As the governor of the Chinese Army Governor's Mansion, although Wu Xing did not have a title, he was still considered an important minister. Especially after Ren Li was imprisoned, there was no official seal officer in the military government, and he and Zhang Shi were the two governors in charge.
That idiot Zhang Shi could do nothing but fight for power and win people's hearts by relying on the name of the British government. Most of the affairs of the military government fell on Wu Xing.
Therefore, Wuxing was very busy during this period, and I had to be busy until late at night before returning home.
But today, when he returned to his mansion, he met an unexpected person.
"My lord?"
Although he had already received the report from his servant, when Wu Xing walked into the flower hall and saw Zhu Yi standing with her hands behind her hands, she still couldn't help but feel a little surprised on her face.
Wu Xing naturally knew something about the newly promoted Duke Cheng Guo. He was a legitimate son of a noble family and had a handsome appearance. However, he did not have the romantic habits of ordinary children from aristocratic families. Instead, he was skilled in bow and horse and outstanding in poetry and prose.
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and grew up in a wealthy family. He was well-educated in both civil and military affairs. He was married to a happy couple with two children and a well-matched family.
It can be said that if there was no battle at Yao'erling, the life of this prince could have been smooth and smooth, and he could have enjoyed a lifetime of wealth and glory, and a lifetime of freedom and reputation.
But even if Tumu was defeated and Chengguo's palace fell to the bottom, seeing that the lintel of the gate was not preserved, the Duke of the country who came from a noble family was not knocked down, but provoked the entire palace.
Over the past two years or so, the Duke's Palace, which was originally on the verge of collapse, actually came back to life in his hands. Not only did he get back the title and world certificate, but he also had the trust of the Holy Mother and the Queen. When Zhu Yong was here before, he was no less generous.
Especially a few days ago, he repelled the Jin Yiwei outside the Ren Mansion, and then took the risk to deliver the Ten Thousand People's Letter to the Ren family and protect the filial sons and grandsons of the Ren family. This not only demonstrated his kindness, but also made the noble military ministers We all see hope.
That is, from now on, these military ministers are no longer leaderless and can only be bullied by the bunch of civil servants.
From now on, it is their interests, and now there are people with enough weight in the court who can fight for them!
It can be said that although Zhu Yi's actions were to protect the Ren family, he received the approval of most of the military officials...
Wu Xing was naturally one of them. Therefore, when he saw Zhu Yi, although he was facing a man much younger than him, Wu Xing still saluted respectfully and said.
"The Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Army Governor's Office, Tongzhi Wuxing, has met Duke Cheng Guo!"
"Wu Tongzhi knows that there is no need to be polite. In terms of seniority, you should be my elder. When my father was here, you and I had a lot of contacts, so being so polite is out of character."
Zhu Yi turned around without any arrogance and returned the greeting.
This is actually the foundation of the Duke of Chengguo. As a top family among nobles, the military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty, whether they were officials in the military government or generals from various places, all had to deal with the Duke of Chengguo to one degree or another. .
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Although Wuxing had good relations with Duke Dingguo, he continued to visit Duke Chengguo at all times of the year.
Therefore, Zhu Yi is right to say this.
However, Wu Xing himself knew what the friendship was like, so naturally he would not be arrogant after being praised for a few words, but would speak modestly.
"The Duke of the country has resigned from office. When going back and forth, the etiquette must not be abolished!"
Seeing the other party's attitude, Zhu Yi did not insist on it. Wu Xing stepped from a small thousand household to a second-rank official in the military government, and almost became the most important military official among the nobles. , naturally it is not something you can get along with with some approachable gestures.
The two exchanged a few words, then sat down respectively. A servant served them refreshments, and then Wu Xing got straight to the point.
"The military government has been busy recently, and I haven't had time to congratulate the Duke in person on his restoration of the title. It's really rude. I originally thought that I would pay him a visit in person in a few days, but I never thought that the Duke would be the first to arrive at the official residence. Seriously. It makes the humble house shine."
"I just don't know it's so late. The Duke of Guo is here in a simple car, but what's the urgent matter?"
