After the Lord Protector finished speaking, he raised his teacup and continued to drink Pu'er. The guards came forward to fill the teacups in front of everyone, and then retreated.
No one said anything, Yang Hao, Kang Yingqian and both of them looked at each other angrily.
Sun Chuanting coughed lightly, stood up first, saluted the Lord Protector, and said slowly:
"Xiaguan traveled to Shanxi and Shaanxi in his early years. Refugees in Shanxi and Shaanxi have existed for a long time. However, during the Jiajing and Wanli periods, there was no such commotion. Nowadays, there are many polices in the north and south, and grass is everywhere. She Chongming was executed just now, and the southwest is undecided, and Shaanxi is rising again. I heard that the White Lotus Sect in Yunyang, Huguang, is also showing signs of resurgence. If we ignore Shaanxi and allow it to become powerful, the thieves will inevitably implicate all provinces..."
Ma Shiying sat next to Kang Yingqian. Before Sun Chuanting could finish speaking, he stood up and interrupted:
"Sun Xun's words are too alarmist, aren't they? Why involve the provinces and just a few thieves? Can they break through Tongguan in the east and flee to Henan? Or should they break through Wuguan in the south and flee to Huguang? Could it be that they should go north to attack Mongolia? Hahaha! Now! The autumn harvest is around the corner, and when the fields are harvested, the refugees will naturally retreat, so why bother to mobilize troops?"
Yang Hao snorted lightly, showing a disdainful expression.
Kang Yingqian, on the other hand, kept his expression unchanged and listened to Ma Shiying continue.
"Duke Protector, I usually greet you and send you off to my subordinates. I know a little bit about the situation in Shaanxi. As Yang Shoufu said, officials in Qin have low moral standards and cannot be trusted. There has been a long history of collusion between officials and bandits." Although I know very little about marching in the army, I still know the reason why the end of a strong crossbow cannot wear Lu Guan. The Kaiyuan Army has been fighting fiercely for half a year. Now the soldiers are exhausted and urgently need rest. The new army is also unable to fight. It is better not to go to Shaanxi through this muddy water. It flows well!"
Sun Chuanting smiled coldly and retorted loudly:
"Ma Zhizhou has been an official for many years, but he actually utters such sleepy words, which makes me surprised! When thieves come, they are like locusts crossing the border. They burn, kill and loot. They destroy villages, burn down acres of land, and force good people to become thieves. Even if the people are lucky Escaped, with no livelihood, no permanent property, no perseverance, and finally had to join the bandits. So they became cannon fodder for the bandits to attack the city, and finally it snowballed. The refugees in Jingxiang rebelled during the Chenghua period, and Tang Saier rebelled during the Yongle period. It’s all like that.”
"If we abandon Shaanxi, surrender the people to the bandits, encourage the bandits, and lose their hearts, we will not be able to defend it even if there are natural dangers in Tongguan and Wuguan. Does Ma Zhizhou really not know these truths?"
Sun Chuanting looked upright and looked back at the Protector.
"Therefore, I believe that Qin must be rescued. If we sit back and watch the rebels cross Tongguan, the Central Plains will be in danger. If we then encircle them from all sides, the price will be even greater. Therefore, we should send troops to rescue immediately. Not only that, but also I want the Protector of the State to personally lead an army to Shaanxi, use lions to fight rabbits, sweep away the rebels, and kill them all. This can not only win the hearts of the people, but also deter Xiaoxiao, and prevent the surrounding grassy people from being disobedient."
Liu Zhaosun nodded slightly and waved his hand to Sun Chuanting to sit down.
Sun Chuanting's statement was actually expected by the Protector.
Since the last attack in Hetuala, his thinking of killing people has somewhat restrained, but now it seems that he has not fundamentally changed.
