The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youtang returned to Beijing.

They returned in a low profile, without any civil or military officials to greet them. The team entered the city from Zhengyang Gate and then entered the palace from Daming Gate. Afterwards, they acted as usual as if nothing had happened, but they still notified that court meetings would resume in three days.

The news from the cabinet was delivered personally by Chen Kuan.

When Chen Kuan and Wei Bin arrived at the cabinet, Cheng Minzheng was not there, and they were greeted by Liu Jian and Li Dongyang.

"Today I am here to inform the two ministers that there will be a court meeting in three days. All the meritorious officials and civil and military officials must attend. There is also one more thing... that is, the appointment of Scholar Wang to the cabinet has been decided. After it is finalized in the next two days, it will be announced at the court meeting. At the same time, it will also be announced that Minister Lin of the Ministry of Rites will be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

Chen Kuan said this with a smile, as if it was a very ordinary little thing.

Liu Jian asked, "When it comes to positions like Shangshu, should we wait until the court meeting to discuss it?"

Although Liu Jian also knew that it was difficult for them to interfere in the appointment and dismissal of court ministers, he still wanted to make a final effort.

Chen Kuan asked, "It's already been decided, is there any need to discuss it further?"

Liu Jian said: "Even if it is decided, according to the rules, we still have to discuss it during the court meeting, so as not to disrupt the rules."

This is the last attempt to save our reputation. Even though we can no longer decide on such matters, we still want the world to think that everything is still being done according to the previous rules, so that we can save face.

"I will convey this to His Majesty." Chen Kuan was quite reasonable.

Li Dongyang said, "Now it is being rumored in the capital that the people on duty at the Shangting Office are going to make some changes. Is this true?"

This time Chen Kuan just shook his head, indicating that he had nothing to say.

Liu Jian asked, "What about the Ministry of Revenue? The Minister of Revenue, Qi Zhong, has already resigned several times. I heard that Your Majesty is ready to agree to his resignation?"

Chen Kuan continued to shake his head.

I will tell you what I can tell you, and as for what I cannot tell you... you can just guess. It’s possible that I am just like you and don’t know either.

Li Dongyang was a little annoyed and said, "Then you should at least tell us what position the Duke of Cai is seeking? His position as Minister of War will remain unchanged, right?"

Chen Kuan said, "Two ministers, why do you have to ask so many details? Some things should indeed be discussed in the court. Your Majesty still respects you. Duke Cai has been away from the capital for two months and just returned... Is it really true that he has to endure so much criticism before he even has time to sit down?"

Li Dongyang smiled and asked, "What about the Imperial Household Department?"

"you……"

Chen Kuan immediately felt that Li Dongyang also had a poisonous tongue.

In the past, the person responsible for making jokes in the cabinet was Xie Qian, but who says that others would not speak in a sarcastic tone?
"My two ministers, who doesn't want to find some peace and quiet? Haven't you two been asking for resignation recently? Right now there is one matter that must be discussed in the court, and that is the candidate for the successor to the Minister of Rites. There is still no reliable candidate, and we don't know either." Chen Kuan said.

Li Dongyang nodded and said, "The selection of the Minister of Rites should indeed be put on the court recommendation list. We will also consider the candidate and make a discussion in the court."

"That's good." Chen Kuan said, "Many positions in the court are also one-size-fits-all. This is the case with the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy. After Wang Xueshi enters the cabinet, he will have to give up his duties in the Eastern Palace, and the business of the Zhanshi Mansion will also be handed over to someone else. As for who will preside over the lectures in the Eastern Palace, I'll have to trouble the two cabinet ministers to consider this."

If the previous ones were all "bad news", this one can barely be called "good news".

Since the emperor in front of him can no longer be controlled, he should settle for the next best thing and train the crown prince first so that he can "restore order". By then, won't Zhang Bingkuan be doomed anyway?

Chen Kuan smiled and said, "It's good that the two ministers know this. I'm afraid that the cabinet will be lively in the future. With more people, there will be more people who can do things. The two ministers don't have to work so hard."

Li Dongyang felt uncomfortable after hearing this. He said, "There are two kinds of people: those who can help and those who make things worse."

"Haha." Chen Kuan certainly understood what Li Dongyang meant, and said with a smile, "Two elders, I won't bother you any more."

……

……

Chen Kuan was in a good mood after leaving the cabinet, because his position as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department seemed to be kept for the time being, and the emperor had no intention of replacing him.

It may also be that there is really no suitable person to choose from.

In the past two years, several people have been replaced in the Imperial Household Department, and the frequency of changes can be said to be greater than that of the cabinet.

