Court meeting.
As the minister of Dali Temple, Wang Shi didn't even receive a nomination when he was recommended as the new censor of Zuodu. In fact, he had already given up. Precisely because he knew that he was incompatible with the style of work of Beijing officials, he also did these things. Prepare to resign and return home.
As a result, after Zuo Du Yushi confirmed that Dai Shan was the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment of Nanjing, he later decided that Tu Xun, the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Punishments, would succeed him as Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments of Nanjing... Wang Shi was immediately selected as the candidate to succeed Bai Ang as Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments...
Still the only one.
Things changed so fast that Wang Shi was unexpected.
I wasn't even nominated as the censor of Zuodu, but they asked me to be the minister of punishment?
In fact, I am very satisfied with being the left minister of the Ministry of Justice.
Zhu Youtang did not directly decide on the matter of the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, but first decided on the candidates for the two ministers of the Ministry of Punishment in the court: "According to the list recommended by the Ministry of Personnel and my discussion with all the ministers, the Ministry of Punishment will decide The right minister, He Jianjin, is the left minister, and the right minister of the Ministry of punishment is Li Shishi, the governor of Yunnan and the right deputy capital censor."
It is reasonable for He Jianjin to appoint Zuo Shilang, and Li Shishi also belongs to the foreign official faction. Li Shishi's ability to govern a party is recognized by the court, and he will be recommended.
Of course, the most famous thing about Li Shishi in history is not that he served as the right minister of the Ministry of Justice, but that... he was from Nanchang, Jiangxi, and was also a military advisor in the Ningwang Rebellion. Wet shoes.
After the positions of the two ministers of the Ministry of Justice were confirmed.
Zhu Youtang looked at Wang Shi, who was still a little confused and had no idea what was going on, and said: "The affairs of the Ministry of Punishment will be presided over by Wang Qingjia, the former Minister of Dali Temple."
"Old minister... has little ability. I hope Your Majesty will choose another wise minister. I don't dare to take on this responsibility."
Wang Shi also had to be aware of the interests.
Knowing that I would be easily criticized as a censor of Zuodu, how dare I jump directly to the position of minister of the Ministry of Punishment? Those who are blocked from their career by me will definitely use me as a target!
Zhu Youtang said: "This is the result of careful discussion between me and all the ministers. Wang Qing's family, you don't have to refuse. The Ministry of Personnel sent a letter to Nanjing earlier, asking Dai Shan, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, to go to Beijing and take up his post earlier. The affairs of the Metropolitan Procuratorate of the capital are temporarily handled by Gu Zuo, the censor of Youdu. Recently, there have been frequent transfers of officials between the northern and southern capitals. All ministers must fulfill their respective responsibilities, cultivate their minds and work hard for the court."
"I will obey the holy edict." The ministers present quickly agreed.
Zhu Youtang sighed: "There is another matter about the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. We will discuss it tomorrow. The Minister of Zhou has worked hard for the country for many years. I specially agreed to add Shaobao, a carriage, four servants, six pieces of silk, and one hundred and sixty taels of silver. .Zhou Qing’s family should be more careful on their way back to their hometown.”
It was okay to let Zhou Jing return home after becoming an official, but he actually reminded Zhou Jing to "be careful" on his way back home. How much did the ministers have to think about, what did the emperor mean by this?
Then someone thought...
Zhou Jing is from Yangqu, Shanxi, but after all, Zhou Jing doesn’t have to pass through dangerous places like Datong when he returns home. Is it possible that the current regional situation in Shanxi is very dangerous, with bandits everywhere?
…
…
After the court meeting ended, Wang Shi felt that his head was still buzzing.
Many people came to him to congratulate him, and he didn't know what to say... He didn't receive any news in advance. He himself felt that he was the minister of heaven, but others would think that he deliberately concealed it, and the words of those who came to congratulate him were... , more or less with a bit of sourness.
In recent years, there has been almost no change in the position of minister in the Ming Dynasty.
Too many people can't climb up to the position of minister, and in the end they can only transfer to Nanjing to be named minister and then become official.
For someone like Wang Shi, who was born as a foreign official and did not belong to the Beijing official system, he directly obtained the position of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, which made many people jealous and envious.
Before everyone could leave the Fengtian Hall, Chen Kuan came over to inform the emperor of the oral edict, and invited the cabinet to follow the members of the hearing department to the Qianqing Palace. By the way, he also asked Wang Shi to go to the inner court to meet him.
Not only was Wang Shi promoted, but he was also summoned by the emperor, which suddenly made him look like a pheasant turning into a phoenix.
Everyone sent him out of the palace gate with emotion and blessings.
