The next day, Emperor Chongzhen summoned Chen Xinjia and Fu Zonglong in Wenhua Palace.
When they arrived upon summons, Emperor Chongzhen was using a red pen to revise the sacrificial inscriptions drafted by the Ministry of Rites. After he finished revising the sacrificial inscriptions and put them down, he said to the eunuchs beside him: "Ask them to come in."
After Chen Xinjia and Fu Zonglong entered the palace and kowtowed, Chongzhen ordered them to stand up and speak. He looked at Fu Zonglong carefully and saw that although his temples and beard had become much whiter after being imprisoned, he was still in good spirits.
Chongzhen said to him: "Because of your guilt, I sent you to prison as a light punishment. Nowadays, there are many crimes in the country, so I released you and asked you to serve as the governor of Shaanxi and the three border areas.
This is my special favor. You should be grateful so that you can make up for your past mistakes by going out of your way to suppress the thieves. After success, I will reward you generously. "
Fu Zonglong knelt down and kowtowed again with excitement, and said with tears in his eyes: "Severe frost and rain, could it be the emperor's favor? When I go to the army, I vow to encourage the soldiers and take it as their own duty to exterminate the intruders, so as to comfort the emperor and bring peace to the people."
Your Majesty Fu Zonglong is willing to be shattered into pieces to live up to the emperor's kindness! "
Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said: "Okay, very good. After you take office in Shaanxi, when do you estimate that you can lead troops into Henan to wipe out the intruders?"
Fu Zonglong replied without hesitation: "After I arrive in Xi'an, I will consider the actual situation and then make a strategy."
However, Emperor Chongzhen was impatient. He subconsciously put his hands together and rubbed them together, and then said: "I hope you will rush to Xi'an as soon as possible. After a while, you will lead your troops into Henan within two months and meet with the governor Yang Wenyue." Work together to concentrate on suppressing the invasion.
I hope you will do your best to serve the king and do not stay in Guanzhong for too long, which will delay the military opportunity. "
Although Fu Zonglong was afraid that the emperor would suddenly become angry and arrest him and imprison him again, he knew that it would be impossible to send troops to Henan Province within two months. He could only say with courage: "Although I am determined to serve the country, I am afraid that the soldiers also need to be trained before they can do it." It’s good to enter Henan and fight.”
Emperor Chongzhen gave him a stern look and said in a deep voice: "Shaanxi already has ready-made troops. Don't we have soldiers and horses on each side of the three sides to train in peacetime? Don't wait for Li Zicheng to gain a firm foothold in Henan before sending troops." !”
Fu Zonglong knew in his heart that the training of soldiers in various towns was mostly in name only, and the number of soldiers was seriously insufficient. However, seeing the impatient look on Chongzhen's face, he had no choice but to kneel on the ground and bow his head in silence.
Emperor Chongzhen was silent for a moment, thinking that Fu Zonglong had been persuaded by him, and then said in a gentle tone: "You are a minister who knows the military, and I know it all. At present, the Donglu have besieged Jinzhou for a long time, and I have to send heavy troops outside the customs."
It is still unclear whether the crisis in Jinzhou can be resolved as soon as possible. The situation in Henan, Huguang, Shandong and other provinces was very bad, especially in Henan and Chu. Famous cities were lost and relatives of the vassal were sacrificed for the country.
Do you have any good ideas to alleviate my worries? "
Fu Zonglong hurriedly kowtowed and replied: "When I was in prison, I was often deeply worried about the country. Although I had some foolish opinions, I didn't dare to say it."
Emperor Chongzhen rolled his eyes and said: "If you want to benefit the country, you might as well tell me directly."
Seeing Emperor Chongzhen's behavior, Fu Zonglong said without hesitation: "At present, suppressing bandits internally and defending powerful captives externally, using troops on both sides is not a blessing to the country.
However, the civil servants in the DPRK and China often make empty words and have no practical results at all, leading to today's situation of internal and external difficulties. If this continues, in a few years the country's situation will be unimaginable.
