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According to He Yu's confidant Shi Cheng, Governor Ji Liao was the weakest governor in the Ming Dynasty.
This statement is actually somewhat controversial, because there is also a governor of Northern Zhili. The governor's jurisdiction is at the feet of the emperor. He has to face the Gungun princes at the center of the imperial court all day long, and he has to look at people's eyes in everything he does. , the power may not be stronger than that of Governor Ji Liao.
But if we put it another way and say that Governor Ji Liao was the poorest, stingiest and most strapped governor in the imperial court, there would be no controversy.
After all, although the Wu family has successively produced several governors of Jiliao and Shanhaiguan generals, its sphere of influence has always been strictly limited to Shanhaiguan, and the resources it can mobilize are very limited.
At the same time, the Wu family also needs to maintain and support a strong army - the "Guanning Iron Cavalry".
The "Guanning Iron Cavalry" is a powerful army that is as famous as the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry". Naturally, it costs a lot of money. The Wu family has exhausted all resources just to maintain this powerful army over the years. Naturally, there is no spare capacity. Enjoy luxury.
It is said that the children of the Wu family can only add two new pieces of clothing every year, and patches can be seen on the underwear of the clan members;
It is said that the Wu family had only one meat dish for every meal, and because the Wu family could not afford to hire a cook, they had to let the Wu family’s wife and daughter cook the food themselves;
It is said that whenever the children of the Wu family go to the battlefield, the armor they wear is almost the same as that of the "Guanning Iron Cavalry" soldiers under their command, and it is even much more shabby...
In fact, these rumors are not exaggerated. The real living standards of the Wu family's children are worse than those of ordinary squires and landlords.
It is precisely for this reason that the Wu family was jealous of Emperor Deqing - your Wu family would rather endure a poor life, but must firmly control the "Guan Ning Iron Cavalry". This kind of performance is self-discipline. There is nothing wrong with the family, sharing the joys and sorrows, and working hard, but if you want to say that it is ambitious, accumulating strength, and having big plans... it seems appropriate!
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At that time, the central government of the imperial court allocated a sum of money to the Wu family to build Governor Ji Liao's residence in Shanhaiguan. The Wu family then transferred 70% of the money to the "Guan Ning Cavalry" , when the governor's residence was built, it was possible to save as much as possible, so it is not only small in scale, covering an area of only more than ten acres, but also looks very shabby.
Therefore, after Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin heard the report from the old servant of the Wu family, they left the room and walked only a few dozen steps before arriving at the back house of the Wu family and meeting the old man of the Wu family.
And this old man of the Wu family is naturally the famous Wu Sangui in history.
Wu Sangui is nearly fifty years older than Zhao Junchen. He is now in his seventies and is of the same generation as Zhou Shangjing and Zheng Zhilong.
But Zhou Shangjing is an example of the most powerful minister in the world, and Zheng Zhilong is also a prince who dominates Taiwan. Therefore, even if these two people are old, as long as they are unwilling to take the initiative to retreat behind the scenes, no one can force them to leave the stage of power. .
Wu Sangui is different. No matter how famous he is in another historical time and space, in this historical time and space, he does not have the historical opportunity to "turn into a beauty in anger", nor does he have the opportunity to lead the "Guan Ning Cavalry" "If he goes to fight in the world, he will naturally not be able to become the King of Pingxi or the Taizu of Wu and Zhou. He can only be trapped in Shanhaiguan and be a "loyalty for generations."
In later generations, some people said that "fate determines character", while others said that "character determines destiny", and these two views are reflected in Wu Sangui.
Due to different fate and opportunities, Wu Sangui's various performances over the years are just like what was described in "Ming Dynasty" - "loyal to the sun, whenever there is a powerful enemy, he takes the lead, strangles many captives... to repay the king's bridge Because of the difficulties faced by the country and the difficulties faced by the people, these few actions can be called a sage of great loyalty, great justice, great benevolence and filial piety through the ages.”
All in all, in this historical time and space, Wu Sangui was a loyal, brave and good military model.
If we put aside the fact that he regards the "Guan Ning Cavalry" as a private army and is unwilling to hand over life and death to the imperial court, Wu Sangui is simply a perfect person!
