Shanhaiguan is not far from the center of the capital, and Emperor Deqing has always kept a close eye on the Wu family in Shanhaiguan. From time to time, he would summon Wu Yingxiong to Beijing to report on his work, and occasionally Wu Sangui would be summoned to Beijing to reminisce about the past, which seemed to be a sign of the Wu family's sacred scrolls.
But in fact, this approach was Emperor Deqing's imperial stratagem. It not only showed the government and the public that he was ready to come and go with the Wu family in Shanhaiguan, but also wanted to make the Wu family in Shanhaiguan more popular.
Realize the principle of superiority and inferiority.
This method can be considered to have some effect... Compared to Shaanxi and Gansu, or Liaodong Town, the Wu family in Shanhaiguan undoubtedly has more respect for Emperor Deqing.
Because of this, Zhao Junchen and Wu Yingxiong would meet several times a year. However, both sides were wary of Emperor Deqing's suspicious temperament and had never dared to have a close relationship, but they were not strangers to each other.
But now, Zhao Junchen and Wu Yingxiong are both in Liaodong. They can be said to be far away from each other. Naturally, they have reduced some worries. After meeting, they are warm and friendly, and the atmosphere is harmonious.
When Zhao Junchen welcomed Wu Yingxiong into his tent, and the two parties sat down as guests and hosts, they only exchanged a few simple polite greetings and hinted to each other their sincerity in cooperation, and then quickly got to the point.
Then, without waiting for Wu Yingxiong to ask, Zhao Junchen took the initiative to provide Wu Yingxiong with a large amount of information about Liaodong Town.
Zhao Junchen knew very well that the Wu family of Shanhaiguan had been secretly infiltrating Liaodong Town. There must be spies of the Wu family of Shanhaiguan in Liaodong Town. When Wu Yingxiong led Guan Ning's cavalry into the camp of Liaodong Town, he could come into contact with his own spies, and many things were absolutely certain.
It can't be hidden.
However, because He Yu has been trying his best to prevent the Shanhaiguan Wu family from infiltrating for many years, the Shanhaiguan Wu family's informants in Liaodong Town are only middle- and low-level military attachés, and because Ximen Sheng blocked the news in time after He Yu's accident.
A lot of important information is only accessible to a few high-level generals in Liaodong Town. Therefore, although the Wu family in Shanhaiguan can collect some information, the information will never be comprehensive. Many key points are still a mystery to the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
.
In response to this situation, the intelligence provided by Zhao Junchen to Wu Yingxiong was almost without any falsehoods, but it also concealed many key contents.
In short, Zhao Junchen imagined himself as an ordinary Qianhu of Liaodong Town, and the scope of intelligence that an ordinary Qianhu of Liaodong Town had access to was the scope of intelligence that Zhao Junchen provided to Wu Yingxiong
.
However, the situation in Liaodong Town has changed too quickly in recent times. Even though Zhao Junchen has deleted many key contents, the remaining intelligence content is still extremely rich, which made Zhao Junchen talk endlessly for a long time.
Wu Yingxiong didn't know Zhao Junchen's prejudice. After seeing Zhao Junchen's behavior, he couldn't help but become more and more convinced that Zhao Junchen also sincerely wanted to cooperate with him...at least he was not hostile to the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
Therefore, Wu Yingxiong tentatively asked: "Zhao Gechen, what do you think of the murder of He Yu? Who do you think is behind the scenes? Should the real culprit be investigated strictly? And how should Liaodong Town be punished for all the recent perverse behavior?
?”
The translation of Wu Yingxiong's series of inquiries is - I suspect that the murder of He Yu may be related to Zhao Junchen, and I want to know whether Zhao Junchen left any clues or flaws when he did things; if he accidentally left them
Flaws and clues, and whether he needs help to cover them up; if there is no clue left, who should be blamed; in short, Wu Yingxiong is willing to cooperate with Zhao Junchen in investigating the murder of He Yu.
