weaving

Chapter 1338: Rewards

July 12, the 15th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty.

In Kaifeng City, Henan Province, the Zhou Palace was heavily guarded. Many armored warriors stood with guns and swords, and many soldiers held sophisticated muskets in their hands. Most of them were strangers...

The solemn and murderous aura emanating from them was so chilling that people could still feel a slight chill even a dozen steps away, so that the area outside the Zhou Palace, which was already sparsely populated, seemed even more deserted.

But in the distance, many people gathered in various corners, pointing and talking about the palace...

In the front hall of the Zhou royal palace, dozens of civil and military officials gathered. Even the Earl of Yongning and his generals who were stationed around Xinchengji were present.

The chief eunuch Wang Chengen in the palace was the angel who came to read the imperial edicts. At this moment, he had just finished reading the first imperial edict, which promoted Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, to the position of Right General of the Central Army Governor's Office, Admiral of the military affairs of Baoding and seven other towns, and in charge of all military operations to suppress bandits in the Central Plains.

Seeing the people below congratulating the Earl of Yongning, especially the generals of the Yongyi Army who were so excited, he felt mixed emotions in his heart, not knowing whether he should be happy for the court and His Majesty...

"Cough cough cough..."

Wang Chengen coughed a few times in a shrill voice, and the hall immediately fell silent. Everyone returned to their seats, waiting for the next words from the angel eunuch Wang...

A young eunuch was seen holding a wooden tray covered with yellow silk and slowly walked to Wang Chengen's side. When the yellow silk was lifted, it turned out to be another imperial edict!

All the civil and military officials in the hall knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the king" three times...

Wang Chengen looked down at the civil and military officials kneeling on the ground, slowly opened the second imperial edict and read it out, "... Henan Governor Gao Mingheng was appointed as the Right Censor-in-Chief and concurrently the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to assist the Earl of Yongning in mobilizing money and grain from Henan and other five provinces, and to assist in suppressing the traitor Li..."

As soon as the imperial edict was read, congratulations rang out in the hall. Even Zhang Cheng, the newly appointed Right Commander of the Central Military Commandery, the Admiral of the military affairs of the seven towns including Baoding, and the commander of the Central Plains anti-bandit forces, said to Gao Mingheng: "Congratulations to Governor Gao for being promoted to Chief Censor. I hope that Governor Gao will live up to the expectations of the emperor and allocate money and food for the anti-bandit army in Henan Province. When the day comes to eliminate the traitor Li, I will personally ask for reward for Governor Gao in front of the emperor."

Gao Mingheng was secretly groaning in his heart at this moment. He knew that the imperial treasury was empty, natural disasters and wars continued in various places, and the only relatively quiet Jiangnan region could not support the crisis of the Ming Dynasty. The job of regulating money and grain to suppress bandits was not an easy job.

What's more, now that he is a frontier official, he has condescended to serve as the deputy of Zhang Cheng, a military man. How can he accept this?

But the emperor's order is hard to disobey. No matter how reluctant Gao Mingheng was, he did not have the courage to disobey the order. Since he had already knelt to receive the emperor's edict, he had to do his job well, otherwise he would be another wronged soul in the imperial prison of the Zhenfu Division.

"What are you talking about, Lord Yongning? As the governor of Henan Province, Mingheng has the responsibility to defend the territory. It is Mingheng's job to raise money and food for Lord Yongning's seven towns to suppress the bandits. I will never be negligent. Lord Yongning, please rest assured."

Gao Mingheng couldn't help but look embarrassed as he spoke. He sighed and then added, "But the Yongning Earl must also know the difficulties the court is facing now. The treasury is empty, and the provinces are also suffering from famine. In addition, the provinces in Jiangbei are plagued by bandits.

Now, it is already difficult to raise money and food, and there are bandits everywhere blocking the way. Although I have tried my best, I am afraid that it is still difficult to guarantee the money and food needed by the Yongning Earl's army to suppress the bandits. This is not because I don't do my best to raise money, but because the world is difficult and I can't do it! "

Yongning Earl stared at Gao Mingheng with his eyes piercing, and said in a deep voice: "What Gao Futai said is all true, and he has no intention of shirking responsibility. This Earl is very clear.

