Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 841 Harmful
The morning court session has ended.

The three cabinet ministers, Xu Pu, Liu Jian, and Xu Qiong, along with Yu Zijun, Minister of War, Li Min, Minister of Revenue, and Ma Wensheng, Left Censor-in-Chief, a total of six people, were summoned by Emperor Zhu Youcheng to the Qianqing Palace.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was represented by Qin Chang and Li Rong.

Zhu Youcheng had someone pass around Wang Yue's petition for going on a military expedition to the people present.

Although the group did not know in advance that Wang Yue was going to send troops, based on their understanding of Wang Yue's character, they could guess that the former Earl of Weining was unlikely to stay in the Hetao region and would definitely take the initiative to attack... They just did not expect Wang Yue's attitude to be so resolute.

On one hand, he demanded money and grain from the imperial court, complaining loudly that the northwest was a harsh and cold place where everything was lacking. On the other hand, he turned around and led his troops into battle in the freezing weather.
If we're talking about playing games, Wang Weining is truly impressive. He's treating the emperor and his officials like monkeys.

"His Majesty."

Xu Pu, representing the civil officials, advised, "Has Wang Yue taken the initiative to send troops? If he leads his troops in a long march without regard for the consequences, and is trapped, I fear that other forces will be unable to come to his aid, resulting in a major defeat. We should take precautions as soon as possible."

The army has already crossed the Yellow River and is now traversing the Yinshan Mountains. Moreover, the young emperor's original plan was to send troops to the grasslands, so blaming Wang Yue now would be of no use.

Since the emperor appointed Wang Yue as the commander-in-chief of the three border regions, he had certain authority to mobilize troops. Moreover, Wang Yue only sent troops because the Tatars had repeatedly invaded and threatened the peace of the Hetao region and the Ming border, and because there were repeated alarms from Ningxia and other places. The reasons were actually quite valid.

It is the generals on the frontiers of the Ming Dynasty who, when faced with an enemy invasion, fail to take the initiative to attack; that is truly worthy of criticism.

Zhu Youcheng said, "I told Wang Yue that if there is an enemy situation, he can act as he sees fit. After all, I am not a coward, and I have the will and determination to resist foreign aggression and even pacify the barbarians. However, before he left the capital, I told him to assess the situation and act according to his capabilities, but in the end... alas, he acted too rashly!"

The emperor's single word, "reckless," essentially defined Wang Yue's behavior.

This guy is unreliable!
His abilities were outstanding, and his prestige in the Ming army was unmatched.

However, regarding the matter of sending troops, the emperor did not grant permission; it was more of Wang Yue's personal action and had nothing to do with others.

Xu Pu said, "Previously, Wang Shichang petitioned the court to allocate funds and provisions, but I heard that the Ministry of Revenue was raising the funds and had not yet issued any to Yansui. Since the funds and provisions for the three border regions are insufficient, how did Wang Shichang have the courage to launch an expedition?"

Zhu Youcheng did not answer this time.

Qin Chang, who was standing next to him, explained: "The situation is like this: Zhang Luan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, worked with the Ministry of Revenue and border towns such as Datong and Xuanfu to raise funds, and also transferred a batch of money and grain from the Imperial Treasury. In total, they raised money and grain worth 400,000 taels of silver and transferred it to Yansui."

"Although about half of the supplies have not yet arrived, Wang Shichang is very likely to... first allocate the winter provisions from the three key towns along the border, and then replenish them as they arrive. This way, he can barely scrape together enough provisions and pay for the troops to go out."

Xu Pu turned to look at Li Min, the Minister of Revenue, and asked, "Minister Li, how much grain has the Ministry of Revenue allocated?"

Upon hearing this, Li Min's heart pounded with anxiety.

I allocate funds according to the established procedures.

The Ministry of Revenue has reviewed every single expense of the nine border regions before the imperial court. Aren't you just asking a question you already know the answer to?

"The Ministry of Revenue allocated approximately... the value of money and grain from Taicang is around forty to fifty thousand taels of silver," Li Min said cautiously.

Qin Chang asked curiously, "The forty or fifty thousand taels of money and grain that Minister Li mentioned, is it the portion that was previously transferred to Jizhou and Liaodong? This winter, even Xuanfu and Datong did not receive the money and grain allocated by the court. Only Jizhou and Liaodong had a batch transferred from Taicang in advance for emergency repairs of the city walls."

Xu Pu looked Li Min up and down, as if asking, "Is that how it is?"

