The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

After Zhu Houzhao returned from Zhang Zhou's place, he was obsessed with participating in military exercises.

"If I can, as he said, get a distinction in this military exercise and do better than those experienced generals, then my father will definitely be impressed by me. Then I will say that I know military skills, and my father will not If you refute me again, let’s see if those ministers dare to turn their backs on me in the future!”

Zhu Houzhao was eager to prove himself.

But Zhang Zhou doesn’t seem to be “awesome”. After all, according to Zhang Zhou, the new martial arts arena will not be officially put into operation until June. The previous martial arts arenas are obviously not good in terms of configuration, and there is also a certain bias in the test results. .

Zhu Houzhao even wrote a separate memorial to his old father, urging the court to fully consider the results of actual combat drills when selecting and appointing generals. In fact, he was urging his father to allocate manpower and material resources to complete the construction of the martial arts arena.

After Zhu Youtang saw this kind of performance, he almost wanted someone to call the naughty child and teach him a lesson.

But Zhu Youtang loved his children, and he himself felt that the plan implemented by Zhang Zhou was effective, so he still asked people to promote the construction. In order to make it easier for the ministers to understand, he also specially asked the cabinet to send someone to supervise. Do a good job in communication, and this task fell on Xie Qian.

……

……

On this day, Xie Qian first sent someone to make an appointment with Zhang Zhou, and then they went to the arsenal in the city to check the inventory and other matters.

Just like Zhu Youtang saw the warehouse full of artillery and muskets, Xie Qian was also a little surprised by Zhang Zhou's desperate development of military industry. If he hadn't known how many taels of silver the imperial household department had allocated to Zhang Zhou, he also knew that Zhang Zhou These weapons were all made by his own ability. He would definitely report it to the court, saying that Zhang Zhou used military force as a purpose and did things that wasted people and money.

“Mr. Get out?"

Zhang Zhou seemed to have thought of what Xie Qian was thinking, and then blocked Xie Qian's mouth in advance.

But with Xie Qian's eloquence and eloquence, he was never willing to be at a disadvantage in matters of words.

Xie Qian said: "Cai Guogong, you are really capable of doing things. Forget about iron tools, charcoal can also be used by the people. Why can't they be gathered together to reduce the court's annual expenses and even bring revenue to the treasury?"

"What?" Zhang Zhou asked, "I mine coal, send it to the treasury to pile up, and then what do I do?"

"you……"

Xie Qian had countless arguments to refute Zhang Zhou, but because of Zhang Zhou's special status, he really didn't know which direction to speak from.

There were times when Lao Xie was speechless.

Because an obvious problem is that the imperial court has always ignored and perfunctory matters such as the allocation of money and grain proposed by Zhang Zhou, and none of them have been approved.

The general meaning is that Zhang Zhou spent great efforts to mine the minerals, sold them or sent them directly to the court for storage, and then they were controlled by traditional civil servants of the court. They would rather pile them in the treasury than allocate them to Zhang Zhou...

It was as if Zhang Zhou was questioning Xie Qian, I was digging holes for myself to cause trouble, am I sick?

Xie Qian calmed down his emotions, but his momentum was still strong, and asked: "What's going on with the martial arts field? There are so many schools around the capital, aren't they enough for your trip? What artillery field were you setting up outside the city before? , but with hundreds of hectares of land left vacant, if we build a martial arts arena now, wouldn’t it harm the interests of the people of Gyeonggi Province again?”

It is in line with the idea of ​​​​civilians to "serve the people wholeheartedly" by talking about the people in everything.

But to Zhang Zhou, these were just methods used by civil servants to carry out political struggles, that is, to first put themselves on a moral high ground to oppose the actions of political opponents.

Zhang Zhou said: "Mr. Xie Ge has misunderstood. The new martial arts arena is only a reconstruction of the original venue. It has not expanded in scale. It just added a lot of facilities to simulate the environment on the battlefield. I know what Mr. Xie Ge is worried about. It is a waste of people and money. Well, don’t worry, this time the renovation of the martial arts arena will all be done by people from the Beijing camp, and the money and food will also be supported by the inner government."

"Isn't the money in the inner government transferred from the Ministry of Household Affairs?" Xie Qian seemed to have found a breakthrough in his argument with Zhang Zhou.

Xie Qian was blowing his beard and staring. Wang Qiong, the left servant of the Ministry of Revenue, also heard that Xie Qian was coming to inspect and brought people over. He happened to hear Xie Qian yelling at Zhang Zhou.

He came over and saluted, but he didn't know what to say.

