Wu Sangui's ancestors originally lived in the Huizhou Mansion of Nanzhili, and were businessmen, and later moved to Gaoyou Prefecture. His father, Wu Xiang, sold horses as a business in his early years, and because he knew that the Ming court had opened a horse market in Liaodong to trade with the Mongols, Jurchens and other tribes, he moved north and settled in the Qiantunwei Zhonghou Office in Guangning. In the second year of the Apocalypse, Wu Xiangzhong Wu Jinshi was transferred to the then Guangning Chinese Army guerrilla Zu Dashou under the command of the Ma Army.

The ancestor of Zu Dashou is a native of Chuzhou in the south of Zhili, which is close to Gaoyou Prefecture, and the military household of Ningyuanwei was transferred to the north during the Xuande period, and the family is prosperous for the Liaodong Wang clan. Zu Dashou's grandfather Zuren Wanli became the general of the reinforcement and suppression, and his father and grandfather Chengxun once served as the deputy general of Liaodong, and successively served for the Liaodong general Li Chengliang and Li Rusong father and son, and his military achievements were brilliant. Because of the shadow of the family, Zu Dashou himself came out in the first year of Taichang, only one year earlier than Wu Xiang, but in that year he took up the position of Jingdong Battalion guerrilla, and the following year he was reappointed as a guerrilla of the Guangning Chinese Army, and met Wu Xiang. Wu Xiang knew that Zu Dashou had a strong background, and Wu Xiang himself was proficient in martial arts, quite proficient in writing and ink, and he was also valued by Zu Dashou, so the two became confidants. At that time, Wu Xiang happened to have his wife die, and Zu Dashou married his sister to Wu Xiang and became a relative. However, Wu Sangui and his brother Wu Sanfeng were both born to Wu Xiangfa's wife, so they actually have no actual blood relationship with the ancestral family, but it is the younger brother Wu Sanfu who stayed in Beijing with Wu Xiang at the moment that really sheds the blood of the ancestral family.

In the first year of Chongzhen, Zu Dashou was quickly promoted to the general army of Liaodong Forward and hung the seal of the general of Liaodong Qianfeng. Zu Dashou gradually put the military and political affairs of Liaodong in the hands of the ancestral family by marrying several of his younger sisters to powerful officers such as Wu Xiang and Pei Guozhen or local heroes. As an important ally of the ancestral family in Liaodong, the Wu family quickly rose from a little-known outsider to become the top magnate in Liaodong.

Wu Sangui was rarely courageous, fine cavalry and archery, read poetry and books, and was less than twenty in martial arts, and was a guerrilla in Wu Xiang's camp at the beginning. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, Wu Xiang was deposed because of the failure to go to Shanxi, and Wu Sangui mainly relied on Zu Dashou. In the eighth year of Chongzhen, at the age of 23, he was awarded the general of the right battalion of Liaodong forward. In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, because of his meritorious service in resisting the invasion of the Qing army, he was promoted to the deputy general of the right battalion of the Liaodong forward. In the following year, Hong Chengchou was transferred to Liaodong as the governor of Jiliao, and in order to win over local officers, he and the governor of Liaodong, Fang Yizao, the governor of Guanning, the eunuch of the two towns, and Gao Qiqian, the eunuch of the two towns, jointly asked the imperial court to promote Wu Sangui to be the chief soldier of the Liaodong regiment. At that time, the imperial court had high hopes for Hong Chengchou, and the degree of cooperation was extremely high, and all the invitations were allowed, so Wu Sangui was ranked among the ranks of the Ming Dynasty's righteous general soldiers at an age of less than that, which was called a momentary surprise. In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, the Ming army was defeated in the battle of Songshan Fort, and Wu Sangui broke through the encirclement and picked up his life. After the war, the court discussed the crime, Wang Pu was sentenced to death for the crime of "first escape", Ma Ke, Wang Pu, Tang Tong, Bai Guangen, etc. were all demoted, and Wu Sangui was also demoted, but he still guarded Ning Yuan and made meritorious contributions. In fact, among the many criminals, the crime is the lightest, which is probably due to the imperial court's fear of the power of the Wu family and the ancestral family behind Wu Sangui in Liaodong. In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Zu Dashou descended to the Qing Dynasty, and Wu Sangui trained more than 10,000 new soldiers, plus more than 40,000 old troops, and became the number one person in the Ming army in Liaodong after Zu Dashou.

