At the morning court of the next day, with the words "If you have anything to do, report it early, if nothing happens, go to court", an official immediately mentioned the canal smuggling case, and all the evidence pointed to Shen Changmao, the chief minister of the court.
Next, Shen Changmao's downfall can be described as direct, quick, and neat.
This is also a matter of course. The Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, an ally for which Shen Changmao had high hopes, not only did not reach out to Shen Changmao this time, but instead emptied Shen Changmao's family fortune in advance. Emperor Deqing saw Shen Changmao After it has lost its use value, it will not protect him at all.
The most important thing is that since Shen Changmao has been the chief minister of the cabinet, his political achievements, abilities, reputation, etc. are really difficult to describe, and those clean and neutral officials will not speak out and plead for him.
As a result, Shen Changmao fell into an isolated and helpless situation. When officials from the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party" united to attack and impeached, Shen Changmao was naturally helpless.
Emperor Deqing still used the same old methods. He did not stop the criticism from officials at all, and allowed Shen Changmao's prestige to be destroyed. However, he did not directly remove Shen Changmao, but only hinted that Shen Changmao should take the initiative to resign.
Of course, after Shen Changmao takes the initiative to resign, whether he will retire and return to his hometown without incident, or he will be imprisoned without dignity depends on whether Shen Changmao is "sensible".
At the same time, because of Shen Changmao's incident, the officials did not pursue Zhao Junchen and Li Chengru too much for violating the court rules and misappropriating Cao Yin privately. In the end, they were only reprimanded by Emperor Deqing, saying that they would not do it again. Even if this matter has been revealed.
Facts have proved that after witnessing the downfall of Wen Guanliang and Huang Yourong, Shen Changmao was very "sensible". After the court meeting, he returned directly to the mansion, raised all the savings in his hand, and quickly sold off part of the land and houses. , that night he donated most of his family property to Emperor Deqing, and also submitted his resignation to Emperor Deqing.
This time, Zhao Junchen was not involved, so he did not know how much money Shen Changmao gave to Emperor Deqing, but it should be a large amount, so Emperor Deqing quickly approved Shen Changmao's retirement. Township.
There were no surprises in this matter from beginning to end. From the moment Zhou Shangjing set his sights on Shen Changmao, the outcome was already doomed.
The only thing that surprised people was Shen Changmao's gaffe.
It is said that after Emperor Deqing "approved" Shen Changmao's resignation, Shen Changmao stumbled out of the palace. Because he was distracted, he even fell hard outside the Meridian Gate. After falling, Instead of standing up directly, he burst into tears on the spot, attracting the attention of the people around him.
Compared with Shen Changmao's usual seriousness and coldness, such a performance of crying in public was extremely out of character. He did not have the decency of his previous chief minister at all. It made all the officials watch a joke, and it was said that he was the butt of the joke. Not an exaggeration.
However, Zhao Junchen could understand Shen Changmao's mood. He had long seen clearly that Shen Changmao's coldness and toughness in the past was just a disguise for being ruthless and ruthless. This time, he had experienced betrayal, separation, and the tragic situation of being made worse by Germany. Emperor Qing took away most of his life savings, and it was natural that he suffered physical and mental trauma and lost control of his emotions.
Therefore, after hearing about Shen Changmao's tragic situation, Zhao Junchen did not feel much ridicule, but was secretly vigilant in his heart - Wen Guanliang, Huang Yourong, Shen Changmao, these vivid examples all show that morality Emperor Qing was a cold-hearted and ruthless emperor. It was too difficult to escape from his hands and get a good death. It is no wonder that Zhou Shangjing wanted to retire and return to his hometown smoothly. It took so much effort.
From this aspect, Zhou Shangjing is worthy of admiration. He has obviously successfully resolved Emperor Deqing's fear and diverted Emperor Deqing's attention to Zhao Junchen. However, when he discovered the hidden dangers of Jiangshan Sheji, he still He returned to the core of the temple with a high profile without hesitation, even if it aroused Emperor Deqing's suspicion again.
Of course, Zhou Shangjing's scheming methods are so clever that few people can guess his true thoughts before he reveals the answer to the mystery. This performance may be just a disguise, and he may actually have other intentions - but What he did was indeed a sacrifice and a risk.
