Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 311 The Son of Heaven 1
Although the Battle of Dalinghe ended in a disastrous defeat for the Ming army, Houjin was beaten up severely, causing thousands of casualties. For Chongzhen, this deal was quite a bargain.The most direct impact of this battle is that the attitude of some Mongolian tribes who were originally leaning towards the Houjin suddenly improved towards Ming Dynasty. Not only did they stop harassing the side wall, they even sent messengers coyly, as if they wanted to restore the old friendship with the Ming Dynasty .These wall grasses are very clear. No matter how powerful the Later Jin Dynasty is, there are only 8000 soldiers capable of fighting, but the Ming Dynasty has almost infinite manpower and material resources. As a price, [-] people of Houjin Qi were killed, so the one who died must be Houjin!It is said that the reason why the Ming army lost in this battle was entirely because the elite was left behind closed doors and did not go to Jinzhou.

The attitudes of the Mongolian tribes put Chongzhen in a good mood. Although they were all insignificant small tribes, it was the rare good news since he took the throne.These days, he is very energetic. He even ate half a bowl of rice, and his efficiency in reviewing memorials is particularly high. Such a comfortable day is really rare.It's just that God doesn't seem to see him well, and he hasn't been happy for a few days, an embarrassing news was quickly spread to the capital: Zu Dashou was sent back to Jinzhou!

Why was Zu Dashou released?

In his own words, he cheated Houjin's trust with a fake surrender, paralyzed Huang Taiji, and was released on the pretext of going back to find an opportunity to dedicate Jinzhou City to Houjin.This set of rhetoric is quite ingenious and dramatic. Storytellers like this kind of jokes the most. However, anyone with a discerning eye can see that there is a problem here: Although Zu Dashou has come back, his precious sons are still behind. Jin is serving as a high-ranking official!Huang Taiji was tricked by him once, but he didn't touch a single hair of his son!No matter how Zu Dashou made it up, this point still doesn't make sense. It can only be said that he saw the power of Houjin in the battle of Dalinghe, and thought that Houjin already had the qualifications to win the Central Plains, so he placed a bet on Houjin's side. up.When dynasties change, betting on both ends is the most common practice of aristocratic families. It is only common for two brothers to kill each other for their masters. It is extremely unwise to be able to stand on the side of the winner and continue to pass on the glory of the family. It is extremely unwise to put all eggs in one basket.Now that the Ming Dynasty is in full decline, it seems understandable for the Zu family to want to bet on both sides.

Chongzhen is no longer the rookie who was fooled around by the Donglin Party when he first came to the throne. After several years of experience, he has already developed a pair of sharp eyes, enough to see through the hidden things behind those high-sounding rhetoric.But... but, but, it's useless to see through it, he has nothing to do with Zu Dashou.In the battle of breaking the mouth, after Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned, Zu Dashou led the Guanning Army and fled back to Shanhaiguan without even saying hello. He could only stare blankly. For his sake, he can only use favors to win him over, and dare not take any drastic actions against the Zu family.Now knowing that Zu Dashou bet on both sides, he still has no choice but to smile wryly.

"Zu Shaofu is dedicated to the country, loyal, and I am very relieved." In the court hall, the young emperor expressed his attitude towards Zu Dashou's return with a deadpan face.Instead of punishing Zu Dashou, he reinstated him as an official and continued to guard Jinzhou for the imperial court. At the same time, he sent Cao Huachun to Jinzhou to convey the decree, rewarding Zu Dashou with 5000 taels of silver, a Shangfang sword, and some valuables.Now Chongzhen could only use these small favors to win over Zu Dashou, the largest warlord in the Ming Dynasty, so that he would not be alienated.

The civil servants who were used to contradicting the emperor to prove that they were the conscience of the industry rarely expressed any objection.Bringing down Zu Dashou won't do them any good.The Liao pay in the Ming Dynasty has now risen to 700 million taels per year. As soon as the 700 million Liao pay was allocated from the Ministry of Households, more than 200 million was lost according to the rules. It's a fat belch, if Guan Ningjun is replaced by a leader, I don't know how many variables will arise, and it is related to everyone's interests. Even if Chongzhen doesn't want Zu Dashou to continue to lead the Guanning Army, everyone will force him to agree!
This news was like a fly in a glass of delicious ice cream, destroying Chongzhen's good mood completely.Fortunately, it wasn't all bad news. That night, when he was in the imperial study room reviewing the memorial, Wang Chengen came to report: "Master Sun is back!"

Chongzhen has not yet reacted: "Which Lord Sun?"

Wang Chengen said: "It's Mr. Sun Ge, the Liaodong economic strategist!"

