Chapter 1399 throwing stones to ask for directions
Liu Jiu, the flower horse, fought fiercely with the bandit army and had rich field experience. The Xin Lehou probably came out to be gilded. In the king's body, Bai Wang's most powerful general surrendered, Bai Wang died, and the rat's nest of De'an... is still there...
Do you need to say it?
"How many soldiers and horses have been mobilized by the Lord Governor to go south to quell the rebellion?" The person who asked this question was called Huang Shu. He was the imperial censor and the Huguang Inspector in charge of supervising the army. Zuo Liangyu was used by Zuo Liangyu to become his staff.
Counselor, this guy is also a bad guy. The most famous thing he did is to scold Ma Shiying and list him with the top ten crimes. That's really a fair statement. But in the end, this guy was surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and he also led the Qing army to destroy him.
Fujian is reviled by future generations.
Kuang Renlue pondered and said, "Coming south from the capital were Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing, Liu Liangzuo, Huang Degong, Li Yan, Wu Sangui, Ma Ke, and the emperor's personal guards, about 60,000 horses, plus 20,000 Nanjing troops and surrendered troops, a total of ten
Around 10,000!
Huh, everyone suddenly took a breath of cold air. They looked at each other and could see what the other party was thinking. One hundred thousand troops! One hundred thousand troops! One hundred thousand troops! And they even brought Wu Sangui and Ma Ke here. This was too bold. The border was not good.
Keep it.
You really need to weigh it carefully!
"The daily consumption of food and fodder by these 100,000 troops is not a small amount. The imperial court has really spent a lot of money to gain prosperity." Xu Yong chuckled. Kuang Ren glanced at him and said expressionlessly: "We can't just watch them.
Let's go to Nanjing. The gatekeepers can't stand it, so the master has no choice but to take action himself. As for food and grass, the court has not paid a penny."
Phew, everyone almost vomited blood after hearing this. First of all, Kuang Ren called them watchdogs or incompetent watchdogs. Of course they could hear this, but they were furious but couldn't get angry immediately. Secondly, after hearing what he said next, they
It was a look of surprise.
Kuang Ren took the initiative and said without waiting for them to ask further: "Each department is self-sufficient in food and grass, and several government offices along the way also donate money for free, and the gentlemen in Nanjing City are even more generous. As for why you want to ask, I don't know, maybe you can ask
Lord Governor".
A Dongchang fan spoke so rudely and sarcastically that it really made everyone angry. However, due to his special status and unclear situation, everyone suppressed their anger and did not fall out. They just felt that Dongchang was well-deserved, from top to bottom.
Everyone was very arrogant, but their attention was more focused on these newly obtained news.
For example, are Liu Zeqing and his gang so stupid that they spend thousands of miles to suppress bandits and put an end to the chaos? How credible is this statement? This Dongchang guy wouldn't just talk nonsense and make lies.
But if what he said is false, how could the imperial court get so much military rations? Not to mention the official warehouses of the treasury. Absolutely not. There is a huge famine in the Gyeonggi area, and people are starving to death every day in the capital, so it is impossible to come up with so much rations.
What kind of means did this little eunuch have to make Liu Zeqing and Gao Jie so docile and willing to be used by him? Zuo Liangyu couldn't figure it out, so he slowly picked up the greeting note and opened it, his eyes narrowed instantly.
Everyone held their breath when they saw Zuo Liangyu's solemn expression. The lobby was silent for a while, but Kuang Ren looked at the men at the door with an indifferent expression, and even grinned.
After a while, Zuo Liangyu handed the letter in his hand to Huang Shu, and everyone gathered around it. When he opened it, he saw only a few lines of words: Food and grass are in short supply, and tens of thousands of stones are urgently needed. It will be sent to Jiujiang within five days. I heard that Zuo Gong's son is extremely intelligent.
He is both wise and courageous. If I am thirsty for talents, I can send him to Jiujiang to meet with him as a food escort.
There were not many words, and the words were not intense, but they were all in an unquestionable commanding tone, and the request was very simple. I need food and thousands of stones. You can send it to me in Jiujiang within five days. I also want to see your son Zuo Menggeng.
If the scene was silent just now, it is extremely strange now. According to the normal reaction, all the generals would have cursed after reading the content of this letter. However, no one said anything at this time, not because they did not dare to curse because of the Dongchang fans.
Rather, they were weighing the weight and intention of the little eunuch's words.
"You guys have been tired from the journey. Let's go back to the guest rooms to rest first. In the evening, I will host a banquet to greet you. How about I reply to the Lord Governor?" Zuo Liangyu first sent Kuang Ren and his party away. Of course, he did not forget to ask the steward to give him more silver.
After he left, Zuo Liangyu sneered on his face: "What do you think?"
"Does this eunuch think that it is still the Tianqi Dynasty and he is Wei Zhongxian? How dare a high-ranking general of the imperial court dare to shout and shout like this?" Young Zuo Menggeng took the lead in speaking. Zuo Liangyu glanced at him: "Although Chongzhen has no Tianqi
National power, but the eunuch's methods may not be inferior to Wei Zhongxian's, at least Wei Zhongxian doesn't know how to fight." He looked at Huang Shu and said, "Why do you think Mr. Huang?"
"Throwing stones to ask for directions is an act of testing." Huang Shu stroked his beard and sneered. Zuo Liangyu asked again, "asking for food as a test, why did Meng Geng go there as a hostage?"
Huang Shu sighed: "This eunuch's mind is unfathomable. If he wants food, he will throw stones. If he asks Meng Geng to go, he will ask for directions. This is a strong medicine for him. He does not leave any room for the general. He directly wants you to express your stance. Just give it."
