Liu Yuwenxun was promoted to a level official, received a commendation, and was endorsed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which meant that he would most likely return to the court and serve as the Minister of the Six Ministries after resigning as governor of Jizhou.
When the news reached Santunying, the station in Jizhou Town, Liu Yu was also extremely surprised.
Chief Military Officer Ruan Xing also came to congratulate him. As the current two major civil and military leaders in Jizhou, they did not go with the army to send troops to Daning Old City this time, but they enjoyed the opportunity at this time. The results brought about by sending troops.
"Master Liu, judging from His Majesty's decree, it will be just around the corner for you to return to the capital to serve as a minister. When the time comes, don't forget to serve you in your humble position."
Ruan Xing is already quite old and is a veteran, but he is even more conciliatory than the young man when it comes to catering to his superiors. The smile on his face is almost overflowing to the floor.
Liu Yu was very pleased with Ruan Xing's respect and said with a smile: "That's because you, Commander Ruan, have managed the troops well. It was the right thing to send troops to Daning this time. You and I can both take credit for Duo Yanwei's submission. I will mention this to you when I demonstrate my merits."
"Thank you, Mr. Liu." Ruan Xing was overjoyed.
But I felt a little disappointed.
Just mention one thing? That's a bit...too shabby, right?
"But all this must be attributed to us performing all the etiquette when Cai Guogong arrived." Liu Yu suddenly changed the subject.
Ruan Xing was puzzled: "Didn't he confiscate all the gifts given to Cai Guogong at that time? No, he received some ice cubes, but this seems... not enough to clear up the relationship, right? Could it be said... that courtesy overrides affection? Heavy?"
Liu Yu said with a scheming look: "You don't understand this. What is important is an attitude, not what is actually given. Do you think Gong Cai Guo really lacks something? Only if we really give a gift, Cai Guo Gong knows in his heart that we are Only if you are sincere in doing things for him will he give you a chance. Well, why didn't this opportunity come?"
"Mr. Liu, you are still more skilled. If it were anyone else, it would be difficult to understand such a profound inside story, and you would miss a good opportunity."
Ruan Xing first complimented, and then changed the subject, "Look, now that Cai Guogong has given him a chance, do we still need to show our sincerity? Let's talk about the officials and generals in various towns. Who doesn't want to cling to Cai Guogong? But? ...There are very few opportunities. It is rare for Guild Cai to stay in Yongping Mansion for a long time."
Liu Yu said: "This needs to be considered carefully."
Ruan Xing suggested: "Sir, if this is not the case, I will send someone to send some condolences to Duke Cai. By the way, I will also mobilize some people and horses to drive him."
Liu Yu glared at him and said, "Are you trying to use a public weapon for personal use and violate the taboos of court officials?"
"In this humble position, I am willing to listen to your orders." Ruan Xing felt that when it came to currying favor with Zhang Zhou, it seemed that Liu Yu only wanted to be the leader and was not willing to adopt other people's opinions.
To put it bluntly, Liu Yu is a bit stubborn in his work. He seems very confident and doesn't give his subordinates a chance to express themselves.
Liu Yu said: "If you send people there, the local soldiers and horses and the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp will not be able to deal with it. Besides, Cai Guogong is not short of manpower or money."
"If everything is lacking, it will not be easy to express this intention." Ruan Xing felt that what Liu Yu said had exceeded the upper limit of his thinking.
If you don’t give gifts, how can you express your sincerity?
Liu Yu said: "You still have little knowledge. What Cai Guogong lacks is the support of connections. The local officials and gentry who are causing trouble, the Jin Yiwei have captured a group of them, causing people to panic. If we can calm down the local hostility and put all the people under control, The relationship between Fang and Fang was reconciled, and by the way, it also allowed Cai Guogong to improve his reputation locally. Isn't that..."
"Best regards, sir!"
Ruan Xing is a military general after all. He doesn't have as many convoluted ideas as Liu Yu. After listening to Liu Yu's analysis, he couldn't help but be impressed.
Liu Yu said: "Now let's see how to improve Cai Guogong's reputation. Reputation among scholars is very important. I heard that Cai Guogong is very knowledgeable in academics. Many people once wanted to be his disciples. We can Help him write books and promote his knowledge."
"This... I don't understand the humble position." Ruan Xing said, "But in terms of manpower and material resources, my lord just gives orders."
Ruan Xing probably understood that since he could not take the lead and had to listen to Liu Yu, he could just give Liu Yu money.
