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According to Zhao Junchen and the internal agreement reached by Liaodong Town, after Xu He was elected as the acting commander-in-chief, he would be able to command all the soldiers in Liaodong Town with full authority. His power was no different from that of the official commander-in-chief, except that he lacked the center of the imperial court. It's just an appointment.
Liaodong Town has always tried its best to maintain its "independence" and often violated the various policies of the imperial court. Over the years, countless supervisors and civilian officials have died inexplicably in Liaodong. It stands to reason that as long as the military power is in control, there is no need to Care about this appointment.
But in fact, Xu He knew very well that for himself, this appointment was absolutely indispensable.
Xu He used to be the most senior general in Liaodong Town. In terms of qualifications, he was even more senior than the former Commander-in-Chief He Yu - but in other words, he was able to achieve his current position only because of his seniority. But if In terms of military merit, prestige, scheming, and means, he is obviously inferior to Ximen Sheng, Gan Cheng, and Li Zehe, and is only stronger than Huang Shenming.
Therefore, Xu He needed a formal appointment from the imperial court center to make up for his lack of ability and prestige.
With the formal appointment of the imperial center, it is justifiable and has a greater error tolerance.
But now, because of Zhao Junchen's guidance and intervention, Xu He has only become the acting commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town. Next, he must rely on his own ability to control the situation and lead Liaodong Town through the difficulties. There is no luck, and there is no way. Accept any mistakes.
Under such circumstances, Xu He naturally lacked confidence.
At this time, under the urging of Zhao Junchen and the senior military attachés of Liaodong Town, Xu He finally walked to the main seat and took a seat, becoming the temporary supreme commander of Liaodong Town.
However, because the current situation was unexpected, Xu He couldn't help but feel upset and confused. Under the gaze of everyone in the tent, he was at a loss for a while and didn't know what he should do.
Seeing that Xu He was silent for a long time, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but frown and urged again: "General Xu, you are now the leader and backbone of Liaodong Town. Seeing that Wu Yingxiong, the governor of Jiliao, is about to appear, I hope you can make up your mind as soon as possible and give the soldiers of Liaodong Town a clear direction on how to deal with it next!"
Later, Li Zehe, Gan Cheng, Huang Shenming, and Li Shijie also said in unison again: "I would also like to ask General Xu to give the order. I and others will do their best and no one dares to disobey!"
At the same time, Shi Cheng hesitated for a moment, then remained silent and did not express his position.
After Xu He saw the attitude of everyone in Liaodong Town, at least on the surface they were willing to fully support him, he finally calmed down a little and finally gained a little more confidence.
Xu He believes that the strength of Liaodong Town has not been compromised at all. As long as he can exert the full strength of Liaodong Town, he still has a great chance to solve the various crises in Liaodong Town.
After he successfully leads Liaodong Town through the current difficulties, he will naturally become the official commander in chief.
Thinking of this, Xu He took a deep breath and raised his voice: "Since Zhao Gechen and all my colleagues are willing to trust me and let me take on the important task of Liaodong Town, then I am also bound by the responsibility and should go all out. !
The current situation of Liaodong Town, just as Zhao Gechen said, can be said to be full of internal and external troubles and crises! Because of the accidental death of General He, the morale of the entire army was low and they had nowhere to vent their grievances. The Liaodong Iron Cavalry under the command of He Bandit, He Rensheng, Liu Xiong, and Shi Cheng were originally supposed to be the mainstay of Liaodong Town, but Nowadays, there is a danger of losing control at any time. This is an internal worry!
At the same time, the Wu family in Shanhaiguan is coveting their ambitions and wants to take advantage of the situation to rob, seize power and annex. The Jurchens in Jianzhou are also very likely to have noticed the current predicament of Liaodong Town, and may take advantage of it at any time and send troops to invade the south again. This is a foreign invasion! "
Having said this, Xu He slammed the table and said loudly: "Under this critical situation, I have made the decision. In order to deal with foreign aggression, we must first settle the domestic situation! Solve the internal worries first, and then deal with the foreign ones!
