Ming politicians

On the second day after returning to the capital, Su Tiancheng specially went to visit Sun Chengzong. This is a very normal thing. After returning to the capital, Su Tiancheng will visit Sun Chengzong, Liu Zongzhou and others. Of course, he is also very careful, just to visit Once, everything that should be said has been said, so there is no need to meet frequently. You must know that in the capital, there are Jinyiwei and Dongchang fanzi everywhere. How to see how to think.

Sun Chengzong also knew that Su Tiancheng was coming to visit, so he waited at home early, and declined the visits of other officials. The residence of the chief minister of the cabinet is always extremely lively.

Sun Chengzong took Su Tiancheng directly into the study.

The conversation between the two is very direct, and this kind of year-end friendship is very rare.

"Kun Yuan, the old man is getting old. It is rare to live in the seventies, and the old man is almost eighty, and his energy is really low. These days, the old man often thinks that he can resign from the position of the chief assistant of the cabinet. It is not enough. The emperor takes care of the old minister , I don’t bother you about ordinary things, but the old man feels uncomfortable. To be honest, the old man once thought that I would appoint you as the chief assistant of the cabinet. The old man also fully believes that you must be better than the old man.”[

"Your Excellency, don't think so. Lian Po was so heroic back then. There is nothing wrong with adults. The younger generation feels that it is precisely because the adults have presided over the government that these years, the younger generation can do things with peace of mind. If Without the full support of the adults, the juniors would not be able to do these things well."

"The old man believes what you say, but the old man also has self-knowledge. When he is old, he must let the virtuous. Most of the things in his mind are fixed. Things that seem simple to others, the old man thinks complicatedly, and is always afraid. There was a mistake. I failed the emperor, so physically and mentally exhausted, I really don’t know how long I can last.”

Looking at Sun Chengzong, Su Tiancheng was very emotional. If he hadn't traveled through time by himself, Sun Chengzong's bones might be able to play drums. Sun Chengzong is already 77 years old.At such an age, he is still the chief assistant of the cabinet. It is indeed a bit difficult, at least in terms of energy, it is a little too late, but under the current situation.There is no other way. Sun Chengzong is his greatest support in the court. Without Sun Chengzong's support, many things cannot be done well, the most important thing is.Sun Chengzong was old, so when he spoke in front of the emperor, he could let go, so that he could often dispel the emperor's doubts. If the emperor was surrounded by treacherous ministers who chewed their tongues, then he would really be in trouble.

"Kun Yuan, the old man also knows. It is unlikely that you will return to the capital for the time being. Liaodong cannot do without you. If Houjin cannot be completely wiped out, you will not be able to return to the capital. Under such circumstances, can you If he is the chief assistant of the cabinet, I should be prepared."

"Is there no one in your mind?"

Sun Chengzong shook his head.

"Among the ministers in the cabinet. There is really no suitable candidate. Mr. Liu Zongzhou is too extreme. To be the chief assistant of the cabinet, he needs to be impartial. Only by being able to coordinate in the middle can he be able to do things well. Mr. Liu has a more straightforward personality and can It’s good to stay in the cabinet, so is Master Huang Daozhou. Both of them are hailed as great Confucians, but this great Confucianism also has its own flaws. Not to mention other things, at least they don’t have the experience of leading an army to fight, and they don’t know the hardships of fighting. , I don’t know the importance of the military, and all I think about is people’s livelihood. The old man told them a few days ago that the imperial court must support most of the army. If the military expenditure is reduced, all of it will be invested in people’s livelihood. Definitely not. This is the simplest truth, but unfortunately neither of them understand it very well."

"My lord, the truth is really simple. It's like a child walking down the street with a lot of gold in his arms. If there is no one to protect him, he may lose his gold and lose his life."

"That's right, that's the reason. The old man is very cautious. He has investigated several candidates, but there is no suitable one. Sometimes, the old man is even very discouraged, fearing that the court will not be stable, which will delay major events."

"My lord, don't worry, there must be a way for the car to reach the mountain."

"Okay, the old man is still on that topic, I don't know if anyone needs Kun Yuan."

Su Tiancheng had thought about this matter a long time ago, but his idea was a bit bizarre, so he didn't say it all the time. Sun Chengzong raised this question, so he naturally wanted to express his attitude.

"The younger generation thinks that the former chief assistant of the cabinet, Mr. Zhou Yanru, is good."

Sun Chengzong was a little surprised, looked at Su Tiancheng, and didn't speak.

"Master Zhou did a very good job when he served as the chief assistant of the cabinet. Especially in extraordinary times, he was able to deal with things calmly. In addition, he must have thought about a lot of things after being idle at home these years. Entering the cabinet, he can quickly Familiarize yourself with everything quickly, in terms of qualifications, Mr. Zhou is also suitable."