At the same time, Wu Yingxiong also wanted to know whether Zhao Junchen was willing to support his plan for the Wu family in Shanhaiguan to annex Liaodong Town.
Of course, Zhao Junchen understood Wu Yingxiong's hint and replied slowly: "General He is the pillar of the border area. Naturally, his murder requires a strict investigation of the real culprit... As for the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes, according to the current investigation
With all the evidence we have received, we are inclined to believe that the Jianzhou Jurchens are the ones! At the same time, I am afraid that there are some traitors within Liaodong Town who are secretly cooperating with the Jianzhou Jurchens. Otherwise, the Jianzhou Jurchens alone will not be able to accomplish such a big thing!
Therefore, if Governor Wu wants to personally investigate the truth about General He’s murder, he might as well start in this direction.”
Zhao Junchen believed that there was a traitor within Liaodong Town, who secretly colluded with the Jianzhou Jurchens and jointly murdered He Yu's life. This idea was undoubtedly a plan that was beneficial to the Shanhaiguan Wu family's annexation of Liaodong Town. Wu Yingxiong personally came forward to investigate the murder of He Yu.
When the truth comes out, we can expand the scope of the investigation and take the opportunity to frame those senior generals of Liaodong Town who are unwilling to obey the Wu family in Shanhaiguan.
But then, Zhao Junchen said: "As for the various retrograde actions of Liaodong Town in recent times, I believe that now is not the right time to pursue the criminal responsibility! In fact, under the current situation, not only cannot the various criminal responsibility of Liaodong Town be investigated, even if
When investigating the truth behind Mr. He's murder, we need to be more cautious...
In short, all we need to do is make all the soldiers in Liaodong Town understand that Jianzhou Jurchen is the mastermind behind the murder of General He. As for who the internal traitor in Liaodong Town is, there is no need to rush to find out.
It’s better to remain calm on the outside and collect evidence in private.”
Wu Yingxiong was taken aback for a moment, frowned and asked: "Why did Zhao Cabinet have such an idea? There is a traitor in Liaodong Town, secretly colluding with the Jianzhou Jurchen to murder He Yu. What a big deal is this? How can we cover it up at will? There is also the recent news in Liaodong Town
All the evil deeds in the past have not only led to mutinies several times, but even a person of your noble status, Zhao Gechen, was once placed under house arrest by them, and the nature is even worse. How can they ignore it? "
Zhao Junchen had a solemn expression and slowly explained: "Governor Wu should have met Fang Zhenshan, Wu Shilin and others, right?"
After Wu Yingxiong nodded, Zhao Junchen said again: "Then... did Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin inform you about the Liaodong scholar Zhang Zhengqing's secret collusion with the Jianzhou Jurchens and passing confidential information to the Jianzhou Jurchens?"
Wu Yingxiong had vaguely guessed what Zhao Junchen was thinking, and asked hesitantly: "Zhao Gechen, what you mean is that the Jianzhou Jurchens already know the current situation of the civil strife in Liaodong Town, so whether they are the masterminds behind the murder of General He or not,
They must be ready to move and will take the opportunity to raise troops to invade at any time? Therefore, the top priority of this governor is to lead the army north to support the North Road Defense Zone to resist the Jianzhou Jurchens?"
Zhao Junchen's expression became more serious and he said: "That's right! According to my judgment, if we want to be lenient to the enemy and consider the worst case scenario, the North Road Defense Area may have become a battlefield now, and we will soon
Received an urgent report and request for help from the North Road Defense Zone! Once the Jianzhou Jurchens take advantage of the chaos to break through the Liaoshen defense line, it will be a major event that will shock the government and the public and record history. And Governor Wu is in Liaodong, and he will definitely not be able to escape afterwards.
Related!
Therefore, in order to resist the invasion of the Jianzhou Jurchens, Governor Wu should lead his troops to the north as soon as possible to aid, and this was inseparable from the support of the military leaders in Liaodong Town! Under such circumstances, the morale of the military in Liaodong Town must be stabilized.
