Chapter 1058 1149 Li Chengliang’s Decision
In the past, the Liaodong battlefield was dominated by defeat battles, and Li Chengliang would not consider encircling and annihilating the enemy at all.
This time he went to Yunnan to fight, which really posed a difficult problem for him, which he had never done before.
Just when Li Chengliang was thinking about how to deal with insurance, he heard his son's words.
“Dad, where is this place?”
Li Rusong pointed to two cities not far behind Baoshan and Shidian, one was Xidian and the other was Yongping.
Yongping was already within the scope of his consideration, but Xidian was not considered by Li Chengliang.
It's not that he can't see the superiority of this location, but this is Wandian, and it's also the chieftain's territory.
Under the influence of Luo Rufang, he is now worried about the local chieftains, so naturally he is unwilling to deploy the army there.
However, Li Rusong had obviously considered it. He continued: "My father knew about his concerns. When the army entered Xidian, he just banned the local chieftain and sent all his men to the front line. They serve as cannon fodder.
If you don't know what's going on, just tell him that he's in Myanmar, and I'll just let the fourth man lead people to ransack his home. ”
“His”
Li Rusong’s idea shocked Li Chengliang.
Ruthless enough.
It’s not surprising that Li Rusong grew up at such a young age. He is already so cruel and ruthless. In the border town, such things are commonplace.
With hatred, some people will use the opportunity of war with surrounding ethnic groups to eradicate the roots and deal with their enemies. In any case, they will just lead the disaster to the enemy.
The officials above generally adhere to the style of doing more than doing less, and will not give purpose to the dead.
Li Chengliang was able to climb from the garrison to the position of general officer, so his hands were naturally not clean, not to mention that for his own military merit, he took plunder and forcibly transferred elite soldiers and generals from various guards to his own The servant team naturally offends people of all ages.
In order to raise troops, they also wantonly deducted the military pay allocated by the court and occupied the fields in Liaodong.
Although it started relatively late, the Li family's financial resources are already very considerable in Liaodong, and they are definitely among the best.
In fact, in the original history, the Li family was the natural emperor of Liaodong. It can be said that Liaodong is the richest, and there are many families who have made their fortune around the Li family.
Most of the military leaders in Liaodong in the late Ming Dynasty made their fortunes following the Li family. They were all large landowners and merchants in Liaodong.
As the eldest son of Li Chengliang, Li Rusong has had more or less contact with him, so it is not surprising that he proposed such a strategy at this time.
“That’s not what I worry about as a father.”
However, Li Chengliang is a man who worked his way up from the bottom, and is even more ruthless than Li Rusong.
This can be seen from the fact that he led his troops to attack Wang Gao and immediately issued the order to massacre the city after capturing Gule Village.
Most of the military generals in ancient times regarded human life as nothing.
Don’t talk about using the heads of ordinary Han people to kill good people and take credit for it. If you kill a few chieftains, you will not feel guilty.
However, Li Chengliang was indeed worried, but Li Rusong didn't understand it well.
"Dad, what are you worried about?"
After hearing his father's words, Li Rusong immediately asked.
"I told you about this. The glory and wealth of my Li family are all due to the military use of Burma.
If we win, our family will have the opportunity to become a member of the Xun Dynasty. Noble, become a family with the country.
But if defeated"
Li Chengliang did not continue, he knew that his son should understand what he meant.
Sure enough, Li Rusong immediately said: 'How can we lose? It's impossible. '
"Yes, it is impossible to lose under normal circumstances, but if we lead the Burmese army into the country as mentioned before.
The plan is progressing smoothly, but the censor here in Yunnan will "How about impeaching my father?"
When I heard that the Burmese army broke through the borders of the Ming Dynasty, attacked the city, and disturbed the people, will the court depose my father for this? "
Li Chengliang said in a serious tone. said.
"Hiss"
Li Rusong took a breath. He now understood why his old father was hesitant.
In the past, they did this often in Liaodong.
Deliberately transferred the few Ming troops on the border to create opportunities for the Tatars to knock on the border.
After attracting people in, then use the Li family's servants to raid the enemy's rear, destroy their food and camps, and then mobilize all Ming troops to encircle them. This will scare the enemy into running away, and they will Chase them all the way.
After the fight, he reported his merits to the court.
Because it was a Tatar sneak attack, it is normal for a few castles to be lost on the border.
It is normal for General Li to lead his troops to expel the enemy troops, regain the lost territory, and obtain numerous gains. Shouldn't the imperial court reward people based on their merits?
This trick seems to be unusable in this battle against the Burmese army.
The Ming army had been on guard for a long time. If someone broke through the border city and entered the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and the censor impeached them, the father and son really couldn't explain it.