It is a pity that as a loyal and good example in the army for generations, Wu Sangui's situation is far inferior to that of powerful ministers like Zhou Shangjing and princes like Zheng Zhilong. When he gradually aged, he voluntarily left the army under the hint of the central court and transferred his power to Everything was handed over to his son Wu Yingxiong, and he retreated behind the scenes early.
However, even though Wu Sangui has already retreated behind the scenes and always pretends to be indifferent to worldly affairs, the children of the Wu family still never dare to ignore Wu Sangui's opinions. Many important matters still have to ask Wu Sangui's opinion and leave it to Wu Sangui. Make a decision.
In a way, the Wu family's current style of conduct was set by Wu Sangui.
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When Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin entered the back house and saw Wu Sangui, Wu Sangui was personally supervising his young grandson Wu Shihui's recitation of poems.
Under Wu Sangui's quiet gaze, Wu Shihui, who was still only eight or nine years old, recited loudly in a childish voice: "... There are elms in the garden, and there are cicadas on them. The cicadas are screaming sadly, wanting to drink the clear dew, but they don't know the praying mantises. It's behind, bending its neck, trying to grab and eat it. The mantis wants to eat the cicada, but it doesn't know that the oriole is behind, and it lifts its neck, trying to peck and eat it. The oriole wants to eat the mantis, but it doesn't know that the boy is holding a pellet. Under the elm, I welcome it and want to play it. A boy just wants to play the oriole, but he doesn't know that there is a deep pit in front and a dug tree behind..."
Seeing this scene, Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin, father and son, although they had become the governor of Jiliao and the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan respectively, they still stood aside with their hands lowered in a respectful attitude, quietly waiting for Wu Sangui's matter to come to an end.
Soon, Wu Shijuan had finished reciting Volume 10 of "Han Shi Wai Zhuan", and then Wu Sangui finally turned his attention to Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin.
Probably because of the lack of the powerful potion of "power", although Wu Sangui is a few years younger than Zhou Shangjing and Zheng Zhilong, he looks older, with a stooped body, a dark face covered with wrinkles, and low energy. , looks like an old farmer who is approaching the end of his life, but only a pair of old eyes are still shining brightly.
After taking a look at Wu Yingxiong and his son, Wu Sangui asked in a feeble voice: "I heard that a messenger came from Zhao Gechen, saying that Zhao Gechen encountered the Liaodong frontier army in Hujiazhuang on the East and West Road of Liaoning, killing the people wantonly. Something happened, so you got seriously ill?"
Wu Yingxiong immediately nodded and replied: "That's exactly it."
Wu Sangui's old face seemed to be smiling but not smiling, and said: "After Zhao Gechen became seriously ill, he specially sent a messenger to inform our Wu family. He was really serious... What do you think?"
Wu Yingxiong replied softly: "In my opinion, Zhao Junchen has a majestic appearance and will never be frightened into a serious illness just because he bumped into a few corpses. This should be a plan of Zhao Junchen, who wants to take the opportunity to beat someone in Liaodong Town." Fan."
Hearing what Wu Yingxiong said, Wu Sangui immediately frowned and reprimanded: "Is Zhao Gechen also someone you can call by his first name? Although he is young, he is not only an elder in the imperial court and holds great power, but also people from Shaanxi and Gansu. His illustrious military exploits are enough to go down in history, and now he is patrolling Liaodong on behalf of the imperial court...
And you are just a nominal governor of Ji Liao. If you are not from the Wu family, you will not even be able to hold this position in name only. What qualifications do you have to call minister Zhao by his first name? Remember, in the future, whether in public or private discussions, you should respect Zhao Gechen! "
When Wu Yingxiong saw Wu Sangui's reprimand, he immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake, saying: "What my father taught me is that my son is only a few years older than Zhao Gechen, so he should not lack respect!"