…
…
Wang Shi was not a member of the Shangting Department, so his visit to the Qianqing Palace did not involve discussing state affairs. It was just that after he became the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, the emperor summoned him to give him some instructions.
When Wang Shi appeared in Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang had just finished talking to Xiao Jing about something, and Wang Shi didn't know what they were talking about.
"Wang Qing's family." After the ceremony, Zhu Youtang looked at Wang Shi with a smile, and was full of expectations for Wang Shi as he spoke, "You have a heavy burden on your shoulders after taking charge of the prison. I hope you will uphold justice and serve with justice. The law of the country comes first and there should be no partiality."
The words of this expectation are very official.
Wang Shi only thought that this was the emperor's expectation for the Minister of Punishment, and hurriedly saluted and said: "I will bear in mind what your majesty said. It's just that my ability is not up to the standard."
"No need to talk about this." Zhu Youtang said, "In fact, I have one more thing, which involves the illegal things done by foreign sects in the past many years. Some people even have disobedient intentions. Once there are clues, the Ministry of Punishment will deal with it impartially."
Wang Shi's head seemed to have been violently hit, and he was stunned on the spot.
My feelings made me the Minister of Justice, and I was entrusted with "special tasks"?
Wang Shi was stunned for a long time and didn't know how to respond.
Xiao Jing said with a smile: "Don't worry about Wangbu Tang. The Ministry of Punishment just wants to deal with it impartially and does not involve bending the law for personal gain. Your Majesty does not want anyone to bend the law for personal gain. As for how to investigate matters such as the royal family and sects, someone will give you a template. , I just want to breathe now, there is no rush.”
Wang Shi hurriedly asked: "Your Majesty, does the Ministry of Punishment want to send someone to conduct a thorough investigation?"
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "You don't have to worry about a thorough investigation. I have already sent someone there and I won't hide it from you. It is Bingkuan. He went south this time to investigate the illegal activities of the royal family. It’s better to let him take responsibility for such troublesome matters, and let the Ministry of Punishment do its part.”
Let Zhang Zhou do the things that offend others, and the punishment department is only responsible for helping to clean up the mess.
No matter how Wang Shi listened, he felt as if he was tied to a boat with Zhang Zhou.
But Wang Shi didn't understand that even if those sects and vassals were always doing illegal things and saying they had "disloyalty", the emperor would even pay special attention to investigate thoroughly. Is it really necessary?
However, Wang Shi also had some political awareness. He thought that it was reasonable for His Majesty to slash the clan with his sword immediately after cleaning up the situation on the northern border. After all, it was to show the power of the monarch, but he was so eager to attack the clan. Fan, will there be backlash? If I want to be involved, I won't become an accomplice to the internal turmoil in the Ming Dynasty, right?
Wang Shi was not very successful before, but that didn't mean he was willing to get involved in the whirlpool.
Zhu Youtang said: "Recently, there have been many changes in the staff of the Upper Listening Office. If Wang Qing's family is interested, I will let you walk in the Upper Listening Office as appropriate, so that you can make more suggestions for me. Okay, you can leave the specific matters. Don't worry about it, just take care of the prison matters."
"yes."
Wang Shi understood.
If you do a good job, you will be promoted to a higher position. If you do a bad job...get out of here.
Why does the emperor promote you out of the ordinary? It's not because you are more capable than others, but because you know that promotion is not easy, you also know how to do things, and you understand what your position should be.
The emperor seems to have great trust and respect for him, but in fact this is based on his ability to do things and be a good person. If he is stubborn and adopts the traditional civil servant's attitude of muddying the waters, then the position of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment is estimated to be He won't stay too long...just a case involving a royal family member can make him shed a layer of skin.
…
…
After Wang Shi left the Qianqing Palace, members of the cabinet and the Shangting Office entered the Qianqing Palace and entered the stage of inner court discussions.
The only thing discussed is...
Tatar invasion.
Xiao Jing explained the urgent reports from various places in front of several people: "...the little Tatar prince used troops in Hetao many times after the year, and competed with Huo Si's Mongol Jin tribe, and then Huo Si led his troops to continue to move westward. , the little Tatar prince went south from Hetao many times and raided Yansui, Pianguan and other places, causing many losses to people and animals..."
"Qin Hong, who was in charge of the military affairs of the three sides, sent out 3,000 soldiers and horses of the Yulin Guards to fight back. There was a brief battle with the Tatars in the Hetao. There were injuries to each other, but no first success was achieved. Sixty horses, cattle and sheep were obtained. After the two sides moved their camps, the little Tatar prince used tens of thousands of cavalry to harass Ningxia West Road and other places, cutting off the path between Ningxia and Hami. It is still unclear what the military situation in Hami is..."
