Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 631: Father-in-law and Son-in-law Are One

In the Qianqing Palace, a conversation between the father-in-law and the son-in-law is in progress.

Zhu Youtang looked at Zhang Luan with admiration, and then expressed his feelings: "The Empress Dowager is really a caring person. She also cares about the military affairs in the northwest... She also asked my father-in-law to recommend a capable person to assist me. In this case, father-in-law, just recommend someone. As long as you think he is almost capable, I can use him."

After hearing this, Huai En finally felt relieved.

It will be pointless if you, Zhang Luan, keep pretending here.

The emperor has already said so, so why don't you just "randomly" recommend one? That would give those Confucian officials an excuse, right?
Unexpectedly, Zhang Luan continued to shake his head: "I don't have a suitable candidate."

Zhu Youtang had a somewhat disappointed look on his face, as if he thought that even his resourceful father-in-law didn't have anyone he liked, so he didn't know who to use.

Huai En said tentatively: "Your Majesty, how about we just follow what we discussed before..."

Zhu Youtang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Father-in-law, Huai Daban said that you should personally lead the troops to the northwest and complete this mission. What do you think?"

After hearing this, Huai En and Zhang Luan became anxious at the same time.

What Huai En was thinking was, Your Majesty, how could you just sell me out?
Zhang Luan waved his hands in panic: "No, no, I absolutely cannot do this. Your Majesty, please withdraw your order. I do not have the ability to do so. Doing so will only bring chaos to the court."

"Father-in-law, I'm not asking you to go to the northwest to command the army. You are just responsible for escorting the grain and grass this time, just like the task that Tan Chang and Li Zisheng did before. Is that not okay?"

Zhu Youtang looked puzzled.

I've already begged you so much, are you so disrespectful to me?
Huai En felt at peace.

The emperor is speaking to you so earnestly, why don’t you agree quickly?

If it were someone else, being sent by the emperor to the northwest to command the army, even if it was just a formality, would allow him to accumulate a high enough reputation in the army.

No matter who it is, there is no reason to refuse, right?

Unexpectedly, Zhang Luan declined again: "I really can't do it."

"But……"

Zhu Youtang was in a dilemma. "Father-in-law, you neither lead the troops yourself nor recommend anyone. What should I do now?"

Zhang Luan asked, "Aren't you going to recommend a military hero to lead the troops? Why did this fall on me... I am a civil servant, I am not good at marching and deploying troops!"

Zhu Youtang glanced at Huai En, and then said, "It was said by Huai Daban that the military in the northwest should be led by civil officials, and the military meritorious service should just follow their orders. Now there is a shortage of general military affairs in the three borders, and I don't know whether I should send such a civil official to the northwest border to take charge."

"Oh."

Zhang Luan finally understood, and then said firmly, "I am definitely not qualified for such a task, but if you really need a civil official to lead the army, didn't Your Majesty send one before?"

Zhu Youtang and Huai En looked at Zhang Luan curiously at the same time.

Zhu Youtang asked, "I wonder what my father-in-law is talking about...?"

"Li Zisheng."

Zhang Luan said as a matter of course, "He is responsible for escorting cloth and military uniforms to the northwest. Now that we need to send another person to escort food and fodder, these two things can actually be put together."

Zhu Youtang did not make any comment after hearing this.

Huai En quickly said, "Zhang Guozhang, this is impossible."

Zhang Luan asked curiously, "Why not? Eunuch Huai, didn't you ask me to recommend someone? I thought you were supposed to recommend meritorious officials and military generals, so I didn't have anything good to recommend.

"I don't have any ideas about the civil officials. But since we have to find someone to make up the numbers, I just mentioned it casually... If it really doesn't work, I won't force it."

Zhu Youtang thought about it carefully, looked at Huai En and asked, "Huai Daban, you think Li Zisheng is not good enough, right?"

"This……"

Huai En shook his head and smiled bitterly.

