The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 328 The Immortals Have Mistakes Sometimes

After the court meeting, the emperor did not summon any members of the upper hearing office, but only called Zhang Zhou to the Qianqing Palace.

Even after Zhang Zhou arrived at Qianqing Palace, even the eunuch who was in charge of rituals was dismissed, and it was simply a private conversation between the monarch and his ministers.

"Bingkuan, what I'm worried about is that there is no general in Liaodong. Just take your recommended Lu Wan as an example. During his stay in Liaodong, his ability is acceptable. It’s better to use some veterans who have been deeply rooted in Liaodong for a long time.”

Zhu Youtang was obviously worried about Zhang Heling.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Your Majesty, it is better to let the governor of Liaodong Lu Wan dispatch the troops for this battle. Your Majesty does not have to worry too much about it."

Even Zhang Zhou felt that the emperor was probably addicted to "strategizing and decisively fighting thousands of miles away", and wanted to let him and his Bingkuan decide everything, and the soldiers in the border towns could find out and execute it.

However, they neglected that no matter how powerful the grand strategy is, the key still depends on the on-the-spot performance of the frontline generals.

"Hey! Bingkuan, is it because I think too much?" Zhu Youtang said with a rosy face, "Suddenly there is another war in the north. For some reason, I am very excited. This is something I have never seen before." I have experienced it. As a king, I always thought that as long as I do my job with peace of mind, I never thought that there will be such a magnificent time... Lu Wan, it should be possible, right?"

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Your Majesty, it's better to hand over military affairs to the border governors and generals. Your Majesty can rest assured and let them perform on their own."

"well."

Zhu Youtang probably felt restless.

From a king who was conservative and did not make progress, and only talked about benevolence, justice and etiquette, to a king who expanded the territory, this kind of psychological change made him unbearable.

I used to be a naughty melon, but now I want to be a tough guy... I also need to adapt psychologically.

……

……

Zhang Zhou went to teach Zhu Houzhao.

When Xiao Jing came back, he saw that the emperor had been talking about the Shang Zuo in various parts of Liaodong, especially when he mentioned the Shang Zuo of Lu Wan and Zhang Heling, he was stunned and silent.

He tentatively said: "Your Majesty, when the servants went to the cabinet, they met Mr. Liu Ge and Mr. Li Ge. The two of them had some opinions on the upcoming battle in Liaodong."

Liu Jian and Li Dongyang lacked a channel for direct communication with the emperor, and the emperor's attitude in the court was too firm, so they could only rely on Xiao Jing as a channel to deliver messages privately.

"What did they say?" Under the court, Zhu Youtang's attitude was indeed much calmer.

Xiao Jingdao: "It was proposed by Mr. Li Ge, and we should be on guard. Tatars use troops in Ningxia, and there is also a possibility of luring our Ming army to attack in Liaodong. This... may be a trap set by the little prince of Tatars."

"Oh?" Zhu Youtang frowned.

Originally, the emperor had already started to feel uneasy about sending troops for Liaodong, but Xiao Jing's advice from the cabinet almost added fuel to the fire.

Xiao Jing hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the slaves don't have any opinion on this, Mr. Li Ge meant that after the Tatars used troops in the north of Liaodong, they immediately sent troops from Ningxia. Before arriving in Ningxia, they were laying in ambush and waiting for Ming's troops to leave the customs... From the point of view of slaves, if someone as capable as Mr. The little-known Lu Wan..."

Zhu Youtang narrowed his eyes and said, "You still say you have no opinion?"

"Yes... it's a slip of the tongue." Xiao Jing showed his support for the cabinet's opinions at the critical moment.

After all, the person who has the power to speak in the court's public opinion, and even the authority to record the history books, is an orthodox civil servant. No matter how great Zhang Zhou's contribution is, as long as the civil servant does not recognize it, everything will be useless.

Zhu Youtang said: "There must be a reason for using troops. It's not just a few words, it may be a trap, and then suspend the dispatch of troops. Could it be that the Batu Mengke is still in the north of Liaodong, and Daming will never send troops? Before Duo When Yan Sanwei and Batu Mengke fought, the talk about sending troops to the court was just casual talk?"

Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty's words are very true. The slaves just want to say that we have to guard against the deceitfulness of the Tatars."

"Okay, let's step back." Zhu Youtang said, "In the past two days, the auditorium will send people to the palace to take turns. Regarding the movement of sending troops, no matter how late it is, and no matter where I stay, I will Pass it over in time. I will dispatch it myself, and all information must be reported to me in detail."

