At the request of Zhang Ruoqi, the right minister of the Ministry of War, Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng sent a team of hundreds of light cavalry troops to escort him out of Juyongguan.
Although Xuanfu Town under the rule of Yongning Bo was peaceful and peaceful, people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the bandits had disappeared long ago, and there was no trace left, but in order to show their respect for the Minister of War, a team of light cavalry was still sent to escort out of the town. .
However, these are just superficial articles. In fact, they have deeper meanings!
It turns out that not long after, the Yongyi Army will go to Henan to fight against the two bandits of Chuangcao. In order to know ourselves and the enemy, we have already agreed to send several groups of Qingqi in advance to explore the situation of the bandits around Henan Province, and make preparations with Liu Jinhai, Chen Zhong and others. connection.
However, now this arrangement has undergone some changes due to Zhang Ruoqi's request.
Originally, sentries were only sent to explore Henan Province, but advance arrangements in Shanxi and Jinan provinces also had to be made, especially in Jinan.
The officers and generals of the Yongyi Army were very puzzled by this. Logically, the place where the army was passing through would be pre-arranged and stocked with some food and grass for a brief supply during the march. However, now Yong Ningbo arranged for Cangzhou, Dongguang, Jizhou, Guzhou, etc. The city, Qinghe River and other places have nothing to do with the army's route.
What's more, Uncle Yongning seemed to be inspired by Zhang Ruoqi, and actually sent a group of Qingqi to escort Zhang Ruoqi to the capital, and would stay there to follow Niu Sheng and Liu Jinhai's men to Dongchang, Jinan, and Qingzhou. Explore the terrain.
In addition, we must also look for some strong cities there and try our best to collect some grains in case of emergencies.
At the same time, in order to speed up the advance when troops were sent to Henan to aid and suppress the bandits, Yongning Bo even requested the imperial court to mobilize the Qinglong Battalion to station in Zijing Pass in advance, so that troops could be quickly sent to aid Henan.
The commander of Zhuque Camp, Zhang Guangda, was originally a guerrilla general. This time he was promoted to the rank of Guard Commander for his merits and became a military officer-general in Xuanzhen. Yongningbo also recommended him as the officer-general of Xuanfu North Road to take charge of Chicheng and A monolithic line.
Zhang Cheng's decision was beyond everyone's expectation. This was not because everyone thought Zhang Guangda was not qualified, but because he had always had a bad temper and acted recklessly, and was far less steady than Wei Zhice, Zhang Guodong, Chen Zheng and others.
Therefore, everyone has always thought that one of Wei Zhice, Zhang Guodong or Chen Zheng should be the guard general of the North Road.
But they didn't expect Zhang Cheng to give them a surprise!
Everyone speculated that the reason why Uncle Yongning made such an arrangement was most likely to be a back-up plan for the purpose of checking the acres of land in Yanqing and Baoan Prefectures on the East Road.
Previously, Li Jiyu was arranged to lead the Xuanwu Battalion to stay on the East Road and divide the troops to station in Yanqing and Baoan Prefectures. The purpose was to use his dark history as a Henan bandit to put pressure on the officials and gentry in these two prefectures.
Even if Li Jiyu did something too bloody in these two states, he could use his arbitrary decision as an excuse to put all the blame on him, and then Yong Ningbo would use the Yongyi Army as his guarantee to intercede.
Naturally, the imperial court would not take the risk of forcing Li Jiyu to rebel for the sake of the suppressed officials and gentry in the two states, not to mention the tens of thousands of soldiers of the entire Yongyi Army who endorsed him?
However, for the sake of greater safety, Zhang Cheng still left Zhang Guangda, who was always known for his dark face, on the North Road to serve as the sub-defensive general. His purpose was very obvious.
That is to use Zhang Guangda's Zhuque Battalion as a butcher's knife that can kill people and place it next to the sleeping beds of the officials and gentry on the East Road. Once there is a change on the East Road, the Zhuque Battalion can rush to help in the blink of an eye.
There are two battalions of brave soldiers stationed here. Not to mention the mere guards and officers and soldiers on the East Road, even the few battalions of recruits in the town can't resist them.
Zhang Cheng's brilliance was that he also deployed Zhang Guodong's soldiers and horses from Qinglong Camp to station at Zijin Pass in order to advance to Henan as soon as possible, thus achieving a three-way siege on the East Road.
This further gave the Yongyi Army an excuse to pass through Ma Shui Kou and actually garrison between it and Zijing Pass, laying the foundation for further control of Ma Shui Kou and Zijing Pass in the future.
…………
The next day, Chen Zheng led thousands of elite infantry and cavalry soldiers from the White Tiger Battalion. As the vanguard of Yongning Bo's army, he took the lead in setting off from Chi Castle towards the town.
After seeing off Chen Zheng's White Tiger Camp, Yong Ningbo continued to discuss matters with the officials in the General's Office.
In order to use existing resources to make greater profits, Zhang Cheng thought of capital expansion. During the previous battle in Liaodong, he had privately agreed with Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, to build a workshop in Ningyuan in the future to produce Cigarettes are produced to supply the Liaodong market.
