The carriage rumbled, accompanied by the slight swaying of the wheels pressing against the bluestone slab, which brought about a strange feeling.
Feng Ziying raised her head and thought for a long time, then slowly said: "If the cabinet can remain as strong as it is now, especially if the Ministry of War can further strengthen its control over the border troops and guards, and the domestic situation does not change much, then Shou No matter whether it is King Wang Lu or Prince Yi Zhong, whoever succeeds to the throne will not affect the overall situation. However, Wen Yan, Prime Minister Ye, Prime Minister Fang and Master Qi are all in their fifties, and Duke Daofu is sixty. The four of them How long can this kind of situation be maintained? Now Mr. Zhang is ill and has to retire, and the cabinet has not yet had time to fill the vacancies, so it is hard to say what the situation will be like."
Feng Ziying's words were heartbreaking, but Wang Wenyan knew they were the truth.
Regardless of whether the descendants of the Tian family admit it or not, since the late period of Emperor Yuanxi, the power of civil servants has continued to expand. In a sense, Emperor Yuanxi's inner Zen gave way to Emperor Yonglong was a last resort.
In the later period of the Yuanxi Emperor, many affairs and the cabinet's very different attitudes led to several stalemates, which led to secret resistance from the cabinet and even brought the court to a standstill. Even if the Yuanxi Emperor wanted to hand over the throne to Prince Yizhong, it would be very difficult , so in the end Emperor Yonglong had to succeed, which was also a disguised compromise.
Of course, it is not impossible for Prince Yoshitaka to take the throne now, but the situation is completely different.
At that time, Shen Guanyuan was the chief assistant, which was quite polite, because the relationship between the Northern scholars and the Jiangnan scholars was very tense, but now the Jiangnan scholars led by Ye Xianggao and Fang Congzhe and the Northern scholars represented by Qi Yongtai have become increasingly tacit. Coupled with Li Sancai who provided lubrication and coordination, it can be said that the cabinet now has the strongest control.
Whether in the military or at the local level, they are all under the strong control of the cabinet. At this time, no matter who holds the most powerful position, they have to submit to the cabinet.
But how long can this situation last? Once one of the four cabinet ministers dies of illness or becomes official, it will definitely cause turmoil. Whoever succeeds in the cabinet may not have the same prestige and control ability as the four of them now. This may bring trouble to the one sitting on the throne. Position with opportunity.
Of course, for now, the four cabinet ministers are all in good health, so there is nothing to be afraid of when choosing Prince Yohitada. Prince Yohitada may not outlast the four cabinet ministers, and the cabinet is now actively cultivating the next generation. A Shilin leader who is worthy of joining the cabinet to maintain stability.
"Sir, then I think the cabinet can calmly negotiate with Nanjing. Even if the Ministry of Revenue is in difficulty now, the entire situation is under control. According to your concept, Haitong Bank can continue to borrow money from the imperial court. In this case , the court may not be so urgent..."
Wang Wenyan was also thinking that if Prince Yi Zhong was the same as Prince Shou and Prince Lu, then the court would really not be in a hurry.
"Wen Yan, just now you were saying that the household department couldn't support it, but now your attitude has changed drastically. Why is this?" Feng Ziying laughed.
"Sir, what I was worried about just now was that the lack of financial resources would lead to political instability. But now it seems that the cabinet is controlling the situation very stably. On the contrary, Nanjing may be a little anxious. This is because the imperial court has the upper hand." Wang Wenyan said with a smile. .
Feng Ziying nodded, "Well, actually, there is really no need to be too hasty. Shaanxi has been pacified, the Liaodong incident has ended, and the Bozhou rebellion has been settled. The situation in Sichuan is seeing a bright future. Now that is Shanxi and Xuanfu. Of course, the White Lotus Sect is still a big problem, but Nanjing Seeing this situation, Prince Yi Zhong himself is probably worried. If Shanxi and Xuanfu are really calmed down, the imperial court will have only one attitude toward Nanjing, which is to surrender unconditionally."
The two of them discussed all the way until they arrived at the Ministry of War.
Feng Ziying is the right minister of the Ministry of War, so he naturally has his own office area. Wang Wenyan and Wu Yaoqing also work in this area together with several officials from the Ministry of War.
However, as private staff, Wang Wenyan and Wu Yaoqing, like Baoxiang and Ruixiang, had their salaries paid by Feng Ziying personally and not by the court.
They work together but pay their salaries separately. This unique model is also unique to Dazhou.
Of course, as personal chiefs of staff, they will follow this category of people once the master Dong Weng leaves office, while the other officials will not be required and will continue to serve the next official.
The right servant has his own small courtyard, apart from the main room
, study, rest room, as well as the side rooms on both sides, the side room, the square study and the rest room belong to Feng Ziying alone. The ten or so side rooms are mainly used by staff and officials, of which five on the left are owned by staff and five on the right are used by officials. The wing room is the residence of Chang Sui and his personal guard.
The main room is mainly used for reception, meeting guests and discussions, while the study room is used for offices and the rest room can
You can take a nap here at noon. Of course, you can also take a rest here if you work too late at night. However, since officials live in central Beijing, they rarely take a rest here at night.
Before he arrived at the courtyard of the Right Minister, a petty official there had already come to urge Feng Ziying to go to the Minister's side. Feng Ziying changed into an official robe and then walked calmly towards Zhang Huaichang's office and residence. No matter how urgent it is, it's just like that. If the sky falls, there will be a tall man holding it up, but the sky won't fall.
