The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Court meeting.

Zhu Youtang was in court, directly in front of the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, and explained that Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng would lead the Northern Expedition from Jizhou.

The courtiers were still a little confused. Even Xie Qian, who had always been good at talking before, chose to remain silent.

It's not that Xie Qian didn't want to say it, but that he was under investigation recently. Although he was not sent to prison, Li Zhang, the official of the East Factory, and Mou Bin, the commander of the Jinyiwei, went to his house to question him one after another, making him realize that he The time in the DPRK may not be long, so Xie Qian is now trying his best to avoid the affairs of the DPRK.

Cheng Minzheng, who had not participated much in cabinet affairs before, now stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the Tatars are currently harassing Ningxia and other places. If we send troops from Daning and other places all the way to the rear of the Tatars, we will definitely be able to defeat the enemy. , to promote the prestige of our country."

Not surprisingly, he agreed. What puzzled the minister was, why would you, Cheng Minzheng, come out to join in the fun?

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Zhu Youtang followed the words and said: "I also think that this is a good strategy to severely injure the Tatars and prevent them from easily invading the country. Otherwise, every time they send out troops, the Tatars will flee in the wind, and the mobility of their cavalry will make the Ming cavalry unable to do anything." Chasing and intercepting them is not a long-term solution."

After the emperor's reminder, the minister realized that the key to the current war with the Tatars was not whether the Ming Dynasty's artillery and muskets were lethal enough, but that the Tatars chose to avoid fighting.

Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty, although it is just right to send troops at this time to make the Tatars retreat in the face of difficulties, but now it is the cold winter, I am afraid that the soldiers will be prone to frostbite when they go out to fight, and the Tatars may even take advantage of the bad weather. And a surprise attack would be detrimental to our soldiers."

Finding out the hidden dangers of bad situations from good situations seems to have always been the focus of civil servants.

Emperor, aren't you very happy and want to send troops? Then we will be responsible for pouring cold water on you.

In the view of our civil servants, only if you, the Emperor, are calm enough and can see the whole story clearly can you better avoid the possible risks in this battle.

Zhu Youtang felt a little unhappy after hearing this.

I mobilized troops and horses to go to the grassland to enhance the country's prestige. It's fun for you to pour cold water on me, right?

It is said that the biggest problem of you literati is that you like to reason. Is that really the case... Could I not know that the grassland environment is harsh in winter? But no matter how bad it is, the Tatars will fight against the Ming Dynasty at this time? Wasn't the previous great victory in the Battle of Huangshui achieved by Liaodong and Jizhou respectively sending troops under the bad weather of sleet and snow?

Zhu Youtang said: "Then the Li Qing family thinks that this battle is inappropriate?"

Li Dongyang naturally knew that the purpose of pouring cold water was not to wake up the emperor, but to let him know the difficulties. He added: "When enough is enough."

Zhu Youtang almost rolled his eyes.

Saying it means not saying it.

Chen Kuan, the newly promoted eunuch of the Chief of Ceremonies on the side, said: "Dear ministers, this is a decision made based on the current situation in the border town. All people must cooperate sincerely. If the northwest sends troops and Jizhou does not send troops, even How can the Tatars know how powerful the Ming army is by hastily sending out troops and returning?"

Chen Kuan learned from Xiao Jing's experience of losing power, and now he tries his best to help the emperor speak to Zhang Zhou.

He would not pour cold water on him, nor would he say anything prudent. Instead, he would help resolve the ministers' resentment and let them know the emperor's difficulties.

Ma Wensheng said: "Your Majesty, I wonder who the censor is leading the army this time?"

With the honorable ministers leading the army, of course there must be a censor of the capital. Perhaps in Ma Wensheng's view, Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng were not suitable as commanders of one side, and there must be a civil servant to control the two talents.

Zhu Youtang did not answer.

Chen Kuandao: "Maybe it's Liu Yu, the governor of Ji Town."

When Ma Wensheng heard that it was Liu Yu, whom he had always admired, he naturally had no objection. Perhaps this was his purpose, to use Liu Yu, whom he considered a capable minister, to suppress the two reckless "young men" Cui Yuan He and Zhu Feng, no matter how you look at them, are the kind of people who talk a lot but don't do things well, which makes Ma Wensheng worried.

Zhu Youtang said impatiently: "My dear friends, in your opinion, does this battle end hastily? Ningxia reports Tatar harassment almost every day, and each time there are dozens or hundreds of people, with more than 100 people. But when it comes to a hundred-man bandit, every time the Ming Dynasty sends troops to intercept it, the Tatars will find a loophole and escape. If you have a better way, I would be happy to hear it."

Lin Han, the Minister of Rites, came out and said: "Your Majesty, now the governor of Ningxia has not fulfilled his duty of guarding the territory, and he should be punished."

This made many ministers dissatisfied.

Regardless of whether you are guilty or not, when will it be your turn as the Minister of Rites to speak out?

