"They're playing with fire." Wu Xiang, the newly appointed director of the General Logistics Department of the Ministry of War, sat at the dining table, looking in poor spirits and preoccupied. "They don't know who their opponents are, they make the wrong choices at the wrong time. Uncle Chang is like me everywhere, and even more brave than me, but unfortunately he is still too young after all, more than brave, and not enough strategy. At the beginning of the Battle of Yizhou, he was impatient, and took the lead in attacking the city without waiting for the arrival of the Jinzhou army, resulting in a great defeat. Now, he's making the same mistake again. ”

As he said this, his eyelids drooped, and his whole body was extremely haggard.

Sitting opposite him was Wu Sanfeng, the eldest son who had just returned from Liaodong, and the two sat in the side hall of the Wu Mansion in Beijing. There is also a kang table on the kang, on which are tea, boiled eggs, mutton soup, and green onion cakes brought by the maid.

"I think my father is too worried, there are still 100,000 soldiers and horses in Liaoxi, how can he easily let Liu Jiye handle it. With these 100,000 soldiers and horses in hand, he Liu Jiye also has to consider it when he speaks. ”

"One hundred thousand? Liu Jiye still has an army of ten towns, besides, does the war depend on numbers? The 100,000 soldiers in western Liaoning were no match for Liu Jiye's Chu army. What's more, Liu Jiye is now in charge of the center, removing your brother from the post of admiral, removing Jinzhou and transferring your uncle to Beijing, although it is Liu Jiye's intention, but it is an order issued by the imperial court, which represents the will of the imperial court. Wu Xiang didn't care about his eldest son's man, and he was very dissatisfied. This son is far worse than the second son Sangui, and until now, he still doesn't understand.

They still thought it was a few years ago?

A few years ago, there were these 100,000 Liao troops in hand, as long as they did not openly surrender to the Qing Dynasty, or raised the banner to rebel, then the imperial court had to encircle them and ask for money and grain for food.

But now it is different, the situation in the imperial court is changing extremely quickly, and it is now the first year of Longwu. It was the era when Liu Jiye presided over the government.

"Can you let Liu Junye handle it?" Wu Sanfeng was not convinced. "Father, now that the battle report of Liaoxi has been transmitted back to the capital, at this time, see how Liu Jiye will withdraw from Jinzhou Town. My lord, the eldest uncle hopes that you can use your current position to transfer a batch of money and grain to Liaoxi. The consumption of 100,000 horses and horses is very large, but Liu Jiye has been stuck and refused, and every time he asks for food, he pulls out three melons and two dates. ”

"Do you really think I, the chief of the general logistics department, can take care of things?" Wu Xiang snorted coldly, picked up a tea egg and knocked it on the kang table a few times. Then slowly peel off the shell. "The so-called General Logistics Department of the Ministry of War is just a pretense, and I, the director of the General Logistics Department, am just sitting on a cold bench and eating idle meals."

"Do you know what I do when I go to work every day? When I arrived at the ministry in the morning, I first went to a regular meeting to report the way, and then returned to the public hall, a pot of tea and a newspaper, which was almost half a day. In addition to signing, signing and sealing those official documents that cannot be the master at all. I can't do anything. ”

Wu Xiang taught his son, the so-called director of the General Logistics Department, who sounded like he had real power and oil, and he was still a squire. As a matter of fact. Now the treasury in the court is empty, and all the expenses have to be taken from Liu Jun. Only Liu Jun agreed, and he signed the audit in the finance section of the prime minister's office. to get the money.

Now the expenses of the various ministries of the imperial court, the food and salaries of the various military regions, and even the salaries of the officials of the Beijing Division. They all have to rely on Liu Jiye's signature to pull out the money.

The household secretary of the imperial court is not as effective as Liu Jiye's financial chief, not to mention him, the logistics director of the military department. Who in the imperial court does not know that the cabinet is now inferior to the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of War is inferior to the Privy Council, and the Chief Logistics Department of the Ministry of War is a cold bench in the cold bench.

"I'll tell you the truth, I've gotten the news, and Liu Jiye has already spread the word secretly. In the future, we will not pull another penny of silver and a pound of grain to Guangning and Jinzhou Town. Liu Jiye can do what he says. They don't know who they're fighting against, their necks are stuck in other people's hands, but they still want to fight, it's so young. ”

"How dare he? He is not afraid that the soldiers of Liaoxi will mutiny in anger? ”

"Do you think Liu Jiye will be afraid of the Liao army mutiny?"

Wu Sanfeng was stunned, "Then he is not afraid that the Liao army will surrender in anger?" ”

"Maybe he is waiting for you to do this, the Liao army really dares to surrender to the Qing, then the world is so big that we will have a foothold again. Liu Jiye controls Lushun, Zhenjiang, Denglai, Shanhai and Ningyuan, even if the Liao army surrenders to the Qing Dynasty, what is he afraid of? Moreover, the current Manchu Qing Dynasty itself is also a great loss of vitality, even if the Liao army surrenders to the Qing Dynasty, it is still one thing whether they will collect it or not. Even if they accept it, they don't dare to find out. ”

Wu Xiang used to be a businessman, a businessman with extremely strong skills. Later, he broke his family and recruited soldiers, resisted Houjin, and then joined the official army, participated in the imperial examination, and joined the command of Li Chengliang, the king of Liaodong. He has really seen too many winds and waves in his life, how prestige was Li Chengliang in Liaodong back then, but in the end? The emperor said that if he was transferred back to the court, he would have to return to the court.

