Zhu Youjian was really worried. It could be said that nothing good had happened recently. Just when he was at a loss what to do, there were hurried footsteps outside the door. Not long after, the eunuch Wang Chengen walked in with small steps, whispering all the way.
.
"Your Majesty, good news, good news from Shaanxi. Just now, the governor of the five provinces, Tie Mo, and the governor of the three sides, Chen Qiyu, jointly sent a military report. Shaanxi soldiers and horses from all walks of life have besieged the Ziwu Valley for many days. They severely damaged the bandits in the Heishui Valley area and captured the bandit leader Gao Yingxiang alive.
!”
Hearing Wang Chengen's words, Zhu Youjian was a little stunned at first. It wasn't that he didn't hear clearly, but he couldn't believe it was true. Wang Chengen walked to the table and saw that Zhu Youjian was stunned and didn't speak, so he couldn't help but say
: "Your Majesty, good news..."
At this time, Zhu Youjian stood up suddenly, looked at Wang Chengen and asked seriously: "Is the news reliable? Did Tie Mo and Chen Qiyu really wipe out the bandits under Gao Yingxiang's command?"
"Your Majesty, the news is absolutely true. Even if Governor Iron and Governor Chen are brave, they would not dare to lie about this kind of thing. The details of the battle in Ziwu Valley will be sent soon," Wang Chengen said
Hua took out a coupon from his sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, this is the coupon that was sent urgently from 600 miles away by the Iron Governor."
"Quickly, give it to me." Zhu Youjian almost grabbed the coupon. He looked at it very carefully. After reading it several times, he smiled, "Okay, great, Tie Aiqing is worthy of being my great Ming Dynasty."
Wang Banban, the minister of Huigu, immediately drafted an order and ordered the cabinet to come up with a charter to reward the Shaanxi soldiers generously. In addition, he informed Tie Aiqing and asked him to select some trustworthy soldiers and send Gao Yingxiang, the leader of the thieves, as quickly as possible.
Capital. Instruct Shuntian Prefecture to issue notices and spread this news. I want to enjoy it with the people."
Zhu Youjian said a lot in one breath, and his whole face turned red. This is definitely the best news he has heard since he came to the throne. Although this Gao Yingxiang is not Wang Jiayin or Wu Yangui, he is the most surrendered among the bandits.
It was a headache. Many times in Zhu Youjian's dream, he wanted to chop this person into pieces and feed him to the dogs. Since Gao Yingxiang became the bandit leader, Shaanxi, Shanxi and the Central Plains were swept away by rogue bandits, and even Huguang, Nanzhili and Zhili were attacked.
Difficult, it can be said that Gao Yingxiang was the biggest disaster in Chongzhen's heart.
Wang Chengen naturally did not dare to say anything and hurriedly went out to deliver the order, but he was still a little worried in his heart. A great victory for the Shaanxi soldiers was naturally a good thing, but there was a problem that could not be solved. How to reward such a great contribution?
?
The cabinet is not easy to get along with. I am afraid that they will use the empty treasury as an excuse to force Your Majesty to pay from internal funds. Of course, Wang Chengen did not say these words. With his status, there is no need to say more and no need to
Think more, just do what His Majesty has told you to do. Even if there are problems, you must do it without hesitation.
The Northern Shanxi Army and soldiers from all over Shaanxi surrounded Ziwu Valley and defeated the bandits. The Northern Shanxi Army captured Gao Yingxiang alive. When news of this incident reached the capital, it immediately caused a magnitude 3 earthquake.
This matter. There have been too many rumors about Gao Yingxiang over the years. Many people describe him as a devil with three heads and six arms. Some people even use Gao Yingxiang's name to scare children.
To some refugees, Gao Yingxiang is a hero and their hope, but to most people, Gao Yingxiang is more like a ferocious beast and a scourge. Especially in the eyes of the people in Beizhili, Gao Yingxiang is an out-and-out villain.
Chaos party.
Therefore, when the news came, most of the people congratulated each other. At the same time, an extremely embarrassing scene was staged in the Jinluan Palace. Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian wanted to reward the Shaanxi soldiers generously, but no one expected that the emperor would go to court early the next day.
The cabinet officials threw the blame on Zhu Youjian. Ma Wenjie, the minister of household affairs, held up his hands and talked eloquently, "Since last year, your Majesty has deployed troops everywhere in the Central Plains, Huguang and Shaanxi. At the beginning of this year, he allocated a large sum of money to Liaodong for food. Now,
The treasury is empty."
What Ma Wenjie said was clear and logical, but what he meant secretly and overtly was that the treasury was empty. It was not that the cabinet did not want to reward the Shaanxi soldiers generously, but that it could not produce anything. Ma Wenjie's words were actually echoed by a group of officials. Now Zhu Youjian
The slightly smiling face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
"My dear friends, what should we do according to your wishes? The soldiers of Shaanxi fought bloody battles on the front line and suffered countless casualties. Now they have finally hit the bandits hard and captured the bandit leader Gao Yingxiang alive. Isn't it possible that the imperial court will not reward him?" Zhu Youjian's voice was a little cold, and he was nervous.
