By the time Li Chengliang arrived at the Imperial Palace, the three assistant ministers of the Cabinet, the Minister of Revenue and Minister of War, and the Emperor had been waiting for a long time.
Although Li Chengliang was a general and didn't have a high status, Li Chengliang was already seventy years old. He could be considered a veteran general. No matter what, in China, you were old, and those younger than you had to give in to you. This had nothing to do with civil officials or generals. The Confucian school's advocacy of respecting the elderly wasn't just a joke.
Apart from Zhao Zhigao, no one else was older than Li Chengliang. Therefore, Li Chengliang could barely put on airs and say that he was old and slow, and ask everyone not to blame him. To be honest, no one could blame him. Although Zhu Yijun was indeed anxious, he was an old general in his seventies. No matter what, he could not say anything to reprimand him.
"Minister Li is old, but he can still contribute to the country. I am very touched. Servants, give him a seat! Also give Cabinet Elder Zhao a seat. "
Zhu Yijun reluctantly gave Zhao Zhigao a seat because he was 72 years old. As for the others, they had to stand obediently! How dare you stand after making me unhappy?
Shen Li and Shen Yicheng looked at each other and could only shake their heads with a wry smile.
Zhao Zhigao and Li Chengliang expressed their gratitude together, and then put half of their butts on the brocade stools. They did not dare to really sit down. This was a basic skill for people in the officialdom. As long as you were still an official, you had to remember that when facing the seat bestowed by a superior, you should not completely sit on it. That would be insensible.
Anyway, it was better to sit than to stand.
"Since everyone is here, I will not say anything else. Just now, Cabinet Elder Zhao suggested that Governor Xuan, Wang Shiyang, be in charge of the military affairs of Datong, Taiyuan, Yulin, and Xuan Fu. He will be responsible for the defense of the war, to ensure that Yanmen Pass and Pingxing Pass will not be lost, and to control the war within Datong Town.
As for the imperial court, Minister Li will be the main general and Chai Guozhu will be the deputy general. They will lead the troops from the capital to enter Zijing Pass and coordinate with Wang Shiyang. They will be mainly responsible for protecting Zijing Pass and supporting the war in Shanxi. In addition, they will order Liaodong Army Chief Li Rusong to enter the pass with cavalry as the main counterattack force. What do you think? "
What else could they think of it?
These people could only look at the candidates from the perspective of a faction struggle. They considered the benefits to their faction if they won the battle, or the harm to their faction if they lost the battle. If the benefits were great, they would rush to send their faction's generals to battle. If the disadvantages were great, they would rush to scam others. As for strategy and tactics …
Did Cheng Zhu teach him that?
Only Shi Xing and Li Chengliang were familiar with military affairs. Shi Xing was a second-rate general. He could handle logistics, and his professional skills were not bad. However, when it came to strategy and tactics, he could forget about it!
Abandoning He Tao and giving up half of Shanxi Province's City Secretary were all good deeds done by those famous civil officials. They felt that the less land they occupied, the less military expenditure they would need. Counterattacks weren't important. It was enough as long as they could secure their current land. They treated the ancient strategists like fools.
Li Chengliang was the veteran when it came to this kind of thing. Zhu Yijun seemed to be asking the officials, but in reality, he was only asking Li Chengliang.
Li Chengliang didn't dare to show his shock, but in his heart, he was already regretting participating in this battle without thinking it through. He regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.
'Your Majesty, do you think I've lived for too long? Do you want me to die faster?
Your Majesty, perhaps you don't know, but who here doesn't know … '
'Can those useless soldiers in the capital really be used?
They're all good-for-nothings. They can bully the commoners and run errands for the officers, but to put their lives on the line on the battlefield … '
One side announced that their parents died, and the other side started to run away. Li Chengliang didn't have clairvoyance and hearing, so he couldn't care less. He didn't know if there were still fifty thousand soldiers who could fight after the one hundred thousand soldiers left.
'Wait, does the capital still have one hundred thousand soldiers?
Because the border troops have been dealing with the Mongolians for a long time, they more or less still have some fighting power and some organization, but the capital camp … '
'Can the capital camp be used?'
Li Chengliang deeply understood the importance of a well-trained army.
The reason why he could make a name for himself in Liaodong was not because of the Wei Suo soldiers or the capital camp, but because of the Li Family army he trained himself, the Liaodong Iron Cavalry. There were more than ten thousand of them, but the core part, the one with the strongest fighting power, only had about three thousand people. They were all servants of the Li Family, and they were Li Chengliang's private army.
This army was well trained and had strong fighting power. When they fought, they fought wave after wave and fought bravely. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, other than Qi Jiguang's troops, they were the fiercest and most capable army that dared to fight. They were very different from the weak Ming army that people had in mind. The fighting power of this Ming army could be described as fierce.
Because they were Li Chengliang's private army, Li Chengliang was very attentive to this army. They enjoyed the good food, the good drinks, the good tools, and the fun. The rest of the Ming court's soldiers could only be raised like stepmothers. This army that enjoyed glory, splendor, and wealth were also grateful for Li Chengliang's kindness. They fought bravely in every battle.
Therefore, it was obvious that the Liaodong soldiers looked down on other armies, just like tigers looking down on sheep. They felt that other armies were sheep, and only they were tigers. With one roar, they could make the Mongolians and the Jianning tremble.
In fact, this was indeed the case. It was not until Xiao Ruxun led her troops south to Korea to conquer Japan that the generals and soldiers of the Liaodong Army began to view the other armies, especially the Southern Army and the Ningxia Firearms Camp, in a rather drastic change.
They began to realize that other armies could also fight. When they thought of the overwhelming guns and cannons, their scalps went numb.
But in terms of fighting power, this Liaodong iron cavalry was still one of the most valiant armies of the Ming Dynasty. Even if it was the private army of a general, it was marked with the mark of Daming, and it was fierce and valiant when it came to fighting.
After Li Chengliang left his post, Li Rusong took over the Liaodong iron cavalry. On the basis of Li Chengliang, he increased investment and training, and trained this army of servants to be more ferocious.
Since the battle of Korea three years ago, Liaodong had not even once taken the initiative to invade. On the contrary, Li Rusong could not bear the loneliness, so he often led the army to fight and train the soldiers. Many Mongolian and Jurchen tribes were scared to leave Liaodong and did not live there anymore.
It was because of the existence of this army that Li Chengliang and Li Rusong could continue the glory of the Li family. The general and the soldiers were one, and no one could leave the other. If you asked Li Chengliang to leave the army that he built and lead other armies to fight, he would not be able to adapt, let alone the capital army that was rotten from the root.
Even if you gave him some troops in Ji Town, he would not say so, but the capital army …
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