The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

The twelfth lunar month of winter.

The temperature was very low, and the ministers were walking on the way to the palace. While openly showing enthusiasm for resuming court discussions, they secretly complained about the end of the holiday... Most people would rather the emperor never recovered from his illness years ago. Let them continue to mess around.

"Brother Negative Tu..."

Ma Wensheng walked in front, but Cheng Minzheng quickly followed.

Ma Wensheng first looked around to make sure that no one from Honglu Temple was paying attention, and then asked as he walked: "Can't we wait until after the court meeting to talk about anything?"

Cheng Minzheng said: "It's better to talk first. I heard that you have submitted a resignation letter again?"

"Ah."

Ma Wensheng didn't hide it either.

As soon as this answer came out, even Wang Shi, the Minister of Punishment who was walking next to him, couldn't help but glance at Ma Wensheng.

Lin Han, who was walking behind, heard it but pretended not to hear it...

Cheng Minzheng said: "Your Majesty has recovered from his illness. It is estimated that there will be changes in the government. If you retreat here, I am afraid that the world will be turned upside down."

But Zhong Zhong appeared out of nowhere and said with a smile: "Keqin, isn't this a good thing for you?"

It seems that Cheng Minzheng has been regarded as a political enemy.

Cheng Minzheng glared at Zhong Zhong fiercely, and then said to Ma Wensheng: "Today, I have to endure everything. It depends on what Your Majesty says. Don't force yourself to do anything."

"What do you mean?"

Ma Wensheng couldn't help but frown and asked.

Cheng Minzheng acted as if he didn't hear anything, turned around and walked towards the Hanlin Academy people.

Although he is already the elder of the cabinet, he seems to deliberately keep a distance from his ministers.

Ma Wensheng looked back, as if thinking, and then ignored Zhong Zhong and Wang Shi's inquiries and just waved his hand to express that it was not convenient to talk.

……

……

The meeting begins.

As expected, Zhang Zhou did not appear in the court, which surprised the ministers present.

Because almost everyone knows that Zhang Zhou is in Beijing, and everyone knows that Zhang Zhou has further consolidated his identity and status due to the two great victories in Jizhou and Northwest. This should be a time to show off his power in the court, but it was at that time He became an invisible man, as if these two great victories had nothing to do with him.

"Cough cough..."

In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Youtang still looked very haggard. After the basic etiquette of the monarch and his ministers, he started with a cough.

Chen Kuan, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, hurriedly walked over and handed over the handkerchief, but Zhu Youtang just took it and squeezed it in his hand. He put his hand on the armrest of the chair, looked up at the ministers present and said, "Thank you for your hard work, ladies and gentlemen! During the days when I was recuperating, I was fortunate to have you here, so the order in the court was in order. I am grateful in my heart. After today's court meeting, lunch will be left in the Wenhua Hall. I will have some things prepared for you. Just bring it with you when you go to the palace.”

When the minister heard this, he thought this was a good thing.

The emperor came up and gave him banquets and things. It seemed that he had not received such treatment for a long time. After all, the imperial fiscal office headed by the Ministry of Household Affairs was crying for poverty every day, and the war in the northwest was draining the emperor's own pocket year after year...

"You must have heard that another victory was won in the northwest. The official who just arrived last night said that the troops and horses had successfully withdrawn to Weining Sea and were stationed around Weining Sea. Mao'erzhuang had sent troops to respond. The Tatar people did not dare to pursue them. They also checked the heads and other things, because they used light cavalry in this expedition, and most of them did not bring back the heads. Only the bandits' ears were tied with ropes, and the people who led the troops also reported them. Please tell me if you want to build a Jingguan. I don’t want it. It’s just a pile of ears. Even if it is piled up, it won’t be much, so let’s stop it now.”

The ministers present did not react much after hearing this.

Probably what the emperor was thinking was that giving credit to the generals of the expedition, Zhang Zhou's direct lineage, to frighten the barbarians and increase the people's awareness should be avoided if possible.

Otherwise, others will think that Zhang Zhou is awesome and they are incompetent.

"As a reward for meritorious soldiers, I am also prepared to follow the suggestion of the new uncle of the Military Affairs Bureau of Xuanda General Administration, and then make some detailed assessments with the Ministry of War. In addition, I plan to use the Shanxi local inspection censor to supervise, and then transfer people from the Ministry of War to perform military merits. "Inspection and execution," Zhu Youtang said.

Liu Jian said in a polite tone: "Your Majesty, if you send people from the capital to the northwest and have a hard time all the way, I am afraid that the generals will not be able to complete the reward for their merits years ago. We should also use the local generals from Xuanfu and Datong to conduct inspections first. Make a decision early.”

Zhu Youtang said: "It doesn't matter. In this battle in the northwest, most of the meritorious soldiers came from Datong. Many of them were experienced in battles and were not new to the battlefield. It's better to be earlier than later. There's no rush. For a while.”

