Guo Dajing took the imperial edict and stood up. He was a little surprised. He really didn't expect that there would be a separate imperial edict for him.
Although there was nothing tangible in the imperial edict, it was just a reward of dozens of taels of silver, plus uniforms and a set of armor.
But there was something else in it, and there was definitely some wooing. The emperor seemed to be expressing that Guo Dajing was number one in his heart.
Being able to let the emperor know his name and official position would last a lifetime in a feudal society. What's more, if there is a separate imperial edict, rewards and incentives, it is even more amazing.
Liu Xingzuo and Liu Qishi looked at each other and tried to keep their expressions calm, but they were both shocked in their hearts.
No wonder they had to wait for Guo Dajing to come back. It turned out that there was a separate imperial edict to be read out, and they didn't want Mao Wenlong, Chen Jisheng, and other Dongjiang Town generals to know about it.
Is this a blessing or a curse?
Liu Xingzuo's thoughts turned violently. He felt that the emperor did this because he appreciated Guo Dajing, but for Guo Dajing, it would easily make Mao Wenlong and Chen Jisheng feel bad.
However, Guo Dajing's expression had regained his composure, he put away the imperial edict, and greeted Fang Zhenghua again, and everyone sat down one after another.
"General Guo doesn't need to be polite." Fang Zhenghua raised his hand and said, "When the Za family came to Jinzhou, they heard about General Guo's name and didn't want to meet him today."
"My father-in-law, I'm sorry." Guo Dajing sat down in his chair and said humbly: "I was lucky enough to win a few battles and gain a little fame, but it's really not worth mentioning."
Fang Zhenghua laughed and said: "One battle and two battles were a fluke, but General Guo seems to have never been defeated since joining the army, right? This is not due to luck, but to true strength!"
Guo Dajing laughed and said: "I dare not say about the true strength, but the general is cautious and does not fight uncertain battles, so that he will win more than he loses!"
Don’t fight an uncertain battle. Well, that’s right. Fang Zhenghua slightly nodded his head, appreciating this sentence very much.
"The miscellaneous family took a walk around Jinzhou, and the soldiers and civilians were busy. It was really a prosperous and upbeat atmosphere." Fang Zhenghua ordered people to serve tea and said slowly: "Dongjiang Town is located in a remote place overseas. How can we do this?
, it’s really not easy!”
Guo Dajing sneered in his heart and said: "After regaining Jinzhou, we finally have enough land for cultivation. The soldiers and civilians are naturally happy and full of energy. Eunuch Fang does not know that since Long Live ascended the throne last year, the food and salary of Dongjiang Town has been unreasonable.
If it were not for the help of righteous businessmen, Dongjiang Town would probably be starved to death."
The teacup that Fang Zhenghua was holding stopped in the air. He didn't expect Guo Dajing to be so outspoken and expose the shortcomings of the imperial court in public.
Liu Xingzuo and Liu Qishi looked at each other, both surprised.
Is this what you know in your heart, is this what you have in mind? Just after receiving the imperial edict from Jiali, you expose the shortcomings of the imperial court and embarrass the eunuchs who supervise the army?
Guo Dajing seemed unaware and continued: "Last year when Jianlu attacked the dynasty, Dongjiang Town overcame all difficulties and attacked bravely, suffering numerous casualties and defeating the enemy. Only then did they frustrate the enemy's spirit and achieve several great victories. The late Emperor Shengming increased the number of Dongjiang Town troops to 30,000
Six thousand, the food and salary are the same as those of Guan Ning’s army.”
The late emperor was wise and increased the food and salary; now the emperor has cut off the food and salary and reduced it by half. He is a coward!
Fang Zhenghua's face darkened, and the teacup fell on the table, making a relatively heavy thumping sound.
Guo Dajing looked at Fang Zhenghua calmly. He originally wanted to meet Fang Zhenghua in a low-key manner and have a good look at this eunuch who oversees the army and is an internal official of the emperor. But as soon as the imperial edict was read out, he changed his mind.
You must express your dissatisfaction with the imperial court. As a general in Dongjiang Town, you must also rely on Dongjiang Town to realize your ideals and ambitions. It is impossible and unreliable to embrace the imperial court.
Besides, Chongzhen's operation like this is so childish. Well, if I wasn't thinking like a later generation, I might have fallen for this trick.
To win over the generals in Dongjiang Town, empty words are useless.
I don’t know what was going on in Chongzhen’s head. If the food and salary were sufficient, Dongjiang Town would not have to work hard to be self-reliant. And with the food and salary in hand, would Dongjiang Town still disobey the court?
To be said to be domineering, Yuan Chonghuan ignored the imperial edict to urge war, turned a deaf ear to Chongzhen's repeated prohibitions on selling grain supplies to his enemies, and even went so far as to issue an imperial edict to kill the commander-in-chief. Isn't this more of a warlord than a warlord and more difficult to control?