"Father, why don't you report the plan to the Ministry of War in advance?"
Li Rusong hesitated for a moment before saying.
If he wants to come, report it in advance, and then impeach the censor, the court will naturally not accept it.
“Alas, the imperial court will not agree.”
Li Chengliang sighed and said, “How can the imperial court agree to our plan? If we really want to implement it, we will inevitably order the erection of the wall and clear the country, and move the people on the border inland. Reduce losses
But in this case, the plan is exposed. Will Mang Yinglong still be fooled? ”
Li Chengliang’s idea is naturally right. Although officials actually don’t care about the common people, in the face of war, they will still falsely express their concern for the common people in the devastated war.
< br>If you really want to press forward, the army plans to invite you into the urn, surround and annihilate him, and the imperial court will They will definitely be asked to evacuate the people to avoid the loss of life.
This will show the court's care for the people. It is possible that some disaster relief money and food will be allocated.
Of course, whether these things will arrive in the end. How much the people can have is another matter
But the court will definitely do this.
Li Chengliang once devoted himself to literature and wanted to be a Jinshi. Naturally, he had a deep understanding of the hypocritical style of civil servants.
"In this case, why not adopt Luo Yushi's countermeasures and directly send troops to Meng Yang to defeat the Burmese army head-on and defeat Mang Yinglong?"
Li Rusong knew that this strategy would not work, so he immediately suggested.
"Luo Rufang's strategy would be fine in normal times, but you didn't hear what he said. The chieftains in Qianya, Longchuan and other places are not stable. Who knows if these people have any relationship with Burma Mang Yinglong? Secretly hooking up.
If there is really a hookup, sending troops to Meng Yang would be equivalent to sending both of Liang Dao's hands to Mang Yinglong.
The army has no logistical supplies. Do you think we have a chance to come back after this trip? ”
Li Chengliang’s current situation is really a dilemma.
Fighting out is the most risky, but that is still on the battlefield.
But retreating seems to be more risky. Because the court will probably not give him a chance to show off, and will punish him for being incompetent and derelict in his duties and losing his position
"Well, when I was in the capital, I had no idea that things in Yunnan were so complicated, otherwise I wouldn't have accepted the matter.
I would rather stay in the capital and be powerless. It would be better for the leader of the soldiers to live a life of fear now."
Li Chengliang really regrets it now.
In Liaodong, he had the final say, and he didn’t have as many worries as he does now.
But after Mr. Wei Ge made it clear to him about the affairs in Myanmar, he naturally did not take the war in the south seriously at all according to his previous thinking in Liaodong.
Unfortunately, after arriving in the southwest, he discovered that the terrain here was more complex than he imagined, and it was also very different from the records in the military register of the Governor's Mansion.
In the past few days, I have learned about the characteristics of the war in Myanmar. Although I am confident that I can command the Ming army to defeat the opponent, if I want to win beautifully, there must be no mistakes, but it will be a bit troublesome. The most important thing is the toasts, whose attitude is unpredictable.
Fighting violence with violence is actually the best strategy.
For the chieftain who is not sure of the context, it is the best way to directly treat him as a spy of the Burmese army, but it is difficult for the court to explain.
There are too many constraints.
"Father, why don't we send a copy of our countermeasures to the capital and give it to Mr. Wei Ge."
Li Rusong suddenly suggested. He still remembered when his father suddenly came home and told When he was probably going to fight in the southwest, he looked excited and said that Old Li's family was favored by Mr. Wei Ge.
Well, at that time they all thought things were simple, that’s why they thought so.
However, Li Rusong still left an impression in his heart, that is, what his father said, Mr. Wei Ge thought highly of him.
Wei Guangde is a young dignitary in the court, but his strength is not trivial.
Li Rusong has stayed in the capital for a long time, so he naturally knows a lot about his past.
"Dad, think about it, Mr. Wei Ge values you. As long as we tell Mr. Wei Ge about our plan, he can agree with your plan, dad. Even if someone in the court uses this matter to criticize my father, there will naturally be some in the court. Mr. Wei Ge helped to speak and took care of me
Speaking plainly. Well, we are not just defensive. As long as we survive that period, when the time is right, we can send troops to surround the Burmese army and capture Mang Yinglong alive.
In fact, what dad is worried about is that the sudden attack will occur during this period of waiting. Something unexpected happened and the court punished him
But as long as someone in the court speaks for dad and buys time, great things can happen. "
Li Rusong told all his thoughts. As he spoke, he felt that he seemed to be right, and his tone of voice couldn't help but become louder.
"Mr. Wei Ge? "
After listening to his son's suggestion, Li Chengliang was silent for a moment, and then hesitantly said: 'If you tell Mr. Wei Ge about this, will he listen to his father?'
