Han ride

Chapter 412 Yang Sichang's Ambition
"Seventy to eighty percent? It's okay." After hearing this, the eunuch nodded and said, "The godfather still asked our family to ask the adults, what else do you want? There are a few servants who came out of the palace with our family. We went to Datong and Yansui respectively."

Yang Sichang's eyes lit up when he heard the words, he knew what it meant for the servants to go to Datong and Yansui. Jiang Guan was stationed in Datong, and Hong Chengchou was stationed in Yansui. Obviously the imperial court had sent someone to inform them.

"The lower official wants to monopolize power." Yang Sichang thought for a while, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "Once the lower official's side is launched, the imperial court must know, and the lower official is worried that someone in the court will talk and privately communicate with Li Xin." I know that ordinary people in the imperial court and cabinet will not allow themselves to easily win, such as Li Xin's disclosure of information is one of them, and many people in the court oppose it, forcing Chongzhen to decree to dismiss him.You know, since the Song Dynasty, the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats have ruled the world together. Don't underestimate this "co-governance", which on the one hand shows the great power of these scholar-bureaucrats.

"Our family remembers." The eunuch nodded, but there was a trace of disdain on his face. To be honest, these eunuchs hate civil servants very much. Eunuchs and civil officials are life and death enemies. The two have been fighting for power for hundreds of years. Either the eunuchs have the upper hand, or the civil officials suppress the eunuchs and drive them out.What the civil officials can't forget is the eunuch's court staff, and the eunuchs can't forget that it is Liu Jin and others. Aren't these people just overwhelmed by the civil officials?When eunuchs gained power, these civil servants flattered one after another, such as Wei Zhongxian in the past, and Wang Chengen now. Some people have built a shrine for Wei Zhongxian.

"There is one more thing. I would like to invite Jiang Guan to come and discuss." Yang Sichang originally planned to let Hong Chengchou come and go, but when he thought that Hong Chengchou had higher qualifications than himself and was the governor of the three sides, if he came, Yang Sichang would really be happy. Not good command.At that moment, only Jiang Guan was invited to come.

"Of course it's fine." The eunuch nodded, since he wanted to deal with Li Xin, he should discuss it together.Although one is in Xuanfu and the other is in Datong, their goals are the same. As long as they win the battle, everything is easy to talk about.

"There is nothing to say about being an official in this way." Yang Sichang thought for a while and said.Fighting is nothing more than money and food. These two things are not important to Xuanfu and Datong.As an important border town, food and grass are given priority.

"My lord Yang, this time the emperor has made up his mind. The northern army is not so easy to deal with. Your lord should think twice. If you win, your lord can certainly rise to the top. If you fail?" The eunuch looked gloomy and died. Staring at Yang Sichang dead.

"The lower officials naturally know the stakes here." Yang Sichang nodded.He naturally knew that the reason why Emperor Chongzhen issued a secret decree was because of the pressure from the cabinet on the one hand, and the fear of failure on the other.Once it fails, it will be known to the world, and Li Xin will have an excuse to attack the hinterland of the Central Plains, but is the imperial court ready to break with Li Xin?Obviously not, even this time is an adventure, it doesn't matter if you win, if you fail, you will find a scapegoat to ease the relationship with Li Xin, and this scapegoat may be Yang Sichang.Emperor Chongzhen will use Yang Sichang's head to appease Li Xin's anger.It is also necessary to appease the anger of the civil and military officials of the imperial court.This battle is about Yang Sichang's wealth and life, he can only win but not lose.

"That's good." After hearing this, the eunuch nodded and bowed his hands to Yang Sichang.Said: "In this case, our family will return to Beijing and report to the emperor."

"Thank you, father-in-law." After Yang Sichang personally sent the eunuch out of the gate, he ordered Huang Degong to be called over.

"Not good, I forgot one thing." Yang Sichang was waiting for Huang Degong with a cup of tea, when he suddenly thought of something, he exclaimed in surprise.

