Not to mention the gap in capabilities between the two sides, the main reason is that the resources they control in Datong City are really unequal, and Qin Dewei also has the power to issue orders as the governor of the garrison.
If two governors and governors directly confront each other, from the commander-in-chief to the prefect to the lower-level officers and soldiers, it is self-evident who will listen.
Mao Bowen had never been so entangled and embarrassed in his many years of officialdom.
If he persisted and refused to retreat, the consequences could be imagined. From rationality to emotion, he told him that he was definitely no match for Qin Dewei;
But the conditions proposed by Qin Dewei were too harsh! How could he be willing to resign? This is not the position of a junior official, but the official position of a second-rank official!
In desperation, Mao Bowen could not help but utter a famous saying: "It is also worrying to advance, and it is also worrying to retreat, but when will you be happy?"
Qin Dewei burst out laughing. I really can't tell that Mr. Mao is actually very humorous.
Mao Bowen said angrily: "Master Qin is so coercive that he made the governor resign after taking office for only a few days. Aren't you afraid that the court will be suspicious?"
Qin Dewei was very self-aware and responded: "Actually, Mr. Mao, if you think about it carefully, if I really did such a thing, others wouldn't be surprised by me, right? Where can I start talking about being surprised?"
Mao Bowen was speechless. What he said was so unreasonable!
Qin Dewei added: "I don't know what you are struggling with, Mr. Mao, why do you have to carry everything alone?
I know that it was Xia Shoufu who asked you to come. Since you are encountering difficulties now, why not ask Xia Shoufu?"
Mao Bowen suddenly had an enlightenment! The man in front of him was right. Why did he have to face Qin Dewei alone?
He was appointed by Xia Shoufu to be the Governor of Xuanda. If he could not do it, it would not only be a major setback for his career, but also a loss for Xia Shoufu!
In other words, if he is forced to resign, then Chief Xia will lose face, prestige, and power.
Not to mention that Qin Dewei is a species beyond his own abilities and should have moved out of Xia Shoufu!
Qin Dewei continued to say sincerely: "So if you listen to my advice, why should Master Mao embarrass himself?
You should quickly ask Xia Shoufu what should be done next! It is Xia Shoufu who should come out to solve the problem, not you!"
That's right! That's it! Governor Mao's brows relaxed, and the big stone that was pressing on his heart seemed to be lifted away, feeling indescribably relieved.
Thanks to the advice from the person in front of him, Governor Mao thought about this and subconsciously said to Qin Dewei: "Thank you, Mr. Qin, for your advice!"
Those who are willing to listen to advice are those who can be saved. Qin Dewei also responded happily: "You're welcome! We are both officials of the imperial court, and it is our duty to give each other advice!"
Mao Bowen nodded gratefully, but suddenly he felt that something was wrong? Why should he thank Qin Dewei?
Qin Dewei was sometimes very considerate and thoughtful in helping his opponents. He quickly made another suggestion:
"If Mr. Mao is embarrassed to ask Xia Shoufu for help, you can use me as an excuse!
Just tell Xia Shoufu clearly that it was me who forced you to ask for help in every possible way, you can put all the blame on me, I don't mind!"
Governor Mao was completely speechless, so thank you!
Qin Dewei suddenly changed his expression: "However, I also have a condition that I won't make it too difficult for you.
You must follow my instructions, otherwise everything you just said will be invalid, and we will go to war directly in Datong City!"
Mao Bowen was a little hesitant, not knowing what Qin Dewei wanted to do.
Qin Dewei added: "You can't just think about Xia Yan, you should also think about yourself. How to be a good governor safely is your first consideration."
After leaving the Fuyuan and returning to Yunzhongyi, Governor Mao discussed with his staff, but heard the staff sigh: "Qin Zhongtang is also merciful, otherwise he would have killed him earlier and played it later, which would not have left this glimmer of hope for the platform."
Governor Mao shook his head and said: "It's not to leave a chance for me, but to leave a chance for Xia Shoufu to save his face.
And Qin Dewei still gave Xia Shoufu this chance for Yan Song's sake."
The staff were not very clear about the inside story of the highest-level circles. After hearing the situation introduced by Governor Mao, they just felt that your circle was really in chaos.
The staff couldn't say anything else, so in the end they could only say: "It seems that Qin Zhongtang seems to be angry, but in fact it is to force Xia Shoufu into the palace.
If Xia Shoufu wants to keep the platform, he must exchange it for something real that can satisfy Qin Dewei. All in all, the platform is probably fine."
At this point, the staff was quite helpless. So did Xia Yan send Mao Bowen to Xuanda to steal chickens or deliver food?
At this time, because the Northern Barbarians retreated, this year's "Autumn Preparation" was over, and the Ming court could finally spare its energy to deal with the aftermath.
Emperor Jiajing issued an order to have the cabinet ministers gather to discuss the two major issues of presenting prisoners as gifts and awarding meritorious officials (Qin Dewei).
