"Congratulations to Your Majesty, after this battle, the Tatars will definitely not dare to invade for a long time. All the Ming border areas can prepare for war with peace of mind and prepare to wipe out the grassland in one fell swoop."
Li Rong was old and prudent, so he first expressed his congratulations to Zhu Youtang at this time.
The red color on Zhu Youtang's face could not dissipate for a long time, and it reached the point of being restless. He seemed to be possessed by a demon. He would smile for a while, then feel a little sad for a while, as if he was full of joy and didn't know who to share it with.
If anything happened in the past, just go to Queen Zhang and tell her.
But now he wanted to share the good news with Zhang Zhou. Unfortunately, Zhang Zhou, as the planner of the whole thing, was in Nanjing and could not share the joy of victory with him immediately.
"Bingkuan, by the way Bingkuan... yes, Bingkuan."
Zhu Youtang was a little incoherent for a moment.
Xiao Jing asked with a smile: "Does Your Majesty want to award Duke Lai a reward?"
"Yes, give Bingkuan a reward." Zhu Youtang looked pleased.
With merit, even if you can't share the joy in person, you can still be promoted remotely, right? Give everything you can to show that the emperor also knows how to "repay kindness".
Xiao Jing said: "But Your Majesty, now that Duke Lai has reached the rank of Duke, there is really nothing to reward."
"That's right." Only then did Zhu Youtang realize that there seemed to be no way to promote Zhang Zhou in the title. "By the way, Bingkuan also has two sons. His eldest son may succeed him." The title of Duke of Lai, but his second son..."
The eldest son will be the Duke of Lai in the future, and the second son will also be given the entire title. In this way, Zhang Zhou will return two titles with one person as his descendant.
It's not that there are no precedents, such as the founding father Xu Da, or Duke Cheng and Anbianhou... As long as the emperor is willing, he can reward as many as he likes.
Xiao Jing didn't know whether to support or oppose it for a moment, because he felt that his situation was also very embarrassing.
He obviously wanted to unite with the civil servants to suppress Zhang Zhou, but the more he suppressed him, the more powerful Zhang Zhou became. If he continued to be Zhang Zhou's enemy, he was afraid that he would soon be replaced by Li Rong.
Others didn't understand why the emperor re-enabled Li Rong, but Xiao Jing knew it well.
If the Chief of Ceremonies appoints a new person, then if Xiao Jing retires, Chen Kuan should take over as the Chief of Ceremonies, because Chen Kuan is second only to him in qualifications as the Chief of Ceremonies... But if Li Rong comes up, then The emperor was going to dismiss Xiao Jing from his post, and Li Rong was going to take charge of the ceremonial department again. This was clearly because the emperor was dissatisfied with the three eunuchs in front of the ceremonial department.
Just when Xiao Jing hesitated, Li Rong took the initiative to step forward and take responsibility for him: "Your Majesty, after all, Duke Lai did not personally lead the troops in this battle, but with Duke Lai's heroic military strategy, he was expected to preside over the military affairs of the Ming Dynasty. It's more than enough. Perhaps we can give Duke Lai some rewards on the branch of the Zhang family."
"Yes." After listening to Li Rong's words, Zhu Youtang seemed to be "stepping on" Zhang Zhou, but it was very pleasing to the emperor's ears.
The most urgent task now is to give Zhang Zhougang's newly born son another title?
Obviously, Zhang Zhou was dragged back to the capital early and made Zhang Zhou the Minister of War.
This was still his bet with Ma Wensheng.
Thinking of this... Zhu Youtang was particularly excited.
The courtiers targeted Zhang Zhou and felt that Zhang Zhou liked to plan some risky strategies. Now I will let you know how awesome my Bingkuan is and how exciting this battle was. I will also let you know how powerful Bingkuan is. You know my ability to recognize people!
You are all scum in front of my Bingkuan!
"I remember that Bingkuan also had an older brother, but he seemed to have a bad relationship with him," Zhu Youtang said.
Mou Bin came forward and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this is exactly what happened. According to the investigation by the Jinyi Guards, it was found that Duke Lai's elder brother was named Zhang Ye, and his son Zhang Ping had come to harass Duke Lai many times, and at the beginning of spring, he went north to Liaodong. He was left to serve in the army by Duke Lai, but he has not returned to Nanjing yet."
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "Even ordinary people know how to serve the country. The Zhang family is really full of loyalty."
This evaluation...
Just outrageous.
Xiao Jing and others were thinking that Zhang Bingkuan's magic power was really great. His brother and nephew were working as coolies in the army, which made His Majesty feel that they were serving the country. They really took advantage of the first honorable minister of the Ming Dynasty. .
