Tongzhou Guard, one of the 26 guards of the Ming Dynasty Forbidden Army, was stationed in Tongzhou District of Beijing in later generations. It was an important part of the Beijing Camp. The book strength was about 6,000, but the actual strength was probably only about half.
But its responsibilities are crucial. The entire Tongzhou area is its defense area, and the northern gate of the capital is also patrolled by Tongzhou Guards!
Therefore, after hearing that Linghu Guang had the opportunity to serve as the commander of the Tongzhou Guard, Zhao Junchen was immediately tempted!
If he takes the opportunity to take Linghu Guang for his own use and allows Linghu Guang to successfully become the commander of the Tongzhou Guard, he will definitely be able to play a great role in the future.
Of course, Zhao Junchen would not easily believe in Linghuguang's loyalty, nor did he think that an opportunistic person like Linghuguang would fully support him at the critical moment, but even if he just turned Linghuguang into his spy, it would still be useful.
Quite a lot.
For example, since Guan Wuyuan was regarded as a confidant by Emperor Deqing and was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Camp, Guan Wuyuan has gradually become more and more independent. Therefore, after Linghu Guang successfully became the commander of the Tongzhou Guard, he could help Zhao Junchen monitor Guan Wuyuan;
For another example, if Emperor Deqing decides to overturn the situation in the future, the first step will be to mobilize the Tongzhou Guard and other imperial troops to block the city gates, and Zhao Junchen can also receive the news one step in advance;
For another example, Zhao Junchen can also use Linghu Guang to gradually penetrate the Tongzhou Guard, and then gradually control the defense of the north gate of the capital. In an emergency, it can become his own escape route;
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen immediately paid attention to Linghu Guang's request for help and asked: "I don't know that Commander Linghu also comes from a distinguished family?"
As far as Zhao Junchen knew, it was because the Tongzhou Guards played such a vital role that they were always controlled by the nobles.
Linghu Guang sighed: "The ancestor of the humble position is Hu Hai, the Marquis of Dongchuan, one of the twenty-four generals of Huaixi. He was originally a founding hero, but because of the Blue Jade Eucalyptus incident that year, the family was implicated.
Many tribesmen died in Lianzuo. Fortunately, the family had already married the royal family at that time and married Princess Nankang, the daughter of Taizu, so a small number of tribesmen survived, but since then they have changed their surnames and are known as Linghu to the outside world.
His last name is Hu Guang, but Beizhi’s name in the family tree is still Hu Guang, and he has the honorary title of Supreme Protector, so Beizhi can barely be regarded as a descendant of honorable nobles.”
"Oh? I didn't expect that Commander Linghu is not only a noble, but also a relative of the emperor. It's disrespectful!"
Zhao Junchen raised his hands in gesture, but his eyes flickered thoughtfully.
Linghuguang's family background was just right in Zhao Junchen's opinion. On the one hand, he had a clan status and had the opportunity to hold some sensitive military positions, but on the other hand, he was alienated from the royal family, so it was unlikely that he would be focused on by Emperor Deqing.
"I don't dare. The family with a humble position has long since declined, and the maternal relatives also happened hundreds of years ago. I don't dare to receive a single word of respect from you, the cabinet minister... If the family background with a humble position is really useful, I won't be appointed as the general training soldier of the Liaodong regiment.
Already."
Linghu Guang shook his head and sighed again, as if he was very dissatisfied with his treatment.
And this dissatisfaction is exactly what Zhao Junchen can take advantage of.
Thinking about this, Zhao Junchen became more and more moved, but on the surface he still looked careless and asked: "Tell me about your situation in detail... Who is your political enemy in the military? Why did he deliberately target you?
?You said that you used shady means to get enough money to open the door to Minister Xi, but also caused a lot of losses. What exactly happened?"
Linghu Guang smiled bitterly and explained: "The political enemy in the army who holds a low position is the only general in the Liaodong regiment training, named Zheng Guoan! He is usually quite honest and honest, and his low position is trustworthy to him. Many things are easy for him.
He didn't hide it from him, but who would have thought that this person was actually an ambitious person. A deep-seated man in the city had long been dissatisfied with his humble position, but he couldn't hold it back. He always wanted to look for opportunities to retaliate against his humble position, and he also secretly took advantage of it.
Wu Zhenyi, another minister of the Ministry of War, so this matter was also mixed with the power struggle between Xi Changguan and Wu Dunyi, the two ministers of the Ministry of War.
All in all, in order to raise enough money to gain access to Minister Xi, Beizhi misappropriated fifteen thousand taels of silver from the army's inventory, and sold the grain from the army's stockpile in exchange for eight thousand taels of silver. The most troublesome thing is... Beizhi also secretly sold
He bought part of the ordnance and armor in exchange for 7,000 taels of silver. In addition to the several thousand taels of silver he had finally saved as a humble employee, he spent a total of 35,000 taels of silver before he got the opportunity to be transferred to Tongzhou Guard!
