"That's not necessarily the case." Qiao Yingjia was so angry with Feng Ziying that he didn't bother to argue with his disciple, so he breathed a sigh of relief, "The imperial court is still talking to Nanjing. There is no problem for Prince Yi Zhong to succeed to the throne, but his heirs may not. , at least the emperor’s heirs are equally qualified to be heirs, and at most, Prince Yitada’s heir apparent is the first in line.”
"What does it mean to be ranked first? Who decides? Who has the right to change the order?" Feng Ziying asked the key question directly.
"Of course it's the cabinet." Qiao Yingjia said without hesitation, "Of course there are conditions for the cabinet to be able to change its order, such as unanimous consent, or the emperor's request..."
"What if the emperor dies or falls unconscious?" Feng Ziying asked tactfully. Isn't this the case for the person in the palace now?
"That's a direct decision from the cabinet, and all you need to do is agree." Qiao Yingjia replied.
"You don't need to consult important ministers for their opinions?" Feng Ziying blinked, "I thought I was qualified to express my attitude."
"Nanjing proposed this, but the cabinet request does not require all approval, just a certain proportion. Nanjing did not agree, so it was put aside." Qiao Yingjia explained: "In short, the details here are still being discussed. , and it’s still noisy.”
"Then these people in the palace are in panic all day long, what should the emperor do?" Feng Ziying asked again.
Qiao Yingjia's face changed slightly, and he was a little confused and confused. He shook his head: "We haven't talked about it yet. The Emperor has become seriously ill. Maybe it happened in the past few days."
They didn’t say what to do with the emperor, but only said that the emperor was dying. Then the emperor would meditate and become the new emperor?
"What about the princes in the palace? Where are the ladies?" Feng Ziying frowned, "I'm afraid they won't let it go and will make a fuss, right?"
"What kind of trouble can they make? How can a woman from deep inside the palace be involved in national affairs?" Qiao Yingjia dismissed it, "Besides, they haven't been kicked out yet, so why are you panicking? Isn't the court still fighting for them?" "
These words were so domineering that Feng Ziying felt that Master Qiao really hated these people in the palace so much that he had such an attitude.
"Master Qiao, what should we do with Jiangnan?" Feng Ziying asked another key question, "Niu Jizong, Wang Ziteng, Sun Shaozu and Chen Jixian, just let them go like this?"
Qiao Yingjia couldn't answer this question.
This issue is also highly controversial within the imperial court, and no consensus has yet been reached.
Jiangnan will continue to pay taxes as before. This is the bottom line of the court and the most pressing issue.
The financial pressure from all sides is crushing the Ministry of Household Affairs. The court cannot accept the continuous borrowings from Haitong Bank or the issuance of government bonds, and it is difficult for the cabinet ministers to accept it psychologically.
In fact, Feng Ziying thinks this is a normal thing. How can we develop the economy without borrowing money? But in this era, it is the source of all evil and treason.
The compromise on the issue of turning over Jiangnan's wealth is to retain Jiangnan Town, that is, the armies of Niu, Wang, and Sun, plus Chen Jixian, a guy with both sides of the head, to become the three southern towns in name. This can be regarded as the relationship between Prince Yi Zhong and those loyal to him. The core group of Jiangnan gentry, but how loyal Chen Jixian is is hard to say.
After a long time, Qiao Yingjia slowly responded: "That's it for the time being. The court will not allow it to be like this for a long time. Niu Jizong, Wang Ziteng and Sun Shaozu are three scourges. The court will have to deal with them sooner or later, but now it needs to be done step by step to stabilize the situation in the North. Once Huguang and Sichuan have also settled down, the imperial court will have enough power to deal with them."
This is the true intention of the imperial court. In fact, Prince Yohitada and the others also understand it, but their ideas may not be the same.
Prince Yitada just wants to secure the throne, especially to win the throne for his descendants.
After reaching that stage, the civil servants of the imperial court recognized his lineage. Instead, he should support the eradication of the so-called three towns in the south. No one wanted to see the emergence of vassal towns.
For Niu Wang Sun Chen and others, they hope that Prince Yi Zhong and the imperial court will continue to fight with each other so that they can become powerful and form a routine. The vassal towns in the former Tang Dynasty were originally sent by the imperial court, but when the imperial court
After the central power declined, wouldn't these feudal towns naturally become more independent and gradually become real feudal towns?
Maybe three to five years won't work, but ten or twenty years?
Who knows what will happen during this period? What if the Jurchen offensive in Jianzhou becomes more fierce during this period, and what if the Chahars and Tumuts continue to invade the south? Will Shanxi and Shaanxi be in chaos again due to severe drought? Is there an uprising in the White Lotus Sect?
Everything is possible, this is their chance.
Everyone is waiting, waiting for the situation to develop in their favor, and only then will they take action.
"Master Qiao, what do we need to do now?" Feng Ziying asked after being silent for a while.
"Do what you should do and Huaichang will make you responsible for rectifying the armies in the capital? This matter is related to the court's control over the capital after the new emperor ascends the throne. Ziying, you should understand that the capital camp, Shang San Dear army, you should speed up the progress and finalize it as soon as possible if you feel confident." Qiao Yingjia also knew Feng Ziying's current mission and pondered for a moment, "If there is no suitable candidate, the Northwest Army under your father's command can also use it."