"Dehua, you're here at the right time. Can you tell me how much money is expected to be spent on this martial arts performance?" Xie Qian seemed to remember to pull Wang Qiong to the right path. With Wang Qiong's traditional civil servant background, he wanted to Join forces to put pressure on Zhang Zhou.

Wang Qiong said: "The Ministry of Revenue is not aware of this. However, according to His Majesty's wish, the renovation will be carried out by the capital camp, and the cost will be borne by Xishan Town. It will be promoted together with the construction of the city wall in Xishan."

"What?" Xie Qian frowned.

It is said that the inner government paid for it, but in fact it was Zhang Zhou who paid for it out of his own pocket.

Zhang Zhou's industry is not just in Xishan, but also in Yongping Prefecture and Datong. The income from various minerals is very rich. After all, what Zhang Zhou has discovered and found people to mine are rich ores, as well as the mining methods used, and various mining methods. tools, etc., are all relatively advanced in this era.

It is more efficient than traditional mining methods, and the amount of money earned is naturally beyond the understanding of Xie Qian, a corrupt scholar.

Zhang Zhou sighed: "Let me answer Mr. Xie Ge's question. Building the wall of Xishan does not include the labor cost of the soldiers from the Beijing camp... Of course, this part will also use silver taels as a subsidy, plus the improvement of martial arts. It will cost about 15 taels of silver in total."

"How many?"

Xie Qian became anxious when he heard this.

15 taels of silver. If the court wanted to come up with such an additional expenditure, it would be impossible to do so after just a few months of shuffling things around. However, Zhang Zhou could easily come up with 15 taels of silver to build city walls and buildings. Renovate the martial arts arena.

It feels like a small court outside the big court.

Wang Qiong said: "This is a conservative estimate. If we want to make the city wall of Xishan more solid, I'm afraid these are not enough."

Zhang Zhou nodded and said: "Theoretically, this is true, but if Xishan is to serve as the acropolis around the capital, it naturally cannot rely only on the depth of the city wall, but mainly on the blessing of firearms. If a large number of artillery are equipped in all directions, even if it is not used With too many soldiers and horses deployed, it will be even more difficult for the thieves to capture this city."

Only then did Wang Qiong understand what Zhang Zhou meant.

Building a city wall is only part of it, and the new city wall must conform to the new combat style of the Ming Dynasty army, which means adding a lot of shooting holes and adding artillery placement points to form a barrier. Even if the city wall is not very high, any Even the enemy can't get in.

Xie Qian was a little angry after listening to the conversation between the two.

I thought Wang Qiong was a "normal person", but after listening to the conversation between the two, I felt that Wang Qiong had been completely brainwashed by Zhang Zhou. This conversation seemed to not take him seriously as a cabinet minister.

"Zhang Bingkuan, I ask you, since you have 15 taels of silver, why do you still ask the court for money to build ships? Wouldn't it be better to use these 15 taels for shipbuilding?"

Xie Qian thought of Zhang Zhou's previous request for shipbuilding money from the imperial court in the name of Minister of War.

Finally found a reasonable reason to explain that you are not doing your job properly.

Zhang Zhou said: "One code is a code. If the imperial court thinks that it is unnecessary to allocate money and food for shipbuilding, I can't force it. However, it is imperative to build the martial arts field and the wall of Xishan. Of course, shipbuilding I am also raising the expenses, and Tang Yin, who is responsible for handling this matter, will return to Beijing soon, so he might as well explain to you the need for shipbuilding."

Xie Qian turned his head to one side, not even bothering to talk to Zhang Zhou.

"Mr. Xie Ge, are you still going to visit the place where the martial arts field has been renovated?" Zhang Zhou asked.

"Of course I want to go." Xie Qian said, "The emperor's orders are with me, but I don't need you to accompany me anymore. Dehua, you come with me. You, Duke Cai, are such a busy man. You are often absent even from court meetings. I I won’t disturb you in your work.”

Obviously Xie Qian didn't want to have too much communication with Zhang Zhou.

We are not trying to win over Zhang Zhou now, or the time to do so has passed. The two sides have formed a fundamental opposition, and there is no hope of resolving this conflict for the time being. The dialogue between the two parties can easily lead to more talk and more mistakes.

As an old man in the court, Xie Qian would still act sternly to maintain the face of a traditional civil servant. …

……

In Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang summoned Liu Jian alone.

Liu Jian thought he was going to discuss important court matters, but when he arrived, he realized that Zhu Youtang had no intention of discussing general court affairs with him.

In addition to summoning Liu Jian, Zhu Youtang was also flanked by Xiao Jing and Li Rong.

"Mr. Liu Ge, since the establishment of the Shangting Department, there has been no customization. The people who have been in the Shangting Department include the military minister Ying Gong, Bao Guo Gong, and several civil servants. Now there are four people who have been officially admitted. But usually there are few people there.”

