With Amin abandoning Yongping, the Jin army occupied the four cities in the pass were all lost, in the middle of the end of May, the Jin army took the Lengkou Pass of the Jianchang camp to withdraw from the border wall, so far the Ming and Jin sides have returned to the original situation, but the Ming court gathered the strength of the whole country, but it was unable to resist the enemy outside the border wall, indulged the Jin army in the pass for six months, the Ming Jinggi and even Shanhaiguan, Yongping Prefecture and counties were eroded, a large number of people, property was plundered, a large area of land was barren, the decline of the Ming Dynasty has been undoubted.

In the marshal's mansion of Shanhaiguan, Sun Chengzong, who supervised the Qin Wang Jun and the Ming Cabinet scholar Sun Chengzong, looked at the official documents seriously, the weather was hot, he wiped the sweat on his forehead with a towel from time to time, and rubbed his eyes by the way, after a while, he pushed away the stack of official documents, leaned on the backrest and closed his eyes, sixty-seven or eighteen people, and his body and energy were not as good as before.

"Boss, what does the military department have to teach this time?" An old man in his fifties who was sitting next to him asked softly.

"The Ministry of War issued a document to ask the official how to plan the Liao affairs, this time Liang Tingdong didn't dare to make his own claims, but he was still calling poor, this 'if the land is not in danger, it will be abandoned, and if the soldiers are not able to fight, they will be cut', 'Jizhen guards the center, far better than Ningjin, and Jizhen must defend Ningjin' What does it mean?" Sun Chengzong was very dissatisfied and pushed the official document to the old man, and said a little angrily, "Liang Tingdong doesn't understand Liao affairs, he doesn't say it, but he is probably scolding the Shanhaiguan and Ningjin cities and forts advocated by this official in vain, and rectifying armaments. ”

"Liang Tingdong was too patrolling the North Road, Zunhua Governor Wang Yuanya was hanged in Zunhua, and he also served as the governor of Zunhua, he was familiar with Jizhen, Xuanfu's first-line armament, the border wall defense near Gyeonggi is indeed vulnerable, this time Jianyi broke through the pass from Jizhen Zhongxi, it is inevitable that the next time it will be concocted, the court can not help but take precautions, I have worked in the household department, the court's money and food are really stretched, and now there is a change in the northwest, the court will only be tighter, Liang Tingdong is panicked by money, I want to ask you to let him a little." The old man finished reading the official document, pondered for a while and said, the old man's name is Lu Shanji, the word Boshun, directly subordinate to the Dingxing people's clan, Wanli Sarhu was defeated, the situation in Liaodong was critical, Lu Shanji, who was the head of the household department, took charge of the gold and silver transported from Guangdong to the Beijing division of the transport warehouse and sent it to Liaodong for emergency, this matter caused a sensation in the government and the opposition, he also became famous for his audacity to dare to touch the private money of Emperor Shenzong, Lu Shanji was loyal and righteous, Sun Chengzong went out to lead the troops, he abandoned the official and did not do it, sacrificed his life to follow, Sun Chengzong also relied on him very much.

"The root of Liao affairs is still in Liaoxi, Liaoxi defense not only can not let go, but also must be strengthened, I plan to play the imperial court, transfer the forward general Zu Dashou to move the town of Jinzhou, supervise the construction of Dalinghe Castle, and point my Ming blade under Jianyi's nose, only in this way can Jianyi be contained in Liaodong, Liang Tingdong does not understand this, he wants to guard Jizhen, then Xuanfu and Datong do not guard, thousands of miles of border walls, how many officers and soldiers, money and food to defend." Sun Chengzong said disdainfully.

"Boss, by no means, when Inspector Yuan was in office, he had rushed to repair the Daling River twice, spent countless money and grain, but all of them were defeated, and the repaired castle was also demolished by Jianyi, and now the strength of Jiannu is even stronger, I am afraid that it will still be in vain, it is better to save some money and grain for stabilizing Gyeonggi." Another middle-aged man in his forties hurriedly dissuaded, this person Sun Yuanhua, the word Chuyang, Songjiang Prefecture Chuansha people, raised people from the background but did not like fame, studied Western studies under fellow villager Xu Guangqi, especially good at firearms, and was recruited by Sun Chengzong from the Ministry of War to praise the military affairs.

