A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 552 Decision
Zhou Yanru walked on the way to Qianqing Palace, although he walked hurriedly, his gestures and gestures were all graceful.He was not yet fifty, he was in his prime, and he was handsome. At the age of 20, he was the number one scholar in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a typical Jiangnan talent.

In June of the sixth year of Chongzhen, Zhou Yanru was forced to resign due to illness. At this time, he re-entered the cabinet and took the high position of chief assistant. To be honest, he was surprised that the power of heaven was unpredictable, but the position of chief assistant fell into his hands. It is also expected.

The country is in dire straits, several chief assistants have done nothing, Chen Xinjia lacks qualifications and reputation, looking at the sea, who can give me the position of chief assistant?
Thinking of this, even with Zhou Yanru's city mansion, I also feel a little smug.

Zhou Yanru's return to power is a manifestation of the right time, place and people, with the trust of the emperor above and the support of various political forces such as Donglin and the Eunuch party.In particular, Donglin Stamina, represented by Zhang Pu, pinned his hopes on Zhou Yanru, and advised him: "If you are a prime minister again, you will change the way you were before, and you will regain the voice of a virtuous person."

Because of the support of the monarchs, Zhou Yanru also pays attention to meeting the needs of all parties, and is already operating, recalling Donglin party members Zheng Sanjun, Liu Zongzhou, Fan Jingwen, Ni Yuanlu, Li Banghua, etc. to the court.

At the same time, because the members of the eunuch party never raised their heads when Wen Tiren was in power, they pinned their hopes on Zhou Yanru. Xiran called the virtuous.

The courtesan Zhou Yanru rejuvenated quickly, and quickly eased the internal strife among the various factions of the Ming Dynasty, making Emperor Chongzhen very happy. The emperor placed great hopes on him, and even belittled the emperor's respect and bowed to Zhou Yanru, saying: I listen to Mr. Tianxia.

Not long after Zhou Yanru served as the first assistant, he was praised all over the world, and he was proud of the spring breeze. At this time, he walked hurriedly, while thinking, why did the emperor call the cabinet ministers urgently?
Like Wen Tiren, Zhou Yanru has always been good at figuring out and catering to the emperor's thoughts, and he already understood the meaning of the emperor's summons when his thoughts moved slightly.

One, it must be something about Jinzhou, this is a cliché, and two, it may be a traitor from the mainland.

Where are the thieves, most of them are in Henan, Shaanxi, etc., especially Henan...

Henan!

Zhou Yanru thought deeply, the emperor summoned him so urgently, it seems that the situation in this place is not good.

His heart trembled, and the figure of Henan governor Li Xianfeng flashed in his mind.

When Ren Shoufu came, Li Xianfeng also flattered him vigorously, especially since he was still a member of the Donglin Party.

Rationally told Zhou Yanru that if something bad happened in Henan, he should give up Li Xianfeng as soon as possible and get rid of him.Anyway, since I first became the chief assistant, I have a responsibility, which is also slight, and it won't affect the emperor's perception of me, it's just...

The new chief assistant here, the world's attention, if Li Xianfeng is given up on this, the members of High Hope will inevitably feel sad, and it will be very detrimental to their own reputation and cultivation...

In the blink of an eye, he has already prepared several sets of countermeasures.

Under the guidance of the middle official, Zhou Yanru finally came to the gate of Qianqing Palace. He subconsciously paused, straightened his clothes, and entered proudly.

In the pavilion, Emperor Chongzhen was pacing back and forth with a sullen face. In addition, there were many cabinet ministers standing silently, such as Chen Xinjia, Minister of War, Li Rixuan, Minister of Officials, Li Daiwen, Minister of Household, and others, as well as Wei Zaode and Chen Yan, etc.

Seeing Zhou Yanru arrive, all kinds of eyes were cast on him, among them Chen Xinjia was furious, he took away my throne of Chief Assistant again!

Li Rixuan and others were expressionless, while Wei Zaode and Chen Yan's gloomy expressions flashed past.

Wei Zaode used to be Xue Guoguan's disciple, because Zhou Yanru's confidant Wu Changshi played a role in Xue Guoguan's bestowing death, so Wei Zaode hated Wu Chang very much, and always looked for opportunities to avenge his teacher, he even hated Zhou Yanru.

Zhou Yanru always despised Chen Yan, and Chen Yan hated him, but Zhou Yanru was in the limelight, and the two wisely chose to avoid the edge for the time being.

In the eyes of everyone, Zhou Yanru's expression is calm and his steps are calm. He enjoys these eyes. The envious and jealous expressions of the people also make a playful smile appear on the corner of his mouth. At this moment, the irony, disdain, and arrogance in that smile , even the most brilliant expression expert, it is difficult to interpret.

