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Just when Wu Shilin, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, decided to send troops, more than two thousand Guan Ning cavalry were busy on a shoal five hundred miles south of Hujiazhuang.
Whether they are expanding the camp, setting up defenses and patrolling, or running for communication, everyone is orderly and has clear responsibilities, showing the style of a strong and elite army.
At the same time, Wu Yingxiong, the governor of Jiliao, stood on a high platform, silently observing the busy scene at his feet, with a faint smile on his lips, his expression seemed calm, confident, and... It is full of ambition and success.
After seeing Wu Yingxiong's performance, the elite soldiers of Guan Ning's cavalry became even more motivated.
For decades, both the Shanhaiguan Wu family and the Guanning cavalry have been trapped within hundreds of miles near Shanhaiguan, and have been caught between the two major forces of Ji Town and Liaodong Town. Their abilities , full of ambitions, but they have nowhere to display them, and they are suppressed repeatedly, and they are almost sick from suppressing them.
Now, with the internal chaos in Liaodong Town, it is a great opportunity for them to escape. Everyone is gearing up and ready to make a move, eager to follow the Wu family in Shanhaiguan to fight, and then they can ascend to heaven.
However, the soldiers of Guan Ning's cavalry did not know that Wu Yingxiong, who seemed confident at this time, was actually full of anxiety deep in his heart.
This uneasiness is not due to the fierce resistance that will inevitably occur in Liaodong Town, nor is it because the Jianzhou Jurchens may soon intervene and take the opportunity to invade, nor is it because Zhao Junchen, who frequently disrupts the situation, It has nothing to do with being a conspirator who is well versed in power, but because Wu Yingxiong was secretly worried about Emperor Deqing's subsequent reaction.
After all, the Wu family did not obtain the permission of Emperor Deqing in advance for this action, and did not even inform Emperor Deqing of the news in advance. Instead, they wanted to wait until everything was cooked - that is, Shanhaiguan Wu After the family completely controlled Liaodong Town - and then reported the fait accompli to Emperor Deqing, Emperor Deqing could only acquiesce to the expansion of the Wu family's power.
But for the Wu family, this approach contained great risks-that is, Emperor Deqing's dissatisfaction and revenge.
In fact, the young and old members of the Wu family, from Wu Sangui to Wu Shilin, deeply respected Emperor Deqing.
It is said that Xuan Ye, the great Khan of Jianzhou Jurchen, was talented and brilliant, but in the eyes of the Wu family, Emperor Deqing's methods and mind were not bad at all, or even exceeded.
The greatest respect the Wu family has for Emperor Deqing lies in Emperor Deqing's imperial mentality.
When Wu Yingxiong took over as the governor of Jiliao, Wu Sangui once taught Wu Yingxiong earnestly and sincerely by words and deeds, and said something like this.
"Since the Yongle Emperor, the average lifespan of the Ming emperors has been far lower than that of the common people. Only the Wanli Emperor, who did not attend the early dynasty for 28 consecutive years and was famous for his neglect of government and delegating power, has a longer lifespan...
[Note: The average lifespan of men in the Ming Dynasty was 46 years, while the average lifespan of emperors in the Ming Dynasty since Xuanzong was 36.8 years old]
If you carefully study the specific causes of death of the emperors of our dynasty, you will feel even more chilling. Some people may have fallen into the water on a cruise ship, died suddenly due to poisoning, or were misdiagnosed by quack doctors. Very few of them died at the end of their lives. It was all extremely strange! What is the reason? It’s hard to think deeply!
Ah! It is said that His Majesty is suspicious today, but after seeing all the strange ways of death of previous emperors, how can he not be suspicious? Those powerful ministers from the outer dynasties and the great companions from the inner court were all so daring!
However, since His Majesty came to power, all the people in the world have taken it for granted that the Emperor is supreme, and no one dares to change their minds... The powerful ministers are just like flies and dogs, walking on thin ice, and the careerists can only be cautious and do not dare to move lightly. , the eunuchs were even more obedient and completely docile. Although the implementation of government affairs was faced with many obstacles, it was still able to run on the whole... These things are all inseparable from His Majesty's brilliant imperial mind!
