As the news spread, various ministers in the capital, especially those who had previously been vying to enter the Yanwu Hall, began to find ways to lead troops in the northwest.
Instead of being the chief military officer, becoming a deputy general, or even a general accompanying the army, is like gold plating.
Just like Zhang Zhou, Wang Shouren and others had created a good start, they only needed to pick up ready-made fruits. Everyone seemed to think that this battle was very easy, similar to a patrol outside the river. If the troops return with the same number of new cannons, etc., will the Tatars be stupid enough to take the initiative?
Qingning Palace.
When Zhu Youtang went to greet Empress Dowager Zhou, he was caught by the old lady and questioned about the dispatch of troops.
"...Since the Emperor attaches great importance to this battle, why don't you let Bingkuan lead the troops in person? Or let his people also show that you are cautious about this battle."
Empress Dowager Zhou originally wanted to fight for the unsatisfactory descendants of the Zhou family and let them go with her.
But he is worried about Zhu Hui, the protector of the country. If he goes with Zhang Zhou or Wang Shouren, he is more likely to achieve success. If he just goes with Zhu Hui... who knows what trouble these traditional martial artists will cause?
Zhu Youtang said: "Returning to the emperor's grandmother, my grandson also wanted to balance the relationship between Bingkuan and the old martial arts school in the court. Bingkuan or the people recommended by him cannot be used in every war. This will affect the rest of the court. Wuxun is also unfair. If you have good artillery and muskets, you should also give others a chance."
"Yes." Empress Dowager Zhou nodded, "Emperor, you are quite thoughtful."
Zhu Youtang added: "Now that Bingkuan is the Minister of War, most of the strategic matters still come from him, and there will be no major deviations in the overall strategy. So the imperial grandmother does not need to worry too much."
Empress Dowager Zhou said: "Then you have decided on the generals, deputy generals, and generals accompanying the army?"
"Still considering." Zhu Youtang lowered his head. He knew that the Queen Mother Zhou might mention the descendants of the Zhou family next. After all, Zhou Tang and Zhou Ying are both studying in the Yanwu Hall. The two descendants of the Zhou family , in Zhu Youtang's opinion, they don't have much ability, so giving them a chance to practice is purely to give the old lady face.
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said: "The Ai family is thinking that if you want to balance the relationship between Bingkuan and the Duke of the old family, you must remember the British Duke's family. You can completely let the British Duke lead the army."
"he?"
Zhu Youtang became worried when he heard about the British Duke.
Even if Zhang Mao was asked to go out to inspect a military camp, let alone lead troops, he would complain endlessly.
"My grandson's idea is that even if people from the British Duke's government are allowed to go, they should go to Zhang Rui, the son of the British Duke, or Zhang Rui and Zhang Lun and his son go together, and they will ask the British Duke what he wants later. After all, the father and son are allowed to go at the same time. For two people to lead troops together is against the principles of benevolence, filial piety and etiquette."
What Zhu Youtang meant was that if something unexpected happened in this war, it would be nothing if the entire army was annihilated in the end, but Zhang Rui and Zhang Lun, father and son, would not be killed on the battlefield together.
At that time, Old Man Zhang must have hated Zhang Zhou to his core. Although in terms of the results of the battle, the main responsibility still lay with Zhu Hui, who actually led the army, he couldn't help but think that if Zhang Zhou was sent to avoid this, why must he do it? How about finding an incompetent person to lead the army?
"Okay, Emperor, you can make your own decision. The Yi family won't ask any more questions."
Queen Mother Zhou understood her grandson's heart after all, and knew that asking the Zhou family to go to the battlefield with her would definitely make it appear that she was relying on her old age and not knowing how to advance or retreat. She said so much, but in the end she didn't mention it, which was actually the same as mentioning it.
It depends on whether the grandson can really understand her "heart and soul".
…
…
Zhu Youtang came out of Qingning Palace.
Xiao Jing came over and presented the memorial to him.
"If you have anything to do, tell me." Zhu Youtang didn't want to see it in person, or he was feeling unwell and wanted to find a place to rest.
Meeting the old lady was both physical and mental work for him.
Xiao Jing said: "There are dozens of nobles from various families in the city who have requested to accompany the army. Some have recommended themselves, some have recommended each other, some have not even entered the Yanwu Hall, and some have applied for their own sons and nephews, because the memorials are all They were delivered separately, and I asked my servant to sort them out and make a list."
Zhu Youtang raised his hand and said, "Since so many people want to go, just don't choose any of them."
"this……"
Xiao Jing looked very embarrassed.
I obviously wanted to give those old ministers a chance, but now that things have come to a head, they don’t choose?
Zhu Youtang looked a little annoyed and said: "It's not up to me to decide who I want to lead the army. It's not up to me to discuss with the court officials. Is it the turn of each family to recommend it? Have they even forgotten the rules of the court? ?”
