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The good news that Zhao Junchen led the Ming army to annihilate the Mongolian coalition forces on the south bank of the Wei River quickly spread throughout Shaanxi and Gansu, and quickly spread to the surrounding provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu - such as Shanxi, Zhili, Sichuan, Hunan and other places. Go to spread.
For a time, the officials, gentry, merchants and people from all over the territory of the Ming Dynasty were full of excitement and joy. It is not an exaggeration to say that the whole country was rejoicing and the land was celebrating together. The good news and the fast horse passed through every state, city, and county. , you can see the government and the people competing to celebrate, with firecrackers blasting and cheers endless!
In this era, for the Han people, the existence of the Mongolian tribe is too special - in short, they are hated and feared, despised and feared.
Since Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian tribes, this grassland nation has become a serious concern for the Han people. It has threatened the security of the Central Plains for more than 500 years and has never been able to reassure the Han people.
After Kublai Khan destroyed the Song Dynasty and Jianyuan, China fell to Mongolia, and the Han people became the "fourth-class people", enslaved like pigs and sheep, and suffered humiliation - this was the worst period for the Han people since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. A dark time - to this day, the tragic situation of the Han people during the Yuan Dynasty is still passed down by word of mouth among the people, and the terror of the Mongolian cavalry can still make children stop crying at night.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, came out of the blue. With his unparalleled feat of destroying the Yuan Dynasty and driving away the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty became the orthodoxy of China. However, it only drove the Mongols out of China. It still could not completely eradicate the threat of the Mongolian tribes. Over the past two hundred years, not only Hami, Hetao and other places have been gradually encroached by Mongolian tribes, but the fire-sweeping invasion of invaders is still a daily spectacle after autumn in Shaanxi-Gansu, Shanxi, Zhili and other places. The Mongolian army attacks cities and plunders territory. , The news of long-distance marches is still heard from time to time, and there is even a "Tumu Fort Incident", a great shame and humiliation in which the emperor and the entire dynasty were defeated and imprisoned!
Today, although the Mongolian tribes are gradually declining, they are no longer comparable to their ancestors, and the threat to the Ming Dynasty is far less than that of the Northeastern Jurchens. However, in the eyes of the Han people, the Mongolian tribes are It is still the biggest threat to the Ming Dynasty, far beyond the Jurchens. Hatred, hostility, fear, etc. towards the Mongols remain unabated. This concept has long been deeply ingrained.
In this way, Zhao Junchen's record of annihilating the 100,000-strong Mongolian coalition army in one fell swoop naturally caused a great sensation!
Even though there is still no concept of "country" in this era, and "national consciousness" has not yet taken root in the hearts of the people, people everywhere still feel excited and excited from the bottom of their hearts after hearing the good news.
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"Good news! Good news! Great victory on the front line! The imperial envoy Zhao Junchen led the army to a great victory over the Mongolian coalition forces on the south bank of the Weishui River, and captured the Mongolian coalition commander Bagan alive! After three battles at the Weishui River, Jiezhou, and Xiaochuan River, they completely annihilated the 100,000-strong Mongolian Tatar army. !”
"Good news! Good news! Great victory on the front line! The imperial envoy Zhao Junchen led the army to a great victory over the Mongolian coalition forces on the south bank of the Weishui River, and captured the Mongolian coalition commander Bagan alive! After three battles at the Weishui River, Jiezhou, and Xiaochuan River, they completely annihilated the 100,000-strong Mongolian Tatar army. !”
When the fast horse messenger shouted the good news and galloped into Chang'an City, there was an uproar.
Since the Song Dynasty, the city of Chang'an has been a gathering place of culture, with numerous literati and great Confucians, and a strong tradition of lecturing and preaching. Even though the Jiangnan literary world has risen rapidly in the past century and has taken away a lot of the limelight from the Chang'an literary world, it still maintains its reputation.
The most talked-about place in the Chang'an literary world is the eight major academies. Whether they are Guanzhong Academy, Lishan Academy, Luzhai Academy, etc., they are all holy places in the minds of contemporary scholars.
