Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty
Chapter 810 Offering Advice
Chapter 810 Offering Advice
Although Zhu Shenzhui's words frightened Zhang Xianzhong greatly, after he finished speaking, Zhang Xianzhong felt relieved.
If Zhu Shenzhui had called Zhang Xianzhong today just to have a brief chat and comfort him, Zhang Xianzhong might not have such an idea. Instead, he would keep his thoughts to himself. Once there are any changes in the future, no one can guarantee what Zhang Xianzhong will plan to do.
But now Zhu Shencui directly revealed the secret in Zhang Xianzhong's heart with just one word, and laid everything out in the open, which made Zhang Xianzhong feel fortunate besides being scared, and he admired Zhu Shencui very much.
Zhu Shenzhui's words clearly stated the ugly truth in advance, telling Zhang Xianzhong that he would not trust him, let alone use him, but since he had joined the court, he would not treat him unfairly. As long as he did not have any evil intentions, the court would naturally abide by its promise. However, if Zhang Xianzhong was indecisive, Zhu Shenzhui would definitely not be lenient at that time, and he would have to weigh the consequences himself.
For a tyrant like Zhang Xianzhong, simply appeasing him is definitely not going to work. He must be made to feel fear in his heart in order to be suppressed.
Judging from the current situation, such warnings and warnings have achieved very good results. Although Zhang Xianzhong was frightened by himself, he finally felt relieved. This is a good thing for both the imperial court and Zhang Xianzhong himself.
After understanding Zhu Shenzui's meaning, Zhang Xianzhong swore once again that he would never betray the court again and would behave himself and be an honest man in the capital. If Zhu Shenzui told him to go east, he would never go west. He would do whatever Zhu Shenzui told him to do.
Zhu Shenzhui nodded with satisfaction. It didn't matter whether Zhang Xianzhong had completely given up those thoughts or had hidden his thoughts even deeper. Anyway, everything that needed to be said had been said. Zhang Xianzhong's life or death was in his hands. With the Jinyiwei watching him, if Zhang Xianzhong behaved himself in the capital, he would be fine. But if he was indecisive, then he shouldn't blame himself for being vicious.
After letting Zhang Xianzhong stand up again, Zhu Shenzui's attitude became much softer in the following conversation, and he no longer threatened Zhang Xianzhong as before.
He asked a lot about Zhang Xianzhong's past as a bandit after the rebellion, and also asked about some inside stories and situations of various rebel armies. These Jinyiwei and local people had some intelligence, but they were not as clear as Zhang Xianzhong. After all, Zhang Xianzhong started his rebellion very early and was the leader of the rebel army at about the same time as Gao Yingxiang. Moreover, Zhang Xianzhong had a very high status in the rebel army, especially after Gao Yingxiang's death, he was implicitly the number one in the rebel army, and he knew all the rebel armies like the back of his hand.
Zhang Xianzhong did not hide these inquiries, and told Zhu Shencui everything he knew. Not only did he tell Zhu Shencui in detail, but he also described the personalities, tempers, hobbies, and weaknesses of the leaders of the various rebel armies, which made Zhu Shencui listen with great interest.
After Zhang Xianzhong finished speaking, Zhu Shenzhui asked again: "Among all the bandits, except for you who have surrendered to the imperial court, there are still two strongest ones, one is Luo Rucai and the other is Li Zicheng. What do you think about this?"
"I think it would be best to deal with Luo Rucai first and then encircle and suppress Li Zicheng."
"Oh, can you tell me why?"
"Reporting to the Regent, Luo Rucai is a long-time thief, cunning, treacherous, and capricious. He is nicknamed 'Cao Cao'. But he is not the real Cao Cao, and he does not have Cao Cao's vision and mind. Although his subordinates are capable of fighting, Luo Rucai is suspicious by nature and does not fully trust his subordinates. His subordinates are not strong in combat, and not many of them are truly loyal to him. It's fine if the war goes well, but it's hard to say if the war goes badly."