Ma Shiying had nothing to do with Sun Chuanting on weekdays, but seeing him humiliating her in public like this, she immediately said angrily:
"Send troops? What to send troops? I'm afraid it's just talk on paper. The capital still has troops to fight at the moment? Could it be that regardless of safety, the city defenders were transferred to Shaanxi. It should be noted that Shaanxi is far away. Our relationship with the Xuanfu and Datong armies, you Don’t you know? The situation is already like fire and water. Could it be that Sun Xun wanted to ask the border troops for supplies? Now that the Lord Protector has recovered from his serious illness and has finally been recuperating for a month, you want to incite the Lord Protector to go on an expedition. Do you think Can the Protector's body be tortured any more? For his own selfishness, he is so heartless and crazy! Do you still have your conscience?"
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became tense, and Xie Guangkun Senti quickly smoothed things over.
Dongguan Zai said with a smile on his face: "Everyone, please don't hurt your friendship. The Lord Protector just said that we are just discussing whether to send troops..."
Xie Yang also said: "Whether we send troops or not, the civil affairs will give full support. There are more than a dozen branches of shops in Shaanxi, although they have all been robbed by thieves now."
Kang Yingqian and Yang Hao looked at each other, obviously not listening to what the civil affairs officer and training officer were saying.
Kang Yingqian stood up and saluted the Protector, glanced at Yang Hao, and said slowly:
"According to what Sun Xun just said, using a lion to fight a rabbit, striking with all his strength, can eliminate great harm to Wei Meng. This is indeed what he said to seek the country. I also agree with it."
As soon as Kang Yingqian said this, several people around him were shocked. Liu Zhaosun's eyes changed slightly, and his eyes tightened, staring closely at the old cunning man.
"Your Majesty still agrees with Ma Zhizhou's suggestion and won't send troops for the time being. Why? Just because the Ming Dynasty is not the Sui Dynasty, the Protector is not Yang Guang, and he cannot imitate Yang Guang. The Protector's soldiers and horses are strong, sitting in the west and east of Liaoning, and occupying the Japanese country of Korea in the east. , controlling all Mongolian tribes in the west, Shandong in the south, and reaching Kuyi Island in the north. There are 50,000 elite soldiers and fierce generals like clouds. No one dares to disobey an order. However, there are too many cities and numerous checkpoints, and it is difficult to even have millions of soldiers. To continue.”
Everyone looked up at Kang Yingqian. When Liu Zhaosun heard this, he already knew what Lao Kang was going to say next, so he didn't take it seriously and just lowered his head and continued drinking tea.
"I heard that because the Twelfth Army of Shandong Province has not yet been fully trained, there are only thirty soldiers guarding Wendeng County. Wendeng is an important place in Dengzhou. Last year, there were 1,200 soldiers left behind. This year, all the soldiers have been transferred to the Japanese state. This is the case with North Korea and Wendeng, and other counties can be imagined. If the White Lotus Sect causes chaos again, how will Shandong respond?"
"Now that the recruitment of troops in the North has reached its limit, the entire Kaiyuan Army is like a taut bowstring. If it breaks in one place, it will collapse completely. If the thieves from Shaanxi flow into Shanxi, will they be strangled? If they flow into Huguang? Will there be more troops? How many more troops will there be? Soldiers can be adjusted.”
Everyone was silent, and Sun Chuanting was speechless for a moment.
At this time Yang Hao suddenly said:
"How come there are no soldiers to lose? Jizhen is full of Gui, and he has a close relationship with the protector of the country. Could it be that Kang Supervisor has forgotten this person?"
Kang Yingqian laughed.
"Mangui is a barbarian! Yang Ge Lao wants him to enter Shaanxi, but he is afraid that he will not quench his thirst by drinking poison. I don't need to say more about the military discipline of Jizhen. During the Wanli Dynasty, they were the ones who had the most mutinies in the nine sides! Besides, Shaanxi has no supplies for guest troops. , let Ji Zhen go grab food from the Kaiyuan Army?"
"This is another example of the ignorance and fearlessness of Kang's supervisory army. Fortunately, you are really a supervisor. We know that most of Mangui's men are Mongolian horsemen. The supply of horsemen is very different from that of infantry. A Mongolian rider can ride three horses per person, and the round trip can take five hundred Li, without consuming a grain of rice along the way."