Then on the way back to Xuanzhen, he privately entered into a cooperation agreement with Wang Pu of Datong and Li Fuming of Shanxi. Although Li Fuming had just arrived in Shanxi and his position was not yet stable, Wang Pu had been working in Datong for many years and was deeply rooted. Some strength.
For this reason, today's meeting was specially delivered to Shi Tiegen, the general manager of the Yunzhou Craftsman Battalion, as well as Wang Gancheng, the director of the Fire Gun Bureau, Li Chengmao, the director of the Artillery Bureau, Du Gui, the director of the Gunpowder Bureau, Xin Congjian, the director of the Frame Bureau, and several other bureaus. All the principals came over.
Of course, Luo Shunda, the director of the newly established Printing Bureau, and Weng Taiheng, the chief professor of the Engineering School, are also indispensable.
Weng Taiheng was originally an old scholar in Yunzhou Fort. He usually made a living by writing books and calligraphy for others. Although he was not rich, he could still make ends meet.
Later, when the Yunzhou Craftsman Camp was established, Zhang Cheng required that every step of the production process of various types of ordnance be recorded in detail, and he also required that all craftsmen should also strengthen their literacy.
In order to meet the demand for teachers, Zhang Cheng specially advertised to recruit teachers from all over Beilu. However, although the literati made teaching their profession, they were not ashamed to teach the craftsmen how to read.
Only this old scholar, who was nearly fifty years old, could achieve sobriety in the world and let go of the poor self-esteem of a scholar, so he became the first teacher in Yunzhou Craftsman Camp.
Although the craftsmen in the Craftsman Camp are all skilled in craftsmanship, they all have a natural respect for scholars. Moreover, because Weng Taiheng is older than everyone else and is very patient in teaching literacy, over time everyone is called professor.
Last time, when Yong Ningbo established a hierarchy in the craftsman camp, he also established four levels for the teachers in the craftsman camp: teaching, teacher, professor, and chief professor.
Weng Taiheng, who was the first to join the job and the oldest, was rated as the only general professor of Yunzhou Craftsman Camp, while Luo Shunda, the head of the Printing Bureau, was the professor, so he finally became a professor at the age of forty-six. Make others look up to you.
"Weng Taiheng, what do you think about the establishment of the 'Akagi Engineering School' that I mentioned?"
Chief Professor Weng Taiheng was stunned when he heard this and didn't know how to reply. After all, he was a person who studied etiquette and had been bound by Confucian etiquette since he was a child. Although he had the reputation of being a scholar, he was so humble in front of Yongning Bo.
I saw him getting up from his seat tremblingly, walking to the middle of the hall and bending down to bow. Seeing this, Zhang Cheng hurriedly spoke: "We have always been like this when discussing matters, but when I think about it, I speak out. Chief Professor No need to be polite, just go back to your seat quickly."
Hearing Zhang Cheng speak like this, Weng Taiheng was stunned for a moment, looking at a loss. Shi Tiegen, the general manager of the Yunzhou Craftsman Camp, reminded him softly: "Professor Weng, Uncle Yongning taught you not to be polite. No need to be polite, just return to your seat as ordered."
After his reminder, Weng Taiheng came back to his senses. He stood there and bowed deeply to Uncle Yongning, and then replied: "Returning to Uncle Yongning, establishing a school and teaching people literacy and etiquette is a matter of benefit to the people.
The sage Confucius also once said that "there is no distinction between education", which is exactly the same as Yong Ningbo's plan to establish an engineering school. "
After he tentatively said these words, he paused briefly and took the opportunity to quietly look up at Zhang Cheng's expression. Seeing that he was looking at him with a smile on his face, he became more courageous when he heard the meaning behind it. .
Just listen to Weng Taiheng continue to say: "It's just that the establishment of this school needs to be reported to the Ministry of Rites for permission before it can be opened. Our court has explicitly prohibited local private schools from being established. Violators should be questioned according to the Ming Dynasty Law."
When he said this, his voice gradually weakened and he said: "Also... please think about it again, Uncle Yongning."
Zhang Cheng waved his hand without changing his expression and said, "Professor Weng, please go back to your seat first."
After saying that, he ignored Weng Taiheng, but said to everyone with piercing eyes: "I want to establish the 'Chicheng Craftsmanship School'. The purpose is to teach apprentices and apprentices for our Yunzhou craftsman camp, and to cultivate the necessary talents for our craftsman camp." Craftsmen, rather than nurturing talents for the country, what does this have to do with the Ministry of Rites?"
He glanced at everyone with blazing eyes, and finally stopped at Chief Professor Weng Taiheng, and said: "Professor Weng doesn't need to worry about this. When acting on the ground in Xuanzhen, you don't need to look at the faces of the bunch of losers in Liubu. They can't control me." On the head of the 'Yongyi Army'.