"Give his brother a thousand households of Jinyiwei. If there is a shortage of Jinyiwei in the capital, we will give him a thousand households of Jinyiwei in Nanjing. His son... give him a hundred households. Let them serve the court with all their heart in the future."
Zhu Youtang is very generous.
Even if Zhang Ye and Zhang Ping had no merit, just because Zhang Zhou had merit, they would be given to them for free. Instead of sending them official posts, if the position of Jinyiwei in the capital could not be vacated, they would be given to Nanjing. , in this way, Zhang Ye and his son can be said to have turned into phoenixes.
"The few Jin Yiwei around Bingkuan should also be promoted. The Jin Yiwei command given to Bingkuan before...the Jin Yiwei command is no longer enough. Let's promote the Jin Yiwei commander as envoys. We will send them salary for the time being and make changes in the future."
It is said that there is a real shortage of royal guards in the capital, but when it comes to giving them to Zhang Zhou, they are enough.
Zhang Zhou's concubine Wang Mingshan was the first female Jinyiwei Deputy Qianhu in the Ming Dynasty. Now the emperor directly gives the position of Jinyiwei Qianhu, and Sun Shangqi, Liu Gui, Jia Laoshui and others around Zhang Zhou will also be affected by this. As for promotion, this really proves what it means for a person to achieve enlightenment, a chicken or a dog ascend to heaven.
"I have been tired for the past two days, so I'm going to take a rest first. Tomorrow, it's time for me to recall Bingkuan to the capital. No matter how urgent Bingkuan's errands in Nanjing are, I'll put them aside first and return to the capital. Come and advise me!"
“It’s so inspiring!”
Zhu Youtang still hasn't gotten over the excitement of the previous victory.
In the previous battles, the successes were achieved in units of hundreds or thousands. Now they have directly exceeded 10,000, and the number of ears recovered has even reached nearly 10,000. This is a qualitative leap for the Ming Dynasty's border battles.
Zhu Youtang had only fantasized about the plain grasslands before, thinking that he should make this his lifelong goal.
After this battle was over, the emperor seemed to feel that victory was just around the corner.
Li Rong reminded: "Your Majesty, there is also Uncle Xin Xin."
"Uncle Xinxin? Don't worry." Zhu Youtang said, "With such meritorious service, can I forget him? As long as he has outstanding meritorious service, like Bingkuan, there is no need to stick to the limitation that civil servants cannot be princes. This is also If there is a precedent, Pingkuan cannot expect Bingkuan to complete it alone in the future. Uncle Xinjian can be Bingkuan's powerful help! Bingkuan's vision of employing people is really unique, and I won't accept it."
Even a picky person like Xiao Jing couldn't find any fault with it.
Who would have thought that a new scholar who didn't know alchemy and was the son of the number one scholar, but a fledgling with no experience in leading an army as an official, could be used like this by Zhang Zhou?
Not to mention that this battle was planned by Zhang Zhou. Even without Zhang Zhou's planning, just recommending a powerful person to the court who could lead troops to fight such a war would still make Zhang Zhou's name go down in history.
Xiao Jing quickly wanted to prove that he was still there, and he also reminded him: "Your Majesty, there are also Wenhua Palace...those ministers."
"Them?"
Zhu Youtang thought about it and said with emotion, "I originally wanted to know the good news with them, but right now I am only thinking about myself and not thinking about them. There is no need to bother them. I will announce the matter to the courtiers tomorrow. .”
While waiting for news, I will treat you all equally.
I still want to show off in front of you.
But now that the good news has really come, I just want to be happy for myself. As for you... it doesn't matter. I don't need to share this good news with you. Your presence or absence will have no impact on the overall war situation.
You said you wouldn't give me any advice, and you always sang the opposite. It's a good thing you didn't help me in this great victory.
Then just do it like everyone else and just announce it to me tomorrow morning.
"Li Rong, go ahead." Zhu Youtang pointed at Li Rong.
This gave Xiao Jing a great sense of crisis.
If the civil servants made a miscalculation this time, then he, Xiao Jing, would probably be jointly and severally liable. Does that mean that the emperor would replace him with Li Rong after he had been in charge of the Office of Ceremonies for less than a year?
Li Rong said: "Your Majesty, are you not going to talk to your officials about the success of this battle?"
"Can they still not know? There is no need to elaborate on the details, you can take care of it yourself." Zhu Youtang didn't care much about these things anymore.
All matters of reviewing memorials and court affairs can be forgotten. Although sharing the victory of this battle with the people around him is not as enjoyable as talking directly to Zhang Zhou, it does not prevent him from going to Empress Zhang and Concubine Xian to brag. Come on, by the way, you can also go to the old lady, Queen Mother Zhou, to share it.
