Chapter 502 The Emperor is seriously ill
What is Gao Gong’s personality like?
How does this person, who has just taken over the position of Prime Minister at the heart of the cabinet, act?
now.

When Gao Gong directly questioned Datong Town in front of the emperor and everyone, he asked whether Datong was going to rebel.

That's enough to prove everything.

However, even with such arrogant words, Gao Gong still shouted them out without reservation.

only because.

He heard too many coughs from the emperor today.

So many that he wondered whether the emperor could survive this year.

Is it arrogance?

In Gao Gong's view, his words were just bold.

It's more of a test.

On the platform.

Jiajing looked at Gao Gong calmly.

He did not speak, leaving no one knowing what the emperor, who was clearly ill, was thinking or pondering.

However, Yang Bo's expression suddenly changed and he became quite angry.

"Prince, the situation is unclear now, how can you easily say that Datong is plotting rebellion?"

"Although Xuanbian came to report today, Datong has also made reports. Perhaps it will arrive in the next two days."

Yang Bo was a little confused and felt extremely annoyed.

After Yan Song retired, he began to live a life of luxury in Changping Academy.

Moreover, as Xu Jie was defeated, demoted to a commoner and exiled to Leizhou, officials of Xu Jie's faction suffered defeat in the court. Not long ago, hundreds of officials were dismissed, and most of them were officials in the capital who had been dependent on Xu Jie, Yan Ne and others in the past.

From that time on, he brought officials from Jin to the court and developed a tacit understanding with Gao Gong.

Gao Gong was from Xinzheng, Henan.

There is still some distance between them and Huguang, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Nanzhili, and the relationship between the two sides is not very good because of Xu Jie over the years.

The officials from Jin, under his leadership, are attached to Gao Gong, the Prime Minister. He should treat them with caution!

Otherwise, even if Gao Gong was the prime minister and could force some things through, it would be extremely difficult if there was no support in the court.

But at this time, Gao Gong actually attacked Datong and asked if he had any intention of treason.

This is completely different from the deeper meaning behind what I just said.

I mentioned Xuanfu at the beginning because Xuanfu had a problem with poor border defense the year before last, which led to the people of Altan's tribe fleeing to the capital.

But why was it that Ma Fang, the general commander of Xuanfu, was still able to hold his original post after such a big problem occurred?
Although the inside story is not clear.

But Yang Bo remembered that Ma Fang had gone to the palace alone to meet the emperor.

Then the emperor gave him a lighter sentence and allowed him to return to Xuanfu and retain his original position.

Ma Fang has already become the emperor's accomplice.

Yang Bo is very clear about this.

So when I say Xuanfu, it can actually be said that I am not saying anything.

As for what happens to Ma Fang and Xuanfu, I'm afraid it will all depend on the emperor's decision.

But now Gao Gong is holding Datong accountable, which is different.

Sun Wu, the general commander of Datong, did not enter the palace to meet the emperor.

The silent struggle before the Saint made everyone feel serious and calm, for fear of missing a word and making a wrong response.

After pondering alone for a while, Hu Zongxian said, "Your Majesty, now the news from the western route of Xuanbian has come in, and there is no news from Datong yet. The enemy situation is unclear, so this is not the time to discuss blame. In any case, the first thing the court should do is to find out who is leading the attack of the Anda tribe, whether it is Anda himself or his son, how many troops they have, and where they want to attack. Only by finding out the details can we respond and order the troops from Jizhou, Xuanfu, Datong, Yansui, Ningxia, etc. to either send out assistance or ambush and block the attack."

Just when he and Yang Bo entered the hall, Lu Fang had already handed over the urgent report sent from Xuanfu.

Xuanfu only said that there was a large army of Altan Khan stationed outside the border wall, but it was not clear who was leading the troops, nor how many soldiers there were this time.

It can be said that the imperial court is now completely in the dark.

Apart from knowing that the Andada tribe was heading south again this time, I knew nothing else.

Lu Fang glanced at the Daotai above him, and then asked: "According to the imperial court's prediction, where will the Anda army attack this time?"

Hu Zongxian glanced sideways at Yang Bo beside him.

Yang Bo immediately understood and said, "Your Majesty, according to the report from the Western Xuanbian Road, the Anda tribe is stationed in the upper reaches of the Dongyang River, which is on the north side of the Sumu Mountain between Xinpingbao and Zhenchuanbao on the Eastern Datong Road."

