prosperous age

"Oh, our Lao Yushi has finally returned to the capital."

On this day, Wei Guangde was in the cabinet duty room, feeling upset and standing up and walking around from time to time. Then he heard some noise outside the door.

Listen carefully, someone is coming.

However, the person who came was not the person from the Ministry of War he was waiting for, but Lao Kan who returned to his hometown and lived a carefree and well-educated life.

He must have returned to the capital after completing his mission, and is now reporting to the cabinet.

After all, strictly speaking, the mission to go to the south of the Yangtze River was issued by the cabinet, so naturally the report had to be submitted to the cabinet.

“Haha, Shandai, I know you didn’t manage to go back without being lazy, so stop being sarcastic.

You can order me around, but you can't take a break."

When Lao Kan came in and heard Wei Guangde's words, he just smiled and found a seat to sit down.

After Wei Guangde came over and sat aside, he took out the written document from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Guangde.

"This is the document for this trip south. Please have a look, Lord Wei."

The document had been handed over, Wei Guangde took it, flipped it open and took a look, then asked: "Is there anything wrong with the goods sent from various provinces?"

"There are some minor flaws, but generally it's fine."

Lao Kan said.

At this time, Lu Bu came in to serve tea, and then Wei Guangde quickly read Lao Kan's memorial.

After folding it and placing it on the coffee table, he said, "That's good.

By the way, when you come back this time, you can tell me what you have seen about the various local academies."

Wei Guangde waited until Lu Bu left before he started asking.

“Most academies were converted into community schools, but many teachers chose to return home to run private schools.

Several major academies in Jiangxi have chosen to close their mountains, and Bailudong Academy has directly stopped operations, but "

Lao Kan hesitated and told what he knew.

"But what?"

Wei Guangde asked.

"Most of the headmasters and professors live nearby and often visit places like Xianren Cave and Ruqin Lake."

When Lao Kan said the word "play", his tone was a little more emphasized.

Wei Guangde understood and nodded slightly.

"Shandai, why didn't you stop such a big thing?"

Seeing this, Lao Kan asked directly.

"It's impossible to stop it. Those Neo-Confucianists in the court supported it from the beginning. Besides, the lectures in the academy are indeed too unbridled. It's better to discipline them appropriately. Otherwise, they will dare to say anything."

Wei Guangde shook his head and said.

"By the way, what is the situation of the local community school?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

After Lao Kan set out, the court began to arrange for the construction of a large community school, so Wei Guangde wrote to Lao Kan, asking him to help keep an eye on it and to write to him as soon as possible if any mistakes were made in the local area.

Knowing the real situation at the local level will help us make targeted adjustments.

"You are worried that the officials below are not doing their job properly, but the situation is actually better than you think."

Lao Kan smiled and said, "Although the local government is powerful, the gentry is also powerful. Most gentry families support the development of community schools. After all, what is taught in community schools will not affect the imperial examinations, but it can discover some talents and they can also cultivate them.

With them around, local officials are doing things according to the court's rules, and many children have already gone to school.

I heard that in some places, the gentry even donated a free lunch for the students who enrolled in the community schools.”

"Haha, I forgot the power of the gentry."

Wei Guangde touched his nose and said with a smile.

The status of the gentry group was actually very special in ancient China.

They were willing to donate money to support education, and often generously contributed to building roads and bridges in the local area, doing a lot of good deeds. However, their wealth was somewhat illegal, mostly obtained by exploiting poor farmers, and even colluding with the government to shift taxes onto the poor.

However, it must be said that this group is also an indispensable part of ancient China, and they also directly influence the direction of a dynasty.

In fact, in ancient times, the so-called people generally referred to this group, but the common people did not seem to be considered human beings in the eyes of those in power.

"I came back to Beijing this time, and I heard that the north is not at peace again?"

Lao Kan returned to Beijing yesterday and went to the Censorate first. Today he came to the Cabinet to complete the handover procedures. He wants to have a good rest for a few days.

I had already requested for this leave at the Censorate yesterday, and today I came to the Cabinet to go through the formalities.

However, when he arrived at the Censorate, he heard the news from Liaodong. The news that the Santunying Jizhen army was heading north had spread to all of the cities and could no longer be concealed.

There were so many officials in the capital and clerks in various government offices that they had no way of blocking the news.

It can only be said that the news did not spread until several days after the army was dispatched, even though the court did a good job of keeping it secret.

"I am also waiting for news from the Ministry of War."

Speaking of the war in the north, Wei Guangde's face suddenly became worried.

In front of outsiders, he always appears calm and confident, but in front of acquaintances, he is too lazy to pretend.

"Ordinarily, there should be a battle report back, but the Ministry of War has not received any battle reports from the front line."

"Perhaps the army pursued too far and did not have time to send back the battle report."

Lao Kan asked tentatively.

Wei Guangde shook his head, he knew this was simply impossible.

Speaking of military affairs, Wei Guangde thought of the Ministry of War, so he told Lao Kan that the news of the war had exposed Zeng Shengwu's ability problems, and that he was not decisive enough in handling things, so he was not a candidate for the Grand Tutor.

