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

Chapter 661 Preserving Strength
Wu Xiang explained to Zu Dashou that this was the safest approach. As long as they could keep the territory of Liaodong and the Guanning Army was there, their position would be as stable as Mount Tai.

On the other hand, Zhu Shenzhui had just been appointed as regent. Although he had already controlled the capital and the court, his recognition among local people was not high. If Wu Xiang was not wrong, most people in various parts of the Ming Dynasty were still waiting and watching. Once Zhu Shenzhui could not hold on to his position as regent, there would be another wave of unrest.

It is possible that the emperor will be replaced or even civil strife will break out. After all, they are all from the Zhu family, and who becomes the emperor is the Zhu family's business. But in this case, the situation will be turbulent and changeable. In this case, the best way is to wait and see. It is better to be still than to move. Especially for the Guanning Army, their roots are all in Liaodong. As long as they have territory and strength, no matter who becomes the emperor, they will be won over.

If we risk returning to provide assistance now, we will have to use the entire Guanning Army to fight a desperate battle with the Jiannu. If the troops are crippled or wiped out, what use will they be?

Wu Xiang was a shrewd man, and he was more politically astute than Zu Dashou. He thought this was the most appropriate approach, and it would also allow him to see what Zhu Shenzhui was capable of. Didn't Zhu Shenzhui raise an army to clear out the emperor's entourage and pacify the country? It was said that Zhu Shenzhui had an extremely powerful army. If that was the case, why not see if it was true?
If Zhu Shenzhui could defend the capital, or even repel Huang Taiji head-on, then his position as regent would be completely secure. People in the world would no longer have any objections to Zhu Shenzhui's ascension to the throne, and it would even be a natural progression for him to ascend the throne as emperor in the future.

But if he fails to do this, or even is defeated by Huang Taiji, Zhu Shenzhui's position as regent will be short-lived, and it will be natural for him to be abandoned by everyone. It will not be a bad thing for them whether the imprisoned Emperor Chongzhen returns to the throne or a new emperor is appointed.

"This is too risky. What if Huang Taiji takes over the capital?" Zu Dashou said worriedly.

"How can it be so easy to conquer the capital?" Wu Xiang smiled calmly: "You and I both know how the defense of the capital is. Although Huang Taiji's Eight Banners are fierce, it is impossible for them to conquer the capital. At best, they can only plunder the land around the capital."

"The regent entered the capital because he had internal support, so he was able to enter the capital. But Huang Taiji is a foreigner. How could the officials in the court open the city gates and welcome Huang Taiji into the capital?"

"That's true..." Zu Dashou nodded. He admitted that Wu Xiang's opinion was correct. No matter how despicable the officials in the court were, they would not do such a thing. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui now controlled the capital and had a powerful army. It would not be so easy for Huang Taiji to attack the capital.

However, Zu Dashou thought of something else and asked Wu Xiang, "What if the regent wins?"

"If we win, then we win." Wu Xiang said with a smile, "Winning is of course a good thing. The pressure on Liaodong will naturally be reduced a lot. Isn't it what we want? Even if we lose, it doesn't matter. Whether the regent is still in power or something else happens, the superiors will rely on our Guanning Army. By then, you and I, the earl, can go one step further and even be directly conferred the title of marquis."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zu Dashou's eyes suddenly lit up and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Two rings! Two rings! You are the one who sees things clearly. Fortunately, I came back from Jinzhou to discuss this with you. Otherwise, I would have missed the big thing."

"Hahaha!" Wu Xiang laughed proudly: "This is just my humble opinion. I have experienced many ups and downs over the years, so I naturally understand some things. Isn't it the same in the world? To put it bluntly, it's just about interests. As the saying goes, if a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. You and I are one, so we must advance and retreat together. Only in this way can we be rich and prosperous for a long time!"

"Okay! So what do we do?"

"That's it!"

"Haha! Hahaha!"

Wu Xiang and Zu Dashou finally made up their minds and decided to keep their troops in place. They neither took the initiative to attack Daishan nor reinforced the capital. At the same time, they sent urgent letters to the capital to inform them of Huang Taiji's unusual movements in Liaodong. As for how the court would respond next, it was none of their business. Anyway, it was their responsibility to garrison Liaodong. If the mobilization of troops led to the loss of Liaodong, no one could take the responsibility.

After the decision was made, the Guanning Army was ready to reinforce Jinzhou, as if they were going to go to war with Daishan. At this time, Wu Xiang's son Wu Sangui raised an objection. The young and vigorous Wu Sangui believed that the capital had to be saved no matter what. Even if the main force of the Guanning Army was not used, at least a detachment had to be sent, otherwise there would be no way to explain to the court. Wu Xiang had high hopes for his son and had trained him as the next head of the Wu family. Wu Sangui did not disappoint the expectations of his father and uncle Zu Dashou. He followed his father to fight when he was young. Although he was young, he was already an extremely qualified and excellent general. He even led 20 cavalrymen to charge into the battle and rescued his father Wu Xiang from the siege of nearly 10,000 Eight Banners.

At that time, Wu Sangui was only eighteen years old. This move made Wu Sangui famous in the army, and he was even praised as the one who was filial piety known throughout the nine borders and bravest among the three armies.

Wu Sangui is now less than 30 years old, but he has already served as the deputy general of the vanguard battalion of the Guanning Army. Everyone knows that Wu Sangui, a rising star, is the Wu family's talented horse. It won't be long before he will take over from Wu Xiang to control the Guanning Iron Cavalry and become the main general in Liaodong.

