The first tornado begins at the end of the Wanderer

In the winter of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the Tatars besieged the city, Gyeonggi was under martial law, and there were few pedestrians at night. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

More than 500 meters east of Chongwen Gate of Shuntian Mansion, the residence of Yang Sichang, the secretary of the military department and a scholar of Dongge University, is located here.

The whole Yang Mansion sits in the north and faces south, 87 meters long from east to west, 60 meters wide from north to south, covering an area of more than 5,220 square meters.

The corridor in front of the courtyard is divided into two gates in the north and south, and the north end is set up with a guard of honor hall and a living room.

Yongdao is set up with a five-fold gatehouse, and the whole house is embedded with a stone plaque, and the purlin column head of the plaque is carved with various delicate patterns.

In the stone steps of the door bucket row a pair of drum stones, three meters high, two meters wide, the drum base is carved with two lions playing balls, cloud dragons, flowers.

The base of the gate pier wall is engraved with exquisite patterns such as lotus supports, lotus skirt seats, and bamboo liners.

Yang Sichang returned home from the Yamen of the Ministry of War under the escort of his own soldiers, and still took off his court clothes, and the housekeeper of the Inner House took the post and reported to the right attendant of the Ministry of War and the right of the imperial history Chen Xinjia to visit.

"Prepare the banquet, hurry up!"

Yang Sichang's thin cheeks showed a little solemnity and confusion, but there was no hesitation in his mouth.

Chen Xinjia and Yang Sichang met Chongzhen for seven years.

At that time, Chen Xinjia was the right imperial historian and succeeded Jiao Yuanqing as the governor of Xuanfu.

Because of the long-term laxity of armaments, Chen Xinjia personally inspected the border fort after taking office, walked through places that his predecessors had not been to, and fully grasped the casualties of soldiers and horses, the collapse of the castle, and the damage to weapons such as bows and arrows.

Then, after several letters to the imperial court, these were rectified, and the border defense was guaranteed.

Yang Sichang was the governor at the time, and he worked with Chen Xinjia, so he learned about his talents.

In May of the ninth year of Chongzhen, Chen Xinjia's mother died, and he resigned and went home to mourn.

In September of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuanda, died of his father and resigned and went home to mourn.

On the recommendation of Yang Sichang, Emperor Chongzhen ordered Chen Xinjia to return to Beijing to take up his post, and promoted the right attendant of the military department and the right to the imperial history, the governor Xuanda, and the Qing soldiers.

In this Tatar invasion, the 5,000 soldiers and horses of the Tianxiong Army were sent by Yang Sichang to Chen Chongzhen, and finally assigned to Chen Xinjia's army.

But this is exactly what Yang Sichang feels incomprehensible, Chen Xinjia, as the governor of Xuanda, should be in Xuanfu at this time, why did he leave the station without recruitment?

If the imperial historian knows about it and impeachment, he should be beheaded according to the law!

"Brother Wen, can there be a quiet place and an urgent matter to discuss?"

Chen Xinjia was dressed in the clothes of an ordinary businessman of the Ming Dynasty, and he walked in a hurry, just entering the hall, and said without waiting for Yang Sichang to speak.

But even basic etiquette is negligent.

Yang Sichang's heart sank, Chen Xinjia is very talented, he knows Xi side affairs, and Wenchen and military generals have done it, and he can be regarded as the ups and downs of the Huan Sea for many years, what made him so panicked?

"Governor Chen, don't mess with yourself, please go to the study to talk about it."

Yang Sichang moved elegantly, spread his hands, made a gesture of please, and led the way in front of him.

Chen Xinjia's old face flushed, and he wanted to say something, but after all, he sighed and followed behind Yang Sichang without a word.

Yang Sichang's study is very large, and the decoration is antique, which is quite in line with the identity of the second-grade imperial court.

The henchman made tea, bowed to the two, turned and withdrew, and closed the door.

"No one else sees you!"

Yang Sichang picked up the hot tea, blew it lightly a few times, and asked Chen Xinjia slowly.

"When I entered the city, I sat in a carriage, and I was surrounded by confidants, and the guards escorted me all the way, so it didn't hurt.

It's really urgent to obey the power, and if there is a slight violation of the system, I can't take care of a lot. ”

After entering the study, Chen Xinjia's mood calmed down, took a sip of the good Longjing collected from Suzhou and Hangzhou, and said unhurriedly.

"In an extraordinary time, Governor Chen is still hopeful that his political enemies will not let his political enemies seize the handle, so as not to encounter accidents.

