prosperous age

Chapter 1133 1224 Yingjiang
Wei Guangde somewhat neglected the impact of the Liu Tai case on Zhang Juzheng, and also underestimated the impact of this incident on the court.

In fact, because the relationship between Wei Guangde and Feng Bao gradually became distant, many news in the palace were somewhat lacking if Chen Ju was the only one who could be relied upon as the informant. Feng Bao deliberately kept many things in the palace out of his control.

In fact, when Liu Tai impeached Zhang Juzheng for six crimes, it damaged Zhang Juzheng's personal reputation and image.

In his memorial, Liu Tai accused Zhang Juzheng of monopolizing power and appointing people based on personal connections. Although these accusations were eventually proven to be false, they had a negative impact on Zhang Juzheng's image and reputation.

Zhang Juzheng had to take harsh measures to deal with Liu Tai, which also caused a certain damage to his image and reputation among the court officials.

What Wei Guangde didn't know was that after the Liu Tai case broke out, Zhang Juzheng went to the inner court alone. He had to kneel down to confess his mistakes to the empress dowager and the young emperor and request to resign.

Although the emperor eventually retained him, this incident undoubtedly deepened the conflict between Zhang Juzheng and the empress dowager and the emperor, and increased his political risks.

In fact, after the Liu Tai case, the relationship between Zhang Juzheng and the emperor and the empress dowager began to become tense.

Liu Tai accused Zhang Juzheng of monopolizing power and appointing people based on personal connections, which was exactly what the inner court least wanted to see.

In the past two days, Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde held cabinet briefings. Zhang Juzheng seemed absent-minded and seemed to have something to say, but he did not open his mouth in the end.

Wei Guangde certainly knew about the rumors in the officialdom of the capital.

It would be strange if the Prime Minister had a good look on his face when something that had been gradually forgotten was brought up again.

It has to be said that this time Zhang Xueyan's fight against Liu Tai did not seem to be instigated by Zhang Juzheng.

But Wei Guangde was not sure. After all, at this position, the performance skills seemed to be quite good.

Zhang Juzheng must have hated Liu Tai deeply, so he would take revenge sooner or later.

It might be better to take revenge sooner rather than delaying it for years.

After all, at this critical juncture, apart from the introduction of the performance evaluation system, other policies were still being planned and the troops had not yet been deployed.

If we wait until later and start to make drastic reforms to the government, then that would not be a good time to move against Liu Tai.

"There is a will."

Wei Guangde was sitting in the duty room handling official business when suddenly a shrill voice came from outside the door.

Needless to say, Wei Guangde knew that it was the eunuch in the inner court who delivered the imperial edict.

Although generally when there is something, a note will be passed out from the palace, and if it is a government matter, it will be sent to the cabinet after approval, but in case of emergencies, eunuchs will also be sent to convey the order.

Wei Guangde immediately put down the memorial in his hand, stood up and went out to greet him.

After leaving the duty room, a eunuch was standing in the yard, with a young servant standing beside him.

All around, the clerks and secretaries serving in the cabinet stood respectfully.

This courtyard is opposite to Wei Guangde's duty room, so it is obvious that the decree was given to Wei Guangde.

After going out, Wei Guangde lifted up his clothes and fell to the ground, shouting "I will accept your order."

"The Empress Dowager has been informed that the Emperor has given an oral order, and the cabinet minister Wei Guangde has drafted an order to recruit Zhang Siwei to be promoted to Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, and to serve in the cabinet."

After the eunuch delivered the order, Wei Guangde kowtowed and accepted it.

"Eunuch Zhang, I just came from Ciqing Palace. Come in and take a rest."

Wei Guangde called the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict, and wanted to invite him in to sit down and ask about the situation in Ciqing Palace.

“Thank you for your concern, Lord Wei. After I pass on the message, I have to return to the palace to report.

I also ask Lord Wei to draft a memorial as soon as possible. Your Majesty and Your Majesty are both thinking about it.

Today, the Queen said that now that Lord Lu is recuperating at home, the state affairs are entrusted to the Prime Minister and Lord Wei. Didn’t the cabinet suggest adding more ministers? The Queen thought that if she added one more person, the two gentlemen wouldn’t have to work so hard. "

Eunuch Zhang was someone close to Empress Dowager Chen. Although Empress Dowager Chen didn't take charge of things, she actually sent someone from his side this time. Wei Guangde didn't know what was going on.

He could only send Eunuch Zhang away and planned to contact Chen Ju at night to ask him what was going on in the palace, but he did not want to alarm Empress Dowager Chen, who was indifferent to worldly affairs.

After returning to the duty room, Wei Guangde immediately drafted the decree.

The imperial edicts of the Ming Dynasty were generally issued to the outside world, and they needed to be written in a very flowery and elaborate manner with lots of good words. However, the imperial edicts for the promotion of officials in Beijing were actually very simple, and the writing went straight to the point.

Just appoint someone to a certain position and let him be in charge of certain matters, and that's it.

After finishing, Wei Guangde immediately called Lu Bu and asked him to arrange for someone to send it to the Silijian for seal.