However, suppressing bandits is a serious matter that concerns the safety of the country. Since the two of us have received the imperial edict, we should do our best. Even if there are thousands of difficulties and dangers, we should still shoulder our responsibilities and move forward courageously.

In particular, Gao Futai has the responsibility of defending the territory and keeping the people safe, which cannot be shirked. I believe that Gao Futai will spare no effort to make plans and offer suggestions for me, and transport food and grass for my army to help suppress the bandit army and achieve the success of suppressing Li Ni. "

Gao Mingheng sighed and said, "Mingheng does not dare to be greedy for credit, but I hope not to hinder the Yongning Earl's military plan to suppress the bandits, which is already a blessing." "Alas..."

Yongning Earl stepped forward, grabbed Gao Mingheng and said to him, "Gao Futai, you should not be so pessimistic. Although it is difficult to raise money and grain now, there are still ways to deal with it. Even if you really encounter difficulties, this Earl will never let you stand in front of it alone."

Gao Mingheng's eyes widened with gratitude. He secretly pinched the palm of Earl Yongning to express his gratitude, and said, "My Lord, what are you talking about? As an official appointed by the court, I am also the parent of the people of Henan Province. It is my duty and I will do my best. Please rest assured, even if I don't eat or drink, I will never lack food and grass for the soldiers on the front line."

"Alright...alright, let's talk about your business later. Our imperial edict hasn't been read out yet!"

Wang Chengen's shrill voice was very penetrating, and the hall fell silent again. All the officers watched as the young eunuch brought out another wooden tray covered with yellow silk, wondering in their hearts which officer this imperial edict was for.

"Prince of Zhou Zhu Gongyao received the order!"

When Wang Chengen said this, not only the civil and military officials in the hall, but even King Zhou Zhu Gongyao who was sitting on the side was surprised - they didn't know what the content of this imperial edict was - was it a blessing or a curse?

However, he had no time to think carefully at this moment. When the imperial edict was sent to Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng and Henan Governor Gao Mingheng, Zhu Gongyao, as a prince, could sit back and watch the show. But now this imperial edict was for him...

King Zhou waved his fat hand, and immediately two eunuchs from the palace came up to him, helped him to stand up from the chair, walked to the middle of the room, knelt down, and shouted "Long live the king".

This imperial edict did not contain any new appointments. In it, Emperor Chongzhen commended King Zhou and fully affirmed his exemplary role in the previous two battles to defend the city. At the same time, he encouraged him to make persistent efforts to assist Earl Yongning, strive to defeat the traitor Li's army in one fell swoop and consolidate the foundation of his ancestors.

…………

"Mr. Yongning... His Majesty has asked you to supervise the military affairs of the seven towns of Baoding and lead the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains. This is something that has never happened in the Ming Dynasty for more than a hundred years. This shows how much His Majesty values ​​you. You must work hard to live up to His Majesty's breaking this precedent for you!"

Zhang Cheng solemnly clasped his fists and said, "Please report to the emperor. Even if Zhang Cheng were to be torn to pieces, it would not be enough to repay the emperor's kindness."

Wang Chengen's face darkened as he said sternly, "Your Majesty doesn't want you to be torn to pieces. If you were to be torn to pieces, who would help Your Majesty to share the worry and fight the bandits?"

"Yes. The prince is right."

Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "Please tell the emperor that as long as Zhang Cheng is alive, we will never let the thief Li enter Kaifeng."

"Suppress the bandits!"

Wang Chengen said sharply: "Your Majesty said..."

Upon hearing this, Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng knelt down and kowtowed again: "Zhang Cheng respectfully accepts the Holy Spirit's instructions."

"Your Majesty said, 'Tell Zhang Cheng that the most important thing is to eliminate the bandits in the Central Plains. I allow him to act as he sees fit. No matter how big or small the matter is, he can make a decision first and then report it to the court to avoid missing the opportunity to fight. As long as he can eliminate the bandit Li, I... will never be stingy with my reward.'"