Being two-faced means maneuvering between two opposing parties, trying to please one side while not offending the other.
This word probably originated in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty.
During the war, in order to avoid being harassed by the Yuan or Ming armies, the people would hang wooden signs on their doors to identify themselves.
Supporters of the Yuan army hung a wooden sign that read "Protect the country and the people."
Those who supported the Ming army hung a wooden sign that read "Expel the Tartars."
Zhu Yuanzhang's Northern Expedition was not smooth sailing. Many times he had to fight back and forth with the Yuan army in some place.
When the war reached Huaiqing Prefecture, some local people came up with a solution.
They wrote "Protect the country and the people" on one side of the wooden sign, and "Drive out the Tartars" on the other side.
When the Yuan army came, they showed their side of "protecting the territory and the people", and when the Ming army came, they showed their side of "expelling the Tartars".
Save money, effort and worry.
After Chang Yuchun conquered Huaiqing and led his troops into the city, he found that the doors of the people in the city were full of wooden signs with the words "Expel the Tartars" written on them.
Before he could be happy, a gust of wind blew and the wooden sign turned over to reveal the words "Protect the Territory and the People".
Chang Yuchun was furious and ordered the beheading of all those who hung the two wooden signs.
Hence the term two-faced cards, which later evolved into double-dealing.
Wu Sangui wanted to be a double-dealer.
But from ancient times to the present, double-dealers have never had a good ending.
This requires not only strategy, but also strong strength to protect oneself when either party turns against each other.
Or...enough room to escape.
Just like the Mongolian tribes, if you can’t win, you can just run away.
There was no trace of them in the vast grassland.
Wu Sangui had no ability to protect himself and no space to escape.
Being a double-dealer is simply courting death.
But as the war progressed, his desire to play a double-dealer became stronger.
Because the Ming army kept winning battles.
First, he won the Battle of Ningyuan, then won the Battle of Songjin, and captured Yizhou without bloodshed.
If the Jiannu won the Battle of Guangning, their situation in Liaodong would deteriorate.
When the situation becomes uncontrollable, the end of the Jiannu will come.
And he, Wu Sangui...will probably also be punished by the imperial court later.
Wu Sangui was very clear about what he had done in the defense of the capital in the 17th year of Chongzhen.
Except him.
All the civil and military officials in the court and even everyone in the world knew the reason why his march was slow.
It's nothing more than preserving strength, watching the battle situation, and taking advantage of the situation!
So when Wang Yongji ordered him to lead his troops to attack Guangning, he was resistant in his heart.
He was afraid that if the Jiannu were crippled, it would affect his plan of playing a double game.
But military orders were as heavy as mountains, and he could not disobey them.
On the vast Liaohe Plain, Wu Sangui's 30,000-strong army advanced slowly.
"Report!" The messenger ran to Wu Sangui from behind and said, "The Governor has ordered our army to speed up the march and reach the west bank of the Xisha River before dark."
"Report to the Governor-General and tell him that Wu Sangui will act according to his orders."
"Yes," the messenger left quickly.
Shortly after he spoke, the sound of horse hooves and the neighing of war horses were heard in the distance ahead.
Wu Sangui knew that his vanguard troops were fighting with the Eight Banners vanguard troops.
After setting out from Dalinghhe Fort, the vanguard troops of both sides fought every day.
The scale is small, but it is very tense.
"Gao Dejie, take your men to the front to provide support!" Wu Sangui ordered.
The vanguard troops are all elite, and he doesn't want to let them die for no reason.
After Gao Dejie left, Wu Sangui summoned his trusted aides Hu Xinshui and Xia Longshan to his side.
"What instructions does the general have?" Hu Xinshui asked first.
"Alas," Wu Sangui said with a worried look on his face, "I don't have any instructions, but I am very worried about the upcoming war."
Xia Longshan was somewhat puzzled: "Are you afraid that you can't defeat the Jian Nu?"
"No!" Wu Sangui shook his head. "If we defeat the Jiannu, the situation in Liaodong will completely turn to the imperial court. This result may seem good, but without the threat of the Jiannu, the imperial court is very likely to turn against us!"
"How about... losing the battle on purpose?" Xia Longshan hesitated.
"Losing the battle would be even worse! My original intention was to preserve my strength. If I lose the battle on the battlefield, I cannot precisely control the amount of losses. The slightest carelessness will lead to a rout and heavy losses!" Wu Sangui said.
The three of them stared at each other for a while, but still had no clue.
Hu Xinshui rolled his eyes in his eye sockets for a few times before he suggested in a low voice: "Why don't we ask Mr. Fang?"
"I told you before that I don't trust him very much anymore." Wu Sangui said with a serious expression, "He asked me to fight the Jiannu with all my strength, how could I do it?"
"After all, he is your adviser and has more ideas in his mind than us. It is better to ask him!" Hu Xinshui advised.
"Yes, sir, if you think it is inappropriate, you can just listen and not do anything!" Xia Longshan also advised.
Wu Sangui wanted to refuse again, but the development of the war situation did not allow him to be willful, so he had to do as he was told.
Advisor Fang Guangchen had long known that Wu Sangui had changed his mind.
But he pretended not to know.
Because he wanted to regain Wu Sangui's trust through practical actions.
After coming to Wu Sangui and listening to his concerns, Fang Guangchen squinted his eyes and thought for a long time.
Just when Wu Sangui was about to give up, Fang Guangchen opened his eyes.
"What's the matter? Does Mr. Fang have any solution?" Wu Sangui asked anxiously.
"Yes," Fang Guangchen said with sharp eyes.
"Please give me some advice, Mr. Fang!" Wu Sangui bowed deeply to him.
"Master Wu, you are really embarrassing me," Fang Guangchen hurriedly supported Wu Sangui, "Do you want to continue the current situation?"
"Yes." Wu Sangui nodded.
"It's easy," Fang Guangchen said confidently, "Your Excellency only needs to fight a win-win battle in the upcoming Guangning Battle. By then, we can report to the court and let the Jiannu breathe a sigh of relief."
"In a war, you either lose, win, or end up in a draw. How can it be a win-win situation?" Wu Sangui said with a hint of sarcasm and disdain in his tone.
"Sir, have you ever heard of the saying that it is better to let my fellow Taoist die than to let myself die?" Fang Guangchen asked with a smile.
"I've heard of it. This is what was written in the official newspaper of the 17th year of Chongzhen." Wu Sangui nodded and was stunned for a moment. He asked in disbelief, "Mr. Fang, do you mean... betraying friendly forces?"
"Yes, we can tell Jiannu about the deployment of friendly forces in advance and help them win the battle."
"Sir, you just said it was a win-win situation. Now the Qing army has won. How can our army win? Who can we win?" Wu Sangui asked in a low voice.
"Defeat the Mongols!" Fang Guangchen said in a sinister tone: "Sir, let Jiannu sell out some Mongols in exchange for selling friendly forces. On the battlefield, Jiannu will deal with friendly forces, and we will deal with Mongols."
"If both sides can win, it's a win-win situation!"
"Win-win?" Wu Sangui was very conflicted after hearing Fang Guangchen's plan.
He was not struggling with whether he should abandon his conscience and betray his allies, but which allies he should betray...
After all, there are too many friendly forces.
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