Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 296 Dismissal, Investigation, and Recruitment with a Dishonest Demeanor (Part 2)

The rebel Zhang Xianzhong had already advanced to Xi'an, and the Prince of Qin was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

The Ming Dynasty court, however, seemed to be in no hurry at all.

This time, not only was Zhu Jue not in a hurry, but the officials in the outer court also seemed not to be in a hurry at all.

Zhu Jue directly dismissed Yang He, the governor of the three border regions, and ordered him to be escorted back to the capital for trial.

The officials in the outer court kept recommending this person and that person, but they just wouldn't let Hou Xun take over the position of Governor-General of the Three Border Regions.

This left the three border regions of Shaanxi leaderless, and no military general could possibly lead troops to rescue Xi'an.

Fighting Zhang Xianzhong was incredibly satisfying.

Originally, several thousand garrison troops were gathered in Xi'an, and the city's officials, including wealthy people, had also organized many able-bodied men to defend the city walls. In addition, with the freezing weather and water turning to ice as soon as it was poured, it was not so easy for Zhang Xianzhong to take Xi'an.

Who would have thought that after only a few days of fighting, the city of Xi'an would suddenly descend into chaos, and someone would secretly open the city gates and let him in!

This kind of thing may seem absurd and unconventional, but it's actually not strange at all.

This is all because the power of the three major clans and eight imperial merchants in Puzhou in the Northwest is simply overwhelming, and there are countless of their people in Xi'an.

They only needed to send someone to Zhang Xianzhong's camp to secretly pass the order into the city, and the city gates would naturally open.

Historically, the cities in the Northwest were almost undefended, and both rebels and Jurchens could easily take them down.

This is clearly not normal either.

Cities were built to defend against foreign enemies. In the era of cold weapons, the defensive capabilities of cities were quite terrifying. As long as someone held the fort, let alone rebels and Jurchens who were not good at attacking cities, even the most powerful people would not be able to take them down easily.

This isn't a conspiracy theory; it's a fact.

In the era of cold weapons, the defensive capabilities of cities were notoriously terrifying. As long as someone held the line, even if the attacking side managed to capture the city, they would suffer heavy casualties.

Historically, not all cities in the Northwest were left undefended; some cities were still held by defenders.

For example, in Yulin City, Li Zicheng sent a full 100,000 troops to attack Yulin City, while the city only had a few thousand troops, most of whom were old, weak and disabled. The elite border troops had all been wiped out by Hong Chengchou and sent to Huang Taiji.

More importantly, Wang Ding, the general in Yulin City at the time, took away the only two thousand men in the city who were capable of fighting, under the pretense of going to fetch reinforcements.

Wang Ding is most likely a spy for the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou. Originally, with his actions, Yulin City should have been easily captured by the rebels, just like other cities in the Northwest.

Who would have thought that the veteran general of the border army in Yulin City would refuse to surrender and stubbornly resist for nearly half a month with less than 5,000 old, weak and disabled soldiers, directly causing Li Zicheng's troops to suffer a huge loss of 40,000 to 50,000 casualties!

In the end, if Li Zicheng hadn't mobilized a large amount of gunpowder to blow up the city walls, it's uncertain whether he would have been able to capture Yulin City.

There's also Zhou Yuji in history, who, with only a few thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers, held off Li Zicheng's hundreds of thousands of troops at the Daizhou City and Ningwu Pass line. He held out for more than ten days, inflicting nearly 100,000 casualties on Li Zicheng's forces!
This proves that as long as a city is defended, the rebels will not be able to take it easily. If hundreds of cities in the Northwest were defended as they were in Yulin, Daizhou and Ningwu Pass, Li Zicheng would not be able to defeat them even with millions of troops.

Of course, these are all things to be discussed later, so let's leave them aside for now.

When Zhang Xianzhong easily captured Xi'an, Yang Hena was brought back to the capital by Fang Zhenghua's trusted subordinates.

He originally thought that being dismissed from his post, investigated, and sent back to the capital for trial meant being thrown into the Ministry of Justice's prison or even the imperial prison.

He had no complaints about this, since it was Zhang Xianzhong's fault for invading Guanzhong. He didn't send any troops to guard the area, and it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to throw them into the Ministry of Justice prison or even the imperial prison.

The key point is that this is a much smaller burden than the one that caused the princes and royal family to suffer. The current emperor is clearly protecting him. Throwing him into the Ministry of Justice prison or even the imperial prison is just for show. Even if he stays in the Ministry of Justice prison or the imperial prison for several months, it doesn't matter.