…
…
In the Wenhua Hall that day, a group of people who had been temporarily recruited to consult the military aircraft were facing a pile of memorials, and they were even a little bored.
When Li Dongyang went out to relieve himself, he looked back at the seat that was supposed to be reserved for Zhang Mao but was empty that day.
"What's going on with the British father-in-law?" Zhou Jing saw that Li Dongyang was about to desert, so he got up to keep him company.
In the Wenhua Hall, Li Dongyang, Zhou Jing and Zhang Mao were the three people with the highest official positions and status. They had something to discuss in the past few days. For example, there were some side stories in the northwest, and they wanted to give their opinions. The opinions of the three of them take precedence.
Li Dongyang said: "It's called an illness. As for the specific cause, who knows?"
Li Dongyang knew Zhang Maoke too well.
Old man Zhang is nominally the leader of the martial arts, but he often likes to rely on his elders to show off... In fact, Zhang Mao is not very old. He just relies on his seniority and Shiqing Shilu. As long as he does not commit any major faults such as treason, he can continue his title. Go down...
Deserting is child's play.
The two of them had just walked out of the Wenhua Palace when they saw a group of people coming from a distance, led by Li Rong.
Li Rong obviously didn't go to the Three Treasures Hall for anything, so the two could only wait for Li Rong to come forward. When Li Rong saw the two of them, he hurriedly saluted and said, "I've seen the two ministers."
"Eunuch Li, you are polite." Li Dongyang returned the greeting, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
Li Rong smiled and said: "Yes, His Majesty said, you can go back first."
"Huh?" Zhou Jing frowned on the side.
After waiting for many days with nothing to do in the Wenhua Hall, suddenly this strange "little cabinet" was disbanded just like that?
Li Dongyang asked: "What's the reason?"
The smile on Li Rong's face did not diminish, and he replied politely: "You two ministers will definitely know it after you go back, and your majesty will explain it truthfully at the court tomorrow morning. There has not been such a grand event in the Ming Dynasty for a long time. "
He said he was not allowed to talk about it, but in fact, even Zhu Youtang knew that the good news could not be hidden.
And there’s no need to hide it.
It was just some small details. The emperor felt that it was better to mention them in front of all the civil and military officials, which would be more convincing and show merit for Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren. At the same time, it would be logical to announce Zhang Zhou's return to the court.
"Win?" Zhou Jing understood immediately upon hearing this.
Or was it Li Rong's suggestion, with a smile on his face, that there was a grand event on the border of Ming Dynasty? Isn't this good news?
But the question is...what kind of good news should be concealed first?
Even if His Majesty feels that he wants to announce it in public, wouldn't the effect be almost the same if he came in person and announced it in front of us? Or should I say that there is actually a "way" to this victory report, such as killing a lot of enemies, but also losing a lot of damage to one's own side, so one needs to think carefully about one's words, or there is no evidence after the killing, and no heads or other items were brought back, or...
In short, even if Zhou Jing guessed that it was a good news, he did not think that the good news was impeccable.
Li Dongyang didn't seem to care too much, and said: "The stability of the border towns in the Ming Dynasty is our wholehearted wish, as long as there are no changes. Then I will go in and let you know, and I won't bother Eunuch Li."
"Okay, thank you Mr. Li Ge." Li Rong smiled and saluted Li Dongyang, then turned around and left without entering the Wenhua Hall.
…
…
The ministers in the Wenhua Hall and above were finally able to finish their temporary errands.
On the way out of the palace, they were also speculating on some of the news leaked by Li Dongyang and Zhou Jing. When they learned that it was good news, most people were actually relieved.
It's better than losing the battle.
As for Zhang Zhou... In fact, most people will only appear to be tit for tat with Zhang Zhou when they express their position in the court. If they have to confront Zhang Zhou on everything, even if they have to express their worries after winning a battle... that would be too much. Dark belly.
However, when everyone was leaving the palace, they met Zhang Mao coming towards them.
"Mr. British? Are you recovering from your illness?" Zhou Jing greeted with a smile.
In the past, Zhou Jing would not have joked with Zhang Mao like this, just because Zhou Jing knew that he had only been in power for a short time and there was no need to hide anything.
It's not just a day or two that old man Zhang doesn't like him.
Zhang Mao raised his head and saw everyone. He was surprised and said with a bit of embarrassment: "Is this... dispersed?"
Li Dongyang said: "There is good news coming from the northwest."
"That's exactly why I came here."
Zhang Mao usually relies on his old age in the army, but in terms of age, he has no advantage in front of a group of ministers and ministers. He is even one year younger than Zhou Jing. "I heard that the battle was won, and Wang Bo'an and Wang Dehua have already sent their troops." , the tens of thousands of Tatar troops saw the Ming Dynasty withdrawing their troops, and they did not dare to invade. It is really unbelievable to say. How many enemies were killed? "
Zhang Mao thought that the group of people waiting for news in the palace should be well-informed and know more than him.
