The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 630 Zhang Da Benefactor
Xie Qian was released from prison.

The emperor still did not go to court. He just sent an edict from the palace to the Jinyi Guards, asking Xie Qian to go back to the palace to live leisurely. He claimed that he was ill. In fact, everyone with a discerning eye knew that Xie Qian's political career was over, because according to the previous emperor's decision, Xie Qian will soon return to his hometown as an official.

It was just because Xie Qian had just come out of the imperial edict, and in order to prevent others from thinking about the causal relationship between "going to the imperial edict" and "returning to his hometown as an official" that Xie Qian was first allowed to live idle for a period of time, and finally because of his old age. He was allowed to return home on the pretext of recuperating from illness, and Xie Qian also needed to cooperate in writing a resignation letter. The emperor "repeatedly persuaded him to stay" and decided to grant Xie Qian's chariots, horses, slaves, etc. to return home.

These are old operations.

Even if Xie Qian died in these days, it would still be a few days before he was mourned.

Everyone in the world knows the connection between these two things, but because of the dignity of the monarch and his ministers, they still have to pretend.

On the day Xie Qian returned to the mansion, Li Dongyang entered Xie Qian's mansion from the main entrance to see Xie Qian. He didn't care about his relationship with the emperor at all. Li Dongyang still wanted to make it clear that Xie Qian would still be one of them even if he was no longer in the court. A committed member.

"Yu Qiao, look at it."

When Li Dongyang met Xie Qian, he didn't just want to express his comfort, he wanted to do something.

He took out a memorial for participating in the impeachment. When Xie Qian took it in his hand and read it, his old face was full of wrinkles.

"Why bother?" Xie Qian put down the memorial.

Li Dongyang took the memorial back and said: "It was our strategy to impeach Zhang Tingmian early on. You went to the imperial prison and suffered so much. Now it is very likely that you will not be able to serve the country in the court. Does this mean you have to be kind?"

This memorial was written to impeach Zhang Mao.

Just when Zhang Mao was trying his best to curry favor with the civil servants, the civil servants would not show mercy to him.

Just as Zhang Mao felt the crisis early on, since the victory in the northern war came in Jizhou Town and was achieved by Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng, then Zhang Mao would have to bear the responsibility of returning without success as the coach. ending.

Li Dongyang said: "Even this time, Zhang Bingkuan can still face the results of the battle with a smile, but those who have no merit, waste money and food in vain, and make the soldiers run around in vain will have to bear the price. Your matter is all because of Wang Bo'an's transfer The soldiers were raised by Zhang Mao, but these two have done nothing this time, so why should we be merciful to them?"

Xie Qian said: "We were targeting Zhang Bingkuan early on. Do we have to let Zhang Tingmian and Wang Bo'an bear anything for this?"

"Yu Qiao, why are you so kind-hearted?"

Li Dongyang frowned, he didn't quite understand Xie Qian's mentality.

We obviously advance and retreat together, and now we are helping you clear your name. But now you seem to be very kind and want to be a good person?
Xie Qian shook his head and said: "I know what you mean. Now Zhang Bingkuan is still in the limelight. We can't move. Let's move Zhang Tingmian and Wang Bo'an first, especially Zhang Tingmian. He has a deep-rooted position in the Governor's Mansion. He and Zhang Bingkuan Conflict arose and he used his old troops to target Zhang Bingkuan... But this would cause civil strife in the court! This is the time when the governor's office is united. Wouldn't this cause a big setback and give foreign barbarians an opportunity to take advantage of it? "

Li Dongyang said with a straight face: "What do you mean?"

Xie Qian said: "I thought a lot in prison, and also reflected on our actions in the past few years. It seems that what we did was too radical. The current disagreement between the generals may cause chaos in the military and political affairs. It is better to..."

"Snapped!"

Li Dongyang slapped the table, looking very angry.

Before the change, no matter how good the relationship between the two was, this was the residence of the owner Xie Qian, and Li Dongyang could not just slap the table in front of Xie Qian.

But the situation is different now. As a cabinet minister who is about to retire, Xie Qian cannot compare with Li Dongyang's status no matter what.

"Yu Qiao, you have a kind heart, but you will harm others and yourself!"

Li Dongyang almost gritted his teeth and said, "It is true that we can't do anything to Zhang Bingkuan right now, and his momentum is increasing day by day, but if we do nothing and just watch him control the government and make waves in the world, it will Where are we? Many ministers are now focused on restoring the purity of the court, rather than letting one family dominate. Even if you are going back to the south, you should be considerate of those who remain in the court! Do those who are currently serving as officials think about their future?"

Fight against Zhang Zhou to benefit the country and the people, and for the eternal foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

It is also so that officials can restore the original order, especially the order established by us, instead of following Zhang Bingkuan's.

