After the court meeting, the emperor did not summon any members of the Shangting Department, but only called Zhang Zhou to Qianqing Palace.
Even after Zhang Zhou arrived at the Qianqing Palace, even the eunuchs who were in charge of the ceremony were dismissed, and the monarch and his ministers simply talked alone.
"Bingkuan, what I'm worried about is that there are no generals available in Liaodong. Taking Lu Wan as your recommendation, his abilities during his arrival in Liaodong are acceptable, but if we count on the commander-in-chief... or still It is better to use some veterans who have deep roots in Liaodong."
Zhu Youtang was obviously worried about Zhang Heling.
Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, it is better to leave matters such as the use of troops in this battle to Lu Wan, the governor of Liaodong. Your Majesty does not need to worry too much about this."
Even Zhang Zhou felt that the emperor was probably addicted to "strategizing and decisive battles thousands of miles away". He and his Bingkuan wanted to decide everything, and the soldiers at each border could just find the right execution.
But they ignore that no matter how awesome the big strategy is, the key still depends on the on-the-spot performance of the frontline generals.
"Alas! Bingkuan, have I thought too much?" Zhu Youtang said with a rosy face, "Suddenly there is a war in the north. I don't know why, I feel particularly excited. This has never happened before. I have experienced it. As a king, I have always thought that all I need to do is to do my duty with peace of mind. I never imagined that there would be such great events... Lu Wan, you should be able to do it, right?"
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Your Majesty, it is better to leave military affairs to the border governors and generals. Your Majesty, relax and let them perform on their own."
"well."
Zhu Youtang was probably restless.
From a king who kept things in place without making any progress, and only cared about benevolence, righteousness and etiquette, he became a king who expanded territories. This psychological change was unbearable for him.
I used to be a tough guy, but now I have to be a tough guy... It also takes a psychological adaptation process.
…
…
Zhang Zhou went to teach Zhu Houzhao.
When Xiao Jing came back, he saw that the emperor had been looking at the memorials from various places in Liaodong, especially when it came to the memorials by Lu Wan and Zhang Heling, and he was stunned and speechless.
He tentatively said: "Your Majesty, when I went to the cabinet earlier, I met Mr. Liu Ge and Mr. Li Ge. The two of them have some opinions on the upcoming battle in Liaodong."
Liu Jian and Li Dongyang lacked direct communication channels with the emperor, and the emperor's attitude in the court was too firm, so they could only use Xiao Jing as a channel to communicate privately.
"What did they say?" Under the court, Zhu Youtang's attitude became much calmer.
Xiao Jing said: "It was Mr. Li Ge who suggested that we should be on guard. If the Tatars use troops in Ningxia, there is also the possibility of luring our Ming army to attack in Liaodong. This...may be a trap set by the little Tatar prince."
"Oh?" Zhu Youtang frowned.
The emperor was already uneasy about taking the initiative to send troops to Liaodong, and the advice from the cabinet brought by Xiao Jing almost added fuel to the fire.
Xiao Jing hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I have no opinion on this. Mr. Li Ge meant that after the Tatars sent troops to the north of Liaodong, they immediately sent troops from Ningxia. This move was too deliberate, or the main force of the little Tatar prince was not Before arriving in Ningxia, they were waiting in ambush for the soldiers and horses of the Ming Dynasty to leave the border... From the slave's point of view, if a capable man like Mr. Zhang led the troops out of the fortress, the Tatars might retreat without a fight, but if they only sent their names The unknown Lu Wan..."
Zhu Youtang narrowed his eyes and said, "You still say you have no opinion?"
"Yes... it's a slave's fault." Xiao Jing showed his support for the cabinet's opinions at the critical moment.
After all, those who control the court's public opinion and even the authority to record historical records are orthodox civil servants. No matter how great Zhang Zhou's contribution is, as long as the civil servants do not recognize it, everything will be in vain.
Zhu Youtang said: "There must be a reason for using troops. It is not just a few words, maybe it is a trap, and then postpone the sending of troops. Could it be that the Batu Monks are still north of Liaodong, and the Ming Dynasty will never send troops? Duo Duo said before When Yan Sanwei and Batu Meng fought, the discussion about sending troops to the Central Government was just a casual talk?"
Xiao Jing said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. I just want to say that you must beware of the deceitfulness of the Tatars."
"Okay, step back." Zhu Youtang said, "In the past two days, the Shangting Office will send people to the palace to take turns. Regarding the movement of troops, no matter how late it is, and no matter where I stay, I will keep you informed. Pass it over in time. I will dispatch it personally, and all information must be reported to me in detail."
