Shanhaiguan, also known as Yuguan, Yuguan and Linluguan, is one of the northeastern passes of the Ming Great Wall. It is known as the "No. 1 Pass in the World" and echoes Jiayuguan thousands of miles away, and is famous all over the world.
It had been more than a month since Wang Xianggan, the governor of Ji and Liao, moved his headquarters to Shanhai. He finally breathed a sigh of relief after the Guangning War ended and no longer had to worry about the Jiannu attacking.
A few days later, the court issued an imperial decree, ordering Wang Xianggan to resign and return to Beijing, and wait at Shanhaiguan for Wu Yongxian to come and take over.
Wang Xianggan didn't want to be the governor of Ji and Liao.
While the Governor-General of Ji and Liao possessed great power, he also carried a great deal of responsibility. Many officials, including him, feared the frontier, a place often plagued by war.
After receiving the imperial edict, Wang Xianggan felt quite relieved and waited for Wu Yong to take over so that he could return to Beijing with ease.
Today, Wu Yongxian brought his followers to Shanhaiguan, and the speed surprised Wang Xianggan.
Zhu Youxiao was not optimistic about Wang Xianggan. After the battle of Guangning began, he could not change his generals at the last minute and could only make do with him temporarily.
After the Guangning War ended, Zhu Youxiao discussed with Sun Chengzong and others to reorganize the northern military, which included replacing Wang Xianggan, the governor of Ji and Liao.
According to the Ming Dynasty Code, the full title of the Governor-General of Ji and Liao was "Governor of Ji, Liao, Baoding, and Other Places Military Affairs, Also Managing Food and Pay." He was in charge of the three governors of Shuntian, Baoding, and Liaodong, and the four garrisons of Jizhou, Changping, Liaodong, and Baoding.
It was not until Wu Yong arrived to take over and received the imperial edict that Wang Xianggan realized that the court had already separated the Liaodong Governor and Liaodong Town under the control of the Governor-General of Ji and Liao.
Wang Xianggan was a little surprised by this, but Wu Yongxian disagreed.
Moreover, Wu Yongxian did not feel any fear of difficulties. It was unclear whether he was loyal to the country or just pretending in front of Wang Xianggan.
"Lord Wu has been at home for eight years due to illness. He was just summoned to be the Minister of Works. I heard that he would be promoted to Junior Prime Minister (Minister of Personnel), but why was he appointed as the Governor-General of Ji and Liao instead?" Wang Xianggan asked indirectly, trying to find out the political trends in the capital.
Wu Yongxian smiled and said, "This was recommended by the Minister of War, Lord Sun, or maybe because I had some minor achievements in Sichuan!"
Wu Yongxian was a relatively unknown figure, but he also started from the grassroots level. When he was the governor of Sichuan, he put down the rebellion of the Fan and Miao chiefs. He was the most familiar with military affairs among the civil servants.
After Zhu Youxiao proposed the division of Ji and Liao, the court held several discussions and put forward Wang Zaijin and Yan Mingtai respectively, but they were both vetoed by Zhu Youxiao.
Historically, although Wang Zaijin was a supporter of strategic contraction, he did not have a far-sighted strategic vision. Instead, he believed that "if we can obtain Guangning but cannot defend it, the crime we will incur will become greater, and it is better to defend the mountains and seas."
This was quite different from Zhu Youxiao's God's perspective, and also completely different from the real intention of strategic contraction. Contraction was not about fearing the enemy, but about accumulating strength, strengthening the army, and preparing for a decisive victory.
There is no need to talk about Yan Mingtai. He has no talent and Zhu Youxiao gets annoyed just by seeing his name.
Zhu Youxiao was also helpless. Although he had selected some talents and reorganized the cabinet, the young people needed experience and the old people could not trust many of them. When he needed them, he found that there were still not enough of them!
Especially for an important official like the Governor-General of Ji and Liao, he could not hold the position without a certain rank and qualifications.
