The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 777: I have been wandering for half my life, and I only regret that I have never met a wise master

Liu Jing led his troops to besiege Shenyang for several days but gained nothing, so he went north to attack Tieling.

On March 12, the 47th year of the Wanli reign, in Shenyang City, at the governor's residence, the living room was as warm as spring.

Yang Hao placed a memorial in an envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, sighed deeply, and sat dejectedly on the armchair.

He is not a god sent down from heaven. Before this appointment, he was still a widower living in a room in his hometown in Henan, doing nothing for nearly ten years.

He was not very familiar with the changes in the Jurchens or the Ming Dynasty. Even when he was the governor of Liaodong, his energy was mainly focused on Mongolia and he rarely paid attention to Jianzhou.

How much does he know about Du Song and Marin, and how much time did the court give him to get used to each other?
Not to mention that the four armies were well-disciplined and well-organized, even if these southern and northern soldiers were transferred to Liaodong and put together, it would have been a courtesy for Du Song, Liu Jing, and Li Rubai if they didn't fight first.

Moreover, these four main generals, whether it is Li Rubai, Liu Jing, or Malin Dusong, are all over 60 years old.

It’s just that the old Emperor Wanli had been inactive for many years, and the Ming army’s generals had long been cut off.

The situation in the court can really be described as "no one".

Qi Shijiao, a clerk in the Ministry of Rites, said: "At this time, there were only one cabinet member, four chancellors, four vice ministers, seven officials of the Ministry of Justice, and only ten officials on official business in the capital. In total, there were less than thirty people in the court" (Note 1).

The serious shortage of staff in the court can be seen from the nomination of Yang Hao.

According to the ancestral system of this dynasty, the governor of Liaodong must be selected from the Liaodong governor, who must at least be familiar with the situation of the enemy.

In the past ten years, seven people served as governors of Liaodong: Zhao Ji, Zhang Ti, Li Bing, Yang Hao, Zhang Tao, Guo Guangfu, and Li Weihan.

Among them, Zhang Ti did not take up the post, and Guo Guangfu died in office, so there is no need to consider it; Zhao Ji was dismissed because of the famous Kuandian Liubao incident, Li Bing was dismissed because of the loss of Changdingbao, and Li Weihan was the criminal awaiting execution for the fall of Fushun, so none of them are possible; the Nurhaci hostage incident occurred during Zhang Tao's tenure, and Zhang Tao was also old, so he died at the end of the 46th year of Wanli, so it is also impossible.

After listing them all, the most likely candidate for the post of Governor of Liaodong is only Yang Hao.

Yang Hao collected his thoughts and handed the letter to a young aide beside him.

"Shimin, send the horses to the capital."

Mao Yuanyi, also known as Shimin, was fond of reading about military affairs and agriculture since childhood. When he grew up, he was familiar with military strategies and the nine frontier checkpoints. In the 46th year of the Wanli reign, he was appointed as a painter because of his knowledge of military affairs, and followed Yang Jinglue to supervise the army in Liaodong.

"Jinglüe, there is something I am not sure whether I should say or not."

"Go ahead."

Mao Yuanyi saluted again and said urgently, "The army has suffered a crushing defeat, the Eastern Tartars are rampant, and the people of Liaoshen are uneasy. If we sit back and watch Liu Jing's army rise up, Kaiyuan and Tieling will be in danger. If the Holy Emperor investigates, the situation will be very dangerous. It is better to persuade Liu Jing to surrender first, provide him with food and wages, and then make long-term plans..."

Yang Hao smiled bitterly: "Two of the four armies were defeated, Li Rubai is nowhere to be found, and all the elite troops are lost. The only soldiers capable of fighting in Liaoshen City are only a few thousand Sichuan soldiers. They are not enough to protect themselves, how can they reinforce Kai and Tie, and even persuade them to surrender?"

Having said this, Yang Hao clenched his fist and slammed it on the table:

"Shimin, you are still young and don't know the character of Liu Bei. Back in Korea, Liu Bei kept prostitutes and had frequent exchanges with the Japanese pirate Konishi Yukinaga, so that the Japanese pirates no longer treated him as an enemy (Note 2)."

Mao Yuanyi was surprised and asked, "Is this really true?"

Yang Hao sneered, "Humph, in the 26th year of the Wanli reign, we entered the DPRK to fight against the Japanese pirates. The Sichuan and Guangdong armies fought a fierce battle with the Japanese pirates in Shuntian. When Chen Lin and the pirates were fighting fiercely in the sea, the infantry led by Liu Jing did not provide reinforcements, but only beat drums on the shore to build momentum. The siege of Shuntian failed, all because of this Liu Jing..."

