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"I will kill their nine tribes! Kill their nine tribes!"
When several pavilion elders rushed outside the imperial study room, before they had time to ask for permission, they heard Emperor Deqing's loud roar across the hall.
For a time, not only the eunuchs guarding outside the imperial study were all silent, but even the elders who were used to seeing troubles all trembled, and their hearts were full of anxiety.
As the great eunuch Zhang De said - Emperor Deqing has always been a deep man in the city, and most of his past joys and anger were just disguises - in fact he has not been truly angry for many years.
The emperor was so angry that he laid his body thousands of miles away! This sentence is definitely not a joke!
Emperor Deqing usually used checks and balances to maintain overall stability and reputation for future generations, but if he lost his mind in anger and resorted to tough measures, even Zhou Shangjing would be able to stand still without any resistance. Power.
Therefore, the elders did not dare to go directly to the royal study room to have an audience. They all focused their attention on the eunuch Zhang De, hoping that Zhang De would inform him first.
Under the gaze of all the pavilion elders, Zhang De looked pale, but he still gritted his teeth and pushed open the door of the imperial study room with trembling hands, and quietly slipped into it.
After a while, Zhang De quickly walked out of the imperial study and said softly to several elders: "Dear elders, His Majesty is waiting for you. Come into the imperial study to pay your respects! ... You must be careful when meeting the saint. , Never make His Majesty angry again! Your Majesty’s current appearance is almost scaring our family to death!”
After saying that, Zhang De walked aside far away, but he did not dare to enter the imperial study room to accompany him no matter what.
After hearing Zhang De's advice, several pavilion elders looked at each other.
Then, under the leadership of Shen Changmao, the elders entered the imperial study one after another with uneasiness.
At this time, the imperial study room was in a mess. Emperor Deqing smashed everything in front of him. There were fragments of cups, pens, inks, papers, inkstones, memorials and books thrown to the ground by Emperor Deqing everywhere in the hall. Deqing The emperor's face was full of anger, and he stared hard at the several pavilion elders who entered the imperial study room, while Bao Wenjie bowed his head and knelt in front of Emperor Deqing.
When several cabinet elders stood in front of Emperor Deqing one after another, before they could salute and say hello, Emperor Deqing pointed at them and shouted loudly: "The cabinet is incapable of assisting the government. They are all extremely incompetent! Especially you! Liang Fuchen! I have great trust in you, regard you as a close confidant, and have promoted and promoted you many times. How do you repay me? If Zhao Junchen hadn't gone to the northwest on business, I wouldn't have known that the northwest has been corrupted to such a shocking extent! It's simply We must openly rebel!”
After hearing Emperor Deqing's reprimand, all the pavilion elders were even more shocked!
Liang Fuchen was a general of the "Imperial Party" and an important chess piece for Emperor Deqing to intervene in the cabinet. Ever since he returned to Beijing to assist in the administration, Emperor Deqing had been very protective of him and often found opportunities to establish Liang Fuchen's prestige and was very supportive. obvious!
Emperor Deqing is now directly reprimanding Liang Fuchen in front of all the ministers. He has no intention of defending Liang Fuchen and does not care about the damage to Liang Fuchen's prestige. This obviously shows that Emperor Deqing has almost lost his mind!
For a moment, several pavilion elders did not dare to neglect, and quickly bowed and apologized.
When Liang Fuchen heard Emperor Deqing mention the corruption in the northwest, his expression changed continuously. He also knelt down and bowed his head without any intention of defending himself. He said solemnly: "I am guilty, please punish me!"
Seeing Liang Fuchen like this, Emperor Deqing's anger not only did not subside, but became even more out of control. He cursed angrily: "You still have the nerve to apologize! You still have the nerve to apologize! I asked you to guard Shaanxi Gan for many years, I originally thought you could stabilize the overall situation of Shaanxi and Gansu, but now the officialdom in the northwest is not only not stable, but has become increasingly lawless. The feudal officials have completely lost control and degenerated, and there is no longer a court in their eyes! Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu The governors secretly colluded, blocked the military situation, withheld the disaster relief money and food without telling the court, and imprisoned the fleeing people. They were actually preparing to give all the money, food and people to the Mongols, and wanted to beg the Mongols to withdraw their troops! If Zhao Junchen hadn't done these things I don’t know how long I will be deceived for how long I will be exposed? This is more than deceiving the emperor and concealing it? It is simply a blatant rebellion against the separatist regime!"