People say that the heights are too cold, but I know how wonderful and intoxicating the taste inside is!
This is the wonderful taste of power.

When facing Emperor Chongzhen, Zhou Yanru's expression instantly changed to fear and respect, and he saluted meticulously.

Emperor Chongzhen rushed over and helped Zhou Yanru up with his own hands: "Sir, please get up. With Mr. here, I have nothing to worry about."

The emperor's words stirred Zhou Yanru's mood, and when he got up, he greeted the courtiers with perfect etiquette.

After Chongzhen gave the cabinet ministers a seat, he impatiently asked the eunuch on duty to show Li Xianfeng's performance to everyone.

After Chen Xinjia looked at it, he snorted coldly: "At the beginning of the year, Uncle Zhongyong once defeated the intruders, and only the remnants of his troops fled into the deep mountains... Half a year later, these remnants have not been suppressed, but instead thrived Officials in Luoyang, Henan, are too incompetent, and I hate Tang Bao for being unknown, Li Xianfeng and others, what is their intention?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Yanru intentionally or unintentionally.

Emperor Chongzhen's expression became gloomy again. Li Xianfeng, the governor of Henan, acted like a deceitful king.

Zhou Yanru looked at the memorandum carefully, with a serious and careful look, scrutinizing word by word, but in fact, after just a glance, the content of the memorandum is already clear to his heart.

His brain was running fast. Judging from the memorabilia, there was also a meaning beyond the words that he had deliberated. The key point of the resurgence of the thieves was that when the thieves were defeated, the local government took in a large number of thieves.

These thieves are hard to change. When the thieves are together, they will respond in groups. Every time the thieves pass through a city, there is almost an internal response. Often there is no battle, and the city falls quickly.

Moreover, these thieves, because of their combat experience in previous years, have caused a consequence, that is, wherever the thieves go, they quickly have a large number of troops that can fight without training and have a certain combat effectiveness. In previous years, this trend was even more vicious.

They also have a large public base. This year, Henan is in the red and the people are full of grievances. Although Uncle Zhongyong suppressed the rebellion at the beginning of the year, it is like a volcano. Although it is temporarily covered, when it erupts again, it is stronger than usual How many times more ferocious.

What's more frightening is that after the intruders occupied the city, they stopped shoveling the city and fleeing, but began to send officers and generals to guard it. They also set up camps, trained elite soldiers, and distributed them to the fields, just like the new troops organized by Daming. Yes... This is a separatist regime. Could it be that the intruder was beaten up by Uncle Zhongyong and opened up?

Zhou Yanru had already foreseen the horror within, and the harm they would cause to Ming would be even greater.

Also because of this, Li Xianfeng and the others were caught off guard, and the officialdom had accumulated evils. At first, they wanted to cover up.It's just that the thieves have risen too fast, and they have already pressed Luoyang, which is related to the serious crime of falling into the feudal domain, so they dare not hide it.

As a veteran in the officialdom, Zhou Yanru is so smart, he immediately understood the clues.

Fortunately, Luoyang was not lost, and Li Xianfeng also rushed to rescue the general Chen Yongfu, and there was still something to be done.

Of course, he didn't dare to speak too much, and met Emperor Chongzhen's expectant eyes.

Zhou Yanru carefully said: "Although Li Xianfeng has owed the holy grace, the matter of Luoyang is very important. My emperor inherits the heaven and the emperor, and I hope to see the big picture and blame him for his merits. Li Xianfeng is definitely grateful and trembling. Loyalty, in order to repay the grace of God in case."

Emperor Chongzhen's expression changed, but he finally calmed down and paced slowly in the pavilion.

Zhou Yanru spoke eloquently, speaking to his heart, calmed down, and he also found that although Li Xianfeng was guilty, it was not a major crime of dismissal and decapitation. The most important thing right now is how to wipe out the re-emerging intruders.

Zhou Yanru pointed out another point more emphatically: "The thieves have strict false orders, and they can fool the people with false benevolence. thing."

Chongzhen frowned, he was also worried about this, and thought deeply: "What good strategy does Qing have?"

Zhou Yanru murmured: "Supervisor Ding Qirui, as Minister of the Ministry of War, governor of Huguang, Henan, Sichuan, and the north and south of the Yangtze River. He still takes care of the trilateral affairs of Shaanxi and spares no time. If you want to be a humble minister, you can choose one person to replace Ding Qirui as governor of Shaanxi. Three-sided military affairs, dedicated to suppressing intruders, so as not to corrupt the situation, this person needs to be powerful and convincing..."