On the morning of the third day, Emperor Deqing first announced to the officials that Shen Changmao had resigned, and then reluctantly appointed Zhou Shangjing as the chief minister of the cabinet again.
Obviously, Emperor Deqing did not want Zhou Shangjing to become the chief minister of the cabinet again, because it would mean that all his previous achievements had been wasted, but Liang Fuchen still stayed in Shaanxi and Gansu to preside over military affairs; Wang Baoren sat in Nanzhili and presided over the reorganization of the six departments in Nanjing; Cheng Yuandao has always only known how to talk and embarrass important tasks; Zhao Junchen is too young and has too little qualifications, making him a greater threat; Li He and Zhou Shangjing have always worn the same pants...
Therefore, after repeated calculations, Emperor Deqing had no other choice but to return Zhou Shangjing to the position of chief minister of the dynasty.
It has to be said that Zhou Shangjing's prestige and methods have indeed played a mainstay role. When he became the chief minister of the cabinet again, the center of the temple continued to be chaotic for more than half a year, and soon gradually stabilized. The major yamen There was no confusion at all due to the change in the selection of the chief minister of the cabinet, as if Zhou Shangjing had been the chief minister of the cabinet from beginning to end.
In the next few days, everything in the temple went smoothly. After the relevant yamen received the money from the river workers, the work of dredging the water transportation was also progressing very quickly. The water ships from the southern provinces would soon arrive in the capital. A scene from the imperial court The crisis is also invisible.
Under such a calm situation, news came from Huamachi Camp again.
*
In the evening of that day, when Zhao Junchen finished his official duties in Wenyuan Pavilion and returned to Zhao Mansion, he saw an acquaintance waiting for him in Zhao Mansion.
This man was Song Bai, the leader of Guyuan's private army, Fang Zhenshan. He brought a secret letter from Fang Zhenshan.
After seeing Song Bai in the study, Zhao Junchen knew that some kind of change must have occurred in the Hetao War, but it was not clear whether such a change was good or bad.
The success or failure of the Hetao War was related to many of Zhao Junchen's plans. Zhao Junchen was inevitably a little uneasy, but he did not eagerly ask for details. Instead, he opened Fang Zhenshan's secret letter with a calm expression and read it carefully.
While reading, Zhao Junchen's expression gradually became solemn at first, and his brows became more and more wrinkled, but he soon relaxed his brows, seeming to be secretly relieved, and finally showed a mocking look that was half-smiling.
"Emperor Deqing was too impatient, and Liang Fuchen was too foolish and loyal, and almost ruined the event. Fortunately, the ending was not bad... Especially Guan Wuyuan, a fat pig standing in the spotlight, this time he flew higher and higher.
Fortunately, time and luck have brought him to the greatest advantage..."
*
Time returns to five days ago.
Emperor Deqing, without telling the officials of the court, sent a secret edict to Huamachiying, urging Liang Fuchen to end the war in the Hetao as soon as possible and to completely regain the Hetao area before his birthday.
For Emperor Deqing, it would obviously be an extremely glorious thing to publicly announce on his birthday that the imperial court had completely recovered the Hetao.
Of course, Emperor Deqing also knew that victory or defeat on the battlefield should not be rushed, but he just couldn't stand it.
After Liang Fuchen received the imperial edict, it was actually exactly what he wanted.
Zhao Junchen believed that this war should be slowed down rather than rushed. That was because he was not sitting in Liang Fuchen's position and his ideas were a bit too simple.
This war has developed to this point, especially since the winter solstice in northern Xinjiang has been freezing and freezing, and the situation has become increasingly difficult.
During this period, in order to regain the Hetao area as soon as possible, the imperial court mobilized various troops and horses to support Shaanxi and Gansu. The total number of troops reached more than 200,000, which caused unprecedented burden and chaos to the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu.
Armies from all walks of life are mixed together in one place. Logistics and supplies, military discipline management, combat coordination, etc. are all headaches - not everyone is "Han Xin orders more troops, the better", at least Liang Fuchen cannot do this.
a little.
Because the climate in various parts of northern Xinjiang is getting colder, many soldiers in the army have died of frostbite, which has greatly affected morale;
Dozens of private fights broke out among various armies in order to compete for logistical supplies, and private plundering of civilians was also repeatedly prohibited;
In order to support the imperial army in fighting, the various regions in Shaanxi and Gansu had already exhausted their last remaining strength, and gradually stopped responding;
The common people have delayed this year's autumn planting and have no plan for next year's life. Their dissatisfaction is growing day by day.
