The Great Wall built by the Qin Dynasty was stronger than iron, and the soldiers did not dare to cross Lintao.

As a dangerous pass, most of the sections of the Great Wall are built against mountains, making them ideal for overlooking.

Whether it is Yingbao City, Guancheng, enemy towers, piers, or even the pass called Xifengkou under Qi Jiguang, he can see very far.

The wall of Xifengkou is five feet high, three feet wide and one hundred feet long. It is made of stones stacked from the inside to the outside. In the center there is a one or two foot high tower called Wangri Tower.

Qi Jiguang stood in front of Wangri Tower, stroking a metal copper pipe in his hand, and repeatedly placed it in front of his eyes, directly facing his right eye, as if he was peering into the pipe.

Soldiers patrolling nearby.

A scout sentry cruising not far away.

The rolling Yanshan Mountains are covered with heavy snow.

As far as the eye can see... there is a vast expanse outside the Great Wall.

The already broad field of vision can actually be seen further when peeking into the tube!

What a good thing.

Qi Jiguang put down the telescope and put it in his hand, then rolled up a piece of cloth and wiped it, looking like he couldn't put it down.

He is not old, only forty-six years old, but his face looks a bit vicissitudes of life.

Fortunately, even though he has been in the military for many years, his figure has not been assimilated into a burly figure. Apart from his tanned skin, his facial features are upright and his manners are measured, making him look quite Confucian.

At this time, a burly general, wearing a strong sword and wearing a cold wind and a chilling air, walked up to Qi Jiguang.

The four guards turned sideways and gave way to each other. The visitor leaned over and bowed: "Qi Shuai, I asked the sentinels to explore the area, but they didn't even smell the smell of Tatars. They ran really damn fast."

When Qi Jiguang heard this, he seemed to have expected it and didn't say anything.

I picked up the telescope again and looked outside the fortress, and happened to see three or five sentries returning, heading towards the pass together.

While watching, he said: "These days, Dong Huxu has been visiting the leaders of various tribes of Tuman Khan, Chi Laohai, Huataiji, Sanghu, Tu Mei... I don't know how many people have been gathered."

"It's been snowing for the past two days. I'm afraid several troops have joined forces to explore the reality of our army."

"Not only at Xifengkou, but also at Qingshankou last night."

"Ready to make a move!"

The Duoyan Guards were sandwiched between the Tuman Khan and the Ming Dynasty. Their combat effectiveness was average, but they had an old skill in tangled up manpower and attracting bandits to invade.

This is also why it is said that "To defend Ji, we must pretend to belong to the barbarians and serve as sentinels; when the barbarians invade, we must pretend to belong to the barbarians and serve as local guides."

Last night, outside Xifeng Pass, people and horses were moving, as if there were enemies riding on horseback.

Fortunately, he was discovered by the defenders.

Wang Zhiyu, who had extensive experience in defense, immediately organized his troops to guard the pass, and was ready to go. He immediately sent a message to Ji Zhen.

Fortunately, everything was fine until dawn.

However, listening to Qi Jiguang's tone, it was obvious that he was not the only one who conveyed information about the enemy.

A look of regret appeared on Wang Zhiyu's face, and he rubbed his neck with his teeth bared: "I really don't know how to write the word "death."

"It's a pity that I was careful with you last night and didn't dare to kick him out, otherwise I might have caught my tongue."

The cavalry came and went like the wind. After a short delay, they disappeared without a trace.

This is also the reason why he dared to go to the Great Wall to spy.

If I check again at this time, of course I can't even smell it.

Qi Jiguang knew that this was a ruthless soldier speaking cruel words, and there were countless things he could do.

But he still told Wang Zhiyu again to strengthen his defenses and be more vigilant.

The latter quickly expressed his stance and resolutely implemented it, and was then sent back to rectify his armaments.

Qi Jiguang shook his head and led the adjutants and soldiers who followed Jizhen down the tower.

Zhang Gong, the deputy commander-in-chief of Jizhen who came with Qi Jiguang, said in a deep voice: "There have been three wars this year!"

"At the beginning of March, Chang'ang and Dong Hu of Duoyan Guard gathered tens of thousands of troops and knocked at the entrance of Xifeng Pass."

"In June, as soon as the assembled guest soldiers withdrew, the enemy took the opportunity to invade the entrance to the courtyard and the cave platform."

"In September, enemy news came again from Damao Mountain and Xiaohekou."

"Even in winter, there are still sentries and scouts."

“It’s almost impossible to nap!”

It was also during the battle in June that he, Zhang Gongcai, was awarded the rank of deputy commander because he "valiantly resisted the blockade and even prevented a cavalry from getting close."

