Chapter 507: The shelf life of military achievements

Qingning Palace, Yongkang is waiting for Queen Mother Zhou to come out to see her.

But the Empress Dowager Zhou also took pains to deal with this granddaughter. Last time she said she wanted to cause trouble for Zhang Zhou, this time she said she wanted to find connections to put pressure on Zhang Zhou so that Zhang Zhou could find a good job for Cui Yuan. Everything from errands to love is yours.

That’s it.

I won’t come out to see you yet, so I’ll let you wait outside.

"Is the Empress Dowager's worship of the Buddha over?" Yongkang waited for a long time. When he saw the eunuch Jiang Lu coming out, he hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

Jiang Lu apologized and said, "Go back to the eldest princess, the Empress Dowager is still worshiping the Buddha, and the servants don't dare to come forward to disturb you. I think you should go back early. I think the Empress Dowager is not free today." See you."

Yongkang frowned and said, "Do you need to pay homage to Buddha for a day?"

Jiang Lu smiled bitterly and did not answer.

If you have any objections, tell the old lady, why are you staring at me, a servant who is delivering a message?

Yongkang had no choice but to go back and wait, but when she got impatient and even wanted to go When they broke in, Wei Bin, the eunuch who was responsible for the ceremony and eunuch Bingbi, arrived. He brought the emperor's words to Princess Yongkang: "Your Highness, you should go back early. Your Majesty has ordered that you are not allowed to enter the palace without being summoned. You do this." It's against the rules."

Yongkang said, "I came to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. This is the law of filial piety. Isn't this the right way? Brother Huang is the most particular about filial piety."< /p>

Wei Bin said, "Consort Cui has made another great contribution in Ningxia. He killed two thousand enemies. Your Highness, you probably don't know about it yet."

"What?" Yongkang's eyes widened when he heard this. .

Originally, she thought that Cui Yuan's performance in Shigou City was the limit of what her "useless husband" could do, so she wanted to take advantage of her husband's credit before the novelty wore off. When the time comes, hurry up and get a job in the Beijing camp.

As a result, the shelf life of Cui Yuan's battle in Shigoucheng has not passed yet, and he has gained another greater achievement, which really surprised Yongkang.

Even she herself was wondering, is the prince consort so powerful?

Why didn’t I think that I had insulted him before? It was clear that he was the prince consort, and he was so superior to me

In an instant, her target value also increased. Before, she just wanted to work as an errand in the Beijing camp, but now she wants to get a title. Even if it is worse, it should be equivalent to the title of Zhang Yanling, her sister-in-law. Earl Bar

Wei Bin seemed to have expected Yongkang's reaction. He immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty has something to tell you, saying that it is the merit of Cui Prince Consort, and everything is based on Cai Guogong's opinion." , Your Majesty will accept whatever reward Cai Guogong thinks he can get. Without Cai Guogong's recommendation, everything will not count."

"Brother, what are you talking about? The title is given by the royal family. Could it be that Zhang Bingkuan gave it to him?"

Yongkang became angry when he heard this.

In order to get an errand from the Beijing camp, the emperorThe emperor posed a problem for her and asked her to admit her mistakes to Zhang Zhou and surrender. Now that her husband has achieved so much credit, he still has to be controlled by Zhang Zhou

The key is that I am a member of the royal family, and Zhang Zhou was just a minister of the Ming Dynasty.

It is unreasonable for a royal brother to not take care of his own brother-in-law, but to take care of an outsider

Wei Bin shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, since you already know, there is no need to bother you again." The Empress Dowager, Your Majesty also said that the Empress Dowager will not pay attention to this kind of thing. You should go to the right person, and this matter may be done smoothly."

Yongkang said, "That's it. Let me beg Zhang Bingkuan, he is a minister of the Ming Dynasty."

Wei Bin said hurriedly, "Who is not a minister of the Ming Dynasty? Cai Guogong is now in charge of the Ministry of War, and Cui Guogong should at least be credited with the credit for this battle. There is nothing wrong with your Majesty’s decision to reward meritorious soldiers based on Cai Guogong’s opinion. Therefore, Your Majesty, you should observe etiquette and don’t create any more problems for Your Majesty.”

