"Qin Qing's family, my wish for the northwest is to have fortresses stretching for thousands of miles, and fertile soil all over the land. The mountains, rivers, and rivers in the northwest should all be within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Even if they cannot reach the Haiyan River, they should at least allow the people to live and work in peace and contentment! "
Zhu Youtang expressed his idea with emotion.
He didn't raise the issue of troops, but the so-called "thousands of miles of continuous fortresses" is tantamount to telling Qin Hong that I hope you will include the Hetao area into the territory of the Ming Dynasty?
This is about speaking skills.
If in the court, the emperor faced a traditional civil servant with a grudge and talked about sending troops to the northwest and not returning Loulan until Loulan was destroyed, it would be strange that Qin Hong would listen.
But it's different now.
Zhu Youtang first showed Qin Hong his specific strategy, and even built tanks for you, and then catered to your preferences. Didn't Bingkuan say that you like to build fortresses? Then I will imagine with you the entire northwest fortress with thousands of Here, let me talk to you about the peaceful and contented life of the villagers... How about that?
Are you excited?
As expected, Qin Hong changed his previous indifferent attitude and looked very excited. He knelt down and accepted the order and said: "I will do my best, veteran."
Ma Wensheng and Liu Jian looked at each other.
They both saw the surprise and fear in each other's eyes.
Just like that, Qin Shiying was subdued by the emperor's three strikes and five divisions?
this……
Why can’t people understand it?
"Get up, isn't this a fight? Now that the governor of Pianguan and the chief military officer have arrived, Qin Qing's family is old, and it must have been hard to come all the way from Shandong, so he just rested in the capital for a day. We will continue our journey tomorrow." Zhu Youtang seemed to be very considerate of Qin Hong's hard work.
Qin Hong said: "How can an old minister be slack in military affairs? The old minister requested the order and went to the remote pass without stopping to arrange military affairs."
"Okay, it's rare for the Ming Dynasty to have such loyal and courageous ministers as the Qin Qing family. I will entrust you with important matters in the northwest in the future." Zhu Youtang said, "Let Bingkuan accompany you out of the palace, and there are a few others. We may want to go to Pianguan with you, and each of us has errands to attend to. As for the artillery carriages and artillery matters, it is better for you to discuss them privately."
"yes."
Qin Hong looked at Zhang Zhou with a bit of appreciation and approval.
He even stopped paying attention to the looks cast by Ma Wensheng and Liu Jian, as if he no longer took them seriously.
…
…
The inner court meeting ends.
After they went back separately, Zhang Zhou and Xiao Jing were responsible for accompanying Qin Hong out of the palace. On the way, they discussed the use of troops in the northwest and the construction of artillery carriages.
As for Ma Wensheng and Liu Jian, they took another path, led by Chen Kuan.
"Oh, how can I say that Bingkuan is indispensable? I originally thought that this Qin Shiying was an old stubborn and would not listen to anything I said to him. Who would have thought that with just a few words, he would be convinced? Haha."
After Zhu Youtang dismissed these ministers, he looked very proud and showed joy in front of Dai Yi.
The emperor is most afraid that the servants in the northwest will not listen to him.
Not everyone is as obedient to the emperor and Jin Cheng as Wang Yue was, and not everyone is as strong as Wang Yue and can intimidate the heroes.
Dai Yi asked tentatively: "Is it possible that Mr. Qin, the Taiwanese maker... is just pretending?"
As someone close to the emperor, Dai Yi could not make the emperor's heart empty, and he would say some unpleasant things to show his loyalty.
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "I have discussed this with Bingkuan before. What Bingkuan means is that although Qin Shiying is a civil servant, there is no other place for him in the court. He can either preside over military affairs in the northwest or return to his hometown to take care of himself. And his previous achievements were not enough to shock the world, so how could he easily miss such an opportunity to make great achievements?"
"Ah?" Dai Yi said with a puzzled look, "Then he is still..."
I didn’t say it all, but what I meant was that since Qin Shiying had the ambition to make great achievements, he still talked about the “Five Strategies to Defend the Enemy” in the court and talk about peace of mind for the people. How could he have any enterprising spirit in the court?
Zhu Youtang said: "In regard to Anyuan Hou, I may have been too harsh on him. How could he not have the slightest grudge in his heart? I just want to be honest with him, and only with sincerity can I get sincerity. Not to mention Bingkuan." Go with what he likes. Bingkuan is right, Qin Shiying is very serious about building earth forts and making cars, so he might as well use this as a way to break the situation. Now it seems that he has used the right strategy."
