weaving

Chapter 1286: Never Lose Again
Before it was completely dark, the ambassador of the Yongyi Army, Bian Yongqing, arrived at the Yongning Earl's headquarters in Xinchengji under the escort of Zhang Mingda, the leader of the personal guards of the Yongning Earl's adopted son.

"Mr. Bian, I'm really sorry for bothering you to make this trip."

Bian Yongqing didn't really care about these etiquettes. He waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about these. Now nothing is more important than suppressing bandits. The situation on the battlefield changes several times a day. How can we do without Earl Yongning?"

He didn't even bother to take a sip of hot tea, and asked anxiously: "Tell me, why are you so anxious to come to our house?"

"Mr. Bian, Zhang Cheng received news from the capital today that the Minister of War Chen Xinjia has been imprisoned by the emperor for 'negotiating with a slave.'"

"Oh." Bian Yongqing showed a trace of doubt on his face: "Does Lord Yongning want me to ask the emperor to plead for Chen Benbing?"

"I dare not." Earl Yongning replied firmly.

Seeing that Bian Yongqing still had a look of doubt on his face, he hurriedly continued, "Zhang Chengfei wants Lord Bian to plead for Chen Benbing in front of the emperor and get him off the hook."

Seeing that he answered so confidently, Bian Yongqing's doubts were immediately resolved, so he asked again: "What is it for?"

"Mr. Bian, you have served the emperor for a long time, and have been sent to various towns to supervise the army for many years. Naturally, you know a lot about the central and local affairs."

Naturally, Bian Yongqing felt very pleased with the praise from Earl Yongning. The corners of his mouth turned up and a smile appeared on his face.

"Zhang Cheng is anxious to invite Lord Bian here today, precisely to discuss the matter of 'negotiating the payment with the slave'."

"what!"

Bian Yongqing was stunned, and couldn't help muttering in his heart: "Isn't it just to plead for Chen Xinjia!"

However, he asked in doubt: "What's the difference?"

Yongning Bo curled his lips and smiled, saying: "I, Chen Xinjia, was not discreet and leaked the matter of 'negotiation' privately. Now it has become known to everyone and caused a stir in the city. He deserves to be imprisoned.

But think about it, Lord Bian. With the current financial resources of the Ming Dynasty, how can we support the two-front war in Liaodong and the Central Plains? "

Bian Yongqing couldn't guess what Zhang Cheng was thinking, so he answered vaguely: "The two sides didn't go to war at the same time, the court can still cope with it."

"Trying to cope?"

There was obvious doubt in the tone of Yongning Bo, and he went on to say: "Everyone knows what Jiannu is like, so we don't need to say much. But the bandits nowadays are not the same as before, especially the bandits. Since they entered Henan, they have killed people everywhere, and they have changed their previous practices. They opened their warehouses to release food, attracting the people of Zhongzhou to join them. Soldiers and civilians are one, and the number is nearly one million.

Now, let alone completely wiping out the bandits, it is already very difficult to simply defeat them and prevent them from growing stronger.

The imperial court had to deploy heavy troops to defend against the Jian Nu, spending millions of taels of money and grain every year, but they could only defend and not attack, and every time they fought against the Jian Nu, they lost more than they won. "

When Zhang Cheng said this, his eyes were filled with sincerity. He looked at Bian Yongqing and continued, "Mr. Bian, please think about it. If this continues, how many more years can the country last?"

"This……"

Seeing that Bian Yongqing had been persuaded to some extent, Earl Yongning struck while the iron was hot and said, "The most urgent task now is to stop one front so that our country can slow down and concentrate the existing money, food and elite troops to eliminate the powerful enemy.

Only in this way can we avoid the complete collapse of our national finances and stabilize our Ming Dynasty on the brink of collapse. Once our dynasty has recovered from this and the people's strength has been restored, we can slowly plan for the remaining enemy!"

"What Earl Yongning said makes some sense."

Bian Yongqing was muttering to himself, "Zhang Cheng's idea seems to coincide with the emperor's strategy!"

