Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 663 Gu Yichen’s sophistication
Beijing,

Beicheng Jufang,

A deep compound on the street is the mansion of Gu Yichen and Mr. Gu Ge. There is still noisy outside the door, but it is extremely quiet inside, like two worlds.

today,

Gu Yichen, the elder, got up early in the morning. After drinking some water, he walked to the study. Before the food was eaten, it turned out that in the early morning, Fang Yong, the left counselor of the General Affairs Department, ran to the house before dawn and handed over the food. From the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the bills and accounts submitted were handed over.

"Mr. Ge, I'm a little anxious to come down here, but I don't dare to delay. This is a report from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the cabinet. It says that the Anhu camp will allocate wages, food and fodder, as well as supplies of equipment, troops and equipment. In addition, Wang Ziteng, the governor of the capital camp, has already written a letter asking the court to prepare another six months of pay, silver and food for the army. He also explained in the note that the money needed for the soldiers' pensions should also be prepared. "

After Fang Yong, the left counselor of the Department of General Affairs, finished speaking, he also put two folds on the table. After all, Mr. Gu Ge is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the wages of the Beijing camp are all reissued by the Ministry of Revenue. He needs to take care of these matters.

Yesterday at the cabinet, when Mr. Lu Ge was on duty at the cabinet, he picked out these two documents, marked them red, and asked himself to deliver them to Mr. Gu early this morning, and asked himself to hurry up. I don't know why.

Gu Yichen did not answer, he reached out to take the fold in his hand, and opened the fold that Wang Ziteng wrote. What was mentioned in it were all the necessary salary, food and grass, supplies, medicinal materials, and even the money for pension. The cost of an army of more than 100,000 people in six months was huge, and the money had not yet been obtained. Wang Ziteng had to start thinking wildly. Could it be that he planned to stay in Jingnan and not come back?

Gu Yichen frowned. A few days ago, under the pretext of checking the accounts of the Ministry of Accounts, he passed on the money needed for the army's departure to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Although Dai Quan was reluctant, His Majesty agreed.

The rebels of the Taiping Sect rebelled and conquered so many states and counties in southern Beijing. It didn't take that long. Is it possible that the imperial army was not as good as those rebels? "

Fang Yong, the left counselor of the Department of Political Affairs, did not dare to ask about the matter that must be won. Hearing this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and replied;

"I've read the book. Don't pay attention to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It's just an advance payment of three months' salary and food. Just write it down.

Left Senator Fang Yong clasped his fists and replied;
"When I came back to Mr. Ge, Mr. Lu didn't say anything. He just said that I would send you the book. But he did mention that Wu Xun was taking it too much for granted. I don't know about the rest."

After receiving the letter, Fang Yong felt as if he had received an amnesty. He hurriedly clasped his fists and said goodbye. He was deeply afraid that Mr. Ge would leave him here again. He walked quickly to the door, opened the door and ran out in a hurry. His feet slipped and he almost fell. The embarrassed look made the old housekeeper guarding the door look surprised.

"Hmph, I don't know, or I should pretend not to know. If I know about this, I will definitely go to the palace and report it to His Majesty. By the way, did that old guy Lu Wenshan say anything yesterday?"

"Yes, Mr. Ge, I will take my leave."

Putting down the paper in his hand, he glanced at the other paper on the table, which was from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He didn't even look at it. The people who owed the debt and the people who wanted the money were treated the same. They would eventually bring trouble to the emperor. In the past three months, Gu Yichen had no intention of repaying the money he spent. There were so many bad debts in the household department, so it would be better if he could make up for the shortfall.

"What a joke. Those who know say he is calm, but those who don't know think he is greedy for life and afraid of death. What a bullshit strategy. No matter how steady and steady it is, it won't take that long.

Gu Yichen suddenly had doubts in his heart, whether the honorable man had some idea and wanted to take this opportunity to take all the credit. The longer it was delayed, the more credit he would get.

As for Wang Ziteng, I really don’t understand. They have to continue to allocate supplies for six months. Adding the three months from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it will be nine months. By then, if he adds Three months, one year has passed. Wang Ziteng still wants to stay in Jingnan and not come back! "

"Is this? What Mr. Ge said makes sense. Even the subordinates don't know what's going on inside."

I just had an idea,
I was shocked,
Fang Yong was so frightened that he quickly lowered his head and suppressed the thought in his heart. This was not something he, a small counselor, could think of. Perhaps Mr. Zuo Cheng Li could know the truth. After all, he was the son of Mr. Chief Assistant.

