As night falls, Hu Zongxian is in his mansion in the capital.
As the imperial court's triennial plan approaches, the minds of officials with connections in the imperial court gradually become more alive.
And he set his sights on Hu Zongxian, the Minister of Civil Affairs who had just taken office.
After all, their promotion and stay depended on the whims of Hu Zongxian, the "heavenly official". Therefore, they could not tolerate being careless.
For this reason, the threshold of Hu Zongxian's family was almost broken. There was an endless stream of officials visiting the house every day. The invitations for Hu Zongxian to come to the banquet alone were piled up as high as one person.
At this moment, in the study room.
Hu Zongxian was seizing this rare leisure time, sitting behind the desk and looking at the books in his hands intently.
'Dong dong dong' At this moment, there was a slight knock on the door.
Seeing this situation, Hu Zongxian put the books in his hands aside and said in a deep voice: "Come in!"
After the words fell, the door of the room was pushed open, and the housekeeper walked in with slight steps, leaned down, and reported respectfully: "Master... Master, someone else came to invite you to a banquet. Look..."
Before the butler finished speaking, Hu Zongxian waved his hand impatiently and said: "Okay, tell them that I am ill and will not participate in any banquets in the near future, and ask them not to send any more gifts." The invitation is here!”
After receiving Hu Zongxian's specific instructions, the butler immediately leaned down and respectfully responded: "Yes, sir, I'll do it now!"
After the housekeeper left, Hu Zongxian sighed helplessly and said with emotion: "I am among you, and you are among me. This is where everything goes wrong in the world!"
After finishing his emotion, Hu Zongxian couldn't help but think of the examination method mentioned by Jiajing when he met Jiajing alone.
"Well, I hope that by then, the examination method promoted by His Majesty can improve this situation as much as possible!"
After Hu Zongxian finished speaking, he picked up the books on the desk again and started browsing them without any distractions.
Hu Zongxian, as the official minister, naturally did not dare to neglect the imperial court's triennial plan. At the same time, he also wanted to do his part to prevent those with great talents from being buried.
Therefore, Hu Zongxian had prepared vaccinations for his subordinates early on, and used the official's performance, revealed talent, character, age, and competency as the evaluation criteria.
In the eyes of those subordinates, Hu Zongxian had just assumed the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and it coincided with the imperial court's triennial plan. Therefore, he must have attached great importance to this matter.
Youdao is the first ignition point for a new official to take office, and no one wants this irritation to burn to him.
Therefore, in recent times, except for Hu Zongxian, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, all officials of the Ministry of Personnel who have the right to participate in the assessment have chosen to thank guests behind closed doors.
Hu Zongxian's mere status as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was able to make most of the officials in the court feel as if they were walking on thin ice.
Not to mention, his teacher was Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet who had been in charge of the government for more than 20 years!
It can be said that if someone accidentally offends Hu Zongxian, it will be a trivial matter for him to have his official career cut off. The key point is that he may easily lose his life!
After all, with Hu Zongxian's current status, there are many people who want to flatter him.
At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps from outside, and then a knock on the door was heard.
Seeing this situation, Hu Zongxian couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and commanded: "Come in!"
After the words fell, there was only a "squeak" sound, and the door of the room was pushed open. Then, a servant walked in quickly, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Old... Master, someone is coming from the palace. We are waiting in the lobby right now!"
"It's already this time. Why did your Majesty send people here? Is it possible that he has something to give you?"
Hu Zongxian thought so, and a trace of doubt flashed across his face.
Then, Hu Zongxian suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, looked in the direction of the slave, and said: "Well, I understand, you go down!"
Seeing that his mission for this trip had been successfully completed, the slave had a look of relief on his face, lowered his head, and respectfully responded: "Yes, Master!"
After the servant left, Hu Zongxian slowly stood up from his seat and left the study.
…
When Hu Zongxian came to the hall where guests were entertained, he suddenly realized that the visitor was no stranger.
The person who came was none other than the old eunuch who came to convey the imperial edict when Hu Zongxian was still in Zhejiang and served as the governor of Zhejiang Province and the governor of Zhejiang Province.
At this moment, the old eunuch was still wearing red clothes as before, but the wrinkles on his face seemed to have increased a little.
Seeing Hu Zongxian's arrival, the old eunuch quickly put down the tea cup in his hand, stood up from his seat, bowed to Hu Zongxian and said, "I've met... I've met Mr. Hu Ge!"
Hearing this, Hu Zongxian nodded slightly to the old eunuch, then sat down on his own, smiling and greeting: "Father-in-law, there is no need to be so polite, we have known each other for a long time!"
