"What do you think about the Liaoning salary issue from the outside?"
Facing his first assistant, Chongzhen directly talked about the topic without beating around the bush.
"The military situation in Henan is urgent. To fight against foreigners, we must first pacify the interior, eliminate the slaves before destroying the bandits, and allocate funds from Liao to pacify the domestic bandits. This must be done. Everyone inside and outside the court knows that this is a last resort, so all the ministers disagree.
.”
Zhou Yanru's words were half true and half false. Everyone in the government and the public knew that dividing the Liao Dynasty and quelling civil strife was a last resort, but they did not have any objections. If nothing else, in recent days, the officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology Supervision have been on the top of the list.
The ten memorials were all required to be paid by the imperial court regardless of Liao Dynasty. However, with one exception, these memorials were suppressed by Zhou Yanru, who instructed the General Affairs Department. Even if some of them entered the palace, they were deliberately ignored by Chongzhen himself.
"I was forced to adopt this strategy. When the good news comes from Henan, it would be better to use the Liao salary exclusively."[
Chongzhen sighed, if he had money, why would he demolish the east wall to repair the west wall? With a wry smile, he suddenly took a few steps forward, lowered his voice and said to Zhou Yanru: "If I mobilize the Liao army to enter the pass to quell the chaos, the chief assistant will
Do you think it’s possible?”
"this"
Zhou Yanru pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "Your country is in trouble today. It needs to be both internally peaceful and at war with the outside world. The rogue bandits and the Eastern captives are both serious dangers to the country. However, in this precarious plan, the two cannot use troops at the same time.
We must choose one and deal with it with all our strength. However, the country has used troops for many years, and its vitality has been greatly damaged. If you are sure of victory, it is better to hold on until you are full."
After Zhou Yanru finished speaking, Chongzhen did not understand. Did the chief minister agree to mobilize the Liao army to enter the pass, or did he disagree?
He was still young and had an impatient temper, so he glanced at Zhou Yanru with some displeasure and said in a low voice: "The chief minister might as well explain it more clearly. I also know that using a weak enemy to fight a strong enemy and violently destroying the soldiers on the battlefield will not only damage the vitality of the country.
, but although I can’t bear it, I can’t even bear to see my ancestor’s foundation destroyed by my hands. There are only two of me and the chief assistant here. I humbly ask for advice, and hope that the chief assistant can tell me sincerely.”
When Chongzhen spoke like this, Zhou Yanru knew that this test was unavoidable, so he glanced sideways behind the screen, turned his head, and finally said: "Your Majesty is the king of Yao and Shun. His benevolence is buried in the grass and trees, and he loves his soldiers like an innocent son.
In terms of today's situation, it is not only necessary to suppress the rebels internally, but also to fight against the Eastern invaders externally. It is difficult to handle both the military and financial resources. In terms of the current situation, the Eastern invaders suffered a defeat in Jinzhou, and in the short term, they will focus on attacking the south.
, but looking back at our side, it was also a tragic victory. The Zu Dashou Liao army was completely wiped out and closed the door. The soldiers of Jizhen were buried in Xiaoling River and Ningjin line. My available troops were actually less than 5,000, and they were exhausted.
General Lao, if you rashly send troops to enter the pass, Ning Jin will have an empty city. If the Donglu find out the truth and the troops press the border, I'm afraid." At this point, Zhou Yanru did not say any more, but looked at Chongzhen worriedly.
"According to what the chief minister said, not even a single soldier of the Liao soldiers can enter the pass?" Zhou Yanru's words made Chongzhen a little disappointed, but he also knew that Zhou Yanru was telling the truth. The victory of Jinzhou was indeed a tragic victory.
Although Donglu's vitality was severely damaged, Ming Dynasty was also struggling, unable to struggle at all.