"Right now, Luo Rucai's troops are in the Zhengzhou area. Our government troops can mobilize heavy troops from the west of Henan to attack and force Luo Rucai to retreat to Xingyang. Once he reaches Xingyang, the government troops from the east, south, and north will be able to surround him. Luo Rucai's troops will definitely be unstable at this point. At that time, we can just send someone to contact his subordinate Yang Chengzu and give him a big reward. He will definitely turn against us. Then, we can attack him from both inside and outside and Luo Rucai will definitely be defeated."
"Yang Chengzu? I have heard of this man. Isn't he Luo Rucai's trusted general? Could he betray his master?"
"Reporting to the Regent, it is true that Yang Chengzu is Luo Rucai's trusted general, but the person Luo Rucai trusts the most is not Yang Chengzu but He Yilong. He Yilong can also be considered a righteous army... no! He is a figure who started the rebellion earlier among the bandits. This man's bandit name is Ge Liyan. He and Luo Rucai are not only from the same hometown, but also good friends. After Wang Ziyong's defeat, He Yilong surrendered to Luo Rucai. Luo Rucai trusts him very much, and he can be regarded as the second most important person in his army."
"Yang Chengzu has been with Luo Rucai longer than He Yilong. When He Yilong surrendered, Yang Chengzu was already a general under Luo Rucai. Logically, Yang Chengzu should have been the second in command, but because of He Yilong, Yang Chengzu had to be second to him." "Yang Chengzu was dissatisfied with this and had conflicts with He Yilong from time to time. Many people in his army knew about the discord between the two. In addition, Luo Rucai favored He Yilong, so Yang Chengzu naturally had many complaints about Luo Rucai. As time went on, he naturally became a little disloyal..."
Zhu Shenzhui smiled. If what Zhang Xianzhong said was true, it was indeed a way to divide Luo Rucai. Luo Rucai's troops were numerous and good at fighting. Although they were not as good as Zhang Xianzhong, they were not bad either. Moreover, Luo Rucai was cunning and resourceful. Several encirclements and suppressions failed to catch him. He escaped, which was indeed a headache for the government troops. If this method could be used to deal with Luo Rucai, it would be worth a try.
"You are already the Jinyiwei pacification envoy. After you leave the palace, you should go to the Jinyiwei. Since you are in Beijing, you must visit the government office. Also, tell them that it is my wish to meet the commander-in-chief Zhou Anmin and tell him what you just said."
"I understand. I will go see my superiors and report the matter." Zhang Xianzhong replied hurriedly, feeling a little happy. If he really followed his suggestion to deal with Luo Rucai's troops, wouldn't he have made a great contribution? Although Zhu Shenzhui had clearly told him that he would not let him lead troops or use him in important positions in the future, a contribution is a contribution. It would always be good to dispel the court's concerns about him and receive rewards. It would also be beneficial for him in the capital in the future.
"What do you think of Li Zicheng?" After talking about Luo Rucai, Zhu Shenzhui turned to ask about Li Zicheng.
Zhang Xianzhong hesitated for a moment and replied, "I am not familiar with Li Zicheng. Li Zicheng was just a general under Gao Yingxiang. Gao Yingxiang had many people with the same status as Li Zicheng. If Li Zicheng was not Gao Yingxiang's nephew, he would not have been able to become a general."
"I have only met Li Zicheng once and have never dealt with him, but I heard that he is quite capable. He is not just a man of connections under Gao Yingxiang. He is brave and capable. Moreover, when Gao Yingxiang was defeated, Li Zicheng did not follow Gao Yingxiang. Instead, he led his troops eastward and fled from Shaanxi to Henan. After Gao Yingxiang's death, Li Zicheng called himself the King of Rebellion and incorporated Gao Yingxiang's remaining troops. In the past year or so, he has annexed several more troops. His strength has greatly increased and should not be underestimated."