But this matter was leaked by Zheng Guoan to Wu Dunyi and Wu Shilang, but Xi Shilang also received the news in time and learned that Wu Shilang was going to send someone to investigate the inventory of Liaodong League Training, so he urgently sent someone to inform Beizhi and asked Beizhi to replace it as soon as possible.
On the inventory, Beizhong didn’t know that he had been betrayed by Zheng Guoan until this time, but Beizhong is now being watched closely by Zheng Guoan, and there is not much time. Where can he make up for the inventory deficit? There is one more thing to save money and grain.
Opportunity, but how to make up for those ordnance and armor?
Just when I was feeling deeply embarrassed, I heard the news about Zhao Gechen's inspection tour to Liaodong. I had always admired Zhao Gechen, so I thought I might be able to seek help from Zhao Gechen, and by the way, I took the opportunity to serve Zhao Gechen, so I hurried away.
I came to see Zhao Gechen. Who would have thought that the situation in Liaodong has changed so fast, and I have waited until now to have the opportunity to explain the situation to Zhao Gechen."
After saying that, Linghu Guang kowtowed again, hoping that Zhao Junchen would rescue him, and once again promised that he would be loyal to Zhao Junchen in the future.
After hearing Linghu Guang's explanation, Zhao Junchen was still thoughtful and nodded lightly.
In fact, Zhao Junchen also heard about the overt and covert fights between the two ministers of the Ministry of War.
According to rumors, Emperor Deqing had always wanted to transfer Liang Fuchen back to the center of the capital to help him control the situation in the temple. Therefore, he had always wanted to ask Wang Shou, the Minister of War, to go to Shaanxi and Gansu to replace Liang Fuchen as the governor of the three sides. However, in this way, the Ministry of War would
The position of Minister will be vacant, which intensifies the conflict between Wu and Xi, the Minister of War.
If Wu Dunyi can take advantage of Ling Huguang's incident and take the opportunity to criticize Xi Changguan for using corrupt officials and collecting bribes from his generals, then Wu Dunyi's chances of taking over as Minister of War will naturally be greatly increased.
At the same time, if Linghuguang wants to make up for the shortfall in the arsenal in time, he can only seek help from Liaodong Town in Liaodong. The shortfall in Liaodong regiment training is certainly extremely troublesome for Linghuguang, but for Liaodong,
For Liaodong Town, which has a rich family background, it is just a drop in the bucket.
However, Linghu Guang, as the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong regiment, had always had a bad relationship with Liaodong Town, so he could only go in a circle and first seek help from Zhao Junchen. With Zhao Junchen's status, as long as he was willing to speak, Liaodong
The town will definitely sell it to Zhao Junchen to save face and help Linghu Guang make up for the shortfall.
Therefore, Linghu Guang's explanation was very reasonable and Zhao Junchen could not find any flaws at all.
All in all, Linghu Guang's noble background, dissatisfied mentality, future prospects, current situation, etc. are all an excellent choice for Zhao Junchen, and the rewards will be rich if he takes it for his own use.
If Zhao Junchen actually rejected Linghu Guang's request for help and refuge at this time, there are only two explanations - either Zhao Junchen is a short-sighted fool who does not know the benefits, or Zhao Junchen sticks to the way of a minister and is not a good person.
Because civilian officials were unwilling to interfere with military power.
Of course, Zhao Junchen did not know a short-sighted fool who did not understand the interests. He never paid attention to the way of being a minister and always coveted military power. Therefore, Zhao Junchen was not only moved at this time, but also ready to move.
Hu Guang's incident was regarded as a good opportunity for him to intervene in the imperial army's military power and the defense of the capital.
After pondering for a moment, Zhao Junchen asked the last question and said: "You said that you secretly sold the inventory of ordnance and armor of the Liaodong regiment, but you don't know who sold it to? Could it be Jianzhou Jurchen?"
"
If Linghu Guang dared to sell weapons and armor to the Jianzhou Jurchens or the horse bandits in Liaodong, then no matter how suitable his conditions were, Zhao Junchen would never take him for his own use.
It has nothing to do with national justice or the people's well-being, but this situation will only show that Linghu Guang has no sense of measure and no bottom line when doing things. Even if such a person is used for his own purposes, sooner or later he will end up like
Like Liu Zimin, it would be more trouble than he gained to cause more trouble for himself, and it might even become the biggest failure of Zhao Junchen's future plans.
Linghu Guang's face suddenly showed a look of fear, and he quickly explained: "Zhao Gechen, you think highly of your humble position. Selling weapons and armor to Jianzhou Jurchen is a serious crime of collaborating with the enemy. Even if you humble your position, you have eaten the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's guts."
