Ming politicians

The news of Huang Taiji's personal expedition to Liaodong continued to spread to the capital. When the news came that Huang Taiji personally led an army of more than [-] to attack Shanhaiguan, the capital was in an uproar. , It is by no means the situation that ordinary people imagined. If Shanhaiguan cannot be guarded, the capital will be in danger, and Shanhaiguan will be taken by the Houjin Tartars, and the entire Liaodong will be lost.

After Yang Sichang and Lu Shanji received the news, they couldn't help being anxious. Although Qin Liangyu led an army of 10,000 troops, they had rushed to the aid of Shanhaiguan. Yes, Shanhaiguan is too important, it is the barrier of the capital, what the two of them thought at the moment was that Su Tiancheng was going to Liaodong as soon as possible.This is probably the last way to protect Liaodong. I believe that the [-] army in Shanhaiguan can still resist the attack of the Houjin Tartars.

Yang Sichang never expected that because of Chen Xinjia's defeat in the battle, such a catastrophe would be caused, and the entire Liaodong would become dangerous in an instant. The 20 troops of the Later Jin Tartars besieged Liaodong, trying to take Liaodong in vain, directly threatening the capital of the Ming Dynasty.When such a situation arises, everyone must not complain, but can only vent all their anger on Chen Xinjia and Qian Qianyi. In fact, Yang Sichang understands that all the arrangements for the guards in Liaodong are basically directly arranged by the emperor. The responsibility for this is still on the emperor.

The capital became even more nervous, and there was only one hour to open the city gate every day.

You must know that there are too many gentry, wealthy households and dignitaries living in the capital. If these people become chaotic, it will be difficult to maintain the capital of Ming Dynasty. Some wealthy gentry households have already begun to send their families to the south, and they are even smarter. rich gentry.The plan is to send the family members directly to Dengzhou, because the Jiangning camp is in Dengzhou.

Yang Sichang convened the cabinet ministers and discussed for a whole day, but at this time, the opinions of the cabinet ministers were also huge, and several people put forward three opinions.Tang Shiji suggested that in times of crisis, you can ask the emperor to come to Nanjing temporarily and wait for the situation in the capital to subside. Such a critical moment.Liu Zongzhou still put forward his own opinion. He believed that the emperor could not leave the capital, otherwise there would be huge turmoil in Ming Dynasty. So many troops.It is completely possible to defend the barracks, and at the same time the emperor decreed.Conscripting troops from all over the country to guard the capital, even if there were more than [-] people, it would be difficult for the Later Jin Tartars to resist. At the same time, the emperor could also use money to recruit soldiers to guard the capital by means of donations.

Yang Sichang's opinion.Thinking a little deeper, he not only thought of the safety of the capital, but also the safety of Liaodong. In fact, Liaodong and the capital are closely related. If Shanhaiguan, Ningyuan and other places cannot be guarded.Then the capital is in danger all the time, which means that the capital is always under the threat of the post-gold tartars. Linghe City, Jinzhou, and Ningyuan, but Shanhaiguan must not be lost, and they will directly guard the capital here.

As Minister of the Ministry of War, Lu Shanji also participated in the discussion. Lu Shanji's opinion was even more intense. He believed that there should be no mistakes in Liaodong. Although the current situation is dangerous, it is not completely hopeless. Stationed in Daling The sergeants of Hecheng, Jinzhou City, and Ningyuan City are guarding desperately. As long as Dalinghe City is not lost, the Houjin Tartars will have great scruples, and it is impossible for them to station troops in Liaodong. It goes without saying that, fortunately, Qin Liangyu has already led an army of [-] to go for reinforcements. With [-] soldiers guarding the Shanhai Pass, there will be no major problems in a short period of time. Just defending the Shanhai Pass will not be of much use. Later Jin occupied most of the eastern part of Liaodong, and could enter the pass from places such as Xifengkou, Malanyu and Gulongkou, directly threatening the capital, and the danger to the capital would be even greater.

Several kinds of opinions could not be unified. Yang Sichang was a little sad. As the chief assistant of the cabinet, his prestige was incomparable with Sun Chengzong, but at least he could unify the opinions of the cabinet. But the current situation is a mess. The reason still lies with the emperor, but it is a pity that I can't complain, I have to come up with a final opinion at a critical moment, so that I can really start to establish my own prestige.

Lu Shanji, the cabinet minister and Minister of the Ministry of War, entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhu Youjian's spirit is very bad, but he still has to hold on. The capital has encountered such a situation, Zhu Youjian must not be decadent, and the matter has not reached the point of irreversibility.

"Yang Aiqing, more than [-] later Jin Tartars attacked Shanhaiguan, what is the cabinet's opinion?"

