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

Chapter 736 Decision
In an instant, a historical figure flashed through Zu Dashou’s mind. This person was Zhao Kuo, who was known as “the master of armchair warfare”.

Of course he knew that Gong Dingzi was a civil servant and didn't know much about military affairs, but he didn't expect that such a smart man like Gong Dingzi would have such brilliant ideas.

Gong Dingzi said it lightly, why not pull the troops out to fight instead of defending the city? If the Ming army could fight against Huang Taiji's Eight Banners head-on in a field battle, would his grandfather Dashou still need to defend the city to the death?
As a general who had experienced many battles, Zu Dashou knew too well the difference in strength between the two sides, and he also knew that his army was no match for the Eight Banners in a field battle. Hiding in the city for defense was fine, but once he was pulled out for a head-on battle, the result would be a sure defeat. Zu Dashou would do this only if he was crazy.

As for Gong Dingzi's strategy of breaking the siege and attacking the reinforcements, it was all nonsense. What about one inside and one outside, what about joint attack and joint attack on Jiannu, it was all fantasy. Jinzhou City was surrounded, and Zu Dashou was cut off from the news in the city. If he wanted to contact Shanhaiguan, he had to send someone to take the risk of slipping out through the gap of the encirclement, and there was no guarantee of complete success.

Besides, how could he know the situation of the reinforcements? How could he launch an attack at the same time as the reinforcements and coordinate with them? This was not hundreds of years later. Without electronic communications, the trapped army and the peripheral reinforcements were separated by Huang Taiji's troops. Even if the news could be transmitted, there would be a lag, and it was impossible to do this.

Gong Dingzi is simply a dreamer. There are three types of people in this world. One type is the knowledgeable person. It is easy to communicate with this type of person because the other person can understand the situation as soon as you explain it, and both parties' thoughts are on the same line.

The second type is people who understand nothing but have self-awareness. This type of person is not bad. Although he does not understand military affairs, he knows his own weaknesses and is willing to hand over command to those who really understand, and he only needs to do a good job of logistics.

The last type is the most difficult to communicate with, that is, those who pretend to understand when they clearly do not understand, and like to give orders. Gong Dingzi is exactly such a person. He does not understand military affairs at all, let alone how to command a war. Everything is taken for granted and he insists on commanding from his own perspective. He also refuses to listen to other people's opinions. Such people are the most troublesome and the most headache-inducing.

"Sir, your opinion is great..." Zu Dashou was also a smooth person. He knew that a direct rebuttal would not only fail to change Gong Dingzi's mind, but would even allow him to use the opportunity to accuse him of something. He had barely gotten over the letter just now. If he objected again at this time, Gong Dingzi would definitely not believe him, and might do something unpredictable.

"Of course. I have studied hard for decades and have read a lot of poetry and books. I also know a lot about military tactics. How can I compare with you, a warrior who has no literary talent? If not, how could the court select me to come to Liaodong?" Gong Dingzi stroked his beard proudly, looking very excited.

"In your opinion, sir, what should we do now?" Zu Dashou asked tentatively.

"Needless to say, of course we have to fight!" Gong Dingzi said without thinking: "How can the great Ming Dynasty allow the Jiannu to bully us like this? The Jiannu are outside the city right now, and their arrogance is intolerable! Marshal Zu should lead the troops out of the city and have a fierce battle with the Jiannu. As long as we can defeat the Jiannu outside the city, the siege of Jinzhou City will naturally be lifted. Even if our army is defeated, it doesn't matter. We can fight with our backs to the city and dampen their spirit. Is there no way out?"

"Besides, the suspicion on Zushuai has not been cleared yet, so this is the best opportunity for Zushuai to prove himself. As long as Zushuai fights the Jiannu, whether he wins or loses, it can prove Zushuai's loyalty to the court and dispel the concerns of the soldiers in the city. Isn't this a good thing to kill two birds with one stone?"

When Gong Dingzi said this, Zu Dashou was so angry that he wanted to jump up and curse. It was obvious that Gong Dingzi was asking him to die!
Knowing that they could not win in a field battle, he led his troops out of the city to fight the enemy instead of defending the city. Isn't this courting death? Moreover, the morale of Jinzhou City was already very low. It was no problem to defend the city, but once he went out of the city to fight, his subordinates might be defeated at the first contact. By that time, not only would he be defeated and captured or even died in the army, but even Jinzhou City would be captured by Huang Taiji, and the battle would be completely lost.

A cold light flashed in his eyes for a moment, and Zu Dashou wanted to chop the bastard in front of him with a knife, but reason finally made Zu Dashou calm down. He knew that now was not the time to take action. Once he did so, he would have no choice but to surrender to Huang Taiji.

"Your Excellency's opinion is brilliant. I admire it..." Zu Dashou replied with lowered eyebrows, suppressing his anger.

"In that case, when does Marshal Zu plan to send out troops?" Gong Dingzi asked.

"Going to war is no small matter. Can you give me two days to prepare?"

"Two days? Sure!" Gong Dingzi nodded and said, "I will give Marshal Zu two days. If Marshal Zu does not send troops after two days, don't blame me for exercising my power to impeach him. With the enemy at hand, I hope Marshal Zu will be loyal and serve the country, and don't make mistakes!"

