Royal study room.
Zhu Qizhen held the imperial case with both hands, his face full of seriousness.
Zhang Fu and Yu Qian were also given seats.
"Does the British public think it is appropriate to send troops this time?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
Zhang Fu was an absolute big shot in the army, and had experience in conquering Cochin. His understanding of war, and his mastery of the quality of Southeast Asian soldiers and combat methods was unmatched by anyone.
It can be said that at this stage, there is no one who has more say than Zhang Fu.
Neither can Yu Qian.
"Eighty thousand to one hundred thousand elite soldiers are enough." Zhang Fu said, "Too many is too wasteful of financial resources, and if there are too few, it is difficult to protect against eventualities. Long-distance operations require extremely high quality of soldiers, and they must be elite soldiers."
Zhu Qizhen asked: "Can the Duke still do it?"
Zhang Fu's eyes narrowed, and he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, Taizu has made a rule that the princes of the Ming Dynasty are not allowed to interfere in government affairs or military affairs."
"There are exceptions to everything. The Duke of Wei, Xu Da, the Duke of Cao, Li Wenzhong, and the Duke of Song, Feng Sheng, all went on expeditions and fought wars as Dukes. They can do it, why can't you, Duke of England?" Zhu Qizhen said, "Moreover, , before the late emperor passed away, didn’t he grant you the right to intervene in government affairs?”
Zhang Fu cupped his hands and said: "The emperor was young before, but now he can take charge of his own affairs. If I interfere again, it will inevitably cause confusion."
"I believe you!" Zhu Qizhen said.
Yu Qian also said: "Your Majesty, the Holy Ming, is going to conquer Burma and Siam. Who else will he do than the British?"
Zhang Fuming felt very guilty and his eyes were moist, "Thanks to the emperor's trust, how can I cherish myself? I am sixty years old and I still have some strength left. I...can do it."
"good!"
Zhu Qizhen was overjoyed, "This expedition is under overall command and control by the British Lord. Yu Aiqing must do a good job in logistics and don't be stingy in the deployment of military supplies."
"I obey the decree." The two of them said yes with their hands in hand.
Yu Qian asked: "Your Majesty, are there any suitable candidates for the supervision of the army this time?"
"Supervising the army?" Zhu Qizhen was reminded by this and suddenly remembered that in war, there must be a supervisory army.
After all, he was only thirteen years old, and all he had been exposed to were court battles and historical books, so he really didn't know much about fighting.
Seeing this, Yu Qian cupped his hands and said: "I recommend Li Qing to be the supervisor of the army this time."
"Li Qing?" Zhang Fu was surprised, "He's back?"
"The British prince also knows Li Qing?" Zhu Qizhen was surprised.
Yu Qian smiled and said: "This Li Qing is not that Li Qing. The emperor and the Duke are not talking about the same person."
"That's it!" Zhang Fu nodded and said no more.
Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said: "I have complete trust in the British Lord and there is no need to supervise the army."
"Your Majesty, it is necessary to supervise the army. It has nothing to do with whether you trust me or not." Zhang Fu quickly confessed, "I only need the right to command during battle."
Yu Qian also wanted to say something, but was directly interrupted by Zhu Qizhen.
"For a handsome man like the British Duke, the supervisory army will only restrict his performance." Zhu Qizhen said decisively: "There is no need to persuade him anymore, I have made up my mind."
Are you kidding? He was still thinking about rectifying the court and reforming the system. How could he be willing to let Li Qing go to fight?
Zhang Fu didn't know what was going on, he only thought that this was a reflection of the little emperor's trust in him, and he couldn't help but be moved beyond measure.
"I will definitely live up to the divine grace!"
"Okay!" Zhu Qizhen was also excited, "It's almost the end of the New Year. Let the soldiers spend a good New Year at home. You two will prepare well and go out with the army in the spring next year."
"I obey the decree."
…
"Li Du is in trouble, let's talk somewhere else." Yang Pu's teeth were chattering and he couldn't bear it anymore.
"Then...go to the woodshed?"
"Okay." Yang Pu didn't ask for much, as long as he was warm.
The two came to the woodshed and lit a fire.
Everyone was in trouble, a bachelor was squatting in front of the stove, warming himself by the fire, chatting.
Li Qing saw Yang Pudong banging a hammer in the east and a stick in the west, but not talking about business, and his patience was gradually wearing out. What was there to talk about with an old man?
"If you have nothing else to do, Grand Scholar Yang, please come back first." Li Qing said directly, "I'm a bit tired, I need to take a nap."
You are so direct... Yang Pu was helpless. After testing for a long time, he still couldn't figure out the reason. Apart from similar appearance and similar temperament, he had no evidence to prove that Li Qing was Li Qing.
However, whether it should be said or not, anyone named Li Qing is in debt.
Yang Pu took a deep breath and put aside distracting thoughts: "I'll tell you the truth!"
