With the Spring Festival approaching, Hetuara was filled with wagons full of grain and treasure, and armoured soldiers drove cattle and slaves, their smiles as disgusting as the braids on the back of their heads.

(Note: Regarding the braids of the Jurchens, many readers are very curious and seriously doubt the aesthetics of the Aixin Jueluo family, and here the author will tell you a little about it.) The Jurchens can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty at the earliest, and lived in the area of the Songhua River, known as Xiao Shen, Rulou, Beji, Heishui, etc. In the Song and Liao periods, the Jurchen began to be renamed Jurchen, and after Jin Taizu finished Yan Min to unify the north, the Jurchen people began to appear on the stage of Chinese history.

As nomads, hunting and fishing are their daily life, if they have long hair, they will cover their eyes, and they do not have enough water to clean their hair regularly, so they simply put a brain door and hang a pigtail on the back of their head, which is called the money rat tail. In addition, the Jurchens believed in shamanism and had a custom of "pigtails". Because they often fought outside, it was difficult for the dead bodies to be transported back to their hometowns for burial, so these people tied their household registration and names on their braids, similar to the tattoos of American sailors. After the pigtail is brought back to his hometown, the local shaman will summon the soul and sacrifice, which is regarded as the soul returning to his hometown.

There is also a more funny saying that the Jurchens have a big braid on the back of their heads, which can be used as a pillow when resting, similar to the pillow on the back of a Japanese woman, and can lie down and dry anytime and anywhere. However, this statement is purely a joke, because the early braids were very short, and it was not until the middle and late Qing Dynasty that they began to look a little human, of course, even so, after the Eight-Nation Coalition arrived in Beijing, they still felt that we were like natives. ）

Nurhachi stood on the city wall, looking down at everything inside the city, as if to say his last goodbye. He has decided to take all his belongings to the west after the beginning of the spring, and take Shenyang as the capital of the Jin State, forming a strong momentum with Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty. For the hegemony in his heart, the Eight Banners brandished sabers to slaughter and loot everywhere, and the horse's hooves were full of white bones.

In the same Spring Festival, heavy snow on the Mongolian steppe obscured the sky and the sun, and the sky and the earth were vast. The ambitious Lin Dan Khan encountered the hard stubble of Nurhachi as soon as he debuted, not to mention the loss of troops, and his prestige was also challenged by various ministries. He reluctantly received the minister sent by the little emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and there was no lack of provocation and contempt during the banquet, but Fang Zhenghua sat down and enjoyed the food with peace of mind, looking like he was familiar with it.

Seeing that the other party was not angered by his words, Lin Dan said angrily:

"With such a gift, the envoy wants Ben Khan to assist in sending troops to Liaodong, I'm afraid that your imperial court's pockets are already empty!"

Fang Zhenghua put down the leg of mutton in his hand, clapped his hands and replied:

"The Great Khan laughed, my reward to the emperor is very rich, but there are too many tribes on the steppe."

In order to win over the Mongol tribes, Zuo Zhan did not hesitate to buy off the tribal leaders on the steppe. At this time, it was broken by Fangzhenghua, and there was silence in the big tent, each thinking about their own plans. Lin Dan knew that this was a discordant plan of the Ming Dynasty, but who wanted to get along with money. Moreover, Nurhachi's rise had threatened his steppe, and at this time he also needed to rely on the power of the Ming Dynasty, so he had to change his words and say:

"Back then, the ancestor Genghis Khan had formed an alliance with the Song State to fight against the Jin, and all the men of the Wanyan clan were killed, and the women became slaves and maids, which was the shame of the Song State and Xue Jingkang."

