These past few days,
Under the command of Li Wenjin, Ma Fang, Wang Chonggu, and others, all combat preparations were proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Whenever they had a moment, they would study the sand table on the northern city wall, pushing this and that, sometimes arguing until their faces were red.
Zhu Mo merely offered a faint smile.
How many battles on the Ming Dynasty's Nine Garrisons had he seen online? Pushing and pulling, wasn't it all futile? Over two hundred years, had the Ming army won, or had the Tatars won? It was hard to say. As for those fortress defenses, he had long since grown weary of them.
To a great extent, the construction of the Xuanda defense line was always tied to the court's situation. From the entire evolution of Rao Yiyong's system, it could be seen that sometimes, matters of Xuanda even affected the court's thinking and direction. Some people just wanted the garrisons disbanded so they could rebuild from scratch. What could anyone do about that? It couldn't be stopped. And people like him, Zhu Mo, and Zhang Juzheng, wanted long-term peace, replacing military confrontation with economic control. In short, every generation's cabinet had its own ideas, and they all differed greatly.
For some years, the approach from the left had the upper hand, but after a few years, the approach from the right would resurface. This ebb and flow, back and forth, lasted for a hundred to two hundred years.
As he watched,
He felt rather bored and was about to go out for a walk when he saw a rider, a messenger, galloping towards them.
...
Everyone thought it was the latest military dispatch, but when they took it and looked, they were extremely surprised. This was actually a secret report sent specifically to Zhu Mo by Guo Qian, the Governor-General of the Three Borders!
Zhu Mo took a hasty glance and casually handed it to Li Wenjin. The letter stated that
Ge Jin, Governor-General of Xuanda, and Yang Bo, Governor-General of Jiliao, had successively withdrawn the garrison troops from the outer fortresses, involving a total of over forty thousand men. They were concentrated along the Juyong Pass and Gubeikou line, clearly to defend the capital.
Zhu Mo and the others had no secrets from each other, and everyone read it immediately. As soon as they finished, their expressions immediately became very solemn.
Ma Lu, being the most alert, cursed, "How could this happen? This is our defense line! The reason Anda's actions are so slow is precisely because of these outer garrisons! If this is the case, won't it play right into his hands?"
Li Wenjin also slapped the table with a bang and said,
"Look, from the Xuanfu side, the ones withdrawn are Gaoshan Guard, Huai'an Guard, Longmen Guard, Tiancheng Guard... How can these be withdrawn? They form a pincer formation with our thirteen garrisons in Datong! If they withdraw, what will we do? Won't we all be exposed?"
Damn it!
What a mess!
What kind of people are in the court?
Does Ge Jin understand anything?
What is going on?
Everyone immediately began to curse.
Zhu Mo snorted and said calmly, "How else could it be? Isn't this Yan Song's great gift to Anda..."
He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Just a moment ago, he was thinking that the fortresses were useless, and here was a living example – someone was directly opening the gate to invite the enemy in...
It was clear that Anda was unwilling to expend too much energy in the initial stages of the conflict, so he colluded with Yan Song. Yan Song, citing the Tumu Crisis and the Ouli Incident, argued that the defense of the capital was paramount, which was naturally the most plausible reason, and no one would dare to oppose it. But by doing so, they left the defenses wide open, giving Anda the opportunity to march straight in and bring his troops to the city gates.
In the final analysis, the Yan family prioritized factional interests over the nation. To eliminate Zhu Mo and stifle the reform movement in its cradle, they had broken through all bottom lines.
Zhu Mo did not feel surprised, but rather extremely saddened.
Why?
Why, just for leaning slightly towards the common people, would they be so hated? They would even join forces with enemies both inside and outside the borders?
Not only that, but upright officials and establishment figures like Zhang Juzheng and Yu Zhen also kept him at arm's length, showing no sense of justice! Yet, in normal times, they were all capable of moving him to tears.
