"The prince went out to practice for a while, and he was able to write such a poem, which makes me very happy."
Zhu Youtang also guessed that Zhang Zhou was behind it to help his son become famous. At this moment, he also knew not to point it out. As the saying goes, heaven knows and earth knows, I know, my son knows, and then Bingkuan knows.
Even if you can guess it, no one will admit it.
Xiao Jingben was still wondering where the prince came from such knowledge. He also couldn't understand why Zhang Zhou had such good poems and didn't show them to others, but gave them to the prince. When Zhu Youtang said what he said, he probably realized that maybe he was the prince. With a good relationship, Zhang Zhou is willing to devote himself to the royal family?
Mou Bin said: "Your Majesty, some people still say that this poem was written by him."
Zhu Youtang said with an annoyed look on his face: "Since we have found out that they are just fishing for fame, why are you being polite? Scholars don't want to study, they always think about opportunism, why should they be spoiled? Let Yang Peng investigate this matter carefully. Groups of people, even those who just want to gain fame and have no malicious intentions, cannot be let go."
Can an emperor allow others to take away the reputation that belongs to his son?
Don't say that the poem was not written by those people. Even if it was true, the emperor had nothing to fault if he stole it in order to make his son famous. The worst he could do was to make some compensation.
Now others still want to take advantage of the emperor's family? I'm afraid those people have found the wrong person.
…
…
Zhu Youtang took the three poems that day and went to show off to his wife, Queen Zhang.
In Kunning Palace, Queen Zhang read the poem on the paper and said with a puzzled face: "Your Majesty, even if I don't understand poetry, I can still see that this poem is indeed well written. I don't know who wrote it." ?”
Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "It's the prince."
"No... maybe?" Queen Zhang also knew her son very well.
Zhu Houzhao had never written any poetry, so how could he do such a shocking thing as soon as he started?
"I don't believe it even if you tell me. Maybe it's because Bingkuan taught you well."
Zhu Youtang had to cover up this matter in front of his wife.
If you can help your son's enthusiasm, don't do it. Zhang Zhou worked hard to help his son become famous and secure his position as the crown prince. How could he let down Zhang Zhou's wishes?
"Queen, in the past few years, there have been rumors among the people that the prince is not my biological child and that this is not the blood of the royal family. I am really embarrassed and annoyed. And the prince is usually too naughty. I am afraid that I will suddenly have some shortcomings. , the prince is still unable to govern the Ming Dynasty well, and his prestige is not enough."
"But now I am not afraid. Even if I am not here, Bingkuan is still there. He can help the country and protect the prince."
Queen Zhang asked: "Your Majesty, you have powerful ministers, aren't you worried?"
"Haha." Zhu Youtang said with a smile, "Actually, I have thought about this problem before, and I have never understood why Bingkuan's temperament is different from others. He is a talented scholar who can help the country and secure it, but he is free and easy by nature. Don’t care about anything.”
"Why is that?" Queen Zhang didn't quite understand Zhang Zhou's character.
Generally speaking, it seems that Zhang Zhou doesn't pursue much fame and fortune. Although he has extraordinary abilities, he has always maintained restraint and forbearance towards civil servants. When he was in Beijing, he didn't even go to the Yamen as an official, preferring to be an idler everywhere. Walk.
Zhu Youtang smiled and said with emotion: "That's because he originally came from the Taoist sect of the Xian family, and his nature is easy-going and free-spirited. That is something in his bones. Speaking of which, he just pursues different things. Some people pursue fame and fortune, and hope This is used to prove himself. But since Bingkuan is destined to be immortal, this worldly fame is nothing more than a fleeting thing to him."
Empress Zhang lowered her head and said: "He is already the Duke of Lai, and he has also become the minister. Can this be called a passing thing?"
"That was forced upon him by me, not something he asked for on his own initiative. I can feel that he treats Daming with sincerity. I'm not saying that he has no ambition at all, but at least, he is really helping. I and the imperial court will make the Ming Dynasty’s national power flourish, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment.”
Zhu Youtang praised Zhang Zhou in front of his wife.
Empress Zhang was a woman after all, so she couldn't accept her husband's statement, but now Zhang Zhou didn't directly offend the interests of the Zhang family relatives behind her, so she couldn't find fault.
"Just like the recent battle in the north, it seems that Bingkuan is not here, but in fact he is everywhere. Without him, I really don't know how to fight this nine-sided battle. I am afraid that the Tatars will press harder and harder. , when the wars continue everywhere, the border soldiers and the people will suffer. I need him very much!"
