The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Li Dongyang adheres to principles.

Without recommending one's own candidate, he would first oppose the person put forward by the emperor, find out his faults, oppose him and attack him at the same time, using words such as "a newcomer and has little experience", so as to stabilize his own position.

Under the leadership of Li Dongyang, many voices of opposition immediately emerged in the court.

Basically, my opinion is that this person cannot be employed.

If he is used, it will bring disaster to the country and the people, and treat the military and political affairs of the Ming Dynasty as a joke. In our opinion, it is inappropriate, so he is not suitable. As for who is more suitable, we don’t know. Anyway, what we say is what we say. Please don’t challenge our inherent stereotypes or prejudices.

Zhu Youtang seemed to be familiar with the routines of this group of people. He said, "So, the Tang family is not suitable? Then I want to hear who is more suitable? Recommend a few people."

The scene instantly became quiet again.

Compared with Tang Yin, even Ma Zhongxi and Shi Lin, whom Li Dongyang wanted to recommend, seemed a little inferior.

Because the one who was still rushing to the front line of the battlefield at this moment was neither Wang Shouren, nor Wang Qiong, nor the Liaodong Governor Yang Yiqing, but him, Tang Yin.

Lin Han, who had just been promoted to the position of Minister of Personnel, came out, surprising everyone present. Just when everyone thought he would agree with the emperor's opinion, he said in a nonchalant tone: "Your Majesty, where is Tang Yin now? Can he be transferred at any time?"

It seemed like he agreed, but it also seemed like he was posing a difficult problem for the emperor.

Zhu Youtang's expression was calm and he said nothing.

Chen Kuan said, "You may not know that Tang Yin has led tens of thousands of Korean soldiers and has penetrated deep into the heart of Nurgandusi. He has been cut off from Liaodong for half a month or even... a month. The specific situation is unknown."

In fact, Chen Kuan was also helpless.

He wanted to recommend Lu Wan, but the emperor had already made his attitude clear. How could Chen Kuan recommend candidates?
This would give the emperor a sufficient reason, which was that Tang Yin could not be transferred for the time being, so it would be better to wait until the next time.

Lin Han said: "He was in Liaodong, leading troops to fight, and lost his trace in the battle. How can he be transferred to the three borders? I think this matter should be considered in the long run."

The civil officials present were simply looking at Lin Han with new eyes.

Old man Lin, now that you have been promoted to the Minister of Personnel, you have really started to take responsibility. You actually opposed the emperor's opinion on us, and your reasons were so pertinent. It really makes us happy.

Zhu Youtang said: "Let's not talk about whether Tang Yin can be transferred to the three frontiers. Everyone, tell me, is there anyone more suitable than him? Or you can pick out a few more people, discuss and compare their advantages and disadvantages."

Still no one responded.

From the perspective of the civil servants, we oppose it, but if we really want to find out what Tang Yin is not good at, we can basically only point to the fact that he has little experience as an official.

During the three years he was in office, he fought in battles that other people would never experience in their entire lives. He also staged a successful coup d'état in North Korea and was regarded as the father of the nation by the North Koreans. He never hid behind in battles but always charged in the front. As for his achievements, he might still be far behind those of Wang Shouren and others. But who says that the success or failure of leading troops is determined by how many enemies are killed?
Can you say that Tang Yin was unsuccessful?

He has made it to the position of governor-general of Ji-Liao. Isn't this a success?
A general of Ji-Liao led his troops to the front line. Isn't this called "determined to make progress"? Then what is called "determined to make progress"?
"You neither agree with the candidates I proposed nor recommend new candidates. What do you want?" Zhu Youtang looked displeased.

I have seen irresponsible ministers, but I have never seen a bunch of troublemakers like you. In terms of overall quality, you are not as good as the previous batch. At least in the first few years, people like Ma Wensheng, Bai Ang, Xu Qiong, and Xu Guan did not shrink back when discussing matters in the court.

Each crop is worse than the last.

At this moment, Lu Wan suddenly came out and said, "I also think that Tang Yin is the best candidate to command the three borders. With him as commander of the army, the Tatars will surely retreat, and the borders of the Ming Dynasty will be stable."

The ministers present were not surprised when Lu Wan came out to speak, because in their opinion, Lu Wan and Tang Yin were in the same group. If Lu Wan didn't come out to support Tang Yin, who else could it be?

Only a few people know that Lu Wan is not only speaking out under pressure, but also saying some "insincere" words, because he, Lu Wan, is the one who most wants to be the general manager of the tripartite alliance.

Previously, only Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren were above him, but if Tang Yin became the commander-in-chief of the three borders, then Lu Wan would have another opponent above him.

Not to mention that above him, there is Zhang Zhou, whom he cannot shake at all.

