All the controversy surrounding tribute is really a question of war and peace.
People like Zhu Houzhao, Dai Shan, and Huang Wenyou were gossiping in order to clarify the truth, and to make the emperors and ministers of the Hongzhi Dynasty understand that the Ming Dynasty would face this troublesome enemy in the not-too-distant future.
This is not a question of whether the Ming Dynasty can open up provocations and provoke others. Unless the emperor and his ministers kneel down together, others will bully you.
So of course all this is not just as simple as taking advantage of a mission of 500 people.
"Reorganize the army?"
"Yes, I really mean to organize the army."
Since Hongzhi came to the throne, he has not been a messy emperor. He has always wanted to save the Ming Dynasty, but he was limited by his ability and vision. What he could do was what the civil servants told him.
Now that Zhu Houzhao has proposed something new to him, things will become different again.
"How to fix it?"
"Father, I have seen the income of the military camps of the imperial court, and it is a complete mess. It is extremely difficult to clear up this account. However, the food of the military camps has dropped significantly, but it has also directly It shows that the corruption of the border army has reached a shocking level, so if we want to reorganize the army, there are only four words to start from scratch."
Most of the land in the military garrison has been annexed, and the garrison system has been destroyed to a considerable extent. The border troops who were originally both soldiers and civilians are now landless and their combat effectiveness has dropped significantly. This is a fact.
Among the Beijing camps, the 12th Regiment Battalion has the same "peace disease" as the Shangzhi army, and is no longer as brave as it used to be.
The bottom line is that over time, it has become corrupted and its combat effectiveness has declined.
Emperor Hongzhi roughly understood, "The prince's intention is to set up several additional battalions in addition to the twelve regiment camps for reorganization and training."
"Yes, but the number of people must be drawn from the 12th Regiment Battalion itself. Only strong and brave soldiers are selected. Even if only 30,000 people are selected, then we, father and son, will have to admit it. Other than that, it is nothing more than recruiting again."
The emperor asked: "But the north of the Ming Dynasty stretches for thousands of miles. If we only have tens of thousands of elite soldiers, it seems that there is nothing we can do. For example, if we are stationed in Datong, then the Tatars can be at the border of Xuanfu."
"Father, how to attract the enemy's main force is a tactical issue. But whether we, father and son, have such a force is a strategic issue. To say the least, if the little prince only attacks the weak points, then we can at least keep the capital safe. . As long as the capital is safe, we will have the time and strength to sort out the bad debts of the border army. One day, the Ming Dynasty's thousand-mile defense line will be filled with elite soldiers. In addition, the purpose of starting a new battle is not only for the Tatars, but also for the Ministry of War. "
Now the 12th Regiment Battalion of the Beijing Army not only does not have strong combat effectiveness, but also is directly managed by the Ministry of War on issues such as personnel and finance. Objectively, this resulted in a situation where the imperial power was weakened.
And Zhu Houzhao wanted to extract the best from them.
Naturally there will be objections to this matter.
But what if the Tatar threat is imminent?
What if I don’t do this?
"External conflicts can sometimes be transformed into help to solve internal problems. Father, do you still remember what your son said, your son never does anything mindless. Even though food and drink for five hundred people is a big deal, It costs a lot, but if you want to offend the Tatars and cause military disasters for this little money, it is not worth it. Those literati screamed at the sky and the earth, cursing the prince for being frivolous and harming the country. They had never thought about it, but their ministers had already thought about it. This section.”….
"In addition, I also thought that the Tatars were the target of the little prince. They wanted to restore the glory of the Yuan Dynasty. It had nothing to do with whether we were polite or not. Therefore, this Tatar mission can be offended. If you don't do it, it will be in vain, but if you do it, it is not only to save money, but to tie everyone into the chariot. Now everyone knows that the Tatars have been offended and have no choice."
"Then my father can tell them that the Tatars will invade the borders on a large scale in one or two years or in three to five years at the earliest. So of course they need to organize the army!" Zhu Houzhao said it seemed very simple, but Emperor Hongzhi didn't understand it at all. Didn't think about this part.
"So Teruji also deliberately offended the Tatars?!"
"It's... 70 percent intentional."
