Chapter 308: Yuan Chonghuan's vitality

With Xu Chunyang's death, the Battle of Jiuyuan Mountain finally came to an end. In this battle, Zhang Cunmeng's troops were almost defeated, with more than half of the casualties and countless surrenderers. If Zhang Cunmeng hadn't reacted quickly enough and forcibly broke through, it is estimated that this army behind the palace would have been completely annihilated.

Switching to Jiuyuan Mountain, it cannot be said that Zhang Cunmeng made any mistakes. Even if he continued to attack Yicheng and assault Zhou Dingshan's tired army according to the original plan, he might not be able to get benefits. The most important thing is that Zhou Dingshan only needs to retreat to Yicheng and rest for half a day, and he can still rely on the mobility of the cavalry to entangle Zhang Cunmeng's army. In the plains, being bitten by an elite cavalry will only end up worse than in Jiuyuan Mountain.

The road of Jiuyuan Mountain made Zhang Cunmeng pay a heavy price, but in comparison, this kind of loss is already the most cost-effective.

This battle also once again refreshed the peasant army's perception of the Xuanfu border army. Since then, Wang Ziyong's subordinates really have no intention of confronting the Xuanfu border army head-on. Especially Zhang Cunmeng, after repeated vicious battles, there was no chance of winning, and his confidence was directly lost.

After the end of the First Battle of Jiuyuan Mountain, Tiemo ordered all his troops to enter Pingyang Mansion to rest, leaving only Zhou Dingshan's troops to follow the remnants of Zhang Cunmeng, and did not launch a strong attack on Shaanzhou. In this way, Zhang Cunmeng withdrew to Shaanzhou and crossed the Yellow River with Deng Yanda.

Wang Zi used 100,000 troops to cross the Yellow River, which set off a bloody storm in the area of Mianchi, and the court also made waves again, and the spearhead was directly aimed at the new governor of the three provinces, Tiemo.

On the eleventh day of July, the ministers gathered on the main hall. In the hot summer, the main hall is full of heat and humidity, which makes the heart even more irritating. Cheng Jiming, Qian Qianyi and others all had cold faces, and when Chongzhen sat down, Qian Qianyi was the first to stand up and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers have a plan to play, the governors of the three provinces ignore the overall situation, Jiuyuan Mountain does not pursue the remnants in the first battle, and allows the thieves to cross the Yellow River, which is a great dereliction of duty." ”

Chongzhen frowned, the matter of Jiuyuan Mountain, he was clear in his heart. Since Tiemo took over as the governor of the three provinces, whenever there is a war, he will receive military reports before the Cabinet and the Ministry of War. Of course, the military report received by the Ministry of War came from the government office, and the content was different.

The battle of Jiuyuan Mountain was fruitful, but these people still had to ask Tiemo. The tens of thousands of elite soldiers under Tie Mo's command are not iron men, don't they need to rest after fighting a vicious battle?

"Qian Aiqing is reasonable, so be it, since Aiqing feels that Tiemo is incompetent, then I will remove him and let him go back to Xuanhua Mansion. This governor of the three provinces will be served by Qian Aiqing......"

Ga, Qian Qianyi stared at a pair of old eyes, stunned for a long time and speechless. Let him Qian Qianyi be the governor of the three provinces, isn't this letting Master Xiucai kill pigs? He Qian Qianyi just said that it was okay, he really led the troops to fight, and his eyes were black. The rogues are raging in the Central Plains, Henan is in danger, and the errand of the governors of the three provinces is not a fat difference, most of them have to carry the black pot.

Swallowing his saliva, Qian Qianyi arched his hand solemnly and said: "The minister is old, although he has the heart to kill the king and lead the army to break the thief, after all, this body can't bear it....."

"Hey...... It's a pity, if Aiqing is younger, why would I let Tiemo take on this big responsibility? Chongzhen seemed to sigh, but there was obvious irony in his eyes.

Qian Qianyi's lips moved, and he sighed bitterly in his heart, when did Your Majesty learn to turn around and scold people? Although His Majesty spoke tactfully, the elders who were old and refined still understood.

The meaning that Emperor Chongzhen wants to express is very clear!

You can do it, if you can't, don't chatter!

Qian Qianyi was forced into a corner by a few words, so that Cheng Jiming and the others did not dare to speak rashly. What do you mean to do you on? Although they don't want to admit it, this group of bosses thinks that they really can't do it. But if there is a person who is sure to be the governor of the three provinces, he will directly yell at His Majesty: "I can do it, let me go!" "That's it.

Qian Qianyi was depressed in his heart, and he couldn't trouble Tiemo after co-authoring? As long as Tiemo is still suppressing bandits, Your Majesty will greet you with these words, isn't this a scoundrel? When did Your Majesty become so thick-skinned?

Zhang Fengyi wanted to say more, but was stopped by Cheng Ji's command. Cheng Ji ordered people to become old and refined, and he already had a guess in his heart. His Majesty defends Tiemo like this, and Tiemo has already communicated with His Majesty in advance. Sometimes Cheng Jiming also sighed, this guy Tiemo is obviously very young, but he does things without leakage, and he is more slippery than the old man who has been in the court for decades. No matter how big or small, he always let His Majesty know first, so that His Majesty would not suspect Tiemo.

