…
In the previous chapter, Chongzi misremembered the previous settings. Wu Yingxiong was the governor of Jiliao, and the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan was Wu Shilin, the son of Wu Yingxiong. This has been revised. Please forgive me!
…
"Wang Shizhen, Fang Zhenshan, Linghu Guang, Song Dahe, Wu Shilin, Wu Yingxiong..."
As he muttered these names, He Yu's expression became a little solemn, and he couldn't help but fall into thinking.
In the third year after Emperor Deqing ascended the throne, he used the excuse that the border towns in Liaodong were focused on preventing the Jurchens in Jianzhou and had no time to take into account internal security, eradication of banditry, etc., so he set up a separate Liaodong regiment to train an army in Ningyuan, and also trained the Liaodong regiment. The general appointed him as the chief training officer of the Liaodong regiment.
You must know that in the Jiubian Military Town of the Ming Dynasty, only the top generals of the Jiubian Town and important passes such as Huamachiying and Shanhaiguan were qualified to hold the post of commander-in-chief, which was the highest military position outside the Beijing Army. .
This approach was obviously a check and balance method by Emperor Deqing, who wanted to weaken the influence and importance of Liaodong border towns.
It's a pity that Liaodong Town was already too big to lose at that time, and this kind of checks and balances could not reverse the situation.
What's more, in the eyes of all the generals in Liaodong Town, a mere Liaodong regiment can produce a commander-in-chief, who can even be on an equal footing with the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town in terms of official rank, and even suppress all the officers in the Liaodong border town. The generals and the garrison officers were naturally very dissatisfied.
As a result, Liaodong Tuanlian has been severely suppressed by Liaodong Town since it formed an army. Not only did they try to compete for soldiers, money and food, but they also strictly restricted the scope of activities of Liaodong Tuanlian.
Today, it has been twenty years since the Liaodong regiment was formed into an army, but the size of the army is still only about 8,000, and its influence is limited to Ningyuan.
Seeing that the Liaodong regiment training was not up to par and could not play a balancing role, Emperor Deqing established another Liaodong branch training army eight years ago, stationed in Qiantun, and also appointed the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong branch training army as the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong branch training camp.
But after the Liaodong branch was formed into an army, the situation became even worse.
In order to check and balance Liaodong Town, Emperor Deqing first set up the Liaodong regiment training in Ningyuan, located on the west side of Jinzhou Camp, the headquarters of Liaodong Town. It is backed by Beizhili and across the sea from Shandong, and can also receive certain support from the imperial court. , but the Liaodong branch training is located in Qiantun, located on the east side of Jinzhou Camp, which is equivalent to inserting a nail into the core sphere of influence of Liaodong Town.
In short, Emperor Deqing's wishful thinking was to let the Liaodong regiment training and Liaodong branch training control the Jinzhou camp from the east to the west.
However, the Qiantun area has inconvenient communication with the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty. It not only has to face various suppressions from Liaodong Town, but also competes with the Liaodong regiment for resources. Naturally, it is difficult and the situation is bleak. The situation is far worse than that of the Liaodong regiment. The size of the army is only three More than a thousand people, without the acquiescence of Liaodong Town, would not even be able to leave the Qiantun Camp at will.
But in any case, the commanders of the Liaodong regiment training and the Liaodong branch training are both the imperial general soldiers. In theory, they are on the same level as the general soldiers of Liaodong town. These two armies are set up to check and balance Liaodong town, so they will not be dispatched by Liaodong town. , but was placed under the control of the governor of Liaodong.
The current commander-in-chief of the Liaodong regiment is Ling Huguang, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong branch training is Song Dahe, and the governor of Liaodong is Wang Shizhen.
In the eyes of He Yu, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong garrison, although the existence of these three people was extremely annoying, they were not scary at all.
However, the newly appointed governor of Liaodong, Tongzhi Fang Zhenshan, is an opponent worthy of attention.
Fang Zhenshan was once the commander-in-chief of the Guyuan garrison. He was a general in the army who was truly on an equal footing with He Yu. He later made many meritorious deeds in the wars between Shaanxi and Gansu. Although his relationship with Zhao Junchen was too close, the post-war discussion When his meritorious deeds were rewarded, he was promoted secretly by Emperor Deqing and was promoted as the governor of Liaodong. However, Fang Zhenshan's knowledge and methods were extremely clever.
Since arriving in Liaodong, Fang Zhenshan has been active. First, he made friends with Wang Shizhen, the governor of Liaodong, and took over all military affairs in Wang Shizhen's hands; then he used his relationship with Zhao Junchen to obtain a batch of funds from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works. supplies, and used these supplies to gradually recover Linghu Guang and Song Dahe, and received full support from the Liaodong regiment training and Liaodong branch training armies; finally, they had frequent contact and mutual cooperation with the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
In this way, in just a few months, Fang Zhenshan has gradually built up momentum in Liaodong, and is already qualified to be regarded as a threat by He Yu!
