British government.
After Zhang Rui's soft foot disease improved, he could basically take over the position of head of the Zhang family temporarily, which relieved Zhang Mao's pressure a lot.
Zhang Mao claimed to be ill for many days and did not go to the military camp or the governor's office. Many people came to visit, and Zhang Rui went out to receive them.
"Father, there are obviously more people here than before. They are probably checking on your condition." Zhang Rui entered the backyard, only to find Zhang Mao holding a sword and practicing there.
Zhang Mao looked disapproving: "They want to know when my old bones will be buried, otherwise who would come to my house?"
Zhang Rui said: "My father is of high moral character and is in poor health. It is appropriate for others to visit me."
"Hmph." Zhang Mao finally returned the sword to its sheath and said disdainfully, "I haven't seen anyone come to visit me when I was sick in the past. Was it because I was ordered to enter the Shangting Department? Then everyone wanted to know my attitude towards Zhang Bingkuan. In the past, Zhang Bingkuan is just a civil servant with a Jinshi background, and has no influence on my Zhang family, but now you see... even an illiterate country man knows that there is no room for two tigers in one mountain."
"Then...father also asked Zhang Lun to study with him?" Zhang Rui was a little confused.
There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Zhang Rui did not regard Zhang Zhou as his enemy.
In fact, Zhang Zhou has been pretty good to the British public from the beginning, especially Zhang Rui, who knows how to repay gratitude. If Zhang Zhou hadn't helped him to treat his illness, he might have died by now.
These days, ordinary people don’t know how terrible soft foot disease is. How can someone like Zhang Rui, who has suffered from the disease, not know?
Zhang Mao walked towards the study, while Zhang Rui followed behind.
Zhang Maodao: "Who would have thought that Zhang Bingkuan would win so many battles in a year? Even Wang Weining spent half his life to achieve great fame, but now I have to live in his shadow. But it's good, at least I didn't have any enemies before, so I can save my face. There is still room for it.”
Zhang Rui was speechless.
This father.
He was obviously envious and jealous of Zhang Zhou in his heart, but he was not lenient with his words, and he was very timid when it was his turn to do things.
This was obviously because he was afraid of Zhang Zhou.
"Everyone thought that after I entered the Shangting Department, the martial arts of the Ming Dynasty would have a chance to succeed, but that was only limited to Zhang Bingkuan. I was just recruited temporarily to make up the numbers. When did Your Majesty really listen to my opinions? "Zhang Mao went to the door of the study, but didn't go in.
Because he is indeed not the kind of person who practices essays.
I don’t even bother to put on airs.
Zhang Rui said: "Hasn't Your Majesty adopted many of father's opinions?"
"Humph, that was when His Majesty and I had the same opinion. Your Majesty needed a cover. Others thought that I was being cautious in my opinions, but they didn't know that it was because of my father that I sized up the situation and figured out your Majesty's intentions. That was really what my father had in mind. "?" Zhang Mao was very angry.
Because the emperor used him as a weapon before.
Anyway, if you confront the civil servants and lean towards Zhang Zhou, the emperor will adopt his opinions.
Zhang Rui sighed: "Then why should father suffer from such idleness?"
"Alas!" Zhang Mao sighed, "You have been in bed for two years and have experienced too few things. Things in the military are just a matter of example, while most things in the court are about people who have no control over themselves. You think you have no independent opinion as a father? Are you going to go with the flow? I used to think that Zhang Bingkuan could rise to the occasion and help our Zhang family, so he had a lot of submissiveness as a father, but now it seems that I don't know whether he is right or wrong."
"I have been sick at home for the past two days to rest for a while. It would be good to see the reaction of the people in the DPRK. At least my father will understand that there are many people in the DPRK who tend to be popular. Who can be upright? Those in the cabinet Can a great scholar do it? Or can the six ministries in the imperial court do it? They are all the same!"
"yes."
Zhang Rui responded.
I was thinking in my heart that this father would really find a way out for him.
Have you become an old fox who tries both ways, but you still think that everyone else is the same as you? It seems that the most difficult thing to survive these days is not following principles. If you talk about principles now, others will not believe you.
…
…
Liaodong.
After the army of the Ming Dynasty approached Shenyang, the roads became muddy and difficult to travel due to the melting of the snow. There were mud pits everywhere on the grassland. The soldiers needed to support each other and almost always marched in a very narrow and long snake formation. Only then can we gradually pass through the cold and rugged road.
After the soldiers and horses were stationed that day, the people and horses along the way in Jizhou were already miserable.
