Chapter 1477 Xin Zijuan Liaodong Army
Feng Tang was also a little stunned when he received the order from the imperial court.
He didn't understand the meaning of the letter from the imperial court for a while. He only asked if he was temporarily recruited back to Beijing to report on his duties. Who would be the temporary deputy for the general army of Liaodong, Zhao Lijiao or Cao Wenzhao?
Feng Tang’s answer: If you want stability, it’s Zhao Ledjiao; if you want ruthlessness, it’s Cao Wenzhao.
He also talked about the reasons in his letter.
Zhao Lijiao has been serving in Liaodong for a long time and the Jianzhou Jurchens have a very good understanding of him. Especially after Li Yongfang defected, he informed Nurhaci of the old generals in Liaodong. Nurhachi will definitely make some targeted arrangements. Zhao Shujiao himself would definitely have no problem with bribery and bribery, but among his generals, no one dared to vouch for it, and there was a possibility that one or two could be taken away.
As the acting commander-in-chief, Jianzhou Jurchen will definitely take some actions, but it will definitely not have much effect, because everyone knows each other, and the defensive side may suffer a little loss, but the impact will not be too big. .
Who did Cao Wenzhao go to with Feng Tang? Li Yongfang had never had any dealings with Cao Wenzhao before, and he didn't know Cao Wenzhao's military style. Nurhachi and the others knew nothing about it. If Cao Wenzhao served as the acting commander-in-chief, Nurhachi will either stay put and continue to observe, or he will start a war to test, but the latter is less likely. After all, the savage Jurchens have also restrained Nurhachi's energy a lot.
Who would have thought that it was directly the decree of the imperial court to transfer himself as the governor of the three sides, but at the same time he did not step down as the governor of Jiliao. It was equivalent to riding a two-headed horse. Cao Wenzhao became the acting general of the Liaodong Town and temporarily acted as the military affairs officer of Liaodong.
But this is fine, Feng Tang is not greedy for the position of Governor of Ji Liao, but if he resigns as Governor of Ji Liao and Cao Wenzhao acts as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, it will definitely make the old Liaodong generals feel a little unconvinced. Now he He was still the governor of Jiliao, and Cao Wenzhao was only acting as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, indicating that he could come back at any time, which would also make Liaodong generals such as Zhao Lijiao and Du Song feel more comfortable.
Even so, Feng Tang also knew that he needed to have a good talk with the Liaodong generals such as Zhao Lejiao and Du Song. Otherwise, if the two sides did not get along, Nurhaci would definitely take advantage of it.
“Go and recruit Zhao Lianjiao.” Feng Tang pondered for a while before ordering his soldiers.
Zhao led the teacher very quickly and arrived at Feng Tang's house half an hour later.
"Xilong, sit down." Seeing Zhao leading the army to perform a military salute, Feng Tang waved his hand, "Although it is official business today, I hope to continue our private conversation."
Zhao Shujiao was stunned.
Feng Tang has been here for a short period of time, but to be honest, he had never thought that Xiao Feng Xiuzuan's father was a mature and steady military general from Long Wuxun.
The old generals who came from Long Wuxun have never been very popular with the generals, because they are not only perverse and willful, but the key is that they all have deep backgrounds, have people in the court, and are influential. The generals under them can only Obey, otherwise he will punish you. Even if you complain, no one will pay attention to you, and the censors rarely care about such internal conflicts among warriors. As long as you can sit still and win the battle, the court will not care.
In my impression, the generals who came from Long Wuxun were generally arrogant, greedy and lustful, and had an extravagant lifestyle. They especially valued power and money, and even sacrificed some of the interests of the court. This started from the Li Chengliang era. .
From Zhao Lijiao's point of view, although Feng Tang's reputation in Datong and Yulin seems to be pretty good, being famous is not as good as meeting him. Who knows if it was a reputation he created intentionally to gain fame?
However, after Feng Tang came to Liaodong, Zhao Shujiao had a slight change in his impression of these veteran martial arts. In other words, he felt that he could not defeat a whole group of people with one stroke. Although most of the veteran martial arts were despicable, Feng Tang should be an exception.
In addition, because of Feng Ziying, Zhao Shujiao also cooperated with Feng Tang, so everyone got along well in the past two years. However, Zhao Shujiao also knew that his relationship with the other party was far from being as good as that of the You brothers and Cao Wen Zhao and He Renlong, the old troops brought over by Feng Tang from Datong and Yulin, were so close that they were not even considered confidants. It can only be said that he was relatively trusted by Feng Tang among the old generals in Liaodong.
If the relationship between myself and Feng Tang is to be as close as that between the You brothers and Cao Wenzhao, without going through two real head-to-head war tests to verify it, I will not trust the other party, and the other party will not trust me.
It's that simple for a warrior, everything must be proven on the battlefield. In the face of war, ability, courage, credibility, and means can be fully verified. If you want me to be convinced and follow you, then you must also show a decent level. come out.
Although Li Chengliang suppressed himself, Zhao Lijiao also had to admire Li Chengliang's vision, skill and courage, but there was a prerequisite for this, which was before he served as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong for the second time.
