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

Chapter 570: Fooling Around
Wu Xiang was a Liao general specially promoted and appointed by Emperor Chongzhen after the Ji Si Rebellion. His purpose was to divide Zu Dashou's military power and thus restrain him.

Compared with Zu Dashou, Wu Xiang is much more loyal and obedient, so he can be more reliable to use.

If Wu Xiang was dealt with, the previous arrangements would be useless, and Zu Dashou would no longer have anyone to control him in Liaodong, which was something Emperor Chongzhen absolutely did not want to see.

Furthermore, Wu Xiang served as the general for a short time, and he only obtained half of the command of the Guanning Iron Cavalry after he became the general. Therefore, if the problems of the Guanning Iron Cavalry are to be investigated, it is really not Wu Xiang's fault. After all, he did not have the right to command this army at that time. The command of this army was first in the hands of Yuan Chonghuan, and later in the hands of Zu Dashou.

It was really unreasonable to punish Wu Xiang for the empty salary of Guanning Iron Cavalry. Moreover, Emperor Chongzhen, who had calmed down, thought of another point. That is, the fact that Wu Xiang could tell him these things today also proved his loyalty to him. If Wu Xiang was a cunning person, he could just not tell the truth and just lie to fool him.

But now Wu Xiang not only told the truth, but also told him the background of Guanning Iron Cavalry, which just proved that Wu Xiang was a trustworthy and honest person. It was really unreasonable not to deal with Zu Dashou and others who caused this situation, but to vent his anger on Wu Xiang.

In just a few minutes, Wu Xiang, who was kneeling on the ground, was so frightened that his face turned pale. He even thought that his day was over. Maybe someone would rush in and take him away and throw him into jail the next moment.

At this time, Wu Xiang was filled with regret. If he had known this, why would he have been so talkative? Why did he accidentally tell the truth in front of the emperor? But he had already said what he should and shouldn't have said. Now Wu Xiang couldn't change his mind. He could only pray to God to help him and let him get through this safely.

Perhaps God heard Wu Xiang’s prayers, and the voice of Emperor Chongzhen was soon heard in the quiet side hall.

"Lord Wu, please stand up."

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty…” Wu Xiang suddenly raised his head and looked at Emperor Chongzhen with an incredible look.

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly to him, raised his hand and said, "Get up, the ground is cold."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I kowtow to thank God for His grace..." This time, Wu Xiang finally came to his senses and confirmed that Emperor Chongzhen had indeed asked him to stand up, and his expression was also very relaxed. Doesn't this mean that he has escaped a disaster? Thinking of this, Wu Xiang kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhen before getting up from the ground.

"My dear Mr. Wu."

"Chen is here!"

"I know you are a kind person, and the previous incident of the Guanning Iron Cavalry had nothing to do with you. I am very pleased that you can tell me the truth today. The Ming Dynasty needs loyal ministers like you, and Liaodong also needs generals like you to take charge. Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty be worry-free, and I will also be worry-free!"

"Your Majesty... I am extremely grateful. I feel so sorry for Your Majesty. Your Majesty has treated me so well. I will repay Your Majesty's kindness even if I die a thousand times!" Emperor Chongzhen's words moved Wu Xiang so much that he burst into tears. He knelt down again and kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhen, swearing to the heaven that he would live up to the emperor's grace, serve the country even if he died.

Seeing him like this, Emperor Chongzhen stepped forward and personally helped Wu Xiang up, holding his hand and comforting him with a few words. Only then did Wu Xiang gradually stop crying and calm down.

Afterwards, Emperor Chongzhen talked with Wu Xiang about the military affairs of Liaodong, asking about the characteristics of Jiannu's battles and the past battles between the Liaodong Army and Jiannu. After talking for a while, Emperor Chongzhen could not help but sigh for the difficulties of the Liaodong soldiers, and promised Wu Xiang that he would find a way to solve the problem of the urgent shortage of Liaodong military pay, and asked Wu Xiang to lead the troops well after returning this time, guard Liaodong, and block the Jiannu's passage to the south.

Faced with the Emperor Chongzhen's entrustment, Wu Xiang was deeply moved and promised that as long as he was alive, he would never let the Jiannu break through Shanhaiguan and would definitely guard the Liaodong Gate for the Ming Dynasty. Seeing this, Emperor Chongzhen was very pleased, encouraged him a few more words, and gave him some rewards before sending Wu Xiang out of the palace.

As soon as Wu Xiang left, the face of Emperor Chongzhen changed from a pleasant expression to a cold one. Although he did not punish Wu Xiang today, his vigilance against the Liaodong generals increased again, and he also had more resentment towards the dead Yuan Chonghuan. In the eyes of Emperor Chongzhen, although Wu Xiang was more trustworthy than Zu Dashou, his trustworthiness was limited. Although Wu Xiang told the truth in front of him today, if Wu Xiang was really loyal to him and the Ming Dynasty, why didn't he tell him these situations in a written form when he took over as the general? Instead, he told him only when he was forced to question him?
From this point of view, Wu Xiang probably had selfish motives. It has always been the case that military officers of the Ming Dynasty were paid without paying salaries. Did the money earned from the empty salaries really support the army? Emperor Chongzhen was not stupid, and of course he knew that most of the money went into the pockets of these military officers.

The same goes for Wu Xiang. To put it bluntly, a dog will always eat shit. Even though Wu Xiang is a slightly more reliable dog than Zu Dashou, there is a limit to his ability.

