Gentlemen and cliques. Gentlemen first refer to scholar-bureaucrats and rulers, and then they cover the moral level. Traffickers and stooges are still villains no matter how noble their morals are. Everyone has the same interests and gets along well with each other, so they become friends; they share common interests.
If there is no fundamental contradiction, you can form a party to take care of each other. In a traditional human society, it is obviously not easy to break up cliques. Forming a party for personal gain is a harsh word in the officialdom. It may be more insulting than calling someone a mother, but it is not like that at all.
How many people in the world are bureaucrats? It’s just that there are some things that everyone can’t say.
In the palace in Yangzhou, Yang Sihai, one of the officials in the capital, and Yang Rong, the Minister of War, one of the "Three Yangs", got closer and closer.
Yang Sihai, a native of Nanzhili, was a Jinshi in Jiachenke in the 22nd year of Yongle. In the 21st year of the provincial examination, he was in the same tribute academy as Zhang Ning. He was very young when he won the Jinshi, and now he is the fifth person to become an official.
At the age of 25, he was only twenty-five years old. After retiring from the post of censor, he is now a doctor in the Ministry of War. It took him five years to become a fifth-rank official, but it was not easy. Like the number one scholar at the same time as him back then
Lang Xingkuan is still in the sixth rank, and there is no sign of being reused. His current future seems to be worse than that of Yang Sihai, a second-class Jinshi.
Sihai first gained the appreciation of Emperor Xuande. He once visited Huguang to inspect the military and political affairs. After returning, he soon fell into Yang Rong's eyes. Yang Rong was determined to win over and cultivate him. Sihai was in need of a powerful person with qualifications and reputation like Yang Rong.
The two hit it off and quickly came together. Because Shilin still cares about style, otherwise everyone would believe Yang, and it would not be impossible for the world to directly recognize Yang Rong as his adoptive father.
Yang Sihai did not come from a wealthy family with any background, and it was the first time since he became an official that he got close to important officials of the imperial court. This was not a disadvantage, but rather an advantage of being "innocent". Since he was cultivated by Yang Rong, he would inevitably become famous in the future.
Because of the brand of the faction, it is shameful for a scholar to betray easily. Therefore, Yang Rong was equally happy to win over this young Jinshi.
... Recently, Emperor Zhu Zhanji has regarded the King of Huguang and Xiang as a serious threat. Most of the most elite Shenji Battalion was wiped out in Jiujiang, making Zhu Zhanji feel the vitality and pressing pressure of the new threat.
Zhu Zhanji has issued an edict that anyone in the Ming Dynasty who takes Zhang Ning's head will be granted the title of Marquis and rewarded with thousands of taels of gold. Because "Zhang Ning" is a brother of the same race by blood, according to the tradition of Taizu, brothers
We should help each other and be friendly. When Emperor Jianwen issued the order to avoid killing Zhu Di, it may have been influenced by the Taizu organization; Emperor Xuande openly wanted to kill his brother like this, which was not ethical... but he was fully prepared.
, that is, they did not recognize the identity of King Xiang and claimed that this person was just pretending to be a royal family.
The emperor also instigated the civil servants to write some research articles to elaborate on Zhang Ning's ancestral history and make it known to the world. The person who called himself Zhu Wenbiao, whose original surname was Zhang, betrayed his ancestors and changed his name, which was unfaithful and unfilial; Zeng Meng
Sheng En entered the court as an official with the reputation of being a civil servant, but later he had no king and father, so he started an army and rebelled. In fact, he was a villain without a father and a king... This kind of article is common in China, and there are many people who curse people with great literary talent.
Not surprising, at that time Wu Zetian also praised the quality of the speeches that scolded her.
So with such a saying, it is justifiable to arrest and kill a "traitor" who deceives the world and fakes his name. As for why an imposter can gather so many Jianwen ministers around him, such questions can be said.
, but it cannot become an official statement.
With the emperor in such a mood, the ministers below all understood that an opportunity was at hand: whoever could relieve the emperor's worries and quell the rebellion in Huguang would definitely achieve a remarkable feat and become a minister of the imperial court in the future, and even be famous in history. For the generals,
It is said that fighting a hundred battles on the frontier is not as good as doing one thing once and for all, and is comparable to the merit of rescuing the enemy, but the opportunities for rescuing the enemy are too rare; and for civil servants, this can be compared with the merit of supporting the enemy.
And it is considered lucky to encounter the merit of supporting Li once in a lifetime.
The opportunity to make a difference is right in front of you, and anyone who has the ability can seize it.
When Yang Rong met with his disciples and staff in the palace, he said straight to the point: "We have been staying in Yangzhou for nearly two years, and maybe we will move to Huguang soon." This is an allusion to where the focus of the government is.
.
He naturally thought that if he performed well in this important event, it would not be impossible to become a leading figure in the civil service circles of Shilin in the future.
For a man like Yang Rong, who is only in his sixties, the fame, wealth and status he pursued in the past few years are no longer important. He has also obtained these things. What he desires most now is real achievement. His life is gradually coming to an end, and he has won the support and support of the world.
The recognition of future generations will undoubtedly be a successful ending.
There were not many disciples and staff members met in the office, only three or five people. There was an old man with gray hair who didn't even have an official position, but these people were all very close and trustworthy people. Everyone handed in their articles one after another.