When the old eunuch heard Hu Zongxian's words, he couldn't help but have a look of panic on his face.
If Hu Zongxian is still the governor-general of Zhejiang and the governor of Zhejiang, then he can still chat with Hu Zongxian as he did in the past.
But now, Hu Zongxian's identity has changed. He is not only the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, but also the cabinet minister, and is deeply trusted by His Majesty.
Now Hu Zongxian has become a person that the old eunuch needs to look up to. Therefore, he does not dare to talk to Hu Zongxian with his previous attitude.
Then, an awkward smile appeared on the old eunuch's face, and he responded with unusual respect: "Yes, yes!"
Hu Zongxian took in the expression on the old eunuch's face and shook his head imperceptibly. At this time, Hu Zongxian had no interest in continuing the conversation.
Then, Hu Zongxian turned his attention to the old eunuch and chose to go straight to the topic: "May I ask my father-in-law why he came here this time?"
The old eunuch heard Hu Zongxian's words and did not dare to hide anything. He immediately responded respectfully: "Mr. Hu Ge, please come with us to His Majesty's place. His Majesty has something to ask you!"
After hearing this, Hu Zongxian stood up from his seat, bowed his hands to the old eunuch, and then said, "Excuse me, father-in-law!"
Seeing this situation, the old eunuch quickly returned the courtesy to Hu Zongxian: "Mr. Hu Ge, there is no need to be so polite. We are just conveying a message for His Majesty!"
"Without further delay, let's set off now, so as not to make His Majesty wait in a hurry!"
"Um."
After that, Hu Zongxian was seen getting on the sedan that had been prepared and heading towards the direction of the Forbidden City.
…
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
At this moment, Jiajing was playing Go with Lu Fang for the first time in a long time, and chatting from time to time.
Hearing a 'click' sound, after Jiajing dropped the black chess piece in his hand onto the chessboard, he turned his gaze to Lu Fang and asked with interest.
"Oh, Lu Fang, are you telling me that in recent times, the officials who came to visit Hu Zongxian almost broke through the threshold of his home?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, she pondered for a long time, dropped the white chess piece in her hand onto the chessboard, and then answered.
"That's right, in a little while, the imperial court's triennial plan will begin. Every time this time comes, something will always happen in the imperial court!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, he dropped the black chess piece in his hand.
At this moment, the guiding eunuch stepped into the Qianqing Palace, leaned down, and reported respectfully: "Your Majesty, Hu Ge is here!"
After hearing the report from the guiding eunuch, Jiajing nodded and said: "Well, I understand, let him come in!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's specific instructions, the guiding eunuch did not stay for too long, but turned and left.
After that, Lu Fang was seen holding the white chess piece with her index finger. After thinking about it for a long time, she dropped the chess piece in her hand.
Shortly after the chess piece fell, Lu Fang's face was full of annoyance and she said to herself: "It's over, I shouldn't have taken this step!"
When Jiajing heard this, he turned his attention to the chessboard. The chess piece that Lu Fang had just dropped had inadvertently blocked the white chess piece's way of survival.
Jiajing naturally saw what Lu Fang was thinking, but he didn't point it out clearly.
Then, Jiajing raised his head, glanced at Lu Fang, and said with emotion: "You, you!"
When the words fell, Jiajing dropped the black chess piece in his hand, and the whole chess game came to an end, ending with Jiajing's victory.
Then, Jiajing waved his hand, and the eunuch waiting aside immediately stepped forward and carefully put the chessboard away.
Not long after, Hu Zongxian entered the Qianqing Palace under the guidance of the eunuch.
After Hu Zongxian entered the Palace of Qianqing, he subconsciously looked at Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair at the moment, and knelt down on the ground with a plop, and said in a deep voice: "I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live !”
When Jiajing heard this, he gently rubbed the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand. After looking at Hu Zongxian up and down, he said: "Well, get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, Hu Zongxian slowly stood up from the ground.
After that, Jiajing looked away from Hu Zongxian and joked with a smile: "Hu Zongxian, I heard that the officials who came to visit you recently almost broke the threshold of your home. Is this true?"
When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, he couldn't help but have a look of embarrassment on his face. After hesitating for a moment, he responded respectfully.
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. At present, the imperial court's triennial plan is about to come. Many officials have asked people to find low-level ministers to intercede, hoping to be able to show their favor."
"But Wei Chen has ordered that this assessment will be based on the official's performance, revealed talent, conduct, age, and competency as the evaluation criteria!"
