Episode 140 Imperial Military Council: Northern Expedition!
Episode 140 Imperial Military and Political Conference: Northern Expedition!
Xiang Xiaoqiang never expected that his mother-in-law would go berserk again. He stared blankly at the newspaper in Xiuxiu's hand, and then at the very proud Shang Xiaojun. He couldn't laugh or cry for a moment, and didn't know what to say.
.
...Sigh, is it possible that my mother-in-law, who is several decades old, is still a scholar? Yes, for the constitutional process of the Ming Dynasty, it is definitely better for the army to be controlled by the cabinet government than to be controlled by the emperor alone.
It can prevent you from going back. But the problem is, mother-in-law, you also need to find out which camp your son-in-law is from! No matter how itchy you are, writing such an article at this time will be a disservice to your son-in-law!
...You asked Zhu Yourong to hand over the military power to the cabinet. That girl Zhu Yourong is so stubborn. If it is really handed over, who will be responsible?
In fact, not only Xiang Xiaoqiang, but also Qiu Qiu, including Ye Ziyu and Xiu Xiu who was holding the newspaper, realized what was going on at this moment, and they were all dumbfounded, wondering which one their mother was playing. They were also all from before.
For those who have read this article, they will understand now that their mother talks about it.
Shang Xiaojun slowly realized that something was wrong in the atmosphere. Looking at everyone's stunned expressions, he tapped the table with his fingers and said with a smile:
"What's going on?...Hey, support me, do you really think your mother-in-law is doing you a disservice?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang recovered, sighed, and acquiesced.
Shang Xiaojun smiled and said:
"Don't worry, support me. I know Shen Rongxuan. Although he later became prosperous and no one could guess him, but in college, his nature was still fully revealed... This article will make him
He was scared. He was afraid that His Majesty really thought that this was what he had asked him to write. Look, in less than two days, he will hold a cabinet press conference to respond to this article. And at the meeting, he will talk about the current situation.
The situation is still in an 'extraordinary period', because the Qing rebels are still preparing to move in the north, are still engaged in an arms race with the Ming Dynasty, and there is a high possibility of another invasion south through exercises...Qiu Qiu, are you right?"
She looked at Qiu Qiu with a smile. Qiu Qiu also opened his eyes wide and nodded vigorously, thinking:
"Yes, Mr. Shen Ge will definitely say that!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head and sighed:
"Mother-in-law, why are you bothering? If you don't write this article, then nothing will happen. If you don't mention it, no one will mention it for the time being."
Shang Xiaojun stared at Xiang Xiaoqiang and said solemnly:
"Yes, quite frankly, what you said is 'not necessarily'. That is to say, if I don't take the initiative to raise it, others may not raise it. And if others write about this question, they may not be able to achieve the same effect as mine. My article
Anyone who reads it will have the first impression that this was written by someone arranged by Mr. Shen Ge."
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at Shang Xiaojun with squinted eyes, and said slowly and thoughtfully:
"Oh... Mother-in-law, are you intentionally... how should I put it... 'framing' Shen Rongxuan?"
Shang Xiaojun smiled and said:
"Not entirely. The more important thing is... let's put it this way, my dear son-in-law, you said that the last cabinet meeting discussed whether to take the initiative to attack the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the ministers were about half in support and half in opposition?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Xiu Xiu looked at each other and nodded.
"Okay," Shang Xiaojun took the newspaper from Xiuxiu's hand, raised it, tapped the article on it, and said, "Now it can be passed unanimously."
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Xiu Xiu suddenly realized... After a few seconds, Qiu Qiu and Ye Ziyu also suddenly realized.
…
Sure enough, Shen Rongxuan responded. And the action was faster than Shang Xiaojun expected. The next morning, the representative of the cabinet minister of information held a press conference to express his special opinion on the "20th Century Freedom Forum" yesterday on behalf of the cabinet government. In response to the article "The Last Student of Donglin" published in the newspaper. As expected by Shang Xiaojun, the Minister of Information, on behalf of the cabinet, expressed his gratitude to this "The Last Student of Donglin" for his enthusiasm in serving the country. However, the country is still under the conditions stipulated in the constitution. "Extraordinary times".
...Why? Because the Qing rebels in the north are still in an arms race with us, struggling to build tanks and aircraft, and the Manchu emperor is planning an unprecedented "Century Exercise", which is said to involve one hundred divisions. The above. According to a lot of intelligence, the Qing Dynasty has a tendency to use this exercise as a cover to invade the south again... Therefore, Her Majesty the Queen's current centralized control of the three armed forces is a superior policy and does not violate the constitution... This is also It embodies the spirit of the Constitution, that is, when the country is in danger, only when military power is highly concentrated can we defend our country more efficiently...
Then the Minister of Information said that there is no such thing as "His Majesty returns military power to the cabinet". This statement is not scientific and does not conform to the constitution. Because the constitution stipulates that no matter in normal times or extraordinary times, the Ming monarch is the king of the country. The supreme commander of the armed forces. The difference is that in normal times, if His Majesty wants to mobilize the army, in principle, he should get the approval of the cabinet. But in emergency times, this is not required. That is the difference. And as for "the army in extraordinary times is His Majesty's" "In normal times, the army belongs to the cabinet." This statement is purely a misunderstanding.
