Chapter 22 Optimistic Zhou Anmin
Chapter 22 Optimistic Zhou Anmin
It was almost impossible for the Ming royal family to rebel, not to mention that Zhu Shenzhui was just a low-ranking royal family member.
Zhou Anmin's judgment was not wrong, but Zhu Shenzhui was an exception. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui was not thinking about a real rebellion, but was making preparations before the storm.
It is said that when Qin lost its deer, the whole world chased it.
When the chaotic times came, Zhu Shenzhui, as a member of the royal family, had an innate advantage. If he had enough power at that time, he might have had a chance by relying on his reputation as the descendant of the Jin vassal state and the legitimate son of Zhu.
"Li Hu?" Zhou Anmin silently memorized the name after listening to Zhu Shenzhui's story, and then said to Zhu Shenzhui, "I need to find someone to find out about this matter. It may take one or two days at the fastest, or three days at the most. I will tell you when I have the news."
"Then I'll leave it to my brother-in-law." Zhu Shenzhui raised his glass.
After clinking glasses with Zhu Shenzhui, Zhou Anmin smiled and said, "These are all trivial matters. However, even if Li Hu can be used, people's hearts are hidden, so we need to be more careful in our daily lives."
"I know this well, thanks brother-in-law for the reminder." Zhu Shenzhui raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, then nodded.
You must be on guard against others. Zhu Shenzhui has always been cautious in doing things. Zhou Anmin knows this, and this is what he appreciates most about his brother-in-law. But Li Hu and the people in Wangjia Village are different. They are outsiders. If they can be used, it is fine, but it also requires how to use them, and they must be on guard.
"Brother-in-law, I read the post report a few days ago. The defeat in Liaodong shocked the imperial court. Is there any news from there recently?" After refilling his glass of wine, Zhu Shenzhu put Li Hu's matter aside for the time being and inquired about the news from the imperial court.
Zhou Anmin sighed and shook his head, "You also know about the Sarhu incident. Now the court is in chaos. Many people want to hold the commander Yang Hao responsible. Many people suggest killing him, but there are also many who want to protect him."
"Now Yang Hao has been escorted back to the capital and thrown into the Heavenly Prison. He is under the care of the Imperial Guards, but the officials in the court are arguing and still have not come up with an opinion on how to deal with him."
"What? The emperor hasn't killed him yet?" Zhu Shenzui was a little surprised. Yang Hao was a man with great ambitions but little talent. At the time of war crisis, he was still scheming and excluding dissidents. He ordered his troops to stay put and watched his friendly forces being surrounded by the Jiannu. Eventually, the four armies were defeated one by one by the Jiannu, and the Ming army suffered a great defeat in this battle.
In fact, judging from the military ratio and the quality of the generals in the entire Sarhu Battle, the Ming army still had the upper hand. In particular, several generals in the four armies were not ordinary people. Among them, Liu Ting, the general of the right southern army, was known as Liu Dadao and was famous for his bravery.
Du Song, the general of the left middle road, was also very famous. He had been through hundreds of battles and was extremely brave. When he was guarding Shaanxi, he fought more than a hundred battles with the Hu people, and was undefeated. All the foreign tribes outside the Great Wall called him "Master Du".
Ma Lin, the commander-in-chief of the left northern route, is the second son of the famous general Ma Fang. Although he is not as famous as Liu Ying and Du Song, he is also considered a good general.
If it weren't for the fact that the commander Yang Hao gave blind commands and leaked the news, which led to the Jiannu knowing their marching routes in advance and eventually the Jiannu seized the opportunity to defeat them one by one, if two of them could join forces and support each other, or if Yang Hao decisively sent the last general Li Rubai to reinforce and the central army quickly advanced and joined, the outcome of the Battle of Sarhu would definitely not be what it is now.
In Zhu Shenzhui's opinion, what Commander Yang Hao did was simply incomprehensible. His actions on the battlefield were similar to those of Li Tianxia and Master Li. They both watched their friendly forces perish and did nothing. Finally, when they saw the situation was not good, they ran away without even seeing the enemy.
If he was Wanli, Yang Hao would have skinned him alive on the day he was escorted to the capital, but who would have thought that this old man is still alive today.
"How could someone protect him after such a great defeat in Liaodong?" Zhu Shenzhui was puzzled. It was simply unbelievable that he could survive after committing such a crime.
Zhou Anmin smiled bitterly, dipped his hand in some wine, wrote two words on the table, and wiped them off with his hand. "You mean..." Seeing these two words, Zhu Shenzhu was slightly startled and looked at Zhou Anmin.
