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

Chapter 747 Not Easy
Chen Xinjia hesitated for a moment. He had no prejudice against military commanders and even thought Wang Jinwu was a very suitable commander. But seeing that Wen Tiren, Yang Sichang and Zhang Zhifa all had the same attitude, he thought that it was indeed inappropriate for a military commander to directly command the three armies, and finally expressed the same attitude.

The attitudes of the four people made Wang Jinwu frown. He didn't expect that the four people would exclude him in unison. Wang Jinwu was very angry.

Wang Jinwu was not a good-tempered person. When he was smuggling salt, he would draw his sword and fight with others if he had a disagreement. When he was on the Mongolian grassland, he was even more high-spirited. He led a group of Mongolians to fight all over Tumed and was invincible. It is unknown how many heads he had chopped off.

Wang Jinwu now led the new army for Zhu Shenzhui. He was not only the Left Commander-in-Chief but also the Earl of Ningshan. He was already a prominent figure among the nobles. Especially the previous battle at the Great Wall confirmed his great military exploits. In his opinion, he was the only one who could rescue Liaodong. Today, he was ready to take on this mission, but who would have thought that this statement would come up.

Wang Jinwu was furious and was about to ask Wen Tiren and the others questions when Zhu Shenzhui spoke first: "There is no rush for this matter. We are still discussing how to deal with Liaodong and how to send troops to rescue. It is too early to discuss who will lead the troops."

"Regent..." Yang Sichang was about to persuade him. Jinzhou had been under siege for a month. If the army was mobilized now, it would take at least one or two months to gather and rescue. This would take nearly three months. According to Jinzhou's food reserves, Zu Dashou would have no problem defending it for half a year. Judging from this time, it would also take time to rescue according to Chen Xinjia's plan. Overall, this time would be about the same.

If a decision is not made soon, it will be difficult to predict the morale of the people in Jinzhou if the decision is delayed. No one can guarantee what Zu Dashou's mentality will be when he watches the rescue efforts fail. Once Zu Dashou surrenders to Huang Taiji, half of Liaodong will fall into the hands of the enemy, and the government and the public will inevitably be shocked.

"This is a serious matter. Please allow me to think about it carefully. No matter how urgent it is, it does not need to be rushed in the next few days." Zhu Shenzhui waved his hand and said this without waiting for Yang Sichang to finish his words.

"Although Mr. Chen's plan is good, it involves too many troops and puts too much pressure on logistics. The local bandits have not been eliminated yet. Once troops from all over the country are transferred to reinforce Liaodong, who can guarantee that the bandits will not escape? In addition, the three armies have not moved, but the food and grass have gone first. You are all important officials in the court. You should know the current financial situation of the country. How to solve this problem is not a trivial matter. The court just ordered tax reduction and exemption not long ago. If you go back on your word and plunder the people again, where is the face of the court? How do the people of the world view the court?"

"I know that Liaodong is in a military emergency and Jinzhou is in danger, but no matter how urgent it is, we can still wait for a few days. No matter what the final result is, the cabinet and the Ministry of War should plan more and come up with a comprehensive plan. We must lift the siege of Liaodong, but we must not relax the suppression of the bandits, and we must not increase the burden on the people. I hope you will take more care of it."

"The Regent's foresight has opened my eyes. My Ming Dynasty has a Regent. Why shouldn't the people of the world be grateful for the Regent's kindness? As the Prime Minister, I have not thought of these things. I am really ashamed. I would like to thank the Regent on behalf of the people of the world..." Wen Tihen burst into tears. He stood up and saluted deeply towards Zhu Shenzui with a look of shame on his face, which stunned Yang Sichang who was standing beside him.

Yang Sichang cursed the shameless bastard in his heart, but his brain was working quickly at this time. He quickly followed Wen Tihen and bowed to Zhu Shencui. He criticized his own short-sightedness and boasted about Zhu Shencui's foresight and benevolence.

Following the attitude of the two big guys, Zhang Zhifa and Chen Xinjia also quickly adopted the same attitude. Even Wang Jinwu could not sit still and said the same words to the four of them.

With a wave of his hand, Zhu Shenzhui signaled them to stand up, and then said a few words of comfort and encouragement, asking them to go back and think carefully about how to use the troops.

Since Zhu Shenzhui made this statement, no one said anything more. Even Chen Xinjia, who proposed the plan, began to think about it thoughtfully. Maybe there really is a way to have the best of both worlds, but he just hasn't thought of it. He will definitely think about it carefully when he returns.

The discussion ended here. Wen Tiren and others said goodbye and left first. Zhu Shenzhui deliberately kept Wang Jinwu.

When leaving Wenhua Hall, Wen Tihen and Yang Sichang, the two old rivals, subconsciously exchanged glances. Although they had different political views and even grudges against each other, they had the same attitude towards Wang Jinwu's command of the three armies. In their view, this was the foundation of civil officials and the basis for suppressing the military with civil officials. Once this bottom line was crossed, not only would they be unable to bear it, but the entire civil service group would also be unable to bear it. Therefore, the two men had the same position on this point.

"It's obvious that these hoodlums don't want me to lead the army. They're afraid that the military men will overtake the civil officials!" After Wen Tiren and others left, Wang Jinwu couldn't bear it any longer and started cursing angrily.

"Haha, if you understand it, how can I not understand it?" Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile.

"Regent, this matter is not up to them. You can just issue an order and let me lead the troops to rescue Jinzhou. Do they dare to object again?" Wang Jinwu shouted.

