The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 295
Since ancient times, Du Ruhui and Kou Zhun are the most famous people who have been granted the title of Duke of Lai.

Dai Yi and the others understood that this reflected the emperor's expectation for Zhang Zhou, that is, to make Zhang Zhou a figure who would become a general and minister, and who could help Ming's ZTE.

When Zhu Youtang went to see the Empress Dowager Zhou and his wife and wanted to tell the relatives around him about this, Dai Yi and others did not accompany him.

Behind the four eunuchs who were in charge of ceremonies were a few young eunuchs in the study room of the in charge of ceremonies, and the four of them walked in a hurry.

"I'm afraid it won't be easy for Your Majesty to regard Mr. Zhang as the Duke of the country?"

Wei Bin followed behind and asked a question.

Before the Liaodong incident, Wei Bin had some opinions on Zhang Zhou, but with the end of the Liaodong War, his direct descendant, Liaodong eunuch Ren Liang was not punished, and even the imperial censor Zhang Yu was only punished. After all, he is only more concerned now about how much Zhang Zhou's rise will affect his interests.

After all, Wei Bin had more contacts with eunuchs in various places.

Dai Yi said: "With the current credit, so what if I bestow a Duke?"

Xiao Jing also questioned: "It's just that Mr. Zhang didn't go to the battle in person, I'm afraid there will be gossip from the civil servants."

Dai Yi stopped suddenly, and the eunuchs around him were all stunned for a moment, and they also stopped, not knowing what kind of medicine Dai Yi was selling in his gourd.

"You guys, just eat radish salty and don't worry about it. Your Majesty has his own arrangements for how to reward Mr. Zhang. This time, even the cabinet ministers, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites have not been summoned, and you haven't explained the problem? Your Majesty may have felt that, Tomorrow, the court will tell the matter, even if there are people who object, it will not be a climate. Just wait!"

Now Dai Yi is more angry at being doubted and challenged all the time.

With his old age, it seems that he is not very favored by the emperor.

……

……

Inside Kunning Palace.

Zhu Youtang was facing his son, or facing his son's eyes full of urgency, explaining to his wife that Zhang Zhou had won a hearty victory for Daming.

Empress Zhang and Zhu Houzhao didn't seem to care whether Zhang Zhou personally participated in this battle. In their eyes, Wang Shouren and Ma Yi, who actually led the troops, were transparent and meaningless.

Of course, the focus of the mother and son's concerns is also different.

Queen Zhang asked: "Then, where is He Ling, Your Majesty? Has he gone too?"

"I didn't go to Weininghai, but I went to Maoerzhuang with Bingkuan to welcome the soldiers who raided Weininghai back to the pass. At present, they are still retreating to the south. Huozhai, which was once invincible, now dare not even lead troops to approach. I believe that now It has been withdrawn to the pass, but the news has not been sent back to the capital." Zhu Youtang said with a smile, "As the deputy commander in chief, He Ling can be regarded as a minister of merit, and I will reward him well."

"That's good."

When Queen Zhang heard this, a smile appeared on her face.

She doesn't care whether there is a victory in the Northwest. As a "female family", she is more concerned about what the Zhang family can gain in this matter.

Zhu Houzhao asked eagerly: "Then why didn't Bingkuan lead his troops to fight Huo Si, but retreated into the pass? He didn't want to put out Huo Si at once?"

Hearing this, Zhu Youtang glanced at his son and said, "Bingkuan is also what you should call him?"

"Father, why do you still care about the title at this time? You just need to know that you are talking about Mr. Zhang." Zhu Houzhao looked annoyed.

Don't answer the key question, but actually care about what I call Zhang Zhou?

Don't you usually call him "Bing Kuan"?
Zhu Youtang said: "The way to use troops is not to gain or lose at any moment on the battlefield, but to consider the whole situation. Now the situation in the grassland is turbulent, and it is the time of internal division and fratricide. The intention of Da Ming's war is already gone. There is absolutely no need to go to war again, and we can clean up the mess after the situation on the grassland becomes clear."

"Hey, if I don't go to battle, let others go, and if I don't work, I say I'll clean up the mess. Unfortunately, I still wait for him to level the grassland every day."

Zhu Houzhao muttered in a low voice, but he was a little dissatisfied.

"What did you say?" Seeing that his son likes to be like a woman now, Zhu Youtang couldn't help but get angry.

"It's okay, my son said that Mr. Zhang is very powerful, and I will rely on him to level the grassland in the future." Zhu Houzhao curled his lips, somewhat dissatisfied.

