The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"The commander-in-chief of Liaodong, this must be Yang Zhao."

Wei Guangde asked hesitantly.

"Um."

Zhang Juzheng agreed softly.

"If Anda Khan is really interested in Liaodong, I'm afraid Yang Zhao is not qualified for the post of commander-in-chief."

Wei Guangde said leisurely.

"Why?"

Zhang Juzheng asked slightly confused.

"Although Yang Zhao has been in the border town for many years and is considered an experienced veteran, he is a little eager for quick success and can't hold his breath."

Wei Guangde replied, and then whispered: "Of course, I just heard someone say this, and he is still a little bit behind as a general."

Zhang Juzheng lowered his head to think and did not answer Wei Guangde's words.

"I just heard the news you revealed. When he wanted to be promoted to the position of chief military officer, there was controversy in the court. Many people were against it. I'm worried that he was eager to show his merits and ended up self-defeating. "

This is also Wei Guangde's kind reminder to Zhang Juzheng that he played an indispensable role in making Yang Zhao take office.

However, some of the people Wei Guangde deployed on the nine sides always reported to him what they learned about the situation of the border generals.

Regardless of whether it was Dong Yiyuan or Ma Fang, they all commented on Yang Zhao as being brave and foolhardy, and acting a bit recklessly.

Such a person is the best as a general, but a bit dangerous as a commander.

"Are you worried that if the Tatars invade Liaodong this time, they will act recklessly and do bad things?"

Zhang Juzheng understood Wei Guangde's reminder and answered in a low voice.

But before Wei Guangde could answer, King Yu over there asked: "What are you two mumbling about?"

Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng turned around and saw King Yu and Yin Shizhen looking at them curiously.

"It's nothing. Shandai and I were talking about Anda Khan's troops in Liaodong."

Zhang Juzheng opened his mouth to explain that he did not say that Wei Guangde pointed out Yang Zhao's problems. After all, he was the one on his side.

Now we can see that the generals that Wei Guangde strongly recommended, whether it is Ma Fang or Yu Dayou, are generals who can act independently. However, Yang Zhao, whom he is optimistic about, is considered by Wei Guangde to be unqualified for the position. Naturally, it is difficult for him to say so.

Wei Guangde didn't speak loudly before, so he naturally thought of this, so he couldn't expose his shortcomings on his own.

"Shandai, if you have any opinions, just speak up and let us listen."

King Yu said loudly now.

"Your Highness, I am not asking for some detailed information from my uncle."

Wei Guangde pretended to be embarrassed and said: "Our palace has not received any news about what my uncle said earlier. I think the Ministry of War has also sealed it tightly, for fear that it will spread and cause turmoil in the capital."

"That makes sense."

King Yu nodded and said.

"Governor Yang thinks that Anda Khan intends to attack Liaodong, but Yang Shangshu thinks it is a trick to attack Liaodong. So which one are you on?"

Yin Shizhen asked now.

Wei Guangde recalled the topography of the Liaodong area, and somehow he thought of the fact that he had heard that Shandong and the water transport group wanted to stop Liaodong shipping, and he couldn't help but feel a little moved in his heart.

However, he remained silent for a moment, and after briefly thinking about the relationship between the two, he said: "Governor Yang is worried mainly about the safety of the Western Liaoning Corridor.

If I were in An Dahan's position and had the intention to plot Liaodong, I would definitely try to threaten Guangning and Jinzhou and cut off the Liaoxi Corridor.

As long as the Western Liaoning Corridor can be cut, Liaodong will not be able to get support from the court overland and will become a trapped beast. More than 100,000 Liaodong soldiers will be reduced to lambs to be slaughtered.

Sending troops to harass Liaodong will trap them to death with the current fragile agriculture in Liaodong, and now there are people in the court who advocate abandoning the strategy of shipping to Liaodong.

By then, without the support of food and grass, the Liaodong soldiers themselves would collapse and there would be no need to fight at all. "

Wei Guangde's words were a bit exaggerated. In fact, the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Mongols in Liaodong could be considered offensive and defensive, but the initiative on the battlefield was in the hands of the Mongols.

Moreover, over the years, officials of the Ming Dynasty have also become somewhat confused because of what happened in the 29th year of Jiajing.

They had already planted the impression in their minds that the Ming army could not defeat the Mongols.

Although Ma Fang and other generals were able to defeat the attack of Anda's cavalry, they only kept the people outside the city wall.

If you can't beat them, you can temporarily withdraw without breaking your muscles or bones.

Once you have cultivated yourself, you will find a place to start a war someday.

In short, the Ming Dynasty is now tired of dealing with attacks from the northern grasslands, but has no effective means of restraint.

"Stop the Liaodong shipping?"

King Yu hasn't heard the news yet. There are a lot of surprises today. First, he learned from Zhang Juzheng the reason for the disagreement between Er Yang and now he heard Wei Guangde say that someone wanted to stop the Liaodong shipping. He didn't know what to do for a while.

