Back to Daming to be a genius

Chapter 319

(PS: It’s Monday, please ask for a new one-week monthly ticket and recommendation ticket.)
"Oh, I'm so exhausted, I'm finally home." It wasn't until the third watch of the night that Young Master Zhang dragged his exhausted body, left the palace and returned to the alley of Prime Minister Wen after a long absence.But just in case, Young Master Zhang didn't dare to enter his house directly at all. He could only pretend to be a night watchman from Dongchang, and relying on the cover of other Dongchang servants, he entered his house through the side door, and entered his own house. After entering the study, Young Master Zhang immediately crawled onto the bed like a dead dog, moaning exhaustedly, "I'm so tired. If I knew how tiring being an official, I shouldn't have gone to Beijing to catch the exam."

"Master, just be content, we are tired!" Zhang Shitou, who was also full of tiredness, said weakly: "When I just carried that fake young master into the door, the old lady and the others fainted three times on the spot, and the young lady also Everyone cried so hard that they couldn't hold back, and then quietly told the master, the old lady, and the young lady the truth about them, and the master passed out from excitement again. I'm completely exhausted!" Song Xiance and Shi Kefa nodded in agreement, Shi Kefa also showed the nail prints on his face and neck, saying that he wanted to prevent Xiong Hu from jumping on the fake young master Zhang so that the real young master Zhang would not suffer. Xiong Hu grabbed him twice, and finally the imperial doctor from the palace said that there is a kind of tuberculosis that is contagious, and Xiong Hu, who was afraid of infecting his son, let Shi Kefa go.

"How is that boy Zhou Mulan? Has his condition worsened?" Young Master Zhang asked, of course, the counterfeit that Zhang Shitou, Song Xiance and others had worked so hard to find—it should be the luck of Young Master Zhang, He happened to find a consumptive ghost who was very similar in appearance to his own, and saved him the trouble of pretending to be sick.Zhang Shitou replied honestly: "Young master, that Zhou Xiucai's palace physician tried his best to rescue him, and he has recovered. That Zhou Xiucai also asked me to tell you that in order to report to the king and save the people of Liaodong from fire and water, As long as you want him to live, he will try to live as long as possible, I just hope that after he dies, young master, you can take care of his family a little bit."

"Go and tell him, I have already reported his matter to the emperor." Young Master Zhang replied: "The emperor has secretly bestowed on him the seventh-rank minister, and after his death, he will be compensated as a regular seventh-rank official. , and also rewarded a Jinyiwei school lieutenant, and it is hereditary, so when his younger brother becomes an adult, he can go to Beijing to take up the post, and his family will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives."

"Yes, I will tell him in a while." Zhang Shitou respectfully agreed.Over there, Song Xiance hurriedly asked again: "Boss, after you met the emperor today, did the emperor agree with your plan for the decisive battle in Liaodong?"

"I agree, of course I agree." Young Master Zhang pondered: "But what I am a little worried about now is that Jiannu and Shanzong are too cunning, and they understand my temper too well. They don't have enough excuses to mobilize Xuanda and Shanzong. Gan and the elite from all over Sichuan rushed to Liaodong to help the war. I am afraid that Jiannu and Shanzong will be alerted. If they give up the plan to send troops to Shanhaiguan this year, then our previous efforts will be wasted. So I ask the emperor and father not to immediately disclose the plan to mobilize troops and horses. First promulgate the troop dispatching order in secret, and then announce it to all officials after I have figured out a countermeasure."

"That's true, but the movement must be fast, otherwise, it is impossible for the elites of the five provinces to mobilize such a large movement, and it is impossible to hide it from the eyes of Jiannu and Shanzong." Song Xiance nodded and analyzed: "If I am Nuer Ha Chi or Huang Taiji suddenly discovered that the elite troops from the five northwestern provinces of the Ming Dynasty were mobilizing to Liaodong, and received information that your master was seriously ill and would die. They would suspect that you were trying to lure snakes out of the hole. Take a step back and say that even if you confirm that you are the master It is true that he is seriously ill, but in order not to hit a hard nail, and for the sake of caution, it is undoubtedly the best policy to give up the plan to attack Shanhaiguan within this year."

