Chapter IX: The conclusion of the Martial Saint, the chronic illness of the emperor
Precisely because the cabinet in the middle and late Ming Dynasty had a tendency to become prime minister, the power of individual cabinet ministers was as great as that of the previous prime ministers. There were successively such ministers as Xia Yan, Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, etc.
A "power prime minister" who does not have the name of prime minister but has the power of prime minister.
Therefore, after Zhu Yongxing, a wise, diligent and frugal monarch came to the throne, most people believed that although the court had a cabinet, it would not have a chief minister similar to the prime minister like Taizu did.
Speaking of Zong Shouyi's qualifications, a few years ago he was just an envoy sent to the Mo family in Annan, with only the reputation of a scholar. Now he is quite conspicuous as a feudal official. How could Zong Shouyi dare to attract people's jealousy again and be one of those people?
Xia, the prime minister above ten thousand people?
"What kind of qualifications do you have to smooth out the edges and become a conservative and well-rounded old man to be qualified to be the first assistant?" Zhu Yongxing scolded: "As for talent, it is not representative of fame. The so-called number one talent, according to
It seems to me that there is no practical way to do it. Just get up and listen to what I have to say."
Zong Shouyi was uneasy and sat down with his buttocks tilted.
"My dynasty used righteousness to promote scholars. At the beginning, the laws were still strict. However, in the following decades, the original intention of establishing subjects was greatly lost. The chief ministers selected officials based on the culture of the time, the examinations selected scholars based on the culture of the time, and the bidding for new talents. Where did it come from?
"Zhu Yongxing's voice echoed in the hall, piercing Zong Shouyi's eardrums, "The father's discipline, the teacher's disciples, hunting for the brilliant words, immersing themselves in writing, their names are also called essays, and their achievements are also poor.
Plagiarizing for work, picking up bruises for ambition, who knows the meaning of reading again! Since he doesn’t know how to read, he rushes to open doors, shamelessly loses officials with money, and governs with bribes. How can he regain the knowledge of loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, and the ability to govern?
civil!"
"I use officials who are dedicated to their work, and I like officials who are pioneering and enterprising. When the Mekong River was created, you worked hard and worked tirelessly to win a territory overseas for our Ming Dynasty. You have done a great job!" Zhu Yongxing
He walked down from the throne and walked up to Zong Shouyi while talking. Zong Shouyi stood up and stood respectfully.
"Isn't it your wish to be granted the title of Marquis and Prime Minister?" Zhu Yongxing looked at Zong Shouyi and said warmly: "You have been overseas for a long time, not only to expand the land and settle the people, but also to deal with the Western barbarians. Your vision is broader than others.
I want to establish a dynasty that is different from the one in the history books. Are you unwilling to help me? What I value is your enterprising spirit, and I also want to set an example for the officials."
Zong Shouyi carefully thought about the intention of Zhu Yongxing's words, and finally gritted his teeth and replied in a deep voice: "I only obey your Majesty's orders, and I am willing to help your Majesty achieve a feat that will never be easy."
"Okay." Zhu Yongxing reached out and patted Zong Shouyi's shoulder and said with a smile: "I'm not wrong about you. You have to face difficulties in everything, how can you worry about slander and fear of ridicule? Things in Zhenla must be done well, and you will let your achievements speak for themselves.
, and with my support, who dares to make irresponsible remarks?"
Zong Shouyi knelt on the ground and cried: "Your Majesty has such great trust, I have nothing else to say."
"Get up." Zhu Yongxing stretched out his hand to help him and said kindly: "I haven't seen you for many years. You feel a little unfamiliar, a little reserved, and even afraid. This is also common sense. Today's summons, I came to give you a hand.
At the end of the day, secondly, I want you to see that even though I am a ninety-five-year-old, I have not changed."
"Yes. Long live you are still wise and mighty, still benevolent and generous..."
"Haha." Zhu Yongxing waved his hand and said with a wry smile: "I haven't changed, but you have all changed. As for singing praises, it's better to talk about it later. You can rest for these two days, or walk around the city casually, and then...
I’m going to Hangzhou. Well, I can chat with you on the way.”
Zong Shouyi wanted to ask, but in the end he wisely kept his mouth shut. What an honor it was to go on a tour with the driver; what a favor it was to accompany the driver to talk freely.
Seeing Zong Shouyi resigning gratefully, Zhu Yongxing turned around and left, going to the Prime Minister's office to inquire about the preparations for the tour.
There is paradise above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Needless to say, the beautiful scenery of Hangzhou, but Zhu Yongxing’s tour of Hangzhou is not just for traveling at public expense with his wife and children, but for deeper political reasons. Because Hangzhou not only has the beautiful West Lake, but also "
The Yuewang Temple where the heart shines upon the sun and the moon.