Xiao Jingxin said, what's going on?Want to dispatch it yourself?Didn't you just say it's okay to hand it over to Zhang Bingkuan?
Zhu Youtang got up and said: "The previous dispatch of troops to attack Weininghai was just a small trial, but the current battle is a battle that can show the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. It's a pity that Bingkuan and Zhijie are not in Liaodong, but since Bingkuan Believe in that Lu Wan, I can only trust him unconditionally!"

……

……

"Lu Wan? Is it okay? Your Majesty relies so much on him, but he has no experience in leading troops. No matter how powerful he is, can the people below be convinced?"

In Sili's supervisor's room, Wei Bin was still brooding about Zhang Zhou's use of Lu.

He seemed to have made peace with Zhang Zhou, but how could he be reconciled to such a big cake as long as he handed it over to others?

Xiao Jing looked at Chen Kuan who was silent at the side, Dai Yi has basically retreated due to illness these two days, whether Dai Yi can come back is another matter.

Xiao Jing knew that in the future, he might be the eunuch in charge of the ceremonial supervisor, and he is currently the chief eunuch holding the pen, so the weight of his words was much heavier than before.

He said: "Your Majesty just believes in Mr. Zhang. What can I say? Apart from supporting him, can I have other thoughts?"

While secretly helping Li Dongyang and others to deliver a message to the emperor, he seemed to support Zhang Zhou.

Wei Bin tentatively asked: "Dare to ask, if Lu Wan's use of troops is not going well, how should His Majesty deal with him? Even a god, there will be times when he is wrong?"

"Hehe." Xiao Jing said with a smile, "Isn't that what we want to talk about after Lu Wan is defeated?"

Wei Bin said: "Then should I expect Lu Wan to be the same as Wang Dehua and Wang Bo'an in Liaodong, or to expect him to be mediocre?"

This involves a question of position.

I hope he is well, so naturally I will help secretly, and Wei Bin still has a great influence in Liaodong.

Whether it's helping or secretly tripping, he can contribute.

Xiao Jing said with emotion: "Sometimes, our family also thinks that it is not all a good thing that the ruling and opposition parties rely on only one person, relying on heaven's secrets to ensure the stability of Daming. Your Majesty only listens to one person and does not listen to the rest of the ruling and opposition parties." People, this is a sign of power ministers messing up the country."

"Eunuch Xiao, be careful with your words." Chen Kuan, who had been silent all this time, reminded.

Xiao Jingdao: "We people, as His Majesty's vassals, His Majesty's good is our good. If we just want to cater to and don't know the truth of good medicine, even if we go to hell, how can we face the former emperors of Ming Dynasty?"

Chen Kuan said helplessly: "Although that's the case, so far, everything Mr. Zhang has done has benefited the country and the people."

"But people's hearts will change." Xiao Jing said, "Who knows if he will seek personal gain in the future? Of course, these words can't be said in the open, do you understand?"

While speaking, he gave Wei Bin a wink.

It roughly means that if you want to make some trouble for Lu Wan secretly, I have no objection, but we can't say it on the bright side, lest there will be a traitor among the three of us.

Anyway, whatever you do, I support you.

Wei Bin took a deep breath and said, "If the new governor and chief soldier and others have just arrived at the town, they have not adapted to everything, and if they want to send troops directly, there will inevitably be many twists and turns, and there will also be situations where the generals will not get along with each other. .It’s all human.”

Xiao Jing understood as soon as he heard it, and Wei Bin also understood what he meant.

Lu Wan's dispatch of troops in Liaodong cannot be allowed to go too smoothly this time. If Zhang Zhou can recommend individuals casually and they can achieve great strategic victories, then why do they need ministers?Why do you need these "internal ministers" like the supervisor of ceremonies?Is it enough for the imperial court to watch Zhang Zhouzhou's performance?
Now it's not directly tripping Zhang Zhou.

Even if Lu Wan really had trouble with the army and the emperor replaced Lu Wan, the impact on Zhang Zhou would not be too great. At most, it would make people feel that Zhang Zhou's vision was not so accurate every time.

Chen Kuan said: "I'm afraid that some things will not go as you two expected. It's very difficult to control the scale."

It's almost like you two are playing with fire.

It is the emperor's intention to send troops to Liaodong, and it is our duty to help Lu Wan win. You actually want to make trouble for Lu Wan?If it's just that Lu Wan's dispatch of troops is not smooth, it's okay to say.

