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

Chapter 734 Questioning
Inside Jinzhou City, Zu Dashou frowned. The change in the situation made him feel difficult. Having fought against the Jiannu for many years, he knew Huang Taiji's purpose too well. This was clearly a tactic of besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements.

This tactic was used not only by Huang Taiji, but also by his old slave Nurhaci. The Ming army suffered many losses from this tactic. But the problem is that even if Zu Dashou understood what tactics Huang Taiji used, he had no way to crack it. It's not that he had no way at all. The key is that to crack this tactic, he first needed a strong force to directly repel the enemy head-on, but the force in Zu Dashou's hands could not do this at all.

Not only that, even the Ming army in Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan could not do it if they came out in full force. If the Ming army could do this, Liaodong would have been pacified long ago. Why would they have to be on the defensive all the time?

Now Huang Taiji is besieging Jinzhou with the goal of attacking the city. Once the Ming army sends reinforcements, Huang Taiji can mobilize troops to annihilate the reinforcements. If the Ming army does not come to reinforce, then Zu Dashou in Jinzhou can only sit in the isolated city and fight Huang Taiji.

But waiting was not a solution. Huang Taiji had made it clear that he would not attack Jinzhou by force. If he really attacked Jinzhou by force, Zu Dashou would not be worried. With the troops in his hands, the tall and solid city walls and firearms, Zu Dashou had absolute confidence in repelling the enemy and defending Jinzhou.

But Huang Taiji just didn't fight, but just surrounded the city, which was a big problem. There were 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers and civilians in the city. Although Jinzhou City had enough food, enough for Zu Dashou to eat for half a year, the problem was that no matter how much food there was, it would eventually run out. If Huang Taiji kept besieging the city, what would happen when the food ran out? Without food, there was no need to fight the war at all. The army would collapse without fighting, and the final outcome of Jinzhou was predictable.

Faced with this situation, Zu Dashou was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he sent people to send letters to Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan while Huang Taiji's encirclement was still unstable, asking Wu Xiang and others to find a way to send more supplies to Jinzhou as soon as possible to ensure that Jinzhou's food reserves could last for a long time.

On the other hand, Zu Dashou reminded Wu Xiang not to send troops to reinforce, in order to guard against Huang Taiji's tactic of besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements.

In addition, Zu Dashou was still hesitating, hesitating whether to take the initiative to give up Jinzhou and lead the troops to break out. After all, the isolated city of Jinzhou was difficult to defend. Once he was defeated in Jinzhou, so many Ming troops would be directly killed. There was no need to fight a battle that was bound to be lost, unless there was a way to repel Huang Taiji.

But as the commander-in-chief and the Earl of Loyalty conferred by Zhu Shencui, although Zhu Shencui had previously communicated with Zu Dashou and told the Liao army that the court's bottom line was to defend Shanhaiguan and not let the Jiannu set foot in Shanhaiguan, as for the territory outside Shanhaiguan, they could act as they pleased and the specific tactics could be flexible and maneuverable.

Having said that, it is not so easy to implement. As a general of Liaodong, Zu Dashou knows that Liaodong is the foundation of them. If Shanhaiguan is the only place left in Liaodong and all the land outside the pass is lost, not to mention whether it is psychologically acceptable, even the Liaodong elders under his command will not agree.

Only by controlling the territory of Liaodong can these Liao generals have confidence. Once all the territory is lost, what use will the court have for them?
In addition, the situation had not yet reached its worst point. Zu Dashou had food in the city and soldiers on hand. As the commander, why would he abandon the city and flee without fighting? He could not bear the responsibility for this.

In addition, there is another key factor, that is, Gong Dingzi, the newly sent Ningqian Bingbei Dao by the court, is in Jinzhou City. Although Zu Dashou is the main general in the army, Gong Dingzi is not only a civil servant but also the Ningqian Bingbei Dao. In terms of official position, he has the power to restrain him. Facing Huang Taiji's attack, Gong Dingzi has been clamoring to teach the Jiannu a lesson these days, and has been urging him to lead his troops out of the city to fight, which has made Zu Dashou very worried.

