Chapter 2368
"Peace?" Yue Yongshou repeated the word to make sure his ears heard it correctly.
In Yue Yongshou's memory, since he came to Jinzhou, he had never heard Haihan officials openly discussing topics related to peace negotiations with the Manchus. He couldn't even quite understand where Haihan's firm hostility towards the Manchus came from. After all, the two countries were thousands of miles apart and had never dealt with each other before. How could they have such a deep bond? of hatred.
He could only guess that this might be because the ancestors of the Haihan people were Han people from Liaodong and had been persecuted by the Manchus, so they were so persistent in attacking the Manchus. Or maybe there is some kind of shocking treasure in the area controlled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the Haihan people will get it quickly, and they will not hesitate to use military means to achieve this.
As for the Haihan people's claim that they sent troops to Liaodong to help the Ming Dynasty resist foreign enemies, Yue Yongshou didn't believe even a word of it. These Haihan officials were obviously extremely philistine figures, so why would they send troops all the way to Liaodong to fight to the death with the Manchu Qing for the benefit of the Ming Dynasty?
But regardless of the real reason, Yue Yongshou was certain that Haihan would never take the initiative to negotiate peace with the Manchus. Chen Yixin said that the Manchu Qing sent people to negotiate, which is consistent with the current situation.
Yue Yongshou said: "Then General Chen must have rejected them without hesitation, right?"
Chen Yixin said noncommittally: "Isn't Mr. Yue curious about what kind of truce conditions the Manchu and Qing Dynasties have given us?"
Yue Yongshou said: "The Manchu barbarians are rude by nature, and they don't have any negotiation strategy. They probably intend to use money as a condition, hoping that the Haihan Army will show their favor!"
Yue Yongshou's guesses were mostly correct, and he seemed to have a relatively good understanding of the Manchu temperament. Chen Yixin responded: "Master Yue is right. The Manchus intend to give me a large sum of money in exchange for the opportunity to negotiate an armistice and peace talks. Although I am not a money-grubbing person, I have to admit that the price they offered is really not The small amount makes it hard not to be tempted.”
Chen Yixin deliberately did not say the specific number, leaving room for imagination to Yue Yongshou. Sure enough, Yue Yongshou couldn't help but become a little anxious after hearing this: "General Chen, the Manchu Qing's negotiation of peace with your country is probably just a delaying tactic. These barbarians have no faith to speak of. The general must not be fooled by them!"< br>
Chen Yixin said: "Master Yue, don't worry, I am still considering it and have not agreed to their request."
Yue Yongshou became even more anxious when he heard that. Chen Yixin said that he was still considering it, which means there is a possibility of agreeing. This is definitely not a good thing for Daming. If Haihan really ceased war with the Manchus, then the tens of thousands of elite Qing troops stationed in the north could be transferred to the Ming border within a month. By then, the external military pressure faced by the Ming Dynasty would be even more difficult to resist.
"General Chen, the Manchus are the common enemy of our two countries. Their move is to deliberately sow discord. General Chen has a sharp eye. How can such a clumsy childish trick succeed? He must have seen through their conspiracy long ago. I was overthinking just now, I hope the general won’t be blamed.”
Seeing that direct persuasion had no effect, Yue Yongshou immediately changed his strategy, tried his best to put a high hat on Chen Yixin, and first spoke favorably to Chen Yixin. In this way, even if Chen Yixin was interested in the conditions offered by the Manchu Qing, he would not give up because of his face. Will agree so easily.
Of course, this was just his wishful thinking. How could a decisive and decisive senior general like Chen Yixin be easily influenced by his simple words?
Chen Yixin smiled and said: "Master Yue is really good at talking. When the Manchu envoy came earlier, I should have asked you to come forward to deal with him."
Yue Yongshou said sternly: "If this person is still in Jinzhou, I would like to meet with him for a while and argue the rights and wrongs face to face. I hope General Chen will do it."
Chen Yixin originally set up a trap for him, so naturally he would not explain whether the Manchu envoy had left or not. He immediately changed the subject: "Actually, Mr. Yue may not know something. Our country maintains a garrison in Jinzhou and fights with the Manchu Qing Dynasty for several times every year." At this time, the military expenditure in this area is very large, and the benefits we can obtain from the war are very limited, so for our country, Jinzhou is actually a huge gold-swallowing beast, which can only get out but not enter, every year. It takes a lot of money to put in.”
