The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 168 Agreed on Military Merit
Zhang Zhou woke up early in the morning. Originally, the emperor planned to take Zhang Zhou to the Meridian Gate for a stroll, which was to officially introduce Zhang Zhou to the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs.

Was declined by Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou's reason was simple. He hadn't passed the Jinshi examination yet, and he hadn't formally passed the selection for tribute. He was not a court official and couldn't break the rules.

This is to prepare for being able to be in the court class in the future, so I will not do things that are presumptuous now.

Zhu Youtang saw Zhang Zhou's firm attitude, so he didn't force it.

Meridian Gate meeting.

No one came out to mention the matter involving the problem that day.

On the first day of the examination, before Neilian's marking had not officially started, even if there were many criticisms against Cheng Minzheng from outside, they would not explode immediately.

In history, Hua Chang's participation in the impeachment of Cheng Minzheng, Xu Jing and Tang Yin involved in the issue was also in late February when the list was about to be released. At that time, rumors were already raging outside.

The topic of the day was mainly military rewards.

As for the rewards for meritorious officials, there are basically no major problems. The main problems lie in three points.

One is to determine whether Wang Yue was promoted to Weiningbo or Weininghou.

The second is whether Zhu Feng, the second son of Cheng Guogong, the "main force" who made meritorious service in this battle, is qualified to win the title.

The third point concerns whether Ping Jiangbo and Chen Rui should be convicted.

Let's start with the simplest issue, which is Chen Rui's question.

"...Your Majesty, although Uncle Pingjiang was guilty of slack in this battle, he did not ignore military orders. All orders in the army came from Wang Weining alone. The department was negligent in defense and had a proper strategy, if they are held accountable afterwards, they should be punished as the one who gave the orders!"

Zhang Sheng, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, came out to argue, showing that the emperor could not punish Chen Rui.

Chen Rui ran a little faster, but the problem was that Wang Yue let him run, and because he ran so fast, Huo Zai thought that the soldiers and horses of the Ming Dynasty were really vulnerable, so he let down his vigilance.

It's all strategy.

If the strategy has achieved its goal, punish Chen Rui now. Does that mean encouraging the generals in the northwest to obtain military orders and not carry them out?

After hearing this, Zhu Youtang felt that it made sense, nodded and said: "Even if Uncle Pingjiang's merits and demerits can be offset, he is not suitable to stay in the northwest at the moment. Li Wei and Chen Xun will continue to lead troops to coordinate defense, and Chen Rui does not need to stay in Xuanfu as a military officer, he can return to the capital."

The emperor didn't seem to intend to pursue Chen Rui any further.

If you win, it's easy for everyone to say, you, Chen Rui, can also set a "compensation for merit and demerit", but you can't expect to be valued in a short time after you return to the capital.

Wang Zongyi, the right servant of the Ministry of War, said: "Wangyue people are in Pianguan, and three sides and other places still need to be garrisoned by honorable ministers. When such a man is employed, why not transfer Ping Jiangbo to Yansui and other places? This can also deter the grasslands. effect!"

The Ministry of War does not advocate bringing Chen Rui back.

Among other things, Chen Rui looks incompetent among the honored ministers in the Northwest, but he is actually better at fighting than Chen Rui... not yet.

No matter how powerful Wang Yue is, he can only garrison one place, and the rest of the places need to be guarded by someone. Could it be that he, Wang Weining, is all alone in the Nine Sides?Is he busy?
Moreover, Wang Yue is indeed old, and it is not suitable to stay in the northwest for too long. At most, he will be transferred back to the capital after the war in the northwest is completely subsided.

It is not worth stepping on Chen Rui now, because it is not a good thing to discredit Chen Rui. Wang Yue will die later, and when the Northwest needs to hire someone, transfer Chen Rui... Chen Rui has today's notoriety. How to order the three armies?

"Three sides."

Zhu Youtang obviously didn't want to hear this proposal. He pondered for a while and asked, "Is there no one else available among the honorable ministers?"

This question is actually not worth asking.

Ma Wensheng came out and said, "Your Majesty, there are not a few honored ministers in the Northwest. Uncle Pingjiang did not have the upper hand in the confrontation with the Huosie, but he did not lose the wind in the tug-of-war with the little Tatar prince and others!"

These words actually reveal something, that is, Wang Zongyi's coming out to speak for Chen Rui is actually the unified opinion of the Ministry of War, not Wang Zongyi's personal opinion.

What Ma Wensheng meant was that Chen Rui had one loss and one tie against Huo Zai and Dayan Khan. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s actually pretty good. It’s not easy to find someone to hold Dayan Khan back. thing.

Zhu Youtang nodded.

He also understood that when Ma Wensheng answered him like this, he was actually telling him.

There is indeed no one else available in the Northwest.

"If I'm transferred to Yansui as the Duke of the State, do you think it's feasible?" Zhu Youtang made a proposal that sounded bizarre.