Liu Yu's original purpose was to make Ruan Xing pocket money.
Liu Yu continued: "I will entertain the local officials and gentry for another round of banquets. From now on, when it comes to local procurement of civil engineering, food, etc., I will not compete with the people for profit. I can't afford this small amount of money." Care and give them a chance to make a profit.”
"Sir, even if you don't want it, the people below will respect you." Ruan Xing reminded.
"Furthermore," Liu Yu said emphatically, "Cai Guogong once mentioned that building a shipyard locally would require a large amount of manpower and material resources. We should supply this."
"this……"
Ruan Xing became worried when he heard this.
As for promoting Zhang Zhou's academic thoughts, the most important thing is to give out a few books and publicize them among the scholars. Spending a little money can still solve the problem.
But to build a shipyard...
Ruan Xing secretly thought, Mr. Liu, are you drifting off? Are we able to provide this manpower and material resources? Then you can't start with one hundred thousand taels of silver? Do we have that much silver to supply?
Liu Yu said: "The local officials and gentry must contribute money and efforts."
When Ruan Xing heard this, he thought to himself, yes, we still have to blackmail the local officials and gentry.
Rather than accumulating connections for Duke Cai Guo, it's more about exploiting local officials and gentry for him, right?
However, respect is also a connection, and fear is also a connection. In short, it makes the local officials and gentry speechless. It is equivalent to adding a pinch of salt to the order of the local officials and gentry, making life even more difficult for the local officials and gentry.
"Go and make arrangements now."
Liu Yu said, "Just tell them that if anyone disobeys my orders, shirks or fails to come, or deliberately seeks trouble, then don't blame me for being ruthless. This is all for the stability of the court, and I can There is no selfishness at all.”
…
…
Zhang Zhou was in Yongping Mansion, and the mining work had been basically completed in nearly a month.
Three relatively good mining sites were selected, with a distance of thirty miles. We had to arrange transportation roads, supplies along the way, and allocate manpower. We should have recruited local miners, but because they had little connection with the local area Harmony, a lot of manpower needs to be transferred here from other places in Gyeonggi Province.
But after all, Zhang Zhou is a "private enterprise" and must focus on performance.
In other words, Zhang Zhou is willing to pay wages to this group of people. Even the soldiers from the Beijing camp who came to guard were originally occupied, but Zhang Zhou will still pay subsidies, so that the recruitment of miners is not too big. The problem.
In this era, due to serious land annexation, many farmers who have lost their land are willing to leave their farmland and become craftsmen.
Especially in the Gyeonggi area, land annexation has become more serious. The land owned by officials and gentry is connected for tens to hundreds of miles, while ordinary people are more likely to be tenants. Now they can work for Zhang Zhou and earn more than farming. , allowing them to support their families, which will drive many people to become miners.
"Mr. Cai Guogong, His Majesty has urged you to return to Beijing. In addition, you may want to visit Yongping Mansion in person."
As the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Mou Bin almost always followed Zhang Zhouan from Yongping Fucheng to the mine, also to show that he was here to help Zhang Zhou.
Even the hard work of moving ore, Mou Bin did it himself.
The main character is a person who looks familiar in front of Zhang Zhou.
Zhang Zhou said: "Isn't the battle not over yet?"
Mou Bin asked: "Then you want to wait for the war to rest before returning to Beijing?"
"It's not decided yet." Zhang Zhou seemed uninterested, "It's okay to rest for a few days and appreciate the surrounding scenery. Why go back in a hurry?"
Mou Bin said: "But there are also rumors in Beijing recently that His Majesty may use your absence in Beijing to carry out some reforms and purges. I don't know where the news came from, but it has also made people panic. Many people are afraid that it will happen." Being targeted.”
Zhang Zhou smiled and shook his head, refusing to explain.
Just as he was talking, Li Rong was sitting on a sliding pole not far away and was carried to Zhang Zhou. After he put it down, Li Rong was supported by two people. He finally got up and walked over slowly.
"Eunuch Li has worked so hard. He really shouldn't stay in the mountain." Zhang Zhou said with concern.
Li Rongdao: "I can't help it. We are old and decrepit. Our bodies are not in good shape, especially in those cloudy and rainy weather... Mr. Zhang, our family is here to tell you about Liu Yu, the governor of Jizhen. I heard that recently He’s very noisy.”
