On the first day of April in the twenty-third year of Chongzhen's reign, the six ministers and all members of the Imperial Household Department gathered in the Qianqing Palace.
Chongzhen always insisted on the principle of not having too many people at important meetings, so the issue of pacifying Liao was not discussed in the court.
"Everyone," Wang Chengen presided over the meeting, "the Mongolian delegation came to Beijing and left a hostage, then returned to the grasslands and began to implement the Wei Suo system according to the will of the court."
“Currency reform is also progressing steadily!”
Wang Chengen paused and raised his voice: "Liaodong is the territory of the Ming Dynasty. In the 46th year of the Wanli reign, the bandit Nurhaci, the commander of the Left Guard of Jianzhou, rebelled! In March of the 17th year of our dynasty, in order to resist the bandits, Wu Sangui, the general of Liaodong, and Wang Yongji, the governor of Ji and Liao, abandoned Ningyuan and led their troops to defend the capital."
"From now on, all the land outside the Great Wall of our Ming Dynasty has been lost!"
"Now that the internal troubles have been resolved, we should think about the external enemies!"
"Everyone, tell us what you think!" Wang Chengen took two steps back and made way for the venue.
As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Jingwen took a step forward excitedly.
Because he was too excited, the way he walked seemed a little strange to others.
After standing firm, Fan Jingwen stretched out his hands and clasped his fists in salute: "Your Majesty, the people of Liaodong have suffered from the Jiannu for a long time! I propose to raise an army to wipe out the Jiannu, counterattack Liaodong, and recover our Ming homeland!"
"I second the motion!" Minister of War Wang Jiayan expressed his opinion immediately.
"I second the motion!" replied Minister of Revenue Xie Sanbin.
"I second this motion!"
Minister of Rites Huang Jin and Minister of Personnel Qiu Yu expressed their views one after another.
Chongzhen stood up upon seeing this. He looked far away and then near, finally landing on Fan Jingwen: "Since you have reached a consensus to recover Liaodong, then let's do it according to your wishes."
"But..." Chongzhen changed the subject, "Recovering Liaodong requires military force! Sun Tzu said: Military force is a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction, and must be carefully considered! However, it is easy to get thousands of troops, but it is difficult to find a general, so the most urgent task is to select the commander of the thousands of troops!"
"Do you have any suitable candidates?"
The chief general mentioned by Chongzhen was not the lieutenant general, deputy general or general who led the troops to charge into battle, but the governor who planned the strategy.
In order to fight and win the war in Liaodong, we must not only consider strategy and tactics, but also plan offense, defense and logistics.
It can be said that the Governor-General of Pingliao must be an all-round talent, otherwise he will not be able to do the job.
Wang Jiayan, the Minister of War, was the first to propose: "I think that Lü Daqi, the governor of the three borders of Shaanxi, can be competent!"
Far away in Shaanxi, Lu Daqi was buying roujiamo at a snack stall.
(The history of Roujiamo can be traced back to the Warring States Period.)
"Give me ten roujiamo with more fat and less lean meat, and ten vegetarian ones, each with two eggs!" Lu Daqi said as he took out the money.
The vendor was used to this and asked as he took the money, "Master Lu, would you like to add more soup as before?"
"Yes!" Lu Daqi nodded and found a bench to sit down.
The personal guard following behind him shouted with a smile: "Thank you for the treat, sir!"
"Today, just eat well and don't worry about being full!" Lu Daqi replied with a smile.
"Don't worry, sir, we can eat our fill!" The guards looked for stools to sit on, and those who couldn't find any sat on the ground.
With the quick operation of the small vendor, the roujiamo was quickly made and put in a small bamboo basket and placed on the table.
Lu Daqi picked up a roujiamo and took two bites when he felt his throat tighten and choked.
He quickly reached for the tea bowl beside him and drank the tea in big gulps.
The food becomes smooth after being moistened by the tea and goes down the esophagus into the stomach.
"Burp!" Lu Daqi burped and stared at the Roujiamo in his hand in confusion, "I added some soup, why am I still choking?"
The vendor came over with a spoon in hand and said, "Sir, how about I give you some more soup?"
"good!"
The Imperial Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Wang Jiayan continued, "Although Lu Daqi was a civil official, he had the talent of a military commander! In the Battle of Fengyang, he used Zhu Guobi as bait and successfully tied down Liu Zongmin's main force, laying the foundation for the victory of the Battle of Fengyang!"
"In the Battle of Wuguan, Lü Daqi and Li Yan battled with wits and courage, and finally broke through the impenetrable Wuguan and entered Guanzhong!"
Lu Daqi from Guanzhong was taking his third bite of roujiamo.
This mouthful was even more choking than the previous one.
He picked up the tea bowl with some annoyance and washed the food down with tea.
As he ate the food, he choked on his tea.
"Cough, cough, cough," Lu Daqi coughed violently.
The soldiers around him put down their roujiamo and came to Lv Daqi to help him massage his back. "Sir, please eat slowly. If you eat roujiamo too fast, you will choke!"
Wang Jiayan in the Palace of Heavenly Purity continued: "After entering Guanzhong, Lü Daqi loved the people like his own children and governed well! With the cooperation of him and eunuch Cao Huachun, they successfully helped the court complete the task of trialing currency reform in Shaanxi."
Lu Daqi from Shaanxi choked on his water again.
"Sir, please drink slowly. If you drink too fast, you will choke your throat!" The personal soldiers surrounded Lu Daqi and reminded him in a low voice.
Lu Daqi had no time to care about anything else and kept coughing to relieve the discomfort caused by choking on water.
Inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Wang Jiayan was making an impassioned final statement: "In the battle on the grassland last year, Lü Daqi used supplies as bait to lure the Western Tumed tribe into a decisive battle. In the end, he not only captured Guihua City, but also forced the other side to return to the court."
"This kind of achievement is enough to prove that Lu Daqi has the talent to pacify Liao!"
Lu Daqi from Shaanxi is almost dying.
He choked when he ate roujiamo and choked when he drank tea.
If it weren't for the help of his personal soldiers, he would have probably died by now.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally recovered his breath and looked up to ask the soldier beside him: "What day is today?"
"Your Excellency, today is the first day of April. The Mongolian delegation is on their way back as planned," the guard replied.
"Oh!" Lu Daqi showed a strange smile on his face. He lay on the ground and ordered: "Carry me back to the Governor's Mansion! When you get back, immediately write a letter to the court on my behalf, saying that I have an acute illness and request to resign to recuperate."
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