Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 76: The Untouchables Enter the Hall

"Ningyuan Bo has made great contributions and I have heard of your reputation for a long time. Please take a seat. I have something to ask you slowly."

Zhu Changluo acted as if he wanted to talk to him for a long time, which was both a favor and a sign of trust.

Li Chengliang thought for a moment, then thanked him again and sat on the soft stool that Liu Ruoyu brought over.

Although his hair and beard were gray, Li Chengliang was still full of energy and spirit.

He is worthy of being a man who lived to be ninety.

"During his 22 years in Liao, the general's reputation spread far and wide. His eldest son was loyal and brave, and died on the battlefield. The rest of his sons were all fierce generals."

When Zhu Changluo said this, Li Chengliang just said he was not worthy of it.

"Your son Ruzhen is in charge of the Southern Pacification Office." Zhu Changluo added, "I promoted him to be the commander of the Western Office, and he has another important position."

"I thank your majesty for your trust."

The Western Office was responsible for arresting thieves inside and outside the capital, so it was naturally important. But if Zhu Changluo really wanted to use him, he could go to the Northern Pacification Office.

"Since the general left his post in Liaodong, the situation in Liaodong has been getting worse day by day. Now there is even a rebellion at Shanhaiguan. Although the banditry in Gushanbao has been eradicated, I am really worried about the border defense of Liaodong." Zhu Changluo looked at Li Chengliang and sighed, "It's a pity that the general is already 75 years old. How can I bear to see him suffer again?"

There was no change in Li Chengliang's expression, but his eyes could not help but slightly freeze.

"I am an old man, and I am not capable of handling the heavy responsibility of border defense. Your Majesty is worried about the defense of Liaodong. I have the courage to make a report to you."

"Mr. Ning Yuan, please speak."

Li Chengliang looked at the young emperor and said, "Liaodong is a bitter cold place with brave generals and brave soldiers inside and barbarians lurking outside. Attacking is not worth the loss. Defense is the best strategy. The strategy needs to be consistent. In the past, I moved and built six forts in Kuandian. The border defense situation has changed. Tens of thousands of households have moved there. However, in the past nine years, there have been several wars in Korea and generals who have not been in office for a long time. Liaodong now urgently needs to recuperate and reorganize the border defense."

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "I accept your advice. I think so too. Because of the Shanhaiguan uprising, many people impeached Ma Lin, and his prestige was not enough. Apart from the general, it is really difficult to find another famous general who is familiar with the border situation and has enough prestige to convince the people."

Li Chengliang said nothing.

He has many of his old generals in Liaodong.

Having been stationed in Liaodong for more than 20 years and being a native of the area, with most of his descendants being good at fighting, Li Chengliang wanted to return to Liaodong, but he could not ask for it on his own. It was enough for him to hint that his health was still good and he had a deep understanding of Liaodong.

The previous farce of "overbearing imperial power" in the capital has already proved that the new emperor is a person who is worried about power.

Whether he can be sent to Liaodong this time depends on whether the new monarch can trust him.

And what the new emperor said just now actually showed that Li Chengliang would not be his first choice.

But Li Chengliang was not in a hurry.

Apart from him, everyone else would worry about not being able to maintain their position if they went to Liaodong.

Eight generals have been replaced in nine years. Is it really a problem of their own ability?
Zhu Changluo then mentioned a lot of people's names, as if asking Li Chengliang about their abilities one by one and listening to his comments.

Li Chengliang's qualifications were sufficient for him to speak frankly and fairly about the strengths and weaknesses of these people, including whether they were suitable for Liaodong.

Zhu Changluo sighed: "It seems that apart from the general, there are few people who can control the Liaodong generals and suppress the increasingly powerful Jianzhou Jurchens?"

Li Chengliang was shocked: "Your Majesty is worried about the Jianzhou Jurchens to this extent?"

Zhu Changluo looked at him strangely, "Shouldn't I be worried? The northern border of the Ming Dynasty can only be considered stable if the tribes are weak. It has only been a short time since Ningyuan Bo destroyed several of their tribes, and now the Jianzhou Jurchens are growing stronger. By the way, during the ceremony yesterday, I saw that Nurhaci was very respectful. I heard that the general and he had a father-son relationship. I wonder if the general knows his character? Will he bring disaster to the Ming Dynasty in the future?"

"minister……"

Li Chengliang was a little embarrassed. This was not a easy question to answer.

To say that he would not have any intention of rebelling was equivalent to "guaranteeing him" in front of the new monarch.

Saying that he would have rebellious intentions in the future means that if he still wanted to fight for the post of Liaodong General, Li Chengliang's trip to Liaodong would be contrary to the strategic intentions of the new monarch.

Li Chengliang only wanted to go to Liaodong to live a carefree life as a local emperor in his later years and did not want to make any further progress.