You should have spoken out long ago... Li Qing nodded: "Please tell me."
"Do you want to do something in the court?" Yang Pu asked.
"In no mood."
"Think again."
"Haha." Li Qing sneered: You think you are Zhu Yuanzhang!
Yang Pu was speechless: "I mean, I can help you realize your ambition."
"I do not believe!"
"You..." Yang Pu was angry, "I am sincere in everything I say, and heaven and earth can learn from it."
Yo yo yo... Li Qing couldn't help but curl his lips and roll his eyes.
"No...what do you mean?" Yang Pu broke his defense and shouted: "I am also a bachelor of the dynasty after all. Are you humiliating me?"
"Don't dare!" Li Qing reluctantly raised his hand. He was really afraid that the old man would not be able to breathe and would die in his home.
In order not to be offended, Li Qing had to slow down his tone and said, "A seventh-level official can do nothing but wait for death."
"I can help you, really!"
"Why do you want to help me?" Li Qing said, "You have to give me a reason, right?"
"I do it for myself." Yang Pu said.
Li Qing was surprised: "What do you mean?"
Yang Pu was silent for a while and said: "In fact, from the moment the late emperor passed away, the government was in chaos. The officials of the Ming Dynasty were severely suppressed. The emperor was less than eight years old when he ascended the throne. With such a great opportunity, all the ministers How could you miss it?
Therefore, in order to maintain the situation, we have to advocate making some compromises so that the contradictions will not rebound too much. "Yang Pu sighed, "It was okay at first, but as time goes by, people's greed expands step by step, and we become more and more difficult to hold back. "
Li Qing nodded: "So you want me to help you atone for your sins?"
"You can't say that." Yang Pu's face heated up and he corrected: "This is a major event that contributes to the country. For me, I can retire with success, and for you, you can gain both fame and fame. Why not do it?" ?”
"why me?"
"because……"
"If Grand Scholar Yang continues to talk nonsense, then it's okay not to say it." Li Qing added.
Yang Pu smiled bitterly: "You may not believe me if I tell the truth!"
"How do you know if you don't tell me?" Li Qing asked.
"Okay." Yang Pu sighed and said seriously: "Because you have Li Qing's qualifications!"
Li Qing was stunned for a moment, then understood what Yang Pu meant and asked, "Why are you so sure that I can achieve the achievements of Marquis Yongqing?"
"From this dispatch," Yang Pu said, "I don't know whether you can reach that level, but you are still young, and youth is your capital. If anyone can reach that level, it must be you."
"That's right!" Li Qing nodded.
They are all old people, so there is no need to elaborate. Li Qing pondered for a moment and stopped being pretentious: "Sure, I accept your help."
"..." Yang Pu cursed: Why do you act like you are helping me? It's really... Li Qing is so bad!
In order to save Wanjie and not follow Yang Shiqi's old path, Yang Pu could only do this, "What are your plans for the future?"
"I haven't thought about it yet." Li Qing said, "Don't worry, since I accepted it, I will definitely use you when the time comes."
"...let's do it!"
Yang Pu stood up shakily, staggered for two steps, and turned around and said: "We can add some taller chairs at home. It's too uncomfortable to squat on a short squat. Also, charcoal is not expensive. Buy some."
Young people should take good care of their bodies and don’t just think about saving money. "
Li Qing smiled: "Young people are full of firepower."
Yang Pu's face was covered with black lines, and he said angrily: "If you don't listen to the old man's words, you will suffer the consequences in front of you. You will know when you get older."
Li Qing touched his nose, not bothering to argue with him: "Grandmaester, walk slowly."
After Yang Pu left, Li Qing began to make plans.
Judging from the analysis, Yang Pu really has no intention of monopolizing power, otherwise he would never be silent today.
In terms of qualifications, Yang Pu is the most qualified person to succeed Yang Shiqi.
With Yang Pu's help, it will be much easier in the future. Likewise, he will be exposed to the officials in advance and be regarded as an opponent.
There are pros and cons, but generally speaking the pros slightly outweigh the cons.
…
The next day.
The meeting was still hot.
With just one mouthful, the big bosses described the Ming army as being like gods descending to earth. It seemed that the imperial army was invincible and that the enemy could be wiped out in a blink of an eye.
But the premise is that the emperor uses his tactics.
Zhu Qizhen was extremely annoyed. Although he had never fought in a war, he knew that these scholars could talk nonsense, but fighting was something they didn't understand.
There are specialties in the art industry, so this matter has to be left to Zhang Fu.
The goal has been achieved, and Zhu Qizhen didn't want to waste time on this, so he said: "My lords, please be patient for a moment. We will discuss the dispatch of troops later. Let's first discuss the lack of Yang Shiqi in the cabinet!"
"Your Majesty, I have this memorial."
"I also have this memorial."
