Li Sancai was furious.
Facing the hail of bullets ahead, the crackling sound of firecrackers, and the constant splashing of dust from the walls, corners of buildings, and the ground, he held the imperial edict in his hand and didn't know what to do for a moment.
In the end, he could only retreat helplessly.
The Seventh Department just had time to talk to people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry, but there was no result. All the officials remained silent. Most people neither objected nor agreed.
A few people have clearly expressed their opposition. Those at the level of the Minister of Finance have a clear attitude. Without the recommendation and approval of the current cabinet, they will not recognize this decree.
Miao Changqi, who was the Minister of Rites, expressed his opposition, and it was even less likely for others. However, Li Sancai was still somewhat confident about Miao Changqi.
It would be better for him to object at this time. When the conditions are negotiated and he changes his attitude, it will inevitably lead to a change in the attitude of the people in the Ministry of Rites.
The opposition of most people is reasonable. If Qi Yongtai doesn't even have this ability, then he is not worthy of being the first assistant.
However, Li Sancai is not in a hurry. As long as he controls the situation in the capital city, he will have plenty of opportunities to defeat them.
Because there is no beginning yet, no one wants to be the first person.
When people start to change their ways from the Miao Chang period onwards, the situation will slowly turn around.
He knew very well that the so-called moral integrity of these scholar-officials was limited, and the die-hards were in the minority after all.
Even people like Guan Yingzhen, Huang Ruliang and others are superficially allies of Qi Yongtai, but they are also Huguang and Jiangnan scholars, and they also need to consider the interests of their respective groups.
In the end, it is nothing more than an exchange of interests and a compromise.
Sometimes it's okay to take a step back, as long as you can achieve your basic intentions and goals.
"Guest, Jing Qiu, what do you think we should do now?" Li Sancai looked at the smoke and chaos ahead, retreated under the cover of the flag bearer guards, and discussed with the two people who were advancing and retreating together.
Since Tang Binyin and Zhang Jingqiu have been appointed to join the cabinet and become his guards, although Guan Yingzhen and Huang Ruliang can do things, after all, they are not of the same mind now. At least to stabilize the situation in the early stage, they have to rely on these two.
Tang Binyin was a pure scholar and a sharp talker, but he had not been an official for a long time and had not much experience. His status in the cabinet was similar to that of a decoration, and he had no grasp of such things.
Zhang Jingqiu was different. He had worked in Nanjing for a long time and had sat in the positions of Minister of War and Minister of War for a long time. He still had some understanding of military affairs.
Tang Binyin was speechless and didn't know what to do, but Zhang Jingqiu was still very calm: "The situation is difficult to control now. When Feng Keng was the minister of the Ministry of War in the past two years, he used a lot of means to bring the Jingying and Shangsanqin armies to a basic level. The Northwest Army was the main force, and Ma Chengxun couldn't control it. Fortunately, Zhang Jin was suppressed by Lu Song, otherwise this situation..."
Li Sancai couldn't help but said: "Xiao Ruxun is also from the Northwest Army,..."
"Xiao Ruxun can't do it. After the Ningxia rebellion, although Liu Dong, Liu Baichuan, Tu Wenxiu, and Xu Chao were suppressed, they were very popular among middle and lower-level officers. Those people thought that Liu Dong? These people were for They failed in their pursuit of interests and rebelled. Xiao Ruxun came to take over and blindly followed the imperial court's intentions, so the officers hated him. His prestige was very low and he could not attract these northwest soldiers at all..."
Zhang Jingqiu deserves to be the Minister of the Ministry of War, and he hit the point in one sentence.
"In the current situation, are we just waiting to defend? The Shenshu Camp and the Shenji Camp are fighting with the Fifth Army Camp, while the Four Guards Camp and the Warriors Camp are still besieging the Banner Guards. The people of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division are all They stay in the room and don’t move, presumably to see how the situation changes, but what should we do?”
Li Sancai became a little anxious and walked several times. He was either blocked from the east or blocked from the west. Otherwise, there was a hail of bullets. He did not dare to take risks. Otherwise, if the leader was not taken, he would lose his life first.
Tang Binyin is unreliable, and Zhang Jingqiu is also in trouble.
He was pulled out with some reluctance. If it was Emperor Yonglong, he would have no hesitation in giving it to him, but for Emperor Wan Tong, he was a little reluctant.
It's just that he is a little dissatisfied that he was quietly removed from his position as Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and he is only in his early fifties, in his prime, in good health, and can still continue to work Ten years later, with this hesitation, Emperor Wan Tong and Li Sancai were finally persuaded.
He has never experienced this kind of impasse now.
When he was the Minister of the Ministry of War, he came into contact more with veteran generals such as Feng Tang, Wang Ziteng, Niu Jizong, You Shigong, and He Shixian. He basically didn't have much dealings with this group of mature and young generals who came up later. , and there is no friendship.
What's more, the civil servants' natural contempt for military commanders made them reluctant to take the initiative to cut corners.
So when it comes to military generals like Tu Wenxiu, Ma Jinbao, and He Zhisheng, he has little experience with them, let alone talk. Even if he wants to help persuade them, he can't even talk to them.
