After Wang Chaofu returned to the palace and informed Zhu Youxiao of the news he had learned, a trace of solemnity flashed across Zhu Youxiao's face.
He remembered that during the Zhengtong period, the reason why Emperor Yingzong suffered the defeat of Tumubao was because the border army generals colluded with the Mongols and various smuggling interests were connected.
Afraid of being exposed by the investigation, he simply took the gamble and went to the end, killing the emperor directly within the Great Wall.
The situation at that time was so similar to his current situation, both of which were at odds with civil servants and vigorously rectifying military armaments and government administration.
Unexpectedly, such a situation and situation would reappear in the Ming Dynasty more than a hundred years later.
Despite his current promises, the centralization of power seems to be successful, but if the people below fight back and fail to deal with it properly, the price he will pay will not be light.
At this time, a thought flashed through Zhu Youxiao's mind. Since time is not waiting for us, he will simply do it to the end. Who is afraid of whom?
It's better to kill these Mongolians with evil intentions once and for all, and just clean up the border town of Datong and scare the generals on the nine sides.
Now, he really feels that the matter between the civil servants and nobles has not been settled yet, and the border town is going to be in turmoil again.
The queen was about to give birth. With this concern in mind, he did not dare to leave the palace even half a step at this time, otherwise he would have to go on a personal expedition again to eliminate the trouble in one fell swoop.
In desperation, he had no choice but to draft an imperial edict and give it to Mangui, reminding him to beware of Yang Hong and the Mongols colluding internally and externally to cause harm to the pass.
He was also given the royal flag to increase his power. If this happens, he can justifiably take over the defense military power of Datong.
The King's Order Flag is very important. It is more authoritative and easier to use than the so-called Shangfang Sword.
In the early Ming Dynasty, royal flags were extremely rare. Only generals who led troops on expeditions would be temporarily awarded them and would be returned to the court after the war.
But now, it is very different from the early Ming Dynasty. Just like the position of chief military officer, it has changed from a temporary war to a formal norm.
Because this thing represents the emperor and can command all armies, emperors in the past dynasties would only grant it carefully, and of course it is the same now.
With this thing, the power of the person holding it will be very great. Basically, the military and political power of a region is in the hands of one person.
If someone disobeys the king's orders and flags, no matter how high your status is or how powerful your official position or military power is, the person who holds it can remove him from power and position on the spot.
If the situation is out of control or urgent, as long as there is a reasonable reason, you can kill on the spot.
In history, why Yuan Chonghuan dared to kill Mao Wenlong was not because he held Shang Fang's sword, nor because of his high official position.
But because he had the royal order flag awarded by Emperor Chongzhen, he was able to order Mao Wenlong to see him and kill him on the spot.
Without this flag, Yuan Chonghuan would not even say he wanted to kill Mao Wenlong. If he had ordered Mao Wenlong, Mao Wenlong would not have killed him at all.
The Shangfang Sword was not only owned by Yuan Chonghuan, but also by Mao Wenlong, and his was awarded by Emperor Tianqi.
In a sense, Mao Wenlong's representative significance and power are stronger than Yuan Chonghuan's.
In terms of official positions, Mao Wenlong was a first-class Pingliao General and the chief guard officer.
Yuan Chonghuan was just a minister with the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, but he was only a second-rank official. There was a full one-level difference in rank.
Even though the Ming Dynasty used culture to control military affairs, Mao Wenlong was not under the control of his supervisor. Dongjiang Town was directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.
Therefore, it was Yuan Chonghuan who had the king's order flag, who was able to order Mao Wenlong to meet him and daringly kill him.
Moreover, Emperor Chongzhen only criticized him a few times afterwards, without any actual punishment or obvious attitude.
He still has more trust than Yuan Chonghuan because he was given the royal flag. Sometimes he can really overstep his authority and act expediently.
If he hadn't come from a later generation and knew Man Gui's loyalty, he would never have given Man Gui such high power.
However, the awarding of the royal flag cannot be finalized by the emperor, and it still needs the approval of the cabinet and the Ministry of War.
However, they had no idea who the emperor was, and even Wang Zaijin, who had always supported the emperor, raised questions.
"Your Majesty, there is no war in Datong Xuanfu and it is as stable as usual. After all, Mangui is a Mongolian. If you give him a royal flag, you will regret it if he is not under control."
"There is no war now, but it does not mean that there will be no war in the future. If someone cheats and colludes with the Mongols outside the customs to launch a surprise attack, it will be too late to regret it."
Although Zhu Youxiao couldn't tell them directly, he still gave a subtle hint.
But these words made them even more confused. Aren't the Mongolians outside the pass already surrendered?
Lin Danhan doesn’t even know where he has fled to now, let alone a counterattack.
Zhu Youxiao seemed to see the doubts in their hearts and said immediately:
"What I'm talking about are those Mongolians who have surrendered to me, the Ming Dynasty, and gathered outside the Great Wall of Datong in Xuanzhen."
"With hundreds of thousands of tribes gathered in one place, can you feel relieved?"
"I don't need to talk about the thoughts of those Mongolians. They have always been a piece of grass that has been blown away by the wind."
"When the Ming Dynasty was strong, they might pretend to surrender. Once the country is weak, they would raise troops to invade the country, burn, kill, and plunder the people of the Ming Dynasty."
"Besides, Datong and Xuanfu have just abolished their guard posts, the army is reorganizing, and various passes are being renovated and defended. Now is the time of weakness."
"If someone has evil intentions and takes this opportunity to cause chaos and sneak into the customs, but I, the Ming Dynasty, are unprepared, what should I do then?"
After Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, he smiled coldly. What he said was very clear, and he didn't believe that they really couldn't understand it.
What the emperor said does make sense. Mongolians have always been mothers if they have milk, and they are capricious.
He may have been chatting with you in a lively manner just now, but when he turns around, he will put a saber on your neck.
Too many things like this have happened in the past two hundred years, so we really need to be on guard.
After hearing the emperor's analysis, Xu Guangqi immediately replied:
"What your Majesty said is absolutely true, and there are many large businessmen in the Xuanfu of Datong who are secretly colluding with the Mongols. Although your Majesty has dealt with many of them, it is inevitable that some fish will slip through the net."
"If these people are afraid of the revelation, or have a grudge, there is no guarantee that they will not be willing to be the lackeys of the Mongols and turn around to harm our Ming Dynasty!"
Although Xu Guangqi has not yet understood the specific meaning of the emperor, the fact is that he must always be wary of these people, especially now that they have surrendered, he must be more vigilant.
The other two ministers felt that what he said was reasonable, but they still couldn't let go of Mangui's Mongolian identity.