The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 262
"Liaodong..."

Cao Wenzhao stood in the wind and snow with his hands behind his hands, the fire in his eyes dim.

Snowflakes slowly fell from the dark night sky, and the rain and snow fell on the fur coat he was wearing, dyeing it white.

Liaodong is a bottomless hole. No matter how many generals or soldiers are filled in, it can never be filled, nor can it be filled enough.

His stay in Liaodong was not short, and he served under Xiong Tingbi, Sun Chengzong, and Yuan Chonghuan successively. He was well aware of the root causes of Liaodong's problems.

Once you fall into the deep pool of Liaodong, it is almost impossible to break out of it.

If we want to solve the problem in Liaodong, we must jump out of Liaodong and jump out of the quagmire.

Cao Wenzhao slowly turned around and looked calmly at Chen Wang, who was following him.

The dim light shone on Chen Wang's cheek, flickering brightly and dimly along with the howling cold wind.

Chen Wang's spine was straight, his eyes were like torches, and the look in his eyes was as bright as a prairie fire...

just like……

Just like when he first joined the army in Liaodong...

The same spirit, the same impassioned spirit, the same ambition...

Cao Wenzhao looked at Chen Wang, the servant who had been following him since he was in Liaodong.

Chen Wang has changed a lot. His martial arts, knowledge, knowledge, and talents have all improved rapidly in the past few years.

From a servant, he served successively as Chief Hundred, Chief General, Chief Thousand, Guerrilla, Staff General, and finally Deputy Chief Soldier, commanding a town and rising to the top with his outstanding military exploits.

Sometimes it even made Cao Wenzhao feel that Chen Wang seemed to be a different person, not the Chen Wang he had always known before.

It's just that every time he talks about Liaodong and Donglu, Chen Wang's eyes will have the same look he used to see, making him feel a little familiar.

Pain, anger, and hatred were all mixed in Chen Wang's eyes.

When recruiting soldiers, it was precisely because of the look in Chen Wang's eyes and the words "death and death" that he finally said that he broke the rules he had set for recruiting soldiers.

Cao Wenzhao calmed down and spoke.

"Although the rebellion of the rogue bandits in the south has been temporarily eliminated, there are actually undercurrents inside, and the rogue bandits Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai are restless."

"Xiong Wencan used the same old methods of dealing with pirates to deal with the bandits of the 72nd Battalion, and now he has reaped the consequences."

"Self-eating?"

Chen Wang's eyes narrowed slightly, and his body subconsciously leaned forward a little. Cao Wenzhao seemed to know some inside information that only senior officials knew.

Cao Wenzhao retracted his hands behind his back, his left hand was on the belt around his waist, and his right hand was holding down the handle of the Yanling Dao at his waist.

"When slaves were established and invaded, all news coming from the south was naturally suppressed."

Cao Wenzhao saw the confusion in Chen Wang's eyes and explained.

"Although Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and many other bandits from the 72nd Battalion were appeased, they still maintain their independence and do not even have a supervisor."

"Zhang Xianzhong occupied Gucheng. In May and June last year, a group of bandits fled to the suburbs. Xiong Wencan pardoned Zhang Xianzhong and ordered him to conquer them, but Zhang Xianzhong ignored them."

"During the autumn harvest, troops were divided into four places to collect grain. At first, they collected six dou per stone, and then they simply robbed them all."

"Zhang Xianzhong also set up checkpoints around Gucheng, and levied half of all incoming and outgoing goods to cover the cost of raising troops."

"Memories of impeachment against Zhang Xianzhong are already piled up on the cabinet table."

"As for Luo Rucai."

Cao Wenzhao paused and continued.

"The care Luo Rucai received was obviously a false one. He did not listen to the instructions or propaganda. After settling in Fang County, he openly regarded the houses and fields in Fang County's fifteenth township as his own property, and stored grain and grass in order to save money."

"Xiong Wencan is almost unable to keep his lid on the situation in the south. He has begun to mobilize troops from various places and has also written a letter in private."

Undercurrents are surging in the south, and the situation is deteriorating. Anyone with a clear eye who knows the inside story will know that Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and others are trying to appease the 72 camp bandits, fearing that they want to rebel again.

Nowadays, the relationship between the two parties is already quite tense and is only temporarily maintained.

The situation in the south is now like a spider web floating in the wind and rain, which may burst at any time.

Chen Wang subconsciously clenched his fists. According to the original historical process, Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai's peace only lasted for a period of time. In May of the 12th year of Chongzhen, Zhang Xianzhong would lead his troops to break through Gucheng and raise the flag to rebel again.

