However, in the second half of Chongzhen's words, the sincerity of using his position as emperor to swear peace talks made Yang Hao a little uneasy, and he hurriedly stepped forward and admonished: "Your Majesty, the situation between the Ming Dynasty and the Houjin is complicated, and the situation between them is also changing rapidly. In such a matter, Your Majesty can easily take the throne and swear by it. The minister did not dare to agree, and asked His Majesty to retract this. ”

Zhu Youzhen didn't take back his words, he just laughed a few times, and said: "Let the remains of hundreds of thousands of soldiers who died in a foreign land return to their homeland and let them be buried in peace, this is what the Ming court owes to these soldiers, and it is also what I, the emperor, owe them."

If I swear an oath to the throne, I can let them return to their homeland, so it's nothing. In the coming day, after Yang Qing arrives in Liaodong, he can tell those slave chieftains what I said in their original form, so as to show my sincerity in wanting peace talks. ”

Yang Hao silently raised his head and glanced at Zhu Youzhen on the throne above, and he found that he couldn't guess whether this young son of heaven was telling the truth, or wanted to show his benevolence and righteousness in front of the people of the world.

However, Yang Hao wisely stopped his mouth and stopped answering Chongzhen's words, hoping to skip this unsettling topic.

Seeing that Yang Hao was suddenly silent, Zhu Youzhen didn't take it to heart, and he began to mention the second thing.

But as soon as Zhu Youzhen started, he stopped and looked left and right, and he suddenly turned his head to Wang Tiqian and the others who were waiting in the hall and said, "I want to talk to Yang Qing alone, you all go to wait outside the hall." ”

Wang Tiqian's eyes rolled, and he accepted Chongzhen's order, followed Wang Chengen and others out.

After seeing that the door of the palace was closed, Zhu Youzhen stood up from the throne and slowly walked in front of Yang Hao.

Zhu Youzhen, who straightened his waist, and Yang Hao, who was slightly hunchbacked, were almost the same height, Zhu Youzhen looked at Yang Hao's eyes, lowered his voice and said: "The second thing is about the Liaoxi General. ”

Yang Hao was finally slightly surprised, and he subconsciously said: "Since Li Chengliang passed away and the old slaves raised troops, the Li family has declined. ”

Zhu Youzhen smiled and continued: "Yang Qing has known too little about the outside world over the years, so you don't know enough about the situation in Liaodong.

Of course, I only have more information about Liaodong than Yang Qing, but in fact, I don't know everything.

However, I carefully read the information of Liaodong since the imperial brother succeeded to the throne, do you know Yang Qing? I found something interesting. ”

Yang Ho stabilized his emotions and began to calm down and asked, "Your Majesty has found something interesting?" ”

"Before the Battle of Ningyuan, there were 300,000 stones of grain in Youtun, 82,000 stones of grain on Juehua Island, and no less than 200,000 stones of grain in Hedong Fort, Bijia Mountain, and Longgong Temple.

When Gao Di passed through Jiliao with the military department, he thought that the outside of the pass must not be defended, and strongly advocated the withdrawal of Ningjin's troops at Shanhaiguan.

Jin Qiliang and Yuan Chonghuan, who had been stationed in Ningyuan City for a long time, and Yuan Chonghuan, who had been stationed in Ningyuan City for a long time, desperately opposed the withdrawal of troops, not only did they not withdraw their troops, but they also refused to withdraw even food.

And Zu Dashou and the others actually obeyed the orders of these two people, refused the order of Liaodong Jingluo, and guarded Ningyuan City.

Yang Qing, do you believe it? These same people refused Sun Gebu's order just a few months ago to attack Houjin. But they had the courage to stay in Ningyuan City and fight Houjin. Don't you think that's funny? ”

If Chongzhen hadn't singled out these things and put them together, Yang Hao would definitely not care about what happened behind Ning Yuan's victory.

After all, since the old slave started the army, the Ming army was the first time to repel the Houjin army in the front, without losing the land, this rare victory, greatly boosted the morale of the army and people in Liaodong, who would not be interested in investigating the small flaws behind the victory?

But since Chongzhen said it so solemnly, Yang Hao naturally thought about it carefully, and soon he found the problem.

The governor was the official responsible for managing the revenues and expenditures, reserves, and distribution of military rations at the front, while Ning Qiandao was responsible for supervising military operations and logistics accounts.

However, these two officials are not qualified to participate in the strategic decision of military mobilization, and if they refuse Gaodi's retreat order and advocate holding Ningyuan City, it makes sense because they have the responsibility of defending the territory.

However, two logistics officials actually jumped out to oppose the abandonment of the front-line positions, not to mention that they did not even withdraw the military rations they managed.

However, Yang Ho has been up and down for so many years, and he has been in prison for so long, and his state of mind has long been tempered, and he is not willing to guess the behavior of the two civil officials without evidence, and erect two enemies for himself inexplicably.

"Well, maybe it's just a coincidence. If there is no real evidence, Your Majesty will be patient for a while. In the opinion of the old minister, Jin Qiqi should be transferred away from Ning Yuan first, and then another person should be sent to check the accounts, as long as this person has a problem, he will inevitably show some. Yang Hao cautiously suggested.

