The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 481: Evil God or Door God?

Morning the next day.

Zhang Mao had been waiting in front of the Meridian Gate early in the morning. When he saw Xie Qian arriving, he hurriedly went up to greet him, even ignoring the ministers who greeted him.

"Yu Qiao, I have something to ask you." Zhang Mao looked very anxious.

Xie Qian's eyes were bloodshot. He stayed up late last night and was on duty at the cabinet. He obviously had no intention of communicating with Zhang Mao.

Zhang Mao didn't see anyone else, and said directly: "I heard that last night, many generals in Beijing were already discussing where the Tatars would invade the border. This matter is not for young people. It means that the Tatars are going to invade the border. Yet?"

Xie Qian pretended to be surprised and said: "Is there such a thing? I think the situation is serious, or there are some rumors in the capital?"

Zhang Mao frowned.

He could naturally tell that Xie Qian was perfunctory with him.

Just as he was talking, Liu Jian and Li Dongyang also arrived surrounded by others. It was obvious that someone knew about the debate meeting held in Yanwu Hall and wanted to find out more from the cabinet.

"Everyone, please do not discuss court affairs outside the court. Please be careful what you say." Liu Jian said in front of everyone.

This was also said to Zhang Mao. Zhang Mao had a bad look on his face and was surrounded by civil servants. He seemed out of place, so he had to run back to Wu Xun. Before the others arrived, a group of Wu Xun surrounded him again.

From time to time, someone asked: "Mr. Zhang, if we send troops to attack the river, will the Tatars also come from somewhere? Are the capital's defenses adequate?"

Most people don't care about the strategies and tactics with the Tatars. What they care more about is their own wealth and life. If the Tatars come to the bottom of the cauldron and attack the capital directly, forcing Zhu Hui to retreat...it is said that Zhu Hui will take away his troops. They took away many of the elites of the Ming Dynasty, and also took away a large number of artillery, muskets and other powerful firearms. The defense of the capital must have been greatly reduced.

What if the Tatars came to besiege the city and seek reinforcements... maybe there would be a crisis in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Mainly, the Tumubao Incident and the subsequent defense of the capital cast a huge psychological shadow on the politics of the Ming Dynasty and on the military and civilians, and everyone was afraid of it happening again.

"Isn't there Zhang Bingkuan?" Zhang Mao was also annoyed.

I'm still asking others, what do you mean by asking me?
I'm an old man and I didn't attend any seminar. How do I know if the Tatars are coming to kill them? How do I know where the Tatars are coming from?
……

……

in the hall.

The atmosphere was a bit depressing, because Zhang Zhou was not here, and it seemed that the atmosphere lacked an outlet.

At this moment, even the officials don’t know who to turn to fire... Zhu Hui leads the troops into the Loop, and the Tatars may take advantage of the situation. It’s not Zhang Zhou’s fault. Didn’t the emperor say this? Zhang Zhou didn’t The involvement is too deep... and at the critical moment, Zhang Zhou has to be relied on to defend against foreign enemies.

To impeach Zhang Zhou at this time, you need both a reason and the consequences of participating in the impeachment.

Colleagues will think, why are you provoking that evil god when you have nothing to do?At critical moments, he should be used as the goalkeeper.

After the meeting reached the middle stage, Liu Jian came out and said: "Your Majesty, there have been rumors in Beijing recently about the Tatar invasion. It is believed that the Ming Dynasty's border defenses are empty now. If the Tatars gather to invade, they will be mobilized from all over." The troops and horses are not easy to deal with, so we should inform the troops and horses fighting abroad as soon as possible, so as to withdraw the troops to protect the territory and the people."

Many people present breathed a sigh of relief, someone finally raised the issue.

As long as Zhu Hui brings his troops back, it seems that we have a bottom line and the Tatars will not invade.

Zhu Youtang said: "Does Mr. Liu Ge think it is appropriate to abandon the invasion of the grassland and damage the military power of the country because of the rumors?"

Liu Jiandao: "The best thing is to stabilize the minds of the soldiers and the people."

Zhu Youtang looked at Li Rong and said, "Is everyone in the capital in danger?"

Li Rong smiled and said: "Your Majesty, there has not been such a discussion among the people in the capital. This discussion came from the discussion between the generals in the Liyan Wu Hall yesterday. It is said that the topic was proposed by the Minister of the Household Department and was handed over to the generals for discussion. However, It is only an internal discussion and has not been announced to the public.”

Zhu Youtang frowned and said: "Since it has not been said to the outside world, why do you say that there has been discussion in the capital? Or is it that someone is watching every move of Yanwu Hall?"

The emperor will not be happy about this.

This made the ministers present very embarrassed.

After all, Liu Jian was mature and prudent. He explained in an understatement: "There are many people in the Yanwu Hall and the matter has not been covered up. In addition, the matter is of great importance. If any rumors spread, it will cause some waves."