But they don't know that this group of people analyzed even the victory report from Li Rong's words. They didn't even see a word of the relevant battle report, and they didn't know as much as Zhang Mao.
Li Dongyang said: "If you want to know the details, you should ask the Ministry of War."
"I am from the Ministry of War." Zhang Mao replied simply.
Zhou Jing smiled bitterly and said: "In other words, the good news only spread to the palace, and even the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion don't know the details... Haha, I already said it."
This is not to say that there is room for discussion about the good news.
Rather, he is saying that any military successes in the northwest are directly responsible to the emperor and reported directly to the king, skipping the court.
This obviously corresponds to the fact that in case of war, the emperor directly orders the deployment of troops instead of going through the Governor's Office and the Ministry of War.
He could hardly say that this trend was actually started by Zhang Zhou. After Zhang Zhou became omnipotent in military and political affairs, the emperor seemed to have only the responsibility of routine notifications to the Ministry of War, Ministry of Households, etc., without any consultation. and decision-making obligations.
Li Dongyang's tone was a little uncomfortable when he heard the words. He was a discerning person and could feel the changes.
Zhang Maoze said with a smile: "It seems that Duke Lai Guo's return to Beijing is on the agenda. Speaking of which, I haven't seen him for a few days, so I miss him."
These words are just for scolding.
Everyone is slandering in their hearts, you old guy, does Zhang Zhou’s rise to power only affect us civil servants? I'm afraid your status as the number one martial artist in the Ming Dynasty is no longer guaranteed. It doesn't mean that you will directly retreat to the second place. To what position you retreat to... it all depends on the mood of His Majesty and Zhang Bingkuan. What about An Bian Hou, Xin Xin Bo, Cheng Guo Gong? , can jump on top of your head at any time.
"Binzhi, aren't you going to the cabinet now? Are you... coming back?" Zhang Mao asked enthusiastically.
Li Dongyang glanced at him but didn't answer.
Obviously, the cabinet's schedule for these days has been decided a long time ago, and Li Dongyang is also sulking in his heart. He doesn't feel the need to go back to discuss the war situation with Liu Jian and Xie Qian.
It would be better to go back to his house in Xijiang Mixiang and think calmly about how to deal with the pressure exerted by Zhang Zhou on the court.
"Let's go, let's go. The British prince still needs to recover from his illness." Zhou Jing smiled and greeted everyone to continue leaving the palace.
…
…
Before sunset that day, the news about the northwest victory had already spread throughout the capital.
After Xie Qian left the palace that day, he was also ordered to see Ma Wensheng.
Because both the cabinet and Ma Wensheng himself knew that with the great victory in the northwest, they could no longer prevent Zhang Zhou from returning to the court and becoming Minister of the Ministry of War. What they could do now was probably to leave more "blood and blood" in the Ministry of War, which could create a strong opposition to Zhang Zhou. Checks and balances... Although this idea is at best a drop in the bucket.
After all, the emperor discussed everything directly with Zhang Zhou, and it didn't seem to make much difference whether he had a military department or not.
It's just that in the future, the formulation of military strategies will look more "formal".
Because Zhang Zhou himself was the Minister of War, the emperor and the Minister of War could formulate strategies and present them to the court. All they had to do was nod and agree.
"...The specific results are unknown, but judging from the battle reports we have received so far, the Nurgandu Division has suffered very few losses, the Pianguan Division has rushed to the rescue in time, the Tatars have decisively withdrawn their troops and are definitely not reluctant to fight, and there will be no major battles in the short term. We invaded and fought with the invaders, and the results... were very impressive..."
Ma Wensheng also told Xie Qian what he knew.
Xie Qian smiled bitterly and said, "Who would have thought that Wang Bo'an, who was just starting out, would be so experienced in running the army?"
"Yeah?"
Ma Wensheng glanced at Xie Qian, as if to say, your cabinet didn't expect this at all in advance?
It’s okay if you don’t know who Zhang Bingkuan and Wang Boan are. Don’t you know the power of new gunpowder and divine cannon? You don't know it, but the Tatars know it! They themselves are victims.
Under such circumstances, your cabinet should not deny that you did not expect Wang Boan to return victoriously.
in reality……
Li Dongyang has long analyzed that the probability of Wang Shouren's successful return is about 90%, which is based on the overall analysis.
Relevant to the results of Zhang Zhou's previous planning, this is called... big data analysis.
Your cabinet can analyze it, but I, the Minister of War, am just a fool and can't analyze it?
(End of chapter)