Li Min nodded: "What Eunuch Qin said is true, it is indeed that stroke."

Xu Pu asked, puzzled, "Since the Ministry of Revenue did not allocate any funds or grain to Yansui, how did the court manage to send nearly 400,000 taels of silver worth of funds and grain to Wang Shichang? Could there be some... unclear accounts involved? The court should send someone to audit it!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Chang frowned immediately and demanded, "Grand Secretary Xu, what do you mean by that? The money and grain transferred to Yansui, before even passing through the Ministry of Revenue, still need to be audited by the imperial court? Are you saying that someone is trying to embezzle this money and grain? I advise you to give up this idea; it won't work!"

The discussion was originally going well, focusing on strategies to deal with Wang Yue's military campaign, but it may have been because the amount of money and provisions secretly allocated by the emperor was too large, which aroused the suspicion of the civil officials...

Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's private treasury was usually controlled by the Ministry of Revenue. Even something as simple as repairing a palace required funds from the treasury, and all accounts had to go through the central government's records.

As a result, the Hongzhi Emperor's transfer of nearly 400,000 taels of silver worth of money, grain, and supplies to the northwest was not approved by the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet.
How wealthy must the royal family be now?
After all, previous Yellow River diversion projects were completed by the emperor himself, who had to find people to raise money and supplies.

These two expenses, while not astronomical compared to the annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty, are definitely not wealth that should be privately owned.

Once the emperor had private wealth, he was no longer subject to the control of the court officials in his actions.

At this point, the ministers could argue with the emperor, citing his plundering of the people's wealth and his competition with them for profit, and persuade him to abandon the profitable projects and return them to the people...

This was also the most troublesome thing for the Ming emperors.

Because the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were generally poor and had weak control over finances, and because the Ming Dynasty had to support too many princes, a large amount of tax revenue was spent on supporting the imperial family, resulting in a very serious financial situation for the Ming Dynasty throughout its history.

The prerequisite for the stability of a feudal dynasty is a full treasury.

If you're poor, you can't accomplish anything.

Moreover, in the ministers' view, it must not be that the emperor is wealthy, but that the imperial treasury is rich.

Xu Pu said confidently, "In matters of finance and taxation, accounts should be clear and orderly. How can we convince the public otherwise?"

Qin Chang shook his head and said, "Grand Secretary Xu, your request is too much! Since His Majesty ascended the throne, from the expenses of the inner palace to the transfer of money and grain in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, many times we have had to rely on the funds raised by Zhang Guozhang, whom His Majesty has appointed."

"From last year until now, Zhang Guozhang has raised money and grain many times, solving many urgent problems. Have you all forgotten? Throughout history, only emperors and imperial relatives have asked the court for help. When have we ever seen anyone as proactive as our Emperor?"
"Now that the war in the Northwest has begun, although the money and grain that His Majesty ordered to be raised has not reached the amount of 900,000 taels of silver that Wang Yue requested, it is basically enough for him to fight a war."

"His Majesty has already accomplished this much, what more do you want?"

Seeing that Zhu Youcheng on the throne looked displeased, Xu Pu had no choice but to change the subject, saying, "Winter is just around the corner. How can the army possibly fight deep into the grasslands?"
"The climate north and south of Yinshan is always unpredictable. Coupled with the unfamiliarity with the area, there is a high chance of losing one's way if caught in a blizzard... I ask the soldiers who went out to war, do they have any chance of returning alive?"

Qin Chang shrugged and said, "We'll have to ask that Vice Minister Wang... What gives him the confidence to lead troops straight into the heart of the grasslands at this time of year?"

Having said that, Qin Chang had already shifted most of the blame.

He first stated that the money and grain were raised by "Zhang Guozhang" (Zhang the Imperial Father-in-Law). If you think the accounts are incorrect or the emperor's purse is beyond your control, you should confront Zhang Laizhan and ask him where the money and grain came from, instead of making irresponsible remarks in front of the emperor and causing displeasure.

As for your opinion that the timing of the Northwest War was wrong, besides asking Wang Yue, you should still ask Zhang Laizhan! Because this war was orchestrated by Zhang Laizhan and his youngest son.

Who told them, father and son, to always do things differently, turning our originally docile and rule-abiding little emperor into this fearless and reckless person he is now?

The emperor was rich and powerful, with an inexhaustible amount of funds at his disposal, and he also possessed new firearms that looked incredibly formidable...

Add to that two ministers who were desperately trying to motivate him, one named Wang Yue and the other Zhang Yanling, both of whom were warmongers, and they led the emperor astray.