It is to remind Yongkang that even if you are a princess, in the eyes of the emperor, you are all ministers, and your status depends on the emperor's mood. No one denies that you are a relative of the emperor, but when it comes to court affairs, you are not a relative of the emperor. Relatives of the country must have privileges.

On the contrary, Zhang Zhou, as the Minister of War, is qualified to judge the merits of the meritorious soldiers in the northwest. Is it wrong for the emperor to leave the matter of merit evaluation to Zhang Zhou?

"Then I dare to ask Eunuch Wei, if Zhang Bingkuan is causing trouble for me and the consort, I don't want to Give him a reward, or does he think that everyone else owes him something?" Yongkang asked sharply.

"Haha." Wei Bin couldn't help but smile after hearing this, "Your Highness, Princess, you may have some misunderstanding about Cai Guogong. Since Cai Guogong has achieved today's status, he has won such a great honor." Your Majesty's trust is precisely because he is not only outstanding in talent, but also magnanimous. Just like Anbianhou, Xinjianbo, or even Cui Prince Consort, which one is not recommended by him?"

Yongkang said, "He is the Prince Consort. He relied on his own ability to excel in the assessment."

Wei Bin said, "Your Highness, you may not know that Prince Consort Cui got the lesson plan from the Minister of the Ministry of Finance before the assessment, and the Minister Wang. As a teacher of Yanwu Hall, and Yanwu Hall was founded by Cai Guogong, do you think that without Cai Guogong's permission, this lesson plan can be given to Cui Prince Consort at will? No one else has such treatment."

"You mean, all this is due to Zhang Bingkuan's special care" Yongkang frowned.

Wei Bin's words are obviously different from her previous understanding. In her opinion, Zhang Zhou has opposed so many people since his rise. In essence, there is no big difference from Li Guang. They are all temporary. A successful villain, and as the eldest princess, she holds a golden rice bowl.

A loyal court official, no matter how awesome he is, can he be compared to the emperor’s sister like me

Wei Bin was about to bow and leave, but he couldn’tHe did not forget to remind you, "Your Highness, I have reminded you of what should be said and what should not be said, and please don't cause problems for others. If you are sincere, I would like to come to Cai Guo Guild to give you the necessary help, or to the prince consort." Maybe a marquis. It is said that the titles of Marquis Weining and Marquis Anbian were obtained with the help of Cai Guogong. What do you think?"

Yongkang frowned.

As the eldest princess and a noble lady, now she has to humble herself to ask Zhang Zhou

"If I don't go, your majesty will not reward the consort for his merits." Yongkang still wants to struggle.

Wei Bin said, "There will definitely be acres of land and manors, but for other His Highnesses, temporary loyalty can't change anything. If you and the consort cannot maintain a good relationship with Cai Guogong, then what will happen to His Majesty in the future?" Can you rest assured to leave military affairs to Cui Prince Consort? Duke Bao Guo’s failure to advance the army this time is not small. There are already people in the court who have participated in the impeachment. You will understand the joints if you think about it carefully."

This is tantamount to explaining the emperor's purpose of doing this.

Let’s not talk about the relationship between Cui Yuan and Zhang Zhou. Let’s just say that you, the eldest princess, hold a grudge against Zhang Zhou, which means that your relationship is not good.

What I want in the future are generals who can obey Zhang Zhouyan so that I can carry out my plan to pacify the grassland. Even if you are the imperial sister, if you and your wife cannot submit to Zhang Zhou, why should you follow me? I want a title and an official position

Take a negative example, Zhu Hui, even if he was a general I trusted, but because he is not a member of the Zhang Zhou faction, he will be severely punished if he makes a mistake this time. He punished them severely, and even used this to punish some of the old ministers in the court.

Now I only need Bingkuan’s party members to control the military and government. If you two are not, then please step aside.

Yongkang was furious, but he followed Wei Bin and left Qingning Palace.

She was thinking angrily in her heart, "Brother, this is simply nepotism. If you only trust Zhang Bingkuan, you won't be afraid of backlash. Since ancient times, rebel ministers basically started from powerful ministers. Brother, this is playing with fire and burning yourself." Ah."

When Zhang Zhou was in the laboratory that day, the palace sent someone to deliver the reward. He did not send it to his home, but sent it directly to the courtyard of the laboratory.

