While Pang Gang was deep in thought, Wei Tongnian and others also finished greeting each other. Everyone also turned their attention to Pang Gang. However, seeing that Pang Gang was still deep in thought, they did not dare to disturb him. They all sat aside with their hands down and waited.
After a while, Pang Gang shifted his gaze to Wu Xiang and others again, and asked with a smile: "Wu Aiqing, Zu Aiqing, you have not done anything that will make your relatives sad and your enemies happy. Can you listen to my new instructions?"
In accordance with the imperial decree, I resolutely came to the capital to report on my duties. I am very pleased. After all, it is a new dynasty, and the new dynasty will have a new atmosphere. I wonder what you guys have to say about the situation in Liaodong?"
Pang Gang's voice was not loud, but it made Wu Sangui break out in cold sweat. What does it mean to "have not done anything that would make relatives sad and enemies happy"? This clearly implies that they may defect to the Manchus.
, did the emperor suspect that they were colluding with the Manchus?
The sentence "There will be a new atmosphere in the new dynasty" in the middle means to remind them that it is now the Ming Dynasty. You should all put away your previous airs. The following sentence is to give them test questions.
As the saying goes, smart people naturally think about many things. After Wu Sangui's thoughts changed, he thought about even more things. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this was just the first meeting. This emperor, who was about the same age as him, was really too deep.
, just one sentence expresses several layers of meaning, and people don’t know how to answer.
Just when Wu Sangui was suspicious, Zu Dashou answered first: "To inform the emperor, although I am an old minister of the previous dynasty, the emperor is the new emperor appointed by heaven. After the throne of the Supreme Emperor, he will naturally be our co-lord. Minister
How dare you disobey the will of God? Therefore, I have led hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Liaodong to surrender to Great China. If you violate this oath, heaven and earth will punish you!"
Pang Gang was amused when he heard this. He didn't expect that Zu Dashou, who looked tall and thick, could be so good at flattering people. This was different from what was said in history books. But then he thought about it, what if Zu Dashou was really a big guy who didn't understand anything?
You bastard, in an environment like the Ming Dynasty, he wouldn't be able to climb to such an important position as Young Master Zuo Governor, supervising Jinzhou.
"Hahaha... I was mistaken. I didn't expect Zu Aiqing to be so good at talking. Hearing Aiqing say this makes me very proud!"
Listening to Pang Gang's joking words, everyone also laughed softly.
"Since Ai Qing and others have decided to submit to me, I naturally cannot chill the hearts of the soldiers." Since Zu Dashou has expressed his surrender on behalf of everyone, Pang Gang naturally wants to give them face. After thinking about it, he said: "Zu Ai
Sir, besides wanting to see you this time, I also have one more thing to do. I am determined to regain my homeland in Liaodong and drive the Tatars back to their hometown. I wonder if you have any good ideas.
?”
This time Pang Gang put the issue out very simply. I am going to regain Liaodong. Aren’t you shouting that you want to submit to me? Show your skills now.
"Recover Liaodong?"
As soon as this sentence came out, everyone including Zu Dashou, Wu Xiang, Wu Sangui and others were dumbfounded.
"Recover Liaodong?"
They have been shouting this for countless years. But every time they have failed, now the newly appointed emperor has begun to clamor to regain Liaodong. Who knows if it is just a whim of the newly appointed emperor.
, Moreover, the recapture of Liaodong is of great importance, and if one mistake is not made, the country will be shaken. What's more, they don't know whether His Majesty wants to use the hands of the Manchus to weaken their strength.
Zu Dashou hesitated for a moment and secretly glanced at the calm emperor in front of him. He secretly wondered whether the emperor really wanted to regain Liaodong or was just talking about it. Although Zu Dashou had dealt with Pang Gang before.
After all, the time was too short, and he didn't know much about his personality, so he felt a little nervous now.
Another secret glance at Pang Gang, Zu Dashou knew that he could not escape this time, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "Your Majesty, if you really want to regain Liaodong, I dare you to ask how many troops you plan to send. How many weapons and equipment are you preparing? Are the food and grass preparations appropriate?
, these humble ministers don’t know how they dare to speak nonsense.”
