In addition to Yang Zhitang's growing call to return to the Central Committee to serve as prime minister, Yongjia Defense Commander Gu Zhilong, who escorted prisoners of war back to the court a month ago, is also a figure determined to join the Central Committee this time.
After Gu Zhilong arrived in Jinling, although he had not yet been officially awarded a meritorious title, he and his family were given a luxurious mansion in Huangyang Lane covering an area of more than ten acres and more than a hundred rooms to live in.
Although the Empress Dowager Changxin politely said many times to stay in her post, it is a fact that Zhou Bingwu, the envoy to the Privy Council, was in poor health day by day. As a new popular candidate for the Privy Council, Gu Zhilong had been in Jinling for more than half a month, and Gu Zhilong had been incessantly calling and calling every day.
A guest came to visit.
On this day, as usual, Guzhai was enjoying the joy of silk and bamboo. There were as many large and small lanterns as stars, illuminating the huge garden as brightly as day.
It was quite chilly under the wind in the late autumn night, but the people drinking in the pavilion had warm faces and ears, and the wine was at its peak.
After the case, in addition to Gu Zhilong and the children of the Gu family and several generals who accompanied Gu Zhilong to Luoyang to report on their duties, there were also representatives of the Xuanshe family, Fu Gengwen, generals Xishesheng, Xishepeng and his father Xiying, and Shou.
Guests of the royal palace include Zhang Xian, the son of Ruan Yan, Ruan Tao who succeeded Ruan Yan as Zuo Sicheng of Prince Xin's palace, Yang Cong, the crown prince of Prince Xin who has stayed in Jinling in recent years, and others.
Under the leadership of the chieftain Xi Ying, the Xi clan made up their mind as early as the early years of Taihe that a gentleman would not build a dangerous wall, moved out from Chenzhou, and settled the clansmen in Jinling, Xuanzhou, and Chizhou. So far, there have been
Four or five years ago.
Because of his great military exploits in relocating his clan and Fanying's southern expedition, Xiying was awarded the title of Marquis.
Even though he was not able to get a serious job in the court except for being knighted, he still tried his best to integrate into the circle of powerful people in Jinling, but he was not very successful.
After the Qingyuan Army was conquered, the Xishe Sheng and Xishe Peng brothers, although they were awarded the rank of deputy commander-in-chief, they did not stay with Zheng Hui to stay in Prince Xing's Mansion (Guangzhou), but followed Huang.
After thinking about it, Zhang Feng and others continued their eastward expedition to Fujian.
After the annexation of Fujian, Huang Liu was appointed to stay in Jianzhou, responsible for the subsequent digestion and rule of Fujian. The Youwu Xiang army was led by the new capital commander Zhang Feng and returned to Chizhou to garrison.
It is true that Xi Shepeng has repeatedly made military exploits, but the central government is not willing to let the two of them independently control the military power, nor does it want them to serve as officials in Fujian and Lingnan where the majority of the people are Fans. This time they will be
Together with Gu Zhilong, he was summoned to the court for further use.
Zheng Hui used Fanying to conquer the Qingyuan Army, but he did not protect the Xi clan and Fanying as direct descendants. After Xishesheng and Xishepeng had the opportunity, he simply parted ways with Zheng Hui and led his troops to follow Huang Lu to participate in the war against Fujian.
Conquest of land.
Huang Liu, who believed in his noble birth, did not trust the generals and was arrogant, but Gu Zhilong valued the Xi brothers very much.
Not only did he provide a lot of support on the battlefield, but whenever there was a banquet at Gu's house in Jinling, he would basically invite the Xi family and his son to have a banquet, and tried his best to promote the Xi family to integrate into the Xuan She family clan group.
Han Qianchan succeeded to the position of the head of the Liang Kingdom. Chen, Qiao and other wealthy families took advantage of the honeymoon period of Liang and Chu two years ago to follow the Han family to move northward. The clan clans that are still in Xuanshe are naturally named after the Gu family.
headed by.
After the old head of the family, Fu Mo, died of illness, the new head of the family, Fu Gengwen, had a difficult career. He was transferred from Hunan Province to be a doctor in the household department. Because he had served under Huang Hua, he was never promoted in the household department.
At this time, it was impossible for the Fu family to be compared with the Gu family, who was unparalleled in popularity. After Gu Zhilong returned to the court, Fu Gengwen also visited his house every once in a while, and he seemed to follow Gu Zhilong's lead.
In the eyes of outsiders, this is also Fu's natural choice.
However, although Xiying had moved most of the remaining tribesmen to Xuanzhou two years ago to buy land and settle in Xuanzhou, he was still an outsider in the eyes of the local clan clans and was not accepted.