After he served as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong for the second time, his tactics were still ruthless, but his vision and courage had declined, and his cherishing of feathers and selfish thoughts had become much heavier. This also directly led to the abandonment of Kuandian Six Forts, and North Korea's Da Zhou's awe declined and he began to associate with the Jianzhou Jurchens. The Jianzhou Jurchens quickly evolved from a nuisance to their elbows and armpits into a nuisance to their confidants.
Feng Tang has been here for so long, and he really doesn’t have any amazing abilities, but he does have a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
In particular, they brought in the Hercynian Jurchens and the Inner Karkha Mongols, and instigated the internal disputes among the Jianzhou Jurchens in every possible way. Although in Zhao Shujiao's view, this was a heresy and could not determine the final outcome of the war, it at least won some victories for Liaodong. Years of respite.
As for the specific battle, nothing can be seen. The fall of Fushun Fort had nothing to do with Feng Tang. Li Yongfang's defection was not even thought of by the old Liaodong generals, and Feng Tang did not take any measures against the old Liaodong generals because of this. There are too many discriminatory policies, for which the old Liaodong generals are still very grateful.
“Is there something wrong with you, sir?” Zhao led the teacher to salute and then sat down.
"I may have to leave Liaodong temporarily and go to the three sides." Feng Tang got straight to the point, "The imperial court intends to let Wen Zhao act as the commander-in-chief of the army. It is estimated that officials from the Ministry of War will come soon."
Zhao Zhijiao immediately understood what Feng Tang meant and stood up immediately: "Sir, are you going to resign from Liaodong?"
Feng Tang shook his head, "The imperial court intends to abolish Guyuan Town, and the northwest army's morale is unstable. The imperial court thinks that I have a bad reputation in the northwest, so it asked me to temporarily rescue the situation and let me serve as the governor of the three sides. I will come back in about a year."
Zhao Lijiao felt reassured. Although Cao Wenzhao had a fierce and tough fighting style, he was not as good as Feng Tang in terms of means and city government. He wanted to serve as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, but Du Song and Zu Chengxun were not convinced.
Although Zu Chengxun has been in semi-retirement due to age and health reasons, his son Zu Dashou, nephew Zu Dale and others still have considerable influence in the old Liaodong tribe. Together with people like Du Song, if he still has some Emotions, then Cao Wenzhao would not be able to sit down as the acting commander-in-chief.
"Sir, the three sides are unstable, but the main reason is the arrears of wages, right?" Zhao Shujiao couldn't help but asked a digression. During Li Chengliang's era, the arrears of wages in Liaodong became increasingly serious. After Feng Tang came, the situation improved, and Zhao Shujiao Jiao Zhen was worried that after Feng Tang went to the three sides, if it took a year and a half, it would be okay. After a long time, Cao Wenzhao's few connections and skills would be difficult to get enough salary, food, grain and military supplies from the Ministry of War and Household Affairs. , then some of the morale that Liaodong has managed to build up over the past two years is bound to be affected again. ,
It is not that Liaodong does not have an army capable of fighting. Whether it is the ancestral brothers, Jun Song, or his own subordinates, they can fight if they are drawn out. However, internal discord and low morale will more or less affect the combat effectiveness of the Liaodong Army, causing fluctuations. Relatively large, and after Feng Tang came, on the one hand, Cao Wenzhao, He Renlong and other Feng Tang's old troops brought Datong Army and Yulin Army, which put great pressure on the Liaodong Army. At the same time, after ensuring military resources, Feng Tang also put great pressure on the Liaodong Army. The generals have put forward higher requirements, so after these two years of purges, the Liaodong Army's morale and combat effectiveness have been greatly improved.
This is also the main reason why Zhao Shujiao is willing to obey Feng Tang. Even if he does not think that Cao Wenzhao is much better than himself, he still will not go against Feng Tang's wishes.
"On the one hand, the layoffs were too large and the lack of demobilization expenses was also a factor. There was a severe drought in the North this year. The demobilized sergeants immediately faced the reality of not having enough to eat when they returned home. Although it is difficult in the army, at least they still have food. If you can eat enough, the court has done a bad job." Feng Tang sighed.
"Then the matter can be solved if the Lord goes there?" Zhao Shujiao shook his head: "Isn't this trapping the Lord into injustice?"
"You have an order, you have to obey it." Feng Tang shook his head, "Let's talk about it after we get there. Let's talk about business first. It was me who recommended Wen Zhao as acting commander-in-chief, but I recommended Wen Zhao and you. It also gave the court a choice..."
Feng Tang told the court all his opinions, including the pros and cons of stability and ruthlessness.
“Sir, are you worried that there are still unstable people in our old Liaodong department?” Zhao Shujiao was trembling in his heart.
"There must be, Xilong. I won't deny it. You have no problem leading the generals. I believe this, but what about your subordinates? Do you dare to say that none of them have friendship or contact with the Jurchens in Jianzhou?" Feng Tang Tairan Said: "You used to turn a blind eye, but after what happened to Li Yongfang, I'm afraid you are also feeling guilty, right? If a few generals really come to kidnap you and force you to surrender to the Jianzhou Jurchens, what will you do?" "
Zhao Shujiao was speechless.
"Even if it doesn't succeed, I'm afraid the whole court will know about it." Feng Tang continued: "At least Wenzhao's soldiers will not have this worry."
(End of this chapter)