Xiao Jing's expression was reserved. He probably sensed that those ministers who were fighting over each other had touched Zhu Youtang's skin.
What bothers the emperor the most is that the people below are vying to lead the troops, or to fight for military power. No matter what slogans these people shout, you have bad intentions when it comes to vying to lead the troops.
When the Tatars were at their peak, why didn't anyone rush to the northwest?
Now that the Tatars are no longer vigorous, do you think the Tatars are soft persimmons and want to pinch them?
Don’t you all ask yourself what level you are at!
"When it comes to employing people, we will ignore all requests for help." Zhu Youtang said, "Who is hired and who is not used depends not only on whether the person is willing to serve the court, but also on whether he is really capable. Even if it is Duke Bao Guo, I don’t have to use him!”
Xiao Jing understood it as soon as he heard it.
The emperor basically has a candidate. It is very likely that a lot of the emperor's relatives, consorts, uncles, and close concubines are all trying to squeeze into the army. It is a headache for the emperor to arrange these people, and there are still some spare ones. The position is given to those distinguished ministers of various families who have recommended themselves?
Stop dreaming.
…
…
The artillery practice range outside Yanwutang City.
When Zhang Zhou came out for inspection that day, Wang Qiong, the left servant of the Ministry of Revenue, came with him. Wang Qiong mainly wanted to discuss with him the distribution of grain and grass supplies for the troops to be sent out in two months.
When we arrived at the high viewing platform of the artillery practice ground, a new round of artillery practice was taking place below.
Zhu Feng, who came with him, just took a look from a distance and felt something was wrong. He shook his head and said, "It's not good."
Even Zhu Feng can tell that this group of people is not good, so that can only mean...this group of people is really bad.
Duke Baoguo Zhu Hui came over and smiled and gave his hands to several people. At this time, Zhu Hui looked high-spirited. Next to Zhu Hui stood Liu Jin, the eunuch of Yanwu Hall. Liu Jin also had a spring breeze on his face at this time.
Zhu Hui smiled and said: "Dong Cai Guo came at the right time. Look at these royal relatives and nobles. Where have they experienced this before? After knowing or having the opportunity to practice in Yanwu Hall, they personally lead the troops on the battlefield. Everyone is full of loyalty. The desire to serve the country is really deplorable.”
The reason why this group of people is not good is because these people are relatives of the emperor who rose to power through marriage relationships.
Zhu Feng said: "Is that Hou Ninghou?"
What Zhu Feng was referring to was a man arrogant and arrogant around the artillery range. From a distance, he could be seen to be Zhang Heling.
As the first royal relatives to enter the martial arts hall, the Zhang brothers were directly asked to teach the "younger generations" this time. They obviously did not have much potential as instructors. Fortunately, they were not responsible for firing the cannons themselves, otherwise If so... I really can't tell where the cannonball will land.
Zhu Hui invited Zhang Zhou to one side and asked: "Zhang Shangshu, I wonder if I can ask how the decision was made to send troops to Yansui in March? I have just heard about it and am not sure. I want to ask some questions."
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "I don't know much."
"You don't know?" Zhu Hui was curious.
If you, Zhang Bingkuan, don’t know, then who can?
Zhang Zhou said: "The purpose of sending troops to the Hetao is not necessarily to fight the Tatars head-on, but more to demonstrate the Ming Dynasty's governance over the Hetao. In fact, like Baoguo Gong, I only know temporarily how to formulate the plan, and I can only ask Your Majesty for instructions on what kind of victory your Majesty is pursuing."
Zhu Hui sighed: "Your Majesty didn't make it very clear."
For a traditional martial artist like Zhu Hui, this was really difficult for him, as if the emperor had a difficult problem, and the problem was not even clear.
He is not the kind of coach who knows how to adapt to situations.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "The use of troops, especially when it comes to military strategies, isn't it something that the military censor should worry about? Isn't the Baoguo Guild worried too much?"
Zhu Hui said: "Your Majesty said that he wanted Xu Jin, the governor of Shanxi Town who was guarding the border gate, to lead the army as the censor of the capital. I wanted to negotiate with him, but he couldn't. Your Majesty also made it clear that he wanted the Ministry of War to come up with a big plan. , so the old man can only..."
Zhang Zhou shrugged and didn't answer, which probably meant that you asked the wrong person.
Just as he was talking, Wang Qiong came over and said: "Zhang Budang, this can't go on. These people are not here to train. Instructing them to fire artillery and other things is a waste of artillery shells. We should ask His Majesty to replace them!"
Wang Qiong appears to be very upright when it comes to court affairs.
It was clear that a group of people with no skills were learning how to fire cannons and setting off cannons in a very lively manner, but they were just messing around. Wang Qiong felt that this was a waste of time and energy.
Zhu Hui smiled and said: "Dehua, you should be more open-minded. Many of them are expected by His Majesty, such as Shouning Marquis and Jianchang Bo. They are likely to go out with the army this time."