"Eunuch Chen, after the cabinet, it will be just two people against two people. This situation is hard to understand." Wei Bin said.

Chen Kuan said: "In the future, it won't be four people, it will be three."

Wei Bin asked, "So one person is going to step down? Who is it? Elder Liu, or Elder Li?"

"Who knows?" Chen Kuan said, "They themselves can also predict this result, but they just don't say it. In many things, it is better to maintain a harmonious appearance. If they retire, maybe they will not have so many obsessions. This person, he fought when he was in power, and now he looks at today after he retires. It really makes people regret it. There is really no point."

……

……

Zhu Youtang sent someone to inform the cabinet about the court personnel arrangements, but he did not provide many details.

At least there was no mention of Wang Qiong and Lu Wan, and the emperor apparently had no intention of continuing to talk about Zhang Zhou, although he had discussed with Zhang Zhou and let Zhang Zhou be the Minister of both the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue.

However, as the emperor sent people to greet the imperial court, Lin Han's promotion to Minister of Personnel and Wang Ao's entry into the cabinet were finally settled.

This can be said to be the most important personnel arrangement in the court in the past two years.

Many people immediately flocked to the two's residence to pay their respects, and as the parties involved, they naturally did not want to deal with those things, because they themselves did not quite understand, is the emperor going to abandon the tradition of court discussions? Directly turn all officials into messengers authorized by the inner court?
Are you really not going to pretend anymore? Zhang Zhou arrived in Beijing one day later than Zhu Youtang. He went to the Western Hills first, and when he came back, he went with Zhu Feng.

Because the good news from the northwest had been reported back, the defense around the capital had been relaxed, and the previous alarm could be said to be a "false alarm." Although Ningxia is far away from the capital, once something major happens on the border, the capital will always need to respond.

It was under such circumstances that martial law was imposed in Xishan for several days. This was because Xishan was the most important town around the capital, but its defense level was obviously not that high, mainly because there were no natural barriers to defend.

"Brother Zhang, when we went to the east, we thought the war would happen there, but it's still quiet in the east. How come a war broke out in the west? It almost caused a disaster?"

Zhu Feng was riding on a horse, and his heart was floating as he was about to arrive in Beijing.

Zhang Zhou looked into the distance and said, "Liaodong may be in trouble."

"What?" Zhu Feng asked in confusion. "Liaodong is only at war with the Jurchens. Even if there are some Mongolian Tartars involved, it's not a big deal. With so many troops being sent to Liaodong this time, can there be any trouble?"

Zhang Zhou said, "Do you know which group of troops led the battle in Liaodong this time?"

Zhu Feng thought for a moment and asked, "Is it Tang Yin's troops? Then he...oh, he brought Korean troops."

"Yes." Zhang Zhou nodded. "The Korean soldiers, horses, food, and supplies were all insufficient. After entering the Ming Dynasty, they were not used to the climate and water. As a result, during the battle with the Jurchens, a plague spread, and there were many losses. The Jurchens retreated to various mountain strongholds. Tang Yin seemed to be unaccustomed to the battle of attacking strongholds, which was also related to the fact that the Koreans had no supplies for attacking strongholds."

"Aren't there still Brother Cui and Governor Yang's troops?" Zhu Feng said.

Zhang Zhou said: "The Jurchens and the Mongols have very different fighting styles. Many of their strongholds are located in the mountains, relying on natural barriers for defense. Some are also in deep mountains and dense forests. Many places there are uncivilized. Unless we can level them, otherwise... it will take time."

Originally, Zhang Zhou wanted to completely eliminate the hidden dangers of the Jurchens before they rose to power.

However, the Jurchens did not engage in head-on confrontations. They preferred to flee. If they could not win, they would run away, or retreat to a sturdy mountain stronghold for defense, or run into the deep mountains and dense forests. Even if most of the Jurchens could be dealt with, they still could not be completely wiped out.

There will always be a resurgence.

……

……

When Zhu Youtang returned to Beijing, the first minister to meet him was Lu Wan.

As the minister on duty at the Shangtingchu, this is Lu Wan's last time reporting to the emperor. After the court meeting two days later, he will officially resign from his post at the Shangtingchu.

Lu Wan's main focus was to report the war situation in Liaodong to the emperor, especially the war situation around Duobi City. That place was once the place where Tang Yin was trapped for two or three months, but now it has also become Tang Yin's sad place.

The Korean troops led by Tang Yin were almost wiped out.