But in He Yu's eyes, the greater threat is the Wu family and his son in Shanhaiguan.
As mentioned earlier, there are three and a half general soldiers in Liaodong. The first three general soldiers are He Yu, the chief soldier of Liaodong garrison, Ling Huguang, the chief soldier of Liaodong regiment training, and Song Dahe, the chief soldier of Liaodong branch training.
The remaining half is Wu Shilin, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Pass.
And Wu Shilin’s father was Wu Yingxiong, the governor of Jiliao!
As one of the most important passes in the Ming Dynasty, Shanhaiguan was also the last line of defense between the Ming Dynasty and Jianzhou Jurchens. The appointment of the general as the commander-in-chief is also part of the title.
The reason why Shanhaiguan General Soldier is regarded as the General Soldier in half of Liaodong is because Shanhaiguan is located between Ji Town and Liaodong Town. It was originally the super-staffed guard station of Ji Town, but with the increasing threat of Jianzhou Jurchen Since then, Shanhaiguan has devoted its main energy to the Liaodong defense line. Whenever there is a war, it will also become the headquarters of Governor Ji Liao.
Therefore, Shanhaiguan does not belong to Liaodong in name, but it can have a say in various matters in Liaodong, and its influence cannot be underestimated. Naturally, it is also counted as the general soldier of half of Liaodong.
The Wu family, on the other hand, is a family of generals who have guarded Shanhaiguan for generations. Each generation has a son who serves as the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan. The current governor of Jiliao is Wu Yingxiong, the head of the Wu family. He is deeply rooted in the family and naturally makes He Yu jealous.
The most important thing is that the Wu family still has a strong army in their hands, namely the "Guanning Iron Cavalry" with great military exploits!
The biggest reason why Liaodong Town has dared to defy the imperial court and support the bandits in recent years is the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry" that Liaodong Town has carefully cultivated.
The "Guanning Iron Cavalry" is as famous as the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry". The two armies often fight side by side and work together to resist the Jianzhou Jurchens, and their battlefield performance is also comparable.
As a military general, He Yu only trusted the strength of his own army and only valued the strength of his opponent's army.
Therefore, even if Wu Yingxiong, the head of the Wu family, is not the governor of Ji Liao, even if the Wu family is not a deep-rooted general for generations, even if one only considers the existence of the Guan Ning cavalry, it is worthy of He Yu's great attention.
*
In this way, after pondering for a moment, He Yu slowly said: "Wang Shizhen, a conservative generation, is not something to be afraid of; Linghu Guang, who is short-sighted, is not something to be afraid of; Song Dahe, who has a cowardly temperament, is not something to be afraid of; Fang Zhenshan, although he has means, he has Backup, but the foundation is still shallow, and there is no fear... But the Wu family... makes me a little worried!
Zhao Junchen's serious illness was obviously caused by deliberately provoking trouble. I don't believe that he could calmly handle the bloody battles between Shaanxi and Gansu, but now he would be frightened by a few corpses and become ill...
If he is just Zhao Junchen, that's fine. Even if he is a powerful minister and a great hero, he is just a dragon crossing the river! In Liaodong, he still can't change the world! But...the Wu family may take the opportunity to make trouble with Zhao Junchen. "
Hearing what He Yu said, Shi Cheng also had a solemn expression and nodded: "The concerns of the General Soldier are very reasonable! According to the humble post, the Wu family will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble! When the humble post heard what Huang Shenjiang said After the report, I have been thinking about one thing, and that is... Although Huang Shenjiang has never been particularly shrewd, he will not neglect his duties. Why was it that after Zhao Junchen entered the Liaodong Defense Area, Huang Shenjiang was unable to receive it in time? information?
If the humble job is as expected, there must be something behind this from Shanhaiguan! After all, if Zhao Junchen came to Liaodong, he would definitely pass through Shanhaiguan, but the Wu family never informed us of the relevant news. Apparently they hoped that Zhao Junchen would catch us off guard when he inspected Liaodong! "
He Yu sneered: "Using the center to suppress Liaodong seems like the Wu family's usual method!"
Shi Cheng turned his eyes, but suddenly approached He Yu, and said in a low voice: "But at the same time, I have been thinking about another thing... Mr. General, do you think that although our Majesty is afraid of us? The Liaodong Army can't defeat the enemy, but isn't he afraid of the deep-rooted Wu family that has guarded Shanhaiguan for generations?"
When He Yu heard this, a hint of admiration quickly flashed through his eyes, but his expression was still expressionless, and he just said slowly: "Please tell me in detail."
