"Chief!"
Zhang Cai, the right minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Zhang Kentang, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, came to the banquet. The person hosting the banquet was Qian Qianyi, the head of Donglin and the current president of the Hanlin Academy.
The people present here are not ordinary people, including Hou Xun, the left minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Wei, the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Qian Shisheng, the censor of the right capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Qu Shishu, the chief assistant, sitting on Qian Qianyi's left hand.
"You two, hurry up and take a seat!"
Qian Qianyi showed his usual hospitality to guests. Now that the court situation is somewhat unfavorable to Donglin, it is particularly important to win over Fushe, who is also a disadvantaged party.
Although in order to appease Qian Qianyi, Emperor Chongzhen raised the grade of the Hanlin Academy to the third rank, reaching the level where he could participate in court meetings, Qian Qianyi was not satisfied with this.
As the largest gang in the entire Ming Dynasty, Donglin should have the responsibility and obligation to share more daily affairs for the emperor, but for Qian Qianyi, being a mere leader is not consistent with the identity of the leader.
Even if you are not a pavilion elder, you should at least be a minister, right?
As a result, let alone the minister, not even the minister among the six departments was caught.
This made Qian Qianyi very depressed, and he had communicated with his student Qu Shiqi many times before.
As the chief assistant who was quickly promoted by Emperor Chongzhen, it was inconvenient for Qu Shichun to directly select his own teacher.
If you want to join the cabinet, you must have some operations with your colleagues below, and the number of people must be large enough to achieve twice the result with half the effort.
However, facing the huge Beiguan Group, it is very difficult to get what you want.
First, we need to reach an agreement with Fushe, and then we need to win over several Nanguan who live in Tingyi.
In view of Donglin's previous strategy of excluding dissidents, it is unlikely that he will change his attitude in a short period of time.
Even with his colleagues from Zhejiang, Donglin adopted a strategy of vigilance and hostility.
Donglin actually surrounds Nanzhili, especially the scholars from Nandu to Suzhou.
Jiangnan looks down on Jiangbei (Yangzhou), Yangzhou looks down on Lianghuai, and Lianghuai looks down on Xuzhou.
South Zhili looks down on Zhejiang, and Zhejiang looks down on Jiangxi, Huguang, and Guangxi.
That's not all. Officials throughout the South still despise their colleagues in the North...
Some censors criticized the prince's deliberate efforts to divide the Ming Dynasty into two, but what about the officialdom?
Moreover, it had been broken into several pieces decades ago and could not be put back together for a while.
Faced with such a situation, Qu Shiqi, as the chief assistant, has no good ideas for the time being.
Eliminating the barriers between different regions and different gangs cannot be achieved overnight.
Previously, officials from the Southern Capital were fighting among themselves, but now His Majesty has brought many Northern officials and placed them in important positions.
Originally, many of them were from Donglin, but they had to step aside to make room for others, who were still a group of outsiders. How could Donglin not feel uncomfortable?
According to Donglin's internal opinion, there must be at least a "three-three quantity", that is, three of the six departments and three members of the cabinet. This is the minimum standard.
The current situation is completely beyond what Donglin can bear. Even if there can be no changes this year, changes must be made after the beginning of next year. Emperor Chongzhen must not be allowed to do whatever he wants.
According to Qian Qianyi's intention, if he himself was unable to join the cabinet, he would rely on his position as the head of the Hanlin Academy to recruit as many Donglin scholars as possible. After passing the imperial examination, they could be recruited into the six departments and many yamen.
These scholars are all the seeds of Donglin's subordinates. They will be promoted and promoted over and over again. They can be intertwined and help each other if something happens.
If he could join the cabinet, he would apply for Zhou Yanru to fill this position. After all, he spent one hundred thousand taels of silver and could not waste this large sum of money.
"Thank you, Chief. Nice to meet you all!"
Zhang Cai and Zhang Kentang were polite to everyone who stood up. Fushe was a gang derived from Donglin. In the end, they were a family.
It's just that we have slightly different views and opinions on some issues. If there is something that threatens our own interests, we can still share the same hatred.