"Alas!" Zhu Youtang sighed, "In my opinion, some people are unfounded. The Tatars invade the country every year, and there are several times a year when they are quiet. Now my soldiers are at the peak of their strength. , are we still afraid of the Tatars? Where are they from? Just fight them back."

The minister felt the pride in the emperor's mouth.

There is a feeling that the Tatars are not taken seriously.

Liu Jian saw the emperor's contempt for the foreign barbarians, which was not a good sign for Takanar. He quickly said: "Your Majesty, there are tens of thousands of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty now. If the Tatars invade at this time, all the towns in the north will be destroyed." There are deficiencies in troops, horses, and defense. At this time, the Ministry of War should take the lead and properly arrange the troops and horses in various places to prepare for reinforcements without delay."

Ma Wensheng, the Minister of Civil Affairs, also came out and said: "Old minister seconded the proposal."

The chief minister of the cabinet and the minister of civil affairs came out to speak, with the intention of putting pressure on the emperor, but it was obvious that the "Ministry of War" was put in charge.

This was actually an indirect way of putting pressure on Zhang Zhou.

You kid, you have ignored the border affairs recently, and you dare not come to the court meeting. The emperor is still so indulgent, and we usually tolerate it. Now there is a war in the northwest, and military topics will be started in the court at any time. You, the Ministry of War Why should the minister not ask questions at this time?
"Dear gentlemen, Bingkuan has actually mentioned to me a long time ago that we need to increase patrols in Ningxia, Gansu, Yansui and other places, and repair the beacon towers that have been in disrepair for a long time to prepare for emergencies. These things, He was already doing this long before Baoguo Gong led his troops to the expedition. The Ministry of War has not slackened on the defense of the north." Of course Zhu Youtang wanted to speak to Zhang Zhou.

Liu Jiandao: "Northern defense is not limited to the three sides."

That's what he said, but Liu Jian and many people present had actually heard it. It seemed that Zhang Zhou believed that the place where Tatars might invade the border was on the three sides.

Otherwise, why would the emperor say that inspections and defenses in Ningxia and other places should be strengthened?

"Have there been any lax defenses in Datong, Pianguan, Jizhou and Liaodong in the past two years? Have the generals in charge of military affairs in these places reported it?" Zhu Youtang asked Li again. Glory.

Li Rong said calmly: "Back to Your Majesty, Uncle Xin Xin, who is in charge of Xuan Da's military affairs, recently proposed to the court to increase food and salary, but he did not mention that the defense was lax. As for Jizhou, Liaodong and other places, he did not mention it. There are related disadvantages, so I guess... it’s not a big problem.”

You can’t say that there are no problems, and you can’t say it to death.

But there were no complaints from the local authorities, so there was no problem. Only Wang Shouren had nothing to do to ask for money or food. He said it was to prepare for after autumn, and he didn't say it was to build the pass or because the defense was lax.

"My lords, please don't throw yourself into confusion just because of some unfounded rumors. In my opinion, even if the Tatars dare to invade now, they will not get any benefits. You lords should have confidence in the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. "Zhu Youtang offered words of comfort.

The ministers present looked a little strange, thinking, you don't have confidence in the soldiers, but in Zhang Bingkuan, right?

"I am well aware of the nine-border defense. Even if something happens, I will discuss it with the Ministry of War and the Supervisory Office. By the way, Mr. British, how is the defense of the capital recently?" Zhu Youtang suddenly pointed his finger and remained silent. But Zhang Mao seemed to be more anxious than anyone else.When Zhang Mao heard this, he wondered, does this have anything to do with me?
But Zhang Mao then thought that the emperor must have known about his communication with Xie Qian at Wumen Gate before entering the palace.

He felt that he was being stared at, and now he was causing trouble for himself.

Zhang Mao came out and hesitated: "Your Majesty, the old minister is old and has been slack on the defense of the capital. However, I think that under the guidance of your Majesty and the Ministry of War, the capital camp can complete basic training and defense, even if the Tatars come No matter how many troops or horses we attack, there will be no return."

At this time, Old Man Zhang took the initiative to "show weakness", which the civil servants present did not expect.

You, Zhang Mao, are actually going to lift up Zhang Bingkuan now?

You are not ambitious, but you have a conspiracy, right?

Want to take the blame at a critical moment?

Zhu Youtang was not annoyed. He said: "At your age, you are far from old. Go to the military camp more and take a look. By the way, I am going to appoint a military official to supervise the management of Zijin Pass, Juyong Pass and What do you recommend for the military affairs of Daimaguan?"

"This..." Liu Jian was asked for a moment.

Zhu Youtang said: "There is no need to ask. Lu Wan and Lu Qing's family, who have recently been governor of Liaodong, are about to return to the capital. I will assign him to take over this post temporarily. What do you think of your family?"

This puzzled Liu Jian.

He even glanced sideways at Li Dongyang, as if to say, please help me analyze, what does your Majesty mean?