Do you understand that everyone performs his own duties?

The matter of impeachment and prosecution has always been the job of the officials of the Ministry of Education, but you came up to discuss the crimes of the governor of Ningxia. Are you using your mouth to express Zhang Bingkuan's meaning?

Zhu Youtang said: "Does the Ministry of War have any opinions on this?"

Zhang Zhou is not here.

As the Minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Zhou was not often absent from court meetings, but basically absent from court meetings, so much so that Zhang Zhou was almost forgotten in the court hall. Even every time Zhang Zhou came, the ministers would worry that Zhang Zhou was holding back. No matter what happens, you must be on guard every time, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Xiong Xiu, the minister of the Ministry of War, said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has coordinated with Jizhou and other places to arrange for the dispatch of troops. This time, 4,200 soldiers were mobilized from the Beijing camp to coordinate with Jizhou for dispatching troops. There are also arrangements for grain, grass and baggage, etc., and all have been reported to the household. I said hello."

Zhu Youtang said: "Just saying hello is not enough. The Ministry of Revenue has to transport enough grain and grass in the past few days. If it is too late to transport it to the front line, let the Jizhou local government make a temporary supply and use Taicang's money to return it. That’s it.”

"Your Majesty, even if you send out troops, should you strictly check the use of money and food?"

"What do you mean by this?" Zhu Youtang said angrily, "Are you worried that someone will use the general's supplies for other purposes? Or do you think Bingkuan will use the money and grain to build ports or even build ships? "

Ji Zhong was also startled.

He wanted to say, Your Majesty, you have told me your hypothesis, so what else can I say?

Liu Jiandao: "There are ancient precedents for borrowing grain, grass and baggage from the local area, but it is easy for local soldiers and civilians to be short of winter supplies. If this war must be fought, we must step up the transportation."

These words are equivalent to silencing those who still want to come out to oppose.

Obviously, Liu Jian saw the emperor's determination to send troops from Jizhou this time. If he still used the previous tricks and insisted on deducting money, food and military supplies, the relationship between the emperor and them would become even more stalemate.

The emperor wanted to go to war, but the ministers refused to provide food and grass... This trick worked initially, but in the past two years, every time Zhang Zhou was able to go to the source of food on his own, the emperor became less and less dependent on the ministers, and even the emperor would I feel that your ministers are just here to cause trouble and have no regard for the country, the country, and the country.

After all, Liu Jian still had foresight beyond stubbornness. He also knew that he could not sit back and watch Zhang Zhou continue to grow bigger and stronger, especially a minister who could fight wars, mobilize troops, and raise money and food by himself... For civil servants, the threat was too great. .

Zhu Youtang said: "The preparations can be completed within ten days. I have seen the situation of this year's autumn grain collection. In fact, the taxes in Jiangnan, Huguang and other places are still sufficient, and the weather is generally smooth everywhere. Only in Under such a situation, it is convenient for the Ming Dynasty to send troops. However, the grassland has experienced successive years of severe drought. If we do not take this opportunity to inflict heavy damage on it, I am afraid that it will be even more difficult for it to recover in the next few years. "

Liu Jiandao: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true."

It seems that the monarch and his ministers have found common ground.

It seemed very harmonious.

Zhu Youtang said: "I will make some arrangements for this troop deployment, but I will not explain the details here. The Listening Department and the Ministry of War will coordinate everything. You can just wait for the news of victory."

Xie Qian couldn't help it and almost rushed out to taunt him. We haven’t even fought yet, so we’re just waiting to win?

Aren't you afraid that extreme joy will lead to sorrow?

How can this be the case? No matter how confident you were before, you should wait until the situation is better before you can be so optimistic, right? Are the emperor's expectations so high now?

Ridiculous.

……

……

During the meeting, the most important point was the upcoming troop dispatch from the east.

It was also after the autumn grains were put into storage, and various places entered the slack season one after another. The affairs of the court actually began to dim, and the errands of various government offices were also reduced a lot.

But it seems that only the Ministry of War is spinning its wheels, but the Minister of the Ministry of War has always been a dragon that sees the beginning but not the end, which also makes the minister feel that the Ministry of War is now a yamen operating in secret, which is a bit out of touch with the imperial court's structure.

After the court meeting ended, the ministers walked out of Fengtian Gate, and a group of people started talking again.

At this time, several people in the cabinet had returned to the check-in room, and Lin Han, who had spoken earlier, was blocked by a group of people. It seemed that someone wanted to get an explanation from him.

"The Shaanxi Supervisory Censor has not impeached the Ningxia Governor and other generals recently, but you, Lin Butang, seem to be biting them. As for the Tatar invaders, according to the past rules, no faults are merits. , the pass was not lost, the people suffered no great losses, the officers and soldiers were not harmed, everything was safe and sound, so who should be held responsible? Who can guarantee that he will do better than the current generals?"