The reason why Wu Xiang was not dealt with was because Emperor Chongzhen did not want to cause unrest in Liaodong. For the sake of the overall situation, it was best to appease Wu Xiang. However, Emperor Chongzhen still had to think carefully about how to use Wu Xiang in the future and whether he could be reused. For now, he should let him go back first. The stability of Liaodong was the first priority. After the matter in Liaodong was resolved, Emperor Chongzhen would find another way.

After meeting the emperor, Wu Xiang stayed in the capital for one day and set off back to Liaodong the next day.

When he returned to Liaodong, the situation there had become very bad. This time, Huang Taiji once again led his troops south, showing an attitude of attacking the Ming army in Liaodong. All the tribes in Liaodong were on high alert, especially Zu Dashou in Jinzhou, who was wasting time building city defenses to prevent Huang Taiji from attacking.

After two months of busy work, Zu Dashou did not wait for Huang Taiji's troops to attack, but instead received a letter sent to him by Huang Taiji.

In the letter, Huang Taiji was very polite and told Zu Dashou that his nephews were doing very well with him. Although Zu Dashou had played a trick on Huang Taiji after the defeat at Dalinghhe, surrendered first and then fled back to the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji did not blame Zu Dashou. Instead, he respected Zu Dashou and admired his loyalty.

Zu Dashou did not speak for a long time after reading the letter, and he also admired Huang Taiji's magnanimity. Although the two sides were rivals, since the other party wrote to him with good intentions and told him about his sons and nephews, Zu Dashou did not want to break up with Huang Taiji, so he wrote a simple reply letter, telling Huang Taiji that he was a minister of the Ming Dynasty, and although he appreciated Huang Taiji's kindness, he could not betray the Ming Dynasty. They were rivals on the battlefield, but privately he wanted to thank Huang Taiji for treating his sons and nephews well.

So Zu Dashou told Huang Taiji to take good care of his children and nephews. Although he could not submit to Huang Taiji, he admired him very much and thanked him for his letter.

After receiving the letter, Huang Taiji read it and continued to write a letter, saying that the Ming Dynasty was no longer viable. Emperor Chongzhen and the court were very cautious about Zu Dashou. Moreover, since the death of Yuan Chonghuan, no one could trust and reuse Zu Dashou. What was the significance of Zu Dashou in the Ming Dynasty? It would be better for him to surrender to him. He would definitely reuse Zu Dashou. As long as Zu Dashou could surrender, Huang Taiji would definitely treat him well. As for his nephews and nieces, there was no need to worry. Huang Taiji said that Zu Dashou's nephews and nieces were his own nephews and nieces, and they could be guaranteed to be safe and wealthy by his side. He looked forward to meeting Zu Dashou day and night, and hoped that Zu Dashou could consider his suggestions carefully and not rush.

In response, Zu Dashou wrote another letter in which he thanked Huang Taiji for his appreciation and explained again why he could not surrender to him. However, compared with the previous letter, Zu Dashou's words in this letter were much milder, and he once again expressed his admiration for Huang Taiji.

Then, Huang Taiji sent another letter, which said: "Please write a letter clearly about the dangers and difficulties of the place, and send a qualified person to report to us as soon as possible. We are preparing our troops and horses, but waiting for the news from the general. Don't worry about the children and soldiers here, and support them with all our strength. We are in the same boat, and we share the difficulties and happiness. If the matter is accomplished by the blessing of heaven, it will be natural for you to be made king and given power. If the general suddenly encounters a disaster and is unable to protect himself, please send someone to set a date, and I will send someone to welcome him."

The meaning of this letter was even clearer, and it was even willing to give Zu Dashou a generous title of prince. After reading this letter, Zu Dashou did not reply to Huang Taiji, and this letter was also secretly burned by Zu Dashou. However, the content of the letter was remembered by Huang Taiji in his heart, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The two sides in Liaodong were in a stalemate, seemingly fighting but not fighting. After a long time, the Liaodong side gradually put their minds at ease, thinking that Huang Taiji was just pretending to attack this time and had no real intention of moving south.

And soon after, another piece of news came from the north, which made Liaodong completely relieved. Because it was heard that Huang Taiji sent Dorgon to lead troops to the north to conquer the grasslands, and it seemed that he did not intend to start a war in Liaodong, but intended to pacify Mongolia first.

Upon hearing the news, the Liaodong tribes hurriedly checked the authenticity of the intelligence, and soon the news was confirmed. According to reports from spies in the north, Huang Taiji had indeed sent Dorgon to the grassland, and he had now led his troops to Chahar. The Mongolian tribes that were gathering in Chahar were planning to move westward, apparently to fight the Tumed.

Dorgon brought 15,000 cavalrymen this time, all of whom were elite soldiers from the Eight Banners. After the Chahar forces were gathered and formed into a large army, they would march westward. From this point of view, it was impossible for Huang Taiji to fight on two fronts, and the Jiannu did not have the strength to do so, which meant that Liaodong would be safe for the time being.

In view of this situation, the Liaodong tribes discussed and decided to report the victory to the court. Naturally, they would not tell Emperor Chongzhen the truth, but only say that the Liaodong tribes fought against the Jiannu, defended tightly and repelled the Jiannu's multiple attacks, forcing Huang Taiji to withdraw. In this way, they would have the credit and the reward, and everyone would be happy. Why not?

(End of this chapter)