Luo Rucai, who was stationed in Fang County, also raised troops to respond, and most of the 72 battalion bandits who were originally there also raised their flags.

The flames of peasant uprising were once again burning in the Central Plains.

And this time, the flames of war... will sweep across the entire world...

……

Chen Wang raised his head and looked at Cao Wenzhao, who was standing in front of him.

At this time, his mind was clear. Just now, one of the words Cao Wenzhao said contained a lot of different information.

How could Xiong Wencan's private book be known to Cao Wenzhao?
Cao Wenzhao's status was very high, but he was a military commander after all, so how could he know such secret things.

Xiong Wencan wrote privately, either to the emperor or to Yang Sichang.

As the governor, he has the power to report secretly, but Xiong Wencan was eager to cover the lid, so how could he take the initiative to report this matter to Chongzhen.

If Xiong Wencan wanted to cover the lid and stabilize the situation, he must first send a message to Yang Sichang.

Yang Sichang was Xiong Wencan's recommender, and it was because of Yang Sichang's recommendation that Xiong Wencan was qualified to become the military prime minister of the five southern provinces.

Xiong Wencan couldn't solve such a big problem by himself, so naturally he could only send a letter to Yang Sichang.

How could the private message Xiong Wencan sent to Yang Sichang be known to Cao Wenzhao?
Cao Wenzhao's expression remained unchanged as before.

Chen Wang didn't get any information from Cao Wenzhao's face.

"It's impossible to cover the South's lid. Sooner or later it will be lifted."

"Jiannu invaded this time, and the emperor ordered elite troops from all over the country to serve the king. As a result, the five southern provinces were empty. Once there is a change in the south, the troops of the king of Qin must be mobilized south to put down the rebellion."

"Someone has to clean up the mess in the South..."

Cao Wenzhao walked closer, stretched out his hand, and brushed off the wind and snow on Chen Wang's cloak.

"The north is not a good place. You will be more useful if you go to the south than to stay in the north..."

……

In the first month of the year, the capital was still shrouded in wind and snow.

The news that Jiannu was forced to retreat in Jinan temporarily cheered up the people inside and outside the capital, and then the tense atmosphere returned.

Because after Jiannu retreated from Jinan, he chose to turn north.

In other words, at this time, Jiannu's brigade was slowly pressing towards the direction of the capital. Although Jiannu suffered successive setbacks and the possibility of attacking the capital again was very small, he had to guard against it.

These days, the capital's defenses are getting tighter day by day.What made the people of the capital feel reassured was that not long ago, a Qin army that came all the way through Shanxi for reinforcements arrived on the outskirts of the capital.

Not long ago I heard that another Qin army had defeated the Qing army in North Zhili and Jinan, so the people in the capital of the Qin army also had high hopes for this coming Qin army.

On the deserted road, a carriage was moving slowly, escorted by dozens of armored knights.

The sound of wheels rolling over the road spread very far in the silent night, and came back after touching the cold wall. It seemed extremely empty, adding a bit of terror to the already gloomy atmosphere.

Yang Sichang lowered the curtains of the carriage and withdrew his gaze.

"How is the situation over there with Xiong Wencan?"

Yang Sichang's expression was cold and he asked.

"Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai are in serious trouble. There are few soldiers in the south and no excuse. Xiong Wencan dare not act rashly for the time being."

In the carriage, apart from Yang Sichang, Chen Xinjia was also sitting in it.

The two of them had just come out of the palace. Because Jiannu was going north, they had been answering Chongzhen's questions on the platform.

Things in the south are not a secret to Chen Xinjia, and he knows the inside story.

After all, he can be regarded as a close confidant of Yang Sichang, and he got his current official position only after being recommended by Yang Sichang.

"Aren't Zuo Liangyu and Long Zaitian under Xiong Wencan's command?"

"When the interruptions continue, they are in chaos. Zuo Liangyu has many soldiers and horses under his command, Long Zaitian is also a strong general, and Xiong Wencan has other soldiers and horses under his command. Why can't he take down Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai after such a long time?! "

Yang Sichang was a little angry and asked coldly.

Xiong Wencan went against his will and advocated appeasement.

The biggest reason why Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai surrendered in the first place was because of the lack of successors and the shortage of food and grass, which made it difficult to attack the city. The encirclement network gradually narrowed. They had no retreat, and it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out.

Although appeasement is not good, it cannot be regarded as a wrong move, but not managing it after appeasement is the biggest mistake.

Xiong Wencan had been avoiding the important and taking the easy, and all the reports came were good news. At that time, many affairs in the north and the court distracted Yang Sichang's mind, so there was no need to supervise the situation in the south.

