The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 309 Three Marquises and Seven Earls!

wonderful!

It’s so wonderful!

The fight that took place in the court today was so dazzling and overwhelming.

First, the chief minister of the cabinet, Yang Tinghe, teamed up with the chief censor of the Censorate, Fei Hong, to attack Zhu Chenhao, but they were blocked by Prince Xing, Zhu Youlang. Then, the emperor spoke and completely suppressed the matter.

Then the Minister of Rites Zhu Youji requested to approve the reward for the meritorious soldiers in the battle against Japan. The Emperor was delighted and prepared to promote Marquis Zhongshan to Duke. However, the leader of the gentry Yang Tinghe attacked again, opposing Marquis Zhongshan's promotion to Duke with reason and evidence.

In a rage, Marquis Zhongshan shouted the passionate slogan "I will not be granted the title of Duke until I defeat the Northern Barbarians", which moved all the ministers.

As a result, at this moment, the damn Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao showed his fangs.

He requested that all rewards be distributed to the soldiers who had made contributions in this battle, and His Majesty the Emperor took the opportunity to raise the reward standards for these soldiers.

In other words, from the very beginning, this was the real purpose of Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao!
Tang Hao didn't want to be granted the title of Duke at all, or he didn't care about it.

What this bastard Zhongshan Hou cares about is to take advantage of the opportunity to use the achievement of destroying the country to give birth to a new group of military honors!
And the previous actions of the Cabinet Chief Minister Yang Tinghe were clearly in cooperation with Zhongshan Marquis Tang Hao, and he had clearly reached some kind of exchange of interests with Zhongshan Marquis in secret!
It was not until this moment that the ministers finally reacted!
They were all played as fools by these two people!
Yang Tinghe stood there expressionlessly, as if this matter had nothing to do with him at all.

But if he had not spoken out against it, the Marquis of Zhongshan would have been conferred the title of Duke and the matter would have ended there. How could all these damn things have happened later?

Yang Tinghe, ah, Yang Tinghe, you are really good at this!
Wang Ao, Fei Hong, Yang Yiqing and others looked at Yang Tinghe with sharp eyes.

However, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet has not responded to them, as if he really doesn't care.

His Majesty the Emperor stopped talking and immediately revealed his true intentions.

"The course of this battle has already been reported to the court by the Marquis of Zhongshan. All the meritorious officers and soldiers, such as An Guo, Qiu Yue, Chang Kuohai, and Chen Jizu, have made outstanding contributions."

"Since Lord Tang is willing to give up his achievements, then I, as the emperor, cannot be stingy with my rewards, or else the soldiers of the three armies will be disappointed!"

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and directly conferred titles on three marquises and seven earls, a total of ten military heroes!
Qiu Yue, the Earl of Xianning, was promoted to Marquis of Xianning, granted hereditary imperial edict and appointed as the co-director of the Left Army Commander-in-Chief's Office.

Ma Yong, a general of the Nine Frontiers, was canonized as Marquis of Linjiang, granted hereditary imperial edict and appointed as the deputy governor of the Front Army Governor's Office.

Deng Boyan, a descendant of the famous founding general Deng Yu, was canonized as Marquis of Jining, granted hereditary imperial edict, and appointed as the co-governor of the Right Army Governor's Office.

Xu Tianci, a descendant of Xu Da, a famous general who founded the country, was canonized as the Earl of Jiangxia, granted hereditary imperial edict, and appointed as the deputy governor of the Rear Army Governor's Office.

Chang Kuohai, a descendant of the famous founding general Chang Yuchun, was canonized as the Earl of Wu'an, granted hereditary imperial edict, and appointed as the deputy governor of the Central Military Governor's Office.

Tang Mu, a descendant of the famous founding general Tang He, was canonized as Yingchangbo, granted hereditary imperial edict, and appointed as the deputy governor of the Zuojun Military Governor's Office.

The chief general of the beheaded camp, Lei Xiong, was canonized as the Earl of Yuncheng, granted hereditary imperial edict, and appointed as the deputy governor of the Qianjun Governor's Office.

……

Each of them is clearly the confidant of Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao.

His Majesty the Emperor not only bestowed titles upon these people, but also granted them hereditary imperial edicts. More importantly, he made all of these people hold important positions!

In the past, Emperor Taizu Gao abolished the Grand Marshal's Office and established the Five Military Marshal's Office in its place. Each of the Five Military Marshal's Offices had a left and right marshal, both of the first rank; a marshal's associate governor, who was of the second rank; and a marshal's assistant, who was of the second rank. The judges of the Central Military Marshal's Office were appointed as the judges of the five armies, who were in charge of the capital and the local garrisons respectively.

This means that, just because of this achievement of destroying a country, the Ming Dynasty gained ten more governors out of thin air!