Since the banquet was held at his own residence, it was very convenient. Under Qian Qianyi's greeting, the servants filed in and quickly served various dishes on the table.
Sweet and sour mandarin fish, braised lion head, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised goose feet, stir-fried winter bamboo shoots, braised chicken wings, braised pork with pickled vegetables, diced rabbit in red oil, eight-treasure tofu, Wansan Hoof, Zhongzhuang Drunken Crab, boiled dried shreds, Stir-fried rapeseed with mushrooms, sweet-scented osmanthus, glutinous rice and lotus root, scrambled whitebait eggs, and biluo shrimps.
With a total of sixteen dishes, plus aged and sealed Jinhua wine, this banquet was quite grand. Even the plates for serving the dishes came from the official kiln, which ordinary people would never dream of matching.
Even though Qian Qianyi is already old and his drinking capacity is worrying, he still has four other people to accompany him. He has to give him the face of the first assistant, right?
It is not difficult for four people to persuade two people. As a scholar of Donglin, you not only need to know poetry and songs, know the news of the government and the public, but also be able to change glasses at the dinner table.
If you tell the truth while drunk, how can you hear the truth without making the other party drunk?
"Zai Ning (Zhang Kentang's courtesy name) and Shouxian (Zhang Cai's courtesy calligraphy), do you have any news about Gandu (Zhang Pu's courtesy name)?"
It's unwise to talk about your intentions first, and you have to find a reason. Qian Qianyi thinks that starting with Zhang Pu is the best topic.
"If Jifu is attacked, he must avoid the disaster first!"
Zhang Cai shook his head. The most concerning thing in the southern capital right now is Donglu knocking off the pass. The northern capital is surrounded by Huang Taiji's army.
"Your Majesty, with his military strategy and the blessing of His Majesty Taizu Emperor Gao, will surely be able to turn danger into good luck!"
Although Qian Qianyi expressed dissatisfaction with many of the prince's new policies, especially those that harmed the interests of the businessmen behind Donglin, he still had to praise them. This was his own attitude, and the entire Donglin's external attitude.
"It is said that Huang Taiji has mobilized all the troops outside the customs, which may be as high as 300,000!"
Zhang Wei has never had any contact with the prince, and it is not yet known what the prince's abilities will be when he returns from the fairy world, but it is probably true that Huang Taiji plans to take advantage of the situation.
Summarizing all the information, it can be seen that the total number of defenders in Beidu is only one hundred thousand. Even if they can defend the city with a fortified city, they have little chance of winning against the invincible Donglu army.
"Rumors in the market say that if the battle is a victory for the weak, the captive chief Taiji will naturally withdraw his troops and leave the border. If he fails to win..."
"What's the explanation?"
"Master Wang can defend half of the country with the two Huai lines of defense!"
"hiss……"
Hou Xun heard the news from his son Hou Fangyu. At least those in Nandu were generally not optimistic that the young prince could defeat Huang Taiji.
Not to mention repelling the 300,000 vicious Donglu army, even if they defeated 100,000 Donglu, Yang Hao failed to do it, Qin Liangyu failed to do it, and Zu Dashou failed to do it.
Only Yuan Chonghuan had done it, but this man was executed by Ling Chi by Chongzhen.
Mao Wenlong was killed by Yuan Chonghuan, Cao Wenzhao died in the suppression of bandits, and Lu Xiangsheng died in the battle last winter. Now I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty will not be able to find a good general who can defeat Huang Taiji.
"Chief Assistant, in your opinion, can Beidu succeed?"
Zhang Cai's explanation of how to organize the troops and horses was very logical. When the two sides actually started fighting, he couldn't guess the outcome at all. It was a typical paper talk.
"To be honest, I am not familiar with border affairs, but I very much hope that Your Highness can defeat the enemy! The "Jingshi Daily" has already published the airship incident before, and there are other firearms to help, so it will be easier to hold on for a long time!"
Qu Shishu's military capabilities were not much better than Zhang Cai's, but his tendency was obvious. It would be of no benefit to the Ming Dynasty if the northern capital was captured by the Donglu.