…
…
Morning next day.
Before entering the palace, the ministers had gathered in twos and threes in front of the palace gate, and the news about the appearance of three epoch-making seven unique poems in Jiangnan also reached the ears of this group of people.
"The attainment of this poem is extraordinary."
Ni Yue, the Minister of Civil Affairs who had just arrived, informed Li Dongyang in detail about the three poems and praised the poems in front of Li Dongyang and others.
Li Dongyang is a knowledgeable person. After hearing this, he also sighed with emotion: "It is a good story in the literary world that many students gathered in Nanjing this time to produce such good poems. However, the poems, lyrics and poems are just embellishments outside the imperial examination and are not enough." To illustrate the rise of cultural affairs in the Ming Dynasty."
Officials, especially those at the senior level, will always feel that writing poetry is flashy and unhelpful to the times.
Unconsciously, Li Dongyang has changed from a role model for supporting underachieving scholars in the world to a utilitarian, but he does not admit it himself.
Xie Qian smiled and said: "Who wrote the poem? But does it have a name and a surname? Those with such talent may also be able to make achievements in the imperial examination in the future. Tell them in advance so that I can get to know them."
Ni Yue said: "It is said that it was written by one person."
"One person?" Xie Qian said, "You mean, three poems were written by one person? Then this person's talent is extraordinary. Whose name is it?"
Ni Yue sighed: "At first it was said that it was written by a young man named Zhu Shou, who was no more than ten years old, but he often attended gatherings in the Nanjing literary circle. However, it was later said that it was written by someone else. There is no conclusion yet. . However, I also got news that this is... Cheng Keqin's masterpiece, I don't know if it is true."
Li Dongyang shook his head and said: "This is not Cheng Keqin's writing style."
Xie Qian and Ni Yue both looked at Li Dongyang at the same time.
The one who knows Cheng Minzheng well is Li Dongyang, who has a close relationship with Cheng Minzheng.
Li Dongyang probably noticed that there was something wrong with the look between the two of them, or he suspected that he was jealous of Cheng Minzheng's talent. He said: "Not to mention the writing style, with his diligent character, the poems will be revealed to people early, so why are there three poems at the same time? Come out? Can you still be misunderstood that you are using your hands to others?"
Ni Yue nodded and said: "In this case, it is indeed possible that others are far-fetched."
Xie Qian smiled and said: "The more I talk about it, the more complicated it becomes. Zhu Shou, ten years old... interesting and interesting."
Just as he was talking, Wang Hao, a bachelor of Hanlin Academy, came over and saluted several people.
Ni Yue and others did not talk to Wang Hao about the three poems. Xie Qian asked: "Is the prince still not recovered? After the autumn lecture, everyone seemed too calm."
Wang Hao said: "This is exactly why I came here. Today, I would like to remind your majesty to put the prince's schoolwork first."
Zhu Houzhao has been absent from all the scripture banquet lectures since the beginning of autumn, and the lectures in the East Palace have been idle. Wang Hao, as a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, came here just for this matter.
…
…
The meeting begins.
When the war of words really started in the court, no one paid much attention to what the prince was doing in class.
The focus of the discussion that day was about the use of troops in Ningxia.
Yang Mi, the newly appointed left minister of the Ministry of War, said: "...Ningxia has been defeated for a long time, and the morale of the officers and soldiers has been slack. Moreover, the inspection censor has sent back a memorandum of participation in the impeachment. I would also like to ask your majesty to replace the Ningxia commander-in-chief and appoint another capable person from the imperial court."
The one he was targeting was Zhu Feng, who had been damaged in several battles with the Tatars before, and was a bit like a shrunken turtle.
Zhu Youtang said: "The war in Ningxia is not progressing smoothly. Why didn't the governor, chief military officer, and garrison commander be replaced together, but only the chief soldier was replaced? Or do you think that my appointment of Anbian Hou was nepotism?"
The ministers were stunned by the emperor's direct question.
Many people are thinking.
Your Majesty, you have already said it for us, what else can we say?
Zhu Zhijie only seemed capable, but he was just a follower behind Zhang Bingkuan. Before, he relied on Zhang Zhou, Wang Yue, Wang Qiong and others to support him, but now Yang Yiqing simply couldn't lead such a person.
"Regarding the use of troops in Ningxia, I don't want to make changes now." Zhu Youtang said.