Yan Guan seemed very stubborn.

However, because of the emperor's previous punishment of those who participated in the impeachment of Wang Shouren, the presence of Kedao officials in the court has been very low recently.

Those Yan Guan who claimed to be righteous ended up being imprisoned and have not been released yet. This also brought Yan Guan's momentum to its lowest point, and everyone was in a very low mood.

But they will not be lenient at all when it comes to what they think is unfair, especially when it comes to privately causing trouble for Lin Han.

Lin Han said: "Let's talk about the matter, don't you think that Ningxia's border troubles are a bit big now? Why do the Tatars only focus on Ningxia and let go of other border towns? Is it just because Ningxia is further away from the capital?"

Zhong Zhong came over and said: "Shang Shu Lin, please don't be acquainted with them. They are just doing court affairs. Whether the governor of Ningxia has neglected his duties should be investigated by the local censor."

Lin Han closed his eyes and said: "Regardless of whether the local generals in Ningxia have neglected their duties, His Majesty wants to mobilize troops from the side to attack the grassland, all for the sake of the stability of the border. Knowing that we are now fighting head-on, our Ming soldiers will not be afraid, and it can even be said that If we can win every time, why should we stay in the pass and wait for the Tatars to attack?"

"Lin Butang, you are arrogant. If you don't defend it, why did you build that fortress? Since ancient times, hasn't it been to resist foreign invasion?"

Some ministers seem to accept death.

Their conflict with Lin Han was probably also about whether they should focus on attacking or defending against foreign barbarians.

Now the emperor has repeatedly broken the Ming Dynasty's strategy of focusing on defense in the past and sent troops to attack the grasslands. In addition to destroying the ancestral system by traditional civil servants, it is also considered to be a waste of people and money. It seems that only retreating and defending is the most economical and labor-saving. Going out to the army will cost money. , to ensure logistical supplies and food and grass supplies, soldiers are still unable to complete daily corvee work and farming...

The more a minister is influenced by Confucian culture and claims to be knowledgeable, the more conservative he will appear.

Lin Han came out of this group of conservatives.

If it weren't for Zhang Zhou being his son-in-law... maybe Lin Han wouldn't have changed like this.

Lin Han himself did not admit this. After all, Lin Han also felt that his thoughts came naturally and were not influenced by anyone.

"Stop fighting!"

Ma Wensheng also came over and shouted to stop.

Others can still show enough respect for Ma Wensheng. After all, Ma Wensheng can be regarded as the head of the foreign ministers, and he has the qualifications to be there.

Basically, the Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel in the Ming Dynasty were promoted from the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, as well as the Minister of the Ministry of War. Those who were promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War, like Ma Wensheng, who had military exploits, would also have more weight in their speeches.

Ma Wensheng said: "In the past two years, Ningxia has been repeatedly attacked by foreign barbarians. Even though several governors have changed, the Tatars have not been completely driven out of the border city defenses. Even when the northwest has achieved repeated successes, the Tatar bandits have The ambition of Bian Zhizi still cannot be cut off, because the people of the Ming Dynasty are not united. Why should we argue endlessly in the court over trivial matters? Shouldn't we think about how to resist external enemies? "

It seems that he wants to be a peacemaker, but Ma Wensheng seems to be on the side of the emperor this time.

It seemed that he supported the emperor's decision to send troops from Jizhou.

Zhong Zhong said with a smile: "You're right, everyone should disperse. If you don't leave, people from Honglu Temple will see you and take note of it. That would be bad. The matter of sending troops has been decided. You just have to wait. The good news is that Zhang Shangshu has not heard of a defeat on the battlefield for a long time."

There is an official saying: "In the battle of Huamachi, we lost first and then won. Even if we win, we won't see much success."

Keep pouring cold water.

Lin Han didn't bother to argue with this group of people and walked in front without looking back.

Ma Wensheng continued to wave his hands and said: "If Jizhen can achieve results by sending troops, or the Tatars can be defeated in one battle, everyone, I still have some confidence in Zhang Shangshu."

The more the civil servant trusted Zhang Zhou and appeared more confident, the more strange it became.

Lin Han had already walked a short distance quickly.

Shen Lu hurriedly followed up and asked: "Brother Lin, please walk slower, look..."

Lin Han shouted angrily: "Is something wrong?"

Shen Lu came forward and said: "There is something wrong with the recent limelight. Why don't they seem to oppose Cai Guogong? How long has it been since you heard about their decision to impeach Cai Guogong or even oppose Cai Guogong's decision?"

"Don't they happen every day?" Lin Han still said angrily.

But when he thought about it for a moment, he realized that it seemed that only the middle- and lower-class civil servants were holding on to Zhang Zhou, and they were much more honest.

The high-level ministers seemed to have ignored Zhang Zhou's "bad deeds" and often said good things about Zhang Zhou.

Praise for killing? (End of chapter)