"In the past two years, the soldiers of Dongjiang Town have overcome all difficulties, fought bloody battles, and beheaded no less than 10,000 people. What military achievements did Guan Ning's army have? They just huddled in the city and defended the city. The imperial court favored one over the other, and unfair rewards and punishments. Wouldn't it violate the instructions of the Long Live Imperial Edict?
The Golden Words of "Dharma's Edict and Punishment"?"
Guo Dajing straightened his body more and more, and said loudly: "Eunuch Fang, as a eunuch who supervises the army, has the responsibility to serve his subordinates and his superiors. Although the last general's words do not represent all the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town, they are not made up randomly.
These are words from the bottom of my heart."
Bowing slightly, Guo Dajing cupped his hands and said sincerely: "Long live Eunuch Fang, please remember the difficulties of Dongjiang Town in a remote place overseas, and the loyalty of the army and the people to work together to fight against the captives. Don't be deceived by treacherous ministers, which will chill the hearts of the soldiers and people of Dongjiang."
Fang Zhenghua lowered his eyes and was speechless for a long time.
Even though he knew that the soldiers in Dongjiang Town were complaining about the imperial court cutting off their food and salary and cutting their pay in half, Guo Dajing should be the first one who dared to say it clearly to his face.
The key is that what Guo Dajing said is true and irrefutable.
Moreover, Guo Dajing's words were still measured. Although he had the intention to criticize Chongzhen, he was still relatively vague. In the end, he even used the traitorous minister to cover up the emperor.
Therefore, even in the court, it was not easy for the emperor to accuse Guo Dajing of being disrespectful and disrespectful. These false accusations were even more difficult to pin on Guo Dajing in Jinzhou.
There was silence in the hall, and no one knew what to say. Only Guo Dajing picked up the tea bowl and drank the tea leisurely.
He even winked mischievously when his eyes met Liu Xingzuo and Liu Qishi.
Liu Xingzuo lowered his head, rolled his eyes secretly, and guessed the reason why Guo Dajing did this.
However, in his opinion, it was still inappropriate to point out the harsh treatment and injustice of the court so unceremoniously and to insinuate the emperor.
Shouldn't these things be reported to Fang Zhenghua by Mao Wenlong or Chen Jisheng, or reported to the imperial court?
"When Long Live first ascended to Dabao, the treasury was already empty. It was all caused by the Wei Party's troubles in the government." Fang Zhenghua finally said slowly: "Eradicating the Wei Party shows that Long Live the Holy Mingzhu shines. But the long-standing evils are deep and cannot be changed in the short term.
It’s not just Dongjiang Town that is experiencing a cutoff in food and salary.”
Guo Dajing looked up at Fang Zhenghua and listened to his explanation quietly.
"As soon as the finances ease slightly, Wanzai will distribute food and salary to Dongjiang Town. You must be grateful to Wanzai for his painstaking efforts and sympathize with the court's difficulties."
Fang Zhenghua didn't say anything about the different treatment between Dongjiang Town and Guan Ningjun. There are people in the court! On this point, even he felt that the court was not doing a good enough job.
Guo Dajing smiled faintly, put down the tea bowl, and cupped his hands and said: "General, I am a rude warrior. He speaks out when he has something to say and does not keep it in his heart. I am rude and I hope Eunuch Fang will forgive me."
Immediately afterwards, Guo Dajing's face became solemn and he said in a deep voice: "If a country has loyal ministers, the country will not be destroyed, and if the family has stubborn children, the family will not be ruined. In the end, the general would rather be a heart-to-heart contest than a villain with clever looks, slander and deception."
"
Fang Zhenghua's eyes were fixed on Guo Dajing's face. Guo Dajing's words and Guo Dajing's generous expression shocked him greatly.
You are the only one who is so sincere about Bi Gan. I have never seen you so generous and generous. You have no respect for the court and the emperor, but you are scolded a lot.
Liu Xingzuo raised his eyes and then lowered his head.
"General Guo is such a man!" Fang Zhenghua sighed with emotion, nodded his head repeatedly, and said in appreciation: "The whole family admires him greatly."
Fang Zhenghua had a slight misunderstanding, thinking that Guo Dajing was suppressing first and then rising, expressing his loyalty to the emperor in a subtle way. He was a loyal minister, but he was also a loyal minister.
Next, Guo Dajing turned the topic to military affairs, trying to convince Fang Zheng and Chongzhen. Since Chongzhen was so easily deceived, maybe he could also deceive something!
"It only takes a few years to pacify Liao and exterminate the captives. How can General Guo be so confident?" Fang Zhenghua's eyes widened and he was quite shocked by Guo Dajing's bold words.