"…Liaodong did not allocate food and grass to them. Originally, they were using war to support war. However, because the place they were going to was the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong Governor Yang Yiqing discussed with Tang Yin and decided that each side would lead troops to the heartland of the Haixi Jurchens. The Korean troops then turned to the northeast, but they were repeatedly attacked by the Jurchens."

"After several battles, both sides won and lost. The Haixi Jurchens retreated northwards, mostly hiding in the mountains and forests. Yang Yiqing led his troops into the old site of Jianzhouwei, but found some Jurchens hiding there. They also fought several times. Because the terrain was unclear, Yang Yiqing led his troops to retreat to Fushun and other places."

"Tang Yin led his troops deep into the heart of the Haixi Jurchens, and ran out of food and grass. Although the Koreans later supplied food and grass on their own, they were unable to transport them to the Haixi Jurchens. We have been out of contact with Tang Yin's troops for more than 20 days. The last time Tang Yin sent a letter to ask for military rations and artillery, it was all in vain."

Lu Wan stopped here and waited for Zhu Youtang's instructions.

Zhu Youtang said: "It is a pity to lose the Korean soldiers and horses. I heard that the Koreans are not even equipped with armor, and only a few people have grass armor. Bows, crossbows, swords and other iron tools are also far from enough. In such a situation, how can they fight against the Jurchens?"

Yang Peng at the side said with a smile: "Yes, Your Majesty, this is a dog-eat-dog fight. It would be best if the Jurchens and the Koreans both suffered losses in the fight."

Zhu Youtang raised his hand and said, "You can't say that. The Koreans came here on orders. If they can't get enough food and grass, it's definitely unfair to them. Tang Yin has been in Korea for a long time. I thought he had brought out a good army, but I didn't expect it to be like this."

Lu Wan said: "Your Majesty, the Koreans were temporarily recruited and were not trained by Tang Yin. Usually, there are Korean generals serving as deputy commanders in the army."

Zhu Youtang asked, "Does that mean this is a fight between the Koreans and the Jurchens? Who is Tang Yin?"

Lu Wan thought for a moment and then said, "Tang Yin is trapped in the army. If he cannot advance at this time, it would be best to use the Liaodong troops to cooperate with the troops mobilized from various routes, especially the troops led by Jingshan Marquis and Shouning Marquis, and continue to march north."

Yang Peng said: "Won't the war be expanded?"

Lu Wan said: "The battle in Liaodong was originally a proactive attack, and troops from all directions were mobilized, so the food and supplies were relatively complete."

Yang Peng asked in return: "Since Liaodong has so many troops and is fully prepared, why did Yang Yiqing lead his troops into the old territory of Jianzhou Wei and then withdraw? I seem to have heard that since the Jianzhou Jurchens were defeated by Xinjian Bo last time, they have built new fortresses on their territory, and even their citizens have been transferred to southern Liaoning and other places. The current development of the war situation seems unreasonable."

Lu Wan said: "The Jurchens are good at hiding and like to break up into smaller groups. Their tribes are very complex, and many tribes were broken up and reorganized. A few people dared to call themselves a group of soldiers. Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that they will be difficult to destroy them."

"If we can't destroy them, then why fight?" Yang Peng felt that he had fallen into Lu Wan's trap. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, what I think is that we should change our tactics and not spare the lives of the Jurchens. Since they refuse to obey the king, we should capture and kill them one by one. If we push them forward like this, they will have nowhere to hide."

Zhu Youtang said: "They are all my people, how can you do this? It is possible to resettle them elsewhere. Didn't I say before that if they cannot be resettled in Liaonan, then they can be resettled in Yunnan?"

Yang Peng said: "There is no progress in the war in Liaodong, and Tang Yin's troops are even isolated and deep in the enemy's territory. If we don't make any changes at this time, then we can only..."

"What do you want to say?" Zhu Youtang frowned.

Yang Peng said: "I think that only people like Duke Cai, Earl Xinjian, or Marquis Anbian can completely eradicate the hidden dangers of the Liaodong Jurchens."

"Cough cough."

Zhu Youtang coughed a few times and said, "The Jurchens are not a big threat. They are just a few people. Even if they are really dead but not stiff, can they still cause big trouble to the Ming Dynasty recently? What I want is the stability of the northern border."

Lu Wan said: "I know that some people in the court want to impeach Yang Yiqing, the governor of Liaodong."

"Oh?" Zhu Youtang thought for a moment and nodded. "Although Yang Yiqing had military merits when he was in Ningxia, he had not achieved anything for a long time before and even made mistakes. It was the same in Liaodong. It was okay to let him maintain the status quo, but it was too cautious to let him make progress! Such a person is indeed... ahem. Let's discuss it again when we go to court." (End of this chapter)