Hu Zongxian quickly packed his things and was ready to set off.
However, before going to Datong to take office, he still has to make a trip to the outskirts of Beijing.
He will get the troops assigned to him there. This is also an old tradition. The imperial court will allocate a troop from the Beijing army as a direct line for the civil servants who are away.
When he arrived at the outskirts of Beijing, the Beijing troops who had been ordered to mobilize had been waiting for him for a long time.
Looking at the majestic two thousand cavalry, Hu Zongxian opened his mouth in surprise - it turned out to be a three thousand battalion!
Generally, ministers are selected from the five military camps with the largest number of soldiers when going on an expedition, followed by the Shenji Battalion, and finally, the Three Thousand Battalion.
The three thousand battalions of Mongolian cavalry are the trump card. There are only ten thousand people in number and they will not be dispatched at all. The last time they were led by ministers on an expedition was as a holding force during the Xunyang Rebellion.
This time, his direct reports turned out to be them!
He really didn't expect that the chief assistant would think so highly of him!
He saw Yan Song's housekeeper standing not far away, so he stepped forward and excitedly held the housekeeper's hands:
"Please tell the Chief Assistant that Zong Xian will never forget today's kindness!"
The housekeeper agreed repeatedly with a smile, and Hu Zongxian did not delay any longer. After learning about the various situations of the army, he made some marching arrangements, and then led the army to set off.
Looking at the departing smoke and dust, the housekeeper couldn't help but sigh in his heart: He is indeed a talent! From the series of orders and adjustments just now, we can see how experienced and knowledgeable this person is.
The master's vision is as good as ever.
Looking back, he looked at where the rest of the three battalions were stationed, and shook his head secretly.
Letting Hu Zongxian lead the 3,000 battalions was not only a sign of Yan Song's respect for him, but also a helpless move.
Because the Three Thousand Battalion was directly commanded by Chen Guogong Yan Yuanmo.
Among the Beijing army, there are only three thousand battalions, which are full and have strong combat effectiveness.
After the Jiajing Zhongxing, with the change in the emperor's mentality, he was no longer so strict on matters such as corruption. It can even be said that as long as you are not disobedient or delay things because of your corruption, Jiajing will definitely open its eyes to you. Close one eye.
As for eradicating corruption, if anyone other than the emperor proposed it, he would be criticized by the ministers, which upset everyone.
Faced with this situation, Yan Song could only sigh secretly. Although he wanted to govern the country, he did not want to be the target of a lot of people, especially the commanders of the Beijing army, most of whom were... nobles!
What could he do? We can only adjust the elites in Yan Yuanmo's hands... After all, since Hu Zongxian has been selected, we must help him to the end!
…
Two years later, Datong.
Altan Khan, Anda is retreating hastily.
This was a rare failure for him. After deploying a large number of troops to attack Datong and trying to break through this important military area, he not only failed to attack the city, leaving thousands of corpses under the city wall, but was also defeated by the Ming army in the city with elite cavalry. They fought back and were defeated in a hurry.
Datong guerrilla general Yu Dayou led his men and galloped among the rebels.
Not long ago, Yu Dayou was recognized by the wise governor of Datong and promoted to a general. At this time, Yu Dayou only wanted to repay his superior.
Especially after being inexplicably refrigerated by Zhai Peng, this courtesy was as heart-warming as giving someone timely help.
Behind him, a middle-aged man was standing proudly at the top of the city of Datong, with a large flag with Chinese characters flying behind him. In the past two years, countless enemies have fallen under this flag. Today, even An Da was defeated by His hand.
With a little pride, he looked at the scene in front of him. The arrogant Tatar cavalry was retreating northward, its bright flag fluttering, reflecting the entire battlefield.
If you want to drive Qingqi away, the heavy snow will cover your bow and sword!
Ge Lao.
I did not disappoint you.
He whispered softly in his heart.
…
After bidding farewell to Hu Zongxian, Yan Song entered the palace again.
The problem on the northern border is not only the lack of excellent generals, but the most important thing is...
Salaries.
After all, if there is enough food and enough pay, then the Ming army will be fully paid and invincible.