When Lu Wan returned to the capital, he originally thought that Zhang Zhou was transferred back to cooperate with him, but now the emperor transferred Lu Wan to be the governor of the inner three passes, which obviously meant a "downgrade". After all, the governor of Liaodong was the official official of the local frontier. , and the governor's inner three passes are just a temporary job, and the authority in his hands is much smaller.

But when the Tatars might invade the territory, the emperor was not at ease with the northwest, so he sent someone to guard the "last defense" in the northwest of the Ming Dynasty, and went to the trusted Lu Wan, which also reflected his trust in Lu Wan. .

Liu Jian was not sure what the emperor was going to do between this surrender and the letter.

"In that case, the matter has been settled." Zhu Youtang did not intend to discuss with these people.

Even the trilateral general system can be decided in one word, and the governor of the three inner gates can be decided, so why do we need to discuss it with you too much?I ask you to recommend people, but I still don’t believe it.

After all, Lu Wan was also the one who led the troops to chase down the Duoyan Three Guards and won the great victory at Huangshui. Although you civil servants want to put all the credit for that victory on Wang Xian and the Jizhou soldiers, I have not forgotten that Lu Wan led the troops to attack thousands of miles away. A feat that is comparable to Wang Shouren's.

……

……

The meeting ended.

On the way out of the palace this time, the minister was already in trouble.

If there were only small-scale speculations that Zhang Zhou might have a "conspiracy" behind his back, this court meeting almost confirmed the matter.

A group of people gathered around Liu Jian: "Mr. Liu Ge, you can see it. It turns out that the expedition to Hetao is just a pretense. The drunkard's intention is actually that the Tatars take the initiative to invade. This is to force the Tatars to harass the border." , How could the Northwest War be fought like this?"

Liu Jian, as always, chose to remain silent at this juncture.

Xie Qian said: "If we don't fight like this, how can we fight? If you don't send troops, the Tatars will stop coming? Last year, Ningxia and other places were still harassed by the Tatars for several months?"

"But this time we went to Hetao, we mobilized tens of thousands of troops from three sides. It's incomparable to last year."

Many people were outraged.

Xie Qian said: "The land of the Hetao was originally the territory of the Ming Dynasty. When the Tatars came, all the troops retreated. It only took a few days. The Tatars' retreat was cut off. This situation is much better than last year. "

Just as he was talking, Lin Han, who had nothing to do with him, came out and said: "Everyone, this matter should be discussed by the higher-ups. It should not be brought up to this occasion. Please leave as soon as possible."

Xie Qian smiled and said: "Yes, shouldn't you ask the Ministry of War for this kind of thing? Or you can ask the Ministry of Household Affairs. You have all seen our attitude before. Don't we want to ask? Your Majesty may have been confident for a long time. It’s useless to talk more.”

If you are in trouble, go to Zhang Bingkuan. We have tried hard, but facts have proved that the emperor does not listen to our cabinet.

"The Minister of War is not in the court at this time. What's the difference between having him and not having him?"

"Yes, we should impeach him! Let him occupy the latrine..."

"The border affairs of the Ming Dynasty have almost been neglected by him alone! This kind of person is simply...a worm of the Ming Dynasty!"

He was filled with righteous indignation, but these words seemed like he was complaining in front of everyone, asking them to really go to impeach Zhang Zhou, but no one seemed willing to take the lead.

When the crowd really dispersed and the three members of the cabinet went to the check-in room, Xie Qiancai said jokingly: "After all, we all know that Ming Dynasty's border affairs can't be done without Zhang Bingkuan, and we all know where your majesty's confidence comes from. I don’t know what they think when they still engage in this kind of meaningless dispute.”

Li Dongyang said helplessly: "Maybe they are waiting for the cabinet to come to impeach Zhang Bingkuan."

"Haha." Xie Qian sneered, "Emotions are reminding us? What a bunch of... people who don't know how to behave."

……

……

Enter Zhang Zhou's residence.

He woke up very late this morning, because he was resting at home that day. He originally wanted to sleep in early in the morning and enjoy the family atmosphere with his family.

But this time, Li Rong came to see him in a hurry after leaving the court.

"...There was a dispute in the court. I heard that after the disbandment of the court, the matter was also discussed. Your Majesty also wants to know when the Tatar will come. If you can kill the Tatar's arrogance, this tone in your Majesty's heart will be... …somewhat soothing…”

Li Rong's words were actually telling Zhang Zhou to hurry up and do the math. Your Majesty can't wait to watch the show.

Zhang Zhou said: "Eunuch Li, this matter is a bit difficult for me. I can't calculate it. If I could, wouldn't I have said it earlier?"

Li Rong said with a sad face: "You can even calculate when a natural disaster will happen. You can see through God. The movements of the Tatars are not a matter of your words. Just use your eyes to see if they have already happened." coming soon?"

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Without such ability, I can only say that the possibility of coming from Huamachi is very high. As for when it will come, and whether it can win with one blow after coming, there are many factors. It also depends on whether the personnel can Do your best!"

(End of this chapter)