"If they were students, they would do the same." Shi Kefa, who had already been spoiled a lot by Young Master Zhang and Song Xiance, echoed, "Because all the elites from the five northwestern provinces have just been tempered from the battlefield of suppressing thieves." Veterans, who have seen blood and have rich experience, Jiannu must be hard-pressed to fight. Even if they win head-to-head, Jiannu will definitely suffer a lot. So the best way is to wait, because these guest troops cannot be stationed in Shanhaiguan for a long time. Provinces such as Gansu, Xuanda, and Sichuan cannot do without these troops to resist the Tatars, suppress rebels, and deter local chieftains, so as long as it takes a while, until these troops have withdrawn from Shanhaiguan, it will not be too late to send troops.”

"Xianzhi has made a lot of progress, and it's all on point." Young Master Zhang smiled and praised, then frowned and said: "But if these troops are not mobilized to join the battle, the existing troops in Liaodong alone are more than enough to defend Shanhaiguan. We want to annihilate the main force of Jiannu in one fell swoop, but our troops are too thin. Even if we can weaken a part of Jiannu's strength, when the whole territory of Liaodong is recovered in the future, once the Jiannu who are still alive start guerrilla warfare, our troubles will undoubtedly be even greater gone."

"Boss, why don't you make a fuss about your father-in-law?" Song Xiance suddenly had an idea, and suggested: "As the saying goes, one general is incompetent and kills the three armies. To Jiannu, Xiong Dushi is definitely the second As for your number two opponent, with such an opponent in Shanhaiguan, Jiannu would not dare to act rashly. But if Governor Xiong is dismissed for the third time from the position of Governor of Liaodong, and another idiot like Wang Huazhen takes over in Liaodong, Jiannu thinks there is an opportunity to take advantage of it, so he will definitely come up with the idea of ​​Shanhaiguan again."

"Don't think Jianu is so simple. Right now I'm pretending to be dying of illness, and the court has killed my father-in-law for no reason. Jianu can't doubt that the Ming court is playing a big game of chess with me and is going to dig a Waiting for them to jump?" Young Master Zhang shook his head, not optimistic about the idea.Song Xiance said unconvinced: "Master, but what if the excuse for dismissing Governor Xiong is enough? If we can find an excuse to dismiss Governor Xiong in a reasonable and reasonable way, and change to another idiot to take up the post in Liaodong. The elite were transferred to Liaodong to die, can Jiannu not be tempted? Can you not start a war to wipe out the elite of Ming Dynasty?"

"It's not that easy, let's not talk about my father-in-law..." Young Master Zhang still didn't think much of Song Xiance's idea, but in the middle of talking, Young Master Zhang suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly asked: "Master Song, wait a minute, what did you say just now?" The last sentence of this paragraph, please say it again."

"The last sentence?" Song Xiance hesitated, and hurriedly repeated: "Students said, can Jiannu not start a war to wipe out the elites of the Ming Dynasty?"

"Why do you have such an idea?" Young Master Zhang asked an extremely mentally handicapped question.Song Xiance had no choice but to smile wryly and said, "Boss, don't you understand this truth? For Daming, the troops who came down from the bandit suppression battlefields in the five provinces of Xi'an, as well as the army of Liaodong Xiong Dushi, are undoubtedly the army of the whole country." The essence is that if these troops are lost, the Ming court will be beaten everywhere for a long time. In the hands of an idiot commander, it is undoubtedly pushing these troops to the edge of a cliff, and Jiannu will give up this opportunity to kick him hard?"

