"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wei is here." The little eunuch came to Tianqi and whispered in Tianqi's ear.
Tianqi's face was filled with joy, he put down the bowl with the dragon pattern in his hand, and said to the young eunuch: "Bring the companion here quickly."
The little eunuch bowed and retreated.
Soon, Wei Zhongxian, wearing a python robe, walked in from outside.
"My servant comes to see the Emperor."
When he came to Tianqi, Wei Zhongxian stepped forward to salute Tianqi.
"Pingsheng." Tianqi ordered Wei Zhongxian to stand up, and said at the same time, "My companion, you came at the right time. I also have something to ask you."
Wei Zhongxian straightened up and said, "Your Majesty must be talking about the defeat of the imperial army in Yanqing Prefecture."
"Have you heard about this as well?" Tianqi asked.
Wei Zhongxian said: "The Director of Ceremonies received an eight hundred mile urgent letter from the General of Juyong Pass. It described the situation of the imperial army in Xuanfu. As soon as the servant got the memorial from the General of Juyong Pass from the Director of Li, he immediately took it with him. Come and see the Emperor."
As he spoke, he handed over a copy of the memorial with both hands.
The little eunuch on the side took the memorial and handed it to Tianqi.
Tianqi opened the memorial and took a look at it, then closed it and asked, "Why is this memorial different from what Tu Daban said, are you sure there is nothing wrong?"
He looked at Wei Zhongxian doubtfully.
Wei Zhongxian leaned forward slightly and said, "This memorial was handed over by the Juyong Gatekeeper. I think it won't be much different from the real situation."
"Damn it!" Tianqi threw the memorial in his hand on the table, and said with an angry face, "I asked him to supervise the army, but he actually secretly encouraged the generals below to disrespect the commander's orders, so that he suffered losses. The Ming Dynasty has 50,000 elite soldiers, and it would be a shame for this man to die."
The anger of losing the battle finally found an outlet.
"Your Majesty, please calm down." Wei Zhongxian said, "This man indeed deserves death, but the most urgent task right now is how to ensure the safety of another imperial army in the Xuan Mansion."
Tianqi looked at Wei Zhongxian and asked, "Do you have any good ideas for this?"
Compared with Gu Bingqian and Tu Wenfu, Tianqi trusts Wei Zhongxian more.
"Returning to the emperor, although this servant is not familiar with military affairs, he also knows that the bandits can defeat Guan Ning's 50,000 army in Yanqing Prefecture. The same thing may also happen to another imperial army in Baoan Prefecture." Wei Zhongxian said.
"What does Daban mean by asking Xing Youwei to abandon Baoan Prefecture and retreat?" Tianqi frowned.
Wei Zhongxian noticed the change on Tianqi's face and hurriedly said: "Although it is possible to retreat, the imperial army finally took Bao'an Prefecture, so it is a pity to give up like this. I think I can increase the number of troops, expand the existing results, and clear out the Xuanfu territory." Thieves and bandits, in order to calm the people’s hearts.”
"Where do you think Daban will send a troop to support Bao'an Prefecture?" Tianqi was a little more interested in his proposal to increase troops.
Wei Zhongxian pondered for a moment and said: "Where can we mobilize the troops to suppress the bandits? I'm afraid the emperor needs to ask the cabinet and the Ministry of War."
"I have asked the cabinet to go back and prepare for the elimination of Liu Thief. The cabinet hopes not to disappoint me again this time." Tianqi's tone was a little colder.
Several cabinets had failed to deal with Xuanda's Liu thief, which made him a little impatient.
Wei Zhongxian hesitated for a moment and said, "Has the emperor ever thought about recruiting people?"
"Recruitment?" Tianqi frowned and said, "Have I not sent people to recruit people before, but this man doesn't know how to commend him. He has threatened the court several times. How can I keep him?"
Wei Zhongxian said hesitantly: "If the imperial army in Bao'an Prefecture is defeated again, it will cause great harm to the imperial majesty. It will even cause some people to have the illusion that there is an opportunity to take advantage of. If Liu Thief can be recruited, Not only will the imperial court not have to waste troops, money and food on Liu Thief, but it will also get a usable army."
After speaking, he looked at Tianqi.
The imperial court suffered several losses from Xuanda Liu's thieves, and even the most elite troops of the imperial court, Guan Ning, were defeated. Even if he continued to increase troops in Baoan Prefecture, he was not optimistic about what would happen next.
"You want me to agree to Liu Thief's conditions?" Tianqi frowned.
Wei Zhongxian said: "I only agree to this thief temporarily, but I don't really tolerate this thief. When the court solves the problem of slave thieves in Liaodong, it will concentrate its troops and eradicate this thief in one fell swoop."
After hearing this, Tianqi looked thoughtful and slowly picked up the tureen on the table.
Wei Zhongxian stood aside with his head bowed, patiently waiting for Tianqi's decision.
After a while, I heard Tianqi say: "Let's see what solution the cabinet will come up with first, and we'll talk about recruitment later."
After hearing this, Wei Zhongxian understood that Tianqi still had not given up the idea of exterminating Liu Thief.
Now that Tianqi has made his decision, Wei Zhongxian is smart enough not to say anything else. He knows who he depends on for his current status, so he naturally does not want to go against the will of the Holy Spirit and thereby lose His favor.
"Go and pass on my instructions to Tu Daban, telling him not to interfere in matters outside the palace." Tianqi told the little eunuch waiting beside him.
The little eunuch took the order and left to deliver oral instructions to Tu Wenfu.
The news that Guan Ning's 50,000-strong army was defeated in Yanqing Prefecture quickly swept the entire capital.
At the court meeting, many courtiers argued about this.
There was no way to deal with the Liu thieves. Instead, they quarreled and accused each other over whether Xing Youwei should withdraw his troops or the court should continue to increase his troops.
The officials of the Ministry of Hubu, led by the Minister of Hubu, asked the court to withdraw troops on the grounds that the Ministry of Hubu was empty. However, the courtiers headed by the Ministry of War were unwilling to give up Xing Youwei's advantage in Baoan Prefecture and asked the court to continue to increase troops.
Officials from both sides argued endlessly at the court meeting about whether to withdraw or increase troops.
Several days passed, and the court did not come up with a solution.
Xing Youwei, who was in Baoan Prefecture, was blocked outside Baoan City, and his retreat was cut off by the Dragon Cavalry Division of the Tiger Flag, making it impossible for the 50,000 imperial army to advance or retreat.
"Commander, the commander of the guards is outside asking for an audience." The guards outside the tent came in and announced.
Xing Youwei, who looked decadent, waved his hands to drive him away with an impatient expression: "See you, see you, tell him to get away, I won't see him."
When Wei Cheng's name was mentioned, his teeth itched with hatred.
If he hadn't listened to Wei Cheng's instigation and wanted to capture Baoan City, the 50,000-strong army would have been blocked outside Baoan City, unable to advance or retreat.
At this time, Chang Sui next to him said: "Master, let's meet him. If there is anything he can do, the army can't stay here forever."
"What can he do? If there is a way, I won't be trapped here and die. Let him get away." Xing Youwei didn't even bother to see Wei Cheng.
"Commander Wei is a general in the army after all, it's better to go talk to him as a kid!" Seeing his master acting like this, Chang Sui took the initiative to take over the task of driving Wei Cheng away.
Seeing that Xing Youwei did not stop him, Changsui followed the guard who entered the tent and left the tent.
