novelSusiti Chapter 148 Picking the Softest Persimmon
Chapter 148 Picking the Softest Persimmon
Chapter 148 Picking the Softest Persimmon
Chapter 147 Seeing that he could not persuade the Tianqi Emperor, Sun Chengzong stared sharply at Chen Ying and asked, "How confident are you?"
"What percentage of certainty?"
"Why are you pretending to be confused?"
Chen Ying remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Reporting to the Grand Secretary, I am seventy percent confident."
Sun Chengzong frowned slightly and said, "Only 70%?"
"Seventy percent, that's quite a lot!"
Chen Ying said frankly, "I guess the Jurchens won't dare to send troops this time—"
Before Chen Ying could finish speaking, Sun Chengzong interrupted, "Although the Jurchens are not good at naval warfare, their cavalry is unparalleled. Lushun is too close to Jinzhou, so the Jurchens can continuously send troops. You only have five thousand elite soldiers, and even with the navy, you only have a little over ten thousand. That's enough to defend the city, but not enough for open field battles."
"Seventy percent, seventy percent, I believe you."
Sun Chengzong said, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Your Majesty should accompany this old minister to Ningyuan. Ningyuan City was newly built by this old minister, and its fortifications are strong. On the city walls, there is a gun emplacement every fifty paces, totaling twenty emplacements. Each emplacement is equipped with one 2,000-jin heavy cannon and three 800-jin medium cannons. In addition, there are four enemy watchtowers, which are further defended by fierce generals such as Man Gui, Zu Dashou, Zhao Shuaijiao, and He Kegang. It is certain that it can be completely foolproof!"
"Master Sun, since everything is foolproof, and Nurhaci isn't a fool, he certainly won't attack Ningyuan on his own initiative. Wouldn't I have made a wasted trip?"
The Tianqi Emperor said calmly, "I am right here—"
As he spoke, the Tianqi Emperor put his arm around Chen Ying's shoulder. Chen Ying didn't like being held like that by a man, so he gently pushed the Tianqi Emperor away. The Tianqi Emperor stumbled, and Sun Chengzong was startled: "Your Majesty, be careful—"
Sun Chengzong glared at Chen Ying: "Chen Boying, how dare you!"
"It's okay!"
Emperor Tianqi hurriedly calmed the furious old man Sun, saying, "Master Sun, it's just in time. Minister Chen has prepared a lot of seafood for me, and I've invented a new way to eat it—"
Upon hearing the word "seafood," Sun Chengzong's expression changed drastically. In his early years in the palace, what he feared most was eating seafood with the Tianqi Emperor. The seafood hot pot he invented was simply indescribable. Now that he was over sixty, his body could not withstand the strain of a seafood hot pot.
"Your Majesty, this old minister!"
Sun Chengzong's mind raced, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, General Ma Shilong of Liaodong recently hunted a bear. Without saying a word, he slaughtered the bear and distributed the bear meat to the soldiers. However, I had a pair of bear paws chilled, intending to present them to Your Majesty. But I came in such a hurry that I forgot to bring them—"
As soon as Sun Chengzong finished speaking, Emperor Tianqi's eyes lit up. He had been on the throne for five years and had eaten many delicacies, but he had only heard of bear paws and had never tasted them. Bear paws were known as the "ultimate delicacy," on par with bird's nest, shark fin, and deer lips. It was said to have a soft and tender texture that melted in the mouth, and it was a favorite of emperors throughout history.
"Bear paw————"
The Tianqi Emperor murmured, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Seeing this, Sun Chengzong quickly added, "Your Majesty, this old minister even had them chilled with ice, and they haven't spoiled at all. Those bear paws are at least three inches thick, and they're incredibly large. In all my years in Liaodong, this old minister has never seen bear paws this big."
"Three inches thick?"
Emperor Tianqi's eyes shone even brighter, and saliva began to flow involuntarily.
Chen Ying watched the emperor and his minister's back-and-forth banter from the sidelines, secretly amused. That old man Sun Chengzong had gone to such lengths to lure the emperor to Ningyuan, even bringing up bear's paw.
However, Lushun was indeed not a place for the Tianqi Emperor to stay for long. Even if the Tianqi Emperor had a minor setback, he would be impeached to the point of being riddled with accusations. Moreover, the Tianqi Emperor would be constrained in his military campaigns while in Lushun.
Seeing that the Tianqi Emperor was tempted, Sun Chengzong continued to entice him, "Even if the Jurchens send troops, they certainly won't be able to reach Lushun in less than ten days or half a month. Ningyuan is less than a day away from Lushun by boat. Once the Jurchen army leaves Shenyang, even if I receive the news, it will take them at least seven or eight days to get from Shenyang to Lushun. I will definitely escort Your Majesty back to Lushun!"
"Master Sun!"
The Tianqi Emperor said with some difficulty, "Then I will go to Ningyuan for a few days, but it's agreed that I must return to Lushun as soon as the Jurchens arrive."