"And our country is too far away from the Golden State, and the people in the country also lack understanding and understanding of the situation here. They don't quite understand why our country would send troops to such a distant place to participate in a war that has nothing to gain. So recently There are also many voices of doubt in the country, hoping that the Executive Committee can take the initiative to abandon Jinzhou and deploy troops elsewhere to avoid wasting military expenditures and precious lives of soldiers. "
Chen Yixin paused at this point and carefully observed Yue Yongshou's reaction before continuing: "The anti-war voice in the country is very high, and the Executive Committee is currently facing a lot of pressure. For our country, if this There is no gain in continuing the war with no end in sight, so maybe ending it as soon as possible will be beneficial to everyone.”
Although Yue Yongshou is not a military expert and does not know whether the domestic situation in Haihan is really what Chen Yixin said, he also understands the meaning behind Chen Yixin's words - Jinzhou is too expensive and there is no money to be made. After seeing no actual benefits, Haihan already had the intention to back down.
As for whether this is the will of the official or the people, or whether the official wants to find a reason to give up, it is of little significance to delve deeper at this time. Yue Yongshou's most urgent task now is to try his best to persuade Chen Yixin to give up the idea of an armistice.
"General Chen, you can't do it!" Yue Yongshou had lost interest in the sumptuous banquet in front of him, and his anxiety was palpable: "If your country chooses to cease the war, the Qing army will definitely attack the Ming Dynasty with all its strength. By then, the Ming Dynasty will inevitably be devastated. General How can we just sit back and watch?”
Chen Yixin looked embarrassed and said: "Of course I don't want to cease the war, but if the executive committee decides to terminate the war, then I can only obey the order. After all, our country's interests must come first. If this war cannot bring benefits to our country, In terms of practical benefits, it is indeed a bad deal to continue fighting.”
Yue Yongshou was secretly angry when he heard this, thinking that you Haihan people regard the alliance between the two countries and the transnational war as a business. If you always put profit first, you are indeed a first-class philistine. But he also understood that what Chen Yixin said was straightforward, but it was the truth. If there was no benefit, why would the Haihan Army want to attract firepower for Daming in Liaodong? These thousands of troops are stationed in Jinzhou. Even when there is no war, it is not easy to maintain so many troops.
Chen Yixin spoke so clearly that if Yue Yongshou wanted to use the name of righteousness to persuade him, it seemed that he was not strong enough. Yue Yongshou said: "General Chen, the imperial court is actually grateful for the heroic performance of the Haihan Army in Jinzhou. Why don't you, general, wait and write to the imperial court to explain the difficulties here and see what kind of support measures the imperial court can provide? , to relieve the Haihan Army from worries. ”
Chen Yixin deliberately declined: "There's no need to bother, right? Your country's fight against the Qing army will inevitably require a large amount of materials and military expenditures, so you should meet your country's own needs first? As for our army... After the armistice, Jinzhou There is no need to station so many troops. A group of people can be transferred back to the south, and local military expenditures will naturally be reduced. "
"No trouble, no trouble!" Yue Yongshou responded quickly: "Since the two countries are cooperating to fight against the Qing Dynasty, of course we cannot let the navy and Han army bear the responsibility alone. Our country should also contribute."
Yue Yongshou's words were very beautiful, but Chen Yixin was only dubious about his statement. Not to mention whether Ming Dynasty was willing to provide assistance to the Haihan Army. Even if it was, Ming Dynasty would probably not be able to squeeze out oil and water to supply Haihan Army. Yue Yongshou's promise will most likely remain verbal and cannot be implemented at all.
Chen Yixin said slowly: "I hope Mr. Yue can understand that the supplies and military expenditures required by the Jinzhou garrison are very large. If it is just a drop in the bucket, it may not be enough to change the decision of the executive committee."
Chen Yixin repeatedly emphasized that the Haihan Army's expenditure in Jinzhou was a "large amount", naturally in order to squeeze as much as possible from the Ming Dynasty and get better compensation conditions. Of course, this is not something that Yue Yongshou's authority can decide. Chen Yixin can only use him to put pressure on the Ming court. The more anxious Yue Yongshou feels, the more weighty the information he reports to the court will be.
Yue Yongshou did feel the pressure at this time. If Haihan chose to cease the war, the court certainly could not blame Haihan, so someone had to bear this responsibility. As an official on behalf of the Ming Dynasty who was sent to Jinzhou, he coordinated and communicated with the Haihan people to ensure It was his duty. When Haihan made a decision that was not conducive to Daming, it was of course his dereliction of duty.
