Back to Daming to be a genius

Chapter 266 The Governor of the Five Provinces
In the Shanhaiguan battle, the Ming army defended and counterattacked, and finally realized the tactic of closing the door and beating dogs painstakingly arranged by Xiong Tingbi, Wang Zaijin, and Gao's third Liaodong economic strategist. Kill the Jiannu defeated army, and mobilize the navy to go north to stop the attack, and at the same time strictly order the Ningyuan army to send troops to intercept, and must annihilate the main force of Jiannu on the narrow Liaoxi Corridor! ——If it wasn't for the sudden mutiny of Ningyuan's army, this plan would have almost succeeded!

How would you describe the plight of Jiannu at that time?It may not be enough to use the term dead end. The main army's food and grass were burned, and the small amount of food and grass in the partial division could only sustain the whole army for half a month, and they did not have the ability to fight for a long time. Most of the main soldiers and generals who built the slaves were injured, their morale was extremely low, and their despair was serious. Even the regent of the slaves, Belledaishan, was so frightened that he sat down and cried when he heard that the Ningyuan army was out of the city to block the attack, knowing that the end was coming. .After the old Jiannu Nuerhachi received the news of the call for help, although he issued a national mobilization order to temporarily recruit the final reserve team, all Jiannu men under the age of 16 and over 60 were recruited into the army to form a reinforcement army to go south to meet the main defeated army. But including the old Jiannu Nurhachi himself, he already understood that time is too tight, and whether the reinforcements can arrive on the battlefield in time, we can only pray for a miracle from heaven!Therefore, Nuerhachi, the old Jiannu, has already made psychological preparations. Once the main force is wiped out, Nuerhachi will only have to shrink in an all-round way and be ready to give up Liaodong and retreat to Jianzhou.For more than ten years, the dream of the Ming court, people and army to recover the entire territory of Liaodong is almost within reach!
But just when the victory was just around the corner, the sudden mutiny of Ningyuan's army completely broke this once-in-a-lifetime favorable situation. After throwing a seductive wink at the soldiers of the Ming army, the goddess of victory suddenly spread her wings and flew away. Instead, the entire army was wiped out The shadow of the Ming army quickly shrouded the heads of the soldiers of the Ming army.With no other choice, for the sake of the safety of the entire army, and for the sake of the Shanhaiguan army, which is the only one capable of defending the safety of the capital, Xiong Tingbi and Young Master Zhang were forced to withdraw their troops and return to the customs, watching the ducks that were about to be cooked fly away, and at the same time Urgently call back the Daming navy, which is about to arrive at the Tashan battlefield, to prevent these two precious combat forces from being wasted. Because the traitors betrayed them, they failed to stop the enemy, but were annihilated by Jiannu instead.At the moment when the order to retreat was issued, Young Master Zhang, who had exhausted his efforts to assist his father-in-law in annihilating Jiannu, became angry and sick.Xiong Tingbi had tears in his eyes, and burst into tears after returning the account, regretting that he had not listened to his son-in-law's harsh advice earlier, which led to the current situation where all previous efforts were wasted.

Dejected, he led the equally dejected Ming soldiers back to Shanhaiguan and settled down a little. Xiong Tingbi immediately took up his pen and wrote a memorial to impeach Liaodong governor Yuan Chonghuan, detailing the cause and effect of the battle and Yuan Chonghuan's suspicion of collaborating with the enemy and traitorous country. Arrest Yuan Chonghuan and his family, ransack all family members, and execute them Ling Chi!But at this moment, Young Master Zhang came to Xiong Tingbi's room suddenly with the support of his own soldiers. Seeing Xiong Tingbi gnashing his teeth and writing vigorously, Young Master Zhang immediately guessed the reason, and hurriedly asked: "Old Taishan, are you planning to Participate in the impeachment of Yuan Chonghuan for allegedly defecting to the enemy? Will you truthfully report the events of Shanhaiguan to the imperial court?"

"That's needless to say?" Xiong Tingbi roared angrily: "If you don't kill this thief, I will die with peace!"