The emperor was shocked
, Blessed by the ancestors, this son of his is really amazing!
"When reorganizing the army, elites must be drawn from the 12th regiment and camp, and they will no longer be listed under the Ministry of War, but directly belong to the emperor. Taizu and Taizong have done this, and of course my father can do the same. The Ministry of War can only investigate, organize, and store these things The administrative power of soldiers' household registration and other information no longer has the power to mobilize these elite soldiers. As for the old, weak, sick and disabled, it will be left to them for the time being and will be discussed later. In this way, the father's authority as the emperor will be greatly enhanced. The amplitude is enhanced."
The books of saints will probably not write about such political struggles.
Liu Jian, Wu Kuan and other teachers of Emperor Hongzhi were all Neo-Confucianists, and of course they would not teach Emperor Hongzhi these things.
Therefore, Emperor Hongzhi either knew it from birth, or had a blind spot in knowledge.
It's different now, he has a son!
"Until then, I will be considered a true emperor!"
Zhu Houzhao poured the chicken soup so well that Hongzhi became excited.
"Father is a true emperor in his own right. But..."
"But what?"
Zhu Houzhao said with a smile: "But with the help of his sons and ministers, my father will be even more powerful."
"Haha, that's right! The prince and I are truly father-son soldiers in battle!"
Emperor Hongzhi felt warmth flowing in his heart,
He also reads history books. How many emperors and princes had tragic endings in ancient times? There are too many examples of families becoming enemies.
But he is lucky,
Last time, he specially ordered the prince to lead a battalion of soldiers and horses from Teng Xiang's left guard. In fact, this was unreasonable.
The prince leading the army was a sign of rebellion in most dynasties.
But after that, the prince didn't show much enthusiasm for this battalion of soldiers and horses, but he just asked them to train more.
And Nanning Bo Maorong is really not of much use. The emperor has been waiting for his son to come and ask for a replacement, but for now he is still using it.
Now that I think about it, the reason why the prince is like this is because he is not thinking about how to manipulate this battalion and five thousand people. His vision is higher, on how to enhance the emperor's authority.
how so?
There is only one reason.
Because the prince knew that the more powerful the emperor was, the more powerful the prince would be. Behind this is a kind of trust and family affection.
The prince's thoughts were on planning for his father.
Thinking of this, how could Emperor Hongzhi not be moved as a father?
He held his son tightly in his arms, and he truly felt that father and son were one as the prince usually said. ….
"I should have trusted the prince from the beginning. Unfortunately, I didn't think of this. I thought Teru'er was being reckless this time."
Zhu Houzhao smiled, he didn't care about this, "But even if the father thinks that the son is reckless, it is left to the son, right? The son has long said that the son and the father are father and son, because the father If you are the emperor, your children can be princes. If your father is good, then your children will be good. If your children are emperors, they are for themselves, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, and for the country and country of their ancestors. It is precisely because of this kind of trust that sometimes the children and ministers Only then do they dare to obey authority in a hurry, and sometimes they overstep their bounds."
"In front of foreign ministers, you have to pay attention to some etiquette. However, the relationship between me and the prince is not so particular. I...actually envy the father and son of the farm family. Only in that way can they have a happy family...But now it is also very good. Zhao'er, if something happens to you in the future, just go ahead and do it. This position will still be yours sooner or later, and I can see that you are more capable than me."
Zhu Houzhao was slightly moved after hearing this.
His view of rights was actually not as soft as that of Emperor Hongzhi.
But now that an emperor says something like this, he somewhat believes that... there is family affection in the face of power.
"My son, I am probably the happiest prince since ancient times."
These words warmed the emperor's heart. He patted the child on the back and said, "If I were not the emperor and you were not the prince, it would be better if we didn't have to worry about this world affairs."
"Father," Zhu Houzhao came out of his arms, "My son, I really have something to ask my father.
Purpose. "
"I told you, there is no need to ask for orders."
Hongzhi is now his son who trusts him infinitely.
"Father, I have a lot of things to do now, but I feel that there are not enough manpower. Especially Zhang Yong was sent to Zhejiang by my father, and he probably won't be able to come back this year. So I thought, the factory that my father personally leads Wei, can I let my son and I use it together? If there is an important decision, my son must report it to my father first, but for some small ones, my son usually takes the decision, right?"