Lin Dan's words were very dishonest, Fang Zhenghua saw that he had a heart of disobedience, and decided to kill his prestige, and after walking to the center of the big tent, he said:

"When Emperor Shenzong and Emperor Guangzong died, I was only ordered to come to the grassland to send an obituary, and I went to Beijing with the kings to mourn. Who would have expected that Jianlu was barbaric and rude, and he slaughtered the people of Liaodong regardless of the national funeral. The Son of Heaven has mobilized 500,000 troops to garrison Shanhaiguan, and another 200,000 sailors have marched into Liaodong. ”

Fang Zhenghua's flickering made Lin Dan and the leaders of the various departments stunned, thinking that the Ming Dynasty was going to knock the Jurchens to death. What is strength, mobilize an army of 700,000 in a year, this is strength!

Lin Dan gasped and asked suspiciously:

"Last year, in the battle of Salhu, the main force of your country was destroyed, and this year you lost two emperors one after another, I thought that your country would not make a big move in the near future. Besides, Ben Khan heard that the little emperor was not yet sixteen years old, and it had only been more than three months since he ascended the throne on the fifth day of the ninth month, so it would not be easy to complete the recruitment of 700,000 troops in such a short time, right? ”

Lin Dan's implication is not to brag, you go to the grassland to give gifts, don't you just want to form an alliance with Mongolia? Fang Zhenghua naturally knew that they would not believe it easily, so he continued to flicker calmly:

"I heard that Khan is familiar with "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", do you remember the part where you cook wine and talk about heroes?"

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is the "Art of War" on the grassland, as a general, you can not ride a horse-drawn bow, but if you haven't read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", I'm afraid even soldiers will look down on it. Of course, there is also "The Art of War" on the grassland, but they really can't understand it, after all, the cultural level is there, but the illustrated "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is more down-to-earth.

Lin Dan, as the great sweat of the Chahar Department, naturally carried a rolling melon, he mistakenly thought that Fang Zhenghua was greeting himself, and said:

"Dragons can be big and small, and they can rise and hide; The big one is the clouds and the fog, and the small one is hidden and hidden; The rising is soaring between the universe, and the hidden is lurking in the waves. Fang is deep in this spring, the dragon changes when the time comes, and the Jews have the ambition to cross the seas. Dragons are things, comparable to the heroes of the world. ”

Fang Zhenghua thought that this person had a little ink in his stomach, but unfortunately his emotional intelligence was not high, so he didn't realize that it was a trick. While clapping his hands and complimenting, he said:

"The Great Khan is quick-witted and knowledgeable, which makes him ashamed. Our Chinese nation claims to be the descendant of the dragon, and the emperor of the dynasty is the true dragon son of heaven, or ascending or hiding, but the time is not good. During the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao, he sent Lanyu to the Northern Expedition and captured the royal family of Dayuan in a battle of Yuerhai. For example, although Emperor Qi is young today, the monarchs and ministers are single-minded, and it is not enough to recruit millions of armor from a population of 20,000. ”

This remark is to pay tribute to Lin Dan's shame of Jingkang, and the second is to emphasize the national strength of the Ming Dynasty. Lin Dan's spine was cold when he heard this, and he knew that what the envoy said was true, and finally asked humbly:

"Your country has a vast territory, abundant products, and a rich country and a strong people are not comparable to the grassland. Please convey to your emperor the meaning of Ben Khan, who is willing to form an alliance and lead 50,000 cavalry to flank the Jin State. ”

Fang Zhenghua saw that Lin Dan was soft and proud, and at this time he decided to carry out the flickering to the end, boasting:

"Sending troops is the sincerity of the Great Khan, and he doesn't care how much. If the Great Khan could take the initiative to submit his credentials to form an alliance, the envoy would be willing to speak from the United States. I think that the emperor of my dynasty is kind-hearted, and it is unknown that the mutual market will be reopened in the future, the Great Khan is wearing silk and satin, and the princesses are wearing treasure ornaments and incense powder, sharing the peaceful and prosperous world. ”

At this time, Fang Zhenghua couldn't stop the car, Lin Dan was afraid that the leaders of other tribes would be sugar-coated cannonballs, so he took the initiative to throw himself into the arms of the Ming Dynasty, and in the future he became the commander of the light pole, signaled to the maid in the tent, and helped Fang Zhenghua, who was pretending to be drunk, out of the crooked place.