More than a dozen boxes filled half of the yard, so that the craftsmen inside came out to join in the fun. At the same time, Zhu Feng and Xu Jing also came to join in the fun.

"Mr. Zhang, I heard that you contributed a lot to the great victory in the northwest. You can be regarded as a god in this world. You can say everything right. Even if Kong Ming was alive, he would not be as good as you. Just in case." Xu Jing didn't have a big career, so he rarely had the opportunity to meet Zhang Zhou, and he obviously tried too hard to flatter him.

Zhu Feng looked on with envy.

But at the same time, he was also a little disappointed.

Because Zhu Feng remembered what his eldest brother had said to him, the Duke of Chengguo had originally expected Zhu Feng to stabilize his position in the court, but in the end, Zhu Feng was unable to hold up the wall. resources but are willing to be idle, so that nowIt was almost sunset at Chengguo Gong's Mansion, which was not much better than Baoguo Gong's Mansion.

Zhang Zhou said, "The victory in the northwest was due to the bravery of the soldiers in killing the enemy, but there are also contributions from you in developing and manufacturing firearms. Let's take some out and share them with the people in the R&D department. According to the R&D points Everyone gets something, high or low. If there is any difficulty in dividing, I can use some more money."

After all, many of the things the emperor rewards cannot be measured by money, or cannot be divided.

Zhang Zhou can take out some money on his own and give it as a "bonus" to the people in the "R&D Department".

In fact, the R&D department is also responsible for manufacturing. The department is just a starting point. There are also "military merits" here. Whoever makes progress in certain aspects or can complete some necessary tasks for a long time can earn points. And in order to obtain promotions and rewards, detailed rules have been formed.

Zhang Zhou uses an enterprise model to manage the Daming Firearms R&D department. Although Zhu Youtang is nominally the boss, in fact it is all under Zhang Zhou's control.

"Thank you, Mr. Sir"

A bunch of people were still very happy, which meant that they had benefited.

Just when Zhang Zhou arranged for Liu Gui to take several valuable boxes to calculate the value, Zhu Feng came over and reminded in a low voice, "Brother Zhang, these are all gifts from the emperor. You are so I'm afraid it won't be appropriate to distribute it."

Zhang Zhou said, "Your Majesty's intention is to reward those who have made meritorious services. If I am all alone, wouldn't it be criticized?"

Zhu Feng He reminded, "I am afraid that some people will say that you have bought people's hearts."

"I have not bought the ministers of the DPRK. Could it be that the people who work for me will be punished if I give them some of the things His Majesty gave them? It's good that you have such awareness, but sometimes you need to be more open-minded."

Zhang Zhou said, turning back to Liu Gui, "Bring me two hundred taels of silver."

"Yes." Liu Gui hurriedly led people to do things.

Zhu Feng still followed up and said, "Brother Zhang, after this battle, when will the next battle be?"

Zhang Zhou frowned and looked over, then smiled. "How do you know the truth? You are determined to go to the battlefield. I heard that even Cui Prince Consort can make great achievements on the battlefield. Can't you suppress the excitement in your heart? Rekindle your fighting spirit and prepare to make another outstanding contribution to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Feng looked annoyed and said, "I don't want to go, just"

End.

Zhang Zhouyi knew after listening to these words that Zhu Feng was "involuntarily". Even if Zhu Feng wanted to be a soft persimmon, the Duke of Chengguo would put pressure on him, and it happened that Zhu Feng He seems to be a person who is not very opinionated. In Zhu Feng's opinion, he will usually do things entrusted by people he trusts.

Zhang Zhou said, "Just wait, there will be a chance. We have agreed to go to the battlefield together next time. Unless there is a war that you must go to, otherwise you can continue to wait."

Zhu Feng said, "I'm afraid that if I can wait, my family won't be able to wait. Recently, my family has made a marriage arrangement for me, and I will get married soon."

Zhang Zhou patted him on the shoulder and said, "Getting married is a good thing. Be independent as soon as possible. I am optimistic about you."

At first hearing this, Zhu Feng was a little touched and felt that he was deeply moved. Zhang Zhou’s trust.

But after thinking about it again, I feel that it is a bit nonsense. This is my first time getting married. At my age, I am not independent yet. It is really ironic without using curse words.