Shi Cheng continued softly: "Over the years, the promotion path of the Wu family's children has been almost fixed. They first accumulate military merit, then serve as the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, and then when their qualifications and achievements reach a certain level, they will be promoted to Ji by His Majesty. Governor Liao... His promotion path seems to be extremely smooth and his family members are privileged, but in fact, His Majesty must also be secretly guarding against the Wu family!
You know, Governor Ji Liao has full authority to take charge of the defense of Ji Town and Liaodong Town. He seems to be powerful, but in fact it is just useless! Among the governors of various places in our dynasty, Governor Ji Liao can even be regarded as the weakest governor. He is even weaker than the three governors whose generals in the territory are all self-respecting and follow orders but not propaganda! "
As he spoke, Shi Cheng's expression showed a hint of sarcasm as he continued, "Why? We all know that among the nine border towns of the imperial court, Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Gansu, Guyuan, Ningxia, Yulin, and our eight border towns in Liaodong Border towns are all located on the real frontier defense line, but only Ji Town is located at the rear of the border defense line. Why did the court set it up like this? Ultimately, the role of Ji Town is not to guard against foreign enemies, but to guard against the other eight Side!
Because of this, the garrison in Jizhen also includes many Beijing troops. It has always been the military town that our emperors paid most attention to, and their control has always been the strongest. The current commander-in-chief of Jizhen, Zhang Su, He is also our Majesty’s most trusted military veteran!
In this way, Governor Ji Liao seems to have full authority over the defense of Ji Town and Liaodong Town, but Ji Town has always been directly connected to Tianting, and cannot be mobilized at will by Governor Ji Liao. We, Liaodong Town, are also united and not subject to external control. , also cannot be transferred at will by the Governor of Jiliao, so the position of Governor of Jiliao seems to have a high status and great power, but in fact it is no different from a decoration. After the Wu family was promoted to the Governor of Jiliao, the scope of influence actually remained It is limited to Shanhaiguan!
Hey! Therefore, our Majesty seems to have the utmost trust in the Wu family, but his intention to take precautions in secret is by no means weaker than ours in Liaodong! The Wu family is essentially the same as the Liaodong group training and Liaodong branch training. It is just a tool used by His Majesty to check and balance our Liaodong! "
Hearing Shi Cheng's thoughts, He Yu's eyes flashed with satisfaction again.
In fact, He Yu understood all the truths Shi Cheng said in his heart, but He Yu was still relieved to see that Shi Cheng could understand these truths on his own without any advice from himself.
After all, Shi Cheng was one of He Yu's secretly chosen successors. Naturally, the more experienced the better, otherwise he would not be able to maintain the "independence" of Liaodong Town between the imperial court center and the Jianzhou Jurchens.
But He Yu did not show his appreciation. Instead, he reminded: "Having said that, as long as the Wu family still has the Guan Ning cavalry in their hands, they can never be underestimated! Of course, the position of Governor of Ji Liao There is not much real power, but it is precisely because of this situation that the Wu family is determined to control Liaodong... After all, you also said that Jizhen is His Majesty's forbidden area, and the Wu family does not dare to make plans, so they can only Keep an eye on our Liaodong!"
Shi Cheng is young and somewhat frail in appearance, but he has a strong mind.
After hearing He Yu's rebuttal, Shi Cheng first nodded in agreement, and then said: "Beizhi does not think that the Wu family is not to be feared, but that the Wu family and Zhao Junchen will not work together! After all, Both the Wu family and Zhao Junchen are secretly jealous of His Majesty. Under such circumstances, they can only have indirect contact through Fang Zhenshan at most, but they will never dare to cooperate directly, otherwise His Majesty's suspicion will be even deeper!
Compared to the Wu family, Beizhi was actually more worried about Zhao Junchen's methods! It is true that he is just a dragon crossing the river. It is true that the saying goes that a river dragon does not suppress local snakes, but this Zhao Junchen is a strong dragon. He personally subdued the local snakes on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu last year. This time he suddenly Claiming that he was frightened and seriously ill because of the wanton killing of people by the Liaodong border army, judging from his humble position, he also has bad intentions and must have a purpose. This is something we must pay close attention to. "
He Yu nodded lightly and said coldly: "Zhao Junchen... is indeed a strong dragon! After he announced that he was seriously ill, he sent a fast horse messenger to inform all the forces in Liaodong of his situation, just to muddy the waters. ! What do you think...what exactly does he want to do?"
This time, Shi Cheng, who had always been full of confidence, also looked confused and shook his head: "About this, I can't think clearly at the moment! In Liaodong, our advantage is too great. If we change places, I would be embarrassed." I think that if I want to deal with Liaodong Town, I have no chance of winning...Does Zhao Junchen really have some magical means that can make the impossible possible?"
