Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 280 Employee of the Year: Man Gui; Most Impacted Veteran: Sun Chengzong
Ningyuan City, the headquarters of the Liaodong Military Governor.

Inside the camp, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A huge sand table almost filled the entire house.

Beside the sand table stood an old man.

Sun Chengzong was a pillar of Liaodong during the Ming Dynasty.

He wore a black cloak bestowed by the emperor, held a slender push rod, and moved the military flags on the sand table with extremely slow movements, as if each step carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

Several staff members stood at attention, holding their breath and not daring to utter a sound.

Finally, the putter hovered above "Shengjing".

Sun Chengzong spoke, his voice as weathered as his character: "Huang Taiji's foundation is not yet secure. However, the more unstable it is, the more likely he is to use external provocations to consolidate his position and subdue both internal and external forces."

His tone was calm and composed, as if stating the natural order of things.

"First, they marched south to attack the pass and headed straight for Ningyuan."

The push rod tapped the sturdy model of Ningyuan City.

"Secondly, they bypassed Mongolia to the west and invaded our Jizhou garrison."

The pusher aimed westward, tracing a cold, arcing line.

"Order all departments to be on high alert and not to slacken their vigilance in the slightest."

"Yes, sir!" the staff members responded in unison.

Sun Chengzong waved his hand, signaling them to leave, but his gaze never left the chessboard. Beneath his tightly furrowed brows, his worry was not about Huang Taiji before him.

Rather, it is the young emperor far away in Jiangnan, outside the sand table.

Before the emperor went south, the task of containing Mao Wenlong's troops on Pi Island was conveyed in top secret by the Imperial Guards. All strategies were predetermined, including the date for the three parties to launch a joint attack.

Sun Chengzong still vividly remembers the contents of that secret letter, especially the last sentence, "The unquestionable will of the monarch":

"This strategy uses Lindan Khan as the spearhead, Pi Island as the flank, and Guan Ning as the rear. The three forces work together to influence the overall situation. The teacher's troops hold Ningyuan firmly as a precaution, waiting for changes on the northern front."

How grand his schemes are, how wild his spirit is!
But Sun Chengzong, who spent his life in the military, believed in being down-to-earth and taking steady steps forward.

Why would such a crucial gamble on the fate of the nation be placed on an "ally" like Ligdan Khan?
This move... is far too risky!
He had a keen eye for the nature of the Mongols; they were fickle and unpredictable, their hearts difficult to fathom. Today they would call each other brothers, tomorrow they would draw their swords against each other—this was their old trick.

If the plan fails, the loss of money, food, and military equipment will be secondary; what is truly frightening is that it will completely enrage the Later Jin and provoke their frenzied retaliation.

Therefore, although he followed orders and allocated military funds, he always harbored doubts about the plan deep down.

He firmly believed in the fortified city he had built with his own hands, in the incredible range of the Hongyi cannons, and in the battle-hardened soldiers of Liaodong.

Sun Chengzong believed that this was the tangible and real path to success.

Thinking of this, he pressed the red flag representing the main force of the Later Jin dynasty again near Shengjing.

In his heart, the real decisive battle still lies here.

As for that wind in the northern desert...

……

"Commander! Urgent military report from the capital, six hundred li away!"

A scream shattered the tranquility of the camp.

The messenger rushed in, covered in dust, knelt on one knee, and held aloft a leather tube branded with double sealing wax.

Sun Chengzong's eyes narrowed, but he did not immediately take it. He asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter that's causing your alarm?"

The messenger, still panting, had a face contorted with excitement: "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief... a great victory! Heavens... an incredible victory!"

Everyone in the room was shocked.

Sun Chengzong's heart sank, and he waved his hand expressionlessly.

"All of you, step back."

"As ordered."

The staff members bowed and filed out, their curious gazes almost burning holes in the messenger and the leather tube.

In an instant, only Sun Chengzong and the flickering candlelight remained in the hall.

He slowly stepped forward, took the heavy leather tube, and returned to the lamp to carefully cut open the seal with a knife.

There are two documents inside.

Firstly, the Ministry of War's report.

Secondly, it was actually the "Edict for Pacifying the Barbarians," which was stamped with the imperial seal and promulgated throughout the land!
He first read the military newspaper, word by word, sentence by sentence, very slowly.