Emperor Hongzhi thought of something, "But that Mou Bin didn't listen to you last time?"
"Father, please don't get me wrong. The Jinyi Guards are the emperor's personal soldiers. I do not blame Commander Mou."
Zhu Houzhao felt that the heat was almost there. The first thing was ability. Hongzhi should never doubt it now. The more important thing was actually the relationship.
He was also confident originally. But today, under the suggestion of the entire army, he believed that Hongzhi would not refuse.
"Xiao Jing," the emperor turned to the old eunuch and ordered, "go and call Mou Bin and Chen Yue."
One of these two people is the commander of the Jinyi Guards, and the other is the factory director of the East Factory.
Zhu Houzhao knew at a glance that the emperor was going to give an interview.
"yes."
Xiao Jing took the errand and left quickly.
Hongzhi took Zhu Houzhao's hand and walked out of the palace, overlooking the Forbidden City.
"Prince,"
"My son is here."
"You have to remember that you are the prince. Although you are a minister, you are a minister different from others. You are the master in front of them, and no one can offend you."
These words only reminded Zhu Houzhao of two words: protect his shortcomings.
…
…
Mao Yuwen braved the scorching sun and headed north all the way. Dongchang Fanzi, who was traveling with him, was shocked by his hardworking spirit. ….
When we stopped to drink tea at the inn, we persuaded him: "Boss, the weather is too hot now, let's take a rest."
It’s so hot in the north in July that people’s heads are going to spin.
They only wore a single coat, and the wind was still leaking, so they had to fan themselves to keep cool.
The poplar trees beside the inn are lush, and the ground is full of mottled tree shadows. Shady places like this have long been occupied by people on the road.
If you are in poor condition, drink water; if you are in good condition, take a bite of watermelon.
Mao Yuwen brought money from home, so he was naturally in good condition.
"tired?"
Mao Yuwen knew that the person who spoke was called Tian Er, and he actually got along well with him. He did not act like a superior, and these people also knew the rules. He had always said what he said, but now when he said hot, it must not be the same. If you are afraid of hardship and tiredness.
Tian Er had a sinister expression on his face and was now covered with sweat. "It's okay to be tired. Brothers are all rushing like this. It's mainly because of the heat. Besides, this errand is not that urgent. According to usual practice, Tatars are not so Let’s go quickly. I remember that in the fourth year of Hongzhi’s reign, it was delayed until September.”
Having said that,
But Mao Yuwen didn’t think so.
The mysterious crown prince was obviously planning a game of chess, and there must be a reason for sending him out.
This is also one of the few opportunities for him. He must show his ability.
What others can do in one month, he takes half a month, and if others can do it in half a month, he takes ten days.
As the saying goes, if you don't make a sound, it will be a blockbuster.
Otherwise, how can you ask His Highness the Crown Prince to remember you?
But people like Tian Er are also his assets and cannot be offended. So he took out some money from his pocket and gave it to these people.
"Boss, what are you doing?!" Tian Er was shocked and immediately refused.
"Take it!" Mao Yuwen said firmly, and glanced at the twenty people one by one, "I don't have much money, because I, Mao Yuwen, was not a noble person in the past and didn't have much money. Thanks to all the brothers for your love, I have been here all the way. You have given me this face all the time, how can I ask everyone to work hard in vain? In fact, this job is extremely important to me, brother. One day earlier would have made a difference."
With the money in hand and these words, what else do these people have?
What to say?
"Pretend I, Tian Er, didn't say those words. Let's get going!"
"Let's go, let's go. Brother Mao is a real man. If you want me to see him, he might as well come to Dongchang and be our leader from now on!"
…
After three days of this,
Mao Yuwen and his party entered Datong Town. After arriving, he asked the brothers to rest while he went out to find someone to find out about Ning Wuren.
He originally expected many difficulties, but Ning Mansion was located in Datong Town, and he only asked a few people to confirm the location.
After a day's rest, he divided the people he led into several groups and wandered around the Ning Mansion every day.
Towards the evening of that day, a familiar figure came out of the gate of Ning Mansion, making him unable to sit still any longer!
Li Chun!