This year, Wu Sangui is only thirty-three years old, and he is already the powerful side of Ping Xibo, three years younger than the equally young and promising Ning Nanbo Zhao Dangshi, walking in the solid corridor of the South Wing of Shanhaiguan City Government Office, Chen Hongfan can't help but feel nervous in his heart for a long time.

The Ming generation regarded Shanhaiguan as an important place at the eastern end of North Zhili, and invested a lot of manpower and material resources to consolidate the customs defense. Up to now, Shanhaiguan is no longer a simple checkpoint, but a defense system that stretches from the northern mountains to the south for nearly 40 miles to the seashore and blocks the east-west direction. Its northernmost point is a stone pass located in Niuxin Mountain, to the south along the ridge to the south, there are Si'eryu Pass, Jiaoshan Pass, Yuecheng, Dry Gate Pass, Shanhaiguan, Siege City, Ninghai City and other city passes respectively, each pinching the danger point, connected by the city wall. Among them, the structure of Shanhaiguan on Zhenshou Avenue is particularly complex, and it is composed of Guancheng, North Wing City, North Water Pass, West Sui City, East Luo City, Weiyuan City, South Water Pass, South Wing City and so on.

Tang Tong was not familiar with the geography of Shanhaiguan, and his troops and horses were far less than Wu Sangui, who suddenly attacked, so he naturally collapsed at the touch of a button, and fled in a hurry to near a stone pass in the north. After Wu Sangui recaptured Shanhaiguan, he divided his troops to garrison the city passes, and he led his headquarters to be stationed in the south wing of the city south of the city.

Chen Hongfan and Zhao Yuanheng followed Wu Guogui on a day's journey, and finally arrived at the South Wing City in the evening and were received by Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui is a junior, Chen Hongfan has never met, and he doesn't understand his temperament, he is thinking about how to talk later, Wu Guogui suddenly stopped in front of him, stood at the door of a room and said, "Chen Gong, it's here." ”

"I'm tired." Chen Hongfan took a deep breath, turned into the door steadily, and walked into the hall.

Although the sky is dark, but the hall is lit with candles, the first place is a huge tiger pounces on the rabbit picture, there are couplets hanging next to the picture, the right couplet is written on the book "the precursor is the general, the array is exhausted Yuan Rong", the left couplet is written on the book "outside the Yuguan at night, looking at the desert sky", in fact, it is a poem, Chen Hongfan knows that it was made when Qi Jiguang guarded the northern Xinjiang through the Shanhaiguan in the previous dynasty.

In the hall, there was a man in military uniform, who was of medium stature, and when he heard Wu Guogui's voice, he slowly turned around. Chen Hongfan looked at it, and under the light, the first thing that caught his eye was a rather delicate face, with fair skin and no beard, but the sword eyebrows and starry eyes were vibrant, which made the original Wenxiu be swept away by the sharp spirit, and the two were more vigorous.

"Gong Chen, Wu has been waiting for a long time." The man in the costume grinned slightly at the corner of his mouth and arched his hand.

"Ping Xibo also took time out of his busy schedule to meet each other, Chen Hongfan was deeply honored."

"Not busy, not busy, Wu Junior, it is too late to be happy to be able to get Chen Gongda's arrival." Wu Sangui smiled and helped Chen Hongfan sit down, and the two of them each held a cup of hot tea and talked to each other. Zhao Yuanheng sat next to Chen Hongfan, and Wu Guogui stood behind Wu Sangui's chair with crossed hands.

