The governor of Liaodong is different from others, this position is the most important, because this position holds the military and political power outside the pass.
Especially in this extraordinary period, those who can serve as governor must have certain military knowledge and military strategies.
The ministers all knew how much the emperor trusted Xiong Tingbi, so the most suitable candidate, Wang Huazhen, was naturally passed over by them and they would not consider it.
"Your Majesty, might Sun Chengzong take on this important task?"
Although Wang Xiangqian had no favorable impression of the Donglin Party members, he had a fairly good relationship with Sun Chengzong, and he also knew Sun Chengzong to some extent.
Zhu Youxiao knew that Sun Chengzong would definitely be recommended because his reputation was too high. In this era, reputation is more important than strength.
Those scholars who talk about government affairs and criticize the imperial court all day long are just trying to improve their reputation. As long as you have enough reputation, you don't even have to be a Jinshi, and someone will naturally recommend you to become an official.
"Although Sun Chengzong is talented, I'm afraid he won't be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of governor of Liaodong. I have also read some of his memorials and essays, but they are nothing more than rhetoric and not practical at all!"
"And his ideas are too ideal, he can't go to Liaodong!"
Zhu Youxiao was not interested in this historical imperial master. People in later generations were saying how great Sun Chengzong was, and how he made so-called major contributions to the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty that lasted for many years.
In fact, it was because of him that Daming, who was already on the edge of the swamp, fell directly into it and was unable to save himself.
His strategy and philosophy towards the Liao affairs were exactly the opposite of Xiong Tingbi's. Xiong Tingbi knew that the Liao affairs had become difficult to recover and the Liao army could not be used for much purpose, so he always used the army to aid the Liao as the main force.
For this reason, he reported to the emperor more than once, requesting that other frontier troops and troops from inside the pass be dispatched to the outside of the pass to prepare for the military. This is how the Baigan soldiers, Zhejiang soldiers, and northwest soldiers were transferred.
Facts have proved that Xiong Tingbi's views and actions are correct. The Liao army is rotten from top to bottom. It will be impossible to change it for a while and can only rely on external forces.
Sun Chengzong's strategic policy was to use the Liao people to defend the Liao land and use the Liao land to support the Liao people. This strategy of his was extremely fatal and can be said to be the root cause.
At that time, Sun Chengzong was the emperor's advisor and the emperor's most trusted minister. Naturally, the emperor was always right.
As a result, the famous Guanningjin Defense Line was formed, and the generals in Liaodong also completed major changes. They transformed from a smuggling group into a real warlord group.
The troops coming from the pass are squeezed out by these local generals and powerful families. If they only deduct a little military power, then you can go home and burn incense and worship Buddha.
Sun Chengzong even helped them get what they had dreamed of for decades, which was a large number of military personnel from the imperial court.
Since the establishment of the Guanning Jin Defense Line and the Guanning Army, half of the money and food in the national treasury has been thrown into this bottomless pit. In addition to this money and food, there are also millions of taels of Liao Xiang every year, all of which are also invested in it.
Zhu Youxiao read a book before he traveled through time. From the forty-eighth year of Wanli to the end of the seventh year of Tianqi, the military expenditure in Liaodong was as high as more than 60 million taels of silver. From this, it can be seen that the imperial court's annual military expenditure in Liaodong At least seven million taels of silver were invested in it.
However, even with such a huge amount of military expenditure, after it was distributed, not even a trace of it was seen, as if it did not exist. The soldiers at the bottom still did not have enough to eat or clothing to keep warm.
When Yuan Chonghuan was appointed as the governor, there was a mutiny in Ningyuan City caused by Xiangyin. There are very few records of this mutiny because it was quickly suppressed and it did not cause any major impact in the end. However, the scale was not large.
Small.
The troops dispatched from Sichuan, Huguang and other places to aid Liao surrounded the officials and generals in the city, claiming that if they did not reissue their five-month debt, they would die with them.
These officials and military generals were finally frightened when they saw these mud-legged people who were ready to fight. They spread their troops to every house in the city and hurriedly made up for the military damage they had done for half a year.
Not long after, there was no news about these noisy sergeants. Their report to the court was that they fought with Jiannu and the whole army was annihilated.
In order to gain military reputation from the imperial court, they had done all kinds of tricks before, such as raising the bandits to respect themselves, expanding the army, falsely registering quotas, etc.
The Guan Ning Army, this incompetent army, has become the number one ace army of the Ming Dynasty in the mouths of some people, and has become an important military force to resist the establishment of slaves. It is simply making the world laugh.
Yuan Chonghuan, who was brought out by Sun Chengzong, was even more praised and became the most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty, even more powerful than Xu Da and Yu Qian. He even made a statement that Yuan Chonghuan would not be able to enter the Qing Dynasty until he died.
He almost vomited when he heard this kind of words. He had to lament that some people were good at writing. They were very successful in distorting facts and tampering with history. They were the best in ancient and modern times and were exemplary. Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms did not do this.
He is so successful.
After Zhu Youxiao rejected Sun Chengzong, several ministers recommended three people in succession, all of whom were extremely famous and knowledgeable in military affairs.
But none of them were the candidates in his mind, so in the end he still chose them.
None of the recommended people could meet His Majesty's discernment, which really made things difficult for them. Although there were many such people who were capable of both literary and military work, there were only a few that were suitable.
Seeing that they were starting to get into trouble, Zhu Youxiao was too lazy to show off and said bluntly:
"I wonder if any of my dear friends know about Hong Chengchou?"
Xue Zhen, the Minister of Punishment, immediately stepped forward and said:
"Could it be that His Majesty wants Hong Chengchou to serve as governor of Liaodong?"
He was very familiar with Hong Chengchou, because he was an official of the Ministry of Punishment and was under his jurisdiction.
Zhu Youxiao smiled and said:
"What? Does Da Sikou think there is something wrong?"
Xue Zhen immediately replied:
"Your Majesty, I feel that something is wrong. Hong Chengchou is just a doctor now, and he is still young. How can he shoulder such a heavy responsibility? What should I do if I miss a major border defense event?"
"It seems that the chief minister doesn't know his subordinates very well. As far as I know, this Hong Chengchou has a great talent, and he is much better than those so-called military ministers!"
All the ministers deeply admired the emperor's vision and courage. The only thing that puzzled them was, could Hong Chengchou really be so capable?
"Your Majesty, this Hong Chengchou is too young, and his qualifications are not enough. He was only a Jinshi for the 44th year of Wanli, and he has been an official for less than five years!"
As the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Shaowei is familiar with these Jinshi who are serving officials. After all, there are only more than a hundred Jinshi in two years, and only a few of them can stand out.