Among the generals of the imperial court, if he is good at recruiting surrenders and rebels, no one can compare with Zuo Liangyu.

Zuo Liangyu is a native of Linqing, Shandong, and his parents died early and he was raised by his uncle.

Linqing is on the side of the Grand Canal, and the business industry is prosperous in Shandong. Zuo Liangyu is very good at dealing with people when he grows up, that is, he has a high emotional intelligence.

After Zuo Liangyu joined the army in Liaodong, because he was tall and strong, powerful and able to shoot bows left and right, he soon stood out among a group of rough soldiers and became an officer. At this time, his ability to deal with people has a greater use. A coincidence allowed Zuo Liangyu to get acquainted with the noble man in his life, that is, the Donglin boss Hou Sui. Since then, under the public praise and secret protection of the Donglin Party, Zuo Liangyu has repeatedly made new contributions on the battlefield of suppressing thieves.

In the sixth year of Chongzhen, Zuo Liangyu was promoted to the governor of the military department because of Li Jizhen's so-called righteous insistence, and he was promoted to the governor and the general army. However, even if Zuo Liangyu was promoted to the chief soldier, it would only be one of the dozens of general soldiers in the Ming Dynasty. There are no more than a few thousand soldiers, but no more than a few.

At this time, Zuo Liangyu's other hidden trait was displayed in front of the officialdom, that is, he was good at judging the situation and responding flexibly, that is, he had high EQ and high IQ.

In the seventh year of Chongzhen, the Qin thieves crossed the Yellow River in a big way, entered the vast world of the Central Plains, and suddenly their arrogance soared, divided their troops into several ways, attacked in a centrifugal direction, and burned the ancestral tombs of Fengyang.

At that time, Zuo Liangyu was a major general and a few soldiers, and his food and salary were not enough. So Zuo Liangyu fought a smart battle, commonly known as a slippery battle. If you can fight, you will fight, and if you can't, you will hide; If you can keep it, you can run if you can't keep it; If you can grab it, you will grab it, and you will never starve the soldiers; If you can be co-opted, you will be co-opted, and you will never be able to fight to the death.

In the three years from the seventh to the ninth year of Chongzhen, many famous generals in the past fell under the blade of thieves, but Zuo Liangyu became prosperous and famous.

In the first month of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Zuo Liangyu and Chen Hongfan defeated Zhang Xianzhong in Yunxi, and then saw through Zhang Xianzhong's plan to surrender, and cut and shot Zhang Xianzhong, killing him so much that he was bleeding and almost lost his life.

In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, Zuo Liangyu, who had incorporated a large number of thieves, had become the "talent of the general, and the soldiers can also be used" in the mouth of the superintendent Yang Sichang, and worshiped as the general of the thief, opened the government and built the mansion, which was only one step away from the highest level of the Ming army-knighthood. The strength of the troops he commanded far exceeded that of an ordinary general soldier.

At this time, the relationship between Zuo Liangyu and Donglin has changed from dependence to cooperation.

The Donglin Party relied on Zuo Liangyu and killed its sworn enemy Yang Sichang; Zuo Liangyu also relied on the Donglin Party to maintain his holy favor and obtain food.

Strong cooperation and win-win results are beneficial to Zuo Liangyu and the Donglin Party. However, for those who are not the bigwigs of the Donglin Party, and even the court and emperor of Jingshi, it is not good news that everyone likes to see.

Ding Qirui is a native of Yongcheng, Henan, and is a close neighbor of Hou Xunai, a native of Guide, and has many contacts. So even if he didn't take an oath under the banner of the Donglin Party, he was counted as a peripheral member of the Donglin Party. Ding Qirui's journey in this life has been smooth and rising step by step, not only by relying on the accumulation of article kung fu and military achievements, relying on the influence of his family (Note 1), but also relying on the recommendation and support of Sun Chuanting and Yang Sichang and the secret help of the Donglin Party.

Since Ding Qirui took over as Yang Sichang's supervisor, the situation in the Central Plains has deteriorated rapidly, and the officials of the imperial court have become increasingly dissatisfied. Ding Qirui's inability to control Zuo Liangyu, who supported the army and was self-respecting, also disappointed the emperor very much.

According to information from Jingshi, the emperor intends to have the new cabinet assistant Wu Fu succeed Ding Qirui as superintendent. Wu Fu is an authentic Donglin Party boss, and may be able to effectively control Zuo Liangyu, who supports the army and is self-respecting, or may be able to collect more money and grain from the rich Jiangnan.

Yang Wenyue is a native of Nanchong County, Sichuan, and his family is unknown.

In his early years, Yang Wenyue worked in the Pedestrian Division, and was later promoted to the Taiwan Officers and Soldiers Section. In the twelfth year of Chongzhen, he was tired of being a servant of the right servant of the military department, the governor of Baoding, Shandong, and Hebei military affairs, and he was with Qiu Ba all day long, and he killed thieves.

