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Ximen Sheng, the commander-in-chief of the North Road of Liaodong Town, the brother-in-command of He Yu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town, and the de facto number two figure in Liaodong Town.
For the past ten years, Ximen Sheng has been based in Liaoyang, responsible for guarding the front line of northeastern border defense. He has to fight many battles with the Jianzhou Jurchens almost every year.
It can be said that among the many generals of the Ming Dynasty, Ximen Sheng was undoubtedly the first in terms of experience in fighting powerful enemies, and his military exploits were naturally not small.
However, when all parties in the government and the public comment on Ximen Sheng, few people think that he is a "famous general", "a fierce general", and a "pillar".
There are two reasons for this controversy.
First, because the actual combat power of the Liaodong Army was weaker than that of the Jianzhou Jurchens. Therefore, although Ximen Sheng fought against the Jianzhou Jurchens all year round, because he always faced the strongest offensive of the Jianzhou Jurchens, the results of the battles were more defeats than wins. They even almost lost Liaoyang City several times, and the various guard posts in the North Road Defense Zone were repeatedly attacked by Jianzhou Jurchens.
Therefore, if we put aside the strength of the opponent and only focus on the winning rate, it can be said that Ximen Sheng's faults outweigh his merits, and naturally it is difficult to call him a famous general.
The second reason is because of the "border trade" of Liaoyang City - in this historical time and space, although Emperor Chongzhen did not completely lose the entire Liaodong during his reign, he still lost the three cities of Changtu, Kaiyuan and Tieling one after another. The Li family that dominated Liaodong also declined due to this, so the three important towns of Liaoyang, Shenyang, and Fushun became the first line of defense against the Jianzhou Jurchens.
Among them, west of the defense zone of Liaoyang City, beyond the Liaohetao Great Wall, is the sphere of influence of the Jianzhou Jurchens.
Under such circumstances, the nature of Liaoyang City's "border trade" can naturally be understood at a glance.
In short, Ximen Sheng fought bloody battles with the Jianzhou Jurchens for many years, and at the same time used smuggling methods to cooperate with the Jianzhou Jurchens to make money. These two completely different positions could be switched easily.
The central court had always been well aware of the various controversies surrounding Ximen Sheng, but they could only let it go. At most, they only issued a few warnings in official documents, but they never thought of replacing Ximen Sheng.
The imperial center's connivance, apart from Liaodong Town's strong support, was mainly because, except for Ximen Sheng himself, no general had the courage to take over the defense of the Northeast Liaoning Road.
Although Ximen Sheng always lost more than he won when fighting the Jianzhou Jurchens, he at least did not lose several important towns in the defense area. Whenever the military attaches in the imperial court talked about Ximen Sheng's achievements, they always ridiculed Ximen Sheng. He is a "constantly defeated general", but everyone knows that no matter who is put in Ximen Sheng's position, he will not be able to do better.
Therefore, Ximen Sheng has been the general of the Northeast Liaoning Road for many years. Although it is completely impossible to go further, his position can be said to be stable and untouchable.
Through these background experiences of Ximen Sheng, we can roughly understand his character. He is not only tolerant and courageous, but also a person with flexible means.
Because of such controversy, Ximen Sheng is extremely famous, and he also holds the financial resources of Liaoyang trade. He is also the only Liaodong general besides He Yu who has the authority to mobilize Liaodong cavalry, so Ximen Sheng is definitely a big shot.
When Ximen Sheng suddenly appeared in Hujiazhuang, it naturally attracted the attention of all parties. Not only did Zhao Junchen send an envoy to deliver the message, but He Yu personally went out to greet him.
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What made He Yu feel at ease was that after Ximen Sheng arrived at Hujiazhuang, he did not go to see Zhao Junchen immediately. Instead, he went directly to the camp in Liaodong Town, intending to take the lead in having a confidential talk with He Yu.
This also means that although Ximen Sheng came to Hujiazhuang without notifying He Yu in advance, he was still aligned with Liaodong Zhen and had no intention of cooperating with Zhao Junchen.
However, under the personal greeting of He Yu, Ximen Sheng was slightly half a body behind He Yu and stepped into the commander's tent of the Liaodong Town camp.
