It seems that the first snowfall in the sixth year of Jiajing was much later than that in the fifth year of Jiajing.
This intensified the worries of the people in the capital, even though three good news had been reported before: the great victory at Jingping, the recovery of Yutailing, and the king's division was encircling the lord of Beiyuan.
"Is this really true? I'm not talented, but I don't believe it!" In winter, reading a book freezes my fingers, but drinking tea is more warming.
Blow by the way, have a good mouth, and talk about politics.
"Why don't you believe it? How can Lubu Feijie be fake?"
"How powerful are the Tatars invading the border this time?" Nakouhe sneered, "There is no place on the border wall without encountering the enemy! Yutailing was not defended for one day, and two cities were lost in two days. Datong's
Bian was also trapped and captured three castles in a row. In the end, he won so easily?"
The emperor himself is not in the capital, and the atmosphere here seems to be much more relaxed, and some people are more daring to speak.
"Didn't I tell you about the victory? It was because Marquis Wu Ding and General Yu fought hard to resist the enemy, and the great victory was achieved in Jingping. I retreated in a hurry because I heard that the Taolu were defeated and were unable to defeat the king's division under the counterattack. Besides, we were going to besiege that place now.
The little prince."
"Hmph!" The man looked at them with a look of pity, "Either it's because the imperial commander went on a personal expedition to whitewash the military situation. Or, the Tatars lured the enemy and tried to catch them. Either way is not good news! Look at the weather, it won't happen this year.
They were lucky like they were last year. If the Tatars mobilized their troops like this, would they sit back and watch the little prince being surrounded? In my opinion, the little prince will grow up immediately, just because he wants Master Wang to be greedy for credit and rush forward! I answer that there must be a big victory first,
Why are you leaving without fighting? The soldiers are running very fast, and they are just looking at you, waiting for an opportunity to move!"
After saying that, he looked worried: "Why isn't it snowing yet? If it snows, the Tatars will also be afraid."
"...If the good news is true, will His Majesty really return home victorious?"
"Ha..." He was about to say something sarcastic, but luckily he stopped the car, "... That is of course very lucky, and it is a very lucky thing for the Ming Dynasty."
The discussions around the capital and the behavior of officials were all brought to Wang Zuo.
He kept in mind the emperor's instructions before leaving for the expedition: if it is not that kind of rebellion, there is no need to take action, just record it in the record first.
It has been two months since the emperor left the capital. Many people in the capital have become visibly bolder. They seem to have less scruples in speaking and doing things.
On the one hand, Wang Zuo lamented that the emperor already had considerable majesty, but on the other hand, he lamented the fragility of his prestige.
This was still under the condition that the battle on the front line was going smoothly. When the news of Yutailing's defeat first came, some people in the capital were panicked, and they did not discuss the war situation as boldly as they did now that they had a great victory.
It’s such a great achievement, whitewashing the military situation...
Wang Zuo looked at Liu Zhenyuan: "How are the officials?"
Liu Zhenyuan was very familiar with Baiguan. After all, he went south and captured Meng Chun and many others in Zhejiang and Nanjing.
"Fei Zongfu will have an instruction every day and pass it on to all offices. All officials can feel at ease and perform their duties."
Wang Zuo frowned.
He is only the Prime Minister and Minister of State, so does he have to give instructions once a day? After giving instructions for a long time, do all the officials only know the Chief Assistant and not His Majesty?
"The Marquis of Jing'an has entered the palace?"
"Yes, it's in the National Policy Palace."
Wang Zuo nodded: "I'll come to the palace to see you."
In the Forbidden City, Sun Jiao is actually not in the National Policy Hall now.
As soon as he entered the palace, he was personally summoned by Zhang Zuo, saying that the Queen Mother and the Empress were together at the Yangxin Hall and wanted to discuss matters with him.
After meeting my daughter and grandson, my grandson was naturally happy.
"Abbott." Empress Dowager Jiang said with worry on her face, "Your Majesty has been on the northern expedition for two months, and it's almost the twelfth lunar month. How will the declared war be? I really can't sleep at night, and I'm worried every day."