"Your Highness, some lower-level officials in the imperial court are indeed discussing this matter."

Yin Shizhen on the side looked at Prince Yu and hurriedly explained.

"Marine shipping cannot stop."

However, King Yu did not care that Yin Shizhen was talking about low-level officials of the imperial court. Instead, he grasped the focus of Wei Guangde's concern, which was the fragility of the Western Liaoning Corridor.

The Liaodong area under the control of the Ming Dynasty was actually divided into two parts: Liaodong and Liaoxi.

Liaodong, simply put, is the area east of the Liao River. This land is huge and connects North Korea to the east. It is bounded by Kaiyuan and Tieling to the north, Shenyang and Liaoyang to the west, and the sea to the south.

Western Liaoning refers to a narrow strip extending along the Bohai Sea coastline from Shanhaiguan to Guangning. It was also the only land passage from the Ming Dynasty's inland to Liaodong, and its strategic location was very important.

In fact, the war in Liaodong in the late Ming Dynasty was mainly fought between the towns located in the western Liaoning Corridor.

If the Ming Dynasty can hold on to the Liaoxi Corridor, it will not only ensure the security of the north of the capital, but also have the opportunity to regain the Liaodong region.

The entire Western Liaoning Corridor has complex terrain and is extremely vulnerable to damage by the Mongols.

Thirty-eight years before the Jiajing period, all materials shipped by the imperial court to Liaodong were transported to Liaodong via the Western Liaoning Corridor. However, after Liaodong encountered a rare natural disaster, sea transportation had to be restarted to transport large quantities of grain and other materials to Liaodong.

Wei Guangde's words made King Yu suddenly understand that the strategy proposed by Jia Yingchun to restart maritime transportation to Liao was not only related to the economy, but also to the military.

I think that in the future, once a war breaks out in Liaodong and the land route is blocked or becomes unsafe, the shipping from Shandong to Liaodong will play a huge role.

"There should be no changes in the shipping matter in the short term. Let's talk about the differences between the two Mr. Yang first."

Zhang Juzheng looked at King Yu's statement and feared that the topic would be sidetracked again, so he hurriedly said to Wei Guangde.

"Actually, there is nothing to say. Yang Shangshu is naturally more concerned about the safety of the capital. According to Governor Yang's wishes, the Jizhen soldiers and horses marching eastward into the Western Liaoning Corridor will not only ensure the safety of Western Liaoning, but also attack Anta from behind at the critical moment to attack Liaodong. of men and horses.

However, the eastward movement of Jizhen's troops will inevitably reduce the strength of the capital's northern defense line. If our troops take advantage of this opportunity to break through the border wall again, the Jizhen army will not be able to return reinforcements in a short time, and there will inevitably be another war."

Wei Guangde did not continue, but everyone in the room understood what was coming next.

Of course, the cavalry of the Anda tribe came to the city of Beijing again. Emperor Jiajing once again issued the edict of King Qin, and the soldiers and horses of the world came to the rescue of King Qin.

That incident was actually a thorn in Emperor Jiajing's heart and an official taboo.

"Yang Shangshu seeks stability, while Governor Yang does."

Yin Shizhen didn't say anything further, but shook his head.

"You take Yang Shangshu's side?"

Zhang Juzheng suddenly asked.

Wei Guangde glanced at Zhang Juzheng when he heard this, and then nodded.

To be honest, based on what he knew about the situation in Liaodong, the place was really not worth much.

The current Northeast is not a granary for future generations. The black soil in the Northeast has not yet been developed. Rice, soybeans and corn are not the main crops of farmers in this era. Even farmers in Liaodong think that they cannot grow the traditional crops grown in East China. Winter wheat is the type of spring wheat and sorghum that are difficult to eat.

As for things of infinite value in the eyes of later generations, the countless mineral resources and fertile black soil underground were not even realized by the Ming Dynasty, which was a farming civilization during this period, let alone the Mongolians who could only herd sheep and horses.

Understanding the views of real people does not mean that Wei Guangde does not know the value of the Northeast. There are even more vast places further north, but in reality, the Ming Dynasty really cannot covet there.

At least, until the various tribes in Mongolia are truly resolved, Ming Dynasty will have no way to expand northward. Even if it gives more money and cotton armor, others may not go.

Daning Dusi and Nuergan Dusi were successively abolished, and the Ming Dynasty began to recover its power in the north.

Therefore, Wei Guangde does not think that Ming Dynasty and Ada Khan will break out in a war in Liaodong to compete for control of this area.

Correspondingly, if a war really breaks out there, the Ming army can continue to increase its troops along the Liaoxi Corridor and sea transportation to Liaodong, and fight a tug-of-war with Ada Khan.