When Jiajing heard Hu Zongxian's words, he nodded slightly, changed the topic, and then asked: "Hu Zongxian, it has been a while since you came to the capital from Zhejiang to work. How do you feel? Are you still used to it?"
When Hu Zongxian heard this, he immediately leaned down and responded without thinking: "Thanks to your Majesty's care, I am getting used to it!"
When Jiajing heard this, he nodded, then turned around, looked at the eunuch beside him, and said, "Come here, give me a seat!"
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, a eunuch came forward, prepared a seat for Hu Zongxian, and covered it with soft cushions.
"sit down!"
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty!"
When Hu Zongxian heard this, he didn't refuse and sat down on the seat. He sat upright and didn't dare to make the slightest move.
…
After that, Jiajing looked in the direction of Hu Zongxian and said seriously: "Before this, our Ming Dynasty had two major scourges, the Southern Japanese and the Northern Tartars. Now that the Japanese pirates in the south have been eliminated, I think it is time to The annihilation of the Tatars is on the agenda!"
When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, his face was full of shock. According to the emperor's intention, he should take action against An Dahan of the Tumote Department.
After all, the Gengxu Revolution that occurred in the 29th year of Jiajing was a slap in the face of Ming Dynasty and His Majesty.
"It seems that His Majesty is determined to go to war with Ada Khan!"
Just when Hu Zongxian was feeling so emotional, Jiajing ordered someone to bring a map, stood up from the dragon chair, and introduced the current situation to Hu Zongxian.
"Before this, the imperial court defeated Zhasak Tuhan who led an army of 30,000 to plunder in the suburbs of Jizhou, and captured him alive. Now, the left-wing Chahar tribe under his rule has been controlled by our Ming Dynasty !”
When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he confirmed to Jiajing: "Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, it was Yang Xuan, the governor of Jiliao, who led the army to defeat Tumaihan, right?"
Jiajing heard this, nodded, and then continued to add: "Well, that's right. In this battle, more than 26,000 enemies were wiped out, and more than 16,000 horses were captured, as well as countless cattle and sheep. !”
After that, Jiajing looked away from Hu Zongxian and asked: "Hu Zongxian, do you know why this battle went so smoothly?"
When Hu Zongxian heard this, he knew that Jiajing wanted to take the exam. After thinking about it for a long time, he answered cautiously.
"Your Majesty, according to the information we have received, the reason why this battle went so smoothly is because we firmly occupied the right time and place, set up an ambush in advance, and cooperated internally and externally, and we made calculations mentally and unintentionally, so we fought with Tumai. It's rare to be caught off guard!"
When Jiajing heard this, he waved his hand and signaled Hu Zongxian to continue.
After getting Jiajing's permission, Hu Zongxian continued: "The second reason is because of the power of weapons. I heard that in the Weapons Department, there is a new weapon called grenades, which is very powerful!"
"This new weapon was conceived by His Majesty. The entire grenade will be divided into two parts. The lower part is made of wood and is easy to throw, while the upper part is used to hold black powder, even in the grenade. There are also iron sand and even ceramic shards in it to increase its lethality!"
When Hu Zongxian said this, his face was full of admiration. He fell to the ground with a plop and said solemnly: "Your Majesty has thought ingeniously that even if Lu Ban is alive, it is difficult to reach him. Please accept this. bye!"
Jiajing seemed to take advantage of Hu Zongxian's flattery. He glanced at Hu Zongxian and said, "Well, get up!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Hu Zongxian got up from the ground, Jiajing continued the previous topic.
"Not long ago, the Ordnance Department successfully imitated a batch of flintlock muskets. This kind of weapon, whether in terms of range, power, or reliability, is far stronger than the old match ropes installed in the army. gun!"
"In addition, with the help of paper-cased bullets, the reloading speed has been greatly improved. It can be said that these new weapons played a major role in the imperial court's ability to capture Bozhou so quickly!"
When Hu Zongxian heard what Jiajing said, although he appeared very calm on the outside, there was already an uproar in his heart.
"According to His Majesty's wishes, the imperial court's attack on Bozhou is, firstly, to completely eradicate the Yang clan and implement the policy of returning natives to the local area, and secondly, to use Bozhou as a testing ground to test these new weapons?"
Afterwards, Hu Zongxian suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, organized his words, and then carefully asked Jiajing.
"We would like to ask Your Majesty, how do these new weapons, such as flintlock guns and paper bullets, perform on the battlefield?"
