The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Inside the Yamen of the Ministry of War.

Zhang Zhou also came here as a routine to handle some official business that day, but as soon as he arrived, he was blocked by "Xiong Da" and "Xiong Er". In the name of discussing things with him, they were actually asking him about the situation of the northwest war. .

Xiong Chong said: "His Majesty mentioned in the court hall the day before yesterday that the Tatars may be attacking the border from the side. Now the Ministry of War needs to prepare for military affairs and send official documents to places, but it doesn't know where to step up the defense first?"

The question is pretty straightforward.

Please give us accurate information on where the Tatars come from, so that our Ministry of War will not have so much trouble in preparation.

Zhang Zhou also heard that even the Ministry of War wanted to use his "prophetic ability" to save trouble.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Does the Ministry of War have no plan to prepare for this kind of thing? You still want to ask me?"

Both Xiong Xiu and Xiong Chong looked a little ugly.

As traditional civil servants, they naturally knew that it was a bit out of place for Zhang Zhou, the Minister of War, to directly point the location of the Tatar invasion on the map, or that it could not be done like this according to the business process, but the problem was that they could not make up their minds now.

Xiong Xiu said: "The entire military department is also waiting for Zhang Budang's opinion."

Who made you the Minister of War?
If we don’t listen to you, who should we listen to?

Zhang Zhouxin said, if I become a minister, I can legitimately be called a "magic stick", right?

Zhang Zhou sighed: "You two, that's it. Let's sit down and explain in detail. You see, it has been some time since Duke Baoguo sent out troops, and the news is still lagging behind. From here, the message was sent to all the borders, and to distant places such as Gansu, In Pingliang and other places, the letter will definitely not be delivered within four or five days. If there are any obstacles on the road, it will take seven or eight days to deliver the letter."

"Is it too late?" Xiong Xiu asked.

"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded, "We need to take precautions. If we push forward now, it will indeed be too late."

Xiong Chong said: "Even if it's seven or eight days, there's still time. We have to be on guard."

Zhang Zhou said: "When the Ming Dynasty went on an expedition, wasn't it routine to strengthen the defense of the passes everywhere? Does this need special guidance from the court? Based on the reports I have read before, they all mentioned tightening defenses and strengthening inspections of the passes, especially This is especially true for the old fortresses in the pass. The generals at the pass should not just be there to deal with the casual remarks of the court, right?"

The two bears looked at each other, and they both wanted to say that they said it was a routine matter to strengthen customs defense, wasn't it also a routine matter for them to deal with the court?

Do you really think they will be any different in terms of defense than in the past?

Even if we want to strengthen it, who will provide the human and material resources?

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "If the predictions are correct, the Tatars should have already taken action, and Baoguo Gong's invasion is almost over. As long as the Tatars invade, he will turn his guns to return reinforcements. Then...hehe."

When you send out troops, you are like a headless chicken. When you return, even if you have a clear goal, it will definitely not look good.

Let Zhu Hui do the embarrassing thing. Why would the Ministry of War join in the fun?
Xiong Chong still kept chattering and asked: "Where exactly is it?"

Zhang Zhou smiled and waved his hands, meaning he couldn't say it, or he couldn't say it to you two.

Anyway, I am the minister now, and both of you are my subordinates. You are a senior official. As a superior, you have no obligation to explain everything to your subordinates. As for what you want to understand... just go and experience it yourself.

……

……

During the court meeting the next day, Zhang Zhou did not appear in the court hall.

No one in the court mentioned the strengthening of defenses in various parts of the northwest. After the court meeting was dismissed, Xiong Xiu went to contact Xie Qian and Li Dongyang on behalf of the Ministry of War. In fact, he was paraphrasing Zhang Zhou's words... because he asked Zhang Zhou about defenses. Xie Qian specifically mentioned the key points to the Ministry of War before.

"He is deliberately showing off."

Xie Qian seemed a little annoyed after hearing Xiong Xiu's words.

Li Dongyang on the other hand looked relatively calm and said: "He did not deny it, which means that he may have informed His Majesty in advance that he had his own suggestions for the defense of the nine sides?"

Xie Qian looked at Li Dongyang curiously and said, "Did he say anything?"

Xiong Xiu said seriously: "Zhang Butang did not deny the matter, but it is a commonplace to think about strengthening the defense of the pass. Zhang Butang did mention that Duke Baoguo's invasion of the country is almost over."

Li Dongyang said: "That's it. If the Tatars invade the border areas from other places, it would be reasonable for Baoguo Gong to withdraw his troops and return reinforcements. This is like last year when Wang Bo'an marched into the grasslands to relieve the siege of Ningxia."

Xie Qian changed the smile on his face and said, "Is it possible that the reverse will happen this time, and the Tatars will use Ningxia as a breakthrough point?"

Neither Li Dongyang nor Xiong Xiu could answer this question.

As he was walking and talking, Lin Han, the Minister of Rites, was approaching on the other side. Xie Qian waved his hand to tell Xiong Xiu to stay away first and let the matter rest at this point.

Xiong Xiu also completed his task of testing Zhang Zhouhe and reported it to the cabinet. He did not walk away, but just followed behind and said nothing.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Lin?"

Xie Qian is 17 years younger than Lin Han. In addition, Lin Han is from an academy and is now the Minister of Rites, so Xie Qian's words are still somewhat polite.

Lin Han took a look at Xiong Xiu first, and then said: "I heard that your Majesty has appointed a new Liaodong garrison officer, and I wanted to come over and ask about it."

