weaving

"Yes. Suppressing internal traitors is better than repelling external invaders."

Wei Zhice suddenly said, "But... Commander, I have another concern."

"Brother Ce, please speak."

"According to the commander-in-chief, we should first make peace with the Eastern barbarians, concentrate our efforts on eliminating the bandits, pacifying the people, and restoring production, and then turn our attention to dealing with the Eastern barbarians once the country is stable?"

"Exactly."

"But the commander-in-chief also knows that the former Minister Chen was attacked by court officials, especially several cabinet ministers, because of the peace talks with the enemy, and was imprisoned by the emperor and has not been released to this day."

If we inflict a heavy blow on the invading enemy this time, then... the voices against peace negotiations in the court will likely grow even stronger, and how will we be able to negotiate peace with the enemy in the future?"

Zhang Cheng's lips curled up, a faint murderous intent flashing across his face, but he spoke in an extremely nonchalant tone: "Chen Benbing has no knife in his hand, so naturally he can't defeat those hypocritical beasts who are good at talking big."

He turned and stared at Wei Zhice: "But I am not Chen Xinjia. If that day really comes, I will not consult with the cabinet, because this matter does not require their consent."

"But... how can we get past the Emperor?"

“Your Majesty?” Zhang Cheng’s gaze turned icy. “Your Majesty is a wise ruler and will surely prioritize the well-being of the nation.”

Wei Zhice's expression was very solemn, but he did not dwell on the topic, because he knew that it could not continue.

"Commander, if we had no concerns about the Eastern Barbarians, could we have wiped out the bandits, settled the people, restored production, and freed up our resources to deal with the Eastern Barbarians in a few years?"

"Suppressing the bandits will take at least five years, and at least three years; as for settling the people and restoring production, that is not so simple. This matter is probably even more difficult than suppressing the bandits."

But as long as there are no more bandits causing trouble, at least we can concentrate our forces to strengthen the defenses of the north and Liaodong, and focus on dealing with the Eastern Barbarians; things will be much simpler then.

Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng looked at Wei Zhice again and said, "Zhice, if the current situation of the Ming Dynasty can be maintained for another three to five years, then it is not impossible for Sun Chuanting's Shaanxi army to be reorganized and for Hong Chengchou to return to the capital to take charge of the cabinet and revitalize the Ming Dynasty."

"With Governor Hong back in Beijing, who will take charge of the situation in Liaodong?"

What do you think of Wu Sangui?

“Wu Sangui?” Wei Zhice pondered for a moment: “I haven’t had much contact with him, but he is a rising star among the generals of Liaodong. However, he is not experienced enough and I’m afraid he will not live up to the people’s expectations.”

"Haha..." Zhang Cheng laughed, "That's alright. Wu Sangui has strong troops under his command, and his father's influence remains. In addition, with the support of the Zu family generals, there should be no problem in guarding Liaodong."

"It's getting a bit chilly, let's go back inside and continue our chat."

"No, Zhi Ce also needs to return to camp to make some preparations, so I'll take my leave now."

"Alright. When you get back, think about it carefully. How should we divide our forces next, and how can we hold off the Jurchens?"

"Yes."

"The end of the year is just around the corner. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, we'll split up and launch an attack after the New Year. Let the soldiers have a peaceful New Year and enjoy a hot meal of dumplings first."

…………

On December 20th, a Jurchen force captured Feixian County, where County Magistrate Wang Guojun, Instructor Hu Zhengquan, and tribute student Wang Jingxian were killed in action.

On the 24th, Teng County fell. Teng County Magistrate Wu Liangneng, Clerk Wang Duanhua, Confucian Instructor Zhang Guozhu, Instructor Fang Riyao, Jiang Yuanzuo, and local gentry Liu Hongxu, among others, were killed in action.

On the 26th, Yi County fell.

County Magistrate Wang Yuru, County Assistant Deng Ruxie, Wanjiayi Post Station, Post Station Assistant Niu Daguang, and Qianzong Zhao Yinglin, among others, died in the line of duty.

On December 24, the Jurchens, who had previously captured Feixian, suddenly advanced to the walls of Yishui.