Chongzhen suddenly realized: "The Shufu is back? Please, please!" Originally, he had a good opinion of Sun Chengzong, but the old man Sun Chengzong was quite capable. He commanded the army to inflict heavy losses on Jiannu, and the results were brilliant, so his grievances were small. Yes, naturally a lot of enthusiasm.

Sun Chengzong walked in in a hurry, and respectfully saluted: "Old minister Sun Chengzong, see the emperor!"

Chongzhen quickly stepped forward to help him up, and said: "You don't need to be polite! Come here, give me a seat!"

Wang Chengen moved a chair, let Sun Chengzong sit down, and brought a bowl of steaming ginger soup for Sun Chengzong to drink.Sun Chengzong rushed back in the wind and snow all the way, it was really cold, his hands and feet were a little shivering, he took the ginger soup and drank it in one sip, finally he felt a little warm.

After he finished drinking, Chongzhen asked, "Why did Master Shufu come back in such a hurry?"

Sun Chengzong bowed his hands in salute, and said: "The old minister has been trusted by the late emperor, and he has entrusted Liao affairs to each other. For more than ten years, he has worked hard and thought hard, like walking on thin ice, and dare not relax a little bit. The Holy Majesty does not despise the old minister who is old and frail. Even if the old minister is smashed to pieces, it is hard to tell what happened. The old minister tried his best to change the situation in Liao, but God failed to fulfill his wish. In this Daling River battle, our army lost soldiers and generals, and the casualties were extremely heavy. It's hard to escape the blame..."

Chongzhen interrupted: "Master Shufu, don't say any more. I have never doubted your talent. The reason why you suffered such a big loss this time is because the slaves were frantic and mobilized the soldiers of the whole country to a small big city. In Linghe City, our army was caught off guard, and because the leaders of the army were cowardly and did not dare to fight to the death, Jiannu took advantage of it! Later, the two new divisions of Tianxiong Army and Wuyangwei arrived in Jinzhou, and they fought Did it go well? It's a pity that I listened to the nonsense of Xiong Mingyu's mediocrity, and I didn't let the Guanmen Sichuan army come out to help, and I missed the good opportunity to reverse the defeat. This is all my fault, and it has nothing to do with Master Shufu. Blame yourself.”

Sun Chengzong said: "Your Majesty's words make this old official ashamed! This battle lost troops and lost generals. The [-] Jizhen and Guanmen elite troops were wiped out in Changshan. He Kegang died outside Dalinghe City. The old official's most trusted general Zu Dashou After being demoted to slavery, the old minister has lost all face and no longer has the face to be an official, so I ask the emperor to return the bones so that the old minister can go home to retire!"

Where is Chongzhen willing to follow?Now what he lacks the most is people who can and are willing to do things. Sun Chengzong happens to be one of them, what will I do if you run away!He cleverly changed the subject and asked about the details of the Battle of Daling River.Sun Chengzong cheered up and told the whole story of the siege of Dalinghe City, the three reinforcements of the Ming army, Zhang Chun's defeat of Changshan, and Wuyang Tianxiong's bloody battle against Dalinghe. The old man's extraordinary memory is indeed amazing.After Chongzhen heard this, he sighed endlessly: "It's a pity for Zhang Chun... In fact, he only needs to wait a few more days to join the Tianxiong Army. His [-] subordinates, as well as himself, don't have to die..."

Sun Chengzong said: "It can also be seen that the slave chieftain is vicious and cunning. Every move of our army is within his expectation, and he led him by the nose from the beginning to the end. If it weren't for the two flying troops of Tianxiong and Wuyang His fighting power is beyond his imagination, I am afraid that the [-] soldiers who reinforced Daling River City for the fifth time have already turned into dry bones by the river! Your Majesty, please be vigilant against this man, he is ten times more dangerous than Nurhachi!"

Chongzhen smiled wryly: "I have learned this point the year before last."

Sun Chengzong said: "Although Zhang Chun had the fault of losing his teacher, he has done his duty. Please don't blame him for the sake of his loneliness and loyalty!"

Chongzhen said: "Not only will I not blame him, but I will also bury him with great honor and glory!"

Sun Chengzong finally let go of a big stone in his heart.He rushed back to Beijing in spite of the wind and snow, largely because of Zhang Chun, he couldn't bear to see this old friend be infamous after his death.It seems that Chongzhen was more tolerant towards his loyal courtiers, and he didn't intend to blame Zhang Chun, so he was relieved.

