The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 446 He Tengjiao

Southwest of Xiangyang, in Zhongxian, on the Zigai Mountain, you can overlook the surrounding area with flowers and plants in abundance and the mountains and rivers as picturesque as a painting.

The top of the mountain was surrounded by soldiers and officers.

Chen Wang sat under the shade of a tree, tilting his head to look down at the huge city of Xiangyang that was surrounded by the river.

The military affairs that were delayed due to the marriage have now been almost dealt with.

The epidemic in the north is still ongoing, and the Ming court is making its last struggle.

Li Zicheng stopped in Shanxi and returned to Guanzhong, intending to wipe out the last remaining forces of the Ming court in Shaanxi.

Even though they were in a desperate situation, there were still a large number of Ming troops in Shaanxi and Shanxi who refused to surrender.

They relied on the fortress, with their backs to the city, and stubbornly resisted the attack of the rebel army.

In Liaodong, although the Qing army had withdrawn from Ningyuan, the Liaozhen garrison was given a brief respite.

But anyone with a discerning eye could see that this retreat was just the calm before the storm, and the Qing army's retreat was only to accumulate strength.

At the same time, the Mongolian tribes south of the desert were frequently mobilized, and the military reports sent back by the front-line scouts at the risk of their lives were worrying.

The Mongolian tribes south of the desert were making frequent movements, and the Ming court's few remaining spies risked their lives to bring back a lot of terrifying news.

Everything indicates that by the autumn of this year, the Qing army will march south again.

In the southwest, the Han-Qiang coalition forces in Songpan stopped fighting.

They were waiting, waiting for the arrival of the Mongolian army from Qinghai.

In the South, the People's Army is still struggling in the mud.

Li Yan is constantly deploying troops and preparing for a new round of southern expedition.

Undercurrents are surging throughout the world.

But there was also a brief period of peace.

All forces tacitly agreed to stop attacking each other, and the fighting ceased.

The situation in the world seemed to have entered a brief period of calm, and all forces tacitly stopped large-scale military operations.

But this peace situation is destined to be short-lived and is only a brief intermission before the storm.

But a moment of peace is still peace after all.

Chen Wang now finally has some time to take a break.

The gentle breeze blowing across the top of the mountain takes away the summer heat.

Chen Wang raised his head slightly
, facing the gentle mountain breeze, he slowly exhaled a breath of foul air.

The cool breeze passed through the forest, brushed across the clothes, and took away the heat from the body.

Chen Wang hadn't experienced such a peaceful scene for a long time.

For the past seven years, Chen Wang spent most of his time in the military camp, riding on a warhorse.

He hasn't had a rest like this for a long, long time.

However, such tranquility cannot last forever.

I could hear the sound of sporadic footsteps.

Chen Wang's eyes moved slightly, and he turned slightly to the side, his left elbow still resting on the table in front of him, and the other hand was casually placed on his right knee.

Looking up in the direction of the voice, I saw several warriors with eagles and wolves embroidered on their clothes walking slowly towards me with a civil servant in a crimson official robe.

The civil servant had a tall and straight figure, and his scarlet official robe of the second rank was particularly eye-catching in the cold morning light. As his sleeves fluttered, the gold thread of the peacock patch flickered slightly with his steps.

His face was thin and resolute, his beard was short and slightly frosted, and his eyes were calm and sharp.

Although he was surrounded by soldiers, his steps were as steady as a mountain, and his long beard trembled slightly as he walked.

Although he was escorted by a group of warriors with swords at their fingertips, he still maintained his dignity and bearing.

When he got closer, the civil servant slowly stopped and stood three steps away from the table.

He didn't say anything, but just looked at Chen Wang calmly.

Facing the gaze of the civil servant, Chen Wang slowly raised the teacup in his hand and took a sip.

A second-rank civil servant was undoubtedly someone that Chen Wang had to treat with extreme caution.

When he was in Henan, even though Henan was in constant civil unrest and Gao Mingheng only had two or three thousand troops under his command, Chen Wang still had to keep his head down and be cautious.

But times are different now.

The power in Chen Wang's hands now can easily determine the direction of the world.

A second-rank civil servant and the governor of a province meant nothing to Chen Wang.

"Lord He."

Chen Wang slowly raised his hand.

The civil servant who was escorted here by a group of warriors from the Intelligence Department was none other than the current Governor of Huguang - He Tengjiao.

At the time of Chen Wang's wedding, the wealthy businessman who was taken out of the teahouse by the Intelligence Department was He Tengjiao.

The governor of Huguang was Fang Kongzhao.

Later, Fang Kongzhao was punished and dismissed from his post for failing to suppress the bandits.

Later, Yang Sichang recommended Song Yihe to replace Fang Kongzhao as governor of Huguang.

However, Xiangyang fell shortly afterwards and Song Yihe was dismissed from his post and charged with crimes.

Wang Jukui took over as the Governor of Huguang.

However, Wang Jukui was also unable to stay in the position of Governor of Huguang for long.

