Chapter 1188. The Meeting of the Wind and Clouds (5).
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Facts have proved that Zhao Junchen made a very wise decision in choosing to meet with various forces in Liaodong in an inconspicuous place like Hujiazhuang.
Although Hujiazhuang is located in the West Road Defense Zone of Liaodong Town, it is not far from Shanhaiguan to the west. The Wu family's Guanning cavalry can reach it in just two days of horseback riding. Three hundred miles to the south is the Bohai Bay.
In short, in the area of Hujiazhuang, the military strength that Shanhaiguan and Liaodong Town can project is not much different, which can restrain each other. If there is a little more time, they can also get support from Ji Town.
At the same time, if the situation goes bad, Zhao Junchen can drop everything and quickly rush to the Bohai Bay and return to Beizhili by boat directly.
At this time, when He Yu heard the key words "Shanhaiguan", "Wu Shilin" and "Guan Ning Cavalry", he immediately frowned. His expression was still stern, but the chill in his eyes gradually faded away.
As for Shi Cheng, Li Shijie and others behind He Yu, their expressions also changed slightly.
Obviously, these Liaodong town military attachés were secretly afraid of the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
The military strength controlled by the Wu family in Shanhaiguan is far inferior to that of Liaodong Town. There are only more than 10,000 Guan Ning cavalry and more than 3,000 miscellaneous troops. However, the mere existence of Guan Ning cavalry is enough for Liaodong Town not to underestimate it, not to mention that Zhao Junchen just just
Expressed the view that the Liaodong Cavalry should be replaced by the Guanning Cavalry.
Noticing the changes in the expressions of everyone in Liaodong Town, Zhao Junchen felt quite satisfied.
Zhao Junchen's trust and evaluation of the Wu family in Shanhaiguan is no higher than that of Liaodong Town, but Zhao Junchen is happy to see the two forces checking and balancing each other and creating opportunities for himself.
Under such circumstances, Zhao Junchen naturally watched the excitement and did not take it too seriously. He deliberately softened his attitude and suggested with a smile: "Mr. He, I have long heard that the Guan Ning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry are equally famous and powerful in the world.
Army, now you have brought the Liaodong cavalry, and General Wu has brought the Guanning cavalry. It is rare for these two powerful armies to come together. Let us go and observe together, and take the opportunity to comment on the advantages of these two powerful armies.
Is it different?"
He Yu glanced at Zhao Junchen expressionlessly, naturally understanding that Zhao Junchen wanted to take the opportunity to drive a wedge between Liaodong Town and the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
However, because of Zhao Junchen's previous remarks, He Yu still had to take the initiative at this time, and could only let Zhao Junchen lead the way.
So, He Yu nodded and said coldly: "Okay, I can take this opportunity to let Zhao Gechen see that my Liaodong Cavalry cannot be replaced by anyone!"
After saying that, He Yu led everyone in Liaodong Town towards the outside of the house. After Zhao Junchen smiled slightly, he also left the room with Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan, slowly following behind He Yu and others.
*
When Zhao Junchen climbed onto the wall of Hujiazhuang, he saw He Yu observing the terrain near Hujiazhuang with his hands behind his hands. There were only a few soldiers guarding him, but Shi Cheng and Li Shijie were nowhere to be seen.
Apparently, both Shi Cheng and Li Shijie had rushed to the Liaodong Cavalry outside the village, wanting to personally command the Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry to compete with each other.
After Zhao Junchen came to He Yu's side, he suddenly waved.
Then, they saw Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan leading a group of Forbidden Army soldiers to bring tables, chairs, drinks, refreshments and other items. They quickly arranged everything, and then quickly left.
Zhao Junchen randomly chose a stool to sit down on, and grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the table. While eating the melon seeds, he said to He Yu: "Mr. He, how about we sit down and drink and watch?"
Seeing Zhao Junchen's leisurely posture as if watching a good show, He Yu immediately frowned and planned to refuse directly.
But Zhao Junchen added: "There are no other people around now. While we are drinking and watching the game, we can also talk about what is on our mind."
He Yu's expression changed, and he finally did not refuse and came to sit in front of Zhao Junchen.
Zhao Junchen poured a glass of wine for He Yu with his own hands and handed it to He Yu. He Yu held the glass without moving. He waited until Zhao Junchen poured himself a glass of wine, raised the glass to He Yu, and drank it first.
Finally drank it all in one gulp.
