If one's family is in Liao, surrendering doesn't seem like a burden. After all, the family and property are all there, and it's just a matter of changing one's hairstyle and loyalty to a different master.
As for the foreign soldiers, isn't it because their families are far away and surrendering will implicate their families that they dare to fight, or in other words, have to fight to the death?
Xiong Tingbi was extremely pleased to see Wansui raising questions in an inquiring tone in the secret letter and writing down his own analysis and judgment.
In the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the famous Battle of Sarhu took place, and the 470,000-strong army commanded by Yang Hao, the governor of Liaodong, suffered a crushing defeat.
After deliberation, the imperial court promoted Xiong Tingbi to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Censor-in-Chief, replacing Yang Hao as the Governor of Liaodong. This boosted the Ming Dynasty's Liaodong campaign momentum, and "restored public confidence."
He summoned the displaced people, pacified Shenyang, and entered Fushun on a snowy night. Xiong Tingbi used the tactics of resisting the enemy and defending the city, leaving the Jiannu no chance to attack.
There were also criticisms against Xiong Tingbi in the court at that time, but Emperor Wanli trusted Xiong Tingbi, bestowed upon him the Imperial Sword, and provided him with protection from the elements and raised funds and grain for him.
But all this changed after the Wanli Emperor's death. In the first year of the Taichang Emperor's reign, Emperor Guangzong ascended the throne. Yao Zongwen, a member of the Imperial Censorate, and Liu Guojin, the head of the Ministry of War, began to slander Xiong Tingbi and oppress him out of personal grudges.
Afterwards, Yao and Liu instigated another group to attack Xiong Tingbi, insisting on his dismissal. Consequently, the censors Gu Xuan, Feng Sanyuan, Zhang Xiude, and the Imperial Secretary Wei Yingjia seized upon the loss of Puhe to launch a widespread attack.
Xiong Tingbi was helpless and sad. He returned the imperial sword and submitted a petition for resignation, which was approved by Emperor Tianqi.
Then, in less than a year in the first year of the Tianqi reign, Shenyang, an important city in Liaodong, and Liaoyang, the capital of Liaodong, fell one after another. Yuan Yingtai committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and all the land east of the Liaohe River fell into the hands of the Later Jin. At this time, the ministers in the court thought of Xiong Tingbi again.
Xiong Tingbi was reappointed, but the Donglin Party again promoted Wang Huazhen as governor. The two governors disagreed and their views diverged, leading to the current situation.
During the period of being marginalized, attacked and having his power divided, Xiong Tingbi missed Emperor Wanli very much and missed the time when he had the emperor's unreserved support and trust.
According to historical records, Emperor Wanli once gave a very meaningful edict to Xiong Tingbi in response to the impeachment of the censors.
"The Liao situation has been ruined by the negligence of local officials. Xiong Tingbi has devoted himself to reviving the country and restoring the frontiers. I have great confidence in him. Now the situation is extremely urgent. How can I, as the governor, let this be a relief and abandon my previous achievements? I order you to be even more devoted and work together with other ministers. Do not be deterred by others' opinions."
Looking at this passage, it can be said that it is sincere and full of trust.
"Don't be deterred by what others say" is even more frank and shows Wanli's determination. Let others say what they want. I believe in you. Follow your ideas and I have high hopes for you.
From this point of view, Wanli was quite wise. He had some talent in identifying people and trusted his subordinates. He used Xiong Tingbi to stabilize the situation in Liaodong and gradually launched a counterattack.
Unfortunately, a new emperor appoints new ministers, a characteristic of Chinese dynasties. With the death of Emperor Wanli, Xiong Tingbi's good days were over.
Starting in the first year of the Taichang reign, attacks on Xiong Tingbi increased dramatically, with some criticizing him for abandoning collective wisdom and arguing for his own wisdom. Many of these criticisms were rehashed, but the key point was that the emperor had changed.
As a result, the situation in Liaodong deteriorated with ups and downs, and Xiong Tingbi had to take over this mess again.
After years of dealing with and fighting against the Jiannu, Xiong Tingbi was well aware of the Jiannu's strengths and weaknesses.
But this was no longer the Wanli period. With the fall of Shenyang and Liaoyang, his strategy of "repairing the border and building forts, and fighting by defense" to preserve Liao was no longer appropriate.