In fact, this "negotiating with slaves" was no big secret in the palace. Many eunuchs working in the Imperial Household Department and the Palace of Heavenly Purity knew about it, but they kept it to themselves and never talked about it. Even several cabinet ministers in the outer court, officials in various departments, and even those well-informed censors and censors had heard about it.

However, at the time everyone had only heard about it, which was "only lip service, but no real evidence", so everyone only discussed it in private and did not dare to bring it up for public discussion, let alone write a letter of impeachment.

However, at this moment, Bian Yongqing wanted to verify it again: "What do you think, Yongning Bo, between the Jiannu and the bandits, which side should be eliminated first?"

"Of course it's the bandits."

"Why?"

"The Jiannu are far away in Liaodong. Although they occasionally invade the interior, they are only minor problems. If they are properly controlled, they will not become a major threat."

Zhang Cheng's eyes sparkled as he spoke. He changed the subject and said, "But the bandits are different. They have been roaming around in the interior of our Ming Dynasty for years, wreaking havoc in several provinces. They have long been a threat to our Ming Dynasty."

Finally, he said in a deep voice: "If the bandits are not eliminated, the Central Plains will be in turmoil, and the transportation between the north and the south will be endangered. If we can't concentrate our forces to restrict them and let them grow bigger, I'm afraid it will endanger the fate of our Ming Dynasty in the future!"

This last sentence was extremely damaging - it hit Bian Yongqing's soft spot!

No matter how the bandits caused chaos, no matter how many cities they captured, how many hungry people they took hostage, how many princes and officials they killed, or how much wealth and women they robbed, it was of no concern in the eyes of eunuchs and nobles like Bian Yongqing.

But once the bandits threaten the destiny of the Ming Dynasty, they would be endangering the life of their master, Emperor Chongzhen. This is what people like Bian Yongqing absolutely cannot tolerate.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"boom!"

As expected, Bian Yongqing slammed his palm on the table in front of him and said angrily: "The bandits must not be allowed to stay!"

"Among the bandits, only the rebels are the most stubborn. They have the ambition to compete for the Central Plains and establish a new dynasty." Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, began to add fuel to the fire.

Bian Yongqing's mind had recovered a little. He was no longer as furious as before, but his tone was still very cold: "Does Earl Yongning think that we should make friends with the Jiannu to reassure them. Then we can mobilize money, food, troops and horses to jointly suppress the bandits?"

Zhang Cheng laughed inwardly when he heard him speak so obscurely, but he appeared very sincere and answered decisively: "Zhang Cheng, that's exactly what I meant!"

"What should we do?"

"Zhang Cheng would like to ask Lord Bian to return to the capital and report my sincere devotion to the country to the current emperor in person. I hope the emperor will not be deceived by the mediocre people in the court and create a prosperous era for our Ming Dynasty!"

Bian Yongqing hesitated a little. He raised his hand and stroked his bald chin, then asked, "Then... Chen Xinjia, what should we do?"

Zhang Cheng replied without hesitation: "Although I, Chen Xinjia, was devoted to the country, I was not careful in my actions and the plan to make peace with the Jiannu was leaked. Although I have made contributions, I cannot justify my crime. It is better to keep him in prison for the time being."

"Chen Xinjia was imprisoned for making peace with the Jiannu. If Chen Xinjia is not released, how can we make peace with the Jiannu?"

"The Emperor has clearly informed all the ministers that Chen Xinjia was secretly befriending the Jian Nu instead of submitting his will to the Emperor, so he was imprisoned. Now, if the Emperor can make up his mind and befriend the Jian Nu, it will be a move for the country, which is completely different from what Chen Xinjia did!"

"it is good."

Bian Yongqing nodded heavily, and then reminded: "I will not go back to Kaifeng, but will go to the capital at night. However, no matter whether I can persuade the emperor after returning to the capital this time, I dare not delay the suppression of bandits by Earl Yongning for even a minute!"

"Please rest assured, Lord Bian, Zhang Cheng will never fail in his mission, and the Yongyi Army will never fail in their mission."

"Zhang Cheng, you must remember, you must not lose again, you must not lose again!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Bian."