Only then did Dai Yi know that Zhang Zhou was not using some methods to test, but had already identified Qin Hong's weakness and prescribed the right medicine.
"Your Majesty, with Mr. Zhang here, the northwest is really safe and peaceful." At this time, Dai Yi only needed to flatter him.
Zhu Youtang stood up and had already taken steps. Hearing this, he said with some emotion: "I want to use him to take charge of military affairs in Yansui, Ningxia, Guyuan and other places, but unfortunately he still does not have enough prestige. I can't do without him in the capital." Let him go! Wang Weining, Qin Shiying, there are many capable ministers in the court, but it is a pity that there is only one Bingkuan! What a shame, what a shame!"
Dai Yidao: "Didn't Mr. Zhang accept Tang Yin as his junior brother?"
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "Bingkuan wants to transfer Tang Yin to the northwest, but he is not good at academics, how can he be used for great purposes? Let's try it first! I also hope that Bingkuan can cultivate a few more capable people. !”
"Mr. Zhang is devoted to the imperial court, which is admirable and admirable." Dai Yi flattered Zhang Zhou again.
"hehe."
Zhu Youtang smiled and went to Kunning Palace. He probably had no intention to deal with court affairs today.
…
…
Liu Jian returned to the cabinet to check the room.
Li Dongyang has already returned first.
"Binzhi, why didn't you go to Qianqing Palace?" Liu Jian came over and asked.
Li Dongyang had previously followed Ma Wensheng and Liu Jian to Qianqing Palace, but he was called away by the Royal Horse Supervisor on the way, as if they had something to discuss.
Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty is going to send Wang Shouren and Tang Yin to the northwest. One is to take care of Wang Shichang's funeral, and the other said that he was the guest of the teacher for Qin Shiying, and then arranged for me to discuss the details of Wang Shichang's funeral with the Ministry of Rites... Are you talking about what happened in Qianqing Palace?"
The tasks of civil servants are also different.
Liu Jian then told Qin Hong's behavior in the Qianqing Palace. As he told the story, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian's expressions gradually became tense.
When talking about the contrast between Qin Hong's and after seeing the chariot drawings, Xie Qian broke the brush in his hand angrily.
"What is Qin Shiying going to do? He kept saying in the court that he wanted to protect the land and the people, but he was summoned just once. It's like Wang Shichang can't straighten his spine?" Xie Qian's evaluation of Qin Hong was also very unkind.
In the eyes of these traditional civil servants, surrendering to the emperor and the recent sycophants was tantamount to betrayal and becoming a lowly person.
This is also the reason why Wang Yue has always been criticized for his ability.
Similarly, no matter how capable Zhang Zhou is, he is still not worthy of the traditional civil servants.
It is not about your ability and whether what you do is really beneficial to the country and the people, but because the way you do things is not through the court, and it is a "close to sycophantic" behavior. Once in a while, you may get good results and meritorious service because of your way.
But who can guarantee that this approach will last?
Civil servants talk about rules, moderation, and everything should be done step by step. Anyone who violates the rules will be treated as an alien.
This has also been the official rule of China for thousands of years.
Even if Wang Yue and Zhang Zhou abide by the rules, as long as they have outstanding achievements, they will still be criticized. This is "shooting the first bird". As long as you violate the principle of "golden mean" and become the one who takes the lead, you will be criticized.
Being criticized in various ways, Cheng Minzheng has suffered from this recently.
So Zhang Zhou knew from the beginning that no matter what his attitude towards the civil servants was, he would be the one being criticized and attacked anyway, so why did he have to lower his face and make peace with the civil servants?
That's not necessary.
Liu Jian sighed: "Maybe he admires building cars and building forts very much, so he has such a change in attitude."
Li Dongyang shook his head and said, "I don't think so."
"Oh? Binzhi, what's your opinion?" Liu Jian actually made the right analysis, but he also felt that his analysis was too superficial and that things often cannot be that simple.
So he wanted to hear Li Dongyang's opinion.
Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty first gave him a judgment based on the military strategy proposed by the prince. It was clear that he had the intention of letting him give advice to the prince and assist the crown prince. Then he told him with chariots and other things, showing trust, or ordering the monarch and his ministers to do so.
All previous grudges are cleared."
"Haha." Xie Qian smiled disdainfully, "How old is Qin Shiying? Does he think he will have the opportunity to return to the court to advise the prince and become the master of the East Palace? Or does he think he can survive a few years and wait for the opportunity in the future?
Will you assist the new master again?"
"Yu Qiao!"
Liu Jian scolded him with a straight face.
You, Xie Qian, are really outspoken. How dare you say such nonsense?