"There are also Duoyan and other remnants of the guard who have moved their tents to Daning and other places to disturb the border areas of Jizhou..."
…
Xiao Jing summarized the information from all parties.
Roughly speaking…
Except for Datong and Xuanfu, which are currently relatively peaceful, no one in the rest of the country has calmed down. Even Liaodong, where the Ming Dynasty focused its military deployment, has been harassed again by the Eastern Mongolian tribes, especially the Duoyan Sanwei who had failed to eradicate them before.
Of course, except for the little Tatar prince, the rest of the harassment was only superficial and did not directly pose a direct threat to the Ming Dynasty's borders.
The situation is different for the little prince Batu Meng, because in the past two years of war, the main losses were the effective forces of the Huosi, Duoyan and other tribes. On the contrary, the losses of the Chahar Division of Dayan Khan's headquarters were minimal. Up to now Batu Munch showed his ambition as the Lord of the Grasslands and began to commit crimes repeatedly.
After Xiao Jing finished giving the general battle report, Zhu Youtang looked very angry and said: "I don't understand either. Could it be that the country's forge ahead on the border in the past few years cannot bring peace to the border? It has to be leveled. Only for a moment on the grassland will they be willing to surrender?"
Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty, the drought has been severe in the Central Plains in the past two years, as well as in the northern grasslands. The Mobei grassland has been suffering from drought for several years, which has caused the forces of the Northern Yuan Dynasty to continue to invade south. Now we should strengthen border defenses and increase salt tax revenue to prevent them from occupying nests. After filling their own pockets, they will also reduce extravagant expenditures and increase military expenditures in the northwest."
The minister actually has no good ideas for managing the frontier.
Taking the initiative to advance troops was considered by traditional civil servants as an unacceptable and rash advance, and because the grasslands were desolate, even if they were defeated, they would not be easily controlled by the Central Plains dynasty.
Therefore, the idea of the Ming Dynasty after the founding of the country has always been to stick to the borders. Even Zhu Di's northern expedition was often criticized, let alone Emperor Hongzhi, who was known for his defense.
Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "I will do what you said, but I also think that the right way is to find a way to make the little Tatar prince feel fearful and maintain the power of the country. I have the right to give in. Marquis Anbian intends to go south, and now I want to use Marquis Anbian to transfer Ningxia, and then use the new governor of Ningxia to cooperate with the dispatch of troops. I don't know what you would recommend?"
The emperor doesn't talk nonsense either.
I didn't come to you to discuss how to stick to it.
I just want to send troops and fight hard.
Only by strangling the throats of the Tatars with the tip of a knife will they know how to be afraid and not dare to invade the Ming Dynasty... As for the Wu Xun who leads the troops, I have found them for you, and that is the awesome Zhu Zhijie , As for the governor who leads the troops, I will not make any decisions on my own. I will directly ask you who is suitable and pick someone out. I will ask him to cooperate with Zhu Feng in using the troops.
Liu Jian said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, using troops in such a hasty way will cost a lot of money, and it will not be easy to make progress."
Zhu Youtang said in a cold tone: "I have ordered the casting of sky gunpowder and new cannons everywhere. If there is no progress in the past two years, wait for the Tatars to secretly learn these technologies and then compete with them. What will happen?" Isn't it too late? You always say that I trust Bingkuan too much. This time Bingkuan went south to Nanjing, Di Yi from the north immediately provoked a border provocation. It was clear that he did not take the governors and generals other than Bingkuan into consideration. , is it tolerable or not?"
Several people exclaimed.
I go!
Can you still understand it this way?
If Zhang Bingkuan is in the capital, the Tatars will not dare to invade? Didn't Batu Meng still go to Ningxia to fight last year?
Now it seems that the Tatars have also figured out that the defensive weakness of the Ming Dynasty's nine sides is in Ningxia, that is, in the west, so Batumengk also kept his sights on the target and fought hard, and the results he achieved every time in Ningxia were good.
Zhu Youtang said: "Don't you have any candidates you can recommend to me? Do I have to ask Yu Bingkuan every time?"
The emperor was very anxious, even with an undoubted urgency.
Ma Wensheng said: "I still recommend Liu Daxia, the former Minister of Household Affairs."
For Ma Wensheng, he believed that the person who was best at using troops was Liu Daxia. Only Liu Daxia transferred Ningxia to have the opportunity to confront Batu Monk head-on.
Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "Hasn't Liu Qing's family decided to reinstate the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi? It is really unnecessary to transfer him to the north. I also want to find civil servants in the court who can forge ahead. The most important thing... is to be responsible. , so that every time the Tatars invade, they will maintain a high profile and be unable to confront them head-on."