It seems like a teacher in a private school is collecting homework. However, this kind of homework is not easy to do. It requires collecting information from many people in Liubu and Jinyiwei, and even what they learned after visiting Hu Ying.
At this moment, Yang Sihai suddenly reported that he wanted to see him, and everyone immediately stopped talking. Yang Rong said: "It doesn't matter, I asked him to come, there is no need to hide these things from him."
After a while, Sihai was taken to the study by his slaves. He bowed deeply at the door and said, "Student Yang Lin meets Mr. Yang." Everyone looked back and all had the impression that this young man was really short. Of course, it was impossible for everyone to say so.
came out.
After Yang Rong greeted him, he straightened up and showed his face. His face was not bad. Although he was small, there was nothing obscene about him. Sihai's face was even and symmetrical, with thick black eyebrows, bright eyes, and very skin.
Well, there is another kind of delicate aura that is different from women.
This man has a firm will, a stable mind, and a profound knowledge. Yang Gong once heard some anecdotes about the world from his fellow villagers. One is that during the autumn examination in the countryside, the leaky place of the inn where he stayed was facing the bed.
I had to use a basin to catch the water, but the sound of dripping water was very noisy. In addition, the next day was an important provincial examination that only happened once every three years. The scholars in the room were nervous and impetuous and could not sleep. Duyang Sihai was the closest but fell asleep calmly. The second thing was
The next morning, either due to the negligence of his roommate or someone else's deliberate intention, Sihai woke up late before the exam and found that the door was locked and he was locked in. He did not yell, but forced his arm out from between the window lattice.
He stretched out to open the door, and his arm was pricked with blood by the broken wooden strips. He did not ask the doctor to take medicine, but simply bandaged himself and went into the examination room to take the exam. He did not make an attack afterward, and his forbearance impressed his classmates deeply.
There is another incident. He was ridiculed for his short body. The person who ridiculed him threatened to get the first place in the Nanjing Gongyuan. Then some scholars stirred up the trouble and told the world. The world only said: "I won the provincial examination just for the sake of success."
When it comes to the examination next year, it doesn't matter where you rank. After hearing this, all the students felt inferior to themselves. Their ambitions were not at the same level.
When Yang Gong saw him, he couldn't help but flashing through these rumors about him, as well as his own evaluation of Sihai. Then he said: "Come over from Sihai, sit next to me, and read these articles together."
Sihai's eyes quickly swept over the people next to him, and he hurriedly said: "Students are not very talented, so I don't dare."
Yang Rong said "Hey" with a nonchalant tone: "I'm not asking you to read the article. Not long ago, the Shenji Camp was defeated in Jiujiang. The Emperor is really worried about this. I am the Emperor's minister.
You should take care of your father's worries. I asked people to collect some things about the Huguang bandit leader. You can come and take a look. If you have any opinions, it doesn't hurt."
"Yes, it is better for students to be respectful than to obey orders." Yang Sihai agreed.
Yang Rong and he read the descriptions in the Chinese volume together. Others were discussing the strategy, sometimes criticizing me, pointing out loopholes in the strategy, and sometimes complimenting each other and expressing their own opinions. Only Yang Sihai did not express any opinions.
In this era of information scarcity, the minister of real power has a natural resource advantage. He has access to many official files. Each ministry also has spies who collect intelligence and report to the people assigned by the minister; even the Jin Yiwei's intelligence can be communicated to the courtiers.
, Jinyiwei North Town Fusi naturally had nothing to say to the court officials and officials, but after Southern Town Fusi spied on the news of the "enemy country's" military situation, in addition to reporting to the emperor, it mainly served the Ministry of War, governors and other yamen, because the emperor sometimes would not
Personally involved in specific military strategies and tactics, intelligence can only be effective if it is in the hands of bureaucrats.
At this moment, Yang Sihai asked: "The rebellion in Anfu County, Jiangxi was put down by Ji'an Prefecture, and the rebels took the banner of Prince Jianwen. Why did this news not come from the Jinyi Guards or the local report, but did it come from Mr. Hu?"
?”
An old man replied disapprovingly: "We don't know anything about the whole world. The Yangtze River is cut off. It is difficult to send reports from Jiangxi to Yangzhou. They usually go through Sichuan, cross the Qinling Mountains and then come from the northwest. There are many twists and turns on the way. This
It is common for reports to the court to be delayed for some trivial matter."
Yang Sihai frowned and said: "That's not what I'm asking. There should be many Jinyiwei people in Huguang and Jiangxi. Why didn't they mention this matter? Lord Hu (Hu Ying) should be... the Minister of War, how could he mention it specifically?"
"I wonder if you have heard of some old things..." Yang Rong said slowly, "When Hu Shilang was in Taizong, he was responsible for searching for the remnants of Jianwen for many years. During Renzong, this matter was stopped. Now Hu Shilang only sends a few of his own people
Several servants, Ding, continued to investigate secretly. One of them, Yan Ruofei, had some background. It seemed that he had not been seen in Yangzhou for a long time recently. He must have gone to Huguang again... Why did Hu Shilang want to pursue this matter privately? I think,
He spent more than twenty years on it, and he may be a little reluctant to let it go suddenly. After all, Sihai has not been an official for a long time, and you may not know many things in the officialdom, but it doesn't matter, I will tell you."