"That's right. In history, this is how Hong Chengchou lost the last bit of family property of the Ming Dynasty." Young Master Zhang quickly calculated in his mind, "During the Battle of Songshan, that idiot Chongzhen didn't even analyze Whether Jinzhou should be rescued, whether it is worth saving, or whether Zu Dashou had surrendered to Jiannu and then ran back to Jinzhou to ask the Ming court for help with the Jinzhou army, and ignored the real intention of the Ming court to save the last bit of family property of the Ming court. Handed it over to Hong Chengchou, but Hong Chengchou was even more stupid. He only valued the former power and despised the grain road. The grain road was cut off by Jiannu, and the 10,000+ army was completely thrown away. Zu Dashou also returned to Jiannu's embrace immediately. Let's not talk about Hong Chengchou's Command mistakes, let’s just talk about Jiannu’s strategy of besieging the city and fighting for aid, it is indeed very clever, using a dispensable Jinzhou to trick the last family property of the Ming Dynasty into the encirclement—this strategy, can I copy it?”

Song Xiance, Shi Kefa and the others all knew that Young Master Zhang didn't like other people's interference when he was pondering wicked ideas, so they obediently kept their mouths shut. After more than an hour, a smirk appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he raised his head and ordered: "Xianzhi, bring the pen and paper, and write a memorial for me. I want to ask for an order to go to war and wipe out the Liaodong Jiannu and Ningyuan Mountain Sect."

"My lord (owner), are you crazy?" Shi Kefa and Song Xiance exclaimed at the same time, "In order to lure Jiannu to Shanhaiguan, you even prepared a way to pretend to be dead, why did you change your mind and want to personally supervise the Ping Liao?" ? When Jiannu heard that you were going out in person, he was scared to death or ran away. What else could he use to lure the main force of Jiannu to come out and fight in the Liaoxi Corridor where the terrain is favorable to us?"

"Wrong, I haven't changed my mind." Young Master Zhang shook his head and said with a sinister smile: "As a minister of the Ming Dynasty, I have received great kindness from the state and the Lord, and I have never been able to repay it. Although I am seriously ill now, I still have the heart to serve the country, and I only want to do one more great thing for the country before I die, and that is to lead the army to recover Liaodong! If my body can still hold on, then I will destroy the traitors of the Shanzong first, and then destroy the Liaodong Jian Slave, if my body can't hold on anymore, then I will at least put down the Shanzong traitors, retake Ningyuan and Jinzhou for the court, expel Yizhou Jiannu, and push the battle line back to the Jinyou area to provide a buffer for Shanhaiguan—— Then even if I die of illness and die on the battlefield in the military camp during this period, I can still smile at Jiuquan."

When Master Zhang said a word, Song Xiance and Shi Kefa were stunned, but when Master Zhang said the last sentence, both Song Xiance and Shi Kefa had come to their senses, and with ecstasy on their faces, Song Xiance hurriedly added: "The bear in Liaodong The supervisor is firstly concerned about his son-in-law, secondly because he can't hold back his face, and thirdly because he is worried that the commander-in-chief will die of illness before the battle, which will be disadvantageous to the army, so he opposes this plan with all his strength. So, Master, you just let the disobedient Governor Xiong stay at Shanhaiguan as a matter of course, let He is full-time responsible for supplying food and grass to the front—as for Xiong Du’s military power, of course you will deprive the master of it.”

"Also." Shi Kefa, who used to be so honest that he couldn't hit a fart with three hammers, also said with a smirk: "In the court, there must be some people who agree with it and some people who oppose it. At that time, who will most firmly agree with your decision, my lord? Just recommend someone to be your deputy to help you command the decisive battle of the whole army—my lord, did the student guess right?"

"Of course I guessed right." Young Master Zhang nodded with a sinister smile, and said with a smirk: "However, it's the fourth watch now, and the fifth watch is about to go to court, Xianzhi, shouldn't you use the four treasures of the study to write? Also, Shouldn’t this memorial be written as moving and moving as “A List of Teachers”?”

