I am the first assistant. I haven’t expressed my position yet. You, the second assistant, will make the decision with one word. Is this okay?
Jiang Yueguang glanced at Shi Kefa and said: "Mr. Gaoge, the war in Xuzhou and Huai'an is at a critical time right now, especially the safety of Huai'an is related to the safety of Yangzhou, and the safety of Yangzhou is even more related to the safety of Nanjing. This is why Jiang Yueguang glanced at Shi Kefa.
Wouldn't it be a bad idea to allow the Metropolitan Procuratorate to investigate and then seal up the accounts of the Huai'an Prefecture's scholars, editors, and soldiers, as well as the wages and rice they paid for work and food?"
Jie Xuelong also said: "Yes, if this leads to the defeat of Huai'an, then it will be a small loss but a big loss."
Gao Hongtu thought it made sense and said: "Then let the Metropolitan Procuratorate only check the accounts and don't seal them."
"How can we check the accounts if we don't close them?" Shi Kefa finally couldn't hold it back and vetoed Gao Hongtu directly, and then said to the old servant who came in to report, "Go and tell Liu Duxian right now that the Huai'an Mansion's accounts are suspended for inspection."
"Yes." The servant in his hometown bowed and turned to leave. Gao Hongtu frowned but did not stop him.
Interrupted by Ma Mingluan, the topic of cabinet duty returned to the war situation in Huai'an Mansion.
Jie Xuelong asked: "Shou Kui, Mr. Gao Ge and Mr. Jiang Ge, do you think Huai'an Mansion can be defended?"
Shi Kefa just wanted to speak, but Gao Hongtu overtook him: "If Lu Zhenfei is in Shanyang, and the 20,000 transport troops from the Hecao Governor's Office are still in Shanyang City, there will be no problem in defending the city. As for now...
…”
At this point, Gao Hongtu said no more, but the implication was that Huai'an Prefecture could not defend it.
Jiang Yueguang also agreed with Gao Hongtu's point of view: "What Mr. Gao Ge said is absolutely true. The Holy Admiral entrusted the mission of guarding Huai'an Mansion to a dozen Qinwang scholars. It was really ill-considered. It seems that Mao Xiang, Yan Yingyuan and other scholars were just following the Holy Spirit.
After going up to the Dabie Mountains and suffering for a few months, he suddenly became a soldier? He was actually able to lead 200,000 rural warriors who were untrained and lacked equipment, and fought against hundreds of thousands of Jiannu slaves who had experienced hundreds of battles.
A draw between elites?"
After a pause, Jiang Yueguang issued another soul torture: "Shou Kui, Mr. Gao Ge, and Mr. Xie Ge, do you believe this? Anyway, I don't believe it, so the fall of Shanyang is a foregone conclusion!"
Shi Kefa sighed softly when he heard this, with a bitter look on his face.
Obviously, Shi Kefa didn't think he could hold on.
Therefore, it is time to consider river defense issues in the Yangtze River.
…
Not only Shi Kefa and others thought so, but Lu Zhenfei, Jin Xuan, and even Du Yinxi and others also thought so. At this time, these three important ministers climbed Yunlong Mountain together.
Lu Zhenfei came over from Pizhou overnight.
And he broke through the Jiannu blockade and rushed in.
Jiannu was already digging trenches around Xuzhou at this time.
However, it was not completely closed, so Lu Zhenfei was able to get in.
"Three dear friends, what are you doing in Yunlong Mountain?" Chongzhen asked knowingly.
The three of them looked at me, and I looked at you. Finally, Lu Zhenfei, who had the highest status, said: "Your Majesty, I'm here to ask for orders. Please allow me to lead the transport army back to Shanyang to aid."
Du Yinxi also said: "Your Majesty, Huai'an Prefecture is the northern barrier of Yangzhou Prefecture, and Yangzhou Prefecture is the last barrier of Nanjing. If Huai'an is lost, Yangzhou will not be protected, and if Yangzhou is not protected, Nanjing will be in danger, so I would like to lead an army to help.
Shanyang.”
Jin Xuan also said: "Your Majesty, I am also willing to lead my army of three thousand elite cavalry to help Huai'an Prefecture at starry night."
"What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?" Chongzhen said angrily, "You are so distrustful of the sentient beings in the scholar camp, so distrustful of my arrangements?"
"Do you think I am too hasty?"
"For a city as important as Shanyang City, I have handed it over to two scholars who have never led an army and have never fought against Jiannu. Do you think I am kidding, me?"
Lu Zhenfei and the other three were silent. Silence was acquiescence.
Chongzhen's eyes cooled down and he said: "There are many talented people and strangers in the world. Our Ming Dynasty especially has no shortage of capable ministers and virtuous ministers. Don't think that you are the only ones who can defend the city. The students in Shiziying are just a group of fledgling scholars. Zhuge Liang came out.
Before Nanyang, he was just a fledgling scholar, and Han Xin was just a scholar before he came to the stage to pay homage to the general."
"This..." Jin Xuan, Du Yinxi and Lu Zhenfei looked thoughtful on their faces.
Chongzhen was still angry and said: "You can doubt my ability to govern the country, but it is best not to doubt my vision. Who is worthy of use, who cannot be reused, who should be placed in what position and what position, I can see more clearly than you.
, I can see accurately and clearly. After the national crisis in Jiashen, have I ever used the wrong person? Me?"
Jin Xuan, Du Yinxi and Lu Zhenfei recalled carefully that since the national crisis in Jiashen, the Holy See had indeed used people to their fullest potential and put them to their best use. There was really no one who was wrongly employed, such as them.
Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Yan Yingyuan, Hua Xia, Lu Xiangtong, Mao Xiang and other thirteen scholars, I have been observing them since the day I led the scholar battalion to leave Nanjing. Whether they are courageous, talented or learned
, whether it is intelligence, military training, or ability to command troops, they are all the best choices, and they are qualified to defend a place."
Speaking of this, Chongzhen glared at Lu Zhenfei and the others and said: "But you, as important ministers and shouldering important responsibilities, have left your posts without permission and neglected the place of information. If Jiannu suddenly attacks you and other places of information, or
You were injured or even died in the line of duty when you broke through the Jiannu blockade, causing Pizhou and even Xuzhou to fall. You are the criminals of the Ming Dynasty!"
"I'm waiting for you, you'll be punished by death." Lu Zhenfei and the other three looked panicked.
"You deserve to die." Chongzhen grunted, "But now that it's time to hire people, I won't pursue it anymore. You guys should return to the place of information as soon as possible, and don't let Jiannu take advantage of the loophole."
"I'm waiting for the order." Lu Zhenfei and the other three left in a hurry.
Chongzhen also specifically told Jin Xuan: "Jin Qing, Lu Qing needs to break through the trench blockade of Jiannu to return to Pizhou. There will inevitably be dangers on the way, so I would like to trouble you to give him a ride."
"I accept the decree." Jin Xuan responded.
Lu Zhenfei also hurriedly bowed his head and thanked him.
After watching Jin Xuan and the others leave, Chongzhen turned his attention to the direction of Huai'an Mansion.
Facts have proved that he hired the right people in Chongzhen. Hua Xia, Lu Xiangtong and others all fulfilled their mission. As for Yan Yingyuan, it was even more impossible to betray his trust. Yan Yingyuan was able to defend the lonely city of Jiangyin under such unfavorable conditions.
, let alone Shanyang, which has strong city defenses and sufficient military pay!
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading!...
At midnight, Yan Yingyuan was awakened by the sound of footsteps.
When I looked around, I saw it was Erdan, a member of the rural brave team.
"Sir," Wu Erdan said respectfully, "according to your request, I have selected twenty death row prisoners from the prison. These twenty death row prisoners are all refugees from Shandong and even Liaodong. The crimes they committed are all
They were trying to kill people who stuttered, and they were all wives, children, and a family of more than a dozen people."
"Okay, bring them up." Yan Yingyuan said, "I'll say a few words to them."
"Yes." Wu Erdan immediately turned around and went down from the tower. After a while, he came up again with twenty death row prisoners.
After all, you are a death row prisoner. If you don't kneel down when you see Yan Yingyuan, you are going to die anyway. I don't care so much about you?
However, Yan Yingyuan was not angry and said: "You have committed a capital crime, and your life will definitely not be saved."
The faces of the twenty prisoners on death row fell, and one of them even said with a black face: "I will die if I die, why are you talking so much nonsense?"
"However, death is still different." Yan Yingyuan stared into the eyes of the death row prisoner and said, "As a prisoner, you are taken to the execution ground and your head is chopped off by the executioner. If you die, you will die. Your parents, wives and children will have everything.
No, given the current situation in Shanyang City, it’s really hard to say whether they can survive.”
The faces of all the death row prisoners immediately showed sadness.
To put it bluntly, these death row prisoners are not extremely evil people.
They are willing to fight for food for their relatives, even risking their lives, which shows that they actually still care about their relatives in their hearts. As long as there are people who care, it will be easy.
Yan Yingyuan added: "I have sent people to check. Your family members are old and young. If you are gone, they will not be able to support themselves. After you are executed, they will probably starve to death."
"God, open your eyes and look at this world. What kind of world is this?" The death row prisoner who just spoke collapsed immediately, knelt on the ground and cried loudly, "We farmers, we poor people are going to
Why is it so difficult to support your parents, wife and children? Why is it so difficult?"
"It's useless to cry, God can't take care of you." Yan Yingyuan said solemnly, "But I can show you a clear way. As long as you do what I say, your parents, wives and children will not only survive, but also
If you can be allocated land, you can live a peaceful life with land and land in Xuzhou or Guide."
"Seriously?" The wailing death row prisoner stopped crying immediately.
The other nineteen death row inmates also turned their heads in unison.
"Seriously!" Yan Yingyuan said word by word, "I, Yan Yingyuan, am worthy of heaven and earth. I will never lie to you, a prisoner on death row, in this world! If you cheat a prisoner on death row, you will receive retribution!"
"Okay, I believe you." The wailing death row prisoner smiled.
The other nineteen death row inmates also showed complicated expressions.
The wailing death row prisoner said again: "Tell me, what do you want us to do?"
"What you have to do is actually very simple." Yan Yingyuan pointed to the slave camp outside the city and said, "Enter the camp of slave slaves while it is dark and burn the food and grass of slave slaves!"
"Ah?" More than a dozen death row inmates looked stern.
"What are you afraid of?" the wailing death row prisoner said, "We are going to be beheaded anyway. This time I can give my parents, wife and children a chance to survive with my own life. It's worth it!"
After saying this, he turned back to Yan Yingyuan and said, "Sir, remember what you said. If you dare to break your promise and get fat, we will definitely turn into evil ghosts and come back to claim your life!"
Yan Yingyuan said: "If I break my promise, I will fall into the eighteenth level of hell and never be reincarnated forever!"
This was undoubtedly an extremely vicious oath. Upon hearing this, the faces of the twenty death row prisoners showed signs of relief. Now they really had nothing to worry about and could go to death with peace of mind.
