Chapter 8 Section 8: A gamble for two

History always begins with comedy and ends with tragedy.Once upon a time, the vigorous Ming Dynasty was the most advanced, prosperous and powerful country in the world.Can China say "no"?No, China does not allow the world to say "no"!With its wealth and power, this country has become a "dream country" in the minds of newly enlightened Europeans. It was the Wanli period, the distant Wanli——Chongzhen felt that Shenzong's fate was too good, and he was emperor for 48 years. Zhang Juzheng took care of everything for him in the first ten years, and took care of the Ming Dynasty without paying attention. become the world's largest country.The ancestor of Shenzong actually smoked opium because of boredom, and the only thing he did in his life that lasted forever was to settle accounts with Zhang Juzheng.

Chongzhen hated not being born in Wanli.The first year of Wanli was 1572 AD.It took sixteen years before England defeated the Spanish Armada; forty-eight years before the British Puritans arrived in America on the "Mayflower"; The throne of France.Shakespeare was only six years old at the time, and he was still trying to climb trees in the woods of England.In the early years of Wanli, big cities like Beijing, Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Hangzhou, which were as gorgeous as Wanli colored porcelain, really looked like paradise in the eyes of foreigners. But in the first year of Chongzhen, there was nothing, only 258 members of the Wei Party!

So please, historians of later generations, don't tell me that character determines destiny.Fate is not something that can be determined.Destiny is a wet dream of God, you will never forget it, but God, the old man, has long since had a dream. Let what belongs to God belong to God, what belongs to Caesar belongs to Caesar, and what belongs to Chongzhen belongs to Chongzhen.No matter how bad your life is, at worst I will give it back to you.Chongzhen recited bitterly, unexpectedly, sixteen years later, Chongzhen's last sentence would become a prophecy. Tragically, Chongzhen punished 258 members of the Wei Party one by one with the crazy mentality of "I will go to hell if I don't go to hell", and at the same time made the work of setting things right.Rehabilitation of Huang Zunsu, the father of Huang Zongxi who died unjustly, and the former imperial censor of Shandong Province, won him a wide reputation among the people, especially the intellectuals, and the posthumous honor for Yang Lian, a fighter against the Wei Dynasty, gathered the hearts of the court.The most awesome thing that Yang Lian, the left deputy capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, did during his lifetime was the impeachment of Wei Zhongxian by Shangshu. As a result, it was included in the top secret document of the Wei Party "Donglin Dianjianglu" under the title "Tianyongxing Dasaoshoudu" Censor Yang Lian", and was murdered, and his death was terrible.Chongzhen called these people the heroes of the imperial court and the Ming Dynasty, and expressed that he would pay homage to them forever; at the same time, he reused those who were suppressed by Wei Zhongxian or young and promising officials to enrich the state machinery of Ming Dynasty.For a time, the Ming Dynasty had a new political atmosphere of spring and flowers blooming.

The popularity index of Chongzhen rose sharply, and he also formulated the development outline of the Chongzhen Dynasty with great interest, striving to catch up with or surpass the GDP of the Chongzhen Dynasty in 8 to 10 years; strive to make the Chongzhen Dynasty the largest in the history of mankind by the end of the 17th century. The prosperous dynasty that is the most prosperous and most respected by all countries in the world reproduces the glorious scene of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.Chongzhen was so excited that he couldn't sleep every night. The ideal of the prosperous age was burning in his body, which made him lose all sexual desire.He summoned officials from the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Officials to work overtime every night and repeatedly revised the grand blueprint.Most of these officials took office not long ago, and most of them were at the age of burning passion. Seeing that the emperor's eyes were shining and the fire was burning, they also threw themselves into it, burning with Chongzhen, and performing sand table deduction on various GDP values. Repeatedly, never tired of it.It's just that most of the eunuchs serving by the side were yawning and drowsy.No wonder, eunuch, passion has long been castrated.