Among them, Guanzhong Academy is the first of the eight major academies in Chang'an. The first scholar in the academy, Wenhua, is also a contemporary scholar with a very high status in the literary world. He once served as the minister of the Ministry of Rites for several years. However, his official career did not go well in the later period and he offended the former powerful minister Wen Guanliang. , had no choice but to return to his hometown as an official. In recent years, he was invited by Guanzhong Academy to serve as the head of the academy.
Although Zhang Wenhua could not defeat Wen Guanliang when he was at the center of the imperial court, he had many disciples in Chang'an City, his hands and eyes were all over the place, and his reputation was as high as that of the previous prefects, so he quickly received the news of success.
After receiving the news, Zhang Wenhua immediately summoned all the disciples of Guanzhong Academy.
After the professors and students of Guanzhong Academy gathered together, Zhang Wenhua slowly announced: "Good news came from Huamachi Camp. Zhao Junchen, the imperial minister, has completely annihilated the ten Mongolian coalition forces that invaded Shaanxi and Gansu. Thousands of people were killed, and they even captured Bagan, the head coach of the Mongolian coalition, alive! It was a great and inspiring victory!"
After hearing what Zhang Wenhua said, the reactions of the Confucian scholars present varied. Some looked happy, some looked suspicious, but the vast majority had complicated expressions that could not accept the facts.
These scholars have a close relationship with Qingliu in the court, and deep down they hate Zhao Junchen. Zhao Junchen’s notorious reputation among the people is largely due to the promotion of these scholars. Now it is discovered that Zhao Junchen is such a corrupt official and a treacherous official. Suddenly becoming a great hero who protects the country and kills enemies, they naturally find it difficult to accept it for a while.
After seeing the changes in the demeanor of all the Confucian scholars, Zhang Wenhua's expression did not change much. He just continued to say slowly: "This is a great thing! We are all common people in Shaanxi and Gansu, and we understand the fire sieve best. The dangers of invasion have been suffered for many years. Now the Imperial Envoy Zhao Junchen has wiped out 100,000 allied troops. After this, the strength of the Mongolian tribes has been seriously damaged. I am afraid that they will not be able to threaten Shaanxi and Gansu in the next ten years. We are all suffering. It’s a huge benefit…”
After defining the matter, Zhang Wenhua slightly emphasized his tone and said: "On this grand occasion, our Guanzhong Academy cannot sit idly by and should do our part... I heard that after receiving the good news, Governor Xu was already all over the place. The purpose of issuing official documents and announcing to the people is to inspire the people and let them celebrate together. However, after all, there are only a few people who can read, read, and read, and the people cannot understand the significance of this matter in the shortest time, so I am already It was decided that all the professors and students of Guanzhong Academy would go to bulletin boards throughout the city, take the initiative to read the victory news to the people, explain in detail the significance of this victory, and let the world know about the great achievements of the Imperial Envoy Zhao Junchen this time! In addition, , and also send a letter to all returning students, asking them to participate in this matter together in their respective hometowns!"
Upon hearing Zhang Wenhua's statement, all the Confucian scholars present were shocked and looked at each other.
You must know that Zhang Wenhua has the closest relationship with Chaozhong Qingliu, and Zhang Wenhua usually has the strongest hatred and dislike for Zhao Junchen. However, Zhang Wenhua's decision is simply taking the initiative to build momentum and fame for Zhao Junchen. This It’s even more incredible than Zhao Junchen’s brilliant record!
After everyone looked at each other for a long time, a professor asked hesitantly: "Dean, let's not talk about the authenticity of this victory report. Even if Zhao Junchen really wiped out 100,000 troops of the Mongolian coalition, he is still a corrupt official. Traitors are despised by the world... By doing this, we are suspected of promoting reputations for traitors and corrupt officials, which seems a bit inappropriate..."
Zhang Wenhua had long expected that some people would question his decision, but as a great scholar of the time, he didn't have much else in his mind, but there were countless "big principles" of all kinds. Naturally, he could easily find legitimate reasons to convince everyone. .