Emperor Chongzhen stopped talking and asked urgently, "Is there anyone for you?"

Ding Qirui was recommended by Yang Sichang at that time, he was a scholar, he was indecisive, not to mention the slow progress in suppressing bandits, and recently he lost troops and lost generals.Although Emperor Chongzhen still trusted and favored him, he also felt that he needed one person to take care of the trilateral affairs.

Zhou Yanru was about to speak, when Chen Xinjia said loudly: "Your Majesty, I recommend someone to take on this important task."

Zhou Yanru immediately smiled and said nothing, but Emperor Chongzhen was displeased: "Chen Qing's personal affairs are too distracting."

He frowned slightly: "Who?"

Chen Xinjia said: "It is Fu Zonglong, the former minister of the Ministry of War."

Emperor Chongzhen frowned even more. Fu Zonglong had a strong temperament and a violent temper.

Chen Xinjia hadn't noticed Emperor Chongzhen's expression yet, so he hurriedly explained: "Fu Zonglong has always had a great prestige and is good at controlling. He is far beyond the reach of ordinary ministers. With the governor of Shaanxi on three sides, the trespassers will definitely be wiped out."

Chongzhen snorted coldly and said: "Fu Zonglong is arrogant and domineering, I will bear it in every possible way, this person... hum."

Zhou Yanru also persuaded at this time: "Your Majesty, although Fu Zonglong thinks highly of himself, he is still capable, and the trespassers are already on the verge of starting a prairie fire. I hope Your Majesty will put state affairs first."

Zhou Yanru actually spoke for himself, causing Chen Xinjia to look at him strangely.

After thinking about it, Chongzhen finally said bitterly: "Forget it, I will pardon Fu Zonglong, Minister of the Ministry of War, and use the right servant to supervise the Shaanxi soldiers to hunt for thieves. ..."

"Your Majesty Shengming."

Zhou Yanru heaved a sigh of relief in his heart, Li Xianfeng, the governor of Henan Province, had finally escaped, and he had an explanation to his subordinates.

At first, when Chen Xinjia made the recommendation, the cabinet ministers were also moved and wanted to recommend the person they liked, but they were keenly aware of the emperor's expression towards Chen Xinjia, so they stopped talking one after another.

The last thing is to discuss the matter of Jinzhou...

Talking about the battle of Jinzhou, everyone was in a headache. When the strength of the two sides was similar, there was no other way except to face to face.

Li Daiwen, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, began to complain again: "There are too many soldiers to pay, and food and grass are difficult to support. The emperor and my ministers still say that the matter of Jinzhou should be resolved quickly. I ask the emperor to order Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, to Loyal and brave uncles, kings and others, fight the slaves as soon as possible!"

Chen Xinjia immediately objected: "Absolutely not!"

He said eagerly: "Your Majesty, the war is fierce and dangerous, and one carelessness will result in the loss of elites. Uncle Zhongyong has already made it clear that our food and grass are difficult to support, and it is even more difficult for thieves and slaves. As long as we stick to it, we will surely die." Why take the risk if you win the battle?"

Li Daiwen yelled at Chen Xinjia angrily: "This soldier said it lightly, we only need to hold each other. Dare I ask, where will the food come from?"

Chen Xinjia yelled at him even louder: "Master Li, if the army is damaged, who will bear the responsibility? You?"

Hearing the quarrel among the cabinet ministers, Emperor Chongzhen stroked his forehead and felt a headache. It happened every time. The crowd had nothing but quarrels, and there was no good way to deal with them.

He was restless and was about to ask Zhou Yanru, the chief assistant of the cabinet, for his opinion, when Li Rixuan, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, suddenly said: "Your Majesty, forgive me for being bold. I think that the time has come for my master and slave to fight decisively."

For a moment, all eyes were on him.

Li Rixuan said calmly: "Ministers may have heard that Uncle Zhongyong's [-] troops have sent troops out of the Great Wall and pointed directly at Jinzhou! Now the slaves of Jinzhou are panicking. This is a golden opportunity that can be met but not sought. At this time, we will not fight. , wouldn’t it be a waste of heaven’s secret?”

There was an eerie calm in the pavilion, and Emperor Chongzhen's right hand trembled uncontrollably, especially when he heard the [-] troops.

More and more news from outside the Great Wall came to his ears, and he didn't know who was fueling the flames. Many officials were also moved by the rumors, impeaching Wang Dou for raising private soldiers, opening the border without permission, etc. Emperor Chongzhen kept all these memorials Not sent.