Gu Ling is not helpless today, but no one dares to say anything to His Majesty. "
Chongzhen's heart moved. He seemed to have guessed the meaning of Fu Zonglong's words, but he still asked: "Just say it, don't avoid it."
Fu Zonglong said: "Your Majesty is the eternal hero. Please show me your foolish loyalty before I dare to speak out your foolish opinions to save the country."
Emperor Chongzhen looked at Fu Zonglong and said with a little hope: "You have been released from prison today and are now my ministers. If you have good suggestions, I will listen to them with an open mind. If I am wrong, I will never offend you. .But it doesn’t matter!”
Fu Zonglong knelt down and kowtowed again, and said in a low voice: "In my humble opinion, if we can temporarily appease the Eastern captives, it would be the best policy. Only when things slow down a little can we mobilize the country's military and financial resources to destroy the traitors." .”
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen said softly "Ah". He looked at Chen Xinjia with some confusion, wondering whether he had leaked some information to Fu Zonglong or secretly asked him to make this suggestion.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but glance at Chen Xinjia who was standing next to him. Seeing that he was as usual, his doubts were somewhat relieved, but he asked Fu Zonglong: "Why do you say that pacifying the Donglu is the best strategy? Why don't you elaborate? What Chen sees is up to my discretion.”
Fu Zonglong replied: "Your Majesty, in the past ten years since the Ming Dynasty, we have deployed troops both internally and externally. The country has been exhausted and struggling to support itself, and it has almost become an incurable disease. Now we want to be at home and abroad at the same time. Even with Zhuge Kongming's wisdom, I am afraid that It was also unprepared.
Therefore, in view of the ignorance of the humble ministers, it is better to quickly withdraw from the war outside the pass and use all our strength to suppress the thieves. Once the overall situation in the Central Plains is settled, it won't be too late to launch a large-scale attack on the Eastern Han Dynasty. "
After listening to what Fu Zonglong said, Emperor Chongzhen showed no expression on his face. He just said lightly: "I have ordered Hong Chengchou to lead the army out of the pass and rush to the aid of Jinzhou. At present, it is not my fault to negotiate peace with the Donglu and show weakness to the enemy. original intention.
After you go out, don't mention the word "advise" to anyone. Go down! "
…………
After Fu Zonglong kowtowed and exited, Emperor Chongzhen asked Chen Xinjia: "Fu Zonglong also suggested that I should temporarily pacify the Donglu. Did he discuss it with Chen Qing beforehand?"
Chen Xinjia was shocked when he heard this. Cold sweat started pouring from his forehead and neck. He felt that all the sweat pores on his body stood up instantly. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "Fu Zonglong was just released from prison today. I didn't agree with him before." He talks about things outside the borders.”
Emperor Chongzhen nodded calmly and said: "It can be seen that anyone with a little knowledge of military affairs knows the difficulties of fighting on two fronts. Internal and external difficulties are not a long-term solution for the country.
At present, Hong Chengchou should be urged to lead the army out of Guandong and rush to rescue Jinzhou. How can we comfort Donglu without first weakening his spirit? Hong Chengchou must be urged to resolve the siege of Jinzhou as soon as possible! "
Chen Xinjia said hurriedly at the side: "What your Majesty sees is very true. If Hong Chengchou can rescue Jinzhou from the siege, even if he makes peace with Dongnu, it will be easier to talk.
I am worried that the move will be delayed for a long time, and I will spend a lot of time and money, but I will not be able to rescue Jinzhou from the siege. Instead, I will suffer setbacks, and it will be even more difficult to make money. What's more, the country's manpower and material resources are limited. In the future, if the imperial court wants to mobilize so many soldiers and horses and so much food and salary from outside the customs, it is afraid that it will no longer be possible. "
Emperor Chongzhen also said with a heavy look on his face: "I am also quite worried about this. At present, managing the military affairs outside the Pass seems to be more urgent than the military operations to suppress thieves in Henan and Chu."
Chen Xinjia answered hurriedly: "Yes, it is very urgent. Hong Chengchou also sent a letter to the Ministry of War the day before yesterday, asking for the troops and horses of Zhang Cheng, deputy commander of Xuan Town, to rush to Liaodong."
