Zhongshan Palace.
"Wei Guogong, this time I invite you to fight with Ru Shangshu, and His Highness Taisun has agreed. As long as Wei Guogong exerts a little effort, he will definitely be able to serve as the commander-in-chief."
"Now Duke Liang has gone to Zhenla to handle matters for His Highness Taisun. I don't know how long it will take for him to come back. Now in our Fifth Army Commander's Mansion, you are the only one who has followed suit."
Zhu Shou was granted the title of Marquis of Shunshen in the 20th year of Hongwu's reign, and was the governor of the Chinese Army's Governor's Mansion.
Historically, he was implicated in the Lan Yu case until his death, but now he is naturally still alive and well because of Zhu Ying's relationship.
At this moment, he was persuading Wei Guogong Xu Huizu at the Zhongshan Palace.
Xu Huizu was the left governor of the Chinese Army Governor's Mansion, so he was naturally Zhu Shou's direct superior.
Hearing this, Xu Huizu, who was eight feet five inches tall, shook his head slightly and said, "How can I compare with Duke Liang, but I can really fight for it if I go to Tubo."
"But you also know that there are many talented people in His Highness Taisun's Military Academy now, and you may not choose me."
Xu Huizu naturally wanted to go. His title was hereditary and his merits were too little to convince the public.
Being able to become the Left Governor of the Central Military Governor's Mansion is because of the influence of my late father.
Apart from having some experience in military training, the only person who could claim credit was Aru Timur of Prince Yan's Mansion, who had other agendas and was captured and executed by him.
The power of the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army has fallen away, which is very different from the past. Except for Lan Yu and Taisun, who are familiar with each other, the rest of the people are very different.
"Don't say this, Duke Wei. Who doesn't know that His Highness Taisun is very fond of Concubine Jin and even gave birth to a son for Grandson. As long as Concubine Jin opens her mouth, who can compete for the position of commander." Zhu Shou said with a smile. . .
Xu Huizu nodded slightly.
The entire Xu family has always been proud of their sister's ability to marry their grandson.
Today's Xu Mansion can be said to be the top noble family in the Ming Dynasty, a true relative of the emperor.
The eldest sister Xu Yihua married King Yan, and the second sister became the acting princess.
For the Xu Mansion, the most important thing is the third sister Xu Miaojin. Although she is the grandson's concubine, in terms of status, she is much higher than the eldest sister and the second sister.
His Royal Highness Taisun's power is too high. In many aspects, he has even surpassed His Majesty, which is why people feel this way.
"Okay, I will find a solution for this matter. If I can go, I will take Zhu Qianshi with me." Xu Huizu promised.
Zhu Shou was overjoyed when he heard this. He stood up and cupped his hands and said, "I would like to thank Duke Wei in advance."
yard.
After Zhu Shou left, a person walked out of the room, wearing a silk robe. It was Xu Yingxu, the second brother of Xu Huizu.
"Brother, Tubo is far away and remote. It will make you exhausted. Why should you suffer this? Why not stay in the capital and enjoy it."
Xu Yingxu walked to the pavilion in the courtyard, took a drink of tea and said.
He had been eavesdropping in the house.
Xu Huizu shook his head and said: "Today is different from the past. Our Xu Mansion looks extremely noble, but you already know the actual situation."
"Taishun took charge of the military power and reformed military administration. Since the establishment of the Capital Military Academy, he has become even more majestic and no one dares to disobey him."
"The current position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army is extremely awkward. You can't get up, and you can't get down."
"Originally, according to the rules set by His Majesty, your position as Secretary Shangbao has to be promoted to a higher level. It will not be a problem to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army."
"However, the number of governors in the Central Military Governor's Office is not yet full, but the Ministry of Civil Affairs has no intention of passing it."
"I thought things would get better after Third Sister married His Highness, but in reality nothing has changed."
Shangbao Siqing is in charge of seals, talismans, and seals, and is a fifth-rank official.
For ordinary people, it is naturally out of reach. He is a real high official, but it is nothing to the Xu family, let alone Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan, is also a general. He is the second son of the Xu family, but he did this. What's going on with the name of a civil servant who is considered a sinecure?
Xu Yingxu didn't care.
"I think Mr. Shang Bao is pretty good. He doesn't have much to do on weekdays. He is very leisurely.
It's very comfortable to drink some wine and listen to some songs. "
"Brother, actually I think sometimes you think too much. If anyone in our Xu family doesn't get three points of thin noodles, why are we still fighting for it?"
"It's a good thing not to unite the troops, at least it won't cause fear."
