That is, everyone believes that your status, prestige, or achievements have reached a certain height, and it is time to take on important responsibilities.
For an individual, this kind of "heavy responsibility" has good and bad qualities. Holding power is a "heavy responsibility", taking the blame is also a "heavy responsibility", and being a scapegoat is also a "heavy responsibility".
In terms of the overall situation, "popularity" is not necessarily a good thing. Liu Bei's entrustment of Zhuge Liang was "popularity", Zhao Kuangyin's yellow robe was also "popularity", and Wang Mang's usurpation of Han Dynasty and establishment of a new dynasty was also "population".
And Huo Zhengyuan is now in a state of "returning to the public's expectations".
In short, more and more people are beginning to believe that Huo Zhengyuan has the potential to split the "Zhao Party" and fight against Zhao Junchen.
Therefore, some people were happy to see its success and encouraged it, such as Zhou Shangjing, Song Dynasty, and perhaps Emperor Deqing;
There are also some people who are worried and secretly vigilant, such as Guo Min at this moment.
The potential that Huo Zhengyuan possesses actually stems from his current official position - Southeast Patrol Envoy!
On the surface, the Southeast Patrol Envoy was just a temporary position created by Emperor Deqing. It had almost no power on the surface and was only equivalent to a noble censor stationed in the southeastern provinces.
But discerning people from both the government and the public understand that Huo Zhengyuan's real mission is to integrate all the ocean-going resources of the coastal provinces of the Ming Dynasty, form a large-scale ocean-going fleet, completely monopolize the ocean-going trade within and outside the Ming Dynasty, and even gradually control it.
All communication channels between the Ming Dynasty and overseas forces!
At the beginning, Guo Min was not particularly clear about what such power meant.
But now, as Guo Min comes into contact with more and more information, he finally realizes the amazing power in Huo Zhengyuan's hands.
In short, with just a few years of patient operation step by step, Huo Zhengyuan will have more influence than the "United Shipping Company", and he may even have the opportunity to gradually change when distributing the huge benefits of ocean trade in the future.
The internal power structure of the Ming Dynasty.
If he had better luck and greater ambition, it would not be difficult to become the second Zheng Zhilong, whether he secretly hoards various sensitive materials, secretly colludes with overseas countries, or even secretly cultivates a powerful maritime private army.
There are also quite a few opportunities.
At that time, let alone Zhao Junchen, even the central government will not touch him at will.
Under normal circumstances, with Zhao Junchen's suspicious nature, it would be impossible to completely hand over such huge power to Huo Zhengyuan.
But in the end, Zhao Junchen chose to entrust Huo Zhengyuan with an important task and made every effort to promote Huo Zhengyuan's appointment. This was partly because the national grain stocks were gradually depleted, leaving Zhao Junchen with no choice but to rely on ocean trade to alleviate the difficulties.
On the other hand, because Zhao Junchen's power expansion in the center of the imperial court has reached a bottleneck, he can only hope to find another way out through ocean trade;
The most direct reason that prompted Zhao Junchen to make such a decision was that Huo Zhengyuan himself knew the way of advance and retreat. He not only took the initiative to dismiss all his staff, but also borrowed three Zhao family staff from Zhao Junchen to assist him.
, shared the decision-making power with Ouyang Bo, the diplomatic power with Guo Min, and the financial power with Qian Bodao.
Under such circumstances, we can naturally avoid the situation where Huo Zhengyuan will be in trouble in the future to the greatest extent.
But now, as Huo Zhengyuan comes into contact with Tang Cheng, Ding Wenbo, Meng Haoxuan and other low-ranking officials, promising them a future and winning people's hearts, the originally controllable balanced situation has suddenly become unpredictable.
You must know that Tang Cheng, Ding Wenbo, Meng Haoxuan and others were all born into official families before they were reduced to low status. They did not lack vision and insight, and they received orthodox education since childhood. Their experience in low status in the past six months or so,
They have thoroughly tempered their former playboy temperament, which can be said to be a great breakthrough. After these qualities are combined, they can be regarded as "rare talents" in this era.
When the situation in Nanjing is settled in the future and they are freed from humble status because of Huo Zhengyuan's help, they will definitely be grateful to Huo Zhengyuan, and Huo Zhengyuan will quickly gain a large number of loyal talents to follow and assist him!
And with the support of Huo Zhengyuan, these people will surely be able to play a key role and provide various human and material support to Huo Zhengyuan after regaining their former family connections.
