Chapter 769: If you don’t kill Huang Taiji, you will never give up!

(0769)

【Today's third update is delivered!】

Northern Zhili, the capital, the Forbidden City, the platform.

In the past half month, Emperor Chongzhen has repeatedly summoned ministers to discuss state affairs on the platform. Perhaps because of the good luck of the platform, Chongzhen also fell in love with this place. Before, he announced the good news that the Tartars were going to withdraw, which led to the shouts of long live the ministers.

After the news reached outside the imperial city, the people of the entire capital shouted long live in the mountains and burst into tears. Many devout ordinary people even spontaneously kowtowed to Chongzhen's location before the Meridian Gate, and many people cried with joy. At this moment, Chongzhen felt that his emperor was still very popular and he became more energetic in his work.

Last night, Chongzhen only slept for more than an hour and got up in a hurry in the morning. He believed that as long as he continued to work hard and did not slack off, God would take care of himself. Under his leadership, the Ming Dynasty would definitely overcome the current difficulties and eventually restore its previous glory and prosperity. He, Chongzhen and Zhu Youjian, will also become a wise king who has been recorded in history.

However, today's platform response was a bit solemn, and not many people spoke. Emperor Chongzhen himself couldn't feel relaxed. The most fundamental reason was that today's topic really made people feel embarrassed. Today's discussion topic was whether to give up Liaodong and whether to let Zhang Zhun enter Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan.

Since Chen Xinjia proposed to completely abandon Liaodong, transfer the main force back to the outside of the pass, first exterminate the bandits in Shaanxi, and then follow the long-term strategy, Emperor Chongzhen was indeed a little moved. He carefully calculated and felt that this strategy could not only restrain Zhang Zhun's Hu Ben Army, but also allow the court to free up his hands, concentrate troops, save money and food, and win multiple goals in one fell swoop. Basically, Emperor Chongzhen had already acquiesced to this strategy in his heart.

However, after Chen Xinjia's strategy was revealed, he encountered great resistance. A considerable number of ministers submitted memorials to oppose Chen Xinjia. Some even bluntly said that Chen Xinjia lost his troops and lost his territory, and wanted to confiscate his family and exterminate his clan. In the face of such huge resistance, Chen Xinjia was under great pressure. Indeed, abandoning Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan was indeed suspected of being a *** from another perspective. Even Zhang Zhun was a native of the Ming Dynasty and was also the nominal governor of the court.

The biggest resistance comes from the Liaodong Army Supervisor Gao Qiqian and Jiliao General Wu Aheng. The two of them reacted the most fiercely. Both of them clearly expressed their unwillingness to give up Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan. They also listed all kinds of magnificent reasons in the memorial. However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that the two are unwilling to give up Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan. The fundamental reason is definitely not as glorious as mentioned in the memorial.

They have good food and accommodation in Shanhaiguan, and they have a strong city to defend, but in fact they are not under much pressure. The most important thing is that they are in front of the Tartars, and their money and food are given priority, which gives them a lot of opportunities to fill their pockets. If they are transferred back to fight against the Shaanxi bandits, it is hard to say whether they have such treatment.

When Shi Kefa first arrived at the Ministry of War, he carefully counted that Liaodong consumed more than 2.5 million taels of silver every year. The grain consumed every year exceeded 500,000 stones, basically accounting for more than 700,000 treasury of the national treasury revenue. In the absence of the national treasury, the court had to piece together and meet the needs of the Liaodong Legion as much as possible.

Why did the court treat the Liaodong Legion so favorably? The reason is actually very simple, that is, once there is a change in the Liaodong Legion, the Tartars will advance straight in. Before, Yang Tinglin had a memorial to criticize the defense strategy of the entire Ming Empire. Even the dead Sun Chengzong was carried out, which caused an uproar in the court. In the end, Yang Tinglin was expelled from the capital.

However, in Shi Kefa's view, Yang Tinglin's criticism actually makes some sense. Whether it was Sun Chengzong before or Yuan Chonghuan later, they had serious psi-ism. They only focused on the matters in Liaodong, only knew how to desperately increase Liaodong's defense capabilities, but ignored the entire nine sides. As a result, the Tartars could easily cross the Great Wall and head south.