After a long time, Chen Xinjia said indignantly: "It's really nonsense, it's nonsense! It's ridiculous, where did Wang Dou get an army of [-]? Mr. Li Ge, you are a cabinet minister, how can you listen to rumors and do such an act of an idle woman? "

In the face of Chen Xinjia's attack, Li Rixuan was not angry, and just said lightly: "Even if there is no one hundred thousand, there must be ten or twenty thousand, right? It is not necessarily silent."

The cabinet minister Chen Yan also said with a smile at this time: "Uncle Zhongyong has a good method, and he has compiled so many strong teachers without making a sound. He is worthy of being the pillar of the country."

Everyone's hateful words distorted Chen Xinjia's elegant face: "Suspicion of a good minister, slander of a general, is this what you do?"

He flicked his sleeves and said sharply: "Shuzi is not enough and tricky!"

Li Rixuan drank tea indifferently, and Emperor Chongzhen also looked at Chen Xinjia silently, with an inexplicable gleam in his eyes.

He said softly: "Chen Qing, don't be impatient. Of course, I know Uncle Zhongyong's loyalty. I'd better listen to what the chief assistant has to say."

Zhou Yanru has been quietly listening to the cabinet ministers' arguments, and he has also learned about Wang Dou. Although the emperor has always tabooed "comparison" and "comparison", the current cabinet ministers do not have a general to support them. Those who are not stable in the cabinet, such as Zhang Juzheng, need Qi Jiguang to quote them back then.

After Wang Dou's rise, he has been free from factional struggles, even with Zhou Yanru's palace, he can't guess his inner thoughts.Many people thought that Wang Dou was Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia's lineage, but Zhou Yanru knew that it was more Chen Xinjia and others who borrowed Wang Dou's light.

For Wang Dou, the minister's support outside the country is icing on the cake, and if not, it will not prevent him from continuing to get promoted and make a fortune, becoming the focus of the Ming Dynasty and the pillar of the country.

For Zhou Yanru, he would not easily offend a powerful warrior, especially a warrior like Wang Dou.

Although he represents the Donglin Party, in the past few years, Wang Dou has not done anything to openly offend the Donglin Party. Interests.

It can also be seen that Wang Dou is easy to get along with on weekdays. Although he has become more powerful, he has not done anything to violate the entire literati class.

The attitude of the entire Donglin Party group towards Wang Dou is to observe his words, observe his actions, and pay close attention to him silently.

Zhou Yanru also had no intention of winning over Wang Dou as a foreign aid. It can be seen in the cabinet today that the attitude of the emperor and ministers of the Ming Dynasty towards Wang Dou is one of reliance and fear, and even the emperor's view of Chen Xinjia has changed.

However, because of Wang Dou's foreign aid, Chen Xinjia's position is still as stable as Mount Tai. If Wang Dou stays outside for a day, he must still be firmly in the cabinet, and at most he will be refrigerated by the emperor.But if something happened outside, Chen Xinjia would definitely need to come out to clean it up.

As a veteran in the officialdom, Zhou Yanru is good at catering to the emperor's wishes. Back then, Liaodong soldiers extorted his salary, so he was promoted from a servant to a bachelor. Now...

Zhou Yanru can be sure that the emperor is already impatient with the war in Jinzhou, especially when the exiles are resurgent, he urgently needs to mobilize elite soldiers back to the hinterland to deal with the exiles, let alone the consequences of the vassal's failure.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yanru respectfully said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the thieves have returned, and the battle in Jinzhou really cannot be delayed."

Chen Xinjia still wanted to speak, but seeing the emperor's stern gaze, he had to remain silent.

Zhou Yanru smiled gently at Chen Xinjia, and continued: "...passers-by say that Uncle Zhongyong dispatched [-] soldiers and pressed Jinzhou from outside the Great Wall. Harassment, as a means of solidarity, is a strategy of attacking the west. In the battle of Jinzhou, all the young and strong ministries outside the Great Wall took time out, and the northern captives were hard to stop, so they made fearful words, and the general publicity may have ulterior motives."

Chongzhen couldn't help nodding his head, Zhou Yanru's analysis was reasonable and straight to his heart.

Zhou Yanru continued: "However, Uncle Zhongyong's strategy has also achieved good results. The northern captives are panicked and hard to fight. My master Wang's momentum is sharp, and it is time to make a decisive decision."

Zhou Yanru came slowly, the cabinet ministers were either silent or echoed their words, only Chen Xinjia murmured: "Bo Yan Zhongyong, it's not time for a decisive battle yet."

Li Rixuan glanced at him, and said indifferently: "My soldiers open their mouths and shut their mouths, all of them are Zhongyong Bo, and Zhong Yong Bo is also an officer of the Ming Dynasty. Your majesty's subjects, don't you dare to openly violate the order?"

