My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 111: A bit too radical (more!)

When Su Ze came out of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhongshu Sheren Xia Wei lowered his voice and said, "Hanlin Su, Lord Zhang invites you to come over to his house for a chat tonight."

"Huh? That's not appropriate."

Su Ze decisively refused. It was not because he didn't want to give Zhang Juzheng face, but because he had to abide by the rules of officialdom.

He has already sided with Gao Gong, and this is already known to everyone in the capital. If he goes to Zhang Juzheng again at this time, wouldn't he be a slave of three surnames?

No promising official would do such a thing.

Xia Wei was obviously conveying a message to Zhang Juzheng. He said:

"Lord Zhang said he had already discussed this with Lord Gao, and Lord Gao already knew about it."

?

Seeing that Su Ze was still hesitating, Xia Wei lowered his voice and said, "It's about the survey of Liao."

Su Ze understood now.

Zhang Juzheng wanted to overthrow the King of Liao, so he invited Su Ze, who had experience in overthrowing vassal states, to his house to discuss the matter.

In order to overthrow the Liao Dynasty, Zhang Juzheng asked Gao Gong to "borrow" Su Ze as his advisor, and Gao Gong agreed.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng had no choice. This time, borrowing Su Ze made him owe Gao Gong a "favor".

It is normal for ministers to exchange interests, but favors are the most precious.

I owe Gao Gong a favor today, and I have to repay it somewhere else.

There is no way, because in the whole court, Su Ze is the only one who has experience in overthrowing the feudal lords!
The last person with experience in overthrowing the feudal lords was Wang Yangming, who led troops to pacify Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao.

Mr. Yangming has passed away, and Zhang Juzheng has no way to discuss things with him!
Since Zhang Juzheng had done so much, Su Ze naturally couldn't refuse and had to agree.
-
Su Ze returned to the History Museum, but found that Shen Yikuan, who came here to report on time every day, was not there.

Luo Wanhua said:
"Brother Zilin submitted a petition to open the port of Denglai, which made Brother Jianwu a little unhappy."

Su Ze understood what Luo Wanhua meant.

Shen Yikuan was from Ningbo and had personally experienced the Japanese invasion. Many members of his family died in the invasion.

His family devoted themselves to the war against Japanese invaders, and his uncle Shen Mingchen also worked for the war.

Now Su Ze proposed to open a port in Denglai and reopen trade with Japan, so Shen Yikuan naturally had some concerns.

Politics is like this. Even within the same political faction, people will have different ideas due to different experiences.

Any national policy will affect the interests of some people.

Su Ze also didn't want to lose his friend Shen Yi Guan, so he said, "Today, I'm off from office. Brother Yifu, please accompany me to visit Brother Jianwu. I want to explain the pros and cons to him in person."

Luo Wanhua also nodded. As a mutual friend of the two, he didn't want Su Ze and Shen Yikuan to have a falling out over this matter.

After finally getting off work, Su Ze and Luo Wanhua came to Shen Yiquan's house with gifts.

Hearing a knock on the door, Shen Yikuan opened it and was slightly stunned when he saw Luo Wanhua and Su Ze.

"Husband?"

Hearing the sudden silence at the door, Shen Yiquan's wife came out of the house, only to see her husband standing at the door.

Shen Yiquan's wife, Mrs. Du, had just moved to the capital from her hometown. When she moved into her new home, she also met Su Ze and Luo Wanhua. Seeing that they were her husband's colleagues, she hurriedly invited them in.

After setting up the banquet, Mrs. Du noticed that her husband was in a bad mood, so she hurriedly left the table, leaving the three of them to talk.

Luo Wanhua was sitting at the table, with the silent Shen Yikuan on his left and Su Ze who was only focused on eating on his right. Sandwiched in the middle, Luo Wanhua could only try to liven up the atmosphere.

Poor Luo Dazhuangyuan, who was not good at speaking, had to force himself to say:

"Brother Jianwu, has Taihong found a tutor in the capital?"

