The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 317

Faced with such an emperor who "ask Bingkuan if you have something to do, and suspend the discussion when Bingkuan is not in the matter", these top civil servants present are actually very speechless.

But now on the matter of whether to aid Duoyan Sanwei, they really can't seem to come up with any good strategy... There is no way to make a final decision, even the civil servants will keep or not, or change the way to perfunctory and other methods , This will make the emperor feel... you civil servants have no idea, so don't make trouble.

When the ministers came out of the Qianqing Palace, the noon sun was still a bit dazzling.

Min Gui, the censor of Zuodu, had a lot of opinions on the emperor's favor on Zhang Zhou. Probably because he was the leader of the speech officials, he had to keep his head on the responsibilities that others didn't want to take on.

"What's this called? Your Majesty now asks Zhang Bingkuan if you have something to do, and you can ask Zhang Bingkuan if you have nothing to do. However, without Zhang Bingkuan, the matter in the court will be put aside? Don't you all know how to argue with your Majesty?"

What Min Gui said was actually exactly what these few people thought.

But this seems to be the same as discussing whether to send troops in the court... Slogans alone have no results, and only direct remonstrance, but in the past six months we haven't said enough about Zhang Bingkuan?When did it work?Why don't you tell others to speak out?

Xie Qian said with a smile: "It is said that His Majesty relies heavily on Zhang Bingkuan, but I dare to ask, which of the official duties you have in hand these days has Zhang Bingkuan participated in it?"

Min Gui gave Xie Qian a blank look.

How else can I say that you Xie Yuqiao is good at sophistry?
If Zhang Bingkuan can really participate in all the affairs of the DPRK and China, then we can really go home and farm together.

Zhou Jing smiled wryly and said, "Isn't this an important matter for the court?"

In this matter, it seems that Zhou Jing has a say. Although Zhang Zhou is now a military officer, he has the most communication with the Ministry of Households. On the contrary, there is not much communication with the Ministry of War. The reason is that... Zhang Zhou fought in the big In terms of strategy, there is no need to obey others. On the contrary, issues related to the management of the army in the northwest require money and food. Zhang Zhou really participated in the matter at hand.

Xie Qian said with a smile again: "Could it be that you haven't figured out until now, what is the best result His Majesty wants for whether to send troops to assist Duoyan Sanwei?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Xie Qian looked at Ma Wensheng, meaning, they didn't understand, so you can't understand, right?

Ma Wensheng said: "What Yu Qiaoke said is that what His Majesty wants is for Ming to send troops to help and defeat the little Tartar prince in one fell swoop, isn't that what he means?"

"Yes." Xie Qian nodded with a smile.

"Ah?" Bai Ang, the minister of the Ministry of Punishment, sneered at this, "Is this possible? Yu Qiao, the important affairs of the court are not limited to words, but also deeds."

Xie Qian said: "Hey, you are really right. What your majesty wants is to match words with deeds, not only to say what you say, but also to be able to do things. I dare to ask you, if your majesty really wants to send troops to help Duoyan Sanwei, Why don't you send him Zhang Bingkuan? Otherwise... who will you send?"

A few people were still marching, and suddenly they fell silent.

Sophistry is sophistry, but Xie Qian's words are still very reasonable.

At the inner court meeting just now, several people talked about breaking the sky, but they couldn't solve a big problem, that is, what they said and what they did were not the same person.

After walking for a while, Zhou Jing reminded: "Isn't there still the old Ma's hall?"

"Ha ha."

Xie Qian laughed there again.

This is to remind everyone present that although Ma Wensheng is old, he is too old to be on the battlefield, and even if Ma Wensheng wants to go, the emperor will not let him go.

Obviously there are even more awesome characters, why let Daming's official Minister of the Ministry of War go?

Seeing that he was about to bid farewell to the three members of the cabinet, Min Gui said with a look of embarrassment, "Mr. Xie Ge, you are only here to build up other people's ambitions, but have you ever thought about what His Majesty will do to him when Zhang Bingkuan is about to return to Beijing?" official position? Let him break the rules of the court!"

Xie Qian said with a smile: "The best thing is to let him return to the capital and lead the troops across Jiliao immediately. What do you think?"

Liu Jian said: "Yu Qiao, is this kind of nonsense being said outside the court? Everyone separated! Your Majesty didn't let me say it, so I don't know about it!"

Probably means.

