Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 597 Wuchang Mansion, Weng's son-in-law talks
???? Summer has passed and autumn has come. In the blink of an eye, more than half of the three years of Longwu have passed.

Since the end of the Sichuan-Shu Battle and the Chu-Jiang War, the major disputes between the Ming and Qing Dynasties have temporarily ended.

After the Ming army repelled the Qing army, they did not immediately march east along the river. Instead, they stationed the army in Hubei, stockpiled supplies, and rested their troops.

In terms of combat, the Ming army basically followed the law of attacking in summer and defending in winter, so as to avoid fighting with the northern army when its combat power was strong. However, this summer, the Qing court used troops in both Sichuan, Shu, and Chu and Jiangxi. It is expected that this autumn and winter will not be able to organize large-scale war With the attack, the Ming Dynasty side can easily finish this autumn and winter.

At this time, the Ming army in Jiangxi retreated to Jiangxi for food. Jin Shenghuan garrisoned 3 people in Anqing, looking at the east of the river.

It can be foreseen that after the two major wars this summer, the Ming Dynasty has completely established its foothold, and the next strategy must be to rectify the region and plot Jiangnan.

In Wuchang City, half a month has passed since the war, but the collapsed city wall has not been repaired. The brigade of peasants and young men have been repatriated. Although it has been a month since the summer planting, they still return to their hometown to participate in the rush planting, or plant some vegetables to subsidize their families. Expect to be able to harvest somewhat, to avoid failure.

The Qing soldiers retreated, and every household in the city began to clean up the city after the war. Those houses that were demolished were rebuilt with the help of the government.

Just after dawn, Wang Yan rode a horse and under the strict guard of a hundred cavalry, entered Wuchang City and headed for Huguang Governor's Mansion.

Wang Yan was the governor of the five provinces at this time, and Huguang was within his control, so he was He Tengjiao's chief, but He Tengjiao did not greet him when he came to the Governor's Mansion.

Wang Yan knew that He Tengjiao liked to put on airs as an old father-in-law, so he didn't care. After entering the mansion, he paid homage to his wife and brother He Wenrui, and then was led into the living room. He was as energetic as he was, and there was a trace of tranquility on his body.

He Tengjiao didn't wear official robes, but was in casual clothes, sitting in the central hall. When he saw Wang Yan coming in, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he raised his spirits and said, "Shi Heng is here."

Seeing that he regarded himself as an elder, Wang Yan obviously hadn't fully recovered from the pain of bereavement, so he cupped his hands and said, "Taishan, brother Wen Rui served the country and became benevolent, it must be recorded in the history books, please mourn Taishan."

He Tengjiao looked at Wang Yan, "Sit Shiheng, I have something to tell you."

Wang Yan pulled down his robe and sat down on the seat. He Tengjiao straightened his body, and suddenly said seriously: "In this Chu-Jiang war, Jiangxi was the most brilliant all the way, defeating [-] Qing soldiers, and killing the Qing court Baylor Mandahai. And to relieve the siege of Wuchang, Jin Shenghuan, the admiral of Jiangxi's military affairs, may not be able to escape with the title of Duke."

"Jiangxi played really well this time." Wang Yan nodded.

He Tengjiao looked at him and saw that his expression was calm, with a hint of anxiety on his face, "Shi Heng doesn't have any thoughts about this?"

After Wang Yan heard this, the old man was worried about him, but his expression remained unchanged.

Although the Wuzhong Army is now the largest town in the Ming Dynasty, he really does not want to see other powers grow stronger. Jin Shenghuan and Zheng Chenggong are the targets of his restrictions, and even several towns under his command will be restricted in the future Otherwise, the problems of warlord separatism and feudal scourges still remain unresolved.

It's just that the contradictions between the Ming and Qing Dynasties are enough to suppress the internal contradictions of the Ming Dynasty. These warlord problems and the problem of the governor's enlargement have not erupted.

Emperor Longwu is also enduring now. If he really defeated the Manchu Qing, there would be bloody struggles within the Ming Dynasty, and Wang Yan also knew that he must be on the cusp.