In case of any major defeat, even when Da Ming sent troops to take care of the crippled Duoyan Sanwei, instead they took care of them, it would affect the entire battle situation in the border areas of Daming.

"Hehe." Xiao Jing smiled.

He seemed to think that Chen Kuan was naive.

Even those top civil servants, who keep saying that it is righteousness for the court, most of the time they value self-interest over family and country, but now you let us eunuchs without roots, what kind of righteousness are they talking about?
Xiao Jing's style of acting is closer to a black-bellied civil servant, and when it is profitable, he will naturally get close to Zhang Zhou and try his best to curry favor.

But once he was put in power and felt that Zhang Zhou advocated the establishment of the Shangting Office, there was a movement against him, the future eunuch who was in charge of ceremonies and seals, then he would inevitably do the opposite.

……

……

"You can't rely on Zhang Yong in this battle, can you?"

Zhang Zhou is about to welcome his relatives.

In Zhang Zhou's new house, which is the mansion in the capital left by Li Guang, Zhang Zhou received Lin Han who was taking a bath that day. After the old and the young sat down, Lin Han naturally mentioned the possible war in Liaodong.

Although Lin Han is not a member of the Auditor's Office, and as the left servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he does not have to share the pressure of the Ministry of War affairs, but he is an old academic scholar who likes to teach people and use his way to change other people's minds.

Lin Han heard Zhang Zhou's proposal of sending troops in the court, and naturally felt that Zhang Zhou's plan was full of loopholes.

First of all, Lu Wan and Zhang Heling, the two new top civil and military officials, are hardly useful.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Lin Shilang, do you know how many new artillery pieces Liaodong can deploy now?"

"This..." Of course Lin Han didn't know.

Zhang Zhou asked himself and answered, "Six hundred gates."

"That's a lot." Lin Han had participated in cannon demonstrations and other things, and had seen the power of cannons, so he naturally felt that [-] cannons were not bad in terms of quantity and strength.

Zhang Zhou asked with a smile: "Then Ruolin servant, you are the little prince of Tatar. You know that it was Wang Qiong or Wang Shouren who sent troops from the Ming Dynasty. They brought six hundred cannons and twenty to thirty thousand elite soldiers. Would you go to war head-on?"

"This..." Lin Han hesitated again, then he shook his head, "Maybe he will avoid it?"

"I think so too. In fact, I'm also thinking that there will be more Ming cannons in the future, and almost the entire army will be equipped with cannonballs and firecrackers. If they want to go out to fight the Tatars head-on, I'm afraid the Tatars will not give this opportunity. They They will definitely use the depth of the grassland to hide with Daming until the Ming people are exhausted and retreat, and then take the opportunity to harass them, and even never show up."

Zhang Zhou's attitude is still relaxed.

Lin Han said: "So, you will find a few seemingly incompetent people to lead the army?"

"Yes." Zhang Zhou didn't hide it at all.

This left Lin Han speechless. He slapped the table and said, "You obviously went to fight the three guards of Duoyan, and even sent soldiers and horses deep into the grassland, but you didn't care about the lives of the soldiers in the border town of Daming, and used incompetent generals to lead the troops. ,you you……"

The old pedant wants to teach others, but suddenly he doesn't know what to say.

I'm going to scold him harshly, this is my future son-in-law, won't he be able to get along in the future?In case this son-in-law doesn't let him see his daughter in the future... wouldn't he cause trouble for himself because of his words?
As for scolding lightly, he felt that he had violated his ethics as a Confucian official.

Zhang Zhou poured a cup of tea for Lin Han with a smile and said, "Shilang Lin calm down, who said that Lu Wan is an incompetent general? And who knows that Shou Ninghou is an incompetent general?"

"Just them? One has never been a governor, never led troops into battle, and the other is... alas!"

When it comes to Zhang Heling, Lin Han doesn't even know how to describe it.

As for Zhang Heling, how dare you go to the battlefield?It is good to go to the battlefield and not be a disservice.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Does Shi Lang know how many new cannons can be dispatched by the three sides?"

Lin Han said impatiently: "There are [-] gates in Liaodong, so there must be more than [-] gates on the three sides?"

Zhang Zhou shook his head with a smile and said, "Not even two hundred doors."

"What?" Lin Han stood up suddenly with a look of disbelief.