He was already mentally prepared.

Around dusk that day, as the sun was setting and darkness was approaching, their group of several carriages finally arrived in the capital.

He was already thinking about going to jail or even being imprisoned, so he wasn't in the mood to look at the scenery along the way. In addition, it was getting dark, and he didn't notice that the city wall of the capital had moved dozens of miles to the west!
After they disembarked from the normal carriage and boarded a huge one, he suddenly realized that the capital was very different from when he left.

The carriage was enormous, and the capital city itself was so vast that he couldn't comprehend it. It took them nearly half an hour to reach the Xi'an Gate of the imperial city!
He naturally knew how many miles a carriage could travel in half an hour; it would be at least forty or fifty miles!
That’s nothing.

Fang Zhenghua's trusted subordinates actually led him directly into the palace, to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where his beloved son Yang Sichang was waiting for him.

He originally thought he would be imprisoned in the cold Ministry of Justice prison or even the imperial prison, but who would have thought that he would be moved directly into the warm and spring-like Yangxin Hall!

The next morning around 7 a.m., Yang Sichang brought him to the main hall of the Yuxi Palace to pay homage to the current emperor. Zhu Jue didn't rush to deal with the memorials. He warmly invited Yang He and his son to sit down and ordered someone to serve fragrant tea. Then he solemnly said, "Xiuling, I'm sorry to have wronged you. My dismissal and investigation of you was actually a clever move to escape punishment. Don't be discouraged by this."

How could I possibly lose heart?

Yang He was deeply moved and said, "Your Majesty knows that this is for my own good. I thank Your Majesty for your kindness."

Yeah, you know that's good.

There's no need to ask about the situation in Shaanxi; he'd already asked Yang Sichang.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked, "What arrangements have you made for Wu Xiang and Zu Dashou?"

You haven't ordered anyone to explain this.

Yang He cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, when I left, I told them to just hold Tongguan Pass to the death, and I would be guaranteed to do good without any wrongdoing."

Very good, just what I like.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then said solemnly, "Xiuling, you don't need to worry about things in Shaanxi anymore. I have an important matter to entrust to you. How about it, do you need to rest for a few days?"

You have important matters to entrust to me, how can I rest?

Yang He shook his head repeatedly and said, "No need, no need, Your Majesty, I am not tired at all. Please give me your orders."

Ah That's good.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then explained in detail: "You also know why I dismissed you from your post and investigated you."

Originally, I wanted Hou Xun to take over the position of Governor-General of the Three Border Regions, but who would have thought that the cabinet would keep delaying and refuse to let Hou Xun take over.

Therefore, I intend to use you to outmaneuver them. You should know who Zhang Yun, the King of Hanzhong, is, right?

Of course I know that guy. That guy is Pan Yunteng. When Pan Guozhong was working for me, he was specifically responsible for transporting grain, supplies, and weapons for that guy.

Yang He nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and then asked, "I want you to go and persuade the King of Hanzhong to surrender. What do you think?"

what?
Does that kid Pan Yunteng even need to be recruited?
If you want him to surrender, it's just a matter of saying a few words.

Yang He was taken aback upon hearing this.

However, he soon understood.

This is to put those guys in the outer court in a difficult position.

He paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I also believe that the King of Hanzhong has too many troops and it is not advisable to take him by force. It is better to persuade him to surrender."

Hmm, you understand now, so I don't need to explain any further.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then carefully instructed, "After you go there, help him manage the government affairs. As for when to get him to accept the amnesty, there's no need to rush. We can delay it for now."

Am I supposed to help the rebels manage government affairs?

Upon hearing this, Yang He was taken aback for a moment before nodding repeatedly and saying, "Your Majesty, I understand."

That'll do.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then waved his hand and said, "Then go and make good preparations. We'll set off in the next couple of days to go to the Central Plains and persuade Zhang Yun, the King of Hanzhong, to surrender."

Upon hearing this, Yang He and his son Yang Sichang quickly bowed and took their leave.

Seeing them walk out of the gate, Zhu Jue coldly said, "Ruoyu, draft an imperial edict: the rebel Zhang Xianzhong's troops need to be besieged and suppressed, and the rebel Zhang Yun's troops also need to be recruited."

"I don't have that many men at hand right now. Hou Xun, choose one yourself: either go to the mountainous region of Shaanxi to oversee the suppression of the rebel Zhang Xianzhong, or go to Henan to be the governor and pacify the rebel Zhang Yun."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoyu was taken aback.

How is Hou Xun supposed to choose?
(End of this chapter)