Xie Qian smiled bitterly.

He felt that Li Dongyang was obviously fighting with the party. If it hadn't been for the clique among civil servants, Xie Qian might not have been imprisoned for so long and made him go through so much hardship.

"Who is Zhang Tingmian? I indulged Zhang Bingkuan before, but in the end I insulted him... This may be our future! Now Zhang Bingkuan only stays in the three-acre land of the Ministry of War, but do you know that His Majesty has already Do you want to mention him as Minister of Civil Affairs?" Li Dongyang was very angry.

After all, Xie Qian was once his staunch ally, but now this ally's attitude seems to have changed.

Xie Qian said: "With Zhang Tingmian's current loneliness, is there any chance of using him to act opposite Zhang Bingkuan?"

Li Dongyang said: "You don't need to care about this, and I don't need you to provide advice. I just want to tell you that this is the case! If it is feasible, I also hope to keep you in the government, Qiao. If you withdraw, there will definitely be trouble in the cabinet." , now Zhang Bingkuan is only likely to be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and in the next step... when he joins the cabinet, even Liu Zhongtang and I will have no place to stand! By then, everyone in the court will only fawn over him. How will the Ming Dynasty really be? It’s over!”

"Cough cough..."

Xie Qian coughed twice.

Closing his eyes, he didn't even want to discuss this issue with Li Dongyang.

As a quasi-retired courtier, he knew that these things were far away from him.

As Li Dongyang said, this matter is just a notification to him, telling him that the civil servants are now going to target Zhang Mao and let Zhang Mao use his connections to physically eradicate Zhang Zhou. Xie Qian only needs to listen and does not need to If he mixed his opinions or said something unpleasant, Li Dongyang would first scold him and glare at him.

……

……

The Battle of Guanshan Grassland was basically over after two days and two nights.

People from all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty withdrew.

Zhang Rui and Ma Yi, the two generals who led troops deep into the grasslands, experienced for the first time what it was like to lead troops independently to win a battle. This was different from the previous orders of Wang Shouren or the civil servants who ran the army.

"Young Master, it's a great victory... It's really a great victory... We killed more than 10,000 enemies on both sides!"

When Ma Yi saw Zhang Rui again, her voice changed.

hoarse.

The eyes were not bloodshot, but red, which seemed to be a desire for credit, because with this credit, they would be able to get the chance to become marquises and generals, and they could honor their ancestors. Zhang Rui said: "Is it... over 10,000?"

Ma Yi nodded and said: "We have achieved greater achievements than Wang Zhitai led his troops into the grassland a year ago. We only had six thousand soldiers in total, but we chased the foreign barbarians for hundreds of miles, and the grassland flowed into rivers of blood. Because of this, In the middle of winter, the Tatars did not expect that we would appear here, which is why we won today."

"Head level..."

Zhang Rui now starts to think about the way to discuss merit.

Like Ma Yi, Zhang Rui was also very excited, but no matter how excited he was, all Zhang Rui wanted was to preserve the reputation of the British government. After all, he was already the prince, and no matter how awesome he was, he would still be a British official. Sir, as the leader of the Ming Dynasty's martial arts, do you still want to surpass your father and become a new school of your own?
And Zhang Rui also knew very well that it was Zhang Zhou who was currently weighing on the British government.

But when Zhang Rui mentioned Zhang Zhou, he would not be full of hostility, but full of respect. After all, he was a man who had saved his life and brought changes to the military and politics of the Ming Dynasty.

Ma Yi said: "If you kill over 10,000 enemies, you probably won't be able to bring back many heads, but if you have eight or nine thousand ears, you can exceed 10,000 in total..."

Zhang Rui nodded and said: "It's just that many of them are old, weak, women and children. Compared to the battle in Xinjianbo Grassland, we are not as good as us."

Ma Yi was startled.

He was originally thinking that after achieving such great achievements this time, how could he be promoted to Marquis?

Now Zhang Rui was pouring cold water on him, telling him that when Wang Shouren led his troops deep into the grassland, even if the number of first victories was not as good as theirs, the ones they killed were all young and middle-aged Tatar men.

And this time...

The Tatars were basically running for their lives in a hurry, and most of the people they killed were old, weak, women and children who couldn't escape. If you just collect ten thousand like this, you won't be able to win.

Zhang Rui said: "I heard that there are still many troops in the army who have not withdrawn, but we can't stay here for long. We don't have much food left."

"Yes." Ma Yi nodded and said, "Fortunately, we robbed a lot this time. Otherwise, whether the rations are enough to support our return to the customs will be a problem. In this case, young master, should we also discuss it? Please take credit?"