A few days ago, the house confiscation in the capital was caused by this matter. Three months of salary, money and food were lost to the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who risked their face to search for money outside.

"Back to the pavilion, these subordinates don't know. Wang Jiedu said that he must fight steadily to ensure that the court can completely suppress the rebels and try to reduce casualties, so he can't rush ahead for credit, so he came up with this strategy. He also said that time is already very long. Nervous."

The harsh words sounded, and Gu Yichen was holding back his anger. Officials from various ministries in the imperial court all opened their mouths. No matter what, they all rushed to ask the Ministry of Finance for money, especially the budgets written by each ministry, which were more outrageous than the last.

"Yeah, that's too natural. You should go back first."

Think about the Taiping Sect rebels. From the time they broke out into chaos and raised troops everywhere, they were able to occupy a large area in southern Beijing in just a few months. The imperial court marched south with a large army, complete with soldiers and armor, and plenty of food and grass. Logically speaking, it would only take three months. enough,

In the study,
Gu Yichen's expression was calm. After Counselor Zuo left, it seemed as if there was no one in the room. Suddenly, the study became eerily quiet.

Gu Yichen originally wanted to send Fang Yong back, but suddenly changed his tune and wanted to find out what Lu Wenshan meant. The officials should not just sit back and watch this matter.

Fang Yong, the left counselor, also had a sad face. How could he explain this clearly? However, what Mr. Ge said was not unreasonable. Those traitors could occupy such a large area in a short time. How come it took so long to replace it with the imperial army? , it’s not what Wu Xun wants,

At this time, outside the house,
Shen Zhongxin's driver hurriedly arrived, a dilapidated mule carriage with a shed roof with holes everywhere. Everyone in the entire capital and among the important officials of the imperial court knew that Master Shen was not using a carriage, but a carriage. mule cart,
But Shen Zhongxin didn't take it seriously and continued to go his own way. I don't know when he bought a pair of raincoats from the market and hung them on the back of the car. Every time he went to court, the officials talked a lot.

Arriving in front of the mentor’s residence,

Just got off the rack,
He saw a carriage leaving on the other side of the mansion. It seemed that it had just left. Shen Zhongxin paid attention, walked a few steps quickly, grabbed the concierge and asked;
"Just now, was it Mr. Ge's frame?"

The steward was suddenly grabbed by someone and was startled. When he turned around, he saw that it was Mr. Shen. He regained his composure and replied;

"It turns out to be Mr. Shen. My master is in the study and has not gone out."

"Didn't go out? Who was that person who left just now?"

Shen Zhongxin was a little confused. Since it wasn't the teacher who was going out, who would come at such an early hour?

"Back to Mr. Shen, the one who just left is Mr. Fang, the left counselor of the General Affairs Department. He said he had something important to see my master."

The steward's body was tilted as he was dragged, and he had no choice but to reply,

"It's Fang Yong, what is he here for?"

After muttering something, he let go of the steward without saying a word, stepped directly into the side door of the mansion, and hurried to the study.

The concierge who was still in a daze was left behind. He didn't know what happened today. It was rare for everyone to come to the door so early. Looking at the boy beside him who was still in a daze,
He immediately scolded;
"What are you looking at? It's all cleaned up? Why don't you do it quickly?"

With a loud shout, the surrounding boys lowered their heads in fright, and then hurriedly started doing their tasks. They all knew that the manager was in a bad mood, and I was afraid that today would be difficult. They were afraid that if he didn't do well when he came back, he would be punished.

The backyard of the mansion,

In front of the study door,

Shen Zhongxin arrived, straightened out his robes, reached out and knocked on the door.

"Thum, thump, thump!"

"Who!"

In the study,
The elder Gu Yichen, who was still thinking, heard the knock on the door and frowned, asking who was here. "Teacher, this is student Shen Zhongxin. I have something important to ask the teacher."

Shen Zhongxin held the file, stood outside, and replied respectfully.

"It's Ziyu here, please come in quickly."

When Gu Yichen heard that Shen Zhongxin was here, he frowned and quickly called the person in.

Shen Zhongxin was unambiguous. He pushed open the door and entered the study, then turned around and closed the door.
around the screen,

Entering the inner hall,

I saw the teacher Gu Yichen sitting quietly behind the desk, holding a memorial in his hand, constantly groping, not knowing what was bothering the teacher.

