The people present were all top-notch people, and none of them were given free gifts. As soon as they saw the emperor's formation, they knew that the right call on the platform today must be related to the overall situation of Liaodong in the future.

This can be seen from the people summoned by the emperor and the people present to accompany the summons.

For example, Hong Chengchou was the governor of Jiliao who was ordered to sit in Shanhaiguan and was ready to leave the customs to supervise Jiliao at any time.

Another example is Chen Xinjia, who is the Minister of the Ministry of War and is currently the main minister in the court assisting Emperor Chongzhen in making military decisions.

Another example is Wang Dehua, the great eunuch who was left behind, and Zhang Ruolin, a doctor in the Ministry of War's official position. Both of them had been to Liaodong and had interactions with Yang Zhen.

Leaving them to accompany the summons further illustrates the issues Emperor Chongzhen was concerned about at this time.

But when the people who were left behind heard what Emperor Chongzhen said, they all fell silent. They all held their breath and listened carefully, waiting for what Emperor Chongzhen would say.

Sure enough, Emperor Chongzhen pondered for a while and then said: "Han Qing, please tell me first. In your opinion, it will take a few years for the Eastern Han Dynasty to be pacified. When will the Liao affairs be settled?"

Yang Zhenwen was really shocked when he heard Emperor Chongzhen's question. He didn't expect that Emperor Chongzhen would still ask such a question after so many years.

Just over ten years ago, Emperor Chongzhen asked Yuan Chonghuan a similar question in this same place.

At that time, in order to gain the trust of Emperor Chongzhen and to gain full authority to command all the troops outside the Pass, Yuan Chonghuan boldly told Emperor Chongzhen that he could defeat the Liao Dynasty in five years.

However, more than ten years have passed, and the Later Jin Kingdom in Liaodong has become the Qing Kingdom, and the Jurchen Tatars have become the Manchu Tatars. Not only have they not been eliminated, they have been weakened, and they have even grown stronger.

As for Yuan Chonghuan himself, he was imprisoned and executed at Ling Chi two years after he deceived Emperor Chongzhen with his big words.

Yang Zhen originally thought that after so many years and so many things, Emperor Chongzhen should have a clear understanding of Liao affairs, and should be more pragmatic and not be so naive to ask such questions again.

However, what he didn't expect was that Emperor Chongzhen not only asked this question, but also asked him face to face with this question first.

This made him scratch his head for a moment and he didn't know how to answer.

But after Emperor Chongzhen finished asking, he stared at him with a serious expression, making him unable to avoid him at all.

"This, this, I'm just a rude warrior. I haven't carefully considered and calculated such a major matter that affects the overall situation. It's really hard to give a time limit. But-"

Yang Zhen knew that he couldn't avoid it, so he simply pretended to be confused and said that he was a rude martial artist and had not considered this issue well.

At the same time, he was worried that Emperor Chongzhen would be too dissatisfied with his answer, so he finally gave himself a chance to see Emperor Chongzhen's attitude before speaking.

If Emperor Chongzhen's expression is calm, it means that Emperor Chongzhen is also pretending to be confused. After so many things, he has become more or less scheming and has become pragmatic.

If Emperor Chongzhen gets angry or is very dissatisfied, then Yang Zhen will use this "but" to say something that Emperor Chongzhen likes to hear.

So, while he was talking, he raised his head and quickly looked at the emperor's expression, only to see Emperor Chongzhen looking at him expressionlessly.

Yang Zhen quickly looked down, avoiding Emperor Chongzhen's gaze, and then said: "But since the Holy One has inquired about it, I have something to say here, and I want to say it to the Holy One, but I don't know whether I should say it or not?"

"Speaking of it, there is nothing that should be said or not! I have high hopes for Han Qing. If Han Qing has anything to say today, you can tell me directly!"

When Emperor Chongzhen saw what Yang Zhen said, he immediately urged him to speak directly.

Yang Zhen saw that Emperor Chongzhen had no intention of being unhappy, so he immediately said: "I know that the Holy Lord has always cherished the ambition of reviving the Ming Dynasty. He works hard to govern, and is always thinking about regaining the lost territory, quelling the rebellion, and stabilizing the world.

, The world is at peace. Everyone in the world knows the Holy Spirit’s desire for healing——”

"Shouldn't I be like this? Could it be that I was wrong?"

Yang Zheng just said the first half of what he wanted to say, but was interrupted by Emperor Chongzhen's words.

"It's not the Holy Spirit who shouldn't do this. The Holy Spirit was the king of Yao and Shun, and the kings of Yao and Shun should have this ambition! However, governing a big country is like cooking small dishes, and an old friend said, haste makes waste. The formation of today's situation can be said to be frozen.

Three feet is not as cold as one day. Your Majesty wants to bring great order to the world within three to five years. If you blame me for making things difficult for your ministers, you are making things difficult for yourself!"

"Are you saying that I am eager to seek treatment?"

"I don't dare to do this. I think that if the situation in Liaodong is to be completely reversed, I am afraid that long-term planning is needed. Although I have won many battles in Liaodong, I know best in my heart that my repeated victories are all to avoid the truth and attack the weak.

Attack the enemy unprepared for what you will gain. Outside the gate, the enemy is strong and we are weak. This situation has not changed at the moment."

After Yang Zhen finished speaking, the ministers summoned by the emperor on the platform all stroked their beards and nodded.

Especially Hong Chengchou, who nodded and looked at Yang Zhen with bright eyes.

