Chapter 220 Brothers are centrifugal, the emperor cuts the station
Today, Mang Gurtai's reply arrived, but Daishan was disappointed.
"Amma, Sanbeile refuses to send troops?" Sahalian looked at his father's bad expression and asked tentatively.
Dai Shan shook his head and said helplessly: "He didn't reply directly. He just said that after Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities are demolished, we can discuss it again after returning to Shenyang."
Saharian knew that this was a dodge. It would not take many men to demolish the city. If he wanted to, it would not be difficult to bring back two or three thousand men.
"There is no need to count on Amin." Dai Shan said: "As long as we don't have enough troops to defend the city, we can't force him to do it."
Sahalian sighed secretly and said: "In the attack on North Korea, the Xianglan Banner suffered a lot of casualties, and it has not received much reinforcements so far. Erbeile certainly does not want to increase the losses of our banner."
"The Xianglan Banner suffered a lot in North Korea, and we should actually be vigilant." Dai Shan said in a deep voice: "This time we attacked Fort Arthur, we still underestimated the enemy. We rushed the troops in a hurry, so we were defeated like this."
Saharian lowered his head and said nothing, which was regarded as acknowledgment of his father's introspection.
Daishan leaned back in his chair, exhaled a long breath, and said slowly: "It doesn't matter if they don't want to send troops, the weather is getting warmer, and it is not the time to go on a large-scale campaign. Let's wait until King Khan comes back, and then we can make plans!"
Saharian agreed. He was afraid of heat but not cold. The Jianlu were more adaptable to the climate when attacking in winter. At the same time, his opponent must be farming and operating in Jinzhou. If he attacked after autumn, he would be able to seize more grain and grass supplies if he won.
Judging from Mang Gurtai's attitude, Daishan finally gave up his thoughts of revenge for the time being. He stood up, greeted Sahanian, and went to visit Wakda together.
Wakda is lucky to be alive, but for him, becoming a disabled person is the greatest pain. At the age of less than twenty, all the ambitions and ambitions he once had full of to achieve success have come to naught, which is even worse than killing him.
Daishan also felt sad. He had already lost two sons who were capable of fighting, and now he had lost another one. Among the senior officials of Houjin, he was the worst off.
…………….
Shenyang.
As soon as Amin returned to the mansion, his brother Jierhalang got the news and came to greet him.
"The two red flags attacked Lushun Fort and were defeated and suffered heavy losses." Jierhalang looked at Amin's face and asked tentatively: "Brother must already know about this, right?"
Amin raised his eyebrows and said: "Daishan underestimated the enemy. Saharian and Wakda are not people who are accustomed to fighting. Failure is not unexpected."
Lowering his eyes, he added, "Xianlan Banner also suffered a lot of casualties when it attacked North Korea. At that time, many people were laughing at a certain incompetence!"
Jirharang said quickly: "Brother is overthinking. In attacking North Korea and forcing the king of North Korea to sign a contract to surrender, my brother led the Xilan Banner and made a great contribution."
Amin glanced at Jilharang, his disgust flashed away, he picked up the tea cup and drank water, hiding the change in his expression.
In the announcement about him, he was imprisoned and poisoned, and his family was severely punished. The Xianglan Banner was transferred to Jierhalang, and most of his family wealth was awarded to this brother by Huang Taiji.
Judging from Ji'erharang's daily words and deeds, there is no doubt that Huang Taiji was a die-hard loyalist, and he even prevented his own independence in North Korea. As a result, Amin completely distrusted this brother, and was extremely disgusted and defensive.
Jierharang could also see his brother's dissatisfaction and disgust with him, but he felt that since Huang Taiji was the king of Khan, he also had a good relationship with him, and he must be loyal to Huang Taiji in both public and private matters.
"Rumors are spreading now, and it's another conspiracy of the enemy." Jierhalang couldn't tell clearly what happened, although he knew that Amin must have heard it, "It's a childish trick to sow discord, trying to attract my big money."
It’s really ridiculous that there is a rift between the top management.”
"It's ridiculous, it's really ridiculous." Amin agreed with a smile, but he didn't agree in his heart, and he felt even more disgusted with Jierhalang.
Instead of helping your own brothers, you actually speak for Huang Taiji. What kind of thing is that? If you want to be the flag leader, if you want to get someone's wealth, just dream!
Ji'erharang also knew that the prejudices were deep and could not be resolved in a few words, so he got down to business, "Big Beile intends to launch another attack on Jinzhou with heavy troops. What do you think, brother?"
Amin said calmly: "Very good. I can avenge the casualties of the Jianzhou warriors and destroy the Dongjiang Army's stronghold on land. It kills two birds with one stone."
Changing the subject, he added: "The Zhenglan Banner demolished Jinzhou, Dalinghe and other cities. After returning to the army, they joined forces with the two Red Banners. The three banners can be considered heavy troops, right? The Xianglan Banner garrisoned Xiuyan and Fengcheng respectively.