As the Minister of War, he is not just there to do nothing.

While talking, he began to analyze the terrain between Xuan and Da.

Yang Bo continued, "The terrain of Sumu Mountain is dangerous, and the bandits can only go east or west. If they go west, they can go south from Zhenqiang Fort and approach Datong City, or they can go to the left and surround Yanghewei and Tianchengwei counties and rob the local people."

"If you go east, you can go northeast of Xinping Fort, bypass Datong Tiancheng Guard and Zhenlu Guard, pass Yongjia Fort and enter Xuanfu."

Wait until Yang Bo finishes speaking.

Hu Zongxian then said, "Your Majesty, this time the Anda tribe is stationed at the border and stationed in the upper reaches of the Dongyang River. They can attack Xuanfu in the east or go straight to Datong. Therefore, perhaps the front line of Xuanfu West Road has made such an investigation and just reported it to the capital. I think the Datong side has also sent a message, and it may arrive in the next two days."

In the inner hall of Wanshou Palace, Hu Zongxian's analysis reached everyone's ears.

Yang Bo wished he could thank Hu Zongxian right there and then.

Yuan Wei looked at Gao Gong and said, "Since there are bandits stationed in the upper reaches of the Dongyang River, they can go east or west. Shouldn't the court issue an imperial decree to order Xuanfu and Datong to be on high alert, and the troops of the two towns should also go north to support the troops on the border wall?"

He was not an expert on military affairs, but he knew that in the current situation, the first thing the court could do was to order the two towns of Xuan and Da to be on guard, and then mobilize troops from the town to support the border wall.

Fortunately, Xuanda and Da are not far from the capital. It only takes five or six days to travel there by fast horse. Even a round trip only takes twelve or thirteen days.

A large-scale military expedition is never imminent.

Even if Andada's tribe is stationed in the upper reaches of Dongyang River now, if we really want to invade Xuanda, we have to wait until they have set up their camp and built siege equipment before we can gather troops to attack.

On the Taotai, Jiajing nodded.

Lu Fang immediately said: "The situation on the border is urgent. The cabinet and the Ministry of War should quickly issue an order to send reinforcements to the borders of Xuanda and Da."

As the Prime Minister, Gao Gong bowed and accepted the order after hearing the words.

Then he said, "On the Datong side, you can order the troops from Weizhou, Guangling, Lingqiu, and Guangchang to go north, and the Datong general will dispatch troops to various places to provide support. On the Xuanfu side, since we know that the Anda bandits are stationed in the upper reaches of the Dongyang River, you can order Huaian Guard and Baoan Right Guard to move to Chaigou Fort, Shachengbao, Anzhuang Fort, etc. The three guards of Xuanfu will dispatch troops to station between Wanquan Left Guard City and Wanquan Right Guard City to provide support at any time."

The nine important border towns have always been the most important matters for the imperial court.

As the Prime Minister, Gao Gong was well aware of the key locations of these places and the locations where troops were stationed. He was very knowledgeable when he spoke about them and there was nothing surprising about them.

Yang Bo looked at Gao Gong's back and nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty, what the Prime Minister said is not bad. Now the court has sent a letter to the two towns, and it should be rushed 800 miles away. At most, the troops of the two towns can be ordered to move to support the defense within five days."

On the platform.

There was another burst of rapid coughing.

The emperor's face became redder and redder.

Everyone looked worried.

After all, the emperor's health affects all parties now, especially now that the new policy has begun to be implemented. If something really happens to the emperor at this time, it will be an emergency for all parties and will inevitably cause countless chain reactions.

But Jiajing stretched out his hand and stopped the concern of the ministers in front of him.

He leaned on the platform and looked at Lu Fang.

Lu Fang immediately brought a cup of tea to the emperor.

Jiajing took a sip of tea, let out a long breath, and then he felt a little better.

He then said, "It will be winter in just over a month. The north will be extremely cold and snowy. Will the Anda tribe really invade the south at this time? If so, will they use their troops quickly and violently when time is short? If they stay in the upper reaches of the Dongyang River for a long time and do not leave, will they invade the border area of ​​Xuanda next spring?"

Everyone was silent for a while.

According to historical practice, when the Mongols outside the Great Wall invaded the south, they would mostly choose to summon troops from various parts of the grassland in April and May each year, and then arrive at the nine borders in June and July. They would fight with the border troops of the Ming Dynasty for a month or two, and then return to the depths of the grassland before winter, and spend a good winter with the wealth looted from the Ming Dynasty.

