Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 188 Chaos in the Southwest
Huang Shicheng, an archives built during the Jiajing Emperor's reign, welcomed new guests, namely Wang Xijue, the chief minister of the cabinet, and Zhang Xiao, the consort.

"Chief Assistant, why do you bother to come here in person? I just want to come in and have a look." Zhang Xiao said.

"This Huangshicheng is not an ordinary place. There are all the secret collections of royal books in it, as well as the records of the ancestors of the past dynasties. The "Records of King Sejong" here is my major. You just came in like this, I It’s not good if you don’t follow,” Wang Xijue explained.

"Then it's up to you, Laoshoufu. I came here this time not to read the "Records", but just to read the "Yongle Dadian"."

""Yongle Dadian"? There are so many. I don't know how many shelves there are. I haven't counted how many books there are. Why did you suddenly think of reading "Yongle Dadian"?"

"It's like this. There is a rumor in Nanyang that the "Yongle Dadian" records many principles and techniques of studying things. I am just curious to see if the "Yongle Dadian" is really so magical."

"When I was in charge of compiling the "Records of King Sejong", I also read through the "Yongle Dadian". Of course, I only read a few books. There is everything in it, including all kinds of books. As you said, it records the principles of investigating things. There are indeed people with skills, but more of them are all kinds of classics, you can tell by looking at them.”

"Thank you, Chief Assistant. Then I'll probably read a few books."

"You just read it here, but you can't take it out, and you can't copy it at will. This is a taboo thing." Wang Xijue reminded.

In this way, Zhang Xiao quickly took out several volumes of "Yongle Dadian" to read. Thinking of the dozens of volumes of the Yongle Canon in the original time and space, this place is simply an ocean of knowledge.

"Then what you mean is that you want to reprint the "Old History of the Five Dynasties"? But this "Old History of the Five Dynasties" does not distinguish between loyal and traitorous people. Zhu Wen was a traitor to the Tang Dynasty. There is a lot of praise for Zhu Wen and his son in the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" This is contrary to the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Period," Wang Xijue reminded.

"Chief Assistant, I have a suggestion. The imperial dynasty finally compiled this set of books and re-copied it during the reign of Emperor Sejong. So much manpower and material resources were spent. Wouldn't it be a bad idea not to use it?"

"Minglue, why are you interested in the "Old History of the Five Dynasties"? After all, the newly compiled history book by Ouyang Wenzhonggong is the last to come from behind, and the "New History of the Five Dynasties" compiled by Ouyang Wenzhonggong has been listed as orthodox throughout the ages, so the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" "It is indeed rare. But the imperial court still has it in its collection. If you want to see it, I can send someone to find it for you."

"This is a royal secret. Emperor Chengzu did not know how much money he spent on it. The people responsible for compiling and copying it were all the most powerful scholars at the time. It took a long time to compile it. This is not an easy task."

"Chief Assistant, this "Yongle Dadian" is really vast, there are too many. Moreover, so many copies are copied by hand, and the copying is so neat and beautiful." Zhang Xiao said with emotion.

"Shoufu, although this "New History of the Five Dynasties" is properly edited, it is also based on the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" as a template, with additions and deletions. Although the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" was compiled in a short time, it mostly consists of superimposing various historical materials. Together, but precisely because of this, the original historical materials are preserved, so the value of the historical materials in the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" is far greater than that of the "New History of the Five Dynasties", Zhang Xiao explained.

"How is it? How do you like it? Have you found the book you want that talks about the principles of studying things?" Wang Xijue asked.

"Oh? I would like to hear it."

After walking around for a while, Zhang Xiao went out to see the chief assistant.

"Thank you, Chief Assistant. Let me explain this question. Ouyang Wenzhonggong's article is indeed excellent. I read "New History of the Five Dynasties" and "Lingguan Biography" is thought-provoking. Reading Wang Yanzhang's Biography is also soul-stirring. And Ouyang Wen Zhonggong wrote "The New History of the Five Dynasties", adhering to the principles of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the praise and criticism in it are still very particular. However, no matter how good the "New History of the Five Dynasties" is, there is one thing that cannot compare with the "Old History of the Five Dynasties."

"Chief Assistant, I think we can ask someone to read the "Yongle Dadian" again, not to read it word for word, but to see which books are included in the Yongle Dadian and which books are worthy of compilation, especially those that are not available on the market but everyone wants to I want to read it. For example, among the official histories of the past dynasties, Xue Juzheng's "Old History of the Five Dynasties" is relatively rare. If it happens to be recorded in "Yongle Dadian", it can be excerpted from it, so that it can be engraved. ”

"Thank you, Chief Assistant."