"My lord taught me the lesson, and the students are so happy that I forgot it!" Shi Kefa agreed happily, and said, patting his chest, "Don't worry, my lord, if the articles written by the students don't satisfy you, you will deduct my salary for this month—" —Wait, it seems that I have never received the food and rice salary of the adults, have I?"

"You didn't want it yourself, but I asked someone to send it to you every month!" Young Master Zhang protested loudly, extremely dissatisfied with Shi Kefa's shameless behavior of wantonly slandering himself and cruelly oppressing undocumented laborers.Taking advantage of the gap between Shi Kefa's writing, Young Master Zhang turned to Song Xiance and asked, "Master Song, is there any news from Wu Sangui?"

"A marriage on May 28." Song Xiance replied in a deep voice: "After getting married, Yuan Chonghuan originally wanted to buy one get one free and marry his fake daughter to Wu Sangui, but Wu Sangui resolutely refused. But Wu Sangui persuaded his father The matter of returning to Daming with his uncle did not go smoothly. According to our insider observations, Wu Xiang and the three brothers of the Zu family seemed to be worried that the court would settle accounts after the fall, and they were also afraid of building slaves and sending troops, so they hesitated to make up their minds , and now the two sides are at a stalemate."

"Unsurprisingly, it makes sense." Young Master Zhang nodded, and he also understood that persuading Wu Xiang and the three brothers Zu Dashou to return to Daming is not so easy - especially the three brothers Zu Dashou are not only the core members of the Shanzong, Their fathers, Zu Chengxun and Nuerhachi, were also Li Chengliang's domestic slaves at the same time, and they were inextricably linked with each other. Of course, it would not be so easy for Wu Sangui to persuade them to submit to Ming Dynasty.Song Xiance said worriedly: "Boss, students are worried about two things now. The first is Wu Sangui's loyalty. His father and uncle are both from Shanzong, and they are in the enemy camp. They were jointly executed by Jiannu and Shanzong. Surrounded by wine, sex and wealth, as long as the weakness of desire is caught by Jiannu and Shanzong, there is a possibility of defection and surrender."

"It's not a big problem." Young Master Zhang said with a smile: "Let's not say that the dark line we set up in Ningyuan can grasp the core secrets of Shanzong, and keep an eye on Shanzong and Wu Sangui's every move. Once Wu Sangui betrays us, we will know immediately and say That younger sister of mine is the one Wu Sangui is absolutely reluctant to give up." As he said that, Young Master Zhang still added in his heart, "In history, this kid became a beauty because of my younger sister, and now he will seek his own death. Going to be a dog for Jiannu or Shanzong?"

"I hope so." Song Xiance muttered a little uneasy, and then said: "In this way, the second problem, that is, Wu Sangui's safety, the students are even more worried! The seventy days you gave Wu Sangui There are only more than 20 days left for the holiday, and in ten or so days, Wu Sangui will be leaving for the Central Plains. At that time, once Wu Sangui resolutely refuses to turn to the Shanzong or build slaves, Yuan Chonghuan may have a murderous intention, and it will not help. We will detain Wu Sangui and place him under house arrest in Ningyuan City, and prevent Wu Sangui from returning to your employer."

"If Yuan Chonghuan wants to kill Wu Sangui, he will definitely not do it openly. He will not ignore the blood and blood relationship between Wu Xiang and Zu Dashou." Young Master Zhang shook his head and said darkly: "What I am most worried about is that Yuan Chonghuan will not kill him clearly. , when Wu Sangui left Ningyuan, he sent someone to assassinate him halfway. This is the most likely. But this is nothing, Wu Sangui himself is very good, and there are [-] slave-killing soldiers around him to protect him, and I gave him the ride It is not so easy for Yuan Chonghuan to assassinate the famous Zhao Yeyu Lion Maxima. Also, I have secretly ordered Zhao Lediao to take care of him, basically as long as he reaches the Liuzhou River, he will be safe and sound."

