My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 925 Battle of Luchuan
It was late at night, and Mr. Jin left the British government residence with satisfaction and took a car to a small courtyard in the south of the city.

Mr. Jin got off the carriage, asked the coachman to leave, and then opened the door and entered the yard. Soon the lights in the study inside came on, and Mr. Jin's reflection appeared on the window. What seemed to be written on it?
Less than half an hour later, several homing pigeons walked out of this small courtyard, crossed the tall city wall of Beijing City, and flew all the way to the southeast.

One day later, in a coastal port thousands of miles away from Beijing, the carrier pigeon landed here, and the mailbox on its leg was removed by specialized personnel, and then replaced with a new carrier pigeon.

Using this relay of carrier pigeons, Mr. Jin's letter was quickly delivered to Nanyang, and then sent to Dahan's Beizheng Port at full speed by the fastest steamship. Finally, Jin Yiwei handed it to Zhu Zhanhe's in hand.

"Your Highness, the attitude of the British Duke has been shaken. Coupled with the nobles and officials who have taken the initiative to contact us, it seems that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is really unpopular. From this point of view, we have to thank Wang Zhen, an eunuch. !”

In the Wenhua Hall, Liu Ke reported to Zhu Zhanhe with excitement.

I saw Zhu Zhanhe holding the information about Zhang Fu. After reading it for a while, he said: "Based on my understanding of the British Duke, although he was a little shaken in his heart, he still regarded himself as a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty and wanted to make him stand out clearly. I’m afraid it’s still unlikely that someone will be on our side!”

"Your Highness, do you want to ask General Zhang to come forward? I have already heard that the British public is quite guilty about what happened back then and has always wanted to make amends..."

"no!"

Before Liu Ke could finish his words, he was interrupted sharply by Zhu Zhanhe.

"I emphasize once again that it is okay to contact the British public, but you must not promise anything for Zhang Zhong. Don't mention this matter again!"

"Yes, I know my mistake and I will never mention it again in the future!"

Liu Ke quickly admitted his mistake.

But having said that, he still felt a little pity in his heart. Zhang Zhong was Zhang Fu's eldest son. Although few people knew the reason for the breakup between father and son, Liu Ke knew that Zhang Fu had been trying to ease the relationship with Zhang Zhong over the years. For this reason, I also had many contacts with Dahan people.

That's why Liu Ke dared to conclude that if Zhang Zhong came forward to persuade Zhang Fu, it would definitely have a greater effect. However, Zhu Zhanhe respected Zhang Zhong's decision. Unless Zhang Zhong himself was willing to reconcile with Zhang Fu, otherwise There was no need to talk about it.

"Besides the British Duke, is there anything else going on in the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Zhanhe took a breath and then asked again.

He had just returned from the Mediterranean some time ago and had dealt with a lot of backlogged government affairs. Today he finally had time to inquire about the developments in the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Highness, the biggest trend is still Wang Zhen's monopoly. Due to the laissez-faire of the Ming Emperor, Wang Zhen is now more and more powerful, and the cabinet is unable to restrain it. It even depends on Wang Zhen's face. Yang Pu is old and frail. Hu Xi only wants to protect himself, and the remaining cabinet ministers have no one who can take the lead..."

As Liu Ke spoke, he explained in detail the situation of Wang Zhen's monopoly. Now Wang Zhen is no longer as simple as monopoly. It can be said that he has monopoly of power.

After all, Wang Zhen was a scholar. Compared with other eunuchs, he knew the importance of forming cliques. Therefore, in the shortest possible time, based on his own relatives and the unscrupulous officials who had taken refuge in him, many of them even directly He became his godfather, and people said he had godsons all over the world.

The eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty liked to adopt adopted sons, and it seems that Wang Zhen started it. Although the eunuchs in the past would adopt adopted sons, the number was generally not large. Starting from Wang Zhen, the powerful eunuchs would adopt adopted sons on a large scale. . In fact, eunuchs don't really like to be other people's godfathers. This is more like a way to show loyalty. After all, anyone is willing to be a godfather to an eunuch. Obviously, he is a villain who tends to be popular. Such a person is very important to the eunuch. It's the most useful.

Wang Zhen also relied on this method to build up a huge network of relationships in the court and local areas in the shortest possible time, and the entire court became his one-note statement.

The most important thing is that Zhu Qizhen indulged Wang Zhen without any bottom line. No matter what Wang Zhen did, Zhu Qizhen would approve it with both hands and feet. Someone even wrote a letter accusing Wang Zhen, and was ordered by Zhu Qizhen to arrest and question him. Even The appointment and dismissal of the six ministers were all decided by Wang Zhen.

"Your Highness, you said before that Zhu Qizhen regarded Wang Zhen as his father. I was a little skeptical about this at first, but now it seems that it is really the case. After all, this is the only reason that can explain why Zhu Qizhen indulges Wang Zhen so much. .”

Liu Ke finally expressed his admiration to Zhu Zhanhe.

Zhu Zhanhe was deep in thought at this time. After a while, he raised his head and asked: "The Ming Dynasty once again sent troops to Luchan Chieftain Si Ren. What is the current situation of the war?"

"Luchuan?"

Liu Ke was stunned and didn't know why Zhu Zhanhe suddenly asked about this matter, but he answered quickly.

"Your Highness, the Ming Dynasty launched its third expedition against Luchuan not long ago. The first two expeditions returned with great victory. This time the troops were also sent out very smoothly. They defeated Si Renfa's army just after the battle, and captured his wife, After returning home, I have to say that Ming Dynasty fought a very beautiful battle."

"Not necessarily. Si Renfa was not captured by the Ming army. As long as he lives, the Luchuan army may come back in the future. Moreover, the conflict between the Ming Dynasty and Luchuan has completely intensified, and the next war will only become more intense!"

Zhu Zhanhe shook his head and said.

"But the Ming army defeated Luchuan three times in three battles. Even if Sirenfa sends troops again, I'm afraid it will only lead to self-destruction, right?"

Liu Ke asked with some doubts. After all, judging from the results obtained in Luchuan, the Ming army still fought well. The leaders of the army, Jiang Gui and Wang Ji, had actual military exploits.

"Although Si Renfa is no match for the Ming army, they occupy a favorable geographical position. Although they cannot defeat the Ming army, they can entangle them. If the war continues, it will only cause the Ming Dynasty to waste its people, money and vitality!"

Zhu Zhanhe shook his head and said again.

The Battle of Luchuan was the most important war during Zhu Qizhen's early reign. It was fought for nearly ten years and hundreds of thousands of troops were mobilized. Although Luchuan was crippled, it also left Ming Dynasty's treasury in deficit and its army exhausted. .

The most important thing is that because the Ming Dynasty was busy with the Battle of Luchuan in the south and neglected the defense of the north, this also led to the growing strength of Wala. Therefore, some people in later generations believed that the Battle of Luchuan indirectly led to the later Tumu Fort. changes.

"You also need to send people to keep an eye on the war in Luchuan. In addition, there are also the movements of Wala. The south and the north are likely to affect the situation of the entire Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Zhanhe finally gave his instructions again.

(End of this chapter)