"Yes." Liu Jian did not argue.

Some ministers nearby didn't understand why Liu Jian said this.

Only a few people at the front probably understood that this was Liu Jian's attempt to ease the relationship with the emperor and Zhang Zhou in some way... Letting the officers and soldiers determine military merits faster was not only to appease the emotions of the meritorious officers, but also to determine military merits earlier. Make preparations.

After all, Ming Dynasty’s military exploits often take years or even several years to be implemented...

In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, soldiers' military merits were likely to be taken to their graves, so there was also a situation of selling military merits, transferring one's military merits to others and letting others wait to be rewarded, especially military merits based on heads.

Using the immediate benefits and giving up the higher benefits that may be obtained in the long run is also a compromise that many middle- and lower-level soldiers have to make.

Liu Jian's mention in this way seems to speed up the conclusion of military merit, but in fact it is equivalent to decentralizing the authority to reward and punish military merit for middle and lower-level generals, weakening the role played by the Ministry of War... After all, when the military merit of the generals is implemented, they are the first Those who are grateful are the people in the Ministry of War, and they will also be grateful for Zhang Zhou's kindness.

Liu Jian's move not only helped the northwest soldiers win military glory earlier, but also gave people the impression that he was helping the court solve bad governance. At the same time, it also weakened the real power of the Ministry of War represented by Zhang Zhou, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

"I am going to recall the British Lord. What do you think of the British Lord's performance in this battle?" Zhu Youtang immediately asked the question. Xiong Chong, the left minister of the Ministry of War, walked out of the court and said: "In the past few months, the British soldiers have not only arrived at the garrison on time, they did not flinch when encountering the enemy, and they fought several battles with the Tatars outside the Piantou Pass. He won the military merit and rushed to Ningxia in time to make the Tatars retreat without a fight. Whether it is merit or demerit, it should be considered meritorious."

"Really?" Zhu Youtang's expression was neither cold nor indifferent.

It doesn't seem like much, but it gives the impression that the emperor is dissatisfied with this "meritorious theory". The emperor probably wants to step down on Zhang Mao, otherwise how could he bring Zhang Zhou up?

In addition, Xiong Chong has always been close to traditional civil servants, and he can be regarded as the vanguard of traditional civil servants placed in the Ministry of War to resist Zhang Zhou. When he speaks, it gives the impression that he represents the opinions of traditional civil servants such as Liu Jian and Li Dongyang.

He Jian, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, came out and said: "Your Majesty, I also believe that in this battle, the British did not make great contributions, but they did not make any mistakes, and they were able to complete the important task of marching conscientiously. However, the Tatars were afraid of our frontier soldiers and retreated early. , so that there is no chance of success in this battle."

Zhu Youtang said: "You are wrong. The British don't have a chance, so why do others have the opportunity? Shouldn't military merit be earned? If you take the initiative to fight, even if you run thousands of miles, military merit can still be obtained, but if you just want to defend the territory , so what’s the point of me sending him to the northwest? Is it just to scare away the Tatars?”

He Jian's attitude seemed very insistent and said: "If the Tatars retreat, it may also be the fault of the British Lord. I think it is inappropriate."

Zhu Youtang said impatiently: "I didn't say that I would pursue his fault, but I can't judge him as a meritorious official. If he does nothing, it can be regarded as a meritorious service. Then whoever I send to the northwest in the future, will everyone follow him?" Just like that, just sit back and wait for me to reward them for the final merit."

He Jian originally wanted to persist, but when he saw the emperor's attitude change, he instantly felt that the emperor in front of him was still ill, so he just went to argue with the emperor, regardless of who had the right to make the emperor angry, he He Jian's official career is likely to end here.

"Cough cough."

Zhu Youtang coughed twice, as if he was angry, then wiped his mouth with the handkerchief in his hand, and then threw the handkerchief directly on the ground.

Chen Kuan hurriedly picked up the handkerchief, then stood aside respectfully.

Zhu Youtang said angrily: "I originally thought he had some accomplishments, at least not as cowardly and incompetent as Zhu Hui, but now it seems that he is just a pedantic minister who sticks to the rules. If we just recall him like this, it is better to keep him. Let’s practice in the northwest for a while and then call him back after next spring.”

The emperor originally said that he would call Zhang Mao back, but now he said that he would let Zhang Mao stay in the northwest.

This is tantamount to telling the ministers present that Zhang Mao has offended me, and I do not intend to let him come back for a while, and his position will naturally be replaced by others. The defense power of the Beijing camp can be transferred to others, or Zhang Mao Zhou, may also be a member of Zhang Zhou's faction.

Because Yang Peng and Zhang Yong had been transferred to the capital camp as admirals before, the ministers present could actually see that the emperor was just looking for excuses to prevent Zhang Mao from coming back.

