Zhu Yunxi's questioning echoed in the main hall of the General Affairs Office.
Heaven and earth are unkind, saints are ruthless.
When there is a problem among the people, and it is a problem that is difficult to solve manually, everyone will implicate the crime on the thief God or the foolish king.
It's pretty good now. These people just put the blame on God instead of saying that it was because of the king's personal ethics that the natural disasters were caused.
But if there is a man-made disaster on the ground, and these people are helpless, they will probably still blame the king.
If they meet a strong king, they will inevitably elect a female minister to take the blame.
In short, they are always infallible.
Ren Hengtai had no choice but to stand up at this time. He was the Minister of Rites, and it was his right and responsibility to maintain the etiquette system and protect the emperor and father of heaven and earth.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Hu and Gong have no intention of blaming God, but the season itself has revealed the reason for the current difficulties."
Ren Hengtai explained the matter from his own point of view, then turned to look at Qi Zhu, the Minister of Household Affairs, and Jiang Yi, the Minister of Works, and his tone became more serious: "How difficult is it for your Majesty to create the Ming Dynasty? How can it be compared today? The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors created all the people and all things. Can the hardship be compared to today?
We are all eating your salary, and we should share your worries. After studying hard for ten years, he brought good fortune to the people. Not because of the difficult times, not because of the dangerous terrain, not because of people's disobedience, just let it go and do it perfunctorily. "
Qi Zhu and Jiang Yi bowed their heads silently.
No matter from the perspective of reason or Ren Hengtai's official rank, neither of them could explain anything.
At this time, Wang Jun, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, stood up and said, "Grandson, if you are the Minister, the Ministry of Works will never abandon the people. After today's meeting, I will go out of the city to supervise the snow-covered official roads. But the current situation is like this. I don’t dare to act as guarantee, so official channels can only be smoothed if anything happens.”
Yu Xin also stood up at this time: "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue has currently loaded no less than 50,000 dans of grain and grass in various warehouses of the Ministry of Revenue. No more carriages will be available to transport more. The Ministry of Revenue is just waiting for the Ministry of Industry to clear the official road. You can immediately send food and grass to various places.
Prior to this, if we want to relieve the snow disaster in the areas south of the Yangtze River and north of the Yangtze River, I boldly suggest that we allocate the grain and grass stored in the Hangzhou Fucang and Huai'an Fucang in the past two years to travel along the Yangtze River, Canal, and Yellow River respectively. Distributed to prefectures and counties along the coast. "
After finishing speaking, Yu Xin nodded and stood there with his hands down, silently glancing at Zhu Yunxi who was sitting above him.
In the main hall, all the officials fell silent.
There is no problem with Yu Xin's strategy of transporting the grain stored in the warehouse in Hangzhou.
It was originally that after the tax revenue from Jiaozhi Road came up every year in summer and autumn, it was transported from Jiaozhi Road and stored in the warehouse in Hangzhou for the use of the military and civilians in the south of the Yangtze River.
The grain reserves of Huai'an Prefecture can be adjusted and transported, so no one dares to raise opinions.
Most of Huai'an Prefecture's grain reserves are collected from taxes collected from various prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River, transported and stored there.
The grain and grass currently stored in Huai'an Prefecture was originally scheduled to be sent to Beiping Prefecture after spring when the north was lean, and then distributed to various places on the nine sides to alleviate the expenses of the border troops and the people in the border areas.
Part of it is transported via canals and Yellow River channels to Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi, and part of it is transported by sea to Beiping Prefecture. ….
If Yu Xin's advice is implemented, Jiubian's food, grass and military supplies will be affected in the spring of next year.
Zhu Yunxi tapped his fingers lightly on the table in front of him, his eyes were like gossamers, and he pondered for a long time.
After a while, Zhu Yunxi slowly spoke: "With the snow conditions in the south and north of the Yangtze River this winter, do you have any good suggestions?"
"Your Highness."
Among the crowd, an official stood up, looked at Zhu Yunxi, and bowed: "Charcoal, it's very cold at this time, what the people are most in need of is charcoal for heating. It's the end of the year, and most people have some surplus food in their homes, so there's no need. I worry about whether my stomach will be full.