"It's not difficult to issue an order, but it's difficult to issue it after it's issued."

"Regent, what do you mean...?" Wang Jinwu was stunned.

Zhu Shenzhui said calmly, "The distinction between civil officials and military officials in the Ming Dynasty has existed for a long time. Civil officials have been valued and military officials have been despised for hundreds of years. In the eyes of civil officials, it is natural to suppress military officials with civil officials. You made a big splash in the last battle at the Great Wall. If you lift the siege of Jinzhou this time, what else can these civil officials use to suppress military officials?" "Among the four people, Wen Tiren, Yang Sichang, Zhang Zhifa, and Chen Xinjia, Chen Xinjia is better. After all, he is only a juren, and he is not well received by orthodox civil officials. He does not have so many prejudices about the distinction between civil officials and military officials. But the other three are different. No matter whether they have surrendered to me or have conflicts with each other, they all have the same view on the distinction between civil officials and military officials."

"I have no problem using my position as regent to force you to do so, and I can order you to lead the army eventually, but such a large army reinforcement is not just a matter of you leading the army. There are many other things that need to be coordinated by various departments, especially the cabinet and the Ministry of War. If they have complaints about this matter, or don't want to see you make more achievements, and secretly do something, even if they are not so active, and treat you negatively on the front line, what if they are not so active? "

"How dare they!" Wang Jinwu's eyes widened with anger, and he slammed the table and said, "If this happens, my sword is not for show!"

"Hahaha, you can certainly kill people, but so can I. But if I do that, the political situation that has just stabilized will inevitably be turbulent. When the time comes, people from all walks of life will rise up to attack me. How can I cope with it? Am I going to raise my butcher knife and kill everyone? If that is the way to solve the problem, it would be simple. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to kill all these people when I first entered the capital? Why wait until today?"

"This..." Wang Jinwu was stunned. Although he did not understand the twists and turns of the civil service, he had not followed Zhu Shenzhui for so many years in vain. Moreover, he was now an important official of the Ming Dynasty and a leader among the military generals. He also knew a thing or two about the political situation of the Ming Dynasty.

Since Zhu Shenzhui came to Beijing, except for dealing with and killing a few people at the beginning, he did not take any action against the civil and military officials in the court. Even the Silijian, including the cabinet and the six ministries, returned to normal in a very short time, thus stabilizing the political situation, implementing government orders, and ensuring stability in all parts of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Shenzui was not a bandit, nor was he a ignorant young man. If he wanted to control the country, he could not rely solely on the army. Although the civil service group had problems of various kinds, these people were indispensable for governing the country. This was why Zhu Shenzui turned a blind eye to the civil service group, even the Donglin Party members.

If killing people could solve all problems, Zhu Shenzhu would have done it long ago. Isn't killing people easy? It would not be difficult to kill all the officials in the court with the army at hand. But the consequence of doing so would be the loss of people's hearts and chaos in the world, and it would be impossible to control the Ming Dynasty.

Political means are not only about attacking, but also about compromise and balance. Zhu Shenzhu has been working hard in this direction. Pulling one faction against another and using legitimate political means to achieve one's own goals is the foundation of governing the country, including his attack and attack on the Donglin Party. Doesn't Zhu Shenzhu know that these people are just sitting there doing nothing? But some things cannot be done as one pleases. It is easy to kill people, but it is difficult to destroy their hearts. Many problems must be solved step by step, just like now. When the civil service group feels pressure, even Wen Tiren and others who have come to rely on him will stand on the opposite side.

"If that's the case, then how should this matter be handled? Are you really going to let me sit and watch the battlefield? Or send another civilian official to lead the troops?" Although Wang Jinwu was dissatisfied in his heart, he could only listen to Zhu Shenzhui and could not help but ask this question.

"What's the hurry?" Zhu Shenzhui scolded him with a smile, then stood up and said, "Don't you understand what I just said? That's why I asked the cabinet and the Ministry of War to discuss the plan again. Although Chen Xinjia's method is good, I will not use it. The reasons have been given just now. In addition to these reasons, there is another key point, which is that I will never let a civilian lead the troops to Liaodong."

"Really!" Wang Jinwu's eyes lit up.

"How could I ever lie to you?" Zhu Shenzhui asked unhappily.

Wang Jinwu immediately laughed, rubbing his hands and asking, "Since the Regent has made a plan, then I...?"

"You can't go!"

"Why? It would be perfect for me to go!" Wang Jinwu suddenly became anxious again. If he wasn't allowed to go, what was the point?
"You need to stay in the capital and suppress the local areas. Once you go there, will you be at ease knowing that I am in the capital?" Zhu Shenzhui asked back.

“This…” Wang Jinwu was stunned and speechless for a moment.

Zhu Shenzhui sighed, patted his shoulder and said, "Your status is different now. If you lead the army, there will be many opponents, and the war situation in Liaodong is likely to change. I am not at ease with you going."

After hearing what Zhu Shenzui said, especially the deliberate use of the word "I", Wang Jinwu began to understand Zhu Shenzui's concerns. He thought about it, sighed, and finally nodded.

However, Wang Jinwu couldn't help but ask, if he didn't go, who would he send? At this time, Zhu Shenzhui shook his head slightly. He hadn't decided on the candidate yet. Moreover, he had a plan in mind on how to rescue the Liaodong war, but the plan was not perfect yet and needed to be carefully considered. He couldn't say it for the time being. It wouldn't be too late to say it after he figured it out.

(End of this chapter)