At that time, Zuo Liangyu had already gained power, and Wang Jukui was mediocre and difficult to control. He failed to suppress the bandits and finally resigned and returned home.

At the beginning of the 15th year of Chongzhen, He Tengjiao was promoted to the position of Right Censor-in-Chief and Acting Governor of Huguang.

He Tengjiao became the governor of Huguang. Most of the Western Army had left Huguang, occupying only Wuchang and developing eastward, which also gave Huguang a chance to catch its breath.

He Tengjiao did not go looking for Zuo Liangyu, but instead focused on rectifying the internal situation in Huguang. He stayed in Changsha and cleaned up the bureaucracy in various places.

After the court issued the order to open up militia training, He Tengjiao summoned gentry from all over the country and signed a covenant and oath with a group of officials and gentry including Du Yinxi, Fu Shangrui, Yan Qiheng, Zhang Kuang, Zhou Daqi, and Wu Jinxi.

The war horses, ships, food, fodder, and weaponry were all integrated and managed in a unified manner, and then the militia soldiers were gathered together, reorganized into camps, and stationed in various places.

Not only that, He Tengjiao also ordered his officers to train new troops and prepare them for battle.

Since the beginning of the 15th year of Chongzhen, when the situation was changing rapidly, He Tengjiao had already stopped paying tribute to the court.

Because He Tengjiao knew very well that Henan, Xiangyang and other places were under the control of Chen Wang. No matter how much money and grain were transported to the north, Chen Wang would find various excuses to intercept them. It would be better to develop armed forces locally.

Facts have proved that He Tengjiao's choice was correct.

Huguang did not suffer from famine, so there was an abundance of food and grass, and the military equipment was also quite good thanks to He Tengjiao's reorganization.

By the beginning of July in the 15th year of Chongzhen, Huguang under the control of He Tengjiao already had an army of more than 50,000.

These troops are not just virtual troops that exist on paper, but real troops stationed in various places.

The original purpose of these soldiers was to defend their homeland, so their combat effectiveness was quite strong. He Tengjiao used most of the taxes to build weapons and train the army.

In just over half a year, the Huguang soldiers under the control of He Tengjiao were gradually armed. Within half a year, they defeated major bandits and brought peace to the country.

For a time, Huguang had clear politics, happy people, and good public security.

"Why did Lord He suddenly come to Xiangyang when he was not in Changsha recruiting soldiers and clearing out bandits?"

Chen Wang put down the teacup in his hand, turned his head, and spoke slowly.

Chen Wang did not have the same respect for He Tengjiao as he did for Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng, so his tone was somewhat impolite.

He Tengjiao looked calm, lightly fluttered his sleeves, and walked straight forward and sat down.

"From the beginning, I knew that once I entered Xiangyang, I would be discovered by your spies."

He Tengjiao did not answer what Chen Wang said, but turned to talk about his experiences in the past few days. "What I didn't expect was that as soon as I got off the dock and entered the teahouse, I was invited by the soldiers."

"Governor, you are joking." Chen Wang smiled, not caring about He Tengjiao's disregard for his question. "Governor He, with his status, is naturally the center of attention."

Chen Wang tapped lightly on the table, and the armored soldier beside him understood and stepped forward, picked up the teapot on the table, brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of He Tengjiao.

"The governor is very busy, and I also have military duties to attend to. If you have anything to say, please speak up."

He Tengjiao's eyes flashed, he looked straight at Chen Wang, and fell silent again.

The mountain wind gradually grew stronger, and the shrill chirping of cicadas mixed with the sound of fluttering flags.

After a long time, He Tengjiao spoke again.

"Since General Chen has already said so, it would be wrong for me to be more tactful."

He Tengjiao lowered his eyes and looked at the hot tea in front of him with white mist slowly rising.

"I received a message from Wu Luyou."

Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly and met He Tengjiao's gaze.

The Wu Luyou mentioned by He Tengjiao is Wu Shen, and Luyou is Wu Shen’s pen name.

Although the Intelligence Department has branches in various places, it was established only a short time ago and only has considerable control over major cities.

Therefore, Chen Wang didn't know that Wu Shen had sent a message to He Tengjiao.

"The north and the south are cut off, a major epidemic is rampant, and the country is on the verge of collapse."

The Ming court had now reached its end of its rope, and there were many reasons why Li Zicheng stopped moving forward.

The most important reason is that if the war continues, the Ming court will gradually collapse due to the shortage of food and grass.

For a long time, the Ming court's northern part had to rely on the grain transport from the south.

But now the Wanmin Army has already captured Jiangnan, and the Lianghuai area has been controlled by Chen Wang, making it difficult for them to enter the northern country.

The collapse of the country is only a matter of time.

"My friend Lu convinced me..."

He Tengjiao took out an opened letter from his arms and pushed it towards Chen Wang with his hand.

"The Jiannu are about to invade, the Chuang army is rampant in the northwest, the Mongolian and Qiang soldiers are invading western Sichuan, and the snowy area has fallen. The three seem to be separate, but in fact they are in collusion..."