What does His Majesty the Emperor want to do?
What does Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao want to do?
Continuing subconsciously, the civil officials and gentry could no longer sit still and immediately spoke out in opposition.

The Minister of War, Yang Yiqing, immediately stepped out and loudly retorted: "Your Majesty, this cannot be done!"

"No one can be conferred a title without military merit. This is the ancestral rule of Emperor Taizu Gao. Your Majesty is so wantonly distributing titles. If this sets a precedent, I am afraid that in the future..."

"Yang Yiqing, what does "abuse of honor" mean?"

Tang Hao shouted directly: "I have already reported the achievements of these soldiers to the court in detail!"

"Not only is he credited with destroying Japan this time, he has also pacified the Japanese pirates and suppressed several rebellions!"

"Why? The generals have made great military achievements, but the court does not reward them? What kind of logic is this?"

"How about we not fight this war anymore? Don't you civil officials like to become generals or ministers? If there is another war in the future, you, Yang Yiqing, can lead all the officials to fight the enemy. How do you think?"

Yang Yiqing looked at Tang Hao angrily and shouted, "Marquis Zhongshan, don't think that I don't know your little tricks!"

"Even if these soldiers have made military achievements, it is far from the point where all of them can be granted titles! Are the titles of the Ming Dynasty as cheap as cabbage? Anyone who participates can be granted a title? What prestige does the court have if this is the case?"

You can be conferred a title as long as you have made enough military achievements.

But the problem is, for the achievement of destroying a country, you gave birth to ten military honors. Aren't you being too greedy?
Throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were only two such large-scale events of conferring titles, namely, the one for the Founding of the Nation and the one for the Jingnan Rebellion. The other was the one after Emperor Yingzong's restoration to the throne, when he conferred titles on the opportunists who took part in the Battle of the Gate. There were only three such events in total.

The previous two times they conquered the world. Can you warriors compare with them?
The subsequent coup d'état was no different from the coup d'état of seizing the world...so its essence is still similar, and it is acceptable to confer titles on a large scale.

But you have only destroyed a small country like Japan, and you want to confer such titles on me. That's a bit too fantastical!

Yang Yiqing's righteous words soon won unanimous recognition from civil officials and gentry.

Wang Ao, Fei Hong, Wang Jianzhi, Cong Lan and other court officials all spoke out in agreement, opposing the Emperor's indiscriminate granting of titles.

You must know that these titles given by His Majesty the Emperor are not temporary titles, but each of them has a hereditary certificate!
This means that if the title is really conferred in this way, the Ming Dynasty will have ten more hereditary marquises!
The civil officials and gentry have controlled the government for so many years, and the number of military honors that have been secretly abolished is only this much. But now, His Majesty the Emperor has made up for it with just one word. Isn't this simply disgusting?

"Haha, what do you mean you can be knighted as long as you participate?"

Faced with the accusations from his ministers, Tang Hao remained calm.

"For example, Linjiang Marquis Ma Yong and Jining Marquis Deng Boyan, in order to cooperate with the imperial army, they went deep into the enemy territory of Japan for three years. They were in danger of being buried in a foreign land without a burial place at any time. But did they complain? Did they give up?"

"Not only did they not do that, they also continued to carry out their mission tenaciously, and finally waited for me to lead the main force to arrive in Japan, so that we could cooperate internally and externally to wipe out these Japanese bandits in one fell swoop. Isn't this achievement enough for them to be awarded the title of Marquis?"

Being in a foreign enemy country for three years and cooperating with the imperial army to wipe out the enemy is indeed a moving achievement!

Even though Yang Yiqing was speechless at the moment, he really couldn't do it if it were him!
Just think about it, within the territory of Japan, they had to pretend to be friendly with the Japanese and be cautious at all times, otherwise they might die at any time. No one would be able to endure such a difficult situation, let alone the two of them who had endured it for three years!

"They both deserve to be conferred titles. I have nothing to say about that. However, since the Renxuan period, the conferring of titles has all started with earldom. How can it be justified to confer the title of marquis right from the start?"

After all, Yang Yiqing had led troops in battles, and when he recalled the scenes of these soldiers fighting bloody battles, he couldn't help but feel soft-hearted, and his tone softened.

Ma Yong and Deng Boyan can be granted titles, but there is no reason to directly confer the title of marquis on them. At most, giving them the title of duke will be enough.

"Minister Yang, have you forgotten that His Majesty just said that the standards for all rewards should be raised, so shouldn't the two people who should have been made earls be made marquises now?"

Tang Hao asked with a smile.

This time, Yang Yiqing's face looked extremely ugly.

Ma Yong and Deng Boyan should have been granted the title of Earl, but now they have become hereditary dukes.

The people behind could have been given some rewards at most, but they suddenly became great uncles.