"Then what if Yuan Chonghuan imprisons him or puts him under house arrest in Ningyuan City?" Song Xiance asked worriedly.Young Master Zhang couldn't help laughing, and scolded: "My Master Song, thanks to you boasting all day long that you are smarter than Kong Ming and better than Bo Wen, how can you be so foolish? Yuan Chonghuan really dares to detain Wu Sangui and put him under house arrest in Ningyuan City. Wouldn't the situation be more favorable for us?"

Song Xiance was baffled at first, but after careful consideration, Song Xiance also laughed and blamed himself: "The students are really confused. They forgot how Wu Sangui's father and uncle would react if Yuan Chonghuan really dared to detain Wu Sangui."

………………

On June 29th of the tenth year of the Great Ming Dynasty, the Prince Shaobao of the Ming Dynasty, the governor of the five provinces and the Minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Haogu, despite his serious illness, dragged his sick body into the palace for an audience. A layer of window paper, impeaching Liaodong Governor Yuan Chonghuan for collaborating with the enemy and raising thieves, mutilating the people and planning a mutiny, killing Ming officials Bi Zisu and Li Yingjian, and forming gangs to support themselves, which is tantamount to rebellion!Ming Xi Zong Lanbiao was furious, and directly denounced Yuan Chonghuan as a thief of the Ming Dynasty!Young Master Zhang took the opportunity to hand in the seal of appointment, imploring Mingxi Zong'en to allow himself to lead the army to the northern expedition to Liaodong, and wipe out the Liaodong Jiannu and Ningyuan Shanzong!In order to urge Ming Xizong to accept his opinion, Young Master Zhang also read in public the Gou Shaochu's teacher's example written by Shi Kefa, the gunman, in public.

"...The minister received the state's favor, and he should wield a seven-foot sword to suppress the captives and punish the country's thieves, in case of repaying the king's favor! I hope that your majesty will remember the heart of the minister's death, and the benefactor's invitation, the minister is very grateful Stay away now, weep before you, don't know what to say." After reading the last paragraph, Young Master Zhang burst into tears, kowtow like Ming Xizong.Ming Xizong knew very well that Young Master Zhang had actually suffered from a lot of illnesses, and when he heard Young Master Zhang's impassioned request, he couldn't help but burst into tears, and immediately said loudly: "Okay, Zhang Aiqing, I will seal you now." As the governor of the seven provinces, he is also in charge of Jimen and Liaodong, and gathers troops from the seven provinces to attack Liaodong in the north! Destroy the slaves and punish the country's thieves!"

"No!" Without waiting for Young Master Zhang to kowtow to thank you, a large group of officials jumped out to object, and Zhang Weixian, the leader, yelled the loudest, "Your Majesty, absolutely not! Master Zhang has a heart of loyalty that can be learned from heaven and earth, and he can fight well!" He has made many achievements, and he is indeed the best candidate for the Northern Expedition to Liaodong. But he is seriously ill now, so we can't let him be so tired anymore, let alone put the burden of the Northern Expedition to Liaodong on his shoulders!" Other officials echoed , and someone said unceremoniously: "Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang is so ill. If there is any mistake during the Northern Expedition, the Ming court will not only lose a pillar, but also affect the morale of the army, which is not good for the army!"

"This..." Ming Xizong almost wanted to say that Young Master Zhang was actually far less ill than the legend said, but he couldn't find a suitable excuse to refute.But fortunately, the film king Zhang Da played his true colors again, kowtowed desperately and cried: "Your Majesty, although I have a small illness by chance, the crimes of the Ningyuan national thieves have been exposed. I would like to work tirelessly and go out to fight when I am sick, first to punish the country's thieves, and then to destroy the slaves, in order to repay the king's kindness!"