Xu Huizu shook his head: "This has nothing to do with fear. It seems that my Xu family has received great favor, but in fact it has been gradually marginalized."
"The influence left by my father has been gradually exhausted. If our Xu Mansion no longer has military merit, we will only have the empty title of Wei Guogong."
"Don't think that hereditary will do anything. If our Xu Mansion has no effect on the court, then the title of Duke will only make the grandson think that he is a moth, wasting official money."
"A few days ago, it was rumored that the minister proposed to reduce the prince's honorary salary. Do you think it is groundless?"
Xu Yingxu couldn't help but reply: "Isn't this matter dismissed by His Majesty?"
Seeing that his second brother was very helpless, Xu Huizu had no choice but to tell: "Those officials have become much more at ease now since they banned the news."
"But even when he was at his most arrogant, there was no way he would say anything about this salary matter. He was not a fool. How could he offend people for no reason and not get any reputation at all?"
Xu Yingxu opened his eyes wide: "Brother, what do you mean to say, what happens after this..."
Xu Huizu waved his hand: "Just know it in your heart, there is no need to say it out loud."
"It's because of this that I'm worried."
Xu Huizu clearly remembered in his mind that the official came out at the court meeting and listed in detail the salaries of various nobles and princes. In total, there were hundreds of thousands of guan per month, which was nearly 2 million guan per year.
This is more than the entire Ming Dynasty's ministers put together.
The reason why it is so high is of course related to the Taisun's salary reform.
It's not high for a certain prince or nobleman alone, but when added together, it's a bit astonishing.
In fact, the salary is nothing. If the court only reduces the salary, no one will care.
Previously, the salary of the Duke of Wei in the Xu Mansion was five thousand dan, which was also the highest among the Dukes. This was naturally due to Xu Da's contribution.
After the salary reform, which was equivalent to 25,000 guan of treasure money, rice and silk were no longer distributed.
However, these are small sums of money.
The bulk lies in fields and real estate.
Even though a lot of land was handed over to the grandson in the past few years, there are at least nearly a thousand acres of fertile land under the Xu Mansion.
Real estate is even more.
Nowadays, just talking about the rent of the shops in the capital, tens of thousands of treasure notes can be collected every month, and regardless of the business transactions in which Xu Mansion is involved, there are even more in this regard.
Even if they don't do anything, Xu Mansion conservatively estimates that its annual income is nearly one million dollars.
The reason why it is so high is naturally related to the current development of Ming Dynasty.
But Xu Huizu knew very well that these could be said to be accessories of power.
The Duke is the title holder, and the real power lies with his military governor Zuo.
Although it is not as majestic as before, it is only reflected in Taisun. Compared with other officials, it is not at the same level.
At least this makes Xu Huizu worthy of being a minister of various ministries.
This generation has no problem, but what about the next generation?
His Highness Taisun's current behavior is not as ruthless as His Majesty, but it is still cutting flesh with a blunt knife.
Let the nobles have more money and less power.
Regardless of whether it is other nobles or the Xu family, if they have no contribution to the court, it is no different from taking empty pay. Can they still maintain this huge wealth?
Historically, when a noble family declined and their wealth was swallowed up by others, it was nothing new.
Xu Yingxu may not care, but Xu Huizu, as the current leader of Xu Mansion, naturally has more things to consider.
"I will go to the palace tomorrow to see my third sister and ask for help from Tubo." Xu Huizu said with certainty.
Xu Yingxu spread his hands and said, "Brother, it's up to you to decide."
Xu Huizu looked at his useless second brother, feeling quite helpless.
Nay.
The fourth brother Xu Zengshou went to the Japanese country with King Zhu Di of Yan. It is estimated that this is similar to dividing the family. If there is no special permission in the future, it will probably be difficult to come back.
But that's fine, at least the Xu family can flourish in Japan.
.....
Timur's march into Tubo has been reported in the capital's newspaper.
Most people don't have much idea about Tubo, they only know that it is very far away.
As for who Timur is, it is even less clear.
But this does not prevent the people from being angry.
There was a lot of discussion in the taverns and teahouses.
"Where did the little brat dare to offend me? He drank too much horse urine and doesn't know who his father is."
"I guess I'm crazy because of poverty. Just like the barbarians of the past, I want to come to the Ming Dynasty to enjoy the autumn wind. But then again, where is Tubo? Why have I never heard of this place in the Ming Dynasty before?"
"Tubo is not small. I heard it is bigger than any of the chief ministers of the Ming Dynasty. However, the place is very poor. It is similar to Yunnan. They are all barbarians."
"Don't underestimate it. The newspaper said that there are 300,000 troops to be raised, and Bei Yuan has to be invited to send troops. It's probably going to be a big war."