"Boshun, Chuyang, we have no way out, the Ming Dynasty levies more than 5 million taels of Liao salary every year, so that the people's grievances are boiling, once Liaoxi is lost, how can the court explain to the people of the world, the emperor will kill people! Moreover, Liaoxi raised 100,000 Liao soldiers and 500,000 Liao people, once Liaoxi did not defend it, not only would it lose thousands of miles, but how could hundreds of thousands of Liao soldiers and Liao people be appeased? At that time, the disaster of the Ming Dynasty came, and we can now defend ourselves and make progress, and we will talk about it later," Sun Chengzong shook his head helplessly and said, "Liang Tingdong thought he was smart and came up with the idea of abolishing Dongjiang Town, what was the result?" The Nanhaikou Mutiny also involved Zhisheng, and that Liu Xingzhi also took the opportunity to kill Chen Jisheng, and Dongjiang Town became our trouble. ”

The people in the lobby were silent, Lu Shanji and Sun Yuanhua both served as the staff of the Ministry of War, and praised military affairs in the army, and were no strangers to military affairs, Sun Chengzong's Nanhaikou Mutiny occurred in April, Liang Tingdong, the secretary of the Ministry of War, in view of the shortage of food and salary in the imperial court caused by the Zunyong War, and Dongjiang Town has done nothing since Mao Wenlong was killed, please abolish Dongjiang Town, and plan to move the military and civilians of Dongjiang Town to Ningjin, Mao Yuanyi (the word Zhisheng), who was originally in Sun Chengzong's account, praised and painted military affairs under Sun Chengzong's account, was appointed as a deputy general, and happened to take the water division to patrol the coast of Liaodong, After receiving the order, he rushed to Phi Dao to supervise the dismissal.

At the beginning of Yuan Chonghuan's appointment as the Jiliao Governor, he carried out an eight-month blockade of Dongjiang Town, and after Mao Wenlong's death, the food and salary were also intermittent, and the soldiers dragged their families and lived a very hard life, Mao Yuanyi supervised the matter simply and rudely, forcing the soldiers to move to Ningjin immediately, and the soldiers felt that their future life was even more unsettled, and people's hearts fluctuated for a while. Phi Island is the nest of Liu Xingzuo's brothers, Liu Xingzuo left Liu Xingzhi and others to hold this territory, Liu Xingzhi did not want to go, so he secretly encouraged the soldiers to resist the withdrawal of the town, the soldiers of the Nanhaikou Barracks launched a mutiny and detained Mao Yuanyi, and then Chen Jisheng, the deputy general of the Dongjiang East Association, came forward and gave some food and cloth to the soldiers before suppressing the mutiny and rescuing Mao Yuanyi, but Chen Jisheng took the opportunity to fight Liu Xingzhi's idea again, and reported to the court officials that Liu Xingzhi secretly communicated with the Jin State and instigated a mutiny.

The contradiction between the Dongjiang Jiangxi Association and the Dongjiang Association is very deep, Liu Xingzuo took his brothers and Yuan Chonghuan to kill Mao Wenlong, and then tried to clean up Chen Jisheng, Shen Shikui, Kong Youde and other old generals promoted by Mao Wenlong, this feud has long been settled, the family of the Liu brothers is in the hands of Huang Taiji, they are jealous of the Jin State, and they do have correspondence with the Jin State, Chen Jisheng seized this handle to sue them for rebellion, Liu Xingzhi was also forced to be anxious, and came to the first strike, leading the Yi soldiers of the Western Association to attack and kill Chen Jisheng and more than ten officials of the Ming State, Phi Dao was on the verge of a rush for a while, and Sun Chengzong was also out of reach of Dongjiang Town, so he had to send his deputy Zhou Yuwen to Phi Dao to appease Liu Xingzhi, which barely maintained the situation in Dongjiang Town, but no one can say how long this can last.