"Commander!"

Just as Zu Dashou was racking his brains to think of a way to break the impasse, his personal soldiers hurried in.

"Why are you so flustered? What's the matter? Are the Jiannu attacking the city?" Zu Dashou asked unhappily. If Huang Taiji really attacked the city, he would be happy about it. He was never afraid of the enemy in a defensive battle, but now they were surrounding the city without attacking, which made him feel uneasy.

"Gong...Gong...The master is here..." the personal soldier replied hurriedly.

"Didn't you say that I don't see anyone?"

"Lord Gong is forcing his way in, and we can't stop him." The personal soldier replied with a bitter face. Just as he finished speaking, Gong Dingzi's voice came from outside: "Why is Zushuai hiding in the mansion? Is Zushuai afraid of the enemy and avoiding fighting? Or do you have other ideas?"

As the voice came, Gong Dingzi arrived in a flash. Seeing this, Zu Dashou did not bother to blame his personal guards. He waved his hand and let him go. At the same time, he put on a big smile and walked quickly towards Gong Dingzi. He took the initiative to salute and said: "My lord, why are you here? Haha, what you said... You really misunderstood me. I am planning a way out of the situation."

"Hmph!" Gong Dingzi snorted coldly and looked at Zu Dashou with pride. Not only did he not return the bow to Zu Dashou, but he also stood there with his hands behind his back and looked at Zu Dashou with contempt.

Gong Dingzi was the Ningqian Bingbei Dao, a position of the fourth rank, and although this position was a civilian position, it had the power to control military affairs. Although Zu Dashou was a first-rank military general, the general of the Ming Dynasty, and now he still had a title, in Gong Dingzi's eyes, Zu Dashou was no different from an ordinary soldier. Since the Battle of Tumu, the civil officials were more important than the military officials, and the civil officials had always suppressed the military officials. Not to mention him, a fourth-rank official, even a seventh-rank county magistrate would not be afraid of a military general of the general level. Logically speaking, with Gong Dingzi's current rank, Zu Dashou would have "knelt to greet" him in the past. Isn't it natural for a military general to kowtow to a civil official to apologize?
However, Zu Dashou already has a title, and with the blessing of the title, he can barely be considered a noble, so bowing and saluting is not considered rude.

Gong Dingzi looked down on military men, and he had no good attitude towards Zu Dashou. He came here to seize military power. In his opinion, Zu Dashou and other military men were just soldiers. It would be fine if they obeyed his orders, but if they did not obey his orders, he, the Ningqian Military Preparations Director, would not be a pushover. You have to know that Yuan Chonghuan was able to kill Mao Wenlong, so why couldn't he, Gong Dingzi, kill Zu Dashou? Even if it was more troublesome, it was not impossible to do so.

However, no matter how crazy Gong Dingzi was, he still had some brains. He knew that he could not kill a general during a war. If he did, the consequences would be very serious. Now that the Jiannu army was at the gates of the city, Zu Dashou was still useful. Even if he was dissatisfied, he could only put it aside for the time being and wait until after the war.

"Sir, please take a seat." Zu Dashou said with a smile, but he was cursing Gong Dingzi in his heart. Gong Dingzi was born in a clean family and knew nothing. After coming to Jinzhou, he started to give orders everywhere and acted like a superior. It was really a headache.

Zu Dashou had worked with Yuan Chonghuan in the past and was a close friend of Yuan Chonghuan. Although Yuan Chonghuan was a civil servant, he was a very courageous person and was not afraid of death in battle. This alone won him the favor of the generals. Yuan Chonghuan was also very good at dealing with people. When he was the Ningqian Military Preparations Commissioner, he led a large number of Liaodong generals to engage in smuggling and get silver. Most of the benefits he got were distributed to people around him, and Zu Dashou took the lion's share.