With that said, Li Rong handed Zhang Zhou a piece of compiled information obtained by Dongchang.
Zhang Zhou took it in his hand and looked at it, and couldn't help but smile.
Li Rong asked curiously: "Sir, you don't really think that such a person is useful, do you? I heard that he is only clean on the surface, but secretly always exploits the local people. Even if he has good political achievements in the past, he is still a master who eats people without spitting out their bones. There are also People say he is like a goose whose feathers have been plucked.”
Mou Bin was very curious as he listened.
Why does Li Rong have such a big opinion against Liu Yu now?
Is it just because Li Rong didn't get Liu Yu's respect?
"But if you really want to use his words, you can have someone hammer them." Li Rong said, "What do you think, sir?"
Zhang Zhou said: "Eunuch Li just came to tell me this?"
Li Rong then remembered something and said: "It's still about the tribute tribute from Duoyan Wei. I heard that the entire Duoyan Wei tribe has moved south this time. The tribe is close to Daning, and its tribal leaders and others... We will arrive at Jizhou Town in two days, and if you don’t return to Beijing, you may miss a grand event."
Zhang Zhou waved his hand and said: "The fire sieve came to the capital to pay tribute, which seems to be full of sincerity. Now what?"
"Aren't they all in decline? Who still knows Fire Sieve now?" Li Rong looked like those people were ignorant and insisted on going against you. That was their own fault.
Zhang Zhou said: "On the contrary, after Tang Yin entered the court as the admiral of Yizhou Shanchang, the position of governor of the Bohai Sea was vacated. Your Majesty has not yet arranged for new personnel to take over."
"You mean..."
Li Rong was also a little confused.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Eunuch Li also said that Governor Liu of Ji Town is so concerned about shipbuilding, so why not recommend him to be the governor of Bohai to take care of the shipbuilding in Bohai?"
"Then...hehe."
Li Rongben wanted to analyze it carefully, but when he heard this, he couldn't help laughing.
Liu Yu was already the governor of Jizhen, an important town on the Nine Borders. After receiving the emperor's commendation, everyone thought that he would join the court and become the minister of the Sixth Ministry. Who knew that directly "transferring" a Bohai governor would mean that his official position was changed to a false one? , the bright future disappeared in an instant, and it became a bit gloomy.
This means... Liu Yu's flattery ended up on the horse's hooves?
Mou Bin said from the side: "Although the post of governor of the Bohai Sea was only established in recent years, it is related to the stability of the Ming Dynasty's maritime territory, and his post is also very important."
Li Rong continued to laugh.
He could only think that Mou Bin was telling a joke on purpose.
Zhang Zhou said: "I agree with Eunuch Li's evaluation of Governor Liu. He still needs some experience. The main responsibility of the Bohai Governor in the future is to build shipyards and manufacture ships along the Bohai Sea. I will propose this candidate to His Majesty. , as for whether His Majesty will choose it, it’s hard to say.”
Li Rong and Mou Bin were both thinking that as long as it was you, Zhang, who proposed it, His Majesty would 100% agree, without even thinking about it.
But what should Liu Yu think?
I originally wanted to be your pawn, but you actually arranged me to do a hard job. Liu Yu wouldn't just give up the job, right?
"Eunuch Li and Commander Mou, a troupe is coming to the mountain to perform today. It's a good time to relax. Why don't we go over there and have a look?" Zhang Zhou invited with a smile.
"good."
Li Rong happily accepted.
In the past few days in the mountains, he, an old eunuch, had neither access to power nor any livelihood in the market. It was no different from being in jail.
It was a rare time to relax, so Li Rong naturally wanted to enjoy it.
…
…
The mountain was very lively that night.
Halfway through the opera, Zhang Zhou was about to leave.
Li Rong looked over at Zhang Zhou, and Zhang Zhou greeted him. The two of them left the stage together and headed toward the tents in the camp.
There were several people waiting in front of the tent.
When he came forward, the light from the lantern illuminated the face of the person in front of him clearly. Li Rong was still a little unfamiliar with the person coming.
"Let me introduce you to Eunuch Li. This is my junior brother, Tang Yin, who is currently the right minister of the Ministry of Industry and the admiral of Yizhou Shanchang." Zhang Zhou said.
Li Rong smiled and said, "I've heard about his reputation for a long time."
Tang Yin also hurried to greet him.
Behind Tang Yin, there was Xu Jing, and Zhu Feng was also standing beside him, but he looked very inconspicuous.
