A fighting scene was going on in the northwest. Yang Yiqing strategized and chased 40,000 Tatar soldiers into a panic. On the afternoon of the third day, a shocking military report came.
Zhenwu Camp Commander Zhou Shangwen captured Zana alive!
"Are you from Zhenwu Camp?" Yang Yiqing stood up and asked the soldier who was kneeling on one knee.
"I will report to the Ministry of Finance, and I will eventually become Guo Zhong, a hundred households in the Zhenwu Camp!"
"The Eight Guards of the Beijing Camp have less than 5,000 horses, how can they capture Zana alive? Zana's tribe has 10,000 horses."
Guo Chong replied: "We took advantage of the geographical advantage. Commander Zhou was not from the Beijing camp. He was originally the commander of the Xi'an rear guard. He had fought against the Tatars several times in the eleventh year of Hongzhi, and he had also attacked the Shigoucheng area. We know the terrain very well. So we cooperated with Governor Qi, surrounded three buildings, and gradually drove the Zana tribe to the Luopu River, so Zana had nowhere to escape!"
"If this is the case, the Tatars will definitely fight back desperately. How can Commander Zhou defeat many with less and still capture the general alive?"
"...Zana, you are too weak. If the general is not arrogant, if you have seen the training of the first-class guards in Beijing, you will understand."
Yang Yiqing was stunned. He never thought it would be such an answer.
He clenched his fists in excitement, "Come here, take Guo Baihu down to rest first."
The old man wandered around the camp a few times, "Zhou Shangwen, are you really so brave? How can you accomplish such extraordinary feats?"
He had it all planned out strategically. But the specific battle still had to be fought by the general, and he probably had an idea of what kind of results could be achieved, but for someone like Zhou Shangwen to be able to capture Zana alive without the encirclement of Yang Shangyi's troops, this was indeed beyond his expectations.
So he still didn't believe it, "Here comes someone!"
"The general is here!"
Yang Yiqing quickly wrote a note, "Give it to Governor Qi and ask him to respond quickly."
"yes!"
Looking back at his memorial to the emperor, he still felt that waiting a moment, the outcome was already decided, there was no need to rush, it was better to understand some situations clearly.
…
…
Liu Jin came back from visiting Mao Yuwen outside the palace and went to Xinuang Pavilion of Qianqing Palace to play.
"Is he feeling better?"
"There is some wind and cold, and he also has a fever. However, the doctor Zhou who consulted said that Mao Tongzhi is in good health. He prescribed some medicine and he will get better after drinking it. In addition, he also asked the slave to give this to His Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao put down his ink pen, raised his head and said, "Bring it here."
Mao Yuwen was seriously ill and still had to submit something. It was not an easy matter to think about.
After Zhu Houzhao finished scanning, he frowned.
The Jin Yiwei sent people to South Zhili... Actually, you can't say that. The Jin Yiwei has people everywhere. It's just that the capital sent orders and asked for some information. Now the information has arrived.
Mao Yuwen said in his memorial: There was no savings in the reserve warehouses in South Zhili, and there was no way to provide relief to the hungry people.
In this way, what Ding Zuping, the former governor of Yingtian, said, "The people are shy and have difficulty finding relief" is not a lie. There is indeed no food to borrow in Nanzhili.
At the founding of the People's Republic of China, Emperor Hongwu ordered all prefectures and counties to establish reserve warehouses. But now, a prosperous place like South Zhili does not have enough grain storage, which shows that the country is in trouble.
It’s no wonder that the system of reserve warehouses has been inoperable since the Xuande period. Therefore, historical records record that as time goes by, women’s abuses have increased, gangsters have invaded fishing, and all barns have been destroyed. After the orthodoxy, the prepared grain warehouses became even more dilapidated, which was called "the barns collapsed but not repaired, and the grain and rice were left uncollected without being conquered." ….
Jin Yiwei's echo made him feel heavy, and this matter had to be handled prudently, as it was easy for good intentions to do bad things if he was not careful.
"Let's go and see, who else is there in the cabinet?"
"yes."
The battle in the court is of course crucial, but the battle cannot forget the common people. People in three other counties in Jiangxi are suffering from disasters... At least we must save people first.
After a while, Li Dongyang followed Liu Jin back and knelt down in Xinuan Pavilion, "Your Majesty, Li Dongyang, see you!"
Zhu Hou looked at his face and looked tired. Such an old man was still like this so late at night.
Hard work is indeed not easy, "Just make peace. It's so late, isn't Mr. Li Ge going back home yet?"
Li Dongyang echoed: "I am getting older, my thoughts are fading, my writing power is getting weaker, and each incident takes longer, so it is delayed."
"Mr. Liu Ge, Mr. Li Ge, Mr. Xie Ge... more than one person said in my ears that the three of you have worked together for many years and have a tacit understanding. It seems to be true. You would rather say that you are too old than to appear like Liu Ge. Lao, Xie Ge Lao left early to take some time off. I am really envious of you two of them."
