No matter how hard Yuan Chonghuan racked his brains, he never imagined that the Jurchens retreated because they were worried about Li Ruolian's troops.
So he withheld the news and prevented others from knowing.
A few days later, Li Ruolian led his troops and hurriedly arrived in Ningjin.
When Yuan Chonghuan went out to greet him, he finally revealed the truth.
"What? The Jurchens really did retreat?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ruolian was also quite surprised.
"I never expected that what Master Gao said would actually happen!"
Yuan Chonghuan was carefully observing Li Ruolian.
He wanted to figure out why this military scholar was so highly regarded by the emperor.
So he happened to hear that sentence.
"Huh? What Master Gao?"
Li Ruolian then realized that his surprised mutterings had been heard by Yuan Chonghuan.
When Wang Chengen told him the whole story, he specifically instructed him not to talk about it carelessly.
Li Ruolian immediately shook her head.
"Nothing, Master Gao. I mean... the Jurchens retreated because of your superb military training methods, Commander Yuan."
"The Jurchens were afraid of you, which is why they quickly withdrew their troops."
After praising Yuan Chonghuan, he changed the subject.
"Commander, before I set out with my troops, I heard that there had been a mutiny in the Ningjin area."
"Judging from the current situation, the mutiny should have been quelled?"
Seeing that Li Ruolian was unwilling to tell the truth, Yuan Chonghuan did not press the matter further.
He smiled and nodded, saying, "Thanks to His Majesty's great blessing, the mutiny has indeed been quelled."
"But if they continue to delay paying soldiers' wages, they'll cause trouble again sooner or later!"
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. General Li, you should lead your troops into the city to rest and recuperate. I'll go and arrange barracks for you right away."
Once he was out of Li Ruolian's sight, Yuan Chonghuan immediately summoned his family.
"You all return to the capital immediately and find out who this Master Gao really is!"
"Is this Master Gao the same Master Gao who presented medicine to His Majesty earlier?"
"By the way, don't tell anyone else about the Jurchens' retreat."
"Otherwise, once our Donglin Party members hear about it, they will definitely continue to embezzle salaries."
"If another mutiny were to break out, it wouldn't be Bi Zisu who would die, but me, Yuan Chonghuan!"
"Let's report this news after they send over the money they owed from previous years."
Meanwhile, Li Ruolian hurriedly summoned her subordinates.
By this time, news of the Jurchens' retreat had already spread throughout the army.
When Li Ruolian's generals saw him again, they inevitably felt somewhat awkward.
"General Li, is there something you need from us?"
Li Ruolian smiled.
"Generals, there's no need for such formalities. I have something to discuss with you."
"Now that the Jurchens have retreated, we should send this news of victory back to the capital as soon as possible."
"I'd like to find someone among you to make this trip in person."
Upon hearing this, the generals all showed joy on their faces.
For many years, the Ming Dynasty had suffered more defeats than victories against the Jurchens in Liaodong.
They even lost Shenzhou, which became Shengjing of the Jurchens.
The Jurchens withdrew their troops as soon as the imperial army arrived in Ningjin.
Whatever the reason behind it, it can all be described as "the Ming army was invincible, and the enemy fled at the mere sight of them".
Whoever tells His Majesty this news will surely gain great prestige.
The generals exchanged glances and eagerly vied for the opportunity.
Seeing this, Li Ruolian nodded to herself.
Then they randomly picked someone and asked them to take on the task.
The general, having received his assignment, was beaming with pride.
He bowed to Li Ruolian and said sincerely:
"Thank you for your trust, General Li. I dare not delay any longer and will return to the capital immediately!"
Then, amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the other generals, he quickly ran out of the military camp.
However, after he left, the remaining generals suddenly remembered something.
"This Li Ruolian not only enjoys His Majesty's trust, but also seems to have some good luck."
"Otherwise, why would the Jurchens retreat without any reason?"
"He will likely have more opportunities to make meritorious contributions in the future, so we should try our best to please him."
Thinking of this, they suddenly perked up.
They immediately surrounded Li Ruolian, showering him with concern and care.
They were nothing like the people who had angrily denounced Li Ruolian just a few days ago.
Meanwhile, in the capital city...
As Li Ruolian led his troops, they moved further and further away from the capital.
The time it took for the news to reach the capital was getting longer and longer.
This was before the morning assembly.
Zhou Yanru asked the Minister of Revenue:
"There was no news from Li Ruolian all day yesterday."
"Something doesn't seem right."
However, the Minister of Revenue shook his head listlessly.
"Maybe, I don't know the details."
Seeing this, Zhou Yanru also sighed.
"Lord Bi, I know your brother died in Ningjin, and this has saddened you greatly."
"But at this moment, our Great Ming Dynasty has reached a critical juncture of survival."
"You can no longer afford to let your personal family matters interfere with important state affairs!"
It turns out that the Minister of Revenue was named Bi Ziyan, the elder brother of Governor Bi who had committed suicide not long ago due to the Ningjin Mutiny.
After being comforted by Zhou Yanru, Bi Ziyan's mood improved considerably.
"Lord Zhou is right."
"But isn't what you're saying a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Although our Great Ming Dynasty cannot be called a peaceful and prosperous era, it is still an iron-clad empire."
"Where is the crisis of survival?"
Seeing this, Zhou Yanru deliberately sighed.
"Lord Bi, it seems you really haven't had the mind to care about court affairs lately!"
"Do you know that a sorcerer has recently emerged in our Great Ming Dynasty?"
Bi Ziyan was startled.
"Huh? Where did this sorcerer come from?"
"Could it be that the White Lotus Sect has rebelled again?"
This is not something Bi Ziyan said carelessly.
Five years earlier, in the second year of the Tianqi reign, a leather craftsman in Beizhili launched a White Lotus Rebellion.
At its peak, the number of people reached several hundred thousand.
It even once blocked the Grand Canal.
Finally, the imperial court mobilized elite troops from the two provinces to quell the rebellion.
Bi Ziyan was serving as the governor of Tianjin at the time. Although he had not actually encountered the rebels, the rebellion was happening right under his nose.
It's no wonder he's so sensitive.
Zhou Yanru was taken aback; he hadn't thought of that at all.
But he quickly shook his head.
"Hey, the White Lotus Sect and all that can't shake the foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty at all."
"The sorcerer I'm talking about is right here in the imperial court, right here in the palace!"
At this point, fearing that Bi Ziyan would change the subject again, Zhou Yanru simply decided to cut to the chase.
"That sorcerer is none other than the so-called Master Gao who offered the medicine not long ago!"
This surprised Bi Ziyan.
"Lord Zhou, there are rumors circulating outside that this so-called Master Gao is a member of your Donglin Party."
"Why do you still call him a demon?"
So that's how Gao Qingyun got those two thousand reputation points not long ago.
Zhou Yanru looked embarrassed.
Although the Donglin Party claimed to be a single party, it actually had internal conflicts.
Some Donglin Party officials wanted to bring Gao Qingyun to their side, so they promoted Gao Qingyun's reputation.
But in Zhou Yanru's view, Gao Qingyun was at most a charlatan.
Or they might just be a scammer.
If such a person is allowed to stay by the emperor's side, how can Zhou Yanru, a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, exert his influence?
So he was determined to get rid of Gao Qingyun as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanru sighed again.
"Lord Bi, you are unaware of this."
"That Master Gao is indeed a prodigy."
"And I, Zhou Yanru, am here today to eliminate him!"
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