The chief professor still has to focus more on the establishment of the school. As for the etiquette department, I will take care of it myself. "
Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng changed the subject and no longer bothered him about the matter of reporting to the Ministry of Rites. Instead, he spoke frankly about the specific matters of the establishment of the school: "Benbo's idea is that the 'Gong School' will mainly train craftsmen, but it will also do arithmetic, measurement, Subjects such as mining and smelting, mechanical forging, water conservancy engineering, civil engineering, gunpowder and gunnery are all closely related to it, so it goes without saying.
However, subjects such as medicine, astronomy, farming, horse administration, and commerce are very important, as they are related to people's livelihood, and the studies of governing the world, such as classics, history, and legal codes, are also particularly important. "
As soon as Zhang Cheng said these words, everyone in the hall was shocked. Everyone in the hall, whether civil or military, looked at Zhang Cheng who was sitting peacefully at the top with stunned expressions. They couldn't understand what he was going to do!
Chief Professor Weng Taiheng stood up tremblingly and replied: "Uncle, the categories in this 'Gong School' are so complex and profound, and what the subordinates can learn is limited to the classics, history, and legal codes, such as medicine, arithmetic, farming, and astronomy." , Ma Zheng and other laws, I don’t know what they mean, and it is really difficult for me to be qualified for the position of chief professor.
If I could not just appoint a subordinate to serve as the professor of Classics, History and Codex in the school, and the position of chief professor would be related to the authority of the school, it would miss Yongningbo's intention of cultivating and storing talents. Can someone else be hired to fill the position? "
When he talked about it later, his eyes were full of tears, and his face was very anxious. It didn't look like he was pretending. Zhang Cheng couldn't help but laugh and said: "It's true. What do you think you are anxious about?"
After he waved for Weng Taiheng to sit down, he continued in a calm tone: "You still have to be the chief professor. The chief professor should lead the overall situation. As for the specific teaching of each category, it is natural for the professors of each subject to specialize. The Secretary is responsible, there is no need for you, the chief professor, to worry about it."
Zhang Cheng then said to him: "For medical skills, Chicheng Medical Officer Shen Shichun can be the professor, and for farming, Feng Yuanshan can be asked to do it. Ma Zheng has Ma Zhongli and others, and there are Wang Qiancheng, Li Chengmao, Du Gui, and others from Jiangyingying. Xin Congjian and other people in charge of each bureau can also serve as professors of various subjects on the spot.
And just like astronomy, astrology and business management, we can just list the candidates. As long as we can afford the money, why don't we worry about not being able to recruit teachers who can teach? "
Yong Ningbo's rhetorical question left Weng Taiheng speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
"Weng Taiheng, you don't need to worry about teaching various subjects. You only need to concentrate on the school for me."
Zhang Cheng then added: "Remember it. Chicheng Engineering School is directly responsible to Uncle Ben. While Uncle Ben is stationed in the town, if anything happens, he can directly report it to Commander Jin, who will make the decision on his behalf.
As for the required funds, venues, teaching aids and other matters, as well as the recruitment of professors and other matters, you don't need to worry about it. I will entrust Commander Jin to handle it with full authority. "
He looked at Weng Taiheng with piercing eyes and warned: "When the 'Gong School' was founded, the most important thing was to determine the teaching methods of each subject and the required books.
The principle of understanding is to buy it and use it directly. If you don't have it, compile it yourself. You can lead the professors of each subject to compile the books for teaching. The craftsmen will dictate them and you can lead the professors to compile them. "
"Yes. I will take my orders."
Uncle Yongning then turned his attention to the old man Shi Tiegen, the general manager of the craftsman camp, and several directors of each bureau, and said to them: "I also know that you and others have nothing to say about their skills. The only thing they lack is literacy. There are just some shortcomings.
From now on, in addition to being responsible for your own work, you will also be responsible for teaching in the Engineering School. If there are other suitable candidates, you can also nominate them, and you can enter the Engineering School as professors after the approval of the public meeting. "
Shi Tiegen stood up first and replied: "Yes. Please rest assured, Uncle Yongning, Shi Tiegen will definitely live up to his mission."
Zhang Cheng nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Luo Shunda, the director of the Printing Bureau, and said to him: "Luo Shunda, you have been doing very well and making breakthroughs. I am very satisfied with this.
However, I finally feel that the affairs of your Printing Bureau are a bit monotonous, so I would like to add some more affairs there. What do you think? "
Luo Shunda was originally just a low-level bookseller. It was after meeting Zhang Cheng that he had the opportunity to enter an official family. He was full of gratitude and would not refuse.
"Please give orders to Uncle Yongning, Shunda will never disgrace his orders!"
Seeing that he answered readily, Zhang Cheng felt happy in his heart. He smiled and said to him: "With your printing bureau as the main body, set up a 'Tongwen Museum' to specialize in the research and teaching of Mongolian, Tatar, and Yi people's languages." language.
If you don't have the required training in your printing bureau, you can directly ask Commander Jin for money and recruit it yourself. "
After he finished speaking, he asked: "What's the problem?"
"Go back to Uncle Yongning, no problem!"
(End of chapter)