Rest assured, he recommended Lu Xiangsheng and Yang Menglong to Chongzhen again.Chongzhen also cares about this point, he made up his mind to reuse Lu Xiangsheng, as for how to use it, he hasn't figured it out yet, anyway, he won't let him idle.Yang Menglong... It gave him a bit of a headache. According to Sun Chengzong, this guy has abilities. Whether it is farming or training, he is first-class and strong. He is soft but not hard, and when his temper comes up, even the Minister of the Ministry of War dares to poke him. If he doesn't wear down his character, he will only hurt him by giving high-ranking officials a generous salary rashly.

"This man is talented, and he can stand side by side with Huo Piaoyao, but his temper is too wild, and he is easy to get into trouble. He must be reused, but he must be used with caution." Sun Chengzong gave his opinion.

Chongzhen was very interested: "It must be reused, but it must be used with caution?"

Sun Chengzong said: "Just treat him like a hungry tiger in a cage and don't let it out easily. Once you let it out and tear the wolf into pieces, you must feed him, otherwise it's hard to guarantee that he won't give the person who watched the cage to death." Bite to death!"

Chongzhen pondered for a while, then showed his face and smiled: "After listening to Shufu's words, I suddenly understood. It must be reused, but it must be used with caution. It is well said!" Rubbing his temples, he became distressed again: "But Wuyang Guard is located in Nanyang, and the military pay and weapons are all expensive. It is self-sufficient, even if I want to win over with favors, I am afraid that I have more than enough energy but not enough power!"

Sun Chengzong said solemnly: "As long as the emperor favors him after he has a conflict with his superiors, why worry about him not returning?"

Chongzhen laughed: "Unexpectedly, his trouble-loving temperament has this benefit! Shufu, I plan to hand over the guards of Luoyang Mansion to him, what do you think?"

Sun Chengzong didn't even think about it and said, "He will definitely complain endlessly and say that he can't live anymore."

Chongzhen was a little surprised: "Why?"

Sun Chengzong said: "Because he has never taken a cent of money from the court since he took office, and he paid it all out of his own pocket. He lost tens of thousands of taels of silver to manage the Nanyang guards. Now he has handed over Luoyang guards. If he doesn't curse, he won't be called Yang Menglong anymore."

Chongzhen laughed: "You have to scold people after being promoted? Interesting, interesting! According to this, I have to hand over the Luoyang Guard to him. Nanyang and Luoyang are close to Shaanxi, suffering from the ravages of rogue bandits, and the guards are decadent, We can't bear the heavy responsibility, and we can't do it without rectification. I plan to merge Luoyang and Nanyang into Heluo Town, and reorganize the Wuyang Guards into the Heluo New Army, and let them keep the rogue bandits out of Tongguan for me!"

Sun Chengzong was surprised: "Is it too abrupt to be suddenly promoted from the commander of a guard to the commander-in-chief of a town?"

Chongzhen was a little helpless: "Now Daming is short of talents, and there are too few people who can take on important tasks. It took a lot of effort to find a few, so we can only be promoted in an exceptional way."

The emperor's word became the constitution, and Yang Menglong went from being a commoner to the commander-in-chief of a town in just two years. Such a promotion speed is really jaw-dropping.However, Yang Menglong is also qualified to accept such an extraordinary promotion. The Ming Dynasty fought against Houjin for decades, and he was able to lead more than 2000 soldiers to defeat Houjin in one battle. Tai Chi's war horse is just one of the weird ones. If he doesn't deserve it, who does?
Cao Bianjiao and Zu Kuan, two young generals with relatively eye-catching performances, also came into Chongzhen's sight. For the first time, he knew that there were quite a lot of generals under his command.Needless to say, promotion and rewards must be important!The Ming Dynasty was so pissed, and those who could be used were used to death. For example, the unlucky Feng Yuanbiao was dying of illness and still struggling in the unlucky position of Minister of the Ministry of War...

Seeing that these brave young generals were appreciated by the emperor, Sun Chengzong was secretly happy.I am afraid that he is really going to lose his official position this time. Even if Chongzhen wants to keep him, Yanguan Yushi will use memorials to bury him alive. It is better to find a chance to retire and return home.However, with so many outstanding young generals around, even if he retires and returns to his hometown, Daming will have something to rely on. I hope these children will grow up as soon as possible and become the Optimus Prime of Daming!

"I'm going to hold a victory ceremony outside the Anding Gate to review the soldiers who have returned in triumph. What do you think?" Suddenly, Chongzhen uttered such a sentence.

Sun Chengzong was startled, and bowed deeply: "In this way, the morale of our soldiers will be boosted, and they will fight to the death when encountering the enemy!"

(End of this chapter)