When I entered the customs last time, Jiajing urgently approved and sent a batch of salary money to boost morale. However, this was only enough to pay off the salary arrears, and now it is already owed.
If you want to maintain your fighting power, you can't owe anything. It's unreasonable for someone to work for you and not even give you enough money.
But the Ministry of Accounts also has no money.
Money was needed in every place in the Ming Dynasty. There were constant natural disasters, so relief was needed. Zhai Peng was building the border wall in the north, and the money was provided by the court. Jiajing himself also built the palace every day, which was another expense.
Horse racing has long been possible in the treasury of the Ministry of Finance.
But Yan Song knew that there must be money in Jiajing's internal funds. The imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty and the silver mine where the eunuchs were located provided a lot of gold and silver to the internal funds every year.
However, when Yan Song asked the Minister of Hubu to "beg for money," the Minister told Yan Song sadly that he had gone there a long time ago, but was not only rejected on the spot by Emperor Jiajing, but was also scolded. The emperor even stared and questioned, why did he still need the money after he had clearly agreed to allocate it before? Was it swallowed up by the Minister of Household Affairs?
The emperor is like this, what else can he do? I can only retreat in frustration.
Fortunately, Yan Song has a way.
Within half a month, Ningbo Mansion sent a white deer to Yan Song. Since Jiajing ascended the throne, the family has almost opened an "albino zoo" in the backyard, and it will come in handy now.
Yan Song immediately led Bai Lu into the palace:
"Your Majesty, this deer is treasured in the world! Look at this skin as white as snow and these majestic antlers, how could it be an ordinary deer? It must be an auspicious gift from God!"
"It is clear that His Majesty devoted himself to cultivating Taoism, which moved heaven, earth, gods and gods. Only then did he send down the white deer to show his appreciation for Your Majesty. You will succeed in cultivating Taoism and it will be just around the corner!"
Yan Song had been with this emperor for so many years and had already studied him thoroughly. This emperor was extremely intelligent, and his ministers were often manipulated by him like puppets, but when it came to cultivating immortals, he would be like Shi Lezhi.
Sure enough, his words directly tickled Jiajing, making him smile from ear to ear and keep stroking the white deer, looking at it like a treasure.
Yan Song took advantage of his happiness and said:
"Your Majesty, the immortals and gods protect the mortal world, and they must be happy to see peace in the world. Today, the Ming Dynasty is prosperous. This is your merit, Your Majesty!"
"It's just that outside the Great Wall, there are Tatar rebellions. We, the Ming soldiers, are determined to go straight to the enemy's nest and add another stroke to Your Majesty's merit book. However, we don't have enough food and pay, so we can only do nothing!"
Of course Emperor Jiajing understood his intention, but when he thought about it carefully, it seemed to make sense.
Folk incense is dedicated to immortals and gods. If the people are invaded by foreign enemies, the incense will be reduced. Will the gods be happy? Moreover, if the people speak ill of themselves during sacrifices, damaging their immortality and reducing their merits, that would be very bad.
In addition, Jiajing was also happy at this time, so he waved his hand:
"Pass an order to allocate five million taels from internal funds to use as propaganda military resources! Let them guard the border for me and protect the people!"
Yan Song got the grant as he wished. He bowed and congratulated:
"Congratulations to Your Majesty, with this military pay, the frontiers will be worry-free! With such great merits, Your Majesty will be able to see you forever, just around the corner!"
After hearing these words, Emperor Jiajing's face turned red, his eyes sparkled with excitement, and he looked drunk.
It's obviously a bit over the top.
Having achieved his goal, Yan Song chatted with Jiajing for a while and then left.
Returning to the cabinet, he continued to deal with affairs, carrying this huge power on his shoulders.
There is also a clever emperor to deal with.
Tired.
With some ink, he wrote down his own opinions on another memorial.
The years pass quietly on the tip of the pen.
When Yan Song finished reviewing the memorial as usual, he picked up the pen and ink in his hand and saw the cover of the next memorial. He was shocked.
He is seventy-two years old.
And now, it is the thirty-second year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty.
(End of chapter)