The Minister of Information held a press conference here. In the Forbidden City, Zhu Yourong and Zheng Yucong were listening by the radio, and they both showed satisfied smiles. In the Yanping Palace, Zheng Gongyin was listening by the radio, and he was also overjoyed with satisfaction. He Sigh, Shen Rongxuan, an old fox, is still very sensible.
In the headquarters of the People's Guard, Xiang Xiaoqiang and a group of confidants were also sitting by the radio. Hearing this, the group of people also laughed. None of them expected that the cabinet could go further and say, " Even in peacetime, the army belongs to your Majesty." This key sentence. This article by my mother-in-law Shang Xiaojun was very fruitful. It allowed the cabinet to speak out for itself. Then for a long period of time, the military power of the Ming Dynasty was legally controlled by Zhu Yourong is in his own hands to a certain extent.
However, Xiang Xiaoqiang analyzed that the last sentence was probably said by the Minister of Information on his own initiative. Even if Shen Rongxuan expressed loyalty, he would not have told him to say this. After all, Shen Rongxuan always had trouble with Xiang Xiaoqiang, and they were not two people. There is no such thing as personal grudges. The fundamental reason is the ancient struggle between the power of the prime minister and the power of the king in the Han Dynasty (which did not exist in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties).
The emergence of Xiang Xiaoqiang and the People's Guard, especially after Xiang Xiaoqiang was awarded the edict "with the right to control the country's armed forces", made the cabinet feel a strong threat and felt that the Ming Dynasty might move towards military dictatorship. Therefore, Xiang Xiaoqiang This status naturally creates irreconcilable conflicts with the cabinet government. Even if he has good personal relationships with all ministers, it is of no use.
...There is only one situation that can alleviate or unify this contradiction, and that is the Northern Expedition. In a large-scale foreign war, this high concentration of military power is no longer a contradiction, but a necessity to ensure victory.
This is of course not the main reason why Xiang Xiaoqiang desires the Northern Expedition. But it is a very useful reason.
…
A few days later, on July 25, Shen Rongxuan proposed that all cabinet members of the Ming Empire, as well as the General Staff of the Land and Sea, the commanders of the General Staff and the People's Guard, held a meeting together in the Fengtian Hall of the Forbidden City.
Military and political meeting.
The meeting was of a very high standard. All members of the cabinet, that is, ministers from all "ministries" attended. Most of them were departments that were far away from key departments such as the Ministry of Army and Navy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc., such as the Ministry of Education.
, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, etc., in short, everyone participated. Even the special "cabinet meetings" would not have been so full in the past, that is, ministers from departments related to the topic only attended. But this time, not only the cabinet
All the ministers are here, and all the "commander-level" figures from the three general staff departments are here.
Not only were everyone present this time, but the confidentiality of the meeting was very high-end. Except for the minister and the commander himself, no other attachés, secretaries, adjutants, etc. were allowed to bring in. If something was to be recorded, the minister and the commander themselves would record it themselves.
In this way, although a wide range of departments were involved, the number of people who really knew about it was very small. Top ministers from more than a dozen departments, plus a dozen commanders from the three General Staff Headquarters and the People's Guard, participated in the meeting
That's just about thirty people.
But these thirty or so people were the core of the decision-making body of the Ming Empire.
Although it was unlikely, the agents of the Imperial Guard carefully checked the Fengtian Hall inside and outside, top to bottom, to make sure there were no bugging microphones, hidden tape recorders, or bombs.
The civil servants and generals who came to participate did not know what was going on. In the past imperial meetings, most of the materials on relevant topics were distributed in advance to allow them to be prepared. But this time, nothing was said. And they arrived at the door.
They were told by the imperial guards that their respective entourages could not follow them, and could only be divided into military and political groups, waiting to rest in Wenhua Hall and Wuying Hall on both sides of Fengtian Hall.
This made most of the civil servants and generals who came to participate feel vaguely uneasy. Thinking of the "sensitive article" that had just been published in the newspaper, many ministers even wondered whether this was a "cup" conspiracy incited by Xiang Xiaoqiang.
"Drinking to release military power"? Set up a trap to catch all the cabinet ministers, and then declare that the Ming Dynasty will resume monarchy and dictatorship?
...Thinking about it, I don’t think it is. After all, Her Majesty the Queen is not that kind of person. And no matter how courageous Xiang Xiaoqiang is, it is unlikely that she would do such a thing. Her Majesty the Queen is not without brains.
Everyone entered the Fengtian Hall with speculation and took their seats according to the department name plates placed on the conference table.
…
Dozens of people sat around the conference table, everyone nodded and greeted each other, and the hall was filled with a "buzzing" sound.
Everyone was soon surprised to find that in the "People's Guard" position, next to Xiang Xiaoqiang, sat the only woman in the hall - Princess Liaoyang, the former Manchu Qing Gege, the head of Niangan Department.
Everyone exchanged glances with each other like lightning, guessing what this meant. But at the same time, everyone also recognized their status as courtiers. They smiled at Fourteen Gege and bowed, saying, "I have met Her Royal Highness."
Soon, Shen Rongxuan came in, nodded and smiled at everyone, and sat down.
After a while, Zhu Yourong walked in. Everyone stood up and paid tribute.
Then, Shen Rongxuan announced the topic of this meeting-the Northern Expedition.