"What did your lord forget?" At this time, Huang Degong strode in and said with a smile: "Xuanfu is indeed the place where the world's heroes are located. These guys can be elite after a little training."

These days, Huang Degong has been training the elite soldiers of the Xuanfu under the order of Yang Sichang. Although the Xuanfu has 10,000+ elite soldiers on the roster, after entering the barracks, a fierce general like Huang Degong relies on Yang Sichang to eliminate the old and the weak at once. All the loyalists were wiped out, and then the elite were recruited from the people, and one hundred thousand elite soldiers were obtained at once. Xuanfu was close to the frontier, so many people were brave.

"Hey, I just forgot to ask the imperial court for Datong's cavalry." Yang Sichang ignored Huang Degong, and just sighed: "The conquest of the grassland requires cavalry. Although there are some cavalry in Xuanfu, they are only more than ten thousand. The elite soldiers come from Datong, and half of the troops in Datong are cavalry, at least there are [-] elite cavalry, if this cavalry is in my hands, it will be enough to sweep across the desert and reach the clouds."

"If my lord wants it, with Shangfang's sword, can Jiang Yu still give it to me?" Huang Degong said disdainfully.

"It's not that simple." Yang Sichang shook his head, he didn't think Jiang Yu would easily hand over the [-] elite cavalry to him.Fifty thousand elite cavalry is not five thousand elite cavalry.He thought about it in his heart, maybe he would have to go to Datong in person to meet this Jiang Tuan.

"Is it possible for the elite of Xuanfu to go to war?" Yang Sichang suddenly thought of something, and asked Huang Degong.

"My lord, don't worry, the elite soldiers of the Xuan Mansion will definitely kill the generals and capture the flag for your lord this time." Huang Degong stood up and said loudly.

"It's so good." Yang Sichang sighed deeply: "The emperor gave me a secret decree this time, and he supported me in winning this battle against the pressure of the civil and military forces of the Manchu dynasty. The sword with a handle hangs above the head of the capital, and it will fall down at any time. Look, the Great Wall is at the head of the dragon. With millions of taels of silver, the imperial court itself could not bear the burden. Look at the Xuanfu, Datong, and Sanbian areas. Li Xin has many soldiers and horses. He is ambitious and can go south to the Central Plains at any time. Thousands of elite soldiers are placed in the northern border, if these hundreds of thousands of elites are pulled to the Central Plains, then the rebellion in the Central Plains will be wiped out by the imperial court long ago, and the country will be peaceful and the people will be safe, and Haiyan and Heqing will be a matter of time."

Huang Degong thought for a while, and couldn't help opening his mouth and said: "The final general thinks that the Zhengbei Army will not go south in a short time. Otherwise, if the Zhengbei Army wants to go south, I'm afraid it will be done long ago, and it won't wait until now."

"Hmph, Hushan, you underestimate Li Xin too much. Don't forget that if he doesn't do anything now, it doesn't mean that he won't do anything in the future. We are taking precautions. Li Xin will turn against him sooner or later. , Your Majesty asked me to do it, but also to destroy it in its infancy." Yang Sichang said slightly dissatisfied.

"The general understands." Huang Degong reprimanded Yang Sichang angrily, his face turning red.

"Hey! Hushan! There is nothing I can do about it! The situation in the court is corrupt, and the court is full of treacherous villains like Wen Tiren, who are messing up the court. Look, the people are living in dire straits. If we don't clean up the world as soon as possible, how will we face it? The trust of the emperor?" Yang Sichang sighed.

"Your Excellency, Gao Yi, the general understands." Huang Degong said in a low voice quickly.

"Well, these days, you sit in the Xuanfu, and I want to go to Datong in person." Yang Sichang originally planned to use Shangfang's sword to summon Jiang Yan to the Xuanfu, but when he thought that he would also take [-] cavalry from Jiang Guan , decided to go there by himself.

