Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 474: Ministers are there to take the blame

The battle of Gaoyou did not cause much disturbance between the Ming and Qing dynasties.

From the perspective of the Qing court, although they wanted to show the Ming army their determination to defend Huaidong, the small Gaoyou could neither guard the mouth of the lake nor cause too much trouble to the Ming army. Instead of investing chips here, it would be better to make more arrangements in suitable places. Losing Gaoyou was reasonable.

For the Ming Dynasty, after winning several battles in a row, the Tatars were no longer as scary as before. Moreover, Yangzhou had not lasted more than a month, so successfully taking Gaoyou was nothing.

With this understanding, the areas north of the Yangtze River remain on high alert, while the areas south of the Yangtze River remain peaceful and prosperous.

However, when everyone was waiting for the real battle to begin, the Ming army did not continue to move north along the waterway, but turned around and attacked the surrounding counties.

This is quite unexpected.

Everyone knows that the further north you go, the worse the navigability of the waterways becomes, and the navy can no longer be as rampant as it is in the south of the Yangtze River.

Based on this, if the Ming army attacked the surrounding counties far away from the big rivers and lakes, they would not be able to obtain the firepower support of the navy's warships, which would mean getting half the result with twice the effort.

In comparison, attacking Huai'an not only maximizes the strengths of the Ming army, but the strategic value of the area is also unmatched by ordinary cities.

It has to be said that the Ming army's move really scared the already frightened officials from various counties.

Huai'an is located at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Huai River. Taking this place can not only radiate to Lianghuai and Nanyang through the Huai River, but also pose a huge threat to Shandong, Henan and other places along the Yellow River.

Therefore, when the news of the Ming army's capture of Yangzhou spread, everyone thought that the next major battle would take place in Huai'an, and no one thought that a county that seemed like a chicken rib would be attacked by the Ming army.

Normally, the Qing army had not made any deployment in these counties, and facing the aggressive Ming army, these officials probably had no choice but to surrender.

But in Gaoyou, not only all the surrendered officials lost their heads, but even the local gentry were liquidated. Anyone with a clear mind knew that the Ming Dynasty had not forgotten what happened in the past.

Faced with such a situation, everyone in Huaidong really showed their magical powers.

Needless to say, some officials went to Beijing and Huai'an to seek connections to transfer away from the front line, and some simply abandoned their official positions and fled north. Anyway, these people had no connections in the local area and would not risk their lives.

Compared with the calm and composed officials, the aristocratic families in Huaidong seemed extremely uncomfortable.

Although they did not invest all their money in the land like the landlords, they could not leave Lianghuai because of the salt fields; although they had certain weapons due to the private salt trade, they were just like ants in the eyes of the Ming army.

Unable to escape or fight, the only way before them seemed to be to leave everything to fate. However, when these forces completely unleashed their strength, they put pressure on the three generals in front that far exceeded that of the Qing army.

This Huaidong area originally belonged to Nanzhili and had close ties with Yingtian.

There was no special performance when they each returned to their own family earlier, but when they made an effort, requests from different people came to Huang Fei and others one after another.

Of course, the words delivered to the front line would not reveal the connection between the two sides. Everyone only felt that God was merciful and believed that excessive killing would damage the reputation of Your Majesty.

Therefore, in order to avoid the Ming Dynasty's revival leader being branded as cruel and murderous, the generals at the front had better be careful when carrying out the emperor's orders.

When they received the first such letter, Huang Fei's face turned livid, Chang Guanlin's eyes were full of anger, but the most stubborn Mei Chun didn't care at all.

Obviously, he did not understand the inner meaning and only thought it was a reminder and advice. However, when the head of a large Huaidong family told them through some secret channels that he was related to a marquis of Yingtian, even a fool would understand the strength of this "reminder and advice".

To be honest, the Xiaoling Guard has always been outside the officialdom of Yingtian, and Mei Chuncai has no such experience. People like Huang Fei and Chang Guanlin have received countless similar requests since they became important generals of the court.

Normally, they could let some unimportant things go, and even give some special care, but this time His Majesty clearly wanted to conduct a thorough liquidation of the Huaidong area. If they let them go because of the Marquis' letter, would they give face to the Earls, Dukes, and even the Ministers and Cabinet Elders? Would they still carry out the imperial order?
It has to be said that the three of them were in an extremely difficult situation.