Sun Ming also raised his hand and wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
Sun Jiao laughed: "The announcement of a war is just like a good news. The imperial commander personally marched, and the morale of the generals in the border towns was greatly boosted. Now they are going to surround the Nalu chieftain. As for the imperial commander, the generals defended him and stayed firmly in the rear. There will be no hindrance.
.”
"...Hey." Empress Dowager Jiang paused, and then said hesitantly, "I have heard some rumors recently, saying that several princes' palaces have sent people to Beijing to check on the construction of the palaces, especially the Tenth Prince's Palace...
…There are a lot of guests.”
This time Sun Jiao stopped smiling.
After a moment of silence, he said: "Your Majesty has approved that the clan will not be trapped in the fiefdom. Some of them came to the capital to see how the new palace was built. This is also human nature. Over there at the Tenth Palace... Don't worry, Queen Mother, some businessmen are wise
It’s just some winter supplies from the palace.”
Empress Dowager Jiang looked into his eyes, and then asked bluntly: "Are you really worry-free?"
Sun Jiao shook his head. Although he was old, he said a little proudly at this moment: "I am in the capital, Duke Jingguo, Duke Yingying, Eunuch Zhang, and Commander Wang are all in the capital, so there is no need to worry! Don't worry, Your Majesty, Your Majesty will be there before the end of the twelfth lunar month.
Neng Shishi returns to Beijing!"
After he had settled the Queen Mother An first, the Queen's heart returned to the Palace of National Policy, where Wang Zuo was already waiting.
Wang Zuo was not a counselor, so the two met in the small side hall.
"Does the state leader know that some people are making plans in case there is another civil war?" Wang Zuo was also very straightforward, and his words were even more shocking.
Sun Jiao drank tea calmly: "I know, I'm a clown."
"Is this considered treason?"
"Of course it's treason." A cold light flashed in Sun Jiao's eyes, "It's just that there is no need to make people in the capital panic. They are looking forward to His Majesty being captured, but they also know that there is no serious news of a major defeat arriving in Beijing, so they cannot act rashly. Wait.
Your Majesty returns in triumph, and naturally there is nothing to hide."
Wang Zuo was silent for a moment, and then said: "If it were the State Palace..."
"Commander Wang!" Sun Jiao looked at him sharply this time, "I know what you are thinking. What I want to tell you is that the State Palace is named after His Majesty, and the Minister of State has obtained the imperial edict to serve the country.
Seriously! Since Your Majesty is at the helm of the expedition, he has naturally thought about all possible emergencies. All state officials are mature and prudent people, and they will definitely not be like those clowns who look forward to another civil engineering change."
He paused and then emphasized again: "Being prudent for the country and deliberately treason are two different things!"
Wang Zuo is a first-class wise man, but now he wants to confirm again: "I don't know your Majesty's holy decree."
"You are not a consultant, so you don't know." Sun Jiao didn't take it seriously. "In short, I am the head of the country. If you believe in me, you will abide by the imperial edict you heard and do what you should do. Your Majesty replied
Before Beijing, do not act rashly until there is clear information."
"...I understand."
After saying that, the two looked at each other, and Wang Zuo said goodbye and left.
Without the one or two state ministers pretending to be deaf and dumb, some people would not have dared to think about anything in case there was another civil engineering change.
Is the Minister of State following the imperial edict to put the country first and not ignore any possibility, or is he taking advantage of His Majesty's departure from Beijing to lure some people out before the deadline for the shipment of grain and tax from various places in February next year, or is he using a chicken to lay eggs?
, is really planning something, all Wang Zuo can do is to keep a close eye on it.
But what else can he plan? In the palace, His Majesty already has two sons.
Although Xuanda has sent back three pieces of good news, none of the important ministers who stayed in the capital dare to relax.
Among them, those who know the previous strategic planning understand even more that the battle situation is ever-changing and the trend is unpredictable.
I replied that I evacuated calmly. Who knew that I was not using the Great Khan of Beiyuan as bait to attack again?
The snow has not fallen yet this year, so everything is still uncertain.
Yang Shen was busy supervising the delivery of the last batch of winter clothes from the Weaving Bureau to Zhang Jing and Zheng Xiao, asking them to arrange for them to be escorted to the Xuan Mansion. He was about to start the new year's accounts again.
In a war, whether it is rewards for meritorious service or pensions for casualties, one will immediately face huge financial expenses.