Xiao Jingxin said, what's going on? Do you want to dispatch it yourself? Didn’t we just agree to leave it to Zhang Bingkuan?
Zhu Youtang stood up and said: "The previous troops sent to attack Weininghai were just a small test. The current battle is the one that can show the majesty of the Ming Dynasty. It's a pity that Bingkuan and Zhijie are not in Liaodong, but since Bingkuan I can only trust Lu Wan unconditionally!"
…
…
"Lu Wan? Is that okay? His Majesty relies so much on him, but he has no experience in leading troops. No matter how capable he is, can the people below him be convinced?"
In the supervisor's room, Wei Bin was still worried about Zhang Zhou and Lu Wan.
He seemed to have made peace with Zhang Zhou, but how could he be willing to give up such a big cake to others?
Xiao Jing looked at Chen Kuan who was silent on the side. Dai Yi had basically retreated due to illness in the past two days. Whether Dai Yi could come back is another matter.
Xiao Jing knew that in the future he would probably be the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, and since he was currently the chief eunuch holding the pen, his words would carry much more weight than before.
He said: "Your Majesty just believes Mr. Zhang, what else can we say? Besides support, what other thoughts can we have?"
While secretly helping Li Dongyang and others deliver messages to the emperor, he seemed to support Zhang Zhou.
Wei Bin asked tentatively: "I dare to ask, if Lu Wan's troops are not going well, how should your majesty deal with him? Even gods will make mistakes sometimes, right?"
"Haha." Xiao Jing said with a smile, "Don't we want to talk about it after Lu Wan's defeat?"
Wei Bin said: "Then should we expect Lu Wan to make great achievements in Liaodong like Wang Dehua and Wang Bo'an, or should we expect him to be mediocre?"
This involves a position issue.
I wish him well, so I naturally help him secretly, and Wei Bin still has a great influence in Liaodong.
Whether it's to help or to secretly make a trip, he can help.
Xiao Jing said with emotion: "Sometimes, our family also thinks that the government and the public are all dependent on one person, and relying on heaven's plan to make the Ming Dynasty stable is not always a good thing. Your Majesty only listens to one person and does not listen to the rest of the government and the public. This is a sign that powerful ministers are causing chaos in the country."
"Eunuch Xiao, be careful what you say." Chen Kuan, who had been silent, warned.
Xiao Jing said: "Those of us, as His Majesty's vassals, what's good for His Majesty is what's good for us. If we just want to cater to you and don't know the truth about the bitter taste of good medicine, even if we go to hell, how can we face the emperors of the Ming Dynasty?"
Chen Kuan said helplessly: "That being said, everything Mr. Zhang has done so far has been beneficial to the country and the people."
"But people's hearts can change." Xiao Jing said, "Who knows whether he will seek personal gain in the future? Of course, these words cannot be said openly, do you understand?"
While speaking, he also gave Wei Bin a wink.
The general meaning is that you want to secretly cause some trouble for Lu Wan, and I don't object to it, but we can't say it openly, lest someone among the three of us turn against you later.
No matter what you do, I will support you.
Wei Bin took a breath and said: "If the newly appointed governor, commander-in-chief and others have just arrived in the town and have not adapted to everything yet, and they want to send troops directly, it is inevitable that there will be many twists and turns, and there will also be discord between the generals. .This is human nature.”
Xiao Jing understood it as soon as he heard it, and Wei Bin also understood what he meant.
Lu Wan cannot be allowed to send troops to Liaodong this time too smoothly. If Zhang Zhou can casually recommend anyone and achieve a great strategic victory, then why do he need ministers in the DPRK? Why do we need these "internal ministers" like the Chief of Ceremonies and Supervisor of Ceremonies? Is it enough for the entire court to watch Zhang Zhou's performance?
Now it’s not like directly tripping Zhang Zhou.
Even if Lu Wan really failed to use his troops and the emperor removed Lu Wan, it would not have a great impact on Zhang Zhou. At most, it would make people feel that Zhang Zhou's vision was not so accurate every time.
Chen Kuandao: "Some things may not go as you two expected. It's very difficult to control this level of propriety."
It's almost like you two are playing with fire.
It was the emperor's will to send troops to Liaodong, and it was our duty to help Lu Wan win. You actually want to cause trouble for Lu Wan? If it was just Lu Wan's trouble sending troops, it would be okay.
