Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 53: Minister of War Yang Sichang

In Prince Xiang's mansion, Chongzhen listened in a daze as Zhu Changgan promoted Sun Chengzong to the position of Prime Minister, and his brows furrowed.

"A 75-year-old prime minister? Can he do the job?"

He had previously issued decrees hoping that Sun Chengzong would come to the court, but he had not intended to place him in such a high position.

"However, having you as the Prime Minister is still more stable after all." He sighed, "It should be better than before!"

The "before" mentioned by Chongzhen was the second year of Chongzhen.

He ordered the expansion of the cabinet, and in order to show a new look, he required court officials to publicly nominate cabinet members through the court.

As a result, after the court had fought openly and secretly, the ten lists were placed before the emperor's desk, and he was dumbfounded.

Except for two remnants of the eunuch party, all of them were members of the Donglin Party.

This was also the reason why Chongzhen began to be wary of the Donglin Party, but the list had already been selected, and he had to swallow the dishes he ordered no matter how bad they tasted.

So he finally used the method of "divination", burning incense to worship his ancestors, and asking his ancestors and heaven to help in the selection. As a result, Qian Longxi, Li Biao, Lai Zongdao, Yang Jingchen and others were admitted to the cabinet.

For the first time, the Ming Dynasty cabinet had nine cabinet ministers.

Thinking back now, Chongzhen's face was burning, "What a joke! I am probably the only one in the Ming Dynasty who selected the cabinet by fortune-telling. I really mean this."

His peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of Mr. Dugu entering the study, and he quickly stopped talking and looked at the article in front of him.

"Sir, I just came back from outside and I have good news to tell you. You can take the examination for the Tongsheng in a few days."

"Shouldn't he have passed it?" Chongzhen was stunned for a moment. He had the impression that he had already passed the child examination in the capital.

The Tongshi examination is usually held in the second month of the lunar calendar, twice every three years.

"This year is different. There was heavy snow at the beginning of the year, and then we had bandit troubles in Huguang, so it was delayed for some time." Mr. Dugu looked at Chongzhen's article and couldn't help but sigh:
"Originally, according to the prince's intention, you were asked to take the exam again next year, but after I showed the essay to a few friends, they all thought that we should not bury your brilliance."

"Sir, didn't I tell you not to show these things to others?" Chongzhen's face looked a little ugly. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Mr. Dugu stroked his beard and said, "Your Highness is low-key, but as a teacher, I must be dedicated."

"Those people were the chief examiners of the county and prefecture in previous years. Letting them take a look will only benefit you, not harm you."

"." Chongzhen's face turned blue and purple. Did he worry that he wouldn't even be able to pass the exam to become a student?
Seeing Chongzhen's unconvinced look, Mr. Dugu smiled and gave a riddle, "You will know after you take the exam."

There was a gleam in Chongzhen's eyes, but he didn't care. Suddenly, a green light flashed in his peripheral vision, and he felt a little scalp-tingling and wanted to slip away.

But he was stopped by a crisp voice, "Prince, the prince invites you to have dinner."

"Uh, got it."

Chongzhen was a little overwhelmed. He didn't feel tired when he was asked to study the Four Books and Five Classics, write articles, and even govern the country. But when facing Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming, he felt a little overwhelmed.

"Sir, would you like to go with me?"

Mr. Dugu shook his head. Although the prince treated him with great courtesy, he was still a royal noble after all.

People like them are not allowed to attend family dinners.

"Father!" Chongzhen gritted his teeth and went to see Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming.

Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming was scolding a ten-year-old child. Upon hearing this, his face immediately lit up with a smile, "My Qilin child is here. Come, sit next to your father."

He kicked the teenage boy on the buttocks and said, "Get out of here."

The child stumbled out, and when he passed Chongzhen, jealousy and resentment were evident in his eyes.

During the days Chongzhen came to Prince Xiang's mansion, he still didn't recognize people very well. Except for Zhu Changcheng, he didn't know the names of Prince Xiang's several children. "My son, come here. Mr. Dugu said that you can take part in the child exam this year. As a father, I am very pleased, so I prepared a whole cow feast."

Chongzhen's face turned green. He couldn't get over this, right?

"Father, the oxen are the foundation of the people's livelihood. The spring rain does not move the plow whip, the sunset sends the shepherd home in vain, how can it be compared to the steady back of the old woman's ox, the spring breeze sings a song of peace.

So many saints and sages praised the oxen for farming, but my father allowed me to eat the oxen. Isn't this making me unkind and unjust? "

"Hiss~" Upon hearing this, Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming slapped his head fiercely, "Look how foolish my father is. How could he let my son go against the will of the sages? Come on, take all these away."

The servants immediately filed in from outside and took away all the dishes containing beef, leaving only a plate of vegetables and white rice.

Chongzhen was about to pick up the meal when he suddenly remembered that he was not in the palace, and hurriedly asked, "Father, don't you want to eat?"

Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming looked at him with a sharp gaze, "My son, if you are hungry, eat first, but don't eat too fast. Your father will have someone prepare a whole lamb feast for you."

"." The corners of Chongzhen's mouth twitched, and his hands unconsciously pulled his hair.

A son should not disobey his father. He had already gone too far by refusing his father's whole-ox banquet. If he disobeyed again, he would feel uneasy.

Looking at Zhu Yiming's back as he trotted out, he was angry and moved, his eyes gradually turned red, and he murmured, "Is this what it feels like to be a father?"

"I've never experienced this before!"

He thought of what Zhu Changgan and Mr. Dugu had said, "If I had a father who cared about me like this since I was a child, then maybe my personality would not be like this, right?"

"Then will the Ming Dynasty be better?"

As Chongzhen was thinking, his eyes became dazzled unconsciously.

He wiped the corners of his eyes, shoveled the vegetables into his bowl, and stuffed them into his mouth in big mouthfuls.

When Xiang Wang Zhu Yiming was happily bringing the dishes up again, he suddenly realized that the table was empty. He couldn't help but ask, "Where are the people?"

The maid hurriedly said, "My Lord, the prince has gone back to study. He also said."

"What else did the prince say?"

"The prince said that if the prince comes, there is no need to call him over." The maid said timidly.

The prince looked at the food on the table and sighed, "My son is hardworking, what else can I ask for?!"

At the same time, in the Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" The Minister of War Yang Sichang came to meet the emperor.

"Wen Ruo, I want to discuss with you again the idea of ​​'four sides and six corners, spreading a net on all sides'" Zhu Changgan said, holding Yang Sichang's memorial.

A hundred thousand soldiers were gathered together, and the food and salary were increased by a huge amount of 280 million.

The four refugee army activity areas of Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang and Fengyang were designated as the main battlefields for the suppression, namely the "Four Main Areas".

At the same time, defenses were deployed in six provinces, namely Yansui, Shanxi, Shandong, Yingtian, Jiangxi and Sichuan, to compress the encirclement and prevent the refugee troops from escaping, which was called the "Six Corners".

Restrict the mobility of the peasant army, defeat them one by one, and achieve the goal of annihilation.

Yang Sichang said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the reason why I formulated this strategy is that in addition to the Ming army chasing the refugee army everywhere and the inefficiency of suppressing them, the most important thing is that the refugee army has never had an effective organizational system and cannot establish a base."

Zhu Changgan hesitated for a moment and said, "This move may be effective in the short term, but it will not succeed in the end."

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(End of this chapter)