"My lord, it's snowing now, let's wait until the snow stops!" Huang Degong looked outside. It was already December in the sixth year of Chongzhen, and heavy snow had hit the entire north. Although there were not many roads from Xuanfu to Datong, the road It's hard to go, Huang Degong is still a little worried.

"The matter is urgent. After the heavy snow stops next year, I will use troops against Yunzhong. I must discuss some specific measures with Jiang Yu. This is not only a matter of cavalry, but also a matter of Datong's defense. Although Jiang Guan is fighting I have some skills, but I'm still a little short of facing a famous general like Li Xin." Yang Sichang shook his head and said to Huang Degong: "So I have to go in person. You must make no mistakes in rectifying the troops in the Xuanfu."

"The last general understands." Seeing that Yang Sichang had made up his mind, Huang Degong stopped talking immediately, and said immediately: "My lord, the road to Datong is not very peaceful now. The last general has found a strong general in the army recently, it is better to let him The guards are left and right."

"Oh, what's this person's name?" Yang Sichang asked, his eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he nodded with a smile.

"Wang Dou is very brave. In terms of martial arts, even the last general is no match for him." Huang Degong blushed a little, and said: "The last general has fought against him before. His divine arrows can hit every target within a hundred steps. This person is enough to protect your lord."

"So powerful?" Yang Sichang was just asking casually at first, but he never expected that this person named Wang Dou would be so valued by Huang Degong.

"You can take a look if you don't believe me." Huang Degong said, patting his chest.

"Such a warrior shouldn't be my bodyguard." Yang Sichang thought for a while and said, "Forget it, let's protect me for the time being. When we return from Datong, let him be your deputy. Such a strong general should lead elite soldiers and strong generals. Charge into the battle, Li Xin's army is like a cloud of fierce generals, we just need such a general, charge into the battle for us, and serve the country."

"Your Excellency is very true." Huang Degong nodded. He didn't feel at all that if there was one more Wang Dou, his power would be divided. The generals were cleaned up, and many generals had already had close contacts with the Hou family and were transferred away. Although most of the army was promoted by Huang Degong, the lack of generals in the army is an indisputable fact.Huang Degong wished that more generals would come to help him, and now that there is one more Wang Dou, it is too late for him to be happy!How could he object, what's more, it was Yang Sichang who said it, so he would not object.

In the mansion of General Shuo in Datong Town, the three brothers Jiang Yu, Jiang Rang, and Jiang Xuan sat together again. In a few days, it will be New Year's Eve. The Jiang brothers will gather here to worship their ancestors, and the plans of the three Jiang brothers are already ready. .

"Big Brother, Third Younger Brother, the Emperor has agreed with us to deal with Li Xinbing, and the secret decree arrived yesterday." The three Jiang Guan brothers sat together, and Jiang Guan said with a smile.

"Secret decree?" Jiang Rang frowned when he heard the words, and said, "Since it is against Li Xinbing, why use the secret decree?" He knows a lot more than Jiang Guan.

"Li Xin hasn't rebelled yet. All the ministers in the court are opposed to Li Xinbing. The emperor can only make a decree, and this matter is to plot against Li Xin. Naturally, Li Xin cannot know the news. , In this way, the secret decree will be used." Jiang Guan said nonchalantly, "Why does elder brother think there is a problem here?"

"Of course there is a problem. If we win this battle, our three brothers will naturally be prosperous and rich. But if we fail, then our three brothers will be in trouble. In order to calm the civil and military dissatisfaction of the Manchu Dynasty, the emperor must find someone to take the blame , Hong Chengchou is very scheming, and he is also the governor of the three sides of the court. He has made great contributions. If he fails, the emperor will not trouble him. There are only us three brothers, and we have no backing in the court. If we fail, the emperor will be able to put all the responsibility on us, saying that we provoked border disputes and framed loyal ministers. At that time, we will only fall The fate of a family ransacked and exterminated."