Even Peng Quan, who had been working hard and responsible for the rear and patrols for the past six or seven days, went to Wang Xian to complain.
"Master Wang, the soldiers in Liaodong are a bit bullying. They obviously have more cavalry than us, but they can send very few people. Every time there are scouts spying on the rear, we are asked to do it. There are chariots in the army who are trapped in the situation. The mud pit also requires us to help... Now that the soldiers have been patrolling at night for many days, they are already exhausted. I am afraid that the soldiers will not be able to hold on even before they reach the border of the Ming Dynasty!"
Peng Quan himself had not slept for several days and his eyes were red.
Wang Xian asked: "Now, are you sure that no Tatars will catch up?"
Peng Quan clasped his fists and said: "I can't be sure about the final general. There are some cavalry shadowy following us in the rear. If we rush over, they will retreat. But if we send stragglers to spy on intelligence, some of them will never return. This is We have lost six or seven sentry agents in the past few days, and now no one is willing to send people deep into the rear."
"Then have you mentioned it to Lu Zhongcheng?" Wang Xian asked.
"How...how do you say this?"
Peng Quan was thinking, shouldn't the communication between the two armies be completed by you, the commander-in-chief of the Jizhou Army? How can we, the general, tell us? So after all, am I taking orders from Lu Wan? Or do I take your orders?
Ma Yongcheng stood close to the side. He didn't seem to want to listen at first, but the voice fell clearly on his ears. He walked over and said, "How about we go our separate ways now. As our family knows, we are now far away from Shenyang Zhongwei. It may only be more than a hundred miles away! If we don’t split the route at this time, do we have to go to Shenyang Zhongwei City to rest first?”
Wang Xiandao: "What to do with the heads brought back?"
Ma Yongcheng looked around, then stepped forward and whispered: "Let people transport them away in batches, and tie a few to each horse's back. Anyway, we have many horses, and we are rushing all the way. I don't believe that those bastards in Liaodong can still do it." Can’t we catch up?”
Wang Xian did not answer, but looked at Peng Quan and said, "If we send someone back to deliver orders to the capital at this time, how many days do you think it will take to arrive?"
Peng Quan thought for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "How about I go in person?"
"Impossible!" Wang Xiandao, "You are not a local general in Jizhou. You are from the south. It is difficult to communicate when passing through the border. Besides, you cannot leave your post without authorization. I only want you to find the most capable people. In the name of delivering family letters, official documents containing battle reports were included in the clothes and sent to the capital in advance!"
Ma Yongcheng asked with excitement on his face: "Should we have a first impression?"
Wang Xian snorted coldly: "Of course, I deliberately tested Lu Zhongcheng's tone before. He meant to wait until we arrived at Shenyang Zhongwei to demonstrate our merits together. In this way, the right to speak is in his hands. If he doesn't take action in advance at this time, How can we let people in the DPRK know the truth when the military merit list is up?"
Ma Yongcheng said in surprise: "Isn't this... a bit risky? Our troops are still in Liaodong... Even if it goes up on the list, don't you mean that in order to balance the relationship between the two armies, that Minister Zhang will definitely give us credit?"
Wang Xiandao: "So the military merits must not only be reported to His Majesty, but should be reported to the cabinet as a general affairs envoy, and the civil servants in the court should be informed! General Peng, can you do it?"
Peng Quan was a little embarrassed.
He could tell that Wang Xian now didn't trust Lu Wan, and he didn't trust Zhang Zhou who recommended Lu Wan as governor of Liaodong. Now Wang Xian wanted to directly communicate with the emperor by skipping Zhang Zhou, and he wanted to communicate with the emperor directly. The matter has become known to both the government and the public, so the best way is to let the civil servants know.
This took advantage of the contradiction between Zhang Zhou and civil servants.
Originally, it would be beneficial to highlight the achievements of Jizhou soldiers, and Peng Quan had no reason not to agree.
But he……
"General Peng seems to be indebted to Minister Zhang for a great deal of kindness." Ma Yongcheng said on Peng Quan's behalf.
Wang Xian said coldly: "Now we are just telling the truth. There is no question of who to blame. Does General Peng want to give all the credit to others? When General Peng was sentenced to prison for blaming his traitorous relatives, what happened to him? The people who are saved by Shu Lun are upright civil servants in both the government and the public."
Peng Quan thought so too.
Although it turned out that it was Zhang Zhou who rescued him, the previous civil servants' intercession for him could be said to have played a great role.
Moreover, if he insists on remembering Zhang Zhou's kindness now, then the first contribution in this battle will have to be given to Liaodong Lu Wan's group. He will not be able to get the first contribution, and the rewards will naturally be less.