"Father-in-law, if you write like this, then not only you may not be able to kill Yuan Chonghuan, but you will definitely trap yourself!" Young Master Zhang shook his head and said in a deep voice: "My son-in-law dares to bet with you, if you submit this memorial Go up, then Yuan Chonghuan's end may be as you wish, but you yourself will definitely be dismissed from the position of Liaodong Supervisor for the third time!"

"Why?" Xiong Tingbi, who had already encountered such unlucky things twice, was taken aback.Young Master Zhang asked Zhang Shitou to help himself to sit down in front of the brazier, and said with a wry smile: "Old Taishan, you still don't know what kind of virtues are those in the imperial court who stand and talk without back pain? You don't know? Report the battle situation truthfully, and impeach Yuan Chonghuan for allegedly collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country. Then those officials and censors who are full and have nothing to do will definitely say, since the situation is so favorable and Yuan Chonghuan has not openly changed flags and rebelled, why don’t you seize the opportunity to continue chasing Jiannu? Instead, retreat with troops and let Jiannu escape? Could it be that you, Lao Taishan, are also suspected of collaborating with the enemy and were bribed by Jiannu, so you deliberately let Jiannu escape?"

"If I don't retreat, and that bastard Yuan Chonghuan cuts off my food road, and the main force of Shanhaiguan is wiped out, then who will be able to defend Shanhaiguan?" Xiong Tingbi roared and asked.Young Master Zhang smiled bitterly, and replied weakly: "Old Taishan, you understand military affairs, and your son-in-law also understands, but do those Donglin Party trash and speech officials and censors understand? Old Taishan, don't forget that when you first Wasn't it the nonsense of these trash who don't know anything about military affairs when they were dismissed from the post of Liaodong Economic Strategy Envoy and imprisoned?"

Xiong Tingbi was stunned, and the brush in his hand hung down feebly—Xiong Tingbi remembered too clearly that when he first served as the economic envoy of Liaodong, he spent countless efforts, money and food, and managed to stabilize the precarious situation in Liaodong. He personally supervised the battle to repel the invading Jiannu, but was wantonly slandered and viciously attacked by a group of speech officials headed by Yang Yuan, Feng Sancai, Gu Zhen and Yao Zongwen, which resulted in him being dismissed from office by the imperial court and arrested and questioned. However, the good situation in Liaodong that he had played with his own hands was also in vain in the hands of the trash Yuan Yingtai.After lowering his head and thinking for a while, Xiong Tingbi raised his head again, stared at Young Master Zhang and said, "You bastard is so trusted by the emperor and Jiuqian, can't you prove it for me and explain the situation to the emperor, Jiuqian and the court?"

"Of course my son-in-law can clean up Lao Taishan's grievances and explain the truth to the court, but in this way, your father-in-law's official position will be over." Young Master Zhang said with a wry smile: "Father-in-law, don't forget that Yuan Chonghuan is in your tenure." Sitting inside, you also defected to the enemy during your term of office. If the court pursues it, you will not be able to escape the charge of incompetence and dereliction of duty? To some extent, father-in-law, you and Yuan Chonghuan are already tied together. The two grasshoppers on the rope can't run away from him or you. Therefore, you can't seek the eternal man, and you can't seek the temporary one. Unless you want to die with Yuan Chonghuan, Lao Taishan, you'd better not report the report truthfully, and be more strategic , keep your useful body, and then it will not be too late to settle accounts with Yuan Chonghuan."

Xiong Tingbi was speechless, and sighed for a long time before saying: "You bastard is indeed much better than me in terms of political maneuvering, but you want me not to impeach Yuan Chonghuan, a bastard, and let him continue to act recklessly and lawlessly. I can't swallow this breath."

