Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

"The Emperor's meaning is that since Gao Qiquan has indeed committed a crime, his property should be confiscated and used for military purposes.

As for the remaining insufficient part, the Emperor has verbally instructed that Yang Gebu should provide it..."

"Wait? Your Majesty, are you kidding me? Asking Yang Sichang to pay for the army, that's it?"

Wang Chengen was interrupted by Zhang Shikang before he could finish his words. Yang Sichang was narrow-minded and didn't know how sad he felt when he knew he had won the battle.

I have a grudge against this guy, and these soldiers are not under his command. Can I get the silver back?

Wang Chengen sighed bitterly when he heard this:

"Alas, Lord, it is difficult for the Emperor too.

Yang Ge's troops had been demanding food and money for nearly half a month. The emperor knew that Yang Ge's troops would be the first to bear the brunt of the fight against the Jiannu and did not dare to neglect it, so he collected all the money and food he could collect and sent it to Yang Sichang's military camp eight days ago.

Now... the imperial court may not be able to provide more money and food in a short period of time. My Lord, please be considerate of the emperor.

If the court has money and grain, why wouldn't the emperor give it to you, don't you think?"

Wang Cheng'en had a sincere expression and tears in his eyes. He wished he could find money and food to give to the Beijing Army, but the court was in such a difficult situation and the emperor had repeatedly cut spending in the palace, so he really had no spare money.

Zhang Shikang frowned when he heard this, and thought to himself, only I can sympathize with you guys, who will sympathize with the soldiers of the Beijing camp?

There is still food and grass in Yang Sichang's military camp, so it will be no problem to sustain for another month. But you keep asking for more food and grass before they are all used up. Are you, brother Chongzhen, still tightening your belt?

Is it true that the crying child gets the milk?

Zhang Shikang was speechless about his brother Chongzhen's foolish behavior, but he changed his mind and felt relieved.

That’s right, if Chongzhen was really a wise ruler with great strategies and hard work, the Ming Dynasty would not have ended up in such a mess.

Brother Chongzhen is just playing steadily.

After realizing this, Zhang Shikang temporarily accepted the result and only hoped that Gao Qiqian's furniture could produce more.

"As for the captured leader of the Jiannu bandits, the emperor originally wanted to escort him to the capital, but the letter from the Earl said that Yue Tuo was infected with an epidemic. If that is true, the Earl will just execute him."

Wang Chengen felt relieved when he saw that Zhang Shikang did not get angry.

In fact, as Wang Chengen was a man close to the emperor, he would never feel uneasy no matter who he met when he went to other places, even if it was Yang Sichang.

After all, he represents the current emperor outside, and even the princes of the royal family from all over the place dare not disrespect him.

But he was only afraid of Zhang Shikang. Zhang Shikang had a reputation for rarely playing by the rules. Others didn't dare to disobey his orders, but Zhang Shikang was really brave.

"Beheaded? Your Majesty, are you crazy?

After all, he is the grandson of Wild Boar Skin. It would be too easy for the Jian Nu to kill him.

No way! We have to exchange this guy for something, at least to make up for the deficit of the Beijing Army." Zhang Shikang said almost subconsciously.

After all, capturing the royal family of the Jiannu is a low-probability event. It would be easier to just kill them, but who would pay for the medical expenses?

You know, in order to keep this guy alive, Zhang Shikang ordered the military medical officers to do their best to treat him.

Saying this in front of the angel made the atmosphere in the room grow colder. Even Lu Xiangsheng, who usually didn't like to talk much, couldn't help but wink at Zhang Shikang.

A meatball that Hu Dawei had just picked up fell onto the table with a "duang". Yang Guozhu wanted to reach out to tear the chicken leg, but after hearing what Zhang Shikang said, he was stunned.

Sun Weifan, on the other hand, was as steady as an old dog. He had finished his meal and was drinking wine in small sips, savoring the taste as he drank.

"Uncle, how can you speak like that about the emperor in front of outsiders? The emperor has a hard life." Wang Chengen complained in a low voice.

He was not angry, because Zhang Shikang often acted like a fool in front of the emperor, and both the master and the servant were used to it.

Wang Chengen just felt that one should be careful with one's words in front of outsiders.

After he said this, Hu Dawei and Yang Guozhu were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses. They thought that the backer they had just found was doomed, but they didn't expect that this thigh was so strong.

“Hehe, I spoke out of turn, but this Yuetuo must not be chopped off and be done with.

I think we should take this opportunity to negotiate with the Jiannu." Zhang Shikang smiled embarrassedly.

"My Lord, the Jiannu are ambitious. How can we seek the skin of a tiger?"

When Lu Xiangsheng heard that Zhang Shikang wanted to negotiate, he was the first to stand up and refute. He had always been a staunch advocate of war and believed that the Jianlu could not be trusted and that only by completely eliminating them could the border towns of the Ming Dynasty be peaceful.

"Master Lu, you also have a quick temper. What's the matter? Do you think I am the kind of person who likes to suffer losses?" Zhang Shikang looked at Lu Xiangsheng and said with a smile.

Lu Xiangsheng was also the one who got involved in matters that had nothing to do with him. He regretted his actions immediately after he stood up. If Zhang Shikang liked to suffer losses, he would not be Zhang Shikang.

"The imperial court is in such a predicament now. A protracted war is probably not feasible. Otherwise, it will collapse.

It is possible to use this as an opportunity to have a talk. It would certainly be a good thing if the Jianlu could be forced to withdraw their troops temporarily. What the court lacks now is money and food, but more importantly, time.

If we can hold on through this, I have a way to change the current situation of lack of money and food, and it will be a complete solution!"

Zhang Shikang's eyes suddenly became fierce. This expedition had made him realize that if the Donglin Party was not dealt with, the Ming Dynasty would never be prosperous and would always be so tight.

It's not fun to fight a war, and there's no compensation for the dead. As a commander, you not only have to think about the enemy, but also have to be on guard against the people behind you at all times. How can this be right in this world?

The Donglin Party was like the sword of Damocles hanging over the imperial court. If this fundamental problem was not resolved, the Ming Dynasty would always be a disabled person.

When Lu Xiangsheng heard this, his eyes froze. He understood the implication of Zhang Shikang's words and felt a chill coming from behind him.

That group of people... have been deeply rooted for decades. Fighting against the Jiannu is like courting death. Fighting against that group of people is likely to lead to eternal damnation, and may even lead to eternal infamy.

There are... too many of them.

Wang Chengen was delighted when he heard this, and immediately said:

"If so, the emperor will certainly be happy, but is there any risk?"

Of course, he also knew that Zhang Shikang was probably targeting the Donglin Party, and he also knew that this group of people was difficult to deal with. Zhang Shikang told the emperor about this more than once.

If it were anyone else, Wang Chengen certainly wouldn't believe it. He would just think that this person was crazy and seeking his own death.

But Zhang Shikang was different. He always seemed to have brilliant ideas and strategies. No matter how big the problem was, it seemed that it could be solved in front of Zhang Shikang.

Like Emperor Chongzhen, Wang Chengen was full of strange confidence in Zhang Shikang.

“There are certainly risks, but the court is already in this state, how bad can it get?

At most, there will be more people rebelling in the future. Your Majesty, be careful not to be poisoned when you eat, and don't go to places with water to avoid falling into the water.

There are risks in everything we do. Fighting the Jianlu also has risks. Are we just not going to fight them?"

……