As soon as Yang Zhen said what he said, Yang Guozhu slapped his thigh, as if he suddenly realized something, and said with joy on his face: "Come on! Oops, I'm so old and confused.

"Since Zhen'er has anticipated this situation, let's start in advance and prepare in advance. Even if the emperor is ordered to send troops to Liaodong, it will not be a sure defeat!"

When Yang Guozhu said this, he was suddenly startled, slapped his thigh again, and said in surprise: "Since you have no chance to tell the emperor those words, why don't we, uncle and nephew, join forces, or simply give up on me, the general soldier of Xuanzang Town?"

, write to the Emperor, or Chen Benbing, asking him to recall Mr. Yang Ge, and order Mr. Yang Ge not to just focus on Zhang Xianzhong, but to return to the Central Plains as soon as possible!"

"No!"

"No!"

As soon as Yang Guozhu finished speaking, two "no" came out.

The first one was called by Zhang Chen, and the second one was called by Yang Zhen.

After Zhang Chen followed Yang Zhen into the warm pavilion in the second hall of the Xuanzhen General Military Mansion, he stood quietly behind Yang Zhen without saying a word.

The uncle and nephew are both general soldiers who hang seals. During the conversation, he certainly has no qualifications to interrupt.

Moreover, although Zhang Chen had not heard all of what Yang Zhen said before, he knew some bits and pieces.

At this time, Yang Zhen put those things together and said them together, and the inferences he drew were at least very convincing to him, and there was nothing he needed to add.

He saw that Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of Xuan Town, had accepted Yang Zhen's statement, and then everyone could discuss strategies to deal with this situation. This was also one of the purposes of Yang Zhen coming to Xuan Mansion.

But unexpectedly, Yang Guozhu's first reaction was to write to the emperor, wanting to report Yang Zhen's judgments, inferences and conjectures.

If Emperor Chongzhen can accept Yang Zhen's judgment and inference about the world situation, then everything is easy to say. Emperor Chongzhen only needs to issue an order to order Yang Sichang to return to the Central Plains, and the danger of the Ming Dynasty's empty troops in the Central Plains can be resolved.

But would Emperor Chongzhen do this?

Although Zhang Chen has never met Emperor Chongzhen, he has been completely disappointed with Emperor Chongzhen since the failure of the Julu War in the winter of the 11th year of Chongzhen, and has completely lost confidence in the Dukes Gongun in the Ming Dynasty.

.

He simply did not believe that Emperor Chongzhen and the civil servants in the court, who had no understanding of the critical nature of the world situation, could listen to Yang Zhen's harsh advice and make correct judgments.

Therefore, when he heard that Yang Guozhu, his old boss, still pinned his last hope on the sage of Emperor Chongzhen, or the wisdom of the ministers of the court, such as the Minister of War, he immediately became anxious.

"No, Commander, you must not do it! If Commander does this, not only will it not help, but it will offend Chen Benbing, offend Mr. Yang Ge, and even offend the emperor! How can Commander do such a counterproductive thing so easily?!

"

Zhang Chen was originally a garrison officer in the Xuanfu army under Yang Guozhu. As one of the survivors who broke out in the Battle of Julu, he was relieved of his garrison position and fought to the end.

After that incident, as a leading soldier, Yang Guozhu, who appreciated him more, arranged him to be with Yang Zhen, and followed Yang Zhen to Liaodong to perform meritorious service.

But as a former subordinate of Yang Guozhu, and a former subordinate who was appreciated and respected after all, he was not willing to see Yang Guozhu take such unnecessary risks, and he also felt that he had the responsibility to step in and prevent him from making such a low-level mistake, so he stood up and said that

A few words.

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, Yang Guozhu's face darkened.

At this time, Yang Zhen immediately added: "Uncle, Zhang Chen is right, he is also our uncle and nephew's consideration. If the emperor wants to hear my words about the suppression of thieves in the pass, when I made the request that day, the emperor would

There is no reason not to allow it.

"Besides, although Old Superintendent Yang Ge is on his own to suppress thieves, in the final analysis, it is the emperor who has no choice but to do it. Now, Old Superintendent Yang Ge is in a tight spot to suppress thieves, whether it is jointly signed by our uncles and nephews, or uncle himself.

All of them are actions that cause disaster. Not only do they not help the problem, but they also damage the overall situation we are dealing with!"

"I am in a humble position and my words are rude. If I offend you, please forgive me, Commander-in-Chief, and don't take it personally."

Seeing this, Zhang Chen quickly walked out from behind Yang Zhen, bowed to Yang Guozhu and saluted with clasped fists, asking him to forgive him for his offensive behavior.

Of course, Yang Guozhu was not a petty person. The reason why he frowned was because he was keenly aware of Yang Zhen and Zhang Chen's distrust of Emperor Chongzhen and the imperial court in the capital.

Yang Zhen was a little better and didn't show it directly, but Zhang Chen's distrustful and even contemptuous attitude was placed directly in front of him.

This made him, a person who has paid attention to loyalty, filial piety and justice all his life, a little unspeakably uncomfortable.

But when he thought about it carefully, he also knew that what Zhang Chen and Yang Zhen said were not unreasonable, and they were indeed thinking about him.

At that moment, Yang Guozhu could only wave his hands, let out a long sigh, and said a little dejectedly, a little lonely and helplessly: "Then tell me, what should we do in this situation? What should we do?"

Seeing that Yang Guozhu had given up the idea of ​​writing to Emperor Chongzhen and had no choice but to ask for advice, Yang Zhen immediately said to him: "Uncle, don't be discouraged. There is no way to deal with this situation!"

