Jingming

Chapter 468: Giving a chance doesn’t work

Lu Bing hesitated to speak, but did not move.

So Zhu Houcong noticed the movement and raised his head to look at him again: "What?"

"Your Majesty is about to send troops..." Lu Bing gritted his teeth, "I think it is true that some honorable relatives invited Tibetan monks to join the government, but if it is just because of this... it is making a fuss. Your Majesty knows it clearly, to be honest, In fact, in the houses of many honorable relatives, there are ladies who want to do these things. As for the honorable relatives... some of them don’t care, and some don’t even think of going there.”

Zhu Houcong frowned: "According to what you said, you can't do it even if you try two or three companies? Lu Bing, you have been helping people more and more recently."

His words were serious, and Lu Bing immediately knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me! Your Majesty has clearly shown you, and I am also loyal. I think that instead of beating, it is better to investigate secretly. With solid evidence, it is more natural to accuse Tubo, and it is more important to alert all ministers." efficient."

Zhu Houcong was thoughtful and let him get up first.

After a while, he asked: "Since you didn't write clearly, you must have an idea. Which company may have a problem?"

"...If Your Majesty really wants me to investigate, I would like my consort to also meet with Your Majesty to support each other."

When Zhu Houcong heard this, he became serious and immediately said to Huang Jin: "Go and declare!"

It stands to reason that at night like now, the current emperor has begun to deal with less state affairs.

But Lu Bingben just sent the report as usual before he was due to leave, and then he was left behind.

Yu Chengye had already returned to the palace, and now that he heard the call, he hurriedly entered the palace.

In the night, he went directly to Qianqing Palace and walked into Xinuang Pavilion.

One of the two is Zhu Houcong's brother-in-law, and the other is his brother-in-law.

Zhu Houcong then looked at Lu Bing: "Can we talk now?"

Lu Bing looked at Yu Chengye and then said: "Dong Cheng, Marquis of Xianning, Ding Xibo."

Yu Chengye was shocked.

One is Zhu Xizhong, the president of the Construction Bureau, the other is Qiu Luan, who was transferred to the chief military officer of Yunnan because the King of Yue went to Yunnan Province last year, and the other is Jiang Fu, the general person in charge of the grain storage account in Sichuan.

"If you need Maoxian's evidence, you should speak first!"

Zhu Houcong already had some guesses in his mind.

When Zhu Feng ascended the throne, Zhu Houcong had already promulgated the rule that if a kinsman had no merit, he would be demoted and replaced. He was the Marquis of Chengguo at the time, and he had made contributions in the logistics transfer during the Outer-Dian War. Only then was he restored to dukedom and took over the position of the British Duke Zhang Lun in charge of the Huangming Assets Bureau. During his time in Yunnan, he laid the foundation.

Jiang Fu was also a "victim" of being demoted and replaced. His ancestor was Jiang Gui, Marquis of Dingxi. He followed Zhu Di to fight since the Battle of Jingnan, and went south to Annan with Zhang Fu. He made many military exploits during Taizu's northern campaign. During the Xuande period, he pacified Songpan when he was garrisoning in Sichuan. In the early years of Zhengtong, he drove away Adai Khan and Duoer Zhibo from Gansu, and then led a large army to conquer Luchuan in the south... It can be said that from Yongle to the early years of Zhengtong, Jiang Gui was the military commander of the Ming Dynasty. One of the manifestations of abundant virtue.

However, there are few successors.

As for Qiu Luan... he was a marquis before the new policy, so he is still a marquis. For so many years, Zhu Houcong didn't exist and didn't give Qiu Luan a chance, but it didn't count as reusing him.

It should be said that there is indeed a prejudice, because in Zhu Houcong's mind, Qiu Luan is war-fearing, greedy for profit, and even betrays the country. This time, Zhu Houcong sent Qiu Luan, who was thirty-seven and in his prime, to Yunnan to see if he could make meritorious deeds along with Mu Shaoxun.