"Chen Gong's affairs, the nobles have probably told me." It can be seen that Wu Sangui is not as unbusy as he says, and he began to take the initiative to cut to the topic after chatting for a few sentences, "Chen Gong said that King Fu is in Huguang? ”

"Yes, King Lao Fu was killed by Li Chuang, and the prince King Dechang attacked the lord according to the system, and now lives in Xiangyang, and is protected by Admiral Zhao of Ningnanbo." Chen Hongfan said in a deep voice, "The northern capital has fallen, the emperor has a great line, the whereabouts of the crown prince and the two princes are unknown, the name of King Fu is right, Ning Nanbo, Jing Nanbo, Zuo Ping thief and Shaanxi Sun Inspector all agree with this proposal. ”

Zhao Dangshi's plan to support Zhu Yousong to supervise the country Chen Hongfan had already heard about it, but there were two harsh conditions for it to happen, one was that the Shun army would break through Beijing, and the other was that Emperor Chongzhen and the crown prince and two princes who were more qualified than Zhu Yousong could not get out. Chen Hongfan was not particularly optimistic about the feasibility of Zhao Dangshi's plan at first, but who knew that the development of things would go as Zhao Dangshi expected, Chen Hongfan was surprised and couldn't help but wonder if Zhao Dangshi had the ability to predict the future. Now facing Wu Sangui, although Chen Hongfan does not know how far Zhao Dangshi's side has pushed Zhu Yousong's affairs to supervise the country, but when talking to the outside world, as long as it is within a reasonable range, he must try to improve his own situation. Including Zhu Yousong's imminent imprisonment and Sun Chuanting's support for this matter, etc., are all statements that he temporarily moved out to strengthen his persuasive power.

Ning Nan Bo Zhao Dangshi, Jing Nan Bo Huang Degong, Ping Thief General Zuo Mengeng, Supervisor Sun Chuanting, even if Wu Sangui has been in Liaodong for a long time, hearing the names of these people is like thunder, knowing that if these people join forces, the troops and land they have are half of the Ming Dynasty.

Chen Hongfan quietly waited for Wu Sangui's reaction, but after waiting for a long time, what he got was a gentle sigh.

"It's not a secret, Chen came here and was entrusted by Ning Nanbo to invite Ping Xibo to help Jiangshan Sheji." Chen Hongfan couldn't help but say, "As soon as King Fu is established, the hearts of the people from all over the world will be settled instantly." The civil and military forces are united, and a large-scale counteroffensive is just around the corner, recovering the land and recapturing the northern capital. At that time, Ping Xibo has made a great contribution to the restoration of the country, how can it be that he will divide the soil and enter the prime minister? ”

Wu Sangui was silent, but like a child, he handed his left hand to his teeth and bit his nails gently.

Chen Hongfan didn't understand why Wu Sangui didn't respond, and looked at Wu Guogui, but listened to Wu Guogui and said: "Chen Gong, the matter of King Fu hasn't been skimmed yet, and the situation in Shanhaiguan can't tolerate the slightest delay." ”

"I'm asking." Chen Hongfan responded, "A few days ago, it was rumored in Beijing, Tongzhou, Yutian and other places that General Ping Xibo would lead a large army to Beijing to meet Li Chuang, why did he give up halfway? ”

Wu Guogui said with a smile: "Gong Chen hopes that Ye Wu will support the Ming Dynasty, and if Ye Wu does this, isn't it in the hands of Gong Chen?" ”

Chen Hongfan shook his head and said: "The northern capital has changed suddenly, and everyone has a time when it is difficult to decide. From the elders of the pavilion to the officials of Cao in Beijing, no one does not defect in order to become rich. Wu Ye didn't know that the situation was shaken for a while, and it was human nature, and there was nothing to be ashamed of. But General Wu said it well, the situation in Shanhaiguan really cannot be delayed, if Wu Ye does not want to come up with a perfect method, it will inevitably lead to a large-scale attack against the rebellion. The eldest husband can bend and stretch, and for the time being, he will return to obedience and rebellion, in Chen's view, he will not lose a good strategy of retreating as advance. ”

"A good strategy for retreating?" Wu Sangui's eyelids lifted.