Sun Chengzong nodded repeatedly and said, "Of course, of course, Your Majesty, rest assured. This old minister has managed Ningyuan for many years. The city's defenses are strong, and the soldiers are brave and loyal. If the Jurchens dare to come, we will make sure they never return."
The Tianqi Emperor turned to Chen Ying: "Minister Chen, what do you think?"
Chen Ying bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Sun is right. Lushun is still under construction and its defenses are not yet complete. Your Majesty is here, and I am worried about you day and night. It would be better to go to Ningyuan first, and Your Majesty can return after the defenses of Lushun are completed."
The Tianqi Emperor finally nodded: "Then it's settled. Minister Chen, you stay in Lushun and continue to oversee the construction of the city's defenses. I'm going to Ningyuan to try Master Sun's bear paw."
Sun Chengzong was overjoyed and quickly arranged for ships. Early the next morning, Emperor Tianqi and Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, dressed in Jinyiwei attire, boarded a ship and left Lushun for Ningyuan under the escort of the elite Liaodong army.
Chen Ying stood on the dock, watching the ship gradually disappear into the distance, but a sense of unease crept into his heart.
Sun Chengzong's original intention was to bring the Tianqi Emperor to Ningyuan. Ningyuan's city walls were strong and heavily guarded, so he felt at ease. Unfortunately, Sun Chengzong, a bigwig of the Donglin Party, did not know that his disciples and followers would soon betray him. No sooner had he arrived in Ningyuan with the Tianqi Emperor than the news of his arrival had spread beyond Ningyuan.
The Imperial Envoy's Headquarters in Ningyuan City.
Ma Shilong looked at Sun Chengzong with a troubled expression and said, "Your Excellency, where am I supposed to catch a bear?"
"No matter how you try to capture it, you must capture it as soon as possible. Release all the night scouts and cavalry. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must capture the bear. Whoever manages to hunt the bear, I will promote them exceptionally. Soldiers can be promoted directly to centurions, and officers can be promoted three ranks and rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver!"
In order to deceive the Tianqi Emperor, Sun Chengzong had to change his principles. This was the first time he had ever abused public power for private gain.
A day later, fortunately, Li Chengxian, the military commander of the Liaodong Army's rear guard, captured a bear in the territory of Youtunwei in Guangning. At the cost of more than a dozen soldiers being killed or wounded, he finally captured the male bear.
In any case, Sun Chengzong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He dared not deceive the emperor. Other emperors could be deceived, but the Tianqi Emperor was different. Major events might be fine, but if he was promised bear's paw to eat but not given it, there would definitely be problems.
After the master chef's meticulous preparation, Emperor Tianqi waited for two whole days before he could finally eat the bear paw.
The Tianqi Emperor sat at the head of the table, before whom sat a pair of braised bear paws. The paws were a glossy red, the broth thick and rich, emitting an enticing aroma. He picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, and his eyes immediately narrowed into slits: "I have been on the throne for over five years and have never tasted bear paw before. I have long heard that bear paw is a delicacy, a top-grade delicacy. I am now in a good mood! Master Sun, you have been very thoughtful! I—good! Delicious—so delicious! Master Sun, where did you get this bear paw?"
Sun Chengzong laughed and said, "Your Majesty, it was Ma Shilong who encountered it while hunting. The bear weighed at least 800 jin and was taller than a man when it stood up. Ma Shilong had to bring dozens of his personal guards to subdue it."
The Tianqi Emperor picked up another piece, and while eating, asked, "Where is Ma Shilong? I haven't seen him."
"He was inspecting the front lines. The Jurchens had been frequently relocating troops recently, so he dared not be careless."
The Tianqi Emperor put down his chopsticks and said, "Master Sun, how about I bestow upon Ma Shilong the title of 'General Who Hunts Bears'?"
Sun Chengzong was speechless. The Ming Dynasty had never had such an official position, "General Who Hunts Bears." This was not a compliment to Ma Shilong, but an insult. Did they want the whole world to know that Ma Shilong became a general by hunting a bear?
"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that this matter is not worth mentioning. If Your Majesty wishes to reward Ma Shilong, you may grant one of his sons the hereditary title of centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
"Alright!"
The Tianqi Emperor picked up his chopsticks and continued eating the bear paw, his mouth greasy with oil.
Meanwhile, in the capital, the secret meeting place of the Donglin Party was brightly lit.
Qian Qianyi sat at the head of the table, with a secret report just delivered from Liaodong spread out in front of him. He was so excited that he almost jumped up: "Gentlemen, the target has left Lushun and gone to Ningyuan."
Huang Daozhou frowned and said, "Brother Qian, what's there to be happy about? Ningyuan City is well-defended, and Sun Chengzong and Ma Shilong are both there, making it even more difficult for us to take action."
Qian Qianyi shook his head and said, "You're wrong. The target is Lushun, with Chen Boying's Shahe New Army by his side. Those soldiers only listen to Chen Boying, so we can't interfere. But the target is Ningyuan, with Sun Chengzong and Ma Shilong's men by his side. Although Sun Chengzong is loyal to the target, many of his men are ours and not of one mind with him. Besides, Nurhaci is afraid of Chen Boying, not Sun Chengzong. With the target in Lushun, he might not dare to move, and even if he does, he might not succeed. If Lushun falls, they can still leave by sea. No matter how strong the Jurchens are, they can't ride their horses to the sea. Now that the target is in Ningyuan, the Jurchens dare to move."