Even if it is less, it can still be dealt with. The most important thing is charcoal for heating. Now that the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, it is impossible for people to always have firewood in every house.
But once the snow continues, the people besieged by the heavy snow will be trapped in a situation where they will be without charcoal for heating. In the end, it is very likely that they will die due to the severe cold.
And was frozen to death. "
The south of the Yangtze River is different from the north. People will cut down entire mountains and forests in order to store enough firewood for winter use before the arrival of winter.
Jiangnan will never see such a heavy snowfall in a hundred years, so it goes without saying that people will be required to store firewood in their homes.
Xie Jin, who had followed Zhu Yunxi, stood up and said, "Your Highness has already explained this matter to me. The documents for urging coal mining and distribution are being issued every day, but the road is difficult and the time is passing."
Rujun, Minister of the Ministry of War, who had been silent for a long time, finally stood up at this moment: "Your Highness, colleagues, how many prefectures and counties in the south and north of the Yangtze River are experiencing heavy snow like Yingtian? Do you have any suggestions? Reports were sent to local places, and officials and servants were sent to various places to check the snow conditions."
Zhai Shan turned back and looked at Ru Yu: "In addition to Yingtian Prefecture, there are now confirmed news from Zhenjiang Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, Guangzhou Prefecture, Huzhou Prefecture, Ningguo Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Hezhou Prefecture, Luzhou Prefecture, and Chuzhou Prefecture. , Yangzhou Prefecture and Shangzhongdu all have the same snow conditions as the sky at this time.
There is snow in all eleven places. I am afraid that the winter snow this year will be quite severe. I'm afraid that Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, and Henan provinces will all suffer! "
After finishing speaking, Zhai Shan closed his eyes slightly with a worried expression.
Almost the entire financial and taxation center of the Ming Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River is suffering from snow conditions.
There was such heavy snow in Jiangnan and other places. Even Zhai Shan did not dare to think about what the situation would be like in the counties along the Yellow River in the north.
Ru Yun took a deep breath. Who would have thought that after just two years of good life and two years of comfort for the courtiers, the Ming Dynasty would face such a severe dilemma.
He glanced at Wang Jun, who was silent next to him, and then cast a dull glance at the meritorious generals sitting opposite, and said softly: "Right now, how to clear the road is the most important thing. The grain storage in Hangzhou's warehouse can It is transported via the Yangtze River to the riverside of Jiangnan state capitals, but what’s the next way?”
In the past, the first thing that the court and local governments thought of was to collect people's labor for transportation, smoothing, and repairing roads.
But now that the roads are blocked by heavy snow, not to mention the court, even the local officials may not be able to tell what the situation is under their own jurisdiction.
"Use Kyoei."….
Zhu Yunxi frowned and spoke in a deep voice, then looked around at the civil servants who had already revealed their faces.
Zhu Yunxi continued: "Heaven and earth are unkind, and saints are merciless. However, man will definitely defeat heaven! Order naval warships, troop ships, and grain ships to transport grain and grass to Hangzhou. The Jingwei camp divided its troops to escort grain and grass up the river, and every time the local prefectures and counties After docking, grain and grass will be distributed, and the officers and soldiers of the capital will open roads, transport grain and grass to the local areas, assist local governments and counties in disaster relief, and distribute supplies to the people."
Since the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the capitals of the Central Plains dynasties have always gathered heavy troops.
Firstly, it is to ensure that the capital is protected by strong force. Secondly, it is to form a central army strong enough to crush the local area. Thirdly, it is to further weaken the local military power by drawing troops from the local area to form the central army.
The same was true for the Ming Dynasty, although there was no so-called 800,000 forbidden troops like the former Song Dynasty.
But now there are nearly 200,000 soldiers and horses in the Beijing Army camp gathered inside and outside Yingtian City.
In addition to the Beijing army, the local area includes heavy troops from nine sides, probably with more than one million troops. However, this depends on the region.
Generally speaking, the current military strength of the Ming Dynasty is dominated by the nine-border army, followed by the nearly 100,000 troops currently stationed and fighting in Japan and Jiaozhi Road.
