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

Chapter 546: Naive Sun Yuanhua
Although Xu Xiancheng and Li Xin were in the capital, they were still very familiar with the situation in Liaodong. In particular, they were quite clear about Yuan Chonghuan's unjust killing of Mao Wenlong and the internal and external conflicts in Dongjiang Town afterwards. This time, the court sent them to inspect the local areas, mainly Jiliao and Leiden, to find out the true situation of the current war in Liaodong.

Emperor Chongzhen had previously trusted Yuan Chonghuan too much and handed the entire Ji-Liao region over to Yuan Chonghuan. Moreover, due to Yuan Chonghuan's request, Emperor Chongzhen did not set up a governor in Leiden, but directly handed over the military and political power of Leiden to Yuan Chonghuan. It was originally thought that with such support for Yuan Chonghuan, Yuan Chonghuan would definitely be able to achieve the result of pacifying Liao in five years as promised.

But the final result disappointed Emperor Chongzhen so much that he was even furious.

Yuan Chonghuan not only failed to pacify the Liao, but also allowed Huang Taiji to lead his army to attack the capital, threatening the core of the Ming Dynasty. This was the third time in the entire Ming Dynasty, except for the defense of the capital after the Battle of Tumu Fortress during the reign of Emperor Yingzong and the Mongols' disturbance of the capital during the reign of Emperor Jiajing. The losses and consequences caused by the Jisi Incident were quite serious.

After the siege of the capital was lifted, Emperor Chongzhen paid close attention to the war in Liaodong. In particular, he was worried that the situation in Liaodong would deteriorate further after learning that Huang Taiji was leading his troops to attack Dalinghe. Then, the news of the defeat of the Ming army came. Zu Dashou saw that the reinforcements were repelled by Huang Taiji, and he had no choice but to surrender the city, and then pretended to surrender and escape. After Sun Chengzong left office, the situation in Liaodong changed again. Now the Jiannu still did not retreat, and the Liaodong defense line was in danger. Emperor Chongzhen was worried that his subordinates were fooling him, so he decided to send someone to take a look. At the same time, he also urged Liaodong to prepare for the battle and stick to the Shanhaiguan line to prevent Huang Taiji from repeating the same trick and attacking the Great Wall again.

It was for this reason that Xu Xiancheng went out of Beijing for inspection. Although he was not an imperial envoy, he had the mission of an imperial envoy. Leiden was Xu Xiancheng's first stop. After inspecting Leiden, he would lead his men to continue northward and go directly to Shanhaiguan.

When I came to Leiden, I originally thought that Sun Yuanhua's situation in Leiden would be better. After all, Leiden belongs to the interior of the country. Although it is also responsible for the Liaodong war, it is mainly composed of navy, cooperating with Pidao to fight against Jiannu. From the overall situation, it is not the main force in the Liaodong battlefield. It is just to ensure the stability of the rear and cooperate with the war. Logically, there should be no big problem.

But Xu Xiancheng never expected that Sun Yuanhua had just told them such a situation. Sun Yuanhua first accepted hundreds of thousands of Liao people in Leiden. It cannot be said that Sun Yuanhua was wrong to do so. As a court official, especially the governor of Leiden, it was his duty to protect the territory and the people.

The Liao people are also the people of the Ming Dynasty. Sun Yuanhua felt sorry for these people who had lost their homes and settled them in Leiden. There was nothing wrong with this approach, but the problem was that Leiden was different from other places in Shandong. It was the front line. Leiden was not only responsible for assisting the Liao army in combat, but also for ensuring the safety of the material transportation line from the Ming Dynasty to Liaodong.

How could Leiden bear the influx of so many Liao people? How could they be properly resettled? How could they even solve their food, drink, defecation and urination problems? In addition, the Jiannu were cunning. How could they ensure that there were no spies sent by the Jiannu among the Liao people? This kind of thing had happened before. In recent years, as the Ming Dynasty's control over Liaodong became weaker and weaker, the Jiannu's strength continued to expand, and many Liao people surrendered to the thieves. Once a Jiannu spy mixed in with the Liao people, it would be no small matter.

In addition, Sun Yuanhua accepted Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Li Jiucheng and other Pidao rebels, which was beyond Sun Yuanhua's authority. According to the court's rules, Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Leiden, was nominally the superior of Dongjiang Town, but in fact Dongjiang Town was independent. Leiden ensured the supply of materials and sea routes for Dongjiang Town, but the two sides were not really superiors and subordinates.

Therefore, Sun Yuanhua would take a great risk in accepting these people, and the court did not give Sun Yuanhua a clear answer, but just let Sun Yuanhua handle it on his own.

This reply has a loophole, that is to say, if these people use Sun Yuanhua well, it is natural, but if they use him poorly or even cause trouble, then Sun Yuanhua will have to take the blame.

"Brother Chuyang did something wrong in these two things." Xu Xiancheng said with a frown.

Seeing Sun Yuanhua looking at him, Xu Xiancheng did not beat around the bush and directly expressed his concerns. He asked Sun Yuanhua whether so many Liao people had been screened? Could he ensure that there were no Jiannu spies among the Liao people? In addition, how much pressure would so many people pouring into Leiden put on Leiden? Hundreds of thousands of people meant hundreds of thousands of mouths to feed. The court could not afford much money at the moment, and every penny had to be spent on the blade. Even military rations were already in short supply in Liaodong, and it was already very difficult to supply the army, let alone resettling so many Liao people?

Then there is the problem of Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and Li Jiuchen. These people fled from Pi Island. As generals of Pi Island, their actions have violated the military orders of the Ming Dynasty. Sun Yuanhua taking them in was like holding a hot potato in his arms. What's worse is that the court has not given him a clear answer and just let him do as he pleases.