Then wait until next year and continue doing the same.

From a common sense point of view, this is obviously not the right time.

Because once the Ming army delayed these Andada people for a month or two, even if the Andada tribe finally retreated to the grassland, they would have to return to their respective tribes in the snow and waist-deep snow.

This is an approach and choice that is not worth the cost.

Yang Bo immediately clasped his fists, bowed, and nodded: "Your Majesty is wise. The time chosen by the Anda tribe to attack this time is indeed not in line with past practices. I think that the Anda tribe's attack this time may be a test. If they can find out the strength of our border, they can take advantage of the opportunity to enter, plunder, and leave quickly. Even if there is a stalemate, the bandits can turn west and station in the Hetao area this winter... in order to attack Yansui, Guyuan, Ningxia and other places next year."

When talking about Hetao, Yang Bo paused.

Everyone present looked unhappy.

Now when Yang Bo mentioned Hetao, everyone was filled with anger. This was because if the imperial court controlled Hetao, the pressure on the border defenses in Yansui, Ningxia, and Datong would be greatly reduced.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da and Li Wenzhong led troops to eliminate Tuolebo, Kong Xing and others who occupied the Hetao Plain, and drove Wang Baobao back to the Northern Yuan’s base camp, Karakorum, and seized the Hetao Plain, which was then under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Taizu Gao once again established the Dongsheng Guard to connect the Hetao Plain with Ningxia, Shanxi and other places.

Even during the reign of Emperor Chengzu, although the Dongsheng Guard was relocated elsewhere, he did not give up control over the Hetao region.

but.

With the reigns of Emperors Renzong and Xuanzong, the northern defense line continued to retreat inward, and groups of herdsmen began to move into Hetao to settle down.

Finally, during the Tianshun and Jingtai periods, Maolihai, Alochu and Boluohu of the Tatar tribe completely occupied Hetao.

Although Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty finally passed away, the new emperor ascended the throne.

Emperor Xianzong worked hard to govern the country and launched the Ming Dynasty's campaign to suppress the Hetao tribe. He achieved a series of military victories, including the victory at Hongyanchi and the victory at Weininghai, which inflicted heavy damage on the Mongolian tribes. The Hetao region was finally recaptured by the Ming army.

However, the policy of relocating inland people to settle in Hetao was not implemented at that time, which laid the groundwork for the Hetao region to be retaken by Mongolian tribes during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong.

When Emperor Wuzong won a great victory in Yingzhou during the Zhengde period, he only frightened the little Mongolian prince at the time, but failed to recover Hetao.

Until now.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Hetao essentially became the territory of various Mongolian tribes, and the Ming Dynasty not only lost the Hetao area as a horse-breeding land, but also separated the towns of Ningxia and Yansui from those of Shanxi and Xuanda.

If the invasion of the Altan army is delayed until winter, retreating to Hetao will naturally be the best option.

With the Daqing Mountains blocking the cold wind from the north, the Hetao area is the best place to spend the winter.

Moreover, this place is rich in vegetation and has many cattle and sheep.

The Anda tribe did not have to worry about how to obtain winter supplies after retreating here.

A gleam of light flashed between Hu Zongxian's eyebrows. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the suppression of the Japanese pirates in the southeastern provinces is now coming to an end. The court has opened the sea for several years, and the Japanese pirates in the southeast are becoming increasingly difficult to find. I think that the southeastern provinces should turn the suppression of the Japanese pirates into stationing troops in strategic coastal areas to control the sea surface, and then patrol the sea with naval warships to prevent the invasion of Japanese ships and pirate ships. Therefore, I request Your Majesty's approval to select capable and combat-savvy generals in the southeast, lead the troops north, station them in the capital for reorganization, and then, when the time is right, go to the nine borders to guard the borders and look for opportunities to fight against the Mongolian tribes!"

These words came out immediately.

There was a commotion of glances in the hall.

Everyone was looking at Hu Zongxian, who proposed to transfer troops from the southeast to the north.

Gao Gong's eyes narrowed even more.

He really didn't expect that Hu Zongxian, who had actually already secured a seat in the cabinet, would bring up this matter at this time and in this situation.

Gao Gong looked at Hu Zongxian with deep eyes, his thoughts racing.

Could it be that Hu Zongxian wanted to seek to join the cabinet at this time?
Yang Bo's eyes also darkened.

