Chapter 206 People who are greedy for life and afraid of death
Xu Hongji stared into Chen Cao's eyes, and then said: "Maybe the court is too anxious."
The mentality of nouveau riche is the same. Whoever has money will not work hard...
"I didn't realize it." Chen Cao shook his head: "I paid for the military expenses, no problem, but sir, the military strength of the slaves is no longer what it used to be. After they conquered North Korea, they have made huge achievements in armaments. Changes, and no less than a few Han people in Liaodong have been taken captive in recent years;
Once the official army enters Liaodong, logistics will be a big problem. If I were a slave, I would only need to use mobile cavalry to quickly cut off the official army's food route, and the outcome of this battle would have been determined;
In addition, Jiannu has 80,000 cavalry, and the official army is basically infantry. Some guards also carry heavy general cannons or a small number of red barbarian cannons. The Jiannu chosen are smart and have learned how to do it. They used artillery fire against us;
The officers and soldiers are afraid of the enemy like tigers. After suffering a blow, the whole army will inevitably be defeated..."
"Even if you don't go out, you are still very well-informed about Yaozhong..."
Xu Hongji said with a sense of ridicule, but Chen Cao didn't care at all: "Master, don't forget, there is a lady in my family who was born in Longhu Mountain..."
"Hahaha..." Xu Hongji naturally didn't believe it. After laughing, he became serious: "The imperial court is determined to send troops again. This time it has invested a lot of money. It is prepared to send 100,000 troops to take back Chuansha Castle and other places, and cut off Jiannu's westward march;
The will is still clear, and the court still allows you to lead the troops. "
Chen Cao leaned back, then shook his head with a smile: "Master, I have already handed in my resignation. Not only did I lose my official position of Jinyiwei, but I also lost my title of Commander-in-Chief of the Dingwu Army. Now I am just a supervisor." The governor of Songjiang in Shanghai County is an empty official. The court will never let a county magistrate lead troops in the war, right? Is there no one available in the court?"
This was a very ridiculing statement, and it was clearly dissatisfaction with the emperor. How could Xu Hongji not know this, so he had a comforting expression on his face: "Yao Zhong, I don't dare to disobey His Majesty's will..."
"Everyone knows that I, Chen Cao, am greedy and fearful of death. At worst, the court will deprive me of the title of Duke of the Kingdom. If you are still not satisfied, you can also remove me as the governor of Songjiang. "
Chen Cao looked like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water: "Now that my family has a great business, I don't dare to die. The family is full of beautiful wives and concubines. If they die on the battlefield, then what will happen to this large group of orphans and widowed mothers?" Someone else’s person?”
Xu Hongji's head suddenly became heavy. He had thought of this consequence before he came, so he did not let the messenger come. Instead, he came to persuade Chen Cao in person: "Yiaozhong, national affairs are the most important thing... If you If you refuse to resist the decree, it will not be a matter of dismissal from office."
"Young Master, what you said makes sense..." Chen Cao nodded acquiescingly: "But Young Master, if the government needs to do its work, use it as hard as you can, and it's not an exaggeration to kill those who don't need it. I, Chen Cao, can't do it now." Is that the donkey?”
Xu Hongji laughed dryly, and then said: "I can't deceive you Yaozhong, but the country is very critical now. You have to show your abilities as a warrior in this kind of thing."
Chen Cao's eyes were darting around, and anyone with a discerning eye would know at a glance that this guy must be thinking of bad ideas: "Master, what do you say about His Majesty's decree?"
"Give me back your official position as the Commander-in-Chief of the Dingwu Army, and add the title of Commander-in-Chief of Nanzhen Fusi, so that you, Duke Liang, can once again be governor of the Southern Army and march north to conquer the Jin Dynasty."
Naturally, the Ming Dynasty would not recognize the Jin Kingdom as a slave. Such words were said in private.
Chen Cao asked again: "How much does it cost?"
"The salary is ten million taels..."
After listening to Xu Hongji's words, Chen Cao lowered his head and laughed, then stood up and looked at Xu Hongji: "Master, I know your identity now. Chen Cao respects Master, so I also ask the last sentence...
Can the imperial court afford ten million taels? Ten million taels, the court must consider the consequences of using this money..."
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"Congratulations, sir, congratulations, sir," Zhao Xin's news came quickly, but he still said congratulations first after seeing Chen Cao.
Before Zhao Xin arrived, the major lords and officials of Jinling who did not dare to come to Duke Liang's residence because of the wind direction came to congratulate him. Duke Liang had regained the official position of commander-in-chief of the Dingwu Army and was going north to attack Jin again.
Chen Cao tapped his hands on the desk and looked at Xin Zhao with interest: "Thirteen million taels of silver bought me the virtual title of Chief Soldier and Nan Division. Zhao Xin, do you think it's worth it?" ?”
"so much?"
When Zhao Xin learned from Chen Cao that so much money had been spent to buy an official position, he was so surprised that he couldn't open his mouth from ear to ear: "Master, are these people evil-minded?"
"Wei Eunuch wants to help the emperor drain all my money from me, and then he can kill the donkey..."
Chen Cao smiled and sighed: "I asked the Duke of Wei when he was escorting the money away, do you think the court can rest assured with these thirteen million taels of silver..."