"I think Li Zicheng is not so easy to deal with. Moreover, Li Zicheng is different from Luo Rucai. He has strong control over his subordinates. His subordinates obey him blindly. It is absolutely impossible to use Luo Rucai's method to deal with Li Zicheng."
"In my humble opinion, we should first deal with Luo Rucai. As long as Luo Rucai's troops are gone, Li Zicheng will be unable to hold on alone. Then we can carefully shrink Li Zicheng's territory step by step, making it impossible for him to escape. Finally, we can choose a place for a decisive battle and annihilate him in one fell swoop. This is the best strategy!"
Zhang Xianzhong is worthy of being Zhang Xianzhong. What he said is well-founded and neither exaggerated nor belittled. Otherwise, Zhang Xianzhong would not have been able to gain the reputation of one of the Eight Kings as a bandit leader.
Fortunately, Zhang Xianzhong was desperate after his defeat and finally surrendered to the imperial court. In order to avoid future troubles, Zhu Shenzhu directly brought him to the capital to prevent Zhang Xianzhong from rebelling again. If such a person were placed in the local area, it would be no small matter if Zhang Xianzhong rebelled again with his ability, and if things went wrong, all the previous efforts might be wasted.
The suggestion Zhang Xianzhong put forward was very practical, and it could be seen that Zhang Xianzhong had completely given up the idea of playing both sides and was willing to serve the court. Just based on this point, the purpose of meeting Zhang Xianzhong today was achieved. As for how to deal with Li Zicheng, this could not be completely decided by Zhang Xianzhong, but by the generals in the front.
Moreover, Zhu Shenzhu believed that the current situation was the best for the Ming Dynasty. The war in Liaodong had ended, and Huang Taiji was busy with internal firefighting due to the rebellion of the Zhenglan Banner, and was dealing with the internal problems of the Eight Banners to strengthen and consolidate his control. At this time, Huang Taiji was absolutely unable to gather troops to attack the Liaoxi Corridor and the Ming Army in a short period of time, and Liaodong would be peaceful for a while.
What's more, Zheng Hongkui and Li You took Pi Island. Although Dongjiang Town was not recovered, Pi Island including Lu Island were in the hands of the Ming Dynasty. Most of Mao Wenlong's previous territory had been returned. In addition, with Zheng Hongkui's navy and Li You's new army in charge, they could not only protect the sea trade channel, but also attack Huang Taiji from the rear at any time. As long as Huang Taiji moved, the Ming army would respond immediately.
The external enemies have temporarily stopped, so now is the best opportunity to solve the internal troubles. Zhang Xianzhong has surrendered to the court, and only two of the three major bandits are left. After dealing with Luo Rucai, there will be only one Li Zicheng left. Zhu Shenzhu naturally would not underestimate Li Zicheng. He knows better than anyone how destructive Li Zicheng is, and he knows how serious the consequences will be if Li Zicheng escapes. Therefore, Li Zicheng must be destroyed and he must not be allowed to take advantage of the opportunity. Now the Ming Dynasty in the Central Plains can be said to be strong in soldiers and horses, and there are many talented generals. Zhu Shenzhu does not believe that with so many people, so many troops, and the dragnet laid out, Li Zicheng still has a chance?
After talking about Li Zicheng for a while, just when Zhu Shencui was about to continue asking about other situations of the bandits, Du Xun came. Du Xun stood at the door and saluted Zhu Shencui. Seeing him like this, Zhu Shencui frowned slightly. Since he became the regent, he has been extremely strict with the inner court. If it was not an urgent matter, Du Xun would never show up at this time.
Zhu Shenzui turned an inquiring look to Du Xun. Du Xun stepped forward and whispered something. Zhu Shenzui nodded without saying anything. He asked Du Xun to go down first. Then, after chatting with Zhang Xianzhong for a few words, he asked Zhang Xianzhong to go back first. Zhang Xianzhong stood up, kowtowed to express his gratitude, and retreated respectfully.
(End of this chapter)
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