"No way?"
Wang Qiong frowned and looked at Zhu Hui.
That look was somewhat disrespectful.
Having a wimp like you as the coach is enough to cause trouble. If your right-hand man is still like the Zhang brothers, then this battle may not even need to be fought. It is best to pray that the Tatars open their eyes and do not share the same knowledge with you and do not send troops to fight. , otherwise there will be trouble after the war.
Zhu Hui saw that Wang Qiong looked down on him somewhat, but he still sighed: "If you, Dehua, can be the leader of the army this time, then this battle will be successful immediately. I won't tell you anymore, I'm still here." I want to go over and watch the artillery demonstration, and I also want to select capable people from among them."
…
…
Zhu Huiming knew that he was doing useless work, but he still enjoyed it.
Wang Qiong said: "Zhang Butang, may I ask, does your Majesty really intend to charge into battle with this group of people?"
Zhang Zhou flattened his mouth and shook his head.
The general meaning is that the emperor is not a fool. Can he see that these people have limited abilities? The emperor doesn't want to use it, but sometimes he may have to use it.
Just like giving opportunities to the Zhang brothers many times before, couldn't the emperor see that the Zhang brothers were not able to get on the stage?
Wang Qiong said again: "There is also Duke Baoguo. Although he has gone to the northwest to guard one side many times, he is at best a conservative general. If he leads the troops outside, he is afraid that big trouble will occur."
"Not really."
Zhang Zhou smiled.
He is not as "pessimistic" as Wang Qiong.
Because Zhang Zhou knew that in history, in the fourteenth year of Hongzhi, the emperor also used Xu Jin and Zhu Hui to lead the army. Although the army arrived, Huo Si and Batu Meng's troops had basically retreated, and the two even delayed Didn't make it, but at least it didn't turn out to be a big mess.
Wang Qiong said: "What's the point of using them?"
Zhang Zhou walked in front, but Wang Qiong was still very persistent, meaning we couldn't give this group of people a chance.
This also made Zhang Zhou realize that Wang Qiong took factional disputes very seriously and saw the enemy and us clearly.
Perhaps in Wang Qiong's view, since we are now in power, we should not think about giving traditional martial arts a chance. We should defeat traditional martial arts until we can no longer hold our heads up. This is the ultimate goal.
Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty has his own way of using people. If they encounter trouble in the Hetao area and want to send troops to rescue them, you may have the opportunity, Wang Shilang. Or Wang Shilang can also fight for it, and you can lead the troops personally."
Wang Qiong shook his head and said: "If Baoguo Gong is to be the chief military officer and go to hang the seal, I would rather not go."
Although Wang Qiong wanted to lead troops to prove himself, he looked down upon people like Zhu Hui, especially when he knew that the emperor might also select people from among his relatives to assist.
…
…
The training in the martial arts field has ended.
Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling were high-spirited and led a group of people up. Although the two brothers were suppressed in front of the traditional martial arts, they were more able to show off in front of this group of royal relatives. After all, it was good to talk about it. ... We two brothers have personally been on the battlefield in the past two years, and even killed the enemy ourselves.
"Are they all here?"
Zhang Heling seemed very happy when he came up, and then introduced to Zhang Zhou a man in his early twenties who looked very elegant in Confucian clothes: "Mr. Zhang, let me introduce someone to you. This is Cui Yuanshiye, the consort of the eldest princess of Yongkang. He is the brother-in-law of my second son."
Zhang Zhouyi had long heard of Cui Yuan's reputation.
This very miserable consort of the Ming Dynasty had to wait until twenty years later, when the crown prince of the Yingxing Palace came to Beijing to take the throne, and he really entered the power class, which is very sad to say.
The same is true for the Ming Dynasty's consort. He was not of high origin and was nothing more than a foil for power in the Ming Dynasty.
"Student Cui Yuan, I have met Mr. Zhang." Cui Yuan was very polite to Zhang Zhou.
As a scholar, of course he knows the weight of a Bachelor of Science in the Hanlin Academy, and also knows Zhang Zhou's reputation for compiling the "Da Ming Huidian" and "The Classics of Mind Learning". Cui Yuan's respect for Zhang Zhou is more like academic respect.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Okay."
Zhang Heling said: "If you have free time, can you find a place to have a drink? How about I serve as the host? Can you give me a favor?"
Zhu Hui said with a smile: "You young people are old and have errands to deal with. Today's cannon drill is not over yet..."
"We're done." Zhang Heling said without hesitation, "Whoever wants to show off later can do it. I'm looking for a place to have a drink. Second brother, will you go too?"
"Um."
Zhang Yanling looked weak, as if she hadn't had a good rest.
Zhang Zhou looked at the bags under the eyes of these royal relatives and knew that this group of people had a rich night life. It seemed to be quite difficult for them to have such a group of people come here as students to learn how to fight.
(End of chapter)