Yang Mi was still unwilling to give in and continued: "Your Majesty, after the beginning of summer this year, there have been huge losses of people, animals, property, money and food in various places in Ningxia. It is related to the inaction of local generals in Ningxia. If the canon punishment cannot be clarified, I am afraid that the consequences will be serious. . Please also ask Your Majesty..."
"Isn't it over?"
Zhu Youtang coldly interrupted Yang Mi and said, "I didn't want to say it originally, but now I have to mention it. As long as Ningxia can hold back the main force of the Tatar Prince's troops, even if there is a small loss, it will be appropriate. .”
The ministers present were in an uproar.
How far is the emperor's nepotism? You actually think...a small loss is a win?
Zhu Youtang himself was too lazy to say anything, so he waved his hand to Xiao Jing, who was standing beside him. Xiao Jing then said: "More than ten days ago, the commander of the Nu'er Gandu Division, the doctor of the Ministry of War, the admiral of the Northern Liaoning Military Affairs, and the newly built Prince Shouren personally led Tens of thousands of cavalry have entered the grassland, and now we have received news that they have now entered the hinterland of the Chahar tribe!"
"ah!"
The court was in an uproar again.
Tens of thousands of cavalry... drove straight in...
Why is this routine so similar to Wang Shouren's surprise attack on Weininghai? Only that time Wang Shouren only brought two thousand cavalry, but this time he brought tens of thousands of cavalry?
But the question is... where can tens of thousands of cavalry come from Liaodong and Northern Liaoning?
Also, the entire imperial court didn’t know about such a large military mobilization in advance?
How is troop dispatching and food and fodder dispatching accomplished?
Zhu Youtang saw that his goal of intimidating the ministers was achieved, and then continued: "I have discussed the military strategy with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs before, and discussed the feasibility of entering the army with some personnel from the Shangting Department. Now the main force of the little Tatar prince is in Ningxia. , it is difficult to take into account the headquarters of the Chahar tribe. As for Anbian Hou’s small defeat in Ningxia, it actually made the little Tatar prince feel arrogant and inflated."
The ministers present heard it.
The emperor said that he had discussed it with some members of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Shangting Office, but he had not discussed it with the cabinet and other ministers. This means that in this battle, the court headed by the cabinet was actually sidelined.
Even Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others found it difficult to suppress their suppressed feelings of resentment when they heard the news.
Isn't the so-called "part of the staff of the Shangting Department" just Zhang Bingkuan?
Zhu Youtang said: "Assaulting from the east to the west, the little Tatar prince sent troops and horses to coordinate defenses at Weininghai, Beigukou, Pianguan, Yansui and other places before launching the Ningxia border, in order to prevent our Ming soldiers and horses from marching into the grassland. This was also for the purpose of Monitor every move in our border areas of the Ming Dynasty. The Tatars would never expect to send troops from northern Liaoning... This method is to shock the mountains and scare the tigers, so that the Tatars will not dare to rashly invade our border areas of the Ming Dynasty from now on."
"In the past two years, I have been preparing for the war to flatten the grassland. During this period, I cannot let the border areas be passively beaten. If I am just on the defensive, I will definitely not be able to demonstrate the power of our Ming Dynasty's new firearms. So I want to take the initiative. Fight out."
"In the battle of Ningxia, even if the little Tatar prince's troops and horses had the upper hand, Yang Yiqing, Anbianhou and others were not afraid of danger, and could still take the initiative to attack, and fought the Tatars back and forth. The majesty of our Ming Dynasty border army officers also demonstrated the prestige of our Ming Dynasty, and also held back the main force of the Tatars, which is indispensable!"
The emperor made an impassioned speech, which silenced the ministers in the hall.
Just listen to the emperor talking alone.
Many people are thinking, can they still find love for Zhu Zhijie like this? It was obvious that he was a coward in fighting, not only losing troops but also losing a lot of food, grass, people and livestock, yet he was actually said to be "remarkable for courage" and even said that he had achieved national prestige?
"Dear gentlemen, do you have anything else to say?" Zhu Youtang finally concluded.
In fact, he was reminding the ministers present.
Old rules.
Until Wang Shouren's thousands-mile raid on the grassland has results, you should stop beeping. We will still judge by the results. Only when the results are not satisfactory, you will come out to argue with me.
Liu Jian came out... In fact, it seemed that he was the only one qualified to come out and question it.
Liu Jiandao: "May I ask Your Majesty, what role did Duke Lai Guo play in this battle? Was all this arranged by him?"
It is not only to divide the credit after the victory, but also to determine the division of fault caused by the failure of the war.
Zhu Youtang said: "Mr. Liu Ge, do you need to ask so clearly?"