The old man has not dared to make any mistakes in big and small matters for several months, but those imperial history Qingliu are still staring at you like mosquitoes, if it weren't for the protection of the saints, they would have already resigned and gone home. ”

Yang Sichang has been under tremendous pressure since the Qing troops entered the fortress, and not only Li Xixin, Wang Zhiju, and other officials demanded that he be held accountable, but he himself also repeatedly resigned.

Emperor Chongzhen belittled the official who impeached him, and ordered him to be dismissed from his post and take a crown to look at the matter, and soon reinstated the official in the name of Xugong.

It can be said that Chongzhen's favor for Yang Sichang has always been consistent, and it can be called unique among the fifty auxiliary ministers of Chongzhen's dynasty.

"Alas, in an eventful autumn, that class of sour Confucians still pretended to be high, and the party was fighting, did they really want the Ming Dynasty to perish?

It's a pity that we can't be arbitrary, otherwise why wouldn't this be the case?

Brother Wen's three strategies are all good ways to calm the internal and external troubles of the imperial court, and he also agrees with it very much.

If there are ten years of rest and recuperation, what is the reason for the rebels and Tartars in the country? ”

Chen Xinjia sighed, and there was some indescribable loneliness in his tone.

He is a civilian commander under the Ming Dynasty's civil system and military practice, with courage and talent, but it is difficult to turn the tide after all.

Chen Xinjia was quoted by Yang Sichang, and their talents, ideas, and mental skills were similar.

Therefore, I very much agree with and support Yang Sichang's three strategies.

Yang Sichang's three strategies are: first, the outside must first be inside; Second, enough food and then foot soldiers; Third, only by protecting the people can we.

For the first point, he believes that the general trend of the world is like the human body, the Jingshi is the mind, the Xuan and Jizhu towns are the shoulders and arms, and the Central Plains south of the Yellow River and north of the Great River is the heart.

Now the situation is that the beacon fire appears outside the shoulder and arm, and it is very urgent; The plague is in the heart, and it is very deep.

Of course, the external troubles cannot be alleviated, and the internal worries cannot be ignored, because it is poisoned in the abdomen and heart, if you allow "the abdomen and heart to flow poison, the internal organs will ulcerate and carbuncles, and the essence and blood will dry up in the day", what is the use of having shoulders and arms?

Therefore, he advocated peace talks with the Qing Dynasty first, stabilized the situation near Jingshi, and concentrated on exterminating the peasant army in one go.

For the second point, he suggested an increase of 120,000 troops, including 74,000 infantry, 36,000 horsemen, and an increase of 2.8 million taels of silver.

The third point is to develop people's livelihood and livelihood.

So Chongzhen, under his suggestion, successively sent more salaries and training salaries to the people.

In fact, in all seriousness, these three strategies are all good.

Helplessly, the situation in the entire court is erosive, people are floating in things, and the party is constantly fighting, and Chongzhen does not have the courage to implement it firmly.

When Yang Sichang was appointed as the secretary of the military department, the Ming Dynasty had fallen into the quagmire of internal and external troubles. The Qing army entered the fortress many times, threatening the safety of the Ming Dynasty's Beijing division.

Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng and other hundreds of thousands of rebel troops fought in the Central Plains, which was a problem for the Ming Dynasty.

In July of the ninth year of Chongzhen, before Yang Sichang took office, Sun Chuanting, the governor of Shaanxi, broke the rebel army in Heishuiyu and captured Gao Yingxiang, and the situation improved.

Yang Sichang was concerned about the current situation when he was guarding the system, so after he became the secretary of the military department, he already had a detailed plan for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, he is familiar with the stories of the canons, works in the pen, and is full of eloquence, every time the emperor summons him, he can think like a spring and talk eloquently, which is very different from the sluggish and wooden appearance of the previous military department Shangshu.

Therefore, every time Emperor Chongzhen summoned him, the time was far longer than the specified time, and he almost obeyed him, and even exclaimed: "Hate late with Qing!" ”

At the same time that Yang Sichang was in full swing to command the encirclement and suppression of the peasant army, he also began to plan for peace with the Qing Dynasty to relieve the external pressure of the Ming Dynasty.

In March of the 11th year of Chongzhen, Yang Sichang reiterated the proposition that the outside must first be secured, and strongly advocated a compromise with the Qing Dynasty and concentrated all efforts to quell the "Central Plains bandits".

Although most of the courtiers opposed this proposal, Emperor Chongzhen appreciated it very much, and Yang Sichang was impartial and partyless, and had the courage to do things, Chongzhen trusted him even more.