There is another reason, that is, Qu Shiqi was flattered that he could be promoted to the position of first assistant, and he was even more puzzled.
Later, I learned from Wang Chengen that it was His Highness the Crown Prince who recommended me to His Majesty. Otherwise, if the Chief Minister had to postpone it for twenty years, he would not be able to do it.
To be fair, the Crown Prince also had a favor for him, so Qu Shichun did not want the Beidu to fall, and he was not willing to hear the news that the Eastern captives had captured the Crown Prince or even the Empress of the Ming Dynasty.
Qu Shishu didn't believe in things that could fly into the sky. However, people from the northern capital, ranging from Emperor Chongzhen to officials and their families, all acknowledged it personally.
The calibers are surprisingly consistent, and some people describe it so vividly that it makes people imagine. From this point of view, the airship is a real thing.
"What the Chief Assistant said is what we all thought. I wish His Highness will lead the King's Division to defeat the stubborn enemy!"
Qian Qianyi raised his wine glass at the right time and began to wish the prince from afar, and everyone naturally followed suit.
This scene of pushing cups and changing cups is very consistent with the outline of "the front is tight and the rear is tight"!
Qian Qianyi was very conflicted in his heart. He hoped that the prince would not be too proud, but he also did not want to see the northern capital being captured by the Donglu.
Once the northern capital is lost, it is feared that the 300,000 Eastern captives will quickly move southward, just like the Jin army immediately went south to attack the Song Dynasty after destroying the Liao Dynasty.
Without a famous general like Yue Fei, could Wang Shi, who had been repeatedly defeated in battles, really be able to hold the Lianghuai defense line?
If this line of defense is lost again, the natural danger of the Yangtze River will be equally divided between the two sides.
Just across the river, Nandu faced hundreds of thousands of Donglu troops who were eyeing them eagerly. How could they hold on?
If Donglu were to calmly cross the river from somewhere and attack the hinterland south of the Yangtze River, the Ming Empire would collapse.
Therefore, after repeated thinking, Qian Qianyi believed that the best result was to let the prince and the captive chief fight in a lose-lose manner.
To take a step back, regardless of whether the northern capital was lost or not, the Donglu army would not be able to move south.
But this was just his imagination, and Qian Qianyi knew not to take it seriously.
"Chief Assistant, there will be a meeting tomorrow. Do we need to advise His Majesty to strengthen the defense lines along the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River?"
Zhang Kentang is very worried about the war in the northern capital. If he really can't withstand the Donglu army, then the southern court must make plans early and take precautions.
"What Zai Ning said is absolutely true. Naturally, we must stick to these two lines of defense, especially the Huaihe River line of defense. Since ancient times, to defend the river, we must defend the Huaihe River!"
On the surface Qu Shishu agreed with Zhang Kentang's suggestion, but he was smiling bitterly in his heart. Apart from Zhu Dadian's troops, how many troops were there to defend the Huaihe River defense line?
If it doesn't work, we can only report to His Majesty and pull some of the people led by Hong Chengchou to make up the number. Otherwise, there is no way to defend the Huaihe River defense line without 30,000 to 50,000 people.
Even if there are 50,000 troops, we may not be able to defend it, but at least it can make us feel more at ease. We won't have to worry about the Qing army breaking through this line of defense every day and taking Yangzhou, an important town on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
“But I don’t know how to raise tens of thousands of horses?”
Of course Zhang Kentang understands the importance of the Huaihe River defense line, but now he is short of people and money. No one has money, so how can he rely on words to hold on?
"I'm afraid it's too late to recruit troops now. For the current plan, we must either mobilize troops from all over the south to come to serve the king, or ask Zhenhaibo to send tens of thousands of troops to the north for reinforcements!"
Recruiting soldiers cannot fight at all. They must be trained for several months before they can form an army. Otherwise, even if they are drawn to the battlefield and faced with the Donglu cavalry, they will be defeated in one blow.
Qu Shichun could only place more than half of his hopes on Zheng Zhilong. After all, this corner of Fujian was an excluded area within the entire Nanting jurisdiction.