, Zhenjiang, but it is difficult to mobilize more troops."
Jierhalang didn't care about Amin's excuses to avoid the war, and said: "It is not the right time to attack Jinzhou now. We can wait until the cool weather in autumn to launch the attack, and we can still gain the gains from the enemy's farming."
Amin nodded and said, "That's right. It kills two birds with one stone. I agree very much."
After finishing speaking, he said to Jilharang with a somewhat mocking tone: "King Khan ordered you to stay in Shengjing, which shows his trust. You make the decision in everything, and you will definitely satisfy King Khan."
Jierhalang was helpless and said earnestly: "Only sincere unity can make our Daikin continue to grow stronger. If there is disharmony and division, at least it will be impossible to work together to deal with the outside world, and at worst it will endanger the foundation of Daijin. Brother, if the skin is gone, the hair will be lost."
How will the general be attached? If the country's strength fails, it will be a disaster for each of us."
Amin hated such preaching the most. He smiled and did not argue. He gave Jierharang a thumbs-up and said with clear praise and covertly: "My brother is devoted to the public, no wonder the king of Khan values him. Well, be loyal to him, Khan."
The king will not treat you badly."
Jierhalang smiled bitterly, knowing that nothing could be said to resolve the conflict, so he stood up and left.
Humph! Amin placed the tea cup heavily on the table, looked at Jierhalang's retreating back, and secretly cursed: Selling one's relatives for glory, what the hell?!
After sorting out his thoughts, Amin decided to wait in Shenyang for the time being to wait for Master Mang Gurtai to come back, and then return to Xiuyan after interviewing and forming an alliance.
By forming an alliance with Mang Gurtai, they would have the support of the two Blue Banners to advance and retreat together in discussing politics and compete with Huang Taiji.
When Amin thought about it, the Dorgon brothers of the Two White Flags were also candidates for competition. If successful, they would be the men of the Four Banners, and Huang Taiji would never dare to act rashly again.
As for Daishan, Amin didn't want to take the initiative to win over him. If Daishan also wanted to form an alliance against Huang Taiji, that would be a different matter.
It is really irritating to think that Mang Gurtai's Zhenglan Banner has his younger brothers Degelei and Abatai helping him, but his own Xianglan Banner cannot even trust his own brothers.
"What the hell?" Amin swept the tea bowl aside and cursed loudly.
………………
Capital.
Dongjiang Town mobilized in full force, and Deng Town sent water divisions to help, and they recaptured Jinzhou in one fell swoop, killing more than 4,000 people. The news of the victory was quickly reported to the court by Sun Guozhen, the governor of Denglai, and the news quickly spread throughout the capital.
The first great victory in the first year of Chongzhen was of extraordinary significance. It not only boosted the morale of the army and the people, but also put gold on the emperor's face and added glory. Gu Yue
In the Qianqing Palace, Chongzhen was full of joy. He patted the victory memorial and said with emotion: "Dongjiang Town has won this great victory, which has wiped out the decline in western Liaoning and boosted the people's morale. It is really gratifying."
Wang Chengen bowed and laughed with him, saying: "It is all thanks to the grace of the emperor and the sacrifice of the soldiers that we can achieve this great victory. The record is the greatest since the battle with Jianlu."
Chongzhen laughed happily, completely forgetting that Dongjiang Town had been cut off from food and wages for half a year, and the border troops in various places were also short of food and money.
"In my opinion, the great achievement of regaining the lost territory this time was actually done by Guo Dajing and Li Weiluan. Mao Wenlong just sat there and got nothing."
Wang Chengen was very surprised by the emperor's conclusion. The commander-in-chief was Mao Wenlong, and his men all contributed to their bravery in killing the enemy. How could it be said that Mao Wenlong took advantage of his generals?
After thinking about it, Wang Chengen roughly guessed the reason. It seemed that the emperor was still worried about the disrespectful words in Mao Wenlong's memorial urging him to ask for wages.
Mao Wenlong did have disrespectful words in his memorial, and he was forced to faint. In the feudal era, this was a serious crime that could be beheaded.
Of course, this may also be related to the battle scenes in Chongzhen's mind.
When Li Weiluan was guarding the Lushun Fort, the Jianlu ants should have invaded the city. He took the lead and led his soldiers to fight desperately on the city wall, staining his robes with blood, and finally defeated the Jianlu.
Guo Dajing, as for Guo Dajing, led his troops across the sea and lined up on the road at the foot of Xiaoheishan to block the enemy. He must have killed the enemy until rivers of blood flowed and corpses were strewn across the fields, forcing the Jianlu captives to turn to another route and rely on the speed of the cavalry to flee in embarrassment. .
As for Mao Wenlong, under the heavy protection of his own soldiers, his contribution was naturally not great.
"I am sure that Guo Dajing and Li Weiluan will be promoted to generals." Chongzhen seemed generous and said, "My Ming Dynasty still has strong generals who are capable of fighting. I am very relieved."