Recently, thanks to the help of Gu Zhilong, members of the Xuanshe family living in Jinling have become somewhat friendly to Xiying and his son.
Of course, it wasn't just the Xi brothers that Gu Zhilong valued.
In the early stages of the war to reduce vassalage, the Xi family and Chenzhou Fanying were attacked by the Wuling Army. They suffered heavy setbacks one after another and had to surrender. They became the vanguard of the vassal reduction and attack on Tanzhou, and later participated in quelling the Jinling Rebellion.
In the past ten years, he has accompanied Zheng Hui on his expedition to Lingnan and Fujian - the Chenzhou Fanying camp has fought for many years. The cumulative casualties are an extremely terrifying number, and the number of men in Chenzhou Fanhu has dropped to a very dangerous level.
It was so bad that Xiying had to give up Chenzhou and request to move inland.
However, after nearly twenty years of hard fighting, Chenzhou Fanying, led by the two brothers Xishesheng and Xishepeng, cultivated a group of quite elite generals and military attachés through bloodshed.
Gu Zhilong still has the confidence to integrate surnames such as Xi into Xuanzhou and make good use of these surnames; this will undoubtedly become the cornerstone of his power in the center along with the Yongjia Army generals and military attachés he has trained over the years.
Today, Prince Xin's son Yang Cong, Ruan Tao, Zhang Xian and others came to visit him. As usual, Gu Zhilong invited the Xi family's father and son to his house for a banquet, showing that he regarded the Xi family's father and son as his confidants.
"Liang Jun took Guanzhong in less than three months, but I wonder what Marquis Gu thinks of this?" King Shou Yang Zhitang was idle at home. As a guest of Prince Shou's Mansion, Zhang Xian did not have an official title in these years, but this did not
Don't hinder the entry and exit of dignitaries' banquets.
At present, Liang and Chu are divided into two countries. Even if there are outsiders at the banquet, Zhang Xian does not need to avoid anything when talking about Liang.
Gu Zhilong's eyes glanced at Zhang Xian and beside Zhang Xian, Yang Cong, the crown prince of Prince Xin, and Ruan Tao, who succeeded his father Ruan Yan as Zuocheng of Prince Xin's palace. He knew very well that Zhang Xian didn't really want to ask him about Liang Jun's recovery of the battles in Guanzhong.
view.
How he answers next will determine the choice he will make; in other words, his next answer will determine whether he can sit on the Privy Council seat.
As far as he knows so far, the Sima family should have made up their mind to elect Xu Si; and the attitudes of the Sima family and Xinwang Yang Yuanpu are also very clear. They obviously hope to use this matter to push Yang Zhitang back to the central government, and even this is the Sima family's decision to elect Xu Si.
Prerequisites.
It goes without saying that King Xin Yang Yuanpu had a close relationship with Yang Zhitang over the years. The Sima family urgently needed Yang Zhitang to return to the center of the Chu court, so that the young and warring faction of Da Chu who had a tough attitude towards Liang could completely gain the upper hand.
Only in this way can the Sima clan surrender to Da Chu and receive truly powerful support and protection, and truly gain a sense of security.
If the Zhuhe faction continues to dominate the center of Da Chu, the surrender of the Sima family is likely to put them in a dilemma.
Gu Zhilong was well aware of these things, and he pondered for a moment and said: "Wang Xiaoxian's Shu soldiers were lost dogs, and Wang Yuankui failed to truly digest Yuzhou. After Zhiguanxing, the channel for the Mongolian army to reinforce Guanzhong was cut off.
It’s not surprising that Liang Jun was able to quickly recapture Guanzhong.”
Gu Zhilong's implication is that Liang Jun regained Guanzhong so quickly. It is not about how strong Liang Jun is. The essence is that Wang Xiaoxian, who took control of Guanzhong, was in chaos after Wang Yuankui's year.
Of course, Gu Zhilong did not just say these words just to get a seat in the Privy Council, but entirely based on the intentions of Prince Xin and Prince Shou.
Liang Jun is strong. He fell into the hands of Han Qian and was forced to lead the Xuanzhou soldiers to accept the reorganization. But in any case, at this time, Liang Jun's focus was on the northern front and the southern front in Huaixi and Dengjun.
The garrison only has 30,000 elite troops, which is not enough to make people fearful.
If the Ma Si family surrendered the land of Xu Si, Da Chu would not only surround Huaixi from three sides of the terrain, but the troops and horses of Da Chu deployed around Huaixi would also be six or seven times as many as the Liang army in Huaixi.
There was such a big gap in the size of the troops between the two sides in Jianghuai. Gu Zhilong wondered if he was still worried. Would he have to hide in his mother's womb and dare not come out?
