"Mr. Fan, please say it in detail."

Huang Taiji's eyes flashed, and he was obviously interested in Fan Wencheng's suggestions.

"The emperor, according to the detailed retribution of my memorial place in the Ming Dynasty, Li Xiao once proposed to Emperor Chongzhen that he would discuss peace with our Qing Dynasty. Although the specific conditions for peacekeeping are not clear, this matter is said to be reported from Wen Tiren, the chief assistant of the Ming Dynasty, and it should be credible." Fan Wencheng said in a low voice.

"Oh, is that right? Li Xiao repeatedly slapped our army's spirit, but he was not yet blinded by the victory. He actually wanted to discuss peace with the Qing Dynasty to achieve long-term goals. It can be seen that he was clear-headed and could judge the situation. This person is really a rare general in the Ming Dynasty." Huang Taiji stroked the sparse beard on the fat man's face and sighed for himself, and then asked Fan Wencheng: "With the view of Fan Xueshu, will Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty adopt Li Xiaozhi's advice?"

"Report to the emperor, I think Chongzhen will not be able to accept Li Xiao's plan."

"Oh, why did Mr. Fan say this?"

"Emperor, Chongzhen is a man of ordinary talent, narrow-minded, has a good face and loves fame, and is especially afraid of taking responsibility. Li Xiao's suggestion will definitely attract fierce opposition from a group of people who are not aware of the ancients and think of themselves as noble. However, under the collective opposition of the pro-war faction who cannot see the situation and a group of court officials who only care about the reputation of the Qing Dynasty, I dare to conclude that Chongzhen, who was already weak and suspicious, would definitely not have the courage and determination to accept Li Xiao's suggestions."

After Fan Wencheng finished speaking, Huang Taiji on the dragon throne nodded repeatedly.

"What Mr. Fan said is very clear about people, and I look at it. I think that Chongzhen could not even control the small smuggling merchants. It was difficult for him to take on the important responsibility of peace with the Qing Dynasty amidst the scolding."

Huang Taiji paused and asked again: "What does Fan Xueshu's plan to kill people by borrowing a knife have to do with Li Xiaozhi's suggestion?"

"Your Majesty, do you still remember the Emperor's plan to ask Chongzhen to kill Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Ji Liao?" A trace of ferociousness flashed across Fan Wencheng's face.

"You mean, let me use the counter-espionage plan to kill Li Xiao like I was like I was rid of Yuan Chonghuan back then?" Huang Taiji's eyes lit up.

"That's exactly what it means." Fan Wencheng said hurriedly: "We can ask me to do something in detail and spread rumors in Beijing, saying that the reason why Li Xiao proposed to discuss peace with us was that he secretly received bribes and benefits from the emperor, and that the emperor had promised this person. Once he led his troops to return, he would be granted the title of king and prince. Therefore, Li Xiao had already become rebellious and was in the Ming Dynasty's heart. The reason why this person vigorously promoted peace talks between the Ming and the Qing Dynasty was that he wanted to seek personal gain through peace talks. Then when the time was ripe, he would rebel against the Ming and return to the Qing Dynasty and leave."

"Haha, Mr. Fan's strategy is interesting, let's continue." Huang Taiji nodded and smiled.

"Report to the emperor, I think that after taking such a trick, Emperor Chongzhen was already suspicious and suspicious of his subordinates. He would be very confused about such rumors. And a group of court officials who had long been disgusted with Li Xiaomu's outstanding appearance in the forest would seize the opportunity and attack and impeach Li Xiao. Then, the best result would be that Chongzhen put Li Xiao in prison and even executed to eliminate future troubles. In general, Li Xiao would probably be transferred from Shandong, stay idle, and then secretly restrained. The worst result should be that Chongzhen and Li Xiao were suspicious, and they would be resentful to each other. From then on, the king and his ministers were separated and dispersed. Therefore, in my opinion, no matter which result, it would be a heavy blow to Li Xiao. In the Qing Dynasty, I just need to sit in the mountains and watch the tiger fight."

After Fan Wencheng said this long passage, he smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, it's really a good plan! Fan Xueshi thought of such a good plan, which is indeed a rare think tank for my Qing Dynasty. Just let you go and arrange it, I will be here to watch this good show of fighting between the king and the minister of the Ming Dynasty!" Huang Taiji grinned, his eyes narrowed, and his smile turned into two thin lines.

"However, if Li Xiao really comes to vote for me, the reward I give him will never be inferior to Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming. Chongzhen cannot use such a good minister, tiger general, but I will use it!" Huang Taiji stood up and walked slowly for a few steps, with a look of expectation on his face: "I lost Yang Guli and Tan Tai, like losing two deer, but being able to get Li Xiao is like getting a tiger."

A hint of jealousy flashed across Fan Wencheng's face, and he hurriedly bowed and said, "I am obeying the sages."

......

At the end of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, it was the last time that the hot autumn tiger was rampant.