When Lao Kan heard this, he also frowned.

He was the nail that Wei Guangde inserted into the Censorate, and later he was aiming for the position of Left Censor-in-Chief.

It seems that they now have a firm grasp on the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War, but Tan Lun's age and health mean that he cannot stay for too long. They urgently need to find a suitable candidate to replace Tan Lun.

Otherwise, if the Ministry of War was replaced by people from other factions, it would have somewhat hindered Wei Guangde's power.

Lao Kan naturally also had to consider Wei Guangde. The problems Wei Guangde faced were also difficult problems that he needed to find a way to solve.

After listening to Wei Guangde's complaints, Lao Kan quickly filtered the people in his mind. Surprisingly, he actually thought of someone.

If he hadn't returned to Jiujiang this time, he would have almost forgotten this classmate.

"Shan Dai, what do you think of Jin Qing?"

Lao Kan suddenly asked.

"Jin Qing."

When Wei Guangde suddenly heard Lao Kan mention this name, he almost asked, "Who is Jin Qing?"

However, he had a good memory, so after reading these two words, he immediately realized who Lao Kan was talking about.

Zhang Ke was the one who followed Yan Shifan’s path to enter the Secretariat.

But at that time, apart from Jinda, even he hoped to get a good job by relying on the Yan family's influence.

Therefore, Zhang Ke's going to Yan Shifan to seek a job was not a bad behavior at all, but rather showed that he was tactful and not fussy about details.

"Zhang Jinqing temporarily took over Hu Zongxian's position in Zhejiang, and commanded Qi Yuanjing to fight against the Japanese invaders as an imperial censor. Later, Hu Zongxian's camp mutiny was also suppressed by Zhang Jinqing.

It was a pity that he was impeached and dismissed by Cen Yongbin for impeaching Fujian and Zhejiang officials for embezzling military funds. After that, he stayed in his hometown and was unwilling to continue his official career.

I had a drink with him this time when I went back, and he seems to be in good health. How about writing a letter and inviting him back to the Ministry of War to try?"

Lao Kan suggested.

Zhang Ke took the imperial examination and entered the officialdom with them, but he was dismissed from office in the 45th year of Jiajing and failed to get a new one. More than ten years passed in a blink of an eye.

The last time Wei Guangde and Zhang Ke met was eight years ago. When Wei Guangde returned to Bengshanbao to observe the mourning period, Zhang Ke came over from Hukou.

"When you meet him, do you have any thoughts of becoming an official?"

Wei Guangde asked hesitantly.

“I didn’t think about it at the time, but you and I can write to him and talk about it later.

When he left office, you and I didn’t have the power we have now, but now it’s different. As long as we serve in the government, we will no longer be able to endure that kind of humiliation, and we can’t be impeached so easily.”

Lao Kan said.

"Okay, we'll write the letter today and arrange for someone to deliver it to Hukou as soon as possible.

If he is willing to serve as an official, please ask Brother Zili to arrange this matter."

Compared with Zeng Shengwu, he undoubtedly felt more at ease using Zhang Ke than anyone else.

However, Zhang Ke had only been working independently in Fujian and Zhejiang for two years, so Wei Guangde was not very confident about military affairs.

However, as long as the person can come out, he will be given a try first. If he is competent, he will be kept in the Ministry of War. If not, he will be transferred to other government offices.

This is the difference between having people and having no one. Those with people can go wherever they want, but those without people can only be passively excluded and see where there are gaps.

In fact, when it comes to appointed officials, most of the time they don't look at their resumes; what matters most is the year they started their careers.

Many of the Jinshi candidates who passed the imperial examination in the 35th year of Jiajing's reign now hold high positions, but Wei Guangde is an exception. Lao Kan is already a third-rank official in the court, so naturally Zhang Ke can also do the same.

Therefore, this time Wei Guangde arranged for Zhang Ke to be the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, if he was willing.

Lao Kan sat for a while, and Wei Guangde asked him if he wanted to go and meet Zhang Juzheng. Lao Kan said he was too lazy to go, so he took his leave and went home to start his vacation.

But in the end, Lao Kan still said that he would go to his house again in the evening to sit and talk about some things.

After seeing Lao Kan off, Wei Guangde sat down to deal with a few memorials when he heard footsteps outside the door again.

When I looked up, Zeng Shengwu appeared outside the door.

Wei Guangde stood up quickly and walked around the desk before Zeng Xingwu entered the room and asked anxiously, "But is there any result in Liaodong?"

"Good loan, wins."

Zeng Shengwu did not keep him in suspense. He shook the battle report in his hand and said to him.

"What took so long?"

Wei Guangde said this and reached out to take the battle report from Zeng Shengwu and quickly looked at it.

"Ma Fang's army and Dong Yiyuan made contact first, and the two armies completed the encirclement of Hongtubao from the south and west. After that, Qi Jiguang fought against the Mongolian coalition army from the east. The Mongolian cavalry was defeated and retreated into Hongtubao. Only then did the two armies break out.