He Yu frowned again, and after thinking for a long time, he said: "But no matter what, because of Zhao Junchen's 'serious illness', we can no longer stay in the Jinzhou Camp to wait for his arrival. We must do it both emotionally and rationally." I have to go to Hujiazhuang to visit Zhao Junchen... Even if I don't want to go, those clowns will try to force me to go!"
As soon as He Yu finished speaking, he saw a Liaodong frontier soldier hurriedly running into the lobby and reported: "To the general of the army! Mr. Wang Shizhen, governor of Liaodong, Mr. Fang Zhenshanfang, fellow governor, and Wu Yinglin, Mr. Wu from Shanhaiguan , Han Baisui Han Qianhu from Liaodong regiment training, and Hua Chungong Hua Qianhu from Liaodong branch training came to the General Army Yamen together to ask for an audience."
He Yu sneered and said: "Ha! There is no shortage of these clowns, they are all here!"
In addition to Wang Shizhen, the governor of Liaodong, and Fang Zhenshan, the governor's colleague, the three people Wu Yinglin, Han Baisui, and Hua Chungong reported by the border army officer were the liaison officers sent to the Jinzhou camp from Shanhaiguan, Liaodong regiment training, and Liaodong branch training respectively. People also represent the attitudes of these three parties.
With a hint of disgust and disdain, He Yu finally nodded and said: "Let them come to see me."
*
After a cup of tea, five civil and military officials filed into the lobby.
Among these five civil and military officials, the leader is an old man who knows his destiny. His old face is full of wrinkles, his figure is slightly stooped, and his expression is full of sorrow. Although he is wearing the imperial robe of a second-rank official, , but he did not have the power of a border official. After entering the lobby, he just bowed his head and sighed. It was Wang Shizhen, the governor of Liaodong.
Next to Wang Shizhen, there is a shrewd middle-aged man with a capable manner and elegant temperament. He looks like a Confucian general with both civil and military skills. He is also the only one among the five civil and military officials who dares to confront He Yu. The person who looked into each other's eyes was none other than Fang Zhenshan, the governor and governor of Liaodong.
The three people following Wang Shizhen and Fang Zhenshan were Wu Yinglin, Han Baisui, and Hua Chungong. Among them, only Wu Yinglin, as the second son of Wu Yingxiong, made He Yu pay more attention. He saw that this person looked like a He was as thin as a tuber with a sallow complexion. After entering the lobby, he kept his head bowed in a submissive manner, making people look down on the changes in his expression.
As for Han Baisui and Hua Chungong, they were directly regarded as nothing by He Yu.
After the five people entered the lobby, they first saw the tragic sight of Huang Shenming, the West Road counselor, lying on the ground with blood dripping on his face. They all couldn't help being shocked.
As a civil servant, Wang Shizhen immediately averted his eyes and did not dare to look again. Wu Yinglin, Han Baisui, and Hua Chungong did not have enough status and did not dare to question. Only Fang Zhenshan, after the initial surprise, observed Huang seriously. After a moment of explanation, Huang Shenming's identity was quickly recognized.
Later, Fang Zhenshan said with a shocked face: "Is this General Huang Shenming and Huang Shenming? Why is it such a tragic situation?"
He Yu sat far away and did not move, but said coldly: "Why did Governor Fang ask questions knowingly? If you didn't know the trouble this idiot caused, why did you contact all parties to come to see me? You met me half an hour ago Have you passed the messenger from Zhao Gechen?
Huang Shenming, this idiot, was not strict in his rule, which frightened the cabinet minister Zhao, and had a very bad influence. Once the court center investigates afterwards, even the entire Liaodong Town will be implicated... I only gave him thirty lashes, which is already an advantage to him. ! "
Having said this, He Yu slowly glanced at the five people in front of him, and added a threatening threat: "These thirty whips are just to punish him for harming the overall interests of Liaodong Town. Next, I will take him with me." Go to Hujiazhuang and hand him over to Zhao Gechen. Even if Zhao Gechen wants to execute him when the time comes, he deserves it!
Liaodong Town is the northeastern border defense pillar of the imperial court. Anyone who shakes this pillar will die! Do you think this is correct? "
As He Yu finished speaking, the expressions of Fang Zhenshan, Wang Shizhen and the other five people changed slightly.
This was a naked threat and intimidation. It was not only a show of force deliberately prepared by He Yu, but also meant that He Yu, the Liaodong hero, did not take the five of them seriously at all.
…
Note: Historically, the Liaodong Tuanlian and Liaodong separate armies did appear in the late Ming Dynasty, but they were mainly to prevent Jianzhou Jurchens. However, this book is based on fiction, so the setting was slightly changed, and the two garrisons were set as Check and balance Liaodong Town.
…