The top priority now is to stabilize the morale of the army and boost morale before Wu Yingxiong and Guan Ning cavalry appear. Especially the Liaodong cavalry under the command of He Bandi, He Rensheng, Liu Xiong, and Shi Cheng must make them become Liaodong town leaders again. The mainstay of Liaodong, as long as these Liaodong cavalry still obey orders and prohibitions, our Liaodong town will have the confidence to fight against any enemy! "
While speaking, Xu He had been secretly observing the reactions of everyone in the tent. When he saw that no one in Liaodong Town had any objections to his remarks, his confidence increased and he shouted: " Generals, obey your orders!"
As Xu He finished speaking, Li Zehe, Gan Cheng, Huang Shenming, and Li Shijie all stood up and held their hands in their hands, saying: "Please give me your orders, General Xu!"
After Xu He looked around, he finally landed on Huang Shenming, the general of the West Road, and said loudly: "General Huang, it is up to you to personally come forward and try to find a sufficient amount of wine, food and drink, and then use all the people in Liaodong Town to do it." In the name of the high-ranking military attache, I would like to reward all the soldiers in the army! Tonight, I am going to let all the soldiers in the army have meat in their bellies and wine in their throats! As long as there is wine and meat, the soldiers will be able to recover quickly!"
After hearing Xu He's military order, Huang Shenming couldn't help but be shocked.
Since taking control of He Bandit and others, Huang Shenming has been extremely low-key. Not only has he not participated in any debates, nor has he expressed any opinions, he has repeatedly abstained from voting during the voting, not daring to take sides, just like Transparent people are ordinary.
Unexpectedly, Xu He's first military order was handed over to him, and the content of the military order was quite difficult.
After hesitating for a moment, Huang Shenming couldn't help but questioned: "I hope General Xu will learn from this. If you want all the soldiers in the army to have meat to eat, you must empty the inventory and slaughter all the livestock accompanying the army, and maybe even more." A few mules and horses are enough, but there is always a solution...
However, if you want all the soldiers in the army to have wine to drink, you are really helpless. The army has always only supplied wine to military attachés of more than a hundred households, and the quantity is only a hundred jars. Even if you add a large amount of water, it is not enough to distribute it. To all the soldiers in the army. "
As the saying goes, "It's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice." Xu He had no better way, but he still ordered again with a strong attitude: "I don't care whether you have a solution or not, but before tonight, every soldier in the army must be Everyone gets a drink!"
Seeing Xu He's attitude, Huang Shenming had no choice but to accept the order with a grimace, and in his heart he had already made up his mind to do it perfunctorily. Xu He was only acting as the commander-in-chief anyway.
Then, Xu He turned to look at Li Zehe and Gan Cheng, and said: "General Li Shen, General Gan Shen, while General Huang Shen is bringing out wine and meat to reward the entire army, you two are waiting for an opportunity." Take action, try to contact the reinforcement military attachés in various defense zones, and be sure to regain military power as soon as possible!
According to the previous agreement, after regaining military power, the reinforcements in the middle defense zone and the east defense zone will still belong to the two of you, while the south route reinforcements will still belong to this general... When we have the reinforcements from all walks of life, a total of more than 7,000 troops, under our command again After that, he officially announced to the entire army that this general had been elected as the acting commander-in-chief!
Then, we must work together to collect all the Liaodong cavalry under the command of He Bandit, He Rensheng, and Liu Xiong, and hand them over to the direct command of this general! "
Having said this, Xu He's expression became more solemn, and he turned his gaze to Shi Cheng and asked: "Shi Qianhu, I see that you have always been indifferent and do not support me like others... But now, I The general still wants to formally ask you, are you willing to obey my military orders next?"