If it was for his own selfishness, Wang Yan would naturally like to see the Ming Dynasty become more chaotic, and it would be better to instigate these feudal towns into chaos, and then let him come out to clean up the mess. The whole nation moved forward, but it was just setting up a stage and performing an old drama at the end of the Tang Dynasty and the end of the Han Dynasty. The nation did not move forward, the system did not break through, and the imperial power was not restricted. Barbarians transcend.

I have to say that Wang Yan has a deep plot of scholar-officials, who has a heart for the world and a life for the people~

Seeing that Wang Yan was silent, He Tengjiao continued: "Wan Ji is His Majesty's confidant. Jin Shenghuan has made great contributions, and His Majesty will support him. With such a strong vassal, it may not be easy for Shi Heng to control the court."

Wang Yan shook his head, "I know what Mount Tai means, but now is not the time. The south of the Yangtze River is uncertain, and civil strife must never happen. I think His Majesty knows this too."

He Tengjiao raised his brows when he heard what he said, "If we don't get rid of it at this time, when it grows bigger and has the emperor's support, what will Shi Heng do?"

In history, Nanming had many chances to come back, but at every critical moment, there would always be internal problems first, that is, the scale of internal fighting was not well grasped, and the political methods were too rigid, and all parties would not compromise.

It seems that He Tengjiao has a lot of heart for his son-in-law now.

If it was a few years ago, if He Tengjiao had discussed these rebellious words with Wang Yan, Wang Yan would probably have walked away, but now he took it for granted.

Wang Yan smiled, "If I fall, the next one will be Jin Shenghuan. The imperial power is for the benefit of the family, and the courtiers can be played around with the applause. If I want to change and benefit the world, I will naturally be prepared."

"How to say?" He Tengjiao asked.

Wang Yan pondered and said: "First, I am the governor of the five provinces, and half of the military power of the Ming Dynasty is in my hands. The generals and schools under my command are mainly the old men of Yangzhou and the old generals of the Shun Department. The Yangzhou Department is my confidant, and the old generals of the Shun Department If I am not afraid of being liquidated by the court in the future, I am undoubtedly their best protector. Second, the merchants in Guangnan have a close relationship with me. The Yangzhou firm has also developed, and the Wude firm owes the firms in Guangnan millions of dollars. The money will be completely tied to me. Third, the civil servants will not sit back and watch the imperial power dominate. I want to limit the imperial power and not harm their interests. As long as I do not seek rebellion, everything can be exchanged for benefits. There are three Point, His Majesty can't move me in a short time, even if he wants to support new forces to fight against me, as long as I hold on to the interests of maritime trade, the new forces can't bring benefits to supporters, how many people will root them? Moreover, King Gui is in my hands, His Majesty does not dare to tear his face away from me."

He Tengjiao thought about it for a while, and didn't say the first three points, but King Gui is indeed a big killer. He thought for a while and said: "Shiheng holds the Shibo Department in his hand and controls the maritime trade. Huguang has also benefited a lot in the past two years. , this benefit will inevitably be coveted, and the court still has to use its own people to rest assured."

Wang Yan nodded, "I know this, but I've been an official for less than five years, and most of them are in the army. Cooperate with civil servants. If Your Majesty intends to support Jin Shenghuan and Zheng Chenggong, in the near future, besides establishing the governorship of the five provinces, reforming and integrating the southwestern provinces, I will also consider bringing Wu Jinxi and Yan Qiheng into the cabinet."

He Tengjiao nodded, "Besides, Shi Heng defeated Wu Sangui in the Sichuan-Shu battle, took down the eastern and southern Sichuan prefectures, and made great contributions. In addition, he broke Zhangzhou and recovered half of Fujian. You are a county king. If you don’t fight, you are blocking the way of your generals. If Jin Shenghuan is made a duke, if you don’t make him a king, who would dare to accept the duke’s reward?"

(Thanks to fwx88, come to give me a smile, don’t be miserable, Yuedong Woxin’s reward, thank you for your poor roots, brother Kansai, book friend 2640, fwx88, hatuha)

(End of this chapter)