Wang Zuoguan was called to the command post urgently. He thought something had happened on the front line. After learning the truth, he fell into deep thought.
The Khalkha tribe in the north was torn apart. Abadai Khan was just hanging on and surrendering. Some people with ulterior motives should not be afraid. On the Liaodong side, with Sun Dushi overseeing Liaodong, Li Wanqing was appointed as general to reorganize the Pidao base.
The pressure on the real people increased sharply. Lin Danhan could not move westward on a large scale until he solved the serious problem of Huang Taiji. For at least two years, the Hanhai Grassland would be as stable as a rock.
At present, there are no external troubles in Xuanfu, so there is no need for Tie Mo to stay in charge for a long time. However, the suppression of bandits cannot be solved by Tie Mo alone. The key to the matter is the issue of money and food. As an individual, Wang Zuoguan does not want Tie Mo to
We are stuck in this quagmire because at the moment, it is impossible for the Xuanfu government to devote too many troops to join in the suppression of bandits, and the problem of money and food cannot be solved.
Suppressing bandits is a thankless task. If you do it well, everything will be fine. If you don't do it well, you will definitely be punished. If something goes wrong with Tie Mo, the Yunfu power that has been finally established will fall apart in an instant. This is not the king's
Left hanging what you want to see.
After hesitating for a moment, Wang Zuogao frowned and asked: "Dong Weng, is there still room for maneuver in the matter of suppressing bandits?"
Tie Mo smiled bitterly and said: "The news was sent by the empress. Since she sent the news, the matter is 80% settled. Moreover, this matter was proposed by Mr. Hou, and there is no possibility of Tie rejecting it."
"That's it." Wang Zuoguan sighed helplessly. Hou Shilu had just taken charge of the Ministry of War, and it was the time when he needed support. From a certain point of view, the Xuanfu forces and Hou Shilu both prospered and suffered losses, and the interests of both parties were already tied.
Together, Hou Shilu needs to have enough achievements to gain a firm foothold in the court and have more say. At this time, the only people he can rely on are the old Xuan government officials. What reason does Tie Mo have to demolish Hou Shilu's position?
Tie Mo can understand Hou Shilu's difficulties, but if he has other choices, Hou Shilu will not send his close and beloved generals into the quagmire of Henan at this time. At the moment, it seems that there is no one else Hou Shilu can trust except him, Tie Mo.
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After thinking for a moment, Wang Zuoguan said with some worry: "Dongweng sent troops to suppress the bandits. How will the army's salary and supplies be solved? And who will be responsible for the Loop? These must be thought of in advance."
"Well, Tie has already thought about this. He has an idea in mind about military pay and supplies. Everything has to wait until Henan. As for Hetao, what do you think about keeping Zhou Dingshan?"
"General Zhou? This... my subordinates feel that something is wrong. General Zhou's ability is of course no problem, but has Dong Weng ever thought that the Hetao is a fertile land. As Dong Weng sits here, others
I have nothing to say, but if Dong Weng leaves, General Zhou’s qualifications may not convince the public. After all, the Loop is not my family’s Loop. If Dong Weng leaves and General Zhou is appointed as his deputy, what will others think? Especially Governor Chen.
The teacher may think that we treat the Loop as private territory, and if there is a dispute, it will be a lot of trouble!"
After a pause, and seeing that Tie Mo listened carefully and showed no displeasure, Wang Zuogao continued: "So, my subordinates feel that they should inform General Manchu and ask him to call General Lou over. At that time, Governor Chen
Even if the division has any objections, it will only cause trouble for the commander-in-chief."
Tie Mo couldn't help but his eyes lit up and he laughed appreciatively, "Okay, that's very good. Tie left and let Lou Daji come and take charge of the Loop. Those people can't say that we want to monopolize the Loop, right? But there are no people of our own here.
I don’t feel at ease after all.”
Wang Zuoguan smiled and nodded, "General Hei Yunlong and General Lou have a very good personal relationship, so it would be safest for General Hei Yunlong to stay."
The next day, the expected imperial edict was indeed delivered to Hequ City. What surprised Tie Mo was that the person who came to deliver the edict turned out to be the leader eunuch Wang Chengen. As soon as the two parties met, Tie Mo hurriedly greeted him and said with a wry smile: "Pass the edict.
The decree is just a trivial matter, so why did the prince come in person? It’s been a tiring journey, so please take a rest inside.”
Wang Chengen was not as domineering and unreasonable as the other guarding eunuchs. Perhaps because of his familiarity with Tie Mo, he actually held his hand and returned the salute with a very respectful look on his face.
"Haha, this mission was brought by Mr. Wang from His Majesty. On the one hand, it is to convey His Majesty's will. On the other hand, Mr. Wang also wants to see with his own eyes the customs and customs of northern Shaanxi." As he spoke, Wang Chengen's face turned gloomy, revealing
A bit bitterly, "When I left Beijing, I was well prepared. Along the way, I never imagined that the situation in northern Shaanxi would be worse than expected. Near Fugu, almost every ten houses are empty, and many villages are no longer inhabited."