The third person recommended by the court was Wu Yongxian, who had just recovered from illness and was recalled. He was the Minister of Works at the time and had experience in commanding the army and suppressing rebellions.
Zhu Youxiao didn't know him and couldn't judge him based on his resume, so he adopted a new approach. He first sent Wu Yong to visit Ji and Liao, and then submit a memorial on how to govern the area, and then make the final decision.
Wu Yongxian was quite happy about it. He immediately led his men out of the capital and traveled to Ji and Chang within ten days, and then submitted a memorial to the emperor stating his suggestions.
"...From what I have seen and remembered, it is not only difficult outside the Great Wall, but also inside the Great Wall. The three alliances inside the Great Wall regard the selection of generals and the training of troops as the key, the construction of walls and fortifications as the urgent task; the decision-making is to use both pacification and suppression, and the mutual use of war and defense; the official policy is to respect simplicity, abide by the agreement, cherish the army and love the people..."
Zhu Youxiao was neither surprised nor disappointed by Wu Yongxian's memorial. It was just average, basically acceptable.
As long as he could stabilize the northern defense line first and buy some time for the new army to train and re-equip, and to build muskets and artillery, Zhu Youxiao's goal would be achieved.
Wang Xianggan saw that Wu Yongxian didn't say much, so he didn't ask any more questions and handled the handover normally. Seeing that some of the staff Wu Yongxian brought were very young, he asked again out of curiosity.
"Your Excellency Wang, you may not know that these young talents are here to observe government affairs and learn from me."
Wu Yongxian smiled and called a few young men over, introducing them one by one: "Newly selected Lu Xiangsheng, second in the military exam, Peng Hua, third in the exam, Zhang Jingping..."
Lu Xiangsheng and the others bowed and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Lord Wang."
"No need to be so polite." Wang Xiang nodded with a dry laugh, saying, "Young people are to be feared, young people are to be feared! They are all the pillars of the country chosen by the emperor himself. You must be diligent in royal affairs and serve the court."
The young talents accepted the instruction and then went on to do their own things.
Wang Xianggan watched them leave, stroking his beard as he said, "The Emperor has attached great importance to this imperial examination! The recognition of the military examination is unprecedented in this dynasty."
Wu Yongxian pondered for a moment and said, "That's true. The imperial examination essays and the palace examination questions were all set by the emperor himself, and he also personally approved the palace examination papers."
Wang Xianggan was disappointed again. He had read the court bulletin. The number of officials who had resigned, been deposed, or been imprisoned in the capital over the past month was truly alarming.
But Wu Yong didn't say much and didn't reveal anything more, so Wang Xianggan could only guess the direction of the capital's situation on his own.
In reality, Wu Yongxian was also confused and had no idea what the court would do next. But he was a serious man, and since he had been assigned a task, he would do his best to complete it.
During the handover, a soldier came to report that the vehicle carrying the heads of the rebel general Sun Degong had arrived at the gate.
The entire family was executed and their heads were sent to the nine border areas. This was how Zhu Youxiao dealt with the rebel general Sun Degong, and it was also a deterrent to the Ming border troops.
Wang Xianggan and Wu Yong first suspended the handover, and Wang Xianggan ordered the troops in Shanhaiguan to gather and watch the fate of the rebel general.
As the horse-drawn wooden cart creaked across the parade ground, it presented a shocking, miserable, and horrifying picture to the officers and soldiers.
The heads, pickled in lime, were placed in wooden cages and stacked on carts. They showed all kinds of horrible expressions before death, pale and full of death.
There was a wooden plaque nailed to the wooden cage containing the heads, which showed the relationship between the beheaded person and Sun Degong.
The one with white hair is Sun Degong's mother, the one who has lost her charm is Sun Degong's daughter, and there are also Sun Degong's son, wives and concubines.
On the following cars were the heads of the rebels who followed Sun Degong in rebellion, including officers and soldiers, in various ugly and horrifying appearances.
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