If the court had not spent too much money and food in Liaodong and evenly strengthened the defense along the Great Wall, the Tatars would not have moved south easily. In fact, the total food and salary of the Ming army in Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi towns was no more than one million taels a year, which was not as good as half of the Liaodong Legion. Has the court allocated so much money and food to the Liaodong Legion every year, and has it been really put into practice? Idiots know that it is impossible.

"Chen Xinjia should be killed!"

"A dog slave who ruined the country!"

Wu Aheng cursed angrily.

"Liaodong consumed countless money and food from the country, but there was no benefit at all. The Tartars repeatedly crossed the Great Wall and headed south, and Liaodong was basically useless. Instead of continuing to let the walking corpse, it is better to withdraw it. It can not only put troops into practice, but also save money and food."

Of course, Yang Sichang had to speak for Chen Xinjia.

The other ministers were basically standing silently.

Withdrawal makes sense.

It makes the same sense not to withdraw troops.

Withdrawal of troops can indeed be freed up, concentrate superior forces, first defeat the Shaanxi bandits, and then look for opportunities to deal with Zhang Zhun. But if you give up Liaodong, Zhang Zhun will have the opportunity to exist in Northern Zhili. Will the imperial army really have the strength to recover Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan in the future? Many ministers are deeply suspicious.

In addition, Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan are both veritable strategic locations. Once the Huben Army enters here, they directly communicate their connection with the Mongols. When it comes to the position of the Mongols, no minister here can be explained clearly in a few words. However, one thing is certain, as long as the Huben Army is willing, they can get a large number of war horses from the Mongols.

Before this, because the Hu Ben Army did not have the opportunity to directly border the Mongols, they could not obtain a large number of war horses and could not improve the mobility of the troops. However, once the Hu Ben Army and the Mongols directly bordered, the problem of war horses would no longer be a problem. Once there were enough war horses, the mobility of the Hu Ben Army would be comprehensively improved. The Hu Ben Army's combat effectiveness was already very strong. If it continued to be strengthened, would the court still have a way to deal with it?

Disaster!

Disaster!

Disaster!

The officials present felt it was difficult to make a decision.

Chongzhen also felt it was difficult to make a decision.

At this moment, the eunuch of the East Factory, Zhang Yixian, quietly stumbled his head.

The platform is a very special place. No one can come up without royal members or civil and military ministers. Even the most powerful eunuchs cannot do it. This is the rule left by Zhu Di back then, and Chongzhen dared not change it easily. This is also the main reason why Gao Qiqian, Wang Kun did not appear, and Wu Aheng and Shi Kefa could appear.

Half a month ago, Shi Kefa was appointed as the governor of Xuanda. Together with the Xuanda Supervisor Wang Kun, the military affairs of Xuanfu and Datong were in charge of the military affairs of the two places, and the grades were greatly improved. Some people were promoted, so naturally some people were unlucky. The previous rumors were indeed very accurate. After learning that the Tartars were about to retreat, Chongzhen decisively ordered the former Minister of War Zhang Fengyi and Liang Tingdong to imprison and wait for the Third Division to review. It is obvious that the two of them were to bear responsibility for the Tartars' third time.

"Dog slave! What's the matter?"

Emperor Chongzhen was in a irritable mood and his eyes were wandering. He happened to see Zhang Yixian at first sight. He was in an irritable mood and immediately scolded him. On the one hand, Chongzhen gave them great power to the eunuchs around him, and on the other hand, he regarded them as slaves who were inferior to dogs and shouted and beat them at any time. This was a very contradictory mentality.

"Emperor, news came from the front line that it was the Seven Beales of the Tartars, Abatai, who was killed by the Hu Ben Army's cavalry near Zhuozhou."

Zhang Yixian didn't dare to come up to the platform, so he said below the platform.

“Abatai… dead?

Chongzhen looked at Zhang Yixian in disbelief.

"The emperor, the news is accurate."

Zhang Yixian said hurriedly.

This time, the East Factory finally took the lead in front of the Jinyiwei and reported the first news of Abatai's death. Zhang Yixian was quite satisfied with his achievements. The East Factory has always been the one who is overwhelmed by the Jinyiwei, but why did it get to his hands and let the Jinyiwei overwhelm?

"knew."

Chongzhen's face suddenly became gloomy.

