Then he ordered that, following the old system of the Tianshun period, the thirteen generals would be reassigned to the jurisdiction of the general military office.
In order for them to get started quickly after taking office and not to be hindered by secret calculations, Colonel Zhu You transferred two thousand Huben sergeants to them.
Officials who are suddenly parachuted in are most afraid of being despised by their subordinates, doing things in a submissive manner, and being ostracized by the alliance.
Although the two thousand troops are not many, they are still available, and there will not be the embarrassing situation of no one being available.
Wei Shixin and Zhang Qingzhen are not fools. Whether they can turn around and change the status quo depends on this time.
As for the emperor's decision and appointment, most of the nobles, except Zhu Chunchen, were only surprised, not dissatisfied.
This is also great news for them. His Majesty attaches great importance to military affairs and is willing to appoint and trust them, which can be said to be very crucial.
First there was a British duke, and now there are two earls. In the near future, how many nobles will be entrusted with important tasks?
They are all looking forward to that day.
After finishing the water transport affairs, it was already approaching noon, and Zhu Youxiao's purpose of holding a court meeting had been basically completed.
Now is the time to properly deal with those traitorous Shanxi merchants.
He picked up a memorial on the imperial case, looked at the court official below and said:
"This is a memorial from Wei Zhongxian to me. In the Shanxi region, there are a large number of profiteers smuggling and selling strategic materials in the border towns, colluding with the Mongols, and feeding them with the food that our Ming people have worked hard to grow!"
"They are so heartless that they are worse than dogs. Among them are eight large merchants including the Fan family, the Wang family, and the Tian family!"
"I've already seen it, you all should see it too!"
Wang Chaofu quickly took the memorial from the emperor, quickly walked down the steps, and handed it into the hands of Wang Xiangqian, the chief minister of the cabinet.
Many officials haven't reacted yet. Why has such a big thing happened again? There was no noise at all.
The officials were confused and had no time to think.
When they finished reading, they heard the emperor say:
"What I mean is that we must deal with it severely and use the heaviest punishment to shock the world, as well as the rest of the fish that have slipped through the net!"
"I believe that smuggling, trafficking, and collaboration with the enemy and the country are definitely not limited to the people on the list, and they are definitely not limited to Shanxi. The generals in Liaodong are the best proof!"
The emperor's words made some officials nervous and fearful. Naturally, these were the people who colluded with these businessmen, accepted bribes, and were willing to act as a protective umbrella.
Seeing that their lives were in danger, officials from Shanxi and those who had served in Shanxi immediately became uneasy.
During the incident, Zhang Dawei from the military department immediately stepped forward and began to defend himself.
"Your Majesty, I believe that what Dongchang reported is not true and is suspected of forgery and frame-up. I hope your Majesty must not believe the words of Wei Zhongxian alone. Please ask the Holy Judgment to investigate clearly!"
As soon as the words fell, several officials immediately came forward to express their same thoughts and echoed what Zhang Dawei just said.
Zhu Youxiao didn't want to waste more words on this matter, so he glanced at Wei Zhongxian who had been standing under the Dragon Majesty. Wei Zhongxian understood immediately. He had been waiting for a long time.
"Long live the Lord, the charges reported by this servant and the evidence collected are all true, and there is absolutely no fraud!"
"Half a year ago, some villagers in Shanxi complained to my slave. Some merchants in Shanxi were collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, reselling food and weapons, as well as the deployment and intelligence of our Ming army for personal gain!"
"This slave sent Dongchang's police officer to Shanxi to investigate the authenticity of the matter. Emperor Tian has paid off. I finally found out and verified the evidence of these profiteers!"
"During the investigation and evidence collection, both Jin Yiwei and the Governor of Shanxi were involved. This is not the so-called slave's word. If anyone doesn't believe it, you can ask the commander of Jin Yiwei!"
"My slave, I also have a letter written by Chen Qiyu, the governor of Shanxi. I would like to prove to you that what happened today is the truth!"
Then Wang Chaofu pretended to take the so-called autograph letter from Wei Zhongxian and carefully presented it to the emperor.
After Zhu Youxiao symbolically flipped through the pages, he said:
"With all the witnesses and evidence gathered, what else can you say? Are you still trying to defend the thief?"
"I am also puzzled. These profiteers have no power, but they can actually cover the sky in Shanxi with one hand and enter and leave the border towns at will!"
"After so many years, no one has reported this matter. Could it be that you are all blind and deaf?"
"It is impossible for the civil and military officers in the border town to be unaware of the smuggling incident between the profiteers and the enemy. And the reason why they chose to conceal it and not report it is probably because they got a lot of benefits from the profiteers, right?"
"In this court, there may not be those who are willing to degenerate and are greedy for profit!"
This kind of major event involving a wide range of things is supposed to be operated secretly and secretly. To discuss and decide such a matter in front of hundreds of civil and military officials is bound to be full of obstacles.
But Zhu Youxiao was not afraid at all. He just wanted to use this matter to wipe out the entire Shanxi smuggling interest group.
Merely using punishment to interrogate may not be able to dig out the moths hiding in the dark.
Because as long as they are still officials in the court, those profiteers will have a sense of luck and imagine that they can be rescued.
And as long as this kind of luck exists, they will hide something. No matter how severe the torture is, threatening family members may not be effective.
He just wanted to use this matter to blow up the fish in the court. Anyone who spoke up to speak out for the profiteers to absolve themselves of their crimes would most likely be his accomplices.
Although there will be some omissions in this way, as long as their basic power can be defeated in one fell swoop, it will be enough.
The emperor's suspicion did not make these people restrain themselves, but instead became more united. They began to point the finger at Wei Zhongxian.
Nearly twenty officials jointly denounced, and they unanimously concluded that Wei Zhongxian was setting up a frame-up and fabricating evidence of the crime.
For a time, Wei Zhongxian became the center of attention. Not only were these officials accusing and insulting him, but other officials were also looking at him with strange eyes.
These people may not be Shanxi merchants' comrades, or even have nothing to do with each other, but in this confusing situation, they are more willing to believe in their own kind.
Wei Zhongxian's reputation for evil was too great, and too many officials and scholars died tragically at his hands.
Moreover, the literati themselves have colored glasses towards eunuchs, and most people directly despise and discriminate against them, so how can they believe what a eunuch says.
But how can Wei Zhongxian be so easy to offend?
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