Li Dongyang and Liu Jian looked at each other.

There seemed to be some confusion in the eyes of the two men... Apparently the minister did not understand what they meant. They had always hoped for a confrontation between Zhang Mao and Zhang Zhou, but it seemed that He Jian's "accidental attack" made the emperor confused. The resentment actually fulfilled their plan.

That is to leave Zhang Mao in the northwest, make Zhang Mao's mentality unbalanced, and have a grudge against Zhang Zhou.

But as for Xiong Chong's suggestion, whether it was because his brain was not working well, or whether it was an instruction from the emperor or Zhang Zhou, they could not understand it for the time being.

"Ningxia's defense is still the top priority." Zhu Youtang added, "The British Lord will stay for at least two months. When the snow melts in spring, I will call him back to continue his old duties."

Wait two months and let Zhang Mao come back as the admiral of the capital camp?

Then why let him stay in the northwest? Just recall it!

Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty, I wonder who will be responsible for taking care of the various military affairs and other matters in Beijing in the past few months? The British Duke is quite prestigious in the military. Without him in Beijing, many things will not be able to move forward after the year. ”

Zhu Youtang asked: "Are you talking about the procurement affairs in the capital? Or... something else? In the past two months, without him, the guards in the capital have not had any trouble, right? The Ministry of War will take care of everything. "

Oh.

Many ministers seemed to understand.

This is about transition.

If in the next few months, the emperor discovers that the Ministry of War and the admiral eunuchs can directly control the military power of the Beijing camp without Zhang Mao, then Zhang Mao's stay in the northwest will be months after months, year after year. One year, just die of old age in the northwest.

But if it doesn't work without Zhang Mao, then get Zhang Mao back. This will make the emperor appear reasonable.

Look, if I let you stay in the northwest for three more months, that is to say, if you stay for three more months, and then reinstate you to your post after you come back, can you say that I have treated you badly? It’s just an exercise for you!
In this way, the emperor can be in a position where he can advance, attack, retreat and defend.

Now that someone has figured out the emperor's intention, the ministers present will definitely not make the emperor too comfortable. Otherwise, how can they show their cunning side as professional politicians?
Li Shishi, the right minister of the Ministry of Punishment, came out and said: "Your Majesty, daily military affairs and other matters can indeed be dispatched by the Ministry of War, but matters related to military drills, especially the dispatch of soldiers and horses in each battalion, must be completed by people from the Governor's Mansion. . As I see it, people from the Governor’s Office should complete the coordination.”

Zhu Youtang said quietly: "If I remember correctly, Bingkuan also holds the position of the Governor's Mansion, right? Is it possible that he wants to mobilize some people, and there are still dissatisfied soldiers below? Or is it that, except for the British Duke, all battalions Isn’t there a good minister to promote him? Normally, the British minister is ill for several months without any trouble! Or do you think that others in Ningxia will cause any trouble to Beijing? "

"This... is a slip of the tongue." Li Shishi stepped back knowing it.

In this way, even Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others could see that Li Shishi seemed to be helping a lot, but in fact he was causing trouble.

He made reasonable suggestions and questions to the emperor, but also gave the emperor an excuse to refute, and at the same time blocked the way for other officials to lodge objections... Li Shishi seemed to do this intentionally in exchange for the emperor and Zhang Zhou to treat him appreciation.

"I will not let Bingkuan take charge of matters in the capital camp in the name of the Dudu Mansion. At the same time, I will send people to help him. Recently, Hou Ninghou has been staying in the capital without arranging actual duties, so I asked him to go to the Dudu Mansion to help Bingkuan." Zhu Youtang said another shocking news.

Is the boss of the Zhang family going to help Zhang Zhou?

Where is the alliance between powerful forces? It's like a nest of snakes and rats.

The ministers would inevitably think that if the emperor made such a decision, he would be given another blow by Empress Zhang, right? Otherwise, with the Zhang family's eldest son's aptitude, how could the emperor think that he was suitable to help Zhang Zhou?

"The war in Jizhou is also over. I am also planning to transfer back Anbianhou and Jingshanbo. At the same time, I can also help Bingkuan. Recently, I have been focusing on recuperating. I may come out once or twice a year ago. , there will be a period of time after the new year... I need to rest, if anything happens in the court... It is up to the cabinet, the Shangcheng Office, and all the ministers to worry about it." When Zhu Youtang said this, he seemed to be concerned about what was in front of him. The minister was very polite.

"Detailed military matters will be discussed together today."

Zhu Youtang said again, "Mr. Liu Ge, I'll leave it to you in advance. I'll go back and make some adjustments. I'll come back in two hours. Then we'll have dinner together in the Wenhua Hall. Dear ladies, thank you for your hard work!" (This chapter over)