Going to the grassland to fight is such a fun thing, why don't you take me there?

You didn't even write me a letter when you went?Let me guard "Wangfuya"?
Zhu Youtang said: "I still plan to bestow Bingkuan as the Duke of Lai, and I will mention it tomorrow, but it may have to wait for the results of the battle. I still have to tell the emperor about this news, so I won't eat here Alright, let's drive!"

"His Majesty……"

"Queen, you should rest more. I am busy with state affairs recently. After a few days of free time, I will come to accompany you more."

While comforting his wife, Zhu Youtang seemed to be an excuse to be busy with work, but he always had nothing to do to go out as a ghost husband. He just left his wife and children and left first on the grounds of seeing his grandmother.

Empress Zhang was naturally dissatisfied.

Because she spends less and less time with the emperor recently, Zhu Youtang even often "stays out at night". She doesn't even know where her husband is usually, and she can't even investigate.

She seems to be the lord of the six palaces, but she is still a bit worse than Concubine Wan Gui and others, because she has no one in Dongchang and Jinyiwei, and the so-called queen can only maintain her dignity to the palace people. Everything depends on the Zhang family brothers, and now her two brothers are in the northwest, one is in Yansui and the other is in Datong.

It is very difficult for her to find someone to check her husband's whereabouts.

……

……

Outside the head off.

Zhu Feng personally led the troops out of the fortress, and according to the agreement, they went to Tumaochuan, which is a tributary of the Yellow River. They did not cross the river, but gradually withdrew their troops to Chengguan outside Pianguan Town after they found that they did not encounter the enemy.

After he returned to Shuiquanying Fort, he saw Wang Qiong who had led the troops over, and Fang learned from Wang Qiong the results of the two battles between Weininghai and Tushan.

"Brother Zhang... he really has the ability to take on the heavy responsibility of Northwest defense."

Zhu Feng didn't feel disappointed, but rather relieved.

With Zhang Zhou here, I can finally think about how to live a happy life after returning to the capital or Nanjing.

Wang Qiong asked: "Don't you feel regretful that you were not used in this battle? I believe you can achieve such a result if you were replaced by such a credit."

"No." Zhu Feng said, "I don't have the strategy of the king's chief, nor the courage of the horse commander. If I lead the troops to surprise Weininghai, after a small victory, I want to go back to the Daming fortress. I will definitely not escort so many captives and livestock, in terms of talent, I am not as good as them."

Wang Qiong smiled wryly and shook his head.

I have seen self-deprecating, but I have never seen such self-deprecating.

You have obtained the title of Marquis of Anbian by virtue of your military exploits, but you actually think that you are not capable of fighting a seemingly logical surprise attack?

This war is obviously more difficult to plan than to use troops. Only Zhang Zhou's courage and the stability of the army brought by Zhang Zhou's prayer for rain in the Xuan Mansion are eligible to talk about a surprise attack. On the contrary, the surprise attack does not seem to be a big difficulty...

This is probably the same as the coach is the soul of a team.

You can play a game well without playing.

But you, Zhu Zhijie, demeaned yourself and thought you were incompetent... Wang Qiong thought to himself, no wonder Zhang Bingkuan didn't use you to lead the army to surprise Weininghai, it really makes sense.

But why not let me go?

Compared to Zhu Feng's open-mindedness, Wang Qiong can't be flattered or humiliated. Just like Zhang Zhou used his reasons, Wang Qiong is capable and good at flattering, but he also has the disadvantages that such a person should have, that is... Narrow-minded.

Wang Yue is also very capable, but he also has a lot of means to run on his colleagues.

Could it be that he, Wang Qiong, could compare himself to a saint and remain indifferent to such monstrous achievements in the second surprise attack on Wei Ninghai?

"Zhang Zhitai uses Wang Bo'an, I don't understand this point." Wang Qiong commented on the matter in front of Zhu Feng, "Using a person who has never set foot on the battlefield, he made a lot of mistakes and lost everything. Are you gambling, or do you really know people?"

Zhu Feng seemed indifferent and said: "Isn't Boan also in the martial arts hall? Probably because he thinks he can take advantage of others."

Zhu Feng didn't take it seriously for Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren.

"Well, how much do you know about Bo'an's abilities? Do you think he can accomplish great things?" Wang Qiong asked back.

"This……"

How could Zhu Feng answer such a question?

He really wanted to say, I was just dawdling in the Martial arts hall, and I rarely had contact with those people, let alone pay attention to who is capable and who is a coward.