"That's...that's..." Zu Dashou nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, with a smile on his face. After the explanation, Gong Dingzi was not interested in staying here any longer, so he stood up, patted his butt and walked away. After seeing Gong Dingzi off and returning to the flower hall, Zu Dashou's face was extremely gloomy, and his face was even more hideous and distorted.

"Gong Dingzi! You are going too far!"

Zu Dashou slapped the table with such force that the teacups on the table fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

Hearing the noise, the personal guards guarding outside hurried in to check. Before they could figure out what was happening, Zu Dashou glared and kicked them out.

Although Zu Dashou had been very cautious and bullied in front of Gong Dingzi, as a general of a town, he was never an easy person to get along with. If you think Zu Dashou is the kind of nice guy he looks like, you are totally wrong. Zu Dashou joined the army when he was a teenager, and he has been in the army for decades, and he has gradually risen to his current position. How could he be such a person?
It is no exaggeration to describe him as tough, fierce, cunning, cruel, and even murderous. You should know that Cao Wenzhao, who killed the rebels in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang and other places, was a subordinate of Zu Dashou. When Cao Wenzhao was a general under Zu Dashou, he was obedient. If he was asked to go east, he would never go west. Zu Dashou could subdue such a vicious man, so how could Zu Dashou be an ordinary person?

Moreover, during the Battle of Dalingh River that year, in order to resist the attack of Huang Taiji, Zu Dashou refused to surrender even though his army was short of food and he knew he could not defeat the enemy. He even ordered the 20,000 civilians in Dalingh River to be used as food for the army. He managed to hold out for more than half a month, and finally had no choice but to break through.

How could a man who could do such a thing be a good man? How was that possible? Zu Dashou was now so angry at Gong Dingzi that he gnashed his teeth and wished he could skin this guy alive.

"Gong Dingzi! Gong Dingzi! I wanted to keep you, but who would have thought you would force me like this. In that case, don't blame me!" Zu Dashou's eyes flashed with ferocity and his teeth were clenched. Today's incident made him completely understand that it was impossible to live in peace with a man like Gong Dingzi. Gong Dingzi was not Yuan Chonghuan. He never took Zu Dashou seriously. In Gong Dingzi's eyes, Zu Dashou was just a soldier, a warrior who could be ordered around.

Zu Dashou believed that if he were not facing a powerful enemy and if he was still of some use, Gong Dingzi might have attacked him directly, just like Yuan Chonghuan killed Mao Wenlong, using him as a sacrifice and then accusing him of collaborating with foreign enemies.

Long before Gong Dingzi came to Liaodong, Zu Dashou had received a message from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not explain clearly, how could someone as smart as Zu Dashou not understand the meaning of the message?
Gong Dingzi's coming to Liaodong was the result of a struggle in the court. For the Donglin Party, placing Gong Dingzi in Liaodong and placing him in such an important position as Ningqian Bingbei Dao was to compete for military power in Liaodong. Although the Ningqian Bingbei Dao was not a high-ranking official, it was very important. Controlling this position would allow the Ming army in Ningyuan and Jinzhou to be in their hands, including half of the Liaodong military generals would also obey their command.

Yuan Chonghuan was in this position when he finally became the governor of Ji and Liao. Now Gong Dingzi was just imitating Yuan Chonghuan's process. The Donglin Party was naturally happy with this result, but it was not so good for the regent Zhu Shenzhu.

Zu Dashou knew very well how Zhu Shenzhui came to power. The Donglin Party would never be willing to have a regent or even an emperor with absolute military power above them. This would directly destroy the foundation of civil service politics, thereby changing the political landscape of the Ming Dynasty and causing the Donglin Party to lose its voice in the court.

The opposite is also true. Zhu Shenzhui did not want Gong Dingzi to be safe in Liaodong, so Jinyiwei sent a message to Zu Dashou privately. The meaning of the message was very clear, which was nothing more than letting Zu Dashou and Gong Dingzi compete, or even secretly disposing of Gong Dingzi.

As long as Zu Dashou dares to do this and does not reveal his true intentions, Zhu Shenzhui will be able to endorse Zu Dashou in the court and it will not have any influence on him at all.

Zu Dashou was very surprised by this situation. He never thought that Zhu Shencui would have such a plan, and he never thought that Zhu Shencui would be so cruel.

Zu Dashou did not agree directly, nor did he refuse directly. He just said something ambiguous to evade the question. It was not that Zu Dashou did not dare to touch Gong Dingzi, nor did he dare to offend Zhu Shencui. In fact, this was Zu Dashou's cleverness. It was true that Zu Dashou did not have a good impression of civil officials, but there was no need to offend the civil official group or even the Donglin Party by this means.

As for Zhu Shenzhui, although he tried to win him over after he took office as the regent, and even gave him the coveted title of earl, as a powerful general in Liaodong, wasn't it normal for Zhu Shenzhui to win him over? Zu Dashou still felt that it was not worth it for him to do such a thing just for this win-over, and he didn't want to let Zhu Shenzhui hold the handle because of this.

(End of this chapter)