He was originally waiting for Zhang Luan to recommend Zhu Yong, Zhang Mao, or those who were close to him or had given him gifts, so as to give Zhang Luan a pretext to have an affair with a military official.

Or he could instigate Zhang Luan to go in person and temporarily transfer him away from the capital. On the one hand, this would prevent him from staying in the capital to cause trouble, and on the other hand, it would allow Zhang Luan, who knew nothing about military affairs, to make a fool of himself in the northwest.

It turned out that Zhang Luan was even more "ignorant" than he had imagined, and actually recommended Li Zisheng, who was even more out of touch than him?
It seems that Huai En's conspiracy succeeded, but he felt that... if I also agreed with the candidate recommended by Zhang Luan, I would be making a joke of the Ming Dynasty.

Huai En calmed down and asked, "Zhang Guozhang, why do you think Li Zisheng is suitable to lead the army?"

"I didn't say he was fit to lead troops!"

Zhang Luan seemed puzzled. "I originally said that we should send meritorious military officials to the northwest to complete the task of escorting grain and grass. But since you said that we must send a civil official, I would like to remind you that Li Zisheng and Qin Chang went to the northwest before. They should have passed Datong Town by now, right? One of them is a civil official, and the other is a eunuch. If we add a military official... then we will have all the personnel, right?"

"you……"

Huai En was speechless for a moment.

Zhu Youtang's eyes lit up, and he nodded and said, "Huai Daban, I think what my father-in-law said makes some sense."

"Your Majesty, no, absolutely not!"

Huai En quickly dissuaded him.

Zhu Youtang raised his hand: "I know what you are worried about... You are afraid that Li Zisheng and Qin Chang are not up to the task, right? Actually, it's okay.

"Even if we don't send someone to lead the troops, this batch of grain and grass still needs someone to escort it. Why not select a meritorious general to lead the troops to escort the grain and grass? Once we get to the northwest, we can let Li Zisheng and Qin Chang act according to circumstances and work together to prevent foreign invasions. What's wrong with that?"

"No."

Huai En's attitude was extremely firm.

Zhu Youtang looked at Huai En with a surprised look, and after a while he said: "But... Huai Daban, you clearly said before that things should not be expanded, otherwise the court would not be able to afford the expenses of transferring soldiers from the northwest. "I think if we really want to minimize the expenses, we have to recruit troops from the northwest and fight a possible war based on the soldiers from the northwest, right?"

"I……"

Huai En suddenly discovered that this father-in-law and son-in-law really had the same ideas in some aspects.

He's almost getting depressed!
"Since all the soldiers and generals are from the northwest, and Li Zisheng and Qin Chang have already gone ahead, isn't it good to let them take up a local official position and recruit them locally?"

Zhu Youtang said, "As for the capital, send people to deliver food and grass. If we really encounter the Tatars, we will fight them with great fanfare. If we don't... we will just go through the motions... In this way, the Beijing camp won't have to withdraw too many troops and can complete the mission smoothly. I think this is the best way."

Huai En was stunned and speechless.

Zhu Youtang and Zhang Luan smiled at each other and happily agreed on the military tactics they thought were appropriate in the northwest.

……

……

After Zhang Luan left the palace, Huai'en came to his senses and quickly raised his objections to Zhu Youtang.

"Your Majesty, it is impossible for Li Zi to be the commander of the Northwest Military Town. Firstly, this person has no experience in commanding an army before, and secondly, he is not a member of the imperial examination system, so it is difficult for him to convince the public. When it comes to the use of troops, the prestige of the commander must be guaranteed."

Huai En's feelings are sincere and authentic.

Zhu Youtang asked: "Huai Daban, your opinion is reasonable, but why don't you raise it in front of your father-in-law when he is here?"

Huai En was speechless for a moment.

Zhang Luan was here just now, and no matter what the father-in-law and son-in-law talked about, they seemed so harmonious.