Jiajing took in the expression on Hu Zongxian's face, raised his eyebrows, and responded: "Feng Yue mentioned in his letter to me that these new weapons are not only powerful, but also quite practical!
When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment and then continued to add: "Currently, the Weapons Department has begun mass production of these weapons. I believe they will be installed in the Ming Dynasty's army soon."
When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, his face was filled with excitement that could not be concealed. He bowed his hands to Jiajing and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, with the help of these new weapons, in the future, my Ming Dynasty will fight with Anda Khan." In the war, we will definitely gain the upper hand!"
Then, Jiajing looked away from Hu Zongxian and asked: "Hu Aiqing, as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend to me?"
When Jiajing finished speaking, Hu Zongxian lowered his head and responded without thinking: "Your Majesty, Wei Chen does have suitable candidates. Wei Chen wants to recommend Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou to your Majesty!"
When Hu Zongxian said this, Jiajing could not respond, and continued: "Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou are generals who have followed Wei Chen through life and death for many years. They have strategies, are brave in battle, and are very good at using troops!"
"Qi Jiguang's army has strict military disciplines, enforces orders and prohibitions, and has extremely strong combat effectiveness. It is not inferior to the Nine-Border Frontier Army of the Ming Dynasty. And Yu Dayou created the chariot camp, which is a tactic specifically used to deal with cavalry!"
After patiently listening to the reasons given by Hu Zongxian, Jiajing nodded and gave instructions: "Well, since the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast have been completely wiped out, it would be overkill to keep these two people in Zhejiang! "
"I have decided to transfer them from Zhejiang to the capital to be responsible for full-time military training. They will lead the army to go out in the spring of next year. We will strive to complete their success in one battle and completely eradicate Anda Khan, a serious problem of our Ming Dynasty!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
When Hu Zongxian saw Jiajing agreeing to his proposal without hesitation, a hint of excitement flashed across his face. At this moment, he wished he could go out with the army next year.
After that, Jiajing's voice was heard: "Hu Zongxian, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and you will be responsible for the rest!"
"As for the formal war with Amada Khan, I will raise it in public at the next cabinet meeting!"
When Hu Zongxian heard this, he immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice: "I obey your Majesty's orders, and I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!"
After receiving Hu Zongxian's guarantee, Jiajing waved his hand and said: "Okay, it's getting late, let's do this for today!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will resign now!"
After Hu Zongxian finished speaking, he bowed to Jiajing and left the Qianqing Palace.
…
After Hu Zongxian left the Qianqing Palace, Jiajing turned around, looked at Lu Fang and asked: "By the way, Lu Fang, how is the printing of newspapers going on at the Information Agency recently?"
Lu Fang, who was on the side, heard Jiajing's words, immediately lowered her head and responded respectfully: "Your Majesty, everything is going well at the Information Office. The third issue of Daming Daily is already being printed in full swing. After a while, It will be officially released!"
"In addition, according to your previous instructions, the illustrations in those newspapers specifically for the common people have become more concise and interesting than before!"
Hearing this, Jiajing nodded and immediately gave instructions: "Well, good job, Lu Fang. In short, we must let the people know that the imperial court has decided to reduce taxes for one year."
When Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang leaned down and responded without thinking: "As you command, Your Majesty!"
Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Jiajing glanced over Lu Fang's body and continued to ask: "How is the imperial concubine's body recovering? What did the hospital say?"
After Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang recalled it for a long time before she cautiously said: "Your Majesty, the doctor at the Imperial Hospital said that the imperial concubine recovered well after giving birth, and she should be able to rest for a while. Recovered!"
After Jiajing learned the news from Lu Fang, he nodded and said with emotion: "Well, it seems that the day when I canonize her as queen is getting closer!"
As soon as Hu Zongxian left Qianqing Palace, he subconsciously raised his head and looked at the scenery in the distance.
The moon is like a bright pearl, hanging in the sky. The bright moonlight falls on the ground casually, and the occasional breeze blows by, making people feel more comfortable.
At this time, Hu Zongxian was in a daze looking at the scene in front of him. The words Jiajing had said before kept flashing in his mind like a slide.
"Unexpectedly, His Majesty has never forgotten the Gengxu Rebellion that occurred in the 29th year of Jiajing, and he is always thinking about revenge!"
"Now, our Ming Dynasty has a full treasury, a strong army and strong horses, and everyone is united. How can this battle be invincible?"
Afterwards, Hu Zongxian was seen subconsciously clenching his fists and speeding up his pace, heading towards the place where the sedan was parked in the distance. (End of chapter)