After that, there is the guard station at the dangerous pass of the Thirteenth Road of the Ming Dynasty.
As for the remaining local garrison stations and garrison stations, it would be a blessing to be able to ensure that there are enough soldiers.
The nearly 200,000 Beijing troops were led by nearly 3,000 meritorious servicemen, generals, and military attachés in Beijing.
After excluding the nearly 100,000 unmobilized Shangzhiqin military guards, these 200,000 Beijing troops are the most important garrison force of Yingtian City, and are always related to the safety of the emperor and the capital.
Zhu Yunxi wanted to use the soldiers from the Jingwei camp to relieve Xueqing.
For a moment, all the civil servants were in an uproar.
Zhai Shan stood up directly and said: "Your Highness, this is inappropriate! The Beijing army and the direct military guards are to guard the capital and protect His Majesty's safety. How can we do it lightly? I thought that I could order the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army. I issued a document urging the officers and soldiers of the Jiangnan Local Guard Station to go to the ferry along the Yangtze River and wait for the arrival of the grain and grass shipped by the imperial court to the Hangzhou Prefecture."
Ren Hengtai also said in a deep voice: "The Beijing army must not move! In the capital, where the emperor lies on his couch and where the court is, how can it be without heavy military protection. I second the words of Zhai Shangshu and issue a document to mobilize the officers and soldiers of the local guard station."
Wang Jun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, knelt down in front of Zhu Yunxi with a shovel.
There was a clang.
Wang Jun was already in awe.
"I am guilty of capital punishment. I am in charge of the Ministry of Industry. I am incompetent in clearing roads, which makes it difficult for food and grass to move forward. I ask Your Highness to punish me to death. Your Highness must not touch the Beijing army without permission."
As the elders made their remonstrances, there was an uproar, and all the civil servants present stood up and knelt on the ground.
"I second my opinion, the Beijing army must not move."
Zhai Shan even raised his head and said: "The safety of the capital lies in the Ming Dynasty. Even if His Majesty has this intention, I will advise you."
This is not like suppressing the Japanese country and conquering Jiaozhi, sending out 30,000 to 50,000 troops from the capital, organizing and training local guards to form a large army for overseas expeditions.
In just this moment, Zhai Shan had already figured out that if the Beijing army was to be used to relieve Xueqing this time, and if more than half of the Beijing troops who were still in Yingtian were not used, the matter would not be accomplished. ….
That means sending out another 80,000 to 90,000 troops.
In addition to the Beijing troops who are still in Jiaozhi Road and the Japanese state, Yingtian City will only have no more than 50,000 to 60,000 Beijing troops left to guard the capital.
Zhu Yunxi sighed softly, shook his head and said: "Man can conquer heaven, but manpower is limited. There are countless prefectures and counties along the Yangtze River, and not every place has a guard assistant. For example, Chizhou Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture have no guard posts, and Raozhou Prefecture has no guards. There are only a thousand households in places such as Nankang Prefecture and Nankang Prefecture.
At this moment, the heavy snow is continuous, day and night, and has the potential to cover up the country. It is probably difficult for the local health offices to maintain their jurisdiction and dredge the countryside in prefectures and counties. If the imperial court redeploys local guards to provide food and grass, who should be asked to handle local affairs?
Qi Gu also wanted to send Beijing troops to Shouzhou in Zhongdu, Ningxiang in Huguang, and Pingxiang in Jiangxi to collect and transport coal to various places in the south of the Yangtze River. If there is no Beijing army to take action, according to the local situation at this time, do you think that local people alone can handle these things? "
Mu Ying also stood up slowly at this time, and the armor on her body made a clanging sound as she walked.
"Your Highness, if the imperial court mobilizes the Beijing army, from the day the Beijing army leaves the city, I will lead the troops with Dudu Tang, Jingchuan Marquis and others to sit at the head of Yingtian City. If the Beijing army does not return to the capital for one day, I will be dead. The sun never sets on the top of Yingtian City!"
After Mu Ying finished speaking, all the dignitaries and generals of the Beijing army who should not have appeared here stood up one after another: "If the Beijing army does not return for a day, the general will not leave the city for a day!"
