Daming wolf ride

"What do you think of the Liao pay?"

Facing his chief assistant, Chongzhen got to the point directly without beating around the bush.

"The rebellion of the Henan bandits is an urgent situation. If you are fighting outside, you must first secure the inside. When you destroy the slaves, you must first destroy the bandits. Allocate Liao's salary to calm the internal bandits. It is imperative. Both inside and outside the government know that this is a last resort, so all the ministers disagree. .”

Zhou Yanru's words were half-truth and half-false. The government and the public knew that dividing the Liao's salary to balance the civil strife was a last resort, but they didn't have any objections.Not to mention anything else, let’s say that these days, the supervisory officials of science and Taoism have made no less than thirty memorials, all of which demanded that the imperial court not pay Liao’s salary, but with one exception, these memorials were all suppressed by Zhou Yanru’s instruction to the Secretary of the General Administration .Even if some of them entered Da Nei, they were deliberately ignored by Chongzhen himself.

"I was also forced to use this bad strategy. When the news of Henan's success comes, it is better to use Liao's salary exclusively."

Chongzhen sighed, if he had money, why would he bother to tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall.With a wry smile, he suddenly took a few steps forward, lowered his voice and said to Zhou Yanru: "If I send the Liao army into the customs to calm the chaos, does the chief assistant think it is feasible?"

"This"

Zhou Yanru pondered for a while, nodded and said: "The country is full of troubles today. It is necessary to secure the interior and fight against the outside world. The bandits and the Eastern captives are the country's confidantes. However, this is a precarious plan. The two cannot use troops at the same time. One must choose one to deal with it with all one's strength. However, the country has used troops over the years, and its vitality has been greatly damaged. If the victory is certain, it is better to hold back and not send."

After Zhou Yanru finished speaking, Chongzhen didn't understand. Did the chief assistant agree to transfer the Liao army to enter the customs, or did he not agree?

He is still young and has a quick temper, so he glanced at Zhou Yanru with some displeasure, and said in a muffled voice: "Shoufu might as well explain it more clearly. I also know that making soldiers weak and strong against the enemy will not only damage the vitality of the country , but although I can't bear it in my heart, I can't bear to see my ancestors' foundation destroyed by my hands. There are only me and the first assistant here. I humbly ask for advice, and I hope the first assistant can tell you sincerely."

Chongzhen spoke like this, Zhou Yanru knew that this test could not be avoided, he glanced sideways behind the screen, turned his head, and finally said: "The emperor is the king of Yao and Shun, benevolence is surrounded by grass and trees, and love for soldiers is like a child. In terms of today's situation, it is difficult to suppress the bandits internally and fight against the Eastern captives abroad, both in terms of military strength and financial resources. In terms of the current situation, the Eastern captives suffered a defeat in Jinzhou, and in the short term they will be determined to commit crimes in the south. , but looking at our side, it was also a tragic victory. Zu Dashou's Liao army was wiped out, and the soldiers of Guanmen and Jizhen were buried in Xiaolinghe and Ningjin. The number of soldiers I can use is less than [-], and the soldiers are exhausted. General Lao, if he rashly draws troops into the pass, Ning Jin will be left with an empty city. If the Eastern Captives find out the truth, and the soldiers press down on the border, I am afraid." Having said this, Zhou Yanru didn't say any more, but looked at Chongzhen worriedly.

"According to what Shoufu said, Liao soldiers are not allowed to enter the customs?" Zhou Yanru's words made Chongzhen a little disappointed, but he also knew that Zhou Yanru was telling the truth. The victory in Jinzhou was indeed a tragic victory. Although Donglu's vitality was seriously injured, Daming was also struggling, and he couldn't struggle at all.

"It's not that you can't draw Liao soldiers, if so" Zhou Yanru hesitated in his heart, but seeing that the emperor was distressed by the army to put down the chaos, thinking that if his advocacy can be successful, it will relieve the king's great worries and fix the country's future, so he couldn't help but muster up the courage to say : "If the peace negotiation can be successful, it is also fine to adjust the Liao army to enter the customs."

"Negotiate peace?" Chongzhen was taken aback, and looked at Zhou Yanru with wide eyes.

Zhao Quan was also taken aback, and stared blankly at Zhou Yanru with his mouth wide open.Behind the screen, there was a figure trembling slightly, but it calmed down soon.

Zhou Yanru was very calm, facing Chongzhen's gaze without any trace of shame or embarrassment.

After a while, Chongzhen quietly said: "If there is a peace negotiation, does the foreign court have any objections?"

Zhou Yanru said frankly: "What this minister thinks in private is known to others outside the court."

After hearing Zhou Yanru's answer, Chongzhen was a little relieved. He had indeed thought about the matter of negotiating peace with Jiannu. Last year, Zhang Chun, the young minister of the Taipu Temple, gave him a lecture, and he mentioned all the benefits of negotiating peace. When I saw it, I was quite moved.

However, the Donglu army is strong and the Ming army is weak, one side is on the offensive and the other side is on the defensive, and the Ming army will lose every battle, and the Jin army is arrogant, so there is no way out for peace talks.In addition, the civil unrest in the northwest had not yet spread, so the whole court did not think about negotiating peace with the eastern captives, but instead tried their best to fight.

The situation is the same as when Yingzong was captured and the government and the opposition were still fighting.Since the founding of the country by Taizu, for 200 years, it seems that the emperor guards the gate of the country and the king dies in the country, which seems to have become a national rule.For foreign nationalities, the war will be fought to the end, and if there is no friendship or negotiation, the whole court will be proud of the main battle.Under this general trend, Chongzhen did not dare to risk the world's disgrace and open the door to negotiate peace with the Eastern Captives.