After each drank a glass of wine, Zhao Junchen asked: "Mr. He, for this period of time, the imperial court has been trying to reduce the expenditure of Liaodong Town, but Liaodong Town refuses to comply in every possible way. I am here to inspect on your Majesty's order."
Liaodong, just to try to solve this matter! As for you and me, we are limited to our own positions. Previously, our attitudes were a bit tougher, which made the atmosphere a bit tense. However, there are no outsiders at this time, and I am willing to speak the truth...
That is, although Liaodong Town’s consumption of money and food is quite alarming, the Liaodong Town family should not be blamed for this situation!”
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, He Yu was stunned again, and looked at Zhao Junchen with a look full of disbelief, vaguely guessing what Zhao Junchen was going to say next.
Zhao Junchen ignored the change in He Yu's expression and continued: "In recent years, I have been in charge of the Ministry of Accounts, but to be fair, the money allocated by the imperial court to Liaodong Town was privately retained by the Ministry of Accounts.
;
After the Ministry of Household Affairs allocates the money and grain, the imperial court will also organize servants to transport the money and grain to Liaodong. However, this part of the relevant power is in the hands of the "Zhou Party". It is also inevitable that the geese will pluck their hair and line their own pockets;
Wait until this batch of money and food passes through Shanhaiguan, hey! The Wu family will most likely do something secretly...
To put it bluntly, the imperial court is now in a state of decay. The stubborn diseases that have consumed the most money and food over the years, whether it is supporting the vassal, Beijing-Hangzhou water transportation, or Liaodong defense, no power is clean.
They are all vested interests...Zhao Dang, Zhou Dang, Qingliu, and even our Majesty!
To put it bluntly, the reduction of defense expenditures in Liaodong was mainly due to the push of me and Zhou Shoufu. In the current Ming Dynasty, as long as I and Zhou Shoufu work together, there is very little that cannot be accomplished.
, no matter how deep-rooted and indispensable Liaodong Town is, Zhou Shoufu and I can still find a way to deal with you...
But why is this matter still so difficult and in a dilemma? Because in the eyes of me and Zhou Shoufu, the real difficult resistance force has never been your Liaodong Town, but the ubiquitous vested interests in the court, including
He killed me and Zhou Shoufu’s cronies!”
In this world, there are some things that are known to everyone, but no one dares to tell them, otherwise they will become public enemies in the eyes of the world, and they will be targeted by everyone, and they will be enemies of the world!
He Yu was also a domineering person. He dared to support his troops and support himself, he dared to support the bandits and support himself, he dared to threaten the imperial court, but he still did not dare to make enemies of the world.
Therefore, although He Yu is also very clear that the huge military expenditure in Liaodong is not solely the responsibility of the Liaodong Town family, he is still unwilling to tell the truth, otherwise he will definitely have difficulty in the future and will be deliberately made difficult by everyone.
But at this time, Zhao Junchen happened to tell the truth.
For a moment, He Yu couldn't help but believe in Zhao Junchen's "sincerity" and thought that Zhao Junchen was indeed confiding his heart to him.
As a result, He Yu's attitude softened slightly and he said slowly: "In fact, everyone knows these things well, but Liaodong Town must blame itself for this blame... Otherwise, Liaodong Town will
The annual military expenditures on money and food will be further deducted and further reduced!
The King of Hell is easy to meet, but the devil is difficult to deal with! In fact, the threat of Jianzhou Jurchen, the sacrifice of Liaodong soldiers, and the responsibility of protecting the home and country. These beautiful words can only be said to people like you, Zhao Gechen, but the following ones
Officials don't care about this at all. Once you offend them, they don't care about the consequences and will only make things harder for you!
Many times, I would rather offend big figures like you, Zhao Gechen and Zhou Shoufu, than offend those little brats... They are far away in the capital, so I can't personally lead my troops to the capital to beat them up, right?"
Zhao Junchen nodded with deep understanding, and then said: "Once the various expenditures of the national treasury are out of the national treasury, it is difficult for me to grasp the details! Mr. He, please give me an explanation. Your Liaodong last year
How much food did you actually receive?”
After He Yu hesitated for a moment, he finally said: "Totaling all the money, food and supplies, there are about six million taels!"
Zhao Junchen was slightly startled and said: "Last year, the imperial court spent 8.5 million taels of Liao salary on its books. I didn't expect that your Liaodong could actually receive 6 million, as much as 70%, which is much higher than what I expected.
Sir, Mr. He indeed has some tricks up his sleeve."