Lu Shanji pondered for a while and said: "Now it seems that Liaoxi is actually the same as the situation of the Dongjiang River, and it can't move at all, so it can only grit its teeth and move forward, and Shou Denglai will also guard the Dongjiang River. In this way, Dongjiang Town relies on each other by sea and land, and has the support of Denglai Town, which must be as stable as Mount Tai, then Jianyi will be restless, and Dongjiang Town will be able to contain part of the Jianyi elite if it is used well, which is conducive to the construction of the Daling River in western Liaoning. ”

"Boshun is also strategic, this official plans to reoccupy Lushun, use Phi Dao and Lushun as horns to threaten the southern Liaoning states of Jianyi, and then use Denglai to aid the Dongjiang River, and control the coast of Liaodong with a naval division, so that Dongjiang Town is a game of chess again," Sun Chengzong nodded and smiled, and then turned his face to Sun Yuanhua and said, "This official plans to send you to the imperial court to be the governor of Denglai, to govern the two towns of Denglai and Dongjiang, and then send Huanglong to serve as the general army of Dongjiang, he is the person you brought out, and the art of guns and cannons is taught by you, and he will definitely obey you, How is it under the early sun? ”

"Thank you, Boss, for cultivating!" Sun Yuanhua was a little excited, how difficult it was to become a superintendent from a military officer who was born as a man, and the boss actually let him achieve it in one step.

"This is also the result of Chuyang's accumulation of military merits in the army for many years, the imperial court should be hired only by quantity, the governor of Denglai and the two towns of Denglai and Dongjiang, and also raise food and salaries for Liaoxi, make firearms, this is all important things, the burden that the boss gives you is not light!" Lu Shanji said with a smile.

Sun Chengzong nodded and said: "Mao Zhisheng was also recommended by the official, but unfortunately he became famous as a young man, young and vigorous, and he had no experience in the army, the official couldn't stand his repeated requests and let him out. When you go out to be an official, remember not to be arrogant or impatient in everything! ”

"Xia Guan remembered." Sun Yuanhua replied seriously, Mao Yuanyi used to be with him to praise military affairs, this young man was born in Zhejiang Gui'an official family, few talents but no heart for the imperial examination, good at military affairs, miscellaneous studies, once compiled the book "Wu Bei Zhi", in Shilin has the reputation of knowing soldiers, quite a bit arrogant, has been pestering Sun Chengzong to send him out to lead the troops, as a result of the big heel fight, Sun Chengzong obviously hopes that he will accept Mao Yuanyi's lesson.

"What about that Liu Xingzuo? He has been in Shanhaiguan for three days, has the boss seen him? Sun Yuanhua thought of another important thing, Liu Xingzuo went to Shanhaiguan to ask to see Sun Chengzong, but Sun Chengzong was angry about the Nanhaikou mutiny, and ordered Liu Xingzuo to be placed under house arrest in the pavilion and not allowed to go out, Sun Yuanhua saw that Sun Chengzong was still hesitating, and couldn't help but say again: "Boss, Liu Xingzuo has been fighting in the Guannei for several months, the battle of Qingshan and the recovery of Zunhua, Qian'an and Yongping, he is also meritorious, this person is a talent with both humanities and martial arts, and he deserves to be reused by the imperial court, as for what Liu Xingzhi did on Phi Island, he can't know, The Nanhaikou mutiny and Chen Jisheng's killing are not to blame on him, the lower officials have seen him, he is only here to resign, and he plans to go to Phi Island to withdraw his Dongjiang Xixi, and take his brothers to resign and go into hiding, there is no other meaning. ”

Sun Chengzong sighed secretly in his heart, Chuyang is good everywhere, but he is too naïve, easy to trust others, Liu Xingzuo is of course a talent, but this person is too scheming, and he is inextricably linked with the chieftain, how can such a person easily believe it, he shook his head slightly and said: "This person has followed the old chief Jianshen since he was a child and my Ming Dynasty is the enemy, although his conscience is not angry, but the official is always a little unable to see through this person, this time he made a great contribution and should gladly accept the reward of the imperial court, but suddenly came to resign, his intentions are unpredictable and must be guarded against!" ”

