Then Zhu Houcong noticed the movement and raised his head to look at him again: "What?"
"Your Majesty is about to send troops..." Lu Bing gritted his teeth, "I think it is true that some honorable relatives invited Tibetan monks to join the government, but if it is just because of this... it is making a fuss. Your Majesty knows it clearly, to be honest,
In fact, in the houses of many honorable relatives, there are ladies who want to do these things. As for the honorable relatives... some of them don't care, and some don't even think of doing it."
Zhu Houcong frowned: "According to what you said, you can't do it even if you try with two or three companies? Lu Bing, you have been helping people more and more recently."
His words were serious, and Lu Bing immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, forgive me! Your Majesty has made it clear, and I am also loyal. I think it is better to investigate secretly than to beat them. With solid evidence, it is more natural to accuse Tubo, and it is more important to alert the ministers."
efficient."
Zhu Houcong was thoughtful and let him get up first.
After a while, he asked: "Since you didn't write it clearly, you must have an idea. Which company may have the problem?"
"...If Your Majesty really wants me to investigate, I would like to ask my consort to also meet with Your Majesty to support each other."
When Zhu Houcong heard this, he became serious and immediately said to Huang Jin: "Go and declare!"
Logically speaking, at night like now, the current emperor has begun to deal with less state affairs.
But Lu Bingben just sent the report as usual before leaving the job, and then he was left behind.
Yu Chengye had already returned to the palace. Now that he heard the call, he hurriedly entered the palace again.
In the night, he went directly to Qianqing Palace and walked into Xinuang Pavilion.
One of them is Zhu Houcong's brother-in-law, and the other is his brother-in-law.
Zhu Houcong then looked at Lu Bing: "Can we talk?"
Lu Bing looked at Yu Chengye and then said: "Dong Chengguo, Marquis of Xianning, Ding Xibo."
Yu Chengye was shocked.
One is Zhu Xizhong, the president of the Construction Bureau, the other is Qiu Luan, who was transferred to the chief military officer of Yunnan because the King of Yue went to Yunnan Province last year, and the other is Jiang Fu, the general person in charge of the grain storage account in Sichuan.
"If you need Maoxian's proof, you should speak first!"
Zhu Houcong already had some guesses in his mind.
When Zhu Feng ascended the throne, Zhu Houcong had already promulgated the rule that if a kinsman had no merit, he would be demoted and replaced. He was a Marquis of Chengguo at the time, and he had made contributions to the logistics transfer in the War of Outer Dian, so he was restored to the dukedom and succeeded the British Duke Zhang Lun.
He took charge of the Huangming Assets Bureau. During his time in Yunnan, he laid the foundation.
Jiang Fu was also a "victim" of being demoted and replaced. His ancestor was Jiang Gui, Marquis of Dingxi. He followed Zhu Di to fight from the Battle of Jingnan, and went south to Annan with Zhang Fu. He repeatedly stood up during Taizu's northern campaign.
Military exploits. During the Xuande period, he pacified Songpan when he was garrisoning in Sichuan. In the early years of Zhengtong, he drove away Adai Khan and Duoer Zhibo from Gansu, and then led an army to conquer Luchuan in the south... It can be said that from Yongle to the early years of Zhengtong, Jiang Gui was
One of the manifestations of Ming Dynasty’s abundant martial virtue.
However, there are few successors.
As for Qiu Luan... he ascended the throne before the new policy, so he is still a marquis. For so many years, Zhu Houcong has not existed and has not given Qiu Luan a chance, but he cannot be reused.
It should be said that there is indeed a bias, because in Zhu Houcong's mind, Qiu Luan is afraid of war, greedy for profit, and has betrayed the country. But this time when he sent Qiu Luan, who was thirty-seven and in his prime, to Yunnan, Zhu Houconn planned to take a look at him.
Can I make meritorious deeds along with Mu Shaoxun?
Unexpectedly, Lu Bing noticed something was wrong with him now.
