The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Daning.

Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng's troops advanced slowly, and the detour back to Daning seriously delayed the march north.

However, before the soldiers and horses arrived in Daning, they learned that the soldiers and horses of Duoyan's three guards had retreated northward in panic.

Zhu Feng was also very depressed after hearing the news, but he was also a little lucky that Zhang Zhou did not appear in Daning.

"Brother Cui, I personally led the troops to the old city of Daning in the morning. It was deserted. The troops of Duoyan Sanwei had indeed been stationed there, and there were also things left behind by their panicked retreat. Not a single Tatar was captured. …But it’s a good thing that Brother Zhang isn’t here, it seems we are overly concerned.”

Zhu Feng said this with a bit of disappointment in his eyes.

Cui Yuan asked: "Marquis Anbian, do you hope Duke Cai is here?"

This also makes Cui Yuan not understand. The purpose of our coming is to prevent the Tatars from taking Zhang Zhou away. Now that it is certain that Zhang Zhou is not here, isn't it a good thing?

Zhu Feng sat down and said with a bit of annoyance: "If Brother Zhang is here, he can give us some advice, maybe we will have military success. At present, our march is slow, and we even took it upon ourselves to go to the old site of Daning. , if we continue to go north like this, we will definitely delay the march. At the moment, it seems that... we can no longer achieve anything."

Cui Yuan nodded.

He seemed to understand Zhu Feng's difficulties.

Cui Yuandao: "Right now, it seems that we are really worried about how to communicate with the court after we return. We have already alerted the enemy, and the Tatars cannot be defenseless. Although they are sending troops from different directions in this war, they can only rely on the newly built Bo has a big harvest on the grassland."

Zhu Feng was as nervous as a child and said: "Don't we have a chance to make achievements? Watching others make achievements... after all... alas!"

Seeing the bitter look on Zhu Feng's face, Cui Yuan walked over and patted him on the shoulder and said: "Brother Zhu, don't be discouraged. There will always be opportunities in the future. Let's rest today. We will continue heading north tomorrow. Even if we can't kill the enemy, As long as we must bring out the majesty of the Ming Dynasty."

"Ah."

Zhu Feng nodded.

He didn't have many ideas, and now it seemed that he could only hope that Cui Yuan could lead him to do something big.

……

……

Imperial Palace, Xinuang Pavilion.

Zhu Youtang was checking the battle reports coming from everywhere, and Yang Peng, the imperial eunuch and the admiral of the Beijing camp, helped him analyze them.

"...Your Majesty, we have just received the report from Xinjian Bo from the grassland. Four days ago, he had gone hundreds of miles deep into the grassland, but so far he still has not found the main force of the Tatars. The Tatars seem to have disappeared from the grassland. Likewise, their main tribe has not been discovered so far.”

Zhu Youtang frowned when he heard this and said, "What do you mean? Are all the Tatars hiding?"

Yang Peng said: "At present, it seems... maybe yes."

Zhu Youtang became very angry after hearing this. He did not dare to send troops before, but now after sending troops, he could not find the enemy. It seemed that the Tatars could not even guard their own territory and allowed the Ming Dynasty's soldiers and horses to gallop on the grassland.

The time, place, and people were favorable, and the Tatars seemed to have taken possession of them all, but they refused to fight.

Zhu Youtang said sternly: "This war was all caused by the Tatars provoking Ningxia border affairs, and now they are said to have disappeared without a trace? Is there any report in Ningxia?"

Yang Peng didn't dare to answer anything and could only look sideways at Chen Kuan, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony.

Chen Kuan looked very cautious and said in a gentle and gentle voice: "Your Majesty, please pay attention to your posture. The Tatars do not dare to fight us head-on. This is also a good thing."

"What good thing?" Zhu Youtang said very dissatisfied after hearing this, "We have sent tens of thousands of troops, and all the soldiers and horses have gone deep into the grassland, but not even a shadow of a Tatar has been seen... No, the British prince is outside the gate. We discovered the Tatars and achieved some success. Is this the final victory?"

Chen Kuan said: "If the Tatar just wants to hide, the grassland is so big, it will be difficult for us to find his traces."

This made Zhu Youtang very annoyed.

"Cough cough cough..."

In anxiety, Zhu Youtang coughed violently.

"Your Majesty, do you want to find an imperial physician to consult you?" Chen Kuan asked.

Zhu Youtang raised his hand and refused: "I'm fine. I'll find someone to check on me later. Those imperial doctors... let's forget it."

Yang Peng said: "Your Majesty, Xin Xin Boyu is also trying his best to find the Tatars on the grassland. If everything goes well, the results of the victory may be reported within a few days."

"Don't mention this kind of uncertainty in front of me." Zhu Youtang said sternly, "What I want is the result! Now there is no one saying that they encountered the main Tatar troops. Could it be that the Tatars can disappear from the grassland out of thin air? ?"