"Gu Hou thinks the Liang Army at this time is stronger or weaker than Zhu Yushi's Liang Army?" Zhang Xian asked again.
"The strength of soldiers and horses cannot be simply compared with victory or defeat."
Fu Gengwen took over the conversation and said,
"When the Liang army besieged Luzhou and the city was about to fall, unexpectedly Liang Shixiong and Zhu Rang turned back and led the Mongolian army southward. They were caught off guard and were thrown into disarray. As a result, all previous efforts were in vain and they were completely defeated. But it was not
At that time, the Liang army was weak, and it was not due to the strength of the Mongolian army that it was invincible. At this time, the Liang army was able to severely damage the Mongolian army at Zhiguanxing, and then regain Guanzhong, but it cannot be regarded as strong. In the current situation, the Mongolian army
Even after suffering heavy losses, the troops and horses cannot adjust in a short period of time, and it may be difficult to attack southern Shanxi, but as long as the Mongolian army can defend Taiyuan and Heshuo, the situation may not be reversed. Of course, the method of military warfare depends on one intention.
, Han Qian is an extremely difficult opponent to deal with, that’s for sure.”
Gu Zhilong wanted to join the Central Committee and take charge of the Privy Council, and he also wanted to form his own group. He attracted generals such as Xishe Sheng, Xishe Peng, and generals from the Yongjia Army. His prestige and influence in the army were enough, but
Not to mention that Fu Geng Wencai was just a doctor in the Ministry of Household Affairs, but he was the only "minister" that Gu Zhilong could win over in the court.
Fu Gengwen's qualifications are also old enough, and he has not been able to move up to a higher level. To put it bluntly, there is still no strong person to push him.
Fu Gengwen did not belittle himself. At this time, he considered himself Gu Zhilong's right-hand man, so he took over the conversation and expressed his own opinions.
Gu Zhilong also nodded, agreeing with Fu Gengwen's opinion.
Zhang Xian smiled, thinking that maybe Gu Zhilong's attitude towards Liang Jun should be more cautious in his heart, but what they wanted at this time was Gu Zhilong's attitude. Of course, he could also imagine that Gu Zhilong had no choice.
Not to mention the old hatred of his son Gu Yao who died in the battle of Langxicheng. Gu Zhilong now wanted to join the central government and become the leader of the Xuanshe family again, so he decided that his attitude towards Liang Guo could not be weak.
Zhang Xian smiled and said:
"It is true that the Shouzhou Army was in such a state of ruin. Didn't they hold out for so long under Liang Jun's hands and remain unharmed?"
Gu Zhilong did not answer Zhang Xian's words.
Although he has been in southern Zhejiang these years, it was because of his secret peace with Xu Mingzhen that Prince Shou offended Queen Mother Changxin and was expelled from the court; at least until Prince Shou's palace officially returned to the central government, Gu Zhilong did not want to touch it.
This is a sensitive topic.
"In recent years, people in Beijing have talked about moving the capital from time to time. I wonder how Gu Hou views this matter?" Zhang Xian asked.
Xu Mingzhen and the Shouzhou Army were involved in the rebellion that year. Gu Zhilong did not want to talk more, and Zhang Xian could understand it. However, Jinling, the imperial capital of Chu, and Tangyi faced each other across the river.
On Chu's mind, there was also a fact that no one could avoid with their eyes closed.
At that time, King Xin Yang Yuanyan and even the Zheng family advocated taking advantage of Han Qian's unstable foothold in Heluo to send troops to take back Huaixi with lightning speed and push the northern defense line to the Huaihe River so that the center of Chu could move between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River.
There should be sufficient safety and buffer distance between them.
However, the voice of the quick-war faction was not strong at that time, and the Zheng family was forced to advocate peace negotiations in the later period. As a representative of the slow-war faction, Yang Zhitang was even expelled from the court.
Over the years, with the series of military victories of the Liang Army on the northern front, the Eastern Liang Army and the Mongolian Army had to take a defensive position due to the strength of the Liang Army. At present, the Liang Army's garrison in Huaixi is not particularly large.
, but it is no longer a realistic idea to send troops to successfully regain Huaixi in a very short time.
At this time, if you still want to adopt a tough attitude towards the Liang State, moving the imperial capital southward to create a certain buffer depth with the Liang army's southern front has become the consensus of a considerable number of generals in the court. There are many private discussions, but
No one has yet made a public petition to directly lift off this layer of window paper.
Of course, Gu Zhilong also knew that the matter of moving the capital was extremely complicated.
First of all, the Peace Party, headed by the Queen Mother Changxin, was absolutely opposed to moving the capital. Even the Young People's Party, which was increasingly agitated and had a tough attitude towards Liang, there were many radicals who opposed moving the capital.