"Please tell me the truth." Zhang Rui said, "General Ma has experience, so it's best for you to tell me."

Ma Yi smiled, because the muscles on his face might have been frozen. When he was pulled, his face looked very unnatural, and then he quickly returned to his original solemn look and said: "Then let's perform the work to Datong as soon as possible. I We have also planned the way back to Guan Nei. We will go around the north bank of the Yellow River instead of taking the Loop and return to Guan Nei from Datong. What do you think? "

"what?"

Zhang Rui frowned.

Ma Yi said: "This place is very close to Ningxia, but the road in the middle may not have been walked by anyone in the past hundred years. It is all sand dunes and deserts. Even the Tatars invaded in a hurry. They have to go around here." It’s a no-man’s land! If we go south, the journey may be even more difficult.”

Zhang Rui shook his head and said: "Then we will retreat from Huamachi to the pass. Why should we sacrifice the near and seek the far away when we still have merit?"

Obviously Zhang Rui wanted to take the first step to let his father know that he had achieved meritorious deeds, and let his father use this to report to the emperor for merit.

On this issue, he and Ma Yi obviously have different opinions. Ma Yi is now a general of Datong, and except for a very small number of troops led by Zhang Rui, the rest of his soldiers are also Datong troops. Of course he deserves credit. I want to get some connections from Wang Shouren.

Ma Yi looked a little confused: "I'm just afraid that the brothers won't want to do it."

"Why is that?"

Zhang Rui seemed to have asked a very layman's question.

Ma Yi smiled bitterly, but still replied seriously: "Entering the pass from Huamachi is equivalent to entering the territory of Ningxia. The soldiers of Ningxia did not achieve much in this war. We brought the heads, human ears and wealth with us. Can they not exploit us when the goods enter customs? From Huamachi back to Datong, we have to pass through Yansui, Pianguan and other places along the way. Every place needs to be taken care of. I am afraid that this trip..."

Zhang Rui had an epiphany.

Ma Yi personally led the soldiers and horses of Datong, and the place where he achieved the credit was in the north of Ningxia.

If we go directly back to Datong and enter the customs from the grassland, all the credit will be counted and will never be taken away by others.

But if he enters the customs from other places, as a general of Datong, Ma Yi, even a Pinglupp, will be exploited by the generals and governors, and he may not be able to take back all the credit, and the soldiers along the way, The troubles encountered will also multiply.

Ma Yi said: "My young master, I know your difficulties, but can you not know the situations my father encountered in various places in the northwest? Besides Mr. Wang, who has provided him with assistance?"

Zhang Rui also fell silent.

If Zhang Rui is thinking about the problem from Zhang Mao's point of view, thinking about joining forces with his father after entering the customs, then he might as well think about what Zhang Mao went through during his expedition.

The emperor appointed Zhang Maolai as the commander-in-chief and ordered troops to be mobilized from various places, but everyone tried every means to deduct them. The soldiers were not fully equipped, and even the food and supplies were not enough. Even Wang Shouren mobilized 6,000 troops and horses, and was impeached by ginseng. .

Even a martial artist with Zhang Mao's reputation and energy had such an encounter in the northwest. It was reasonable that Ma Yi didn't want to face so many troubles.

Ma Yi was not as good as Zhang Mao, let alone able to deal with those big guys.

Therefore, their choice is very simple, that is, not to deal with it. Even if they lead troops horizontally on the grassland, they must enter the customs through Datong, not from places like Ningxia or Yansui.

"Ah."

Zhang Rui nodded.

In fact, he had no choice.

Zhang Rui nominally had a share of the credit this time, but in fact the main credit lay with Ma Yi, who only participated in this war by chance, and Ma Yi also gave him face and gave him the power to mobilize troops. .

If Ma Yi insists on monopolizing military power, he can be kicked away.

Maybe Ma Yi doesn't have this kind of energy, but Wang Shouren will help Ma Yi. Then Zhang Rui will be just a participant, and will not receive credit as a decision-maker, and he will not be able to achieve what Zhang Rui wants to do to help Britain. The purpose of the government.

"Then I'll write it like this. My young master will also help me read the details tonight. You are a scholar and have deep knowledge. Unlike me... you don't know a few big characters." Ma Yi saw that Zhang Rui was very polite, and the final barrier between the two parties was It also seems to have been eliminated.

Zhang Rui nodded and said: "I need more advice from General Ma. I heard that Zhang Shangshu of the Ministry of War admires you very much."

"No matter what, I just did something. Zhang Shangshu is considerate. If Zhang Shangshu hadn't protected me at the beginning, how could I be where I am today? Zhang Shangshu is my benefactor. I'm afraid I won't be able to show this kindness in this life. It’s over!”

(End of this chapter)