"Chief Assistant, I'm not saying we need to print a lot of copies. It's okay if the imperial court prints hundreds of copies and makes backup copies for each yamen."

"Huang Shichen's place is still inconvenient to come in. If you need to find any books, you should go directly to the Hanlin Academy to borrow them next time. As long as they are not important manuscripts, they will be given to them. I have already told them ”

"Let's forget about the historical biography for now. You said that someone should be responsible for organizing and compiling the "Yongle Dadian". This is an important job. I will explain it to Your Majesty when I have time."

"Oh? If you have any ideas, let me hear them." Wang Xijue said.

"Thank you, Chief Minister, for your consideration."

"You are from the Hanlin Academy. Although you will no longer be an official in the future, I still hope that you will not slack off. When serving in the imperial court, these beautiful articles are always indispensable, both in literature and in military affairs."

However, the pleasantries between Wang Xijue and Zhang Xiao did not last long, because a eunuch had already hurried in. "Chief Assistant, you are indeed here. Your Majesty has given a verbal order and asked me to tell the Chief Assistant that you are going to the palace immediately."

"Why is it so urgent?" Wang Xijue was also a little surprised.

"I don't know either. Please ask the chief assistant to leave quickly. By the way, His Majesty also ordered that Zhang Prince Consort should also go there with him. Since Zhang Prince Consort is here, let's not bother the two masters and talk to Zhang Prince Consort by the way. Say it.”

"Since His Majesty has called, Zhang will naturally leave immediately." Zhang Xiao agreed.

In the imperial study room, Zhang Xiao saw the emperor again, but at this time the emperor no longer had the calmness of the past, but looked a little angry.

The leader was in a bad mood, so Zhang Xiao naturally waited cautiously for instructions.

"This Jiangdongzhi dared to impeach Feng Bao back then. I thought he was useful and promoted him, and let him go to Guizhou to become the governor. I didn't expect that he would repay my expectations like this. It's really a shame. Country. Forget it, don’t talk much, just read this memorial.” The emperor ordered.

Chen Ju and Eunuch Chen carefully handed over several memorials, and Wang Chief Fu and Zhang Prince Consort took them and read them carefully.

It turned out that a memorial came from the southwest, reporting the defeat of the Ming army. It said that the governor of Guizhou asked Yang Guozhu, the commander of the capital, to lead thousands of troops to attack the front station. Unexpectedly, he was ambushed by Yang Yinglong. Almost all the thousands of Ming troops were killed. The army was annihilated, and the captured Ming army officers and soldiers were also killed by Yang Yinglong. No wonder the emperor was so angry.

"I have made a decree to exempt Jiangdong from prison. Considering his merits in the past, I will not punish him and let him live in seclusion in the countryside. Although I gave Li Hualong the title of Minister of the Ministry of War before, it is still not enough now. Only the military affairs of Sichuan, Huguang, and Guizhou provinces can be annihilated," the emperor said.

"Since it is His Majesty's edict and it involves such important military and national affairs, the cabinet will definitely handle it as soon as possible." Wang Xijue said.

"That's good. When did the Ming army suffer such a big loss in the southwest? Why do they keep saying that it is difficult for the Ming army to deal with the Mongols and Jurchens? Why can't they deal with a mere chieftain now? It's really unreasonable." The emperor was still angry.

"Your Majesty, although the imperial court's new defeat has dampened morale, the loss is not that big. After all, it was only the defeat of the officers and soldiers along the way. The number of officers and soldiers along the way was not large, and they were not the elite troops of the imperial court. To put it bluntly, they just went Pathfinder. Zu Chengxun's defeat in Pyongyang also made the Japanese proud for a while. Now, Japan is in war again, and it is not known how many people will die in the war. Fortunately, Japan still has a sea, and the Ming Dynasty wants to. Sending a ship over is a bit more troublesome. Although Yang Yinglong is also entrenched on the mountain and has a strong wall for defense, Yang Yinglong is surrounded by Ming Dynasty territory. He dares to rebel. Defeat will be a matter of time. Your Majesty does not have to worry about it. As long as the imperial army When the time comes, all roads go forward, and Yang Yinglong can only take the lead obediently," Wang Xijue analyzed.

"Having said that, it is not easy to eliminate Yang Yinglong. The Yang family in Bozhou has been operating here for hundreds of years, and Guizhou is full of mountains, so it is really difficult for the army to move in. If we do this, if the sun and the moon are delayed, it will not be possible. I know how much food and salary it will cost. I thought that the great victory in conquering Japan would deter Yang Yinglong, but I didn't expect that Yang Ni was still so stubborn, so he had to commit suicide." The emperor sighed.

