"The Ministry of War and the Cabinet oppose the establishment of a former enemy command? Why? Zhu Youzhen was puzzled and asked Sun Chengzong.

Although this year's summer makes people feel particularly hot, the inside of the Wuying Hall is very cool, but the staff officers present are still sweating.

Sun Chengzong hesitated, and when he was thinking about how to tell about this matter, Mao Yuanyi had already said out loud with resentment: "Both the cabinet and the military department believe that the power of the former enemy command is too great.

According to the ancestral system, General Sun could be responsible for commanding the army at the front, but he should still accept the leadership of the military department, and the logistics of the frontline army should also be controlled by the imperial court, rather than completely obeying the command of the former enemy.

Whether it is the cabinet or the military department, they all believe that the commander-in-chief of the front-line army cannot alone control the command of the army, the promotion power of officers, and the independent logistics supply of the army, otherwise this will give the army of the Ming Dynasty a very bad start. ”

Zhu Youzhen subconsciously said: "Then what the cabinet and the military department mean that the unrestrained army commander may cause a situation of separating the feudal towns?" ”

Sun Chengzong smiled bitterly before continuing the emperor's words and said: "It's roughly the same as Your Majesty's guess, I'm afraid Your Majesty's idea of proposing to set up a former enemy headquarters." It needs to be revised. ”

Zhu Youzhen was silent for a long time, and motioned to Wang Chengen to bring him a blank piece of paper. He took the brush handed to him by Wang Chengen, dipped the ink on one side and began to write on the white paper.

The Emperor was intently writing, pausing for a moment to think, and soon the white paper in front of him was full of handwriting. Zhu Youzhen put down the brush in his hand, and then handed the paper full of words in front of him to Sun Chengzong.

Sun Chengzong took the paper and looked at it curiously, ""Wartime Base Camp Regulations? He couldn't help but read the first few words of the paper.

Chongzhen kindly canceled the name of the commander of Sun Chengzong's former enemy headquarters, and instead used himself as the commander of the base camp, nominally commanding all the troops and logistics departments.

Sun Chengzong, chief of staff, went to the front as the emperor's representative and served as the deputy commander of the base camp, and exercised all the powers of the commander of the base camp with the authorization of the emperor.

A chief of staff is set up under the deputy commander to assist the deputy commander in handling all affairs; In addition, the chief of staff of the base camp was established, who was responsible for forming the staff of the base camp, formulating the battle plan, and directing the military operations of the army.

The first division is responsible for drawing up the strategic and tactical plan of the entire war, including the route of march of each army, the direction of attack, and the place where the attack is launched.

The second department is responsible for the internal affairs of the army, i.e. personnel management and coordination between different units;

The third department is responsible for the logistics supply plan of the participating troops, the setting up and management of military stations in various places, the army's communications, field hospitals, the collection of the wounded, and the maintenance of wartime roads for transporting materials.

The Fourth Division is responsible for the management of all technical arms and the management of artillery and ammunition.

In addition, a Topographic Survey Section was established under the authority of the Chief of Staff to prepare maps of the battlefield and to maintain map materials.

After Sun Chengzong read the regulations on the establishment of the base camp, he still asked the emperor with some worry: "Your Majesty, the setting up of this wartime base camp is similar to the role of the former enemy headquarters before, will the military department and the cabinet accept our plan to change the bell like this?" ”

Zhu Youzhen smiled and said: "If the cabinet and the Ministry of War do not approve, I don't mind going to Datong in person to command this battle, and I want to personally command these troops to go out, there should be no more such rumors." ”

Sun Chengzong glanced at several of his subordinates and students, and finally fell silent. Preventing Lin Dan Khan from annexing the right-wing Mongolian tribes and stabilizing the northwestern frontier of the Ming Dynasty was very important to the Ming Dynasty in a strategic sense.

In order to prevent the Ming Dynasty from having two enemies in the northwest and Liaodong at the same time, Sun Chengzong had to acquiesce in Chongzhen's handling method, and he had no way to protect his reputation in order to avoid the imperial order to go to the northwest, so that the Ming Dynasty fell into the dilemma of being enemies on both sides.

After confirming Chongzhen's firm mind about this war, the staff officers in the conference room immediately abandoned some of their thoughts and devoted themselves to the selection of personnel of the wartime base camp.

On the recommendation of Sun Chengzong, Yuan Chonghuan happily assumed the post of chief of staff, and he was very satisfied with this appointment. After all, he knew very well that when his teacher Sun Chengzong was old and weak and lacked energy, he, the chief of staff of the base camp, was the main decider of this war.

Traditionally, the military department has always suppressed the Governor's Office of the Five Armies, but after the military department Shangshu Wang was stationed in Shanhaiguan in Jin, most of the power was hollowed out by the General Staff. Yuan Chonghuan even found that if he could take over the position of the teacher's chief of staff, he would be able to compete with the military department.

Mao Yuanyi, who had formulated many regulations in the army, served as chief of staff of the base camp, and the first department selected a total of 5 people from the General Staff Headquarters and the Army Military Academy, 6 people from the second department, 19 people from the third department, 7 people from the fourth department, and 25 people from the topographic survey section, a total of 62 people.