"Father-in-law, don't worry about Yuan Chonghuan's matter. My son-in-law will tell the truth to the emperor and Jiu Qiansui in secret. As for how to deal with him, we can discuss it slowly." Young Master Zhang said firmly: "But right now, father-in-law, you must Keep yourself useful, and let the court have a step down! In the memorial, you can truthfully report our two great victories at Shanhaiguan and Liuzhou River, ask for meritorious service and appease the morale of the soldiers; as for why we gave up Chasing Jiannu, you can infer that there is no supply of food and grass, and the wind direction and weather are extremely unfavorable to our navy. We will definitely not be able to catch up on the battlefield in time. At the same time, the troops in Shanhaiguan and Jimen are extremely empty. Father-in-law, for the sake of the safety of the capital, I have to give up the pursuit and retreat back to the customs. In this way, others will have to find an excuse to attack you for missing the opportunity, and the imperial court will think that you have taken care of the overall situation and reward you for all the merits you deserve."

"That makes sense." Xiong Tingbi nodded thoughtfully, and asked again: "What about Yuan Chonghuan? Should I mention him in the memorial?"

"Of course I have to mention it, not only I have to mention it, but I also have to refer to him again and again—of course, I don't refer to him surrendering and betraying the country, turning to the enemy." Young Master Zhang said darkly: "Father-in-law, you can refer to him to raise a thief, and fear War is afraid of death, and we sit back and watch Jiannu's defeated army pass through Ningyuan without blocking it, so that the main force of our army cannot catch up with Jiannu and expand the results of the battle. In this way, you don't have to involve Lao Taishan yourself, and you can give the court an excuse to deal with him and Ningyuan The army, plus the fact that my son-in-law secretly confessed the truth to the emperor and Jiu Qiansui, then Yuan Chonghuan will definitely die." After that, Young Master Zhang did not forget to ask, "Also, in the memorial, the first merit must be given to the emperor. Jiuqiantui and the Supervisor of Ceremony, the cabinet members can also share some of them-Don't stare at Lao Taishan, although this is to let them take advantage of it, but if you don't do it, they will definitely make up their minds on the merits of the soldiers, [-]% off Eight buckles down, the unlucky ones are still the real meritorious soldiers, it is better to give them some credit, shut their mouths, let them take you softly, and try to get some benefits for the soldiers. Besides, they are planning and planning in the rear , Supporting the front-line food, grass and military supplies, there is some credit to some extent, and it is nothing to give them some points."

Xiong Tingbi stared at his son-in-law, and after a long time, Xiong Tingbi smiled wryly and said: "I finally understand why you bastard is so popular in the court, and you have made so many great achievements without being envied by others. The emperor and Jiu Qiansui also treat you like this." There is a lot of trust—I will never be able to learn such a slick mind and water-tight way of doing things like you.” Speaking of this, Xiong Tingbi pursed his lips, and finally said something from his heart, “With a son-in-law like you , is not only my pride, but also my blessing."

........................

As Young Master Zhang expected, after Xiong Tingbi's memorial was sent to the capital, Wei Zhongxian, the officials, supervisors, and cabinet members were amazed that Xiong Tingbi had suddenly become so sensible, and of course they were the first to report Xiong Tingbi's victory with a smile on their faces. The memorial was published in front of the imperial court, and it was copied into a mansion and reported to the world, so that the whole world knew that the Ming army had won another big victory in Liaodong, severely damaged the main force of the slave establishment, and the Ming Dynasty was expected to rejuvenate.When Ming Xizong and Jiu Qiansui heard that Young Master Zhang had unfortunately fallen ill due to overwork, they hurriedly sent Jin Yiwei and the court physician to Shanhaiguan to welcome Young Master Zhang back to Beijing for recuperation.

Sleeping in the brocade car brought by Jin Yiwei and being served by the imperial physician, when he returned to the capital, the young and strong Young Master Zhang had recovered half of his condition, and it was already November 28, the eighth year of Ming Qi.Hearing that Young Master Zhang was returning to Beijing, the Gou Shao party officials who had begun to take shape met out of the city to greet him. Needless to say, most of the civil and military officials in Beijing also rushed out of the city to greet them. Hundreds of officials at all levels crowded the Gou Shao back to Beijing Outside the Chaoyang Gate, the road was almost blocked.However, although the cunning Young Master Zhang was in the limelight, he didn't dare to use his cold butt to stick to the hot faces of all officials, and he didn't dare to show off too much and arouse Wei Zhongxian's jealousy and dissatisfaction, so as soon as Master Zhang got out of the car, he immediately used Daming In his true colors, he knelt down in the direction of the palace, wishing Xi Zong a long life and Wei Zhongxian 99 years old, kowtowed respectfully, and then got up to salute the officials—the one who was lurking among the officials After Dongchang's eyeliner recounted the matter, Wei Zhongxian naturally had to praise his son's filial piety behind his back, which made him feel gratified.