Xu Pu stated bluntly, "I believe that now that the troops have set out, we should coordinate and prepare defenses to prevent any unforeseen events. We must also issue an order that if the Tatars withdraw too far, the soldiers must not venture too far into the desert; they should stop at the appropriate point!"

Only then did Xu Pu explain the civil official's intentions.

We do not completely oppose Wang Yue sending troops.

Because we cannot be certain whether the Tatars truly threatened the stability of the Ming Dynasty's borders, or whether this was just Wang Yue's "crying wolf" ruse.

But since Wang Yue has already sent troops to boost the morale of the Ming Dynasty and the confidence of its soldiers, let him go.

But if the Tatars never even appeared near the Ming border, or if they ran too fast to be caught... then we should have Wang Yue withdraw his troops as soon as possible. This would fulfill our ideal of not fighting and stopping war, realize our idea of ​​raising an army and pacifying the people, allowing them to recuperate and let the Tatars fight amongst themselves while we sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Zhu Youcheng said, "I think Grand Secretary Xu's suggestion makes a lot of sense. Then you should discuss it and help me draft an imperial edict to withdraw the troops. Try not to make this public to avoid escalating the situation."

"I accept the decree!"

Xu Pu readily accepted the task. ...

……

Several ministers stayed in the Qianqing Palace temporarily to help draft an imperial edict ordering Wang Yue to withdraw his troops while he was ahead.

Zhu Youcheng was initially observing and listening to their discussion, but later found it too boring, so he left Qianqing Palace under the pretext of needing to urinate and temporarily moved to Kunning Palace.

Because Zhu Youcheng suddenly missed his wife and son.

He hadn't been out for long, and even though he was at home and not far away, he missed his wife and children terribly just because he couldn't see them for a moment. It was as if he missed them terribly even when they were face to face... Zhu Youcheng seemed not to want to leave his wife and children for even a moment... It was a deep affection that he had never felt before in his life.

It was also because Zhu Youcheng was extremely withdrawn that he felt very uncomfortable interacting with the ministers.

Often, he spoke less to his wife than to his wife in court… When he saw his wife, he always wanted her to feel his presence, chattering away incessantly. But in front of his ministers, he usually just stated his views on the matter at hand and did not take the initiative to start a conversation.

Meanwhile, Li Rong received an imperial decree to meet Zhang Luan.

This time, Zhang Luan was too lazy to return to the city and met him directly at a teahouse near his villa outside the city.

The simple tea stall was an ordinary breakfast shop in the morning, usually selling tea and snacks, a place for merchants and workers to rest and have a bite to eat. The tea it served was not of high quality, at least the kind that Li Rong found rather unappealing and didn't even bother to touch.

"Mr. Zhang, His Majesty has summoned his senior officials to a meeting in the palace again!" Li Rong leaned forward and whispered, "His Majesty's intention is still to withdraw the troops."

Zhang Luan asked, "Then, is the court aware of my memorial impeaching Wang Shichang?"

Li Rong shook his head and said, "The matter hasn't even been made public yet, so how could we possibly bring out your memorial impeaching me? Besides, if we announce it now, wouldn't that let the world know that... you were also involved in this matter?"

Zhang Luan waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's just sending out troops, yet it's become a top secret that can't be discussed... Sigh, Wang Shichang has really done a lot of harm!"
"Right now, everyone in the court is probably waiting to see him make a fool of himself..."

After a brief meeting, Li Rong took his leave, and Zhang Luan returned to his boudoir.

The emperor ordered Wang Yue not to advance rashly, but to know when to retreat and to ensure the safe return of the army should the weather change suddenly, especially if a blizzard was expected.

But in reality, extreme weather on the grasslands happens only a few times a year, and sometimes it's even common to not see it for several years.

Moreover, in Wang Yue's view, the severe weather affected not only the Ming army's expeditionary force, but also the grassland people who needed to protect their cattle and sheep...

After all, when the Ming soldiers marched into the grasslands, they were on a campaign and did not bring any valuables with them.

But the Tatars were different. Faced with the attack of the famous general Wang Yue, they had to actively fight back while also being careful to prevent their own losses. Most of them had no heart to fight, and in the end, the Ming side would only be able to win with overwhelming momentum.

Wang Yue certainly had this confidence.

After all, he had led his troops into battle in the snow and wind, and fought the famous Battle of Weininghai. He made full use of this point. The Tatars were unable to give up their wealth, women and children, which is why the Ming soldiers were able to pursue them and achieve a brilliant victory.