If it were in the past, the people would naturally be very panicked when they heard the news of war.
Because it meant military service.
But it is completely different now. There is no worry about the current Ming Dynasty. Even Timur and Tubo will become their after-dinner talk.
Even though there are many more entertainment activities now than before, caring about national affairs is still the preference of many people.
No one would think that Timur's invasion of Tubo would have much impact on the Ming Dynasty.
Especially now that the capital can be said to be the ministers of all nations, the people have a very strong sense of belonging and pride in the Ming Dynasty.
Naturally, although the dispatch of troops has been announced, it will actually have to wait until next spring.
It's winter now.
Sending troops depends on the season. Generally speaking, small battles don't matter, while big battles are concentrated in the spring and autumn.
This is how it is described when troops are ordered in autumn on the battlefield.
Climate is very important to the army, not to mention places like Tubo where the temperature difference between day and night is huge.
Moreover, Tubo still has a very serious problem, which is altitude sickness.
The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang did not directly rule Tubo had a lot to do with altitude sickness.
After the original envoys entered Tubo, many people suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, with severe nausea and dizziness.
This is not to mention ordinary soldiers. In this case, survival is a problem let alone fighting.
When an army of 300,000 people passed by, it was also a screening process.
In fact, it would be good to have 200,000 soldiers unaffected, and the rest will basically serve as logistics.
Here, Wu Zang's guard post will be the main force.
At present, the candidates for the commander and general of the army have not yet been decided, but they will generally be young generals.
It is not suitable for people who are old to go to Tibet.
In the palace.
Xu Miaojin was squeezing Zhu Ying's shoulders.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" Zhu Ying asked, half lying down, squinting her eyes.
Xu Miaojin deliberately sent the palace maid away and took action herself. Zhu Ying knew that something must be wrong.
"Oh, I just want to give you a thumbs up. You've been working very hard these days." Xu Miaojin replied coquettishly.
Zhu Ying smiled and said, "I don't know you yet. Tell me quickly. If you don't tell me, you are not allowed to tell me."
Xu Miaojin had no choice but to say: "Well, my eldest brother came over yesterday and wanted me to ask you to agree to let him fight against Tibet."
Zhu Ying did not expect Xu Huizu to want to go to Tubo, which was not a good place.
"Tubo is far away and difficult, brother-in-law, are you sure you want to go? This is not a good job, why didn't you give me some advice?" Zhu Ying asked.
Xu Miaojin said: "I also want to persuade you, but it's a pity that my eldest brother should not
It's time to go, what can I do. "
As for the candidate to go to Tubo, Zhu Ying didn't care.
He said, "Okay, since my brother-in-law wants to go, then let's go."
Xu Miaojin didn't expect Zhu Ying to agree so happily.
The eldest brother told her a lot yesterday, especially about the Xu Mansion, which made Xu Miaojin feel that Zhu Ying was planning to target the nobles.
Now it seems that brother is thinking too much?
"Then I'll thank you on behalf of my eldest brother, hee hee." Xu Miaojin was very happy. After all, his eldest brother is his family member. It is certainly a good thing to be recognized by his grandson now.
In fact, Zhu Ying still has a lot of favorable impressions of the Xu family.
But Xu Huizu didn't think wrong, Zhu Ying was planning to attack the noble class.
I can't say that I am taking action, I just want to weaken their power to a certain extent, especially in the hereditary area.
There is no problem with hereditary inheritance, but it can only be a title, not a power.
Now that the seeds of capital have gradually blossomed, Zhu Ying does not want any large aristocratic families to emerge within the Ming Dynasty.
If you want more things, use your own ability to get them from outside.
For example, if there is a system similar to the Ming Ocean Trading Chamber of Commerce, there will naturally be no problem with this.
Recently, Zhu Ying has been thinking about driving all the current second-generation nobles of the Ming Dynasty outside.
Such as Nanyang, or places further away.
These words cannot be said clearly. Now the Ming Dynasty is economically prosperous and construction is extremely fast, especially in the capital and various prefectural cities.
Compared with the Ming Dynasty, other countries are simply barbaric places. Currently, most nobles and noble families send people to the sea to make money. In fact, there are very few direct descendants of their own families who have gone there.
For example, the Xu family, that is, Xu Zengshou had a good relationship with Zhu Di and ran away to the Japanese country.
If Xu Yingxu is placed in Nanyang, the Xu Mansion's influence on the court will be much weakened.
Zhu Ying suddenly thought that this was a good idea.
By sending the sons of the Xungui family overseas, their own influence in the Ming Dynasty was weakened.
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