"Your Majesty, this is Yunnan-Guizhou Chi Road, a border city in Yunnan." Lu Bing said concisely and comprehensively, "So Duke Cheng has a shadow in Yunnan, and Dingxibo's family has many heirs. The Xianning Marquis' commander-in-chief in Yunnan has greater authority.
Precious stones and ivory are both good products. Most importantly, the Ming Dynasty no longer lacks horses, but Tubo still lacks tea."
Zhu Houcong looked at Yu Chengye with a sullen face: "After the Pujin Bridge incident, you just checked the accounts of the companies under the Assets Bureau. Are there any clues?"
Yu Chengye said truthfully: "Of course there are no big problems with the accounts within the company. But I don't have the power to conduct a thorough investigation of the relationships between other descendants, relatives, and friends of each family. If we want to conduct a thorough investigation, then now it is time for the business to conduct a thorough investigation."
Co-organized by the ministry.”
Lu Bing said: "On my side, people from the Yunnan and Sichuan Special Service Teams have heard some rumors. The King of Yue has been in Kunming for more than a year. Now the generals from the provinces have come to Beijing to discuss matters and have been mobilized. I am afraid that a war will begin.
As the war breaks out, business is temporarily unavailable. In addition, Yunnan is a dangerous place in Tubo. To be honest, the Marquis of Xianning is not known among the army for his courage to fight and his ability to fight. He has led troops for many years, and if he can be said to have merit, he can only be said to have served in the Beijing camp in the past.
He made a small contribution during the riot. The officials at that time also happened to meet him, and to be honest, it was not considered dangerous."
"...Qiu Luan has only been in Yunnan for more than a year." Zhu Houcong looked at Lu Bing, "Has he also been involved in the business in Yunnan's border markets?"
"The two biological brothers of Marquis Xianning, Qiu Feng and Qiu Peng, are now engaged in the jade and ivory business. This was the line that Marquis Pinghu and others who helped to pacify Outer Yunnan with Marquis Xianning in the rebellion in Beijing.
The old father of the Marquis of Xianning, who was unable to seize the title due to his disability, actually had the energy to open a rice shop the year before last. The person who supplied him was the cousin of Jiang Fu, the uncle of Dingxi. There were many grain reserves in Sichuan and there were many fertile fields. Uncle Dingxi did not dare to
It delays the important task of grain storage in the grain storage account, but the total amount of private grain from Sichuan and grain collected from Myanmar and other places is not small. Furthermore, the grain that goes into the warehouse does not need to be that good."
Hearing this, Zhu Houcong's face became gloomy.
Although these things were not unexpected, such problems were bound to arise in the Ming Dynasty over time.
What makes him depressed is: Qiu Luan, who clearly gave him a chance, originally clamored to take the route of military merit, but has been thinking of ways to make money for so many years. Not only that, now that he has arrived in the border area, facing the horse
It was an opportunity for him to make great achievements, and his family actually interacted with the Tibetan monks at this very moment.
Needless to say, if the war in the southwest is not easy to fight, these people who have now formed a chain of interests will still be able to profit from stable trade with Tibet and Outer Yunnan. Qiu Luan himself does not need to go deep into the harsh environment of Outer Yunnan to fight.
To avoid losing your life.
He lost to Li Quanli in the exercise. Hasn't he made any progress after all these years?
When Yu Chengye heard this, he also bent down and saluted: "Your Majesty, although I am in charge of the Assets Bureau, I am still young. There are many things I can say that are not as useful as those of the British Duke Chengguo in the past. These things
Over the years, there are more and more people in various enterprises. There are countless small circles among the clan, descendants of relatives, scholars seeking wealth, and businessmen seeking profit among the people. The total number of people with titles has exceeded 7,000. And among the various
There are countless companies employing workers, companies, firms, and stores that we deal with. I think it’s time to really take action and wake up.”
Zhu Houcong looked at him.
Even though he has the status of consort, Yu Chengye is a bit young now.
More importantly, Zhu Houcong's sister has passed away. Although Yu Chengye has been reused, it will inevitably make many people feel that he is a little bit less interesting.