Therefore, no matter what orders the emperor gave him, he would not easily withdraw his troops.

Moreover, the imperial edict only instructed him not to act rashly, which was tantamount to the court acknowledging that his military action was "justifiable" and only hoping that he would not escalate the situation.

Even if the emperor really ordered him to withdraw his troops immediately, or else he would be beheaded, he would not obey.

Wang Yue was so obsessed with fame and fortune that he would never turn back even if he hit a brick wall. In his view, only military achievements on the battlefield could wipe away the humiliation of being stripped of his title and exiled. Only a glorious victory could make him a name in history.

……

……

In the following two days, the matter, which the emperor had initially kept from his ministers, became common knowledge.

Only then did the people of the capital realize that Wang Yue had only been sent to the Northwest for a few months, but he had already accomplished something big. He was now leading his troops into the grasslands to quell the Tartars.

The emperor had no interest in investigating who had leaked the information.

After all, if several ministers were summoned at once, and even the slightest hint from any of them were leaked, outsiders would magnify the matter infinitely...

Moreover, since Wang Yue was leading troops from Yansui on his expedition, various messages from the three border regions would naturally reach the capital through different channels.

It was only a matter of time before the government and the public learned the inside story.

Zhang Luan, who should have remained an outsider and even submitted a memorial impeaching Wang Yue to show that he was distancing himself from him and waiting to watch the show from the sidelines, suddenly became the target of public criticism.

Those in the court who did not support Wang Yue's military campaign vented their anger on Zhang Luan.

Who told you, Zhang Luan, to speak up for Wang Yue, restore his official position, and instigate him to go to the Northwest as the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Borders? It was you and your son who kept stirring up trouble behind the emperor's back, making him want to pacify the grasslands.

It's all your fault!

Zhang Luan was sitting at home, unaware of the criticisms leveled against him. It wasn't until Shen Lu came to see him and informed him that a group of people in the court had impeached him and Wang Yue together that Zhang Luan realized he had become a public enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

"Is no one going to speak up for me?"

Zhang Luan frowned and asked.

Shen Lu said, "If you don't go to the court to defend yourself, who will speak for you? Besides, before, didn't you join Xu Gong in finding people to jointly submit a memorial, reiterating many of your views, and even suggesting that His Majesty should inherit the late emperor's will, pacify the grasslands in one fell swoop, and solve the northern threat?"

Did I really say that?

Zhang Luan's eyes widened.

Shen Lu exclaimed in surprise, "You want to deny it? The memorial has already been submitted."

Zhang Luan said, "Did my memorial impeaching Wang Shichang reach the Emperor's ears? Has anyone brought this matter up? I am not very familiar with Wang Yue, and he has never consulted me before doing anything! I also strongly oppose his rash decision to send troops."

"it's useless."

Shen Lu shook his head and said, "Let alone the fact that no one is mentioning your impeachment of him now, even if they were, so what? As long as you recommended him, it's your fault!"
"But even I have to admit, how anxious must the prince be to send troops at this time? Couldn't he have waited? There were already many complaints in the court about his previous actions of sending troops to search for and garrison the area!"

Zhang Luan said, "I remember now. I think Wang Yue's decision to send troops to the Hetao region to restore order was not wrong in itself, but I did not say that I supported his decision to send troops to the grasslands in the dead of winter."

Shen Lu asked, "Then, Lai Zhan, will you go to the court assembly tomorrow to explain?"

"Forget it, forget it. Even if I had a mouth all over my body, I probably still couldn't explain it clearly!"

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, "Let him fight, I've accepted this! Do whatever you want! I recommended him, so even if his deployment was at my behest, so what? Who says Wang Weining can't achieve great things by leading troops to the grasslands? Is there anyone else in the world more suitable than him to lead troops to the grasslands?"

Shen Lu was also surprised to hear Zhang Luan's words.

So, Zhang Luan, this is how you deal with attacks from others?

They were still discussing how to deal with the criticism from the world, but they found that they couldn't explain it clearly, so they simply decided to go all out and stand on the opposite side of public opinion in the court.

Is this a way of carrying out the path that others see as treacherous and wicked?
Zhang Luan stood up and said, "Ru Xue, I won't see you off. I have to go back and submit a few more memorials, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of Wang Weining's expedition to the grasslands. I also need to find a way to raise funds for the court. War always requires money, right?"

I don't care at all what people think of me. At worst, I'll be scorned by the world!

(End of this chapter)