If there was a crossbow arrow shot at Your Majesty, not to mention Chang Guanlin and Mei Chun, even Huang Feidang would not hesitate to use his life to block it.

However, the most important point in being an official is to make as many good friends as possible when you are in a good position, and never take advantage of your position to pretend to be fair and selfless.

You have to know that the emperor's favor cannot accompany you for a lifetime, and the long-term way is to protect each other. If they really refuse everyone's request because of the emperor's order, they will lose the emperor's favor.
"I'll just not give face to anyone and be a lone minister!"

Seeing that Huang and Chang were worried about the letter, Mei Chun said something in a decisive tone.

In the first half of their lives, the Xiaoling Guard had been outside the power circle of Yingtian for various reasons. Although they could understand the seriousness of the situation now, they did not have any deep feelings.

In comparison, Huang and Chang have a much deeper understanding of this situation.

Huang Fei needed no further explanation, as the several incidents in Dongjiang Town had already made it clear to him that the emperor's favor could not be maintained; and Chang Guanlin had followed Lu Xiangsheng in his early years, so he naturally knew why this grand master who was so devoted to the country ended up being defeated and killed.

After such experiences, their understanding of loyalty to the emperor is not as simple as Mei Chun's. They know that nothing can be accomplished with passion alone.

"Don't be hasty. This matter involves a lot of things. You can't act rashly."

Seeing Mei Chun like this, Huang Fei comforted her and then fell into thought again.

He saw clearly that since His Majesty came to power, the local forces in Jiangsu and Zhejiang that were not affected by the war had been weakened for various reasons.

By this time, the great families that had been passed down for hundreds of years had either had their property confiscated or their entire families exiled. If we add in the number of refugees who were scattered around to settle and farm, the imperial court's control over the local areas had already reached a considerable level.

With such an understanding, he naturally knew that His Majesty's settlement of the area north of the Yangtze River was not that simple.

If they ruin His Majesty's great plan this time, their fate will not be much better than Wu Zhikui's.

Therefore, no one can avoid the attack on local forces.
"Well, let's sort out the requests we received. If there are any that cannot be avoided, we will make some concessions. If not, we cannot ruin His Majesty's arrangements."

Huang Fei did not explain everything, but Chang and Mei were honest but not stupid, so they could understand his meaning after he finished speaking.

By selling face to those in high positions and being hypocritical to those who are dispensable, he could not only complete His Majesty's arrangements, but also avoid making too many enemies. It seemed to be a win-win solution. However, to Huang Fei's surprise, Mei Chun jumped up just as he had finished speaking.

"No, that wouldn't be bullying the weak and fearing the strong?!"

Huang Fei looked at Mei Chun helplessly, but did not respond.

He knew that this guy had been hiding in Xiaoling Mausoleum for most of his life and was not good at dealing with human relationships, but he really didn't expect that this guy would be so stubborn.

The so-called success is also Xiao He, and failure is also Xiao He.

Earlier, he was impressed by the fact that most of the generals employed by His Majesty were pure and straightforward people, but he didn't expect that he would feel a little troubled by this after only two months.

"How can this be called bullying the weak and fearing the strong?"

Just when Huang Fei was at a loss as to how to appease this Geng guy, Chang Guanlin, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, and then both of them focused their attention on him. He then continued, "Although we are leading troops outside, we cannot avoid the support from the rear. If we offend our colleagues, we may be attacked by open or hidden arrows in the blink of an eye. By then, we will die, but what about His Majesty?
After he finished speaking, Mei Chun was stunned.

He had never encountered anything like this, but he could still understand the reason. However, he had been born in the simple environment of Xiaoling Guard, so he could not help but feel resistant to the chaos outside. After thinking for a while, he stiffened his neck and said, "Let's report all these things to His Majesty."

He understood clearly that His Majesty was the supreme ruler, and as long as he could get his help, he would not care about anybody else. However, the other two people had a deeper understanding of power than each other. As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Fei's rebuttal came.

"You are making a fuss. As subjects, we should share His Majesty's worries. If you want to bring the matter to His Majesty because you are afraid of taking responsibility, then what is the point of us?!"