Ni Yuanlu whispered, "Brother Qian, are you really going to take this step? Once—we will be infamous for eternity—"
"To be infamous for eternity? The blame for the Tumu Crisis has already been pinned on Wang Zhen. It is Wang Zhen who will be infamous for eternity, not—" Qian Qianyi continued, "If this succeeds, the blame will also fall on Chen Boying. If he hadn't instigated the emperor to leave the capital, how could such a national calamity have occurred? Let the Jurchens deal with Sun Chengzong, Ma Shilong, and their targets. We just need to watch from the sidelines and clean up the mess when things get chaotic."
Huang Daozhou pondered for a moment and said, "But what if things fail—"
"Won't."
Qian Qianyi interrupted Huang Daozhou with a confident look, sneering, "If the Jurchens capture their target, it will be another Tumu Fortress. At that time, with the Crown Prince still young, won't we be in charge of all the important affairs of the court?"
Everyone fell silent. Although Qian Qianyi's plan was crazy, the problem was that it was in their interest. If the emperor hadn't insisted on favoring the two treacherous ministers, Chen Boying and Wei Zhongxian, they wouldn't have gone this far.
Of course, the emperor had brought this upon himself. If the Tianqi Emperor had been as lenient with the Donglin Party members as he had been when he first ascended the throne, how could the country have fallen into such a state? Under Wei Zhongxian's brutal rule, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was like a wolf or a tiger, and the Donglin Party members and their ministers were imprisoned one after another.
If Wei Zhongxian is allowed to run rampant, the Ming Dynasty will collapse. There is only Chen Boying, a foreman who has never studied or taken the imperial examinations. He has successfully gained the trust of the Tianqi Emperor by making things. Chen Boying is even more heinous. He has taken nepotism to the extreme. Poor craftsmen and impoverished military households, as long as they are his people, are all promoted to officials by him.
Official positions are public instruments of the imperial court; how could they be bestowed privately? Yet Chen Boying treated the imperial court as if it were his own personal fiefdom. Of course, they would never believe that they were wrong.
Qian Qianyi stood up, walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, and murmured, "This matter must be done discreetly."
We can't let anyone know that we were the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes —
Shenyang, the Palace of Sweating.
Nurhaci was deeply troubled. With Chen Boying's rise to power, his strength was growing, especially after the re-establishment of the Daming Commandery and the presence of over a dozen garrisons within Nurgan territory, which posed a constant threat. If Chen Boying hadn't been contained, the Jin dynasty might never have been able to establish a foothold in Liaodong. At this time, Nurhaci wasn't thinking about swallowing up the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming dynasty; he simply wanted to establish a Jin dynasty with the Jurchens, hoping to rival the Ming dynasty like the Liao dynasty had before.
The plans proposed by the officials of the Ming Dynasty are very tempting to him. If he can capture the emperor of the Ming Dynasty like Esen, he can call himself a Mongol and dominate Liaodong.
The problem is that Chen Boying, who is by the side of Emperor Tianqi, may only have 5,000 men, but these 5,000 men are more troublesome than the 50,000-strong Liaodong army.
"Father,"
Dai Shan walked in, holding a secret letter in his hand: "From Ning Yuan."
Nurhaci took the letter, glanced at it, and his pupils suddenly contracted: "The Tianqi Emperor is in Ningyuan? Is the news reliable?"
Dai Shan whispered, "The messenger said that they saw it with their own eyes. The Tianqi Emperor went to Ningyuan by boat from Lushun with only Sun Chengzong and Ma Shilong's men. Chen Boying stayed in Lushun to build the city and did not go with him."
Nurhaci paced back and forth, his eyes gleaming. He feared Chen Boying, the madman who had burned down his camp with the fire horse formation, the ruthless man who had made him vomit blood and retreat in defeat. But he wasn't afraid of Sun Chengzong or Ma Shilong. Of course, Sun Chengzong was difficult to deal with, but not invincible. As for Ma Shilong, he was just a warrior and not worth worrying about.
"Pass down the order," Nurhaci stopped, his gaze sharp as a knife. "The twelve banners shall assemble and set out within three days. Target: Ningyuan."
"Father, Chen Boying is still in Lushun. What if he attacks from behind—"
"He won't."
Nurhaci sneered, "The defenses of Lushun are not yet complete, so he dares not move. Besides, the Tianqi Emperor is in Ningyuan. If he leaves Lushun to rescue him, what will happen to Lushun? He will be overwhelmed. I will personally command this battle. Sun Chengzong and Ma Shilong are both my defeated opponents. Tianqi brat, I will teach him what it means to court disaster."
Daišan felt a little uneasy, but Nurhaci had already made his decision, so he had no choice but to comply.