Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 206 Cruel people
When the wine and food were served, Xiong Tingbi did not hesitate to take the wine pot and pour himself a glass of wine, then he tilted his head back and drank it all up.

After drinking it, Xiong Tingbi had a satisfied and emotional expression. Since he was escorted from Shanhaiguan to the capital, he had not tasted wine for many days, let alone such good wine.

Yuan Chonghuan picked up the wine jug and poured another glass for Xiong Tingbi. Xiong Tingbi did not drink the second glass of wine as quickly as he did the first. He sipped it carefully and took a few sips. After he finished drinking, he pointed at the empty glass. Yuan Chonghuan understood and filled it up for him.

"Tell me, what do you, as the head of the Ministry of War, want to see a criminal like me?" Xiong Tingbi did not go to get the third glass of wine. Instead, he squinted his eyes and looked at Yuan Chonghuan who was sitting in front of him, and asked directly.

"I came here to ask for advice, Lord Xiong."

"Please teach me? How can a sinner like me teach you?"

"Haha, Lord Xiong is a man of both civil and military talents. He was in charge of Liaodong during the time of the previous emperor. His reputation is so great that who in the world doesn't know him?"

Without waiting for Yuan Chonghuan to finish his words, Xiong Tingbi waved his hand and said, "Don't say these words. Your reputation is just an empty name. I, Xiong, have been in Liaodong several times, but not only have I not contributed anything to the country, but I have also led to the current situation in Liaodong. Now I am about to die, so why talk about these things?"

"No!" Yuan Chonghuan said solemnly, "Let's not talk about what others think of Lord Xiong, but I admire you very much. Although I am a Jinshi, I have been interested in military affairs since I was young and have read several military books. In recent years, I have also studied the situation in Liaodong privately. I think the current situation in Liaodong is not Lord Xiong's fault. Lord Xiong is just unlucky."

"Haha, you actually have such insight? Then tell me, how am I innocent? Why am I unlucky?" Xiong Tingbi didn't expect Yuan Chonghuan to say this about him, and he immediately became interested in this man. At this moment, there are probably not many people who have the courage to say that he, Xiong Tingbi, is innocent. This small sixth-rank head of the Ministry of War is so courageous. Isn't he afraid that if these words get out, he will get into trouble?

Unexpectedly, Yuan Chonghuan did not show any hesitation, nor did he seem to be worried at all. He frankly told Xiong Tingbi his opinions.

Yuan Chonghuan started by talking about Xiong Tingbi's first visit to Liaodong as an imperial censor in the 36th year of the Wanli reign, and then talked about Xiong Tingbi's contribution to rectifying military discipline in Liaodong and suppressing local rebellions. Later, in the 39th year of the Wanli reign, Xiong Tingbi declined the post of governor of Liaodong and was recalled by the court for another job, serving as the superintendent of education in Nanzhili.

Speaking of this, Yuan Chonghuan sighed that if Xiong Tingbi had not declined the post of Governor of Liaodong and had stayed in Liaodong, Yang Hao would not have become the Governor of Liaodong later.

In the 46th year of the Wanli reign, Nurhaci of the Jiannu army launched an uprising. At that time, there were many voices in the court suggesting that Xiong Tingbi replace Yang Hao. However, in the end, considering that Yang Hao was already the governor of Liaodong, and that Yang Hao also knew military affairs and had participated in the Korean War, it would be inappropriate to change the commander before the war, so no one was replaced.

But it was because of this that led to the great defeat in the Battle of Sarhu. After the defeat, someone brought up the matter of Xiong Tingbi in advance. Emperor Wanli also admitted that it was a mistake not to use Xiong Tingbi to replace Yang Hao. In order to remedy the situation, Wanli decisively used Xiong Tingbi to govern Liaodong after the war. This was the origin of Xiong Tingbi's first presiding over the Liaodong war.

With the support of Emperor Wanli, Xiong Tingbi stabilized his position soon after arriving in Liaodong. He continuously squeezed the living space of Later Jin by using defense as offense. In addition, he used material blockade and small-scale harassment tactics. As a result, in just over a year, the advantages gained by Later Jin through the Battle of Sarhu disappeared. The power comparison between the two sides also gradually changed from Later Jin being strong and Ming being weak to being evenly matched.