Only then did Zhang Yixian realize that he had made another mistake. Damn, such a thing is not a demand for credit. The more powerful Zhang Zhun is, the more powerful the Hu Ben Army is, and Chongzhen's mood will only get worse and worse. What good will the Hu Ben Army kill Abatai to Emperor Chongzhen? He came to report stupidly. He was really looking for death! Fortunately, Chongzhen was not in the mood to pursue the matter, so he hurriedly retreated.

When Chongzhen and Zhang Yixian were talking, the ministers present naturally heard it very clearly. For a moment, they all looked different and looked incredible. Their expressions were almost the same as Chongzhen, and they were all very shocked. It took them a certain amount of time to digest the amazing news brought by Zhang Yixian.

Abatai actually died in battle?

God, this news is true!

It is incredible that the Seven Bells, the most fierce one in Jianlu, died in battle.

Zhang Yixian did not say who Abatai was beaten to death, so there was no need to say at all. Apart from the Hu Ben Army and Zhang Zhun, who else could do this? Even the person who disliked the Hu Ben Army the most had to say in his heart, this Hu Ben Army is too powerful, and he actually killed the bravest Beile, the Great Jin Kingdom, silently!

The most shocking thing among the crowd was Wu Aheng and Shi Kefa. Wu Aheng was the Liaodong governor and directly dealing with the Tartars, so he naturally knew how powerful Abatai was. Shi Kefa was in the Ministry of War for a while, and now he was appointed as the governor of Xuanda. He naturally needed to know the information about Jianlu, so he also knew Abatai's bravery.

Both of them have analyzed Abatai's information and believed that it was very difficult to kill the other party. Abatai himself was very brave, the owner of the blue flag, and was deeply trusted by Huang Taiji. If he wanted to kill him, there was no great opportunity, and without tens of thousands of elite troops, it was impossible to do it. Neither of them expected that when they felt that they could not kill Abatai, Abatai was actually beaten to death by the Hu Ben Army.

"How is that possible?"

Wu Aheng had never had contact with the Hu Ben Army and did not know how powerful the Hu Ben Army was. He maintained a high level of suspicion about this news. He inferred that it was mostly rumors from the front line, or that someone simply falsely reported his military achievements. It seemed that Wu Aheng had seen too many such rumors, or falsely reported his military achievements.

"Abatai is dead too..."

Shi Kefa believed that this news must be true. On the Ming army, killing good and falsely reporting military achievements has long become an incurable disease, and no one can stop it, but on the Hu Ben army, there is no such stubborn disease. Since the Hu Ben army said that Abatai was killed, it would be impossible to be wrong if Abatai was really killed.

In fact, the Hu Ben Army did not need to falsely report its military achievements. The Hu Ben Army captured Dorgon alive, captured Duoduo alive, and killed so many Tartars. The record was unprecedented. Even if the imperial army had wings, they could not catch up. Do they still need to falsely report its military achievements?

It was indeed too unexpected that Abatai died suddenly. For a moment, the entire platform was silent. They needed to measure the impact of this news on them. For the Hu Ben Army, this is of course good news, but for them, it may not be. The more powerful the Hu Ben Army is, the more dangerous the capital is!

Chen Xinjia coughed twice and said slowly: "Emperor, the slave chief Abatai died in battle. Huang Taiji is afraid that he will go out of the frontier as soon as possible. Once Jianlu goes out of the frontier, the Hu Ben army will free up and besiege the capital. He also asked the emperor to issue an order to withdraw the Liaodong army as soon as possible and prepare for the future..."

The dreamer woke up with a word. Emperor Chongzhen and other ministers all came to their senses. Yes, the Hu Ben Army killed Abatai and Huang Taiji was shocked and would definitely go out as soon as possible. Once Jianlu left the Hu Ben Army, the capital would be in danger. After the Hu Ben Army drove away the Tartars, the next target would definitely be the capital.

Thinking that the capital would be besieged by the Hu Ben Army, even Wu Aheng had no voice. Do he dare to say that the Hu Ben Army would not besieged by the capital? I was afraid that before I finished speaking, I would be beaten to death by those present. Wu Aheng's wealth and life were all in Liaodong, and the others present and their families were in the capital. Once the Hu Ben Army broke through the city, they would all die.