At the moment, Wu Sangui was not the Wu Sangui of later generations. He was young and vigorous, and still had a sense of family and country, a passion for the country, and was loyal to the Ming Dynasty and the court. In Wu Sangui's view, the decision of his father Wu Xiang and his uncle Zu Dashou was inappropriate. As the most powerful Guanning Army in the Ming Dynasty, how could they only think about self-protection in this situation? Even if they did not send full reinforcements, they should at least send some troops to protect the capital, right?
For this reason, Wu Sangui and Wu Xiang had a fierce dispute. No matter how Wu Xiang explained, Wu Sangui was determined to send troops to rescue. Faced with such a situation, Wu Xiang was helpless. Under Zu Dashou's persuasion, Wu Xiang considered that it would be inappropriate for the Guanning Army not to send any troops. Since Wu Sangui was so determined, it would be better to let him take a troop to do it. In the end, Wu Xiang gave Wu Sangui a thousand Guanning Iron Cavalry and asked him to garrison in Jizhou to give an explanation to the court.

However, before the expedition, Wu Xiang held Wu Sangui's hand and told him not to act rashly, and not to lose his mind in the heat of the moment. If he found that something was wrong, he should retreat directly, whether to Shanhaiguan or to other places. Anyway, Wu Sangui was accompanied by cavalry, which was extremely convenient for cavalry to move around and had strong mobility. As long as he was not surrounded by the Eight Banners soldiers, Wu Sangui would definitely be able to escape with his ability to lead the troops.

In front of Wu Xiang, Wu Sangui naturally agreed, but after leaving Shanhaiguan, Wu Sangui directly forgot Wu Xiang's instructions. At this moment, his mind was full of the idea of ​​taking the Guanning Iron Cavalry to teach Huang Taiji a severe lesson. In his opinion, Huang Taiji was really bullying too much. He had done the Ji Si Rebellion once, and was planning to repeat the same trick again? Did he really bully the Ming Dynasty without anyone?

Just as Wu Sangui led a thousand Guanning troops out of Shanhaiguan and quickly rushed to Jizhou, Wang Jinwu had arrived in Zunhua and began to set up a defense line to face the arrival of Huang Taiji.

Zhu Shenzhui received the news of Huang Taiji's military expedition no later than Wu Xiang, and was even slightly earlier.

As soon as Huang Taiji sent troops to Liaodong, the grassland got the news. Zhu Shenzhui, who had been on guard against changes in the situation in Liaodong, was the first to receive the military report sent by Hai Dongqing.

After learning that Huang Taiji was going to send troops, Zhu Shenzhui had expected it, but he did not expect Huang Taiji to be so fast and decisive. He originally thought that even if Huang Taiji sent troops, he would have to wait at least two months. Now Huang Taiji had just returned to Shengjing after conquering Korea, and decided to send troops just a few days later, which really surprised him.

Facing this situation, Zhu Shenzhui did not dare to underestimate it. He knew Huang Taiji's ability better than anyone else, and he understood the fighting power of the Eight Banners even better. He had just taken control of the capital and had been promoted to regent not long ago. Now the capital was stable, and the surrounding areas of Northern Zhili were gradually free of the previous chaos. With the restoration of the court and the issuance of the imperial edict, the original support for the emperor in various places was gradually suppressed. As for the few people who ignored the imperial edict and were determined to attack the capital to rescue Emperor Chongzhen, they were also dealt with by Zhu Shenzhui with thundering means.

But even so, Zhu Shenzhui had only just secured his position as regent, or it could be said that he had not yet completely secured his position.

Although most of the provinces and prefectures of the Ming Dynasty have expressed their views, this is only on the surface. People's hearts are unpredictable, and no one can predict what these people are thinking. As an ordinary royal family member who became regent, there are naturally many people in the world who are dissatisfied with Zhu Shenzhui, and there are also many people who secretly continue to want to rescue Emperor Chongzhen and intend to oppose Zhu Shenzhui.

It is not easy to stabilize the country. To put it bluntly, Zhu Shenzhui has inherent deficiencies in coming to power through such a coup. Zhu Shenzhui now needs time, time to completely control the country. If Zhu Shenzhui is given half a year or even a year, then he will have no problem controlling the entire Ming Dynasty. But now it has only been a month since he captured the capital and became the regent. How could Zhu Shenzhui do this in such a short time?

At the critical moment when Zhu Shenzhu was racing against time and trying to strengthen his control and completely take control of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji emerged and repeated his old tricks by leading his troops to bypass Mongolia, intending to once again attack the Ming Dynasty through Zunhua and Jizhou and create trouble for Zhu Shenzhu.

What made Zhu Shenzhu laugh and cry was that he heard that Huang Taiji also raised the banner of saving Emperor Chongzhen from danger and quelling the civil strife for the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty. This reason was simply outrageous. He, Huang Taiji, was originally an enemy of the Ming Dynasty, but now the enemy was pretending to be a weasel paying New Year's greeting to the chicken, and his intention was extremely sinister.

However, although Huang Taiji's move was ridiculous, he had to be on guard. There were many people in the court who pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, not to mention the local officials. It was hard to guarantee that these people would secretly use Huang Taiji's banner to cause trouble, so Zhu Shenzhu did not dare to be careless at all.

(End of this chapter)