As Emperor Deqing finished speaking, the expressions of several pavilion elders changed drastically.
Although they had guessed in advance that something happened in the northwest, they never expected that the truth of the matter would be so shocking!
Secretly withholding the court's disaster relief money and food, and imprisoning people fleeing famine, this kind of thing is extremely serious to begin with, and planning to hand over the food, grass and people to the Mongols to beg for peace in private, the nature of the matter is even more serious! But the most serious point is that several feudal officials secretly colluded and deceived the emperor. As Emperor Deqing said, this approach is not much different from open rebellion!
This series of events not only represents the fear of enemies, short-sightedness and stupidity of several frontier officials in the northwest, but also exposes the insufficiency of the northwest border defense force. It also shows that the imperial court's control over the northwest provinces is declining, and local officials have lost their control. Awe of the imperial court!
The last point is the real reason why Emperor Deqing was so angry!
It’s no wonder that Emperor Deqing directly reprimanded Liang Fuchen. After all, Liang Fuchen was the previous governor-general of the three sides. Even if Liang Fuchen had no knowledge of this series of events, he was still involved!
Liang Fuchen originally thought that Emperor Deqing reprimanded him because he had raised private soldiers when he was the governor of the three sides, so he directly confessed and asked for punishment.
But after hearing Emperor Deqing's reprimand, Liang Fuchen realized that the matter was far more serious than he imagined.
Liang Fuchen had always been steady and calm, but at this moment he couldn't help but feel confused. He raised his head with a horrified expression and asked: "The feudal officials in the northwest are secretly begging for peace with the Mongols without telling the court? How is this possible?!"
Emperor Deqing snorted angrily, threw the memorial in his hand directly in front of Liang Fuchen, and said: "This is the secret document sent by Zhao Junchen, you can read it yourself!"
Liang Fuchen quickly picked up the secret book and took a closer look. After seeing the secret book, several pavilion elders were so anxious that they ignored the rules for a while and gathered around Liang Fuchen to read with Liang Fuchen. .
Zhao Junchen's book is very dense, with thousands of words. It records in detail what Zhao Junchen saw and heard after entering Shanxi, how he discovered the appeasement plan of the northwest governors, and the details of the appeasement plan. He took action to rectify the history of Shanxi's officialdom, as well as Zhao Junchen's follow-up plans, ideas and suggestions.
According to Zhao Junchen, he has now taken control of Shanxi's officialdom and stopped the appeasement in Shanxi. However, because the appeasement plan of several northwestern provinces was centered on the trilateral governor Wang Zheng, after Zhao Junchen reorganized Shanxi's officialdom, He rushed to Huamachi Camp on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu in order to completely stop the appeasement plan of the governors of Shaanxi and Gansu. And because the senior officials of Shaanxi and Gansu were no longer trustworthy, Zhao Junchen would still He exercised the discretionary power of the Imperial Envoy, vacated the powers of the governors of Shaanxi and Gansu, and fully took over the responsibilities of the governors of the three sides. Before the decree of the imperial court was received, he would temporarily preside over the overall situation of Shaanxi and Gansu and try his best to maintain the stability of the situation in the northwest.
In addition, Zhao Junchen also put forward his own suggestions in the dense discussion. He believed that the northwest provinces are currently suffering from natural disasters for many years and are being invaded by fire. At this time of internal and external troubles, it is not appropriate to engage in large-scale war. Although several governors in the northwest have committed heinous crimes, , but they cannot be punished for the time being, they still have to be given the opportunity to make meritorious deeds. If the top officials of Shaanxi, Gansu and Shanxi are wiped out by the court, the situation in the northwest will inevitably be out of control. Even if the court wants to punish them, they will have to wait until the situation in the northwest The settlement of accounts will be settled later in the year after it is stabilized. Moreover, the appeasement plan of the northwest officialdom must be kept secret and must not be made public. Even if it is to punish a few frontier officials, other charges must be found. Otherwise, it will inevitably cause an uproar in the world, and the reputation and credibility of the imperial court will also be destroyed. be negatively affected.