Wang Xian said: "I don't ask for much credit, but the battle at Huangshui is enough to be awarded a title. General Peng, you have to think carefully."
Peng Quan clasped his fists and said: "This battle is all due to Mr. Wang's good deployment. When the general receives the order, he will definitely send someone to send the battle report back to the capital. And the news will not leak out!"
"Okay!" Wang Xian nodded with great satisfaction.
…
…
That night, Wang Xian handed over the memorial to Peng Quan's people and rode a horse to the capital to deliver the message.
"You must remember not to go to the post station in Liaodong. When it comes to military affairs inspections, etc., all messages can be sent in the name of Jizhou. Even if it is postponed for a day or two, as long as the march here is suspended, I will report the merits mentioned above. If you delay it, it will definitely not reach the capital any later than here."
Originally, Wang Xian was anxious to settle the matter of credit with Lu Wan.
But now he is in no hurry.
Back in Shenyang, he could argue with Lu Wan. As long as the later their joint announcement was, the greater the effect of the one-sided battle report sent back by Peng Quan would be.
"The general will definitely fulfill his mission!"
Peng Quan leaves.
After waiting for people to leave the tent.
Ma Yongcheng said with a worried look on his face: "If that Lu Zhongcheng knows about this, it might..."
"Sooner or later, we will have to break up. I don't care about saving face. When I steal the credit of others, have I ever thought about other people's feelings?" Wang Xian is very persistent.
Ma Yongcheng said: "But by doing this, Mr. Wang may have offended Mr. Zhang. Moreover, Commander Peng, our family, and you, Mr. Wang, were not all appointed by Mr. Zhang? At this time... … Why start a fire in the backyard?”
Wang Xiandao: "It's only my fault that those people in Liaodong are too greedy."
Ma Yongcheng smiled bitterly and said: "But they did have military merit in this battle. If they hadn't driven the Tatars into our ambush circle, the result of this battle would not have been so hearty. Besides, you also said that no matter what No matter how great the contribution of the soldiers and horses on both sides of Liaodong and Jizhou was, wouldn’t His Majesty give the most important credit to Minister Zhang?”
"You won't fight?" Wang Xian frowned and glared at Ma Yongcheng.
"Alas!" Ma Yongcheng sighed, "Now that it's like this, is there any choice? I'm afraid that offending Mr. Zhang will not be good for anyone."
"Walk!"
Wang Xian said, taking Ma Yongcheng out of the tent.
"Where?" Ma Yongcheng asked hurriedly.
"Go to those people in Liaodong. We must paralyze them at this time. Moreover, all the information we can obtain now must be passed on through them. We cannot show any difference today from the past!"
…
…
Inside Lu Wan's Chinese army camp.
A pre-military meeting had just been held, but not even Jizhou was invited.
When Wang Xian and Ma Yongcheng arrived, they saw that all the generals from Liaodong had already come out of the Chinese army's tent.
"Lu Zhongcheng, what's the reason for this?" After entering the camp, Wang Xian's attitude was not so friendly.
Lu Wan had an understatement on his face and continued to look at the map.
Next to him, Zhang Heling was sitting on a simple wooden bench, crossing his legs and saying, "I'm arranging the defense of the camp, and I want to say hello to you, right? Aren't we all looking after our own affairs?"
Wang Xian said sternly: "But we are the ones doing the hard work."
"Haha." Zhang Heling said with a mocking look on his face, "You don't have to do it. Who is forcing you?"
"alright!"
Lu Wan only interrupted Zhang Heling's words at this time, which is equivalent to saying... Zhang Heling's previous speech was what he deliberately wanted to show to Lu Wan and Ma Yongcheng.
Lu Wandao: "The sentry sent back to Shenyang before has brought back the news. This place is still more than 120 miles away from the Ming Dynasty's pass. We also learned from there that Mr. Zhang, the left minister of the Ministry of War, has been accepted." He was granted the title of Duke of Lai State and was in charge of the affairs of the rear military governor's office. His official positions such as minister of court and bachelor's degree at court remained unchanged."
Wang Xian frowned.
When Lu Wan said this, he was clearly showing off to him. Look, I have a better relationship with Zhang Bingkuan. Now that he has been promoted, I will be more emboldened to argue with you about military merit.
Ma Yongcheng asked hurriedly: "Then the news of our victory should be reported back to the capital, right?"
Lu Wan shook his head and said: "I did not ask the soldiers to inform them of the situation here. I agreed that we would wait until the three armies safely withdraw from the grassland before reporting the results of the war, so there would be no deviation."