Clenching his fists tightly, he screamed countless times in his heart and wanted to curse. Zhu Youjian was not a fool. How could he not know at all whether the treasury was empty?
Since last year, the Ming Dynasty has finally breathed a sigh of relief because Tie Mo has collected a batch of money and grain from Nanzhili, and the national treasury has been allocated no less than ten million taels of silver. Now the national treasury has spit out more than five million taels.
That's it, why is it empty? According to Chongzhen's knowledge, just half a month ago, the rogue bandits Luo Rucai caused trouble in Henan. Henan was in a hurry, so the cabinet temporarily allocated a sum of money and food.
Local officials asked for help and the treasury provided money. When I was in need, the treasury was empty. Isn't it a coincidence? Zhu Youjian also knew what these people were up to. Although he won the battle at Ziwu Valley,
The recipients of the award were Tie Mo, Cao Wenzhao, Chen Qiyu and others. To put it bluntly, these people were not members of the Sixth Cabinet, but close associates of Zhu Youjian.
In short, the cabinet is too lazy to reward someone who is not one of their own. This forces him, the emperor, to pay for it out of his own pocket. Zhu Youjian is not the kind of soft-tempered person. He frowned and asked coldly: "Is there anything wrong before or after last year?"
The small amount of grain is sent to the treasury. I have reviewed the treasury accounts and it seems that the treasury still has a surplus of more than four million taels."
Ma Wenjie was not panicked at all, and actually took out an account book from his sleeve, "Your Majesty, this is the one you are looking at, right? According to the account book, there should be a surplus of more than four million taels. But your Majesty, don't forget it.
In the past few years, when the bandits were suppressed and Liaodong was pacified, especially when Yuan Chonghuan was in charge of Liaodong, it was a military requirement of five to six million taels per year. The national treasury could not bear it at all, so it kept asking wealthy businessmen from various places to donate money, only in southern Zhili and Shandong.
The donation cannot exceed 20 million taels of silver. The imperial court has received the donation and cannot refuse to pay it back at all. In the past few years, the national treasury was empty, so naturally there was no way. Now that there is a bit of surplus, we must make up for the previous debt, otherwise we, the Ming Dynasty, will
How else can we win the trust of the people in the world?"
"What?" The corner of Zhu Youjian's mouth twitched. He wanted to slap Ma Wenjie twice in the face, but he finally held back. Ma Wenjie was just a pawn. The real decision-makers were Cheng Jiming and Qian Qianyi.
Sure enough, they are a bunch of old foxes, and they have all the good things to say. It is a joke that a wealthy businessman from South Zhili donated money. Zhu Youjian repeatedly tried to get money from a wealthy businessman from Jiangnan, but those people all cried poor. They said they had donated money.
But not a penny of the internal funds was distributed, so where did all the donations go? No need to think about it, it must have been distributed by some people in the Sixth Department. The last bad debt cannot be accounted for, and the court will pay it back when it comes time.
He didn't pay back the money before, but Zhu Youjian paid back the money when he used the money. Did he really pay back the money, or did he repay the money with his left hand and the right hand? Zhu Youjian had no way to deal with these people, so he had to wave his hands and said helplessly
: "I will consider this matter carefully, and I can't let the hearts of the Shaanxi soldiers get cold. My dear friends, we have to keep a close eye on things in Henan."
During a court meeting, Zhu Youjian came to take advantage of the excitement but returned in despair. Emperor Zhu Youjian returned to the imperial study angrily, while Cheng Jiming and others did not look very good. His Majesty's words just now were obviously implying that in
If the cabinet stumbles over the war in Shaanxi, then Your Majesty will have to make a fuss about the war in Henan. Once the war in Henan goes unfavorably, Your Majesty will vent his anger on others.
In Xi'an Mansion, Shaanxi Province, Tie Mo and Chen Qiyu sat opposite each other, drinking wine in a relaxed and comfortable manner. With the great victory in Ziwu Valley and the capture of Gao Yingxiang alive, it can be said that the burdens on Tie Mo and Chen Qiyu were much lighter. Although there was still Wang Ziyong in the north, and Li Zicheng in the Central Plains
, Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and other rogue bandits caused trouble, but at least the biggest scourge was eliminated.
A personal guard came to the door and whispered to Hong Chengchou. Not long after, Hong Chengchou entered the room with a frown on his face, "Two supervisors, the imperial court just sent an official document, asking us to send someone to send Gao Yingxiang to the capital as soon as possible. In addition, the imperial court
In view of the meritorious service of the Northern Jin Army in this battle, the Iron Governor Division is allowed to send troops to Guozhou."
"???" Chen Qiyu and Tie Mo looked at each other, and soon they both laughed bitterly. Hong Chengchou also smiled bitterly, and sat next to him and said helplessly: "This is really ridiculous, the Shaanxi soldiers are shocked by this."
It's a great achievement, but not much benefit has been gained. It's even worse on the Iron Governor's side. The army is stationed in Guozhou, and the Ministry of War wants the Northern Shanxi Army to continue fighting."