"He dares." After Jiang Xuan heard this, his complexion changed drastically, he stood up, and said loudly: "My Jiang family has been a general for generations and has been loyal to the imperial court for more than a hundred years. How can the emperor kill me at will? When it really comes to that time, we simply dedicate Datong to Li Xin, and see what he can do against us?" Jiang Xuan's situation is actually the most practical situation of future Ming Dynasty generals, such as Zuo Liangyu's The military discipline is very poor, and it is not inferior to those bandits. Wherever they go, they burn, kill and loot, and the people are full of resentment, but the court dare not do anything to him because he has soldiers in his hands.At that time, Zuo Liangyu had only 2 or 10,000 people in his hands, and the court could not do anything to him. What's more, now that the Jiang brothers have [-]+ troops in their hands, the court will not do anything to him.

"This is only when it is absolutely necessary." Jiang Guan waved his hand, and said indifferently: "This time the three armies attack Yunzhong together, as long as Li Xin is trapped in the mouth of Shahu, Li Xin will be unable to fly. Those people under him The dragons have no leader, so how can we deal with our three-way army attacking together." Jiang Tuan is still very sure, Datong is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is almost impossible for Li Xin to capture Datong.He believed that this time the imperial court's three armies attacked together, which was enough to destroy Li Xin.As long as Li Xin is eliminated, it will be rich and prosperous. As for failure, he really has not considered it.

"General, Lord Xuanfu Yang Sichang is here."

At this time, outside the study, a family member reported loudly, causing the three brothers to change their expressions and look at each other.Apparently, he didn't expect Yang Sichang to come here in the snow at this time. You must know that it will be a new year in a few days.Is there something important that this Yang Sichang can't accomplish?
"Since Mr. Yang is here, we can't be rude. He holds the title of Minister of the Ministry of War and holds the sword of Shangfang. He is the favorite of the emperor. This person can't be neglected, otherwise, he will be the second Mao Wenlong again." Jiang Rang pondered. Said after a while.Obviously, the fact that Yuan Chonghuan beheaded Mao Wenlong with Shang Fang's sword made these generals cautious. Even if Yuan Chonghuan was unlucky later, but this person was killed, what else is there to say!
"Lord Yang, you have come from a long way, and you have lost a long way to welcome you. I hope you will forgive me." Thinking of this, the three brothers rushed out to greet him, and saw Yang Sichang standing on a horse in a straw raincoat in a snowy day outside the door of the ceremony, They were waiting for the three of them, and to the surprise of the three brothers, beside Yang Sichang, there was a big man holding a sword in both hands. The golden tassel moved with the wind, and there was a golden dragon on the scabbard. It was Shang Fang. sword.The three brothers felt a cold war in their hearts, and hurried forward a few more steps.

"There are three friends." Yang Sichang saw the faces of the three of them, and sneered in his heart, as it should be when dealing with these Qiu Ba.He had known for a long time that these Qiu Ba were not easy to talk to, so he not only brought a fierce general like Wang Dou, but also brought Shang Fang's sword, just to frighten these three guys.He cupped his hands and said: "The matter is of great importance, and I can only come here in person. If there is any disturbance, please don't blame the three generals."

After hearing this, the three of Jiang Yu felt a burst of disdain in their hearts. This guy holds Shangfang's sword in his hand. Even if he enters the palace, those big Han generals will stop him. With this thing, the world is so big that he can't go anywhere. , Don’t you just come and leave whenever you want?The brave general next to him also seemed to have undeserved courage, which is not something ordinary people can resist. This Yang Sichang also seemed to be a hypocrite.When the three brothers thought of this, they didn't dare to neglect.Respectfully welcomed Yang Sichang in, and ordered the people to prepare tea, seasonal melons and fruits, etc., it was like treating Yang Sichang like an angel, which made Yang Sichang feel much happier, and he was full of confidence in his own requirements .

Yang Sichang knew that as long as he got the [-] cavalry in Datong, his chances of defeating Li Xin would be much greater. As long as he defeated Li Xin, he would soon be admitted to the center.At that time, the so-called Wen Tiren and so on, I am afraid that they will no longer have an excuse to talk about themselves.

(End of this chapter)