"Yeah!" Pang Gang nodded slightly: "Zu Aiqing, you are quite honest and don't beat your chest and say anything. I tell you the truth, this time I plan to divide the troops into two groups, starting from Shanhaiguan and heading towards Daning and Guangzhou.
Ning Wei set out, all the way by sea, directly towards Shengjing, the home of the Tatars. Now I just want to ask you, how many troops can your Shanhaiguan and Jinzhou lines mobilize to attack?"
"hiss......."
Everyone couldn't help but take a breath, hearing what the emperor said, this time he was serious and not just fooling people like before.
Wu Sangui didn't wait for Zu Dashou to answer, but he stood up and said, "Your Majesty, are you telling the truth?"
"How dare you...how dare you question His Majesty?"
As soon as Wu Sangui finished speaking, Eunuch Ma, who had been waiting nearby, felt his scalp numb. The commander-in-chief was so impatient that he dared to question the current emperor, and immediately stood up and reprimanded Wu Sangui sharply.
"The emperor atones for his sins, and the humble ministers deserve to die..."
It was only then that Wu Sangui realized that the trouble was coming from his mouth. He dared to question the current emperor. This was not a small crime. He quickly knelt down to plead guilty.
"Okay, okay, I'm not a tiger, and I don't eat people, why should I be so nervous." On the contrary, Pang Gang waved his hand indifferently, stared at Wu Sangui and said seriously: "Wu Aiqing, Jun Wuyan, what I said is
Of course it is true, and I can tell you that the reason why I asked you Liaodong soldiers to go out together this time is to see if the Guan Ning cavalry under the command of Commander Yuan is still capable of fighting? Can it become a sharp sword in my hand?
To expand my territory for me? Do you...understand what I mean?"
At this point, seeing Wu Sangui still kneeling on the ground, Pang Gang waved his hand to ask him to stand up. After looking around at them, he said: "I want to tell you one more thing, that is, since the soldiers of Jiubian have still surrendered to the Great Empire,
China, then the rules of the previous dynasty will no longer work. From now on, we must abide by the rules of our country. Some of the bad habits of the past must also be abandoned, such as eating empty pay, drinking soldiers' blood, and falsely claiming military exploits.
Things must not be allowed. The people spend a lot of money to support you every year. I am not asking you to be the uncle. In a few days, I will send a military judge to Liaodong to specifically enforce military law. If you are caught by the military judge, you will be punished.
Don’t blame me for reminding you before nothing happens!”
There was a bloody smell in Pang Gang's voice, indicating that a storm was about to unfold among the Liaodong Army.
Wu Sangui, Zu Dashou and others only felt a burst of bitterness welling up in their hearts. No army in the Ming Dynasty had such bad things as underpaying their quota and withholding military pay. It had long been a tacit and unspoken rule, but Pang Gang today
The thin veil has been pierced. Is he really going to take action?
Seeing Wu Sangui and others bowing their heads in silence, Pang Gang knew what they were thinking. He lowered his tone and said, "My dear friends, although eating empty quotas and drinking soldiers' blood are commonplace in the Ming Dynasty, in our country, Dahua
But it is absolutely impossible. A gentleman loves money and gets it in the right way. I also know that the salary of your officers is too small to support your family. In a few days, I will greatly increase the salary of the officials in the court, so that the soldiers will not bleed again.
I am crying. From now on, I will reorganize the army of the former dynasty, and you will understand in the future."
As Pang Gang said this, the faces of the generals across from him suddenly became bitter. Life is going to be difficult this time.
Pang Gang did not give them time to respond, but waved his big hand: "Okay, you guys go back to the inn to rest first. Since you are here this time, I naturally won't let you go back empty-handed. In a few days, I will
I will ask the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate you 500,000 taels of silver and 200,000 shi of grain, and then you can be escorted to Liaodong, and you don’t have to worry about the soldiers going hungry."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"
Wu Xiang, Zu Dashou and others were overjoyed. Five hundred thousand taels of silver and two hundred thousand shi of grain were enough to supplement the salary of their more than 100,000 soldiers and feed them for several months. In the past, when they followed Chongzhen, the court could not
It has never been so refreshing. It took my mother-in-law a long time to give me these three walnuts and two dates. It can be seen that the current boss is much more generous than Chongzhen.
