Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

"Write it all down! Quickly write down everything Magistrate Zhang said!"

Inside the main hall, all the civil and military officials were completely convinced.

He Renlong, Wan Yuanji, Zhang Yingyuan, and others stepped forward one after another, and despite being under the influence of alcohol, they quickly praised and acknowledged the rationality of Zhang Da's countermeasures. As a result, the generals in the hall eventually echoed in unison, praising them highly.

Yang Sichang was overjoyed, his eyes practically overflowing with admiration as he looked at Zhang Da.

What a talent! What a talent to bring peace and stability to the country!

If we can recruit this man to our cause, why worry about the unrest among the bandits and the unrest in the world!

Suppressing his excitement, Yang Sichang slowly walked to Zhang Da's side, patted him on the shoulder, and in front of everyone, his tone was full of undisguised praise.

"Excellent! Well done, Zhang Da! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you possess extraordinary talent. Rest assured, once the campaign to pacify Sichuan and suppress the bandits is completely over, the imperial court will certainly not fail to reward you for your merit and talent!"

Zhang Da was first praised, and then Yang Sichang promised him such a huge reward; his face turned completely red, and he quickly bowed.

"I was just making things up on the spot, and I just happened to guess right. I don't deserve such praise."

"Whether it's made up or not is not for you to decide!"

After drinking some wine and hearing Zhang Da's strategies, Yang Sichang felt a surge of pride, as if he had become ten or twenty years younger. He suddenly felt hopeful again for pacifying the country and bringing peace to the people. So he asked...

"Since Magistrate Zhang is so insightful about the state of the nation, let me ask you another question—currently, the Ming Dynasty is plagued by internal banditry and external threats from the Later Jin, with war raging across the land. In your opinion, aside from bandits like Zhang Xianzhong, who is the most pressing enemy our court must eliminate?"

The lobby fell silent instantly.

Is there a standard answer to this question?

I'm afraid not, it's just a difference in perspective.

Lord Yang wants to see Zhang Da's stance, whether he's on his side.

Some say that bandits like Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng wreaked havoc in the Central Plains and slaughtered civilians, making them the greatest enemy;

Some say that rampant corruption and greedy officials were the biggest enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Some say that the nation's empty treasury, lack of food and supplies, and consecutive years of natural disasters are the greatest enemies.

In my humble opinion, the Later Jin was the greatest enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Without hesitation or delay, Zhang Da, facing the gazes of the entire room, uttered those two words with unwavering resolve.

The answer itself didn't surprise or astonish anyone, because it was already among the options being discussed.

However, it was still somewhat unbelievable that Zhang Daneng gave this answer.

According to Yang Sichang's speculation, Zhang Da most likely meant corrupt officials or bandits who committed murder and arson.

After all, Zhang Da came from the countryside and had only ever suffered from these two kinds of calamities, perhaps with the addition of a natural disaster. But what did the Later Jin have to do with him? The two forces were completely unrelated.

"What did you say?" Yang Sichang repeated, "The Later Jin are the most pressing enemy the court should be dealing with right now?"

"Exactly!" Zhang Da straightened his back, his voice resounding. "In my humble opinion, the chaos caused by the bandits is merely a minor ailment; the threat from the Later Jin is a scourge from the heart! No matter how fierce the bandits are, they only wreak havoc on our Central Plains and plunder our people. Ultimately, they are still our Han people, who can be appeased or suppressed, and can be divided and weakened. But the Later Jin Tartars are barbarians from beyond the Great Wall, with wolfish ambitions, coveting our Ming Dynasty's territory, wanting to destroy our nation and perish our China. This is an irreconcilable enmity!"

Zhang Dayue became increasingly excited as he spoke, pointing to the Liaodong region on the map as he thought about what would happen in a few years. His voice resounded throughout the hall.

"In recent years, the Later Jin have repeatedly breached the borders, plundered the capital region, and slaughtered the people, leaving nothing but desolation in their wake. This September, the Qing army entered the pass, capturing four cities east of Beijing in succession. Martial law was declared in the capital, and the whole country was shaken. The Tartars' goal has never been to plunder money and grain, but to destroy our Great Ming, occupy our Central Plains, and enslave our Han people!"

"The bandits rebelled simply because they couldn't survive. As long as the court reduced taxes and levies, appeased the people, and eliminated the ringleaders, the rebellion could be quelled."

But the Later Jin Tartars have never given up their desire to destroy us. If they break through the pass and march south, their iron cavalry will trample across the Central Plains, and the land will surely be submerged, our culture and customs will be lost, and the Han people will once again become slaves of a conquered nation, just like the Song Dynasty. A thousand years of cultural heritage will be destroyed in an instant!

"Therefore, the bandits can be appeased, but the Later Jin will surely be in a hurry; the bandits can be pacified, but the Later Jin will surely fight! The Later Jin is the greatest enemy of our Great Ming Dynasty, and indeed, of all the Han people!"

When Zhang Da finished speaking with great passion and righteous indignation, many people in the hall responded enthusiastically.

However, the civil officials, including Wan Yuanji, were thrilled to hear this and nodded in agreement, their eyes full of approval.

On the left side, however, many military officers held differing opinions.

Now, Lord Yang values ​​Zhang Da's opinion highly. What if his opinion causes a mistake in the overall bandit suppression?

