Chapter 926: Ji Zijuan’s military discussion, the crisis begins to emerge
Qi Yongtai was slightly surprised by Zhang Huaichang's visit.
Although he and Zhang Huaichang are both leading figures in the Northern Scholars, Zhang Huaichang was born in the Liaodong Army, which is slightly different from the average Northern Scholar. Therefore, in terms of political stance, they are naturally on the same front, but in terms of personal friendship , but not much.
Although Zhang Huaichang is the censor of Zuodu, his attitude is not limited to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. As a senior censor of Zuodu, he has been in this position for twelve years, even in person. Zhang Huaichang was never afraid of his former chief minister Shen Guanshi. He continued to impeach him even if he should be impeached, and he was merciless in his rebuttal.
Because of his clear defense of Liaodong's interests, neither Emperor Yuanxi nor Emperor Yonglong, nor the Jiangnan scholars or even the Huguang scholars, ever thought of letting him join the cabinet.
Even the northern scholars who stood on the same front were not satisfied with Zhang Huaichang's too strong and narrow attitude. They believed that he was lacking in the overall situation and was not good at balance and compromise. Qi Yongtai considered himself to have a square and upright character. It's hard, but still slightly inferior to Zhang Huaichang.
In a sense, Li Chengliang, the former commander-in-chief of Liaodong Province, felt that it was difficult to maintain his position under Zhang Huaichang's continuous criticism, so he took the initiative to resign.
But we must know that more than 20 years ago, when Li Chengliang first took charge of the army in Liaodong, he was still a seventh-rank official. Wang Gao, the leader who killed the Jurchens, and Man Khan, the leader of the Chahar army who defeated the repeated attacks, were full of praise and wrote repeatedly that the court should praise Li Chengliang.
Who would have thought that after Li Chengliang came out to serve as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong for the second time, Zhang Huaichang, who had already served as the censor of Youdu, had changed his opinion of Li Chengliang. He believed that Li Chengliang had no longer regained his former ambition and had become a coward who was living in peace and contentment.
Especially after Li Chengliang abandoned the Six Forts of Kuandian, Zhang Huaichang personally wrote a letter to impeach Li Chengliang and the Minister of War, Xiao Daheng. He believed that Li Chengliang had lost land and trapped Liaodong in a crisis. He even directly wrote in the bullet "Li Chengliang can be killed." Thank you to the world." Li Chengliang was so frightened that he could not sleep or eat well, and he repeatedly wrote letters of apology and resignation.
But at that time, the court was unable to choose a suitable successor, and with the protection of Xiao Daheng, it could only allow Li Chengliang to temporarily take up the last post. It was not until Feng Tang went to Western Xinjiang to quell the Ningxia rebellion that the court could Officially agreed to Li Chengliang's resignation and let Feng Tang take charge of Liaodong.
For such a maverick but also a leader among northern scholars, Qi Yongtai has always maintained close cooperation on official matters, but does not have much personal friendship.
“Brother Huaichang, please come in quickly.” Qi Yongtai walked out of the ceremony gate in person.
“Brother Chengfeng, please forgive me for coming here without permission.” Zhang Huaichang also bowed his hand.
The fair -faced rookie is slightly thin, and a ray of black beard under the maxillary, but the pair of thick eyebrow -like eyes is a **** of light, and it can be seen that this person's character also belongs to the kind of persistence and toughness.
This is also the reason why Qi Yongtai is not willing to have a close relationship with the other party, because he also has that kind of temperament. If two people have a dispute because of different opinions, it is really difficult to leave the stage, so they are like hedgehogs, keeping a certain distance from each other. , but it can also maintain a friendship.
The two of them entered the flower hall. Qi Yongtai motioned for the other party to take a seat, and soon a servant brought tea cups.
“Brother Chengfeng may be a little curious as to why I’m waiting for you, right?” Zhang Huaichang smiled, looking very casual.
"Indeed, I am a little curious. Brother Huaichang is the kind of person who goes to the Three Treasures Palace for nothing. He is never willing to waste time on such hypocritical polite entertainment." Qi Yongtai also smiled and nodded, "Chengfeng thinks so too With this kind of temper, I can’t be as pure as Brother Huaichang.”
“Hehehehe,...” Zhang Huaichang laughed loudly, “They say that among us northern scholars, you and I are incompatible with each other. I didn’t expect that Brother Chengfeng understands me.”
Qi Yongtai also laughed, and finally said: "Then from my understanding, there must be something big going on when Brother Huaichang comes to visit?"
"Theoretically, I am the censor of Zuodu, and I should not interfere with the affairs of the court outside the Imperial Court. But first of all, I am a scholar, and I am a northern scholar from Liaodong. Therefore, I have to deal with matters related to the safety of Liaodong. Talk, so I had to find Brother Chengfeng and come here."
“I heard that the Mongolian Chahar tribe is ready to move again and intends to invade the border?” Zhang Huaichang asked directly.
Qi Yongtai hesitated for a moment, but still nodded: "There is indeed such a statement. Ye Bushou, who was sent to the grassland by Jizhen, got the news that Lin Dan Batur was ambitious and intended to establish his prestige through plunder and conquest to subdue the internal and external Kabul. Erkha tribes."
“Where are the Wuliangha people?” Zhang Huaichang was not completely unaware of the situation outside the Pass.