However, a mutiny suddenly brought Chongzhen back from the distant blueprint to the reality in front of him. Cold and cruel reality. When the mutiny happened, Chongzhen was discussing Pingliao with Yuan Chonghuan at the court. In the eyes of Chongzhen, the eloquent Yuan Chonghuan is no longer a person, but a god. This short Cantonese once made the Ming Dynasty suddenly powerful in 1626 (the sixth year of Tianqi). Standing in Ningyuan City in the sixth year of the Apocalypse, Yuan Chonghuan, who was born as a Jinshi, saw the thousands of troops in Nurhachi outside the city. Behind him is the thousands of mountains and rivers of Ming Dynasty, and his safety is only tied to him.

Daming is empty. I was afraid of being beaten, and also afraid of being plotted.From Yang Hao, Xiong Tingbi to Yuan Yingtai and Sun Chengzong, Ning Yuan became Waterloo in the lives of these top military officials in Northeast China. No one dared to come anymore, and no one could be sent again.Smart people are rushing to build a shrine for Wei Zhongxian. Only the civil servant Yuan Chonghuan, full of stereotyped knowledge, rushed from the capital to the desolate Ningyuan, ready to defend his family and the country. This is Ningyuan in 1626, and this is Yuan Chonghuan's Ningyuan. The ending is surprising.

Nurhachi went back with tears and snot in his nose. Behind him were the corpses of thousands of soldiers wrapped in leather. Yuan Chonghuan defeated Nurhachi.This is the first Waterloo in Nurhachi's life, and it is also his last Waterloo.Shortly thereafter, he was filled with grief and indignation, and died of illness in Shenyang.Therefore, it can also be said that Yuan Chonghuan killed Nurhachi. Yuan Chonghuan thus became a dark horse in the military circles of the Ming Dynasty.Then, Nurhachi's son Huang Taiji made a comeback to avenge his father, but suffered successive defeats in Jinzhou and Ningyuan.Yuan Chonghuan became the Viagra who survived the downfall of the Ming Dynasty.

This allowed Xi Zong to find the confidence of an emperor.In his award decree, he said: Ten years of weakness, once it is defeated today. But it is a pity that Yuan Chonghuan announced his withdrawal from the military and political circles of the Ming Dynasty at the most glorious time of his career.The reason is that Shangshu, a member of the Wei party, impeached him.The reason for impeachment was that Yuan Chonghuan was too old to be reused.At that time, Xi Zong was already dying of illness, and Wei Zhongxian approved this memorial for him.Yuan Chonghuan took the blame and resigned. Of course, Chongzhen will not let Yuan Chonghuan idle.

Viagra is needed in any era, especially in the Chongzhen Dynasty.Chongzhen appointed Yuan Chonghuan as the minister of the Ministry of War, the governor of the right capital, Ji Liao, and the military affairs of Denglai Tianjin, and handed over all the military affairs of Liaodong to him.Yuan Chonghuan stood on Ningyuan City again, which gave Chongzhen enough confidence to slowly open up his blueprint for a prosperous age. This time, the reason why Chongzhen hurriedly summoned Yuan Chonghuan to discuss the matter of Pingliao with him was that he wanted the military god Yuan Chonghuan to give him a letter: When will the border troubles be eliminated?Daming ZTE urgently needs a long-term peaceful environment.

Chongzhen looked at Yuan Chonghuan with such eagerness, as if he had entrusted him with the prosperity, life and death of the entire Ming Dynasty. Yuan Chonghuan was watched so affectionately by an emperor, a kind of pride that a man was trusted spontaneously arose.He stretched out five fingers—these are the fingers of the military god, each of them looks so strong: five years.Give me five years, the foreign aggression can be pacified, and the whole Liao Dynasty can be restored! After Yuan Chonghuan finished speaking, the entire Ming Dynasty suddenly stopped breathing.Immediately afterwards, the cabinet ministers Han Yu, Qian Longxi, and Li Biao who had been immersed in the officialdom for a long time, who stood by the side closest to Yuan Chonghuan, congratulated Chongzhen, saying that God blesses Ming Dynasty and ZTE will have a bright future.