They entered the tent together, lit a few candlesticks, and then sat down.
Li Rong asked in confusion: "Sir, I wonder why Mr. Tang is here? Could it be that he is here about firewood?"
Zhang Zhou shook his head and said, "Let Tang Yin tell you personally."
Tang Yin then raised his hand and said: "I came here under orders, saying that I have to explain in detail something related to going to North Korea. I don't know what the details are."
"North Korea?"
Li Rong was a little puzzled, "There was a lot of trouble at the beginning of last year. Wasn't there an... accident? Why did it happen again?"
Zhang Zhou said: "There is no accident, but we must create some accident for him."
"this……"
Li Rong obviously didn't understand.
Tang Yinze roughly knew what was going on, and seemed reluctant to mention it, and even turned his gaze elsewhere.
He felt as if he was about to be tricked by Zhang Zhou again.
Zhang Zhoudao: "Nowadays, Nuergandusi is the main force. The Ming Dynasty still wants to eliminate the Jurchen forces in Liaodong and other places. Korea has always been a hidden danger because of its special geographical location. But as a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, Korea still has its existence. necessary."
Li Rong asked: "Does that mean it can't be destroyed?"
Zhang Zhou nodded: "Destroying North Korea is a huge matter, involving many things that are beyond our control, and its significance is also extraordinary. So this is not part of the plan!"
"Mr. Zhang, please make it clearer." Li Rong pointed to his head, "Our family is old and we can't keep up with our thinking."
Zhang Zhou then made it clear: "Last year, we took advantage of the changes in North Korea and established a new leader. Although it seemed that he was loyal to the Ming Dynasty, he himself did not have the ability to convince the public. There are opposing forces."
"Uh...so..." Li Rong felt that his head was not full.
You have already supported a new leader of North Korea, do you want to support another one?
Is it so fun to mess up North Korea?
And why should North Korea be manipulated by you? Is it too easy to think?
Zhang Zhoudao: "Let's put it this way, the former leader of North Korea, who was now demoted to Lord Yanshan, did not die when he abdicated, but was only exiled. Although he had misdeeds in the country, he did not deserve the wrath of the world. to the point.”
What Zhang Zhou said was because Li Yi, the king of Yanshan, was ousted before he had done all his evil deeds. So after Li Yi came to power, many people thought that Li Yi had usurped the throne.
Not to mention Zhang Zhou's presence, which allowed Li Yi to ascend the throne a few years earlier. Historically, Li Yi was also subject to controversy, and he was not even canonized at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, Li Yi is too young, only fourteen years old, and there are many people in North Korea who want to compete with him.
In addition, Li Yi's ascension to the throne was all planned by the Ming Dynasty, especially Tang Yin's assistance in making it happen. He was a head of state directly appointed by the sovereign state. This also made everyone in North Korea think that Li Yi was just a flower vase, and there was nothing to do with driving away Li Yi. contribute.
Just a bargain hunter.
Zhang Zhou continued: "We cannot make North Korea's life too easy. This is also related to their insufficient contribution to our war to eliminate the Jurchens in the past two years."
Li Rongdao: "In this case, it is time to change the leader of North Korea and let North Korea have civil strife. The Ming Dynasty will send people to pacify North Korea. In the future, North Korea will completely surrender to the Ming Dynasty... This should be in line with His Majesty's ideas. By then The Korean people are also grateful to the Ming Dynasty for suppressing the rebellion...it served multiple purposes."
Zhang Zhou turned his attention to Tang Yin and said with a bit of regret: "It's a pity that my recommendation to Your Majesty before for Tang Yin to be the governor of Northern Liaoning did not come true. Otherwise, everything would have gone smoothly."
"Oh? Why is this?" Li Rong still didn't react.
Zhang Zhou sighed: "Speaking of which, my junior brother has a lot of fans in North Korea. Previously, Tang Yin had a lot of limelight in North Korea."
"Ah, yes, yes." Li Rong then remembered.
To say that the most powerful figure in the North Korea's purge war was not Li Yi who was picked up off the shelf, but Tang Yin.
It can even be said that Tang Yin was the founding father of half of North Korea. If Tang Yin was in Liaodong, if North Korea dared to lack its annual support for the Ming Dynasty's military and political affairs, it would be destroyed by Tang Yin!
Li Rong suddenly realized.
Tang Yin, a little-known "little man", actually has such an awesome side. (End of chapter)