Tiemo is much stronger than Yuan Chonghuan. This son has never been pampered and arrogant, he does things step by step, he is not impatient or impatient, and it is difficult to find a reason to provoke him. Some minor problems can't cause damage to iron ink at all.

In July, the hinterland of the Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty was repeatedly attacked by the peasant army, but the disaster did not go alone, and in the middle of the year, some people in Shandong began to make trouble. The White Lotus Sect took advantage of the opportunity of the Yellow River to burst its embankment, took advantage of the situation, and disrupted Dengzhou and other places, and later broke through Fanyang and snatched Fanyang's granary away. Shandong White Lotus Sect, the Central Plains Peasant Army, and a more mysterious Golden Cicada Sect emerged in Beizhili, and the Ming Dynasty was overwhelmed.

On the one hand, the cabinet urged the Xuanfu soldiers and horses to go to Henan to suppress the bandits, and on the other hand, they were also worried about suppressing the White Lotus uprising. Who to send to Shandong made everyone a little undecided, whether it was to suppress bandits or suppress the White Lotus Sect, it was actually not a good errand. The White Lotus Sect is more difficult than the Liukou in some respects, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect has accompanied the present, there have been occasional rebellions, but the imperial court has never been able to completely exterminate the White Lotus Sect, in the final analysis, the White Lotus Sect hides among the people, and when there is an opportunity, it will develop believers.

Sending people to Shandong, if the White Lotus Sect is not suppressed, but makes the White Lotus Sect more and more troublesome, it will be a fire.

Cheng Ki Ming sat in the chair, his brows furrowed, his left hand on the table, his fingers lightly tapped. The sound of tapping again and again, like a small hammer, kept beating everyone's hearts, "Colleagues, Dengzhou has urged several times, hoping that the imperial court will transfer troops to Shandong to suppress the traitors of the White Lotus Sect. Now that most of the imperial court's troops are used in Henan, what should we do about Shandong? ”

Is it true that the imperial court has no soldiers available? Of course not, compared with Shandong, Cheng Jiming and others want to protect the Central Plains, and if there are soldiers and horses, they are also transferred to Henan. However, the Shandong Political Department and the Dengzhou Ship Department continued to urge reinforcements, and they would not have been able to ignore them.

Zhang Fengyi thought for a while, and arched his hand: "We might as well transfer the soldiers and horses from the Daimyo Mansion and other places to the vicinity of Dengzhou. ”

Cheng Jiming recalled it, and soon had a trace of impression. I remember that at that time, there was a civil official named Lu Xiangsheng, carrying a phoenix-mouth knife, and he was stunned to kill a pair from the enemy camp, and this matter was rumored to be a beautiful talk at that time.

"Lu Xiangsheng can be used, but as Lu Xiangsheng, he is presiding over Shandong government affairs, I am afraid that it is a little inappropriate. Moreover, those soldiers and horses near the Daimyo's Mansion are not of great use! ”

"Well, what Lord Cheng said is very true, Lu Xiangsheng is in charge of military affairs, there is something wrong, but there is a person who is very suitable....." After saying that, Zhang Fengyi smiled mysteriously, raised his hand and pointed to the southwest.

At this time, several adults in the room, all of them were old and sophisticated characters, and they were stunned for a moment, and they quickly understood who Zhang Fengyi was talking about. Qian Qianyi stroked his beard and said with a faint smile: "What did Master Zhang say about Yuan Chonghuan?" This man has some prestige, but, can we use him? ”

Qian Qianyi doubted this, Yuan Chonghuan was a man with great ambition and talent, but he had a lot of thoughts. If Yuan Chonghuan is used, who dares to guarantee that Yuan Chonghuan will not do anything disgusting in the future.

Instead, Cheng Jiming raised his hand and signaled that Qian Qianyi didn't need to be in a hurry, "This official thinks this is a good suggestion, Yuan Chonghuan is imprisoned in the heavenly prison, and His Majesty has already ordered Nancheng Ling Chi to be executed soon after." As long as Yuan Chonghuan wants to live, he must listen to us, this person..... The desire to survive is still very strong..... Why not give it a try? ”

Cheng Ji's words were considered to have made a decision, and then everyone began to discuss how to fish out Yuan Chonghuan at the court meeting tomorrow. Of course, Cheng Jiming wanted to use Yuan Chonghuan, not just to suppress the White Lotus Sect. Since Your Majesty is determined to protect Tiemo, and everyone has no way to take Tiemo for the time being, then you might as well support another person to create constraints for Tiemo. After thinking about it, only Yuan Chonghuan is the most suitable for this role.

He served in Liaodong several times, and during his tenure as the governor of Jiliao, he gathered many henchmen and had influence in the army. As long as Yuan Chonghuan knows how to be a person, he will know what to do in the future.