Chongzhen was also very happy, and said a lot of words similar to worship to Yuan Chonghuan in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.Yuan Chonghuan suddenly felt like a hero, and accepted the congratulations from his colleagues one by one. However, at the moment when the court was celebrating, one person frowned quietly.He is Xu Yuqing in the Military Division. There is a kind of person who is not very good at doing things, but has strong observation skills. Xu Yuqing is such a person. As Da Ming's military department, Xu Yuqing knew very well what Da Ming's real military capabilities were like. After the defeat of the Ming army at the Saerhu Battle in the last year of Wanli, the balance of power between the Ming Dynasty and the Houjin Dynasty underwent a fundamental change.The Ming Dynasty retreated steadily, and the Houjin Dynasty attacked the city and seized the land, and it has become a big trend.Ping Liao in five years?joke!It would be nice to be able to defend Jinzhou and Ningyuan! You Yuan Chonghuan have two brushes, but there are too many factors that determine the victory or defeat of a war.Xu Yuqing decided to remind Yuan Chonghuan that he must tell the truth to the emperor.Monks don't tell lies, and the minister of the Ministry of War can't tell lies either. Although he appeared calm and composed, Yuan Chonghuan was still shocked by Xu Yuqing's analysis and his heart beat faster.Indeed, as a senior military observer, Xu Yuqing's observation of Ming's real military capabilities is far superior to Yuan Chonghuan's.Xu Yuqing is also a kind person, and he didn't want to use this incident to do anything to Yuan Chonghuan. He just reminded him that a man must be responsible for what he said.Five years later, maybe not five years later, the emperor will definitely react to these words he said in the court today. This reaction may be peaceful, but more likely violent.Xu Yuqing's words were vague, but the meaning was self-evident. Yuan Chonghuan couldn't help but regret his frivolous behavior in front of the emperor.Yuan Chonghuan found Chongzhen again, and sat down in front of him with a heavy heart, not knowing what to say from the beginning. Yuan Chonghuan suddenly thought that if he regretted his promise today, he might die miserably on the spot.Maybe life is a matter of worrying about gains and losses, and it is both ends of the first mouse, but in the final analysis, there is no way out in life.It's true, the emperor has told you a lot of beggars, but the emperor's favor is unpredictable, thunder, rain and dew are things that change rapidly.If the emperor really wants to worship you, there is also a premise. The premise is that you, Yuan Chonghuan, can pacify the Liao Dynasty in only five years. If this cannot be achieved, why should the emperor worship you? Yuan Chonghuan looked up at Chongzhen, Chongzhen's eyes were warm and full of trust. Yuan Chonghuan faltered and said something. These words are very important, and Chongzhen interpreted it as Yuan Chonghuan's strategy of Ping Liao. At this point, Yuan Chonghuan can only talk to Chongzhen about his strategy of Ping Liao. Yuan Chonghuan's Ping-Liao Fanglue has three meanings: On the first level, the Liao people guard the Liao soil and use the Liao soil to support the Liao people; On the second level, guarding is the right thing, fighting is the strange thing, money is the side; On the third level, the law is gradually but not suddenly, what is real is not virtual. At the beginning, Chongzhen kept nodding while listening, and there was even appreciation in his eyes.But when he heard the sentence "The law is gradually not present", his expression suddenly changed. Yuan Chonghuan stopped, not knowing what he said wrong. Chongzhen looked at Yuan Chonghuan, and said slowly: What does it mean that the law is gradually disappearing. Yuan Chonghuan blurted out: It means that the use of troops against Liao cannot be achieved overnight, and you cannot rush for success... Chongzhen's face was as dark as a knife cut, Yuan Chonghuan suddenly stopped, feeling that he had accidentally spoken out all the words in his subconscious mind, causing a catastrophe! Chongzhen thought about it: You mean that