The saying that good and evil depend on each other is absolutely true.
In the past few days, Emperor Chongzhen encountered good things one after another, and he was in a good mood, but then he was in a bad mood due to the urgent report.
No, he urgently summoned the ministers to discuss the matter. Among them was Zhang Mingwei, Duke of Xingguo.
In the Wenhua Hall, Emperor Chongzhen pointed to the memorial on the imperial case and said to the ministers below with a stern expression: "Today there were three urgent memorials in succession. One came from Kaifeng, saying that Li Thief's troops had been besieging Kaifeng for more than half a month. It’s very urgent, this is the third time we have asked the imperial court for help.”
Having said this, he paused and then said: "The second memorial was jointly signed by Wu Sangui, Bai Guangen and other five guerrillas, saying that they rescued Kaifeng, but were reprimanded by Governor Hou Xun and wanted to transfer them to his command. To If you dare not listen, you will be accused of rebellion and even threatened to send troops."
After finishing speaking, he picked up a memorial from the imperial case and said with a serious face: "Hou Xun led Zuo Liangyu's tribe not only to threaten the imperial court, but even collapsed at the first touch and got out of the way when the bandits went north. Now. Now , this group of thieves has arrived near Baoding. The current situation is obvious, this bandit army really has to rush towards the capital."
This was a military matter, and Minister of War Min Hongxue was the first to bear the brunt. Therefore, he was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, there are very few soldiers in the capital to fight, only the Yongwei Camp and the newly formed Beijing Camp. There are only about 25,000 in total, and they are all newly formed. The thieves on this road are said to be 200,000. Although it is false, the number is 80,000. Moreover, if the imperial army goes out on an expedition, it needs to be guarded against. With Zuo Liangyu's unit, I thought it was better to defend than to attack!"
When they heard him speak, the others didn't speak and just looked at him.
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen frowned and said, "If we only defend the city and the bandits move north, I won't worry about the safety of the capital. But what will happen if the capital is ravaged by bandits?"
When Du Yinxi, the assistant minister of the cabinet, heard this, he also interrupted and reminded: "If the bandits ravage the capital, they will inevitably have an impact on the defense line of the Ji Town Great Wall. If it is serious and affects the imperial guards outside the pass, that is Adding insult to injury!”
His vision is obviously high, and he has taken into account the situation inside and outside the pass.
After Min Hongxue heard this, he also wondered: "The current plan is that the court has too few soldiers. What can we do? Unless we issue an edict to the king! But the chaos in the world is widespread, how can the soldiers from anywhere be able to respond to the king's affairs?"
If Zuo Liangyu's troops obeyed the imperial court's orders, they would still have troops available. Unfortunately, Zuo Liangyu had been arrogant and disobedient for a long time, and ignored the orders of the local governor and governor. Now he is openly calling for Qing Jun to stay away from him, and even threatens Bai Guangen and other five-pronged guerrillas. Instead, it involves the imperial court's originally small number of troops.
Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about this, and his head felt as big as two. With no other choice, he turned to look at Zhang Mingwei and asked tentatively: "Sir, how about sending Qin soldiers into the pass?"
This pass refers to Tongguan, not Shanhaiguan. It means that Sun Chuanting's troops will go to the Central Plains to participate in the war.
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei frowned and replied: "Your Majesty, Sun Chuanting, count the time. He went to Shaanxi alone to reorganize the army and prepare money and food. It only takes about two months. I'm afraid he won't have enough troops and food. If the troops and horses are mobilized in a hurry, the effect will be limited. If the battle is defeated due to insufficient preparation, all the previous efforts will be in vain. The lessons of the Battle of Songjin are still before our eyes! Moreover, there is no peace in Shaanxi, Sun Chuanting The ones in Shaanxi must also be settled.”
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was helpless and asked again: "Then what is the best plan now?"
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei looked at Min Hongxue, then at the others, then turned to look at Emperor Chongzhen and replied: "I think, as a last resort, it is better to let Sun Chuanting spend more time to reorganize the army. The current difficulties, Let's discuss it and see if we can solve it, and we'll try our best to solve it. Moreover, if Sun Chuanting's troops are to be released from seclusion, it will be difficult to quench the thirst of the people far away!"
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen knew that what he said was reasonable, so he turned to look at the other ministers and asked: "What do you think is the best way to deal with it now?"
By June of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the world was really in chaos. Most of the officers and soldiers loyal to the imperial court were lost in the battle, and the generals who were originally loyal to the imperial court slowly changed their minds when they saw such troubled times.
The only ones who were still obedient at this time were actually the Yongwei camp. However, the strength of the Yongwei Battalion was really limited and it was split into three parts. Among them, Sun Yingyuan led the troops to protect the prince in the south of the Yangtze River; Huang Degong led the troops to protect the imperial mausoleum. Now, together with Liu Liangzuo and local generals, they are in a stalemate with Zhang Xianzhong's troops.
After all this calculation, we really can't find any useful soldiers.
Naturally, these senior officials of the Ming Dynasty in the Wenhua Palace knew about this situation. Therefore, when they thought about it carefully, they felt that it was difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw.