If they really suffered a big defeat, and the Ming Dynasty even sent troops to deal with the crippled Duoyan Three Guards instead of being dealt with by them, it would have an impact on the entire war situation in the Ming Dynasty's border areas.
"Haha." Xiao Jing smiled.
He seemed to think Chen Kuan was naive.
Even those top civil servants keep saying that they serve the court for their righteousness, and most of the time they value self-interest over their family and country. But now you ask us rootless eunuchs to talk about righteousness?
Xiao Jing's behavior style is closer to that of a sinister civil servant. When there is a profit, he will naturally get close to Zhang Zhou and try his best to flatter him.
But once he was allowed to take power himself, and he felt that Zhang Zhou's proposal to establish the Shangting Office was aimed at him, the future eunuch of the ceremonial department, he would definitely take action in the opposite direction.
…
…
"You can't rely on Zhang Yong in this battle, right?"
Zhang Zhou is about to get married.
In Zhang Zhou's new residence, the capital's mansion left by Li Guang, Zhang Zhou received Lin Han, who was resting for the day. After the old and young people sat down, Lin Han naturally mentioned the possible war in Liaodong.
Although Lin Han was not a member of the Auditing Department, and as the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he did not share the pressure of the affairs of the Ministry of War, but he was an old academic scholar who liked to teach people and change other people's minds in his own way.
Lin Han heard Zhang Zhou's proposal to send troops at court, and naturally felt that Zhang Zhou's plan was full of loopholes.
The first is that Lu Wan and Zhang Heling, the two newly appointed top civilian and military officials, are difficult to use.
Zhang Zhou said: "Servant Lin, do you know how many new artillery pieces Liaodong can deploy now?"
"This..." Of course Lin Han didn't know.
Zhang Zhou asked himself and answered: "Six hundred gates."
"Quite a lot." Lin Han had participated in artillery exercises and other events, and had seen the power of artillery. Naturally, he felt that six hundred artillery pieces were okay in terms of quantity and strength.
Zhang Zhou asked with a smile: "Well, Minister Ruo Lin, you are a little Tatar prince. If you know that Wang Qiong or Wang Shouren sent troops in the Ming Dynasty, with 600 artillery pieces and 20,000 to 30,000 elite soldiers, would you go to war head-on?"
"This..." Lin Han hesitated again, then shook his head, "Probably he will avoid it, right?"
"I think so. In fact, I'm also thinking that in the future, there will be more big guns, cannonballs and muskets, and almost the entire army will go out to the fortress to fight the Tatars head-on. I'm afraid the Tatars will not give them such a chance. They will They will definitely use the depth of the grassland to hide from the Ming Dynasty until the Ming Dynasty is exhausted and retreat, and then take the opportunity to harass them, or even not show up from the beginning to the end."
Zhang Zhou's attitude was quite relaxed.
Lin Han said: "So, you will find a few seemingly incompetent people to lead the army?"
"Yeah." Zhang Zhou didn't hide it at all.
This left Lin Han speechless. He slapped the table and said, "You obviously wanted to fight the three guards of Duoyan, and even sent your troops deep into the grassland, but you ignored the lives of the soldiers in the border towns of the Ming Dynasty and used incompetent generals to lead the troops. ,you you……"
The old scholar wanted to teach someone a lesson, but suddenly he didn't know what to say.
I want to scold him harshly. This is my future son-in-law. Is he still going to have trouble getting along with me in the future? If this son-in-law doesn't let him see his daughter in the future... wouldn't he be causing trouble for himself because of his words?
As for the scolding, he felt that it violated his ethics as a Confucian official.
Zhang Zhou smiled and poured Lin Han a cup of tea and said, "Shilang Lin, calm down. Who said Lu Wan was an incompetent commander? And who knew that Shouning Hou was an incompetent general?"
"Just them? One has never been a governor or led an army into battle, and the other... sigh!"
When it comes to Zhang Heling, Lin Han doesn't know how to describe it.
How dare Zhang Heling go to the battlefield? It's good to go to the battlefield and not do any harm.
Zhang Zhou said: "Does Minister Lin know how many new cannons can be dispatched from the three sides now?"
Lin Han said impatiently: "There are 600 gates in Liaodong, so there should be more than 2,000 gates on the three sides, right?"
Zhang Zhou smiled and shook his head and said, "Not even 200 gates."
"What?" Lin Han suddenly stood up with a look of disbelief on his face.
The Ming Dynasty's defense focus was on three sides, but there were very few new cannons on the three sides. In Lin Han's opinion, Liaodong was just an insignificant place. It was a group of incompetent tribes making trouble there, but six hundred cannons were deployed?