After being courteous with all the officials outside Chaoyang Gate for two hours, Young Master Zhang was able to enter the city and return home. However, after entering the city, the cautious Young Master Zhang did not go home directly to meet his parents, wife and children, but killed Go to Wei Ran Hutong, go to Wei Zhongxian's mansion to kowtow to Wei Zhongxian.When father and son met, after Young Master Zhang saluted, Wei Zhongxian couldn't wait to help Young Master Zhang himself, looked him up and down, and said emotionally: "Monkey boy, when you returned to Beijing last time, our family was in a hurry when we couldn't talk to you. I sent you to Liaodong, and this time I took a closer look, and it turns out that the monkey boy is much thinner and darker, must have been tired for the emperor, our family and the court, right?"

"Thank you father for your concern. Serving the emperor, father, and the court is a child's duty. Even if the child devotes himself to everything, he will not hesitate." Young Master Zhang replied hypocritically, wiping away tears.Wei Zhongxian laughed, and patted Young Master Zhang on the shoulder again and said: "Monkey boy, of course our family knows about your filial piety, but you can't be too stingy with your body, our family still expects to hold more grandchildren. "

"My son must remember my father's words and cherish my body." Young Master Zhang respectfully agreed, and then said with a smile: "By the way, the meeting was too hasty last time, and my son didn't have time to say goodbye to my father. My wife, Mei Qingyun, is also pregnant. When I have a baby, my father will have a grandson and a granddaughter by April or May next year at the most." Speaking of this, Young Master Zhang took the initiative to say: "It's just that there is too much wind and sand in Shanxi Town, and the conditions are really too difficult. So Hai'er wants to take the liberty of asking his father to agree, let Hai'er send someone to send Qing Yun back to the capital to give birth, and ask father to take care of her, I wonder if father will agree?"

"It's a trivial matter." Wei Zhongxian smiled and said kindly: "Your wife and children are our daughter-in-law and grandson. It is only natural for our family to take care of them. You just send them back, monkey." Already." Young Master Zhang was overjoyed, and hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude.Over there, Cui Chengxiu, Feng Quan and other members of Wei Zhongxian's henchmen looked at each other, scolding Young Master Zhang for being treacherous and cunning, Wei Zhongxian was insidious and suspicious - Young Master Zhang took the initiative to send his wife and children back to the capital, Wei Zhongxian naturally felt relieved to send more power and more troops Leave it to Young Master Zhang. If others wanted to drive a wedge between Wei Zhongxian and Young Master Zhang's father-son relationship, naturally they would not have the slightest chance.

Sure enough, when Wei Zhongxian held a family banquet to welcome Young Master Zhang, Wei Zhongxian really readily threw a big meaty bone to Young Master Zhang, and said to Young Master Zhang with a smile: "Monkey boy, our family also forgot to tell you a happy event. This time you captured Tatar Tiger Duntu Khan alive and beheaded the rebel Wang Jiayin, and assisted your old father-in-law in defeating Jiannu, and made great achievements. Our family does not avoid relatives, and the emperor has decided to appoint you as Ming Dynasty The first governor of the five provinces since the founding of the dynasty! Control the military and civil affairs of Xuanda, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan, and be fully responsible for chasing down the rebels in the northwest! Deter the Tatar tribes and ensure the safety of the middle section of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Governor of five provinces? Isn't that Hong Chengchou's official position in history?" Young Master Zhang was a little dumbfounded.Wei Zhongxian said with a smile: "Monkey boy, are you happy to be silly? This governor of the five provinces is the largest foreign official in the history of the Ming Dynasty, except for Hu Zongxian. There are more than a dozen governors and governors under him. In order to fight for you This official position, in front of the emperor and in the court, is showing off your old face, you monkey bastard, you must make up for our family."