Don't you, Wang Qiong, also belong to Yanwu Hall?Don't you know Wang Bo'an?

In history, it was Wang Qiong who praised Wang Shouren, but that was based on the premise that his status and status were completely unequal. As a teacher and senior, Wang Qiong was willing to recommend Wang Shouren.

But in history, Wang Qiong and Peng Yue would still fight for the military power in the northwest, and they would fight each other to the death, criticizing each other and even avenging their personal revenge...

At present, Wang Shouren was not recommended by him, Wang Qiong, and after this battle, Wang Shouren has obviously become a figure who can be almost equal to him, Wang Qiong. How could Wang Qiong treat Wang Shouren with the mentality of supporting the younger generation?
"Wang Zhongcheng, shall we send troops to assist Datong Town? The next step is to invade Datong, right?" Zhu Feng was still warm-hearted.

Surprise attack on Weining Sea is too dangerous, I will not do it.

But if I send troops to Datong Town to help Brother Zhang garrison Datong, I have nothing to dare.

Wang Qiong said: "No need, the situation in Pianguan is more dangerous than that in Datong Town. With Zhang Zhitai, Datong Town can rest assured, and in my opinion... Huozhai has lost the qualification to compete on the grassland. If he still wants to save For tribal strength, the only way is to judge the situation and return to Daming."

"No... no?"

Zhu Feng doesn't understand politics very well.

In his opinion, half a year ago, Huo Zai was still a demon that everyone feared. His cavalry came and went without a trace on the front line of Xuanda. Are you going to rely on Daming?

Could it be that the group of guys in the grassland who claim to be the sons of the eagle are so spineless?That's not even as good as me.

Wang Qiong shook his head and sighed: "How many ethnic groups can there be in Huoshai's Mengguoljin tribe? 2 people were killed and captured at one time. This is not counting the loss of the past six months. Annihilation on the grassland. Even if Da Ming can let his people go, the little Tatar prince will not let him go."

"Zhang Zhitai's move is undoubtedly helping the little Tatar prince to solve the big trouble of the Mongolian right wing, and it may not be a good thing in the long run."

Zhu Feng was surprised: "Is this not a good thing?"

Wang Qiong sighed: "Zhijie, don't always think about perfunctory things. You have the ability, backing and background, and you have won the trust of His Majesty and Zhang Zhitai. For border affairs, you should know what is going on, and you should know why. Recently, we will strengthen the patrol of the fortresses in the remote passes, so you have to pay attention."

"Oh."

In Wang Qiong's eyes, Zhu Fengzhen is like a dou who cannot be supported.

Sometimes Wang Qiong hates him for not fighting, but this character is what Wang Qiong admires.

Not fighting means that others will not regard you as an enemy. If you just pretend not to fight, others will take extra precautions... But if you really don't want to fight, then you have the greatest advantage. As a nobleman guarding the northwest, you Zhu Zhijie is almost invincible.

……

……

Court meeting.

In Fengtian Hall, the civil servants and military generals present all had complicated expressions, because before they came, they had all heard about the advance of the Northwest War.

However, the news about Zhang Zhou's withdrawal to the customs has not yet come, so there is no way to know the exact outcome of this battle.

"...more than 6000 captives and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep. It would be difficult for those who can travel ten miles a day. It is really hard to say whether they can enter the customs."

Some people are also bad-mouthing.

This kind of argument is more in line with the expectations of civil servants.

Only the civil servants are more concerned about seniority, and Zhang Zhou belongs to the new rich. If such a big incident is caused by Zhang Zhou and he retreats from the grassland, it will have the greatest impact on the interests of civil servants.

As for Wu Xun...Only Zhang Mao's face was tense that day, because it seemed that the rise of Zhang Zhou had the greatest impact on him. As for other Wu Xun, they were very happy to see the rise of Ming's military. Saying it will also mean that you will not be able to survive.

As for who is the admiral of the Beijing camp, does it make that much of a difference to ordinary nobles like us?

Anyway, it's not Zhang Zhou, but Zhang Mao, an old man, and it is likely to be passed down from generation to generation.

With Zhang Zhou disrupting the situation, it will have an impact on the structure of the Dudu Mansion. Maybe we will have a chance to take over.

Zhu Youtang came very late that day.

However, the emperor did not summon any ministers in advance, and no one asked for leave or took a bath that day, because they also knew that today was a special day, and there might be rewards for meritorious service in the court, even if they didn't want to be a witness, they didn't want to be here Zhong did not show his face at the court meeting.