Thirteen million... Wei Zhongxian only embezzled four million taels when he was in charge of the Beijing Procuratorate in the capital. "
Only then did Zhao Xin hand over his hand: "Master, are you going to take action?"
"I'm not busy..." Chen Cao stood up and wandered around in front of the map: "It's a little bit uncertain to capture Nanjing City. Song Che is still in the Japanese country, and we don't have many soldiers at our disposal."
Xin Zhao raised his eyebrows: "My lord, have you forgotten the troops at the guard station?"
Only after being reminded like this did Chen Cao remember that he had laid so many foreshadowings, and he immediately stared at the map of South Zhili: "Pang Zhihuan's Yangzhou Guard, Wang Bubu's Songjiang Guard, Lin Guodong's Guanhai Guard, and the Hangzhou General Kang rate...
I forgot that there are still so many people here..."
"Yes, sir, if you raise your arms, maybe Nanzhili will fall. Think about it, the lords who followed Lan Yu when he rebelled were quite a lot..."
Xin Zhao was a little anxious. He had long wanted to be the Duke of the country.
Chen Cao thought for a while and shook his head: "It still won't work. The combined garrison forces of South Zhili can crush us;
Moreover, there are still about 100,000 troops in the Nanjing camp. These people are all in the hands of those lords. 600,000 people are not a small number. "
"Master, you think too highly of these people..."
Xin Zhao laughed, and then said with a look of disdain: "Even the current Nanjing right guard can beat up those Beijing troops. If the casualties suddenly increase, 100,000 people will be defeated in just one night."
Aren't most of the troops organized by Sun Chuanting in later generations still the garrison troops of South Zhili?
Chen Cao thought about it for a moment, and then said: "Xin Zhao, there are only you and me here today. There is a secret that I want to tell you. You can verify it for me when the time comes;"
Zhao Xin looked serious, and Chen Cao continued: "A few days ago, Zhang Ru was watching the sky at night and saw the Ziwei star moving strangely, hanging in the sky in the far west..."
The Ziwei star generally symbolizes the emperor, and the emperor's position is always in the north. Now it is in the extreme west. Isn't that the bliss of the afterlife?
Xin Zhao's brows trembled, and then he said urgently: "Young master, do you mean that the one in the north has an ominous sign this year?"
Chen Cao nodded seriously: "You and I have seen Zhang Ru's abilities. Zhang Tianshi's lineage has never made any mistakes in observing the sky. Zhao Xin, this is why I am willing to invest 13 million to let them beat me. .”
"My lord, you are so smart..." Xin Zhao said with admiration: "If something happens in the north, we have a lot of troops in our hands and we are not afraid of being liquidated..."
Chen Cao naturally has to put his own safety as the first guarantee, otherwise he would not spend so much money to do some unnecessary things.
"Xin Zhao, find a way to get this map into Wan Qing's hands."
Zhao Xin has seen this map, which is the military defense map of the Ming Dynasty in the north.
"Tell Wan Qing that this picture must be sent to Huang Taiji..."
In the famous invasion in the second year of Chongzhen, the Manchu and Qing dynasties entered the pass from Xifengkou and looted all the way to Shandong. They entered an uninhabited country. They relied on the help of the eight imperial merchants at that time to obtain the defense map of Shanxi.
"My lord, by doing this, won't we be exposed?" Zhao Xin looked worried: "If Jiannu is trying to do something counterintuitive, the court will never let us go."
"Tell Wan Qing that the defense map was obtained from a Shanxi businessman."
Xin Zhao rolled up the map and put it away, then nodded: "My subordinates will definitely do it thoroughly, but sir, what if Wan Qing doesn't do it?"
Chen Cao's face darkened: "Don't forget, his family is still in our hands."
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When Chen Cao returned to the Dingwu Army camp, he received enthusiastic support, but the civilian supervisor of the army was replaced by a civilian official, and Wu Chun did not show up.
Even so, those generals almost threw Chen Cao into the air as if they had seen their savior.
"My lord, you don't know that since my lord was dismissed, those officials have lowered our salary. However, the general knows that my lord will come back sooner or later, and he doesn't dare to let his subordinates The soldiers stopped training and still drilled for four hours every day."
Tang Kainian said cheerfully, Chen Cao nodded with satisfaction, and then patted his shoulder: "You are a promising person. I will remember your merits and I will definitely make you rich in the future."
"Thank you, Mr. General..."
Chen Cao walked into the tent, looked at the haggard Sun Chuanting, then approached him and asked in a low voice: "Has Boya been doing a lot of ideological struggle in recent days?"
Sun Chuanting was a little thin, but when he learned that Chen Cao had regained control of the Dingwu Army, he knew that he had boarded a big pirate ship: "How are you doing, sir?"
Chen Cao looked at Lu Xiangsheng on the side again. After the ceremony, Lu Xiangsheng became stronger and stronger. At a glance, he knew that he had completely transformed from a civil servant to a military general.
"Jiandou, your health is getting better and better..."
Lu Xiangsheng laughed and clasped his fists: "Young master, you are joking..."
"My lord, after taking charge of the army this time, will the military power never be let go again?"
Chen Cao looked at Sun Chuanting with great interest: "Bo Ya, a powerful empire must be supported by strong military capabilities. Although our Ming Dynasty wears millions of armors,...
The refugees in Shaanxi have been rebelling for so many years, but the millions of troops seem to have had no effect. "
