: Unlocking the Heart

When Tang Feng woke up, it was noon the next day. During this period, he had not completely relaxed his sleep. Whether in the Mongolian grassland or in Liaoyang, Jindu, he was always alert, fearing that someone would not benefit him or that he would be seen by others. But now he returned to Ningyuan and the territory of the Ming Dynasty, he finally slept comfortably.

Feeling that he was in the original room and feeling the familiar atmosphere here, Tang Feng smiled at the corner of his mouth, and the burden in his heart was finally completely removed. But then he thought of what Yuan Chonghuan said yesterday. Wang Kai and others died in battle that day because of covering him, and he felt heavy again.

After sighing, Tang Feng got up and walked outside. Two Ming soldiers stood outside the room. After seeing him coming out, he hurriedly saluted and said, "Mr. Tang, Lord Yuan had just come to see you before and found that you were still sleeping, so he left first. He said that when he woke up, he asked you to go to the command post to meet him. He still had something to ask you about."

Tang Feng smiled gently and nodded, "I understand, I'll go to the command post now." When he came to the command post, Tang Feng saw several horses tied there. Seeing that the dust on the horse seemed to be trekking, Tang Feng just thought that there was an important military newspaper or the imperial court had issued some orders, and immediately walked in. The soldiers guarding the gate looked respectful when they saw Tang Feng, as if he was already the biggest hero in everyone's mind, which made Tang Feng feel a little unbearable.

When Tang Feng came to the hall and saw the person sitting there, he was stunned. Yuan Chonghuan was sitting at the lower head, while a vigorous old man sat in the upper position. Although he seemed to have grown older and his hair and beard became even more gray, he did not look like a little mentally. He was Sun Chengzong mentioned last night when Yuan Chonghuan mentioned Sun Chengzong. Seeing Tang Feng walking in, a smile of appreciation appeared on Sun Chengzong's face.

After being stunned, Tang Feng immediately stepped into the hall and bowed and said, "Sir Tang Feng has met the lord!" Although Tang Feng knelt down and called him "Teacher" when Sun Chengzong was ordered to return to Beijing that day, the two of them did not establish a relationship between teachers and students. Now they are on such a formal occasion, so Tang Feng only followed the official ceremony to see Sun Chengzong.

Seeing this, Sun Chengzong quickly got up and paid the salute for a while. Then he smiled and looked at the young man who kept him in mind. After a while, he said, "Okay, if you can come back safely, I will have a broken heart."

Tang Feng said even though he didn't dare. After each of them sat down and greeted each other for a few words, Tang Feng looked at Yuan Chonghuan strangely: "Brother Element, I don't know if it was because I had an illusion because I drank too much yesterday. I remember that you said yesterday that you had passed the news that I was here to Lord Sun. I am also planning to visit Lord Shanhaiguan today and tomorrow. Why did Lord Sun come today?"

"You remember correctly. Element really sent someone to report to me. I came here overnight after receiving this news." Sun Chengzong smiled. Tang Feng immediately stood up and said, "How can this be done? Whether it is the official or the age, it should be the old one. It is really a sin to be flattered by the old one!"

"Okay, besides this superior and subordinate official, you and me are more in friendship. Although I am a few years older than you and have a higher position than you, but friends are more important to know each other, why should I pay attention to these false rituals?" Sun Chengzong said disrespectfully, "And you came from the north and must be exhausted. How can you let you travel a long distance to see me again? Now, as the governor of Liaodong, it is also worth coming to Ningyuan to take a look!"

Seeing that Sun Chengzong said this, Tang Feng naturally couldn't hold on any longer, so he had to sit back after another bow. Sun Chengzong smiled and said, "Yizhi, the reason why I came to see you so anxiously today is that on the one hand, I wanted to see you. After you had an accident, I was always worried. Now I don't have any problems with seeing you, but I also feel more healthy. On the other hand, I have something to be assured and I want to enlighten you in person."

"The boy was reckless and careless and fell into the Jin man's plan. He was so ashamed. What kind of teachings did the adults have? But it's okay! It was just that I didn't notice that day that the army fell into the ambush of the Jin man. I..."

"This is what I want to say!" Sun Chengzong interrupted Tang Feng's self-blame words and said in a stern manner: "I knew you would be regretful after learning about Zhen Ziming and Wang Kai, and then I was in a hurry to see you."

Tang Feng looked at the old man in front of him in confusion, wondering what he meant: "Sir, this..."

"Victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Even if I lead the troops themselves, I dare not say that I could block the more than 100,000 troops of Jianlu with just 20,000 or 30,000 troops. But you did it with such a few troops, which made me feel very pleased and knew that I had not read the wrong person. But there will always be casualties in the battle. Since you want to kill the enemy, you must think that you will be defeated by the enemy. Therefore, you don't have to take the previous defeat at all. Moreover, most of the 30,000 troops were condemned by the Gaodi, and he was the one who had to take responsibility. Now that he has been heavily blamed by the court, you should not take this matter in your heart. After all, we have won this battle, and we must not weaken our momentum because of any damage. This is the way to use troops, and our morale can be boosted and not let go!"

"Yes, the officials have been taught!" Tang Feng said respectfully. But he was still not relieved, and this fell into Sun Chengzong's eyes. He said again: "This Ningyuan war, you not only blocked dozens of powerful attacks from the Jin people, but also injured tens of thousands of Jin soldiers. Even if we lost 30,000 troops, it was just a matter of killing the enemy, so you don't have to be too sad at all. Killing one thousand enemies will damage eight hundred by yourself. In this way, the generals must have such awareness." Speaking of this, Sun Chengzong picked up a teacup and drank a sip of tea. After asking Tang Feng to accept his words first, he continued: "What's more, the real result of this war is not to kill the enemy, but to attack the enemy and to increase the morale of our Ming army soldiers.

"For a long time, we can only fight Jiannu by relying on our military advantages, but after this battle, our soldiers have greatly enhanced their confidence in killing the enemy. They no longer have fear of Jiannu. I think that in the future, if there is a lonely city facing Jiannu's siege, they will not give up easily. As for Jiannu, this battle will inevitably hurt morale and the morale of the army. At least in a short period of time, it is impossible to launch troops to attack again. With such a good result in front of us, even if these individuals are damaged, it is a good thing for our Ming Dynasty, so you can let it go."

Tang Feng thought carefully that this was true. In wars, people always die. As long as he learns this lesson in the future, be more careful in the future and makes fewer soldiers sacrifice, he will be worthy of the Ming army soldiers who died for him. He nodded and said, "Tang Feng has been taught, and I will no longer be sad because of guilt!"

Yuan Chonghuan also smiled and said, "That's good. With your words, Yizhi doesn't have to carry such a burden." Speaking of this, he quickly changed the topic and said, "Yizhi, when you were drunk yesterday, you told me what the best time to use military forces against the Jin people. Is this true or false? Have you ever been to the Jin Kingdom?"

Tang Feng then recovered and immediately described in detail what he had experienced over the past few months, from his experience in the Mongolian grassland to his instigating internal disputes among the Jin people, and then said: "If Huang Taiji had not lie, the thief chief Nurhaci should have been dead now, and Huang Taiji also had a conflict with his brothers and nobles in the court because of fighting for power and profit. Internal unrest will inevitably create a great opportunity for us to counterattack. Now we have just defeated their invading army again, and our morale is strong. Lord Sun, why don't we take this great opportunity to send troops to attack the Jin people?"

"What happened?" Yuan Chonghuan said in surprise and joy. He really didn't expect that Ningyuan's defense battle would hurt the thief chief Nurhaci, so he took the lead before Sun Chengzong said, "This is indeed a great opportunity for us to counterattack. Grandmaster, we should indeed send troops to the Northeast as Yizhi said, and catch them off guard!"

Sun Chengzong also showed joy on his face, but he was more sophisticated than the two of them after all, saying, "If this matter is really possible, it is possible to send troops, but now my Liaodong troops may not be enough. To deal with Jiannu, we must dispatch troops to the court. However, Wei Yi's party is worried about handing over many of the people to me. Moreover, although this matter was done by Yizhi, you personally, it is just your side words after all. You must act cautiously in such a big matter, so if you want to send troops, you have to wait for a while."

When Tang Feng thought about it, he felt that what he said was very reasonable. He was indeed a little too anxious, so he said, "Sir, we can send spies to Jiannu's place to find out the news first. If they really get into chaos, we will send troops again. Moreover, I also sent someone to assassinate Huang Taiji, who is now in charge of the Jin Dynasty's government. If he dies, the chaos in the Jin Dynasty will deepen further, and it will be easier for us to deal with them.

"I also want to report to the Lord. The Korqin tribe of Mongolia also intends to join forces with our Ming Dynasty. Although we are now sending troops to attack them because we cannot know the situation of the Jin Dynasty, we can seize this opportunity to talk to the Mongolian people. One more alliance will eventually be a good thing for our Ming Dynasty."

Sun Chengzong smiled with relief: "You can think about things like this, which means that the 30,000 troops have never been sacrificed in vain. But what we are going to do now is not these things, but to report the news of your survival to the court, and then tell the great things you did in Mongolia and the Jurchens, so that the court will make the decision for you! As for the alliance with the Mongolian people, it still needs the approval of the court, and I will also ask the court for it according to the letter."
Chapter completed!