In an instant, the thought of being grateful to Hu Zongxian for helping him out today disappeared, and instead, a strong sense of vigilance arose.

In contrast, Gao Gong, the Prime Minister, was thinking about whether Hu Zongxian was seeking to join the cabinet.

What Yang Bo was worried about was Hu Zongxian's proposal that the southeastern troops go north to garrison the nine borders.

The Nine Frontiers have always been important places to the imperial court. In recent years, areas such as Xuanda in Shanxi have actually been gradually controlled by officials and generals from Jin.

If the southeastern troops proposed by Hu Zongxian marched northward, it would inevitably impact the Jin people's control and domination of Xuanda and other places in Shanxi.

In Yang Bo's view, Xuanda in Shanxi and other places are the territory of the Jin people.

Why would you, Hu Zongxian, who came from the southeast, interfere in the territory of the Jin people at this time?
This is undoubtedly snatching food from the tiger's mouth!

However, Jiajing, who was on the prefecture, suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Hu Zongxian.

Then came a violent coughing fit.

Lu Fang hurried forward, walked onto the platform, supported the emperor, and gently stroked the emperor's back with his hand.

However, Jiajing kept staring at Hu Zongxian, completely ignoring his own violent coughing.

"Cough...cough..."

"Sir..."

"You may..."

"Cough cough cough..."

Amidst the violent coughing, Jiajing's face was still flushed. He spoke with great pain and spoke in a halting and difficult voice, agreeing to Hu Zongxian's request.

Then, Jiajing leaned in Lu Fang's arms, breathing heavily with a red face.

"emperor!"

"His Majesty!"

"..."

The emperor's action really scared Gao Gong and others.

Everyone immediately took two steps forward.

Lu Fang glared at everyone, and then shouted outside: "Send! Quickly send Li Shizhen to the palace to take the pulse of His Majesty!"

He had no more scruples at this time. In front of everyone, he bypassed the Imperial Medical Bureau and sent someone to Changping to invite Li Shizhen to the palace to diagnose the emperor's pulse.

Gao Gong and others dared not say a word.

Although Lu Fang's behavior was an embarrassment to the imperial court and the Imperial Hospital, they did not dare to say a word.

After Lu Fang gave the order, he heard footsteps outside and then looked at Gao Gong and others again.

The eunuch who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department and was loyal to the emperor said in a gloomy tone: "Prime Minister, all the elders and ministers, since the Xuanda border issue has been decided today, please deal with it quickly and report the details to the palace as soon as possible."

"Minister Hu, His Majesty has also allowed the Southeast Army to go north, and His Majesty has always liked the Qi Family Army. You can select this battalion of soldiers and horses and bring them to the capital for reorganization and deployment upon His Majesty's order."

Lu Fang was giving orders urgently.

Huang Jin had already walked in with his men.

For a moment, there was chaos in the hall.

Huang Jin brought the medicine to the Taotai, and Lu Fang took it and fed it to the emperor.

After a while.

Jiajing's breathing finally calmed down, but his face looked very bad.

He looked at Gao Gong and the others who were still present, and said weakly, "I... the affairs of the court are difficult, you gentlemen must not spread the news, each of you must do your best... cough cough cough... follow my orders..."

The emperor issued a gag order.

Gao Gong and the others frowned, with worry on their faces.

"Your Majesty, I obey your orders."

"Your Majesty is responsible for the country, and we, the ministers, pray for your health to recover."

There were a few more coughs.

Jiajing leaned high on the platform and looked at the ministers in front of him.

"Go and take care of state affairs..."

"I'm waiting to retire."

Gao Gong and others accepted the order, but were very hesitant. They left the inner hall slowly and with heavy hearts.

Wait until everyone leaves Wanshou Palace.

Only then did Jiajing reach out and grab Lu Fang's wrist.

His face was extremely pale, yet it flushed red from time to time due to his occasional coughing.

Lu Fang quickly knelt on the ground and said, "Master...Master, what do you want me to do?"

Jiajing released his hand and pointed outside.

"Summon..."

"Let Yan Shaoting..."

“Let…let him…”

A cough ended the emperor's words.

But Lu Fang understood and quickly asked, "Master, do you want guest Yan to return to the capital?"

After asking, he stared at the emperor.

Jiajing nodded, then closed his eyes, leaned on the soft pillows piled up behind him, and fell into a weak sleep.

…………

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