Chen Hongfan nodded and said, "Not bad." Liaodong is not as connected as Huguang, Shaanxi and other places where the officers and armies support each other, trapped in a corner, and it is difficult to support each other. It is the wisest choice to temporarily surrender and rebel, protect the army and the people, lie down and taste the courage, and wait for the good opportunity to rise again. Then he pretended to be surprised, "Could it be that with Wu Ye's wisdom, isn't this the plan to go to Beijing early?" ”

Wu Sangui coughed lightly, and suddenly said angrily: "Of course! rebelled and plotted to kill the first emperor, and I Wu Sangui have a common enmity. How can I truly be subservient to him and driven by him! ”

Chen Hongfan stroked his palms and praised: "Wu Ye is loyal to his liver and courage, and Chen admires it very much." He added, "It was Chen who was puzzled by Wu Ye's sudden return to Shishan Customs." Although Tang Tong is insignificant, but the rebellious lackey, Wu Ye drove him away, won't the dormant plan be in vain? ”

"Hmm......" Wu Sangui exhaled heavily, and stopped talking.

Chen Hongfan continued: "Driving Tang Tong away and declaring war on the rebellion is a heroic move, but it is not a long-term solution. ”

Wu Sangui's eyebrows gathered slightly, and said, "Then what does Gong Chen think to do?" ”

"Without him, be humble and courteous, and ask for guilt from the rebellion."

Wu Sangui sighed: "When I decided to return to attack Shanhaiguan, I didn't think about bending my knees anymore. ”

Chen Hongfan was puzzled: "Forgive Chen, why did Wu Ye change his mind temporarily and take such a big risk?" ”

Wu Sangui hesitated again and again, and Chen Hongfan said: "Wu Ye said that it doesn't matter, Chen swears to the sky, if he reveals half a word of what Wu Ye said to outsiders afterwards, there will be five thunderstorms in the sky." ”

"Hmm......" Wu Sangui took a sip of tea and glanced at Wu Guogui.

Seeing this, Wu Guogui shouted, and when he boarded the time, all the maidservants in the hall retreated, and the door was closed tightly. In the empty hall, only the candle flame flickered, showing a bit of gloom.

"Gong Chen, I, Wu Sangui, dare to do it, since I have chosen this path, there is nothing to hide." Wu Sangui's eyes were blazing, "I have to fight to the death against the rebellion, and I have no choice but to fight." ”

"I want to hear about it."

"The previous rebel envoy surrendered, and the official made a wish and promised me to keep the army, so I had the heart to endure humiliation and bear the burden. Unexpectedly, when he traveled to the vicinity of Fengrun County, he suddenly heard that he was rebellious and wantonly tortured the gentry and robbed property in Beijing, and he was full of horror. I want to Guan Liao soldiers and horses from top to bottom, and there are many industries in Liaodong, if I follow this style, I am afraid that if I vote for him today, I will have nothing tomorrow. ”

Liaodong is one of the nine borders, and there is not much difference from the rest of the border towns, but in the former Liaodong general Li Chengliang gradually began to become a local warlord, one of the most significant signs is that the large army, small to the garrison, everyone began to support their own family as the pillar.

Jiading has existed in ancient times, and it has not been large-scale, but during the Jiajing period, due to the chaos in the north and south, a small number of officers with rich families and more livestock gradually found that the courage of the family in battle far exceeded that of the battalion soldiers or flag soldiers, so they began to consciously expand the number of family members. It was not until Ma Yong of the Jiajing Dynasty was promoted to the general army of Liaodong because of the livestock raising family "alone in the towns" that other officers also competed to follow suit and increased the number of livestock households.