In the Shangting Office, the only ministers who were nominally on duty at this time were Wang Qiong, the left minister of the Ministry of Hubu, and Xiong Chong, the left minister of the Ministry of War.

Then there are Zhang Zhou and Li Dongyang.

But in fact, only Wang Qiong and Xiong Chong usually go to the Shangting Department, which makes the Shangting Department become an inconspicuous yamen in normal times. Especially in non-war times, almost no one will regard Wang Qiong as the minister of the Shangting Department. He is more regarded as the Minister of Household Affairs.

While Liu Jian was listening, he was also thinking about the emperor's intentions. He said: "Your Majesty, the Shangting Office was originally designed for battlefield warfare. Now that the northwest is generally at peace, there may be no need to retain the Shangting Office."

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "What I mean is to let the Shangting Department set the rules for entry. I don't want to reduce the authority of the cabinet. What I mean is to ensure the stability of the border town."

Liu Jian felt annoyed.

The emperor seemed to be discussing with him, but in fact it was more of a notification.

Zhu Youtang said: "How many people are currently on duty in the Shangting Department? I will have to replace them as appropriate. Except for Bingkuan, the remaining few people can be transferred back to their original posts first."

"Your Majesty?" Liu Jian didn't understand.

Only Zhang Zhou, who usually doesn't take care of things, is left. How many others will return to their original posts?It's okay for Xiong Xiu and Li Dongyang to go back to their old jobs. Wang Qiong seems to be the "top horse" around Zhang Zhou, and he can be regarded as conscientious in his work in the Shangting Department and the Household Department. Although many people initially thought that Wang Qiong was promoted to the left minister of the Household Department. People were dissatisfied with his promotion, but as Wang Qiong made achievements in the Household Department and the Shangting Department, even the picky traditional civil servants in the court had to recognize Wang Qiong's ability.

Zhu Youtang said: "The Shangting Department is not like the Cabinet Department. I can change it at any time according to my wishes. I also ordered a few people. What do you think, Mr. Liu Ge?"

With that said, Zhu Youtang waved his hand to Xiao Jing who was standing aside, and then Xiao Jing picked up a list with only a few names written on it and handed it to Xie Qian.

Xie Qian couldn't help but frown after reading the names above.

Zhang Zhou, Lu Wan, Qin Hong and Tang Yin.

"Mr. Liu Ge, what do you think is wrong with these people?" Zhu Youtang asked.

Liu Jianxin said, Your Majesty, you want to turn the Shangting Department into a yamen on an equal footing with our cabinet, and just put Zhang Zhou in it. Qin Hong is the president of the three sides, how can he also be the minister of the Shangting Department?As for Lu Wan and Tang Yin... what kind of birdmen are these two?
Zhu Youtang did not wait for Liu Jian's answer and explained his choice: "Qin Hong was on the other side and resigned many times. On the grounds of old age and frailty, he hoped to return to his hometown as soon as possible, but I think he should give He has a certain honor. After being transferred back to Beijing, I think highly of him in terms of employment. As for Lu Wan, when the Tatar invaders were on the border, he guarded the inner three passes and had meritorious service. This time, he will serve as Usually handle the official duties of the Shangting Department."

"As for Tang Yin, although he is not qualified enough, he has gained a lot of experience. After he returns to the capital this time, I plan to use him as a doctor in the Ministry of Industry. After joining the listening department, I will also assign him to supervise the casting of cannons around the capital. When things happen, I am also prepared to leave the errands of Yizhou Shanchang to him, and I can promote him to the right minister of the Ministry of Industry as appropriate."

The admiral of the Ming Dynasty, Yizhou Shanchang, was responsible for matters such as charcoal in the capital. During the Jingtai period, he could be supervised by the Minister of the Ministry of Work. However, in the middle of the Hongzhi period, he was generally the admiral as the right minister of the Ministry of Works.

Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty uses less charcoal and more coal, and most of the affairs are completed in Xishan. Tang Yin's current qualifications are not enough to promote him to a minister. However, it would be more reasonable and reasonable if he was appointed as the right minister of the Ministry of Works to supervise the Yizhou Mountain Factory. After all, it is not The official right servant.

Liu Jiandao: "Your Majesty has already decided?"

"I am discussing with you." Zhu Youtang heard that Liu Jian's words were emotional. He did not deliberately comfort him, but his words were still relatively gentle.

After sorting out his words, Liu Jian said: "The veteran believes that these people are not the best candidates to be appointed. If only a few people are appointed, they are afraid of forming partisanship and forming factions for personal gain."