Zhang Zhou said: "Let's put it this way, since I took over the nine-border defense, my defense focus has not been on the three sides. The lands on the three sides seem to be under my control. Qin Zhitai is also polite to me, but he His behavior is old-fashioned and he does not accept some of my new ideas. He does not advocate that the Ming Dynasty take the initiative to send troops, but more wants to settle the fields and stabilize the people and build fortresses."
Lin Han sat down and turned his head to one side: "Qin Shiying is just such a person, you can't change it."
"Yeah." Zhang Zhou said empathetically, "Since I can't change it, how can you expect me to launch troops from three sides in the future? I asked Qin Zhitai to send troops to the grassland, will he listen to me?"
Lin Han said: "You can mention it to His Majesty."
Zhang Zhou shook his head again: "It is impossible for Your Majesty to leave the defense of the nine borders to me alone. Qin Hong's presence on the three sides can stabilize the morale of the army and prevent the Tatars from rashly going deep. This is all effective. He is on the three sides." His ability to manage the army and pacify the people is far superior to mine... He wants to establish farms and pacify the people and build fortresses, which is not bad in itself."
Only then did Lin Han realize that Zhang Zhou seemed arbitrary, but in fact he was very thoughtful.
"Looking at Liaodong, jackals are everywhere. In addition to Koreans and Jurchen tribes, there are also grassland tribes such as the Duoyan Sanwei. And Liaodong has experienced the Ningyuan Battle, and the soldiers are more receptive to new firearms. In addition, now the Duoyan Sanwei Being crippled by the little Tatar prince gave me, the Ming Dynasty, the opportunity to send troops. If we don't send troops from Liaodong at this time, where will we send them from?"
Zhang Zhou gave his reason.
Lin Han asked: "Have you mentioned these words to His Majesty?"
Zhang Zhou said: "Some have mentioned it, and some still have to wait until there are results. Otherwise, I'm afraid His Majesty won't be willing to accept it."
"well!"
Lin Han sighed.
From the reaction in front of him, Zhang Zhou realized that Lin Han looked very rigid, but in fact he was very open-minded.
When Lin Han felt that he was unreasonable, he would also bow his head. Unlike the upright remonstrators in the court, who clearly had no basis and only adhered to the so-called traditional ideas, they were still stubborn in the court.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Look, Minister Lin, if the Ming Dynasty pushes 600 cannons, more than 10,000 cannons will pop out, in addition there will be more than a thousand modified old cannons, and more than 50,000 ordinary cannon shells, plus With about 10,000 fire cannons fired, is it possible for the three Duoyan guards who have been crippled to fall into the wind?"
"Um."
Lin Han nodded.
It sounds quite scary.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "So, the key is not how many soldiers and horses there are, nor who leads the troops, but whether there are many cannons and whether there are enough cannonballs. As for the people who lead the troops, as long as their abilities are about the same, don't encounter too many enemies when sending out troops. If there are no obstacles, then great things can be accomplished. I have to use the so-called 'famous generals' who can inspire military morale, but I don't think the result is much better. Because I have known Zhu Zhijie, and I don't think he has much ability."
Zhang Zhou expressed it so easily and expressed the most critical thoughts to Lin Han in simple and easy-to-understand terms.
In the future, the Ming Dynasty will make great achievements in the grassland, not by cultivating famous generals, but by casting more cannons, cannonballs, and firecrackers.
With this, even the most ordinary general can lead Ming Dynasty to a great victory.
On the contrary, those reputations will become additional burdens on the battlefield and will not have any positive effects.
…
…
"Use the boss of the Zhang family?"
Inside Qingning Palace.
The Empress Dowager Zhou learned from her grandson that Zhang Heling was planned to be the chief military officer in the Liaodong army, and she almost refused to go through with it.
It's really... a deviant approach.
Zhu Youtang said: "My grandson doesn't know how good Heling's abilities are now, but since he went to the northwest with Bingkuan, I expect he will make some progress."
Empress Dowager Zhou said with a displeased look: "No matter how much progress he makes, he is not qualified to lead the army! If he is only allowed to be named the chief military officer and guard a corner, then that's it. But let him... lead the army to go on an expedition? Emperor, Ming Dynasty The foundation of our country is the most important thing."
Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "Actually, my grandson is also thinking about it, or there may be something wrong with it, but Bingkuan has recommended so many people, so I don't think he will be mistaken. He wants to use Heling, so he naturally has his reasons. Bar."
(End of chapter)