At the same time, according to the suggestions of Tang Cheng, Ding Wenbo, Meng Haoxuan and others, those fishermen with nine surnames who are familiar with water properties, those Nanjing craftsmen who are good at manufacturing, and those military households with combat capabilities will also be Huo Zhengyuan's successors
Winning over targets can also provide Huo Zhengyuan with various benefits, allowing Huo Zhengyuan to get twice the result with half the effort when running ocean trade in the future.
In this way, Huo Zhengyuan has all the conditions to be independent. He can become fully fledged and consolidate his power in a very short period of time, that is, he no longer has to rely on the three Zhao family aides, Ouyang Bo, Guo Min, and Qian Bodao.
For assistance, you no longer have to rely on Zhao Junchen's logistical supplies. As long as you find a way to please Emperor Deqing and keep the official position of the Southeast Patrol Envoy, you can gradually get rid of Zhao Junchen's control, and even compete with Zhao Junchen in the court finances.
Fight in separate courts.
At that time, whether Huo Zhengyuan is still willing to remain loyal to Zhao Junchen is just a matter of his thoughts, and naturally it cannot stand the test at all.
Thinking of this, Guo Min couldn't help but feel wary in his heart.
To be honest, Guo Min is not really loyal to Zhao Junchen, but his wealth and life are completely in Zhao Junchen's hands, so even if it is for himself, he can only consider Zhao Junchen wholeheartedly now.
At this moment, Ouyang Bo was not with Huo Zhengyuan, but rushed to Suzhou to contact Huang Yourong. Another Zhao family aide, Qian Bodao, was only good at accounting, but looked at all this in confusion and did not notice it.
There was no hidden concern, so after Guo Min hesitated for a moment, he still thought that he should intervene to avoid future troubles as much as possible.
So, before Huo Zhengyuan could make a decision, Guo Min suddenly stepped forward and raised his voice: "Master Huo, please listen to what I have to say."
*
Because of the various suggestions from Tang Cheng, Ding Wenbo, Meng Haoxuan and others, Huo Zhengyuan was opened up and found that the use value of these cheap books in front of him was far greater than expected. While he was pleasantly surprised, his brain was also working rapidly, thinking that
You can completely expand and modify the established plan to make the results of your plan more prominent.
After hearing Guo Min's speech, Huo Zhengyuan was a little absent-minded because he was concentrating on thinking. He just waved his hand subconsciously and responded: "Mr. Guo, please speak."
Guo Min looked serious and said: "All the suggestions made by the gentlemen are of course feasible, but... I believe that Academician Huo should not only consider whether these suggestions are feasible and effective, but also need to consider both the avoidance of suspicion and taboos.
Consider it, otherwise, even if you temporarily realize your plan and become the biggest winner in the Nanjing situation, you will inevitably be greedy for small things and lose big things, causing endless troubles."
Huo Zhengyuan was slightly stunned, and finally looked at Guo Min seriously and asked, "Mr. Guo, why don't you say it clearly."
Guo Min's expression became more and more serious, even showing a hint of aggression, and he said slowly: "Master Huo Mingjian! You are a civil servant of the imperial court, and there are some things that must not be overstepped! You can command some low-ranking officials to work for you, but the number
It shouldn’t be too many, and the scale shouldn’t be too big, otherwise once it has a big impact, it will be suspected of confusing the people and gathering people to cause chaos!
There are also suggestions such as 'inciting military households to cause trouble' and 'bribing the garrison military attaches'. It is a civil servant's intervention in military affairs, which completely violates the court rules. It is absolutely impossible! It will definitely arouse the suspicion of the court afterwards, and I am afraid that even Zhao Cabinet Minister will
It’s hard to protect you!”
When mentioning the words "Zhao Gechen", Guo Min deliberately emphasized his tone.
Obviously, Guo Minming was talking about the court's suspicion, but in fact he was also alluding to Zhao Junchen's suspicion.
Huo Zhengyuan is a very smart person, so he can naturally understand Guo Min's hint, and his heart suddenly trembles.
In the past few days, Huo Zhengyuan saw that he had the opportunity to interfere in the abolition of the crown prince. Driven by the huge interests, he could not help but get carried away. He only considered the direction of the situation in Nanjing, and completely ignored Zhao Junchen's attitude.
Before he took up the post of patrol envoy to the southeast, Huo Zhengyuan was also very aware of the sensitive nature of his position and had already planned his future direction - when he was in charge of ocean-going matters in the future, he could make his own decisions on everything else, but there was only one thing.