It must be said that given his relationship with Mei Chun, such words were already severe. However, the situation was such that if he could not cut the Gordian knot quickly, the requests would surely increase. By then, not to mention how many people he would have to offend in order to complete His Majesty's mission, the backlash he would suffer would not take a few years to digest.

Thinking of this, Huang Fei's eyes were filled with anger. Even though Mei Chun was also a general, he still wanted to kick him back to Yingtian.

He could understand why the other party would have such thoughts. To put it bluntly, it was because he had too little experience and did not understand what it meant to serve the king as if he were serving a tiger, and what it meant to have a king's heart as deep as the abyss.

According to the current situation, if they report the matter to His Majesty, it would solve the problem temporarily, but such an action would make Huaidong's plan uncontrollable, and on the other hand, it would be equivalent to throwing the responsibility to His Majesty.
There are some things that cannot be revealed even to the closest people, not to mention that he is not that familiar with Chang and Mei. Even if Mei Chun insisted on reporting the matter to His Majesty, he would just try to persuade her with other reasons, but he did not dare to express all his real concerns.

Time passed little by little, and the three generals failed to reach a consensus on the matter. Seeing that the situation was about to become a stalemate, Huang Fei planned to use his status as the commander of the army to put pressure on the emperor's confidant. However, just as he had prepared his words, he received a report from outside the cabin.

"Marshal, an angel has arrived."

Angel?

Why did it come at this time?

Huang Fei was stunned when he heard the words, and then he and his companions walked quickly out of the cabin, but when they reached the door, he suddenly stopped.

"General Mei, you and I are about the same age, but to be frank, I have been through much more than you." Huang Fei paused for a moment, and when he saw that Mei Chun was angry, he continued, "I promise you, if you tell His Majesty about what happened here, none of us will end up well!"

Huang Fei was indeed anxious.

At this point, he actually understood why His Majesty would give him this easy credit.

To put it bluntly, the emperor does not want hungry soldiers. Since he wants to take on this offensive task himself, he naturally has to give him some benefits.

He didn't have too many feelings about this, he just felt that His Majesty was still a very particular person.

After all, Mao Wenlong played a strategic role that could influence the overall situation in Dongjiang Town back then, but in the end, when he saw the temptation of pacifying Liaodong in five years, he acquiesced in Yuan Chonghuan's false summons.

In comparison, the current Majesty's style of doing things can be described as honest.

But he is His Majesty after all, and he holds the power of life and death over everyone. If Mei Chun leaks the situation here to his superiors through the Angel's Mouth, how will His Majesty view it?

His eyes were fixed on Mei Chun, and the momentum he had fought through the sea of ​​corpses and blood was released without reservation. On the other hand, although Mei Chun still stiffened his neck, he could only remain silent in the face of his theoretical superior.

"Lao Mei, what the uncle said is correct. The government is complicated and His Majesty probably doesn't even have a good night's sleep. If we, as ministers, throw our troubles to him, what use would we have?"

"I!"

Mei Chun was not a good speaker after all. After the two of them talked, he still felt that accepting the request would be disloyal to the emperor, but he could not find any reason to refute it.

Seeing this, Huang Fei knew that the other party was temporarily safe, so he clenched his fist and walked directly out of the cabin. However, Chang Guanlin sighed and said another sentence.

"Things in the world are not black and white. It is inevitable that you have to compromise in some places. This is not disloyalty to Your Majesty. You don't need to worry too much. Instead, you can only share Your Majesty's worries if you complete the task well."

After saying this, Chang Guanlin pulled Mei Chun out of the cabin.

At this time, a eunuch was standing on the deck. When he saw the three people coming, he shouted loudly: "It is now found that Anyuan Hou colluded with the rebellion in Jiangbei and repeatedly sold out the secrets of the court. I have read his crimes and find them difficult to forgive. Now I will sentence him according to the Great Ming Law."

As soon as the name An Yuan Hou came out, the three of them were stunned, and not a single word of the subsequent verdict entered their ears.

This person was the first to ask them for help, but he didn't expect that.
"I will pass on His Majesty's instructions. You just need to do your job. I will shoulder all the responsibility."

(End of this chapter)