Wu Sangui nodded lightly, and a trace of envy flashed across his old face, saying: "However, your idea is not wrong! What Zhao Junchen did is considered by many people to be a hero of the world, and many people think it is a heroic style... …
But in this world, whether you want to be a hero or a tyrant, you must have opportunities... Although my father has made countless achievements in the military life, in the end he can only take our Wu family to stay in Shanhaiguan. , just because there is no opportunity. "
At this point, Wu Sangui became confused again and murmured: "But there is one thing that makes me a little strange... I have also had a detailed understanding of Zhao Gechen's usual behavior. This person has always been good at using conspiracy and concealment. He likes to catch his opponents off guard. He did this when he was in Shaanxi and Gansu, and he mostly did this when he was at the center of the imperial court...
But this time, Zhao Gechen reported the news of his serious illness to everyone, which was equivalent to announcing to the world and making it clear that he wanted to be the enemy of Liaodong Town. However, it did not look like his usual style. Instead, it seemed like an upright conspiracy. It's really puzzling. "
Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin were both stunned when they heard what Wu Sangui said. However, it was only after Wu Sangui reminded them that they noticed the change in Zhao Junchen's style.
Therefore, Wu Yingxiong couldn't help but look confused and said: "If it weren't for his father's reminder, my son might not have noticed anything strange here! When Zhao Gechen passed by our Shanhaiguan, he was probably worried about His Majesty's suspicion and did not have any contact with us. , we also have the same consideration, so we just pretend that we haven’t seen Zhao Gechen...
At the same time, it was precisely because Zhao Gechen always acted in secret, so we also deliberately helped Zhao Gechen conceal his whereabouts, hoping that Zhao Gechen could catch He Yu off guard. Unexpectedly, Zhao Gechen changed his style drastically and made such a fuss. , it is really strange. "
After Wu Sangui thought for a moment, he didn't think of the answer - who would have thought that Zhao Junchen would use Liaodong Town as the touchstone for his first attempt at conspiracy?
In the end, Wu Sangui just turned his attention to Wu Shilin and asked: "Next, you will go to Hujiazhuang to visit Zhao Gechen in person, right?"
Wu Shilin also nodded quickly and said: "That's right!"
"What did your father tell you?"
Wu Shilin answered truthfully: "My father said that after my grandson meets Zhao Gechen, as long as he does not encounter anything that harms the interests of our Wu family, he must try his best to cooperate with Zhao Gechen to suppress Liaodong Town, and it is best to take the opportunity to shake the status of Liaodong Town;
At the same time, you cannot get too close to Zhao Cabinet Minister, otherwise it will arouse more suspicion from His Majesty...
Finally, we asked Sun Er to lead a group of Guan Ning cavalry with him, because when He Yu goes to visit Zhao Gechen, he will most likely bring the Liaodong cavalry with him. We can also suppress his limelight by bringing the Guan Ning cavalry there. "
Wu Sangui nodded noncommittally at first, then added his own opinion, saying: "Your father's approach is basically right, but he is a little too cautious... Zhao Gechen is the God of Wealth of the imperial court, we should still get in touch. , as long as there is no intention to form an alliance, there will not be much reaction from His Majesty's side.
Therefore, after you go to see Zhao Gechen, you must be careful not to let His Majesty think that our Wu family is actively moving closer to Zhao Gechen, nor let Zhao Gechen think that our Wu family is deliberately alienating him!
At the same time, there are two things you must do well. The first is Fang Zhenshan, the governor of Liaodong. This person is a confidant of Zhao Gechen. Although we cannot have a close relationship with Zhao Gechen, we can when we contact Fang Zhenshan. A little closer, some matters can also be communicated to Zhao Gechen through Fang Zhenshan...
The second is Zhao Gechen himself. You must take this opportunity to try to find out Zhao Gechen's true thoughts, such as his views on the Liaodong border defense, his views on the Jianzhou Jurchens, his views on our Wu family... and , if there is another war in the Liaodong border in the future, and Liaodong Town is ineffective in fighting and has suffered repeated defeats, is he willing to support our Wu family to take over the Northeast border defense?
If Zhao Gechen is willing to support our Wu family to take over the Liaodong border defense, you can also promise some rewards to Zhao Gechen on behalf of the Wu family... As for the extent of the return from our Wu family, it depends on the strength of Zhao Gechen's support and your support. Come and figure it out for yourself. "
Hearing Wu Sangui's explanation, Wu Shilin couldn't help but be surprised again and asked: "Grandpa, do you want to leave such an important matter to your grandson to make the decision?"