I don’t dare to do such a thing... My humble job is to sell the weapons and armor to the wealthy squires near the Liaodong regiment training camp, and let them arm their servants to protect the courtyard."
Zhao Junchen's expression softened slightly.
Selling ordnance and armor to local wealthy families is also a serious crime, but it is still within the acceptable range of Zhao Junchen. Zhao Junchen himself and his cronies in the DPRK and China have done many more egregious things.
So, after Zhao Junchen pondered again for a moment, he finally made a decision and said slowly: "Liaodong Town has already sealed off the entire territory of Liaodong, and no one can enter or exit at will, so even if Wu Shilang of the Ministry of War wants to send someone to investigate
You won’t be able to enter Liaodong in a short period of time, so you have plenty of time...
You don’t have to worry or be anxious. Your shortfall is just a trivial matter in our eyes. As long as we are willing to protect you, we can quickly make up for your shortfall. But as for whether we should rescue you or not, I
We need to think carefully for a while. After all, this matter is related to the power struggle in the Ministry of War, and I am not willing to participate easily... Well, before the situation in Liaodong settles, I will definitely give you an accurate answer!"
In fact, Zhao Junchen had already decided to take Linghu Guang for his own use at this time. He was just trying to give Linghu Guang some time to dry up by saying this. As the saying goes, saving the emergency does not save the poor, which made Linghu Guang even more anxious.
He begged himself that after Zhao Junchen rescued him, Linghu Guang would be more grateful to him and it would be easier to control him.
Hearing Zhao Junchen's answer, Linghu Guang was slightly startled at first. Unexpectedly, Zhao Junchen did not directly agree to his surrender, but he did not dare to continue to pester him. He just said a few good words again with a humble attitude, and then
He said goodbye and left.
However, Zhao Junchen did not notice that when Linghu Guang turned around and left the camp, the fear and eagerness in his expression suddenly disappeared. Instead, his eyes flickered continuously, as if he was calculating something in his heart.
But Zhao Junchen has always been cautious. After Linghu Guang left, he sent someone to summon Jiang Quan and said: "The Liaodong regiment training and the Liaodong branch training will be temporarily stationed here. You can make arrangements personally when the time comes."
, by the way, I took the opportunity to contact the officers and soldiers trained by the Liaodong regiment, and inquire about some information about Linghu Guang from them... By the way, I also want to inquire about the information about Zheng Guoan, the training staff general of the Liaodong regiment, and then report it back to me as soon as possible."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's instructions, Jiang Quan couldn't help but be slightly startled. He didn't know why Zhao Junchen would deliberately pay attention to an insignificant person like Linghu Guang. However, during the time he followed Zhao Junchen, he had already deeply realized how deep Zhao Junchen was.
I knew there were some things I shouldn't inquire about, so I agreed immediately.
*
At the same time, after Linghu Guang left Zhao Junchen's station, he quickly returned to the temporary station of Liaodong Tuanlian.
Subsequently, Linghu Guang secretly summoned a mysterious person called "Mr. Feng".
This person entered Liaodong territory earlier than Zhao Junchen, and after he arrived in Liaodong territory, he directly found Linghu Guang and explained many things to Linghu Guang.
The origin of this Mr. Feng is mysterious, but he has always been respected by Linghu Guang.
In fact, only Linghu Guang knew the true identity of Mr. Feng - he came from the inner court and was an eunuch in charge of the Royal Horse Prison.
Eunuch Feng, on the orders of Emperor Deqing, told Linghu Guang an important task, which was to take advantage of Zhao Junchen's inspection of Liaodong to seek refuge with Zhao Junchen, in order to observe whether Zhao Junchen actually coveted him.
The ambition of military power!
This plan was proposed by Zhou Shangjing and was personally planned by Emperor Deqing. The personal situation that Linghu Guang told Zhao Junchen was also personally designed by these two big shots, so Zhao Junchen felt that it was so embarrassing.
Hu Guang's conditions are extremely suitable in all aspects. He is an excellent candidate for me to join the imperial army, and he has never seen any flaws.
Zhao Junchen is not an immortal who can figure things out, so he was deceived by Linghu Guang from the beginning to the end.
After meeting Eunuch Feng, Linghu Guang told the story of his meeting with Zhao Junchen in detail, and then said: "Feng Eunuch, Zhao Junchen did not accept the surrender of his humble position. It seems that he will not fall for the bait easily."
Eunuch Feng sneered in a sharp voice: "Although Zhao Junchen didn't directly accept your surrender, he didn't directly reject it, right? Hey! Have you ever seen a cat that can't steal fish? Just wait patiently, follow us
From everyone’s perspective, Zhao Junchen must not be able to resist taking the bait!
But Zhao Junchen has always been a cautious person, and he will definitely send someone to secretly investigate you next. Therefore, General Linghu must also give clear instructions to his subordinates, asking them to be cautious when contacting outsiders, and never let Zhao