Unexpectedly, Lu Bing noticed something was wrong with him now.

"Your Majesty, this is Yunnan-Guizhou Chidao, a border city in Yunnan." Lu Bing said concisely and comprehensively, "Therefore, Duke Cheng has a shadow in Yunnan, and the Dingxi family has many heirs. The Xianning Marquis' commander-in-chief in Yunnan has greater authority. Precious stones and ivory are both good products. Most importantly, the Ming Dynasty no longer lacks horses, but Tubo still lacks tea."

Zhu Houcong looked at Yu Chengye with a sullen face: "After the Pujin Bridge incident, you just checked the accounts of the companies under the Assets Bureau. Are there any clues?"

Yu Chengye said truthfully: "Of course there are no big problems with the accounts within the company. But I don't have the power to thoroughly investigate the relationships among other descendants, relatives, and friends of each family. If you want to thoroughly investigate, then now it's time for the business Co-organized by the ministry.”

Lu Bing said: "On my side, people from the Yunnan and Sichuan special service teams have heard some rumors. The King of Yue has been in Kunming for more than a year. Now that the generals from the provinces have come to Beijing to discuss matters and have been mobilized, I am afraid that a war will begin. . With the war, business is temporarily impossible. In the dangerous places of Yunnan and Tubo, to be honest, the Marquis of Xianning is not known for his courage and good fighting ability in the army. He has led the army for many years, and if he can be said to have merit, he can only be said to have served in the Beijing camp in the past. He made a small contribution during the riot. The ministers at the time also happened to meet him, and to be honest, it was not considered dangerous."

"...Qiu Luan has only been in Yunnan for more than a year." Zhu Houcong looked at Lu Bing, "Is he also involved in the business in Yunnan's border market?"

"The two brothers of Marquis Xianning, Qiu Feng and Qiu Peng, are now engaged in the jade and ivory business. This was the thread that Marquis Pinghu and others who helped to pacify Outer Yunnan with Marquis Xianning in the rebellion in Beijing. The old father of the Marquis of Xianning, who was unable to seize the title due to his disability, actually had the energy to open a rice shop the year before last. The person who supplied him was the cousin of Jiang Fu, the uncle of Dingxi. There was a lot of fertile land in Sichuan's grain reserve. Uncle Dingxi didn't dare It delays the important task of grain storage in the grain storage account, but the total amount of private grain in Sichuan and grain collected from Myanmar and other places is not small. Furthermore, the grain that goes into the warehouse does not need to be that good."

Hearing this, Zhu Houcong's face became gloomy.

Although these things were not unexpected, such problems were bound to occur in the Ming Dynasty over time.

What makes him depressed is: Qiu Luan, this guy, obviously gave him a chance, but he was clamoring to take the route of military merit, but he has been thinking of ways to make money for so many years. Not only that, now that he was in the border area, facing the opportunity of making great achievements, his family actually interacted with Tibetan monks at this very moment.

Needless to say, if the war in the southwest is difficult to fight, these people who have now formed a chain of interests will still be able to profit from stable trade with Tubo and outer Yunnan. Qiu Luan himself does not need to go deep into the harsh environment of outer Yunnan to fight, lest he lose his life.

He lost to Li Quanli in the exercise. Hasn't he made any progress after all these years?

When Yu Chengye heard this, he also bent down and saluted: "Your Majesty, although I am in charge of the Assets Bureau, I am still young. There are many things I can say that are not as useful as those of the British Duke and the Chengguo Duke in the past. These In 2007, there were more and more people in various enterprises. Among the total number of people from the clan, clansmen, scholars, and profit-seeking businessmen, there were more than 7,000 people with titles, and there were not many small circles. And among the people There are countless companies, firms, and shops that employ workers in enterprises. I think it’s time to really take action and wake up.”

Zhu Houcong looked at him.

Even though he has the status of consort, Yu Chengye is a bit young now.

More importantly, Zhu Houcong's sister has passed away. Although Yu Chengye has been reused, it will inevitably make many people feel that he is a little bit uninteresting.