They claimed that "the emperor guarded the country" and thought that since Han Qian was able to set the capital of Liang in Luoyang and did not retreat even half a step in the face of the powerful Mongolian army, how could Chu lose its momentum?
In the opinion of these people, since they are worried about the lack of depth between the center of Dachu and the Liang army's southern front, Dachu generals should fight bravely to take back Huaixi, and Deng Jun and other places should do it, let alone choose to move the capital in despair.
This decision to be afraid of the enemy and cowardly of the enemy.
Even among the officials who agreed to move the capital, there was still controversy as to where the capital should be moved, whether to Hongzhou in Jiangxi or Hangzhou in Jiangdong.
Seeing that Gu Zhilong was brooding for a long time, Fu Gengwen took over the conversation again, but he did not directly answer Zhang Xian's question. Instead, he looked at Ruan Tao and Yang Cong and asked: "But I don't know that His Highness King Xin is interested in moving the capital."
How do you see things?"
It is not difficult for Fu Geng Wen to imagine that Xin Wang Yang Yuanyan personally led 30,000 elite troops to Chuzhou. If he really asked Xin Wang Yang Yuanyan to follow his own temper, he must have hoped that Chu's 200,000 soldiers and horses would swarm forward.
Let’s talk about recapturing Huaixi, but this issue is not something that Wang Yang Yuanyan can decide arbitrarily.
In this matter, the attitude of King Shou Yang Zhitang may be more critical.
Fu Gengwen did not think that Zhang Xian would directly inform the longevity king Yang Zhitang of his attitude.
He asked Ruan Tao and Yang Cong at this time, thinking that the two of them had close contact with Prince Shou's Mansion and should have known the attitude of Prince Shou Yang Zhitang towards moving the capital. Then they should answer this question in front of Zhang Xian of Prince Shou's Mansion.
Whether his tone is firm or not, it is not difficult to tell what the true attitude of Shou Wang Yang Zhitang is.
"No matter how powerful the Liang army is in combat, they only have 30,000 soldiers and horses in total in Huaixi. However, the Sima clan surrendered the land of Xu Si. Our great Chu army has 200,000 elite troops outside of Huaixi, which is seven times as many as the Liang army.
, are you really as fearful as a tiger?" Prince Xin Yang Cong said without any concealment.
Fu Gengwen glanced at Zhang Xian and saw that he did not show any impatience or contempt for Yang Cong's tough tone. He turned to look at Gu Zhilong, Xiying, Xishesheng, Xishepeng and his son.
Gu Zhilong obviously had doubts in his heart, while Xiying was thoughtful, washing his voice, and Xishepeng's expression perked up, as if he was extremely interested in the implications of Yang Cong's words.
Although Fu Gengwen regarded himself as Gu Zhilong's right-hand man at this time, he could not steal Gu Zhilong's limelight in front of Zhang Xian, Yang Cong and others. He looked at Gu Zhilong intently to see how he would respond to Yang Cong's words.
"That's true," Gu Zhilong said hesitantly, "but when it comes to her attitude towards Liang Jun, it goes without saying that Queen Mother Changxin, and Prime Minister Shen and Marquis Yang seem to have advocated more compromise with Liang Jun in recent years. In this way If so, even if our great Chu has twice as many elites outside Huaixi, what use will they be worth?"
"It's not necessarily true how strong the generals of the Liang Army are. The reason why they are stronger lies in the fact that Liang's military and political affairs are all about Liang Zhu. However, the military and political affairs of Da Chu involve too many things, making it difficult to make decisions and plan for major events." Fu Geng. Wen said.
"When the late Emperor was thirteen years old, he left the palace and entered the palace. Who would have thought that only one year later, when the late Emperor was fourteen, he would lead the Dragon Bird Army to defend Xichuan City and severely injure Emperor Liang? Your Majesty has turned fourteen this year. "Zhang Xian laughed.
Zhang Xian's words became more obvious, and Gu Zhilong looked hesitantly at Fu Geng Wen.
Although Gu Zhilong always pays attention to the trends in the court, and his youngest son Gu Xiongchang has been serving in the court as a "proton", after all, Gu Xiongchang is far more capable and capable than his second son Gu Zhao who died in Langxicheng. However, he was also uninhibited and unruly in Jinling, and did not do his job properly, which could not help him grasp the details of the palace confinement.
When Gu Zhilong returned to Beijing, although he attended two court meetings and went to the palace for an audience once, both the court meetings and the palace meetings were led by the Empress Dowager Changxin, so he did not leave a particularly deep impression on the new emperor.
Fu Gengwen nodded, indicating that what Zhang Xian hinted was true. At this time, he could vaguely know what Prince Xin's Palace and Prince Shou's Palace were planning behind the scenes...