Chapter 2405
For Ming Dynasty, today's Jinzhou is a very special existence. Although Ming Dynasty still insists that this place belongs to its own territory, in fact it has completely lost control of Jinzhou several years ago. After repeated battles between the other two countries, Haihan is now in control of this place, but Ming is unable to send troops to regain control, and has to declare that it still has a certain influence on the Jinzhou area by sending special envoys.
This embarrassing situation of the Ming Dynasty naturally made Yue Yongshou's errands in Jinzhou full of inconveniences. On the one hand, as a Ming minister, he needed to try his best to protect the face of the Ming Dynasty, and could not admit that the ownership of Jinzhou had fallen into the hands of Haihan; On the one hand, the mission he shouldered also required the actual occupier of this place. After all, the Ming Dynasty needed Haihan to hold back part of the Qing army's armed forces in the east of Liaoning to reduce the military pressure on the northern border.
Of course, regarding the task of maintaining the face of the Ming Dynasty, Yue Yongshou was very knowledgeable and kept a low profile, because not long after he came here, he realized that Haihan had invested a lot of resources in Jinzhou and carefully managed it as his own territory. It is impossible to return this place to Ming Dynasty. If you must emphasize the ownership of this place to the Haihan people, you are just asking for trouble, and it is very likely to anger the Haihan people and affect another truly important task.
Yue Yongshou actually didn't quite understand why Haihan wanted to go against the Manchus. The two countries were thousands of miles apart, and they had only established their countries in recent years. There was no grudge at all, but Haihan insisted on generalizing the army. They were sent here to confront the Qing army. The two sides fought for several years. Even if they didn't fight enough in Jinzhou, they even went to North Korea to open a second battlefield to continue fighting.
According to the official statement given by Haihan, the reason for going to war with the Manchus was to maintain the status of the Han people, and by the way, to maintain good relations with the Ming Dynasty. However, Yue Yongshou did not believe Haihan's official rhetoric. He believed that with Haihan's calculating style, how could he work for others in vain? He sent troops to occupy Jinzhou only out of his own interests, not for the Ming Dynasty. High-sounding reasons like the Han people.
As for maintaining a good relationship with the Ming Dynasty, it is even more ironic. Haihan neither intends to return the stolen Jinzhou to the Ming Dynasty, nor does he have any intention of letting the Ming Dynasty send troops to garrison in Jinzhou, so he just swallowed up Jinzhou. In my own stomach, I never thought about Daming's feelings. Including the strategic alliance later formed by agreement between Haihan and Ming Dynasty, in Yue Yongshou's view, it was just a trick used by the Haihan people to facilitate things in Liaodong, and the ownership of Jinzhou did not produce any benefit to Ming Dynasty. Influence.
But even if Yue Yongshou was well aware of what Haihan had done on the surface, he could not complain verbally about it. In addition to taking into account the gray income Haihan provided to him in the name of "office funds", more importantly, the Ming Dynasty still needed Haihan to continue to consume the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong. If Haihan cannot maintain military pressure on the Qing Dynasty, it is conservatively estimated that the number of troops that the Qing Dynasty can send to the Ming Dynasty will increase by at least 20,000 to 30,000 people, and these additional troops will basically be front-line troops with real combat effectiveness. Once the troops appear on the border of Ming Dynasty, it means that the already fragile border defense will face a heavier blow.
Therefore, not only did the Ming Dynasty allow Haihan to garrison Jinzhou against his will, but he also had to count on Haihan's army to engage in frequent battles with the Qing army to ensure that the Manchus and Qing dynasties would not overwhelm the Qing army stationed across the Jinzhou Isthmus. Wan Qing's army was transferred to other places for deployment. The most ideal situation for Ming Dynasty is for Haihan to continue to increase its troops in Jinzhou, and then fight to the death with the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Both sides will suffer losses. At that time, Ming Dynasty may be able to benefit from the situation and take the opportunity to fight back to Liaodong.
However, the current situation in Liaodong is not ideal for the Ming Dynasty. Although the Haihan Army launched a rare large-scale attack on the Liaodong coast in recent years before winter, it still failed to prevent the Manchu Qing from going south to invade the Ming Dynasty this winter. . Moreover, the strength of the Qing army that invaded the Ming Dynasty this time, the areas they conquered, and the population and wealth they abducted from the Ming Dynasty were all the highest in history.
The Manchu and Qing Dynasties ignored Haihan's actions on the Liaodong coast. You hit yours, and I hit mine. The one who really suffered in the contest was the Ming Dynasty. The population and wealth that the Qing Dynasty lost in Liaodong were later recovered from the Ming Dynasty. Both countries made a lot of money this winter, but Ming Dynasty became the only loser. This ending can be described as extremely ironic.