········
The two sides are at war with each other, refusing to give in.
Military generals such as Deng Changxiong, Wang Erhu, and Wang Zengbin remained silent and did not join the fight between civilian officials.
Liu Zhaosun glanced at everyone and signaled Kang Yingqian and Yang Hao to calm down a little.
As a superior, he did not express his position immediately, but calmly said:
"I know what you all mean. Kang Jianjun advocated not sending troops, Yang Ge Lao advocated sending troops, Qiao Jianjun, what do you think?"
Liu Zhaosun raised his head and looked at Qiao Yiqi.
Qiao Yiqi couldn't hold it back for a long time and blurted out:
"Not to mention Shaanxi, officials in Shanxi and Henan have always been aloof from us and adopted a bystander attitude. At present, there are too few people in the capital, only a thousand people. If we go to Shaanxi, once it is defeated, Shanxi and Henan will also change. They think that we can open the way. Bullying, besides, the capital is not spreading rumors that the protector of the country will be appointed soon..."
Qiao Yiqi immediately stopped talking.
Everyone was silent, not daring to look up to see Liu Zhaosun's reaction.
I don’t know how much time passed, but I heard the Duke Protector sigh, and said calmly:
"That's right, the fortune teller said that this officer has done a lot of killing, and his life is to kill the Ziwei star. The soul is not gathered, and the jackal's heart is like a wolf. This is the sign of premature death."
"The soldiers and horses are still in disgrace. The old ailments have not been healed. They are anxious, angry, resentful, and have accumulated injuries."
"So, I can't afford it, so I can only make a quick decision. I think Zhang Jiangling's reform took ten years to achieve results. Today is different from the past. Ten years of reform is not enough, and I'm afraid I don't have ten years yet." ·····”
After hearing this, all the confidants looked at each other with horror on their faces.
Sun Chuanting whispered:
"May I ask which fortune teller gave the Lord Protector the fortune?"
Liu Zhaosun didn't expect him to ask this question. He thought for a while and then said:
"I went with Mrs. Gaoming. Unbeknownst to others, there was a blind old man outside Zuo'an Gate. His surname was Ke, and the name on his cover was Ke Banxian."
"Ke Banxian?"
Sun Chuanting and Shen Lian looked at each other and laughed:
"Duke Guo Guo, you don't know something. This blind man has done the calculations for both Magistrate Yuan and Song Yingxing. He said that Magistrate Yuan defeated the Liao Dynasty in five years. He also said that Magistrate Yuan would have a bloody disaster within three years. He was executed by the emperor at Ling Chi, and his flesh was all destroyed. The people cut it and ate it.”
When the Protector heard what Sun Chuanting said, he immediately became interested. He had no idea about this before.
It seems that this old blind man's fortune telling is also very accurate, but he was born in the wrong plane. If he were in another world, he would be a divine fortune teller.
Shen Lian added:
"That was four years ago, that is, forty-seven years of Wanli. At that time, Master Yuan had just finished the examination and was about to return to his hometown. His way was blocked by thousands of eunuchs who wanted to enter the palace, so he came to see Ke Xiazi. Tell him his fortune. Blind Ke is just an old vegetable farmer. Several of his sons died in Liaodong, so he came out to tell fortunes randomly. He also told Song Yingxing, saying that Song Zhizhou was rich and powerful, and he was a very popular minister, just because Song Yingxing gave him five Copper coins·······”
Pei Dahu said angrily:
"This old guy is so brave and has a vicious mouth. He dared to deceive the Lord Protector. We will capture him tomorrow."
Liu Zhaosun laughed. Song Yingxing was about to go to Siberia to dig potatoes. He didn't look like a very popular minister.
Yang Hao winked at Pei Dahu, and Pei Dahu quickly said:
"Don't worry too much, Lord Protector. Doctor Wu and Medical Officer Song have both said that the ancient prescriptions in the "Huangdi Neijing" they prescribed this time can cure the disease. It only takes two courses of treatment and the old disease will be cured."
~~~~~~
Everyone kept talking to each other.