Chen Kuan tried to analyze and said: "Your Majesty, do you think this is the case? The Tatars know that our Ming army is strong, and they deliberately avoid our attack and avoid fighting? They are familiar with the terrain, so they can naturally move to the west or north. Wait until next spring before heading south... In the past, the grassland was divided into Monan and Mobei, have they already migrated to Mobei?"

Zhu Youtang said: "Are you talking to me? When did you think that the Tatars didn't even want their pastures, cattle and sheep, so they all moved north? The further north you go, the worse the climate becomes. Kuhan, do they want to seek death?"

Yang Peng heard the meaning of the emperor's words and hurriedly climbed up the pole and said: "Your Majesty, I also believe that the Tatars must be hiding somewhere, or avoiding the battle, or they may be waiting for an opportunity. At present, The most important thing is to find out where they are hiding."

"Cough cough cough..."

Zhu Youtang just continued to cough.

Yang Peng continued: "It seems that only Cai Guogong can do this kind of thing."

"Yes, there is Bingkuan." Zhu Youtang also said anxiously, as if grasping a life-saving straw, "Send someone to ask quickly. Let Bingkuan come to consult... I want the results of the battle! As long as I can give the Tatars A severe blow, even if the war period is extended for a few more days, it won’t hurt. But just...ahem..."

"Your Majesty, take care of your dragon body." Chen Kuan looked distressed.

Zhu Youtang said: "Bring me a bowl of hot tea. Hot milk tea will also do... I won't go to court for the next two days. If you have anything to do, tell me. I still need to rest."

"Yes."

Chen Kuan hurried over to help Zhu Youtang stand up.

Just as Zhu Youtang was about to go to the inner hall, he did not forget to remind him: "Hurry up and tell Bingkuan to find the Tatars. This battle cannot be delayed."

……

……

Three Tun Camps.

At night, Zhang Zhou continued to process the official documents on hand in the other courtyard.

As the Minister of the Ministry of War, it is not that he doesn't care about things, but the emperor allows him not to be in the Yamen. There are many things, especially when there is war in the border areas. As the Minister of the Ministry of War, he will be very busy and has to spare a lot of time to put the official affairs of the court first. Finish.

He didn't care about the red tape, he just wanted to summarize the food and grass that should be allocated, the troops and horses that should be allocated, and the needs in various places.

In many cases, money and food transfers do not need to be transferred from the Ministry of Accounts. Money and food can be transferred directly from the inner government. The emperor is also very wealthy now, also benefiting from the more than one million taels of silver he earned from his previous voyages.

"After winter this year, the price of food in the north has risen a lot."

Zhang Zhou's tone was filled with emotion.

Only Wang Mingshan could talk to him, but Wang Mingshan didn't seem to care.

When Wang Mingshan was doing some writing and writing work, her thoughts were simple. Basically, whatever Zhang Zhou needed her to do, she could just say hello to her. Wang Mingshan was obedient to Zhang Zhou's orders, not to say she was against it. In her heart, she was There was no resistance at all, and I was even very happy.

This seems to be a matter of course. "Mingshan, your father has followed Wang Shouren into the hinterland of the grassland, and has not yet encountered the main force of the Tatars. In my estimation, the Tatars intend to wait for us to withdraw our troops this time before attacking again, but the frontal attack They will never take part in the war.”

"Ah."

"If you were asked to lead troops, where would you like to lead them?"

Wang Mingshan looked up at Zhang Zhou, then shook her head naturally.

Zhang Zhou said: "It's a pity that as a daughter, you are not yet qualified to lead troops to kill the enemy on the battlefield. If one day I let you be by my side and let you be a pioneer... forget it. You are the mother of my child, I will go alone. Just take risks.”

Wang Mingshan said hurriedly: "I can fight."

It seems that for Wang Mingshan, the family's mission is to obtain the title through martial arts, and even as a daughter, she has no intention of avoiding it.

"Bang bang bang..." There was a knock on the door.

Then Sun Shangqi's voice came: "My lord, the imperial court has sent someone to deliver a message."

"Yeah. Come in."

Zhang Zhou asked Wang Mingshan to stand up and stand aside while he continued to deal with the official documents in his hand.

Sun Shangqi walked in, stood behind the screen, and said respectfully: "My lord, the imperial court sent a special envoy to convey some of the war situation in various places. Your Majesty also wants to ask where the Tatars are hiding." Let you do the math."

Zhang Zhou said: "People's hearts are unpredictable."

Sun Shangqi said: "The envoy is still waiting for your reply."

The meaning couldn't be more obvious.

Now the emperor leaves all matters such as fighting to Zhang Zhou, and even believes that Zhang Zhou can calculate the specific location of the Tatars. Zhang Zhou needs to do the calculation.

Although the relationship between the monarch and his ministers seemed to be harmonious, it would also bring about many bad consequences... At this time, it was actually difficult for Zhang Zhou to tell whether he was working for the Ming Dynasty court or serving as an advisor to the emperor alone.