They were just so happy that they didn't notice the malicious smile in the eyes of the boss sitting in front of them. Is his money and food really so easy to get? He has a soft mouth and short hands for taking people. Ancient wisdom
Training!
"Let's do this. I won't make any changes to your official positions for now. Our nephew will hold the lantern - Uncle Zhao (as usual). But you must be prepared. I still have to send a supervisor to Liaodong. Now.
You should retreat first. After a few days of rest, you and the new Liaodong Governor will return to Liaodong!"
"I obey the decree!"
Wu Xiang and others all knelt down and kowtowed. They were not surprised that Pang Gang sent a new governor to Liaodong. After all, this was a normal reaction. If the new emperor didn't respond at all, it would be in vain.
Just letting them take back all the money and food is really ridiculous.
Looking at Wu Xiang and his party disappearing at the door, Hua Yan asked with some worry: "Your Majesty, who are you planning to send to Liaodong to supervise the division?"
Liaodong is the frontline directly facing the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. The newly appointed Liaodong Governor must not only suppress the arrogant and powerful generals in Liaodong, but also send troops to attack the Manchu and Qing Tatars. People who are not both civil and military and resourceful will not be able to do the job.
Pang Gang thought for a while and said, "Does Hua Aiqing have any good candidates?"
Hua Yan shook his head. Logically speaking, Pang Gang had an army of 200,000 and many officials in the imperial court. It shouldn't be difficult to send a supervisor to Liaodong. However, Hua Yan thought about it and found that he couldn't find one after searching through all the civil and military officials in the court.
Find such a suitable candidate.
Seeing Hua Yan's expression, Pang Gang smiled bitterly and shook his head and said: "Alas... After all, there are still no generals in the DPRK. Our foundation is still too weak. Looking at the civil and military forces of the DPRK, we can't find any generals.
Find someone who can take charge."
It's not that Pang Gang has never thought about letting his subordinates Da Zhuang, Wang Zhi, Li Yuan, Cheng Kai and others go to Liaodong, but he suppressed the idea as soon as it surfaced. Although these people all came with him
They are old people, and their loyalty is no problem. But these people have one biggest characteristic, that is, they can fight well, but if they sit on one side, they cannot handle complex interpersonal relationships. After all, they are all from the lowest military background.
, Your own cultural foundation is there. If you ask a person who can barely read and write to manage hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Liaodong, aren't you making a joke on the entire Liaodong?
After thinking about it, Pang Gang waved his hand in a depressed tone, signaling for everyone to leave. Everyone did not dare to neglect, and quickly stood up respectfully and left.
Pang Gang thought for a while, and finally a candidate emerged in his mind. This person was Yun Wen and Yun Wu, but he had just surrendered. Pang Gang still didn't dare to be completely reassured in terms of loyalty. But it must not be a problem if he just went to Liaodong to supervise the war.
?
Pang Gang was thinking as he walked towards Kunning Palace, but just after walking for a while, he bumped into an old eunuch. He saw this eunuch kneeling on the ground and loudly said: "Your Majesty, the Emperor has invited you!"
Pang Gang took a closer look and saw that it was Wang Chengen. It turned out that after Pang Gang ascended the throne, Chongzhen's family moved to the Yangxin Hall. They played cards and fished in the Yangxin Hall every day, which was quite peaceful and comfortable. They never disturbed him.
Pang Gang didn't expect that today he would send Wang Cheng'en, a close eunuch, to invite him.
Of course, Pang Gang couldn't refuse, so he took more than ten eunuchs, maids and guards to the Yangxin Palace.
Soon Pang Gang arrived at the Yangxin Hall. As soon as he entered the Yangxin Hall, Pang Gang saw Chongzhen in a light yellow dragon robe sitting next to a pavilion with an emerald green fishing rod at his feet and a small stone on the right.
On the table, there are several fruit plates, some melon seeds and fruits and a pot of tea, which makes for a leisurely life.
Seeing such a situation, Pang Gang suddenly felt envious in his heart. I wonder when was the last time he sat in the pavilion fishing so leisurely? It seemed to be half a year ago.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Chongzhen, who was fishing, stretched out his hand to make a hissing gesture, and looked at the small green bamboo floating on the water with concentration. Suddenly the small green bamboo moved, and Chongzhen lifted the bamboo pole.