"If you don't give, you are rebelling. Don't think about it anymore, neither rebelling nor obeying orders."
"If I don't give it to him, he will come to fight me?" Zuo Liangyu sneered, and Huang Shu said: "It doesn't matter whether he fights or not, and when he comes to fight. What matters is whether the general has thought about counterattack, or whether he wants to fight now.
opposite?"
"What do you think, Mr. Huang, is now the time?" Zuo Liangyu's face gradually became serious, and the generals also talked in low voices.
"It stands to reason that the imperial court will fight the intruders first and then fight the Tatars. Now it is prosperous and the national strength has been completely exhausted. It is at the end of its crossbow. Even if we raise the flag to rebel, he has no plan for the time being. But he said it again. At this time, Bai
Wang Shen died, Li Zicheng was defeated and fled to Xi'an, and Zhang Xianzhong hid in Sichuan. He not only transferred Wu Sangui and Ma Ke, but also showed that the Tatars were unable to attack again. At present, the court has no worries. If we raise the flag and shoot the first bird, then
An army of 100,000 people will overwhelm us immediately. We are equivalent to offering the intruders a chance to block their guns, allowing them to reap the benefits." Huang Shu's analysis was clear-cut. General Chang Deng snorted coldly: "He can overwhelm me if he overwhelms us.
"Why, he is exhausted from the long battle and is short of food and fodder, so what can he do with us?"
Huang Shu rolled his eyes at him: "This discussion is about whether to fight or not to fight, not whether to fight or not to fight."
Chang Deng remained silent, while Zuo Liangyu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "If the patrol minister said it, it means he didn't say it." Then he glanced at everyone and said, "What do you mean, let's give it or not."
Everyone was speechless for a moment, Zhang Yong coughed lightly and said: "As the patrol officer said, at this time, the flag gun is raised to kill the first bird. Although the army is mentally and physically exhausted, it should not be underestimated. Since it dares to be so tough, it must have some persistence. Even if the general is in the end,
I don’t know how to replenish his food and grass, but I think the eunuch must have a solution. For example, his subordinates are all overlords with rich families. Huang Chuangzi fights for his life, Li Yan is good at planning, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, and Liu Zeqing have both soldiers and food.
He also has rich combat experience, and the strength of Wu Sangui, Ma Ke and other frontier troops should not be underestimated. Although Nanjing’s soldiers and horses are weak, behind them are Xu Hongji’s nobles. Who is not rich and wealthy, and they can’t pay for the war?”
As he spoke, he shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Then what method did the eunuch use to make these people willing to contribute money and effort?"
Everyone smiled bitterly, no one could understand.
Zhang Yong's words were very weighty and gave Zuo Liangyu some mental clarity. Everyone probably had the same thoughts: It wasn't that they didn't want to fight back, it wasn't that they were afraid of him, it was just that the timing was wrong.
"That being the case, how about maintaining the status quo?" Zuo Liangyu coughed slightly, but everyone looked confused. Maintaining the status quo means disobeying orders and not rebelling. However, the eunuch no longer gave him a chance to continue playing tricks, and only gave him two
a choice.
But Huang Shu understood clearly. Zuo Liangyu's intention was to agree to the young eunuch's request, to retreat in order to advance, and to delay the time and wait for a good opportunity, because as long as he agreed, the eunuch would have no excuse to continue to exert pressure, and a hundred thousand troops would also
It is impossible to always leave it at home. He must return to the court, but he will not always recuperate, because Li Zicheng founded the country in Xi'an and proclaimed himself emperor. This is something that the Ming Emperor absolutely cannot accept and tolerate. He will send troops to attack Xi'an as soon as possible, and at that time
It's your own opportunity.
Zuo Mengeng was too young to think of going that far. When his father said this, he immediately shouted: "Isn't that just showing weakness to that eunuch? We just don't obey. What can he do? I really don't believe he dares to call."
"This is not a sign of weakness, it is a retreat to advance." Huang Shu explained, and then said: "Although we are not afraid of them coming, they may not come, but they will definitely exert pressure. You must know that Jiujiang is no longer under our control at this time.
When we are under the bedside, there are always people watching eagerly, and every move is under their gaze, so how can we plan important events?"
These words made everyone frown again.
Jiujiang is the forward position to the east of Zuo Liangyu. It was originally garrisoned by his confidant Jin Shenghuan. When he pretended to be ill and stayed put in Jiujiang without going anywhere, the imperial court appointed special governors in Jiangxi, Huguang, Yingtian, and Anqing. The governor was in Jiujiang.
Lü Daqi served as governor, and the two fell in love and killed each other for a period of time. Later, Zuo Liangyu attacked Wuchang in the west, and Lü Daqi directly sent Jin Shenghuan away. Later, he returned to Nanjing to serve as Minister of the Ministry of War. The person in charge of Jiujiang became Yuan Jixian. This is a
One year earlier than Lu Daqi, he served as the governor of military affairs in Jiujiang. His official position was the right minister of the Ministry of War and the censor of the right capital. When Zhang Xianzhong captured Wuchang, Zuo Liangyu ran from Jiujiang to Wuhu. It was Yuan Jixian who went to Wuhu alone to persuade Zuo Liangyu to regain Wuchang. Lv Daqi
After arriving, he retreated to the second-in-command position, but later he was lured into the army by Zuo Menggeng and put under house arrest. Later, he was sacrificed to the Tatars. Old Yuan Ning refused to surrender and was killed. This is a story later.
It is conceivable that such a loyal and patriotic official would fall into Chang Yu's arms without even having to wave. As Huang Shu speculated, they had lost control of Jiujiang, otherwise the little eunuch would not have directly pointed them out.