"Daddy just wants to He told the whole story without reservation about the current predicament. It was widely spread in the capital that Mr. Wei Ge knew military affairs and knew strategy, so he should understand his father's difficulties.
As long as he can speak for his father in court and make a few mistakes, it should be fine. "
Li Rusong continued to talk, and he felt that his idea was correct.
Wei Guangde came from a military household, so he naturally had a natural affection for them, at least not as much as those civil servants. Despise them.
“But, after all, this matter involves military matters, shouldn’t we go to the Ministry of War, Tan Shangshu? ”
Looking for strong support in Beijing, Li Rusong’s idea reminded Li Chengliang.
However, Li Chengliang was a little undecided for a moment as to whether it was Wei Guangde or Tan Lun, or even other dignitaries in the capital.
Most of the generals are nobles who have taken refuge in the capital.
Although the civil servants in the DPRK are now in power, only noble families can be regarded as century-old wealthy families, and their influence in the military is unquestionable.
Civil officials have indeed usurped a lot of their rights, but so what, who doesn’t know that the wealth of civil officials only lasts a few years.
So, although their rights have been weakened, there are really not many people in the civil service who dare to challenge Xungui.
The so-called loss of rights by nobles is actually just the right to speak in the court, but with the emperor here, they still have the right to speak.
Moreover, when nobles and civil servants fight, the emperor usually chooses to side with the nobles and will never speak for the civil servants.
The power of the Ministry of War seems to be in the hands of civilian officials, but in fact it still lies with the nobles.
Generals who lead troops abroad are closer to their nobles.
Civil officials rely more on military readiness to control the army's money and food, which indirectly affects the army.
In fact, Xungui is not without achievements. Ming Dynasty now has many military scholars every year, most of whom are related to Xungui, and there are also people who sit in high positions.
At the beginning, Li Dongyang, who was a member of Jinwu Zuowei, took the position of first assistant. Now the first assistant and second assistant of the cabinet are actually from the military.
"Zhang Juzheng."
For no reason, Li Chengliang suddenly thought of his chief assistant.
“I’ll think about it again.”
Li Chengliang said.
“Dad, I’m afraid this matter cannot be delayed.
Yunnan is not close to the capital. If Meng Yang changes, countermeasures must be given here.
It’s better to make plans early. "Good."
Li Rusong said anxiously.
How could he put off this matter? If he didn't decide it as soon as possible, he would be restless.
"Okay, then if you want to write a letter, who should you write it to?"
Li Chengliang looked at his son and asked.
"Of course Wei Ge is old and he is in charge of the Ministry of War."
Li Rusong said without thinking.
"Mr. Wei Ge is indeed a choice, but there are others."
Li Chengliang said calmly and reminded: "Tan Lun from the Ministry of War, and even Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of the cabinet, do they understand military affairs?
< br>Everyone should know that Tan Lun has a lot of time to take charge of the army. Short.
But they are just civil servants. What will happen in a few years or more than ten years?
The most stable people in the court are the nobles, such as Duke Ying and Duke Cheng, who are hereditary. Emperors of all dynasties have placed great trust in them
If you look at the Beijing camp and the imperial guards, it can be seen that several princes take turns taking command. ”
“Dad means”
Li Rusong is also a smart man. In his early years, Li Chengliang spent a lot of money to hire his teacher to teach him.
Although Chinese writing is not his strong point, He's not a big boss either.
In fact, there were very few generals in the Ming army who didn't study, so they joined the army because they were not good at writing.
"Mr. Wei Ge is indeed the best choice, but he already has Ma Fang, Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang under his command. To vote for his father is just the icing on the cake."
This is actually Li Chengliang's plan , the icing on the cake is not as good as providing help when it is timely.
Tan Lun, forget it, he is just the Minister of the Ministry of War, so he will definitely not be in the cabinet.
But compared with Wei Guangde, does Zhang Juzheng have an advantage?
Li Chengliang was undecided, but Li Rusong understood clearly.
"Dad, Mr. Wei Ge has an advantage that the Chief Assistant does not have, and that is his relationship with Duke Wei and Ding Guo.
Dad, if you lean on Mr. Wei Ge, even if Wei Ge is in the future, When Ge Lao becomes an official and leaves the court, our Li family can also take this opportunity to catch the ship of the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Ding.
Especially now that we are in the south, who else in the south is stronger than the Duke of Wei?
Whether it is for the present or the future of our Li family, the future seems to be better if we lean towards Mr. Wei Ge. ”
Li Rusong said what he wanted to say at once, and his words also reminded Li Chengliang.
"It makes sense."
After thinking about it for a while, Li Chengliang had to admit that his son's view was right.
"Then let's write a letter to Mr. Wei Ge."
Li Chengliang made a decision.