But the Ming Dynasty was still unable to attribute the responsibility to Haihan. After all, Haihan did indeed send troops to the areas occupied by the Qing Dynasty in the winter. He even staged a feint attack on the Jinzhou Isthmus and fiercely fought with the Qing army. They fought several battles, which Yue Yongshou witnessed with his own eyes in Jinzhou, and he could not blame Haihan for not trying his best to hold back the Qing army. After the Qing army broke through the pass and went south, Ming Dynasty did not try to ask Haihan for help, so naturally it could not blame Haihan for not saving him.
But what really concerned Yue Yongshou was that the Manchu Qing Dynasty actually sent an envoy to apply for an armistice and peace talks with Haihan. Although Chen Yixin ran away last time, this was not a good sign. As far as he knew, the two sides had never had formal contact about armistice peace talks before, but if the Manchus and Qing Dynasties had such thoughts, once they persuaded Haihan to accept the armistice, it would be terrible news for the Ming Dynasty.
Originally, Yue Yongshou had hoped that Chen Yixin's firm attitude would dissuade the Qing Dynasty from this idea. Unexpectedly, Chen Yixin would leave Jinzhou and return to Shandong within a few days. According to the official statement given by Haihan, Chen Yixin was going back to take charge of refugee relief matters, but Yue Yongshou knew that the matter was not that simple. Haihan probably wanted to take advantage of the situation and reap huge benefits in the war-torn Shandong.
However, Chen Yixin did not transfer the Jinzhou garrison on a large scale when he returned to Shandong. This also made Yue Yongshou feel a little relieved. At least it indicated that Haihan would not start rebellion in Dengzhou for the time being. In the memorial he sent back to the capital, he also specifically explained the news that the Manchu and Qing had requested an armistice from Haihan, and reminded the court to pay attention to Haihan's movements in Shandong. After the armistice between the two countries, it was not just the Manchu and Qing that freed up their forces. The same is true for Haihan. Who knows if Haihan will have other thoughts.
Before the new instructions from the capital were sent to Jinzhou, there was a new situation here. The Qing envoy who came to visit Chen Yixin last time came again, but this time he was not driven away. After Qian Tiandun received him, He actually allowed the other party to live in Jinzhou, which made Yue Yongshou smell something bad.
When Yue Yongshou was sent to Jinzhou, Chen Yixin was already in charge here, so he was not too familiar with Qian Tiandun, who had just arrived from North Korea. He only knew that the troops under Qian Tiandun were the ace troops of the Haihan Army, and that this unit had fought against the Qing army many times in Liaodong and North Korea and had extremely rich combat experience. But Yue Yongshou was not sure whether Qian Tiandun's stance towards the Manchus was reliable, so when he heard that Qian Tiandun arranged for the Manchu envoys to stay in Nanguanling, he immediately couldn't sit still.
Yue Yongshou originally wanted to go directly to the Manchu envoys to fight face to face, but when he thought that the Haihan people had the final say in Jinzhou, it would be a bit disrespectful to the Haihan people if he directly came to the door to find trouble. Moreover, it is not clear whether the Manchu envoy brought armed guards. If he came to visit him and failed to beat him, it would be a loss of Ming Dynasty's face.
To be on the safe side, Yue Yongshou chose to come to see Qian Tiandun first to find out the intention of the Manchu envoy and the official attitude of Haihan, and then consider the next response.
Qian Tiandun was not surprised that Yue Yongshou came after hearing the news. He deliberately did not block the news about Shang Qing from the outside world. As long as the Ming envoy was not deaf and blind, he should have responded immediately. Sure enough, Yue Yongshou did not disappoint him. Shang Qing had only been in Jinzhou for half a day, and he had already come to visit him.
"Master Yue suddenly came to visit, I wonder why?" Although he knew the other party's intention, Qian Tiandun still played the trick and asked again deliberately.
Yue Yongshou responded: "The general is busy with official duties, so I won't go around in circles. I heard that the Tatars sent an envoy to Jinzhou to visit the general. Could this happen?"
Qian Tiandun didn't mean to hide it, and responded to the question calmly: "It is true that an envoy from the Qing army arrived in Jinzhou today. Lord Yue is very well-informed!" Yue Yongshou couldn't care less about Qian Tiandun teasing him. , and quickly asked: "Then, General, can you reveal the purpose of the other party's visit?"
Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "The other party's purpose is the same as last time, which is to have a ceasefire and peace talks with our army."
Yue Yongshou cautiously probed: "Then the general must have sternly rejected the Tatars' wishful thinking?"