Finally, Qi's troops used cannons to blast open the walls of Hongtu Fort, and the coalition forces fled north in panic.

The three armies’ cavalry battalions pursued and killed them all the way, beheading more than a thousand people.”

While Wei Guangde was reading the battle report, Zeng Shengwu repeated the main contents of the report.

The gains from this battle have not actually been fully counted yet. The main reason is that the Red Earth Fort has made some progress in cleaning up the battlefield, but the cavalry units that were being pursued have not sent back any news yet.

In the original time and space, this battle was fought by Li Chengliang. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Huang Taiji contacted Taining and Tuman tribes, Li Chengliang personally led elite cavalry to raid for more than 200 miles, directly attacking the enemy's nest in Hongtu Castle, and broke into the castle by surprise.

Unlike in this time and space, the Ming army surrounded the area on three sides with the main goal of annihilating the Tumed, Taining and Tuman forces.

At that time, Li Chengliang's primary goal was to defeat the enemy, so after beheading more than 400 people, he did not pursue the fleeing enemy troops, but returned directly to Liaodong to report his achievements to the court.

In terms of the results of the battle, this time it is definitely much greater than the original time and space.

However, correspondingly, the amount of military and material resources invested by the Ming Dynasty before and after was several times more than before, so it is difficult to say whether it was cost-effective or not.

However, at least Wei Guangde achieved his goal in this battle.

The Ming army defeated the Mongolian cavalry outside the Great Wall. From now on, the grassland was no longer a place where the Tatars could rest in peace. The Ming army had shown them that they had conquered the grassland several times two hundred years ago, and they could still do it now.

"Let's go find my uncle. I'm afraid he's been worried about this these days."

With the good news from the front line, Wei Guangde was in a good mood and pulled Zeng Shengwu out.

After leaving the duty room, Wei Guangde instructed Lu Bu, "Go tell Zhang Ziwei that there is a victory report from Liaodong."

"Yes, sir."

Lu Bu had heard the conversation between the two at the door of the duty room just now. Knowing that they were going to the Prime Minister's place, he immediately agreed and ran towards Zhang Siwei.

Soon, Zhang Juzheng's hearty laughter was heard from the Prime Minister's duty room.

Yes, even though Yu Dayou led the Ming army to destroy Bansheng City and Ma Fang’s troops attacked the Mongolian Tartars on the grassland, these were all sneak attacks, not head-on battles.

This time it was obviously different. The Ming army was waiting for Huang Taiji to gather 40,000 Tumed troops and then launch the attack after the main forces of Taining and Tuman tribes gathered.

The Ming army had nearly 70,000 officers and soldiers participating in the battle, and defeated 100,000 enemy cavalry head-on. Such a record is worthy of being offered to the Taimiao.

However, what made the people in the cabinet happiest was that this incident proved that Mongolia was no longer a match for the Ming Dynasty.

Even if other troops were not mobilized, just by sending out the armies from these three towns, the Ming Dynasty could once again launch an expedition against the grassland tribes, as it did in the early Ming Dynasty.

“Go to the palace and report this to His Majesty and the Queen Mother.

The news was released to reassure the people in the city, as the atmosphere in the capital had been very depressing during this period.

Let everyone know and be happy. "

Zhang Juzheng was in a very good mood at this time and said with a smile on his face.

With this battle as a foundation, the Mongols would not dare to look south for the next ten years, even if Huang Taiji completely took over the position of the Great Khan of Mongolia. He could then freely implement various reform measures in the country.

Sure enough, after they entered the palace to report the good news, the empress dowager and the young emperor were overjoyed. They directly ordered Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi to accompany Emperor Zhu Yijun to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao, and at the same time, the capital celebrated for three days.

"How do you think Shandai should reward this military achievement?"

After leaving Ciqing Palace and returning to the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng asked.

"Let the Ministry of War decide on the reward, and then send it to the Cabinet for further discussion."

Wei Guangde replied.

The power to reward military merit lies with the Ministry of War, and neither the Empress Dowager nor the Emperor mentioned this matter when he was in the palace, which was actually the reason why they did not interfere in government affairs.

The young emperor has not yet taken power, so naturally he will not interfere too much in the rights of the previous dynasty.

Wei Guangde also had the same attitude and would consider the matter based on the opinions of the Ministry of War.

What Zhang Juzheng actually wanted to express was that the court could confer titles of nobility on the three main generals in this battle, but it would be best not to confer them titles.

However, seeing that Wei Guangde did not want to express his opinion too early, he did not say anything here. He just planned to convey his meaning to Zeng Shengwu in private, and let him express his attitude in the Ministry of War.

In the evening, Wei Guangde met Lao Kan in the mansion.

To be honest, after feeling relieved after reading the good news, Wei Guangde was curious about what Lao Kan had to say but couldn't say it in the cabinet. After all, that place was his territory.

"You want to recommend Hai Rui?"

In the flower hall, Wei Guangde was somewhat surprised when he heard what Lao Kan said. (End of this chapter)