At the same time, Zhao Junchen also reminded the court to pay attention to the emergence and strength of the Junggar Khanate, believing that the Mongolian tribes are now showing a tendency to reunify. This matter has a profound impact on the Ming Dynasty, and this year's border defense is even more The top priority is to make the Junggar Khanate think that the Ming Dynasty's border defenses are weak, and the northwest frontier will never be peaceful again. But if the Junggar Khanate's invasion is severely defeated this year, the Junggar Khanate will I will be in awe and not dare to offend at will, and the northwest frontier will be much calmer in the future! Therefore, Zhao Junchen hopes that the imperial court can further support the northwest border defense as soon as possible. He must show a tough stance and never retreat weakly!
After reading Zhao Junchen's secrets, several feudal officials finally understood the details of the incident, but their mood became more solemn.
As Zhao Junchen said, although the crimes of the northwest governor are hateful, the unification trend of the Mongolian tribes cannot be underestimated.
The elders all know very well what a huge threat the Ming Dynasty will face if the Mongolian tribes are unified. In the Tumubao Incident, even Ming Yingzong became a prisoner of the Oara army, and more than 60 ministers died in the battle. , if not for Yu Qian, a famous official throughout the ages, who turned the tide, I am afraid that even the capital would have been destroyed.
According to Zhao Junchen's intelligence, the Junggar Khanate that was about to unify Mongolia was the Oara branch of that year!
The threat from the Mongols was so huge, no wonder the frontier officials in the northwest were frightened by the news.
After Liang Fuchen read Zhao Junchen's memorial, he realized that so many changes had happened after he left Shaanxi and Gansu. He, who had always been dedicated to serving the public, did not care about asking for forgiveness. He just raised his head and said to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, I did not intend to hide the corruption in several provinces in the northwest, but this matter was very involved and affected the whole body. After I joined the cabinet to assist the government, I did not dare to act rashly. I just wanted to slowly start to reverse it. In the previous paragraph The minister insisted that the imperial court dispatch a large army to support the northwest frontier defense because he knew that the northwest frontier army was exhausted. The Mongols had suffered from natural disasters for many years and had been forced into a desperate situation. This year's fire sifting of invaders must be particularly crazy. Wang Zheng was the first to take office on the three frontiers. Governor, I’m afraid it’s difficult to control the situation, but I didn’t expect that the feudal officials in the northwest would be so scared that they would do such a bold thing..."
When talking about the latter, Liang Fuchen looked like he was gnashing his teeth. He obviously hated several northwest governors. He believed that if he still stayed in the post of governor of the three sides, it would be impossible for such a thing to happen!
Then, Liang Fuchen continued: "But in any case, these things are the result of my incompetent control and unclear understanding of people when I was the governor of the three sides! I have committed a serious crime. No matter how your Majesty punishes me, I dare not complain! But! Your Majesty, before you punish me, please give me a chance! I don't expect that I can be guilty and meritorious, but I think that among the officials of the Manchu Dynasty, I am the only one who knows the most about the military and political affairs of Shaanxi and Gansu. Zhao Shangshu is an expert in financial management. There are also scheming methods, but he does not understand military strategy. I am not at ease with him taking control of the overall situation of Shaanxi and Gansu. I request your Majesty to allow me to return to Shaanxi and Gansu as soon as possible to preside over the situation with Zhao Shangshu!"
After hearing what Liang Fuchen said, Emperor Deqing's anger finally eased a little, but his eyes were still cold. He looked at Liang Fuchen with a scrutinizing gaze and did not speak for a long time.
After encountering such a change, most of the other pavilion elders had no idea. Only Zhou Shangjing read Zhao Junchen's secret message carefully again and said to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Emperor Deqing turned his head and glanced at Zhou Shangjing, his eyes slightly complicated.
Emperor Deqing fought with Zhou Shangjing for most of his life and regarded Zhou Shangjing as a serious problem. However, at critical moments, only Zhou Shangjing could provide him with effective assistance.
Thinking of this, Emperor Deqing felt a little helpless, but he still said: "Say it!"
"Your Majesty, I believe that all the changes in the northwest are shocking, but Mr. Liang Ge should not bear the main responsibility! I have led hundreds of officials for many years, and I know one truth very well, that is, 'what goes up and what goes down takes effect'! If Shangguan is If an official is upright, the subordinates will often abide by their duties. If the superior officials are fatuous, the subordinates will often become unscrupulous! The same official will often have completely opposite ethics if he changes to a superior! Liang Ge Lao has been guarding Shaanxi and Gansu for many years, but Shaanxi Gan's situation has always been stable and the court has never needed to worry about it. Several governors in the northwest have always worked hard and never dared to disobey the court. However, after Mr. Liang Ge returned to Beijing to assist the government, these governors suddenly deceived the emperor. Isn’t it strange that you have become as fearful of enemies as a tiger, short-sighted and stupid? In my opinion, it may not be that Mr. Liang Ge is unclear about his employment and has no way to control his subordinates. Perhaps... the person who took over has played a bad role!"