Zhang Wenhua's expression became a little more serious and he said: "We, who have read the books of sages and sages, all regard ourselves as gentlemen. Naturally, we must judge impartially and be upright. Zhao Junchen has certainly made some mistakes in the past, so we At the beginning, we had always strongly condemned him and were never afraid of revenge from the powerful. This is our bottom line and conscience as Confucian disciples. But now that Zhao Junchen has done good things, we naturally have to praise him. There is no contradiction between the two. , all based on the teachings of saints! "Zuo Zhuan" says that 'knowing your mistakes can make a lot of improvements'. According to my opinion, in recent years, there have been very few rumors of Zhao Junchen taking bribes, and he has also done many good deeds in the center of the court. , which is quite impressive. He obviously has the idea of repentance. In this case, we should also give him a chance to change his ways. Are we just a group of corrupt people who only focus on the faults of others and are unwilling to admit the benefits of others? No? Everyone, please don’t forget the purpose of our Guanzhong Academy.”
Hearing Zhang Wenhua's words, the expressions of all the Confucian scholars present changed and they said in unison: "Change customs and education first!"
In this era, Confucian scholars did not have the courage to challenge authority, but Zhang Wenhua was the greatest authority in Guanzhong Academy and even the Shaanxi-Gansu Scholars, and no one dared to challenge it.
Therefore, after these words, the Confucian scholars were convinced by Zhang Wenhua, at least on the surface they did not dare to violate it.
Zhang Wenhua nodded with satisfaction and said: "In that case, everyone should proceed as planned!"
As Zhang Wenhua finished speaking, all the Confucian scholars stood up and saluted Zhang Wenhua to say goodbye. Then they left the lobby of Guanzhong Academy and went to the bulletin boards in Chang'an City to read official documents to the people.
However, after leaving the hall, the Confucian scholars were talking among themselves, constantly guessing the real reason for Zhang Wenhua's change in attitude towards Zhao Junchen. Although the various principles Zhang Wenhua said were irrefutable, they were not truly convincing. .
In fact, Zhang Wenhua's change of attitude towards Zhao Junchen this time is naturally not because he wants to give Zhao Junchen a chance to "recognize his mistakes and correct them" or "turn back the prodigal son", but because he just wants to return a favor to Zhao Junchen, let alone There is also some bet to show good intentions!
During this period of time, Zhao Junchen led the Ming army to fight against the Mongolian coalition forces in successive battles, which were earth-shattering and attracted the attention of the world. However, for scholars in Shaanxi and Gansu, the most important thing during this period was not this war, but a A "literary disaster" that makes everyone in the Shilin literary world feel in danger!
More than a month ago, Emperor Deqing was furious because many "anti-poems" were found in the "Collection of Crane Poems" written by his young master Guo Tang. In the end, not only did Guo Tang himself lose his official position and be imprisoned, but Emperor Deqing also ordered The factory guards were strictly ordered to supervise the scholars in the world and strictly investigate all kinds of anti-poetry cases, in order to curb the tendency of scholars to criticize the imperial court.
As a result, the entire Shilin literary world was implicated.
The Chang'an literary world was the most important place for scholars in the world, so it was naturally the first to bear the brunt.
Zhang Wenhua was a great scholar of the time and had a close relationship with Qingliu. After he offended powerful ministers and was forced to resign and return home, he was quite cynical for a while. During that time, his poems and articles contained many controversial contents, so he soon became Being targeted by Dongchang.
However, while Dongchang was secretly collecting evidence, Zhao Yuanzhen, the shopkeeper of the Chang'an branch of "Yuerongfang", promptly informed Zhang Wenhua, causing Zhang Wenhua to quickly destroy all his controversial poems and articles. In the end, Dongchang found no evidence and went into hiding. After a great disaster.
"Yue Rong Fang" is Zhao Junchen's property. Zhang Yuanzhen, the shopkeeper of the Chang'an branch, was once Zhao Junchen's steward. The news he reported to Zhang Wenhua this time was all due to Zhao Junchen's instructions, so Zhang Wenhua naturally owed Zhao Junchen Junchen is a huge favor.
He has a short mouth and a short hand when taking others. After receiving Zhao Junchen's favor, Zhang Wenhua's attitude towards Zhao Junchen was naturally completely different.