He Tengjiao sighed, and his expression was no longer as calm as at the beginning.

His originally upright body involuntarily hunched down, and when he uttered the last word of this sentence, it seemed as if the last bit of strength in his body was drained away.

Chen Wang picked up the letter that He Tengjiao pushed over to him, and then slowly unfolded it.

Chen Wang had seen Wu Shen's handwriting before, and it was indeed the same as in the letter, with not much deviation.

After reading the words in the letter, Chen Wang also understood why He Tengjiao came to Xiangyang and why he said that Wu Shen persuaded him.

Wu Shen not only gave him the Imperial Sword, but also a great gift...

In the letter, Wu Shen explained the situation in the world clearly and described everything that might happen.

The wandering in the north, the chaos in the south, the turmoil in the northwest, and the unrest in the southwest were all written in the letter.

The words on the letter were scarlet, obviously written in blood...

He Tengjiao closed his eyes and continued speaking after a long while.

"Disasters continue, people are having a hard time making ends meet, the country is on the verge of collapse, and the tide has turned."

"If we are not careful, we may end up repeating what happened in the Song Dynasty..."

He Tengjiao slowly opened his eyes and his expression returned to calm again.

"Looking around the world, you are the only one who can rule the world today..."

The north fell, leaving only northern Zhili, Liaodong and Shandong, but the trend of collapse was already difficult to reverse.

The southern kingdom was weak, the various towns were exhausted, Fujian was controlled by Zheng, and the soldiers and generals in Jiangxi and Guangdong were weak and it was difficult for them to compete for supremacy in the world.

He Tengjiao actually received Wu Shen's letter a long time ago.

But at that time he was not convinced by Wu Shen, so he made a series of preparations afterwards.

But he never imagined that in just a dozen days, the situation would take a sharp turn for the worse.

Chen Wang's troops arrived at Hanyang and overwhelmed the three armies. He was as fierce as a tiger and was placed under house arrest. Zuo Liangyu surrendered and the Western Army surrendered.

The land south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River, as well as the Central Plains, fell into Chen Wang's hands.

Only at this time did Chen Wang truly correct his attitude.

He did not sit sideways again, but turned around and looked directly at He Tengjiao who was sitting opposite him.

In history, He Tengjiao was a man of commendable integrity but lacked talent. He would rather die than surrender in order to preserve his reputation.

However, looking back on his life, he was ambitious but lacked talent, and he often made mistakes.

During the Chongzhen period, he was controlled by Zuo Liangyu and achieved nothing. During the Longwu period, he excluded the Dashun Army but indulged arrogant soldiers such as Liu Chengyin, which indirectly led to the death of Emperor Longwu.

Later, during the counterattack in Hunan, he provoked internal strife and withdrew the troops besieging the city, which led to the collapse of the overall situation.

Although he was loyal and brave, it could not cover up his crime of harming the country.

However, at this time, He Tengjiao actually chose to bow his head.

Or bow to this traitor.

To complete the king's affairs and win reputation in life and after death.

The civil officials of this era, such as He Tengjiao, attached great importance to reputation and would rather die than be humiliated.

He Tengjiao saw the doubt in Chen Wang's eyes, and then shook his head.

"Lu You is a minister of the cabinet, but he is willing to sacrifice his reputation. How can I, He Tengjiao, be so cautious and careless at this time? I will disregard the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the world just to preserve my reputation as a loyal emperor."

He Tengjiao looked calm and spoke indifferently.

"The general gathered all the troops, controlled Shaanxi and Lake, established his capital in the Central Plains, and crossed the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. There are more than 200,000 armored soldiers."

"Although Huguang has more than 50,000 soldiers and generals, they are like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"Even if I can unite all the unconquered lands of the Southern Kingdom and gather all the troops from the Southern Kingdom, can I compete with the general?"

The Wanmin Army was so powerful after its great victory in Pizhou, but it still suffered defeats in Xuzhou and Fengyang.

A mere 50,000 newly trained soldiers were only able to wipe out a few bandits. Could they defeat the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under Chen Wang's command?
If this were true, the Jiannu would have been defeated countless times long ago.

"Besides, I don't have the ability to unify the Southern Kingdom, nor do I have the status to do so.

He Tengjiao looked lonely and sighed.

"When weapons are used, the country is in turmoil and the people suffer."

"The foreign tribes are watching covetously from the sidelines. The Mongols are looking east, and the Jiannu are looking south, all of them want to seize the sacred artifact."

"If the incident at Yashan were to happen again, the Chinese people would be wiped out, and we would..."

He Tengjiao's voice was trembling, but extremely firm.

"What can we say to our deceased ancestors?"

Chen Wang lowered his head again and looked at the letter in his hand.

He once again thought of the comment about Wu Shen.

The loyalty of an official is revealed in times of crisis, but if he is not a man destined to succeed the world, it will be difficult to reverse the situation.

True.

Wu Shen was not a man born with a special talent, but he really tried his best.

Whether in the past.

Or now...