Shi Cheng snorted softly and said: "The humble position is just for a thousand households to be punished. Just now, I was not even qualified to recommend and express my position. Naturally, I am not qualified to accept General Xu Shen's military orders."
While answering, Shi Cheng still called Xu He a "general", and his attitude was self-evident.
A trace of annoyance flashed through Xu He's expression, and he said coldly: "In this case, I will have to wrong Shi Qianhu again for a while! Until the situation in Liaodong Town is completely stabilized, Shi Qianhu is still not allowed to move around at will, nor can he You can contact anyone privately at will...and the Liaodong cavalry under your command will still be imprisoned and cannot return their armor! After the situation in Liaodong Town stabilizes, I will decide your punishment!"
At this time, Shi Cheng had already made contact with the Liaodong cavalry who were loyal to him. If he really wanted to turn the tables, Shi Cheng would have a very low chance of winning, but it would be enough to completely disrupt Xu He's layout.
However, although Shi Cheng could not agree with Xu He becoming the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town, for the sake of the overall situation, he was also unwilling to choose to be an enemy of Xu He at this time and further worsen the situation in Liaodong Town.
Therefore, after hearing Xu He's statement, Shi Cheng did not react at all, which was regarded as acquiescence that he would be imprisoned again.
After seeing Shi Cheng's silence, Xu He secretly breathed a sigh of relief - he was sure that Shi Cheng would take the overall situation into consideration at this time, so he took the opportunity to imprison Shi Cheng again as a variable, and also took the opportunity to scare the monkeys. Initial establishment of authority.
Next, Xu He turned to look at Li Shijie, his attitude became much more polite, and continued: "Li Qianhu, you and the Liaodong Cavalry under your command will probably be busier next. First of all, we must Separate some soldiers and horses to closely monitor Shi Cheng and the Liaodong cavalry under his command to prevent them from causing rebellion again;
The second step is to select some eloquent and clever soldiers under his command to contact and spread rumors with the Liaodong Cavalry under the command of He Bandit, He Rensheng, and Liu Xiong. It is said that General He's death was most likely related to Shanhaiguan. The Wu family and the Jianzhou Jurchen conspiracy are related, so try to arouse their feelings of common hatred;
Finally, when the general comes forward to recruit the Liaodong cavalry under the command of He Bandit, He Rensheng, and Liu Xiong, you must also follow the general and try to use your influence with the Li family to reduce the resistance of the Liaodong cavalry. . "
Li Shijie did not hesitate at all to Xu He's instructions and immediately accepted the order with clasped fists.
After promulgating this series of military orders, Xu He concluded: "Zhao Cabinet Minister has already calculated the time. Wu Yingxiong, Governor of Jiliao, will arrive at us with the Guan Ning cavalry at around 6:00 tomorrow morning at the latest, so we must rush Solve all internal troubles before tomorrow's time! Without further ado, everyone can take action now."
As Xu He finished speaking, the senior military attachés of Liaodong Town in the tent did not dare to neglect. After standing up to leave, they rushed to complete the various tasks assigned by Xu He.
However, when Li Zehe said goodbye and left, he turned around and glanced at the still unconscious He Bandit, He Rensheng, and Liu Xiong, and couldn't help but ask: "Excuse me, General Xu, how should we deal with these three people?" ?Should we also imprison them? Estimate the weight of the drug, I'm afraid they will wake up soon."
Xu He had a plan in mind and shook his head: "He Bandit and others will stay here. After they wake up, I will personally negotiate with them and try to persuade them to support."
Li Zehe was not surprised by Xu He's decision.
Xu He is currently only acting as the commander-in-chief. If he wants to secure his position and deter the dissent of all forces, he must control the 3,000 Liaodong cavalry under He Bandi and others. However, if he cannot win over He Bandi and others, they will definitely With the degree of recognition, even if Xu He's plan is successfully realized and the three thousand Liaodong cavalry are temporarily included in his command, there will be changes sooner or later in the future.