If they can take this opportunity to seriously weaken the Anda tribe, Jiubian Military Town can launch a Northern Expedition. Even if it cannot completely solve the threat of the Mongols in the Northern Expedition, it will be enough to prevent them from looking south for decades.

Based on Wei Guangde's judgment, Anda Khan should not bet on Liaodong. Perhaps Yang Bo was right. Perhaps Anda Khan's purpose was to attract the Jizhen army to move eastward and provide them with another opportunity to raid the capital.

"The war should not break out in the short term. The outcome will be known when Yang Shangshu returns to Beijing."

Wei Guangde said.

By this time, King Yu had forgotten the reason why he summoned Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng to the palace.

Perhaps, in their view, the safety of the capital or the north is much more important than that of Jiangnan.

No matter how you look at it, the harassment of thousands of Japanese pirates cannot be more harmful than the Mongolian Tatars with hundreds of thousands of string control people.

In the following time, King Yu kept asking about the officials who opposed shipping to Jiliao and wanted to know the reasons.

Imperial officials would never object to this matter without reason.

In this case, of course, we need to get to the bottom of the casserole and figure out the ins and outs, so that we can have a clear understanding and make choices on shipping issues.

Naturally, with the presence of Yin Shizhen, King Yu knew that all officials in the Shandong government and the entire water transport system were opposed to shipping.

Next, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng explained in detail why they opposed shipping.

The Shandong government just wanted to reduce trouble for itself, while water transportation was to reduce competitors and eliminate the enemy in its bud.

"Listen to what you said, water transportation is related to the safety of the world. If water ships are changed into sea ships, the livelihood of the people along the river will really be in big trouble."

After Wei Guangde explained the negative impact that sea transportation would have on the people along the river after replacing water transportation, King Yu also fell silent.

He is not stupid either. With the explanations from people like Gao Gong and Chen Yiqin, he naturally knows that the matter is of great importance.

At the beginning, under the guidance of Wei Guangde, especially after several years of implementation of maritime transportation in Jiliao, it was obvious that the safety of sea-going ships was still very high. It was not as unbearable as those people said. Going to sea was extremely risky and the ship was destroyed at every turn. People die.

Businessmen in Liaodong are not fools. If shipping is really that dangerous, will they actively develop it?

They will lose all their underwear.

Although shipping is economical and saves time, there are also dangers, and it is a major matter for the country.

"They are worried that more officials in the imperial court will see the Liao Ship Shipping incident, and they will choose to support shipping instead of water transportation, which will affect their interests. There are more than 100,000 canal troops and hundreds of thousands of people's livelihood. It is really not good. It’s a trade-off.”

King Yu finally had to sigh.

This force is incredible, hundreds of thousands of people.

Even if more than 100,000 soldiers were transferred to sailing ships, what would the people do?

"Actually, even if sea transportation will eventually replace water transportation, it will not happen overnight. It is absolutely impossible in ten or twenty years."

Of course Wei Guangde didn't want to leave the impression that King Yu couldn't leave the water transport, so he spoke.

You know, although water transportation can feed countless people, the entire water transportation system is a huge leech that is constantly sucking blood. Rather than maintaining stability for the empire, it is better to say that it is sucking the nutrients of the Ming Dynasty to nourish those bureaucrats. It is the vitality of Ming Dynasty's development.

"Having said that, after all, many people's livelihoods will be affected."

In King Yu's view, as a royal family, he naturally cannot ignore the life and death of his people.

Even if Wei Guangde said that no matter how many advantages of shipping, it could not offset the lives and deaths of the people.

In fact, if he was asked to make a choice, he would rather maintain the current situation and let those people continue to rely on the Grand Canal to suck blood and make money. At least the people can survive.

"Your Highness, you are actually worrying too much."

Seeing the change in King Yu's expression, Wei Guangde naturally knew that this would not work, so he continued: "As the saying goes, when people go to higher places, water flows to lower places.

The people along the river did not rely on the Grand Canal to make a living from the beginning, but gradually developed from generation to generation.

The Grand Canal once connected the north and the south, but after all it was unable to meet the needs of transportation between the north and the south of the Ming Dynasty. Every year, countless ships were congested and unable to move at the various gates.

If things continue like this, goods from the north and south of China will not be transported in time, and more people's livelihoods will be affected.

Moreover, I think that the development of maritime transportation does not require the court to stop water transportation, but that the merchants themselves develop coastal ports for their own use.

As for the original people along the river, they may continue to make a living on the Cao River, or they may go to the ports to make a living.

In fact, what the imperial court had to do was to allocate part of the grain to travel by sea, and then gradually adjust the proportion of water transportation and sea transportation year by year.

The imperial court could even issue a decree to only allow grain transportation by sea and leave the canal to civilian ships, which would be good governance for the people. "

"Huh?"

King Yu did not express his position, but Zhang Juzheng on the side became interested.