The Yishui military commander fled in fear of battle, causing the local militia to scatter. Yishui fell, and officials including the county magistrate Lu Biao, the county assistant magistrate Li Zhichun, the instructor Duan Kejiao, and the instructor Zhang Erlian were captured and killed for refusing to surrender.

On the 26th, the Jurchens who had captured Yishui fled to the north gate of Juzhou.

When Jing Shufan, the prefect of Juzhou, first heard of the enemy's threat, he summoned all the gentry in the city to discuss the defense of the city and assigned each person to their own territory to guard. However, the people lacked determination, and as soon as the enemy began to attack the city, they all scattered like birds and beasts.

When Juzhou fell, the prefect Jing Shufan was killed in front of the prefectural government office, the judge Lü Qian was killed at the west gate, the instructor Li Maohua was killed at the north gate, and Du Qichu, the former prefect of Shaoxing, also died at the hands of the Jurchens after the city fell.

…………

On December 22, a group of Jurchens who had entered Laizhou Prefecture fled to Gaomi. County Magistrate He Pingxin and County Assistant Yan Hong personally went up the city wall to supervise the defense.

Zhang Fuzhen, the former Minister of War, had already resigned and returned to his hometown. Because of his previous superior-subordinate relationship with Zhang Fuzhen, the Earl of Yongning, Zhang Cheng had secretly dispatched two hundred cavalry to reinforce Gaomi, making them the main force defending the city.

In addition to Zhang Fuzhen taking charge of the overall situation, Gaomi County was also guarded by Fu Zhongxiu, former Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; Shan Chong, retired Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; Shan Ruolu, a Juren (successful candidate in the imperial examination); Zhang Yusu, a government official; and Fu Danchu, a Gongsheng (tribute student).

The Jurchens besieged the city four times, but were repelled each time, thus preserving Gaomi County.

…………

As early as December 21, Wang Yongji, the governor of Shandong, felt that the military strength of Shandong Province was insufficient to deal with the Jurchen invasion, so he wrote to the court requesting reinforcements to resist the Jurchen invasion.

At this time, the imperial court had no troops to spare, so it could only issue a proclamation to Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, Feng Yuanbiao, the governor of Jin, and Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, ordering them to send troops to suppress the Jurchens in order to protect Shandong.

After receiving the imperial decree, Zhao Guangbian, the governor of Ji, remained in Jinan, the provincial capital, and refused to leave. He only urged Zhong Minggao and Xue Minzhong to quickly advance their troops to Qingzhou to resist the Jurchens. He also sent Cao Bianjiao and Lin Dengyou's troops to Qingzhou, leaving Tang Tong's troops alone to guard Jinan.

Although Feng Yuanbiao, the governor of Jin, was willing to send troops to aid Qingzhou, his forces were too weak to form an independent force. Therefore, he joined forces with Cao Bianjiao, the general of Shanhaiguan, to support each other.

On the other hand, the Earl of Yongning remained as steady as Mount Tai, with his troops stationed in place and not in a hurry to send reinforcements to other places.

He received the imperial edict urging him to expel the Jurchens on December 27th. With the year-end fast approaching, advancing the troops wouldn't make a difference of a day or two.

Zhang Cheng was very steady in his mind; he understood the principle of "to destroy someone, first make them go mad."

The current leniency towards the Jurchens is a preparation for future exploitation, and judging by the time, Guo Yingxian and Wu Zhizhong should have completed their mission by now.

News came in the day before yesterday that Wu Zhizhong's side was making exceptionally good progress. The Northern barbarians had no idea that the Ming army would take the initiative to attack. Their elite troops had all followed the Jurchens to plunder the Ming Dynasty, and those left in the tribes were all second-class soldiers.

Moreover, there were also those tribes that had already been in contact with the Earl of Yongning acting as guides and inside agents.
However, Guo Yingxian's side was slightly weaker. Although he had more Mongol soldiers with him, there was still a Jurchen general in Guihua City. The Northern Barbarians were intimidated by the Jurchens' power and dared not show too much weakness.

And indeed, there were some northern barbarian tribes who were determined to follow the Jurchens, but they could only delay Guo Yingxian's advance. After all, without their main force and elite troops, how could they possibly withstand Guo Yingxian's massive army? (End of Chapter)