One said it, and the other expressed his agreement right beside him, the only difference between them was breathing out of the same nostril.

At that time, I was almost mad at you, so how could I have the mind to object?
Even if I want to object, I have to wait until Zhang Luan leaves. That way, I can express my views without anyone making excuses.

Unfortunately, Zhu Youtang had already made up his mind. He smiled and said to Huai En: "The court wants to send troops to escort food and grass, and also wants to make some achievements in the northwest military affairs to deter the Tatar invaders. At the same time, it cannot withdraw too many troops from the Beijing camp to waste money and food. These prerequisites are too difficult to achieve.

"Otomo, don't you think your father-in-law's suggestion is a good one? If we do this, wouldn't it be a perfect solution to overcome the difficulties you mentioned earlier?"

Huai En felt even more speechless.

I thought to myself, the point of raising so many questions in the first place was to prevent Zhang Luan from accomplishing his goal.

Who knew that the shells fired at that time would eventually fall on my head?

Zhang Luan actually found a solution in an almost "weird" way?

It's really unexpected.

"Then... Your Majesty, how about waiting for tomorrow's court meeting to hear the opinions of the ministers?"

Wynn asked tentatively.

At this time, Huai En already felt that it was difficult for him to oppose Zhang Luan's suggestion.

After all, as an eunuch, he needs to keep in step with the emperor at all times. Seeing that the emperor and his relatives are so close that they are almost wearing the same pants, all he thinks is, if I can't object, then let the court officials oppose it for me.

Zhu Youtang unexpectedly waved his hand: "No need."

Huai En's eyes widened, and he asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, if you directly issue an edict to appoint someone without asking the ministers' opinions, it will be easy to be criticized by the world if something goes wrong.

"Even Zhang Guozhang knows that this is your first major military operation since you ascended the throne. You should be even more cautious in this situation."

Zhu Youtang asked: "Huai Daban, if we just want to find someone to escort the grain to the northwest, do we have to discuss it openly at the court meeting?"

"This one……"

Huai En didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Just tell me."

After saying this, Zhu Youtang looked straight into Huai'en's eyes.

Huai En could no longer evade the question, so he could only say, "If we just want to send someone to escort the grain, there is indeed no need to discuss it at the court meeting, but the problem is that this involves sending troops to the northwest, so we have to..."

Zhu Youtang interrupted Huai En and said with a smile, "How could such a coincidence happen? Sending people to escort food and cloth to the northwest, and just happened to encounter the Tatars' invading troops somewhere, and then a war broke out? How can this be like the plot in the book? It is impossible to happen in reality!

"Even if there are invading enemies, I think they should be a small group of foreigners. Knowing that the Ming soldiers are well prepared, they will retreat in the face of difficulties, right?"

Huai En smiled bitterly and asked, "So your majesty means that this time it is just..."

"Yes."

Zhu Youtang nodded decisively, interrupting Huai En again and saying, "Using troops in the northwest is more to show my attitude. When my father was alive, he was very concerned about using troops in the northwest. I am just inheriting my father's will, but I don't want to engage in war. After all, the court's economy can't stand the tossing now.

"So, you don't have to worry about being pregnant with Daitomo."

Huai En finally gave up all his thoughts of dissuading him, and asked calmly, "Which meritorious official or general should lead the troops to the northwest to cooperate with Li Zisheng and Tan Chang?"

Zhu Youtang said as a matter of course: "Didn't my father-in-law say that? He will go back and think about it. When he has an idea, he will notify us.

"I will ask my wife to go to Zhang's house later to urge them to send out the decree tonight... That's it!"

Huai En's face looked so ugly.

I was thinking, is it because I am seriously ill and His Majesty doesn't want me to work too hard, so he doesn't discuss anything with me now?
Why did Zhang Laizhan's outrageous proposal receive such great recognition from the emperor?
What a shame!
(End of this chapter)