Luo Wanhua was referring to Shen Yikuan’s son Shen Taihong.

Shen Yikuan is 32 years old this year, which is considered young among the Jinshi, but his eldest son is even more powerful.

Shen Taihong is thirteen years old this year and has already passed the county examination and become a scholar.

Shen Taihong also came to the capital with Du. Next year, as the son of an official in Beijing, he will take part in the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture.

So these days Shen Yi has been asking people to find a suitable teacher.

Speaking of his son, Shen Yikuan gradually opened up, but Su Ze remained silent.

This time, it was Shen Yi Guan who couldn't help himself. He asked Su Ze:

"Brother Zilin, you came to my house without saying a word. Do you look down on me?"

Su Ze stood up, bowed to Shen Yi Guan and said:
"I failed to consult with Brother Jianwu before submitting this petition. This is my fault. I apologize to Brother Jianwu."

Su Ze came up and apologized, and Shen Yikuan was no longer able to lose his temper.

After drinking a little wine, he said:

"I'm not angry about this. Brother Zilin submitted a memorial, so naturally, you don't need to say anything to me. But the Japanese are ambitious and want to open up trade with Denglai. I'm afraid of a repeat of the tragedy of the Ningbo tribute dispute. If Brother Zilin is impeached by the censors, what will I do then?"

Hearing Shen Yikuan say this, Su Ze knew that he was really thinking about him.

Su Ze said frankly:
"Brother Zilin, what do you think of me?"

Shen Yiquan turned his head and Su Ze said:

"In the 34th year of the Jiajing reign, Japanese pirates reached the city of Yingtian and plundered the two prefectures of Suzhou and Songjiang. I was very young at the time, but the story still circulates in Suzhou City to this day, and even children stop crying when they hear it."

When Shen Yikuan heard Su Ze talking about the Japanese rebellion, he turned his head.

In the 34th year of the Jiajing reign, less than a hundred Japanese pirates landed in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and looted the three provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu. They attacked more than 20 counties and cities including Hangzhou, Yan, Hui, Ning, and Taiping, and marched straight to the city of Nanjing, the capital, where they ran rampant for more than 80 days.

These dozens of Japanese pirates were naturally not supermen, but the southeastern region of the Ming Dynasty had been peaceful for a long time at that time, and they were frightened by these Japanese pirates. In addition, some bandits took the opportunity to cause chaos, causing huge losses to Jiangnan.

Su Ze's hometown, Suzhou Prefecture, was almost conquered by this group of Japanese pirates.

Su Ze said again:
"The imperial court spent countless resources to pacify the Japanese in the southeast, but only managed to repel them."

"Now that Japan is in civil strife, the ronin have been restrained, and the leader of the rebellion has been killed by Hu Butang, we have finally achieved peace. But Brother Jian, how long do you think this peace will last?"

Shen Yikuan was stunned.

This peace did not last long.

Today, Japan is in the so-called "Warring States Period", and various daimyo are fighting for supreme power.

Twenty-four years later, after unifying Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched the war of aggression against Korea.

As a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and in order to combat Toyotomi Hideyoshi's ambition to further invade the Central Plains, the Wanli Dynasty launched the War to Resist Japanese Invasion and Aid Korea.

And on the historical timeline before Su Ze traveled through time, it happened that Shen Yikuan was the chief minister of the cabinet and presided over this war.

This war ultimately resulted in a bitter victory for the Ming, but it also significantly weakened the Ming and contributed to the rise of the Jurchens. Later, the Tokugawa shogunate implemented a policy of isolation, leading to two centuries of stagnation. However, in modern times, Japan's ambitions expanded again after the Meiji Restoration, and the story is well known.

Su Ze proposed to trade in Denglai in order to absorb silver from Japan, but Su Ze had no good feelings towards Japan.

Su Ze said:

"Brother Jian, the Japanese are moving freely in Ming Dynasty. Besides the traitors leading the way, it's also because they are trading in Ming Dynasty and are familiar with its geography."

