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

"Of course I've been out of the city. I went to the imperial mausoleum two years ago."

After hearing what Zhang Shikang said, Emperor Chongzhen was stunned. He didn't understand what Zhang Shikang meant. After thinking about it, he said honestly.

"But you still haven't left the city?" Zhang Shikang said with a smile.

Do you think that once you leave the city wall you have left Beijing?

It's quite outrageous to say that as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he had never even really seen the mountains and rivers of the Ming Dynasty.

Apart from reviewing memorials every day, holding meetings (morning and noon court sessions), and quarreling with the uncles and old men in the court, he was like a giant panda in the zoo.

Although he looks like a national treasure, he is locked in a cage forever without even freedom.

"What does this have to do with Jianlu? You always talk without reason." Emperor Chongzhen said dissatisfiedly.

When Zhang Shikang was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp, many court officials opposed it. One of their reasons was that Zhang Shikang's words were reckless, or in other words, illogical.

Of course, Zhang Shikang didn't know what Emperor Chongzhen was thinking. Even if he did, he would only express it with disgust, saying that there was a generation gap between us, a gap of only about three hundred years.

"Let's go to the military camp and ask Your Majesty if he is interested in leading the army in person?" Since he was not on the same wavelength as his elder brother, Zhang Shikang had to tell the truth.

Now the situation with the Jiannu has fallen into a tense confrontation. On the one hand, Dorgon has not achieved enough results and does not want to retreat easily.

On the other hand, this guy seemed to be aware of the current financial situation of the Ming Dynasty, and was hoping for some instability within the Ming army.

Both sides seemed to be able to roughly guess each other's thoughts, but for the time being they were unable to do anything about the other.

The imperial court had many infantrymen, and in field combat they could only rely on the advantages of military formations and terrain to offset the advantages of the Jiannu's heavy cavalry and light cavalry, so it was destined to be difficult for them to take the initiative to launch a charge.

Without the initiative, they could only force the Jiannu to attack, but Dorgon was not stupid and knew that there would always be losses when cavalry charged into battle.

It is extremely costly to train a heavy cavalry. If a charge can surely defeat the opponent, then the loss can naturally be tolerated. However, those who hold military power now are not the same rookies as before.

It’s not like Dorgon hasn’t tried it before.

But staying in this stalemate is not a solution. If we want to end this meaningless and costly war as soon as possible without paying too high a price, we can only resort to unexpected tactics.

And letting Brother Chongzhen show up in the military camp was a surprising move.

Don’t underestimate the excitement of ordinary people when they see the emperor at this time. In an era when imperial power is supreme, the emperor is the sky, and the morale boost to the grassroots soldiers is no exaggeration.

Do you really think that the emperor led the army in person to command thousands of troops to charge into battle and kill the enemy?

Don't joke. Apart from the founding emperors of each dynasty who had a certain level of military proficiency, how many emperors who maintained the status quo understood the art of war? Even if they did, it was all talk on paper.

When it comes to the so-called imperial expedition, the role of appearance in person is actually the most important.

As long as the emperor is willing to sacrifice his status and get along well with the lower-level soldiers, even if the court cannot pay money for the time being, these lower-level soldiers will dare to risk their lives to fight the Tartars.

This is the power of imperial authority.

It would be even better if those who have made contributions could be awarded a few titles to inspire the fighting spirit of other soldiers.

Zhang Shikang certainly didn't want this to happen. He always felt that he was being a rogue and getting something for free. But for now, he could only wait until the financial difficulties were resolved before seeking compensation.

Emperor Chongzhen showed a hint of longing when he heard this, but it quickly disappeared, and then he shook his head and said:

"The officials will never agree to this."

A long, long time ago, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty could leave the city, but since Emperor Yingzong, the officials have been terrified at the thought of the emperor leading the army in person.

Later, Wuzong caused trouble again and soon got himself ruined.

Over time, it became the ancestral custom that the emperor did not leave the city.

The court officials all had the same reason: the emperor's life was tied to the safety of the country, so how could he risk leaving the city?

Wouldn't this be like disregarding the people of the world and the country? This is what a tyrant would do.

The emperor should stay in the deep palace honestly, this is what a wise ruler does.

Look, when someone attacks you from a moral high ground, what can you use to fight back?

“Then don’t let them know, just quietly leave the village, and don’t play the drums.

Your Majesty, don’t you yearn for the colorful world outside?

Don't you want to go out of town and see the Ming Dynasty you always talk about?"

Zhang Shikang understood Emperor Chongzhen's thoughts too well, so after hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was naturally moved.

But he was still a little hesitant and just said he would think about it.

This is like an elephant that has been tied with a rope for a long time. It is used to the restraint and will be particularly stressed even if you let go of the rope.

Emperor Chongzhen was worried, but the thought was already lingering in his mind, so he had to change the subject:

"Well, let's talk about the bandits first. I can't sleep when I think about them. How do you plan to deal with them?"

Although the Jiannu were brutal, they only caused trouble once a year or every few years. However, the bandits had been wreaking havoc on the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years, and each time they became more brutal than the last.

This was the most troublesome thing for Emperor Chongzhen.

"Your Majesty, given the current situation, fighting on two fronts is definitely not feasible.

Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng were not stupid. They chose Sichuan as their base.

The only solution for now is to block them in Sichuan.

But the tax exemption for Huguang and Sichuan cannot be postponed any longer. If it is implemented in time, it may increase the difficulty for the bandits to expand their army. "Zhang Shikang thought for a while and said.

The difficulty of the Shu Road is as difficult as reaching the sky.

Sichuan is surrounded by mountains, and the terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it a perfect place for separatism.

Zhang Shikang even sometimes thought that if he rebelled, he would definitely choose Sichuan as his base. Zhuge Liang's strategy was indeed not deceiving him.

But as Zhang Shikang said, it is easy to defend but difficult to attack, so just don't attack for the time being. As long as you send troops to block those main traffic arteries, it will be easy for you to get in but difficult to get out.

But this has brought hardship to the people of Sichuan.

But there is nothing we can do. Sometimes it is just like this. How can everything go as we wish?

"But have you considered the candidate for the general in charge?" Emperor Chongzhen asked seriously.

After more than ten years of defeats, Emperor Chongzhen really had no confidence in warfare.

"Let me think about it. Xiong Wencan is gone. Who is in charge over there now?" Zhang Shikang frowned.

"It's Ningnan Earl Zuo Liangyu."

"This guy? No, this guy is just a fool." Zhang Shikang said firmly.

Zuo Liangyu appeared frequently in the late Ming Dynasty, and Zhang Shikang certainly knew that.

This guy is a veteran soldier who had some military achievements in the early years. But since the number of bandits increased and he suffered several defeats, his courage was lost and he began to rely on his own troops.

Not only did he refuse to obey the imperial edict, but even when the city of Beijing was besieged, he still refused to go to the king's aid.

The most outrageous thing is that in order to win over this guy, Brother Chongzhen not only did not punish him, but also repeatedly rewarded him.

This guy just took the salary but did nothing in Huguang. When there was no salary, he started robbing. Who did he rob? Of course, the people of Huguang.

People say that bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like rakes. They are referring to Zuo Liangyu.

But speaking of Sichuan, Zhang Shikang suddenly thought of someone, and said with a smile on his face:

"Speaking of Zuo Liangyu, I think of a person whose name also contains the word Liangyu.

But it is a real piece of good jade, and can be the pillar of Sichuan!"

……