In order to maintain the strength of the family, the officers will give priority to the best armament, and even the silver is several times that of ordinary soldiers. In this way, the actual combat ability of the family members who are of excellent quality and rich in support is comparable to that of ordinary soldiers who are not inferior in combat skills and lack of pay and food. However, because the family is a private placement of officers, he is not included in the Ming military membership, and the maintenance is raised by the officers themselves. In order to maintain a certain amount of family members, the officers had to open up a wide range of financial means. Fabricating military records to collect the imperial court's salaries and silver for supporting their families can only be regarded as routine operations, but all officers with some ability and means will stretch out their hands to annex the army's fields and monopolize the border trade market. This directly led to the Liaodong army officers taking advantage of their power to meddle in local politics and business, and the greater the power, the greater the intensity of interference, the more money they grabbed, and the more families they could raise to consolidate their own power, becoming a closed loop.

Most of the middle-level officers after the middle of Jiajing were able to raise three or five hundred families, but the treatment of family members also increased with the passage of time, so that a family member needs to spend forty-five taels of silver a year in terms of food, which is almost equivalent to the annual salary of a Zhengqi Pinzhi County. In addition, officers also need money for social work, and they still can't make ends meet by means of empty salaries. So the officers came up with new ways to collect money, such as often going out to rob the money, livestock, and horses of the Mongol and Jurchen tribes; privately expand the scale of the imperial court's reward for raising incorruptible fields; The "quasi-discount method" of lending money to the family and then paying the debt with war exploits or war booty, and so on. Those who are even more unscrupulous or have no way out simply take risks, "go out to the border to drive horses, and sell them with pictures", "kill good people and take risks, and falsely report their war achievements", in short, do everything possible to increase their income.

The trend of raising livestock reached its peak in the Wanli Dynasty, and only at that time, Li Chengliang, the general soldier of Liaodong, raised more than 3,000 households. In a town in eastern Liaodong, there are more than 8,000 family members of officers at all levels, accounting for more than one-tenth of the garrison in the town. These family members are indeed very powerful, whether it is against the Upper Mongolia or the Jurchen tribe, most of the small-scale fierce battles can be fought soundly, or even overpowered. It is only in the event of a large-scale conquest in the region that the numerical disadvantage of the family will be exposed, and the officers will lead a considerable number of troops to fight, but only one-tenth can effectively defeat the enemy, and most of the rest are soldiers and horses who have been exploited to the point of incomparably low morale and combat skills. The difference between the strong and weak levels is too far from each other, and it is impossible to maintain a stable combat level, which can be regarded as one of the reasons why the Ming army is usually accustomed to small-scale battles and large-scale group battles are a mess.

Returning to the Guan Liao Army currently led by Wu Sangui, after the deep cultivation of top families such as Li, Zu, and Wu in Liaodong, most of the officers in the Guan Liao Army today have branches and branches in Liaodong and have their own stable industries, or shops, manors, or pastures, which are different. This is a source of stable income for them, and it is also a guarantee for them to maintain their own strength, even if an old man like Chen Hongfan, who has been away from his homeland for several years, still has a large amount of movable and immovable property in many parts of Liaodong.

Wu Sangui's meaning is obvious, Li Zicheng originally promised his father and son to be a marquis and keep the army, which was what he expected, so he could lean towards Dashun. However, Shunjun's subsequent fierce pursuit of stolen goods and subsidies in Beijing forced him to retreat and think again. According to the standard of plundering by the Shun army, I am afraid that it will be difficult for Wu Sangui, Wu Guogui, Guo Yunlong and other generals to escape the torture. Although Li Zicheng may be open to Wu Sangui and the official website of the Guanliao High Army, it is difficult for the majority of Guanliao middle and lower-level officers to be taken care of. Of course, he was the commander of the Guanliao Army, but the huge Guanliao Army was not his army alone, and it was impossible for him to ignore the interests of the whole if he wanted to maintain his absolute leadership in the army. Wu Sangui didn't know much about Li Zicheng, and he didn't trust the Dashun Army, and when the core interests of the group he represented were touched, he would naturally be greatly shaken.

Chen Hongfan nodded secretly, and said in his heart This is the first reason why Wu Sangui will suddenly turn against Da Shun.