"Now I propose to open the Denglai Port, not only to allow Japanese ships to come, but also to allow Ming ships to go, so as to map the terrain of Japan and understand its mountains and rivers."

Shen Yikuan and Luo Wanhua were both dumbfounded.

Shen Yiguan said, "Brother Zilin, are you planning to conquer the Japanese?"

Su Ze stood up and said:
"Yes! Are we just going to let Japan plunder the Ming Dynasty and not fight back?"

"How can we sit idly by and watch the Japanese go to war? Are we going to wait until the Japanese have recovered and then launch another anti-Japanese war?"

Shen Yikuan was dumbfounded. He thought he was tough on Japan, but he didn't expect Su Ze to be so radical!
Shen Yi Guan, in turn, tried to persuade Su Ze and said:
"Brother Zilin, attacking Japan is not easy. The previous Yuanjue once crossed the sea to attack Japan and was defeated on Iki Island."

Shen Yikuan was talking about the Yuan Dynasty's attack on Japan. In that battle, the Mongolian army occupied Tsushima Island, but when attacking Iki Island, they encountered a rare strong wind. The Yuan army's warships were almost completely destroyed and finally retreated to the mainland.

The Japanese regarded this strong wind as a divine wind, and after that, neither the Yuan nor the Ming Dynasty attacked Japan again.

Su Ze said:

"The previous Yuan Dynasty's attack on Japan failed because of its inferior warships and weak navy. Opening a port at Denglai was also a way to train the navy, cultivate sailors familiar with the sea, and build larger and more stable ships."

"Of course, this won't happen overnight, but as long as maritime trade develops, huge ships will inevitably appear. Once the Ming Dynasty has thoroughly investigated the internal situation of Japan, we can invade Japan and completely put an end to the Japanese rebellion!"

Shen Yiquan was confused. Who was the radical?

But Su Ze was sincere in what he said, and Shen Yiquan didn't think that Su Ze would deceive him about this matter.

Does Su Ze really want to attack Japan?
Shen Yi Guan left the table and saluted Su Ze in shame:
"Brother Zilin, I misunderstood you. You were writing a letter to the emperor to offer advice on behalf of the country. I just couldn't understand your grand plan."

Su Ze quickly helped Shen Yi Guan up and said:
"It's my fault for not informing Brother Jianwu in advance. The conquest of Japan won't be accomplished in one or two years. It might take several years or even decades. Maybe we have to wait until Brother Jianwu enters the cabinet before it can be realized!"

Shen Yi Guan thought Su Ze was joking and said:

"Brother Zilin is teasing me. With my performance in the imperial examinations, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to enter the cabinet in this lifetime."

"When Brother Zilin and Brother Yifu enter the cabinet, it will be enough for them to recommend me to be a Nine Ministers!"

Su Ze just smiled mysteriously, and the atmosphere of the banquet gradually became cheerful.

However, Shen Yikuan did not know that in the historical timeline before Su Ze traveled through time, the top scholar Luo Wanhua failed to enter the cabinet and his official career ended at the Minister of Rites.

However, Shen Yikuan entered the cabinet and served as the chief minister.

However, the cabinet of the Wanli Dynasty was a difficult matter to describe. After Shen Yikuan entered the cabinet, he wanted to run away every now and then, and was later described as a treacherous prime minister by the Donglin Party.
-
After leaving Shen Yikuan's residence, Su Ze rushed to Zhang Juzheng's residence.

Compared with Gao Gong's mansion, Zhang Juzheng's mansion is much more magnificent.

Of course, some unofficial histories in later generations said that Zhang Juzheng had to ride in a sedan chair carried by eight people when he went out, and had a wet nurse at home to squeeze milk for him. These were all fabricated by Zhang Juzheng's enemy, the writer Wang Shizhen.

However, Zhang Juzheng did pay more attention to the quality of life than the impoverished Gao Gong, and his aura was the strongest among the four people in the cabinet.

The one who greeted Su Ze at the gate of Zhang's mansion was Zhang Juzheng's son Zhang Jingxiu.