In addition, after Zhao Junchen annihilated the Mongolian coalition forces, his rise was unstoppable, so Zhang Wenhua took the actions he did today to build momentum and fame for Zhao Junchen.
In the final analysis, all great principles are false, and everything is just based on personal interests.
However, after all the Confucian scholars left the hall, Zhang Wenhua closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then breathed out and whispered to himself: "In this way, I can return a favor to Zhao Junchen... not to mention , Zhao Junchen will definitely gain momentum after this battle. Even Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing will not be able to suppress him in a short period of time. I am building momentum and fame for him this time, which can be regarded as a bet. There will be consequences later. There may be benefits..."
While Zhang Wenhua was muttering to himself, a professor from Guanzhong Academy hurriedly returned to the lobby and reported to Zhang Wenhua: "Dean Zhang, according to your instructions, we went to various bulletin boards in the city to read to the people. When I was reciting the official document announcing the victory, I found that the professors and students of Luzhai Academy were doing the same thing. It seems that Master Lu, the dean of Luzhai Academy, had the same idea as you... He also looked at Zhao Junchen with admiration and planned to help Zhao Junchen change his behavior. New opportunities.”
Hearing the professor's report, Zhang Wenhua couldn't help but be stunned. He looked a little confused at first and thought to himself: "Lu Guangdao? Why does he also want to build momentum and fame for Zhao Junchen? Could it be that he, like me, owes Zhao Junchen for this literary disaster?" Favor? No, this person has always been cautious. In recent years, few articles and poems have been published. The occasional works are mostly just exegesis of scriptures. It is impossible for factory guards to catch him..."
But soon, Zhang Wenhua suddenly realized, but he figured out the key point: "By the way, I heard that Zhao Junchen married Cui Mian's granddaughter Cui Qianxue a few days ago, so Cui Mian must be We need to mobilize our connections to help Zhao Junchen turn around his reputation, and Lu Guangdao and his former colleague Cui Mian are friends from the same school, classmates, and fellow subjects. At this time, it is appropriate to help out..."
Thinking of this, Zhang Wenhua subconsciously smiled and murmured softly again: "With the illustrious military exploits of annihilating one hundred thousand troops of the Mongolian coalition, and Cui Mian's connections secretly promoting it, if Zhao Junchen is involved in this cultural disaster again, During this period, he has formed many good relationships, so his impression in the minds of scholars all over the world will inevitably be reversed. After the impression of scholars all over the world is reversed, Zhao Junchen's popularity among the people will also improve... At that time, Zhao Junchen's popularity will also be improved. , military spirit, power, and meritorious deeds are all in place, and your position in the court will be as stable as a mountain... Hey, this bet seems to be right!"
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In fact, not only the Confucian scholars of Guanzhong Academy and Luzhai Academy took the initiative to cheer and praise Zhao Junchen for different reasons, because the news of Zhao Junchen's complete annihilation of the Mongolian coalition forces was so exciting, many scholars in various places did not need behind-the-scenes push. He took the initiative to change his attitude and actively built momentum for Zhao Junchen to become famous.
The impact of Zhao Junchen's outstanding military exploits was far higher than Zhang Wenhua expected.
On this day, the good news quickly entered Shanxi, and Pingyang Mansion, which is adjacent to Shaanxi, also received the news soon.
After the courier from the post station rushed to the government office in Fucheng to report the news, Zhang Zhi, the prefect of Pingyang, repeatedly confirmed that the good news was true. He was immediately overjoyed and ordered people to set off firecrackers and ring bells and drums outside the government office. He also asked his staff to copy many copies. Official news of the victory was posted on bulletin boards throughout the city.
In this way, in just half a day, Zhao Junchen's glorious record of annihilating the Mongolian coalition forces was already known to everyone in Pingyang City.
The people spontaneously gathered in front of the bulletin board and confirmed the good news over and over again. Everyone looked happy!
Like Shaanxi and Gansu, Shanxi is also the hardest hit area by fire every year. In particular, Shanxi still shoulders the important responsibility of guarding Zhili and the capital, so it is responsible for the supply and logistics of the two major military towns of Taiyuan and Shanxi. All the people are It was miserable.
Therefore, after learning the good news, the people in Shanxi were as happy as the people in Shaanxi and Gansu.
