Wenhua Palace, the royal front is called.

Shen Shixing, the first assistant of the cabinet, and Xu Guo, the second assistant, and Zhang Xueyan, Wu Dui, Wang Jiaping, and Wang Xijue, the six cabinet ministers, arrived first. Soon after, Gao Shishi, the secretary of the household department, and Liang Menglong, the secretary of the military department, who were summoned from outside the palace, also arrived together.

The two of them stepped forward to salute the emperor and were given a seat, and since the other six were all elders, he had to accompany the last seat.

Zhu Yijun was eager to see no one when the ministers shouted "Zhengguoben", and he didn't show much interest in this year's Dinghai Jingcha, but as soon as the news of Liaodong came, he immediately issued an order to summon him, which shows that in his heart, he has his own considerations for light, heavy, slow, and urgent affairs.

"The news of Liaodong, all Aiqing has already learned the news, I won't repeat it, what do you Aiqing say about this situation?" Zhu Yijun glanced around and asked in a slightly low tone.

In this situation, either Shen Shixing spoke first as the first assistant, or Liang Menglong, as the person directly responsible, answered first. But Shen Shixing's face was calm, his eyes were looking at his nose and nose, and he didn't look like he was planning to speak.

Liang Menglong glanced at it, so he had to get up and bow to Zhu Yijun: "Your Majesty, in this incident, although Menggebulu's defeat in the first battle was slightly unexpected by the Ministry of War, other situations are basically still expected by the Ministry of War, so the emperor does not need to worry too much." ”

Zhu Yijun nodded slightly, but there was no emotional change on his face, he looked at Liang Menglong and asked, "What did the Ministry of War expect before?" ”

Liang Menglong bowed slightly, stretched out his hand to Gao Pragmatic again, and said: "Before Dasi Nong took up his new post, he had some exchanges with his ministers about the situation in Liaodong, and at that time, the imperial court only learned that Tumen was sending troops to attack Ye He in the east. At that time, both ministers thought that Nurhachi would inevitably send troops, and the biggest possibility was to go north to capture Hada. ”

Liang Menglong subconsciously stretched out his hand and gestured, and said: "The situation in Liaodong, if you only take the Jurchen range east of Kaiyuan, then Yehe is in the north, Hada is in the middle, and Jianzhou is in the southeast. The rest of the Su Wan, Ula and other departments do not directly border with our Ming Dynasty, and they must be connected through these three departments.

Therefore, at that time, Dasi Nong had a judgment that the Tumen and Nurhachi might have an alliance before this battle, and the purpose was probably that the Tumen and Nurhachi might have joined forces to cut off the direct connection between the Jurchen tribes and our Ming Dynasty. ”

Zhu Yijun frowned: "Ye He is also a Jurchen, Nurhachi is so disregarding the feelings of the same race? ”

Liang Menglong shook his head and said, "Who are the barbarians talking about? The Jurchen tribes have always been in constant disputes and wars, and yesterday they were allies, and now they are enemies. Moreover, when Dasi Nong was in charge of Liaofu before, he deliberately provoked the hatred between Yehe and Jianzhou, and now there is a father-killing feud between Yehe Erbeile and Nurhachi, and it is not surprising that Nurhachi wants to destroy Yehe with the help of Tumen. ”

Zhu Yijun asked, "Isn't he afraid that other Jurchens will scold him for luring wolves into the house?" ”

"This is not his concern." Liang Menglong replied: "The Jurchen tribes are also called countries, and they are not regarded as one with each other, and they are similar to the five dynasties and ten kingdoms of the Central Plains. ”

Zhu Yijun nodded, accepted this statement, and asked: "Now that Ye He is in danger, Hada seems to be unable to resist Nurhachi, if I am indifferent, I am afraid their plan will be realized." Speaking of this, he seemed to think of something, turned his head to Gao Pragmatic and asked: "Seeking truth, since you said that Tumen and Nurhachi want to separate Yehe and Hada, then what is the reason for this?" But you want to join forces against my Daming? ”

Gao Pragmatic also got up and arched his hand, and said: "The move of Tumen and Nurhachi is really the second pass between the north and the south. ”

The two passes in the north and south are the south pass and the north pass. The Ming people called Hada Nanguan and Yehe Beiguan, and this "south and north" was centered on Kaiyuan. The "pass" of the two passes in the north and south is actually not about the pass or the pass, but about the city.

In other words, in the eyes of the Ming people, Hada and Yehe are nothing more than two trade markets, one in the south and the other in the north.

"For the north and south?" Zhu Yijun was surprised: "They want to isolate Gong City? ”

"Naturally, it's not isolation, on the contrary, they want to be with Daminggong City." Gao Pragmatic said calmly.

Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment, and then immediately laughed angrily: "Hada, Yehe Zhubeile, all of them are the officials canonized by my Ming Dynasty, no matter how they behave, at least they are all generals who guard the border for my Ming Dynasty." Tumen and Nurhachi attacked my territory in vain and deceived me into becoming an official, such a big rebellion, and they still expect me to approve the tribute city of the Ming Dynasty? ”

Gao Pragmatic said lightly: "I'm afraid that if the second fang really succeeds, it will be difficult for me to do it, maybe I will really be coerced by it and allow it to pay tribute." ”

Zhu Yijun was surprised: "Why is this? ”

Gao Shishi shook his head slightly and sighed: "If there is no border city in the north and south passes, where will the furs, Dongzhu and other things I need come from?" Does the emperor know the key points? ”

Of course, Zhu Yijun didn't know very well, shook his head suspiciously, and then frowned and said, "You say that you know with me, and see how difficult it is." ”

Gao pragmatic said: "I am willing to distinguish for the emperor, and ask the emperor to listen to the ministers." So he introduced the situation of Kaiyuan Horse Market, that is, the north and south passes, to the emperor.

After the Chenghua period, the goods traded in the Kaiyuan horse market were no longer mainly basic daily necessities such as rice, salt, horses and cattle, but turned into a luxury trade based on mink, rat skin, and ginseng. At this time and afterward, the political situation of the Ming Dynasty was stable, the economy continued to develop, and the extravagant atmosphere of the capital court and high society brought a huge consumer demand for fur products.

For example, the court of the Ming Dynasty recorded in the "Chronicles of the Ming Dynasty" needed about 10,000 mink skins and more than 60,000 fox skins every year. Bureaucrats give and take bribes, and mink is also an important gift.

Of course, the so-called needs of the court are not only the amount of the palace itself, because the court has a system of giving mink to ministers. Up to now, the imperial court directly buys thousands of mink skins in Kaiyuan every year.

And it should be made clear that this "thousands of pieces per year" mink skins were only purchased directly by the imperial court in Kaiyuan, and the amount purchased by the imperial court in the private sector was not calculated, as well as the trade quota of the private circulation by the private sector itself.

The above is only mink, others such as sea otter, fox skin, tiger skin, rat skin (mink, green mouse, yellow squirrel, etc.), fungus, matsutake mushroom, Dongzhu and so on, are not included.

This is from the point of view of goods, but also from the point of view of trade routes, and the north and south customs are also extremely important.

In the Ming Dynasty, the trade between Liaodong and the Jurchen region was centered on Kaiyuan, and there were mainly two trade routes: one was from the lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River to the Heilongjiang River and the Songhua River, and then turned southwest to Kaiyuan through the vicinity of present-day Harbin; One is from the South Hamgyong Road of North Korea, along the Tumen River to the northeast, through the Changbai Mountain around the upper reaches of the Songhua River, southwest to Kaiyuan.

The Haixi Jurchen Hada and Yehe were built outside the Guangshun Pass and the Zhenbei Pass respectively, precisely to use and control these two trade routes. In addition, the route from Mongolia to the back gate of North Korea, Kaiyuan also occupies the hole.

"In the past, the prolific horses of Xianji Dao were due to the fact that the road was connected to the original and the Tatar horses, and now it is not connected to the Kaiyuan, and it has been 50 years, and the Tatar horses are extinct."

Because of this, this trade route from Mongolia and the Jurchen region to Kaiyuan Mashi was called the "Golden Road" by the Mongols and Jurchens in inland Asia.

Gao pragmatic explained these two points to Zhu Yijun, and there are roughly two meanings: First, if the trade between the north and the south is cut off, a variety of domestic furs and other luxury goods will be out of stock immediately, which will cause fluctuations at the economic level, although this fluctuation will not affect the national economy and people's livelihood, but it will also hit economic activity.

In particular, Gao pragmatic also hinted that according to his plan, when the imperial court fully collects commercial taxes in the future, high taxes will be levied on "luxury goods" - cutting off this trade route will directly affect the imperial court's revenue.

Second, if the trade route between the north and the south was cut off, although it would have a strong economic impact on the Jurchens or even the border regimes including the Mongol left wing and even Korea, at the same time, the imperial court's restraint over them would be greatly weakened.

At the same time, such as Su Wan, Huifa, Ula and even the savage Jurchen, etc., the centripetal force of the Ming court has become weaker and weaker. In the long run, it would not be surprising that even if these "territories" were completely lost.

Gao pragmatic said very clearly, and even listed a lot of data, the more Zhu Yijun listened, the more serious he became, and finally completely determined: Cutting off the border cities in the north and south will not only damage the lining, but sooner or later even lose face.

Although Gao Pragmatic also made it clear that if the border cities of the North and South Gates were really cut off, the troops sent by Tumen and Nurhachi this time would be regarded as eighty percent of the day work, and only two percent would be regarded as real practical benefits - after all, the expanded sphere of influence - but Zhu Yijun still felt that this "deal" was not cost-effective.