He couldn't think too much now, so he paused for a moment and said, "I do have a blood feud with him. When his grandfather Wang Gao rebelled, I personally led the army to suppress him, but was later captured and sent to the capital to be executed. His uncle, grandfather, and biological father all died in the war when I ordered them to quell the rebellion when I was in Liaodong. At that time, this slave was still young, and he and his brother surrendered. I took them in as servants for a while, and they were quite brave. I brought them to the capital, and this time he came to pay tribute and visited my home, but the friendship between father and son is just a rumor."

"General, do you think he has any intention of rebelling?"

Zhu Changluo didn't need to be shy about asking him this.

As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it was normal to worry about potential enemies. The emperor was not the only one who said that the Jianzhou Jurchens might bring disaster to the Ming Dynasty.

Li Chengliang shook his head upon hearing this: "How can I speak nonsense? In my opinion, as long as the Liaodong border defense is stable, there is no need to worry too much. Now that Jianzhou Guards are obedient and submissive, I cannot advise Your Majesty to take precautions early if I suspect that they may have rebellious intentions. If they are forced to rebel even though they have no rebellious intentions, with the current chaos in Liaodong, the border troubles will not stop."

"General, what you said makes sense." Zhu Changluo nodded. "No matter what, the Liaodong border defense must be well maintained. Whether he will bring disaster to the Ming Dynasty, at least we must be more cautious in general." Li Chengliang hesitated for a moment, but still said: "As long as I am still here, I believe that slave will not dare to cause trouble."

Zhu Changluo didn't take it seriously in his heart, but on the surface he nodded happily: "So the general must take care of his health. The general has served the country all his life. After I take the throne, I will change the era name next year, and you will be rewarded for your merits in the wars."

"…I am ashamed to accept it."

"How could I treat my meritorious ministers badly?"

Li Chengliang knew that the conversation with him was almost over, and he began to feel unhappy.

Another meaning of reward is that they are not going to use him anymore.

It was still the same as in the past few years, on the one hand, they were taking good care of him in the capital, and on the other hand, they were on guard against him from gaining control of his own army.

After Li Chengliang took his leave, he sighed silently in his heart.

Looking at the boy from the Mu family who was having a pleasant conversation with Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi in the distance, Li Chengliang felt a little depressed.

Perhaps only those who have made great contributions during the founding of a country can rule Yunnan forever like the Mu family.

In fact, he also had the possibility of permanently governing Liaodong, but... Yunnan was too far away and Liaodong was too close.

He spent his whole life in military service, his eldest son died in battle, and all Li Chengliang got was a mere earldom.

As the only military general who was awarded a title for his military achievements in several dynasties, Li Chengliang was a powerful figure in his time, but he could not fit in with the many meritorious officials who were perfunctory today.

In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Changluo was also looking at Li Chengliang's leaving back.

If he was still young and had some spirit, Zhu Changluo would naturally not leave him unused.

But Li Chengliang's mentality is really different now. The fact that he gave up Kuandian Liubao, which he had built himself, is proof of this.

He also had too many "tiger sons" and "old generals", even including Nurhaci.

Zhu Changluo was about to stir up a huge wave of disturbance within the Ming Dynasty. Trusting and respecting someone like Li Chengliang really posed a risk of him being "crowned king".

Can't those officials and gentry and the Liaodong cavalry do it?
It’s better not to test human nature with things like this.

Zhu Changluo would rather use both kindness and force to see if Li Chengliang's sons could keep up with his ideas and pace, thus building up a reputation for treating meritorious officials well.

"Arrange a banquet!"

It was almost noon when the banquet began.

With so many people here, it's natural that we wouldn't have serious conversations here.

The emperor simply expressed his attitude of being close to the royal family and nobles.

At this time, the heads of the ten Shanxi merchants had been waiting for nearly five hours without eating a single grain of rice.

Then, a eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came over and said with a smile, "The emperor has ordered that you may not enter the palace, but since you have been summoned to the palace, you cannot starve."

"I dare not... I thank your majesty for your grace. I have yet to ask for your advice..."

"Our Wang An."

"It turned out to be Eunuch Wang in person. I am terrified..."

Wang An smiled and pointed at the food boxes that were delivered: "Use them first. I know you are respectful. After you finish, prepare them first. I will see you at 3:30 pm."

The ten people were flattered by this kindness and felt so much relieved in an instant.

Is it three quarters past noon?
Although he still had to wait for an hour, being summoned by the emperor himself and considering the "hospitality" he had received so far was already a blessing in disguise.

They just don’t know what the emperor wants them to do.

In the Qianqing Palace, some of the emperor's important vassal states, meritorious officials, and royal relatives were allowed to attend in the hall, while the others were in the hood.

It was enough to just eat the banquet. Before 12:30 p.m., everyone was ready to leave.

But in the end, some people were kept back by the young eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department and taken to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which was built in the 16th year of Jiajing's reign, next to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Li Chengliang was not among them. He just stared deeply and then left the Forbidden City with doubts.

(End of this chapter)