Time seems to have frozen.

The wind howled outside the window, and the room was deathly silent. Sun Chengzong stood there, motionless as a mountain, as if petrified.

The lamplight illuminated his graying beard and hair. His face was expressionless, devoid of elation or excitement, only a chilling silence.

for a long time.

Sun Chengzong put down the documents, raised his bloodshot eyes, and looked at the huge sand table in the center of the room.

I walked over with slightly slow steps.

With eyes like an eagle, fixed intently on the northwest corner of the sand table—the Horqin Grassland.

There used to be a small flag there, representing a tribe.

And now...

In Sun Chengzong's eyes, this land looked as if it had been splattered with blood.

Three days!

The two words on the newspaper were like two invisible giant hammers slamming into his understanding.

Man Gui, the iron cavalry of Xuanda, wiped out an entire clan in three days!
Sun Chengzong stiffly turned his neck, his gaze shifting inch by inch from the Horqin Grassland eastward, finally settling on "Shengjing".

A bead of cold sweat silently slid down his forehead.

This sweat is not from heat, but from...fear.

He knew, of course, that the emperor had met with Ligdan Khan, and he never doubted that with the current emperor's abilities, he would be able to persuade the other party.

But he never expected that the so-called persuasion would be so overwhelming and so devastating!
When all of this was laid out in black and white on paper before him, Sun Chengzong suddenly realized the truth.

Why am I hesitating?

Why retain it?

Is it merely due to strategic prudence?

Not also!

Since His Majesty ascended the throne, despite the reforms in domestic affairs, there has not been a single major victory in foreign affairs!
Without a single decisive victory, the morale of the army, the people, and even Sun Chengzong himself would be hanging in the balance!
Subconsciously, they all harbored a hint of... doubt towards themselves, towards the Ming Dynasty, and towards that young emperor!
Is there any doubt that the Ming army still has the fighting capacity?

And now, the four characters "pacified the country in three days" are the best answer!

This "Edict to Pacify the Barbarians" spread throughout the nine border regions, and the long-suppressed morale of the 100,000 soldiers was about to... soar to the heavens! Sun Chengzong took a deep breath, his hands trembling, and picked up a small blue flag representing Ligdan Khan from the flag box.

He looked at the sand table, held a blue flag, and traversed hundreds of miles of territory from west to east before planting it heavily on the land of Horqin!
The flagpole plunged into the sand with a muffled sound.

And the flag was pointing directly at Shengjing, the vital stronghold of the Later Jin!
Like a knife... pressed against your back!

At that moment, Sun Chengzong understood everything!

It wasn't the victory itself that amazed him.

He was shocked by the manner of the victory and the purpose behind it!

"Drive away the tiger...swallow the wolf..."

Sun Chengzong stroked his gray beard and muttered to himself.

It turns out that on the emperor's chessboard, the Khorchin piece was actually meant to be sacrificed!

Use its flesh and blood to feed Lindan Khan, that even fiercer and hungrier wolf! Then use this fed wolf to create a huge threat behind the Later Jin, one that will never have peace!

From then on, Huang Taiji could no longer sleep soundly!

He must always be wary of the greedy eyes behind him!
From then on, the Ming Dynasty was no longer besieged on two fronts.

Instead, the Later Jin suffered damage from both sides!

Sun Chengzong's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

He slowly closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, expelling all his doubts and the last bit of pride he had as a veteran official.

When I opened my eyes again, all that remained was awe.

"Your Majesty's wisdom and insight far surpass what I... can achieve."

For the first time, the veteran general's voice carried a hint of desolation.

"This is not a victory in battle, but a victory in strategy! Ligdan Khan alone has defeated 100,000 of my Great Ming's mighty troops stationed in the southern Gobi Desert! The overall situation in Liaodong has changed from this point on..."

He stretched out his withered hand and gently touched the blue flag.

"He's alive!"

Yes, it survived.

A stagnant pool of water was stirred up by a stone thrown in by the emperor from a thousand miles away, creating a storm in the world.

The initiative in this game has already changed hands!

……

After the initial shock, what followed was the keen premonition unique to a veteran.