The son's ability is still very strong, but it's a pity that they have stayed outside the gate for a long time, and they can't handle the situation in the Qing Dynasty anymore.

Liu Jiye's power is increasing steadily, although he is no longer the first assistant or the chief minister in the court, but in fact, he has controlled the government by virtue of his control of military power and financial power.

Liu Jun said that if he didn't give the Liao army food, then no one would dare to give it, and there would be no food to give if he wanted to.

"Nowadays, there is a shortage of food everywhere, and the grain in Beijing is all transported by Liu Jiye from the sea. You go back and tell your brother and your uncle so that they can turn back in time. Now turn around and admit defeat to Liu Jiye, and you can still have a good result. Once things get to the point where there's no turning back, it's too late. ”

Wu Xiang twisted the extremely well-groomed beard that hung down to his chest, "Do everything with the trend, don't go against the trend." In fact, even if we obey Liu Jiye, it is nothing, hand over the military power of the two towns of Guangning and Jinzhou, and obey the order to return to the dynasty, Liu Jiye will not treat us too badly. ”

"What does it mean not to treat us badly? Be an idle official like my father, let my uncle be the commander of the army, and then let the eldest uncle be the commander of the rear army or something? Father, it was not easy for our family to enter the Jiangmen of Liaoxi and operate to the current power, why do you have to abandon it like this, don't you feel distressed? ”

"The most important thing to be a man is to know how to advance and retreat, and make trade-offs. For his father's business that year, why did he sell his business to recruit people to resist Houjin? Why did you want to join the military later? Because it's the trend of the times! Wu Xiang took out two letters and put them on the table.

"I've said what I need to say, this is a letter to your brother and your uncle." Wu Xiang said while smearing the green onion cake with spicy sauce, "If you have the opportunity, you can also try this way of eating, and the surname likes this way of eating the most, which is really good." You go back to Liaoxi today and tell them exactly what I told you. Don't count on food, there won't be it. ”

Wu Sanfeng finally left the Beijing division in frustration that day and returned to western Liaoning. When he left, he couldn't bring anything back except his father's heavy persuasion and the two letters in his arms.

Liaoxi, Quang Ninh.

Wu Sangui was staring at the map in front of him in a daze, it had been ten days since he sent troops to capture Zhenyuan Fort, but the Qing army had not reacted at all.

After Zhenyuan Fort was slaughtered, the Qing army did not launch a counterattack to retaliate at the first time, but all retreated into various castles and could not retreat. Wu Sangui sent troops to provoke several times, but the Qing army all seemed to have been emasculated overnight, and there was no blood.

This is still the fierce Eight Banners in his impression.

When did the Eight Banners soldiers actually have so no eggs, and after being slapped on the left side of the face, they stretched out the right side of their face instead?

"What's the reply from Quang Ninh?"

After conquering Zhenyuan Fort, Wu Sangui sent someone to inform Ning Yuan as soon as possible. Zu Dashou of Jinzhou immediately gathered soldiers and horses, suspended his entry into Beijing and reduced the soldiers and horses of Jinzhou Town on the grounds that the military situation in western Liaoning was urgent, and led the army to Guangning to join Wu Sangui's troops as soon as possible.

Zu Dashou led his troops to Guangning, not to prepare for a big battle with the Qing army. On the contrary, long before the attack on Zhenyuan Fort, Wu Sangui had a secret discussion with Zu Dashou, and as soon as the Qing army counterattacked, they immediately withdrew to Jinzhou. Zu Dashou came to meet Wu Sangui's retreat, so as not to be defeated by the Qing army and really defeated by the Qing army.

Wu Sangui had already secretly prepared to retreat at any time.

But more than ten days have passed in a flash, and the Qing army is actually such a reaction?

What the fuck is going on? Zilharang instigated, Qing army instigated? How is this possible, unreasonable.

"Send a set of women's clothes to Zilharang of Montenegro." Wu Sangui gritted his teeth and said. Although doing so may completely anger Zilharang and the Qing army, if the Qing army does not take the bait, then his drama will not be able to continue.

The envoy left, and Wu Sangui and Zu Da waited together for a reply.

"Zongzhen, the eldest prince is back."

Wu Sanfeng walked in with a dusty body, and Wu Sangui hurriedly greeted him.

"How?"

Wu Sanfeng shook his head, "Father doesn't support our plan, and he can't pay us food. Liu Jiye has already spoken, and the court will not pay us another penny of silver and a pound of grain. Not only that, but the Chu army in Lushun and Zhenjiang and Qin Liangyu in Ningyuan also received orders from Liu Jiye, prohibiting sending a single soldier to reinforce us. When I left Beijing, I also heard that Liu Jiye had asked Zhu Yuancheng, the commander-in-chief of Lushun, to send someone to contact and negotiate with the Manchu Shengjing side. ”

Wu Sangui and Zu Dashou didn't expect such a result. Liu Jiye's reaction exceeded their expectations, Liu Jiye really dared to do this, and the reaction of the Qing people was also beyond expectations.

Their plans were in vain.

What's wrong with the world and why is it all like this? The barbaric Qing army actually became as cowardly as a dog, while Liu Jiye was as strong as steel.

Now what? (To be continued.) )