Zhu Youzhen looked at him for a while, and then said with a sarcastic smile: "When this Governor Tuntong was defending Ningyuan City, because of his heroic killing, he put too many cannons at the head of the city*, causing the cannon to explode and die. In the Battle of Ningyuan, the 8,000 merchants who had taken refuge in Juehua Island were also slaughtered by the Houjin army. The human and physical evidence is gone, and this bad debt does not exist. ”

Yang Hao was silent for a long time before he viciously threw out a sentence: "This Yuan Chonghuan and Zu Dashou can be killed." ”

Zhu Youzhen sighed and said: "How to kill, a big defeat with lost troops and looted materials, is now packaged as the first victory since the Liao Affair." If I expose this lie, not only will I lose the heart of the army and the people, but how can the imperial brother sleep in the ground? ”

The two monarchs and ministers looked at each other for a long time, and Yang Hao said with a hint of disgust, "Then Your Majesty, how do you want to rectify these martial artists who collude inside and outside to embezzle the food and salary of the imperial court?" ”

"These Liaoxi generals, in the name of the Liao people guarding the Liao land, regarded those Liaodong people who fled from under the Jiannu as private slaves who sent troops to their tuntian. They cowered and didn't dare to resist Shangjiannu, but they never paid attention to these Liaodong people, and only regarded them as talking horses and cows.

It is the policy of the imperial court for the Liao people to guard the Liao land, and these Liaoxi generals act like this, don't they attribute the grievances of the people in Liaodong to the imperial court, and the benefits of Tuntian to themselves? I don't want to raise tigers.

What I want to do is to separate the Liao people from the Liaodong army, and I can no longer allow these generals to control those Liao people and make profits for themselves.

These Liaoxi generals made profits from the Ningyuan-Jinzhou line, and the imperial court could not get any benefits, and they had to spend 3 million taels of silver and millions of stone rice beans every year to feed this army. In addition, the construction of the city, the purchase of ordnance, armor, and horses cost no less than 6 million taels per year.

I plan to divide the area between Ningyuan City and Ningyuan Central Right Station as a war zone, and the Ningyuan Central Right Station before Shanhaiguan is a civilian area. The war zone is only allowed to prepare for war, not to be farmed, and vegetables can be planted near the city, but not grain.

However, the people divided the fields into the Liao people, set up the jurisdiction of the county officials, and no longer allowed the Jiangmen to enslave the Liao people privately.

In addition, all the troops outside the customs should undergo training, and all those under the age of 16 or over 40 should be allowed to return home. Those who have served for more than 10 years are allowed to retire. ”

Yang Hao listened to Chongzhen's assumption, thought about it, and finally said cautiously: "Dare to ask Your Majesty, this Liaodong Army itself is not strong enough in combat, and now that many sergeants are being dismissed, if Jiannu sees that he is weak outside the pass and takes advantage of the weakness, won't it become a strategy to set himself on fire?"

What's more, these sergeants have served in the army for the rest of their lives, and they will not make a living except for fighting. Now that His Majesty has asked them to retire, if they go back and find no way to make a living, will it not become a local scourge? ”

"Ningyuan is nearly 300 miles away from Shanhaiguan, and it costs me 2 stones to deliver grain on this road. If Houjin uses 300 miles of grain to attack our mountains and seas, what else can the division veterans do when they are tired?

Now I am in the Ming Dynasty, where bandits are like cattle hair, and local arrests are fast, and the army is afraid of bandits like tigers. I intend these retired soldiers to be transferred to work in the local authorities to maintain law and order and arrest bandits, and to make the localities peaceful. Zhu Youzhen said quickly.

Yang Hao immediately nodded and agreed: "Your Majesty's idea is really clever, but what should I do with those original places?" There are fixed positions in the world, and these retired soldiers have a place to go, and those who have been occupied are afraid that they will not give up. ”

Zhu Youzhen finally turned around and walked back towards the throne, and after he sat down, he said indifferently: "If there is talent, it is natural to be retained, and those who are not talented will naturally give way. Besides, if these border troops can't even hold their positions, what does that have to do with me? I've already given them a way out, haven't I? ”

Yang Hao's heart suddenly tightened, this majesty didn't seem to be as soft-hearted as he imagined.

However, Yang Hao quickly thought of another question, he hesitated for a while, and decided to tell the truth to Chongzhen.

"Your Majesty, although I have a guard system and a recruitment system, but today, there are very few people in the army who can fight. The reason why our Ming border army still has some combat effectiveness is nothing more than relying on the generals of the nine sides and the borders of various places.

In the past, Liaodong Li Jiangmen started from Li Chengliang, the beginning of Liang, such as the pine general, thick animal athletes, so vertical and horizontal Liaodong, the direction of Kejie. By the time of the Battle of Salhu, the old tribe of the Li clan in Liaodong had no longer existed.

In the battle of Salhu, the minister ordered Rubai to lead a large army all the way. Rubai went out of the Raven Pass with an army. As soon as he arrived at the tiger blocking the road, the ministers heard that the two armies of Juniper and Marin had been overthrown, and they were in a hurry to return. When the 20 sentries of Jiannu saw it, they climbed the mountain and sang the snail, making a large army in pursuit, such as the Bai army was frightened, and the dead were almost more than 1,000 people.

It can be seen that the so-called generals rely on the soldiers who are all self-raised. Today, if Your Majesty wants to divide the army and the people, the generals of Liaodong will no longer be able to raise their subordinates, so the military strength of Liaodong will be even more withered. The minister dared to ask Your Majesty, if Houjin offends my Ming Dynasty again, what army in Liaodong can resist? If these Liaodong generals are resentful and simply collude with Houjin and let Houjin make a detour to invade Guannei, what will Your Majesty want to do? ”