Wang Chengen smiled and joked: "The emperor is wise, rewards and punishments are clear, and the soldiers will serve with loyalty."
Chongzhen pursed his lips and smiled, which was quite useful. He felt that it was due to his wisdom that he won a series of great victories not long after he ascended the throne.
It's just that the situation in western Liaoning is not the same. Jinzhou and other cities actually gave up without fighting and lost their land, which is deplorable.
The king's ministers were unavailable, so Han Xu, the first assistant, recommended Yuan Chonghuan. With the glory of the Ningyuan and Ningjin victories, Chongzhen had decided to recall this civil servant and famous general.
As for Dongjiang Town, food and salary have been restored, and rewards for killing heads will also be distributed. Mao Wenlong has reported meritorious services to the third level, and all the generals who have been reported for promotion have been approved, and each has been rewarded. It is considered worthy of them.
As a minister, as an officer and a soldier, it is your duty to quell the rebellion and destroy the bandits.
Yes, almost all feudal monarchs thought this way.
According to the folk saying: Giving to you is a favor, not giving to you is a duty. It is not something you can do as a minister to choose or ask for something.
Thunder, rain, and dew are all your kindness. If you are rewarded or punished, you must be grateful. Even if you are killed, you must not complain.
For Chongzhen, the loyalty of his ministers was the most important. If he compromised on the loyalty of capable ministers and generals who could resist the invaders and help those in need, they would not be what he needed.
From this starting point, Mao Wenlong's impression in his mind will not change much, even if he wins a great victory and captures an unprecedented number of heads.
Unruly, domineering and difficult to control, this is the conclusion that Chongzhen gave Mao Wenlong. Unless Mao Wenlong is willing to accept civilian supervision of the army, like other Ming military generals, he humbles himself in front of civilian officials, like a servant.
Emphasizing literature over military affairs, using culture to suppress military affairs, had formed a pathological distortion in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.
The civil service group consisted of imperial bachelors at the top and local governors at the bottom. Their power grew throughout the country, while the status of military commanders plummeted.
Although some military generals are of high rank, they bow their heads in front of low-ranking civil servants and try to flatter them.
In the eyes of civilian officials, the military achievements made by military generals in bloody battles are just the bravery of ordinary men. Not only did they despise military generals mentally, but in actual command, civilian officials also frequently restricted their abilities and made unreasonable accusations.
But the emperor had confidence in the civil servants and was suspicious of military generals, especially those who could control one side, which made him even more suspicious and suspicious, lest they separatist power or even start an army to cause chaos.
When internal and external troubles arose and the country was in crisis, it was necessary for capable ministers to come to the rescue to save the Ming Dynasty. However, Chongzhen put the cart before the horse and did not have the magnanimity of an emperor or the self-confidence of an emperor to rule the world.
He is mean, unkind, suspicious, and his character flaws are gradually showing up. Being a vassal king is not a big deal, but being an emperor is a disaster rather than a blessing for the country and the people.
He was on his way to being alone and never to return, but Chongzhen didn't know it and was still complacent about his way of "controlling his ministers".
Chongzhen was happy for a while, but then he became worried again. There were not many emperors who worried about money every day.
Wei Zhongxian is not a good person, he can even be called a bad guy. But like He Kun in history, he can bring money to the emperor and allow the emperor to enjoy himself with peace of mind.
In fact, Wei Zhongxian didn't do anything good, but the Donglin Party members were really bad, and in the end they brought out Old Wei.
As the saying goes: In fact, I am not very good. What I do well depends on the support of my peers.
Later generations praised Lao Wei as a capable minister who could turn the tide. After Lao Wei died, the Ming Dynasty died. You think it is ridiculous or not.
If you are short of money, you have to find a way, but Chongzhen can only think of "reducing expenditures" but cannot "increase revenue".
How to save money is to default on military pay, to wear patched clothes, and to implement the abolition of inns.
The memorials placed on the censorship case were submitted by the censor Mao Yujian and the criminal department to Liu Mao during the incident. One said that "the post office is the most harmful to the people" and the other said "only two-tenths of the post office are used for official duties.
Eight out of ten are used for private matters.”
In short, the idea is to abolish the inns and save expenses. According to their calculations, they can save 680,000 taels of silver a year!
Chongzhen's eyes lit up when he saw that he could save money. It was enough to cover Dongjiang Town's military pay for a year.
Of course, the long-standing abuses of the post station have indeed become more and more obvious and hateful since the mid-to-late period. To sum it up in two words, corruption mainly refers to "private use of public cars."
For example, officials, relatives and friends, regardless of business or private matters, can use free tickets from relevant departments to enjoy the services of the inn (free food and accommodation, free transportation and horses). The expenses caused by this are naturally huge.
If there are any shortcomings in the inn, then we should rectify it and abolish it across the board. That would be unreasonable and irresponsible.
Chongzhen certainly didn't expect that Li Zicheng would be cut off from the abolition of the post station. The emperor who was above the throne would not think about grassroots employment and social stability. He just waved his pen and it was done!