Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 73 Recommend talents
Touched by Yuan Keli's words, Zhu Youjian knew that he had to make a decision. Even a neutral minister like Yuan Keli, the first thing he did when he entered the court was to impeach Wei Zhongxian. If he continues to keep Wei Zhongxian, what positive effects will he have?

The only thing that he couldn't let go of was the donation of two million taels of mausoleum workers, which Wei Zhongxian had not completed yet.

Originally, he planned to let Wei Zhongxian get some money before disposing of it, but now it seems that he can't keep it.

You can collect as much money as you can from donating to the public servants. If you don't collect enough, the eunuchs' homes will be confiscated!
Zhu Youjian was not very willing to confiscate his home.

First, because the behavior of confiscating homes is too drastic and can easily arouse resistance from ministers.

The second reason is that property can easily be concealed when a house is searched. It is considered good if you can get one-tenth of the money. In addition to cash, you also need to find ways to cash it in.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian prefers to let the eunuchs and their supporters donate money and food to the officials, and after he has the list, he can slowly search for them.

Now that the eunuch party is collapsing so fast, Zhu Youjian can only kill the chicken to get the eggs and pick a few people to ransack his house——

They must collect the two million taels of labor costs!
After making this decision, Zhu Youjian said to Yuan Keli:
"Yuan Qing, there is no need to say more, I have already made a decision in my heart."

"Today we will only discuss the affairs of the Ministry of War. If you want to say anything else, we will leave it to the meeting tomorrow!"

He asked Yuan Keli to sit down instead of standing.

Yuan Keli thanked him and sat down. His first impression of the current emperor was that he was very independent.

Later, he heard the emperor mention Lin Dan Khan's tribute. Thinking of what happened, Yuan Keli's impression of the emperor became even deeper:

"Except for the edict that ennobled Lin Dan Khan as King Shunli, the other edicts were issued privately by His Majesty and can be regarded as official decrees. It was only later that the court recognized it after a court discussion. 』

"Although your Majesty is young, he is very independent. He didn't care so much about the established rules. He wanted to be an emperor with monopoly power like Taizu and Chengzu. 』

Thinking of the emperor's private canonization of Shuntian nobles, as well as the changes to the court meeting system, the court recommendation system, the court council system, and the title promotion of officials, Yuan Keli knew that the emperor did not care much about the rules established by civil servants.

The reason why there was no trouble like the edict was because His Majesty apparently respected the rules, and the ministers who had been tamed by the eunuchs did not have the courage to resist.

If upright and outspoken ministers were in charge, the emperor's changes would never be easily passed. Those people could not agree casually or act according to the emperor's rules.

Yuan Keli himself had been such a person and knew what they were thinking.

He felt that if he were a few years younger, he would definitely have a good talk with the emperor.

But now that I am in my dying years, it would be nice to be able to do something. It is better not to meddle in other things.

As a representative of civil servants who resisted the imperial edict, when he was young, Yuan Keli dared to kill eunuchs against the imperial edict of Emperor Wanli. But during the Tianqi years, he was able to continue to be an official even when the eunuch party was in power. If Wei Zhongxian hadn't gone too far and made him unbearable, he might still be in court now!

Now, although the new emperor's actions are somewhat inconsistent with his ideas, they have not caused anything like the decree. Yuan Keli did not want to get entangled in this matter and damage the relationship between him and the emperor.

The matter of paying tribute has been decided for a long time. Yuan Keli's view is similar to that of Kong Zhenyun. He thinks that these titles similar to chieftain are not a big deal, they just cost some money every year.

What concerned him was whether these grassland tribes could resist Hou Jin.

"When Grand Scholar Sun Chengzong was supervising the army in Liaodong, he thought that the grassland tribes were useless and would only ask for market rewards."

"Wang Xiangqian was the governor of Jiliao at that time. He only wanted to ask for rewards and appease the tribes. Therefore, he was proposed by Governor Sun to abolish the governor's position."

"Your Majesty wants the grassland tribes to resist Hou Jin and Wang Xiangqian to repair the Great Wall. I think it will be ineffective and difficult to achieve expectations."

Speaking of these things to the emperor, Yuan Keli explained clearly the grievances and grievances of Sun Chengzong, Wang Xiangqian and others. I think Wang Xiangqian only knows how to ask for rewards, and he can't resist the money.

Zhu Youjian only heard from court officials that Wang Xiangqian had great prestige among the grassland tribes, and only then did he understand where his prestige came from.