"Now that the war has started, if we want to ask someone to put down their weapons if they are asked to say a few words now, I'm afraid it's not realistic. If it doesn't work, I'm afraid we have to open the west gate to let the Xuanfu army in." Zhang Jingqiu gritted his teeth and said: "Otherwise, if this continues, the situation will become more and more difficult to control. The long-term pain is not as good as the short-term pain. Once the Xuanfu Army enters the city, the overwhelming advantage will be to the Shenshu Camp, Shenji Camp and the Four Guards." Neither the battalion nor the warrior battalion had any chance, they could only surrender,..."
Li Sancai hesitated. He knew very well that once the Xuanfu army entered the city, it would break the century-old Zhou rule - frontier troops would not enter the capital.
But once the border troops enter the capital, they may not be able to control them. These are the fierce and wild people who have been stationed at the border fortress for a long time. Even military generals may not be able to control them. Entering a colorful world like the capital city, especially When this kind of war breaks out, there is no way to take care of so many people. It is possible that the entire capital city will be completely wiped out.
And if these people were recruited into the city by themselves, they would become criminals in history. At this time, Li Sancai became a little timid.
He wanted to be the first assistant, but he didn't want to be recorded in the history books as the criminal who was sacked in the capital city.
He also did not have the confidence to control the Xuanfu Army and the Datong Army.
Even if they really helped Emperor Wan Tong regain power and consolidate the throne, and they themselves became the first assistant as they wished, if in exchange the capital city was looted or even turned into nothing, then they would definitely be nailed to the monument of shame. No one can cleanse themselves of this black history.
Seeing Li Sancai's hesitation, Zhang Jingqiu was a little worried for him.
It's already this time, but you're still indecisive and hesitant, how can you achieve great things?
It is also Emperor Wan Tong who is now sealed in the city, otherwise he would have directly ordered Liu Yu and Sun Shaozu to go to the capital to escort King Qin. This slogan is so smooth. As for looting the city, so what, that coup and mutiny Not going through a bloody storm?
"I'm thinking about it. The matter is serious and we can't contact the emperor now. If the Xuanfu Army and the Datong Army enter the city, the situation will be out of control. By then..." Li Sancai said hesitantly.
How could Zhang Jingqiu still not understand the meaning of Li Sancai's words?
Without the emperor's decree, the responsibility for recruiting the border troops into the city rests solely on him. If there is a commotion and he cannot step down, Emperor Wan Tong may throw him out as a scapegoat. At that time, the emperor will If you change someone to be the first assistant, wouldn't it be a matter of just one sentence?
This possibility does exist, but what Zhang Jingqiu finds unacceptable is that at this time, do you, Li Sancai, still have a choice?
Either you listened to Qi Yongtai's arrangement honestly and drank tea after becoming an official, and everyone was happy, or you were unwilling to do this, but now you are afraid of being stained with blood. Is this a good assistant?
"Daofu, what's the point now? If you drag it on, the entire capital city may become uncontrollable. Once there are too many casualties, the soldiers will become red-eyed, and once the bloody wildness is released, they may be able to do anything. It's better to let Liu He and Sun Shaozu lead troops into the city, resolve the battle in twos and fives and control the situation. Maybe the situation will not be so bad and can't be delayed any longer." Zhang Jingqiu became anxious for Li Sancai.
Li Sancai couldn't help but rub his hands and looked at Tang Binyin: "Guest, what do you think of what Jing Qiu said?"
"Well, what the guest said does make sense, but the ancestral precept that the army here does not enter the capital is not easy to break, and it is easy to invite the gods but difficult to send them away. When these warriors enter the capital, you have to invite them out. I don't know. How much more damage will the army have to suffer? Besides, it is only half a day now and the sky is almost dark. It is better to wait until dawn tomorrow. If the situation is still stalemate and difficult to break, it is not too late to order the Xuanfu Army and Datong Army to enter the city. Jingqiu, how do you feel?"
Tang Binyin was also at both ends of the spectrum and couldn't make up his mind. He was afraid that the border troops would come in and cause chaos, but he was also worried that the situation would change if it dragged on. He was originally a person with no independent opinions, and now he didn't dare to make a decision easily. .
Zhang Jingqiu was also so angry that he stamped his feet at Tang Binyin's words. Can he still wait one night at this time?
One hour may lead to some unpredictable changes. Five hours later this night, God knows what will happen?
"Daofu, we can't wait! We must summon Liu Yu and Sun Shaozu immediately and let their soldiers enter the city. While the west gate is now controlled by the fifth military camp, hurry up..." Zhang Jingqiu wished he could grab the opponent's chest and shake him awake. , don't be so naive and indecisive. When things fail, it will really be a knife and an ax to the neck.
Li Sancai hesitated for a while, then shook his head: "Wait a little longer, maybe Ma Chengxun's Fifth Army Camp can make a breakthrough. I'm optimistic about the Fifth Army Camp. If there is no progress tomorrow in Maozheng, I will recruit Liu He and Sun Shaozu to the capital. They have all arrived at Longhu Tower, and as long as they get the order, they can enter the capital in one day."
Zhang Jingqiu sighed when he saw the other party acting like this, but when he thought that the Xuanfu Army and the Datong Army were indeed at Longhu Terrace, which was only a day away, it seemed that there was no possibility of any changes, so he could only nod and accept.