Zheng Zhilong has dominated the sea for many years, with more than 100,000 troops and more than a thousand warships. It is his duty to serve the king. If the war situation takes a turn for the worse, he can advise his majesty and directly make him a marquis.
"That's all we have to do now, but Zheng Zhilong reported to the court earlier that he had sent troops to the north for reinforcements. In addition, his troops were fighting fiercely with Hongyi in the east, and ordered him to send troops a second time..."
Regarding Zheng Zhilong, a former pirate leader, Zhang Kentang probably did not believe in his promises, but the situation was like this and he had soldiers in his hands. Even if the court had no one to rely on, he still had great say.
The Zheng Group was almost stronger than a certain vassal town in the late Tang Dynasty. It had been repeatedly defeated by the Donglu. Now the court had to rely on Zheng Zhilong.
Not to mention Zheng Zhilong, who secretly obeyed his orders and disobeyed orders, even officers and generals did a lot of things that were both overt and underhanded. In order to get more reward money, it was not uncommon to kill good people and take merit.
"It is said that Zheng Zhilong has sent his eldest son Zheng Sen to Beidu as an apprentice to His Highness, which shows his utter loyalty!"
Qu Shishu didn't dare to vouch for Zheng Zhilong, but he could still give an example. Since Beidu was besieged, Zheng Sen was also in the city. For this son, Zheng Zhilong would not give up.
"Hiss...that's true!"
Everyone present also heard the news and wanted to use this trick to win over Zheng Zhilong for the prince, but they did not expect to use it at a critical moment.
"Donglu is not good at water warfare. Whether it is the Huaihe River or the Yangtze River, if Zhenhaibo's warships help, it will naturally be impregnable!"
South ships and north horses set the tone during the Three Kingdoms period. Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops were defeated in Red Cliff because they were not good at water warfare.
Qu Shishu believed that as long as he mobilized a large number of warships and followed the water warfare strategy of Zhao and Song general Han Shizhong, he could defeat the Donglu cavalry.
However, even though the Northern Capital side has fallen into a bitter battle, the Southern Capital side is still singing and dancing and does not feel the impact of the war at all.
There are many beautiful dancers in Qian Qianyi's house. They drink and talk while enjoying singing and dancing. Wouldn't it be a leisurely time?
It got dark very early after winter, so Qian Qianyi sent someone to light the new oil lamp he bought.
Under the illumination of several oil lamps, the huge hall instantly became brighter.
"This lamp is very good!"
Kentang Zhang stroked his beard and looked at the lights, as if the lights were more attractive than the dancing girl not far away.
"It's a pity that I only bought six of them!"
Of course Qian Qianyi knew the beauty of this lamp, otherwise he wouldn't have paid a high price for it.
He also wanted to buy at least a dozen more lamps, but unfortunately after Jifu was attacked, the lamps became priceless and unmarketable in the southern capital.
Even if you offer the sky-high price of one hundred taels, you won't be able to buy one. There are oil lamps in Ouchi. Do you dare to compete with the emperor for oil lamps?
A large oil lamp sells for twenty taels. Don't think it's too expensive. Don't bargain. If you have time to bargain, the lamp will be bought by someone else.
Especially wealthy businessmen from all walks of life like this kind of beautiful and bright oil lamp.
Even the Lianghuai salt merchants scolded the prince while buying the oil lamps created by the prince.
The handicraft industry in Jiangnan is developed, but some people saw that this product was profitable and planned to imitate it and sell it.
But then many problems were discovered. Even if the lamp body was made of iron, the glass lampshade was really difficult to make.
The most deadly thing is that when the black oil shipped from Shaanxi is lit, it is not as bright as lamp oil, and it also emits large amounts of black smoke, which is extremely choking.
From the comparison, we can see that although black oil and lamp oil are similar, they seem to be two kinds of oil. The latter cannot be easily replaced by the former.
If you don't master the secret of lamp oil, you will definitely not be able to make the imitation oil lamp achieve the same level of brightness.
If you want to find out these secrets, you have to enter the oil factory in Beidu.
Now that the northern capital is under siege, it is impossible to know as soon as possible, and it will not be until next spring at the earliest.