Even if the opportunity is delayed, he still needs to consult Zhao Junchen before making a decision, that is, the recruitment and appointment of core personnel under his command.
In short, it is personnel rights.
Huo Zhengyuan believes that as long as the personnel power is completely left to Zhao Junchen and he never forms his own team, Zhao Junchen's trust can be stabilized and Zhao Junchen's suspicion can be avoided.
Previously, Huo Zhengyuan took the initiative to dismiss all the staff in his palace and borrowed three Zhao family staff from Zhao Junchen to entrust them with important tasks. This was a concrete manifestation of this decision.
In most cases, status and power are complementary to each other.
When you have relevant status and authority, people will naturally rush to speculate and cling to you, and then you will have the power to match your own status. After you have the power to match your own status, you can further consolidate your status and authority. It can be said that
It's a forward cycle.
In order to win Zhao Junchen's absolute trust, Huo Zhengyuan voluntarily gave up the opportunity of such a positive cycle. This was a tacit understanding between Huo Zhengyuan and Zhao Junchen.
But now, this tacit understanding is facing a huge test.
An excellent opportunity to take advantage of the situation in Nanjing to manipulate the prince to depose him was right in front of him, and Huo Zhengyuan was of course unwilling to give up.
But if he wants to intervene in the situation in Nanjing, Huo Zhengyuan lacks manpower. The only feasible solution he can think of now is to bribe a large number of lowly people to work for him.
But if you want these lowly people to work for you, you must promise them the future and express your willingness to help them escape from the lowly status.
In this way, as long as Huo Zhengyuan still values his credibility, he must abide by his promise afterwards, and the lowly people will definitely be grateful to Huo Zhengyuan.
Then, Huo Zhengyuan can easily screen talents on a large scale among low-ranking people, win people's hearts, form a team, and expand his contacts.
After such a situation is formed, it will definitely arouse Zhao Junchen's suspicion and gradually shake the foundation of trust between the two parties.
The personalities of those in power are all very different. Although Zhao Junchen often criticized Emperor Deqing's suspicious nature, he himself was not much better.
Whether Huo Zhengyuan has such an idea is one thing, but whether he has the strength and opportunity to implement such an idea is another matter.
Thinking of this, Huo Zhengyuan couldn't help but fell into a dilemma, frowning and saying nothing for a long time.
He was neither willing to give up the excellent opportunity in front of him, nor to arouse Zhao Junchen's suspicion - at least for now, Huo Zhengyuan was still loyal and sincerely convinced to Zhao Junchen.
Seeing Huo Zhengyuan's silence, Tang Cheng, Ding Wenbo, Meng Haoxuan and other lowly disciples all became nervous and secretly looked at Huo Zhengyuan eagerly.
Guo Min still had a serious expression and was also watching Huo Zhengyuan's expression changes, waiting for Huo Zhengyuan's response.
This situation made Huo Zhengyuan feel like he was riding a tiger.
Finally, after frowning and pondering for a long time, Huo Zhengyuan finally came up with a strategy that he considered "the best of both worlds".
Huo Zhengyuan first nodded gently at Guo Min, indicating that he had understood his hints and warnings.
Then, Huo Zhengyuan turned his head again and looked at Tang Cheng, Ding Wenbo, Meng Haoxuan and other young people. He still had a sincere expression and said slowly: "Everyone's suggestions have made me enlightened and I have gained a lot."
Benefit! Your idea is very reasonable. On this occasion of hiring people, I can indeed secretly mobilize more low-level people to participate in it. It does not need to be limited to you young people who have recently become low-level people, such as fishermen with nine surnames and urban residents.
All craftsmen inside can take advantage of it...
But what Mr. Guo said makes sense. Everything has its limits, otherwise it will be too much, and even if we want to mobilize the nine surnamed fishermen and the city's craftsmen to participate in the follow-up plan, we can't do it in too many numbers, otherwise it won't look good to anyone if things get too big.
What's more, I can't help too many low-income people to deregister and change their household registration...
Let's do this! Tang Cheng, you will secretly select a group of craftsmen and fishermen with nine surnames. The number should not be too large, only two to three hundred people. They must be strong-willed and strong. There is no need to reveal the details of the plan to them, just confirm it.
As long as they are willing to work hard for me, give me the list after screening, and I will find a way to gather them secretly...
