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That night, after Zhao Junchen and Wu Yingxiong concluded their secret talks, they successively summoned Xu He, Gan Cheng, Li Shijie and others.
What is the specific content of these secret conversations? No one except Zhao Junchen can get a full view of it.
But what is certain is that after these secret talks, Zhao Junchen reached a series of exchanges of interests with various forces in Liaodong. Not only did he obtain the acquiescence and cooperation of all forces in Liaodong, he also completely finalized the joint establishment of Jurchen state. Matters related to traveling to Japan to collect grain also slightly resolved the strong hostility between various forces in Liaodong because Zhao Junchen monopolized the benefits and stole military glory.
In this way, Zhao Junchen had temporarily settled all the hidden dangers, and could end his trip to Liaodong with peace of mind and return to the center of the capital as soon as possible.
*
As he had private meetings and secret talks with senior generals in Liaodong Town, the last person Zhao Junchen summoned was Li Shijie.
Although Li Shijie was just a military attaché of the Liaodong Cavalry, the Li family should not be underestimated. If Zhao Junchen wanted to successfully implement his various plans, he must win the support of this wealthy family.
"... This pavilion believes that it was certainly a big mistake for Li Ruzhen to sit back and watch the fall of Tieling and not save the troops, but we cannot kill the descendants of the Li family just because of Li Ruzhen's fault! After all, the Li family There have also been famous generals and heroes like Li Chengliang, Li Rusong, and Li Rubai among the generals. We should not let this decline happen! Times have changed now, and what happened back then should have been forgotten long ago!"
After hearing this, Li Shijie didn't know whether he was genuinely excited or just showing off. He immediately cried and thanked him: "Thank you very much, Zhao Gechen, for your understanding. The Li clan has been repeatedly suppressed and excluded over the years. It's really depressing. We all obviously have a lot of passion." If you want to serve the imperial court, you have to work hard to acquire martial arts and strategies and you want to realize your ambition. However, because of the mistakes of your ancestors back then, you have always been coldly looked at and criticized by all parties. You can only watch the old members like the Wu family helplessly. The generals will come from behind and show off their power!
Just like the humble person himself, he also put in several times more efforts and effort than ordinary people to finally become a military attaché of Qianhu in Liaodong Town. However, he also had to be repeatedly beaten by former commander-in-chief He Yu and Shi Cheng. It is really unspeakable suffering to be ostracized by such a villain..."
Zhao Junchen's expression was full of pity, and he helped Li Shijie up with his own hands and said: "The children of the Li family are all outstanding people. Naturally, they cannot be allowed to waste their talents. The court should not always guard against Li Shijie as if it were a thief." The generals of the Li family and the generals of the Li family should also play a greater role in the Liaodong border... When I return to the center of the imperial court, I will definitely speak kindly to the generals of the Li family in front of His Majesty. I believe that the generals of the Li family will soon be able to clear the air. See the blue sky!
Next, the situation in Liaodong Town will undergo many changes. Whether it is the Liao pay reform or the joint Jianzhou Jurchens' trip to Japan to collect food, these are all opportunities for you, the generals of the Li family, as long as the generals of the Li family can seize the opportunity. , it will surely be restored to its former glory soon! "
Li Shijie wiped the non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, nodded repeatedly and said: "Don't worry, Zhao Gechen, all your plans are far-sighted, and the Li family fully agrees with them, and they will fully cooperate with you, both public and private!"
Afterwards, Li Shijie secretly raised his eyes to observe the changes in Zhao Junchen's expression, and asked tentatively: "By the way, there is one more thing I need to ask Zhao Junchen about... That is Fang Zhenshan, the governor of Liaodong, and I heard that he is the minister. Your confidants have always wanted to win the support of the Li family and help him ascend to the position of commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town. However, judging from the current situation in Liaodong, I think his chances of winning are really slim, so you see... "
Zhao Junchen said meaningfully, and said slowly: "You are right. Judging from the current situation, Fang Zhenshan does not have much chance of winning, but Fang Zhenshan is a smart man and will never stay dormant forever and bet on him sooner or later. It will all be beneficial.”
Li Shijie immediately understood what Zhao Junchen meant.
In short, Zhao Junchen believed that the generals of the Li family should continue to support Fang Zhenshan. Even if he could not help Fang Zhenshan win the position of commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town, he should still help Fang Zhenshan take the opportunity to gain more real power and status.
This was also what Li Shijie was thinking. After hearing this, he no longer hesitated and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, I understand what you mean. The Li family will definitely continue to keep in touch with Governor Fang in the future."
Zhao Junchen nodded with a smile, then deliberately raised his head and glanced at the night outside the tent.
Before summoning Li Shijie, Zhao Junchen had already secretly met with Wu Yingxiong, Xu He, Gan Cheng and others. They all took a lot of time, so it was already dark and the moon was high.
After seeing Zhao Junchen's actions, Li Shijie also knew what was going on. He immediately stopped talking and quickly said goodbye to Zhao Junchen and left.
Of course, Zhao Junchen would not stay. After a few words of comfort, he let Li Shijie leave.