After listening to the two of them talking about this, Zhu Houcong already knew where the key point was.

One is the chaos of related-party transactions through the big trees of the Huangming Assets Bureau, and the other is the worries of the wealthy relatives who are eager to make money about the instability of the trade market caused by Ming's upcoming conquests in all directions.

This group of people is missing a string and has forgotten the purpose of the emperor's establishment of these enterprises. When the general direction has been set, do they still try to delay or even hinder it?

That's right. How can working in a company be as quick as being successful in the military? When this group of people gets old, if the newly meritorious ministers don't want to have children anymore, they will have greater prestige and more friends in the court. If they allow future generations to join the company, won't they squeeze out the current positions?

Zhu Houcong asked solemnly: "Why did the Marquis of Xianning invite the Tibetan monks into the house?"

"... He said he was looking for a leg problem for Marquis Xianning's father."

"I didn't know that Tubo Buddhism has such miraculous effects that it can make disabled legs stand up again." Zhu Houcong looked at the two of them, "Then go and conduct a secret investigation first! If the Ministry of Commerce wants to assist in the investigation, I will tell Uncle Cai .”

Huang Zuojian led the Ministry of Commerce, and his original intention was to let his experience in official administration help the Ming Dynasty's commercial system establish more honest habits.

Zhu Houcong had a stern look on his face and said again: "Huang Jin, ask Guo Xun to come to me early tomorrow morning!"

……

Guo Xun and Qiu Luan have always had a good relationship due to the friendship between "Little Qiu'er" and him who worked side by side to "restore the honor of the honorable ministers" in the past.

Now that Guo Xun is over sixty, his son Guo Shouqian is not a person who can fight and dare to fight.

Guo Xun has a good reputation among the military and has mentored many people. And Qiu Luan is the person he "promoted" recently.

He recommended him to go to Yunnan before, but this time he urged Mu Shaoxun as the main force in the southwest and Qiu Luan as the assistant. In terms of military mobilization, he recommended many people he wanted to support to go to the southwest to perform meritorious service.

After all, they had won a big victory in Wai-Dian a few years ago. In Guo Xun's opinion, Wai-Dian's contribution was quite easy to establish.

After receiving a message from the palace last night, Guo Xun reported to Qianqing Palace early in the morning.

Zhu Houcong woke up from his sleep, seemingly calm.

In the strategy that has been agreed upon, after the east is settled and a large amount of military profits can be obtained from Korea and Japan, it will enter the stage of using Tibet as bait and encircling the points for reinforcements.

Before that, it is necessary to deal with the Mubang left over from the past and to complete an encirclement pressure from the southeast of Tubo. It is naturally a necessary preparation.

Except for Yunnan, no other aspect of this trivial matter will be focused on first.

So Qiu Luan is very relevant: he can't hold Mu Shaoxun back, right?

Guo Xun still didn't know why the emperor summoned him. Zhu Houcong waited for him to salute and asked him to stand up and sit down.

"The Duke of Guizhou has attended the military conference in Beijing, but I am still a little worried about the arrangements in the southwest. The terrain there is dangerous and transportation is difficult. The most important thing is that the Marquis of Xianning has just arrived in Yunnan and is not familiar with the local area. Previously, the Marquis of Yangwu In Taiwan, there are some subordinates who are greedy for power and rush forward, thus damaging their troops and generals. Will the Marquis of Xianning have this problem?"

Guo Xun immediately said: "For so many years, he has not had the opportunity to go to the battlefield. Your Majesty is right to be worried. However, Your Majesty clearly knows that Qiu Luan has been training in the Beijing camp for many years, and he is familiar with many generals. In the Southwest War, there is no need for him to charge. In front. It is even more important to be familiar with the generals of the Shenji Battalion who have been dispatched to Yunnan under his command, and to be able to use their hands like an arm. Besides, there is also the Duke of Guizhou as the commander, so Your Majesty does not need to worry too much."

