Under the gaze of everyone, Ning Wanwo was the only one who hurriedly flattered: "Your Majesty, your Majesty!"
He said in a flattering tone: "We believe that the Ming Dynasty is showing signs of doom. The rogue bandits are raging in the country and they are unable to control them. They have the potential to threaten the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Their desire to negotiate peace with me will definitely be strong."
While the Ming army and the bandits were consuming each other, I could take advantage of this opportunity to rest and recover, purchase grain, iron materials, and gunpowder through Shanxi merchants in Zhangjiakou, and rebuild it with thousands of muskets and hundreds of cannons.
As this surge subsides, it may take as long as a few years or as little as a year. Our warriors from the Qing Dynasty will march straight in and may be able to defeat the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop and seize control of the Central Plains!"
What Ning Wanwo said coincided with what Huang Taiji was thinking. He nodded with great satisfaction. The depressed look he had just felt faded a lot. He straightened his body and asked again: "Tell me, how should we deal with that Zhang Cheng?"
?”
To be honest, everything else is easy to say, except how to deal with Zhang Cheng. Huang Taiji also has a headache. He also intends to go to the Ming Dynasty to plunder again to make up for the losses in Jinzhan, but how can he avoid Zhang Cheng?
Where is this big mountain?
A cold look flashed in Ning Wan's eyes, but he was not in a hurry to say anything in response. Instead, he glanced sideways at the minister of state affairs, Ying Erdai, as well as the academicians Ganglin, Fan Wencheng, Xifu and others.
Obviously, Ning Wanwo was afraid that his family would be too popular and would make everyone jealous, so he had no choice but to act wisely to protect himself. It was not that he didn't know how to reply, but he wanted to leave some opportunities for others.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Grand Scholar Ganglin opened his mouth and said: "Your Majesty, please take countermeasures against the Southern Dynasty!"
Huang Taiji pondered: "A countermeasure?"
"Exactly."
Gang Lin continued: "Your Majesty, just like the original plan to deal with Yuan Chonghuan, through my detailed work in the Southern Dynasties, I spread the news that Zhang Cheng wanted to cooperate with me. It was said that Zhang Cheng wanted to take advantage of my defeat in the championship and wanted to sell it at a high price.
Wait for the grain with me.
The most hated thing in the Southern Dynasty is that the border generals support thieves to respect themselves, and the other is to have liaison with foreign enemies. If this is successful, Zhang Cheng will probably lose his life if he is only responsible for these two crimes."
Seeing Huang Taiji nodding his head, Xifu also interjected: "Prince Zheng is now naturalized. He can lead a group of warriors to attack the various passes of Xuanda. He does not seek to really break through the passes, but only needs to make them pass through the borders.
If you are frightened and disturbed, just report it to the emperor of the Southern Dynasty."
Seeing that Huang Taiji seemed very interested, he continued: "Zhang Cheng privately opened Dushi border trade, took in Mongolian fugitives, and frequently went out to attack Mongolian tribes outside the country.
Even if he can be freed from the responsibility of privately opening the border trade, he is afraid that he will not be able to escape the crime of lightly opening the border. Prince Zheng led the army to hold the customs accountable, and there were Shanxi merchants from Zhangjiakou who spread rumors and announced that the high officials would impeach Zhang Cheng.
, I’m afraid it will drown him.”
Huang Taiji nodded, then looked at Fan Wencheng and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Fan?"
Fan Wencheng has performed most eye-catching since Huang Taiji came to power in the Later Jin Dynasty, and he also gained the most trust and respect from Huang Taiji. He even caused dissatisfaction among many of the banner leaders of the Eight Banners of Manchuria.
The reason why Ning Wan and I don’t dare to be too pushy is because of Fan Wencheng’s mistakes.
Now, when Fan Wencheng saw Huang Taiji asking him, he stood up and replied: "Your Majesty, I think that the Shanxi merchants in Zhangjiakou should be summoned at this time to use their connections in the Ming Dynasty. I write to ask Zhang Cheng to be transferred to lead the army into Henan to assist.
Suppress the increasingly rampant thieves.
This matter should be done sooner rather than later!"
"good."
Ying'erdai, the minister of political affairs, praised loudly: "'The snipe and the clam fight, and the fisherman benefits.' Your Majesty, Fan Wencheng's proposal is very clever, and it should be implemented urgently."
Huang Taiji also smiled and nodded: "Hmm. '...the fishermen benefit'? That's indeed good."
He seemed to be a little weak in energy, so he only said softly: "Ying Erdai, it is up to you to implement all the things we discussed just now..."
…………
Both sides were setting up a trap to eliminate Zhang Cheng, but he himself seemed to know nothing about it and was still hanging out on Xuanzhen North Road with guests from Jiliao Town.
