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

"That's exactly what I meant, Sun Qing. Hanzhong has been the only way from Shu to Shaanxi since ancient times. Bandits are cunning, so you should be careful to guard against them."

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Zhang Shikang and said in a confirming tone.

There has always been a governor-general of one province or three provinces, stationed in Hanzhong Prefecture, but he has to be named as the governor-general, which is indeed a bit outrageous.

But Emperor Chongzhen still stood up for Zhang Shikang. Since he had already handed over all military and political power to Zhang Shikang, he would certainly not suspect that this kid would do anything reckless.

Although he always had some doubts, Emperor Chongzhen knew that he should not say it at this time.

When Liu Zongzhou saw that the emperor and Zhang Shikang were singing the same tune, the anger that he had just suppressed suddenly rose up again. He frowned and was about to raise an objection, but was persuaded by Zheng Sanjun.

Zheng Sanjun was the calmest among the civil officials present and the one who could see the situation most clearly.

It would be unwise to raise objections at this time. This is a military camp, and the capital is their home ground.

Everything can only be discussed after returning. It is not worth it to oppose the emperor in the military camp in front of so many generals.

"I accept your command and thank you for your grace." Sun Chuanting saluted to the emperor.

He was not stupid and he figured out what was going on in a moment. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and glance at Zhang Shikang, thinking that this boy was quite capable.

The performance by the emperor and his ministers was very good. Liu Zongzhou and Zheng Sanjun knew that they were redundant here, so they found an excuse and left.

After they left, Zhang Shikang immediately divided the spoils. As for the source, it was naturally the rich families mentioned by Liu Zongzhou.

He didn't even avoid Hong Chengchou, because there was no need to. As for this person, as long as you are thick-skinned enough, you will find that you are invincible in many cases.

It was called dividing the spoils, but in fact, Zhang Shikang just announced his own distribution decision in front of all the generals.

He wanted to promote democracy, but there was very little soil for democracy at that time.

According to him, nearly half of the spoils, valued at more than 900,000 taels, would be used as compensation to the families of the soldiers who died in the battle.

The rest was used to pay the two military towns that were most seriously in arrears.

This is naturally far from enough. In fact, including the military camp in Beijing, the military pay can only last for more than one month.

The Qin soldiers in Xuanfu and Datong, as well as those under the command of Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, had not received any military pay this month.

As for the Guanningjin Defense Line and the two military towns of the Shaanxi Xingdusi, even though the silver previously raised has been distributed in proportion, it is still owed for three or four months.

The military pay of Zuo Liangyu's and Huang Degong's troops stationed inside the Great Wall, as well as Cao Bianjiao's troops stationed in the capital as guest Beijing troops, were all in arrears to varying degrees.

As for the miscellaneous armies of the local chieftains and the local garrisons, they were even less taken care of.

It can be said that Zhang Shikang felt a headache whenever he thought of this matter.

This grand marshal looks majestic, but he who wears the crown must bear its weight, and this burden is not light.

"In this case, Lord Sun can prepare to move camp and enter Hanzhong tomorrow.

Finally, there is Lord Lu. The Tianxiong Army was almost wiped out in the battle of Jiazhuang, which was indeed a huge loss for the court.

Therefore, I order you to rebuild the Tianxiong Army with those 1,000 soldiers as the core, with a maximum of 20,000 soldiers."

Zhang Shikang thought for a while and said.

He knew the reputation of the Tianxiong Army. As one of the few ace forces in the late Ming Dynasty that could fight against the Jian Nu, it was a pity that they were defeated like this.

Master Lu is naturally capable. Most of the generals, governors and governors present have no problem being the head of a military town.

But when it comes to strategy and commanding a cross-provincial battle, that’s another matter.

Among those present, Zhang Shikang had personally witnessed Lu Xiangsheng's abilities. As a civil servant, he was good at fighting, and as a military general, he was good at writing. He was truly a rare talent.

In addition to Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chuanting, who was once the last hope of the Ming Dynasty, was also a capable person, but his character flaws were more serious than those of Uncle Lu. In the words of later generations, he was too arrogant.

This kind of character can be put to good use if one meets a boss who is able to judge people and assign them to the right positions and is magnanimous. However, if one is unlucky, it can be fatal.

In fact, this is true. Sun Chuanting's official career can almost be called the second Lu Xiangsheng.

These two people have one thing in common: they were both given trouble by Yang Sichang.

These two people also have one thing in common: they both died tragically. During the Battle of Tongguan, like Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chuanting also knew that he would die, but they both carried out the emperor's orders.

If loyalty requires them to prove it with death, then they will die for you to see.

But Zhang Shikang knew that the core problem that led to the two men's tragic defeat and martyrdom was not Yang Sichang, but his brother Chongzhen next to him.

He glanced at Emperor Chongzhen and sighed in his heart.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't know what was going on and glared back.

"But, Marshal, the army needs to move forward with expenses, and this month's military pay has not been paid yet. The soldiers under you will definitely complain."

Sun Chuanting thought about it and felt that the issue should still be raised.

The Qin soldiers under him and Hong Chengchou were different from those in other military garrisons and even the Tianxiong Army.

The reason why Qin soldiers were so good at fighting, besides their rigorous training, was another reason, and that was blood ties.

When he recruited soldiers, he often even encouraged conscripting blood relatives into the camp. Many soldiers came from the same village, including cousins, uncles and nephews, and even fathers and sons.

If they encounter a tough battle, the Qin soldiers can often perform at an exceptional level. The reason is very simple: their blood relatives died in the battle, and these people are filled with hatred, so they are naturally fearless and valiant.

But such an army also has many shortcomings. For example, when one part starts to retreat during a battle, the rest will follow suit.

This situation could be avoided through strict discipline, but the court was wrong in the first place for owing wages, and he couldn't suppress it too much.

Lu Xiangsheng also had the same problem. The Tianxiong Army was originally a group of militiamen he recruited when he was serving in Daming Prefecture. He really put a lot of effort into making it a powerful army with extremely strong combat effectiveness.

Lu Xiangsheng felt depressed whenever he thought of the miserable situation of the Tianxiong Army. Zhang Shikang had mentioned once before that he wanted him to rebuild the Tianxiong Army.

But he did not express further opinions at that time. As the governor of Xuanda, he certainly understood how much supplies were needed to recruit and organize 20,000 troops.

Although he didn't want to dampen the Marshal's fighting spirit, he felt helpless.

Establishing a new army is not just a matter of pay, but also requires food, weapons, armor, horses, etc. When the Tianxiong Army was victorious, it only had about 10,000 people, but the marshal asked for 20,000.

He really wanted to ask the Marshal, do you know how much silver this will cost?

But after thinking it over, Lu Xiangsheng chose his words carefully:

"General, it is very costly to raise a new army. Even if I don't have the Tianxiong Army, I can still defend Shanxi's defense line for the court."

Zhang Shikang knew that Master Lu was considering his face. He waved his hand to signal Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng to sit down, and then said to everyone:

"I know, it's all about money."

The problem is that there is no money, Marshal, Sun Chuanting muttered to himself.

But Zhang Shikang's next words surprised everyone present.

“I know how to solve this problem.”

As he spoke, Zhang Shikang showed a strange smile, as if he had made an important decision.

"After all, no one knows the Ming Dynasty better than me."

……