The emperor's words didn't sound like much at first glance. But if you think about it carefully, it’s actually very mysterious. That means the three of you are too closely integrated!
What kind of person is Li Dongyang?
But just as he was about to speak, the emperor waved his hand and said, "Okay, I have no other meaning. You have worked so hard on state affairs that you can hardly find a few black hairs on your temples. I have worked hard, I will not say those chilling words."
Li Dongyang's heart softened, "Thank you for your forgiveness!"
"General Zhang Xian can't handle the matter in Jiangxi. It's my fault because he doesn't employ enough people. Mr. Li Ge, please draft an imperial edict immediately and order the young man to order Gu Zuo to buy grain nearby and send it to Jiangxi for disaster relief."
"Your Majesty is a benevolent and righteous monarch. On behalf of the people of Jiangxi, I would like to express my gratitude to your Majesty for your kindness in rebuilding the world!" Li Dongyang did not expect that it would be such a thing to come to him so late. Although the emperor was not what they, the civil servants, imagined, in some ways, with this gesture In the hearts of the people, how bad can he be?
"I boldly suggest that the imperial court's decree to Mr. Gu should state the amount of silver to be allocated?"
In this way, the people below will not be confused when doing things. For example, if you ask me to do a job, do you want me to spend 300,000 yuan or 500,000 yuan? What if I spend more? Will you blame me?
"Let him provide disaster relief first, and then repay the money used."
"In this case, we will provide relief first and pay later?"
"What's wrong?"
"There is nothing wrong with it. However, it needs to be noted that this is a special arrangement for Jiangxi by the imperial court. The other provinces still follow the principle of reporting first and providing relief later. This is more secure."
Young people are naturally aggressive, but veterans are more experienced.
Li Dongyang heard that the emperor did not understand, so he explained: "In the eighteenth year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu issued an order: If there is a government in the world, when there is a year of hunger, relief loans will be sent to the warehouses first, and then a report will be made. During the Yongle period, it was also 'relief first and then report the news' "Yes", and then during the Hongxi and Xuande years, relief was given first and then memorialized. However, after Chenghua, the situation changed greatly. Due to the corruption of officialdom, the management of money and grain became increasingly chaotic. Local officials regarded official treasures as their own money and public houses as private houses. The imperial court had to gradually strengthen the control of the reserve warehouses, so it ordered: Prepare Although it is set up, there is no way for a department to specialize in it. In the event of a disaster or famine, local officials must immediately report it and then give their names to the warehouses to collect millet. If they donate money privately first and then report it later, they will be punished. ”….
Zhu Houzhao now also had some experience in government affairs, and he understood immediately when he heard it, "In this way, issuing decrees at will made the officials misunderstood the attitude of the court, thinking that the court allowed relief first and then reported it. In this case, even if there is still food, The reserve warehouse will soon be empty."
Because now it is no longer like the time of Hongwu and Yongle. Facing the two murderous emperors, the people below are still somewhat awe-inspiring, and the various systems of the imperial court are still nascent and still have vitality. If you open a small opening now, the officials will probably eat the food alive right away.
"Your Majesty is right."
"Then let's do what Mr. Li Ge said, but don't add any special facilities. Otherwise, Jiangxi is a special facility, why can't Shandong and Henan be special? It's better to allocate funds in stages and first allow Gu Zuo to withdraw 200,000 If the two pieces of silver are insufficient, let him and Zhang Fuhua, the censor of Zuodu, jointly submit the report, and then the cabinet and I will allocate the money again."
Li Dongyang was slightly stunned. He didn't expect to convince the emperor. According to his character, he would easily get angry when encountering these shortcomings.
"My lord, I will obey the imperial edict."
"By the way, Mr. Li Ge, what do you think about the food shortage in Southern Zhili?"
Li Dongyang reported: "The Susong area in southern Zhili is a prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River. It should not be trapped in a situation of no food under any circumstances. I believe that the whereabouts of money and food should be investigated and the officials and officials involved should be punished."
Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "In the past, it was my methods that provoked
Lie, why didn't I say anything this time and Mr. Li Ge got angry first? "
"There is justice in the world, and the court has laws. There has been no such principle since ancient times when those who violate justice and laws are not punished."
"But I want to let Nan Zhili go this time."
Li Dongyang was shocked, "Your Majesty, you don't want to deal with it?"
"If you say you want to or not, then you definitely want to. But you can't. If there is a big scandal in Nanzhili because of the reserve warehouse incident, what about the remaining provinces of the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Houzhao knew this with his buttocks. "Officials at all levels who want to come to the local area will definitely rush to raise food to fill the reserve warehouse. As a result, the demand for food in the market will rise sharply, and the price of food will inevitably rise accordingly. How many of the tens of thousands of people in the Ming Dynasty can afford food? Did the price go up?”
Li Dongyang nodded slightly, that was indeed the case.