In the commander's tent, the Liaodong generals Xu Jie, the South Road Commander, Li Zehe, the Middle Road Commander, and Gan Cheng, the East Road Commander, had been waiting for a long time. After seeing He Yu and Ximen Sheng appear, They all stood up and saluted with clasped fists.
After waiting for all the Liaodong military attaches to sit down one after another, He Yu raised his hand and everyone in the tent quickly left, leaving only He Yu and the four generals.
Afterwards, He Yu couldn't wait to ask: "Ximen, why didn't you inform me in advance when you came to Hujiazhuang this time? You are the commander of the first line of defense in the Liaodong border, and you left so rashly, wouldn't you? Are you worried about something unexpected happening to the Jurchens in Jianzhou?"
Ximen Sheng has a rough face, dark skin, strong body, and a full beard. He looks like a rough man, but his eyes are shrewd.
In response to He Yu's inquiry, Ximen Sheng had obviously guessed it and immediately replied: "Brother, please rest assured. Before I left Liaoyang, I had sent people to inquire about the Jurchens in Jianzhou. At this time, they are still trying their best to deal with the situation in the country. During the famine, the troops were relatively dispersed, and there was no chance of invasion. Moreover, I also made detailed arrangements for the defense of the three important towns of Liaoyang, Shenyang, and Fushun. Therefore, as long as I do not leave for too long, the defense matters will not be too big. Mistakes."
After a pause, Ximen Sheng explained: "As for why I hurried to Hujiazhuang without notifying my brother in advance this time, I have another hidden reason!
A few days ago, Zhao Junchen's messenger suddenly rushed to Liaoyang to see me. He said that he was seriously ill because of the massacre of people by the soldiers on the west side of the road. He also said that he wanted to meet with the generals of Liaodong Town and take the opportunity to discuss Regarding the distribution of Liao's wages in the next few years, he also said that he had a way to increase the annual distribution of money, food and materials on Liaodong North Road, and also set a specific time. If I failed to meet him before the time limit, this time I have no say in the matter of the distribution of wages! "
At this point, Ximen Sheng shook his head helplessly and continued: "Because of the tight time, and my guess at the time that brother, you must have left Jinzhou City and also came to Hujiazhuang to meet Zhao Junchen, the two parties were unable to maintain stable contact. , naturally I had no chance to inform my brother, so I was forced to leave my post without permission and set off in a hurry to come here."
Hearing Ximen Sheng's explanation, He Yu suddenly frowned, his expression became more sinister, and he couldn't help but snorted coldly.
Later, Li Zehe, the counselor of Liaodong Middle Road with a somewhat elegant and feminine appearance, couldn't help but comment: "This Zhao Junchen is really a good calculator! Looking back now, he pretended to be sick this time and forced us all to come to Hujiazhuang to meet him. See, it can be described as killing three birds with one stone!
First of all, we were forced to leave our respective spheres of influence, so we could not completely control the situation; secondly, we took advantage of Hujiazhuang’s special location relatively close to Shanhaiguan to allow us, Liaodong Town and the Wu family of Shanhaiguan to check and balance each other; and finally, we used the general Lord Bing has been transferred from the Jinzhou camp, and many things cannot be reported smoothly, which disrupts the mutual contact between us, so we can only make our own decisions!
Hey! What a good plan! What a plan! "
South Road Counselor Xu Jie is the oldest and most senior among them all, and is also the most familiar with the situation in various parts of Liaodong. He added: "Don't forget, Hujiazhuang only needs half a day to travel south to take a boat out to sea. Zhao Junchen chose to meet us here, probably thinking that he could escape quickly if he encountered danger... But from this situation, it can be inferred that Zhao Junchen purely wants to make things difficult for us in Liaodong Town this time, otherwise I won’t deliberately leave myself a way out!”
East Road Counselor Gan Cheng was a domineering man and sneered loudly: "Zhao Junchen thinks too easily. If our Liaodong Town really turns against him and flips the table, he will have no chance to escape. Even if The Shanhaiguan Wu family, the Liaodong branch training, and the Liaodong regiment training are all trying to protect him... Although the Shanhaiguan Wu family has elite soldiers, they are too few. As for the Liaodong regiment training and the Liaodong branch training, they are just chickens and dogs..."