"Kun Yuan, the old man is not very optimistic about your idea. You must know that Zhou Yanru once fell into the vortex of party struggle. As the chief assistant of the cabinet, if he has a tendency to party struggle, it is absolutely unacceptable, no matter how much Zhou Yanru happened. He himself is a representative of southern students, and if he becomes the chief assistant of the cabinet, he will still vigorously protect the privileges of southern bureaucrats and gentry. From this point of view, this old man disagrees."

Su Tiancheng nodded and brought up Zhou Yanru as a test. Sun Chengzong said it very directly. The battle between Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren once made the court full of smoke. Such a person should return to the cabinet and succeed him as chief assistant. However, if he thought of suppressing dissidents, the court would soon be in chaos.

"The next candidate that this junior thinks of is probably a bit abrupt."

"Everything that is abrupt, it should be done. This is talking at home, and there are not so many estimates." [

"Junior His Royal Highness Prince Jin, Governor of Shaanxi Zhu Shenxuan."

This time, Sun Chengzong was really surprised. Looking at Su Tiancheng, he opened his mouth, but he didn't speak.

"My lord, it's definitely not because of the younger generation. The younger generation is clear about the ability of His Royal Highness King Jin. In Shaanxi, the younger generation just maintained the situation, but His Royal Highness Jin was in Shaanxi, and he actually built Shaanxi very well. In such a short period of time. It is not easy to achieve these achievements. Shaanxi used to be a devastated land, but now it is completely self-sufficient and can pay taxes. The common people are basically self-sufficient and do not need the burden of the court. Such achievements, most people do not reach."

"Kun Yuan, have you ever thought about the relationship between His Royal Highness Prince Jin and you? What would the emperor think if one of you is in charge and the other is in charge? If so, will the emperor be at ease?"

"The younger generation also knows that this is a bit abrupt, but the younger generation thinks that His Royal Highness Prince Jin is a relative of the emperor, and the first thing in his mind is to maintain my Ming Dynasty's rule."

Sun Chengzong shook his head again and again.

"Kun Yuan, you have always been wise. This time, your thinking is a little simpler. I won't say much about the emperor's mind. His Royal Highness King Jin is not suitable, and I don't know how to do it."

Su Tian smiled naively.

"My lord said so, there is only one candidate for the younger generation, and that is Lord Yang Sichang, Shangshu of the Ministry of War."

Hearing Su Tiancheng mention Yang Sichang, Sun Chengzong's eyes lit up.

"Well, Mr. Yang is still good. Over the years, he has presided over the affairs of the Ministry of War in an orderly manner, and the emperor appreciates it very much. However, the old man feels that Mr. Yang's foundation in the court is not yet stable."

Having said that, Sun Chengzong patted his forehead lightly.

"The old man is really confused. Yang Sichang is in charge of the inside, and you are in charge of the outside. The two of you strengthen your relationship. Isn't Yang Sichang's foundation secure?"

Su Tiancheng secretly sighed, why did Sun Chengzong know such an obvious truth, it seems that he is really old.

"My lord, this junior feels that at this critical moment, my lord still needs to persevere. Even if I don't care about the little things in the court, the emperor is very dependent on my lord, so my lord still needs to take care of my health."

"I know, what I mean by asking you is to prepare for the future. By the way, this time I want to go to Dalinghe City to see if it is suitable."

Su Tiancheng shook his head lightly.

"The younger generation thinks that my lord should not go to Liaodong for the time being. My lord is too old to travel long distances. In addition, the situation in Liaodong has not been completely stabilized. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are on standby to prevent Houjin's surprise attack. Zu Dale Leading the frontier army, they are stepping up the construction of Dalinghe City, and the strongholds and fortresses around Dalinghe City are also in the process of strengthening. According to the juniors' prediction, it will take at least two years for Liaodong to be completely stable. There are many things that juniors need to do, so it is not suitable for adults to come to Dalinghe City at this time."

Su Tiancheng could understand Sun Chengzong's mood, but for such a big matter, he couldn't rely on his own mood. He still had to consider the important affairs of the court and the overall situation.

"Kun Yuan's remarks make this old man ashamed. Now that this old man knows, he won't have such an idea. When he becomes an official in the future, he will be able to visit Dalinghe City. I will be satisfied."

"My lord, don't think like this. The junior is still thinking about it. I will take you to Shenyang to have a look in the future."

When Su Tiancheng said this, Sun Chengzong stood up excitedly. [

"Okay, I have to wait until that day. Kun Yuan has such ambitions, how can I let you down? I also believe that Kun Yuan will definitely be able to do it."

Seeing that Sun Chengzong's spirit is still good, Su Tiancheng is very happy. As long as Sun Chengzong can persevere and control the government, Daming will surely be able to slowly recover. After the most difficult years, the future prospects will definitely be different. (to be continued...)