With that said, Zhou Shangjing raised his hand and raised Zhao Junchen's secret message, and then said: "Zhao Shangshu's secret message made it very clear that the newly appointed governor of the three sides, Wang Zheng, was frightened because he personally experienced a Mongolian cavalry raid. He was seriously ill and has not recovered yet. He cannot even handle the military affairs of Shaanxi and Gansu in person. Then the governors of the northwest colluded to secretly beg for peace from the Mongols. It was precisely because of Wang Zheng's weakness and incompetence that the northwest The feudal officials had the confidence to deceive the court and act privately! Therefore, the veteran believes that the main responsibility for this matter lies with the newly appointed governor of the three sides, Wang Zheng, and not with Mr. Liang Ge! What Mr. Liang Ge did after returning to Beijing , all prove his loyalty to the imperial court!"
After hearing what Zhou Shangjing said, Emperor Deqing's expression relaxed slightly again.
After looking at Liang Fuchen again, Emperor Deqing snorted: "Liang Fuchen, stand up and speak!"
After Liang Fuchen thanked En and stood up, Zhou Shangjing continued: "In addition, the veteran also believes that several of Zhao Shangshu's suggestions in the secret are quite reasonable. Although several feudal officials in the northwest have committed heinous crimes, in order to stabilize the situation in the northwest, for the time being, We need to keep them, and it won’t be too late to settle the accounts after the fall! The appeasement plan of the northwest governors must also be concealed and must not be made public! Fortunately, Zhao Shangshu should have arrived at Huamachi Camp and stopped them The plan has not caused real losses yet, and everything can be undone! Finally, the unification trend of the Mongolian tribes must be taken seriously. The court should mobilize troops from various places as soon as possible to once again support the northwest frontier army. As Zhao Junchen said, this year's border defense It is extremely important. Only by showing the toughness and strength of our country can we deter foreign invaders and ensure the future stability of the northwest frontier!"
After a pause, Zhou Shangjing suddenly showed hesitation and added again: "In addition, Zhao Junchen went to the northwest this time. Although he was serving as an imperial envoy, he was only a special imperial envoy and was only responsible for disaster relief. , now he suddenly intervened in the border military affairs, not only rectifying the officialdom of Shanxi, but also wanted to oust the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu and take over the power of the governor of the three sides. Although he was rushing to follow the authority, he was acting beyond his authority anyway. This matter is extremely sensitive. Whether it is a reward or a punishment, Your Majesty needs to handle it carefully and come up with an idea as soon as possible."
After listening to Zhou Shangjing's series of narrations, Emperor Deqing finally regained some composure, no longer blindly venting his anger, and began to really think about countermeasures.
After a long time, Emperor Deqing turned his eyes to Liang Fuchen and said coldly: "If you want a chance, I will give you a chance! I have ordered you to be the imperial envoy and be fully responsible for all matters in Shaanxi and Gansu. You should prepare immediately. Leave Beijing and rush to the northwest before tonight to take charge of the Shaanxi-Gansu border defense plan in place of Zhao Junchen!"
Liang Fuchen suddenly felt relieved and kowtowed again: "I obey your order!"
After Emperor Deqing pondered for a moment, he then said: "Cheng Yuandao, you are the best in writing. You will immediately draft an imperial edict, saying that I attach great importance to the defense of the northwest this year, expressing my ardent hopes, and saying that the northwest civil and military officials Military and political achievements are all a plus this year! And I also want to emphasize that officials in the northwest should be free to act boldly. As long as they have military and political achievements, even if they make occasional mistakes during the period, they can offset the merits and let the past go!"
When he said these words, Emperor Deqing looked like he was gritting his teeth and suppressing the anger in his heart.
According to Emperor Deqing's opinion, all those feudal officials who deceived the emperor and ignored his superiors should all die! But after considering the overall situation, Emperor Deqing still gave them the opportunity to make meritorious deeds!
At least that's what it looks like!
"As for Zhao Junchen's overstep of authority..."
Having said this, Emperor Deqing's face flashed with a thoughtful look.
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Well, a five thousand word chapter!
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