"Old Master Liu, I heard that the government issued an official document saying that the imperial envoy of the imperial court wiped out the 100,000 troops of the Mongolian Tatars. Is this true? We are all rough people and illiterate. Please give me some advice. Can we read the official document?"
In front of the crowded bulletin board, several people who hurried over asked an old man in Confucian robes.
The old man in Confucian robes is named Liu Chengxu. He is an old scholar who has failed many examinations. In recent years, he has given up the idea of continuing to obtain fame and has set up a private school in Pingyang City to recruit children from wealthy families. , but this time he took the initiative to come to the bulletin board and read official documents to the people.
Although Liu Chengxu was just a failure in the imperial examination, there were only a minority of scholars in this era, so Liu Chengxu still had a certain status among the people. Nowadays, most of the people gathered in front of the bulletin board are illiterate, which is even more important. Liu Chengxu came to read to them the contents of the explanation announcement.
In fact, since the official announcement of the good news was posted on the bulletin board, Liu Chengxu has read it and explained it to the people around him more than ten times. However, there is an endless stream of people coming to confirm the news, and Liu Chengxu always needs to read and explain it again and again.
At this time, following the requests of these new people, the people around them also loudly echoed, and also asked the old man in Confucian robes to read the official document again - they had gathered here to listen to it many times, but they still I never get tired of listening to it, and I cheer loudly every time.
On the other side, Liu Chengxu also felt that he had stolen the limelight today and was not bored. After coughing lightly, he read loudly to the bulletin board again: "Good news came from Huamachi Camp today. The Imperial Envoy and the Ministry of Household Affairs Shangshu Zhao Junchen led the Shaanxi-Gansu border army and the Forbidden Army reinforcements to a great victory over the Mongolian coalition on the south bank of the Weishui River. After three battles at the Weishui River, Jiezhou, and Xiaochuan River, they completely annihilated the 100,000-strong Mongolian Tatar army! Nearly 30,000 enemy leaders were captured and 10,000 were captured. More than 3,000, a total of more than 8,000 war horses were seized, as well as countless military supplies, and the Mongolian coalition coach Bagan was also captured alive! After this battle, the vitality of all Mongolian ministries was seriously damaged, and it also greatly boosted the ambition of our Han people. From now on, the northwest frontier Ten years of worry-free life!”
As Liu Chengxu finished reciting the official document, the people around him cheered loudly again, and the atmosphere was extremely warm.
For the people present, this good news is so inspiring no matter how many times they hear it!
However, just as the cheers of the people died down, a young man asked excitedly: "Old Master Liu, you are a sensible person. Please tell me, the imperial envoy of the imperial court really wiped out ten people this time." Ten thousand Mongolian Tatars? Is the news absolutely true? It’s not fake, right? In previous years, the fire sifted into the invaders, and military towns in various places also received constant good news, but the actual situation even us ordinary people know in our hearts, they are just lying about military achievements. This time With such a huge momentum, could it be that they are also lying about their military exploits? If they are lying about their military exploits again, wouldn’t our joy be in vain?”
After hearing what the young man said, the atmosphere near the bulletin board suddenly cooled down, and suspicion appeared on the expressions of the people.
It has long been an open secret that military towns in various places have lied about their military exploits over the years. Not only the local people knew it, but the emperor and the princes at the center of the imperial court also knew it, but no one was willing to expose it. , and precisely because there are countless precedents, people will inevitably have doubts at this time.
Liu Chengxu had been studying for a lifetime, and his knowledge was a bit better, but he shook his head solemnly and said: "This time it should not be a lie. The lies in the past years have never made such a big noise. They just killed dozens of enemies and drove away more than a thousand enemies. , it is said that the enemy was killed and driven away, but often neither prisoners nor seizures were taken. Occasionally, the heads of Tatars were also perjured evidence of killing good people and taking credit for their merits. This kind of victory was not painful and it was not painful, and the court would not go to great lengths to investigate and verify... But the good news this time was that a hundred thousand enemies were killed. Such a big news would inevitably be repeatedly verified by the court. No official dared to falsify this matter. The imperial envoy Zhao Junchen was an important official of the court. He dared to ask The imperial court guaranteed that nothing would happen in the northwest frontier in the next ten years. Naturally, it had great confidence and was not afraid of repaying the debt later... What's more, the success report clearly stated that after the war, more than 30,000 Tatar heads were collected, and there was another More than 3,000 Tatar prisoners were captured, and 8,000 war horses and countless military supplies were seized. Even Bagan, the coach of the Tatar coalition, was captured alive... None of these things can be false. At most, they are slightly exaggerated, but the results are There will never be any lies!”
