Li Xianzhong, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Wu Sangui must die! If he were alive, we would have to guard against both the Jian Nu and him during the war. This war would be impossible to fight!"
Others immediately echoed the sentiment.
"That's right, Wu Sangui must die."
"Kill him. Not killing him will not be enough to appease the anger!"
"Lingchi execution, head sent to the nine frontiers!"
"Wu Sangui and I cannot coexist!"
After everyone calmed down, Wang Yongji stood up and said, "I understand your feelings, but Wu Sangui is the general after all. If you want to kill him, you need the consent of your majesty."
"No need!" Zhu Cijiong reminded: "Before the army was dispatched to Liaodong, His Majesty personally gave you the Imperial Sword! Those who disobey military orders can be beheaded, those who are afraid of the enemy and do not advance can be beheaded, and those who commit crimes can also be beheaded."
Wang Yongji looked at the brocade box behind him and said, "That being said, it's not that simple. Killing Wu Sangui is not easy, and preventing the Guanning Army from rebelling after killing Wu Sangui is even more difficult. So...it's better to have an imperial decree for this matter!"
"What the Governor said is true!" Li Xianzhong spoke again, "But the problem is... we don't have time."
"Li Dingguo has already sent the evidence to the capital. According to the distance, it has now been handed over to Your Majesty. Even if the decree is drafted that night, it will take at least three or four days for it to be delivered here."
"A lot of unexpected things will happen in these three or four days. Once Wu Sangui finds out, he is likely to do something extreme."
"This is exactly what I am worried about," Wang Yongji's eyebrows were twisted into a knot.
It was not just Wu Sangui who needed to be dealt with, but also the tens of thousands of soldiers under his command.
Once the relationship with the Guanning Army breaks out, the two sides will go to war.
The total strength of the Northern Army was about 60,000, of which Wu Sangui accounted for more than one-third.
The total strength of the Jiannu army was about 40,000.
If Wu Sangui sided with the Jiannu, the Northern Army would only have about 40,000 troops available.
The Jiannu's military strength reached nearly 60,000.
The offensive and defensive momentum of both sides will be reversed in an instant.
"It's not that troublesome!" Huang Degong waved his iron whip. "When Wu Sangui comes to the central army to discuss military affairs, set up an ambush outside the tent. As soon as he walks into the central army tent, we will capture him. By then, the Guanning Army will be leaderless and will have no choice but to compromise with the court."
"It's difficult!" Zhu Cijiong shook his head slowly: "Based on my understanding of Wu Sangui, he is an extremely cautious person. If you want to take advantage of his coming to the central army to discuss matters, he will find all kinds of excuses not to come. Even if he comes, he will deploy troops in advance and be ready to rescue at any time."
"What about holding a Hongmen Banquet?" Gao Yigong suggested.
"Same reason," Zhu Cijiong continued to shake his head: "As long as he doesn't come, all the efforts will be in vain."
......
In order to deal with Wu Sangui, Wang Yongji convened a secret meeting.
All participants agreed to get rid of Wu Sangui.
However, everyone was at a loss as to how to deal with the issue of Wu Sangui.
in addition.
They also had to consider how to avoid causing a mutiny when dealing with Wu Sangui.
"The difficulty of this matter lies in not letting Wu Sangui realize that we have already suspected him!" Zhu Cijiong crossed his arms over his chest, pacing back and forth while analyzing: "Once he finds out, he will join forces with the Jian Nu to deal with us."
"That's right." Everyone responded.
"That is to say..." Zhu Cijiong continued to analyze: "The war cannot be stopped tomorrow, otherwise it will arouse Wu Sangui's suspicion."
"We have to stop even if we can't!" Huang Degong was unwilling. "Having Wu Sangui behind me is like having someone snoring beside my bed. This is absolutely unacceptable."
"General Huang is right!" everyone responded again.
Zhu Cijiong coughed lightly, thought for a moment and said, "The only option left is to cease fire. In order not to arouse Wu Sangui's suspicion, we can find a suitable reason."
Everyone looked at each other, and Wang Yongji was the first to speak: "What's the reason?"
"Governor, you just caught a cold or... got injured in the melee. Aren't these two reasons acceptable?"
"It's OK, but I'm afraid Wu Sangui won't believe it." Wang Yongji said worriedly, "Wu Sangui is now a frightened bird, and any disturbance will make him go to extremes."
As the discussion deepened, everyone realized that things were far more complicated than they had imagined.
Continuing the war was too risky, and a ceasefire would make Wu Sangui realize that he had been exposed and he would defect to the enemy.
Faced with a situation where we can neither start a war nor stop the war.
Zhu Cijiong made a prompt decision: "Withdraw the troops!"
"Withdraw troops? Where to?" Wang Yongji stopped and asked.
"Retreat to Fushun." Zhu Cijiong replied.
"Where is Wu Sangui?"
"Let him cover the rear."
Wang Yongji took two steps and then stopped: "If he notices something, he will probably take the opportunity to attack us."
"That's right!" Zhu Cijiong raised his right index finger: "So we have to make preparations for both situations. On the surface, Wu Sangui will be the rear guard, but in reality, there is someone else behind him."
"Your Highness, this is a brilliant plan!" After Li Xianzhong finished praising Zhu Cijiong, he began to worry about another thing: "If the army successfully withdraws to Fushun, and Wu Sangui does not attack the friendly forces, what should we do then? Should we let him enter the city, or keep him out of the city?"
"Of course we keep him out of the city!" Zhu Cijiong answered without hesitation, "He is a traitor and rebel of the Ming Dynasty. How can we let him in?"
"This is the trouble!" Wang Yongji frowned. "There are many things that the soldiers at the bottom don't know. They only believe what they see. If they are not allowed to enter the city, the soldiers will think that the court does not regard them as human beings."
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