"It's not that we can't recruit Liao soldiers, if so." Zhou Yanru hesitated in his heart, but seeing that the emperor was worried about the war and quelling the chaos, he thought that if his initiative could succeed, it would relieve the emperor's worries and stabilize the future of the country, so he couldn't help but muster up the courage to say
: "If the peace negotiation can be successful, we can mobilize the Liao army to enter the pass."
"Meet peace?" Chongzhen was startled and looked at Zhou Yanru with wide eyes.
Zhao Quan was also taken aback, staring blankly at Zhou Yanru with his mouth wide open. Behind the screen, a figure trembled slightly, but soon calmed down.
Zhou Yanru was very calm, facing Chongzhen's gaze without any trace of shame or embarrassment.
After a while, Chongzhen said quietly: "If we are negotiating peace, does the outer court have any opinions?"
Zhou Yanru said calmly: "What this minister thinks in private is not known to others outside the court."
After hearing Zhou Yanru's answer, Chongzhen felt a little relieved. He had indeed thought about the matter of negotiating peace with Jiannu. Last year, Zhang Chun, the young minister of Taipu Temple, gave him a lecture, mentioning the various benefits of negotiating peace.
When I saw it, I was very moved.
However, the Donglu army was strong and the Ming army was weak. One side was on the offensive and the other was on the defensive. The Ming army was bound to lose every battle. The Jin army was so arrogant that there was no way out for peace talks. In addition, the civil unrest in the northwest had not yet spread, so the entire court was
None of them thought about negotiating peace with Donglu, but instead tried their best to lead a war.
The situation is just like when the Yingzong was captured, but the government and the opposition still took the lead in fighting. Since the founding of the country by Taizu, it seems to have become a national rule that the emperor guards the country's gates and the king dies in the country for two hundred years. When dealing with foreigners, the war will be fought to the end.
When negotiating for peace, everyone in the court took pride in taking the lead in the battle. Under this general trend, Chongzhen did not dare to brave the world and open the door to negotiate peace with the Donglu.
But no one expected that the civil unrest in the northwest would spread in just two years, and the bandit unrest would even spread to the Central Plains, shaking the foundation of the country. In addition, the Donglu invaded the Kou Pass two years ago.
After the fall of the capital, Chongzhen was left with a pile of messes that couldn't get any worse after Jiannu came out of seclusion. He was so worried that he didn't even think about food or food.
Under internal and external difficulties, Chongzhen's mind began to waver. He felt that if he could negotiate peace with the Donglu and then concentrate on suppressing the rebellion, it seemed that it was not an impossible path.
But can Donglu negotiate peace with me, the Ming Dynasty? [
For some reason, Yuan Chonghuan, who was killed by him two years ago, suddenly appeared in Chongzhen's mind. Wasn't Yuan Chonghuan killed by him because of his private negotiation with Donglu?
Now that I want to negotiate peace with Donglu, will Donglu be willing?
"Is Donglu willing to negotiate peace with me?" Chongzhen was a little worried.
Zhou Yanru said with certainty: "When Yuan Chonghuan was here, there were rumors that the Donglu wanted to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty. It can be seen that the Donglu had always wanted to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty. Today, I even think that the Donglu is definitely better than the Ming Dynasty.
My Ming Dynasty is still eager to negotiate peace!"
Chongzhen's mouth opened slightly: "Why is the chief minister so sure?"
Zhou Yanru said: "The Donglu are barbarians from outside Tibet. Their behavior is similar to that of bandits, and they have the same ambitions. When the army is strong and the horses are strong, it is natural that bandits behave and want more. In the past, I, the Ming Dynasty, failed to defeat them many times, so their ambitions must be big and they want more.
However, in the battle of Jinzhou, Donglu suffered heavy losses. I have already learned that the Ming Dynasty is powerful, so how can I dare to show off my strength again? In addition, the rain outside the pass has been irregular in the past two years, and the products are not abundant. Therefore, I thought that negotiating peace would be good for me and for him.
No matter whether you are a prisoner or not, you have an arrow on the string and you have to shoot it. If you continue to fight, both sides will suffer losses."