It can be said that there have not been such frequent wars for several years since Ying Ke invaded the border area in the first year of Longqing.

Qi Jiguang shook his head: "This is not the case when the Yuan Dynasty is changed."

"If we guard against thieves for a thousand days, we can only stop them with troops."

Having said this, Deputy Commander Zhang Gong's expression changed.

After he signaled his soldiers to go further away, he whispered to Qi Jiguang in a rather sneaky voice: "Commander Qi, I heard that the Central Committee asked whether to send troops to Duoyan Guards. Governor Liu's memorial has been sent to Beijing today. What are we doing here?

explain?"

"Qi Shuai, anyway, my idea is that there is only a thousand days to be a thief, but there is no truth to a thousand days to guard against thieves."

The Governor Liu he refers to refers to Liu Yingjie, the Governor of Jiliao, who has an overview of Jiliao's military and political affairs.

Logically speaking, he is the immediate superior of all the officers and soldiers in Ji Liao.

But at the end of last year, for some unknown reason, the Central Committee inexplicably promoted Qi Jiguang to the rank of Zuo Governor, taking charge of Jizhou and overseeing military training in the four towns.

This governor is of course different from Liu Yingjie, the governor of Jiliao who was a scholar.

Liu Yingjie was a civil servant who was in charge of the military and political affairs of Jiliao.

As for Qi Jiguang, this is considered a special privilege and is still limited to the military.

As for the purpose of the Central Committee's doing this, it is even more clear - after the Central Committee specially awarded Qi Jiguang, he also explicitly ordered Liu Yingjie, the governor of Jiliao, to sit in Liaodong and supervise the military and administration of Jiliao.

This elevated Qi Jiguang in terms of status and prevented him from being too controlled by Liu Yingjie. In fact, it also divided Ji Liao into two people and separated them.

In other words, not to mention Liaodong, at least the military affairs in Jizhen are now led by Qi Jiguang in name only.

This unconventional method of promotion was obviously favored by someone in the central committee.

More obviously.

Now that the cabinet is planning whether to use troops against Duoyan Guard, it actually takes the initiative to send a letter to ask the military officials for their opinions!

This was really unexpected in the Ming Dynasty, which used culture to suppress military power.

However, precisely because of this, Governor Liu Yingjie inevitably felt conflicted.

Although they were wary of the "big man" behind Qi Jiguang, they would not embarrass Qi Jiguang in official matters.

But the face of Corporal Li Xian from before was no longer the same.

After receiving the letter from the Central Committee two days ago, Qi Jiguang was afraid that Ji Liao had different opinions and would be laughed at by outsiders, so he took the initiative to communicate with Governor Liu and prepared to unify the opinions and submit the report together.

Unexpectedly, Liu Yingjie didn't reply at all.

Not only that, today he sent the memorial directly into the capital without saying hello.

After hearing what Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Gong said, Qi Jiguang's worry flashed away.

He knew very well that in the Ming Dynasty, if military officials really wanted to make achievements, it would be impossible without relying on civil servants.

Even though he is frequently getting banned, Liu Yingjie has a lot of ways to control himself. Even if it is a bullet, he cannot resist it.

We still have to find a chance to repair the relationship.

Otherwise, it would be a lifetime regret to waste all your passion for serving the country for such a trivial matter.

Qi Jiguang's thoughts were slightly distracted.

But there was no sign of it on his face, he still looked like he was strategizing, signaling to Deputy Commander Zhang Gong to stay calm.

He pondered for a moment: "The situation of Duoyanwei... Since Governor Liu reported it alone, there should be no deviation from the truth. Let's just repay it according to the truth."

"As for sending troops you said..."

Speaking of this, Qi Jiguang shook his head: "The Mongol Khan is probably happy to see this."

Duoyanwei was not always the mortal enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Before the Gengxu Revolution, the leaders of the three guards, the governor, and other officials "paid tribute from Xifeng every year as usual."

This was probably because Duoyanwei was massacred and plundered by the Tuman Khans and had to surrender to the Ming Dynasty - "They were massacred and plundered every year, but they could not be attached to the outside world in the end."

In fact, because Duoyanwei was entrenched in a nomadic place, "the mountains stretch for thousands of miles, and the mountains are surrounded by rivers, which are naturally dangerous." It once became a natural barrier outside the Ming Dynasty to protect it from the Tuman Khan.

's attack.

Even after the Gengxu Rebellion, the Mongolian right-wing troops were stationed in Duoyanwei, but the Duoyanwei tribe was still conciliatory and unwilling to lead the way - "Since the Gengxu Rebellion, the Mongolians especially settled in the vicinity of the herdsmen and loved their wives.

The envoys know that the road is tortuous and the danger is not deep."
To be continued...