Zhou Anming nodded and said softly, "Although this person is from the Zhejiang Party, he is said to have a close personal relationship with Zhao Heting. I think you also know who Zhao Heting is. So until now, even the emperor has some concerns about how to deal with Yang Hao."
Zhu Shenzhui subconsciously clenched his fists, and anger rose from the bottom of his heart.
He could clearly see the two words Zhou Anmin had just written with wine stains on his face. They were the words "Donglin".
The Donglin Party considered it their responsibility to eliminate current malpractices and rectify the government, but judging from Yang Hao's case, it was nothing more than a party-building movement. Moreover, the defeat at Sarhu had a huge impact, so it is simply unconscionable that Yang Hao still managed to save his life.
"The affairs of the court are only discussed between us brothers in private. Small figures like you and I cannot make decisions for the court. Perhaps the emperor has other plans." Zhou Anmin saw that Zhu Shenzhui looked unhappy, so he comforted him a few words and then said, "But the emperor has not done nothing. He just appointed Xiong Tingbi to govern Liaodong a few days ago. Xiong Tingbi is much better than Yang Hao. It is said that he did a good job after arriving in Liaodong. I think after a few years of recovery, with the strength of our Ming Dynasty, it will be no problem to destroy the Jiannu."
Xiong Tingbi was a capable minister and had served as governor of Liaodong. He was indeed the most suitable person to succeed Yang Hao.
Moreover, according to Zhou Anmin, after Xiong Tingbi arrived in Liaodong, he gathered exiles, rectified military orders, built chariots, manufactured firearms, dredged trenches and repaired cities, and guarded Dagu, thus temporarily stabilizing the situation in Liaodong.
In Zhou Anmin's view, although the Ming Dynasty was defeated in Liaodong, its national strength was still there, and compared with the Jiannu in Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty still had huge advantages in all aspects.
Defeat is common in the military. A temporary defeat is nothing. As long as we stabilize our position and regroup, avenging the humiliation in Liaodong will not be a problem.
Zhou Anmin's point of view is actually what most people think. After all, the Later Jin is nothing to the Ming Dynasty, and the situation has gradually stabilized after Xiong Tingbi arrived in Liaodong. As long as things go according to plan, these Jiannu will not be a match for the Ming Dynasty.
But compared to Zhou Anmin's optimism, Zhu Shenzhui did not see it that way, because he knew very well how bad the situation in Liaodong would deteriorate in the future. The rise of the Later Jin and the changing situation in Liaodong, coupled with natural disasters, man-made disasters and rebellions, eventually became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the Ming Dynasty.
If Wanli could live a few more years, with Xiong Tingbi's ability and Liaodong's response, the situation might still be saved. Although Wanli, a homebody, did not attend court for decades, he was a disciple of Zhang Juzheng after all. His control over the country and his judgment of the changes in the situation, as well as his suppression and methods of his ministers, were simply not comparable to those of the later generations.
During the Wanli reign, the three major expeditions became famous, and the highest decision-maker who decided the three major expeditions was Emperor Wanli.
If Wanli was really a mediocre person, how could he have such a great military achievement? This is indeed the case. Replacing Yang Hao with Xiong Tingbi can be said to be the most wise decision Wanli made after the Battle of Sarhu. This decision also effectively curbed the Jiannu in Liaodong, resulting in a temporary confrontation between the two sides in Liaodong, and preventing the situation from deteriorating further.
Xiong Tingbi was indeed a capable minister. During the year he was in charge of Liaodong, the situation gradually improved significantly. The advantages established by the Jiannu in the Battle of Sarhu were gradually resolved by Xiong Tingbi. Unfortunately, Wanli's life was about to come to an end. After Wanli's death, the successors and the struggles in the court eventually led to the impeachment and resignation of Xiong Tingbi, who had a flawed character.
As soon as Xiong Tingbi left Liaodong, the situation that had been stabilized suddenly deteriorated. In just a few months, the Jiannu broke through the defense line set up by Xiong Tingbi. The court saw that the situation was not right and once again re-employed Xiong Tingbi. Xiong Tingbi was ordered to go to Liaodong again in times of crisis.
However, at the same time as he appointed him, Governor Wang Huazhen hindered Xiong Tingbi. The two had different opinions and many conflicts. Finally, because of Wang Huazhen, Guangning was defeated. Xiong Tingbi was dismissed and imprisoned. Later, he was involved in party disputes. Tianqi killed Xiong Tingbi in a rage and sent his head to the nine borders. It is really lamentable that a famous general ended up like this.
(End of this chapter)