Wuxing's political vision can be seen in just one sentence. Although he said it casually, the fact that he said it so late and mentioned Qingcha Jiancong lightly showed that he already knew that Zhu Yi was coming. It's not just a simple visit, he must be here for something, and I'm afraid this matter is something that is difficult to announce to the outside world.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Yi raised his brows and looked at Wu Xing with a more serious look. He didn't show any pretense at all. After pondering for a moment, he took out a document from his sleeve and ordered someone to hand it over.
Wu Xing took the document and took a look, only to see that there was a list of names on it, involving a wide range of people, including twenty or thirty people, including not only ministers from the Chinese Army Governor's Office, but also ministers from other military offices and even the Beijing camp. Many of them have close friendships with him, and are even his old subordinates.
What shocked him even more was that half of them, especially the officials of third rank or above, had a slash across their names in ink handwriting.
Wu Xing suddenly looked up at Zhu Yi and said.
"Master, what is this?"
"Wu Tongzhi should know who the people on this list are, so I won't go into details. I came over here today and there is nothing else to do."
"I'm just thinking that the military ministers in the military government have always been in the same spirit as the nobles in the capital. Now that the civil society is prosperous and the military is weak, we should unite as one and do things well. Therefore, I came to talk to Wu Tongzhi to avoid any misunderstandings. …”
Zhu Yi smiled, put her hands on the armrests on both sides, and said.
Of course Wu Xing knew who these people were. He had been in the military government for so many years, so he was naturally very aware of many things.
There are many factions and complex relationships among the military ministers of the military government. Especially when the nobles headed by the British Duke control the military government, it is difficult to secure a position without background and backing.
Wu Xing himself caught up with a good time. When he arrived at the military mansion, he was still in the late Yongle period and was appreciated by Emperor Taizong, so he was not too involved with the nobles. Although he later had contacts with Duke Dingguo's mansion, he could barely be regarded as Duke Dingguo. However, in fact, since the Dingguo Palace has always been indifferent, the two parties prefer a cooperative relationship and have not established a strong relationship like other military ministers.
However, other ministers, especially the military ministers after Yongle, did not have such good luck. With the death of Emperor Taizong, the factional power of the nobles in the capital became increasingly clear. The two major princes, the Chengguo Palace and the British Palace, took turns. It becomes even more difficult for military officials and generals who hold the power of the military government to enter the military government and serve in the military government if they do not have a backer.
Therefore, for many generals, if they want to be promoted in the military, it is indispensable to join the sect of a certain noble person.
Among them, because of Zhang Fu's power and prestige, the most people invested in the British government. Naturally, the British government was willing to accept these people.
The more they accumulated, the more they accumulated, forming the overwhelming power of the British government.
However, this relationship is obviously unstable. With the death of Zhang Fu and the decline of the British government, these people will naturally waver.
Especially after Ren Li came to power, everyone originally felt that Ren Li and the British Duke were of the same origin. However, as time went by, they discovered that there was a vague barrier between the Marquis of Ningyuan and the British Duke. .
Wu Xing himself did not belong to the British government line, and naturally had nothing to do with it. However, many other military ministers were in a dilemma.
Many people still maintain close contacts with the British government, but privately, they have begun to interact with Ren Li.
The relationships in the military government are complicated. In addition to the mutual patronage between nobles and nobles, most of the military ministers also have various relationships.
For this kind of communication, nobles from all families are happy to see it happen. Even some nobles who don't deal with each other may have good friendships with their direct generals.
This relationship is very delicate. For nobles, if they want to maintain their influence for a long time, they cannot do everything right.
Many times, affairs in the military government must be resolved by the military ministers' own network of relationships. This mutual exclusivity between high-level nobles and the mutual interactions between middle and low-level generals intricately constitute the military government's structure. officialdom.
To put it bluntly, the noble mansion behind each military minister is like a needle in the sea. It is the background, support and deterrence. However, between the various military ministers, it is practical communication for specific work. The two do not conflict with each other, and their positions are complicated. Therefore, in many affairs, there is a lot of room for moving around, which is more conducive to the control of the military mansion by the nobles of each family.
Wu Xing was very aware of these things, but he couldn't stop them.
At the same time, because of his qualifications and background, he has a very wide prestige and connections in the military government. However, because he is not an honorable minister, he cannot play a decisive role in many matters.
But in terms of network of connections, he should be the widest.
