Chongzhen 10th lunar month 26th. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Capital.

In the Qianqing Palace in late May, the sun was shining outside the palace, and the heat stroke in the palace hit people, and the two little eunuchs on the side kept fanning, Chongzhen, who was sitting on the dragon chair, and the thin silk and yellow dragon robe with patches on his body were still soaked in sweat****** but he was not feeling irritable at all because of the summer heat. On the young and haggard face, a look of surprise and excitement appeared more and more obviously.

And in front of the imperial table, Yang Sichang, the secretary of the military department, who was wearing a red official uniform, also knelt on the ground with a happy face.

Yang Sichang, who is slightly fat, is even more intolerant to heat, and in this heat-wave Qianqing Palace, the sweat beads on his face are oozing a little, and his back is already wet. He peeked at Chongzhen's expression from time to time, and saw the smile on Chongzhen's face, which made Yang Sichang's heart feel like drinking honey.

Soon, Chongzhen threw the fold in his hand on the table, and said to Yang Sichang, who was kneeling under the table, with a laugh: "Yang Aiqing, more than half a year has passed, and today you finally brought me a rare good news. Quickly flatten down, watch and sit! ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

A trace of shame flashed on Yang Sichang's face, he stood up, bowed to Chongzhen again, and then wiped a handful of sweat on his face, and then leaned over and sat on a straight chair that the little eunuch had moved.

"Wen is weak, this report reported by Li Xiao, the governor of the left capital, is simply a bowl of iced sour plum soup in the summer, which makes me extremely happy." Chongzhen had a bright smile on his face, and his pale and haggard face was a little flushed.

"Your Majesty, Li Xiao was able to achieve such feats, in addition to the effective combat of his troops, it is also a blessing for His Majesty." Yang Sichang hurriedly complimented.

Chongzhen laughed a few times, leaned back, leaned back against the dragon chair, and said with emotion: "I really didn't expect that when the Dongjiang River was destroyed and North Korea was in danger, it was Li Xiao who sent troops to save North Korea and force peace with the captives. Li Xiao has achieved such a great achievement with his own strength, and I am really rewarded in my heart. ”

Yang Sichang immediately agreed: "What Your Majesty said is very true. I think that our army has successively sent Liu Zeqing, the chief soldier of Shandong, and Chen Hongfan, the general soldier of Denglai, to North Korea to rescue, but these soldiers and horses are afraid of the grand offensive of the Qing army, and they are afraid to advance, and finally the situation in North Korea is eroded. If Li Xiao had not sent troops to save the situation, he was afraid that North Korea would have to surrender to the Qing captives, and he would no longer be a vassal state of my Ming Dynasty. ”

Listening to Yang Sichang's words, Chongzhen's face swelled with anger: "Liu Zeqing and Chen Hongfan, they are afraid of the enemy and do not advance, and they steal their lives, and I should be severely punished!" ”

Yang Sichang saw that the emperor was angry, and hurriedly lowered his voice and said: "Your Majesty, in the opinion of the ministers, although these two people are mediocre and incompetent, after all, the soldiers and horses of the department have not suffered losses, and the dynasty is the time to employ people, so it is better to allow them to make meritorious contributions." ”

Chongzhen pondered for a while before he said to Yang Sichang: "It's okay, Yang Aiqing will send these two people, thinking that they are the service of the Ming officials and soldiers everywhere." ”

Yang Sichang arched his hand and said: "The emperor is sage." ”

Chongzhen nodded, as if he had thought of something, he replied to Yang Sichang and asked, "Wen is weak, now in your opinion, how do I need to reward Li Xiaofang?" ”

Hearing Chongzhen ask himself like this, Yang Sichang was also very emotional.

Since the Qing army launched a surprise attack on the same day, destroyed Dongjiang Town, and then attacked Korea in a hurry, almost destroying North Korea, Yang Sichang, the secretary of the military department, has an extremely gloomy heart.

Since he is the secretary of the military department, he has only been in office for more than half a year, and he is still in a scorching battle with the domestic rogues, and the day of victory is far from knowing when. Unexpectedly, such a terrible event happened in Dongjiang Town and North Korea, which simply caused him to suffer a head-on blow.

