Chapter 2147 The clues of the Guizi scroll are looming, and there are many worries
With the final shouting, the main force of the Northwest Army finally entered Jining City.
Feng Tang could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
I didn’t expect this last battle to be so difficult. I originally thought that even Yanzhou had given up, but Jining had no reason for Niu Jizong to insist on not retreating. Unexpectedly, the opponent really relied on the advantage of the canal to fight a tough battle.
Sun Chengzong also had a difficult battle in Dongping Prefecture.
As if feeling that they were about to be driven out of Shandong, both the Xuanfu Army and the Datong Army broke out into a desperate fight. Sun Chengzong broke through Dongping Prefecture and fought fiercely for five days. He originally thought he could easily recover it, but in the end, Dongping Prefecture turned into a scorched earth. This also made the court very dissatisfied.
However, the generals on the front line cannot think too much about the court's ideas. The right way is to maximize the damage to the enemy and preserve oneself. As for other things, it is not the army's responsibility to consider.
The same would be true if it were Feng Tang, there was no good choice.
Perhaps this is also a consideration on the part of Nanjing, which is to use this method to delay time in order to gain a chance to breathe. They may be waiting for something. This is what Feng Tang suspects, but he is not too worried.
In his current position, Feng Tang's considerations are no longer as simple as when he first launched his army from Qingyang. The imminent reality is that he will soon be removed from the position of governor of the three sides and will only retain the position of governor of Jiliao.
This is a very delicate arrangement.
The governors of Trilateral and Jiliao are theoretically equal, and they all feel that the governor of Jiliao has a higher status and greater power. This is when one position must be removed, which also highlights the trust and favor the court has for Feng Tang. .
And this is also a practical need. After all, Ziying has become the governor of Shaanxi, and his responsibilities have overlapped with his own. It is impossible for him to continue to serve as the governor of the three sides. This is reasonable.
But Feng Tang didn’t see it that way.
Years of ups and downs in the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty have long made him understand the urinal nature of the civil servants in the imperial court. The story of the birds disappearing, the bows hidden, the rabbits dead and the dogs cooked will never end, and will always be repeated over and over again.
Weakening the Feng family's influence in the military is definitely something that civil servants will continue to do. The Li family and the Ma family have already done it, and the Feng family has temporarily stopped this process because they caught up with the changes in the situation.
Even if Ziying is already a member of the civil servants, they will not show mercy at all.
Do not let yourself be the governor of the three sides, but continue to let himself lead the Northwest Army. Feng Tang feels that this is definitely a trick that Wenchen will come up with.
Because this means that leading the Northwest Army by himself is no longer consistent from a legal perspective. The court can arrange a person to replace him at any time, and let him return to Liaodong to serve as a vacant governor of Jiliao.
You must know that the governor of Ji Liao has always served as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, but now that Cao Wenzhao has succeeded him, the court will definitely not let him serve as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong again.
Furthermore, when the "time is ripe", the imperial court will adjust Cao Wenzhao and You Shigong, two generals who have grown up in their own system, and choose non-Feng generals to take over as the commander-in-chief of Jizhen and the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, such as Xiao Ruxun.
As for Cao Wenzhao and You Shigong, most of them will be adjusted to either Gansu, Guyuan, or Jingxiang, which are far away and do not pose much threat to the imperial court and the capital.
It is definitely not appropriate to invest in idle stocks, but it is necessary to weaken the influence away from the core.
Chen Jixian’s constant letters also reminded Feng Tang that he was not the only one to see this.
This guy must have been aware of this, so he repeatedly flirted with ambiguity between the imperial court and Nanjing, sometimes going east, sometimes going west, and never making his attitude clear.
Feng Tang has understood what this guy is thinking. He will not place a bet until the last moment, and will even continue to attract these forces that may change the situation to join. He is now only thinking about his own interests and completely ignoring others.
But Chen Jixian's actions and suggestions in the letter still made Feng Tang a little moved.
—
Feng Ziying's letter was also delivered to Feng Tang at the right time at this time.
After reading his son’s letter, Feng Tang realized that the situation might be worse than expected.
Ziying’s activities in Shaanxi cannot be hidden from others. Which civil servant in the court is not a good person, how can he not understand Feng Ziying’s tricks?
But they would only acquiesce, and Feng Ziying would not admit it. Everyone knew it tacitly.
However, the unusual movements of the Tumut people in the east of Su Nang and Bai Lian of Fengzhou are a very dangerous sign.
Feng Tang is not sure whether there is any effort from the Nanjing side behind the interactive response of the several parties here. If so, it means that when the Nanjing side was aware of the crisis but collapsed, it was unscrupulous and unscrupulous.
If these alone are enough, but what about bigger enemies?
Chahar people and Jianzhou Jurchens, were they also brought in?
There is no doubt that if he were Prince Yoshitaka, he would be desperate and give it a go at this time.
As for other consequences, it is not an issue that he needs to consider now.
"After taking Jining, should we take a rest or take the opportunity to go south to Xuzhou?" Feng Tang turned around and looked at the generals standing behind him, "Baichuan, what do you think?"
Liu Baichuan quickly glanced at his colleagues around him and said hesitantly: "Sir, would you like to slow down a little? Dongyang and the others have just taken Yanzhou and are still clearing out the remaining enemies. The Xuanfu army in Xuzhou has already made full preparations. , Chen Jixian is said to have handed over the entire Xuzhou city defense system to the Xuanfu army, even leaving the artillery on the city wall. If he attacks rashly, the losses will definitely not be small."
Liu Baichuan's words also attracted the approval of many generals, and even Tu Wenxiu, who had always been brave, nodded in approval.
“Actually, we can let Dongyang and the others finish off the remnants of Yanzhou’s enemies and move south first, outflanking them from the flanks. It’s not too late for us to rest for a few days and then slowly move south along the canal. What do you think, sir?” Tu Wenxiu suggested.
This is also in line with Feng Tang's intention. He wanted to see what other unexpected changes would happen during this period. Nanjing has already made desperate moves. Is it just Tumut and Fengzhou who are involved?
How could the Chahars of Lindan Batur and the Jianzhou Jurchens of Nurhaci fail to seize such God-given opportunities?
As the North-South stalemate becomes increasingly tense, it is impossible for Prince Yoshitaka and the others not to seize such an obvious reversal opportunity.
If the situation is uncontrollable, then it is more appropriate to keep the pace steady to avoid being unable to adjust in time or the cost of adjustment being too high.
(End of this chapter)