Seeing that Zhao Junchen's attitude became more and more frank, He Yu felt a little uncomfortable, and finally told the truth, saying: "It's not all a humble means... Minister, you should have met Wang Shizhen, the governor of Liaodong. This person seems to be cowardly and low-key."
, but in fact he has some talents. Since he took office in Liaodong, he has personally gone to the imperial center every year to escort Liao's salary. Because of his personal escort, Liao's actual salary collection has been as much as 70% in these years. Previously, Liao's salary was often
Only 50% can be actually collected.
Zhao Gechen, you also know that there are two armies in Liaodong: Liaodong Tuanlian and Liaodong Branch. They have always been scornful of their lowly positions. These two garrisons should have existed in name only a long time ago, but these two garrisons were mobilized by the king.
, the humble position is precisely because Governor Wang personally escorts Liao’s salary every year, so he keeps them.”
"Wang Shizhen..." Zhao Junchen murmured to himself, recalling this person.
Just like what He Yu said, every year when the treasury disburses money, this person personally goes to the capital to receive and escort it.
There is another connection between Zhao Junchen and Wang Shizhen. That is Zhao Junchen's confidant Niu Fude. He used to be Wang Shizhen's aide, but Wang Shizhen was too low-key and timid. Niu Fude was often criticized by Wang Shizhen and could not display his talents, so
Then he left Wang Shizhen and joined Zhao Junchen.
Precisely because of this preconceived impression, Zhao Junchen never paid attention to this person.
But after hearing He Yu's words, Zhao Junchen discovered that Wang Shizhen might be cowardly and low-key, but that didn't mean he had no merits, and it should be something he must consider in his next plan.
ring.
All kinds of thoughts flashed through Zhao Junchen's mind, but Zhao Junchen still looked sincere on the surface, and said: "So, in my view, even if the imperial court wants to reduce Liao's salary, this
Part of the reduction should also be borne by all parties. The Ministry of Revenue should reduce deductions and interceptions, the 'Zhou Party' should reduce grain consumption, and the Shanhaiguan side should not over-pluck the geese, and ultimately create a situation that everyone can accept.
.”
He Yu was slightly shaken. He was still unwilling to cut Liaodong defense spending, but Zhao Junchen's proposal was undoubtedly the least bad outcome for Liaodong Town.
However, when He Yu asked Zhao Junchen about the detailed plan, Zhao Junchen avoided talking about it, saying that it would be a good time to announce the plan after all the forces from Liaodong arrived at Hujiazhuang.
Naturally, He Yu was unwilling to give up and wanted to continue questioning.
However, Zhao Junchen suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the billowing smoke in the distance and said: "Guan Ning's Cavalry is here!"
*
Wu Shilin led two thousand Guan Ning cavalry to rush over. When he raised his head and saw Hujiazhuang in the distance, his expression was particularly solemn.
Just now, He Yu sent a messenger to Wu Shilin, saying that the Liaodong Cavalry would also divide its troops into two thousand troops and compete with the Guan Ning Cavalry outside Hujiazhuang. Zhao Junchen would also be watching.
For many years, the Guan Ning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry have been secretly competing. The outcome of this competition will undoubtedly affect the status and morale of both parties, and will also affect the value of the Wu family in the eyes of Zhao Junchen.
To be honest, Wu Shilin lacks confidence and thinks that his side's chances of winning are low.
Of course, Wu Shilin's lack of confidence was not because he believed that the Guanning Cavalry was weaker than the Liaodong Cavalry. In fact, Wu Shilin had always believed that the combat power of the Guanning Cavalry was better than that of the Liaodong Cavalry.
However, although the two armies of the Guanning Cavalry and the Liaodong Cavalry are both called "cavalry", unlike the Liaodong Cavalry, which is composed of all cavalry, the composition of the Guanning Cavalry is more complex and is not a pure cavalry. In fact,
It can be divided into three parts, namely "Arrow Breaking Arrow", "Army Cavalry Central Army", and "Artillery Rear Army".
But this time, when Wu Shilin led the Guan Ning cavalry to Hujiazhuang, he only brought the "Armed Cavalry Army" due to various considerations. As for the "Array Breaking Arrows" and "Artillery Rear Army", they all stayed at Shanhaiguan.
Without these two parts of the army, many of the tactics of the Guan Ning Cavalry would not be able to be used, and they would naturally be weaker than the Liaodong Cavalry.