This victory at Fengzhoutan is a major event in current political life, and it is also a matter of great honor to Emperor Jiajing. From the triumphal ceremony to the awards, there is no room for negligence.
Speaking of which, many people may not believe it. Although Emperor Taizu Gao officially formulated the prisoner ceremony, until the Jiajing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had never conducted a serious prisoner ceremony.
Even Taizu himself had a simplified, casual and unobtrusive attitude towards the prisoner-offering ceremony. Later generations followed suit and the prisoner-offering ceremony was very casual and concise, with no definite rules at all.
Emperor Zhengde "camped personally" and after pacifying Prince Ning's rebellion, he wanted to hold a grand prisoner ceremony with great fanfare, but it was all nonsense.
According to the original historical trajectory, the first emperor in the Ming Dynasty who seriously organized memorial temples and prisoner offerings was actually the later Emperor Wanli. He did this as many as four times, and it was all well-founded and not the kind of nonsense that Zhengde did.
"Victory in person".
From this point of view, Emperor Wanli can also be said to have "illustrious martial arts", but it is a pity that it is just the sunset of the Ming Dynasty's martial arts.
In this time and space, Governor Qin achieved a great victory at Fengzhou Beach, which was completely worthy of suing the temple and offering prisoner gifts. With the vanity of Emperor Jiajing, how could he not do it.
However, the imperial court has not paid much attention to the prisoner ceremony for many years. The ministers are not familiar with the prisoner ceremony ceremony, and many of the old systems on paper are not suitable for use.
Therefore, Emperor Jiajing, who liked to update the etiquette system the most, specially issued an edict to let the internal and external ministers collectively discuss and formulate a complete and feasible set of rituals to declare the military power of the Ming Dynasty to the world.
Of course the ministers were happy to see the victory come to fruition. They were not traitors and did not expect the Ming army to be defeated. But why was it Qin Dewei who directed the victory?
The ministers of the cabinet, ministry, and court gathered in the west inner porch room. The theme of this court meeting was the issue of etiquette. It was logical that Zhang Chao, the Minister of Rites, presided over it.
Of course, Xu Zan, the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, who was the leader of the six departments of the Outer Dynasty and the host of most court meetings, was old and needed to pay attention to health, so he did not want to preside over court meetings involving Qin Dewei.
Everyone knows the spirit of Emperor Jiajing's instructions. The purpose of presenting a prisoner is to make the scene grand.
The location can be set at the Meridian Gate, which is the most powerful. The emperor ascended the Five Phoenix Tower and was captured from a high position. It would be absolutely spectacular!
There are two thousand people on site for the big Han general who stands and shouts, and several hundred people for the victorious band, ensuring a grand atmosphere!
There is no dispute about the overall guiding ideology. What needs to be discussed most is the details of the etiquette, specifically the arrangements for each link.
The three most important links are: first, the ministers' representatives presented prisoners to the emperor; second, after the emperor was captured, he gave speeches and issued edicts;
Third, after receiving the edict, the Minister of Punishment is responsible for handling the prisoners, including those who should be imprisoned and those who should be killed.
Then the first point of discussion is, who will present prisoners to the emperor as a representative?
Since ancient times, there have been only two options for choosing the candidates to offer prisoners, the first is the commander-in-chief of the expedition, and the second is the minister of the Ministry of War.
Applying it to the present, it is actually a choice between Qin Dewei and Wang Tingxiang.
Everyone knows about the relationship between Wang Tingxiang and Qin Dewei. Originally, this matter should not cause any trouble. Wang Tingxiang will definitely not compete with Qin Dewei for the opportunity to appear.
But for some unknown reason, someone took the lead and said as if jokingly: "It is the Ministry of War that should present the prisoners! I recommend the Minister of War, Wang Shangshu!"
So the others quickly entered the state of having fun, and Wang Ting waved his hands and said: "This great victory is the result of life and death for the commander-in-chief of Bian Town. When the commander-in-chief should show off his victory, how can I dare to be greedy for fame and credit?"
Under normal circumstances, if the person recommended at the court meeting takes the initiative to give in, he will not force himself.
But at this moment, Xia Yan, the first assistant, suddenly said: "The prisoner presentation ceremony is a prisoner sacrifice from the imperial court. The Ministry of War should represent the imperial court!"
The originally relaxed atmosphere of the discussion suddenly became tense, and everyone realized that Xia Shoufu seemed to have some ideas.
Prime Minister Wang Ting said sternly: "Shou Kui's words are wrong. If it is an ordinary good news, as an officer of the Ministry of War, I might be able to reluctantly sacrifice the prisoners on my behalf, so as not to cause a lot of material discussions.
But this great victory at Toyosu Beach is truly an extraordinary achievement. Perhaps the emperor will issue an edict to reward him on the spot, so how can I go beyond my duties and offer prisoners in place of the commander-in-chief?"