The emperor didn't like Liu Daxia.
Because Liu Daxia represents a conservative veteran, what he talks about is a steady and steady defensive strategy, which cannot make him shine.
"I originally had the intention of transferring Xin Bo or Wang Qiong, the governor of Pianguan, but they are still shouldering heavy responsibilities. If we easily transfer them to Ningxia, we will ignore the war situation in Pianguan and Liaodong and only focus on the military affairs of Ningxia and other places. Internal influence is not what I want to see. What I hope to find are rising ministers with both ability and political integrity, rather than some veteran ministers who already have a reputation on the battlefield. I also don’t want Old Minister Qin to think that I think he is Not enough has been done.”
Zhu Youtang spoke very tactfully.
What it actually means is that the reason why I don’t use Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren is because in the eyes of your traditional civil servants, the three sides are the territory of traditional forces.
The Xuanda front line and Liaodong have been occupied by Zhang Zhou's forces. If I let Zhang Zhou's forces go to the three sides... the internal disputes alone may make this war impossible to fight.
Qin Hong seems to have no conflict with Zhang Zhou, but Qin Hong is also from your traditional faction, and he is also a mature and prudent veteran. If Wang Qiong and Wang Shouren are sent, he may think that I look down on him, so he can only send " It is best for "little-known" people to be recommended by civil servants of your traditional faction, so as to meet the expectations of all parties.
"Your Majesty, if you want to find a minister who is good at attacking and strategizing with the ambition to lead the army... it is not impossible, but... it needs to be recommended and selected."
This time Xie Qian came forward to deal with it.
Your Majesty, if you ask us for someone, we will recommend one to you immediately. Isn't this a big problem?
Why should we go back to discuss it?
Zhu Youtang said: "The situation in Ningxia is changing rapidly. When the little Tatar prince breaks through the border and marches away, nothing will be done. Dear lords, you will not reach this point. Even the candidates are not ready, and you still need to Let’s think about it when we go back, right?”
The emperor was dissatisfied.
You traditional civil servants are always attacking Bingkuan.
Now I also understand that I don’t need Bingkuan to take charge of the military affairs of the three sides. At most, Zhu Feng will be transferred there. But Zhu Feng is always a martial artist, and he must obey the orders of civil servants when using troops. Now you even have a military governor. I can’t even pick one out. This is not a slap in my face, but a slap in your face.
Ma Wensheng said: "Xu Jin, the left minister of the household department, is qualified for this job."
Isn’t it that your cabinet is not sure who to recommend? Then it will be up to me, the Minister of War.
If Liu Daxia is not suitable, then send someone with "high moral character and high prestige" over him. If you can't just send the minister directly, you can always send a minister, right? After all, Xu Jin was the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. He mobilized money and food while cooperating with the army, which was very appropriate.
Zhu Youtang said: "That's not appropriate. I have already said that it is the ministers who will come from the future to lead the troops. Why didn't you understand what I meant?"
Liu Jian was also very anxious at this time.
We need to find rising stars, people who understand the situation in the northwest, and people who will not make Qin Hong feel disgusted... The most important thing is to recommend people right now... This problem is too big.
Just when Liu Jian was anxious about who to choose, Li Dongyang on the side said: "I think Yang Yiqing, the minister of Taichang Temple in Nanjing, is qualified for this job."
"oh?"
Zhu Youtang was still a little anxious and angry.
After hearing the recommendation, he frowned slightly but did not comment.
Li Dongyang said: "Yang Yiqing has been in Shaanxi for many years and is familiar with the military affairs of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and other places, and he has military plans."
Zhu Youtang looked at Liu Jian and said, "What do you think, Mr. Liu Ge?"
Liu Jiandao: "I also think it's acceptable."
"Yes." Zhu Youtang nodded, seeming to be thinking about whether this person was suitable.
At this time, Ma Wensheng had some objections to this: "Your Majesty, Yang Yiqing was mostly a school inspector when he was in Shaanxi. Even though he has the advantage of being familiar with the border areas, it is difficult to conceal the disadvantage of not seeking a position in the military and government. Your Majesty, please select someone else."
To put it bluntly, Ma Wensheng believed that Yang Yiqing was not qualified enough.
He was appointed as the governor of Ningxia when he came up, and he also had to preside over and lead troops to attack. Sending a minister might not be able to control the situation, but he actually found the unknown Yang Yiqing?
Zhu Youtang said: "There is no more suitable candidate, and the situation is urgent. I agree to appoint Yang Yiqing as the right deputy capital censor to take charge of Ningxia's border affairs."
(End of chapter)