Zhang Mingwei had been focusing on withdrawing the troops and civilians from Liaodong and dealing with Shanxi merchants before, but he was not particularly concerned about matters in the Central Plains. At this time, he saw that all of them were frowning, as if there was nothing they could do, and he felt anxious.
However, Zhang Mingwei knew that now he was the backbone of the court and could influence Emperor Chongzhen. How he performed was very important.
Therefore, although he was anxious in his heart, he remained calm on the surface.
Seeing that no one spoke, Zhang Mingwei asked: "Then let's analyze each thing one by one!"
Hearing him speak, Emperor Chongzhen and others turned to look at him and listened to what he had to say.
I heard Zhang Mingwei facing Emperor Chongzhen and saying: "Over there in Kaifeng, the city is strong, and the decree for King Zhou has been passed on. I believe that based on the material reserves and military strength of Kaifeng Mansion, it should be impossible to resist Li Thief's troops for a while. questionable."
Everyone present knew this, so after listening, they all nodded in agreement.
"Hou Xun and Zuo Liangyu are relying on the military power in their hands, which is tantamount to rebellion. If this continues, they will be given the opportunity to strengthen their strength in the name of the imperial court. Just like Hou Xun is now threatening Bai Guangen and Wu Sangui as governor Wait for the five-pronged guerrillas to do that. Instead of doing this, it is better to clarify the matter directly and question Hou Xun and Zuo Liangyu."
After hearing this, Liu Zongzhou said: "I have already asked Magistrate Liang about the case of Guide's fall, and the two assassins have also interrogated it. It can be said that the matter is very clear. But Hou Xun not only did not plead guilty, but instead shielded him His son even sent assassins with the intention of assassinating the imperial officials, which is a crime of conspiracy."
After a pause, he continued: "As for Zuo Liangyu, it's even worse. He has escaped from battle more than once before, plundered the people with troops, and reports were reported from time to time at the local level. He also refused to listen to the orders of Zhang Guowei, the governor of Yingtian Mansion. Things like this are even more common. Now he actually dares to threaten to Qing Jun. Such a traitorous general will not be exaggerated even if he kills nine of his clans!"
After saying this, a look of helplessness appeared on his face: "But he has military power in his hands, and he claims to have 200,000 troops. Before he breaks his face, he can still fight with the bandits. If he breaks his face, he will On the surface, not only is it impossible for him to fight with the bandits, but he may join forces with the bandits to attack the imperial court. After this, the bandits become more powerful, how can we deal with it? "
Others nodded after hearing this. The situation is really not optimistic. If it were possible, how could Zuo Liangyu be so arrogant.
But having said that, if Zuo Liangyu hadn't seen that the imperial court didn't have the strength, maybe he wouldn't be so arrogant.
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei shook his head and said, "Actually, we are already at odds with each other. If we continue to cover up, it will help Zuo Liangyu's subordinates continue to grow!"
This makes sense, but it is also very difficult. Therefore, everyone turned their attention to Emperor Chongzhen. This matter ultimately had to be decided by Emperor Chongzhen.
When Emperor Chongzhen saw this, his forehead hurt. After thinking for a while, he still couldn't make up his mind, so he turned his eyes to Zhang Mingwei with a hint of asking for help.
Seeing this, Zhang Mingwei frowned and thought for a moment, then asked: "Then there is one more thing, that is, what is the situation of the bandits in the north? Who can tell me?"
This is a military matter, so naturally it was decided by the Minister of War.
Therefore, Min Hongxue immediately replied: "This group of thieves who traveled north called themselves Xiaoyuan Camp, and their leader was Yuan Shizhong. At the end of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, there was a severe drought in Shandong, Henan, Hebei and other places, and locusts covered the sun. Yuan Shizhong gathered people to rebel. He attacked Kaizhou and killed Xi Zhi, a fellow governor of the state. The next year, he entered Kaifeng and Shangqiu areas with Liu Yuchi, Zhu Chengju and other thieves, and was active in southeastern Henan, northern Anhui and other places. He was so powerful that he was later captured by Yongweiying and Liu Liangzuo. The other troops jointly defeated."
"As a result, the remnant of Yuan Shizhong's troops entered the Central Plains and joined forces with Li Thief, and the momentum became huge again." At this point, Min Hongxue paused and said with a little doubt, "Later, I don't know why, but Yuan Shizhong suddenly led his troops south. It seemed that They parted ways with the Li thief group and wanted to go south to join Zhang thief and defeat the Zuo 5th Battalion and other bandits. But for some unknown reason, the small Yuan camp suddenly turned back north again and forced Zuo Liangyu's troops back. Now it is even more... We are advancing near Baoding!"
As expected of the Minister of War, the description of this bandit is quite comprehensive. With this in mind, Emperor Chongzhen turned to look at Zhang Mingwei, wanting to see what his husband had to say.
However, when he saw it, he couldn't help but feel happy. Because Emperor Chongzhen saw that Zhang Mingwei's face obviously showed a hint of surprise, but his face was heavy. Doesn't that mean that sir has thought of something and has any good ideas?
With this in mind, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't wait to ask: "Sir, is there any good strategy to deal with this bandit?"
Others also noticed Zhang Mingwei's face, and they were a little curious and listened with their ears pricked up.