Therefore, after Yang Sichang learned the news of the extreme danger in North Korea, he immediately sent Liu Zeqing, the general soldier of Shandong, and Chen Hongfan, the general soldier of Denglai, to lead troops to urgently aid North Korea, but he did not expect that these two people were afraid of Tartar like tigers and did not move forward. After receiving the orders from the Ministry of War, they all pushed back, either that the food and salary were not yet complete, or that the naval division was still being renovated, in short, they tried their best to refuse to send troops.

Yang Sichang hated these two people for being so passive and slack, but considering that they had many roots in the local and military areas, it was difficult to move for a while, and since he had not been in office for a long time, his prestige had not yet been established, but it was inconvenient to immediately remove these military leaders who held soldiers and horses.

Although, now that the emperor still trusts himself, it is impossible to dismiss him from his position because of this. But as soon as he took office, he lost Dongjiang Town, which led to the death of Shen Shikui, the chief soldier of Dongjiang Town, and if he later let Korea claim to the Qing Dynasty and secede from the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen will definitely have unspeakable disappointment with his own military secretary.

What Yang Sichang didn't expect was that it was Li Xiao, the left governor of Chifengwei, who had no friendship, who became a lifesaver to save his prestige.

This person sent troops to Korea, successively defeated the Qing army's amphibious divisions, and saved the Korean royal family on Ganghwa Island, and finally forced the Qing people to make peace, saving the extremely dangerous situation in Korea.

This Li Xiao, who has made such miraculous achievements, is like sending charcoal to Yang Sichang in the snow.

Moreover, this person had also advised Chongzhen to negotiate peace with the Qing Dynasty before, and it also coincided with his own plan to eliminate the Liukou outside and the Qing Dynasty, and it seems that this Li Xiao is not only brave and good at fighting, but his strategic thinking is also like-minded with himself.

Then, for such an excellent general who is in line with his own philosophy, he naturally wants to promote this person heavily, so that this Li Xiao can serve himself loyally while being deeply grateful to himself.

Even in the future, he can transfer troops from Li Xiao's hands to Shanxi, Huguang, and other places to clear out the rogue bandits, so that his plan of "four squares and six corners, ten sides of the net" to exterminate the rogue can be better and smoothly implemented.

Thinking of this, Yang Sichang made up his mind, stood up, and bowed to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, that Li Xiao relied on his own strength to save North Korea and force peace with the Qing court, which is a special achievement in the world. In the opinion of Weichen, His Majesty should reward him greatly, so as to comfort his heart and inspire his aspirations, so that Li Xiao can better serve the country while being grateful to the emperor. ”

"Well, what Wen Weak said is very much in line with my heart." Chongzhen stood up from the dragon chair with a smile, and after walking back and forth for a few steps, his face was full of thought, and he muttered in his mouth: "Li Xiao is stationed in Shandong Chifengwei, and I will be knighted by the name of the place, and Li Xiao will be crowned as the uncle of Chifeng." “

Hearing that the emperor was willing to mention Li Xiao as a super-grade earl, Yang Sichang sighed lightly in his heart, and then secretly rejoiced, and praised repeatedly: "Your Majesty is so generous to seal his knighthood, it is really magnificent. Thinking that Li Xiao is so young, but he has to be like Li Chengliang back then, he has to be awarded the title of earl, which can be said to be the leader of my Ming Dynasty generals and generals. I expect that Li Xiao will be grateful to His Majesty and become more loyal and serving. ”

Yang Sichang's words made Emperor Chongzhen very useful.

Chongzhen thought about it, coughed lightly twice, and asked Yang Sichang again: "Then Li Xiao said in the recital that he wanted me to hand over the capital city of Dengzhou to him to govern, so that he could build a shipyard to build a shipyard to build a naval division, I was still hesitant, but I don't know what Yang Aiqing wants?" ”

Yang Sichang groaned slightly, and then said: "Your Majesty, as the minister sees, give this Dengzhou capital city to Li Xiao!" ”

"Oh, why did Aiqing say that?"