Wei Zhongxian's words are not all to put gold on his face. In history, when Hong Chengchou was named the governor of the five provinces, the Ming Dynasty was ruined by Chongzhen, Donglin Party and Yuandudu, and it was basically at the end of the road. Only then was he forced to be promoted exceptionally, and made Hong Chengchou the governor of the five provinces, and because most of the state capital fell, Hong Chengchou, the so-called governor of the five provinces, could really control very few land troops.But it is different now, because Young Master Zhang is a big moth flapping its wings wildly, and the area affected by the Northwest Thieves has been greatly reduced, and it is basically limited to Shaanxi. That empty-handed governor of the five provinces went side by side.So after hearing this news, even Young Master Zhang was a little dazed. He never dreamed that Wei Zhongxian would be so generous and directly push himself to the position of the unnamed Northwest King.

After recovering from his senses, Young Master Zhang hurriedly left the table to pay his respects, and said gratefully: "Father's favor is as important as Mount Tai, and as light as the sun and the moon, even if the child is smashed to pieces, it will be difficult to repay the father's kindness! It's just the governor of the five provinces." The position is too important, and the child is young and talented, and I am afraid that he will disappoint his father if he does not perform well, so I ask my father to think twice and seriously consider it."

"Monkey boy, when did you become so humble?" Wei Zhongxian laughed heartily, helped Young Master Zhang himself, and said with a smile: "I remember last time you wanted to be the governor of Xuanda, but our family didn't allow it, you monkey boy was so wronged that you almost cried Come out, let you be the governor of the five provinces this time, are you humble? Don't be wordy, the position of the governor of the five provinces has already been approved by the emperor, and you are going to enter the palace tomorrow to thank you, haha, besides, if you You monkey bastard can't be the governor of the five provinces, who else dares to stand up and say that he has the qualifications and talents to be the governor of the five provinces?"

"Then..., my son has no choice but to kowtow to father again." Young Master Zhang had no choice but to kowtow to thank his father honestly.Never thought that after Young Master Zhang stood up, Wei Zhongxian looked at Young Master Zhang again and said with a smile: "Monkey boy, work hard, when you wipe out the rebels in Shaanxi, you may be qualified to be the governor of the seven provinces. Then persuade the emperor to hand over the Liaodong and Shandong armies to you, and let you clean up the Jiannu, and wait until you, the monkey boy, wipe out the Jiannu and recover Liaodong. Haha, maybe the position of the Generalissimo of the World’s Soldiers and Horses is in Waving to you monkey cub."

"Old man Wei took the wrong medicine today, so he became so generous?" Young Master Zhang took a sneak peek at the eunuch members present, seeing them all congratulating each other with smiles on their faces, but there was nothing to hide in their eyes except that they said something Apart from his jealousy and envy, there was not much hostility. Even his old enemy Feng Quan had an apologetic smile all over his face, not daring to show too much hostility.Young Master Zhang couldn't help but wonder, "What's the matter? Why did old man Wei want to promote me so eagerly? I remember that every time I was rewarded for meritorious deeds, old man Wei would stand up and kill my relatives, fearing that I would be promoted to no one in the future." I was promoted again, deliberately suppressing my official title, why did it happen the other way around this time?"

........................

Young Master Zhang's illness has not yet recovered, Wei Zhongxian also felt sorry for his son, after the banquet, he personally sent Young Master Zhang out of the mansion, let Young Master Zhang go home to rest, other matters will be discussed another day.However, after Young Master Zhang dragged his exhausted body back to his house in Wen Chengxiang Hutong, before entering the door, he had not had time to salute his parents, when he saw his uncle, the British Duke Zhang Weixian, sitting in the main hall at the first sight, Young Master Zhang smiled wryly, I had no choice but to kowtow to Zhang Weixian, to my ecstatic biological father Zhang Laocai, and to eleven old ladies.And Zhang Weixian was not polite, and after being courteous with Young Master Zhang, he winked at Young Master Zhang and asked Young Master Zhang to talk privately by himself. Young Master Zhang had no choice but to find an excuse obediently and lead Zhang Weixian into his In the study room, I started a secret conversation with Zhang Weixian in the room.