"The boss is too worried, Liu Xingzuo is now a mortal enemy with Jianshen, and they can't wait to put each other to death, the lower official has asked him, he just thinks that we don't trust him, and he has been idle since Yuan Inspector has been idle, so he wants to do a big job with the deputy general Jinglu outside the border of Datong, and he wants to fight to the death with Jiannu, and the lower official has also thought about it, Liu Xingzuo is familiar with Liaodong Yiqing and makes good use of Yiren, Denglai is lacking such a person, it is better to let him follow the subordinate to Denglai to serve." Sun Yuanhua wanted to pull some talents for himself and continued to persuade Sun Chengzong.

Lu Shanji interjected at this time: "This deputy general of Jingyu was originally a fierce general recommended by Wang Xiangqian, and he also had a lot of merits in making the Han Dynasty, and this Zunyong War to recover the three cities of Zunhua, Qian'an and Yongping was done by Liu Zhilun and Zhang Chun, which is really the work of this deputy general of Jingyu, and he is also the sworn enemy of Jiannu, maybe he can help us in the future, Liu Xingzuo wants to throw himself to the deputy general of Jingyu, let him go." ”

"Who is this deputy general Jingyu, who actually teamed up with Liu Zhilun and Zhang Chun to steal the limelight of the official, and Zu Dashou hated him when he mentioned this person." Sun Chengzong said.

"Vice General Jingyu has fought a few battles in Zunhua and Yongping, and he has won a few battles, and the Datongyi soldiers he led are strictly disciplined, and the people praise each other, Zu Dashou They have no chance to enter Yongping City, so they are naturally resentful, but this is better, and the people are exempted from a military disaster." Lu Shanji is a native of Dingxing, Beizhili, and has a good impression of Li Yu.

"This deputy general Jingyu has made a lot of contributions, but he has also killed a lot of officers and soldiers of the Santun Battalion, and even the Shandong staff general has also beaten, and he is bold enough! It is said that the imperial court is having a headache about this. Sun Chengzong said with a wry smile, he has been in the army for a long time, and he can guess eight or nine points on this matter.

"It should be killed, my Ming officers and soldiers are no less harmful to the people than Jiannu, and someone should indeed come out to deal with these rotten soldiers, I heard that Liu Zhilun argued that they killed the White Lotus bandits, and there is a step down the court court, so it must be too difficult for them." Lu Shanji thought that the rotten soldiers who plagued the people in his hometown were beaten to the ground, and he felt happy in his heart.

Sun Chengzong also smiled, and said to Sun Yuanhua: "Chuyang, Liu Xingzuo must not be used, this person has means, maybe it is a trouble, if he wants to resign, let him go, but Phi Dao must not let him go, you can't take him to Denglai, let him write a letter to Liu Xingzhi, tell Liu Xingzhi that they should get out of the way as soon as possible, this official has not forgotten what they made trouble." ”

Lu Shanji suddenly thought of something, and said to Sun Chengzong: "Boss, what about the elemental matter, it's been almost half a year since he, the Jiliao Governor, went to prison, shouldn't we say a word for him?" Ask the emperor to be lenient. ”

"No, we can't say a word, the matter of the element is no longer his own business, but a matter of the power struggle between the DPRK and China, no one really wants him to die, his life and death can only be determined by the situation of the party struggle between the DPRK and China, we can only exacerbate the chaos of the court situation when we speak for him, not only can we not help him, but will put us in it," Sun Chengzong said decisively, and then couldn't help but scold Wang Xiangqian, who died last year, "The element is so confused, it must be Wang Xiangqian, this old guy, poured him ecstasy soup, and the element doesn't want to think about it, Wang Xiangqian, as a veteran of the Five Dynasties, although he called the Lord Fu every day, never dared to take a step beyond the Lei Chi, what kind of prestige did he Yuan Chonghuan have, he was so arrogant and bold, he was taking his own trouble, and the officials were eager to join him. ”

Lu Shanji and Sun Yuanhua didn't speak, they all praised military affairs under Yuan Chonghuan's account, and they still had feelings for the old people, but Sun Chengzong's words were more rational, and Yuan Chonghuan could only bear the disaster by himself, and no one could help him.