"Your Majesty, as long as the rebellion starts, there will be no turning back. Long before the conquest of Japan, Yang Yinglong had already betrayed himself. He boasted that he could influence the situation in the southwest and establish an independent kingdom. He even thought about joining Sichuan and becoming a prince. At that time, The imperial court led an army to attack and failed. Because the war against Japan was in full swing, Yang Yinglong had no choice but to hand over the scapegoat and send him to the imperial court to watch him be executed. He even sent his own son as a hostage. "

"But these are all illusions. Yang Yinglong will rebel sooner or later. He has serious qualifications and sins, and he does not believe that the court will let him go, so it is better to carry out the rebellion vigorously to the end. So in the final analysis, it is unsuccessful and he has become a devil. Therefore, to deal with Yang Yinglong, we must mobilize the most elite troops. Yang Yinglong is determined to go all the way, and we must be careful of his arrogance. After all, Yang Yinglong is not an ordinary chieftain. He has tens of thousands of troops, although there are many people who can coerce him. But there are always 10,000 to 20,000 elite soldiers. Normally, a few thousand officers and soldiers would die in vain if they went to Hailong Village. We have to wait for the imperial court to decide the overall situation and send out heavy troops to encircle and suppress the Yang family in Bozhou," Zhang Xiao explained. explain.

"How is this Yang Yinglong going to jump over the wall?" the emperor asked.

"Yang Yinglong's situation can be compared with that of Yingbu during the reign of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. When Yingbu rebelled, some advisers came up with three strategies. The first plan was to raid Shandong, the middle plan was to raid the Central Plains to seize the granary, and the second plan was to Trapped in Jianghuai and marching south, Yingbu finally chose the next strategy. Although Yang Yinglong also had some military reputation, he was far inferior to Yingbu, so Yang Yinglong even thought of attacking Sichuan or going north to Hubei. , which shocked the world. But I guess Yang Yinglong does not have such courage and ability. He will still be trapped in his lair. But before the army completes the encirclement, Yang Yinglong is like a tiger that has just fallen into a trap, and he will suddenly attack you. Damn, this is going to be bad, so before the army comes, we have to guard all the traffic arteries and wait for the army to arrive. If we can't hold on any longer, we have to worry about the people themselves. After all, what can we say? We are all fighting, and casualties are inevitable," Zhang Xiao said.

"How can Yang Yinglong be compared with Yingbu? He said that there are tens of thousands of troops, but he just called all the clan members together. It's really not only harming his own family, but also harming the whole clan. But if that's the case, I can't blame you. The Yang family in Bozhou will disappear from Bozhou in the future," the emperor said.

Zhang Xiao did not dare to speak. At this time, the emperor was like a tiger that had been bitten by a small animal, full of irritable emotions. This is a real rebellion, and it is a deliberate and long-planned rebellion. Even if it is won, this incident itself has greatly shaken the rule of the Ming Dynasty. If the suppression fails, the situation will be even more shaken. Zhang Xiao naturally knew that decades later in the original time and space, there was another chieftain from the Northeast who had rebelled. This chieftain was much stronger than Yang Yinglong, and he was more familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the empire. He was like a man who had been coveting his prey for a long time. Lone wolf.

In Hailongtun, Bozhou, the high-spirited Yang Yinglong summoned his civil and military officials to discuss the next step.

"Everyone, you all know what happened just now. The imperial court has dealt a cruel blow to us in Bozhou. This time it was only a few thousand troops from Guizhou, but it may not necessarily be how many in the future. The elite troops of the Ming court are strong. The generals are definitely rushing here, what can you do?" Yang Yinglong asked.

"Your Majesty, I still want to talk about the three strategies mentioned before. The first strategy is to invade Sichuan and shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. The middle strategy is to send troops out of Huguang to fight against the Ming Dynasty and buy time. The second strategy is to stick to Hailong. But although Hailong Tun is strong, it will be difficult for us to hold on if the Ming Dynasty attacks from all directions." Master Wang said.

"Master Wang, your scheme sounds like that, but master, don't think about it, how can I have so many soldiers and horses? If these tens of thousands of soldiers and horses stay in Bozhou, they will still have the fighting spirit to defend the homeland. If When they go far away, they are afraid that they will mutiny and go home," Yang Yinglong explained.

"Then we can't be trapped in the mountain city, right?" Master Wang still wants to fight for it.

"Master Wang, we can loot a few cities before the imperial army arrives and scare the Ming emperors and ministers. Qijiang City, for example, is a good place." Yang Yinglong said.

(End of this chapter)