"Teacher, please forgive me for disturbing the students."

"Come on, sit down and talk, you are here just for the matter in Jingcang. Cui Dehai's case is settled."

Gu Yichen took a look at the files in Shen Zhongxin's hand and it was not difficult to guess that Shen Ziyu came from the imperial prison. In this case, Cui Dehai's case is considered over. The grain storage in Jingcang has now been replenished, and there is no clue.

"Back to the teacher, Cui Dehai confessed his crime and signed the bond as agreed. It was settled. However, the student followed the teacher's instructions and went over with Marquis Luo Yun to close the case, and something unexpected happened."

Shen Zhongxin stood up, put the file on the table, and then looked at the two documents.

"What's the accident? Could it be that Marquis Luo Yun didn't allow you to close the case?"

Gu Yichen stared at Shen Zhongxin and asked with some confusion.

"Teacher, that's not the case. It was Cui Dehai's remarks, saying that we are all beasts in disguise. He admitted his guilt and signed the case to settle the case. But before leaving at the end, Marquis Luo Yun offered to save his life. As for the purpose, The students didn’t understand the meaning.”

Shen Zhongxin thought about it all the way. Cui Dehai himself and Luo Yunhou seemed to have no contact in the past, so he really couldn't figure out why he would protect him.

"Oh, Marquis Luo Yun actually wants to protect him, that's interesting."

Gu Yichen squinted his eyes and showed his thoughts. Luo Yunhou is a very shrewd person. He cannot be unreasonable. He must have a deep meaning. Cui Dehai, Jingcang Ling, may he still want to inquire about some things from Guancang, but that's it. its not right,

While thinking about it, my fingertips accidentally touched the two memorials. Could it be because of this?
"Zi Yu, these two memorials were submitted to the cabinet by Wang Ziteng, the military governor of the Beijing Camp, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They are nothing more than asking for money and grain.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already allocated three months' worth of wages and food for the army. The prince is about to leave. Before he leaves, he writes again that he needs to prepare another six months' worth of materials and wages for the needs of the army. I feel a little annoyed. Stay in the study,"

"What, we still need six months of wages, money, food and grass, which adds up to nine months. How can this be a war? We are eating money raw. Although the Ministry of Revenue has reserves, your Majesty has locked up the money coming in and out of the Ministry of Revenue. Relying on the debts collected by the distinguished courtiers, the old debts owed by the Ministry of Revenue have been settled. Now, relying on this little wealth, we have to actively reserve supplies. Your Majesty thinks that he will use troops in the north after the autumn harvest. If the Jingnan Rebellion cannot be put down, how can the imperial court support two wars? Isn't it a fantasy? "

Shen Zhongxin opened the memorial in his hand and found it unbelievable. Logically speaking, as Wang Ziteng, the governor of the Beijing camp, it was impossible for him not to know His Majesty's plan.
Shanxi Beiguan has long been in dilapidated state. The frontier army led by the Donghu people Qie Tihou suddenly attacked the city in 2008. So many people were killed and injured. The troops were already insufficient. Although there were elites, there was a serious shortage of soldiers. Your Majesty If you want to really fight a decisive battle in the north, you can only mobilize troops from within the pass.

And these soldiers obviously saw that the army left behind in the Beijing camp was prepared for the North, and the leader was Luo Yunhou, the examiner who stayed in the Hanyuan Hall in the capital. By then, several soldiers in the North and the capital would The dispatch of one hundred thousand elite troops was a battle for the fate of the country. How could it not be dangerous? He, Shen Zhongxin, also surmised this matter from the orders and arrangements issued by the cabinet and letters exchanged with His Majesty. I wonder if the teacher knew about it.

"Haha, you are indeed my student. You can even detect His Majesty's subsequent considerations. You are right or wrong. Matters in the North need to be discussed separately. Although His Majesty has a plan and prepared it five months in advance, but It doesn’t have to be a war, and if Tihou doesn’t hold back, the war won’t be fought. If he really wants to send troops, His Majesty will definitely discuss with the six cabinet ministries, and the north and the south will go to war. At that time, the court will be in trouble,”

Although Gu Yichen pretended to be relaxed, he understood in his heart that Zi Yu's words were obviously a clarification to the court. What they, the old ministers, did not want to see. Suppressing Wu Xun was one thing, and the other was that if they were defeated, the world would be shaken and the foundation would be endangered. .