After listening to the two of them talking about this, Zhu Houcong already knew where the key point was.
One is the chaos of related-party transactions through the big trees of the Huangming Assets Bureau, and the other is the worries of the Xunqi who are eager to make money about the instability of the trade market caused by Ming Dynasty's upcoming conquests in all directions.
These people are missing a link and have forgotten the emperor's purpose of establishing these enterprises.
When the general direction has been determined, they still try to delay or even hinder it?
That's right. How can working in an enterprise be as fast as achieving meritorious service in the military? When these people get old, if the newly meritorious ministers don't want their heirs to work hard anymore, then the court will have greater prestige, and more
Friends. If they allow future generations to join the company, won’t they squeeze out those positions they have today?
Zhu Houcong asked solemnly: "Why did the Marquis of Xianning invite the Tibetan monks to his residence?"
"... He said he was looking for a leg problem for the father of the Marquis of Xianning."
"I didn't know that Tubo Buddhism has such miraculous effects that it can make disabled legs stand up again." Zhu Houcong looked at the two people, "Then go and investigate secretly first! If the Ministry of Commerce wants to assist in the investigation, I will tell Uncle Cai.
."
Huang Zuojian led the Ministry of Commerce, and his original intention was to let his experience in official administration help the Ming Dynasty's commercial system establish more honest habits.
Zhu Houcong had a sullen face and said again: "Huang Jin, ask Guo Xun to come to me early tomorrow morning!"
…
Guo Xun and Qiu Luan have always had a good relationship due to the friendship between "Little Qiu'er" and him who worked side by side to "restore the glory of the honorable ministers" in the past.
Now that Guo Xun is over sixty, his son Guo Shouqian is not a person who can fight and dare to fight.
Guo Xun has a good reputation in the military and has mentored many people. Qiu Luan is the person he "promoted" recently.
He recommended him to go to Yunnan before, but this time he urged Mu Shaoxun as the main force in the southwest direction, with Qiu Luan as the assistant. In terms of military mobilization, he recommended that many people he wanted to support go to the southwest to perform meritorious services.
After all, they had won a big victory in Wai-Dian a few years ago. In Guo Xun's opinion, Wai-Dian's contribution was quite easy to establish.
After receiving a message from the palace last night, Guo Xun reported to Qianqing Palace early in the morning.
Zhu Houcong woke up from his sleep, seemingly calm.
In the strategy that has been agreed upon, after the east is settled and a large amount of military profits can be obtained from Korea and Japan, it will enter the stage of using Tibet as bait to encircle the points and mobilize reinforcements.
Before that, it was necessary to deal with the Mubang that was left over from that time, and to create an encirclement pressure from the southeast of Tubo, which was naturally a necessary preparation.
Except for this small matter, Yunnan will not focus on anything else first.
So Qiu Luan is very relevant: he can’t hold Mu Shaoxun back, right?
Guo Xun still didn't know why the emperor summoned him. Zhu Houcong waited for him to salute and asked him to get up and sit down.
"The Duke of Guizhou has attended the military conference in Beijing, but I am still a little worried about the arrangements in the southwest. The terrain there is dangerous and transportation is difficult. The most important thing is that the Marquis of Xianning has just arrived in Yunnan and is not familiar with the local area. Previously, the Marquis of Yangwu
In Taiwan, there are some subordinates who are greedy for power and rush forward, thus damaging the army and generals. Will the Marquis of Xianning have this problem?"
Guo Xun immediately said: "For so many years, he has not had the opportunity to go to the battlefield. Your Majesty is right to be worried. However, your Majesty clearly knows that Qiu Luan has been training in the Beijing camp for many years, and he is familiar with many generals. In the Southwest War, there is no need for him to charge.
At the front, it is even more important to be familiar with the generals of the Shenji Battalion who have been dispatched to Yunnan under his command, and to be able to use their fingers like an arm. Besides, there is also the Duke of Guizhou as the commander, so Your Majesty does not need to worry too much."