People like Hong Chengchou can quickly understand the meaning of people like Hong Chengchou by scanning the official documents of the imperial court. Where is Guozhou? Guozhou is close to Henan Prefecture. Now Luo Rucai, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng are rogue bandits who are causing trouble in Henan Prefecture, and the army of the Northern Shan Dynasty is defending it.
By moving to Guozhou, this means that the Northern Shanxi Army will continue to fight the rogue bandits. Guozhou is so close to Henan Prefecture. How is it possible that the two sides cannot fight?
Tie Mo sighed, put the wine glass on the table, and said with a cold smile: "Is this the answer from the cabinet? Let Tie Mo send troops to garrison Guozhou, okay, then send troops. But who will suffer then?
But that’s not necessarily the case, hum.”
There are no rewards, which is not surprising at all. Tie Mo has never thought about asking for any big rewards. To be honest, as a frontier soldier, being able to become the governor of five provinces is basically a blessing. There is nothing to reward in the official position.
Giving is just a false title. As for money, let alone thinking, who has no idea what the Ming Dynasty has been like in these years? It is wishful thinking to expect the cabinet to allocate part of the money to someone like Tie.
Emperor Zhu Youjian is probably going to bleed this time. The little tricks played by the cabinet are really getting more and more powerful. But he is not easy to bully. I led the border soldiers to beat him to death. You guys
There are still obstacles at this juncture. Do you really think that the Northern Shanxi Army is made of mud?
Tie Mo didn't get much benefit, which was expected, but Chen Qiyu didn't get much benefit either, which was somewhat surprising. Chen Qiyu also knew in his heart that the cabinet had probably kicked him away. The cabinet had already
I don't think Chen is one of my own, so I don't bother to take care of it. Chen Qiyu has nothing to say about this. Sitting in the seat of the governor of the three sides, what can he do?
If you don't cooperate well with Tie Moha, you will be killed by either bandits or Tie Mo in the end. Do the officials in the cabinet really think that things in Shaanxi are so easy to handle? In Shaanxi, it doesn't matter what official you are, what matters is you.
How many soldiers and horses do you hold in your hands?
"Tie Governor, what are you going to do next? Go south to Guozhou, or deal with Wang Ziyong in the north?" Chen Qiyu hoped in his heart to destroy Wang Ziyong, but he knew that these things were not his to make the decision.
It is actually not difficult to destroy Wang Ziyong, but Tie Mo may not be willing to do so. If Wang Ziyong is destroyed, what reason does the Northern Shanxi Army have to continue to station its army in Shaanxi?
Raising bandits to respect themselves? Yes, this is what Tie Mo did, but who can say anything? Even Wang Ziyong knows it in his heart, and others can't say anything. Wang Ziyong is very honest these days, just because
He knew in his heart that as long as he didn't cause trouble for Tie Mo, he could live in Qingyang Mansion with peace of mind.
In fact, Cao Wenzhao could have united with Heiyunlong in the north to use troops against Qingyang Mansion, but Cao Wenzhao did not do so, and even divided his troops and asked Cao Bianjiao to participate in the Ziwu Valley battle.
Cao Wenzhao has made it clear that he and Tie Mo are wearing the same pants. If Tie Mo doesn't nod, Cao Wenzhao will never use troops against Qingyang Mansion. Even if Wang Ziyong's side falls apart and others want to destroy Wang Ziyong, Cao Wenzhao will still
Not willing.
What is the situation in Shaanxi? Chen Qiyu knows it very well, but it's a pity that those in the cabinet don't understand. He asked Tie Mo to go to Guozhou this time. He was really afraid that Tie Mo would cause something and give the cabinet a hard blow.
Chen Qiyu was full of thoughts. Of course, Tie Mo didn't know this. He frowned and thought for a while, then said softly: "What else can we do? Of course we send troops to Guozhou. This commander not only wants to send troops to Guozhou
, but also to send troops across the Yellow River to Mianchi."
Chen Qiyu's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, something was going to happen. Mianchi was now the frontier position of the rogue bandits. If Tie Mo sent troops there, would the rogue bandits still have to blow up their hair?
Chen Qiyu didn't think Tie Mo would fight to the death with the bandits. After the battle in Ziwu Valley, all the troops had not yet recovered. However, the battle in Mianchi was not going to be easy. I really didn't know what would happen.
On March 16th, the sixth year of Chongzhen, just a few days after the war in Ziwu Valley, Tie Mo sent his confidant Liu Guoneng to lead 5,000 troops to Guozhou. However, the troops did not stop at Guozhou, but went to Guozhou.
Heading southeast, head towards Mianchi Lake.
Now, those stationed in Mianchi were Luo Rucai's uncle Wang Li and his confidant Chen Zhonghe. When these two heard that Liu Guoneng was coming with his troops, they immediately panicked.
Wang Li and Chen Zhonghe knew Liu Guoneng's name and the terror of the Northern Jin Army, but they could not leave Mianchi alone in the current situation. So the two ignored their indifference and discussed it, and Chen Zhonghe led his subordinate Lu
Hui, Xu Wei, Ye Sheng, Wang Yuan and others led eight thousand troops and formed a formation in the south of Pinglu County, waiting for the Northern Shanxi Army to arrive.