The Zhang family also had strict rules. Facing the distinguished guest assigned by his father, Zhang Jingxiu respectfully brought Su Ze to Zhang Juzheng's study.

After Su Ze entered the study, Zhang Juzheng said to his son, "Jingxiu, you were able to take part in the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture thanks to Su Hanlin's memorial. You should thank Su Hanlin very much."

Zhang Jingxiu quickly saluted Su Ze. After Su Ze accepted the salute, Zhang Juzheng said:

"Hanlin Su is highly regarded by Lord Gao. He might even be the chief examiner for the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination next year. You might even be his disciple."

Hearing this, Su Ze broke out in a cold sweat.

After Zhang Juzheng's downfall, a lot of negative information was left behind. In addition to the fact that he had been in power for a long time and his reforms touched many interest groups, he himself did have some problems.

In addition to the love-stealing incident, the issue that Zhang Juzheng was attacked most by censors during his administration was the imperial examinations for his three sons.

Zhang Jingxiu and his younger brother Zhang Maoxiu took part in the imperial examination in the eighth year of Wanli's reign. They both passed the imperial examination and Zhang Maoxiu even won the top spot.

His second brother Zhang Sixiu even ranked second in the imperial examination in the fifth year of Wanli.

The prime minister has three sons in his family, three Jinshi in his family, and one top scorer and one second place in the imperial examination.

Not to mention the Ming Dynasty, even the modern times would be criticized to death!

As the Prime Minister, his good brother Shen Yikuan was much better. He suppressed his son Shen Taihong and did not let him take the imperial examination in order to avoid being attacked by the censors.

Su Ze suddenly felt that Gao Gong asking him to preside over the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination next year was a hot potato.

Fortunately, Zhang Juzheng did not dwell on this matter too much. Perhaps for a cabinet minister like Zhang Juzheng, the provincial examination was not worth his excessive instructions.

After Zhang Jingxiu left, Zhang Juzheng said:
"I asked you to come here because of the matter of Kan Liao."

Zhang Juzheng didn't waste any words, but went straight to the point:
"Before leaving, Hong Chaoxuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, repeatedly advised that even if the King of Liao was guilty, his crimes did not warrant extermination. While in Beijing, he often defended the King of Liao."

"Your Majesty has appointed Hong Chaoxuan as the chief judge. If the King of Liao is allowed to escape, Jingzhou will be in turmoil."

"For the sake of the people of Jingzhou, Zhang must abolish the Liao vassal state just as Zilin abolished the Dai vassal state!"

Zhang Juzheng directly stated his demands, then looked at Su Ze and asked:

"Zilin has many ingenious ideas. What do you think about this?"

What do I think?
Haven't you already put Shen Shixing into the team to visit Liao?

Isn’t Deputy Envoy Shi Duchen also your man, Lord Zhang?

It seems that Zhang Ge Lao not only wants to judge the King of Liao, but also wants to abolish the entire Liao vassal state.

Su Ze naturally agreed with the abolition of feudal fiefdoms. He said:
"The Liao vassal state in Jingzhou has committed many crimes. Eliminating the Liao vassal state is beneficial to the country and the people. I naturally support this."

"The King of Liao has committed many evil deeds. Just wait for him to die!"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Su Ze, but Su Ze still had an attitude that "the King of Liao will be punished by heaven". Zhang Juzheng thought that Su Ze did not understand the King of Liao either.

Zhang Juzheng laughed at himself, thinking that he was too eager to get rid of the Liao vassal state and actually placed all his hopes on Su Ze.

No matter how great Su Ze was, he was only the Zuo Zhongyun of the Zhanshi Mansion.

Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "When the Liao vassal state case is discussed, Zilin will write a letter to Your Majesty requesting the abolition of the Liao vassal state."

Su Ze said righteously:

"Don't worry, Lord Zhang. Even if you don't tell me to do so, I would still advocate abolishing the Liao clan!"

(End of this chapter)