But because of this, the more he knew, the stronger his sense of powerlessness became. Even though he was now a second-rank official, in the end, the military government was still the domain of nobles.
Many people on this list have good friendships with him, but he cannot protect these people, so they can only join their own families. Now that something happened to Ren Li, liquidation is inevitable.
With a dark look on his face, Wu Xing looked at Zhu Yi and asked.
"The Duke wants to use these people to serve as subordinates and work for the Duke Cheng's government?"
"If this is the case, I am afraid that I will disappoint the Duke..."
Wu Xing spoke calmly, but the firmness in his tone was not weak at all.
He had never been one to feel threatened.
What's more, after staying in the military mansion for so many years, he has seen a lot of strong winds and waves. These people have their own choices and naturally have to bear the corresponding price.
Since these people were close to Ren Li in the first place, they will naturally have to bear the price of Ren Li's downfall. There is nothing to say about this.
Although Wuxing has a good relationship with many people inside, he is not a savior and is not so noble that he would choose to sacrifice himself to save these people.
The most he can do is to wait for the matter to settle down and ask for a favor in the court, so that the British government can sell him, or sell him to the Dingguo government behind him, so as to save face, and not pursue them excessively and beat them up, leaving a place for these people. That's the glimmer of hope.
As for the other things, they are beyond your capabilities, so why bother working in vain...
Looking at Wu Xing, who had almost no room for negotiation, Zhu Yi couldn't help but feel a little troubled. He had already heard about the reputation of this fellow governor.
Like the Duke of Dingguo behind him, this Wu Tongzhi has always been known for his calmness and scheming. He does not show authority in the face of major events. He seems to have no sense of presence in the court, but in fact he has no desires or desires, which is hard to tell. There is no weakness to be found between reality and reality, and naturally, there is no way to control it.
When I saw it today, it turned out to be true.
Not only is he insightful, but he is also decisive and will not give the slightest chance.
Fortunately, Zhu Yi didn't have much hope that he could really control Wu Xing.
Regarding this person, his father Zhu Yong once commented on this person when he was still alive...
Standing tall on the wall, open-minded and detached, with a righteous heart, wisdom and courage but little persistence!
Unlike Duke Dingguo, who lived a peaceful life and kept a low profile and did not cause trouble, this Wu Tongzhi still had some hatred and hatred. However, he was weak in power and had a weak personality, so he did not want to cause trouble.
But just looking at his popularity among the military, you will know that he is not a cold-blooded person.
It is very difficult to win over such a person, but if you just want to cooperate, there are ways.
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Yi spoke.
"Wu Tongzhi misunderstood. I came here today really just to talk to Wu Tongzhi."
Looking at Wu Xing's slightly suspicious reserved smile, Zhu Yi continued.
"Wu Tongzhi has been in the military mansion much longer than me, so Wu Tongzhi should know a lot of things better than me. Today's military mansion is no longer the one that dominated the world's guards during the Yongle period, and the Jianfeng Institute It means that the military government has all surrendered, and today’s honorable ministers are not as distinguished as they used to be when they mounted their horses and fought far north, and when they dismounted they were able to serve as officers and soldiers.”
"Today's military government has intricate relationships, bloated personnel, and weak power. Everyone only knows about factions and only focuses on fighting for power and profit. However, no one cares about how to train officers and soldiers and clarify military discipline. There are capable and talented people who have the ability and talent. People who have a heart for the country, when they arrive in the military government, their edges and corners are smoothed off day by day, and they are lost to everyone."
"Such a military government deserves to be cannibalized step by step by civil servants. At least among the civil servants, there are important ministers like Yu Shaobao who are truly devoted to the country and understand the military and military affairs. They can restore the fighting power of the army. Keep our country safe."
When these words came out, Wu Xing was surprised.
He already felt that he had a high regard for Zhu Yi, but he did not expect that the Duke, who came from a noble family, could be so insightful.
As if being touched by these words, Wu Xing sighed, and after meeting Zhu Yi, he had a rare emotional fluctuation and said.
"The Duke of the country understands the great righteousness, and the subordinate officials respect him."
"To be honest, the Duke said that in the eyes of the subordinates, the current move of the imperial court to organize the military garrison is a good government. However, it is a great shame for the military government to have the Ministry of War take charge!"