Liu Zhaosun had long been mentally prepared for disagreements among his subordinates. He could figure it out as long as he considered the issue from everyone's standpoint.
As long as everything goes well and Zhang Yan continues to serve the Lord Protector, Kang Yingqian will definitely be a powerful figure in the new dynasty, or at least a noble figure in the future.
And this time during the Western Expedition to Shaanxi, if there were any accidents or other changes, Kang Yingqian's forbearance and sacrifice over the years would be in vain as a wedding dress for others.
Yang Hao, on the other hand, is based on the long term. He has been an official in Shaanxi and knows the local situation. Shaanxi must not let it go. Otherwise, once the thieves move to the Central Plains, his son-in-law will really become emperor and he will face the dilemma of war everywhere.
Moreover, from a selfish point of view, he had a close friendship with Wu Zhiwang. At the critical moment, he still wanted to protect his old friend. According to the method that Kang Yingqian sent the Jin Yiwei to arrest people, Wu Zhiwang would definitely not survive.
Liu Zhaosun looked up at Deng Changxiong. The military representatives had not spoken. It was time to listen to their opinions.
"Old Deng, how many troops can be dispatched now?"
Deng Changxiong had already thought of this problem, and quickly took out a pamphlet from his arms and said to it:
"Returning to protect the Duke, except for the First Guards Army, the main forces of other departments are stationed in all directions to defend or suppress potential enemies. The only ones that the capital can mobilize are the Ninth Army and the Tenth Army, but these two new armies They have just been trained and have no actual combat experience, and they are still being retained to help guard the capital. The navy is still recovering, and the cavalry battalion has just returned from Mongolia, and there are quite a lot of troops..."
The Lord Protector waved his hand and interrupted his subordinates:
"Don't be nagging, just tell me directly, how many people are there?"
Deng Changxiong put down the pamphlet and replied loudly:
"One thousand veterans, four thousand new soldiers, one thousand cavalry, and five hundred artillery can be mobilized. Artillery is not counted. The number of auxiliary troops is insufficient, only one thousand."
Liu Zhaosun nodded with satisfaction.
"Eight thousand Kaiyuan troops defeated 100,000 bandits and rebels. That's enough."
When Kang Yingqian saw that Liu Zhaosun wanted to fight in person again, he couldn't bear it anymore and immediately retorted loudly:
"Eight thousand soldiers, most of them new soldiers, with insufficient food and grass, and friendly forces adding insult to injury, spread out to more than a dozen prefectures and counties in Shaanxi to fight 100,000 rogues, including tens of thousands of Yansui border troops. Kaiyuan soldiers smashed in and splashed water. I'm sorry, Liu Zhaosun, if you insist on going your own way again, don't blame me..."
Everyone stared at Kang Yingqian blankly. Everyone was shocked by his arrogance. No one had ever dared to talk to Liu Zhaosun like this. Everyone began to sweat for Kang Yingqian.
Even Kang Yingqian felt that he had made a mistake and stood there at a loss.
Yang Hao turned around and whispered a few words to Sun Chuanting, who immediately opened his mouth and gave Kang Yingqian a stabbing blow.
"Kang Supervisor, what will you do if the Lord Protector goes on an expedition? You must be the one who spread those rumors in the capital? Madam Zhang has not left the little lord alone, so you are so anxious to become a lonely and important minister?"
Kang Yingqian shouted loudly:
"Stop spewing blood! You are the traitors. Shaanxi is a land of tigers and wolves, and you insist on forcing the Lord Protector to take risks, Sun Chuanting! Do you think that serving as an official in the capital is too small, and you want to return to Shanxi to become a vassal king!"
With a clang, the Yanling sword was unsheathed, and the sword was raised and dropped. Most of the teacup was cut off, revealing the reddish-brown Pu'er.
There was silence all around.
"Wu Xiao."
Liu Zhaosun raised his head and looked at the guard Wu Xiao who was standing silently in the corner.
In a meeting of this level, guards like Wu Xiaolin Yu certainly don't need to speak.
"Why don't your family come to the capital?"