It can even be said that the Ming Dynasty is now at a critical juncture of its rise and fall. If His Majesty had not been using the emperor's mental tricks to stabilize the government and the opposition, check and balance the factions, and suppress dissent, the situation between the government and the opposition would have been out of control.
As for our Wu family, it was because of His Majesty’s imperial tricks that we suffered a huge setback!
You also know that our Wu family was once a very important force in Liaodong Town. Since the Li family was forced to retreat behind the scenes, your grandfather Wu Xiang took over as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. If our Wu family could have had more time back then, If you work hard, you may not have the chance to replace the generals of the Li family and become the local emperor in Liaodong...
However, after Your Majesty ascended the throne, he quickly promoted your grandfather Wu Xiang to the governor of Jiliao by means of promotion and demotion, and promoted the position of Shanhaiguan guard to the commander-in-chief and handed it over to your father. Later, various means of sowing discord were used to continuously deepen the rift and contradiction between the Wu family and Liaodong Town... To this day, the Wu family is just the Wu family, and Liaodong Town is just Liaodong Town. The two parties are not only completely separated, but also still Clear distinctions, guarding against each other, and restraining each other...
In this way, under His Majesty's imperial scheming and understatement, not only did our Wu family's ambitions completely fail, but even Liaodong Town was split and dismembered, and its strength was greatly weakened!
Hey! All the ministers in the dynasty believe that His Majesty is too indulged in the emperor's scheming and is definitely not the right path for an emperor. However, I hold the opposite view. If it weren't for His Majesty's imperial scheming, the Ming Dynasty would have lost so many people. Careers have emerged, and the reason why the officials question His Majesty's imperial intentions is actually because they are afraid of His Majesty's methods!
It is said that Zhou Shangjing is powerful and scheming, and can stand shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Juzheng, but in fact he is far from it! Does he have the guts to let His Majesty's boat fall into the water? Do you have the guts to let His Majesty be poisoned and die suddenly? Do you have the guts to let His Majesty be misdiagnosed by a quack doctor? Absolutely not! Because of His Majesty's imperial scheming, he would only worry about his boat falling into the water, dying of poisoning, or being misdiagnosed by quack doctors!
Therefore, after you take over as the governor of Jiliao, you must not listen to what those scholars say, thinking that Your Majesty has various shortcomings, so you feel contempt for him. No matter how many shortcomings Your Majesty has, you can only rely on his We must have the greatest awe of the emperor's mind and tricks! "
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Recalling Wu Sangui's sincere teachings, Wu Yingxiong couldn't help but feel more and more fearful in his heart. His expression seemed calm and confident, but his brows couldn't help but frown slightly.
Next to Wu Yingxiong, stood an elderly Confucian scholar. This man had gray hair and wrinkles on his face, but he still had a straight waist and bright eyes. He was Fang Guangchen, the top aide of the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
Fang Guangchen was known to be strategic and resourceful. He had a very high status within the Wu family in Shanhaiguan and was on equal terms with Wu Sangui. At this time, he was standing next to Wu Yingxiong, almost shoulder to shoulder, but Wu Yingxiong did not feel that he was offended in any way. .
After seeing the change in Wu Yingxiong's expression, Fang Guangchen immediately guessed Wu Yingxiong's thoughts and asked softly: "Your Excellency, are you worried about His Majesty's reaction afterwards?"
Wu Yingxiong did not hide anything. He nodded and responded softly: "Yes, I don't think your majesty will sit back and watch my Wu family regain control of Liaodong! In your majesty's plan, the relationship between us and Liaodong Town should be to check and balance each other and guard against each other. No one can be the sole leader, and no one dares to act rashly. Only then will His Majesty be able to secure his position!
Soldiers are a major event for the country! Your Majesty can tolerate Zhou Shangjing's power in the government and the opposition, and you can also tolerate Zhao Junchen amassing countless wealth, but he absolutely cannot tolerate the Wu family being the dominant one in Liaodong!
Even if our operation is a great success and we take advantage of the civil strife in Liaodong Town to successfully annex the military power of Liaodong, if His Majesty is unwilling to admit this fait accompli afterwards, things will inevitably happen again, and we may still Stealing the chicken will lose the rice, so you must be prepared for the worst! "
Speaking of the latter part, Wu Yingxiong's brows furrowed even more.