Zhu Youtang said: "Liu Ge is always afraid that Bingkuan will have too deep influence on them, and they will follow Bingkuan's lead and form a clique?"

Liu Jian didn't answer, but it was equivalent to acquiescing.

"By the way, Mr. Liu Ge, I am also planning to send Wang Qiong to the northwest to replace Qin Hong. What do you think?" Zhu Youtang finally solved a doubt in Liu Jian's mind.

That is, Wang Qiong has done a good job, why should he be relieved of his position?

Now I know that Wang Qiong was originally asked to go to the northwest to replace Qin Hong. As a result... the military and political affairs of Xuanda and the three sides will be nominally controlled by Zhang Zhou.

"I don't want to settle this matter right away. After all, I have already decided to use Qin Hong as the commander-in-chief of the border towns to preside over this patrol. This matter will not be until the end of June at the earliest, and it may be later. It won't be fully decided until autumn. Mr. Liu Ge can also think about this matter recently, and will bring it to the court for discussion later."

Zhu Youtang seemed to respect the minister's opinion.

But Liu Jian knew that since the emperor had made this arrangement, it probably couldn't be changed.

Liu Jian asked: "Your Majesty, I know that the appointment of admiral to supervise the military affairs of the three inner gates has now been cancelled. I wonder what arrangements Lu Wan will make after he returns to Beijing?"

Zhu Youtang seemed to have made up his mind a long time ago, and immediately replied: "Let him be the right minister of the household department."

When Liu Jian heard this, he became a little anxious and said hurriedly: "Wang Yan, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has not been promoted to this position for a long time, and he is diligent in his work. Why should he be replaced?"

"Mr. Liu Ge is worrying too much. I don't want Wang Yan to resign and return to his hometown. The governor of Datong has been vacant before, and Uncle Xin Xin will take over the post. What I want is to send someone who can do things to assist him, and let Wang Yan go to me. I think it’s more appropriate!”

Liu Jian couldn't help but smile bitterly after hearing this.

The rules for official promotion in the Ming Dynasty were usually that the chief envoy from the left was promoted to the governor, and then the governor was promoted to the minister. But now it is reversed. The right minister of the household department was transferred back to be the governor. Wang Yan, as a veteran of the Ming Dynasty, has quite a lot of qualifications. Actually going to help the fledgling Wang Shouren?

Moreover, according to the rules for the appointment of officials above the rank of Minister of the Six Ministries of the Ming Dynasty, candidates are discussed after the vacancy becomes vacant. But now the emperor is directly replaced for the sake of replacement, which does not mean that traditional civil servants such as Wang Yan are regarded as human beings.

"After Wang Qiong was transferred to Sanbian as the general manager, I plan to replace his position as the left minister of the household department with Xu Jin." Zhu Youtang said, "If Lu Wan is promoted to the right minister of the household department again, I will take care of the affairs of the household department. There’s no need to worry.”

Liu Jian also heard some signs. Although Xu Jin was a traditional civil servant in name, he was now moving forward with the new sect.

Mainly because Xu Jin didn't see the opportunity to be promoted to Zuo Shilang or Shangshu, so he tried to find a way to get closer to Zhang Zhou's camp.

And if Lu Wan, a standard member of the Zhang Party, is placed in the Ministry of Revenue, it is equivalent to vacating the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, Shi Zhong, and continuing to vacate him. There is Wang Qiong in front of him and Lu Wan in the back... At this time, the emperor may need to transfer him. There were still obstacles such as money and food, but as time passed, Liu Jian knew that in the future the emperor would have firm control over finance, taxation and treasury.

"Your Majesty, such an important matter should be discussed in detail in the court hall. I don't know how to respond at the moment, so I hope your Majesty will forgive me."

Liu Jian was a little frustrated.

The emperor now only believed in Zhang Zhou and those who were close to him, and looked less and less towards traditional civil servants. In his opinion, this was the beginning of chaos.

Zhu Youtang said: "Some things can be brought to the court to talk about, and some things don't need to be discussed. The purpose of my discussion with Mr. Liu Ge is to gain your support. My health has not been as good as before in the past two years, and I am also thinking, I also want to see the day when the grasslands are unified in my lifetime, and I hope Mr. Liu Ge can give me this opportunity."

Liu Jianxin said, how old are you?Your lifetime is likely to be decades, and my lifetime is only a few years.

I don’t want to see civil servants in a weak position and be stepped on by a group of warriors and sycophants in my lifetime!
"Old ministers should do their best, but matters concerning the employment of people in the imperial court should be considered in the long term." Liu Jian could only use a stubbornness that seemed to have no practical use to resist the emperor's partial belief. (End of chapter)