When Yang Zhen said this, Yang Guozhu suddenly raised his head, staring at Yang Zhen with a pair of copper bell-like eyes, which suddenly became bright and lively.

Seeing this, Yang Zhen raised his hands to the sky, and then said: "I think back in the past, Emperor Hongwu adopted the strategy of building walls high, accumulating grain, and slowly becoming king. Finally, he defeated the heroes and unified the world. Emperor Gao's strategy is used today.

It’s just the right time.”

Yang Guozhu was shocked when he heard Yang Zhen say such words, and quickly asked: "Zhen'er, what do you mean by this? Our Yang family has been blessed by the country -"

Seeing Yang Guozhu's reaction, Yang Zhen quickly smiled, waved to Yang Guozhu, interrupted him first, and then continued:

"Uncle, I have misunderstood. What my nephew means, in short, is to recruit people to open up wasteland and cultivate land, and then recruit people as soldiers. While gathering money and food, they can train troops and prepare for war, so that they can respond to changes in the current situation at any time!"

Yang Guozhu originally thought that Yang Zhen was trying to persuade him to support his troops and respect himself, and to take advantage of the situation. After Yang Zhen finished speaking, he realized that he had misunderstood Yang Zhen's meaning. He touched his chin, smiled sarcastically, and took over the conversation and said:

"So that's it, I'm afraid that's the only way it can be! I listened to your suggestion earlier. I recruited soldiers and donations at the same time. I have arranged for more than 30,000 refugees to open up wasteland and cultivate the land. I have recruited more than 8,000 brave soldiers. I have sent troops to the town.

The losses of years have been replenished.

"Nowadays, there are more than 21,000 people in Xuanzhen who are paid as camp soldiers. Excluding the old and weak troops of about 5,000 or 6,000, there are about 15,000 soldiers capable of fighting. As for the situation in Xuanzhen, it has already improved! Can

This result is thanks to your advice, Zhen'er!"

Yang Guozhu finally had a happy smile on his face when he talked about the improvement of the situation in Xuanzhen over the past six months.

After listening to Yang Guozhu's words, Yang Zhen felt happy that he had accepted his previous suggestion. He first said he didn't dare, and then continued:

"My uncle knows clearly that the position of Xuanzang Town is so important. The only 5,000 soldiers under my uncle's command who can fight are not enough. Once the imperial edict is issued in the future, my uncle is asked to lead the army to Liaodong. Will the most important place of Xuanzang Town be left to that person?"

Are five or six thousand old, weak and useless soldiers defending it?"

When Yang Zhen said this, Yang Guozhu nodded slowly and thoughtfully.

Upon seeing this, Yang Zhen continued: "Even if the number of soldiers under my uncle's command who are able to fight and dare not reach double the current number, they should be increased by ten thousand or eight thousand to be able to fight!"

"As for those old and weak soldiers, it is better to give them acres of land, exempt them from taxes, and let them return to the fields, either to farm on their own or to recruit tenants, so that they can support themselves, which will free up their pay."

After hearing Yang Zhen's words, Yang Guozhu couldn't help but laugh, shook his head and said: "You, that's easy to say, but it's easier said than done!

"Now that the world is in chaos and refugees are everywhere, it is easy to recruit soldiers who have to pay and eat food. However, when the soldiers are recruited, they are all pot-bellied men. I am short of food and pay. What can I use to fill their bellies? Armor, bows, crossbows, and muskets

If it’s not enough, what kind of training can be used to arm them?

"Besides, haven't I thought about the elimination of old and weak soldiers? This is a chronic disease in every town. If the old and weak soldiers in the army are not properly placed, the morale of the army will change. But they must be properly placed. Where can I go?

Money, grain and acres? It’s difficult!”

"Uncle, there is no need to worry. With troops and horses, why worry about money and food? The land of Xuanfu is much better than Songshan where my nephew is guarding, and Lushun Jinzhou, where he is about to go. There are many wealthy merchants here.

Wealthy gentry and big family, if my uncle is short of salary and food, just ask them to donate money to help with salary!"

Yang Zhen didn't take the difficulties mentioned by Yang Guozhu seriously. He had already thought about it. Anyway, the wealthy gentry in these places would either benefit from Li Zicheng or the Tatars in the future. In this case, it would be better for him to take action in advance.

Already.

As soon as he thought of this, the expression on Yang Zhen's face changed. Although he was still smiling, his smile suddenly became cold. He gritted his teeth and said:

"If these people have a loyal and enthusiastic heart and are obedient and willing to pay, they can be kept. If they are rich and unkind, keeping them will also help the enemy. What good will they do to our country? When the world is in chaos, my uncle must not survive.

No trace of nostalgia!

"You can pick up those evil gentry and profiteers who are unkind and run rampant in the countryside and make the people angry. You can raid ten or eight of their houses and seize their houses and fields. This will be enough to resettle the refugees for farming. If you seize their property, money and food, you will be able to recruit troops to support yourself. And so on.

After visiting him a few times, the morale of the troops in Xuanzhen will be revitalized and their morale will naturally be high!"

"Well, if you do this, I'm afraid it will attract criticism, and it won't be good if it reaches the ears of the emperor!"

After hearing what Yang Zhen said, Yang Guozhu was silent for a while, and then suddenly said this, which meant that it was not that he didn't want to do it, but he was just afraid of provoking criticism, fearing that it would spread to the emperor's ears and ruin his reputation.
Chapter completed!