Yang Sichang honestly expressed all his opinions and suggestions.

Zhu Youjian's complexion changed a little. He didn't expect that someone suggested that he leave the capital temporarily and take refuge in Nanjing. He would never do such a thing, although he would have the idea of ​​avoiding the capital temporarily in his heart, but Such a thing is detrimental to the dignity of the royal family, and it cannot be done anyway.If you really do this, even if you return to the capital in the future, you will not be able to face your ancestors.

Liu Zongzhou's suggestion this time is barely feasible, but Tang Shiji's suggestion of leaving the capital temporarily to avoid danger made Zhu Youjian a little angry. Could it be that Tang Shiji didn't know that even if he had such an idea, he must To raise it in private, to raise it so blatantly, is tantamount to cutting off a path.

The most important thing for the royal family is to hide their faces. The royal family's mask is absolutely in need of protection, especially when encountering external invasions. It is not the most critical moment now. Zhu Youjian does not exist to leave the capital, so he is right Tang Shiji's opinion became even worse. In his heart, he had already decided to adjust the cabinet.

After Yang Sichang finished speaking, Zhu Youjian quickly spoke.

"I have said long ago that if no one dares to go to Liaodong to fight against the Houjin Tartars, I will go in person. Is it possible that I will withdraw from the capital? Faced with the harassment of the Houjin Tartars, will I be thrown into despair? , so what is the face of my Ming Dynasty, how will the people of the world view me, how will they view the court, don't mention the words that persuade me to leave the capital, and I don't want to hear it again. Falling quickly, Dalinghe City, Jinzhou City and Ningyuan City are all in the hands of our Daming soldiers. Under such circumstances, what you need to consider is how to resist the Golden Tartars and protect the safety of the capital, not to evacuate Regarding matters, as for how to guard Liaodong and Shanhaiguan, the cabinet will continue to discuss and come up with a safe solution."

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, Yang Sichang continued to speak.

"Your Majesty, I believe that it is impossible for the Houjin Tatars to conquer Shanhaiguan in a short period of time. After receiving the imperial decree, Mr. Su will definitely rush to Liaodong to stabilize the overall situation."

The cabinet failed to discuss other opinions. In fact, the opinions have long been there, but everyone is too anxious. The imperial decree has just come down, and everything is still in the process of preparation. What happened in Liaodong is also expected. If we don't seize this opportunity and threaten Guan Ningjin's line of defense, it is impossible for Houjin to achieve such fruitful results in just a few decades.

Qin Liangyu led an army of [-] troops to garrison Shanhaiguan. It had been two days since he set off, but no news had been sent back to the capital. In the past, such a situation was normal, and no one would ask about it. After all, the capital is a short distance from Shanhaiguan. Eight hundred miles away, but this time the situation is different. Yang Sichang is paying attention all the time to see where the army has gone and if there is any news to come back. It will take longer time to travel from Nanjing to the capital camp. I am afraid that the imperial decree has not yet arrived in Nanjing, and Yang Sichang has also shown a caring attitude. Lu Shanji, Minister of the Ministry of War, also knows that Yang Sichang is really anxious this time.

After Yang Sichang became the chief assistant of the cabinet, life was not easy. The court has been stable for a long time, and there are not many cabinet adjustments. Every cabinet minister has his own sphere of influence. It is difficult for Yang Sichang to completely To unify everyone's thoughts, it seems that the authority is not enough. What's more difficult is that the emperor's attitude towards the cabinet has also changed. He has always focused on strengthening the imperial power, and has limited the power of the cabinet.

Under such circumstances, it is difficult for Yang Sichang to keep his promises like Sun Chengzong.

This time, there is a crisis in Liaodong, which directly threatens the capital. As the chief assistant of the cabinet, Yang Sichang has an unshirkable responsibility for such a big event. He must stabilize the court and defeat the Jin Tartars. For the task, it is estimated that Yang Sichang, the chief assistant of the cabinet, is about to resign, or be directly dismissed by the emperor.

Lu Shanji offered to go to Shanhaiguan to supervise the battle.

During this period of time, the Ministry of War was also very busy. Many things required the Ministry of War to put forward suggestions for the cabinet's reference. Lu Shanji was familiar with the affairs of the campaign and could put forward good opinions. Under such circumstances, Yang Sichang naturally needed to rely on Now that Lu Shanji is gone, it is impossible for Lu Shanji to leave the capital.

Yang Sichang and Lu Shanji discussed for more than an hour, and both of them felt that at such a time, they should not take other measures for the time being. The most important thing is to maintain the stability of the capital and not let the common people panic. Most importantly, as for the matter of mobilizing the army, the imperial decree has been passed, and we are quietly waiting for the outcome. (To be continued..)