The guy who was replaced from jail!
When he was arrested, he was a judge, a sixth-grade official who was much more powerful than him, the prison boss. Now he was working as a breadwinner in a businessman's house.
It seems that he is hiding his name and surviving in the world. ….
"Anything discovered?" Tian Er saw something strange in Mao's language.
"Yes. Follow that person." He pointed at the person who was walking with a slight stagger. It was too obvious. "Tie him over. Remember, don't let anyone find out."
Tian Er clapped his hands and said, "This is a trivial matter."
Mao Yuwen himself bit his fingers and stared at Ning Mansion with a deep brow in deep contemplation, and a light of wisdom seemed to flash out of his slender eyes.
His trip here went smoothly.
But it was a little too smooth,
It always makes him feel that... it's not enough...
It was easy for 20 people to make a cripple from Dongchang, and they tied him up in an abandoned house in less than a quarter of an hour.
There are spider webs everywhere and fallen leaves on the ground. Li Chun was thrown here with his hands and feet tied, and now he is twisting his body like a snake and whining.
"Take off your hood."
"yes!"
Mao Yuwen picked a weed, removed the leaves and left the stem, which was actually unclean, but these people were from poor backgrounds and were used to it, so they just took it into their mouths and raised the corners of their eyes slightly.
The feeling of being the prison boss came.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu""Oh, sir, have mercy on me, sir, have mercy on me!" Li Chun was released and could speak, and he started crying as soon as he opened his mouth!
"Don't argue. I'm pressed for time. Any more delay will reduce your hope of survival!"
"Ah! Sir, I have money, please don't kill me!"
Mao Yuwen was annoyed, "Cry! Crying counts as time!"
Wow, it stopped suddenly.
Hehe, this is getting better.
"Li Yunpan doesn't seem to recognize me?"
This title made Li Chun want to die.
First of all, his surname is no longer Li!
Secondly, this person called him Yunjian, his former official title!
These two points brought out the infinite fear in his heart, so that he could no longer speak. He just opened his frightened eyes, "You... you... you..."
"I, Mao Yuwen, am the prison chief of the Prison Department of the Ministry of Punishment."
Because Li Chun was tied up and couldn't move his hands and feet, he squirmed and rubbed his head against Mao Yuwen's feet, "Sir, please spare me! I really don't want to go back!"
Zhu Houzhao might feel sad and pity for a person who is so miserable.
But Mao Yuwen had no such emotion at all. He was thinking about how to achieve his goal. "I didn't say I wanted you to die. What are you afraid of?"
"Sir, didn't you come here to take me back under the orders of the Punishment Department?"
"No." Mao Yuwen said, picking his ears.
Li Chun suddenly had hope in his heart. In this way, everything could turn around. "You want... money? I have it there! You can get as much as you want."
"Who are you Ning Wuren?"
For those who are frightened, there is no need for other means.
As long as you catch him escaping from the prison of the Criminal Department, you can control him to death.
Li Chun was stunned, but this question didn't matter, "He is the villain's boss."
"I think you are an official after all, and you can endure any hardships to survive." Mao Yuwen sighed and continued to ask: "Ning Wuren is in business?"
"Yes!" Li Chun thought for a while, nodded and replied.
“What kind of business are you doing?”….
"...salt, grain and cloth."
"Salt? Private salt?"
This was a bit sensitive, and Li Chun didn't dare to answer because he had no idea what Mao Yuwen's purpose was.
"Sir, may I ask, what kind of errand are you on? What do you want? Just ask, and everything will be there!"
"Pfft." Mao Yuwen spit out the weed in his mouth and stretched out his arm to wave.
Tian Er asked: "What needs to be done?"
"Beat me."
Mao Yuwen turned his back and didn't even look at Li Chun.
The fans in Dongchang were a little dazed. They had seen some ruthless methods...but not so ruthless...
Li Chun was also stunned, "Wait...wait, sir! What I said is wrong, Ning Wuren is indeed selling private money!"
"beat!"
This punching and kicking was accompanied by Li Chun's wailing, and Mao Yuwen was still able to laugh, and even explained: "I always feel that in a place like a prison, you either have to explain it from the beginning, or you can hold on and let me see it. Your backbone. The most unworthy thing is that you are a weakling who pretends to be strong. You seem to be smart, but in the end you confessed and got a beating at the same time. You are really not smart."