Hong Chengchou originally regarded Yang Zhen as a simple border town general, thinking that he was at best a member of a family of generals who was proficient in military strategy and was highly skilled and bold.

But when he took a look at it, he suddenly realized that this Yang Zhen was by no means an ordinary border town general. In addition to being proficient in military strategy, he was probably also full of talents. In addition to being a great general, he was also a handsome man.

Hong Chengchou was thinking about whether he should speak up for Yang Zhen and help him in front of Emperor Chongzhen. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard Emperor Chongzhen sigh and say:

"What you said, Han Qing, is almost the same as what Hong Aiqing said to me a few days ago. Now that Liaodong has such a great victory, I was thinking of mobilizing the army from various towns to attack from the east and west, so as to completely annihilate the Eastern captives in one go. Unexpectedly, you all

That’s what I think!”

After Emperor Chongzhen said this, he sighed again, and his expression suddenly showed endless exhaustion and loss.

Emperor Chongzhen's words successfully dispelled Hong Chengchou's idea of ​​interjecting to smooth things over for Yang Zhen.

Emperor Chongzhen's words also made Yang Zhen feel scared.

If we don't come to the capital, don't come to meet the emperor, and explain to him clearly the situation in Liaodong, the consequences will be really disastrous if we follow his decision.

As soon as he thought of this, Yang Zhen immediately left his seat, knelt on the ground, and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Conquer the Eastern Pingliao and annihilate the Eastern captives. This is the lifelong wish of the humble minister! If the ugly captives can be annihilated in two years or two, how dare the humble minister dare to do more?

Word?!

"However, the overall situation in Liaodong is like this. Diseases come like mountains falling, and diseases go away like threads. At this time, we can only accumulate small victories into big victories, exchanging space for time. Your Majesty, you must know that small impatience will mess up big plans!"

It stands to reason that if Yang Zhen said in front of the emperor that his petty impatience would mess up his big plans, and if he were to blame other emperors, he would definitely be furious and punish him with disrespect.

However, Emperor Chongzhen was different. After hearing what Yang Zhen said, he was not angry, but his face was gloomy. After a while, he stood up from his seat, stepped forward to help Yang Zhen up, and sat him down on the brocade stool given to him.

He walked around on the platform.

After a while, he sighed again and said: "What Han Qing said makes sense, and it's not that I don't understand the truth. The situation in Liaodong, since the battle of Saarhu, has indeed become chronic, and some

It’s hard to get back. But——”

Emperor Chongzhen wandered around for a while, then came to Yang Zhen again, frowned and said with a grimace: "However, the Liao Dynasty has been levying wages for twenty years, and the Liao Dynasty has not yet been settled. Now there is an additional levy of wages, and

The bandits are also not at peace. At present, the imperial court's financial resources are poor.

The Central Minister also discussed raising training rates. However, all the people in the world are my own children. How can I bear to see the people increase taxes every year, leaving our people with no food to eat, no clothes to cover their bodies, no place to live, and no way to make a living? Every time I think about this,

My heart really hurts, my heart really hurts!”

Emperor Chongzhen's words were choked with sobs, so emotional that he almost burst into tears.

As soon as he said these words, everyone present, including Hong Chengchou, Chen Xinjia, Zhang Ruolin, the imperial guard commander Luo Yangxing, and many internal ministers, all knelt down on the ground in a loud voice.

After these people knelt down, they all said in unison: "I am guilty, I am guilty!"

Yang Zhen had just been lifted up from the ground by Emperor Chongzhen. Seeing this scene, he also knelt on the ground. But listening to these people kowtow to the ground and proclaim their guilt, he felt even worse in his heart.

Each of them was very skilled, and it was obvious that they had not done this all at once.

Emperor Chongzhen was so high that he had no way to solve many problems by himself. However, these internal and external ministers obviously had no solution and could only kneel on the ground and plead guilty.

This scene made Yang Zhen feel depressed for a moment.

At the same time, he also somewhat understood why Emperor Chongzhen listened to the strategies of Chen Xinjia and others two years later and insisted on mobilizing heavy troops to fight the decisive battle with the Manchu Qing in the land of Songjin.

The Liao levy had been imposed for more than 20 years. Not only was Liaodong unable to be pacified, but it also caused chaos throughout the country and the people were in dire straits.

In order to eradicate the banditry, Emperor Chongzhen had to impose an additional levy on top of the Liao rates. The original intention was to levy it for only one year, but at the end of one year, the banditry was not eliminated, but became more serious.

The countermeasures given by the court ministers to Emperor Chongzhen was to continue to impose another tax, called training rates, with the purpose of training more troops to suppress the rebellion.

Facing the depletion of the imperial court's finances and having no money to spare, Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to adopt this opinion.

However, once this method came out, it was just like putting out a fire with a salary, and the result was of course counterproductive. Not only did it not eliminate the rogue bandits in the pass, but it made the rogue bandits' power become more and more uncontrollable, and finally captured the capital.

Yang Zhen, who came from a later generation, was sometimes very confused. He couldn't figure out what Emperor Chongzhen was thinking. It was obviously a way to quench thirst by drinking poison, so why did he insist on doing this.

Now, he kind of understands.

Ultimately, it's all because of lack of money.

The common people in Shengdou will starve to death if they don't have money, and the Nine-Five Lords will hang themselves if they don't have money.

Historically, Emperor Chongzhen may have been deeply aware of the dangers of the three rates, so he was eager to pacify Liaodong, quickly stopped the Liao rates, and then rested with the people.

Unfortunately, what he did also had the opposite effect.
Chapter completed!