In the main hall of the General Secretary's Yamen, the civil servants were silent, while the meritorious military generals made great noises and spoke vigorously.
Zhu Yunxi looked at these civil servants silently.
Not allowing Ying Tian to have a shortage of troops is just the most obvious of the many reasons given by these people.
They prefer to solve the current problems through civilian means, rather than letting the military play a decisive role in it.
Qiu Ba should fight the enemy to the death on the battlefield.
This is the view and subconscious common understanding of civilian officials towards the military since the former Song Dynasty.
If the issues encountered by the imperial court had to be solved by officers and soldiers, where would the dignity of these civil servants be put?
Now, Zhu Yunxi knew very well that the current problems could be solved without the Beijing army, but he just wanted to let these civil servants know that even without them, the Ming Dynasty could solve the problems it encountered.
Ru Rui, who had not spoken for a while and only knelt down without seconding his opinion, silently raised his head.
Ever since Mu Ying and the others came in, he had a premonition.
It's snowing now, too
If Sun asked these people to come, they wouldn't want to conquer the outside world.
Ru Yu raised her head and spoke in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please tell me whether to use the Beijing army or not. Can we wait until the grain stored in the warehouse in Hangzhou is transported to Yingtian? Although there is heavy snowfall in the south of the Yangtze River at the moment, and I can't stop wanting to, but the season has changed." Nothing can be explained by ordinary people.
His Highness is concerned about the hardships of the people, and so are my ministers. If His Highness is determined to use the Beijing army, can he send only 30,000 to 20,000 officers and soldiers to accompany the warships transporting grain and grass to the warehouse in Hangzhou? "
Rujun chose the second best way to alleviate the conflict. ….
Instead of immediately mobilizing tens of thousands of Beijing officers and soldiers, only 20,000 to 30,000 Beijing troops will be sent to the warehouse in Hangzhou to transport grain and grass, and they will disembark from Songjiang Mansion and other places to clear official roads and transport grain and grass.
His reasons are clear.
No one knows when this snow will stop.
Maybe the snow will stop tomorrow?
At that time, only 20,000 to 30,000 Beijing troops will be mobilized. After the snow stops, the local authorities will not have to worry about the situation remaining the same overnight after the official roads have been cleared. The local authorities will also have the manpower to cooperate with the court's grain transport ships. Receive grain and grass on both sides of the Yangtze River.
As for the problem of the snow melting and official roads eroding after the snow stops.
Ru Yu glanced at the back of her hand, which was a little purple. This damn cold temperature probably won't get warmer until spring.
It's not that the Beijing army cannot be used, but how much it should be used, what role the court will play in it, and what position the civil servants will be in.
Zhai Shan and others also raised their heads at this time.
Rujun gave them a more stable plan that was also full of compromises.
Zhai Shan immediately shouted: "This policy of the Ministry of War is a great one. It will protect the people from the wind and snow. There is no need to make the officers and soldiers work in boats and chariots, and they can move according to the time. I second my opinion."
After Zhai Shan made his position clear.
The remaining civil servants shouted in unison again: "I second my opinion."
Zhu Yunxi hummed silently, then turned to look at Mu Ying, who was dressed in military uniform, and saw a slight smile on his face.
He could only nod his head and said: "Since all the ministers think this policy is a good one, I will follow their advice. The Beijing army will dispatch 20,000 troops and horses, and go down with the ship to transport grain and grass to the warehouse in Hangzhou. Another 10,000 troops and horses will be sent. , were divided into Shouzhou, Ningxiang, and Pingxiang coal mines for mining and transportation."
Mu Ying and other meritorious generals immediately spoke: "The last general takes orders."
Zhai Shan, Ru Yu and other civil servants knew that it was impossible not to use every soldier of the Beijing army. Now this is the safest compromise strategy.
Then they all said in unison: "My grandson is kind and wise."
This first test of civil servants yielded some gains and some compromises.
Zhu Yunxi knew in his heart that this was the inevitable result.
It is impossible for civilian officials to hand over the power of herdsmen to the military, just as the military has never been willing to be lower than civilian officials.