Zhu Houzhao sighed and said, "If that's all, that's fine. The key is that officials will not follow the rules when raising food. Those who have some conscience will buy it at low prices, and those who are unscrupulous will simply confiscate the people's food. In this way, Come on, the reserve warehouse is full, but the people are poor. Maybe as soon as they move in, they have to use it to help the victims. Isn’t this putting the cart before the horse and going in the wrong direction? I’ll tell you the truth, I’ve sent Jin Yiwei to find out the details. But I just want to confirm the actual situation in the place so that I have a better idea."
Li Dongyang thought of Liu Jian's words. It seemed that they had all misunderstood the emperor. The emperor had his own considerations, and they were not able to guess.
The old minister was convinced at this moment, so he made a formal bow and said, "It is a blessing to the Ming Dynasty, a blessing to the world, and a blessing to all peoples that the Ming Dynasty can have a wise king like your Majesty!"
"I'm really tired of hearing these words. Mr. Li Ge, please stop talking about these nonsense. What I have done is nothing more than what I said, governing a big country is like cooking small dishes."….
"There are many people who can talk, but few who can do it. Your Majesty is only fifteen years old, and you have such extraordinary talents. The Ming Dynasty has given birth to another sage!"
Zhu Houzhao pondered for a while, "What about that national policy? What does Mr. Li Ge think?"
"Your Majesty, you mean condoms?"
"good."
"Your Majesty, please speak frankly. Your Majesty, the new king, has ascended the throne. Everyone in the court is looking up to you, hoping that your majesty can rule with dignity, rest with the people, and work hard for several years to govern. This will lead to great rule in the world and be praised by all people. But as soon as your majesty ascends the throne, So I sent troops to the northwest, and now I want to make the complex a national policy. I am bold, doesn't this give people the impression of being militaristic?"
"Mr. Li Ge, be careful what you say!" Liu Jin was frightened when he heard this.
But Zhu Houzhao turned his head and glanced at him, "Li Ge is always a steady person, not a wild and rebellious person. I can hear a few words of truth, and so can Ming Dynasty, so why do you need to say more?"
[In view of the general environment, Liu Jin was horrified and said, "My slave will die, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Seeing the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, Li Dongyang felt a kind of self-ashamed joy in his heart. He didn't want to be like this, but he was like this. Several emperors of the Ming Dynasty reused eunuchs, which led to the rampage of internal officials.
By the time of Hongzhi Zhengde, two consecutive generations of emperors had intended to restrict the eunuchs from doing anything wrong. How could such a wise king leave just like Liu Jian did?
"Mr. Li Ge, I have a few words from the bottom of my heart. How about you listen to them?"
"I'm scared, please show me, Your Majesty!"
"I will not talk about the situation between the Tatars and the Ming Dynasty and the increasingly serious border troubles. You are all concerned about money and food, so I will talk about money and food. The imperial court raised millions of troops along the Great Wall in the north. How much it cost, Mr. Li Ge has calculated this account No? Emperor Taizu said that he could raise a million soldiers without spending a penny, but I can't do it. If we can do it, the court can get millions of acres of fertile land. The land there has not been occupied by the clan, nobles and officials at all levels. , I don’t have to go on a killing spree, as I will have a source of food to support my troops. Moreover, the imperial court can train elite soldiers here, raise horses, and drive the Tatars to the north of Yinshan Mountain. In this way, there will be no worries in Guanzhong, and it will be safe. So that I can concentrate on production, how much food will this cost?"
"What your Majesty said is correct. I am only worried that the cost of re-contamination is staggering. If it fails again, the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos."
"Then if we clean up the military villages, will the Ming Dynasty be in chaos?"
This is how the rebellion of King Anhua came about.
It was difficult for Li Dongyang to reply, but he heard this
These words are indeed what the emperor said from the bottom of his heart.
"I just hope that your Majesty will not be impatient. It would be better if you can plan it slowly. Furthermore, it does not have to be a national policy that attracts too much attention."
Zhu Houzhao disagreed. Not putting up a slogan was his greatest restraint.
"How can the most important things of the imperial court in the next few years not be known to others? Not to mention the officials, I also want everyone in the Ming Dynasty to know. Only when the officials know the imperial court's intentions can they know the direction; the common people know the imperial court. Only then can we understand the intention.”
Li Dongyang felt the emperor's determination,
Some places can make concessions, such as South Zhili; some places cannot give in. To play politics, you have to have this mentality. Attacking everywhere will only lead to chaos.
These days have not been easy for Li Dongyang. The situation in the court, his position, his future plans... everything is very contradictory. But in fact, some decisions should be made. If you miss this opportunity, there will be no next time.
Wearing a red robe is the sign of a very human minister. The old man has gray hair, but his determination is not dead. "Your Majesty is determined to return to his old ways. As a human minister, you should follow him!"
This is not said casually, and no one can be fooled so blatantly as the emperor.
"In this way, everything is ready and all we need is the east wind..."
Dongfeng? Li Dongyang thought, maybe it was the northwest wind. .
royal hired cat