We still have to respect the rules of the court's discussion. We can't object to the private discussions between the emperor and Zhang Zhou, but we go against it and hold this kind of small circle meeting.

Furthermore, regarding Duoyan Sanwei's appeal to Daming for help, it's better not to make a scene known to everyone.

for nothing else...

Just to preserve His Majesty's reputation as the "Common Master of the World" when Ming Dynasty did not send troops, if the common people or other foreign countries know about it, they will inevitably feel ashamed.

……

……

Zhu Youtang didn't seem to have any worries about whether to make Duoyan Sanwei's request for help public. He even asked Xiao Jing to go back to Zhang Mao for advice.

"Your Majesty, I have been away for two days since I sent the edict to call Mr. Zhang back to the Northwest. It is estimated that it will take at least half a month for Mr. Zhang to return to the court. If we really want to help Duoyan Sanwei, will it... be too late?" ?”

Xiao Jing still has some minor opinions on the emperor's decision, or he feels that there are minor flaws.

Since it is a matter of calling Zhang Zhou back to the court to discuss whether to send troops or not, we can wait for Zhang Zhou to come back...maybe the day lily is cold, the fighting power of Duoyan Sanwei...surely can last for so long under the onslaught of Dayan Khan's 10,000+ soldiers and horses ?
"Cough cough." Zhu Youtang coughed. Obviously he was really unwell, but it was just a cold. "I have already said in the imperial edict that if he wants to send troops, he doesn't have to wait until he returns to Beijing. He is also allowed to dispatch soldiers and horses to places such as Xuanfu, Datong, and Pianguan. Sending troops to the grasslands is not the only way to go to the capital."

Xiao Jing quickly lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhu Youtang said: "It's not that I'm wise, it's that I know that there are not many troops around the capital. If there are too many troops around the capital, how can we ensure the stability of the capital? But at a time, we have to fight with a dozen or 20 Tatar soldiers and horses." In fact, in my heart, I tend to ignore the war and have to deploy troops on a large scale. But in front of my courtiers, I can't say that."

The emperor also made it clear at this time.

The national policy had already been decided before, and it was agreed that Zhang Zhou would prepare for the war for a few years before sending troops to the grassland.

But now, less than three months of preparing for the battle, a battle that may be a decisive battle is about to be fought... It's not that you have a good deck of cards in your hand, and the cards will get better and better, so you have to rush to play and give your opponent a chance out of thin air ?
"I can't let the vassal states who have high hopes for Daming think that Daming will die, but it doesn't matter. Originally, Duoyan Sanwei didn't submit to Daming, did he?"

Zhu Youtang found the most suitable reason for not sending troops.

Xiao Jing said: "Yes."

"Okay, let's go down, I actually miss Bingkuan very much, and I always want to talk to him more about secrets, and then talk about how to keep in good health..." Zhu Youtang seemed to be full of Zhang Zhou's return to the capital. expect.

Xiao Jing said again: "Your Majesty, that Kong family... the Nanxi man has arrived in Beijing and was imprisoned in Beizhen Fusi. Earlier, Yan Shenggong had already stated in the form that the court should strictly investigate and not hurt the heart of the third family. Obviously there is an intention to put pressure on the imperial court. He also asked to remand him in a private house first, and only send soldiers to guard him... slaves dare not make decisions."

Zhu Youtang was about to leave the Qianqing Palace, but he frowned and said, "The Kong family is quite strange. At this time, they don't make trouble, and they advance and retreat in unison?"

In the eyes of the emperor.

If he were Kong Hongtai, the emperor was obviously very angry about this, and even determined that Kong Hongxu was responsible for setting the fire. The three clans, that is, Confucius, Mencius, and Yan, did not include Zeng, because the inheritance of Zeng Zi was not as clear as that of the other three families, and matters related to his inheritance were still a mystery until the middle of the Ming Dynasty.

As the leader of the three sages, Kong Hongtai put pressure on the emperor by using the three families to advance and retreat together, which is a bit ignorant.

Xiao Jingdao: "Look, Your Majesty, do you listen?"

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "The more this is the case, the more I will not let it go easily, and it doesn't mean that torture will be used, at least there must be an explanation to the people of the world. Let's deal with it together after Bingkuan returns to Beijing!"

……

……

Zhang Zhou was ordered to return to the capital.