However, when things came to a head, Wu Shilin had no room to retreat. He could only grit his teeth and agreed to the competition. He secretly hoped that his soldiers could live up to their expectations, and it would be best to fight for an unbeatable draw.
At this time, Wu Shilin not only saw Hujiazhuang in the distance, but also saw two thousand Liaodong cavalry waiting solemnly outside Hujiazhuang.
Therefore, Wu Shilin immediately raised his hands and shouted: "Comrades, over the years, the Liaodong Cavalry and our Guanning Cavalry have been secretly competing with each other, and no one is willing to accept the other. Now it is time for the Liaodong Cavalry to set up a battle array to compete with us.
Proves that our Guan Ning Cavalry is the real Ming Dynasty’s most powerful army!
All officers and soldiers listen to the order, save their horse power, change into the Yafeng Formation, and prepare to charge with me!"
Just as Wu Shilin shouted military orders, the Liaodong cavalry in the distance quickly divided into two groups, the left and right, also galloping towards the Guan Ning cavalry and outflanked them!
*
On the wall of Hujiazhuang, Zhao Junchen was eating melon seeds while leisurely watching the battle between two powerful armies in the distance.
But Zhao Junchen's leisurely attitude was just a disguise. In fact, when he saw the charging momentum of these two powerful armies, he was quite shocked. He felt that no army controlled by the central court could compare with these two cavalry.
They are also increasingly wary of the two forces in Liaodong Town and the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
Seeing that the two cavalry were about to collide, Zhao Junchen suddenly asked He Yu: "Mr. He, who do you think will win?"
He Yu was full of confidence and said: "This Guanning cavalry lacks formation-breaking arrows and artillery rear troops. It only has a center of two thousand armored cavalry. Many tactics cannot be used. Naturally, it is no match for the Liaodong cavalry! In fact, even if
The formation-breaking arrows and artillery rear troops of Guan Ning's cavalry also came together, and in the end, our Liaodong cavalry will definitely be the better!"
After a pause, He Yu seemed a little worried that Zhao Junchen didn't understand the situation, and explained in detail: "Guan Ning's cavalry is composed of three parts of the army, that is, the formation-breaking arrows mentioned just now, and the armored cavalry.
Army, and artillery rear army!
Among them, Zhao Gechen knew what kind of army the Artillery Rear Army was just by hearing its name; as for the Armored Cavalry Army, Zhao Gechen also saw it with his own eyes now. It can be said that it has excellent armor, strong horse power, and is best at frontal attacks... But Guan Guan
The most special thing about Ning Tieqi is the formation-breaking arrow!"
Zhao Junchen nodded thoughtfully and asked: "I heard that the arrows that broke the formation were all made up of Mongolian prisoners of war, Jurchen slaves, and Han death row prisoners?"
He Yu snorted softly and said: "That's it. Whenever the Guan Ning cavalry fights with the enemy, they will take the lead in sending out formation-breaking arrows that are not afraid of death and rush forward to try to disrupt the enemy's formation. But the Wu family does not
Careful about the life and death of the formation-breaking arrows, when the formation-breaking arrows charge, the artillery rear troops will also bombard with all their strength regardless of the enemy or ourselves, causing turmoil among the enemy troops. Finally, the armored cavalry army will dispatch to give a thunderous blow... like this
This method of warfare has been tried and tested, and even the Jurchens of Jianzhou suffered losses several times!"
Seemingly worried that Zhao Junchen thought the Liaodong Cavalry would be victorious, He Yu added: "However, the Guan Ning Cavalry is related to the tactics of the Ning Cavalry. Our Liaodong Cavalry also has the strengths of the Liaodong Cavalry. The Liaodong Cavalry is composed of all cavalry.
Since the formation of the army, special emphasis has been placed on surprise attacks, running attacks, and night attacks...
Therefore, Beizhi had previously said that even if the Liaodong Iron Cavalry did not fight many times, they could still contain the Jianzhou Jurchens and make the Jianzhou Jurchens surrender to the enemy. There is absolutely nothing false!"
"I see!"
Zhao Junchen smiled and nodded, but his attitude was noncommittal, making it impossible to tell what he really thought.
In this way, with Wu Shilin lacking confidence, He Yu being confident, and Zhao Junchen being noncommittal, the two powerful armies of Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry finally collided hard.
However, the final outcome surprised everyone.
It was obvious that his tactics were incomplete, and the disadvantaged Guan Ning Cavalry not only won, but also won easily!
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A large chapter of 5,000 words will be updated as normal.