Pingliao has to take his time, and there is no exact timetable? Yuan Chonghuan: This... He didn't know how to answer himself. Chongzhen felt lost: Then you said to me, "In five years, the foreign aggression can be calmed down, and the whole Liao Dynasty can be restored!" What do you mean? Yuan Chonghuan felt that this was the end of the day, and he couldn't do it if he didn't hold on: I ensured that the Liao Dynasty could be pacified in five years. As for the gradual disappearance of the law, it was just a specific strategy. Chongzhen sneered: It's already this time, don't you still admit your mistake? Yuan Chonghuan: ... Chongzhen was very hurt: I treat the world with my heart, but why can't the world treat me with sincerity? He suddenly sternly said to Yuan Chonghuan: I hate the bully the most in my life!Yuan Chonghuan!you…… Yuan Chonghuan's legs softened, and he felt that everything was over.But he persevered and did not kneel down. Many years later, Carnegie wrote a book called. Although Yuan Chonghuan is not an ordinary person, he also has weaknesses. That is to save face and hold on. In fact, this is the weakness of a hero. After Yuan Chonghuan, a white-faced scholar, miraculously became an anti-golden hero, he also miraculously possessed the weakness of a hero. After all, he really didn't dare to deceive the emperor, he was a person who only knew how to be loyal to the emperor and the country. Chongzhen thought Yuan Chonghuan would defend himself, but he didn't. Chongzhen has been waiting, but Yuan Chonghuan has been silent. Chongzhen suddenly felt something was wrong. What is Yuan Chonghuan planning?None of the civil and military men of the Manchu Dynasty dared to go out to Pingliao, so he went. No one dared to say that the Liao Dynasty could be flattened in five years, he said. Does he want a reward?This is a game on the tip of a knife! Perhaps, this is just a man's impulse.Is it wrong to be impulsive?Now in the Ming Dynasty, how many people still have impulsive desires?For the country, for the future generations of Jiangshan. Chongzhen decided to forgive Yuan Chonghuan - it would be fucking impossible if he didn't forgive, the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty were mostly at the level of talking on paper, punishing Yuan Chonghuan, who will protect my family and the country? But why did Yuan Chonghuan keep silent?Even if I want to forgive you, you have to give me a step down. Chongzhen coughed dryly: Yuan Chonghuan, are you guilty? Yuan Chonghuan scratched his neck and insisted on not admitting his mistake. Chongzhen suddenly felt his pity: Do you still think that you can pacify Liao in five years? Yuan Chonghuan nodded tragically. Chongzhen seemed to be talking to himself: Maybe the development of the situation can be seen in five years? Yuan Chonghuan: I bet my life on these five years! Chongzhen laughed loudly: OK, like me!When doing things, you should go to the bottom of the boat. I believe you have not deceived me. Before Yuan Chonghuan left Chongzhen, the two had already tacitly agreed. It's a big gamble. Yuan Chonghuan put his family and life on top, and Chongzhen put the whole Daming on top. Or win-win, or both lose, there is no third result. But who is the dealer? I don't know, it's not the two of them anyway. It took many years for the dealer to surface. Chongzhen saw it, but Yuan Chonghuan didn't. Yuan Chonghuan only wants one result: no matter who the dealer is, he will win. He knew very well that this was a game between two people. As for the dealer, he couldn't see whether he won or lost. The object of his game is Chongzhen, and the object he really can't afford to lose is Daming Jiangshan. So Yuan Chonghuan asked Chongzhen for one last condition before leaving. Ad hoc discretionary power. The so-called general is outside, and the king's life is not accepted.Since you want to gamble, you have to give me a free body.I don't want to dance in shackles. Chongzhen readily agreed, and bought one and got one free: Within five years, all the slanderous rumors about you have passed my ears. The tragic fate of Yang Hao, Xiong Tingbi, Yuan Yingtai and Sun Chengzong will not repeat itself to you, I can guarantee this.Chongzhen vowed.