"Sir, could you please arrange an errand for the students?" Xu Jing didn't dare to come forward at first, but when he saw that Zhang Zhou and Zhu Feng were almost done talking, he approached with a shy face.

Zhang Zhou said, "The iron mine in Yongping Prefecture still needs someone to take care of it. Otherwise, you can first go to the Ministry of Personnel and wait for selection, or you can use your ability to become a leader around Gyeonggi Province. Magistrate, what do you think?"

"Ah"

Xu Jing was startled. Judging from his expression, it was obvious that he was not happy.

It seems like you can do great things by following Zhang Zhou.

But if you accept the election and become a local magistrate, away from Zhang Zhou and the officialdom of the capital, it is a matter of course whether you will have the opportunity to continue to be an official in the future.

"If even the county magistrate is not satisfied, I don't know how to arrange it for you." Zhang Zhou waved his hand and said, "Then you go to the Yongping Mansion Iron Mine to provide support first. One day Bohu will return to Beijing. You don’t need to call yourself a student in front of me. You and Bohu are equals.”

Zhang Zhou is saying, Tang Yin is my junior brother, and you are me. Student, this will harm your friendship with Tang Yin.

Actually, Zhang Zhou had no intention of keeping Xu Jing close to him. As for his abilities, Xu Jing was just a role model for a dandy. Tang Yin learned many of his arrogant characters from Xu Jing. So, No matter how you look at it, there is no bright spot in Juren, and there is still the stigma behind it. If you really want to use it, you must pay attention to other people's opinions.

Probably I can only do some hard work and practice first.

Shouninghou Mansion.

Zhang Heling got up very late that morning. He didn't get up until noon to have breakfast, but the servant beside him was talking to him.

"How did the second brother get military merits?" Zhang Heling knew that Cui Yuan had won military merits one after another. He was angry and remembered that he also sent his second brother to the northwest this time.

The servant said, "Master, do you hope that the second master will have military merit or not?"

"As an elder brother, naturally he wants his younger brother to be better, but at his level, It's not that I look down on him, he will never have another chance in this life." Zhang Heling said bitterly.

The servant said with a charming smile, "I'm right. The second master did not receive military honors. I heard that he will be punished for slacking off in military affairs this time."

"Haha Ahem. What do you think I am laughing at?" Zhang Heling breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, the two brothers have returned to normal levels and are starting from the same starting line.

The servant next to him had an embarrassed look on his face, as if to say, aren’t you laughing?

Zhang Heling said, “Except for the one from the Cui family,Who else is a soft-boiled person who has made meritorious service to repay me? Let me see who they are. ”

The servant said, “Don’t worry, sir. Apart from Cui’s son-in-law, only the local soldiers and horses of Ningxia led by Governor Yang, as well as Uncle Xiangcheng and Marquis Wu’an may not be punished this time. , may have missed this battle, and it is said that it almost caused a catastrophe. "

"Really?" Zhang Heling said proudly, "Fortunately, I didn't go. "

" I also heard that the person most responsible for this crime is Baoguo Gong. It is said that his whole family is now starting to feel in danger. "The servant continued to narrate the gossip he had learned.

Zhang Heling sighed, "They don't understand my brother-in-law. Even if they lose the battle, they may not be charged with the crime and the house will be confiscated. Now they just made a small mistake. , at most he would be dismissed, and it is estimated that he would make a comeback in a few years. "

The servant was very surprised. This Marquis was not good at anything else, but he seemed to know the emperor quite well.

"That Zhang Bingkuan is so awesome, let him catch up again Now, go and give me a greeting, and I'll treat him to a banquet later. Zhang Heling said.

The servant said, "Cai Guogong may not give you face. I heard that he doesn't accept banquets from anyone now, and he doesn't usually see guests." By the way, a letter was sent to Princess Yongkang's house earlier. Please read it."

Zhang Heling said, "The second brother is related to him by marriage, and I have nothing to do with their family. Give it to me. Why are you writing a letter when a man is on an expedition? My mother-in-law couldn't stand it anymore and wanted me to knock on her door in the middle of the night."

"Ah"

The servant was shocked at first, and then thought, This is my master's habit of speaking.

It was a courtesy to the eldest princess that he didn't speak harshly.

