"Commander, everyone can't figure it out. Fengyang was captured by us after a lot of effort. Why should we return it to the court?"
Everyone in the New Army had strong objections to Zuo Menggeng's idea of returning Fengyang.
Generals from all walks of life came to Huang Sanhu to complain, and Huang Sanhu reported it to Zuo Menggeng.
Zuo Mengeng still cares about the morale of the people below.
"Fengyang can't take advantage of it!"
He spoke earnestly and sincerely: "Fengyang is the central capital of the Ming Dynasty and the hometown of Zhu Yuanzhang. If we don't return our possession, the court will fight tooth and nail. At that time, the court will leave the Jurchens in the northeast and the bandits in the northwest and concentrate all its efforts on fighting us. Wouldn’t it be an advantage to others?”
That's the truth, and it's easy to explain.
Huang Sanhu looked enlightened, no longer feeling any grievances.
"If I had known this, I wouldn't have hit Fengyang in the first place."
Zuo Mengeng laughed loudly.
"If we don't capture Fengyang, how can we negotiate terms with the court? It's precisely because Fengyang is in our hands that we can reap the benefits."
Hong Chengchou went back.
Zuo Mengeng gave the conditions for returning Fengyang. He could not make the decision alone and needed to discuss it with the imperial envoy.
When he returned to Guide Mansion, Qian Shisheng and others happened to arrive.
"This is Zuo Mengeng's condition. How should we decide? Please give me your thoughts."
Hong Chengchou has completed his hard work, and there will be nothing left for him to do next.
If Qian Shisheng and others can agree to the conditions given by Zuo Menggeng, then everything will be fine; if they cannot agree, then it will be decided on the battlefield.
Even if he was wrapped in horse leather, he, Hong Chengchou, was not afraid of life or death.
Faced with Zuo Mengeng's conditions, Qian Shisheng and others hesitated.
Although everyone was mentally prepared before coming here, they knew that the Lianghuai region could not be saved.
But when it comes time to make a decision, these people's old habits relapse.
No one wants to take responsibility.
Whoever agrees to Zuo Mengeng's conditions may have old scores turned over in the future, and his head will be at risk.
But the trouble is here too.
If they disagree, no one dares to say it.
Because if they don't agree, they will go to war with Shandong.
It's okay if he wins, but if he loses, he still won't be able to save his head.
What's more, everyone has a clean slate and basically has no hope of winning.
Otherwise, it would not imply that Hong Chengchou went to talk to Zuo Mengeng.
Seeing the moral character of this group of civil servants, I was very excited.
"My lords, please tell me, we can't afford it!"
On their way here, they received enough urgent orders from Chongzhen.
The anxious emperor wished they could fly to Fengyang one day and take back his hometown.
It has been almost a month now. If they haven't taken action yet, maybe the next time they come will be Chongzhen's imperial edict to punish them.
Qian Shisheng sighed and took a very fair approach.
"If you have any ideas, let's write them down anonymously."
Everyone here has one vote. Whether it's talking or fighting, everyone expresses his or her own opinion. In the end, the minority obeys the majority, which is very reasonable.
Even if the matter is exposed in the end, because no one can find an advocate, all the blame will be shared by everyone.
At that time, everyone's backstory will be intricate and complicated. With mutual help, the law will not be punished, and there is still hope of escape.
There is no hope that Ming officials can expect them to do anything to turn the tide. But if you want to shirk responsibility, all of them are at the master level.
Fengyang is still waiting for the court's reply.
However, Zuo Mengeng judged that the court had no other choice and could only agree to his conditions in the end.
In this case, there are some things that can be done ahead.
"This Huangjue Temple wantonly exploits the people, and must have accumulated countless wealth. I give you a task to squeeze out all the property in the temple."
"Gene Era"
Zuo Mengeng handed over this task to the Lianghuai Division of the Intelligence Department.
Zheng Jiada has just completed the transaction with Li Zicheng, which has brought huge profits to Shandong.
At this time, I heard that I was going to get money again, and I was dealing with an unarmed monk, so I was really enthusiastic.
"Our Lianghuai Division has limited manpower. If the commander-in-chief can mobilize a battalion to assist, his subordinates can squeeze out the oil of these monks."
Zuo Mengeng laughed loudly, still trusting the methods of the Intelligence Department.
Zheng Jiada received the support of a battalion of troops and rushed into Huangjue Temple like a devil.
The door of the temple is closed, and looking from the outside, it is peaceful and harmonious inside. As for how miserable those monks were, I really can’t bear to tell outsiders.
In addition to searching for the wealth of Huangjue Temple, Zuo Mengeng also set his sights on Fengyang's population.
During this period, thanks to the help of the New Army, the surviving people of Fengyang actually lived a stable life.
But the bad news came.
Dozens of civilians ran to the gate of the military camp, clamoring to see their commander.
A regimental leader met them.
"General, I heard that Fengyang will be returned to the court. Is this true?"
The leader told the truth.
"We are currently negotiating with the imperial court. If nothing else happens, this should be the case."
When the people heard this, they howled one after another.
An old man stamped his feet and cried bitterly.
"What sin have we committed? We have just had a few good days, and we are going to hell again."
Another woman begged sadly.
"General, can you not leave?"
The leader couldn't help crying after hearing this.
"Fellows, we don't want to leave either. But if we don't leave, the court will never give up. When the war breaks out, more innocent people will suffer. Please forgive me."
A five-foot-tall man said angrily: "What will we do if you leave? We...can't survive!"
The group leader looked at everyone and knew that these people were relatively prestigious in the neighborhood.
They came here as representatives to inquire into the truth.
Say something to them and it will spread quickly.
"Fellow folks, if you really can't survive here, you can follow us to make a living elsewhere."
The villagers looked embarrassed when they heard that everyone was asked to leave their homeland.
It was the old man who thought a little more.
"As the saying goes, people are cheap when they leave their hometown. We have lived here all our lives. If we go to other places, we will be even more unable to survive."
This time the group leader is different.
"Who said that?"
He also gave an example.
"There was a flood here during the Jingtai period, and many people left. There are still people who came to Linqing, our Shandong province, and they are all alive and well. Besides, the biggest shortage in our Shandong province now is manpower. After you go, as long as you have the strength, , are you still worried about food? I’m not afraid to tell you that all the children in our Shandong can study and don’t need any education. All the new people who settle in Shandong will be given a new house."
Everyone was surprised when they heard this.
When will poor people like them be treated like this?