Everything about the North Road is new to Xie Sixin, Zhang Dou, Zu Dabi and others. However, everyone has different focus, so their understanding of the North Road is also different.
Xie Sixin and Zhang Dou saw the difference between Beilu and Liaozhen. They saw it more deeply. From a geographical point of view, Liaozhen and Beilu were roughly the same.
But this is not the case in essence. Liao Town is located on the Songjin Defense Line, where the Ming Dynasty saw the most frequent wars. The local Ding Zhuang soldiers and brave men are also relatively concentrated, many times more than those on the North Road.
Moreover, they have been the focus of the Ming Dynasty's monarchs and ministers for many years. Just because they are facing the powerful Jiannu, almost all the financial and material resources of the Ming Dynasty are concentrated in the small land of Liaodong.
But even with such superior conditions, the officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong could only manage to survive. In the battle with Jiannu, they lost more than they won. They relied on a series of strong cities such as Jinzhou and Ningyuan to defend themselves.
On the other hand, Zhang Cheng managed a little-known border place like a big city in the Central Plains. What is even more rare is the spiritual outlook of the people.
Although there are many people in Liao Town, they are like zombies. Not only are they all sallow and thin, but they are also slow in doing things, without any vitality at all.
However, things are different on Beilu. Although the people here are not dressed luxuriously, they are all decent. Everyone's face is full of joy, and their complexions are often flushed, without any appearance of dishonesty.
Even the streets of the fortresses along the North Road are as smooth as new. Although there is occasionally a bit of dust, it is within a tolerable range, and there is no smell of human and animal excrement.
“General, the air in Akagi is so fresh, maybe it’s because we clean up the garbage all the time, right?”
"Hahaha……"
Faced with Zhang Dou's question, Zhang Cheng laughed and replied: "Zhang Bingxian is indeed very quick-thinking and very incomparable!"
After he finished praising people, he got down to the topic: "Outsiders only think that I am messing around here, and they also say, 'Since ancient times, people have been bathing, so there is no reason to bathe the streets.'"
Zhang Cheng raised his hand and pointed at the spotless Qingshi Street, and said: "Other people only feel that there is less dust here when they arrive in Chicheng, but they don't pay attention to the subtle changes in the streets. However, Zhang Bingxian has a unique vision and can also understand these details.
Keep an eye out."
He walked in front of everyone. The people he met along the way recognized the general's flag and retreated to both sides, leaving the middle street. Zhang Cheng said as he walked: "They only have money in their eyes, but they don't know that this money can only be spent."
It has its own value.
There are some elderly and frail people in the city who clean the dust and garbage on the streets every day. As long as they register with the "Cleaning and Transportation Department", they can receive a living wage.
When everyone has something to do, the people will be more peaceful and self-sufficient. When everyone has money to make, they will rush to spend money. In this way, the whole castle seems to be alive. Not only is business prosperous, but everyone is also smiling.
.”
“Think small in everything and achieve big things!”
Xie Sixin also intervened at this time and continued: "The general's achievements today are not accidental. It may seem chaotic, but there is profound meaning in everything. Just cleaning the castle is far better than me."
Zhang Cheng smiled and said: "Mr. Xie also came to tease Zhang."
The few people here were chatting happily, but Zu Dabi and other warriors had some ideas about cleaning the castle. Their idea was actually very simple. If they had the money, it would be better to raise a few more soldiers.
Even Cao Bianjiao had the same idea. He felt that Zhang Cheng's move was purely for show. Hearing his conversations with Xie Sixin and Zhang Dou, he was disapproving.
Zu Dabi even sneered at this and interjected: "I would say that this action of the general is really unnecessary. With this kind of money, it is better to raise more servants and chop off a few enemy heads when going into battle.
"
They talked and laughed all the way into Chicheng. Jin Xinpeng, the commander of the Kaiping Guards, also said at this time: "Sir, it's already getting late. I've prepared a banquet here. I'll have a rest in Chicheng today and return tomorrow."
Let’s go to Yunzhou.”
Zhang Cheng nodded and said, "It's up to you."
…………
After the banquet that night, Zhang Cheng, Xie Sixin, Zhang Dou and others chatted for a while, then left the guild hall and went to the General's Office to rest.
Su Yiyang has been engaged in a shady secret front since he took refuge with Zhang Cheng. He now has thousands of spies of all kinds under his command, and the two action teams led by Hou Mingli and Bearded Chen Huzi also have their own special forces.
A scale of more than a hundred people.
It can be said that in Xuanfu Town, there is almost no information that Su Yiyang cannot detect. Who did he meet on the day he went up to the governor, what did he say, what food did he eat, and what was new in the tea shops and restaurants in various castles.
rumors.
He even knows what officials at all levels have done and what stocks are in the warehouses of each firm. All the information is summarized by him. After analysis, the key information will be reported directly to Zhang Cheng.