When Zhang Heling took the letter and read it, he immediately frowned. He threw it aside and said, "It's really rare. I don't know what it means to ask me to be her lobbyist." I am the kind of person who makes wedding clothes for others."

"Master, what do you mean?" The servant was illiterate and asked enthusiastically.

Zhang Heling said, " The woman wanted to reconcile with Zhang Bingkuan, saying that her man could get the title now, so let her talk about it. She also said that she would be grateful after the deal was done. I thanked her that my ancestors never did anything for others, let alone that she was still my brother-in-law before. If you speak ill of me in front of me, I will remember this grudge for the rest of my life. "

The servant asked, "Do you need a reply?"

"Give her face. "Zhang Heling stood up, rolled up his sleeves and said, "Bring me the seal from the Beijing camp. I'm going on patrol, and I'm going to Yanwu Hall for a walk soon. From now on, please don't call me "Master", just call me "General Zhang". No matter how unworthy it is, you can call me "Master Hou". He said with a flattering look on his face.

Libu Yamen

Li Dongyang came in person and met Ma Wensheng in the inner hall. The two sat down to discuss the plans for the northwest war. Rewards, especially those related to the promotion of meritorious soldiers, etc.

"In this battle, Cui Yuan, the commander-in-law, performed very well. He defeated the Tatars with a small number and blocked the Tatars from crossing the river. In terms of merit, he can advance.Uncle, but everything depends on His Majesty’s wishes. ”

Ma Wensheng is relatively neutral on this matter.

First of all, Cui Yuan is not a member of Zhang Zhou’s faction, but his status as a relative is not pleasing to the eye. He only talks about military merit. Ma Wensheng felt that his idea was not biased.

Li Dongyang said, "There has never been a commoner in charge of the army before. When he first entered the battlefield, he made extraordinary achievements. Do you think it is so convenient for Ma Butang?" But being promoted to the rank of world official still has a great impact on the order of the court. "

Obviously the cabinet represented by Li Dongyang does not want to promote Cui Yuan.

Ma Wensheng smiled and said, "If compared with Wang Boan, Cui Yuan's achievements are indeed nothing. ”

It’s okay to give a title, but if you have to be careful and find a standard to use as a caliper, then use Wang Shouren.

Wang Shouren fought several battles, Weininghai and Liaodongping. The Jurchens later made a surprise attack on the grassland and killed more than 10,000 enemies.

In other words, those who did not exceed Wang Shouren's merits would not be discussed for promotion to the title.

Wang Shouren is the last person in a series of people recommended by Zhang Zhou to obtain the title. He can also be used as a "keeper". Wang Shouren is regarded as an insurmountable standard, and in the future, he will only make a fuss about promotions and financial rewards.

Li Dongyang said, "I heard one thing. His Majesty handed over the judgment of Cui Yuan's military merit to Zhang Bingkuan. Zhang Bingkuan's opinion was also taken first to decide whether he could be promoted to a higher position. ”

“How do you know?” Ma Wensheng was curious.

This is considered a secret.

Your cabinet’s news channels are all different. Why didn’t I, the official minister, hear about it?

Li Dongyang remained silent.

In this way, even Ma Wensheng could figure out something. If the news could be spread, There is no need for Li Dongyang to cover it up. It cannot be said that the channel is kept secret. This is probably the news coming from the palace.

"Then Binzhi, do you think Zhang Bingkuan will look at Cui Yuan differently based on his talent and insight? I'm afraid he can't compare with Wang Bo'an. There are many people in the court who are better than him. In terms of bravery, Cui Yuan may not be better. He can be said to be a layman when it comes to running the army. "

Ma Wensheng was not polite when he evaluated Cui Yuan.

Li Dongyang said, "Brother Fuitu didn't think he should be knighted before."

" Gaining title and gaining power are two different things after all. The imperial court dares to hand over the heavy responsibility of northwest defense to such a fledgling relative. Even if His Majesty and Zhang Bingkuan have this intention, the military will not be convinced unless"

"Unless "How?" Li Dongyang asked.

Ma Wensheng said unceremoniously, "Unless he can have connections in the court to support him." Binzhi, you should know what I mean."

The implication is that as long as our traditional faction supports him, he is qualified to gain a foothold. Please remember to collect, the latest and fastest website for free reading without anti-theft