Feng Ziying raised her eyebrows, "Master Qiao, what's the next step for the Northwest Army?" Qiao Yingjia rubbed his temples, "The court has not yet made a decision. If the three southern towns are to succeed, the Northwest Army must remain, but the scale may It will shrink, such as staying in Xuzhou,..."
"How about handing over Xuzhou and Yangzhou to my father?" Feng Ziying asked, tilting her head.
Qiao Yingjia smiled slightly, "Don't worry, if your father-in-law leads his troops to Xuzhou, which is adjacent to Yangzhou, it would be normal for there to be some disputes..."
Feng Ziying felt enlightened, this was probably the court's next intention.
Let the Northwest Army go to Xuzhou, but can the land in Xuzhou accommodate such a large Northwest Army? Just relying on the food and salary allocated by the court, I am afraid that I will be half-dead. It is inevitable to reach out to Huai'an and Yangzhou. No matter how to antagonize Wang Ziteng, or even take back Yangzhou, the court seems to be happy to see it happen, as long as it does not affect Jiangnan. Water transportation and tax payment.
This has already laid the groundwork for conflict, it's just a matter of waiting for the right time. Qiao Yingjia asked Feng Ziying about her family situation again.
It was rare for a three-bedroom mother-in-law to have no direct heir, which made Qiao Yingjia worried about Feng Ziying. He also told Feng Ziying not to be too wild outside.
It is estimated that Qiao Yingjia has also heard about Wang Xifeng and Busia Mara. These matters are difficult to hide from the Youdu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Fortunately, Qiao Yingjia did not mention it clearly, which saved some face for Feng Ziying and made Feng Ziying feel relieved. If the censor really wanted to impeach him, Qiao Yingjia could help him stop it.
**********
Feng Tang took action immediately after receiving Feng Ziying's letter.
Now that we can no longer fight, we need to consider where to go next.
The northwest is so miserable that even the imperial court wants to abolish the three towns and four towns into two towns. Who would want to go to the northwest?
Yulin Town remains, Guyuan Town disappears, and the two towns in Gansu and Ningxia merge into Ganning Town. Who will be the commander-in-chief of these two towns?
He Shixian, Xiao Ruxun, Qi Bingzhong, and Ma Jinbao, two of the four generals must become unemployed immediately.
Xiao Ruxun should have a new place to go. Feng Tang knew that this person had a special relationship with Li Sancai and would definitely get good arrangements. He was probably going to Beijing.
Ma Jinbao is a little more junior. Although I heard that he has Ziying's trust, he probably won't be able to take the position of chief soldier yet. He Shixian and Qi Bingzhong should be the chief soldiers of Yulin Town and Ganning Town in the future.
However, how Ma Jinbao arranges it depends on Ziying's consideration.
Unconsciously, Feng Tang discovered that it was his son who made the decision on many things, and he had to rely on him most of the time.
The Northwest Army is now in an embarrassing position. Once the war ceases, Niu Jizong, Wang Ziteng, Sun Shaozu and even Chen Jixian will have somewhere to go. However, the Northwest Army, which has worked so hard for the court, has become a stinky piece of shit that no one cares about.
Seeing Feng Tang's expression changing, Liu Dongyang, Liu Baichuan, and Tu Wenxiu who were standing in the hall all looked at the boss. It was Liu Dongyang who broke the silence: "Sir, yes
Isn’t it that the imperial court is going to abolish us again? Do you want to disband on the spot? What should we do, brothers? "
The northwest army was filled with a sense of distrust towards the imperial court, which even Feng Tang could not say anything about. Being left out in the cold for a long time, being dismissed like a beggar, being lifted up when you need to use it, and kicked away when not in use, is really like a toilet, and Feng Tang is the one who lifts the toilet.
Feng Tang shook his head, "No, it's just that there are so many of us, and the court thinks it's redundant, and wants to eliminate some of them, but it's worried that something will happen, which makes it difficult."
Hearing this, the generals under his command felt a little calmer, and Liu Baichuan couldn't help but ask: "Then where should we go? Shouldn't we go back to the northwest?"
"Three sides are going to cut it apart. Only two towns will be retained. Gansu and Ning will be merged. Guyuan will be withdrawn. There is no place to go back." Feng Tang cheered up and said, "Go to Xuzhou."
"Xuzhou?!" All the generals were confused, "Why are you going to Xuzhou?"
"We have to accompany Prince Teng when he moves to Yangzhou." Feng Tang sneered to himself, "It's just that the traitor can go to Yangzhou where he has a lot of money and a lot of money, but we are going to Xuzhou to fight for our lives. It's a bit ridiculous. "
All the generals were clamoring, but only Liu Dongyang was sober: "Sir, is the court deliberately trying to create conflicts? It's interesting for us and Prince Teng to live next to each other. The sons and daughters may not be able to bear this tone."
Feng Tang spread his hands, expressionless, and said leisurely: "Then what should we do? We may not be able to suppress the anger of the sons. If we suppress it forcefully, what if there is a mutiny? It is better to find a place to pour it out. Let’s see how the imperial court distributes it, Yanxu Town, haha, it’s really a good place.”