Chen Xinjia snorted, and repeated his previous words: "...if the army is damaged, who will bear the responsibility?"

Chongzhen glanced at the two, with a displeased expression on his face, and said to Zhou Yanru: "Go on, sir."

Zhou Yanru respectfully said: "I respect the order."

He continued: "Just now what I said in the soldiers, Zhongyong Bo believes that the battle of Jinzhou has not yet come to a decisive battle. Indeed, Zhongyong Bo has won hundreds of battles since he started. In terms of marching and fighting, he is absolutely unmatched. However, he After all, he is a military minister, and he may be short on the strategy of North Korea and China, the overall situation of the country..."

He said: "Of course, Uncle Zhongyong fought for the country, bathed in blood on the battlefield, and made great contributions to his hard work. My minister thought that he should be rewarded heavily, and his rank will be greatly increased. I hope that I will continue to work hard and be promoted. In addition..."

Zhou Yanru said: "General Yang Guozhu and others are brave and resourceful, and their loyalty and sincerity are enough to appreciate people's hearts. They should also be rewarded separately to encourage the future."

Finally Zhou Yanru knelt down and kowtowed: "I am your majesty's minister, with a heart of ice, only for the court, all the things you say, the state affairs, are all from your heart, please your majesty's holy heart to rule."

The cabinet ministers, Chen Xinjia and others also knew that the Jinzhou matter should be settled, so they all knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, please be dictatorial with the Sacred Heart."

Emperor Chongzhen stood up, thinking in his heart: "The matter of Jinzhou has been delayed for a long time, and now it is time to make a decision."

……

On September 14th, [-]th year of Chongzhen, Jinzhou, North Bank of Daughter River.

The section of the Rufeng Shanxi River, within three miles away from the river, had already been captured by the Ming army.

From south to north, the Qing military barracks flying various flags spread densely to the periphery of Jinchang Fort.

The confrontation between large armies is of course not just sitting still. The daily small-scale battles never stop, or the infiltration and reverse osmosis between the scouts, or the repeated scrambles for each section of the wall and trench. , I launched another night raid to regain the lost stronghold.

In the tug-of-war between you and me, both sides are bleeding continuously, many soldiers are exhausted, and the constant rotation of troops has become a must for both sides.

The camp around Jinchang Fort, because it was in the hinterland of the Qing camp, seemed generally calm. Many of the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty coming and going here were not wearing armor or even helmets, revealing their blue scalp and the long and thin back of their heads. Money Rattails.

As the weather became colder, they put on cotton robes and warm hats one after another. They were the bowl hats of the later Qing Dynasty, mostly made of leather, woolen, satin, etc.There is also a kind of summer hat, which is worn in summer. It looks like a bamboo hat, with a skeleton made of bamboo strips and a silk cover.

Many people also wear melon skin hats, which originated from the six-in-one unified hat of Ming Dynasty.

At this time, the dragon flag of the Qing emperor was flying above the Jinchang Fort, and all the elite Kabush soldiers were stationed in the castle.As early as after Shuangzi Mountain was captured by the Ming army, Huang Taiji moved his residence to Jinchang Fort for the sake of safety. Of course, they did not give up the stronghold of Rufeng Mountain.

In the original garrison hall, Huang Taijiu was at the head, with a gloomy expression, and on both sides were the Manchu Banners, and the Eight Mongolian Banners, and the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty, each with a solid forehead, standing behind them.

In the official hall, there are also a large group of princes and ministers such as Zhasak, Taiji, and Tabu Nang from the Outer Fan Mongolia. The Horqin Ten Banners headed by Prince Horqin Tuxietu on the left wing, and Chahar Gulun's son-in-law on the right wing Other Mongolian banners headed by Prince Heshuo Ezhe.

There are also several khan kings in Waizasak Mongolia, such as Tuxietu Khan, Zhasaktu Khan, Chechen Khan and so on.

At this time, they looked at the middle of the hall, all of them with ugly faces. There, a stout Mongolian kneeling with his bare back was being beaten heavily with water-soaked leather whips by two burly Kabush soldiers.

"Snapped!"

The five-foot-long leather whip that was soaked in water was swung up again, and when the whip came down, there was a long bloodstain.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The two Kabush sages who executed the execution showed no mercy, and each whip was harder than the last, and each whip was heavier than the last.

The Mongolian began to grit his teeth and stiffen, trying not to let himself make a sound, but the great pain made him unable to control himself anymore, and began to howl miserably.

Every time the whip came, he howled, and under the heavy whip, his back was already ripped apart, and blood continued to ooze.

(End of this chapter)