When playing against Wang Shouren, he could accept both victory and defeat, but when competing against Tang Yin, he could not accept losing.

But in order to show his attitude, he still has to come out to support the person he least wants to mention.

Zhu Youtang said: "If you have no objection, then Tang Yin will be in charge of the three frontier military affairs and there will be no further discussion."

Li Dongyang said quickly: "Your Majesty, since Tang Yin is in Liaodong and may not be transferred back, how should he be transferred to the three borders? And who should be in charge of the troops under his command? And the selection of the general of Ji Liao..."

Zhu Youtang said: "The Ji-Liao General Administration has just been established, and the effect is not very obvious. Now Liaodong has gathered troops from all directions. Without the troops of Korea, can we not break the iron barrel formation of the Jurchens? Order the Liaodong Governor Yang Yiqing to preside over Liaodong's military affairs against the Jurchens. We must make greater progress before the summer."

There sounds nothing wrong with transferring Tang Yin back and letting Yang Yiqing take charge of military affairs as the Governor of Liaodong.

But the goal before summer is simply to make progress, which sounds a bit ridiculous.

What's wrong? You don't even dare to set a small goal? What do you mean by progress? How do you define it?

Zhu Youtang said, "As for Tang Yin's transfer to the northwest, there is no need to be too anxious. Military affairs in the three borders have now stabilized. What remains is to chase the Tatars and ensure that they can no longer plunder and ravage the borders. Order Ma Zhongxi, the governor of Shanxi and Pianguan, to be transferred to the governor of Ningxia immediately to assist in the defense of Huamachi. It is imperative to block the Tatars' retreat."

Before the civil officials proposed Ma Zhongxi as the candidate for the three-border commander-in-chief, the emperor directly transferred Ma Zhongxi to Ningxia.

This will also prevent the civil officials from using Ma Zhongxi to make trouble.

But Li Dongyang and Liu Jian felt very uncomfortable because they had never mentioned the candidate Ma Zhongxi to anyone.

It is possible that the emperor cut off their retreat in advance and guessed that they were going to make trouble with Ma Zhongxi, or it could be a coincidence that the emperor felt that Ma Zhongxi was suitable to be transferred to Ningxia.

……

……

The changes that occurred in the court made the atmosphere very strange.

Originally, whether it was Lu Wan, Wang Shouren, Shi Lin, or Ma Zhongxi who was recommended to be the three-sided general commander, there could be discussion and even competition, but it was the unknown Tang Yin who was recommended, which made the situation extremely weird.

It is clearly possible to oppose, but no one does, and it is difficult to find excuses to oppose.

Obviously some people agreed, but those who agreed felt more uncomfortable than those who opposed, and they hoped that Tang Yin would die far away.

But even in such a strange atmosphere, Tang Yin's appointment as the Three-Border General was decided after only a few rounds of discussion, as if this person's promotion to the Three-Border General was so reasonable and non-controversial.

But he is obviously the most controversial. In the eyes of many people, Tang Yin was able to be elected because most people did not know him well, and even his political stance was not clear. It cannot be said that he was definitely Tang Yin's man. After all, he had little contact with Zhang Zhou since he started to serve as an official. Who made him always go on diplomatic missions and be a standard "diplomat"?

As for whether he was Zhang Zhou's junior fellow apprentice, no one cared. It seemed more like a joke, because no one even knew who Zhang Zhou's Taoist master was.

That incident was more like a joke.

The lack of knowledge of the enemy's situation, coupled with the fact that both sides suffered losses in this matter, or had their own ulterior motives, led to the rapid promotion of Tang Yin to the position of General Governor of the Three Borders.

Later, when the court discussed major personnel arrangements, they only involved Nanjing.

Only when the Minister of Revenue, Qi Zhong, asked to retire and return to the countryside, did the emperor refuse again. This was equivalent to...giving the Ministry of Revenue some time to prepare. It seemed that the emperor had not planned to rely on this time and directly let Zhang Zhou serve as the Minister of both the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue.

……

……

The meeting ended.

The ministers were not allowed to leave the palace immediately. They would move to the Wenhua Hall. Because the emperor had been away from court for a long time, some matters were suppressed, especially some matters after the New Year. Zhu Youtang did not hastily listen to the opinions of the cabinet or make decisions directly with the approval of the Silijian.

Instead, the ministers are allowed to discuss the matter, and some matters are not referred to the cabinet, which means that the cabinet's power is further reduced.

The emperor did not go to Wenhua Palace.

When the ministers came out of the Fengtian Hall and were walking towards the Wenhua Hall, someone wanted to come over to ask Liu Jian's opinion, but was deliberately blocked by Li Dongyang.

Li Dongyang whispered, "If Tang Bohu is appointed as the commander-in-chief of Northwest military affairs, what trouble will there be?"