We also need to find ways to win over the military leaders in Liaodong Town and make them obey military orders, so it is not the best time to investigate the culprits and investigate the traitors!"
Zhao Junchen's concerns and suggestions were reasonable, but Wu Yingxiong was a little hesitant.
After all, Liaodong Town has just experienced several civil strife, and it is currently at its weakest, which is also the best time for the Wu family to annex Liaodong Town; at the same time, Hujiazhuang is not far from Shanhaiguan, allowing the Wu family to maximize their
By projecting their own strength, if the situation goes bad, Wu Yingxiong and his Guan Ning cavalry can easily escape.
On the other hand, if Wu Yingxiong chooses to prioritize dealing with Jurchen's foreign invasion in Jianzhou and leads his troops north to support him, he will not only miss the best opportunity when Liaodong Town is weak, but will also trap himself and Guan Ning's cavalry in the hinterland of Liaodong Town. Not only will it reduce the number of
With our own backup, we cannot easily escape when the situation is bad, and it will also give Liaodong Town more capital to resist.
Therefore, Wu Yingxiong hesitated and said: "Although Zhao Cabinet Minister's concerns are reasonable, they are just speculations after all. The Jurchens of Jianzhou have just surrendered to His Majesty, so they may not be determined to directly turn against each other and start another war..."
Zhao Junchen shook his head and said: "I have met Xuan Ye Khan, the Jurchen of Jianzhou, and Governor Wu has fought with him many times. I should know his character better than I do... In Governor Wu's opinion,
Come on, is this Xuan Ye Great Khan a mediocre person who lacks courage and misses opportunities?
Again, if the Jianzhou Jurchens were allowed to take advantage of the chaos and break through the Liaoshen defense line, Governor Wu would have to bear the responsibility if he was in Liaodong! At that time, the Wu family would have made the same mistake as the Li family, and would have been overthrown by the government and the public.
All parties regard it as supporting troops but not supporting others, being selfish and timid, and it will be easy to dismiss them from office when the time comes... Governor Wu, do you really want to take this risk?"
Hearing Zhao Junchen's rhetorical question, Wu Yingxiong could not help but remain silent, but he was still hesitant.
Seeing Wu Yingxiong's reaction, a smile flashed in Zhao Junchen's eyes.
Wu Yingxiong has always been cautious and steady. This character is not only Wu Yingxiong's advantage, but also Wu Yingxiong's disadvantage in many cases, because he always tends to adopt more secure methods to solve problems, so just let Wu Yingxiong see clearly the risks of the future situation
It can influence Wu Yingxiong’s decision to a certain extent.
Seeing that Wu Yingxiong was still hesitant, Zhao Junchen added: "Actually, I also know Governor Wu's thoughts. Although you are the Governor of Ji Liao appointed by the imperial court, Ji Town has always been His Majesty's forbidden area, and Liaodong Town has always been
You, the Governor of Ji Liao, are very embarrassed because you, the Governor of Ji Liao, are unable to control either Ji Town or Liaodong Town... and this time you led the army into Liaodong territory, just to take the opportunity to restore your control over Liaodong Town.
right?"
Seeing Zhao Junchen open the skylight and speak openly, Wu Yingxiong did not hide it. Although he did not directly nod his head to admit it, he did not directly deny it out loud. He just kept silent and acquiesced, waiting for Zhao Junchen to continue.
Zhao Junchen continued: "But I believe that if Governor Wu wants to take the opportunity to take control of Liaodong Town, he should give priority to dealing with the Jurchen foreign invasion in Jianzhou at this time!
If you think about it carefully, by chance, powerful troops from all walks of life have gathered in Hujiazhuang. Not only are there more than 5,000 Ning cavalrymen and nearly 6,000 Liaodong cavalrymen, but there are also elite reinforcements from various defense areas, totaling 7,000 troops.