This must be corrected!

He Renlong then stood up first, cupped his hands in greeting, and said...

"Magistrate Zhang, let's stick to the facts—I don't agree with what you're saying."

"I hope the general will explain in detail."

He Renlong then strode into the hall and pointed to the map.

"The Later Jin are far beyond the Great Wall, blocked by the Shanhaiguan and Ningyuan defense lines, making it difficult for them to break through and advance south in the short term. Meanwhile, the bandits are in the Central Plains, Huguang, and Sichuan. Apart from the government troops, who can stop them?"

Today they conquer a city, tomorrow they kill an official; the people are displaced, the fields lie fallow, the national treasury is empty—all thanks to the bandits! If the bandits are not eliminated, the Central Plains will be in turmoil; if the Central Plains are in turmoil, how can we defend against the enemy?

"In my opinion, the greatest enemy is the bandits like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong! If we don't eliminate the bandits first, the imperial court won't be able to collect enough provisions and recruit enough soldiers. How will we fight the Later Jin? This is putting the cart before the horse; it's absurd!"

Li Guodong, the military commander of Huguang, also immediately stood up and echoed his sentiments.

"General He is absolutely right! The Later Jin are thousands of miles away, while the bandits are right here! As military officers, we have a duty to defend our territory. Our top priority should be to quell internal troubles before defending against external aggression!"

"Excellent!" Another deputy general from Shaanxi stood up and said coldly, "The imperial court has been waging war for years, its food and supplies are exhausted, and its soldiers are weary. If we divide our forces to resist the Jin, the bandits will surely take the opportunity to grow stronger. At that time, we will be besieged from both inside and outside the country, and the Ming Dynasty will surely perish! The right thing to do is to first wipe out the bandits in the Central Plains, consolidate the military strength and food supplies of the whole country, and then send troops out of the pass to resist the Later Jin!"

In an instant, the military officers stood up one after another, each offering their own rebuttal to Zhang Da.

Having fought against bandits for many years, they were well aware of the dangers they posed and were also aware of the court's strength. In their view, Zhang Da's words were nothing more than empty talk from a scholar, impractical and unrealistic.

Those who support Zhang Da are mostly civil servants.

The hall instantly split into two factions, locked in a fierce confrontation.

Zhang Da, seeing the enraged military officers, remained calm and loudly retorted.

"Generals, you only know one side of the story! You say the bandits are nearby and the Later Jin are far away, but have you ever considered why the bandits have been repeatedly suppressed? Isn't it because the imperial court has been levying additional taxes on Liaodong, suppression, and training for years, making it impossible for the people to survive, which is why they have become bandits?! And isn't the root cause of these three taxes precisely to resist the Later Jin?!"

"Therefore, if we do not first contain the Later Jin, the border wars will continue indefinitely, the three taxes will never be reduced, and the people will continuously join the bandits, making the bandits impossible to eradicate! This is a vicious cycle!"

"General He, you said we should first eliminate the bandits before resisting the Jin, but Zhang Xianzhong has already entered Sichuan, Li Zicheng is hiding in Henan, and bandits are everywhere. Can we wipe them out within ten years? And will the Jin give us ten years?"

"This year, the Qing army entered the pass, and martial law was declared in the capital. If there is a next time, the Tartars will be at the gates of Beijing, His Majesty will be in imminent danger, and the Ming Dynasty will collapse in an instant. At that time, even if all the bandits are wiped out, what use will it be? Will we be doing the Tartars a favor by doing their bidding? Will it save them the trouble of suppressing the rebellion in the future?"

"Moreover, banditry only brings temporary chaos; the invasion of the Later Jin will bring ruin for generations to come! You generals are all Han Chinese. Do you intend to wait until the Tartar cavalry tramples the Central Plains and enslaves your compatriots before you wake up?"

Zhang Da wanted to say something like, "The Ming Dynasty may perish, but the Han Dynasty must never perish," but unfortunately, he knew he couldn't say those words himself.

He Renlong and the others blushed, wanting to refute, but were speechless and stammered.

Even so, the two groups remained locked in a heated argument, each arguing back and forth until their faces were flushed, neither able to convince the other.

The hall erupted into a commotion. Yang Sichang stood there, quietly watching the two groups argue, without immediately calling a halt.

He actually preferred to eliminate Zhang Xianzhong and other bandits, but when he saw Zhang Da remain calm and composed under the siege of a group of generals, arguing his case, his affection and appreciation for him grew even stronger.

After a long while, Yang Sichang finally raised his hand to stop him.

"Alright! Everyone, please stop talking."

At Yang Sichang's command, the hall gradually quieted down. Then, his gaze swept over the arguing crowd.

"High-ranking officials and dignitaries are already debating this matter daily in the imperial court, so why should you all add to your troubles? Just focus on doing your own jobs."

Upon hearing this, everyone naturally laughed at themselves for being overly worried and didn't want to argue anymore. Zhang Da was the same; seeing that the food and drink on the table were almost finished, he was just about to bid farewell to Yang Sichang and rest when Yang Sichang, with a hint of expectation, slowly spoke.

"Zhang Da, I see you are young but promising. With proper guidance, you will surely amount to something great in the future—would you be willing to be my adopted son?"