On weekdays, he often mingled with these military generals, and even called them brothers in private. Even though Yuan Chonghuan was eventually convicted and executed by the court, in Zu Dashou's eyes, Yuan Chonghuan was still a good buddy. Zu Dashou was determined to protect Yuan Chonghuan despite the pressure from the court, and was not willing to offend Emperor Chongzhen. Compared with Yuan Chonghuan, Gong Dingzi in front of him was not even as good as a shoe carrier. At best, he was just an arrogant nerd with high expectations and low skills.

Even so, Zu Dashou still wanted to avoid offending anyone if possible. After all, Gong Dingzi was the Ningqian Military Governor, and his authority was slightly higher than Zu Dashou's. It would be too not worth it if this nerd got angry and took action against him. It was better to coax such a person. As long as he could coax Gong Dingzi, Zu Dashou would not take the initiative to turn against him.

Seeing Zu Dashou's humble attitude, Gong Dingzi's expression eased. He sat down in the main seat with a dignified manner and asked directly, "Now that the Jiannu army is at the gates of the city, why is Zu Marshal hiding in his mansion instead of inspecting the city defenses?"

Gong Dingzi had asked this question just before, and now he brought it up again, which made Zu Dashou very angry. What did this guy mean? Was he trying to pin a crime on him? He was the commander of Jinzhou, and Zu Dashou, who had fought all his life, needed him to teach him how to fight? Now Huang Taiji's troops had no intention of attacking the city, but only sent troops to besiege Jinzhou. What was the point of him going to the top of the city to inspect it at this time? Besides, the defense arrangements for Jinzhou City had been arranged long ago. He was the commander-in-chief, not a thousand households guarding the top of the city. How could this be necessary?
Gong Dingzi didn't even know what he was trying to do by accusing him right away. Was he trying to accuse him of being afraid of the enemy and avoiding fighting? Or was he trying to accuse him of something more serious?

"Your Excellency, what are you talking about? I have already arranged the city defenses. If the Jiannu outside the city make any unusual movements, the people I sent will report it immediately. There will be absolutely no problem with the defense of Jinzhou City. Please rest assured. As for me, I am just thinking carefully about the next battle and thinking about how to break the deadlock..."

"Hmph, that sounds good, but let me ask you, do you have any plan to break the impasse?" Gong Dingzi asked back unceremoniously.

"I was just thinking about it. It's just right that you came. How about you discuss it with me?" Zu Dashou said with a smile.

Gong Dingzi sneered: "I don't have the taste for this. If Zushuai were to follow his plan, I guess Jinzhou City would be breached by the Jiannu before we can figure out a way out."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I have a question for you. It is rumored that you have nephews or relatives on the Jiannu side? Is this true?" Gong Dingzi suddenly asked.

Zu Dashou was stunned, his face looked a little ugly. He saluted and said, "Your Excellency, I was defeated in the battle of Dalinghe, and my sons and nephews did fall into the hands of the enemy. But I have already reported this to the court. Why are you bringing this up today?"

"Haha, let me ask you again, your nephews and nephews are doing well in Jiannu's place, and Huang Taiji has given them high positions and generous salaries. Do you know about this?"

Zu Dashou's eyelids twitched slightly. He knew this situation. It was for this reason that Huang Taiji wrote to him again and again to persuade him to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, but Zu Dashou never agreed and just pretended to be nice to him. Zu Dashou also had his considerations for doing this. On the one hand, he was worried that a complete break-up would bring unpredictable consequences to his captured nephews and nieces. What if Huang Taiji ran into a hard nail on his side and executed them in anger?
On the other hand, Zu Dashou also used this method to deal with Huang Taiji, thereby delaying time and paralyzing the opponent.

But no matter what, although this practice is understandable, it cannot be discussed openly. After all, the leading general and the enemy bandits secretly exchanged letters and even flirted with each other. If this were to get out, the consequences would be very serious.

(End of this chapter)