At night, Sun Yuanhua arrived at the pavilion where Liu Xingzuo lived, Liu Xingzuo already knew about his younger brother Liu Xingzhi, but he was not afraid, Liu Xingzhi's affairs had nothing to do with him, it is estimated that the court could not do anything about him, at most he was dismissed, that was better, he had planned to resign.

Sun Yuanhua told Liu Xingzuo what Sun Chengzong meant, and said apologetically: "Vice General Liu, it's too bitter outside the border, you are guilty of going to Fengzhou, what else can I help you?" ”

"The adults have helped me a lot, from Ningyuan to Shanhaiguan, only the adults regard me Liu Xingzuo as their own people, I remember the kindness of the adults, and I will leave to find my little brother tomorrow, maybe he is still in Zunhua." Liu Xingzuo said gratefully to Sun Yuanhua.

"It's a pity that you have this talent, I wanted to take you to Denglai to show your skills, but the boss disagreed, so I had to give up, but you are familiar with the art of using soldiers, and you know Jiannu well, I would like to hear your opinions on Liaoxi and Denglai" Sun Yuanhua said regretfully.

"The strategy of building the Daling River must be wrong, the boss wants to threaten the Jin army with the Daling River, this is the chief of the Jianjian knows it, and will definitely send troops to fight for the Daling River, at that time the Ming army can not save the Daling River, if the Jin army is saved, there is a chance to encircle the point and send reinforcements, is the Ming army capable of winning the field battle? If you don't save the Daling River, it will become a lonely city, how long can the Ming army hold it? Building Lushun is a way, Lushun is easy to defend and difficult to attack by the mountains and seas, and can be used as a road by the sea, and there is a basis for advance and retreat, the coast of Liaodong is too long, and the Jin army can't take care of it at all, and the Ming army is sure to gain a foothold in Lushun. Liu Xingzuo talked eloquently, and Sun Yuanhua listened and fell into thought.

"If you want to make a difference in Denglai, you must have a strong army, the Ming army in the Guannai is too weak, and it is useless in the short term, only the elite can be drawn from the Dongjiang River, my Dongjiang Xieyi soldiers are too much, the adults can't command, I wrote to Xingzhi to bring people to Fengzhou, if he is disobedient, he will have to let him, the East Association is Mao Wenlong's old department, and we have a grudge against the West Association, but it is indeed stronger than the soldiers in the Guannei, Mao Wenlong's old generals Shen Shikui, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and others are also fierce generals, they are mostly miners, farmers, Mao Wenlong suffered a lot after his death, and if the adults can give favors, they will be able to be grateful to the adults, and the adults can use them to form a strong army. ”

Sun Yuanhua said happily: "Vice General Liu is reasonable, when I arrive in Denglai, I will transfer a group of strong soldiers from the Dongjiang River, and then build some firearms, and I will be able to train a strong army in less than a year." ”

"The adults are generous to people, which can naturally make them bow down and obey orders, but the people in the customs look down on us Liao people, and the Liao people are also straightforward and can't bear to be humiliated, I am afraid that the adults will also order their subordinates to be careful to appease, so as not to cause trouble."

Sun Yuanhua nodded yes, the two talked for a long time before breaking up, Sun Yuanhua held Liu Xingzuo's hand when he left, and said: "General Liu, the "True Meaning of God" I gave you is written by Matteo Ricci of the Western Religion, and translated by my teacher, Lord Xu Guangqi, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites and Rites, you must read it carefully, I know that you are very bitter in your heart, but you must learn to bear it, and you must firmly believe that God will help you, live well." ”