He Yu glanced at Gan Cheng, his expression a little unhappy.
Some things can only be thought about in your mind at most, and even if you actually do it, you can never say it out loud.
Therefore, He Yu did not let Gan Cheng continue and interrupted: "It is not the time to discuss falling out. After all, Zhao Junchen is the most powerful official in the temple center second only to Zhou Shangjing. He is by no means comparable to ordinary court envoys. We'd better Don’t use extreme measures, just deal with it if you can!”
Then, He Yu's eyes turned to Ximen Sheng again.
Among the several generals, He Yu still valued Ximen Sheng's attitude the most.
"Simon, what do you think of the current situation?"
Ximen Sheng immediately shook his head and said: "I just arrived at Hujiazhuang and I don't understand the current situation. Everything is naturally based on your attitude, brother. Brother, you can do whatever you say. As long as we, Liaodong Town, are united, we will solve any trouble." Don’t be afraid!”
Ximen Sheng knew very well that he had violated He Yu's taboo by leaving the defense zone and coming to Hujiazhuang without permission. Although Ximen Sheng also believed in the sworn relationship between him and He Yu and did not think that He Yu would be suspicious of him, he Let’s use these words to emphasize our position again.
Sure enough, after hearing Ximen Sheng's statement, He Yu immediately softened his expression and nodded lightly.
Then, He Yu said slowly: "Zhao Junchen's tactics cannot be underestimated. We warriors are really no match for him when it comes to scheming. Since I met him, I have unknowingly eaten There are many hidden losses!”
Later, He Yu spoke frankly and in detail about his contact experience with Zhao Junchen during this period, whether it was Zhao Junchen's design to intensify the succession battle between Shi Cheng and Li Shijie, or the contest between Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry. He Yu did not hide his defeat.
Speaking of the latter, He Yu's expression became more solemn and he said: "After seeing Zhao Junchen's methods, I have repeatedly warned myself that I must not underestimate him anymore, but because of the unexpected defeat in the battle with Guan Ning's cavalry, Defeat, I was too concerned about the reaction of the Wu family, and in the end I made an oversight and personally gave Zhao Junchen an opportunity to come forward to judge the conflict between the two armies...
In the past few days, Zhao Junchen used this reason to send people to contact the Liaodong soldiers on a large scale, taking the opportunity to stir up trouble and spread rumors... Because of the exchange, the soldiers were already somewhat unstable in military morale, and after Zhao Junchen's After the despicable instigation, the military morale became more and more impetuous... All of this was completely due to my oversight!
Although I am the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, I should be punished if I make mistakes! When the Hujiazhuang incident is over, I will hand over twenty years of my salary and put it all into the military treasury. "
Seeing that He Yu took all the responsibilities on himself, the generals didn't say much.
The situation has developed to this point, especially when the contest between Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry was defeated. Only He Yu is qualified to bear the responsibility.
What's more, He Yu's ability to speak out within Liaodong Town is largely due to his clear distinction between rewards and punishments. If He Yu evades his responsibilities at this time, his status will be shaken.
In the end, after several generals were silent for a moment, Ximen Sheng still spoke with relief: "Brother, don't blame yourself too much. All this happened mainly because Zhao Junchen was too treacherous! As my brother said, when it comes to scheming, we These warriors were originally no match for powerful ministers like Zhao Junchen!
But we have now realized the methods that Zhao Junchen is good at, so we just have to take careful precautions to prevent him from succeeding again! After all, this is our territory, and we have a clear advantage in terms of strength. As long as we deal with it properly, even if Zhao Junchen has a great plan, there will be nothing he can do! "
He Yu nodded slowly and returned to the topic: "I have thought carefully these days and think that if Zhao Junchen wants to make things difficult for us, he will start from three aspects, which is what we must focus on guarding against! One is to reduce Liao's salary One is the killing of civilians by troops on the east and west roads of Liaoning, and the other is the incident of accidental injury and manslaughter that occurred during the competition between Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry! Therefore, before Zhao Junchen launches an attack, we must Come up with countermeasures in advance and completely block Zhao Junchen’s troubles!”