Today, he also came to Chicheng specially to meet Zhang Cheng, but because of his special status, it was inconvenient for him to appear in front of everyone, so he waited until dark.
"Tell me, what's going on over there?"
Zhang Cheng smelled of alcohol and seemed a little impatient. As soon as he entered the room, he asked straight to the point.
Su Yiyang was covered in a black cloak and stood in the shadows of the corner. From his position, he could see the dark night outside through the corner of the window.
Although he had thousands of men under his command, and even some of the leading generals in the Yongyi Army could not fall into his eyes, for some reason he always felt uneasy every time he faced Zhang Cheng alone.
He was stunned for a moment by Zhang Cheng's direct question. He quickly realized what he was doing, knelt down on one knee, and replied hastily: "Commander, after you left the town, Wen Hui has been roaming around the guerrillas every day, guarding the capital.
In the meantime, according to the information of his subordinates, he has some connections with Shanxi merchants in Zhangjiakou, and seems to want to do harm to the commander-in-chief."
"Young people are nothing to worry about."
Zhang Cheng shook the cloak on his body, and Lieutenant Commander Zhang Chengfang quickly stepped forward to take it. Zhang Cheng walked towards the seat, looked sideways at Su Yiyang who was still kneeling on the ground, and said casually: "Get up and answer."
"Here."
Su Yiyang responded and stood up immediately. His slender figure suddenly stood up, but for some reason, he hunched back and retracted into the shadow in the corner of the room.
Zhang Cheng seemed to have noticed this, frowning slightly and said: "Why do you still have this shady problem?"
He just said that, although he was a little disgusted with Su Yiyang's behavior, he did not force him to change, but continued to ask: "What's going on over there in Zhangjiakou?"
"Back to the Marshal, my informants reported that the latest military coupon template has been successfully transferred to Fan Sanba. They colluded with Shanxi businessmen to print large quantities of military coupons and ransacked our North Road Trading Company in various places to borrow money.
This disrupts our North Road economy."
Zhang Cheng nodded and asked, "Is this all there is?"
"Fan Yongdou and others want to encourage the new Governor of Xuanda, Jiang Yuxu, and other officials to write a letter of impeachment against the commander-in-chief. They also want to unite with the public officials in Beijing to write a letter of impeachment.
Several cabinet elders and ministers in the court have also benefited from them, and I am afraid they will also be in trouble with the commander in secret or overtly this time."
Everything was as expected and not out of control. Zhang Cheng was still very satisfied with this. He asked again: "Is there any new situation in Guihua City?"
"It seems that a big Tatar figure has arrived in Guihua City."
When Su Yiyang said this, a sinister look flashed in his eyes, and he continued: "Although the transaction volume with us was not large, there was nothing wrong with it, but this time we were refused.
Outside the city, they refused to go out of the city to trade, causing more than ten carts of goods to be dragged back to Monolith."
"Um."
Zhang Cheng seemed to be very interested in this change: "The Tatars did not take advantage of us in the battle of Jinzhou, wasting food and grass, and losing troops and generals. They must be eager to trade with Zhangjiakou Shanxi merchants in exchange for the grain and iron they urgently need."
Waiting for supplies.”
A gleam of light shot out of his eyes and he said: "Keep an eye on the outside. If you don't have enough manpower, you can call on the 'Ye Bu Shu' from the Yongyi Army to cooperate. We must find out in advance the date when the Tatars will trade with Zhangjiakou."
"Here!"
A trace of doubt flashed across Su Yiyang's face, as if he was hesitant to speak, but it did not escape Zhang Cheng's eyes: "If you have something to say, just say it. When did you become such a mother-in-law?"
"Commander, it concerns the General Soldier of the King of Datong. My subordinates are not sure yet. I don't know whether I should talk about it or not."
"Wang Pu?"
Zhang Cheng was stunned when he heard this, but then he thought that someone from Wang Pu's family was involved in Zhangjiakou's border trade. It must be Fan Yongdou and others who wanted to use Wang Pu to achieve success.
Immediately he said: "But it's okay to say it. Even if it's slightly different from the facts, I won't blame you."
"There is news that Fan Yongdou, Wang Dayu and others want to replace the commander-in-chief with General Wang of Datong as the chief soldier of Xuanfu."
"Hahaha……"
Zhang Cheng smiled instead of getting angry when he heard this, and said: "If you want Wang Pu to take the position of the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, you have to move me first!"
Zhang Chengfang interjected from the side: "Father, would you like to send a letter to He Kuan so that he can be prepared?"
"Prepare for what?"
Zhang Cheng continued with a look of disdain: "Wang Pu, a loser, can still turn the world upside down!"
As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the window, looked through a crack at the dark night sky outside the window, and said, "I just want to take this opportunity to see if Wang Pu can be a good man." (End of Chapter)