Whoever does not come means not giving the emperor face.

"Old Liu Ge, what should I say today may involve meritorious deeds?"

Liu Jian was still talking to Li Dongyang in a low voice, but it was Xu Qiong who came over to him.

Only Xu Qiong, who is relatively neutral among civil servants, would ask such a sensitive topic at this time.

In terms of rewards for meritorious deeds, three people are involved, and there are more or less "problems".

Needless to say, Zhang Zhou, and Wang Shouren is also a new scholar. It seems that such a great contribution must be bestowed with a title, but how to bestow it is very particular. No matter how great the contribution of Wang Shouren, does he want to become a gang with Zhang Zhou? , is also not tolerated by the mainstream civil servants in the court?

As for Ma Yi... this is a corrupt official impeached by the orthodox civil servant Ma Zhongxi.

As the former general officer of the Xuan Mansion, it seemed easier to be directly promoted to Earl than Wang Shouren.

With such three problems at once, it is no wonder that Xu Qiong came to ask first.

Otherwise, the Ministry of Rites really doesn't know how to evaluate this matter.

Xie Qian said with a smile: "Isn't it too soon to judge merits before the results of the war have been achieved? Why would you think about meritorious deeds and rewards before the end of the war? Are you afraid that extreme joy will lead to sorrow?"

The envoy Yuan Shouzhi interjected: "I heard that Huozhai brought back tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to fight to the death with the surname Zhang. The surname Zhang has only so many soldiers and horses on hand. Does he dare to fight?"

"Oh, Yuanyintai, you must calm your anger." Xie Qian said with a smile, "Even if you want to use the aggressive method, it is not appropriate to say it here. Wang Boan has the courage to fight, Zhang Bingkuan may not be so, otherwise Why didn't he, Zhang Bingkuan, personally lead troops to surprise Weininghai? He is different from Wang Shichang."

Xie Qian followed Li Dongyang's original idea yesterday and used Wang Shouren's contribution to overwhelm Zhang Zhou.

Once the credit is shared by different people, one of them can be highlighted to offset the others, which is exactly the meaning of ebb and flow.

One merit does not count for two, you Zhang Zhou did not personally lead the army, so I am embarrassed to take the responsibility of leading the generals you nominated yourself, right?

Zhang Mao walked over, with deep eyes and a deep smile on his face, and said with a deep smile: "Being able to fight thousands of miles away is also a model of a famous general through the ages. I have heard that the mighty sky gunpowder played an extremely important role in this battle. It is also because the artillery is hard to slack off." , it was nothing more than bringing some light artillery, but the effect was not good."

It seemed that Zhang Mao was speaking for Zhang Zhou, but he also reminded the people present that it was actually the credit of Yellow Gunpowder.

Even if Zhang Zhou is the inventor, you can't give credit to him every time you use yellow gunpowder to win, right?

Daming won victories before, and he didn't necessarily give credit to those who made weapons, or those who invented gunpowder and firecrackers, let alone promoted them to ranks?

Xie Qian said: "We can't deny that Zhang Bingkuan is the god of using soldiers, but he is still too fearful, and even if he leads troops westward, it also violates the original intention of performing artillery around the Xuanfu. Is this considered using soldiers without authorization?"

"Yes, yes." Someone beside him echoed.

Finally caught Zhang Zhou's pigtail.

Li Dongyang said: "Yu Qiao, stop talking."

Naturally, Xie Qian said this because he couldn't get enough anger. His so-called anger was not from the standpoint of Daming, but purely from the standpoint of civil servants or himself.

But he still did not comment further.

Ma Wensheng said: "How to judge meritorious deeds and rewards should be based on reality. There should be precedents to support it. If there are no precedents to cite, it depends on your majesty's intentions. As for the dispatch of troops from the Xuanfu and the towns, the Ministry of War knows in advance , but it was not mentioned in the court meeting."

In fact, Ma Wensheng also came to refute Xie Qian.

The emperor summoned your cabinet ministers in advance, and the Ministry of War is well aware of this. Why do we want to pour cold water on Zhang Zhou after Zhang Zhou won a big victory, so as to displease His Majesty?
Is it not good to seek truth from facts?

Liu Jian nodded: "Exactly. When discussing merit, the actual situation should come first."

That said, it actually set the tone. It was not Xie Qian who came to represent the cabinet, but me, Liu.

Don't step on Zhang Zhou because of what Xie Yuqiao said. Today we are following the emperor's will. If we can't resist Zhang Zhou's rise, we must first learn to shrink back.

(End of this chapter)