Gancheng immediately said: "It is easy to cut Liaodong's wages. If he cuts his, we will make trouble for ours. As long as he dares to cut his wages, we will not argue with him. But after he leaves Liaodong, he will continue to use the excuse to cause trouble. , soldiers mutiny, Jianzhou invasion and other reasons, let us increase the salary for our Liaodong. Between the reduction and the increase, the Liao salary should be how much it should be!"
Li Zehe said: "As for the killing of civilians by soldiers on the east and west roads of Liaoning, it is easy to deal with it! Huang Shenming, the counselor of the west road, has been punished by the commander-in-chief with thirty horse whips. He is still unable to get out of bed. Such a heavy punishment is enough. Stop Zhao Junchen's mouth... At worst, we can select an unpopular person from among the middle-level military attaches in the West Road Defense Zone to resist all the blame, and say that everything is just this person's unauthorized actions and deception. , Huang Shenming was just an oversight, and the matter will be over!"
Ximen Sheng nodded lightly and said: "Although Huang Shenming is weaker in terms of ability, his loyalty is not a problem. Now that the Commander-in-Chief has punished him severely, we still have to try to keep his position. We jointly recommended Huang Shenming to serve as Ximensheng. General Lu originally valued his ability, but his loyalty... The war pressure in the West Road defense area was the least, but it was close to the Wu family's sphere of influence in Shanhaiguan. It was necessary to prevent the Wu family from secretly infiltrating. The person in charge must With loyalty and hard work as the main priority, there is currently no better candidate besides Huang Shenming!"
After a pause, Ximen Sheng continued: "Now it seems that the most difficult thing is the accidental injuries and deaths caused during the competition between our Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry, because it concerns the Wu family in Shanhaiguan, even if Zhao Junchen Even if they don’t plan to pursue it, the Wu family will definitely stick to it... But there is a way to do this!
For many years, whenever our Liao soldiers passed through Shanhaiguan, they would be plucked by the Wu family geese. In order to prevent conflicts and to allow the Guan Ning cavalry to send troops to help when necessary, we have been forcibly tolerating it, but all the losses have been Record, it comes in handy at this time! If the Wu family insists on insisting on us, then we will demand from them the losses incurred when Liao's salary passed through Shanhaiguan over the years... The Wu family has always been in a pinch for money and food, and they will definitely give in at this time! "
After hearing the suggestions from several generals, He Yu pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement, thinking that they were all feasible strategies, and he could not think of a better strategy.
But at the same time, He Yu still felt a little uneasy in his heart.
He always felt that he seemed to have overlooked something.
Zhao Junchen's methods against Liaodong Town should not be so obvious and easily guessed by himself and others.
However, after He Yu thought about it repeatedly, he still couldn't figure out what he had overlooked.
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At the same time, inside Zhao Junchen’s camp.
In the main tent of the camp, Zhao Junchen was also summoning his guests.
These guests are all carefully selected by Zhao Junchen. They are all representatives of forces who have a certain influence in Liaodong and will fully support him in attacking Liaodong Town.
In order to give these people more confidence, when Zhao Junchen met them, his demeanor and behavior were full of wisdom and calmness.
Under the attention of everyone, Zhao Junchen said slowly with a smile on his face: "For many years, Liaodong Town has been acting rebelliously and misbehaving in the defense zone. I believe everyone has been dissatisfied for a long time! And when I come to Liaodong this time, I will definitely Make the decision for you!
Next, I will try to give Liaodong Town a hard beating to make them remember their lesson! As for the specific means to attack Liaodong Town, this pavilion will start from four aspects!
First, it was the central government's reduction of Liao's pay; second, it was the army on the east and west sides of Liao that brutally oppressed the people in the territory; third, it was the accidental injuries and deaths caused by the Liaodong cavalry and the Guanning cavalry during the competition...
Finally, and the most important method, this pavilion wants to let the lower-level soldiers in Liaodong Town receive more pay, silver, and food, and also let the powerful military attachés in Liaodong Town... have more real power! "
When Zhao Junchen was speaking, everyone in the tent nodded repeatedly at first, thinking that the question meant what it meant.
But with Zhao Junchen's last words, it suddenly caused an uproar in the whole house!
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