Historically, there is no dispute about the literary sage in China, which is the great sage and teacher Confucius. The martial sage has changed due to different dynasties and political tendencies.
Before the Tang and Song Dynasties, Jiang Taigong was granted the title of Wu Sheng by successive emperors. Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty granted Jiang Taigong the title of King Wucheng. During the reign of Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, Jiang Taigong was also granted the title of King Zhaolie Wucheng. During the Three Kingdoms period, after Guan Yu's death, he was gradually
He was deified and revered as "Guan Gong" by the people. He was also praised by the courts of all dynasties. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Zhonglin wrote the novel "The Romance of the Gods". From then on, Jiang Taigong changed from a human to a god and was widely believed in by the people.
But Zhu Yongxing felt that neither Jiang Ziya nor Guan Gong were suitable to become martial saints. To be more precise, they did not deserve such a respected status. In other words, there was a national hero who should be admired and praised by all generations. That is King Yue, Yue Wu.
Mu.
Looking at the history surrounding the title of Wu Sheng, we can see that no one respects Guan Yu, a promising king who values force and foreign enemies. This is not only disrespectful, but also minimizes Guan Yu's status. But when the country's political power is relatively stable
, the emperor was the kind of person who had no ambitions and only focused on his own enjoyment, so he would praise Guan Yu. The lazier and the more he liked to play a small role, the more fierce the praise.
Although Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin was known for emphasizing literature over martial arts, he tried his best to lower Guan Yu's status and removed his portrait from the Wusheng Temple because he believed that Guan Yu was unworthy. Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was also a famous emperor who did not take Guan Yu seriously.
All the titles he had been granted posthumously were removed, and he was restored to the rank of Marquis Shouting of the Han Dynasty.
The three emperors who were most enthusiastic about conferring Guan Yu the title were Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong, and Zhao Yijun, Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty. Zhao Ji single-handedly planned the Jingkang Disgrace, and Zhao Gou killed Yue Fei and Zhu Yijun in order to gain some peace.
It seems that he is angry with the ministers and will not go to court for thirty years.
Of course, these three emperors were unethical, but they were not stupid. They could even be said to be smart. Although they did things that were not good for the country or the people, they were often self-serving, which meant that they could satisfy their selfish desires. They realized that exalting
Guan Yu's status is beneficial to his rule, but this is not something that a foolish person can see.
When a person is domesticated and thinks that a person who can only rely on the bravery of a man to kill a few enemy generals in his life, but who makes constant mistakes in commanding battles, and is eventually defeated and dies, is a "martial saint", then this person has no wisdom at all.
, or their ability to think independently has been imprisoned, such people are extremely easy to rule.
From this point of view, when the ruler's focus is to deal with foreign enemies, he needs capable ministers like Jiang Shang and brave generals like Yue Fei. The entire society regards cultivating and discovering such talents as the country's top priority. Spring and Autumn Period
The Warring States, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties were such an era. But when the rulers believed that external enemies were not enough to threaten them, and shifted the focus of their rule to guarding against the internal people, they did not want to see the emergence of people with both ability and political integrity, wisdom and courage. The emperor wanted to maintain strong folk customs
, Guan Yu was demoted; when the emperor strengthened his internal rule and weakened the people, he improved Guan Yu's status.
When the Manchus came to the Qing Dynasty, because King Yue was fighting against the invasion of the Jurchens, and the Jurchens were the ancestors of the Manchus. Therefore, after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, novels such as "The Complete Biography of Yue Fei" about Yue Fei were completely banned, and the Manchus
The Qing rulers began to make every effort to enhance Guan Yu's image in order to eliminate the people's anti-Qing consciousness, and gave Wu Sheng a clear official definition.
Of course, Jiang Ziya, Guan Gong, King Yue, and Zhu Yongxing all respect and admire him, but a nation naturally has a choice in its heart about what kind of heroes it wants to promote and what kind of heroes it wants to respect more. At the same time, this is also a way to show China and foreign countries
The political attitude is to never favor peace, never negotiate for peace, and must go straight to Huanglong to regain the country. In the final analysis, this is also considered from a political level, and those who respect Jiang Ziya, respect Guan Gong, or respect King Yue
The emperor has the same purpose.
The Yue Temple was upgraded to a "Martial Temple", parallel to the Confucian Temple, and funds were spent on renovations; the King of Yue was granted the title of "The God of Loyalty, Wu, Benevolence, Braveness, Demonstration of Protection of the Nation, and the People, and Praise for the Holy Emperor Yuesheng", and encouraged various places to build Yue temples and offer incense on time; a formal edict was issued
Designate King Yue as a Martial Saint and give him official recognition...