Guo Dajing does have this confidence, but of course there are conditions, that is, the strong support of the imperial court. Even if he pays normal food and salary, Guo Dajing can achieve his goal, but it will naturally take a longer time. Gu Wa
"Compared to our great Ming Dynasty, Jianlu is just a small place, with only one hundred thousand soldiers and one million people. How can we compete with our great Ming Dynasty? This is not the opinion of one person, but the crystallization of the collective wisdom of our Dongjiang Town
.”
Guo Dajing said sternly: "Even if we can't wipe out the 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers and civilians in Dongjiang Town, we can't wipe out the Jianlu. How can we make Wansui exhausted his energy and energy and the court is exhausted to deal with it? The final general is willing to write down the detailed strategy, and I also ask Eunuch Fang.
Please give me some advice."
"It's so good." Fang Zhenghua said without hiding his joy: "For the country and the king, if General Guo has a plan to defeat the Liao Dynasty, the miscellaneous family will also report to the court to share the worries for Long Live."
This is what we want. We are not bragging with Governor Yuan, but the Ping Liao strategy we have developed is real, and it is better than Governor Yuan's empty-headed stuff.
Guo Dajing bowed and cupped his hands, saying: "You can learn from Eunuch Fang's loyalty, and I will always serve you."
Fang Zhenghua hurriedly said a few words of humility and talked with Guo Dajing and others for a while. Guo Dajing and others then stood up and left.
"Eunuch." After Guo Dajing and others left, Jiang Baohe approached Fang Zhenghua and said, "This Guo Dajing is dissatisfied with the imperial court. He even has a lot of complaints against Long Live."
Shen Zonggui also echoed: "This Guo Dajing, like Mao Wenlong, is a rebellious person."
Fang Zhenghua lowered his eyes and said slowly: "Some people speak openly and tell the truth. Although it doesn't sound good, it is like bitter medicine; some people speak with secrets and bury their resentment in their hearts, but they are the most terrifying."
"Then this Guo Dajing -" Shen Zonggui asked doubtfully: "What kind of person is he?"
"It's too early to draw conclusions now." Fang Zhenghua waved his hand and said, "We still need to observe carefully and figure it out carefully."
Fang Zhenghua did not jump to conclusions easily. It was obviously hasty to be able to judge a person's heart and nature based only on his performance during the meeting and a short conversation.
What's more, he, the eunuch who oversees the army, does not have much power. During his stay in Jinzhou, Fang Zhenghua also noticed that the generals in Dongjiang Town were respectful and polite to him, but they kept a distance.
Fang Zhenghua was not satisfied with this kind of flattery and respect on the surface, but there was a truth behind it.
On the other hand, Guo Dajing's complaint after the meeting also revealed the inner thoughts of the soldiers in Dongjiang Town, giving Fang Zhenghua a deeper understanding of this.
If you don’t understand the ideological state of the soldiers and civilians in Dongjiang Town, how can you win over them and win their hearts?
After leaving Fang Zhenghua's temporary residence and not walking far, Liu Xingzuo hurriedly asked: "Dajing, have you gone too far? It will not be easy to be charged with dissatisfaction with the court and resentment against the emperor in the future."
Guo Dajing smiled lightly and said: "It's better to speak out than to keep it in your heart. I believe Fang Zhenghua and Emperor Chongzhen are also aware of this. Don't you know what you did?"
"Having said that, but -" Liu Xingzuo rolled his eyes and said, "It's better to keep it in your heart!"
Guo Dajing said: "I have already thought about doing this today, and there will be no big obstacles. Of course, I still have to file, but I didn't expect that there would be a separate imperial edict for me."
After a pause, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't worry, I've thought about the pros and cons clearly, and everything will be fine."
Having known for a long time that he was going to meet with Fang Zhenghua, Guo Dajing would naturally think over and over again what the imaginary conversation would be like after the meeting.
Assuming that Fang Zhenghua is a relatively decent eunuch who is indeed loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and does have some sense of shame, he must be feeling guilty and lacking in confidence for the unfair treatment in Dongjiang Town.
Guo Dajing told the truth, whether he was complaining or grumbling, he showed the image of an outspoken military commander without any lies or hypocrisy.
As for being domineering and difficult to control, as a military general, if Guo Dajing wanted to flex his muscles, he didn't want to have any constraints at all.
Moreover, this is Dongjiang Town, and he must speak from the standpoint of Dongjiang Town. This is a matter of principle, and he cannot be eloquent. Mao Wenlong and others will regard him as a young man.
The reason why Liu Xingzuo was not welcomed was because Mao Wenlong regarded him as a member of the imperial court who was here to decentralize power and contain him.
He usually complains constantly and speaks rudely, but when he comes to the eunuchs in charge of the army, he is timid and fawning. Doesn't he give people the image of being a leader and a mouse at both ends?