Shen Zhongxin did not consider this, but immediately said;

"Teacher, if the Donghu people in the north are harassing the border, why not mobilize troops from all the northern counties to rush for reinforcements and defend Xiongguan in northern Shanxi. Wouldn't it be great as usual after a year?"

"It's very good, but I also have worries in my heart. I remember that Old Man Zhao, Minister of the Ministry of War, analyzed that after the year of Marquis, there will be an siege that will start but end at the end.
And recently, the scouts outside the pass discovered that all the most elite Eagle Division troops from Qitihou were staying outside the pass, probing around, not knowing what they were doing."

Gu Yichen obviously has access to more secrets in the cabinet. Reports from Shanbei Pass come almost once every seven days, which has never happened in the past. The Minister of War ordered all reinforcements to stay on site to prevent any unexpected events.

Shen Zhongxin quickly thought about it in his mind. The territory of Dawu inherited the previous dynasty. The north is close to the Luoyun Mountains. There are four great passes. The first pass is the Shanxi North Pass. If you break this pass, you can go directly into the Central Plains along the Shanxi North County. The hinterland leads directly to the capital, so it has always been a pass heavily guarded by the imperial court.

To the east, there are winding mountains and hills, with no place to stay. The only way to enter is to go to Luoyue Pass on the seaside.

But now outside the pass is the fiefdom of Luo Yunhou. It is as difficult as climbing to the sky to break through this pass, so we can only go west.

"Teacher, what you mean is that King Youxian has never given up, and it is too far to the east of Shanxi Beiguan, and it is impractical to extend beyond the pass. The only way is to go west, and to the west is Beiyan Pass in Yunzhong County. , and Yongsheng Pass in Beiyuan County. Going further west, you can only bypass the mountains, pass through the Xianbei territory, take the Yunhe Corridor, and enter the palace of the West Palace of Liangzhou. It is impossible for students to come, so the court still has a priority Guard the three passes in the north and don’t leave them recklessly.”

Shen Zhongxin told the situation at the border in the North in detail. During the two years since he served as Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the annual allocations from the Ministry of Household Affairs were truthfully allocated by the border army. As for the past, Shen Zhongxin could only shake his head. That was not his and the teacher's fault, especially after this year, the Ministry of Revenue also specially allocated some more money and supplies to make the North Land more stable.

"The Ministry of Revenue, especially you, should pay attention to this matter. I am also keeping an eye on the cabinet. The war in the North will be discussed by the cabinet. The Ministry of Revenue still needs you to store grain and other important matters step by step. Materials must not be neglected,”

"Yes, teacher, students understand."

The two masters and apprentices, with sullen faces, discussed the recent affairs in the court in the study. The plan did not change quickly. Various complicated things happened frequently, and it was not known who benefited from them.

Suddenly, Shen Zhongxin couldn't help but ask the question he had hidden in his heart, which was about Enke.

"Teacher, the student still has something unclear. Could you please clarify the confusion?"

"Huh? You said,"

Gu Yichen stretched out his hand and motioned for him to sit down. Shen Zhongxin lifted his robe, sat down calmly, and said;
"Teacher, the teacher must know about Enke's matter. No matter how you say it, Luo Yunhou is an honorable noble. Now that he has become the examiner, why doesn't the bachelor of Nan University stop him? Even the cabinet, no one said anything to stop him."

This was always something Shen Zhongxin didn't understand. Could it be that they were all just waiting and watching each other.

Gu Yichen looked at the students in front of him and shook his head. His eyelids were still shallow.

"Hey, I only saw the surface. The number of people in Enke this year is the provincial examination. Do you know how many people applied for it? There were more than 4,000 people. Even in the Hanyuan Hall branch, there were more than 1,000 people. , Moreover, Mr. Nanda only gave Marquis Luo Yun one deputy interrogation official, and no other officials, including inspection officials, were given.
The other side, the civil servants, wanted to use Enke's matter to hold back Marquis Luo Yun, and Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion thought that after the army went south, His Majesty should have made a decision. As long as Jia Zhen was deprived of her title, Although the fundamentals cannot be damaged, the most important thing is that the civil servants have precedents for suppressing Wu Xun's momentum. "

Gu Yichen's eyes flashed, he didn't really want to seize the title. After all, if he really took action, everyone would be in danger, and the court would not be able to suppress him. He just punished one person. Although it seemed insignificant and the title would not be changed, it was still a matter of course. A kind of tight spell, always alert those noble people!

"The teacher is wise, but the students are ashamed."

(End of this chapter)