These problems cannot be solved by Liang Fuchen.
In short, I can't hold on any longer.
Of course, the situation of the Mongolian right-wing army is not much better than that of the imperial army. Mongolian knights and war horses can often be seen freezing to death in Hetao, and they have also reached their limit.
It can be said that the armies of both sides are exhausted. The follow-up depends on which of the two armies can grit their teeth and persist longer. However, Liang Fuchen knew the situation of the Ming Dynasty army very well and did not have much confidence in his heart.
Moreover, Liang Fuchen couldn't wait to end the war out of his own considerations.
Before Zhao Junchen left Shaanxi and Gansu, Liang Fuchen's prestige had been greatly reduced due to Zhao Junchen's secret calculations, and all parties in Shaanxi and Gansu were not convinced by Liang Fuchen.
Nowadays, seeing that the war in Hetao has not progressed, everyone can't help but compare Zhao Junchen with Liang Fuchen. They will not see that the situation Liang Fuchen is facing is completely different from that of Zhao Junchen. They will only think that Zhao Junchen
It only took more than two months to completely annihilate the Mongolian coalition forces and create a good situation for the imperial army to regain the Hetao area. It can be said that the results were immediate and the achievements were outstanding. However, after Liang Fuchen took over the war, he never had much success.
Despite his many achievements, Liang Fuchen was considered to be far less courageous and capable than Zhao Junchen, which further affected Liang Fuchen's prestige.
If this situation continues, Liang Fuchen will soon be unable to mobilize those arrogant and self-respecting generals.
Therefore, no matter from any aspect, Liang Fuchen believed that he must take the initiative at this time and win a quick victory. Emperor Deqing's will further strengthened his idea - after all, before Emperor Deqing's arrival,
Recovering the Loop before his birthday will also become his political capital in the future.
After confirming this idea, Liang Fuchen quickly summoned all the generals in the army for discussion, expressing his intention to take the initiative to challenge the war and achieve a quick victory.
At this time, the generals on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu - such as Guyuan General Fang Zhenshan, Forbidden Army Commander Guan Wuyuan, veteran He Zhang and others, because they had received Zhao Junchen's secret letter, they also recognized Zhao Junchen's "it is better to slow down than to rush"
They all expressed their opposition to the idea of fighting, believing that the imperial army should attack steadily at this time and take precautions first.
But on the other side, the generals from various reinforcements expressed their support for Liang Fuchen's idea. These generals were all from nearby military towns on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu, and they had only arrived on the battlefield recently. Naturally,
It will not be affected by Zhao Junchen.
These generals led troops to support the war in Hetao because they wanted to make achievements and gain benefits. Seeing that the war in Hetao was not progressing and they were unwilling to endure the cold wind in northern Xinjiang, they were naturally a little eager to make contributions.
Moreover, these generals were also full of confidence, believing that the imperial army would take the initiative to attack this time and have a high chance of winning quickly.
According to Zhao Junchen's suggestion, after Liang Fuchen unconditionally released the leaders and nobles of the Mongolian right-wing tribes captured by the imperial army, except for the Ordos tribe's army who was still eager to retake the Hetao area and still maintained a fighting spirit, the rest of the tribes
The troops all showed a very obvious intention of perfunctory and self-protection, and they rarely fought against the imperial army.
Therefore, these reinforcement generals believe that as long as the imperial army finds the main remaining army of the Ordos tribe and inflicts heavy losses on them, the armies of the remaining tribes on the Mongolian right wing will soon retreat, and the imperial court will be able to completely recover by then.
It's a trap.
What followed was endless quarrels and debates, with the generals who supported a steady approach and those who supported a quick victory each having their own opinions. No one could convince the other.
Then, because of Liang Fuchen's strong persistence, the imperial army finally took the initiative to attack and find the enemy for a decisive battle.
Then, the imperial army soon suffered a disastrous defeat!
This is because, on the second day after the imperial army dispatched troops, the Hetao area ushered in the first snowstorm of the year!
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Before next Monday, there will be something wrong with the bug, and the update may be unstable - just maybe, so that everyone can be mentally prepared.
But starting next Monday, the update will be stable again.