The character cannot be destroyed, Guo Dajing does not think that Fang Zhenghua, or even Emperor Chongzhen, can do anything to him.
If Fang Zhenghua is a greedy and insidious villain, Guo Dajing is not afraid. With Mao Wenlong and Chen Jisheng on his side, he may gain more trust by offending such a bastard.
As for how to use Fang Zhenghua in the future, Guo Dajing has also thought about it. He has no control over whether he can compile some information for Fang Zhenghua and pass it to Chongzhen's ears, or whether it can change the court's policy.
Since he is a eunuch overseeing the army, he will probably report some troubles. This is his responsibility and responsibility, and it is also a way to show that he works hard and is loyal to his duties. It has nothing to do with his views and attitudes towards Guo Dajing.
The key is, with this information channel, Guo Dajing has to deal with not only Jianlu, but also Yuan Chonghuan, who will take office soon.
You have been in Pingliao for five years, and you have boasted and not consulted with Niu. Whatever strategies you come up with are just fooling Chongzhen, a big fool.
Regarding the five-year Ping Liao Dynasty, Yuan Chonghuan's strategy was nothing new: "Use the Liao people to defend the Liao soil, and use the Liao soil to support the Liao people; use defense as the main thing, war as the odd thing, and style as the side; the law is gradually but not suddenly,
Reality, not fiction.”
It can be said that Yuan Chonghuan was wise in his studies, and the Ping-Liao strategy was very general, leaving a lot of room for modification. Or, it can also be said that there is room for change.
It's very simple. The more detailed the plan, the less likely it is to change and affect the whole body. The more specific and nuanced the discussion, the easier it is for people to understand and find faults.
Obviously, Yuan Chonghuan learned the lessons of the six years of Tianqi.
At that time, Yuan Chonghuan reported to Emperor Tianqi that by building a city outside the pass, he could defeat the enemy without fighting and force Hou Jin to surrender. Even if Hou Jin did not surrender, he would definitely be defeated by the Ming army.
In the strategy of Governor Yuan, he put forward seven methods in detail and summarized the benefits of garrisoning. It can coordinate management, integrate soldiers and farmers, save food and wages, and plant trees to block the captive cavalry.
As a result, the Carpenter Emperor, who was known as the Foolish Emperor in the history books, was not as overjoyed as Chongzhen. Instead, he calmly asked six rhetorical questions to defeat Governor Yuan, who had vowed to colonize the fields and exterminate the captives.
Later, Emperor Tianqi also gave instructions: "... This book says that if the slave does not surrender, he will definitely be captured. The ministers are not happy to hear it. According to my calculation, the slave may not surrender, and surrender is not trustworthy! The battle will be won.
There is no way to win by talking lightly; follow the truth and do it, and take time to get it right, and the wonder lies in it..."
It must be said that Emperor Carpenter was very smart and saw things very clearly. The meaning of his instructions was very clear: he believed that Hou Jin could not surrender, and even if he surrendered, he could not believe it.
Therefore, it is impossible to make Hou Jin surrender through peace talks. The war can definitely be won, but we cannot underestimate the enemy and must be prepared for a long and hard battle.
At the end of the instructions, Emperor Tianqi also warned Yuan Chonghuan to do things in a down-to-earth manner, and then make adjustments and changes to strategies and tactics based on the actual situation to achieve results.
Unfortunately, Chongzhen did not have such wisdom and calmness. He was fooled into confusion by Governor Yuan during the "Five Years of Ping Liao". He thought he had finally obtained an unparalleled general, and regarded Governor Yuan as a pillar of strength, a golden beam across the sea.
In fact, it is not difficult to analyze whether Yuan Chonghuan's Ping Liao strategy is feasible. As long as we ask carefully one by one, Yuan Chonghuan cannot justify his theory.
Does using Liao people to defend Liao territory mean excluding foreign generals and only using indigenous officers and soldiers from Liaodong?
The people of Liao were supported by Liao soil, but they did not dare to fight in the field with the Jianqi. How could they protect the cultivated fields and ensure that the autumn harvest would not be snatched away by the Jianqi?
As for what is right, fighting is a surprise, and money is a side effect, it is even more futile and cannot be explained specifically how to operate it.
Unfortunately, Chongzhen had not seen Yuan Chonghuan, so he had already summoned him back to the capital and appointed him as Minister of the Ministry of War and concurrently as the right deputy censor of the capital, superintendent of Ji Liao, and also superintendent of Denglai and Tianjin military affairs.
In other words, before he was summoned to the platform and before he heard the glorious words of "five years of peace in Liao Dynasty", Chongzhen had already entrusted him with important tasks and relied on him to become the pillar of Liaodong.
After being summoned by the platform, Chongzhen only had to give Shang Fang a sword, a python robe, a jade belt, silver coins and other items.
Such careless employment of people shows Chongzhen's naivety and carelessness.