"Cough!" Xie Qian coughed, perhaps because of the contrast in Qin Hong's attitude, which made him completely angry.
Previously, he was teasing in front of those civil servants and military officials, making those military officials feel ashamed, but now Qin Shiying used "arrogant at first and respectful at the end" to let him know what it means to fall out of favor faster than turning the page in a book.
Li Dongyang said: "If it's better, find an opportunity to talk to Qin Shiying before he leaves for Pianguan."
Li Dongyang felt that since the emperor could come to the inner court meeting to show his goodwill, we can also imitate Qin Hong's heart and let him act according to the rules of civil servants.
Liu Jian raised his hand and rejected the proposal. He said: "The civil servants are leading the military affairs to the northwest. If the ministers meet with him rashly, they will be criticized. If your Majesty is determined to send troops to Hetao, he will not do it with just one minister."
There has been a change of opinion. Now it is better to use Qin Shiying as the commander-in-chief to promote military affairs than to replace it with someone else. There should be no more harsh demands."
From an overall perspective, Liu Jian is better than Li Dongyang.
He takes care of things more comprehensively.
The general meaning is that even if we ask Qin Hong to listen to us now and let him only defend at the Piantou Pass without arranging to send troops to Hetao, if the emperor's strategic intention cannot be achieved, he will be replaced.
It is also possible that someone who can lead troops on expeditions will be appointed as the governor of the three sides, and Qin Hong's power will be removed. Then it may not be as easy to control as it is now.
"Yeah." Li Dongyang understood what Liu Jian meant and nodded in approval.
Xie Qian asked: "What did Zhang Bingkuan do in this matter?"
Liu Jian shook his head. Apparently he didn't understand what role Zhang Zhou played in this matter. He just recalled it as much as possible and said: "The prince's military policy either came from his guidance, or it was created by him."
Chariots are also his idea... As for how to persuade Qin Shiying, I'm afraid I can only ask Qin Shiying himself."
Dilemma.
Qin Hong was about to lead his troops on an expedition, and the cabinet ministers could not go to see him to avoid suspicion. If they did not meet, they could not ask. If they did not ask, they would not know Qin Hong's true inner thoughts.
If you don’t know, you can only guess.
This is what makes them anxious.
It was clear that everything was under control before, but Qin Hong "rebelled" as soon as he turned his face. He couldn't even figure out the reason for the rebellion. This was what made the three cabinet ministers most powerless.
Li Dongyang said: "The prince has not yet completed his studies, but he is too obsessed with military affairs. This is not the style of a benevolent king. You might as well use this to report to the minister to remind your majesty to regulate the prince's daily schoolwork... Zhang Bingkuan, in particular, should not be too involved.
Let’s talk in the East Palace. What do Mr. Liu think?”
"Um."
After Li Dongyang's reminder, the three cabinet members seemed to have finally found a "breakthrough."
Since there is no way to change the emperor's use of Qin Hong, and there is no way to change Qin Hong's attitude, let's start with the impeachment of "Zhang Bingkuan, the bad prince". Even if the emperor cannot lose his trust in Zhang Zhou, at least let him first
Zhang Zhou drank a pot of Qingyi's reputation, which will reduce your reputation among civil servants.
We cannot guarantee our right to speak in the court, but we must at least guarantee our right to speak among civil servants.
"Yu Qiao, please go talk to someone about this," Liu Jiandao said, "Don't let others know."
Xie Qian smiled and nodded: "It's easy to say that Zhang Bingkuan has broken so many rules that it's hard to describe. There are officials in the court who have long hated him. If they hadn't deliberately suppressed him before... Haha. Don't worry, in the future,
He won't have an easy time."
…
…
Zhang Zhou had actually long expected that after Wang Yue's death, the civil servants would definitely attack him, the de facto emperor's first aide, in order to regain control of the military and political affairs in the northwest.
If you can't directly affect the emperor's trust in him, then you can indirectly start with his reputation.
Three people become tigers.
If everyone in the court said that Zhang Zhou was a near-sycophant, everyone in the country would not regard him as a near-sycophant.
After all, the public opinion of the Ming Dynasty has always been in the hands of those with pens. Even the emperor sometimes succumbed to public opinion. This is why the civil servants of the Hongzhi Dynasty could gradually become the absolute ruling force of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Zhou accompanied Qin Hong out of the palace and immediately took him to Wang Gong's factory. He visited the new artillery on site and showed Qin Hong the finished product of the new artillery cart.
Qin Hong was not very interested in artillery, but after seeing the new tank, his eyes were shining.
Wang Shouren came out with Tang Yin, and the two of them saluted Qin Hong: "I have met Qin Zhongcheng."