"Do you know?" Before the sick young master Zhang sat firmly in the study, Zhang Weixian couldn't wait to say to young master Zhang: "Wei Zhongxian has already recommended you to the emperor to be the governor of the five provinces, and the emperor has also given you permission. You are in charge of the military and civil affairs of Xuanda, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan, and you are fully responsible for chasing down the rebels in the northwest, did Wei Zhongxian mention this to you today?"

"I've said it." Young Master Zhang agreed with a yawn.Zhang Weixian asked again: "Then besides this matter, what else did Wei Zhongxian say to you?"

"No." Young Master Zhang shook his head, and said weakly: "Nine thousand years old knew that my illness was not completely cured, so he didn't talk to me about other things, and said that we will talk about other things later."

"Then do you know why Wei Zhongxian couldn't wait to recommend you as governor of the five provinces?" Zhang Weixian asked, staring into the eyes of Young Master Zhang.Although Young Master Zhang was exhausted, under Zhang Weixian's persecution, Young Master Zhang was forced to use his brain to calculate. After pondering for a long time, Young Master Zhang's heart suddenly moved, and he blurted out: "Could it be that Concubine Wei is pregnant with the emperor's baby?" Dragon planted?"

Zhang Weixian's eyes widened, he stared at Young Master Zhang for a long time, then nodded and said: "As expected of the old man's nephew and son-in-law, he is really smart, and he knows everything! Yes, Wei Zhongxian's grandniece Wei Guifei is indeed pregnant with the emperor's dragon seed. It’s just that not many people know about it, and I only learned about it from the empress yesterday.”

Young Master Zhang didn't bother to pay attention to Zhang Weixian's praise, half closed his eyes and remained silent, while Zhang Weixian continued: "The day before yesterday when Wei Zhongxian recommended you to the emperor to be the governor of the five provinces, we suspected that he was playing some tricks, but after hearing the news yesterday, We understand that Wei Zhongxian is paving the way for his granddaughter's son! If Concubine Wei gives birth to a son, then Wei Zhongxian will definitely try his best to encourage the emperor to make his granddaughter's son the crown prince, so that he can inherit the Ming Dynasty in the future and appoint you as the fifth prince. Provincial governor, it is clear that he wants to support his great-grandson with a minister who can protect the sky. When the critical moment comes, you, the governor of the five provinces and even the governor of the seven provinces who hold a heavy army and are invincible, just climb up and take the lead in supporting Wei Zhongxian The granddaughter's son succeeds to the throne, so who dares to say no to the military governors of various places in Ming Dynasty, the princes and relatives? Even if someone really raises an army to make trouble, how can it be possible to defeat your King Qin's army?"

"If I'm not wrong, Wei Zhongxian will probably continue to use high-ranking officials and rich salary to win over you in the next step, and even let his relatives marry you, and kidnap you completely into the Wei family chariot." Zhang Weixian chattered and said: "I I came here today to remind you not to forget that you are a courtier of the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty named you as the pillar of the sky for the current emperor, and the emperor's kindness to you is not comparable to ordinary people. Let's not say that the governor of the five provinces was originally the emperor. The official position given to you, not the reward given to you by the old eunuch Wei, just say that you believe in the prince, if it is not for the emperor's generosity..."

Looking at the chattering appearance of die-hard royalist Zhang Weixian, and listening to Zhang Weixian's chattering words, the always energetic Young Master Zhang might be ill, and suddenly felt a kind of extreme tiredness. He was so tired that he didn't want to listen to anything. I don't want to look, and there is only one thought left in my mind, "I chose to enter Beijing to become an official, was it right or wrong? If I hadn't become this official, at least I can continue to be unrestrained and comfortable in Linqing now. Want to be involved in the political vortex like now, trembling all day long, walking on thin ice, unable to sleep peacefully? In the future, will I have a chance to get out of my body?"

(End of this chapter)