"Are there still Uliangha people now? They are now subservient to the Chahar people and are very honest." Qi Yongtai said contemptuously: "The Uliangha people only exist under one name, and a small part belongs to Tumote. Most of them belong to Chahar and Kalaqin and are not worth mentioning."
“That means Lindan Batur intends to force the inner and outer Khalkhas to align with him through southern invasion and conquest, and establish the identity of the Golden Family?” Zhang Huaichang nodded.
"It almost means that, but now it's just news from Ji Town. The Ministry of War has also sent people out. In addition, the Pingren Division has also arranged for people to go to Karaqin and Inner and Outer Khalkha. It is estimated that there will be news in a month or two. Reliable news has come back." Qi Yongtai explained.
"Chengfeng, I'm worried that there is a tacit understanding between Lin Dan Batur and the Jianzhou Jurchens." Zhang Huaichang sighed, "Last year, Feng Tang assisted the Ye He tribe, wooed the Horqin tribe, and bribed Shuerhaqi and his son. I agree with reducing the pressure on Nurhachi and preventing him from annexing the Ural tribe, but I do not agree with him aiding the Chahar people. If Jianzhou Jurchen is really a tiger, then the Chahar people are wolves that cannot be fed. Now It’s just as I expected,…”
Qi Yongtai laughed, "Brother Huaichang, I understand your worries. In the long run, the Chahar people are indeed a hidden danger. But in the situation last year, when Feng Tangchu went there and there was internal discord in Liaodong Town, he came from Yulin Datong The transferred troops were not yet familiar with the situation and could not go into battle. How could the Yehe tribe suppress Nurhaci alone? Shuerhaqi and his son were still under house arrest by Nurhaci at that time, and the Horqin people almost rushed into Jianzhou. Even now, the Horqin people are still flirting with the Jianzhou Jurchens. In Feng Tang’s letter to the Ministry of War and the Cabinet, he mentioned that the Horqin people are unreliable and it may be difficult to win them back to the Zhou Dynasty..."
"In that case, if there were no Chahar people to help, the Ula tribe would have been captured by the Jianzhou Jurchens." Qi Yongtai continued: "So Feng Tang's move was right at that time, but he didn't expect that this would not be the case. By the time he was twenty years old, Lindan Batur's ambitions had expanded so quickly."
Zhang Huaichang shook his head with a straight face: "It was your fault in judgment that led to this disaster."
Qi Yongtai laughed dumbly, "Brother Huaichang, isn't it time to pursue this matter now? You wouldn't come here for this either."
Zhang Huaichang sighed and shook his head, "Let's talk about the current matter. Lindan Batur is going to coerce the five Inner Khalkha tribes to invade south. Do you think Nurhachi will sit back and wait for such an opportunity?"
"Brother Huaichang, even if the Chahar people invade the south, the most threatened areas are Jizhen and Xuanfu. The western Liaoning area is unlikely. Feng Tang is enough to deal with Jianzhou Jurchens. He has the Yehe tribe, the Ula tribe and the Shu tribe. Erhaqi’s restraint should be able to be dealt with.”
Qi Yongtai's words made Zhang Huaichang shake his head, "Chengfeng, if Nurhachi is so simple, then Li Chengliang will not be disgraced by him. Raising tigers is Li Chengliang's biggest fault! If the Chahar people really want to invade in a large scale, I guess It might not be which route, or even several routes, and Liaoxi may not be able to escape. At that time, do you think Nurhaci would let such an opportunity pass?"
Zhang Huaichang's such affirmative statement made Qi Yongtai dare not neglect him. He thought for a while and said: "Even if Nurhachi wants to take action, he may still target the Ula tribe. Now the Ula tribe's vitality has not recovered. If Nurhachi attacks with all his strength, it will be very difficult for Feng Tang." response."
“Ulabu and Shuerhaqi are both weak points. As long as Nurhachi concentrates his strength on attacking one family, it will be difficult for them to escape.” Zhang Huaichang said with certainty.
"Feng Tang will not be unprepared." Qi Yongtai is still very confident in Feng Tang's sophistication and calmness.
"Chengfeng, can Wang Ziteng's Denglai army be brought to the battlefield for training?" Zhang Huaichang then explained his purpose, "I think if there is a tacit understanding between Chahar and Jianzhou Jurchen, the Liaodong family may not be able to cope with it. The battle line is too long, and Ji Zhen is under too much pressure. Unless troops are transferred from Liaodong to assist Ji Zhen, Nurhachi will not sit idly by, so I suggest that Wang Ziteng’s Denglai troops be used to help defend Ji Zhen. It is said that a lot of money was spent on this soldier. It is a mule or a horse, and it can be taken out for a walk."
"I'm afraid Wang Ziteng is not willing," Qi Yongtai said calmly.
"It's okay if he doesn't want to? Then where is the majesty of the imperial court?" Zhang Huaichang disagreed. "The more unwilling he is, the more he wants to let him go. If the imperial court can't mobilize it, wouldn't it become a vassal town in the late Tang Dynasty?"
Wang Ziteng's aggressive expansion of the Denglai Army must have attracted some attention from the court. However, the Denglai Army was originally intended to be an emergency corps to prepare for future emergencies in Liaodong, Jizhen and Xuanfu. However, the first priority was to consider The naval fleet must be built so that the Denglai army can maneuver to the line from western Liaoning to southern Liaoning through shipping to form rapid support.
(End of this chapter)