Eight thousand people... Once these armies are gathered together, even the Jurchens in Jianzhou will feel like they are facing a formidable enemy and dare not say victory easily!
Under such circumstances, when Governor Wu led his troops to support the North Road defense area, it also saved time and effort. He did not have to convey military orders to summon reinforcements from all walks of life, nor did he have to argue with the armies of all parties because of the size of the reinforcements, nor did he have to wait for the march of reinforcements from all walks of life.
If you rush on your way, you can directly send your army to the north. Such a quick response will definitely catch the Jianzhou Jurchens off guard!
In this way, Governor Wu naturally has a great chance to repel the Jurchen invasion of Jianzhou! After Governor Wu leads his army to repel the Jurchens in Jianzhou, he will not only gain more military prestige, but also take advantage of this military exploit.
Reward and win over some Liaodong Town generals, and then investigate Liaodong Town's recent rebellious behavior, and by the way uncover the traitors within Liaodong Town, and then suppress those Liaodong Town generals who resisted themselves... With such clear rewards and punishments, wouldn't it be effective?
Better?"
Zhao Junchen's suggestion seemed to be based on Wu Yingxiong's wholehearted consideration, which can be said to be sincere.
After Wu Yingxiong thought for a moment, he couldn't help but become more hesitant. He thought that Zhao Junchen's suggestion was indeed reasonable, and couldn't help but test it out again: "So... Zhao Gechen, do you support this governor taking the opportunity to take control of Liaodong Town?"
This time, Zhao Junchen shook his head in denial and said: "The layout of Liaodong is extremely complicated, and it was shaped by His Majesty himself. Moreover, this pavilion does not have many interests in Liaodong, so I do not have any attitude or inclination, let alone
We will not directly intervene in the changes in the situation in Liaodong, let alone..."
Having said this, Zhao Junchen took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Yingxiong, adding: "...the military leaders in Liaodong Town have always been used to being domineering, so naturally they do not want to be subject to more restrictions! In fact, they
Not only did they not want to be under more control from Governor Ji Liao, but after He Yu was killed, they even wanted to take the opportunity to fight for more autonomy and further get rid of the control of the Liaodong General Army! Therefore, the generals of Liaodong Town were yesterday
We jointly submitted this memorial to this cabinet."
Wu Yingxiong reached out to take the memorial and then lowered his head to read through it. His expression soon changed drastically.
This memorial was written by Zhao Junchen himself. The content is that the senior military attaches in Liaodong Town jointly expressed their stance to the imperial court, expressing their willingness to proactively carry out Liao pay reform, completely change the current situation of Liao pay transportation and distribution, and then significantly reduce the imperial treasury.
Liao’s salary expenditure.
Under Zhao Junchen's instigation and guidance, various senior military attachés in Liaodong Town signed their names in this memorial.
However, Zhao Junchen concealed his role at this time and told Wu Yingxiong that this memorial was given to him by the senior generals of Liaodong Town on their own initiative.
Zhao Junchen said that he has no interests in the Liaodong region, so he will not directly intervene in the changes in the structure of the Liaodong region. Another way to put this is - if Zhao Junchen has interests in the Liaodong region, then he is willing to indirectly
He took action to influence the changes in the situation in Liaodong and secretly supported the forces that were beneficial to him.
Once the Liaodong salary reform is implemented, not only will the senior military attaches in Liaodong Town have more autonomy, but Zhao Junchen will also have interests in the Liaodong area, allowing Zhao Junchen to interfere in the internal resource allocation of Liaodong Town. This will
This kind of benefit can be said to be extremely generous, and it is the benefit promised by the Liaodong town generals to bribe Zhao Junchen to support them;
Therefore, if Wu Yingxiong wants to win over Zhao Junchen to support him in taking the opportunity to annex Liaodong Town, he must provide more benefits!
Under such circumstances, if Wu Yingxiong still wants to continue to win over Zhao Junchen to support him, the benefits he can offer will only leave one option.