"oh?"
Qin Hong raised his head and saw two people in their thirties, whom he didn't recognize yet.
Zhang Zhou made a recommendation to him.
"Both undergraduates, Wang Shouren and Tang Yin, have been assisting in artillery exercises in the Yanwu Hall. They also contributed a lot to building the chariot." Zhang Zhou returned his credit to Wang Shou.
Ren and Tang Yin were a little bit different.
Mainly to bring Qin Hong closer to the two of them.
Qin Hong nodded and smiled: "You are young and promising."
Xiao Jing on the side reminded: "Wang Jinshi was ordered to go to Pianguan this time to escort the coffin of Marquis Weining back to his hometown and complete the funeral arrangements. As for Tang Jinshi, he was Mr. Zhang's younger brother. He was very knowledgeable about artillery and chariot building.
If you are good at it, you may be able to help Qin make Taiwan."
"oh."
Qin Hong nodded.
Obviously he had no objection to what Wang Shouren did.
It was reasonable and reasonable for the imperial court to send someone to attend Wang Yue's funeral. The important point was that Wang Shouren's background was much higher than that of Tang Yin. Qin Hong had no objection to a child from such a noble family.
But on Tang Yin's side...
You are of humble origin, the son of a merchant, or Zhang Zhou's junior brother?
So you still want to serve as my staff, help me build tanks or even make suggestions?
Who gave you the courage?
…
…
Then Zhang Zhou took Qin Hong alone to visit various places in Wang Gong Factory.
When everything is ready, Xiao Jing will then take Qin Hong to the Governor's Mansion. Qin Hong will be escorted by a thousand cavalry from the capital to Pianguan. This group of troops can also be regarded as the "private armed forces" given to Qin Hong by the emperor. When they arrive at Pianguan,
They also serve as bodyguards.
"Brother, I..."
After sending Qin Hong out of Wang Gong Factory, Wang Shouren was ready to leave.
Tang Yin, on the other hand, looked like "I can't do it, don't let me do it" and wanted to find Zhang Zhou to shirk responsibility.
Zhang Zhou narrowed his eyes and said: "What's wrong, second junior brother, you haven't gone to the northwest yet, are you getting scared?"
Tang Yin said: "Now that I have just become a Jinshi, my family has not yet settled down, and my official position has not yet been settled. At this time, I am going to the northwest...I feel uneasy inside, so why not..."
"hehe."
Zhang Zhou smiled.
Historically, Tang Yin and his second wife reconciled and divorced after the imperial examination failed in the twelfth year of Hongzhi's reign.
And because of his appearance, Tang Yin directly won the Jinshi this time, and the incident with Li did not happen.
But some conflicts did not arise just because of one day. After Tang Yin took his wife to the capital, many conflicts still occurred due to daily trivial matters, which seriously affected Tang Yin's career as an official.
"Bohu, it is not my intention that you go to the northwest, but His Majesty's intention." Zhang Zhou said with a smile, "You represent our sect, and your presence is also a restriction on Qin Shilang. You
Don’t look at him being picky about you now, but after arriving in the northwest, he will change his view of you. Because you...are indeed a capable person."
"Well……"
Tang Yin felt that Zhang Zhou was fooling him.
Am I a capable person?
I didn’t realize it myself, how did you figure it out?
"You don't have to worry too much about your family affairs. I'll arrange the living expenses and other things for you. I can't treat you badly when you serve the master. You see, I'll find a bigger yard for your wife to live in. What do you think?
How about next?"
"No...it's not necessary."
Tang Yin was shocked.
The relationship between him and his wife was not very good, but he knew that Zhang Zhou encouraged Zhu Feng to reconcile with his wife. Men never want to ask outsiders for help when it comes to household matters.
Zhang Zhou put his hand on Tang Yin's shoulder and gave him a pie: "Look, if you go to the northwest, you won't need any credit. Just treat it as earning a resume for yourself. When you come back, you will no longer be the head of the Sixth Department. Maybe you will directly
Promoted to Yuanwailang. If you feel that being an official in Beijing is not suitable, let you go to another place. You don't have to start from the county magistrate, general magistrate or the like. You can participate in the political affairs of the Chief Envoy and the Council for your selection!"
Tang Yin said: "I first entered the court and I have no merit. Is this...possible?"
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "You are in my sect, what is impossible? You should also know that I will be promoted to a bachelor's degree soon, right?"
"Uh...then...then I'll try it."
Although Tang Yin knew that Zhang Zhou was drawing cakes for him, he felt that this was an opportunity in his life.
After thinking about it, I bit the bullet and agreed.