Ming Empire

Chapter 97 Sun Chuanting

About an hour later, Sun Chuanting, who was originally imprisoned in the prison, was brought into the palace.

Sun Chuanting was a Jinshi in the 47th year of Wanli. He was first granted the county magistrate of Yongcheng, and he was the chief inspector of the Ministry of Officials in the early years of Tianqi.In the eighth year of Chongzhen, he served as a doctor of Fengfeng, and later he was promoted to the governor of Shuntianfu.In March of the ninth year of Chongzhen, Sun Chuanting asked Ying to be the governor of Shaanxi, preparing to wipe out Gao Yingxiang's peasant uprising army.After Sun Chuanting arrived in Shaanxi, he won a great victory in the battle against the bandits. After being defeated, Gao Yingxiang was captured and sent to Beijing to be executed.

After Gao Yingxiang's death, his nephew Li Zicheng succeeded King Chuang.

At the beginning of the tenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng's department led Ma Jinzhong and other troops to the west and turned into Shaanxi, and attacked Shangzhou, Luonan, Lantian and other places. The area tends to stabilize.

In the 11th year of Chongzhen, when the rebels from Tianxing and Huntianxing went from Hui, Qin and other places to Chengcheng via Fengxiang, Sun Chuanting commanded part of their five-way joint attack and won a big victory. He defeated the rebel army, and repelled the troops of Ma Jinzhong and Ma Guangyu who rushed to help the Shaanxi rebel army, and then joined Hong Chengchou in an ambush with heavy troops in the southern plains of Tongguan, severely injuring Li Zicheng's troops again.Li Zicheng's army was almost wiped out, and finally broke through with only eighteen horsemen.

So far, the uprising army in Shaanxi was almost suppressed.But just when the peasant rebel army was about to be wiped out, the Qing army invaded the south, and Emperor Chongzhen hurriedly sent Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting back to Beijing for defense. Li Zicheng got a respite and sat down again.

In August of the 11th year of Chongzhen, Dorgon and Yue Tuo led the Qing soldiers to attack the Great Wall from Qiangziling and Qingshan Pass, and the troops were directed at Beijing.After Lu Xiangsheng was killed in the Battle of Julu, Emperor Chongzhen urgently summoned Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou to preside over the defense of the capital.

Because of deep conflicts with Yang Sichang, Minister of War of the Zhuhe faction, and Zhongguan Gao Qiqian, after Sun Chuanting arrived in the suburbs of Beijing, he could not even see the face of Emperor Chongzhen. Sun Chuanting was very dissatisfied with this.

In the 12th year of Chongzhen, the imperial court transferred Sun Chuanting, the governor of Baoding, Shandong, and Henan, to military affairs. Sun Chuanting took the opportunity to ask for an interview, but Yang Sichang's obstruction failed.Sun Chuanting was furious and retired due to illness.But Yang Sichang still didn't let it go, and played to Emperor Chongzhen, saying that Sun Ting's claim of illness was an act of evasion.Emperor Chongzhen believed Yang Sichang's words, demoted Sun Chuanting to a commoner and imprisoned him in a rage.

It has been three years since Sun Chuanting was imprisoned. Sun Chuanting, who was originally unruly and full of fighting spirit, is already a shattered old man.Because Sun Chuanting was about to enter the palace for a face-off, before being brought into the palace, Sun Chuanting finally had a chance to take a bath and change into clean clothes, but this still couldn't conceal his haggard face.

After prostrating, Emperor Chongzhen ordered Sun Chuanting to stand up.

"Sun Aiqing, we haven't seen each other for several years!" Emperor Chongzhen chuckled twice, motioning to give Sun Chuanting a seat.

"Today, Caomin was honored to be summoned by Lord Long Live, and I am really sorry," Sun Chuanting did not hide his dissatisfaction at all, and said directly: "Long live, Caomin still doesn't understand why I have to see you again and again that day, I hope that some important military affairs can be presented in the face of Long Live, Long Live But can't see?"