If the imperial court pinned the blame on him, it would be difficult to save his future career, no matter how much he boasted about his achievements and personal relationship with General Haihan in memorials in the past.
But Yue Yongshou also understood very well that he was not a big shot, and his influence in the court was minimal. A memorial to express his merits might make the big shot feel happy after reading it, but submitting a report complaining about applying for aid would not be easy. You won't be welcomed by others.
It is very likely that Yue Yongshou, who was regarded as a meritorious official by the court two months ago, will be dismissed from his post due to the crime of "serious dereliction of duty".
Moreover, Chen Yixin's current attitude obviously did not intend to leave him much room for mediation. He just wanted to force him to come up with specific conditions immediately, which doubled Yue Yongshou's pressure.
"If I had known this, I should have thought of a way to turn down this banquet today!" Yue Yongshou couldn't help but regret his decision. But in fact, he also understands that escaping can't solve the problem, and he can't push it away for a while. He still has to face the situation after all. He could only remind himself secretly in his heart not to panic and to sort out the current situation first without making any omissions.
"General Chen, can you tell me more about the specific conditions listed by the Manchu envoy? And whether he left any documents, tokens, or anything else that I can see, so that I can give them to the court. When reporting on the situation in Jinzhou, it is better to describe the details more fully to obtain better aid conditions for your country.”
After Yue Yongshou calmed down, his thinking became much clearer. He first needs to confirm that there is indeed a Manchu envoy who came to visit Chen Yixin to discuss the armistice. Otherwise, if Chen Yixin talks nonsense, as the Ming Dynasty's special envoy to Jinzhou, he applied for assistance from the imperial court without finding out the truth. Wouldn't it be a big mistake? joke.
Of course, he also generally knew that Chen Yixin was unlikely to joke about this kind of thing. The Manchu Qing Dynasty probably really sent people here, but whether the conditions offered were what Chen Yixin claimed, it may remain to be investigated.
Chen Yixin responded: "Master Yue has doubts about what I just said. Would you like me to repeat it so that I can check the details?"
When Yue Yongshou saw Chen Yixin's ugly face, he was immediately frightened and quickly explained: "How dare you doubt what the general said! I just want to know more details... For example, who sent the envoy here?"
Chen Yixin said: "The envoy's boss must be familiar to Mr. Yue. He was the military commander of Dongjiang Town back then. He has now become a prince in the Manchu Qing Dynasty and is highly valued by Huang Taiji, so this job was handed over to him. ”
"Ah...it turns out to be this traitor!" Yue Yongshou had naturally heard of Shang Kexi's name. At that time, everyone in the imperial court heard that Shang Kexi had led tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, took away a large number of ordnance ships and defected to Houjin, and they couldn't help but curse him. The number of people has forgotten the ancestors, so it is necessary to kill the nine tribes. However, most of Shang Kexi's relatives died in the war in Liaodong, and he took all of the few remaining people with him when he defected. Even if he wanted to kill his family, he couldn't do it.
"Among the Han officials under Huang Taiji, there is no one who is most familiar with the environment in Liaodong. This may be the reason why he is responsible for negotiating peace talks with your army!" Yue Yongshou heard Chen Yixin mention Shang Kexi, and he already believed it in his heart. Most of it. If the Qing Dynasty wanted to let people contact Jinzhou about armistice and peace talks, who else could be more suitable than Shang Kexi?
Chen Yixin said: "The envoy should be his confidant. Although I have righteously rejected him in person, it seems that he has no intention of giving up. It is estimated that after going back to ask for instructions, Shang Kexi will come to Jinzhou again and continue to tell us Asking for an armistice and peace talks. Of course, the conditions they offer will definitely change at that time, but I don’t know if they can tempt me.”
"The general is determined, how can he be disturbed by these external forces? If he can't move, he will definitely not be able to move!" Yue Yongshou quickly seized the opportunity to say a few good words.
Chen Yixin said: "Master Yue also knows our country's style of doing things. As long as the conditions are right, there is actually nothing that cannot be discussed. For example, before our country sent troops to North Korea to help the country repel the Qing invasion, it was because North Korea issued an order to the Executive Committee The reason why I rejected Shang Kexi was that I felt that the conditions he proposed would not be of any practical benefit to our country. If he can come up with more sincere conditions next time, I will report them truthfully, please. The executive committee decides.”
(End of chapter)