, a palm-wide golden carp jumped up.
Wang Chengen, who was originally walking next to Pang Gang, quickly went up and grabbed the carp, carefully removed the bait, and put the carp into a wooden barrel nearby.
"Haha, buddy, I have only learned fishing for less than a month. Is my fishing skill pretty good?" Chongzhen put down his fishing rod and was very proud of himself.
Wang Chengen praised without hesitation: "Who is your Majesty? You didn't have time in the past. It would be a pity to use your talent for fishing."
At this time, Chongzhen turned around and saw Pang Gang who was already behind him. Chongzhen said with a smile: "Pang Gang, you are here, come sit down and talk with me!"
Pang Gang responded with a smile and walked to the stone table.
Chongzhen handed the fishing rod to Wang Chengen, walked to Pang Gang and sat down. He picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Pang Gang himself. Pang Gang thanked him and took a sip of the tea before sighing: "Your Majesty still has a leisurely life.
Ah, it makes me a little envious."
"Yes!" Chongzhen also sighed, "In the past, when I was still the King of Xin, my life was so pure, but since I sat in that seat, I have never had any free time. Every day I am giving memorials and going to court.
, spent in the discussion, although I am so diligent, but... alas, I won’t talk anymore!”
Chongzhen put down the tea cup, stared at Pang Gang and said: "I know that you are a promising king. I am very relieved to hand over the country and the country to you. I will not interfere with national affairs, but there is one thing I want to ask you. When will you do it?"
Are you married to a concubine? My mother has been asking me about this matter for several days."
Pang Gang's heart moved, he looked at Pang Gang, and found a hint of expectation in Chongzhen's eyes. Only then did Pang Gang understand that Chongzhen and his family were still insecure at the moment, for fear that one day he would change his mind again and destroy them.
The whole family was wiped out. This was probably the reason why Chongzhen urged him to get married to Zhu Auao as soon as possible.
"Alas... Is it true that there is no family affection in the Tian family?"
Thinking of this, Pang Gang suddenly felt sad in his heart, but he did not bring this emotion to his face, but smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I know, but the matter is very important at this time. I will ask the Qintian Supervisor
How about setting a date later?"
When Chongzhen saw that Pang Gang had agreed, he quickly said: "No need to bother, I have already asked Qin Tianjian, and Qin Tianjian said that the eighth day of the lunar month next month is a good day, and I think you can officially get married by then."
Seeing Chongzhen's unquestionable and expectant expression, what else could Pang Gang say, so he nodded and agreed.
"well......."
Chongzhen's happy laughter sounded in the pavilion.
"Pang Gang, come, I am happy today, have a drink with me..."
The drinking lasted from Youshi to the end of the moon. Both Pang Gang and Chongzhen were drunk. Pang Gang was quickly helped back to Kunning Palace by the accompanying eunuch, and Chongzhen also returned to Yangxin in a crooked way.
Inside the palace.
At this time, in the Hall of Yangxin, Queen Zhou, Concubine Yuan and others were reviewing the lessons of Zhu Cixiang, Zhu Cijiong, Zhu Aelao and others.
Seeing Chongzhen coming back, she hurriedly greeted him. Empress Zhou said anxiously: "Hey, why did the emperor drink so much? Cui'er, hurry up and make some sobering soup. Yan'er, hurry up and help your majesty sit down."
But Chongzhen waved his hands and said: "Haha...don't...don't help me, I feel happy today."
Chongzhen sat leaning on a chair and told everyone with a loud tongue that today the wedding date of Zhu Auao and Pang Gang had been decided.
After listening to Chongzhen's words, everyone reacted endlessly. Zhu Yurao's pretty face showed shyness, joy and sadness, while Queen Zhou had a look of reluctance. After all, the daughter she had raised for more than ten years was about to marry someone else.
Women and mothers naturally feel very uncomfortable.
Seeing Queen Zhou's appearance, Chongzhen shook his head and said: "Well, women, what's the point of being reluctant to part with this? Aren't A'ao and Pang Gang still in the palace after they got married? You two can't meet whenever you want. Is this the case?
."
"Your Majesty is right, I am worried too much."
After listening to Chongzhen's consolation, Queen Zhou burst into tears and smiled... (To be continued...)
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