Therefore, Xu He believed that he had to reach a deal with He Bandit and others, the content of which was nothing more than revenge for He Yu.
He Bandit, He Rensheng, and Liu Xiong are not people who are greedy for power. What they care about most at the moment is revenge for He Yu. Therefore, as long as Xu He is willing to promise that he will avenge He Yu at all costs, he will naturally have the opportunity to win over He Bandit and others. People’s recognition and support.
Thinking of this, Li Zehe felt a sense of relief and joy in his heart, as if he had discovered a great opportunity.
But on the surface, Li Zehe didn't show any abnormality. He just nodded lightly, turned around and left quickly.
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On the other side, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but nodded slightly after seeing Xu He's performance.
Although Xu He's scheming and ability are not as good as those of Ximen Sheng, Li Zehe, and Gan Cheng, it does not mean that Xu He's abilities and methods are weak. After all, he is a veteran of the frontier army, and his profound qualifications also mean that Xu He's abilities and methods are weak. His rich experience should not be underestimated after he stabilized his emotions and made up his mind. This series of military orders can be regarded as the right medicine.
But Zhao Junchen is still not optimistic about Xu He.
If you want to deal with the Shanhaiguan Wu family and the Jianzhou Jurchens, these "prescribed medicines" alone may not be enough, let alone completely extinguish the ambitions of the Shanhaiguan Wu family and the Jianzhou Jurchens.
What's more, Li Zehe, Gan Cheng, Li Shijie and others may appear to be obeying Xu He's orders, but in fact they have different ideas. They may be disobedient or secretly stumbling upon him at any time.
However, in the eyes of Zhao Junchen, Xu He is only a transitional candidate after all. As long as he can temporarily unite all the forces in Liaodong Town, end the leaderless situation in Liaodong Town, and prevent the Shanhaiguan Wu family from easily annexing Liaodong Town, his mission will be fulfilled. .
"The next step is to wait for Wu Yingxiong's official appearance, and then to negotiate with Wu Yingxiong to find a way to let Ximen Sheng regain his freedom..."
While he was thinking this secretly, he saw that the high-ranking military attaches in Liaodong Town had left one after another. Only himself, Xu He, and the still unconscious He Gang were left in the tent. Zhao Junchen also stood up and left his seat. Said: "General Soldier Xu must be busy with many things next, and I am also a little tired, so I won't disturb General Soldier Xu."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen waved his hand and turned to leave.
But before Zhao Junchen could take a step forward, Xu He hurriedly called out: "Please stay, Minister Zhao. I have something to ask you."
Zhao Junchen turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"
Xu He hesitated for a moment, then finally showed his determination, walked quickly to Zhao Junchen, lowered his voice and asked: "I am taking the liberty to buy something from you. If you are not willing to sell it, then I have the right to sell it to you." I never said that I would, if you are willing to sell, that would be even better, you can make whatever price you want, I will never counter-offer!"
Zhao Junchen was not surprised that Xu He retained him and wanted to talk to him alone, but he never expected that Xu He retained him to buy something from him.
Curious in his heart, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but ask: "What do you want to buy? There should be nothing in this pavilion that deserves such attention from General Xu."
Xu He lowered his voice again, and his tone was a little nervous, and said: "I want to buy a memorial from you! A secret memorial to be presented to His Majesty!
The specific content is... The reason why the three generals, Li Zehe, Gan Cheng, and Huang Shenming, changed from the norm and were willing to support the Liao pay reform was because of Xiaozhi's hard persuasion with reason and emotion. , without the humble official taking the lead to express his position, Liao’s salary reform will definitely be difficult to achieve! "
Speaking of this, Xu He's expression became more and more nervous, and he carefully observed the changes in Zhao Junchen's expression.
After hearing Xu He's explanation, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but be surprised by Xu He's boldness and whims.
But at the same time, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but feel emotional. He felt that he had underestimated and overestimated this person in the past.
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