unclear

Chapter 193 Give up 2
"Master Weng, don't be alarmist. Our ancestors didn't want to see the imperial court so weak. If Emperor Taizu was still alive, I'm afraid not many of you here would be able to save their heads.

Now and then, as an important minister of the imperial court, his words and deeds determine the life and death of the country. How can he be so emotional?The more critical the situation is, the more it is necessary to assess the situation and weigh the pros and cons.A single thought will not only determine the authority of me and you, but also the life and death of millions of people!
Taking big steps back at this time is not shrinking, but taking big steps forward for the future.If you want to hurt someone, you have to take your fist back first, and then punch out with enough strength to be effective.

If we stick to Liaodong and do not retreat, once the war goes against us, the area from Yongping Mansion to Suzhou Guard may be invaded by the Northern Bandits at any time.By then it will be difficult to take care of the beginning and the end, and the situation will be even worse.Don't forget that we are not only facing the Jianlu in the east, but also the Mongolian tribes in the north who are eyeing us.

There is another thing I didn’t mention. Although it is not as big a threat as Beilu and Jianlu for the time being, it looks more troublesome in the long run.You guys should have heard of the Hongmao Fan. They come from the same place as the Folangji people in the far west, but their behavior is different, more vicious and unreasonable.

In the past two years, the Hong Mao Fan has occupied Coconut City in Java, Nanyang, built a fortress to gather ships, and will soon move eastward to reach the Ming Dynasty.By then, the coasts of Guangdong and Fujian will also become battlefields, and they will be surrounded by enemies from both sides. What’s the explanation? "

For a relatively pure scholar like Weng Zhengchun, Hong Tao neither likes nor dislikes him. He is quite polite when speaking and tries to be reasonable when possible.

They are relatively stubborn, do not know how to adapt, and are less willing to accept new things. They always believe that China is the center of world civilization and that all foreign ethnic groups are barbaric and vulgar heretics. They are both disdainful and fearful, and are very contradictory.

At the same time, their ethics are higher than many officials, and they are persistent in their ideals and beliefs. They really have the ruthlessness to sacrifice their lives for charity, which is at least better than the hypocrites who say one thing and do another.

How should I put it, just like Song Huizong, if he was not an emperor and only became a painter or calligrapher, he should be able to leave his name in history.It would be more appropriate for Weng Zhengchun to engage in cultural education rather than be an assistant minister.Generally speaking, people are not classified as trash or good or bad, it just depends on their position.

"Why did the Hong Mao Fans invade our Ming Dynasty?" Weng Zhengchun was confused when he was asked. Bei Lu and Jian Lu had already emptied their memory. He knew very little about the Hong Mao Fans who were far away in Nanyang, and he didn't understand why. Come all the way here to provoke.

"The northern invaders invaded the south, the built-up captives advanced westward, and the western invaders came eastward all because of one word, money! Compared with their country, the Ming Dynasty was rich in products but weak and could be bullied. As long as the soldiers and armor were sharp, they could get something for nothing. It was the best choice for bandits. .”

It was really pedantic. As a top official of such a huge empire, he could ask such idiotic questions and ask for advice in a serious manner, which made Hong Tao lose his temper.Long hair and short knowledge may not only be said about women.As long as you open one eye and take a look at the outside world, you won't be so ignorant and fearless.

"Your Majesty, if we abandon Liaodong and the soldiers can withdraw to the pass, what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of Han people?"

With Weng Zhengchun's objection, the others finally got enough time to think.Sun Wei, Minister of the Ministry of War, did not seem to agree with giving up Liaodong, but he was unable to refute several key questions raised by the emperor, so he could only choose to save the country by taking advantage of the people of Liaodong.

"The folk customs in Liaodong are different from those in the pass. They are half Han and half barbarians. If they are driven away by force, they will be resented, which is not good. Order the local defenders to post notices as soon as possible to explain the reasons. It is up to them to decide where to go."

Speaking of the people of Liaodong, Hong Tao became even more irritated. The country was clearly under his rule, but he could not know the exact population, or even estimate it roughly.Due to the ancestral motto of never starting a college in the early Ming Dynasty, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty had little interest in the census, or simply did not do it.The situation in Liaodong is more complicated. Various ethnic groups live together. There are Han military households, Korean refugees, and Mongolian and Jurchen tribes. Only military households can give a population number, but it is still very inaccurate.

The military households are deserted, their names are false, and their pay is emptied. The generals' private soldiers are not registered. There is no chief envoy specifically responsible for civil affairs. Some say it is in the millions, some say it is hundreds of thousands, and some say it is better. Several million, the gap is too big to judge.

What's even more troublesome is that the Han people in Liaodong have already taken root in the country and are unwilling to enter the customs as long as they can survive.If the army were to forcibly drive them away, countless people would die along the way, which would be a complete human tragedy.

Even if you take the person back to the pass, you will not get any gratitude. Instead, you will hate the court even more.What kind of country or nation is a fantasy to the people of this era?Wherever you can survive and live comfortably, that's home.Whoever can oppress less and save more food will be the emperor.

Instead of having to do something thankless, let it happen naturally.The imperial court, which was happy to enter the customs, paid part of the costs and could provide work but not much land.If you are not willing to move, don't force it. If you stay and live a good life, there will definitely be a day when you can integrate into the big family. Then it will not be too late to continue to be a citizen of the Ming Dynasty.

As for whether it will become a catalyst for the rise of the Jurchens, of course it will. People are the most precious resource at all times.With these hundreds of thousands or millions of people, the Jianzhou Jurchen Society suddenly became powerful.

But Hong Tao is not worried. Even if it is given a population of [-] million, it will not be able to turn it into a national power immediately. Especially in the farming era, it will take at least a year of work to achieve harvest.Crops have a growing period. Without food, the more people there are, the faster they will die.

As long as he is around, it is almost impossible for the Jianzhou Jurchens to cultivate the land and develop explosive troops. It is useless to block Shanhaiguan. Nurhachi probably does not know about landing operations.

Seeing the emperor's calm and fluent answers, everyone felt like they were in a clear mirror.Obviously, the suggestion to abandon Liaodong was by no means a sudden inspiration, but had been premeditated and planned very carefully.Everything just mentioned, including the objective benefits surrendered, are all part of the conspiracy.

Object it, the emperor has made it clear the pros and cons, and you won't be able to find a strong reason for a while.Agree, I lost a large area of ​​land and hundreds of thousands of people for nothing, and I feel uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, I have something I don't know whether to say or not..." Just when the courtiers were all hesitant and the emperor had the upper hand, cabinet scholar Shen Li stepped forward again.

"Shen Ge always speaks frankly. We are here to discuss state affairs, not to argue about personal merits."

(End of this chapter)