Therefore, Xiong Tingbi proposed a three-pronged deployment strategy: use Guangning to tie down most of the enemy's forces; build naval fleets in the ports of Tianjin, Deng, and Lai, take advantage of the opportunity to attack the enemy's rear at sea, and make the Jiannu lose sight of one thing and fall into a passive position.
Although the court approved Xiong Tingbi's strategy, the three-party arrangement was time-consuming and laborious and would not produce results in the short term, which again caused criticism and opposition from court officials.
Wang Huazhen is an example. He never mentioned defense and boasted a lot, but he was appreciated and supported by the bigwigs in the court, while Xiong Tingbi was left out.
Frustrated and discouraged, coupled with his naturally bad temper, Xiong Tingbi's rift with Wang Huazhen and Zhang Heming deepened. Leading his troops out of the border this time was also a helpless move.
When the Youtunwei received the secret order from the emperor, he threatened and encouraged them, gave them the imperial sword, sent the Jinyiwei to accompany them, took away Wang Huazhen's power, and gave Xiong Tingbi full control of Guangning.
Although the Ming army suffered a crushing defeat at Shaling, Xiong Tingbi also had the intention to cheer up. He no longer had to manage the country alone, but instead unified the power.
Xiong Tingbi, who was familiar with the court's operating procedures, understood the emperor's secret orders and admired his decisiveness.
When they entered Guangning, they captured and killed the rebel general Sun Degong and imprisoned the governor Wang Huazhen. Then a series of imperial edicts of rewards, punishments and incentives were issued. Even Xiong Tingbi was shocked by the emperor's meticulous planning, which refreshed his cognition again.
Although the emperor was young, he was wise, decisive, and resolute. He also had an accurate understanding of the war situation and the strengths and weaknesses of the Jiannu.
The imprisonment of Wang Huazhen and the handing over of all command power to Xiong Tingbi also clearly demonstrated the emperor's inclination in the "discord between the governor and the governor".
Therefore, Xiong Tingbi, who was trapped in Guangning City, was not desperate or depressed. Instead, he felt excited and encouraged because the dust had settled and he was being reused.
Just as the imperial edict said: If we defend Guangning at this moment, even if we sacrifice our lives for the frontier, wouldn't we be a chaste and extraordinary man?
What's more, the young emperor gave him all the support and help he could, and he was very confident of defending Guangning, so he didn't want him to die.
Now, reading the emperor's secret letter again under the lamp, Xiong Tingbi seemed to have returned to the time when Emperor Wanli spoke to him earnestly, trusted him and protected him.
The emperor ordered him to defend Guangning to the death, but also asked him in a secret letter, which meant that he believed he could complete the task and survive to express his views to the emperor.
The communication code further illustrates this point. It clearly states that in the future, any confidential memorials from Liaodong and Liaoxi will be written in code and handed over to the Jinyiwei to be heard directly by the emperor.
What does it mean? Once the Guangning war is over, Xiong Tingbi will be the real commander, holding real power and able to make secret reports to the emperor.
In the Ming Dynasty, the secret petition system did not exist at all. Xiong Tingbi was surprised at first, but after careful consideration, he was shocked and deeply impressed by the young emperor's methods.
You must know that once secret reports become a system, it will greatly weaken the authority of the central government and strengthen the imperial power.
This is just one of the reasons. In Xiong Tingbi's view, secret reports can be submitted directly to the emperor, which reduces the number of turnover links and can be processed quickly, which is very efficient.
Xiong Tingbi also thought of another point, but did not dare to comment on it.
That is, the secret reporting system will make officials monitor each other, and they will not dare to act arbitrarily or recklessly, which is conducive to controlling officials and rectifying the administration of officials.
The reason was simple: Xiong Tingbi had the power to make secret reports, but he didn't know if anyone else had it. Perhaps the officials around him also had this power, so how could he possibly conceal what he was doing from the emperor?
After thinking for a long time, Xiong Tingbi picked up his pen and wrote on the paper: "Secretly report, your servant Xiong Tingbi respectfully reports..."
Official titles are not required, and all formal expressions are completely unused. All matters, big or small, can be reported, and they must be kept completely confidential and not leaked. This is also the strict requirement that Zhu Youxiao has for secret reports from his ministers.
………………..
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