At the same time as Fang Zhenghua sent an envoy to the grassland, Li Rubai had already handed over his military power and returned to Beijing with his own soldiers to resume his life. After entering Beijing, Zuo Zhan first asked him to go to Yangshan to worship his father, and then summoned him and Yuan Keli who came with him at the same time in the Qinzheng Palace.

"Zizhen, I have posthumously crowned Uncle Ning Yuan as the Marquis of Ningyuan, and I hope that his descendants will be able to obtain this title."

The matter of chasing the seal has long been known to the government and the opposition, Li Rubai was excited after hearing it, and wanted to say loudly that person was me. But now that he has no military power, he has nothing to say but kowtow and thank you.

Zuo Zhan naturally knew what he was thinking, and continued to ask:

"I ordered you to go to Liaodong to collect the old department, and now I have seized your military power, do you know what you mean?"

"The minister is dull, please make it clear to the Holy Lord." Li Rubai replied.

Zuo Zhan was not in a hurry to explain, and instead asked:

"After Nurhachi released the Korean surrenders, Gwanghae-kun dismissed his army and wanted to maintain neutrality between our dynasty and the Jianyu. In order to hide people's eyes, he also forged a letter of conferment, put Concubine Renmu under house arrest, and persecuted those officials who were close to our court, what do you think of this matter? ”

Li Rubai had already expected that North Korea would watch the fire from across the strait, but he didn't dare to say it clearly, and said perfunctorily:

"As a vassal of the Celestial Empire, Joseon has twice relied on the Ming army to resist the invasion of the Japanese invaders, and the whole country is grateful for the grace of the Celestial Empire's reconstruction, how can it tolerate Gwanghae-kun to do such a disobedient thing?"

"Didn't I say that he forged the certificate of conferral and put under house arrest Concubine Renmu, who knew the truth."

That Li Rubai was originally a general, and when he heard this, he still understood the emperor's intentions, otherwise why would the governor of Denglai, who was in charge of the defense of Korea, appear together. So he asked for orders to go to North Korea to eradicate the traitorous evil, and Zuo Zhan did not refuse, and sent him and Liang Zhiyuan as ministers to North Korea.

After Liang Zhiyuan arrived in Seoul, he ostensibly praised the merits of the Korean army, gave Gwanghaejun the year name, and privately contacted the leader of the Westerners' Party, Ayayangjun Li Liang, and asked him to propose a martial arts exercise to congratulate, and then asked Li Rubai to enter Seoul with 2,000 elites disguised as martial arts. On the day of the canonization, Li Liang launched a palace coup with the help of Li Rubai, released Concubine Renmu, and went to the martial arts arena to arrest Guanghaijun together.

In front of everyone, Liang Zhiyuan read out the edict of Zuo Zhan: Ordered Ayayang Jun Li Liang to be the lord of Korea and give him the title of Ren. 100,000 troops were immediately recruited, and Li Rubai was appointed as a general and stationed in Yizhou and Dingzhou.

With the assistance of Mongolia and Korea, the left war was already sure of victory in Liaodong, and of course Nurhachi thought so. The difference is that Nurhachi thinks that the war will end soon, while Zuozhan thinks that it will be a protracted war. Different strategic visions bring different battle plans, and Nurhachi has decided to attack Shenyang with all the main forces, wanting to complete the battle. Zuo Zhan allocated Neiyin to build Ningyuan City and Yingkou Port, allocated grain, grass and weapons, and immigrated to Tuntian for training.

At the same time, Zuo Zhan followed the example of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and issued an edict to seek talents, ordering Yousi to explore among the mountains, forests and grasses, regardless of his background, and carefully select the talents of the generals.