Chen Xinjia paused slightly, let Chongzhen and his colleagues around him concentrate and pull their thoughts back to reality, and then continued: "...To attract the attention of the Hu Ben Army, we must immediately retreat the troops from Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan and order the Hu Ben Army to enter. After our army withdrew, we will set up defenses east of Tongzhou and guard the capital..."

Grand Secretary Chen Yin frowned and said, "What if the Hu Ben Army does not accept the imperial edict, refuses to enter Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan, and continues to besiege the capital?"

Chen Xinjia said bitterly: "Then we have to withdraw the army from Liaodong. You think that once the Hu Ben Army fights hard to attack, can the three camps defend the capital?"

Chen Yin lost his voice. He was not very familiar with military affairs, and he knew that the combat effectiveness of the three battalions in the capital would not be very strong. The Hu Ben Army was not a Tartar, and its ability to attack was very strong. Even the Tartars could not defend Dengzhou City, let alone other people.

Grand Secretary Fan Fucui said: "Emperor, according to my opinion, the Hu Ben Army will inevitably enter Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan, so there is no need to worry too much."

The chief assistant Liu Yuliang said with some doubts: "Why are you so sure?"

Fan Fucui said affirmatively: "I have studied the information of Zhang Zhun and the Hu Ben Army. He seems to have an irreconcilable hatred with the Tartars. If he does not destroy Huang Taiji, he will never give up. Even if Huang Taiji can go out safely this time, Zhang Zhun will not let him go easily."

Liu Yuliang frowned and said nothing more. In fact, he could also feel that the focus of the current attack on the Hu Ben Army seemed to be Jianlu. For example, the Hu Ben Army's navy and Marine Corps were all targeted at the Tartars. The Hu Ben Army's actions in Korea and Pi Island were also aimed at the Tartars. Judging from Zhang Zhun's posture, he did not give up until he killed Huang Taiji.

Fu Zonglong, Minister of Works, said: "What about the Hu Ben Army in Hejian Prefecture?"

Chen Xinjia glared at Fu Zonglong with a little anger. This old guy didn't even open any pot. Since the Hu Ben Army has taken root in Hejian Mansion, do you still expect them to retreat on their own initiative? Don't dream. It is already amazing to be able to attract the main force of the Hu Ben Army to Liaodong. At this stage, everyone is obedient to cooperate and ask Zhang Zhun to take over Liaodong quickly. Don't let him continue to make trouble in Northern Zhili.

Wang Qiaonian, the Minister of Justice, was also in the crowd, listening to everyone's speeches and arguments, but he didn't say anything. He didn't know if Zhang Zhun would accept the imperial edict from the court. To be honest, taking over Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan was indeed of no benefit. This area directly bordered the Mongols and Jianlu, and there would be battles at any time.

Of course, the perspective of looking at the problem is different from that of Zhang Zhun. Perhaps Zhang Zhun's opinion may be that there is any mystery. However, in general, the entry of the Hu Ben Army into Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan is a major event, and it involves a considerable force of the Hu Ben Army. If the Hu Ben Army enforces the imperial edicts of the court, then their activities in Northern Zhili will naturally not be so active.

What choice would Zhang Zhun make? Wang Qiaonian suddenly felt that he was a little curious. Sometimes, Zhang Zhun's behavior is often unexpected. Many times, his subordinates didn't understand why he made such a decision. It was not until later that something happened that they felt that Zhang Zhun's decision was correct. Many times, he seemed to have the ability to predict the future, which was really amazing.

Emperor Chongzhen suddenly shouted: "Chen Xinjia!"

Chen Xinjia hurriedly stood up respectfully and obeyed the order: "I am here."

Emperor Chongzhen made up his mind and said quickly: "You are responsible for drafting an edict, and order Gao Qiqian to lead his army back from Liaodong next month to garrison the area east of Tongzhou next month. Zhang Zhun will lead his army to Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan next month to defend against Jianlu. I hereby appointed Zhang Zhun as the Grand Governor of Liaodong, appointed Gao Hongtu as the governor of Ji Liao, and appointed Zhang Shenyan as the governor of Liaodong."

Chen Xinjia hurriedly agreed and turned around and went to plan an order.
Chapter completed!