"Never mind. It's all in the past."

Mao Yuanyi was stunned.

"So Liu Dadao is so unbearable!"

Yang Hao lifted his teacup and said, "Shen Liao and Tie Kai are both fortified cities. We can hold the strategic points and allow the rebels to attack. When they are exhausted, we can defeat them in one battle. As for surrendering them, that is absolutely impossible. Since Liu has already rebelled, we can blame him for the defeat of Du Song and Ma Lin... I have already petitioned His Majesty, and you will be indispensable in praising the painting."

Mao Yuanyi quickly bowed in thanks: "Thank you for your support."

"However, we must quickly apprehend Liu's family, interrogate them thoroughly, and track down his accomplices. Liu's aggression in Liaodong must have been premeditated. We must send the Imperial Guards to investigate!"

"Of course. Let the censors below take care of the investigation of the accomplices."

Yang Hao, who was born as an imperial censor, naturally knew who Liu Jing was relying on. If he could use this to bring down his accomplices in the court, his position in the court would be more secure.

"I admire your mature and mature strategy for the country."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Yang Hao waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."

Mao Yuanyi turned around and was about to leave when the living room door creaked and a servant came running in in a panic.

"Master, someone is coming from Kuandian."

Yang Hao, who had just been lying on the armchair, opened his eyes upon hearing this. "Kuandian? Wasn't the Eastern Route Army taken to Shenyang by Liu Jing? Why are there still Ming troops in Kuandian?"

The servant gasped for breath and said, "Master, I don't know. The man said he was here to reinforce us."

"reinforce?"

"Yes, he is General Qi Qian's servant."

"General Qi Qian?"

Yang Hao sat up suddenly, looked at the servant, then turned back to look at Mao Yuanyi. Mao Yuanyi shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know this person either.

Mao Yuanyi was already familiar with all the generals above the rank of captain under Liu Jing, but he had never heard of a captain named Qi.

Yang Hao said calmly, "Bring him in." The servant hurried away. Mao Yuanyi paced back and forth in the hall with a frown on his face.

"Strange! Strange! Wasn't the Eastern Army being coerced into rebellion by Liu Jing? Why are there still troops coming from Kuandian?"