In fact, this question is something that he has been brooding over the past few years, and it is difficult to explain it.As a high-ranking member of a party, it is the most normal thing to see the emperor to discuss opportunities before taking the holy order to take office, but why did the emperor avoid seeing him, and finally dismissed him as a civilian, arrested him, and sent him to prison? Affect the family?

Sun Chuanting's direct inquiry made Emperor Chongzhen a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. At this time, Wang Chengen, who was waiting on the side, stepped forward and said softly: "Sun Chuanting, Yang Sichang committed suicide in defeat last year, and now the bandits are powerful. Lord Long Live let you out of prison this time, because he wanted to discuss with you how to put down the bandits. Don’t worry about the past things!”

Sun Chuanting glared at the talkative Wang Chengen angrily, but in the end he didn't break out. Instead, he turned to Emperor Chongzhen and asked bluntly again: "Long Live Lord, is this time to order the grassroots to lead the army to fight against the bandits?"

"I called Sun Aiqing here today to discuss with you how to completely eliminate the bandits!" Emperor Chongzhen still felt a little guilty about imprisoning Sun Chuanting, an important minister who had made great contributions to the country.

He is well aware of Sun Chuanting's ability, and the fact that he defeated the rogues several times in the past can fully prove this point, but the emperor needs face, and he can't admit his mistakes face to face. Wang Chengen's answer just now has actually given Sun Chuanting a step down. Yes, he also said this along the way, hoping that Sun Chuanting would stop worrying about the past, otherwise he would send this guy back to prison again.

Sun Chuanting is a sensible person after all. In the past three years in prison, he has reflected a lot, and his former hot temper has also subsided a lot. When he was brought into the palace today, he guessed that Emperor Chongzhen wanted to use him again.When he questioned Emperor Chongzhen at the beginning, he just wanted to set off his position, so that Emperor Chongzhen could feel ashamed and show favor to him more as compensation.

"Long Live Lord, the grassroots have stayed in the cell all these years and don't know anything about the affairs of the world. I'm afraid I can't give advice for Long Live Lord!" Sun Chuanting's tone was obviously softened.

Emperor Chongzhen naturally also heard the change in Sun Chuanting's tone, and pointed to the military newspapers and copywriting in front of him, and said to Sun Chuanting: "Aiqing, let's read these first, and then tell me about yours after you finish reading. Opinion. If you are still unclear about the situation, you can ask me, and I will answer you one by one!"

Sun Chuanting only hesitated for a moment, and immediately agreed: "Thanks to the trust of Lord Long Live, the grassroots will not refuse!"

Wang Chengen also stepped forward, and brought the pile of papers that had caused Emperor Chongzhen to burn his head in front of Sun Chuanting.When Sun Chuanting was reading these documents, Emperor Chongzhen also roughly told Sun Chuanting what had happened in the past two years, including the war with Jiannu and the fight with the bandits.

Sun Chuanting listened to Chongzhen's speech while reading the copy, and occasionally expressed some opinions, applauded some exciting things, and scolded some incompetent people, including Yang Sichang, who made him miserable and finally committed suicide after being defeated.When I heard Emperor Chongzhen say that Cao Yue broke through Shengjing with more than a thousand troops and destroyed the city of Shengjing, and that Huang Taiji died of anger afterwards, he couldn't help clapping and applauding.

When he learned that Cao Yue defeated Jiannu in Datong City and nearly wiped out Geng Zhongming's troops, he couldn't help becoming interested, and asked about Cao Yue's situation. After learning that Cao Yue was Cao Wenzhao's son At that time, he couldn't help laughing wildly, regardless of the current emperor sitting in front of him. "Long Live Lord, this Cao Yue really saved Daming from fire and water. His merits are no less than his father's. It's really amazing. His achievements will surpass his father's in the future, and he will definitely be able to calm the world for Long Live Lord!"

"This son is doing really well. I'm ready to marry Princess Kunxing to him and continue to let her take charge of the Datong Army." Having said this, Emperor Chongzhen paused and asked Sun Chuanting seriously, "Sun Aiqing, I would like to ask You, if I let you serve as the governor of Shaanxi, can you put down the chaos in Shaanxi and Henan?"

Emperor Chongzhen's question made Sun Chuanting's heart beat violently.

(End of this chapter)