There were blood stains on the corners of Li Chun's eyes and mouth, and he was let go.
"Does Ning Wuren do business outside the customs?"
"..."
The answer to Mao's speech was silence.
So he moved his fingers again, "Hit the lame leg first, if it's broken, then hit the good leg."
Tian Er felt a chill in his heart. He was from Dongchang, so of course he had seen such ruthless people, but there were very few people like Mao Yuwen who said it as if it were commonplace...
"I answer, I answer..." Li Chun said in tears, "He does business outside the customs."
"Do you sell ironware?"
"……Sell."
"A businessman as big as him shouldn't sell casually, right? Does he have a connector?"
"Yes, ugh..." Li Chun completely started crying.
But Mao Yuwen didn't care, "Besides him, what other businessman is there?"
"There are also Song Suizui, Yu Guangwen, Liu Liping, Yang..."
"Wait! Wait!" Mao Yuwen waved his hand and asked with some disbelief: "You will be beheaded if you sell iron to the Tatars privately. Do so many businessmen in Datong do this?!"
Li Chun was afraid that he would doubt him, so he gave himself another beating and said hurriedly: "I don't know, sir. Datong Town is short of horses. In order to exchange for a sufficient number of horses, a private market is opened to sell iron tools. This is all allowed by the government." ah!"
Hearing this, Mao Yuwen suddenly felt that his scalp was still numb.
It's a pity that he thought this matter was so simple before. It was just to find someone, a businessman, and then arrest the person directly to Beijing and settle the matter for the prince. Then wouldn't he get the great credit?
But now that I think about it, this is not a businessman's business. Many officials are involved in it.
This is... a fatal errand!
Once the news leaks out that these people were sent by the prince, and it is found out that they are smuggling iron weapons, the general military officer who came to Datong will probably kill 21 people in order to resist this kind of investigation!
"It's broken..." Mao Yuwen gritted his teeth, this matter is serious!
"Tie him up first, I want to think about it."….
The prison boss, who had been taking advantage all his life, encountered a big job. He found a place for himself and thought about it carefully.
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Mao Yuwen thought, the matter is not afraid of being involved in a wide range of things, but he is afraid that it will not be done as the prince wants.
The prince wants to do things in a big way, but if he does it in a small way, he is not brave enough. The prince wants to do it in a small way, but if he does it in a big way, he does not have enough brains. So the key to how to deal with it is the prince's thoughts.
As for what is right and which is wrong, that is not what he cares about.
This section was too important to him, and he didn't know the prince well enough to make blind guesses. So he immediately decided to call two people and each stuffed two silver ingots, "Two brothers, I have to work hard for you again. You are from Dongchang and should be able to enter the palace. This letter must be handed over to Eunuch Liu of the East Palace. . If you can’t find it, hang up a lantern at the door of my house. In short, this must be done quickly!”
"yes!"
Giving money is polite, but if you don't give money, they will still listen to Mao Yuwen's words.
Fortunately, this distance is still closer than the Zhejiang where Zhang Yong went.
…
…
Zhu Houzhao was somewhat surprised when he got the letter in the palace, "This man knows how to do things."
Liu Jin put on a smile and said, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"
"He can figure out what I want, which is better than the average person." When he meets a good person, he will not be stingy with his praise. "We didn't give him any information, but he immediately found a breakthrough. It shows that he has a good brain and dares to think and act. When it reaches the point where he cannot make decisions on his own, he reports it immediately. You think such a person has nothing to worry about when entrusting him with bigger matters?"
The most important thing is the noble status. It seems that more and more people are taking advantage of it.
"That's because His Highness gave him this opportunity, otherwise he would always be a prisoner."
"Well. Let's not mention this matter for now," Zhu Houzhao began to think, "Do you think this matter in Datong should be handled in a big way or in a small way?"
The Royal Hire Cat reminds you: Remember to bookmark [] w w w..com after reading it. I will update it next time so that you can continue reading. I look forward to the exciting continuation! You can also use the mobile version: wap..com, and you can read it anytime, anywhere....