Yang Hao remained calm and said, "If the enemy comes, we will stop them with our troops; if the water comes, we will block it with earth. Let's wait and see."

~~~~~
The servant brought people in.

A soldier with a dusty face appeared in front of the two men. He was staggering and his hair was messy.

Yang Hao saw that there were still bloodstains on his jacket. Before he could speak, the soldier took out a letter from his sleeve:

"I am Zhang Chao, a personal guard of General Qi. On the third day of March, Liu Jing, despite General Qi's dissuasion, insisted on withdrawing his troops, leaving General Qi and me behind to cover the rear. General Qi attacked the Bordered Blue Banner at night and killed its leader, Amin. Upon hearing of Liu Jing's rebellion, he rushed to Shenyang at night to reinforce them. This is General Qi's personal letter..."

Yang Hao nodded slightly, and his staff hurried forward and whispered, "I asked someone, and they are indeed Liu Jing's soldiers. However, I have never heard of this Qi Qianzong."

Yang Hao took it tremblingly, read it carefully twice, his facial expression changed slightly, he stroked his beard, and fell into deep thought.

"Take him down and have some wine and food."

The servant came forward and was about to take Zhang Chao away, but Zhang Chao said, "Yang Jinglue, Qi Qianzong will arrive in Shenyang soon. Please make preparations early."

"I know."

After "Qi Qianzong's personal guards" left, Mao Yuanyi hurriedly asked, "Jinglüe, what did you write? Who is this Qi Qianzong?"

Yang Hao handed the letter over. Mao Yuanyi was about to take it when he heard laughter coming from the inner court.

"Dad! Who wrote this letter? But Liu Jing surrendered?"

When the two men looked up, they saw a young girl coming out of the inner court. She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with dark eyes and rosy cheeks. She was wearing a long white brocade dress that reached her chest. The hem of the skirt extended to her waist, and a wide belt tightened her slender waist, showing off her slim figure.

"Qing'er, the guests are still here! Why are you dressed like this?"

The girl smiled coquettishly and bowed to Mao Yuanyi. Mao Yuanyi was about to return the greeting, but the letter in his hand was snatched away by the girl.

Seeing this, Yang Hao shouted angrily, "Military and national affairs are no joke! Bring it here! I'll break your legs!"

Yang Qing'er naturally ignored the threat and snatched the newspaper away. She stepped back, flipping through it and smilingly said, "I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's Liu Jing's adopted son! I don't think he's any good either. He said he was going to rescue Shenyang? I think he's in cahoots with Liu Jing, trying to take over the city!"

"This guy even changed his name! He's called Qi..."

"Bring me the letter!"

Yang Hao was panting, pointing at his daughter and cursing, while looking around for a stick.

"Dad, you're getting old and confused. Back then, that Liu Jing treacheroused Dad and the Guangdong Army in Korea and nearly killed General Chen Lin. Now, when he sent troops to Liaodong, he's slandering Dad everywhere. Like father, like son!"

While Yang Qing'er was dealing with her father, she continued:

"... I followed the Eastern Route Army through Kuandian on February 26th and reached Hunjiang on March 3rd. At the beginning of the morning hour, I was only fifty miles from Hetuala with my vanguard. When General Liu Jing heard that Du Song and Ma Lin's troops had suffered a crushing defeat and was afraid to advance, he ordered me to cover the rear and lead the army to flee westward. I, wholeheartedly devoted to fighting for my country, refused to obey. I severed my ties with my father and changed my name to Qi Meng. Meng has lived a life of wandering and displacement for half his life, regretting that he had never met a wise leader and had to accept a traitor as his father! How sad! The military supervisor Kang Yinggan also denounced Liu Jing for deceiving the emperor and treason..."

Yang Hao snatched the newspaper and swung the teacup at Yang Qing'er.

My daughter moved as swiftly as a rabbit and slipped away.

Mao Yuanyi was no longer surprised and just drank tea leisurely.

"Get out! Get out! Go back to your room and memorize your lessons!"

Yang Hao pretended to throw the teapot again.

Yang Qing'er curled her lips, threw down the newspaper, and went back to the hall with a smile.

Yang Hao gave Mao Yuanyi an awkward smile.

"Back in Korea, Chen Longya (Chen Lin) was kind to me, and my daughter is someone who knows how to repay the favor. However, her mother passed away early, and she was busy with military service, neglecting to discipline her. Everyone in the palace doted on her, and she became even more unruly, unruly, and willful."

"Liaodong is in ruins. I'm afraid I'm in great danger this time... I just hope she can marry a good husband!

Mao Yuanyi unfolded the Tangbao newspaper and consoled him, "Don't worry, General. Liu Zhaosun has already chosen to join the light, proving Liu Jing's unpopularity. As long as we can hold Shenyang, the rebels will be in chaos within days! Those who commit too much evil will eventually perish. Liu Jing is old and senile, and he actually thought of rebelling. He deserves death. He's here to bring military merit to the General."

Yang Hao forced a smile and pointed at the newspaper.

"Since we've severed our ties, don't mention Liu Zhaosun anymore. This Qi Qianzong knows a few words, and upholds loyalty and righteousness. That's right, you continue reading."

Mao Yuanyi read aloud, "It happened that the vanguard of the Bordered Blue Banner was scouting, and Liu Jing fled at the sight of the enemy... At that time, the battle was fierce and perilous. Fortunately, the generosity of General Kang boosted morale. I led my soldiers to attack the Bordered Blue Banner at night and killed the slave chieftain Amin. However, the enemy was powerful, and we were alone in our deep trenches, fearing they would take advantage. I heard that Liu Jing had mutinied in Shenyang. Since I could not wipe out the enemy, I had no choice but to lead the remaining troops west. I humbly hope that the general will have a complete plan to rescue the desperate situation and preserve Liao. I will sacrifice my own family for the sake of justice and kill the traitor Liu, to relieve the Holy Emperor's worries! Qi Meng leads the righteous soldiers of the Eastern Route Army in weeping and bowing again!"

Yang Hao stood up and laughed loudly:

"Great! What a relief for the Holy Emperor! A night attack on the Jiannu army, taking the head of the chieftain from among a million soldiers. Regardless of whether the head is real or fake, at this moment, such a great victory is enough to boost morale..."

Mao Yuanyi put down the newspaper and agreed, "What the General said is very true. If we can make General Qi a confidant, we will have a lot to do."

Yang Hao clapped his hands and laughed, his frown immediately relaxed. Looking back at his daughter in the boudoir, his cunning expression began to change constantly.

Note:
1. At this time, the number of people present in the court was only one in the cabinet, only four ministers, only four assistant ministers, only seven officials in the Ministry of Personnel, and only ten officials on official missions to the capital. In short, there were less than thirty people. — "Chou Liao Shuo Hua" Volume , "Memorial on the Use of Personnel for Peace and Stability in the Intercalary Summer of Wuwu"
2. See "Annals of King Seonjo"

(End of this chapter)