According to Xiong Tingbi's strategic arrangements and tactics, if they continued in this way, the Jin Jiannu would be defeated without a fight in a few years, and the Ming Dynasty would be able to easily get rid of Nurhaci and his gang, thus completely settling the Liaodong issue.

But no one expected that Emperor Wanli would pass away in such a good situation. As soon as Wanli died, the new emperor ascended the throne. With the ascension of Emperor Taichang, the Donglin Party members who had been suppressed by Wanli suddenly emerged. For power struggles and personal grudges, they directly pointed their spearheads at Xiong Tingbi, the former Liaodong governor.

Emperor Taichang was emperor for only one month before he ascended to heaven because of a red pill. After Emperor Taichang died, Emperor Tianqi ascended to the throne. The succession of Emperor Tianqi was thrilling and even caused a palace relocation case. With the third emperor ascending the throne in a year, the Donglin Party took advantage of this opportunity to rise rapidly and immediately controlled the discourse power in the court.

Soon after Tianqi became emperor, there were widespread remarks in the court that Xiong Tingbi was "afraid of the enemy and not advancing" and "passively avoiding war." Tianqi, who was inexperienced and had no strong support, could not suppress the Donglin Party. At the strong request of the Donglin Party, he finally dismissed Xiong Tingbi and replaced him with Yuan Yingtai. This was the reason why Xiong Tingbi resigned as the governor of Liaodong.

Everyone knows what happened later. After Yuan Yingtai took office, he abolished all the arrangements made by Xiong Tingbi and made a big fanfare to fight a decisive battle with the Later Jin in order to solve the Liaodong issue as quickly as possible. However, Yuan Yingtai's actions played into Nurhaci's hands. This old slave had no way to respond to Xiong Tingbi's iron barrel blockade and oppression tactics before, and could only support him bitterly. Now Yuan Yingtai's actions gave the other party an opportunity to take advantage of.

Soon after, the Liaodong War broke out, Yuan Yingtai committed suicide after his defeat, and most of the territory of Liaodong was occupied by the Jiannu. Xiong Tingbi's previous painstaking layout was destroyed, which was a great pity. After Yuan Yingtai's death, there was no one available in the court. Emperor Tianqi once again thought of Xiong Tingbi, who had already resigned. This is how Xiong Tingbi served as the governor of Liaodong for the second time.

But this time Xiong Tingbi fell into trouble again. When he arrived in Liaodong, he was restrained by Wang Huazhen's power sharing. The governor-general of Liaodong was actually sidelined by the governor below. The military power of Liaodong fell into the hands of others. Wang Huazhen was arrogant and incompetent, which led to another disastrous defeat and the complete loss of all the territory east of Shanhaiguan.

"Sir Xiong! Mr. Feibai, I feel so sorry for you! I have been in charge of Liaodong twice. The first time I failed, and the second time I was at the mercy of villains and ended up like this. The whole Liaodong is in ruins. Mr. Feibai, who was loyal to the country, ended up like this. When I think of this, my heart feels like it's being cut by a knife..." Yuan Chonghuan said with great sorrow, with tears in his eyes, which moved Xiong Tingbi greatly.

Sighing, Xiong Tingbi picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp. He said sadly, "It's all in the past. Who can tell right from wrong? Besides, I do have a responsibility for this matter. If Your Majesty had urged me to send troops to Shanhaiguan, I would have fought the Jiannu head-on despite the casualties. Even if I died on the battlefield, I would not have ended up like this today."

"No!" Yuan Chonghuan said solemnly, "I think it was right for Mr. Feibai to lead his troops to defend Shanhaiguan. At that time, Wang Huazhen's 5000 troops collapsed and Guangning was besieged with no chance of retaking it. Once Guangning was lost, Ningyuan and other defense lines would be without a barrier. Moreover, Mr. Feibai only had men at his disposal at that time. In addition, the situation in Liaodong was critical, and millions of Liaodong soldiers and civilians were isolated. If they did not withdraw to Shanhaiguan as soon as possible, they would lose all their territory."