If something goes wrong with these people, who will bear the responsibility? As the governor of Leiden and the one who made the decision, Sun Yuanhua could not escape the possibility of being held accountable.

Another serious problem was the conflict between outsiders and locals. Although Xu Xiancheng and Li Xin were both scholars, they were not pedantic people who only knew how to read books. Especially Xu Xiancheng, when he traveled to study, he traveled from north to south and then from south to north to several provinces. He was quite familiar with the local customs and practices. He even visited Shandong and was very clear about the attitudes of people from different places towards outsiders.

It would be fine if there were only a few outsiders and the impact they caused could be tolerated, but you have to know that Sun Yuanhua took in hundreds of thousands of Liao people. So many people pouring into Leiden would inevitably cause huge conflicts with the locals. Whether it is food, accommodation or survival, these conflicts are bound to exist. Has Sun Yuanhua never considered this?
Xu Xiancheng's question and concerns made Sun Yuanhua speechless for a while. He was silent for a long time and sighed: "These situations do exist, but as the governor of Leiden, I can't just watch these Liao people have nowhere to go, right?" "At present, I have also taken into account the conflicts with the local authorities in the resettlement of Liao people. I have specially allocated an area in Leiden for them to live temporarily. As for the food problem, to be honest, I really can't give much, but I can still squeeze in some relief. These are all my Ming people. If my Ming hadn't been defeated again and again in Liaodong, they wouldn't have ended up like this. We can only do our best."

"Although the generals of Pi Island have made mistakes, Huang Long, the general, is more guilty. You two brothers should know that I served in Liaodong before, and I have some understanding of the situation in Pi Island. When Marshal Mao led Pi Island, these generals fought bravely against the Jiannu under his command. They are all meritorious officials for the country. Now they come to surrender, and they trust me. I can't turn them away and let the soldiers down, right?"

"Besides, I have only been in office for a few months in Leiden, and the situation in Leiden is very complicated. Leiden's troops are seriously insufficient. There are only 3,000 troops under General Zhang Keda, and only about half of them are really useful. These people can barely garrison in the local area, but they are simply not capable of cooperating in the war in Liaodong. The court is unable to send more troops to Leiden, so I have to find another way myself."

"Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Li Jiucheng and others have been on the battlefield for a long time. The Liao people also have a grudge against the Jiannu for destroying their families. If we can take this opportunity to select young and strong people from the Liao people, form an army and train them well, and then have Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Li Jiucheng and other brave generals lead them, Leiden's military strength will definitely increase greatly, which will also be a good thing for the war in Liaodong."

Sun Yuanhua's words left Xu Xiancheng speechless, and even Li Xin was not optimistic.

Sun Yuanhua was too idealistic. Although his words sounded reasonable, they were actually extremely dangerous. In particular, he planned to use the Liao people and generals to train the army and entrust them with important tasks. This seemed to be a good idea because Mao Wenlong did the same thing back then and did a good job.

Mao Wenlong was able to gain a foothold in Pi Island, create Dongjiang Town, and harass the rear of the Jiannu, gaining many trophies and even making the Jiannu hate Mao Wenlong to the core. It was entirely because of the Liao people he took in that he trained his army and gradually gained the strength he did later.

However, Mao Wenlong was very capable, and unlike ordinary military generals, he could be considered half a scholar. The generals under his command were all his adopted sons, who were promoted step by step from the bottom. In addition, Mao Wenlong also used various methods to obtain silver and food to ensure the support of the soldiers and the people. In addition, his prestige was very high and he was fair in his dealings, so no one disobeyed him. His position in Dongjiang Town was extremely stable, and the entire Dongjiang Town followed Mao Wenlong's lead.

What Sun Yuanhua is doing now is imitating Mao Wenlong, but he has forgotten that he is not Mao Wenlong. Sun Yuanhua does not have Mao Wenlong's ability, nor does he have the prestige that Mao Wenlong can use to suppress the Liao generals.

Sun Yuanhua was not a mediocre person, but he did not realize the difference between him and Mao Wenlong. Moreover, with Sun Yuanhua's ability, he could not support so many soldiers and civilians. What he was doing now was undoubtedly dancing on the edge of a knife. If there was any mistake, the consequences would be extremely serious.

"What are the arrangements for those Liao generals now?" Li Xin couldn't help but ask.

Sun Yuanhua said: "Kong Youde is currently the cavalry lieutenant general, Geng Zhongming is stationed in Dengzhou, and Li Jiucheng and others have also been appointed as guerrilla generals or captains. I have also selected 4,000 young and strong men from the Liao people and reorganized them with the 1,000 Liao troops they brought. Now, in addition to the 3,000 Shandong troops, I already have 5,000 available soldiers."

"What? You said Geng Zhongming is stationed in Dengzhou now?" Li Xin asked in surprise.

"Yes!" Sun Yuanhua said with a smile, "I know you don't trust the Liao generals, but Geng Zhongming is a very good man. He works hard and respects me very much when he is stationed in Dengzhou. Not only him, but other Liao generals, such as guerrilla Zhang Tao, are also the same. They have been training the soldiers diligently these days and are worthy of being used."

"What about Kong Youde? Where is he now? Did you leave him in Laizhou?"

"That's not the case." Sun Yuanhua said calmly, "A few days ago, the war in Liaodong was tense. I sent Kong Youde to lead troops to reinforce Liaodong. According to the distance, they are now almost halfway through. After arriving in Liaodong, they will join forces with the Guanning Army to fight against the Jiannu."

(End of this chapter)