After experiencing the battle in Liaodong, Feng Ziying felt that her attitude suddenly became much calmer and calmer, and she was no longer as anxious as she was in Shaanxi. This kind of thing happens far away, and there is no point in being anxious for a moment.
Seeing Feng Ziying stepping in gracefully, Zhang Huaichang also showed a look of appreciation on his face.
On this trip, Feng Ziying changed a lot. It was not obvious before returning from Shaanxi, but on this trip to Liaodong, drinking ice and sleeping in the snow, strategizing, Feng Ziying grew up very quickly.
As the Minister of War, he cannot fully understand the situation in Liaodong, but he is basically under control.
As the supervisor, Feng Ziying did not take the lead and go to the front line in person. Instead, she sat in the city and was only responsible for stabilizing the morale of the troops and making decisions. But this is exactly what a civilian supervisor should do.
Although he also won a great victory in Shaanxi, Zhang Huaichang felt that Feng Ziying still had a vague demeanor of a military general, but this time in Liaodong, Feng Ziying truly embodied the demeanor of a military commander.
And when I returned to Beijing yesterday, someone from the Ministry also came to visit, and the other party was able to sleep calmly all night before coming to court. Although this made Zhang Huaichang a little unhappy, he also felt that Feng Ziying had a little bit of a demeanor that would not change even if she was overwhelmed by the mountain. .
"I've met Lord Shangshu." Feng Ziying bowed before Zhang Huaichang motioned to take a seat. "Where's Brother Zhisheng?" Feng Ziying was a little surprised not to see Sun Chengzong.
"Zhisheng went to Baoding and Hejian to check the reorganization situation of the Guards. It is not optimistic. The White Lotus Sect is also spreading among the Guards." Zhang Huaichang frowned and said: "In addition, there are more and more signs of White Lotus sect activities in the Jizhen Army. Obviously, this is what Zhisheng is most worried about."
"Oh?" Feng Ziying was shocked, "What are the signs?"
"There are more and more deserters in Jizhen. Most of them are from Baoding, Hejian, Zhending and Shuntian. According to the investigation by Long Jinwei and the Ministry of Punishment, most of them are related to the White Lotus Sect." Zhang Huaichang rubbed his temples. , "This trend seems to be getting stronger and stronger."
Feng Ziying suddenly became nervous, "When did the trend of deserting soldiers start?"
Zhang Huaichang thought for a while, "It started at the end of last year. At first there were not many people, just a few or a dozen people here and there. But after the New Year, the number began to increase gradually. In Jizhen alone, there were more than 400 escapees in February." There were more than 300 people in March. The suspected White Lotus cultists in the Baoding Guards also showed signs of instability. They gathered secretly and conspired everywhere..."
Feng Ziying couldn't help but smacked her lips. Hundreds of people were fleeing. It was definitely not a fortress outpost, but the entire Jizhen Army. These believers had been in the border army for many years and were basically used to fighting. Once the soldiers return home, they will immediately become the military backbone of the uprising.
A few hundred deserters are nothing compared to the 100,000-level Jizhen Army, but these people are all "fire". If they climb high and raise their arms in the countryside, it is probably a single spark that can start a prairie fire.
"What do you think, Brother Zhisheng?" Feng Ziying asked again.
"Zhisheng feels that we need to be highly vigilant. He is worried that before the situation in Shanxi is completely brought under control, our negotiations with Nanjing have not yet been finalized. If the White Lotus Sect gets involved, it will undermine our negotiations with Nanjing, or even put the negotiations at a disadvantage." Zhang Huai Chang did not hide anything anymore, "The negotiations between the imperial court and Nanjing have entered the final stage. It is estimated that the results will be available within a month or two. This will all depend on your success in the battle in Liaodong."
Feng Ziying shook her head, "Sir, I think
Is there any connection between Nanjing and the White Lotus Sect suddenly becoming so active? "
Zhang Huaichang nodded slightly, "It's hard to say. Even though Prince Yi Zhong may not know it personally, the people below him have no bottom line in doing things. There may be contacts. At least this kind of pressure will be beneficial to him. As for after the negotiation, he will turn his back and deny it. It’s normal.”
Feng Ziying thought for a while and then said: "Then it will be clear within the next two or three months. Regardless of whether the White Lotus Sect is in trouble or not, we must eradicate it resolutely and thoroughly. Zhishengong can go on this trip." It is very necessary. As for Nanjing, it does not affect the overall situation. As long as the military power of the Jingying and Shangsanqinjun is returned to the Ministry of War, as well as the Five Cities Military and Horse Division,..."
Zhang Huaichang glanced at Feng Ziying. This guy's thoughts were the same as Ye Xianggao's. As long as the Jingying and the Shangsanqin Army were controlled, it would not matter if Prince Yi Zhong succeeded him to the throne.
"Ziying, that's what I want to talk to you about today. The military power of Jingying and Shangsanqinjun needs to be returned to the Ministry of War. However, the Wucheng Military and Horse Division can be continued to be controlled by the Procuratorate. Anyway, it is under the control of the imperial court. Zhang Huaichang breathed a sigh of relief, "We should have started a long time ago, but you left and delayed it. What are your plans?"
Feng Ziying knew that this matter would have to be left in his own hands again, but he was very willing.