In the defeat of Xiangcheng, Yang Wenyue escaped, but Fu Chonglong did not escape. The emperor gave Yang Wenyue a dismissal and retention of his post for meritorious service; Chi rescued Kaifeng, and the emperor rewarded him with an official reinstatement.

However, the exact news from Jingshi said that the emperor had extreme contempt and distrust for Yang Wenyue, who had escaped from the battle, and had secretly sent people to collect evidence of his crimes. As soon as the conditions are ripe, send someone to replace him.

And Yang Wenyue's ultimate fate is to go to the edict prison and end up with Xiong Wencan, Zheng Chongjian, and Shao Jiechun abandoning the market and the tragic end.

Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue want military merits to keep their positions or heads; But military merit is dispensable to Zuo Liangyu.

As long as the strength of the army is preserved, under the general climate of the deteriorating military situation in the Ming Dynasty, it will be a matter of time before the imperial court gives Zuo Liangyu a knighthood. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue to exchange Zuo Liangyu's soldiers for military merits and keep their positions or heads.

This is an irreconcilable contradiction.

But this irreconcilable contradiction will not break out immediately under the shroud of the Ming official scene veil culture. Because once it breaks out, it is very likely to be a lose-lose situation, so that other pretenders in the officialdom will benefit.

Before the war, the three intriguing bigwigs were trying to maintain superficial harmony and were reluctant to tear their faces openly. However, this fiery battlefield is the one who tears all the veils, and it may not be long before the contradictions between the three will openly erupt.

As a result, Ding Qirui and Yang Wenyue, driven by their own interests, quickly colluded together.

Of course, on the evening of May 21, the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Yang Wenyue did not come forward in person, but sent his confidant Wang Shicong to test Ding Qirui.

Based on the past experience of dealing with the two sides, Ding Qirui has no doubt that Wang Shicong represents Yang Wenyue.

However, the human heart is separated from the belly. Ding Qirui didn't expect that Wang Shicong not only came to meet Ding Qirui with Yang Wenyue's intentions, but also brought his little personal thoughts.

……

On the evening of May 22, the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, in the left side hall of the Yuewumu Temple in Zhuxian Town, an expected and unexpected controversy broke out.

Zuo Liangyu's tent was set up in the southwest outside the town, no more than a quarter of an hour away from the town. It was the bend of the arc of the front, facing a cannon barricade of the thieves, and it was a very important place.

The military meeting, which was originally scheduled to be held in the morning, had to be rescheduled to the afternoon because Zuo Ping's inspection of the front line had not been returned for a long time. However, everyone waited for the afternoon when Zuo Ping's thief sent someone to spread the word, saying that Zuo Shuai was running too much, which led to the recurrence of the old disease and needed careful recuperation.

Zuo Liangyu is so faceless, it can be seen how ugly the superintendent's face is. However, the supervisor is the supervisor after all, Ding Qirui is no longer happy in his heart, he still focuses on the overall situation, puts down the supervisor's shelf and wants to go to Zuo Shuai's big tent to visit the patient. Zuo Liangyu sent his own soldiers to say that there was no need, and Ding Qirui sent his master to say that he must go.

Tossing back and forth like this, Zuo Liangyu finally came to Yue Wumu Temple in person in a soft sedan chair, and wrapped a white handkerchief commonly used by patients on his head. I don't know how he accidentally contracted the wind chill in the scorching summer season.

When the key person arrived, the military conference began immediately.

Ding Qirui, the superintendent who sat after the handsome case, highly affirmed the great self-sacrifice spirit of the soldiers on behalf of the emperor as usual, made an inspiring prediction for the upcoming general battle, vividly described the difficult situation of the gentry and common people of Kaifeng Zongfan, and fully guaranteed the future historical status of the soldiers participating in the war.

After an inspiring official speech, Ding Qirui took out the excerpt he and Governor Yang wrote for Ma Jinzhong and Wang Yuncheng's second generals, as well as the recent military situation report for the staff to read, and after repeatedly emphasizing the difficulties and dangers of defense, such as the cut off of water sources, the lack of food sources, the large number of thieves and artillery, and the fall of Kaifeng, the Inspector finally talked about the main topic of today's military discussion:

The officers and troops gathered around Zhuxian Town, are they attacking or defending?

When to attack and when to defend?

Now the leaders of the battalions cheered up.

Zuo Liangyu and Ding Qirui were at odds, and they quarreled several times in more than ten days, and everyone heard about it.

The superintendent must attack, and the thief must defend; The overseer said that there was no food, and the thief said that he could send cavalry to collect it; The superintendent said that the emperor would punish the crime if he neglected the war again, and the thief said that the enemy could not be beaten, and it was more important to adhere to the principle than the emperor's punishment.