Ding Wenbo, you can also contact the military households secretly, but you can't reveal any truth to them. I will give you a sum of money to bribe them. They don't need to directly participate in our follow-up plan. As long as you report it to them in a timely manner,
Let’s just pass on the news!
And Meng Haoxuan, you and others are responsible for contacting old connections in your respective families. You still cannot reveal any truth. You only need to restore contact. In the subsequent actions, your former family connections will not play much role, but you can provide them afterwards.
Momentum of support is also a big help..."
In this way, after Huo Zhengyuan ordered the tasks one after another, he promised again: "If what I predict is true, the situation in Nanjing is about to undergo drastic changes, so you must act quickly and implement the tasks within two days.
If you miss the opportunity, you will completely miss the opportunity to escape from your humble status!
But as long as you seize this opportunity, I will explain your merits to Zhao Gechen in detail, and Zhao Gechen will personally ask the central government for your merits and rewards. You also know Zhao Gechen's powerful position. As long as he comes forward to express his position, you will leave your humble status.
It is naturally easy to restore your status as a good citizen. If you perform better and gain the praise of Minister Zhao, you will have a great chance of restoring your family to its former glory!"
This is the "best of both worlds" strategy envisioned by Huo Zhengyuan, which is to transfer the opportunity to win people's hearts to Zhao Junchen, and then Zhao Junchen will come forward to claim credit for these lowly people, so that these lowly people can deregister and change their household registrations because of Zhao Junchen
.
When the time comes, these lowly people will not only be grateful to Huo Zhengyuan, they will also be grateful to Zhao Junchen. Therefore, even if Huo Zhengyuan takes the opportunity to win over people's hearts and form a team, Zhao Junchen can also exert influence on Huo Zhengyuan's team and connections. Naturally,
This can reduce Zhao Junchen's suspicion to the greatest extent.
After hearing what Huo Zhengyuan said, Guo Min finally nodded with satisfaction and stopped raising any objections.
However, all the scoundrels did not see through the secret negotiation between Huo Zhengyuan and Guo Min. They were only excited because of Huo Zhengyuan's important role and promise. They immediately accepted the order loudly and patted their chests to ensure that they would properly complete Huo Zhengyuan's instructions.
.
It seems that because of Huo Zhengyuan's strategy of getting the best of both worlds, the hidden dangers have been nipped in the bud.
But...is there really the best of both worlds in this world?
*
Next, following Huo Zhengyuan's plan, everyone quickly became busy.
Huo Zhengyuan summoned these lowly people to meet him. The apparent reason was to host a banquet to entertain guests, so he temporarily borrowed a group of lowly people from the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs.
Therefore, at this time, Huo Zhengyuan still used the name of entertaining guests to find various reasonable reasons to let a group of lowly people run around in Nanjing.
The apparent mission of some lowly people is to purchase banquet ingredients and utensils, but their real mission is to take the opportunity to contact the fishermen and craftsmen with nine surnames in Nanjing;
The superficial mission of some humble men is to deliver banquet invitations, but their real mission is to take the opportunity to restore their family connections;
The superficial task of some lowly people is to decorate the banquet hall, but their actual task is to entertain people and drive away the informants of nearby forces.
Because of Huo Zhengyuan's guarantee, the lowly people were not affected by the various chaos in Nanjing at all when they were running around, and their progress was quite smooth.
News of Huo Zhengyuan's various activities quickly reached the ears of Zhou Shangjing, Zhu Hejian and others.
However, due to the low status of the lowly disciples, neither the scheming Zhou Shangjing nor the keen and suspicious Zhu Hejian failed to discover Huo Zhengyuan's true intention in time, and completely ignored the role that the lowly disciples could play, mistaking Huo Zhengyuan for being the real one.
They just wanted to use this banquet as an opportunity to connect various forces and persuade the guests to cooperate with them, so they paid more attention to Huo Zhengyuan's banquet list and secretly guarded against Huo Zhengyuan's conspiracy.
In fact, at this time, the city of Nanjing was in a state of chaos and frequent changes due to the "United Shipping Company" taking the lead in rioting and protesting. Zhou Shangjing was doing his best to hunt down the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers hiding in the city, while Zhu Hejian was doing his best
To hinder Zhou Shangjing's manhunt, both sides were restrained by each other, and neither of them had more energy to interfere with Huo Zhengyuan's small actions.
And in such a complicated situation, a bigger variable appeared.
That is - Jiang Xiao used the complex river channels inside and outside Nanjing to sneak back into Nanjing secretly!