After hearing this, Chongzhen also thought it was true, but he still wondered: "If we really want to negotiate peace, wouldn't I become Zhao Gou who favors peace and leave an eternal infamy?"
Seeing that the emperor was interested in peace talks, but was only worried about notoriety, Zhou Yanru hurriedly said generously: "Since ancient times, there has never been a person who can win externally without internal strife. Therefore, if you want to fight externally, you must first calm down internally. This is an unshakable principle. Today's national situation
Although the situation was extremely critical, it was not comparable to the peaceful situation in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Although the Donglu were repeatedly besieged and harassed Jifu, from Liaohai in the east to Datong in the west, the important towns and important passes were all in our hands. Therefore, for the sake of the national plan, it is better to use the policy of restraining the Donglu to delay the time, and then attack
Use the inner drum to destroy the thieves in Guanzhong, and then force the thieves to surrender. If they still have different ambitions and want to succeed, it will not be difficult to eliminate them one by one.
Once the country is worried about its internal affairs, the emperor can organize the army and attack the Eastern captives in a big way, so as to avenge today's shame and eliminate the troubles on the border forever. Forgive them for being a small country in a corner. How can it compete with the great dynasty?
contend!"
Hearing this, Chongzhen said with some excitement: "I also know very well that if I want to fight against the outside world, I must first settle the inside. Well, although negotiating peace will bring a bad name to me, it will bring a lot of benefits to the country. If it is true as the chief minister said, then I
One day I will personally lead the army out of the country to kill the slaves!"
Zhou Yanru hurriedly knelt down and said: "Your Majesty is wise!"
However, Chongzhen was still a little worried, and whispered to Zhou Yanru: "This matter must be carried out quickly, and the officials in the outer court must not know about it. Before the confidential discussion is completed, there will be a physical discussion first."
Zhou Yanru hurriedly agreed: "I know."
"If the reconciliation is successful, the country will be able to worry about the east. I can immediately mobilize the Liao army and Xuanda force outside the pass to suppress the thieves with all their strength and put an end to the civil strife."
Thinking of the benefits that the successful peace negotiation would bring to himself and the country, Chongzhen could not help but feel turbulent and could not calm down for a long time.
Zhou Yanru was also full of ambition and contentment, with a smile on his face.
The monarch and his ministers just looked at each other happily. Maybe they could feel the happiness in the emperor's heart at this moment. Even Zhao Quan also smiled knowingly and looked at it stupidly.
After a while, Chongzhen thought of an imminent event, which was what Gao Qiqian said about the transfer of Liao soldiers into the pass.
Although it is good to negotiate a peace, it will take time, but the Kong thieves did not give the Ming Dynasty time. If the Liao troops cannot be mobilized as soon as possible, the rebellion of the Kong thieves may not be like the civil unrest in the northwest, which will spread like a spark and start a prairie fire, and it will be out of control.
.
"The chief assistant must handle the matter of peace negotiation as soon as possible. But now I am in a hurry to mobilize the Liao troops to enter the pass. The chief assistant should know that Zhu Dadian's Beijing camp has been defeated, and the Kong thieves have already gone to Qingzhou. If we continue to march forward,
To pacify, I am only afraid that Shandong and Denglai will be poisoned by Confucius' thieves." Chongzhen's tone was a little anxious.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Yanru didn't look embarrassed at all at this time, nor did he say any empty words, but he said confidently: "As far as I know, the Kong thieves only have two or three thousand Liao soldiers, and the rest are mostly coerced people.
Vulnerable. Your Majesty does not have to worry about the rebellion of the Confucius and Thieves. He has a ready army of troops to deal with the urgent need now."[
"Oh? What does the chief assistant mean?" Chongzhen was a little confused and didn't understand which army Zhou Yanru was referring to.
Zhou Yanru smiled and said: "Has your Majesty forgotten the troops and horses from Jinzhou Xianjie? They are in Tongzhou."