Qian Tiandun responded noncommittally: "It seems that Mr. Yue really doesn't want to hear the news of the armistice in Liaodong?"
Yue Yongshou said with a smile: "The Tatars' request for peace must be because they cannot withstand the offensive of your army. But in this case, we should take advantage of the victory to beat the drowned dog and not leave the Tatars a chance to stand up. If the general Being soft-hearted towards the Tatars gives them a chance to breathe, which may lead to endless troubles!”
Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, are you teaching me how to do things?"
Yue Yongshou heard the displeasure in the other party's tone, and quickly defended: "How dare I, general, please don't misunderstand! I am just worried that these Tatars are playing tricks to deceive the general, but I don't dare to overstep the mark!"
Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, do you think the Qing army is playing tricks?"
Yue Yongshou said: "This is a common trick of the Tatars. When they can't defeat them, they will surrender and agree to all conditions. Then they secretly accumulate strength and launch a surprise attack when the opponent is unprepared. General, follow the Tatars. He has no faith to speak of, so don’t be deceived by his sweet words.”
Of course, Qian Tiandun would not completely ignore the possibility mentioned by Yue Yongshou. In fact, he had already considered the possibility of the Qing army using delaying tactics. However, no matter from which perspective, the Qing army's use of delaying tactics was not too serious. Big meaning.
The confrontation between the two countries near the Jinzhou Isthmus has lasted for several years. Both countries have clearly realized that adding more troops here is of little significance, and it will be difficult to conquer the opponent's carefully constructed defense line. Moreover, if the Qing army wanted to use a delaying strategy, the ideal time would be before winter, so that they could invade the Ming Dynasty without worrying about being stabbed in the back by Haihan. But now that the main force of the Qing army has withdrawn from the Ming Dynasty, what is the point of delaying the army? If the Qing army wants to concentrate its forces in Jinzhou to complete its victory in one battle, then Haihan may be the one who wants it.
Based on the special terrain of the Jinzhou area and the comparison of the forces of both sides, if the Qing army concentrated tens of thousands of troops to attack the Jinzhou Isthmus, it would certainly have a high chance of breaking through this line of defense. But the problem is that the terrain of the Jinzhou Isthmus is extremely narrow, with seas on both sides. This passage may be blocked again by the Haihan Army from the sea at any time. Therefore, even if the Qing army paid a heavy price to capture Jinzhou, it would still be difficult to hold the Jinzhou Isthmus in the future. The Haihan Army might even use the initiative to retreat to lure the Qing army to go deeper, and then use the Jinzhou Isthmus to cut off the Qing army's retreat to carry out counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns. . Nowadays, this place is useless to the Qing army. It is a burden whether it can be taken or not. The only way to solve the problem is to have a truce with Haihan.
Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, actually you can just tell the truth. You don't need to go to such trouble to analyze the situation for me. After all, I should know all the information you know, but you may not know the information I have."
Yue Yongshou's face turned red, knowing that the other party was warning him not to do anything for his own sake, so he quickly responded: "The general has taught me a lesson, I am indeed rude. However, I hope that for the sake of the alliance between the two countries, the general will not accept the Qing Dynasty's offer." Armistice demand! ”
Qian Tiandun nodded slightly and said: "Our country has always attached great importance to diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty. A covenant is a covenant. Mr. Yue does not have to worry that we will give up on the Ming Dynasty. But I also hope that the Ming Dynasty can consider our country and be considerate of some of our country's difficulties."
Yue Yongshou seemed to have a hint when he heard what he said. Thinking of what Chen Yixin had said to him before, he quickly said: "General, I have written to the imperial court before, suggesting that the imperial court provide some food, grass and military pay support for the Jinzhou garrison, but this time We have not yet received a reply from the court, and we ask the general to wait patiently for a while. I believe the court’s arrangements will not disappoint the general.”
Qian Tiandun said: "Master Yue, have you ever thought about it? The Ming Dynasty and the Manchu Qing Dynasty both offered certain benefits. The Manchu Qing Dynasty offered a truce with my country, but the Ming Dynasty offered a condition that our country and the Manchus If the Qing Dynasty continues to fight, you must also know which one is more expensive, a truce or a war. If the benefits given by both sides are similar, then I will definitely give priority to my allies, but if the gap is too big, then I will probably have to fight for the sea. Han’s interests were considered.”
Yue Yongshou knew that it was difficult to refute such a very realistic thing, and it was impossible for the Haihan Army to willingly pay for and fight for the Ming Dynasty, so he had no choice but to plead: "Having said that, I still hope that the general will consider it carefully!"
(End of chapter)