A smile flashed across Fang Guangchen's wrinkled old face, and he comforted: "Don't worry too much, Governor-General. His Majesty's methods are certainly awe-inspiring, but they are different now! The situation in Liaodong is now very different from what it was back then. It’s different. Not only is the Jianzhou Jurchen threat getting bigger and bigger, but there is also the existence of the troublemaker Zhao Junchen!
For His Majesty, there are two obstacles. The most unacceptable situation for him is that Liaodong falls to the hands of the Jianzhou Jurchens. In that case, his historical evaluation will be seriously damaged. Secondly, Zhao Junchen takes the opportunity to seize military power in Liaodong. In that case, Zhao Junchen Junchen will become a real thorn in his side, and then we will annex Liaodong Town...
At the same time, the situation that your Majesty most hopes to see is that everything maintains the status quo. The Jianzhou Jurchens are still blocked to the north of the Liaoyang defense line. Zhao Junchen still has no chance to gain military power. We and Liaodong Town still guard and contain each other. ...Of course, it would be even better if Liaodong Town is willing to significantly reduce Liao’s salary expenditure!
Under such circumstances, although our annexation of Liaodong Town is not His Majesty's best choice, it is also the most acceptable one among all the unfavorable options!
Therefore, as long as we cut off all hope of His Majesty to maintain the status quo and prevent His Majesty from finding a better option in the short term, he can only hold his nose and admit the fait accompli that we annexed Liaodong Town, at least in the short term. No more trouble. "
At this point, Fang Guangchen's smile became more meaningful, and he said: "At the same time, under the current situation, it is not difficult to cut off His Majesty's hope of maintaining the status quo! Mr. Wu has secretly planned As arranged, I am coming with the army this time just to implement the old master’s plan, so you don’t have to worry too much, Governor. You just need to act in accordance with the established plan... The other worries and obstacles, the old master has already If we have a plan, we will definitely solve it smoothly!”
After hearing what Fang Guangchen said, Wu Yingxiong hesitated for a moment, but in the end he did not ask any further questions.
In fact, Wu Yingxiong is a smart man. He can probably guess what Wu Sangui and Fang Guangchen want to do secretly next. Regarding Fang Guangchen's various small actions in recent days, such as the exchange of secret letters between Fang Guangchen and Wu Yinglin, and The quiet departure of a group of Wu family dead soldiers has always been noticed, but they just pretended not to know.
Without him, it would be "taking advantage of your illness to kill you"!
Over the years, He Yu has monopolized power in Liaodong Town and said everything he wants. All the military attachés stationed in the defense area have obeyed him. This situation was originally a good thing for Liaodong Town, as it could maintain the "independence" of Liaodong Town. "Sex" can also mobilize all the potential of Liaodong Town to the greatest extent.
But this situation also has obvious side effects, that is, the unity and cohesion of the entire Liaodong Town are maintained by He Yu. Once something happens to He Yu, the unity and cohesion of Liaodong Town will soon fall apart.
Of course, under normal circumstances, with He Yu's high position and tight defense, it is difficult to encounter any accidents, and this side effect can be ignored.
But now, this kind of low-probability event happened. He Yu was kidnapped, and Liaodong Town quickly fell into civil strife.
However, in Wu Sangui's view, it is not enough for He Yu to be kidnapped. After all, he still has the possibility of escaping. Although Wu Sangui believes that this possibility is not high, as long as this possibility exists, it is enough to make him escape. His restlessness was enough to completely defeat all the ambitions of the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
Therefore, Wu Sangui's secret arrangement and Fang Guangchen's real mission of this trip are obviously to completely destroy all hopes of He Yu's escape. He Yu must not be allowed to survive this accident and completely nail the coffin board.
To this end, Wu Sangui will do whatever it takes and no matter the cost!
Once He Yu completely disappears, there will be no chance for the situation in Liaodong to maintain the status quo. Not only will the Shanhaiguan Wu family's chance of success in annexing Liaodong Town greatly increase, but Emperor Deqing will also have no way to reverse the situation afterwards and can only acquiesce in this fait accompli.