"this……"
Ma Yongcheng looked very embarrassed and embarrassed.
But he was very happy in his heart.
Fortunately, you, Lu Wan, are greedy for military glory and did not perform the victory in advance. Otherwise, we would have arranged for half a day tonight to perform the victory in advance and bypass Zhang Zhou to let the court officials know... Wouldn't it be meaningless?
Wang Xian said coldly: "The war has concluded. We are basically out of danger. We could report the war to the court, but we didn't. If the court pursues the case, who will take the responsibility?"
Lu Wan continued to smile without saying a word and glanced at Zhang Heling.
Zhang Heling interjected: "Of course we take responsibility together."
"But I don't think it's appropriate. We should do it immediately." Wang Xian seemed very insistent.
Lu Wandao: "I have written a memorial to describe my military exploits here. Can you two please come over and take a look?"
"No need!" Wang Xian said decisively, "If it's not necessary, it's okay for everyone to do their own thing!"
Zhang Heling almost jumped up from the stool he was sitting on. He said: "Wang, don't be so shameless. We are about to enter Liaodong. Unless you don't plan to set foot in Liaodong and go south, otherwise we still have to go south." It’s better to discuss things carefully. My brother-in-law...that is, your Majesty, will not let you do whatever you want."
Wang Xian looked at Zhang Yong, who had remained silent, and said, "Eunuch Zhang, you have been in battle for a long time. Don't you also agree with what Lu Zhongcheng and Shouning Hou said?"
"This..." Zhang Yong smiled bitterly, "We worked together on the battlefield and achieved military success together, why do we need to separate each other? We have something to say. After all, we are all working for His Majesty. All the credit for this battle belongs to Laiguo. The master’s miraculous calculation, besides, the heads of those Tatars are not enough points... Those Tatars in Uliangha are always disliked, and their first achievements will be greatly reduced."
Wang Xiandao: "It seems that Eunuch Zhang is also greedy for fame."
Zhang Heling said angrily: "Aren't you greedy? You people in Jizhou still want to take advantage of all the military achievements? We are the ones doing the hard work. Forty thousand soldiers in Liaodong walked from the south to the north, then turned into the grassland, and walked back and forth. We've traveled two to three thousand miles, so you'd better just lie in wait and wait! Now you even want to monopolize the credit?"
Wang Xian said with a business-like attitude: "The formulation and calculation of Ming Dynasty's military merits have their own rules! If you have worked hard, the soldiers of Jizhou will not have to work hard? I just want to report the facts to the court to draw up the merits. , it is up to the court to decide what is right and wrong, what is wrong with this?"
"Haha." Lu Wan said with a smile, "I didn't say that I wanted to clearly divide the credit myself. How much credit should I get? Isn't it decided by the imperial court?"
Wang Xiandao: "Then let's wait until the supervisory censor arrives."
The Ming Dynasty decided on the rules of military merit. After reporting to the court, the supervisory censor made a separate accounting. In the past, credit was determined based on the first merit. Therefore, in Wang Xian's view, the supervisory censor supervises military merit. It is helpful for Jizhou soldiers to take credit for their achievements.
Because the first achievement...that is, the credit for beheading was almost all achieved by the Jizhou soldiers and horses who ambushed Huangshui.
After Wang Xian said sternly, he was about to leave the tent.
Zhang Heling said disdainfully: "Even if the censor comes, he is still the censor of Liaodong. Don't think that you have been a censor. The censor on the ground in Liaodong must listen to you!"
Wang Xian turned around and said, "The imperial court will not just listen to Liaodong's words."
"Hahaha..." Zhang Heling said with a proud look, "Don't say this is in the territory of Liaodong, even in Jizhou, as long as I am here, who will listen to whom or not, and it is your turn to make the decision? Do you think you are the one who makes the decision? Who is it? What about Zhang Bingkuan? Isn’t he someone who works for the royal family?”
When Lu Wan heard this, he realized that Zhang Heling had boasted so much and quickly persuaded him: "Marquis Shouning, you can't say that."
"Yes, Mr. Zhang is very capable. He and I are also good friends. We went out to the dinner table together. Have any of you ever gone to the battlefield with him? At that time, I was the deputy chief military officer of Xuan Mansion. , who follows him! How can others compare to this friendship?"
Zhang Heling felt that his military success was very stable this time.
His brother-in-law supports him, Zhang Zhou supports him, Lu Wan also supports him... I, Mr. Zhang, don't have much else but a lot of money.
How could Wang Xian be able to jump around?
(End of chapter)