Tie Mo was deeply touched and sighed: "Northern Shaanxi has had no harvest for several consecutive years, and the land is full of hungry people. Most of the living people have gone elsewhere to find a way to survive. If not for this, the rogue bandits would not take the Hetao so seriously. After all,
, food..."
These words are really inspired by the fact that food is not only needed for disaster relief, but also for troops to suppress bandits. In today's Ming Dynasty, many times, even if you have money, you may not be able to buy food.
After arriving at the command post, after resting for a while and becoming more comfortable, Wang Chengen started talking to Tie Mo with a solemn expression, "When I came here, Your Majesty had already told me that this time we send troops to Henan, General Tie can ask for anything, as long as Your Majesty can
If you do it, you must try your best to satisfy it.”
Wang Chengen said before that he was inspecting the public sentiment, but in fact he was here to appease Tie Mo. Whether it was Chongzhen or Hou Shilu, they were actually afraid that Tie Mo would be dissatisfied after receiving the order. In the past two years, Tie Mo has been marching south and north.
He made great contributions to the imperial court during the war, and now he has laid a river trap. The imperial court has not awarded him a reward yet, and he has been transferred to another place to suppress bandits. No one will feel happy.
In the final analysis, Tie Mo is different from others, or in other words, the Yun Mansion army is different from other imperial soldiers and horses. Tie Mo can be where he is today, only by fighting with swords and guns, and the soldiers and horses under his hands are raised by himself.
. Expeditions in the east and west, and the suppression of bandits in northern Shaanxi, were supported by money and food. With such loyal ministers and good generals, what else can be said? Tie Mo really has never had a good day, and now he is finally free.
, and sent him to Henan to suppress bandits. Even Chongzhen himself felt a little sorry.
As far as Chongzhen knew, his cheap fellow disciple was planning to get married this fall. If he was transferred to Henan to suppress bandits, the wedding would definitely be postponed.
Chongzhen was afraid that Tie Mo would be dissatisfied, and that he would send a random young eunuch who was ignorant and would anger Tie Mo, so he sent Wang Cheng'en over.
I have to say that Chongzhen overthought it. But this also sent a signal that Chongzhen really trusted Tie Mo now.
After listening to Wang Chengen's words, Tie Mo smiled bitterly and said: "Eunuch Wang, in front of you, Tie Mo will not say those false lies. This time it is very difficult to go to Henan to suppress bandits. If you want to completely wipe out Gao Yingxiang's troops,
, is almost impossible.”
What Tie Mo said was actually sending a signal to Chongzhen behind Wang Chengen. It's no problem to ask me to suppress the bandits, but I can't guarantee that I can destroy the tributary bandits. If there is a military order or something, then there is no need to discuss it.
Wang Cheng'en has been walking in the palace all year round, and he is as attentive as hair. He instantly understood what Tie Mo meant. He smiled kindly and said: "This is natural. The bandits are so powerful, how can they be wiped out in a short time? In fact, your Majesty's meaning is also very simple.
, as long as we can keep the Central Plains from chaos, it will be a great achievement."
Tie Mo suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. He was somewhat sure that he could keep the Central Plains from chaos. Gao Yingxiang's peasant army was far from being unstoppable. As long as he commanded it properly, he could control this peasant army.
When we get out of Henan, we still have a lot of confidence.
"That being the case, Tie is somewhat confident. However, as for the money and food..."
Before Tie Mo finished speaking, Wang Chengen's face fell down and he smiled bitterly and said: "I would like you to think of some solutions regarding military pay and supplies. Your Majesty will try his best to cooperate and help..."
"..." Tie Mo was speechless. Looking at Wang Chengen's posture, Chongzhen was determined to defeat himself. In this matter, Chongzhen seemed to be a bit of a rogue. He asked himself to send troops to suppress the bandits, but he didn't pay a penny.
Looking at Tie Mo's face, Wang Chengen quickly explained: "General Tie, please don't think too much. To be honest, there is not a penny left in the internal funds, and the income of Huangzhuang will not be transferred to the internal funds until the autumn.
Some money and grain from the treasury were also transferred to Southern Zhili by the Ministry of Revenue."
Tie Mo's eyes widened and he almost cursed. Cheng Jiming and Qian Qianyi's gang are so incompetent. They need money and food to help the soldiers and horses of the Southern Zhili enter Henan, so they don't have to eat the soldiers and horses of the Xuanfu.
Drink it? The elite border troops under his command, eating horse chews and firearms, consume much more than the soldiers and horses of South Zhili.
"Eunuch... Your Majesty means to let Tie Mou get money and food by himself?"