After a brief discussion, the basic prototype of a wartime base camp was established. Most of these officers had never commanded more than 1,000 men, and according to the emperor, the war was the graduation examination of the first cadets of the Army Military Academy.

He hoped that through this war, he would be able to gain some useful experience and select qualified commanders.

After solving the problem of setting up the command structure of the wartime base camp, Zhu Youzhen said to Sun Chengzong: "It is already mid-June, and the troops of Liaodong and Jizhou will arrive in the capital in early July, and then arrive in Xuanfu in mid-July, and arrive in Datong in early August.

Lin Dan Khan was now busy conquering the tribes near Guihua City, and the leaders of the right-wing Mongol tribes, such as the King of Shunyi, were also gathering the troops who had been scattered by Lin Dan Khan.

If Lin Dan Khan wanted to gather the army and find a place where the King of Shunyi and others were stationed, it would not be possible to complete it in a month or two.

That is, this war should take place as early as around mid-August. According to the climate of Guihua City in previous years, from late October to early November, the local temperature will drop below zero.

Compared to the Mongols, who are accustomed to the steppe climate, the cold weather will greatly increase our logistical supply, which is obviously not good for us.

Then the time we choose to fight Lin Dan Khan should be preferably in early October, and no later than mid-October. And the time before October will be used to consolidate the army for the base camp.

In order to allow enough time for the base camp to organize the army, I have ordered Liu Jingting to set off for naturalization, and negotiate with Lin Dan Khan as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, and try to delay the time until after September.

Does the General Staff have any other additional comments on this? ”

The conference room was quiet for a while, and Yuan Chonghuan asked with some uncertainty: "If things don't go as smoothly as Your Majesty expected, and Lin Dan Khan launched an attack on the King of Shunyi before October, causing us to not help in time, then what should we do?" ”

Zhu Youzhen was silent for a while, sighed and said, "This is the worst ending for Da Ming. We can only gather the Mongol tribes defeated by Lin Dan Khan, and try to prevent them from going to Liaodong to join Jiannu.

Then make a compromise with Lin Dan Khan, and hand over the city reward of the right-wing Mongols to him, so as to avoid a conflict with him within two years. Then the armament of Datong Town was comprehensively raised, and a field army sufficient to defend the western frontier was established. ”

Chongzhen's attitude towards the war with Lin Dan Khan changed almost 180 degrees, which surprised Yuan Chonghuan, but it was obviously not a good idea to let him lead the Ming army to fight the Mongols independently.

After seeing that everyone no longer had doubts, Zhu Youzhen continued: "Before the mobilized Liaodong and Jizhou troops arrived in Datong, I hope that some of the organizations in the base camp will first go to Xuanfu and Datong towns, and transfer the troops from the two places to form the framework of the field army, and integrate and train them. ”

"Xuanfu Town? This doesn't seem to be within the command of the base camp. Sun Chengzong said with some surprise.

Zhu Youzhen nodded and said, "It is true that Lin Dan Khan's war with the right-wing Mongols will not affect Xuanfu, but if this war is lost before our army arrives, Xuanfu will also be threatened by the Chahar Department.

Moreover, Xuanfu is not only the northwest Ping Domain leading to the capital, but also the starting point for us to enter the Mongolian Plateau. With Xuanfu as a base, the army could enter the plateau in the north, and it would be able to cut off the passage for the right-wing Mongol tribes to flee to Liaodong.

If the worst happens, then Xuanfu Town should send troops to intercept and rein in the right-wing Mongol tribes that have fled. ”

Sun Chengzong said with some concern: "Will Li Yangchong, the governor of Xuanfu, accept this order?" I'm afraid this will require his support. ”

Zhu Youzhen said confidently: "I will send someone to recall Li Yangchong back to the capital tomorrow to take up his post, but I will transfer Shen Jiye, the secretary of Wanquan, with Wu Cheng of the General Logistics Department. In this way, there will be only one chief officer left in Xuanfu Town, the chief military officer, Hei Yunlong, and I believe that he will obey the orders of the general staff..."

After this meeting, although the cabinet and the Ministry of War expressed their dissatisfaction with the emperor for just changing the name and continuing to fool them. However, under the threat of the emperor's preparation for the imperial conquest, most officials chose to stop the attack on the wartime base camp system.

Three days later, Mao Yuanyi went to Xuanfu with 74 graduates of the first phase of the Army Military Academy, preparing to select available sergeants in Xuanfu to form a field army independent of Xuanfu Town.

In the capital, Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan and others formed the institutional organization of the wartime base camp. On June 22, Wu Huai returned to the capital with more than 700 cavalry who had gone out for field marching training.

In addition to more than 800 people selected from the cavalry of the Beijing camp and more than 50 cadets from the cavalry section and artillery section of the army officer school, a cavalry unit of more than 1,500 people was formed.

This cavalry unit adopted a new formation, squad-squadron-brigade-wing. The squad is 50 people, the squadron is 150 people, the brigade is 450 people, a cavalry wing includes 3 cavalry brigades and a cavalry artillery squadron. Of course, this artillery refers to the Tiger Squat Cannon and the Furlong Machine Cannon.