In short, everyone understands Zuo Shuai's thoughts:

If there is no food, the army will retreat to the same place, and the Wenchen will take the tank;

If Kaifeng City falls, the army retreats to its original place, or Wenchen is the top cylinder!

But despite the fact that he was a civil and military man, Zuo Shuai was an official of the Ming Dynasty and a courtier of the emperor like everyone else. What is the specific action to achieve, everyone is still staring at Zuo Shuai. If you dare one, Lao Tzu will dare to 0.9!

In short, whether it is the top cylinder of the Wenchen or the military general, how can the emperor's board not hit the ass of our petty officials in the future!

"This superintendent intends to fight, I don't know what the thief general thinks?"

While throwing out the bottom line, Ding Qirui tried his best to maintain the grace and demeanor of the feudal officials, and asked for advice from the half-sitting and half-lying patient with a white handkerchief wrapped around his forehead in the chair in the lower right circle.

"The general has already said that now the enemy is sharp, and he can't beat it." Zuo Liangyu's eyes were half-closed, and his voice was as thin as a gossamer, almost inaudible.

"Zuo Shuai has been in battle for a long time and has made great achievements. The world's famous generals, full of salty knowledge! This inspector has always admired Zuo Shuai! Zuo Shuai's flat thief banner is erected in the array, how dare the thieves not gather in the elite of the army to respond! Ding Qirui did not get angry, but in the surprised eyes of the generals, he raised his profile and praised Zuo Liangyu.

Nothing to offer is either a traitor or a thief, there is a conspiracy here!

The eyes of the generals collided back and forth in the cramped space, and a bad premonition poured into their hearts:

Ding Qirui obviously came prepared, and Zuo Shuai will suffer a loss!

Unexpectedly, Zuo Liangyu didn't even move his eyelids when he heard this. He just said lightly, the lower official is a reckless fighter, and Lord Ding is really overrated.

"However, this army has arrived under Kaifeng City, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to explain to the court if I don't wait for a battle!" Ding Qirui said earnestly.

He shook his fingers to the generals in his heart, how much silver was allocated by the imperial court, how much grain and grass were eaten by the men and horses, and how much ordnance and horses were raised. 1510, clear. He asked the generals to think that if the whole army retreated without a fight in the case of a great victory in the first battle, the spit of those crows in the court could spray you and me to death!

As a result, the overseer still wants to fight! The generals were immediately deflated.

For a moment, the atmosphere below was a bit chaotic.

A few generals vented their anger on Ma and Wang Erjun, and began to whisper strange things: Someone wanted to find death, but they dragged us in! There is also humanity: someone who is a thief does not change, and he doesn't listen to the words of the handsome, just to grab things and women!

Ma Jinzhong, who was sitting in the last seat, had a red and white face, and Wang Yuncheng on the side was sweating profusely, as if he had just been fished out of a bucket.

Hum! Zuo Shuai, who used the circle chair as a sickbed, lost no time in coughing twice, and the venue suddenly fell silent. Then he snorted and rolled his eyes at the handsome case: Since the crows can spray people to death, it is better to ask the overseer to send a letter to the emperor and send more crows as reinforcements!

Zuo Shuai's relaxed witty words immediately made the hall happy.

Zuo Shuai said what the generals thought, didn't that group of Qiu Ba take the opportunity to fight a Taiping fist? For a time, all kinds of strange words filled the hall.

"Zuo Shuai misunderstood this official!" Ding Qirui was so anxious that his face turned red, and he immediately stood up, slapped the case table with one hand, and the wooden box containing the arrow jumped on the table with his rhythm, "This official is really thinking about everyone's future!" ”

The superintendent was embarrassed, short in stature, and with a dark complexion, Yang Wenyue also lost no time in standing up and loudly endorsing Ding Qirui's genius strategic concept:

"The Art of War; Show the enemy to be weak, multiply it by strength. Now we can do the opposite, show the enemy to be strong, and lure the enemy to concentrate. Surprise the enemy, surprise the enemy, and attack it unprepared!

The meaning of the Inspector is to break the right with strangeness!

Now that the army of Zuo Shuai is in front, the thieves will inevitably gather a strong army to respond when they see the banner of Zuo Shuai......

At this time, we sent several battalions of dead soldiers to attack the old camp of thieves - Yan Li Zhai!

If the enemy camp is attacked, there will be chaos.

Our army takes advantage of the situation to thin the city, and the inside and outside should be combined, and there is no need to worry about thieves and thieves! ”

Note 1: Ding Qirui was born in the official eunuch family in Yongcheng, Henan. Ding Qirui's own uncle is Ding Kuichu, a figure who has a strong influence in the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty. Ding Kui Chu was one term (three years) earlier than Ding Qirui, he was the governor of Hebei in the ninth year of Chongzhen, and he lost the black yarn because of the entry of the Tartars. Ding Qirui's brothers are both high-ranking officials and dignitaries, as well as famous scholars.