The ministers present were all overwhelmed by the emperor's jumping thinking.

For a while, no one came out to comment.

Cheng Guogong Zhu Fu?This guy will fight?But it doesn't matter, anyway, the same is true of Duke Bao!At the critical moment, the emperor didn't think of others, so he insisted on mentioning Zhu Fu. Did the emperor think that Cheng Guogong's lineage was a lucky star, and if the son made meritorious service, I should also go to the battlefield to exercise?
Zhu Youtang said: "The matter of Chen Rui's call back to the capital remains unchanged for the time being. As for who to send to Yansui and other places, the inner court will discuss it again. After the court meeting, the two elders of the cabinet and the Minister of the Ministry of War will call the British prince again. go."

This means that after the general meeting, there will be a small meeting.

The discussion was not about whether Chen Rui should go or stay, but about who would take over part of the military power in Chen Rui's hands, and then transfer him to Yansui, Ningxia and other places to guard against the little Tatar prince.

……

……

That's it for the first topic.

Then there is the question of Zhu Feng's canonization.

On this matter, the opinions of the courtiers are basically unanimous... No way!
What spring and autumn dream do you, Zhu Feng, have?When I went to the Northwest at a young age, I personally killed a tartar, saying that it was the military merits obtained by your troops, it is better to say that you took advantage of it, if this can be awarded, then the title of Daming is too worthless, It is a person who can go to the dungeon.

This time, Xu Jin, the left servant of the household department, objected: "Your Majesty, Zhu Feng's military merits are the result of the overall strategy. If individual merits are used to determine the title, there are not a few people in the northwest who deserve the title. The meritorious service cannot be falsely claimed."

What Xu Jin actually wanted to say was that military merit cannot be counted twice.

The military exploits this time are not small, but the specific figures have not been calculated clearly. The people sent by the imperial court to the northwest have only just set off for two days, and it will take some time to reach Piantouguan. A detailed investigation report has not yet been released.

At best, Zhu Feng is just a general, not even a general, he can only be regarded as a guerrilla, and his official position is under the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief. In fact, at this time, regardless of the merits of the commander-in-chief Wang Yue, we should first talk about marginal generals Yes, that's a little inappropriate.

Ministers also want to say.

Don't think that we don't know that Zhu Feng joined the army by relying on connections.

In fact, it's no big deal.

If this kind of person can win the title, what will happen when he is alone in the future?
Zhu Youtang said: "Zhu Feng is the son of Cheng Guogong. After his meritorious service, he left a name of loyalty when he offered medicine to the princess to cure the disease. This time, the Northwest is leading the army into the city alone without fear. Even if he is young and has done nothing in the past, if I want to award him a reward, it is out of his loyalty to the monarchy, out of his actual combat meritorious deeds, not following the example, and it would be unfair to say that he made false contributions."

Hearing Xu Jin's words, Zhu Feng could not bear to listen to Zhu Feng as an unlearned and incompetent little man.

His personality is...

Protect your weaknesses.

Of course, if it wasn't for Zhang Zhou, no matter how much Zhu Youtang tried to protect his shortcomings, he would not be able to protect Zhu Feng.

But now Zhu Feng has become "one of his own" in the eyes of the emperor, and I just want to promote him, what can you do?

The ministers present had a headache.

Liu Jian came out and said: "With Zhu Feng's background and the military achievements he has gained, it is not impossible to plan to enter the rank!"

When these words came out, many people at the scene looked sideways.

Did you, old man Liu, betray you?Actually speaking according to the emperor's will?
In fact, Liu Jian just came out to say a "fair word", others couldn't see it, so couldn't Liu Jian see it, in fact, Wang Yue was able to receive many military merits by himself, but they voluntarily gave them to Zhu Feng?
From Liu Jian's point of view, the matter of whether Wang Yue was a marquis is even more fatal. If some of Wang Yue's military achievements are divided and distributed to others, why not?

And from a certain point of view, Zhu Feng is the second son of Cheng Guogong's family, and Zhu Feng's eldest brother has no sons. Maybe the title of Cheng Guogong will be passed on to Zhu Feng in the future. In principle, why do you have to forcibly oppose it, and also annoy the emperor to cause so many discords between monarchs and ministers?

After hearing Liu Jian's words, Zhu Youtang immediately showed joy, and said, "Old Liu Ge, what else do you have in mind, just say it."

In fact, Zhu Youtang also knew that there must be prerequisites for Liu Jian to speak according to his will.

After so many years of getting along with the monarch and his subjects, he is also familiar with the routine.

Liu Jiandao: "If Zhu Fengjin is regarded as the uncle, then the meritorious service of Pianguan should be divided and rewarded, and the merits of Wang Yue should be counted separately."

"Ha ha."

Zhu Youtang smiled.

Sure enough, it was a hidden trick.

Another count?

One is the commander-in-chief, the other is the general under his command. Is it possible to divide the entire military merits one by one, count them one by one, and give Wang Yue the rest that are unclaimed?