There was no breeze in the entire city of Beijing, only the cicadas on the trees, hissing after sound, adding a lot of anxiety and sultry to the entire palace under the scorching sun.

Luo Yangxing, the commander of the Jinyiwei, held a secret sound in his hand, and ran towards the Ganqing Palace against the hot and tormented sun that was noon.

He ran and sweated profusely. The official uniforms of the third-rank commander made of thin silk were soaked in sweat, but Luo Yangxing did not dare to stop running at all.

Not long after, he ran to the gate of the Ganqing Palace. Before he could breathe, he was announced to the audience by Emperor Chongzhen.

Emperor Chongzhen was on the dragon throne and looked at the secret music sent by Luo Yangxing, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and quickly read it, he gritted his teeth and kneaded the secret music into a wrinkled ball, and threw it hard on the imperial stairs.

Luo Yangxing knelt on the ground, and he didn't dare to show his vigor.

"Hmph, as the commander of the Jinyiwei, you have not obtained any major information about the bandits and the Tartars, and it is really useless! The rumors on the streets and alleys now make you so anxious and come to report it. You said that this letter is a report of guesswork, so why is it useful!"

Chongzhen's words were filled with anger and bored, and he floated coldly from the dragon throne.

"Reported to the emperor, he is incompetent and ineffective in his duties, and he is unable to investigate the Tartars and bandits, so he asks the emperor to punish him. However, I am also worried. If this rumors are true, then Li Xiao really has a disobedient heart. If the court obeys it, he may regret it too late. He is the commander of the Jinyiwei. If he does not report it according to the truth, he will also be suspected of dereliction of duty." Luo Yangxing lay on the ground and replied in a low voice.

On the dragon throne, speechless for a long time.

"Luo Yangxing, are your secret comments true?" After a while, Chongzhen's words came over coldly and lifelessly.

"Report to the emperor, I have sent people to explore the capital everywhere, and this kind of rumors is indeed circulating. I dare not delay it, so I came to report to the emperor urgently."

There was another silence above.

"Okay, you go back." Chongzhen waved his hand irritably.

"yes!"

Luo Yangxing breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and retreated quickly.

After he stepped down, Chongzhen sat silently and recalled the contents of the secret memo and felt inexplicably upset.

The content of this secret message is: Now in the capital, there is Li Xiao, the governor of Shandong Chifeng Guard, circulating on the streets and alleys. He secretly colluded with the Qing court and accepted a large bribe from the Qing Dynasty. Only when his subordinates had already won the victory, he deliberately asked the court to negotiate peace with the Qing Dynasty in order to take advantage of both of his own and seek personal gain.

There is even more sensational point in this letter: Li Xiao is very treacherous and loyal, and he is insatiable. Seeing that the court did not accept it, he felt resentful. The Tartars even agreed to the position of Prince Li Xiao as the prince, and just waited for the people to come and surrender, and immediately rewarded him. Li Xiao's rebellion was settled, and when the conditions were ripe, he wanted to rebel against the Ming Dynasty and lead the entire Chifeng Guards to surrender to the Qing Dynasty.

To be honest, Emperor Chongzhen's first impression after reading this memorial was that it was purely some boring villain, making up meaninglessly, so he was so angry and angry at Luo Yangxing, the commander of the Jinyiwei who reported the memorial.

But now that he calmed down, he found that he had begun to inexplicably doubt this matter, and there might be something that needs to be true.

The main points that made Chongzhen suspicious are the following:

1. The general of the Ming Dynasty had a large number of people from south to north. Why did Li Xiao, a single pass, rebel instead of others?

2. Li Xiao severely attacked the Qing army that entered the pass some time ago and won a lot of results. In theory, he could have sang high-profile, performed his achievements, and invited the emperor's favor. But why did he persuade me to discuss peace with the Tartars when he was scolded by the pro-war faction and a group of Qingliu? Could it be that this was not as high-sounding as Li Xiao said, but there were indeed many things that could not be told?

3. The rumors say that the Tartars would grant him the position of princes. So, compared with the empty title of left governor and the prince Shaobao whom he had given him, it was much more attractive. Will Li Xiao really remain loyal?

Thinking of this, Chongzhen felt more upset, and there were even more loss mixed in it.

Chongzhen discovered that he seemed to have become increasingly relied on this little governor Li Xiao, Li Xiao, who had become more and more important to the small Red Feng Governor Li Xiao over the years. Over the years, Li Xiao had participated in every victory over the rebels and the Tartars. Although Li Xiao did not appear as the protagonist, who knows the real truth?

Will this kind of country Gancheng, which is deeply relied on by itself, really betrayal?

The young emperor could not find the answer in his heart.

He thought for a long time, turned his head and shouted impatiently to the eunuch serving beside him: "Go, go and call Changqing over. I have something to ask him."

"Yes, I obey the order."

Half an hour later, Wen Tiren came hurriedly.