Understanding this, Wu Yingxiong could guess that whether it was Wu Sangui's secret arrangement or Fang Guangchen's detailed mission for this trip, they must all be aiming for He Yu's life and must contribute to He Yu's untimely death.
However, Wu Sangui and Fang Guangchen did not intend to reveal any more information to Wu Yingxiong, because Wu Yingxiong was the imperial governor of Jiliao, and this time he sent troops to intervene in the situation in Liaodong. Therefore, there were some things that Wu Yingxiong should not know and it was inconvenient. Direct participation, as long as it is tacit.
In this way, if any accident occurs during the execution of the plan, Wu Yingxiong does not have to bear too much responsibility and can still retreat to Shanhaiguan with the Wu family and Guan Ning cavalry.
This is Wu Sangui's consistent style. Eggs are never put in the same basket, and he always leaves himself a spacious escape route.
Wu Yingxiong knew his father's style very well, so when he heard Fang Guangchen's statement, he was just moved in his heart, but did not ask any questions. He just murmured to himself: "Yes, no matter how great the chance of success is, after all, it is a chance to turn the family around." This is an excellent opportunity. Once we succeed, we will be trapped in the sky and have to give it a try. How can we look forward and backward!"
Speaking of the latter part, Wu Yingxiong's expression became firm again, and he waved his hand and raised his voice to give the order: "Send my order to the generals and tell them to speed up their preparations. Be sure to rush in and build the camp before the follow-up team arrives by boat!
Arrange a group of spies to go out and closely investigate the surrounding situation. We must not let the people in Liaodong Town discover our whereabouts in advance!
Finally, tell all the soldiers not to worry about seasickness, but to pick up their spirits and build up their strength as soon as possible. After our army is assembled, they will soon have a big fight! "
*
Not to mention the ambitions and plans of the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
On this day, a major event that could affect the future situation of Liaodong also happened in the dense forest where He Yu was kidnapped.
However, as the sky was getting dark, He Yu huddled in the corner of the room and secretly raised his eyes to observe. He saw that the two robbers in the room were both tired at the moment, their eyes were dull, and they were not paying attention to monitoring him.
So, He Yu quietly raised his hand and pressed his right leg hard. He immediately felt a strong pain, and a layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead.
But there was a hint of joy in He Yu's expression.
Because, in the first few days after He Yu was kidnapped, he had no feeling at all in his right leg.
Now that there is obvious pain, it is a good thing, which means that the leg injury has improved significantly.
In fact, He Yu had recovered the pain in his legs a few days ago. At the beginning, it was much more painful. He Yu couldn't help but want to scream in pain several times, and the pain was so painful that he couldn't sleep for several nights.
Now, although the pain is still obvious, it has reduced to a barely bearable level.
Then, He Yu quietly stretched his right leg, then slightly increased his strength, stretched it again, and tried again and again.
Gradually, the joy in He Yu's expression became more and more obvious.
When I move my right leg, it still hurts, but it is also much more flexible than it was a few days ago.
He Yu felt that if he could endure it a little longer, he could already try some strenuous activities.
Although it is impossible to hold on for too long, and it is impossible to move too fast, it is still a world of difference compared to the initial situation where it was impossible to move at all.
All attempts went smoothly, but He Yu quickly suppressed his joy and calmed down again. He raised his head and looked at the two robbers in the room again, with a hint of sinister look on his expression, and secretly thought: "I I've been trapped here for eight days!
During this period, Liaodong Town also had many negotiations and negotiations with this group of kidnappers of unknown origin, but they still have no intention of releasing him. Instead, because Zhao Junchen escaped early, they took the opportunity to increase the ransom and paid a large sum of money. They are all rare treasures such as jewelry. The amount is so large that even Liaodong Town would be hard-pressed to raise it in a short time!
Obviously, these robbers had other intentions. From the beginning, they never thought about releasing people after receiving the ransom, they just wanted to delay time!
If I continue to delay like this, not only will my life be in danger, but all parties concerned about the power of Liaodong Town will become increasingly impatient. I can't just sit back and wait for death... Now that the leg injury has improved, it is also It’s time to try to save yourself! "
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