"What is the relationship between the Duke of Guizhou and him?" Zhu Houcong asked again, "After the King of Yue went to Yunnan, the Duke of Guizhou temporarily stopped taking care of Yunnan's military affairs in order to avoid suspicion. Qiu Luan went to Yunnan. Did he have any contact with Yunnan in the past year or so? What's the problem with the border troops?"

This was a specific local matter, and it was normal for the emperor not to know about it before.

Guo Xun said: "The Marquis of Xianning is younger. When he arrived in Yunnan, he had a process of becoming familiar with the original generals and guerrillas. Although there were some minor problems, they were nothing. As for the Duke of Guizhou...the Marquis of Xianning The purpose of transferring to Yunnan was to prevent the court from worrying about the self-respect of Yunnan's army, and he also cautiously interacted with the Duke of Guizhou. After arriving in Yunnan last year, he only asked the Duke of Guizhou to come forward and coordinate four times because of military affairs."

"Coordination? Four times? What exactly is it?"

"...The situation on the border in Yunnan is different. They are not purely soldiers under the command of the general. Between the chieftain soldiers and the soldiers, Qiu Luan has some mishandling of armaments, food and pay, etc. In the specific situation, I am the left governor of the Chinese Army Governor's Mansion. , not too clear.”

Zhu Houcong looked at him and stared for a moment before asking: "It's a pity that the Duke of Guizhou has already left for Yunnan after attending the meeting. When he was in the capital, what did he not say in private to you, the ministers of the Five Prefectures, General Staff Xia and others?" "

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Guizhou is in the southwest, how can he make false claims and cause trouble? As for those things, they are indeed trivial matters. With the new official taking office, big plans are coming, and the Marquis of Xianning must be just to establish his authority."

"A niece from your clan became Qiu Luan's concubine?"

No matter how stupid Guo Xun is, he has been "tempered" in the court for so many years. Now that I heard this, I didn't know that the emperor had a new view on Qiu Luan.

He quickly left his seat, bent down and said, "There is such a thing, but she is the daughter of my distant cousin. When they were discussing this matter, I was still in Mobei accompanying His Majesty on his northern expedition."

When Zhu Houcong saw him standing up, he looked at him calmly: "He is the person you strongly recommended. Don't say that he doesn't care if he is in the Governor's Mansion of the Chinese Army. I don't care if you two get married. But my big plan is , you are clear. If you make a mistake, you will not be able to shirk it. I will remind you again and ask you carefully. If you find anything in private, please report it to me. "

Guo Xun was frightened: "Your Majesty, has something happened to Qiu Luan?"

"I'm still checking."

We have already started investigating, so what can’t it mean?

Guo Xun immediately said: "Many ministers can ask about those transferred to Yunnan this time."

"Those who were transferred to Yunnan this time are all rushing to perform meritorious services." Zhu Houcong looked at him, "The person you want to ask is the Duke of Guizhou. There are some things that he cannot take the initiative to say, but if it is for the sake of the big plan, you can help me I wrote to ask about the decree in person, and he would naturally answer. He probably thought that the court was well prepared, and even if there were slight constraints, it would not harm the plan. However, there must be no unstable factors! There will be one or two years of preparation for the southwest move, otherwise Get ready, get ready, things are about to get ugly!”

"I accept the decree!" Guo Xun knew that Qiu Luan must have a big problem, which might cause changes in Southwest's general strategy.

He scolded Qiu Luan so much in his heart that he quickly resigned and went back to find out what Qiu Luan had done.

In fact, Qiu Luan didn't have the courage to really do anything. However, his lack of determination to fight and make meritorious deeds destined him not to be in a key position in the southwest strategy at this moment.

At this moment, Qiu Luan's younger brother Qiu Feng was speaking arrogantly to a Tibetan monk in his mansion: "If you believe me, this year you will hand over all your silk business for making prayer flags to me. Only then will I teach you How can I save Tubo from calamity in front of His Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)