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, the current Dengzhou City, although more than four years have passed since the Confucian Rebellion, it has not been repaired and is still dilapidated. In such a city, the people are scarce, and taxes are difficult to collect, so it is a good thing to give Li Xiao and let him build a shipyard and a sailor. ”

Yang Sichang paused, and said: "Your Majesty, now that Dongjiang Town has been destroyed, and all the Dongjiang islands have fallen into the hands of the Qing Dynasty, in this way, without the barrier of Dongjiang Town, our northeast Zhili and other places have been completely exposed to the Qing army's front, so it is urgent to form a strong naval division to resist the Qing army's possible southward movement." And now that Li Xiao is willing to fund the formation of a sailor division to fight against the Qing captives in the north, wouldn't it be a rare good thing for my Ming Dynasty? ”

Yang Sichang's words made Emperor Chongzhen nod again and again.

Yang Sichang finally said: "Your Majesty, in the opinion of the ministers, the imperial court is extremely short of money and food now, if this Dengzhou City can be rewarded to Li Xiao instead of gold and silver treasures, it can also save a large amount of silver for the imperial court." Moreover, this Dengzhou City can be regarded as another reward for rewarding Liujue, and after Li Xiao dies in the future, it will not be too late for the imperial court to take back this Dengzhou City together with the title. “

Chongzhen sighed lightly, but shook his head gently.

Yang Sichang thought that the emperor was unwilling, and was about to persuade him, but suddenly saw the emperor pacing back and forth suddenly stopped, his face was full of high spirits, and he said loudly: "Li Xiao is loyal to the country, with brilliant achievements and outstanding meritorious achievements, and I can be wronged by such a loyal and good general!" What kind of lord to give, I want to give him a hereditary title! Moreover, I not only want to give him Dengzhou City, but also hand over the entire Dengzhou Mansion to Li Xiao to manage! The original officials in various parts of Dengzhou were all transferred to other places, and as for Chen Hongfan, the mediocre and incompetent general soldier of Denglai who was afraid of the enemy and retreated, he was demoted to become a general soldier of Laizhou. ”

Hearing Chongzhen's generosity, Yang Sichang was also taken aback.

Good guy, it's just enough to give Dengzhou City to Li Xiao, and it is necessary to hand over the Dengzhou Mansion, which includes six county towns including Ninghai Prefecture, Penglai County, Fushan County, Qixia County, Laiyang County, and Wendeng County, as well as the four main guard offices of Weihaiwei, Chengshanwei, Jinghaiwei, and Dasongwei, to Li Xiao, a military general, to manage.

"Your Majesty, this 。。。。。。"

Seeing the young emperor's whim-like move, Yang Sichang suddenly felt strange in his heart.

Although he hoped that the emperor would reward Li Xiao greatly, the emperor's radical and unsystematic approach was too unexpected for him.

"Wen is weak, don't persuade me anymore, I have my own opinions."

Chongzhen waved his hand to stop Yang Sichang's persuasion, and he said excitedly: "I think that since I ascended to the pole, the situation in the country has become increasingly erosive, the swords and soldiers have not stopped, the fighting has not stopped, the people have been displaced, the lives have been ruined, and the situation has become increasingly difficult, which really makes me strangle!" And what makes me most sad is that my Ming officials and troops have been defeated repeatedly, losing cities and land, so that the Tartars are rampant and the rogue is reckless, but my Ming Dynasty is a country that is declining and difficult to govern. If all these are the same, it is enough to make me uneasy to eat! Could it be that I have been so bright that there is no one who can save the situation? Every time I think of this, my heart is like a knife! ”

When Chongzhen said this, tears were quietly flashing in his eyes.