Daming's defenses were focused on the three sides, but there were very few new artillery pieces on the three sides, and Liaodong was just an insignificant place in Lin Han's eyes. A group of incompetent tribes were making trouble there, but they deployed [-] cannons?

Zhang Zhoudao: "Let's put it this way, since I took over the defense of the Nine Frontiers, my focus of defense has never been on the Three Sides. The Three Sides seem to be under my control, and Qin Zhitai is polite to me, but he His behavior is old-fashioned, and he does not accept some of my new ideas. He does not advocate that Ming Dynasty take the initiative to send troops, but he wants to garrison the land to calm the people and build fortresses."

Lin Han sat down and turned his head to one side: "Qin Shiying is such a person, you can't change it."

"Well." Zhang Zhou felt empathetic, "Since I can't change it, how can you expect me to initiate from three sides? If I ask Qin Zhitai to send troops to the grassland, will he listen to me?"

Lin Han said, "You can mention it to Your Majesty."

Zhang Zhou shook his head again: "Your Majesty, it is impossible to entrust all the defense of the nine borders to me alone. Qin Hong's people on the three sides can stabilize the morale of the army and prevent the Tatars from rushing in. This is all effective. The ability to govern the army and calm the people is also far superior to mine...he wants to build a fortress in the fields and calm the people, which is not bad in itself.”

It was only then that Lin Han realized that Zhang Zhou seemed decisive, but he was actually thinking deeply.

"On the other hand, in Liaodong, wolves are everywhere. In addition to North Korea and various Jurchen tribes, there are also grassland tribes such as Duoyan Sanwei, and Liaodong has experienced the battle of Ningyuan, and the soldiers have a higher acceptance of new firearms. In addition, Duoyan Sanwei now Being maimed by the little Tatar prince gave me, Daming, the opportunity to send troops, if I don’t send troops from Liaodong at this time, where would I come from?”

Zhang Zhou explained his reasons.

Lin Han asked, "Have you mentioned these words to Your Majesty?"

Zhang Zhoudao: "Some have mentioned it, and some have to wait for the results of the battle. Otherwise, I am afraid that His Majesty will not be willing to accept it."

"Ugh!"

Lin Han sighed.

From the reaction in front of him, Zhang Zhou realized that Lin Han looked rigid, but in fact he was very open-minded.

When Lin Han felt that he was unreasonable, he would also bow his head, unlike those upright admonishers in the court, who obviously had no basis, only adhered to the so-called traditional ideas, and were still stubborn in the court.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Look, Lin Shilang, if Daming pushes 1 flowering cannons, more than [-] cannons will be ejected, and there will be more than [-] refitted old cannons and more than [-] ordinary cannonballs. With about [-] firecrackers and the three guards of Duoyan who have been crippled, is it possible for the wind to come down?"

"Ah."

Lin Han nodded.

It sounds scary.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "So, the key is not how many soldiers and horses there are, nor who leads the troops, but whether there are too many cannons and whether the shells are enough. As for the people who command the troops, as long as they have similar abilities, they should not encounter too many soldiers when they send troops." If there are no obstacles, then great things can be accomplished. If we insist on using the so-called 'famous generals' who can boost the morale of the army, I don't think it will be much better. Because I have known Zhu Zhijie, and I don't think he has any ability."

Zhang Zhou expressed so easily, and expressed the most critical thoughts to Lin Han in a simple way.

In the future, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to make great achievements in the grasslands, it would not be about cultivating famous generals, but about casting more cannons, shells, and firecrackers.

With this, even the most ordinary general can lead Ming to a big victory.

On the contrary, those famous things will become an extra burden on the battlefield and will not have any positive effect.

……

……

"Use the boss of the Zhang family?"

Inside Qingning Palace.

The Empress Dowager Zhou learned from her grandson that Liaodong planned to use Zhang Heling as the commander-in-chief of the army, and she almost recited the past in a breath.

It's really... the sword is slanted.

Zhu Youtang said: "Grandson doesn't know how Heling's ability is now, but since he went to the Northwest with Bingkuan, it is expected that there will be improvement."

The Empress Dowager Zhou said with displeasure: "No matter how much progress he has made, he is not qualified to lead the army! If he is only asked to be the commander-in-chief and guard a corner, then that's fine, but let him... lead the army to go out? Emperor, Daming The country's foundation is the most important thing."

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "Actually, my grandson is also thinking about it, or something is wrong, but Bingkuan has recommended so many people, so he probably won't be mistaken. He wants to use Heling, so naturally he has his reasons Bar."

(End of this chapter)