In Datong, the most common thing they do every day is to hang out. In the eyes of Wang Shouren and others, Zhang Zhou’s behavior is very abnormal. It's a blind walk in the market.

For Zhang Zhou, it is not difficult at all to go out for a walk, but it is difficult to protect the people who protect Zhang Zhou's safety.

There are quite a few people who know Zhang Zhou in Datong Town, and it is also because many people went to greet Zhang Zhou when he entered the city.

This also makes it easy for Zhang Zhou to become a person of concern wherever he goes.

When Wang Shouren knew that Zhang Zhou was going to be transferred back to the capital, he even breathed a sigh of relief... This guy is finally leaving!

On the night Zhang Zhou received the transfer order, he showed the emperor's edict to Wang Shouren. In fact, Zhang Zhou didn't need to say anything. Shouren also believed that the risk of sending troops to fight Dayan Khan was too great, so he ignored the matter.

Now that he learned that Duoyan asked Daming for help, it still made him feel very strange.

"These tribes obviously serve the Khan of the Grassland, but at this time they thought of asking the King of Ming Dynasty for help?"

Wang Shouren found it strange because these tribes had always regarded Da Ming as an enemy. Even a few months ago, the Duoyan Sanwei had invaded Da Ming's territory more than once. Both times Da Ming had nominally won, but the first game has been proven to be Falsely report military exploits.

In any case, no matter how many years you have been fighting, you cannot be accepted as long as you are accepted.

You can't call your majesty if you have a problem, and a dog thief if you don't have a problem, right?

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Actually, I think it's quite good. Doesn't that just mean that Dayan Khan is no longer popular? Huo Sie surrendered, even Duoyan Sanwei wanted to surrender."

Wang Shouren shook his head and said, "Is Zhang Zhitai too optimistic?"

"It's better to be optimistic, Bo'an. I'm working in the Northwest. If you're not optimistic, just the pile of bad things will almost make you collapse." Zhang Zhou took out another pile of official documents and said, "After I left, the imperial court has not yet appointed you. Order to declare the general system, I will hand over all the affairs of Datong to you in the future. This is a matter of Datong that I have not made a decision before, and I will hand it over to you."

"This……"

Wang Shouren was surprised.

Zhang Zhou doesn't seem like the kind of person who likes to leave troubles to future generations. It stands to reason that Zhang Zhou should act decisively. How could he dig holes for others?

Seeing Wang Shouren frowning when he picked up these official documents, Zhang Zhou couldn't help but smiled and said, "Why? I'm curious about these things, why didn't I rush to deal with them? You'll know it after reading it. It's not up to you to make a decision on everything." It can be solved, it involves the expenses of money and food, even the meritorious rewards of the previous Weininghai battle, the interests of Ming soldiers, and the well-being of the people... Which one can be solved by talking about it?"

Wang Shouren said: "Won't the imperial court come up with countermeasures?"

"The imperial court has no money." Zhang Zhou said, "Isn't this the time to collect autumn grain? This year, the disasters in various places are very serious. I even want to find someone to go to sea."

"Go to sea?"

Wang Shouren felt that Zhang Zhou's speech was out of routine.

"Well." Zhang Zhou nodded, "As far as I know, there are several kinds of crops overseas. After planting, the yield is very high, and they are also surprisingly resistant to natural disasters. If they can be brought back, they can be cultivated everywhere in Ming Dynasty. The rations of the people of Ming Dynasty can be greatly improved.”

After listening to it, Wang Shouren felt like listening to a scripture from heaven.

Even if you, Zhang Bingkuan, helped me fulfill my ideals in life and let me advance in my official career, even if you are really good at inventing and creating, it is true that I admire your ability in running the army.

But what do you mean by kidding me?
Let me talk to you about why you left so many affairs behind. You made excuses that you had no money, and now you still say that you want to find a crop from overseas to cultivate?How can you change the crops that have been cultivated by the Ming Dynasty for thousands of years?
"Bo'an, after I leave, I will leave the affairs here to you. I don't think I will work in the Ministry of War when I go back, so if I have any troubles, I can directly ask that Qin Zhitai for instructions, or ask the court for instructions."

"I have hired someone to take care of the local mines in Datong. This time I will take Shou Ninghou with me. If there is any trouble after he leaves, I will need you to fight it."

Zhang Zhou's words made Wang Shouren frown.