Xia Shoufu retorted: "Our dynasty does not have a formal etiquette system for presenting prisoners. Today's drafting of regulations for presenting prisoners in honor can be regarded as a link between the past and the future, and it should set an example for the future."
Wang Junchuan, don't just think about your personal relationship. Your position is the Minister of the Ministry of War. You should consider issues with the public interest of the Minister of the Ministry of War.
In addition, I think Wang Junchuan is also popular, and many people agree that you will offer him as a prisoner, so why do you keep declining?"
The weight of what the chief assistant said was different, so many people naturally echoed his words. Qin Dewei was not present anyway.
Besides, it also makes sense for the Minister of War to offer prisoners to the army. The major affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs, and there is nothing wrong with the military administration being represented by the Minister of War on behalf of the country!
Even Zhai Luan, who re-entered Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion but never went to work, showed up today. At this time, he jumped out and said: "Wang Junchuan should indeed be offered as a prisoner!"
Wang Tingxiang could only thank him again and again. No matter what, he would definitely not steal Qin Dewei's limelight.
So Xia Yan, the chief assistant, turned down his face and shouted: "Everyone has recommended you again and again, but you still don't obey, Wang Junchuan! Since you resist everyone's recommendation, why don't you resign to show your determination? Otherwise, I will think that you are unwilling to leave."
When many people heard this, they suddenly realized that Xia Shoufu was also a drunkard who did not care about drinking, and used the issue of the selection of prisoners as a means of squeezing Wang Tingxiang.
The people on Qin Dewei's side felt a bit leaderless, mainly because they didn't know what Qin Dewei was thinking.
None of them knew how interested Qin Dewei was in giving prisoner gifts, and they didn't know whether Qin Dewei wanted to keep a low profile or continue to keep a high profile.
So it's hard to express my position at this time, for fear of being unhelpful.
Without someone present, Xia Yan, who was rated as "tyrannical" by history books, finally looked like a strong chief assistant, and asked aggressively: "Wang Junchuan, what did you think about it?"
Yan Song, the second assistant, who had been keeping a low profile recently and had no sense of presence, also spoke at this time: "It is better for the Minister of War to present the prisoners, so as to set an example for future generations and prevent the commanders from taking credit for their achievements and being arrogant and difficult to control. This is a long-lasting strategy.
!”
Yan Song also realized that if Wang Tingxiang was removed, wouldn't that free up a position of minister in charge of the ministry?
Even if the Minister of War lets Xia Yan take it, the person who replaces the Minister of War will definitely leave a considerable position.
A carrot and a pitfall, who among the powerful bosses wouldn’t want to seize this opportunity?
Wang Tingxiang glanced at the elders, pondered for a moment, and then said: "If the way is different, it is not impossible to resign! But the Minister of the Ministry of War cannot sit alone. I wonder who you want to recommend?"
Everyone was surprised to hear Wang Tingxiang's statement.
Although he did not explicitly say that he wanted to resign, this "no, no, no" attitude itself put Wang Tingxiang under heavy siege.
Everyone thought that Wang Tingxiang was either making jokes or making excuses, but he would never resign anyway. Unexpectedly, Wang Tingxiang actually took the initiative to bring up the topic of "resignation."
I didn't expect Wang Tingxiang to be so strong-willed and so intolerable.
Soon someone picked up the conversation: "With the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, Governor-General Xuan Da Military Affairs, Mao Bowen already knows military affairs, and with the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, he can be directly transferred to the title of Minister of the Ministry of War without any further twists and turns."
It also received a lot of likes.
The host, Zhang Chao, the Minister of Rites, saw that the situation was gradually "deteriorating" and said wisely in a hurry: "Mao Bowen is the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, and he may not be able to resign.
During the prisoner presentation ceremony, after the emperor was captured, officials from the Ministry of Punishment would come out to directly punish the prisoners on behalf of the imperial court.
Now the Minister of Justice is Mao Bowen. If the Ministry of War is hastily transferred, who should be in charge of the indispensable Ministry of Justice?"
Xia Yan then said: "If it really comes to that point, Mao Bowen will transfer to the military department and then choose another virtuous person to replace the criminal department!"
Most people wouldn't be able to hear anything, but people at the boss level would understand it right away.
Xia Shoufu intends to transfer his interests in exchange for everyone's support temporarily!
Therefore, except for Qin Dewei's cronies, there was almost one-sided support for Xia Shoufu's speech.
Even the centrists are biased. You Wang Tingxiang rashly mentioned the topic of "resigning from office". Who is to blame?
But in the eyes of others, Wang Tingxiang, who should have started to panic, looked at Xia Yan quietly, with a bit of pity in his expression.
No one knows how complicated Wang Tingxiang's heart is. His friendship with Xia Yan can be traced back to more than ten years ago, and they have been political allies for ten years. It is only in recent years that they have drifted apart.
But that was just a gradual estrangement, far from a break. But now, in order to expand his power, Xia Yan began to squeeze Wang Tingxiang head-on.