Especially the "luxury tax" hinted at by Gao Pragmatic, which is not clear to all the elders and Liang Menglong here, but he is clear, and Gao Pragmatic has already mentioned it to him. Gao Pragmatic even took the initiative to say that in the future, high-end soaps such as "Guoshi" and "Tianxiang" can be classified as luxury goods, in order to show that he will lead by example and treat everyone equally.

According to the highly pragmatic algorithm, in the future, this "luxury tax" will be a very important item in the commercial tax, and the whole country will be added together, and at least hundreds of thousands of taels of silver can be collected every year.

I don't know if it's because it's like this or because I'm being corrupted by Gao Pragmatism, as soon as Zhu Yijun figured out that this matter was linked to money, and even implicated so much, he immediately made up his mind and said categorically: "That is the case, this Yehe and Hada two departments, I will never allow Tu and Nurhachi to get involved!" You see......"

He was going to directly ask Gao Pragmatic what to do next, but suddenly remembered that Gao Pragmatic was not Rong Zheng's servant now, and today he was summoned to the presence of the elders of the cabinet and Liang Menglong, the secretary of the military department, so he had to temporarily change his words: "Ladies and gentlemen, Gao Qing's family has analyzed the pros and cons well enough, presumably you will not object to the preservation of Ye He and Hada?" ”

His question was a bit "artistic", and several cabinet elders couldn't find a reason to oppose Gao Shishi's statement just now, so they all agreed with the emperor's decision. It's just that Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue quietly glanced at each other, and they both saw deep worry in each other's eyes.

The worry is certain, because according to Gao Pragmatic and Emperor Chen's judgment, since Tumen and Nurhachi cannot tolerate Yehe and Hada, then Daming's attitude is obviously very clear, and he can only be tough to the end.

In the end, the toughness of this era is certainly not enough for solemn statements or strong protests after entering a "civilized society." Nine out of ten are direct wars.

If there is going to be a war, then the problem comes.

Because of Li Chengliang's actual defense of Liaoxi, the position of the Xin School on the Liaodong issue has always been that "Liaoxi can be fought and Liaodong wants peace", but Kaiyuan is obviously a jurisdiction of Liaodong and is mainly responsible for Cao Yan.

Cao Yan is a highly pragmatic person, needless to say, Kaiyuan General Ma Chengxun is also a highly pragmatic person. There are also Ma Dong, a general in southern Liaoning, Qi Jin, a guerrilla in Shenyang, and others, and the main generals in the east of the entire Liao River are now almost all replaced by a series of people from the Shixue School and Gao Pragmatism.

Once the war starts, even if Gao Pragmatic can't go in person this time, won't it still be his stage?

Zhu Yijun didn't pay so much attention, thought about it, and asked, "How many soldiers do Tumen have in Yehe, and what about Nurhachi?" In addition, now Cao Yan and the others will have soldier geometry, can they produce geometry? ”

This question is very clear to Gao Shishi, but he is not in his position now, so he can only wait for Liang Menglong to answer.

Liang Menglong also seemed to hear it clearly, and did not hesitate at the moment, and immediately said: "According to the current information report, the Tumen sent troops this time about 20,000, and Nurhachi sent about 4,000 troops, but in the previous battle with Menggebulu, he only invested 3,000 people and won a big victory, and the remaining more than 1,000 people were divided into other places and were not detected."

As for our heavenly soldiers, as far as Kaiyuan is concerned, it has jurisdiction over Tieling, 30,000 and Liaohai Sanwei, has five cities and 20 border forts, and has more than 15,500 military houses and Yu Ding. If you count the entire east of the Liao River, tens of thousands of troops will come immediately. ”

This is very uplifting to hear, but because Gao Pragmatic had fuliao before, Zhu Yijun knew that Liang Menglong had played tricks here.

Jiliao and Xuanda are the most elite border towns in the Ming Dynasty, but they have not reached the point of complete fullness, on average, there can be about eighty percent of the full number, so the strength of Kaiyuan is probably more than 12,000, less than 13,000. Of course, Kaiyuan General Ma Chengxun, he must still have elite Ma Jiada soldiers in his hands, but it is said that the number is limited, at most three or four thousand. Overall, Kaiyuan had about 13,000 soldiers.

As for the east of the Liaohe River, "tens of thousands of troops will come as soon as they are called", this is really true, and Gao Pragmatic also told him last year. However, these tens of thousands of troops are by no means able to move, not to mention that it is impossible for all these troops scattered in the Liaodong Plain and the mountains of southern Liaoning to be emptied, and it is impossible to say that all the current reserves in Liaodong can be used in Yehe and Hada.

Liaodong does have strategic reserves, which Gao Pragmatic deliberately began to store when he was in office, but these reserves are obviously made for the purpose of launching a fatal blow against Tumen in the future, and it is more pitiful to spend on Hada and Yehe.

Judging from what Liang Menglong said just now, the Tumen only sent 20,000 troops this time, and it seems that the Liaodong side will not make too much fanfare.

At this moment, when the province is saved, it is saved.

Zhu Yijun thought for a while and asked, "How to fight this battle, does the military department have a plan?" ”