Perhaps this was the deepest, most profound historical force. This force, even when facing a good person, could make their hearts harden to a terrifying degree, and they could abandon all moral principles. This was the most ruthless rule of the feudal bureaucracy.
As he thought,
Zhu Mo couldn't help but sigh and say, "With Yan Song's concession, Anda has probably reached Deshengbao... We can't just sit here and wait."
Wang Chonggu, being the most level-headed among them, realized something at this moment and said leisurely, "Why is the Governor-General of the Three Borders writing to young master Zhu? What is the meaning of this?"
Li Wenjin nodded and said gravely, "This is quite obvious. Guo Mengyang is also anxious... His Three Borders are our left flank. If we fall, he won't be at peace either..."
But Zhu Mo thought: You all think too highly of your colleagues. Who would offer help in times of need? There are plenty who would kick you when you're down... It's clear this is the Emperor's will, to have him keep an eye on things. If Datong really can't hold, then immediately mobilize troops to rescue. But facing Anda's eighty thousand cavalry, it wouldn't make much difference. If we want to succeed, we still have to rely on my original strategy...
...
In the afternoon,
Jiangnan, Hangzhou.
The sky was overcast.
Zhang Juzheng summoned Shen Shixing, Xu Xuemo, Gui Youguang, Pan Sheng, Zhang Siwei, Ma Ziqiang, and others from various regions. At this moment, in his private residence, everyone was chatting and laughing, a stark contrast to the northern desert landscape.
However, he was preoccupied and kept pacing back and forth in the hall. As a top figure in the Great Ming, his insight into the situation was more profound and agile than Yan Song's.
After receiving Zhu Mo's letter a few days prior, he understood the underlying meaning after reading it only once. Zhu Mo had explicitly asked him to state his position! It was no longer possible to play coy. Zhu Mo had stated it very directly: if he didn't stand with him now, he wouldn't be needed in the future.
But,
Was this an outburst of anger, or a genuine ultimatum?
Zhang Juzheng had thought about it for many nights. Several times, his thoughts had been very deep and far-reaching.
Ultimately, was Zhu Mo's reform truly necessary? In the past six months, had things improved or worsened? Why did his reform encounter such great resistance? Why did Yan Song display such determination and willpower to fight to the bitter end?
What force caused this?
Even though he was well-read in history, he couldn't recall any dynasty or era where such a thing had occurred. Perhaps the upright officials were right; Zhu Mo was truly a figure like Shang Yang or Wu Qi. What he wanted was to completely change the entire Great Ming? Even the millennia-old traditions?
But, is this really necessary?
That's right, he, Zhang Juzheng, also wanted to reform, but not like this! What he wanted was for the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, each to return to their positions and not oppress each other. At the same time, he wanted to clear land surveys and reduce the burden on farmers. If feasible, he would then reorganize industries in Jiangnan like silk, tea, and porcelain, and collect more revenue...
Enriching the country and strengthening the military, cultivating peace internally and externally – what Zhang Juzheng wanted to do was something that all famous prime ministers throughout history had done to some extent. Even if he incurred some criticism, it would only be for being tyrannical or a power-monger. How could he be cursed as a dog like Zhu Mo? Perhaps only Wei Yang from ancient times.
For the people, of course, it was for the people, but one couldn't neglect the officials... Which official, after generations of accumulation, could afford to study and then enter officialdom through the imperial examinations? Zhu Mo, by attacking the Yan faction so directly, had gone too far and naturally aroused suspicion from officials and gentry across the land.
Moreover, he wanted to implement industrialization and commercialization. If farmers became workshops, who would still farm? If no one farmed, what would the people of the world eat? Wouldn't those who couldn't transition to become workshops be forced to supply grain for the entire nation? Wouldn't that be even more arduous?
Zhang Juzheng did not doubt Zhu Mo at first and was even optimistic. However, seeing Yan Song go all out without regard for consequences, even colluding with foreign enemies to stop the reform, made him unable to help but consider the deeper reasons. Listening to the scolding from the gentry in various regions, he, Zhang Juzheng, was truly wavering this time.