However, he originally did not expect Wang Xiangqian, a veteran minister, to be able to fight. The one who really had high hopes for him was Man Gui, the military commander he appointed.

Now that Mangui has arrived and is rectifying the defense of the Great Wall, after Wang Xiangqian arrives, he only needs to appease the grassland tribes and transform them into Shuntian nobles.

So Zhu Youjian said:
"I already know that the grassland tribes are useless."

"But now the Ming Dynasty and Hou Jin Dynasty are fighting. If the Ming Dynasty doesn't use them, Hou Jin Dynasty will use them."

"As long as these grassland tribes are not used by Houjin, it will be a victory for the Ming Dynasty."

With that said, Zhu Youjian ordered people to hang up a map he drew, pointing to the situation of Daming, grassland, and Houjin:
"The grassland from beyond the Great Wall to Liaodong is vast, and it must always be occupied by someone."

"Instead of letting people who defect to Hou Jin occupy it, it is better to let Lin Dan Khan occupy it."

"When Hou Jin wants to bypass Shanhaiguan and break through the grassland, he will first need to attack them."

"No matter how long they can resist, they can give us early warning and buy time at the same time."

Explaining his strategy to Yuan Keli, Zhu Youjian's expectation for the grassland tribes was to prevent Hou Jin from easily passing through the grassland and strive to lock Hou Jin.

As for resisting Hou Jin's attack, Zhu Youjian never gave up hope. His order to the grassland tribes was to withdraw after they tried their best to resist, and the court would make up for their losses.

Zhu Youjian called this approach "dynamic defense", with the purpose of using the grassland tribes to block attacks one by one to weaken the Hou Jin Bingfeng. When Hou Jin attacked the front of the Great Wall, it was the end of his powerful crossbow.

Moreover, if Hou Jin wanted to attack the Great Wall, he would need to leave troops to guard the back route to prevent tribes on the grassland from attacking and disrupting their logistics.

After drawing out several routes that Hou Jin could pass through, and dividing the territories of Lin Danhan and others, Zhu Youjian planned to use them as barriers to reduce the military pressure on Ming Dynasty. However, the defense of the Great Wall cannot be omitted, and the pass must be repaired as the last line of defense.

Yuan Keli listened to the emperor's plan and felt that the emperor was indeed very independent. He may not be very clear about the specific affairs on the border, but in terms of strategy, he is very clear——

It is indeed a good deal to exchange tens of thousands of taels of silver reward and hundreds of thousands of trade quotas every year in exchange for Lin Danhan's financial support.

"So on the Liaodong side, does your Majesty plan to fix the defense?"

After approving the emperor's use of the grassland tribes, Yuan Keli asked again.

Zhu Youjian nodded and said:
"A city built with so much money and food cannot be thrown away easily."

"A few more lines of defense in front of Shanhaiguan will also help ensure the safety of the capital."

"I just wonder if the money and food expenses can be reduced a little after Liaodong no longer builds new cities and fortresses?"

"I give them so much money every year, but they always say they are short of salary."

Five to six million taels of silver were consumed every year, and the soldiers and horses built could only defend the city and could not go out to fight at all. Zhu Youjian had no idea where the money was spent. If the Liaodong defense line was not so important, he would have ordered someone to check the accounts.

I was afraid that those people would not dare to go out to kill the Tatars, but would dare to stay in their nests and lead troops directly to the capital like Liu Zhao did.

Zhu Youjian did not have a reliable army or a reliable minister. He did not dare to check the accounts at this time and did not know how to change the situation in Liaodong.

Yuan Keli had nothing to say about this. He had served as a local governor and a minister in the capital. He knew that the court's allocations were all fictitious. It was considered good to get 80% of the funds out of the capital. In the end, only 23% of them might fall into the hands of the frontline soldiers. inside.

It was not convenient to speak out these accumulated bad policies in front of the emperor. Yuan Keli could only recommend to the emperor:
"The former Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, Bi Ziyan, held this position before me."

"Because Wei Zhongxian wanted to sell the Nantaipusi horse pasture, Bi Ziyan firmly disagreed. Wei Zhongxian used the late emperor's order to forcefully sell the pasture, and Bi Ziyan was angry and returned home claiming illness."

"Because of this, I was promoted by the court to be the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing. Also because I couldn't do this, I had no choice but to serve as an official and return to my hometown."