"Your Majesty。。。。。。"

"And this Li Xiao, since the sixth year of Chongzhen, I have seen him start from a small hundred households, and with his own efforts and military merits, he has been promoted all the way to thousands of households, commanding Tongzhi, commanding envoys, and chief soldiers, until he is the first military attache Zuo Dudu. It can be said that this helpless Li Xiao has been able to be promoted to the title of knight until now, completely by virtue of his own strength and the work of one person, which is really not easy! And such an excellent tiger general who has worked hard all the way to start from the bottom is really a great gift from God! Since Li Xiao can be loyal to the country, of course I must use him more and more, and I must set an example for all the Ming officials and soldiers! If we can use Li Xiao's example to inspire my Ming soldiers to work hard, make contributions to the country, exterminate the thieves, and expel the Tartars, then what harm will it do to hand over the entire Dengzhou Mansion to Li Xiao for management? ”

"The emperor has good intentions, but the ministers are too worried." Yang Sichang squeezed out a smile and said.

Chongzhen stared at Yang Sichang's somewhat uneasy eyes, and continued: "Last year, when Li Xiao joined the Beijing Division, I summoned him to the Imperial Garden to inquire about his strategy for governing the country. Li Xiao told me that he would levy additional commercial taxes on the wealthy households in the south of the Yangtze River to strengthen the national treasury. This move was of great significance and could not be taken lightly, and there were many opponents of the court, so I did not agree to it. But Li Xiao's suggestion, I have always taken it to heart and never forgotten it. Therefore, I handed over the Dengzhou Mansion to Li Xiao for management, and I also wanted to see if Li Xiao could implement his act of levying commercial taxes on the wealthy in this Dengzhou Mansion first. If Li Xiao can successfully implement this strategy, I will be able to use this strategy in the Jiangnan area in the future, and I will have a reference and reference. ”

Listening to the emperor's words full of hope, Yang Sichang was smiling bitterly in his heart.

The emperor is still young, and he thinks too idealistic about things.

If you want to come to the land of Dengzhou, you will be plagued by military disasters and ruined, and you can have a few rich households and a few taels of silver. With such a barren place, it is not appropriate to compare it with the anointed place in the south of the Yangtze River.

Moreover, many high-ranking and powerful ministers in the court are all people from the Jiangnan area, and most of these people have property in their hometowns, so how can they sit idly by and watch the emperor collect taxes from their own heads, they must try their best to oppose and confront them. I'm afraid that when the time comes, Emperor Chongzhen's fox didn't fight, but he was ashamed.

It's just that now that the emperor is on the rise, Yang Sichang is not good at giving him cold water, but has to follow the emperor and say: "The emperor's move should be tried." In the opinion of the minister, after letting Li Xiao govern Dengzhou, he needs to be allowed to pay taxes according to the amount of the state and county every year, so as to encourage him to make a good life and govern the place. If in case Li Xiao's performance is not good and the results are not obvious, he will also ask the emperor to take back the Dengzhou Mansion and rearrange officials to take over. ”

Chongzhen nodded: "What Wen Qiao said is very true. I also know that Li Xiaowu was born as a general, and at the moment he is only in Shan County and Chifengwei, and his governance experience is still insufficient. ”

Chongzhen paused, but a smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he said slowly: "Wen is weak, in my opinion, you still don't want to underestimate this Li Xiao, maybe, Li Xiao can be stronger than those civil officials, and govern the Dengzhou Mansion more prosperously, maybe." ”

Yang Sichang squeezed out a smile on his face: "If Li Xiao really has this achievement, then Weichen will congratulate the emperor first." ”

Chongzhen laughed a few times, and then shouted: "Where is the eunuch on duty? ”

"The slave is here. Please ask the emperor to command. ”

Chongzhen glanced at Yang Sijing and the eunuch on duty in the cabinet standing on the side, and said loudly: "Spread my will, Li Xiao, the left governor of Shandong Chifeng, gallop to drive the king, loyal and courageous, play a friendly country, retreat meritorious, and I am very happy." It is to follow the will of the emperor who will be rewarded for his meritorious service, and Li Xiao was promoted to be the chief military officer of the regimental training of Dengzhou Prefecture, and has full authority to manage Dengzhou Prefecture, Prefecture and County and the Guard, and the military and civilian places in its place are governed by him. Give him the title of Chifengbo, give coupons, give iron coupons, eat 1,000 stones, and hang the seal of 'General Zheng'. After the Ministry of War verifies the meritorious service of the department, the meritorious service of the department will be discussed and rewarded according to the merits. Chin this. (To be continued.) )