He waved his hand and said, "Let's all go and do things. This is a difficult time, and you should work together to overcome the difficulties and maintain the peace of the people."
"I respect your teachings."
…
"My father-in-law, when do you think this snow will stop?"
After leaving the general affairs envoy Si Yamen, all the officials dispersed. Zhu Yunxi left Mu Ying behind, and the two of them walked towards the palace under the protection of a group of forbidden troops.
Mu Ying looked up at Feixue, who had stopped briefly since last night, and shook her head: "I don't know the calendar, so when I march and set up formations and confront the enemy, I always end up with the worst possible outcome. Make plans.
If the snow this winter can stop within the next three to five days, it will be a good thing, and Your Highness can handle it smoothly.
If the snow continues for a long time, His Highness may not only have to mobilize most of the Beijing troops in Beijing and transport grain, grass and money from the two large warehouses of Hangzhou Prefecture and Huai'an Prefecture, but also prepare for the situation after the snow melts after the beginning of next spring. "
Zhu Yunxi shook his head helplessly: "I asked Qin Tianjian, they think the snow will last at least until the cold moon comes, or even in the middle of the cold moon. After that, they can't guarantee it."….
Mu Ying was stunned for a moment, stopped, lowered her head
He stretched out his head and kicked the snow in front of him: "It has been snowing for a month. The people may have food to eat, but what about their clothes, blankets and firewood? Today, I and the generals agreed on the 30,000 officers and soldiers who would leave the capital, and then they agreed that the entire army in the capital should come together." Please prepare in advance for the regulations to come out.”
Zhu Yunxi nodded and smiled at Mu Ying: "It's as it should be! The times are difficult, and the Beijing army has to rely on the father-in-law and the uncle of the Tang family for everything."
"This is my duty."
Zhu Yunxi turned around, looked at Mu Ying, and suddenly said seriously: "Zhang Yue, maybe you also don't understand why I want to use the Beijing army to relieve the disaster. Or, you may think that I am using you to suppress the civil servants."
Mu Ying was stunned for a moment, her eyes shifted slightly, and she did not speak, but she already made it clear that this was what she thought.
Zhu Yunxi smiled, this is human nature, most people would think so.
But he still explained: "The imperial court has 100,000 soldiers and horses of the direct military guards, 200,000 soldiers of the Beijing army, and more than 1 million local guards and border troops under the control of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion. They are the interests of the Ming Dynasty. The sword and the strong shield are the basis for my Ming Dynasty to dominate the Central Plains."
Zhu Yunxi's tone gradually became heavier, and his eyes flickered like torches.
"However, although they are officers and soldiers of the garrison, they are also my subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and they also come from those common people. To say that they are soldiers of my Zhu family, soldiers under you generals, is better to say that they are common people of the world. The disciple soldiers."
Mu Ying was shocked. Such rebellious remarks never occurred to him that they would come from the mouth of his son-in-law and the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.
"Disciple soldiers..."
Mu Ying lost her voice a little.
Zhu Yunxi nodded: "They are my descendants of the Ming Dynasty! In ancient times, there were eight thousand Jiangdong descendants of Xiang Yu who could defeat the Qin Dynasty and compete with the emperor of the Han Dynasty in the Chu-Han conflict. Now, these descendants of my Ming Dynasty soldiers come from all over the world and are chosen among the people. .
They see how the imperial court governs and how the Zhu family governs. We, the Zhu family and the imperial court, treat the people well, hide our troops in front of the people, and transform into children to help the people in disasters.
The people should be able to see it, and the officers and soldiers should be among them. After the Ming Dynasty, no matter how great the difficulties are, these people, even if they are very old, will definitely take out the rusty armor of the past to protect the country in danger. "
Mu Ying felt something shaking, and some recognition began to form.
However, now he simply cannot explain what it is.
After a long time, Mu Ying could only use the words of an old friend to express what she meant today: "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Love the people, and the people will support them."
Zhu Yunxi smiled slightly: "That's the truth."
Then, he raised his head and saw that the majestic Imperial City Palace Gate was already in front of him.
"It's time for my father-in-law to return to camp."
Shredded Pork Rice Noodles