When Zhang Zhou opened a mine in Datong, he did have some conflicts with the local gentry, but with Zhang Heling, a fearless master, and such a thing as fighting with weapons, the local gentry lost their arrogance in an instant.

Wang Shouren immediately discovered that among the official documents Zhang Zhou gave him, there was a place to sue Zhang Heling for competing with the people for profit.

This ability to shake the pot...Wang Shouren will be convinced.

Wang Shouren said: "How long will it take to start mining?"

"Hehe." Zhang Zhou smiled, "Bo'an, you have never been to the mine, and you don't know the situation there. Now the coal produced by the four large coal mines must meet the needs of iron smelting, and the rest There is a large amount of surplus, this year the soldiers in Datong, Xuanfu, Pianguan, etc. will spend the winter, don’t worry about not having enough charcoal and firewood, and there will be no problem at all if the family distributes a few hundred catties of charcoal.”

"Actually, I also want to open a few more iron mines. Otherwise, if so much coal is only used for burning, the utilization rate will still be too low."

For Wang Shouren, this is another bible.

Isn't coal mined and burned for heating a maximum utilization?

But Zhang Zhou didn't seem to regard coal as something for the private use of the people. As for what Zhang Zhou was pursuing and what goals he wanted to achieve in the future, no matter how knowledgeable he was, Wang Shouren couldn't understand it.

……

……

Zhang Zhou didn't explain too much to Wang Shouren how to govern the administration.

In fact, Zhang Zhou didn't have much experience in being an official.

He also knows very well that if the ability to govern one side in the northwest is purely dependent on personal operations, he may not be as good as Wang Shouren and Wang Qiong, let alone a veteran like Ma Zhongxi.

But his greatest ability lies in "creation".

Invent things that don't exist, dig out things that are buried in the ground...With creation, there will be wealth, and even military achievements and other things that can maintain the beliefs of soldiers, and then use these things to drive the development of the Northwest.

If he is allowed to operate in the way that Ma Zhongxi and others rely on the sky, then he will surrender.

He didn't deal with many things because he discovered that this was actually a contradiction between the Northwest frontier government and the government.

There is a lack of everything in the Northwest, and the shortage has brought about many social problems. The court cannot provide them, so that the social problems cannot be solved... All the root causes, even local bandits who kill and rob goods, and local food resistance, etc. It arose because of the lack of money and food.

He has only been in the northwest for three months, and he hasn't experienced a single autumn harvest. Even if he has experienced it, he will not be able to bring more food, and the court will not allocate it, and he will not create food himself.

How to solve that dilemma?

Dispatch troops to suppress robbers?How to solve the ration problem of the soldiers?Tighten your belt and go to war?Or can the drought be alleviated?
The emperor seems to support him, but in fact, the Ming government is more controlled by civil servants. Zhang Zhou can't get in on the finances of the Ming Dynasty. He can support 2 people just by opening a few mines. Yes, but at least millions of people in the Northwest frontier government rely on this for food. Even if he is allowed to open farms now, it will probably take a few years to solve the Northwest issue.

Zhang Zhou fell into a "traversal trap".

Travelers probably think that everything can be solved with their own abilities, but they find that there are many difficulties when they arrive.

It's not that the traverser assimilated the aborigines, but the aborigines are assimilating him with some social problems, forcing him to put down his body and go with the crowd.

Zhang Zhou feels that fortunately his will is strong enough, he has enough executive power, and he has enough confidence, otherwise...it seems to be the same in Daming to be a powerful man, full of wine, sex and wealth, and a powerful minister or honorary to enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth. Nothing bad.

It's just that the burden of changing the times falls on others.

……

……

"Leave tomorrow?"

Zhang Heling heard that the imperial court had sent an order, so he also trotted all the way to find Zhang Zhou.

Obviously, he has had enough of staying in the northwest.

"Yes." Zhang Zhou said, "I'll leave after noon tomorrow. I'm not going to the local officials and gentry for a banquet, but some matters have not been dealt with. If Marquis Shouning is in a hurry to return to Beijing, he can go first."

"Don't worry, let's go together." Zhang Heling probably felt that Zhang Zhou was planning to transport the money he had looted from the northwest.

Zhang Zhou nodded.

Zhang Heling really guessed right this time.

It's just that what he brought back was not only silver, but also a lot of things he had tinkered with since he came to the northwest, and he wanted to bring them back to the capital.

(End of this chapter)