As for the six departments, he doesn't need to worry about them at all.

Now the supervisory responsibilities of the six departments have been transferred from the emperor to the cabinet. Although they still have great power, they still have to act according to the cabinet's wishes most of the time.

This is the difference between the current management and the current management. In the past, the cabinet did not have control over the six departments, so they naturally had the capital to be proud and could compete with the emperor.

But now the emperor is young, and the power of the outer court has been transferred to the cabinet, so naturally he can only bow his head.

Wei Guangde knew that the news of Zhang Siwei joining the cabinet would spread soon, so he did not plan to inform Zhang Juzheng. Anyway, this was what he had always been eager to achieve.

In the past, when Lu Diaoyang was in the cabinet, it could be said that the cabinet was an iron triangle and could remain relatively stable.

As Lu Diaoyang recovers from his illness and Zhang Siwei enters the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng's voice among the cabinet ministers will undoubtedly increase greatly, as will his influence in the court.

With Zhang's assistance, Zhang Juzheng could speak much more confidently in the cabinet than Wei Guangde.

“Lending well, lending well.”

After the court session was over in the afternoon, Wei Guangde came out of the imperial city and was about to get into the sedan chair when he heard someone calling him.

He stopped and looked over. It was Tan Lun, who had come down from work earlier to wait for him here.

Wei Guangde came over, but Tan Lun pulled him aside and asked in a low voice, "Zhang Siwei entered the cabinet today. Did the Prime Minister say anything to you?"

"No, what happened?"

Wei Guangde said suspiciously.

There doesn't seem to be anything surprising today. They are all very ordinary official documents and can be drafted according to the rules.

In fact, he hadn't even seen a single memorial discussing the performance evaluation system in the past two days.

Yes, Zhang Juzheng had been promoting the performance evaluation system for quite some time. Even so, memorials opposing the system still appeared from time to time at the local level, probably because they believed that this policy would lead local officials to implement harsh policies for the sake of political achievements, resulting in the people's livelihood being in misery.

In this regard, Wei Guangde could only refer to Zhang Juzheng's draft, which reiterated the seriousness of the law.

What does that mean?

That is, if an official treats the people harshly, the court will naturally punish him.

But if the people are unwilling to pay taxes, it is understandable for officials to collect them. They cannot refuse to pay just because they have no money.

"Do you really not know or are you pretending not to know? After Zhang Siwei entered the cabinet, he always followed the Prime Minister's wishes. Your situation in the cabinet will be difficult in the future.

I told you a long time ago."

Tan Lun was about to continue speaking when Wei Guangde interrupted him in a low voice, "Brother Zili, of course I know about this, but who can stop you?
I was the one who drafted the decree. The cabinet discussed it many times before finally deciding on the candidate.

Put your worries back in your heart, they are not as serious as they are said to be."

This afternoon in the Prime Minister's duty room, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng chatted for a long time, but neither of them mentioned the matter of Zhang Siwei.

"Then you should be more careful in the cabinet in the future. I don't think the matter with Liu Tai will be resolved well this time."

Tan Lun said in a low voice. In the past few days, everyone in the officialdom of the capital has been discussing this matter quietly. Most people believe that this matter was instigated by Zhang Juzheng. Otherwise, even if Zhang Xueyan and Liu Tai were not on good terms in Liaodong, there is no need to add insult to injury at this time.

Everyone was saying that when Zhang Juzheng falsely pleaded for Liu Tai, he must have planned this moment in advance.

First, they stripped him of his official position, made him return home to disgrace himself, and then punished him.

According to the charges fabricated by Zhang Xueyan, Liu Tai's exile is almost a foregone conclusion.

If he had been exiled directly from the capital, at least he wouldn't have to return to his hometown and suffer the cold shoulder from his family during blind dates.

The Prime Minister was so petty that the officials around Wei Guangde naturally felt they were facing a formidable enemy. They were worried that Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng would come into conflict, and that Wei Guangde would suffer the consequences.

"Don't worry, although I don't completely agree with all of Uncle Brother's decisions, I still agree with those policies in general.

We will not argue with each other over state affairs. Don't worry, we will discuss everything in private."

Wei Guangde explained in a low voice.

"But we have to be on guard. We might offend him if we say that."

Tan Lun still insisted, "Do you still remember that during the Longqing period, the case of the Liao King being deposed was said to be the work of Zhang Juzheng behind the scenes?"

Wei Guangde was stunned when he heard this. He also remembered this case at the time but he didn't tell anyone. He didn't expect that someone in the capital would dig up the old story.

There is no way. There have been rumors that Zhang Juzheng’s grandfather was killed by the King of Liao, although there is no evidence.

At first, no one believed it, but Zhang Juzheng remained silent in the case of the dethronement of the King of Liao.

Naturally, the rumor started to spread afterwards.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Wei Guangde immediately whispered, "The dethronement of the King of Liao was related to his misconduct, and it has nothing to do with Uncle Da."

"Which vassal king is not like this when he behaves improperly?"