As a minister, but actually more than that, he only serves as the emperor's staff.

From a historical perspective, aren’t these just powerful ministers and sycophants?

"Let me think about it again, you do your thing first." Zhang Zhou said.

"Yes." Sun Shangqi accepted the order and exited.

When only Zhang Zhou and Wang Mingshan were left in the room, Zhang Zhou sighed slightly: "It seems that your Majesty's expectations for me are too high."

There was some confusion in Wang Mingshan's eyes. She didn't understand why Zhang Zhou said this.

Zhang Zhou asked her to sit next to him again. It seemed that only when Zhang Zhou looked into Wang Mingshan's innocent eyes, he could feel less utilitarian in his heart.

"Maybe I can only try my luck now, but luck may not be on my side every time. If I can only rely on continuous victories on the battlefield to consolidate my position, then it seems that the only way to move the date of the decisive battle is to advance. "

……

……

early morning.

The ministers all performed their duties and went to their respective yamen early in the morning because they knew that the emperor would continue to leave the court.

As for whether the emperor was pretending to be ill, it didn't seem to matter to them.

Early that morning, the imperial doctor Liu Wentai went over to diagnose Zhu Youtang. When he came out, Zhu Youtang was still sleeping peacefully, while Chen Kuan hurriedly stepped forward to inquire about the situation.

Liu Wentai shook his head and said: "Looking at the symptoms, it's just a cold or a bit severe."

"Is it cold? It's okay, it's okay." Chen Kuan finally felt relieved.

Liu Wentai said: "The three imperial doctors have already diagnosed and treated His Majesty and consulted the classics. The predictions are not wrong. What we can do now is to let Your Majesty gradually improve his condition. It is still not suitable to work too hard. Sometimes you have a heart disease... Eunuch Chen, I would like to ask, has your Majesty been worried about anything recently?"

Being an imperial physician naturally has to make "everything" preparation.

If the emperor's condition really worsened, it would be said that the emperor was worried and worried.

Chen Kuan sighed: "Your Majesty is worried about the military affairs. Moreover, Cai Guogong is not in the capital now. If Cai Guogong is here, Your Majesty may be able to feel more at ease."

Liu Wentai asked: "Then why not call Duke Cai back to Beijing quickly?"

"This……"

Chen Kuan suddenly glanced at Liu Wentai, and his eyes were not friendly.

He was probably asking, don't be shameless.

What arrangements does the emperor have? Why should I listen to you, an imperial doctor?

Liu Wentai seemed to realize that he had made a mistake. He lowered his head and said, "After I go back next time, I will continue to discuss the treatment plan with the Royal Envoy, but I am afraid that His Majesty will..."

Chen Kuan understood what Liu Wentai meant.

In the past two years, the main figures in the palace have fallen ill, and the emperor has chosen to adopt Zhang Zhou's advice. Even if Zhang Zhou is not around, he will always look for the medical girl Ning Tong. The presence of Tai Hospital has been very low in the past two years.

"Hurry up and discuss it. If it's just a cold, isn't it possible that your hospital can't treat it? You need to use mild medicine. Remember, His Majesty's dragon body cannot withstand the torment." Chen Kuan said.

"Yes Yes."

……

……

Chen Kuan met Liu Wentai and immediately went to Kunning Palace to report the emperor's condition to Queen Zhang.

When Empress Zhang learned that her husband's illness was just a cold and it seemed to be nothing serious, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's okay, otherwise I would have to let Bingkuan come back."

Chen Kuan felt very awkward.

Even Empress Zhang, who used to have a lot of dissatisfaction with Zhang Zhou, now regards Zhang Zhou as one of her own, which makes this matter very strange.

Could it be that the emperor's acceptance of concubines had nothing to do with Zhang Zhou's behind-the-scenes operations?

Chen Kuan said: "Your Majesty has been in good spirits these past two days. The food is just a little bland and the food intake is slightly reduced. Your Majesty also uses some nourishing medicine every day..."

Queen Zhang said: "I have heard criticism that Your Majesty's wind chill is caused by too much moisture. It is said that the heating method used in Xi Nuan Pavilion is different from ordinary ones. Your Majesty is already weak and seems to be unable to withstand the cold. Fumigation from water vapor.”

Chen Kuan was stunned.

He seemed a little relieved in his heart. Sure enough, the queen was still secretly competing with Zhang Zhou.

Otherwise, why can the emperor's illness be attributed to the heating invented by Zhang Zhou?

Chen Kuan said: "I don't understand."

Empress Zhang sighed: "But I have arranged the arrangements here, so it seems to be fine. Maybe one person has one constitution. If there are still people who gossip, let them go and check. Your Majesty is sick, and you can't listen to these things. Normally. Please pay more attention to official affairs... I don't know how to handle official affairs, so I have to rely on you." (End of Chapter)