannot bring any real money to the relatives and nobles who have no spare money to spend, I think, it is not easy to raise money for this." Gao pragmatically replied.

It's not that he really can't make some money, but now that the emperor is keeping an eye on the ban, even if he can make money, it is estimated that he will be used to open the gap in the ban first, so Gao Pragmatic doesn't want to exert his strength in this matter.

Liang Menglong was really deflated, leaned back, and muttered, "Then what should I do?" The three sides of Shaanxi have not changed their outfits frequently over the years, and now there are no reinforcements......"

Gao Pragmatic couldn't stand it, coughed lightly, and said, "Cao Gan brought three thousand horsemen from the trading company over...... If Gao Wenchuan needs it, I can lend him these three thousand horsemen. ”

At this time, Gao Pragmatic didn't know, because of this sentence, it actually led to a series of follow-up variables, and he, the traverser, couldn't grasp the situation in the northwest.

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