Wu Sangui smiled half-heartedly and said: "Of course it is up to you to make the decision, because you are not the head of the Wu family, nor the governor of Jiliao, but you are the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan after all. In the eyes of Zhao Gechen, your attitude belongs to the Wu family. Your attitude and your thoughts are those of the Wu family. But if the situation changes in the future, your father can come forward to renege on his words and overturn your original statement in one fell swoop. If the situation changes again in the future, I can come forward to overturn your father. His statement...do you understand?"
Wu Shilin suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly: "My grandson understands!"
On the other side, Wu Yingxiong's focus was different and he couldn't help but ask: "Father, you just said that there will be war again in the Liaodong border in the future, and even Liaodong Town will be unable to cope with this war and will be defeated repeatedly... ...But as far as my son knows, the Jianzhou Jurchens have been relatively peaceful over the years and have paid tribute to the court. Why do you think, father, that the Jianzhou Jurchens will definitely start another war?"
Wu Sangui sneered and said: "My father has been fighting with the Jianzhou Jurchens for many years, how can I not understand the aggressive nature of the Jianzhou Jurchens? The Jianzhou Jurchens have indeed been relatively peaceful over the years, but think about it, the Jianzhou Jurchens have been quite peaceful over the years. , did it bring any benefits to them? No! Not at all! Instead, they starved to death because of several natural disasters! Such a situation will only make the Jianzhou Jurchens completely give up the idea of living in harmony with me, the Ming Dynasty!
Therefore, the Jianzhou Jurchens are not only hungry and frightened, but also have reached the limit of their endurance. They pay tribute to the court and just want to focus on getting through the current difficulties!
But when they have overcome the current difficulties and recall the tragic famines of the past few years, they will only covet the wealth of the Ming Dynasty more and more. In order to stabilize his own power and transfer the internal conflicts that have been accumulated for a long time, the Xuan Ye Khan, They will also inevitably abandon their former law-abiding ways and completely change their style of work... At that time, the determination of all the Jurchens in Jianzhou to invade our Ming territory will be unprecedentedly strong and resolute!
Therefore, as long as we wait a few more years, not only will there be war again in Liaodong, but it will also be an unprecedented bloody battle... Although Liaodong Town is strong, it will not be able to cope with the wolf-like Jurchen Jurchen in Jianzhou. It’s a great opportunity for our Wu family to take charge of Liaodong again! "
Having said this, Wu Sangui's mental appearance finally became plump and radiant, and his old eyes became more and more sparkling.
But soon, Wu Sangui returned to his previous weak appearance, shaking his head and saying: "It's a pity that my father is old and may not be able to see that day. Now he is just trying his best to pave the way and lay the foundation for the descendants of our Wu family. That’s all, how far our Wu family can reach in the future will ultimately depend on those of you who come after us... Alas, I was born at the wrong time..."
Having said this, Wu Sangui was a little less interested and quickly waved Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin to leave.
Just as Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin turned to leave, they heard Wu Sangui turn his attention to his young grandson Wu Shihuan again, and said to the school: "You memorized the article "The Mantis Catching the Cicada" just now very well, now... you Then recite "The Turtle Lives Longevity" for my grandfather..."
"Although the divine tortoise has a long life, it still has its time; the soaring snake rides on the mist, and eventually becomes ashes. The old man has his ambition to reach a thousand miles; the martyr's old age is full of ambition; the period of growth and shrinkage is not only in the sky; the blessing of nourishing happiness can lead to eternal life .Fortunately, I can sing to express my ambition..."
In this way, with Wu Shijuan's child's voice reciting, Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin left the Wu family's back house with complicated expressions.
In Chinese culture, there are different terms of "nature" and "root nature".
Among them, the so-called "nature" refers to a person's superficial character gradually formed due to his or her own experience; while the so-called "root nature" refers to a person's true character that is innate and unchangeable.
Obviously, although Wu Sangui thinks he has no chance and has always been a model of loyal ministers, his nature is still that of a hero!
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