However, no one expected that the civil unrest in the Northwest would spread in just two years, and the rebellion would spread to the Central Plains, shaking the foundation of the country.Coupled with the fact that the eastern captives entered Kouguan two years ago and the capital fell, after Jiannu left the customs, what was left to Chongzhen was a pile of rotten messes that couldn't be more rotten.

Under internal and external difficulties, Chongzhen's mind also began to waver. He felt that if he could negotiate a peace with the Donglu, and then concentrate on suppressing the rebellion, it seemed that it was not a road that could not be taken.

But, can Donglu negotiate peace with me? [

For some reason, Yuan Chonghuan, who was killed by him two years ago, suddenly appeared in Chongzhen's mind. Wasn't Yuan Chonghuan beheaded by himself because he negotiated peace with Donglu in private?

Now I want to negotiate peace with Donglu, will Donglu agree?

"Is Donglu willing to negotiate peace with me?" Chongzhen was a little worried.

Zhou Yanru said very affirmatively: "When Yuan Chonghuan was there, there were rumors that Donglu wanted to negotiate peace with me. It can be seen that Donglu has always wanted to negotiate peace with me. Today, I think that Donglu must be more My Ming Dynasty is still eager to negotiate a peace!"

Chongzhen opened his mouth slightly: "Why is the chief assistant so sure?"

Zhou Yanru said: "The Eastern captives are barbarians from outside the country. Their actions are suspicious of the robbers, and they have no ambitions. When the soldiers are strong and the horses are strong, the robbers will naturally behave and greedy. In the past, I fought against him many times in the Ming Dynasty, but his heart must be big, and he wants more. Many. However, during the Battle of Jinzhou, the Eastern Captives suffered heavy losses. I have already learned how powerful the Ming Dynasty is, so how dare I dare to be brave again. In addition, the rain outside the customs has not been regulated in the past two years, and the products have not been abundant. Therefore, I think that negotiating peace is good for me, and it is good for him. Whether it is the captives or not, they are all on the verge of attacking, and they have no choice but to attack. If the fight continues, both sides will suffer."

After Chongzhen heard this, he also thought it was true, but he still wondered: "If we really want to negotiate a peace, wouldn't I become a partial Zhao Gou, leaving behind eternal infamy?"

Seeing that the emperor was tempted by peace, but only worried about infamy, Zhou Yanru hurriedly said generously: "Since ancient times, there has been no one who has won the victory from the outside without continuous internal strife. Therefore, if you want to fight against the outside world, you must first settle down at home. This must be true. The current situation of the country Although the situation is extremely critical, it is not comparable to the situation of partial security in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Although the eastern captives repeatedly invaded and harassed Jifu, from Liaohai in the east to Datong in the west, the important town of Xiongguan is all in my hands.Therefore, for the sake of the country, it is better to impose restraint on the eastern captives, delay the time, and wipe out the thieves in Guanzhong internally, and then force the thieves to bow their heads; Difficult to eradicate.

Once the country's internal worries are concerned, the emperor can organize the army to attack the eastern captives, and use today's shame to eliminate the border troubles forever. contend! "

Hearing this, Chongzhen was a little excited and said: "I also know that if I want to fight against the outside world, I must first settle down inside. Well, although negotiating a peace will leave me with a bad name, it will benefit the country a lot. If it is true as the first assistant said, then I will In the future, he will personally lead the army to go out to conquer the slaves!"

Zhou Yanru hurriedly knelt down and said, "The emperor is wise!"

However, Chongzhen was still a little worried, and whispered to Zhou Yanru: "This matter must be carried out quickly, and the officials of the outer court must not be known. If the close discussion is not completed, it will be discussed first."

Zhou Yanru hurriedly agreed: "I know."

"If the care is successful, the country will be able to take care of its worries. I can immediately dispatch the Liao army and the Xuanda force outside the customs to suppress the bandits with all my strength and calm down the civil strife."

Thinking of the benefits brought to him and the country by the successful negotiation, Chongzhen couldn't help but feel turbulent, unable to calm down for a long time.

Zhou Yanru was also smug and full of ambition, with a smile on his face.

The two monarchs and ministers looked at each other happily, Xu felt the joy in the emperor's heart at this time, and even Zhao Quan smiled tactfully and looked at him foolishly.

After a while, Chongzhen thought of an imminent event, that is, Gao Qiqian's transfer of Liao soldiers into the pass.

Although negotiating peace is good, it will take time, but the hole thief did not give Daming time.If the Liao soldiers could not be transferred into the customs as soon as possible, the rebellion of the Kong bandits would be the same as the civil rebellion in the Northwest, and it would become a prairie fire, and it would be out of control.

"The matter of the peace negotiation, the chief assistant must do it as soon as possible. But right now I am in a hurry to transfer the Liao soldiers into the pass. The first assistant should know that Zhu Dadian's Beijing camp has been defeated, and the Kong bandits have gone to Qingzhou. Go to Pingding, I'm just afraid that Shandong and Denglai will be poisoned by Kong thief." Chongzhen's tone was a little anxious.

No, Zhou Yanru didn't show any embarrassment at this time, and didn't say any empty words, but said with confidence: "As far as I know, Kong's bandits are only two or three thousand Liao soldiers, and the rest are mostly coerced people. Vulnerable. Your Majesty doesn't have to worry about Kong's rebellion at all, and he has a ready-made army to solve the urgent need." [

"Oh? What is Shoufu referring to?" Chongzhen was a little confused, not knowing which army Zhou Yanru was referring to.

Zhou Yanru said with a smile: "Has the emperor forgotten the soldiers and horses who won the victory in Jinzhou? They are in Tongzhou."