Obviously, Tang Yin was not mentioned in any of the advance plans.

They even planned to let Zhang Zhou be the commander-in-chief of the three borders and discussed relevant countermeasures, but the only one was Tang Yin... It's not that they looked down on this person, but Tang Yin's situation was very special. He seemed to be unable to extricate himself from Liaodong, and in terms of qualifications and reputation, there was a big gap between him and Wang Shouren, Lu Wan and others.

This also led to their inability to cope with the situation in the court, and they chose a compromise way of accepting the strange atmosphere.

That is, even if it is not Lu Wan, even if it is Tang Yin who is beyond our control who takes the position, we can accept it.

Liu Jian said: "You should ask who should be in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue now."

"Ok?"

Li Dongyang also has clear political thinking.

Since Tang Yin's appointment as the Three Border Governor is irreversible, let's put it aside for now. If Tang Yin really cannot extricate himself, we will have to choose another candidate in the end.

If so, that doesn’t matter. At least Lu Wan can be imprisoned in the capital first.

Lu Wan remained in the Ministry of Revenue as the Left Vice Minister, and since Qi Zhong's retirement was very urgent, it was very likely that the Ministry of Revenue would fall completely into the hands of Zhang Zhou.

"Then the Right Vice Minister..." Li Dongyang put forward a new idea.

Let us first take control of the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

After all, Lu Wan was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister, and his position is currently vacant. According to the rules, the Ministry of Personnel should first nominate candidates, and then they will be recommended during the court meeting. Three people will be shortlisted, and finally one person will be selected from the three.

This is the normal process of promotion.

Liu Jian said, "It has been decided that Tang Yin will be transferred to the three frontiers, but his position is still undecided. Whether he will be the assistant censor-in-chief, deputy censor-in-chief, or right censor-in-chief, whether he will continue to be the right vice minister of the Ministry of Works, or further become the right vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, or take on another position, it is still undecided."

Li Dongyang asked, "That means that Your Majesty is likely to send Tang Yin as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief? In that case, his official position is much lower than Wang Bo'an's."

In theory, the official in the Sanbian General System is higher than that in the Xuanda General System.

This is also why at the very beginning, when they were discussing internally who would take over, they would preset a condition, that is, the person must have served as a Vice Minister of the Six Ministries first. Only those who had served as a full-time Vice Minister of the Six Ministries would be qualified to take up the position of Left Vice Minister of the Six Ministries and go to the Northwest, and they did not need to be the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, but could directly be the Right Censor-in-Chief, or even the Left Censor-in-Chief.

If one has experience as a minister, he can also directly serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Works and go to the three borders to command the army.

If your official position is too low, this involves the question of how many levels you can jump. If you have never made any military achievements, but you are asked to jump three levels, regardless of whether the emperor agrees or not, I ask you, can you convince the people by going to the northwest?
Any governor under you is the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief or the Left and Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief. With an official position of the same level, he cannot command the three armies or coordinate the northwest.

Liu Jian asked, "Will Your Majesty appoint him as the Right Censor-in-Chief, or even concurrently the Minister of Works?"

"Unlikely." Li Dongyang said clearly, "Even if he was the governor of Ji and Liao, his qualifications are not enough to jump directly to the position of Shangshu, even if it is only a concurrent position. Zhang Bingkuan encountered so much resistance in his promotion to Shangshu, just relying on Tang Yin? What qualifications does he have?"

Liu Jian said: "If Your Majesty does not make him the Shangshu, he will definitely be given the title of the Minister of Revenue."

Li Dongyang thought about it and nodded.

The emperor now clearly wants to take control of the Ministry of Revenue. Since he suddenly promoted Tang Yin, but he cannot give Tang Yin the title of Shangshu directly, then it sounds most reasonable to let him take the title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

As for whether he is the Right Censor-in-Chief or the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, it doesn’t seem to be too important.

Liu Jian said: "Find a chance to say hello to Fu Tu and ask him to find a way to send a letter to Xuanfu."

"Oh." Li Dongyang was stunned.

Then he understood what Liu Jian meant.

After all, strictly speaking, Xuanfu is an important place for grain storage in the northwest. Tang Yin was transferred to the northwest as the right vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and it was a real position rather than a part-time job. So after Tang Yin arrived in the northwest, he must give priority to the dispatch of military food and supplies.

If Tang Yin is to be made unhappy as an official, we must start with Xuanfu.

However, it would be inappropriate for them to directly order Xuanfu Governor Liu Daxia, because this would be tantamount to setting a trap in open sight and acting recklessly.

But if Ma Wensheng, who has already retired, secretly hinted to Liu Daxia, it would seem reasonable.

Of course, the instigators were the two of them, or even the entire traditional civil servant camp. (End of this chapter)