"What is the relationship between the Duke of Guizhou and him?" Zhu Houcong asked again, "After the King of Yue went to Yunnan, the Duke of Guizhou temporarily stopped taking care of Yunnan's military affairs to avoid suspicion. Qiu Luan went to Yunnan. Did he have any contact with Yunnan in the past year or so?
What's the problem with the border troops?"
This was a specific local matter, and it was normal for the emperor not to know about it before.
Guo Xun said: "The Marquis of Xianning is younger. When he arrived in Yunnan, he and some of the original generals and guerrillas had a process of becoming familiar with each other. Although there were some minor problems, they were nothing. As for the Duke of Guizhou...the Marquis of Xianning
The purpose of transferring to Yunnan was to prevent the court from worrying about the self-respect of Yunnan's army, and he also cautiously interacted with the Duke of Guizhou. After arriving in Yunnan last year, he only asked the Duke of Guizhou to come forward and coordinate four times because of military affairs."
"Coordination? Four times? What exactly is it?"
"...The situation on the border in Yunnan is different. They are not purely soldiers under the command of the general. Between the chieftains and the soldiers, armaments, food and wages, etc., Qiu Luan has some inappropriate handling. In the specific situation, I am the left governor of the Chinese Army Governor's Mansion.
, not too clear.”
Zhu Houcong looked at him and stared for a moment before asking: "It's a pity that the Duke of Guizhou has already left for Yunnan after attending the meeting. When he was in the capital, he didn't say anything in private to you, the important ministers of the Five Prefectures, General Staff Xia and others?"
"
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Guizhou is in the southwest, how can he make false claims and cause trouble? As for those things, they are indeed trivial matters. When the new official takes office, big plans are coming, and the Marquis of Xianning must be just to establish his authority."
"A niece from your clan became Qiu Luan's concubine?"
No matter how stupid Guo Xun is, he has been "tempered" in the court for so many years. Now after hearing this, the emperor has a new view on Qiu Luan.
He quickly left his seat, bent down and said, "There is such a thing, but she is the daughter of my distant cousin. When they were discussing this matter, I was still in Mobei accompanying His Majesty on his northern expedition."
When Zhu Houcong saw him standing up, he looked at him calmly: "He is the person you strongly recommended. Don't say that I don't care if he is in the Governor's Mansion of the Chinese Army. I don't care if you two get married. But my big plan is
, you understand. If you make a mistake, you won’t be able to evade it. I’d like to ask you again and ask about it. If you find anything in private, please report it to me.”
Guo Xun was frightened: "Your Majesty, has something happened to Qiu Luan?"
"I'm still checking."
We have already started investigating, but that still doesn’t explain anything?
Guo Xun immediately said: "Many ministers can ask about those who are transferred to Yunnan this time."
"Those who were transferred to Yunnan this time are all rushing to perform meritorious service." Zhu Houcong looked at him, "The person you want to ask is the Duke of Guizhou. There are some things that he cannot take the initiative to say, but if it is for the sake of the big plan, you can help me
I wrote to ask about the decree in person, and he would naturally answer. He probably thought that the court was well prepared, and even if there were slight constraints, it would not harm the plan. However, there must be no unstable factors! There will be one or two years of preparation for the southwest move, otherwise
Get ready, get ready, things are about to get ugly!"
"I accept the decree!" Guo Xun knew that Qiu Luan must have a big problem, which might cause changes in Southwest's general strategy.
He scolded Qiu Luan so much in his heart that he quickly resigned and went back to find out what Qiu Luan had done.
In fact, Qiu Luan didn't have the courage to really do anything. However, his lack of firm determination to seek war and meritorious service meant that he was destined not to be in a key position in the southwest strategy at this moment.
At this moment, Qiu Luan's younger brother Qiu Feng said arrogantly to a Tibetan monk in his mansion: "If you believe me, this year you will hand over all your silk business for making prayer flags to me. Only then will I teach you
How can I save Tubo from calamity in front of His Majesty!"