"Really?" Xie Qian smiled, "I haven't heard of it. Could it be someone Liu who was assigned to guard Yanwu Hall before?" Li Dongyang gave Xie Qian a look, which meant that this issue should not be discussed here.

Lin Han said: "Quanzi recently returned to the capital and entered the martial arts hall. As a member of the Ministry of Rites, staying in the martial arts hall will inevitably break the rules. Let's see if we can..."

Lin Han obviously didn't want Lin Ting to be involved in the struggle between Zhang Zhou and traditional civil servants. He wanted to use his own power to "save" his son.

Xie Qian said with a smile: "This seems to be a job assigned to him by Zhang Bingkuan, right? His Majesty also specifically told him that your son is a young and talented man. Mr. Lin, you really don't have to avoid it. A tiger father has no son. Your future achievements may not be the same as yours." Below you."

Lin Han's eyes have been drifting towards Li Dongyang. Obviously, in Lin Han's view, a person like Xie Qian who can only talk is not as good as a conspirator like Li Dongyang.

Li Dongyang continued and asked: "Is there any rumor about who the new Liaodong garrison officer you mentioned is?"

When Lin Han heard this, he realized that the cabinet might not know anything about this matter. However, when it came to appointing guard eunuchs, it was just a matter of a word from the emperor. He originally represented the king, and there was no need to talk to the cabinet or the court. Ministers discuss.

"Maybe I choose someone from the Royal Horse Guards, I don't know much..."

Lin Han stopped talking about this topic.

Lin Han and others also separated from Xie Qian and Li Dongyang.
Xie Qian asked: "Binzhi, who do you think you are?"

Li Dongyang shook his head and said: "Ren Liang and Zhang Yu are currently in prison, and the charges may be quite serious. If the investigation continues, the target will be directed at the Supervisor of Ceremonies. Guarding Liaodong is related to the stability of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the Ming Dynasty. After beating the Jurchens last year... we have to be very particular about who we send."

Xie Qian said: "That's probably Zhang Bingkuan's person?"

Li Dongyang remained silent.

He didn't expect to understand this matter, but it was Lin Han, an academic who seemed to pose no threat in the past, who was the one to vent the problem.

"How could it be him?" Li Dongyang obviously didn't understand where Lin Han got this "secret".

……

……

Zhang Zhou did not attend the court meeting that day, but he still had "official duties" to attend to.

He was directly invited to Fusi, Jinyiweibei Town of the Ming Dynasty, to "arraign" the prisoner in person, that is, Zhang Yu, who was the former governor of Liaodong and was now accused of treason.

As a civil servant, Zhang Yu suffered a lot in the imperial prison. Even if he deliberately put on clean clothes, he still couldn't hide his haggardness, dragging his shackles and walking with a limp.

"Zhang Budang, please forgive me for not being able to salute you."

Zhang Yu still retains the dignity of a gentleman, and wants to hold on in front of Zhang Zhou.

Guo Ang, the governor of Fusi in Beizhen, said: "Master Zhang is here to interrogate your case. If you have anything else that you haven't confessed, you can mention it to Master Zhang, and you may be able to save some face for yourself."

Not saying it can save a life, but just saying it saves face.

Since the emperor sent Zhang Yu and Ren Liang to Beizhen Fusi, there must be a "conclusion". Ren Liang's strong background may still save his life, but the probability of Zhang Yu's saving his life is close to zero. After all, Jin Yiwei is not a vegetarian. Yes, they have found evidence that Liaodong and Duoyan Sanwei had secret communication.

It’s hard to say whether this evidence counts as “treason”, but if he had contact with the Tatars behind the imperial court’s back, even if it was just for financial gain, now is the time when the Ming Dynasty is showing off its military power, Zhang Yu will be taken out as a model and killed as a warning to others.

"There's nothing to say." Zhang Yu also looked very arrogant.

After all, Guo Ang is a "ruthless person". He doesn't even look gentle like Mou Bin. When he is ruthless, he is probably as ruthless as peeling people's skin and bones. He said coldly: "I won't shed tears until I see the coffin."

Zhang Zhou said: "How should the case be tried? I'm just an outsider and can't interfere too much."

I mean, there’s no need to scare him. If you want to torture him, don’t say it in front of me.

This place, Jinyiwei... do you think I'm a rare visitor?

Zhang Yu was a little puzzled at first. He was also wondering how the emperor could hand over a "treason case" to Zhang Zhou, a minister of the Ministry of War. No matter how close Zhang Zhou was to the emperor, Zhang Zhou, as a civil servant, needed to avoid suspicion at this time. .

But he also knew that he couldn't care about this, so he almost said in a pleading tone: "Please Zhang Budang be accommodating and don't embarrass my family."

Zhang Zhou shook his head helplessly and said: "How to investigate this case carefully, there will be laws to enforce it."

Meaning, there is nothing I can do to help.

"Alas!" Zhang Yu sighed heavily in public.

For someone like him who had been the governor of Shuntian and the governor of Liaodong, and enjoyed the glory and wealth, being in prison was very torture for him, but he could only put the blame on himself. Alas...this is sad.

"Is Yang Peng here?" Zhang Zhou asked Guo Ang next to him, as if the affairs of Beizhen Fusi Court had nothing to do with him.

Guo Ang said: "Eunuch Yang is waiting outside."

"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded, "He is about to go to Liaodong to serve as a guard official. Let him come to see him. It should be a warning in advance." (End of Chapter)