Only now did he know where His Majesty had the confidence to plan this war.
In the sixteenth year of Zhengde, the money His Majesty dug out from Wei Bin and others was not the more than four million taels he had said when he first came to court, but more than six million taels, as well as other properties, houses, etc.
Over the years, your Majesty has been beating up ministers, honorable ministers, corrupt ministers, etc., and the money has been accumulated bit by bit. For example, when Zhang Fujing was investigating the Confucius family in Shandong, the money that was transported to the inner transport warehouse for punishment according to the rules at that time was
…
The emperor even coordinated a lot of the money they subscribed to, such as allowing ministers to invest in state-owned enterprises such as Huang Mingji, and allowing vassal princes to invest in grain storage accounts. In addition to arranging "investments" for various enterprises, there was also some other money.
In addition, Yan Song asked to open a shipping company in Zhejiang, and so many wealthy businessmen who wanted to go to sea paid "deposits"...
Yang Shen admired him for a while - His Majesty tried so hard to rip off his most reliable ministers, honorable ministers, and clan members, and everyone became more and more docile, even though in the process, he welcomed the emperor to Beijing and later became complacent.
The arrogant Huianbo Zhang Wei rebelled, and King Youji rebelled.
In short, His Majesty has indeed saved a lot of money. You know, he also lent a lot to the Ministry of Revenue.
But Yang Shen was still very nervous - if this battle lasted for a few more months, it would be overstretched.
Now he also hopes that it will snow soon so that the war can end first.
Yan Song was in the official hall of the Ministry of Rites, looking at the thank you form submitted by the Liang family and the letter to Yan Song.
Liang Chu was demoted to serve the people because of his crimes. Now that Yan Song was in the Ministry of Rites, he was given the posthumous title of "Wenzhong" and was recognized by the emperor. The Liang family was very grateful for this.
Although this "loyalty" is not as good as "zheng", Liang Chu was an official all his life, and his godson could not be called "zheng", but he was indeed "loyal" to Zhu Houcong. He helped Zhu Houcong establish rules and stabilized his power.
, helped Zhu Houcong and Zhang Fuking try out new methods in Guangdong, and it can be said that the last few years laid the foundation for the Liang family in Guangdong for hundreds of years to come.
But being able to be posthumously named "Wenzhong" was inseparable from Yan Song's generous support.
Liang Chu's son tactfully mentioned in his letter of thanks to Yan Song that Liang Chu had asked Yu Qian to be posthumously posthumous, and Yan Song later asked Yu Qian to share the imperial ancestral temple. Before Liang Chu passed away, he still told his descendants to put loyalty first. Yan Song memorial
Please posthumously postulate Liang Chu Wenzhong, he is indeed Liang Chu’s confidant.
Yan Song knew about it, and Liang Chu and his son recalled what happened back then. This was to ask the Liang family to show their kindness to Yan Song.
Later in the letter, it was mentioned that the Mo family usurped the throne in Cochin. The Liang family fleet was hired by Huang Mingji Maritime Trading Company to make inquiries in various places in Cochin.
This made Yan Song even happier: The Liang family today is worthy of close friendship. The Liang family in the future will be very useful.
All of this was left aside, and now Yan Song was also thinking about the war in Xuanda.
He hoped that the emperor would return with a great victory and present the victory to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. If there was an unprecedented great victory, he, the Minister of Rites, would definitely be able to make this great victory gift beautiful and famous for generations to come.
Everything he did, Yan Song, relied on the emperor to secure his position firmly and implement new ideas one after another.
Yan Song's greatest skill is to understand the emperor's mind, and he is willing to change it, and he can change it quickly!
For example, now, when Wang Shouren arranges for the secret report to be sent to Beijing, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Household Affairs must first study it carefully, and then go to the national policy meeting to discuss it, and wait for His Majesty to come back and make a decision.
The trade strategy for Duoyan Sanwei, and the opening of the market in Liaodong to try to recruit Duoyan Sanwei again, who had become one of the 30,000 households in the left wing of Mongolia, Ullangha Ten Thousand Households, all of which allowed Yan Song to use his skills.
If the market opens in Liaodong, then the goods going back and forth from Liaodong will naturally be inseparable from the Shipping Bureau, which has a close relationship with Yan Song.