Then - Zhu Yongxing frowned. Yes, the Prime Minister's Office vetoed one of his requests, or temporarily disagreed. From the perspective of an official in the Prime Minister's Office, this was for his own good, but it made Zhu Yongxing dissatisfied.
.
The emperor cannot be blamed. Even if his evil virtues and bad government are unpopular, he will usually be defended on the grounds of "being deceived", "treacherous villain", etc. Or a scapegoat will be introduced, and a certain "treacherous minister" will be used as a scapegoat.
Serve as a shield.
It was Qin Hui who unjustly killed King Yue Fei, but who was the biggest mastermind and murderer? Of course it was Gaozong Zhao Gou who wanted to stay in peace and humiliated himself in seeking peace. Without his approval, Qin Hui had no right to kill Yue Fei. If it is fair to say, Qin Hui could not
It was to accommodate Zhao Gou's ideas and it was his tool to eradicate the main war faction.
Since Qin Hui is kneeling in the Temple of King Yue, according to Zhu Yongxing's idea, it is not too much to bring Zhao Gou in, right? What, the one who started the tombs has no descendants? Nonsense, I don't want to be a fatuous master, but I am afraid that there will be others behind me.
Is this the end? If you are really stupid, you will have brought it upon yourself, and you deserve to be like this.
In fact, when the officials of the Prime Minister's Office vetoed Zhu Yongxing's decision, they did not think that Zhao Gou was innocent and that the eternal crime of murdering Zhongliang should be pinned on Qin Hui and others. In their thinking, they were still dominated by the supreme imperial power for thousands of years.
The shackles. "If you ask your ministers to die, they have to die." Yue Fei was unjust, but Zhao Gou could only say that he made a mistake and was deceived by the treacherous ministers. How could he be convicted and kneel to his ministers?
The worship and oppression of power, right and wrong can be reversed, and truth can surrender at the feet of power. Traitors and traitors are indeed hateful, but a cowardly king cannot be forgiven.
"The kneeling statue of Zhao Gou must be erected in the Yuewang Temple. If you don't implement it, I will spend money to find someone to do it myself." Zhu Yongxing's face was as dark as water, and he rarely lost his temper. "If I become a fool in the future, I will fight with Zhao Gou."
It's the same as being despised by others; if you are a wise king, you will naturally not be afraid of such a precedent."
"Long live -" Zha Rulong hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly: "Long live the wise and powerful man, he is a wise king."
"Then what are you worried about?" Zhu Yongxing pointed at the document with his fingers, "Such a faint-hearted king ignores all the people who are in trouble and only wants to live in peace and contentment. What kind of face can be left for him? Ya Sheng said: 'The king's
If the king regards his ministers as if he were his limbs, then the ministers will regard him as his heart. If the king regards his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as a fellow countryman. If the king regards his ministers as grass and mustard, then his ministers will regard him as a bandit. Isn't it wrong?"
"This -" Zha Rulong smiled bitterly. If these words were said from the mouth of a courtier, or if there were extenuating circumstances, but from the mouth of an emperor, it had never happened before in all dynasties.
"Well, that's settled the matter." Zhu Yongxing softened his tone slightly, paused, and asked: "Is there any information from Shandong among the information sent by the Ministry of National Security?"
"Long live the return, yes." Zha Rulong hurriedly turned around and took the document from the desk, "It was just delivered and has not been abbreviated yet."
"It's okay, I'll take a look first." Zhu Yongxing reached out to take it and started reading.
Judging from the situation in Shandong, Yu Qi implemented the plan of the General Staff Department. Although there were great results, it did not meet the highest requirements. Zhu Yongxing knew that there was no need to rush, and for now, there was no need to use military force at Yu Qi.
The operation was carried out to meet the Ming army's landing on the coast of Jiaodong, as long as the landowners could provide assistance to the Ming army later.
Since half of the country had been recovered by the Ming army, the threat to Shandong forced the Qing government to implement its old tactics. Zu Zepu, the governor of Shandong Province, accepted the Qing government's decree and increased the intensity of the sea ban. Originally, it only abandoned coastal islands, but now it has been expanded to
Deng, Lai and other states. In other words, in the areas where the Ming army wants to land, they will not encounter strong resistance, but there will be no common people within twenty miles.
A new round of military confrontation reduced the number of Qing troops stationed in Shandong. However, Yanzhou in Shandong, which is close to Jiangnan (Jiangsu, Anhui), Jiangxi, and Huguang, played a prominent role as a material transfer station. At the same time, the Qing government ordered the governors of the provinces under direct control
It is still in charge of military affairs, with two battalions on the left and right respectively, under the direct control of the governor.