"The Later Jin Jiannu tribe is small in number, and population is extremely important to them. We can't sacrifice so many soldiers and civilians for a battle that we already know we will lose without any confidence, right?"

"So I think there is nothing wrong with Mr. Fei Bai's handling of the matter!"

"Haha, you can see it much more clearly than many people. There is no shortage of smart people in this world, but not many can understand it in their hearts!" Xiong Tingbi said with emotion, and there was a little more tenderness and admiration in his eyes when he looked at Yuan Chonghuan. This young leader who was younger than himself could have such vision and courage to say these words, and Xiong Tingbi spontaneously felt that "I am not alone in my way".

However, Xiong Tingbi has also reflected on himself these days. He has repeatedly analyzed the situation at the time and found that he did do something wrong, especially when Emperor Tianqi ordered him to lead his troops out of Shanhaiguan, Xiong Tingbi did not obey the order and directly refused with a tantrum. This alone was a sin.

The emperor gave you a chance to make meritorious contributions while serving your sentence, but you refused and refused to take it. You ignored his advice time and again. Aren't you courting death? Xiong Tingbi was angry at the time and didn't think much about it. Now he regrets it when he thinks back on it, but what's the use of regretting it? He has ended up like this, and the emperor didn't kill him right away, which is a great favor from the emperor.

But then again, the situation at that time was just as Yuan Chonghuan said. Once the troops left Shanhaiguan, the only troops they had might be lost on the battlefield. If Shanhaiguan did not have enough troops to guard it and was taken by the Later Jin Jiannu in one battle, the consequences would be even more serious.

When Xiong Tingbi said these words in his heart, Yuan Chonghuan's expression became conflicted. Although he had studied the situation at that time, he was not clear about some details. Now after listening to Xiong Tingbi's careful explanation, Yuan Chonghuan realized that his initial thoughts were a bit self-righteous.

"If we talk about responsibility, the key is Wang Huazhen!" Yuan Chonghuan gritted his teeth and said, "If Wang Huazhen hadn't been so arrogant and meddlesome in military affairs, how could Liaodong have developed to its current state? Mr. Feibai, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you are too soft-hearted."

"Kindhearted?" Xiong Tingbi was stunned. He had led the army for many years and no one had ever said that to him. Some said he was arrogant, some said he was overbearing, and some even said he was arrogant. But Yuan Chonghuan was the first person to say that he was kindhearted. Over the years, he had been in a high position and had a strict military discipline. He had fought countless battles with the Later Jin. When had he ever been kindhearted?

Seeing that Xiong Tingbi was puzzled, Yuan Chonghuan asked him whether Emperor Tianqi had entrusted him with an important task and bestowed upon him the Emperor's Sword when he was first appointed to resume his post as the governor of Liaodong.

Xiong Tingbi nodded and said yes. Isn't this natural? He was appointed by Tianqi as the governor of Liaodong. Every governor of Liaodong was like this. It was also the case when Yuan Yingtai succeeded him.

"Since Mr. Feibai holds the Emperor's Sword, he has the power to make military and political decisions. Wang Huazhen is only the governor of Liaodong, and you are the governor of Liaodong. Military orders are important, and the governor of Liaodong, as the commander-in-chief, holds great power. How can there be so much humility in the army? As the saying goes, a general is not subject to the orders of the emperor when he is away from home, so he must be flexible. If I were you, since I have the Emperor's Sword in my hand, I would just deal with Wang Huazhen directly."

"We will find a reason to report to the court later. By then, Mr. Fei Bai will be in control of Liaodong, and no one in the court can replace him. Your Majesty and the other officials in the court will have no way to deal with you. At best, they will just issue a document to reprimand you. As the saying goes, in times of emergency, you can do whatever you want."

When these words came out, Xiong Tingbi was shocked. He didn't expect that this insignificant head of the Ministry of War, who was well-read in the books of sages and a Jinshi, and who was not at all noticeable, could be such a ruthless person?

(End of this chapter)