Moreover, they were all promoted to military governors. After all, the main way of appointment in the Five Military Governors' Office was to promote military generals who had made military achievements.

In addition to this situation, there are two other trends in appointment. The first is to appoint some old or retired middle-level military generals as deputy governors; the second is to appoint a group of descendants of meritorious officials and relatives as governors of the governor's office.

It was also a court practice for Houbo to serve as the governor of the five prefectures.

Yang Yiqing gritted his teeth and was about to say something, but unexpectedly Tang Hao attacked him directly. "It was Minister Yang who just reminded me of the ancestral law and the ancestral system of the great ancestor, right?"

"In order to prevent the generals from monopolizing power, Emperor Taizu Gao stipulated that the Five Military Commands Office had no power to dispatch troops, and the power to dispatch troops was directly controlled by His Majesty the Emperor. Although the Ministry of War had the power to appoint, dismiss, promote, and train the army, it was not allowed to command the troops. Whenever there was a war, His Majesty the Emperor would temporarily appoint a special person to serve as the commander-in-chief to lead the garrison troops to go to war. When the war was over, the commander-in-chief returned the seal and the troops returned to the garrison."

"It's good now. The War Department can both command and mobilize troops. It also has the power to appoint, dismiss and promote military officers and military officers. It completely ignores the ancestral precepts of Emperor Taizu Gao and the ancestral laws of Emperor Taizu Gao!"

"Since when did the Ministry of War steal the powers of the five ministries? You think it is natural now."

"What? Does your Ministry of War want to become the second Grand Governor's Mansion? Do you want to usurp the divine weapon?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole court was in an uproar.

Because many court officials still have memories and remember that Marquis Zhongshan once said these words.

But at that time, it was still the early days of His Majesty the Emperor's reign, and it was also the peak period for civil officials and gentry.

The Minister of War at that time was Liu Daxia!
At that time, because Duke Baoguo Zhu Hui went out for a stroll, the Northern Tartars retreated before he reached the battlefield. As a result, this guy actually falsely reported the military merits of more than 20,000 soldiers, which caused a struggle in the court.

Finally, Marquis Zhongshan said these words to the Minister of War Liu Daxia, trying to take back the authority of the Five Military Commandery.

But the irony is that the celestial official Ma Wensheng only used one sentence to make Zhongshan Hou speechless.

Even if the powers of the five prefectures were separated from the Ministry of War and returned to the five prefectures, would Tang Hao dare to accept it?
Marquis Zhongshan did not answer at that time, nor did he dare to answer, because he really did not dare to answer it.

The Five Palaces have long become an empty shelf in name only, an idle place for nobles and nobles to pretend to receive their salaries. Even if they really take over the power, there will be no one to use it. On the contrary, it will destroy the current military situation in the world and make the entire The Ming Dynasty is not peaceful!

But now?
When the old matter of Marquis Zhongshan is brought up again, will he dare to accept it this time?
All the ministers reacted.

Don't give up the Duke!

This in turn gave birth to ten governors!

Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao wants to rebuild the five prefectures!

Hiss... Once the five prefectures are established, the rise of military honors will be truly unstoppable!

"Don't you civil officials and gentry love to call out the laws established by your ancestors?"

"Now I will tell you about this ancestral method!"

Tang Hao stared at Yang Yiqing sharply!
"Yang Yiqing, the Ministry of War is not allowed to command troops. Is this the ancestral law of Emperor Taizu Gao?"

Yang Yiqing's face was filled with shock and he looked at Tang Hao in disbelief.

Of course, he also realized that this Marquis of Zhongshan actually wanted to rebuild the five prefectures.

But how is this possible?
The Five Prefectures have been abandoned for so many years, and the Ministry of War's command of the troops has long been popular among the people. Why does Tang Hao do this?

After the Tumu disaster, Yu Qian took charge of the government, the civil officials and gentry controlled the right to speak, and the Ministry of War took the opportunity to seize the power of the five ministries, completely turning into a behemoth that combined the power to command and mobilize troops.

Today, the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of War has become the country's highest military leadership body. It formulates military plans, is in charge of the assessment and appointment of military officers and generals, organizes the combat training of border troops and guards, is in charge of military registration, military households and military farming affairs, conveys the emperor's military orders and dispatches troops across the country in accordance with orders, etc. It can be said to be "in charge of the world's military affairs" and is a true behemoth.

The garrisons all over the country are accustomed to the dispatch and command of the Ministry of War. Even the soldiers of the nine borders dare not object to this. Why do you, Tang Hao, dare to do this?
For a moment, Yang Yiqing fell into great anxiety.

Indeed, if Marquis Zhongshan rebuilt the five prefectures, the Ministry of War would lose its power to command the troops, which was equivalent to losing most of its power.