The emperor still did not answer directly.
In fact, both Liu Jian and Zhu Youtang were "bright-minded" on this matter.
Zhang Zhou is in Nanjing, so it’s okay to say that this matter has nothing to do with him. It is said that Zhang Zhou planned it all, and no one doubts it. Who made Zhang Zhou achieve fame through “planning” in the past? In fact, until now, almost no one has Was this battle fought by Zhang Zhou himself?
But no one dares to completely deny Zhang Zhou's contribution.
Liu Jian seemed to be clarifying right from wrong and determining merit and demerit, but in fact it was about merit... Zhang Zhou was already the Duke of Lai. No matter how great his merits were, could he still be crowned king?
But if there is any fault, then Zhang Zhou will be punished.
This is a "thankless" job. As the chief planner, Zhang Zhou didn't get much credit, but he was at fault for losing.
And it is precisely because the emperor understands this that he is not in a hurry to determine the "ingredients" for Zhang Zhou, which means...Whether Zhang Zhou planned this matter or not, I will tell you when there is a result or it is about to have a result. Have a good break.
The meritorious service belongs to Zhang Zhou.
If there is a fault, it must be someone else’s.
Ni Yue came out and said: "Your Majesty, it is difficult to determine the merits and demerits of the battle in Ningxia. But now that Xinjian Bo has sent troops to the grasslands from northern Liaoning, it will be difficult to dispatch food, grass and baggage. If there is a loss in this battle, or in Jianzhou, Haixi, etc. in northern Liaoning, it will be difficult." The Jurchens took advantage of the situation to counterattack, their strategy was inappropriate, and someone should be held responsible for this."
"Then let me bear the burden." Zhu Youtang is not a person who likes to escape.
You just want Bingkuan to take the blame, right?
sorry.
I would rather take the blame myself than put the blame on Bingkuan. In my heart, he is a model of a loyal and patriotic minister, but you are all a bunch of villains who do anything for fame and wealth?
"No matter the battle in Ningxia or Xin Xinbo's attack on the grassland, there is still no result. I don't want to hear about the process. I believe that within a month, there will be results from everywhere. Dear friends, please wait for the good news."
Zhu Youtang is very confident.
For nothing else.
The reason is that Wang Shouren's 6,000 cavalry entered the grassland, so they were well prepared, and almost all of Wang Shouren's side were veterans, so they could be said to have very rich combat experience.
Six hundred light cannons, plus four thousand flint muskets, when Zhu Youtang thought about it, they meant they were capable of hitting wherever they wanted.
Moreover, Zhu Youtang did not care about the cost. Wang Shouren was not Zhang Zhou after all. Even if Wang Shouren was defeated, as long as the strategic intention was achieved and the Tatars did not dare to go south to invade the country again, Zhu Youtang felt that it was worth it.
And... Judging from the battle report sent back by Wang Shouren, the Tatars did not expect that the direction of the Ming Dynasty's troops would be Liaodong and Liaobei. They were guarded by the remnants of the Duoyan Three Guards, and the Tatars did not do much at all. precautions...
This also gave Wang Shouren the convenience of traveling straight in.
And...Wang Shouren does have this ability.
From the surprise attack on the Weining Sea to the direct attack in the desert, Wang Shouren showed extraordinary military talents.
…
…
On the way out of the palace, all the ministers looked solemn.
I originally thought that when Zhang Zhou went south, the military and political affairs of the Nine Borders would return to the hands of traditional civilian officials, but who knew...
It turned out that Zhang Zhou was able to control the war in the Ming Dynasty even though he was in Nanjing. They never thought that the emperor could launch such a war even after sending Zhang Zhou to Nanjing. It's a crazy war.
"What has Duke Lai Guo done?"
Ni Yue finally couldn't help but ask. This was actually a question to Ma Wensheng and Zhou Jing.
It was different from the past. In the past, when Tu Yu and others called Zhang Zhou, they always used "Zhang Bingkuan".
Although Ni Yue was already the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and looked down upon Zhang Zhou, a rising "upstart" like him could no longer challenge Zhang Zhou directly. Instead, he had to rely more on Liu Jian and other veterans.
Xie Qian said: "We could not have imagined that the Tatars could not have imagined that even if Batu Mengke thought about a hundred possibilities, he would never have imagined that Zhang Bingkuan was in Nanjing and Wang Bo'an could actually enter the grassland from northern Liaoning. It was almost impossible. Going out in full force...it may seem like a dangerous move, but actually it is a sure win."
(End of chapter)