As he spoke, Young Master Zhang kowtowed again and again, weeping bitterly, with the utmost sincerity.Seeing Young Master Zhang's sickly appearance and insisting on going to war, all the officials were moved. They said that although this kid has many problems and likes to flatter eunuchs, his loyalty to the court and the country is absolutely nothing to say .Yuan Keli, the servant of the Ministry of War, couldn't help but stood up and said: "Qi Zou the emperor, Mr. Zhang is right, the gang of rebels in Ningyuan will definitely defect to the enemy after hearing the news of their crimes being revealed, and Jiannu's soldiers will also point directly at Shanhaiguan. Your Majesty, if you don’t punish the country’s thieves, there will never be peace in the capital of the Ming Dynasty! In Yichen’s opinion, His Majesty might as well approve part of Mr. Zhang’s petition and allow him to send troops to Ningjin. The city will move our army forward and ensure that the capital of Ming Dynasty is safe and sound."

"If it's just to take back Ningyuan and Jinzhou, it can be discussed." The civil and military officials also began to be tempted, saying that Zhang Haogu is reliable in fighting, as long as he can take back Ningyuan and Jinzhou before he dies, to ensure the safety of the capital, it would be better. It's a way to get the best of both worlds.But Young Master Zhang objected: "No! Ningjin and Jinzhou can be used as a buffer for the capital, but if the slaves are not eliminated, there will never be peace in Liaodong of the Ming Dynasty! I insist on the Northern Expedition, annihilate the Jiannu in Liaodong in one fell swoop, and restore my Liaodong country in the Ming Dynasty!"

"Master Zhang, everyone is doing it for your own good." Yuan Keli said in a low voice, "If your health is fine and you propose the Northern Expedition to Liaodong, absolutely no one will object, but you are now so ill, what if something happens during the Northern Expedition?" manage?"

"If I die of illness on the way, please ask Liaodong Governor Xiong to take over as my commander-in-chief and continue the Northern Expedition to build slaves!" Young Master Zhang was not afraid of taboos, and even prepared his own successor.After finishing speaking, Young Master Zhang asked Yuan Keli again: "Master Yuan, you are the Minister of the Ministry of War, would you like to go to Liaodong with me and help me fight against Jian slaves and national traitors?"

"This..." Yuan Keli was startled for a while, and then replied in a deep voice: "My lord, if the emperor grants you, you don't dislike it, of course Yuan Keli is willing to follow your lord's northern expedition and assist your lord to take care of trivial matters so that your lord can concentrate on military affairs. "

"That's good." Young Master Zhang nodded, then turned to Ming Xizong and kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, Yuan Chonghuan was originally the governor of Liaodong. Now that Yuan Chonghuan deserves death, the post of Liaodong governor should be removed! My minister recommends Yuan Keli, the Minister of the Ministry of War. Master Yuan takes over Liaodong, assists the humble ministers to fight against the country's traitors, destroys Jiannu, and restores Liaodong!"

As the Minister of the Ministry of War, Yuan Keli is certainly qualified to take over as Governor of Liaodong, so Ming Xizong quickly nodded and agreed to Young Master Zhang's request for recommendation, and asked in embarrassment: "Zhang Aiqing, is your body really okay?"

"Your Majesty, I would like to follow the example of Zhuge Kongming, and do my best until I die!" Young Master Zhang replied very seriously and resolutely.Ming Xizong turned to Wei Zhongxian and asked, "Zhongxian, what do you mean?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is proud of this son." Wei Zhongxian shed two lines of turbid old tears, knelt down on both knees, kowtowed and cried: "Your Majesty, this servant agrees with Zhang Haogu's proposition, please allow the Emperor to let this monkey go , This may be the last thing this monkey cub can do for the emperor." After finishing speaking, Wei Zhongxian cried bitterly and fell to the ground.

"It's your blessing to have Zhang Haogu as a godson for this old dog." The noses of all the officials present were sour, and it was rare for Wei Zhongxian to be a little moved.Ming Xizong hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Okay, I will grant Zhang Aiqing's request to allow him to mobilize troops from seven provinces to attack Liaodong in the north!"

(End of this chapter)