But what Yang Yiqing was more worried about at the moment was that Marquis Zhongshan's reckless behavior would cause the current situation to completely collapse, and the last bit of luck of the Ming Dynasty would be destroyed in his hands!
"What? The ancestral laws of Emperor Taizu Gao are useless?"

"I am asking you, the Ministry of War is not allowed to command troops. Is this the ancestral law set by Emperor Taizu Gao?"

"If even the ancestral laws of Emperor Taizu Gao are ineffective, then which of your ancestors' laws are effective? The Three Yang ancestors of you civil officials and gentry?"

Three Yang ancestors!

This is an extremely harsh and sarcastic remark.

After all, the beginning of the civil officials and gentry's seizure of government power originated from the hands of the Three Yangs.

The so-called Three Yang Wise Prime Ministers took advantage of Zhu Qizhen's young age and inability to govern and began to frantically steal power. Not only did they set the rules for meetings in the Wenhua Hall, but they also allowed the cabinet to re-consolidate the power of the prime minister. It can be said that this set a good example for the subsequent gentry!
"Tang Hao! How dare you!" Yang Tinghe suddenly shouted angrily.

He had to speak up because the Three Yangs were the ancestors of the cabinet. Without the Three Yangs, there would be no cabinet, let alone the current cabinet prime minister.

In other words, Yang Tinghe must protect the Three Yangs no matter what.

They, the descendants who inherited the legacy of their ancestors, could not stand by and watch the Three Yang ancestors being humiliated by a military hero.

"Insolent? I have always been insolent!"

Tang Hao was also getting anxious. He was determined to rebuild the five prefectures today, and no one could stop him!

"You like to call your ancestors the Dharma!"

"I have clearly explained the ancestral laws of Emperor Taizu Gao. What's the problem?"

"The Ministry of War can mobilize troops but cannot command them. The Five Prefectures can command troops but have no right to mobilize troops. Furthermore, the Ministry of War has no right to interfere with the affairs of the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies. Outsiders of the ancestral Five Armed Forces Mansion are not allowed to predict it. This is what Emperor Taizu Gao The ancestors established the law!"

"Now, I will ask you again, do you recognize or not recognize the ancestral law of Emperor Taizu Gao?!"

The same situation occurred again.

Do you recognize it or not?
Must admit it!
But I can’t admit it either!
No one dares to refute what Taizu Emperor Gao said, otherwise it would be disobedience!
However, once he admits it, the Ministry of War will lose most of its power, and the generals and nobles will make a comeback with the help of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, so they cannot admit it!

But this time, the Marquis of Zhongshan took a tough stance, and the power controlled by the civil officials and gentry was no longer as strong as it used to be.

Among the six ministries in the court, the Ministry of Revenue has been completely separated, and the despicable Jiao Fang has completely sided with His Majesty the Emperor.

The Minister of Rites became Prince Xing Zhu Youju, who always stayed away from the civil officials and gentry.

From then on, the only ministries that were still under the control of civil officials and gentry were the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works.

However, it cannot be ruled out that the highest officials of these ministries, temples and bureaus, such as Wang Ao and Fei Hong, were upright people who were loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and would not get involved in any court struggles or form cliques with others for personal gain.

The Ming Dynasty today is no longer a place where the civil officials and gentry have the final say!
When Marquis Zhongshan spoke again, he wanted to take back the authority of the Five Military Commandery.

This time, no one can resist.

Yang Yiqing took a deep breath, looked at Tang Hao, and asked the same question as before.

"Marquis Zhongshan, even if the powers of the five prefectures were separated from the Ministry of War and returned to the five prefectures, would you dare to accept it?"

In fact, Yang Yiqing wanted to remind Tang Hao not to act rashly, otherwise the situation would be in danger of complete collapse.

But this time, Tang Hao straightened his back and shouted loudly: "Why not?"

Now, he is certainly qualified to say this!

The military generals and nobles are no longer the same as they used to be. Apart from the old group of military nobles behind Tang Hao, at least they can provide financial support. The ten military nobles including Ma Yong, Deng Boyan, Qiu Yue, plus the commander-in-chief of the nine border military towns are enough to support the Five Military Governor's Office.

The generals and lieutenant generals of the nine frontier military garrisons naturally supported the reconstruction of the five prefectures, or rather, they hoped for it.

Because the Five Ministries are back in power, the promotion and command of military generals and nobles will be in the hands of the military generals themselves, instead of being restricted by civil officials and gentry. This is the significance of the reconstruction of the Five Ministries!
Promotions and transfers are all in the hands of civil officials and gentry. How can military generals and nobles not be abolished and destroyed?
Of course, rebuilding the five prefectures is only the first step. If we want to ensure that military honors will not decline again, the best way is to find a way of inheritance for them, just like the imperial examinations for civil officials and gentry!
(End of this chapter)