In other words, when the war started in Shandong, the imperial court needed a steady stream of troops and supplies so that the troops in Shandong could withstand the Qing troops attacking from all sides. As a result, the military issue fell back on logistics. From now on, some
reluctantly.
It is estimated that the first season crops will be harvested in the Mekong and River provinces in June, and the Jiangnan region will also usher in the first season harvest in about a month. In this way, the supply of food will be continuous. And as long as in
A stable landing point will be established along the coast of Shandong, and reinforcements will arrive from the sea.
Zhu Yongxing had made up his mind and browsed all the information.
Obviously, the Qing court believed that the overall state of the Ming and Qing wars had reached a balance of power, and did not think that the situation was so bad that it would lead to failure, and the peace negotiation and concession would definitely not pass the internal level of the Eight Banners. Although most of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties
Everyone admits that the war cannot be resolved in the short term, and even after losing water transportation, they are facing great difficulties. However, they still occupy most of China's land and cannot accept the weak position of humiliating and suing for peace.
If the Manchus could be forced to retreat across the Yellow River without a fight, Zhu Yongxing thought it would be acceptable. Of course, there would be no official recognition, and such an agreement would not be strictly observed by him. What kind of treaties or agreements between countries?
It needs to be guaranteed by strength, otherwise it will be no different from waste paper.
But the Manchu and Qing Dynasties closed the door to peace talks. For Zhu Yongxing, it was no big deal. If you can't take it by chance, just take it by force! The spring plowing has ended, and there is still some worry about landing in Shandong. Let's start from Jingxiang and start the prelude to the Northern Expedition.
The horn!
………………
The mountain breeze blew up and lifted Li Yingmei's hair. She reluctantly looked back. The small barracks in the valley was already in commotion. Hundreds of recruits lined up and began training.
This is deep in Yashan, Shandong, and it is also her hometown. Out of reluctance to leave her brother, Li Yingmei followed Li Maolin and Gu Yinghui back to Shandong. Soon after arriving here, she fell in love with the beautiful scenery surrounded by the mountains, especially
It's the time of sunrise.
Thousands of mountains are waking up for the first time, and the morning clouds are coming out of Xiu. In the green sky, milky white clouds are floating on the mountainside, like a fairy dancing gently. The rays of rays are pouring over thousands of mountains, lasting forever.
Striding down the hillside, Li Yingmei walked past the training team without looking back. The rising tide lifts all boats. In the eyes of Shandong people, Gu Yinghui, Li Maolin, Li Yingmei and others were all sent by the imperial court and had the status of imperial envoys.
officials.
Although the guns were smuggled several times, they could only equip these five hundred people. But judging from the number and equipment of the Qing troops stationed nearby, both Yu Qi and Gu Yinghui believed that there was no doubt that they could capture the county town. With the assistance of other rebels,
, able to defeat the garrisoned green camp and even threaten the state capital.
However, the imperial court's order was still to hide and develop quietly, waiting for the opportunity. Of course, the imperial court also gave Yu Qi and others reassurance. If it was exposed, the Ming army would also take action to assist the Jiaodong Rebels.
Although this place is nice, Li Yingmei still has some regrets in her heart. She regrets that she was too impulsive and offended His Highness. Well, now it should be His Majesty, the minister of long live. After knowing the truth, he wanted to regret it, but he couldn't save the face. He left the Guangfu District and returned to China.
Returning to Shandong actually had some reasons for this.
After all, she was too young and too ignorant. Li Yingmei turned a blind eye to the looks of the new recruits who peeked over, and walked to a few houses outside the camp, where she lived. Her eyes were fixed for a moment, and a bay-red horse was tied to the camp.
At the horse post, is there someone from outside? Is it my brother?
Just as he was thinking about it, the door of a house was pushed open, and Yang Yanfeng came out. Seeing Li Yingmei, he nodded and said hello, "Miss Li, I just arrived, and there are things Brother Li brought for you."
Li Yingmei smiled faintly, reached out and took the small bundle handed over by Yang Yanfeng, hesitated for a moment, and asked: "How is my brother? When can he come back?"
"Brother Li is very good." Yang Yanfeng said with a smile: "He is now working as an errand in the inn, and he is eating the official food of the Tartars! As for when he will come back, I can't say."
"Inn?" Li Yingmei was stunned for a moment and asked tentatively: "Then can I go see him?"
"This -" Yang Yanfeng hesitated, "I'll wait until I ask Mr. Gu before I reply to you, okay? If you feel uncomfortable living in the mountains, you can move to the manor!"