In order to restrain Wang Weining, you civil servants really do everything possible.

"The matter of Zhu Feng's entry into the ranks, let's postpone the discussion and let's talk about Wang Weining first." Zhu Youtang took the initiative to change the topic.

On the first topic, regarding Chen Rui, the emperor can be regarded as "a complete victory".

But then on the second topic, that is, the issue of Zhu Feng's winning the title, the civil servants tripped the emperor, and the emperor heard it, and then turned to the third topic first.

After assigning Wang Yue's credit, let's talk about Zhu Feng's matter.

Of course, there is another hidden topic... Regarding Zhang Zhou, this may not be mentioned in the court, but can be discussed in the inner court meeting. After all, even Zhang Zhou himself did not insist on obtaining anything with this military merit.

……

……

The third topic begins immediately.

When it comes to Wang Yue's military achievements, almost all the civil servants at the scene wanted to interject a few words.

Zhu Youtang did not allow the people present to express any opinions, and he directly put his personal opinions first: "I asked the Ministry of Rites to refer to the wars in Beiguan, Nine Borders, etc. in the past hundred years, and also involved many times. After sending troops to Mongolia, it is concluded that Wang Weining’s contribution has not only reached the level of being a marquis, but even a duke of a state.”

The emperor first made the prerequisites clear.

It is not considered the founding of the country, nor is it considered Jingnan.

In these two major battles, nearly [-]% of the nobles of the Ming Dynasty received military merits, and their credits were not obtained from foreign barbarians.

There may also be some people, especially those who won the title during the Yongle period, who participated not only in Jingnan, but also in the Northern Expedition during the period.

Regardless of this.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it is not an exaggeration to give Wang Yue a "Marquis of Weining" based on the precedent of his military achievements in the battle against the Tartars on the Mongolian grassland.

Just take Wang Ji, the first Jingyuan uncle who was awarded a title by a civil official, as an example. Not counting his last quelling of the Southwest, even if he conquered Luchuan three times, he is far inferior to Wang Yue’s Pianguan due to his achievements in the Northwest War. This battle.

Moreover, Wang Yue also had several famous battles during the Chenghua period.

Xie Qian came forward and said vigorously: "Your Majesty, although Wang Weining has made great contributions, it is a coincidence that the time and place are right, and he is the God of using soldiers, but he caused damage to our Daming border and cost a lot of money to repair. If you use this as a meritorious service, you will be honored If you set a precedent, someone will follow suit in the future, and there will inevitably be troubles in the future!"

In the meaning of Xie Qian.

Even if we know that he has made great contributions, we can't make it too public, just return him the title of Earl of Weining.

If you insist on giving him Marquis Weining, it will make the governors and generals in the frontier feel that if you want to win the title, you have to play big, and if you want to play big, you have to take risks, imitate Wang Weining and blow up the head, or do similar This is the only way to achieve unworldly miracles.

Giving Wang Yue a marquis is not showing merit, but setting a bad example.

As soon as this word comes out.

All the ministers present gave "Thank you Yu Qiao awesome" looks.

Don't look at your usual gags, but in the absence of Li Dongyang, I still want you to thank Yu Qiao to come out and play the leading role.

After Xie Qian's voice fell, Zhu Youtang remained silent for a while after all.

Before, Zhu Youtang only thought that the civil servants were restricting Wang Yue for no reason, but after hearing Xie Qian's words, he felt that there was nothing wrong with it.

Wang Yue is very awesome, but the one about blowing up Piantouguan... is unacceptable!
Even he, who is the emperor, criticized his behavior in the court before. If you just take the example of setting an example, what Xie Qian said is right. Need to spend at least 10 taels, and at least tens of thousands of servants to complete the construction?

During the construction process, if the Tartars took advantage of the opportunity to commit another crime, who would be responsible for the crime?

But the emperor thought about it again, bombing also had its benefits. After the Tatars knew that the Ming Dynasty had this big killer, they would not give it a chance if they wanted to bomb it again.

Even if Wang Weining has this ability, you won't be able to accept it.

Zhu Youtang said: "If you only judge Wang Yue's fault based on the destruction of the Pianguan City Fortress, then I think it is a bit harsh. If you stand on the standpoint of soldiers in the Northwest, and know that I have meritorious service, I can't do it." Knowing rewards and punishments, but judging faults with innocent things, how can it inspire the morale of the army? In the future, when there will be conquests, should we also look forward and backward in order to influence the use of troops?"

The emperor was tantamount to using Xie Qian's theory to refute Xie Qian.

You said that Wang Yue will set a bad example and make the border officials mess up in the future.

Then I retorted, saying that if you don't reward Wang Yue well, then the generals in the Northwest will be too frightened to act recklessly...

So in the end it was a mess, how about getting a good news?
Or don't dare to act recklessly, so that the hands and feet are tied up and lead to defeat?

(End of this chapter)