After listening to Emperor Chongzhen's brief description and reading Luo Yangxing's secret commentary, he suddenly felt inexplicable joy.

Haha, Li Xiao, Li Xiao, seeing that you were so arrogant that day, you dared to attack the rich people in Jiangnan, and you wanted to use my family wealth to invite favor to the emperor. Today, I want to take this opportunity to punish you well!

"I report to Your Majesty, I think that Commander Luo's secret report should be credible." Wen Tiren whispered.

"Oh, why did Changqing think so?"

"Your Majesty, after Li Xiao defeated the Qing army that day, he did not seek credit for himself, but instead advised His Majesty to discuss peace with the Qing emperor. This matter is very suspicious. I had some doubts that day, but after all, there was no real evidence, so it was not easy to blame him out of thin air. Now it seems that Li Xiao, under the temptation of the Tartars' heavy money and official position, had a rebellious intention and was not entirely groundless."

Wen Tiren's face was calm and he finished speaking these words of heart-killing words.

In the hot weather, Chongzhen's face was instantly covered with a layer of frost.

"With your opinion, I should just deal with Li Xiao as appropriate?" Chongzhen said this with a tense face.

Wen Tiren was secretly happy when he saw Chongzhen coming to his heart. A trace of vicious expression flashed in his eyes and raised his voice and said, "Your Majesty, in the opinion of my ministers, there must be a reason for the rumors. Such matters related to the safety of the country must not be ignored. Although you cannot convict Li Xiao just by rumors, you can summon Li Xiao to Beijing first and conduct a strict interrogation of the Jinyiwei. If you have evidence of Li Xiao colluding with the Qing emperor, you must immediately put Li Xiao in prison and punish him severely. If you cannot find evidence of Li Xiao's crime of communicating with the enemy, your Majesty cannot easily release this person. You can transfer him to another place and serve as a free position to eliminate future troubles. In this way, you can prevent him from resentment because of Your Majesty's interrogation, and thus lead the military and civilians to rebel against the Qing court in the north, which will cause our Ming Dynasty to suffer significant losses."

After Wen Tiren finished speaking, his eyes were full of expectations and looked at Chongzhen.

Chongzhen on the dragon throne frowned and remained silent.

Seeing that the emperor was silent, Wen Tiren continued, "Is Your Majesty worried about Li Xiao's achievements in the past? It's just that I think that disasters often accumulate in a small way. Li Xiao won the hearts of His Majesty and made contributions to the country, but he really wanted to join the Tartars, but he must be careful."

Chongzhen said with a tense face: "Changqing, this matter is still a rumor and there is no evidence. I can only rely on rumors to let Li Xiao go to Beijing for trial. In this way, wouldn't it be a shame for the soldiers in the world?"

"Your Majesty, because of this, the matter is still in the rumor stage. Only then can we prevent problems before they happen. If Li Xiao really arrives at the time when he leads his people to the Tartars, what other laws can the court do?" Wen Tiren said anxiously, and immediately coughed several times, and then said anxiously: "It is very normal for Your Majesty to summon military generals to the capital. Even if Li Xiao has made contributions, he is still a minister of the Ming Dynasty. Is it impossible to even order him to go to the capital to interrogate the truth? If so, how can Your Majesty maintain his power and what is the face of the court?"

After hearing Wen Tiren's aggressive words, Chongzhen, who sat like a puppet on the dragon throne, looked dull and said nothing.

Chongzhen suddenly remembered that when Zhang Fengyi, the Minister of War, attacked Li Xiao, Wen Tiren also came forward to plead for Li Xiao and persuaded himself to reward Huangxian and Zhaoyuan to Li Xiao. The words were still in his ears, as if yesterday.

But now, Wen Tiren, the chief assistant who once had a strong eye on Li Xiaoqing, attacked Li Xiao without any mercy, intending to give Li Xiao a heavy blow. The world is really easy to change.

Chongzhen was not a fool. He knew in his heart that the reason why Wen Tiren had the opportunity now was to attack Li Xiao. It must be because Li Xiao proposed that he should collect heavy taxes on wealthy families in Jiangnan. This family had a lot of money and could be the richest man in Wucheng, Zhejiang. He hated him extremely, so he killed him to serve as a warning to others.

This is what is called "no eternal friends, only eternal interests".

But, can you really follow Wen Tiren’s advice?

The young emperor was in a mess.

"Your Majesty, if you should break it, you should break it and avoid chaos." Seeing that the emperor was hesitant, Wen Tiren quickly added.

Chongzhen pondered for a while, but did not immediately reply to Wen Tiren, but said lightly: "Changqing, please step down first. I still need to think about this matter."

Wen Tiren opened his mouth, and he looked unwilling to respond helplessly and left.

After Wen Tiren left, Chongzhen, with a solemn expression on his face, ordered to the eunuch standing beside him: "Go, call Yang Wenruo, the new Minister of War Yang. I have something to ask him."
Chapter completed!