But now Xiong Wencan reported that Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai were so ambitious that they secretly accumulated strength to prepare for another rebellion, and they could no longer suppress them.

"Xiong Wencan can't command Zuo Liangyu now. When he gives orders, Zuo Liangyu shirks them all."

Chen Xinjia frowned and said helplessly.

"The Xuzhou Mutiny. Most of Zuo Liangyu's family members were killed in the mutiny. Zuo Liangyu's uncle also died in the mutiny."

"The reason for the mutiny in Xuzhou was due to lack of salary. Xiong Wencan should have paid the salary, but for some reason it has been delayed..."

Yang Sichang's eyes flashed with a cold light. He knew Zuo Liangyu's life very well. Zuo Liangyu's parents died when he was young and he was raised by his uncle.

In addition to this relationship, Zuo Liangyu also had a lot of friction with Xiong Wencan before.

Last year, Zuo Liangyu led his troops to fight hard and defeated Zhang Xianzhong in a row. He surrounded Zhang Xianzhong in Gucheng, just waiting to destroy Zhang Xianzhong in one go.

However, Xiong Wencan ordered the appeasement at this time. Zuo Liangyu tried his best to request an attack, but Xiong Wencan vetoed it, and a gap developed between the two.

The Xuzhou mutiny eventually turned the conflict between Zuo Liangyu and Xiong Wencan into an irreconcilable state.

Yang Sichang closed his eyes and leaned on the slightly shaking carriage.

If he had known that Xiong Wencan was so headstrong and arrogant, he would never recommend Xiong Wencan.

With Xiong Wencan's ability, it's really hard for people to wonder how he solved the Southeast China Sea troubles.

However, no matter how much he regretted it, it was useless now. The situation was gradually deteriorating, and he had to come up with a strategy to deal with it.

"Long Zaitian has returned to Yunnan. Not long ago, there were rumors in the area that the Yunnan Army was harassing the area. The gentry in Huguang petitioned to withdraw the Yunnan Army, and they have been promised."

Chen Xinjia shook his head. The situation in the south was worse than expected.

"The forces of Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai are probably much stronger than when they were fighting last year. This time the slaves were invaded, the emperor issued an order to recruit soldiers and horses from all over the country to serve as guards, and many soldiers and horses from the south were also diverted."

"If we don't rely on Zuo Liangyu, the existing troops under Xiong Wencan will not be enough to solve the problem in the south."

"Even if Zuo Liangyu is willing to put aside his grudges, he is not [-]% sure."

"The situation in the south is no longer something Xiong Wencan can handle alone."

Chen Xinjia made a final comment on the situation in the south.

Yang Sichang frowned. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, when he was the governor of Xuan, Da, and Shanxi towns, he worked with Chen Xinjia and knew Chen Xinjia's talents.

Chen Xinjia's view is also in line with his current thinking. Xiong Wencan has no way to solve the problem in the south.

The rebellion of Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai now seems to be only a matter of time.

The carriage kept shaking as it drove on the road, causing Yang Sichang's mind to wander.

There were more and more criticisms against him in the court. He was the Minister of the Ministry of War and a cabinet minister, but at this time, Jian Nu entered the pass to plunder.

He destroyed more than fifty cities, robbed hundreds of thousands of people and livestock, and looted countless amounts of gold and silver. These things all happened on his watch.

At present, Jiannu's brigade is still in the pass, but he has no way to solve it. He can only barely support it and protect the main city.

There are already so many criticisms before the war is over. When the war is over, there will be more and more accusations of guilt.

According to the rules of the officialdom, he cannot escape the blame and must resign.

Even now, he is still favored by the emperor, but it is impossible for him to escape unscathed.

Blessings are unparalleled, and misfortunes do not come singly.

When the rebellion in the south resumed, Xiong Wencan, who recruited Zhang Xianzhong, was recommended by him.

No matter what the reason was for the failure of Xiong Wencan's recruitment plan, he was bound to be implicated.

Yang Sichang knew very well that successive failures would inevitably affect his attitude towards the emperor.

He has always known that the reason why he can hold such great power is because of the Holy Family.

Once the Holy Family is lost, it will fall from the sky into the mud in a short time.

Now his situation has reached an extremely embarrassing situation.

Yang Sichang raised his head, opened his eyes, and made up his mind.

At this point in the situation, the only option is to retreat in order to advance.

Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting led the Qin troops into the guard, which seemed to be enough to stabilize the situation in the north.

Since Xiong Wencan can't solve the turmoil in the south, he will solve it himself.

In the darkness, Yang Sichang's eyes were cold, like the edge of a sword, making people shudder.

(End of this chapter)