Sun Chengzong's gaze shifted from the revitalized southern desert to the Guan-Ning defense line he had been building.

Fortified cities, heavy artillery, elite troops...

These things that he was once proud of now have a heavy name in his eyes—the gold-devouring behemoth.

Sun Chengzong knew better than anyone how much of the Ming Dynasty's treasury this defense line cost every year; if the emperor hadn't used extraordinary methods to raise funds, it would have collapsed long ago.

But now, the emperor has broken through this dead end with a resounding victory on the outside, creating a completely new situation!

Would the emperor allow this passive defense line to continue to drain the nation's resources in this way?
The answer is self-evident.

Sun Chengzong could almost see that when the emperor returned from Jiangnan and his gaze returned to the chessboard of Liaodong, a great change, orchestrated by him personally, would surely come.

The wind rises from the tip of a blade of grass.

Sun Chengzong knew that the era in which he could influence the overall situation in Liaodong simply by virtue of his reputation and seniority was over.

A new era, one where the monarch holds absolute power, is being opened up in a way that he cannot resist or even comprehend.

But what truly shook him to his core was not the changes in the world, but the person who ushered in this new era.

The Emperor!

Sun Chengzong always regarded this young emperor, who ascended the throne in a time of crisis, as the quiet and taciturn younger brother of the late emperor.

He respected his ruthless methods in eliminating the Shanxi merchants and praised his determination to govern diligently. But deep down, he may have sometimes regarded him as a junior who needed to rely on an old minister like himself to support the crisis.

Especially in military affairs, Sun Chengzong was arrogant, believing himself to be the undisputed pillar of the Ming Dynasty court.

However, today, this news of victory from thousands of miles away was like a thunderbolt from the heavens, completely shattering his preconceived notions.

A thousand miles away, the plan was flawless; within three days, an entire clan was annihilated!

This was not some conspiracy or trickery, but the most exquisite insight into the timing, the people's hearts, and the military strength. It was a thunderous strike after a comprehensive plan for the southern desert, Liaodong, and even the fate of the Ming Dynasty!
Such extraordinary strategies could not possibly be possessed by a young prince who had long lived in the inner palace!
Sun Chengzong suddenly realized that the strategies hidden in the heart of this usually dignified and unyielding monarch were far beyond his comprehension.

Has he changed? No, perhaps I've never truly seen through him!
The emperor, who concealed his talents, has come to this!

When and where did Your Majesty learn such unpredictable military strategies and such ability to stir up storms?

The thought flashed through Sun Chengzong's mind, then turned into a silent, bitter laugh.

The reason... is no longer important.

The important thing is that he, Sun Chengzong, may really be old. The reputation and strategies he has accumulated throughout his life are nothing more than the last stars before dawn in the face of that blazing sun.

Thinking of this, he slowly straightened up and gently placed the putter back in its original position.

Outside the window, the wind still whistles.

He walked to the window and pushed it open.

A night breeze, carrying the scent of dust, swept over me.

As far as the eye could see, there was only the stillness of the night.

There were no chirping insects, no croaking frogs; even the slightest sign of life seemed to have been completely drained by the months-long drought.

Sun Chengzong looked up at the sky.

The long-drought-free night sky was breathtakingly clear, without a single cloud. The brilliant Milky Way that stretched across the sky was almost blindingly bright, as if all the light in the universe had been poured onto this parched land.

He gazed at the deep, boundless, and terrifyingly silent starry sky, and the surge of emotion in his heart reached its peak.

This desolate world, this barren wasteland... isn't this the Ming Dynasty of today?

However, in this profound silence, the young monarch sitting in the Forbidden City laid out a world-shaking chess game with a depth more unfathomable than the Milky Way and a scheme more insurmountable than the eternal night.

He neither summons wind and thunder nor relies on favorable timing.

He himself was the sole player who turned the tide in the darkest of times.

In Sun Chengzong's eyes, the starry sky was no longer a cold embellishment.

They are like chess pieces scattered on the emperor's chessboard, standing in orderly rows, quietly waiting for the emperor to make the final move that will decide the outcome of the game.

Heaven is ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.

The art of emperors lies in carving out a path for survival for humankind under the merciless laws of Heaven!

(End of this chapter)