Everyone followed the sound and saw Wu Xiao slowly raising his head, his eyes already reddish.
"Return, return to protect the country."
Wu Xiao, who was tall and tall, was mumbling. As soon as he opened his mouth, tears started flowing out.
Only then did everyone remember that he was from Sanyuan, Shaanxi.
"My father sent a letter to me last year, saying that I was treacherous and associated with thieves. He refused to recognize me as a rebellious son and severed all relations. The Wu family tree has been cancelled."
After Kaiyuan gradually rose to prominence in the past two years, all the confidants under the Protector's command and those who had family members in the pass were taken to Liaodong.
It's just that Wu Xiao is still independent. Liu Zhaosun asked him several times in private, but he was always put off.
I didn't expect this to be the case.
It seems that the Wu family has a strict family tradition. When Kaiyuan's army entered Guanjing, they considered it a treason. The so-called rebellious ministers and traitors were punished by everyone.
The Protector sighed and was about to say something when Wu Xiao suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, and the ground was soon covered with blood.
"I beg the Lord Protector to send troops to save the people of Qin and save my parents and brothers!"
The two sides who were incompatible with each other suddenly stopped talking and stared blankly at the guard who was removed from the family tree, the former Miyuan Ranger.
Liu Zhaosun stepped forward to help Wu Xiao up, wiped the blood on his forehead with his sleeves, turned back to Yang Hao and Kang Yingqian and said:
"Everyone has a heart of innocence, Wu Xiao, pure filial piety. Love his parents and give to the people of Qin. "Poetry" says: 'A filial son is not lacking, and he will live forever.' Is this what it means? I can open the original army. The reason why we can fight a hundred battles without danger is because of the will of the people. It is our duty to save the people of Qin. If you have different intentions, you are not one of my people. If you are not my people, you are my enemy!"
When Qiao Yiqi saw Liu Zhaosun acting like this, regardless of life and death, he sternly advised:
"Duke Protector, today is different from the past. In the past, on the Sarhuhun River, the Kaiyuan force was weak. He often broke the cauldron and sank the boat, and gambled with the slaves. He was forced to have no choice. Now the Protector is the pillar of the Ming Dynasty, with millions of people. The men and horses rely on their noses to breathe. The chaos in Shaanxi is not a problem at the elbow and armpits. It will not threaten the capital for a year and a half. The protector of the country will work hard on the expedition. If the old disease relapses and the Hetuala incident happens again, the Liao and Tokyo divisions will be bleeding like rivers. What will happen? "
The Protector grabbed the Yanling knife.
Wu Xiao and Pei Dahu quickly stepped forward to stop him, while Yang Hao stood in front of Qiao Yiqi.
Liu Zhaosun sheathed his sword.
Mr. Qiao, who has been following him all this time, has more gray hair on his temples.
"Qiao Jianjun, don't worry, you don't need to sweep the entire territory of Shaanxi this time. In that case, even a hundred thousand troops will not be enough. You just need to find a way to fight the bandits and kill a few big bandits at the right time. I will not only wipe out the bandits, but also We should take this as an opportunity to implement the New Deal in Shaanxi."
"Transmit the order from my general."
Everyone stood up together, waiting for the Lord Protector to issue an order.
"Three days later, Deng Changxiong led the remnants of the First and Second Guards Corps, and Wang Zengbin's cavalry regiment set out from the capital. In coordination with the civil affairs and workshops, 80 guards were transferred from his own guards to accompany the army and entered Shaanxi. After that, all guards must obey Wu Xiao’s dispatch.”
His eyes fell on his father-in-law Yang Hao and others, and then added:
"I am stationed in the capital, coordinating the arrangements of all parties. The day when the Western Expeditionary Army returns home will be the beginning of the New Deal!"
When Liu Zhaosun said this, he suddenly remembered something, turned around and said to Shen Lian:
"Shen Lian, from now on, you must closely monitor the movements of the imperial censors in the capital and search for evidence of their various crimes. The first article of the new policy is to abolish these censors."
The Protector of the Country did more thoroughly than Zhang Juzheng.