After Li Shijie said goodbye and left, Zhao Junchen finally took off his mask and disguise, suppressed the smile on his face, and put on a tired look. He leaned against the back of the chair and raised his hand to gently rub the temples of his head.
*
As a qualified politician, Zhao Junchen is very good at deciding the outcome in a secret room and handling conflicts in private meetings. However, this method also has disadvantages, that is, it cannot solve stubborn problems once and for all, and often just delays various hidden dangers. It’s just the timing of the outbreak, and in many cases it will lead to further deepening of various hidden dangers.
In comparison, the approach of open contradiction and direct conflict is certainly more risky, but it is also easier to break the establishment and completely eliminate hidden dangers.
That night, after several secret room talks, Zhao Junchen temporarily stabilized the various forces in Liaodong, but he also secretly transferred many benefits and promised that he would devote a large amount of resources to them in the future to help them further consolidate Position of power.
For example, the conversation between Zhao Junchen and Li Shijie just now seemed to be casual, but in fact it represented that Zhao Junchen and the generals of the Li family had reached a tacit understanding, and the generals of the Li family would fully support Zhao Junchen. Various plans in Liaodong, and Zhao Junchen will also secretly assist the Li family's generals to return to the forefront, giving the Li family's generals a chance to take control of Liaodong Town again.
This tacit understanding has many benefits in the short term, but in the long term it undoubtedly increases hidden dangers and variables in the Liaodong region.
"Alas! All kinds of stubborn diseases in the Liaodong region are deep-rooted. I also want to completely solve these problems, but unfortunately there is no time at all, and there is not so much spare power... We must temporarily stabilize these warlords and nobles, and win over them At least until the Liao salary reform is fully implemented, they need to be retained. Otherwise, whether it is the Liao salary reform or the joint Jianzhou Jurchens' trip to Japan to collect food, they will encounter more variables. …”
While muttering to himself, Zhao Junchen's expression was both helpless and disgusting.
Whether it was the Wu family in Shanhaiguan, the generals in Liaodong Town, or the generals of the Li family, Zhao Junchen had no good impressions, and was filled with contempt in his heart. He even regarded them as potential frontier dangers in the future.
But in the end, Zhao Junchen just shook his head slightly and no longer thought about these things.
If nothing unexpected happens, Zhao Junchen will still need to wait for another four or five years of planning and planning before he can truly have the time and spare energy to completely solve various hidden dangers and stubborn diseases in Liaodong.
According to Zhao Junchen's future plan, after four or five years, Zhao Junchen has completely broken with Emperor Deqing, and the winner has been decided. The final result may be that he will lose everything, be ruined, and if he is lucky, he can escape far away. In a foreign land, if unlucky, his body and head are in a different place; or he has already taken over the power, covering the sky with one hand, and changed the entire Ming Dynasty...
If it's the former, even if the Liaodong region is completely corrupted, it has nothing to do with Zhao Junchen anymore; if it's the latter, with Zhao Junchen's methods and the power he has by then, coupled with the brewing situation in Liaodong, he wants to solve it in one fell swoop The hidden dangers and stubborn diseases in Liaodong are no longer difficult to solve.
All in all, for Zhao Junchen, after this series of private negotiations, all things in Liaodong Town have come to an end for the time being, and there is no need to continue disturbing himself.
"It's useless for me to think about it now. I might as well let myself relax a little... Then I just need to wait for the news from Ximen Sheng, and then I can leave Liaodong with peace of mind..."
While muttering to himself, Zhao Junchen stretched his waist and felt much more relaxed. Then he stood up, left his seat, and walked towards the back bedroom.
*
Soon it was early morning the next day.
Zhao Junchen slept deeply that night, and it was already close to midnight when he got up.
After Zhao Junchen got up, while he was washing and changing, he received the latest military information, saying that the Jianzhou Jurchens outside Fushun Pass had been retreating one after another and would soon leave the Ming Dynasty territory.
At the same time, without the consent of Wu Yingxiong, Xu He and others, Ximen Sheng forcibly recruited a group of North Road defenders who were willing to obey his orders, and then led his army to follow the Jurchens in Jianzhou and be responsible for monitoring The Jianzhou Jurchens retreated and recovered their lost territory.
Naturally, Ximen Sheng's actions were not in compliance with military regulations, but considering the fierce conflict between Zhao Junchen and Ximen Sheng in Jiubing Town, Wu Yingxiong and Xu He did not express any objections, which was regarded as acquiescence to Ximen Sheng's unauthorized actions. .
After receiving this news, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but smile slightly, as if he had seen the stunned and disbelieving looks of Wu Yingxiong, Xu He and others next.
Last night, in order to avoid arousing suspicion, Zhao Junchen secretly met with all parties and left out only Ximen Sheng. He still pretended to be on the same level as Ximen Sheng, but Zhao Junchen believed that Jiang Quan had now asked Ximen Sheng. Ximen Sheng explained clearly the reason for the matter, and believed that Ximen Sheng knew what he should do next to strive for the best interests.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen only needs to wait quietly for the good show to come on.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen followed the whole army out of the valley without any expression and advanced toward Fushun Pass.
After Zhao Junchen arrived at Fushun Pass with his army, before the entire army could rest and recuperate, they received an explosive news.
Great victory! An unprecedented victory!
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