He also has a lot of experience in how to open the market.
But Yan Song was not in a hurry. He was not yet aware of the emperor's clear attitude.
Wang Shouren acted decisively to create an opportunity to encircle Arak Khan, and His Majesty would not reject the general direction he had discussed with the three guards of Duoyan.
But what about the details?
The officials and people in the capital had different ideas and were all looking forward to the outcome of the war in the border town. Some were looking forward to the emperor's return soon, while others were looking forward to the emperor going to study abroad in the grasslands.
From the northwest direction of the capital, several riders galloped towards the capital.
Then, they divided their directions, some headed to the east of the city, and some to the south of the city. They only rode in a few areas, but they seemed to be encircling the capital.
Fortunately, everyone recognized them as soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.
The sound of horses' hooves passed everywhere, and the sound of their subsequent explosions was not as fast as the horses' hooves.
A cavalry rushed into each city gate, making public all the way. The officials and people in the capital finally heard what happened in Chicheng County, Xuan Prefecture two days ago.
"A great victory for the Xuanfu! His Majesty commanded Sanchakou Fort in Chicheng County, and the king's army killed the Great Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty at the outer formation of Zhen'an Fort in Chicheng County, annihilating countless enemies! The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!"
This time was unlike previous great victories, which always led to a period of silence, followed by incredible noise and discussion.
But you wouldn’t dare to fake this kind of news, right?
"The Great Khan of Beiyuan will be killed in formation... It's over, it's over, the Tatars will definitely take revenge with all their lives..."
"Reply your mother! You coward! The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!"
"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!"
The sound of horse hooves galloping all the way to Chengtianmen, the officials of the five government and six ministries could not help but leave the yamen, and stared blankly at the high-spirited soldier reporting the victory on the street. Listening to the words coming out of his mouth, he doubted that his ears were damaged.
What's the problem.
The people who least want to doubt and least need to doubt are the Praetorian Guards.
"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious! Long live your Majesty!"
The sound was deafening, and all the officials on duty in front of the Forbidden City ran out.
Gu Shilong went from Wuying Hall to the door outside Fengtian Hall, Fei Hong and others came down from the Wen Building where a meeting was taking place, and Sun Jiao stumbled from the National Policy Hall to the Neijinshui Bridge in front of Fengtian Hall.
The soldiers who reported the victory turned over and dismounted, held up the victory report, and shouted loudly: "Xuanfu is a great victory! Your Majesty drove the Sanchakou Fort in Chicheng County, and the king's army killed the Great Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty at the outer array of Zhen'an Fort in Chicheng County, annihilating countless enemies!
Win!"
The three of them were in a daze: Is it really such a great victory?
Who made this unparalleled feat? Was it Wang Shouren, Yang Yiqing, or Li Quanli?
It wasn't until those who were qualified to see detailed military information saw the specific process that they all fell silent.
"...That's a good answer." Gu Shilong sighed.
Fei Hong looked at Gu Shilong worriedly: "Dong Jingguo, in your opinion, can Bian Town enjoy a few years of peace?"
Gu Shilong shook his head: "I don't know. After this battle, the Beiyuan Dynasty will definitely be in chaos. But whether this chaos will be chaos among the various tribes or chaos in the Ming Dynasty, it is impossible to say. Regardless.
No matter what, if they want to regain stability, they must seek a great victory over Ming Dynasty."
Sun Jiao solemnly said: "Anda has established a solid foundation in the first battle. With the current situation, I think there will be no great chaos in the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Anda will definitely fight against the border for many years in order to increase its prestige and gradually seize the throne."
"Your Majesty, your young minister is strong..." Fei Hong said with a shrug, "This is to dampen the young prince's spirit and make him hate me..."
"Don't say that!" Sun Jiaoyi Lao Yizun glared at Fei Hong, "Such a great victory is rare! The border town was already in constant trouble, but now that your majesty personally conquered the battle and won a great victory, the border town must be revolutionized.
Who dares to teach the bandits self-respect if they train their troops badly? Fight while reforming!"
Fei Hong stopped talking and just read the battle report for the last time: "What a pity..."
Yan Song knew what he was regretting, but now Yan Song only had four words in his heart: Dedicate the Ancestral Temple!