Wang Chengen's mouth twitched, and he nodded awkwardly: "It can be understood that, when he came, His Majesty said that as long as General Iron Soldier does not increase agricultural taxes and does not force General Soldier to rob the Central Plains, you can make up your own mind about money and food.
If something happens, Your Majesty and Hou Shangshu will stand in your way."
Tie Mo stared, thinking that there were ten thousand grass and mud horses galloping past. What Chongzhen and Hou Shilu did was so damn shameless. If you want a horse to run, don't let it eat grass. The horse will find grass by itself.
, there must be many restrictions. Fortunately, I received Zhang Yan's letter before and already had an idea in my mind, otherwise the matter of money and food would have driven Chongzhen crazy.
"Okay, Tie will come up with his own idea about this matter, but I would like to ask the prince to have a good talk with His Majesty after he returns. Tie is going to Henan and is not familiar with the place. He is most afraid of being constrained in doing things. I would like to ask His Majesty to allow me the right to do things expediently.
.”
If it was about money before, it is now about power. He wants power, which is different from what Yuan Chonghuan did back then. When he went to Henan, there were countless officials in the border areas, and there were also some vassal kings. If he couldn't monopolize the power, nothing would happen.
Don't even think about it.
Seeing Tie Mo's conditions, Wang Cheng'en breathed a sigh of relief, and a hint of joy flashed across his face, "So General Tie agreed to send troops to Henan?"
"Well! Your Majesty has an order, how dare I disobey it?"
"Okay." For fear that Tie Mo would regret it, Wang Chengen quickly stood up, took out an imperial edict from his arms, and read it out solemnly.
"Now the bandits are harassing Nanyang, and chaos in the Central Plains is imminent. After hearing that General Tie's military exploits suppressed Mobei and his outstanding ability, he specially dispatched General Tie Mo of Xuanfu to lead his troops into Henan. At the same time, General Tiemo of Xuanfu was granted the title of Shanxi, Henan, and Nan
The governor of the three provinces of Zhili is responsible for inspecting military affairs. He is specially given Shang Fang's sword, but if there are those who don't obey, you can kill them first and then report them. It's easy to do it!"
After reading out the imperial edict, the little eunuch who was waiting outside soon entered the house holding a sword. Now Tie Mo was completely convinced, and Chongzhen was ready for everything, just waiting for Tie Mo to jump into the pit.
The Governor-General of the three provinces sounds majestic, but in fact it is a false and empty position. Will the vassal kings of Henan take orders because of the position of Governor? Henan, Shanxi, that's it. What is going on with this Southern Zhili? Chongzhen
It is absolutely impossible to think of such a thing. Hou Shilu must have thought of it. The three provinces include Southern Zhili. This is to ask him to help someone go to Jiangnan to cause trouble.
An imperial edict, with its eloquent seals and rewards, was all false in the final analysis. All Chongzhen really paid was the so-called "sword".
The Shangfang sword in Yuan Chonghuan's hand had several rubies inlaid on the hilt. It looked like a valuable thing at first glance. His Shangfang sword was simple and unpretentious. Tie Mo doubted that Chongzhen had just gotten it from the internal treasury.
Hand, pretending to be Shang Fang's sword.
Although the Sword of Shang Fang is not overflowing with treasures, it is still a Sword of Shang Fang. It is better than nothing.
After receiving the order to express his gratitude and shouting long live, while there was no one else in the room, Tie Mo approached Wang Chengen and asked quietly: "Eunuch Wang, please tell Tie the truth, is this sword really Shang Fang's sword? It looks like it."
, why is it so different from the one held by Governor Yuan?"
"Hiss." Wang Chengen felt his legs weaken and almost fell to the ground. After a while, he glanced sideways at Tie Mo with a wry smile on his face. Only General Tie dared to ask, "Ahem, what about that?"
The Shangfang Sword was brought back to Liaodong by Governor Sun. This sword was made by Your Majesty when he was a boy. Speaking of which, in His Majesty's heart, it is much more precious and valuable than that one."
"So that's it!" Tie Mo breathed out, cursing in his heart. Chongzhen was really stingy, how could you decorate the hilt with gems? You were so poor that you couldn't even get out a few gems?
Pulling out the sword, Tie Mo was shocked again. In addition to the dragons and flying phoenixes on both sides of the sword, there were also patterns of the Big Dipper. Near the hilt, there was actually a stamp of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Youjian was really awesome.
So talented, Shang Fang's sword was even stamped, for fear that others wouldn't know that this sword was made urgently for emergency use?
"Huhu... Your Majesty, please feel free to return to Beijing to reply to Your Majesty. Tie Mou has organized his troops and will send troops to Henan within half a month."
"That's very good... I'd like to give this sword to the Iron General... Lord Superintendent, please don't throw it away!" Wang Chengen's face was complicated. The stamp on Shang Fang's sword was really eye-catching.
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"The man is there and the sword is there!"
Tie Mo raised his eyebrows and flicked the hilt of his sword decisively.