When Zhu Youjian heard this, he felt sorry for the Nantaipu Temple Grassland and wondered if he could take it back in the future. At the same time, he had some understanding of Bi Ziyan's character.

Although I don't know what Bi Ziyan's financial management ability is, such a principled and bottom-line official is indeed suitable to be in charge of the household department. So he immediately ordered:
"First summon Bi Ziyan to the capital, and then the post will be promoted."

He also asked Yuan Keli if anyone else had recommendations. After the fall of Wei Zhongxian, it is foreseeable that many eunuch ministers will be impeached and removed from office. Zhu Youjian needs to reserve more talents to prevent positions from being occupied by unknown Donglin Party members.

One of the purposes of calling Yuan Keli to Beijing was to hope that the neutralist would recommend some talents to him. I can use him as the leader and combine with the Jinshi in the second year of Tianqi to create a small group that is independent of the Eunuch Party and the Donglin Party.

If possible, he would not use either the Eunuch Party or the Donglin Party, lest the party struggle continue. In the future, they must all become neutralists and imperialists and be completely loyal to themselves.

Of course, Yuan Keli was recommended by someone, but Sun Chengzong was very important and could directly return to the dynasty to serve as the chief minister:

"Supervisor Sun understands the situation in Liaodong. With him, there will be no chaos in Liaodong."

"Your Majesty can call him back to the court to sort out the affairs of Liaodong."

Nodding slowly, Zhu Youjian knew it was time to summon Sun Chengzong to Beijing. In the past, it was because Sun Chengzong was a member of the Donglin Party and he could not recall him when Wei Zhongxian came to power. Now that Wei Zhongxian is about to collapse, he doesn't have so many worries.

There are too many eunuchs in the current government, and it is indeed necessary to recall some Donglin Party members to balance the situation. Without the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party fighting for power, he, the emperor, would have been locked up by the Eunuch Party civil servants.

Just thinking of the four bachelors in the cabinet who had assisted him in his rise to the top, he could not be too ruthless. Zhu Youjian said to Wang Wenzheng, who was accompanying him:

"Tell the four grand maesters about this matter and let them discuss it carefully."

Tell the four pavilion elders about this and ask them to recommend it. In this way, they can lose their love, and it will be easier for me to protect them in the future.

Seeing that all the people he recommended were appointed, Yuan Keli felt excited and recommended Li Banghua, Mao Yuanyi and other talents:
"When Li Banghua was on patrol in Tianjin, he and his ministers corresponded with each other in Denglai. Later, Wei Zhongxian was dismissed by Wei Zhongxian because of rumors about Governor Sun's involvement in Qingjun's side."

"Mao Yuanyi once wrote "Military Preparation Records". He has knowledge of ordnance, strategy, military art, military training, formations, astronomy, and geography. He made meritorious service in Liaodong and was recommended to the Hanlin Academy to await imperial edicts."

He nodded in recognition of the name Li Banghua, knowing that this was another Donglin Party member who could now resurrect.

Zhu Youjian frowned at Mao Yuanyi and said:
"The Hanlin Academy can only wait for the ninth rank, which means Mao Yuanyi is not a Jinshi."

"Let him take part in next year's imperial examination and pass the Jinshi first!"

If he is not a Jinshi, there is no possibility of great use. Zhu Youjian will have great resistance to his use. So let Mao Yuanyi pass the Jinshi examination first, so that he can be used more easily.

Yuan Keli opened his mouth when he heard the words, and finally made it clear that Mao Yuanyi was not even a candidate and could not participate in the examination.

Zhu Youjian had no choice now. He could still think of a way to do the general examination and palace examination, but he couldn't even arrange the provincial examination. We can only call people over first and then decide to take on any position.

Moreover, in Zhu Youjian's mind, he still had the idea of ​​letting Mao Yuanyi serve in the inner court. After all, this person was recommended by Yuan Keli, which shows that he is indeed talented, but he is not suitable for the imperial examination and failed to obtain the honor.

In addition to eunuchs, outsiders were also required to serve in the imperial court's Imperial Horse Supervisor, Shanglin Yuan Supervisor and other institutions. If Mao Yuanyi is willing to come, he can be arranged there.

Zhu Youjian even planned to buy horse bones with a large sum of money to recruit more talents who were not suitable for the imperial examination to serve in the inner court.

The inner court after Wei Zhongxian will inevitably undergo major changes.

(End of this chapter)