Hearing Liu Chengxu's explanation, the people around him cheered loudly again, and the cheers were louder and more joyful than before.
At the same time, some people also talked loudly: "I don't think it's true. We all heard about the imperial envoy, Mr. Zhao, who personally did the locust extermination in Lu'an Prefecture last year. In order to protect our people's harvest, he did not hesitate to offend the locust god." , it is naturally impossible for such a great Master Qingtian to lie about his military exploits!"
"Yes, this Mr. Zhao can secure the country with his talent and defend his borders with his martial arts. We usually only see such strange men in dramas. I really hope that the emperor can appoint Mr. Zhao as the prime minister. In this case, the lives of us ordinary people may be better. It will be better!”
"With Master Zhao's great achievements, let alone becoming prime minister, he should be named a prince with a different surname..."
Because of last year's locust extermination, Zhao Junchen's reputation in Lu'an Prefecture was extremely high, and Pingyang Prefecture was adjacent to Lu'an Prefecture. The people here were also affected. They had a good impression of Zhao Junchen, but it was very easy. Zhao Junchen is classified into the category of "Master Qingtian".
On the other side, hearing the common people talking, although Liu Chengxu did not refute, he was also noncommittal.
The common people's comments are full of mistakes for Liu Chengxu, a scholar. Not to mention that the dynasty no longer has the position of prime minister, and Zhao Junchen's achievements are far from meeting the standards for being crowned a king with a different surname. I know that the achievements of Wang Yangming, Yu Qian, Qi Jiguang and others back then were much more prominent than Zhao Junchen, and at most they were no more than feudal lords.
"However, although Zhao Junchen's achievements are not enough to make him a king, he must be given a title... I just don't know what kind of title it is!" Liu Chengxu thought secretly.
But while the people were talking and Liu Chengxu was thinking secretly, the young man who just raised the question suddenly cried loudly, and then turned around and left.
Seeing the young man's behavior, everyone was puzzled. Someone shouted at his leaving back: "Zhang Niuzi, what are you going to do? Why are you so surprised?"
There were still tears on Zhang Niuzi's face. He turned around and said, "Master Zhao has avenged his blood for me. I am going to prepare a longevity tablet for him to enshrine at home!"
After saying that, Zhang Niuzi turned and left.
Seeing Zhang Niuzi's performance, the people near the bulletin board started talking again. During this period, an insider told everyone about Zhang Niuzi's past.
It turned out that Zhang Niuzi was originally from Yulin. Four years ago, during the Huo Si invasion, his village was invaded by the Mongolian Tatars. All the people in the village were slaughtered, including Zhang Niuzi's parents and his unmarried wife. Only Zhang Niuzi had to go up the mountain because of He escaped by chopping firewood, so Zhang Niuzi had a blood-and-blood feud with the Mongolian Tatars. Over the years, he came to Pingyang City and became a coolie to make a living, but his hatred for the Mongols remained unabated.
Now, Zhao Junchen has wiped out 100,000 Mongolian coalition forces in one go. To Zhang Niuzi, he is his benefactor to avenge his hatred, so it is not surprising that Zhang Niuzi wants to build an immortal tablet for Zhao Junchen.
After hearing the insider's explanation, the people present were filled with emotion and felt that they felt the same.
Because of Zhang Niuzi's story, these people's gratitude and affection for Zhao Junchen became even more profound.
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At the same time, after receiving the good news that Zhao Junchen had wiped out the Mongolian coalition forces in one fell swoop, although the scholars and ordinary people responded greatly, their violent response was far less than that of the frontier officials and wealthy businessmen with keen political sense. A wealthy businessman.
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