"The people following Thief Liu are all old bandits. I'm afraid these people will not accept the imperial edict and will only follow Thief Liu all the way to the dark side." Li Biao said.
It's not that I've never done anything to secretly bribe people inside the Tiger Flag, it's just that they've all failed.
"Yes, these people are determined to become traitors and fight against the imperial court to the end. I'm afraid it will be impossible for Zhao'an and the others," Cheng Ji Ming also said.
Obviously he is not optimistic about the method mentioned by Zhou Yanru. Han Xu nodded slightly, agreeing with Li Biao and Cheng Jiming's statement.
Faced with repeated refutations, Zhou Yanru said: "It is true that it is not easy to arrest the current tiger thieves, but we can arrest some people who have good intentions towards the court. We have to use appropriate methods to deal with these people." , there is still a high possibility that Zhao’an will succeed.”
"So you have a suitable partner?" Han Xu asked curiously. If the Tiger Flag can really be solved through Zhao'an, it will definitely be a great thing for the current Ming Dynasty.
Zhou Yanru nodded.
"Then tell me what to do? Who among the tiger thieves can accept the imperial edict!" Han Xu couldn't help but ask.
Li Biao and Cheng Jiming also looked at Zhou Yanru. Zhou Yanru didn't sell it, and said directly: "Some officials among the tiger thieves came from the Ming Dynasty, especially a man named Hong Chengchou. This man was a Jinshi. He once served as an envoy in Shaanxi and participated in politics. Later he became a tiger thieves. Now he is even more... Being taken seriously by the tiger thief, he is currently in Laizhou, Shandong." As he said that, he glanced at Han Xu.
"Isn't this person dead?" Cheng Jiming frowned. Zhou Yanru said: "I thought he was dead at first. Later, Hong Chengchou appeared in Luoyang and was discovered. Only then did we know that this man is still alive and has become an official of the tiger thief."
"This kind of person should be executed directly. There is no need to order him to peace." Han Xu said with an ugly face. Hong Chengchou was able to come to Shaanxi as chief envoy to participate in politics because of the Donglin Party's push. But now he has betrayed the Ming Dynasty and joined the rebels, which is simply a shame for the Donglin Party.
"This person cannot be killed. I didn't hear Yu Shenggang say that Zhao'an will start with this person." Li Biao stood up to oppose Han Xu.
Cheng Ji Ming said: "If this Hong Chengchou can find his way back, it will be a great thing for the court. If he is killed, who will fall to the court in the future." Two cabinet ministers in succession did not give Han Xu any advice. face.
Given the current situation, Han Xu, who has lost Chongzhen's trust, will fall sooner or later.
"I think it's better to send someone to try to contact this Hong Chengchou first. As for how to treat him in the future, it's not too late to discuss it after the tiger thief is dealt with." Zhou Yanru said a few words without offending anyone.
Upon seeing this, Han Xu knew that the rest of the cabinet supported the imperial edict against Hong Chengchou, and knew that it was useless for him to oppose it, so he said: "Since you want the imperial edict, go ahead and give it a try. I will not interfere with it." He had already decided to resign to Chongzhen, and he was not prepared to sit on the position of chief minister.
Without Han Xu's intervention, the remaining cabinet ministers got together and began to study how to recruit some personnel within the Tiger Flag.
For them, even if these people from Zhao'an can cause a little trouble to the Tiger Flag, it will be a success for them.
In layman's terms, this is called hitting a few poles first if there are dates but not dates. Several pavilion elders quickly settled the Zhao'an matter, and it was hard to say whether the matter would work out, so they did not discuss it with Chongzhen.
Once things are done, it's not too late to talk about it. If things don't work out, there's no need to talk about it. Zhao'an's matters were left to the people below to handle. As the elder, he only had to wait for the results, and Han Xu also began to submit resignations.
Chongzhen made several symbolic attempts to retain Han Xu, and then agreed to Han Xu's resignation. The court could not live without its first assistant, and Li Biao, the second assistant, stepped in.
The first thing Li Biao had to solve after taking office was the Shandong issue. Water transportation is related to the safety of the capital and cannot be delayed for a day.
Li Biao had no better way, so just like Han Xu, he persuaded Chongzhen to abandon the Ningjin defense line and dispatch Guan Ning troops to Shandong to quell the rebellion.
This method was naturally not liked by Chongzhen, and Li Biao, the first assistant, naturally disappointed Chongzhen.
Changes in the capital will not affect the situation in Shandong. Chongzhen disagreed with the dispatch of Guan Ning's army to Shandong, but Li Biao kept persuading Chongzhen to abandon the Ningjin defense line, and the DPRK and China fell into a dispute.
While calling Li Biao a traitor, Li Biao's supporters argued with those officials who opposed the abandonment of the Ningjin Defense Line. All day long, the DPRK and China were arguing about whether to withdraw the Ningjin Defense Line. Shandong seemed to have been forgotten.
Without the imperial court's urging to send troops, Fu Zonglong stayed in Jinan Fucheng with peace of mind, and did not take the initiative to fight with the troops of the Tiger Character Banner. He did not even send troops to recover those other prefectures and counties in Jinan Prefecture that were occupied by the Tiger Character Banner. As if forgotten.
Another Ming army in Shandong, Wang Chengyin, was in similar situation to Fu Zonglong in Liaocheng. Except for asking for food and pay every now and then, he stayed in Liaocheng all day without sending troops.
The Huzi Banner camp that remained in Jinan Prefecture was under the leadership of Xu Guang, and he carried out civil affairs reforms in the area occupied by the Tiger Character Banner with peace of mind, and no longer invaded other areas occupied by the Ming army.
The Ming army and the Tiger Banner troops in Shandong maintained such a fragile and temporarily stable situation.
"Master, I've made some inquiries. Huai County is a few miles ahead." A servant dressed in shorts walked to the carriage and said.
Kong Yinjing opened one side of the car curtain and looked forward. As for the county seat, which is not visible at all, there are many people busy in the farmland on the roadside. There are wedges inserted in the ground with hemp ropes tied to them. The other end of the hemp ropes is tied to another one some distance away. above the wedge.
With just one glance, Kong Yinjing knew that the fields were being divided or had just been divided. Qufu did the same thing at the beginning and gave most of his land to the poor people in Qufu.
"Hurry up and get into the city." Kong Yin bowed his head and put his head back from the car window. Now that I have arrived in Laizhou, I know that the rumors outside are true. Laizhou has really been taken down by the tiger-character flag.
It has been a while since Huai County was occupied by the Tiger Character Banner, and it has already returned to its former glory. In front of the city gate, many people waiting to enter the city formed a long queue.
Kong Yinjing did not push aside others and let his carriage get stuck in the city. Instead, he lined up and followed the flow of people into the city.
There are soldiers guarding the city gate. These soldiers are not the soldiers of the Tiger Flag, but the people of Huai County. The highest official here at the city gate is the messenger from the Yamen.
In the past, when ordinary people went to the city to sell things, they had to pay the city tax, which could be copper coins or things they brought with them to sell.
"Go directly to the Yamen." Kong Yinjing ordered in the carriage.