The possibility of success in this matter is very high, Yuan Chonghuan, a person with many thoughts, big ambitions, and full of desires in his heart, will he really be willing to lead to death?

......

The prison is held by the imperial court for important prisoners, and it has been guarded by the Jinyi guard for a long time, and not everyone can come. However, since Chongzhen came to power and cooperated with the Donglin Party to collapse the factory guard system, Jinyiwei has been no longer what it used to be, and a large number of people within Jinyiwei are attached to the Donglin Party. Therefore, for Cheng Jiming and others, it is not difficult to enter the prison.

In a relatively large cell at the innermost end of the prison, sat a long-bearded man, dressed in a white shirt, sitting cross-legged at a table, looking very quiet. This person is Yuan Chonghuan, since he was imprisoned in the prison, he seems to know his fate, he has not struggled too much, and he has not shouted injustice. It's not that he doesn't want to shout, but he thinks it's useless to shout.

The sound of light footsteps came, but it stopped at the door, "Lord Yuan is so Yaxing, I didn't expect that in the heavenly prison, I could meditate." ”

"Huh?" Because the light was too dim, Yuan Chonghuan squinted his eyes and looked at it carefully, and then showed a surprised expression, "Lord Qian, it turned out to be you, Yuan didn't expect that for such a long time, the first person to come to see Yuan would be you." ”

That's right, the person who came was his former friend Qian Longxi, Yuan Chonghuan was in Liaodong at the beginning, but he was able to know everything about the affairs of the imperial court, thanks to Qian Longxi's help. For this friend, Yuan Chonghuan knows a lot about it. Since being sent to the prison by His Majesty, Qian Longxi was afraid that he would be in trouble because of his previous affairs, so he hid far away.

A Jinyi lieutenant opened the cell door, and Qian Longxi stepped in, sitting opposite Yuan Chonghuan, and did not hurry to speak. He looked at Yuan Chonghuan carefully and found that after being imprisoned for so long, Yuan Chonghuan was still full of energy except for the growth of his beard, and even his clothes looked so neat.

No wonder Cheng is so sure that Yuan Chonghuan doesn't want to die, a person who resigns himself to death, will he care about so many images? Perhaps, just like Lord Cheng said, Yuan Chonghuan has been waiting, waiting for Emperor Chongzhen to change his mind, perhaps, from the bottom of his heart, he feels that Emperor Chongzhen will not really send him Yuan Chonghuan to the guillotine.

"Lord Yuan, you may not know, Nancheng Caishikou has already begun to prepare, and His Majesty has also issued an official document, which will be implemented in autumn."

Although Yuan Chonghuan looked very calm, his frowning brows still betrayed the unwillingness in his heart. issued an official document, and prepared the execution ground at the entrance of the vegetable market, did Your Majesty really want him Yuan Chonghuan's life?

Punishment, Your Majesty, do you hate it so much?

Qian Longxi smiled in his heart, and seeing Yuan Chonghuan's reaction, his confidence in persuading him increased a little, "Lord Yuan, Qian can tell you some other things." Recently, Tiemo has been promoted to the governor of the three provinces, supervising the military affairs of Nanzhili, Henan, and Shanxi, and has just severely damaged the Liukou King's own troops near Yueyang......"

Qian Longxi said slowly, telling the other party everything that had happened recently. As the content became more and more, he found that Yuan Chonghuan's hand was placed under the low table and slowly clenched.

Sure enough, Yuan Chonghuan had already realized one thing, that is, the stronger Tiemo, the less hope he had for Yuan Chonghuan's life.

His Majesty is a grudge, the better Tiemo is, the more capable he is, which will make him feel how incompetent Yuan Chonghuan was in Liaodong at the beginning. And Qian Longxi's purpose is also very simple, he wants to completely crush the few hopes in Yuan Chonghuan's heart, and clearly tell him that if he wants to live, he can't count on His Majesty, he can only count on the cabinet.

Next, what the two said again, others did not know.

When the next day came, Chongzhen went to the court as usual, thinking that he would discuss the matter of suppressing bandits in Henan today, who would have thought that the officials of the six ministries headed by Nei would jointly ask for his life and intercede for Yuan Chonghuan.

Seeing this scene, Chongzhen's whole person was a little confused, in his impression, didn't those people who had Cheng Jiming also want Yuan Chonghuan to die? What the hell is going on?

Seeing so many officials interceding for Yuan Chonghuan, Chongzhen's face can be imagined, "Yuan Chonghuan is in charge of Liaodong, he killed Mao Wenlong without authorization, let the Tartars detain the pass, and attack the hinterland of Gyeonggi. ”

Qian Qianyi immediately stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, Yuan Chonghuan has an unshirkable responsibility for the Tartar detainment, but Yuan Chonghuan can't be blamed entirely. The Tartars were cunning and attacked the Jingshi, and Yuan Chonghuan rushed to help, which shows his loyalty to the king. Now that the imperial court is employing people, why not let him make meritorious contributions? ”

"Humph!"

Chongzhen looked at the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty and didn't know what to say for a while.

Now they all excuse Yuan Chonghuan, you didn't say that before!