Tan Lun said disdainfully, and told Wei Guangde mysteriously at the end, "As far as I know, the death of Uncle Zhang's great grandfather was indeed related to the King of Liao. It is said that the King of Liao was jealous of him because of his natural intelligence."

"Hey, nonsense. Uncle Zhang was very smart when he was young. I heard that rumor from someone before, but you didn't believe it. If he was really envied by the King of Liao, he would have a hundred ways to kill him. He would not wait until he passed the imperial examination to take revenge."

What Wei Guangde said was his true feelings. He did not really believe the rumors at the time.

The young Zhang Juzheng was quite talented and was a famous "child prodigy" in the local area.

If the King of Liao really didn't like him, he could just kill him directly. He wouldn't be afraid of anyone causing trouble.

It would be quite troublesome to take action against Zhang Juzheng after he gained fame.

"Anyway, just be careful when dealing with him and don't fall into his trap."

Tan Lun still reminded quietly.

"Nothing today?"

"Well, it's okay."

"Let's go to my house and have a drink."

Wei Guangde said.

"Alright."

Tan Lun did not refuse and nodded in agreement.

The two of them returned to their sedan chairs, and the two sedan chairs quickly headed towards Nanxunfang.

Wei Guangde contacted Chen Ju today, but he replied that he had to be on duty in the Qianqing Palace tonight and could not come out, so the appointment was made for tomorrow.

Just then, Tan Lun came over and he was too lazy to look for anyone else.

"bang bang bang"

On the banks of the Yingjiang River in western Yunnan, the scene that happened on the banks of the Lujiang River a few days ago was repeated.

The Lujiang defense line that the Burmese King Mang Yinglong placed his hopes on naturally failed to stop the attack of the Ming army. As soon as he left, the Ming army crossed the river behind him, captured Lujiang City in half a day, and continued to follow.

The river network in western Yunnan is dense. Although Commander Mang Yinglong crossed the Ruili River first, he was still blocked on the bank of Yingjiang River by the pursuing Ming army.

"Hurry, speed up and cross the river."

This time, Mang Yinglong had no intention of guarding the river bank and comforting his soldiers. He took his personal soldiers and crossed the river first.

Other generals and chieftains made the same choice as him. They all chose to cross the river first to avoid being surrounded by the Ming army on the other side.

Even his most precious elephant soldiers could not be taken care of at this time.

What is a crushing defeat? This is a crushing defeat.

Even though the Burmese army's strength is now equal to that of the pursuing Ming army, they have lost the courage to turn back and fight again.

Looking at the messy army on the other side, Mang Yinglong felt mixed emotions.

In order to delay the Ming army's offensive speed and cover more people crossing the river, Mang Yinglong has sent the remaining elephant troops to cover their retreat, hoping to use the thick skin and flesh of war elephants to delay time as much as possible. At the beginning, he was a little worried that the soldiers on the other side would no longer obey his orders.

Fortunately, the news that came back reassured him that the elephant corps had gathered the remaining 200-odd war elephants and launched an attack on the Ming army behind them.

At this time, the rumbling sound of cannons coming from the far side of the river was obviously the encounter between the Ming army's vanguard and the elephant soldiers who were left behind.

Mang Yinglong felt heartbroken when he thought about the hundreds of war elephants he had trained with so much effort being lost in vain.

"Hanba, Mengboluo, go to the other side and organize the soldiers to cross the river. They are too slow to board the boats now."

Because there was no leader on the other side, everyone swarmed on the river bank. It was quite difficult for the Burmese transport ships to leave the shore every time because many soldiers were unwilling to give up the hope of survival.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Hanba and Mengboluo both clasped their fists in response.

"If it is impossible, you can lead your people to retreat from Ming through Tiebi Pass along Yingjiang River."

On the left and right of the lower reaches of Yingjiang River are Tiebi Pass and Nanya Pass.

There are towering mountains all around, and it is only because of the existence of Yingjiang that there is a small open space by the river for the army to move around.

Among them, Nanyaguan is the most convenient for large-scale military operations, while the road to Tiebiguan is even narrower and more dangerous, and large-scale military forces will not pass through it unless necessary.

Now, the Burmese king could only let Hanba and his men leave from Tiebi Pass. It was obvious that the situation had become very bad, and he had to split his troops into two groups, hoping to distract the Ming army's pursuit.

On this side, Mang Yinglong was taking emergency measures and arranging influential leaders to go to the other side to command, while on the other hand he had to worry about the next journey.

After passing Yingjiang, to enter Mengyang smoothly, you have to cross the Jinsha River.

However, he believed that this journey would be much better. He had already sent an order to his son Mang Yingli, asking him to find as many ferries as possible.

In front of the Ming army, dozens of Portuguese cannons were arranged in two staggered rows and fired at the Burmese war elephants rushing towards them.

After the attack, many war elephants were running around in the formation, constantly colliding with each other, and from time to time Burmese soldiers were thrown off the backs of the elephants.

"Ready your muskets, aim at the Burmese soldiers on the elephants' backs, and shoot."

In front of the Ming army, guerrilla Chen Tao shouted.