After Zhu Houzhao returned from Zhang Zhou, he was obsessed with participating in military exercises.
"If I can do what he said and get a distinction in this military exercise, better than those experienced generals, then my father will definitely be impressed by me. Then I will say that I understand. "Bing, my father will not refute me again. Let's see if those ministers dare to turn their backs on me in the future."
Zhu Houzhao was eager to prove himself.
But Zhang Zhou doesn’t seem to be “awesome”. After all, according to what Zhang Zhou said, the new martial arts arena will not be officially put into operation until June, and the previous martial arts arenas are obviously not equipped well. There is also a certain bias in the test results.
Zhu Houzhao even wrote a separate memorial to his old father, urging the court to fully consider the results of actual combat drills when selecting and appointing generals. In fact, he was urging his father to allocate manpower and material resources to complete the martial arts field. put up.
After Zhu Youtang saw this kind of memorial, he almost wanted someone to call the naughty kid and teach him a lesson.
But Zhu Youtang loved his children, and he himself felt that the plan implemented by Zhang Zhou was effective, so he still asked people to promote the construction. In order to make it easier for the ministers of the DPRK and China to understand, he also specially asked The cabinet sent someone to supervise and communicate well, and this task fell on Xie Qian.
On this day, Xie Qian first sent someone to make an appointment with Zhang Zhou, and then they went to the arsenal in the city to check the inventory and other matters.
Like Zhu Youtang when he saw the cannons and muskets in the warehouse, Xie Qian was also a little surprised by Zhang Zhou's desperate development of military industry. If he hadn't known how many weapons the imperial household department had allocated to Zhang Zhou, He only had two taels of silver and knew that Zhang Zhou relied on his own ability to make these weapons. He would definitely report to the court, saying that Zhang Zhou was using military force as a purpose and wasting money and wasting the people.
“Mr. Sell all the coal and pig iron that come out."
Zhang Zhou seemed to have thought of what Xie Qian was thinking, and then blocked Xie Qian's mouth in advance.
But with Xie Qian's eloquence, he was never willing to be at a disadvantage in matters of words.
Revenue"
"What?" Zhang Zhou said, "I mine coal, send it to the treasury to pile up, and then what do I do?"
"You"
Xie Qian There were countless ways to refute Zhang Zhou, but because of Zhang Zhou's special status, he really didn't know which direction to speak from.
There were times when Lao Xie was speechless.
Because an obvious problem is that the imperial court has always been evasive and perfunctory about Zhang Zhou's requests for money and grain allocation, and none of them were approved.
The general meaning is that Zhang Zhou spent great efforts to mine the minerals and sold them or directlySent to the court for storage, and then controlled by the traditional civil servants of the court, they would rather pile it up in the treasury than allocate it to Zhang Zhou
It was like Zhang Zhou was questioning Xie Qian, I struggled to dig it out for myself Are you looking for trouble? Am I sick?
Xie Qian calmed down his emotions and was still very energetic. He asked, "What's going on with the martial arts field? There are so many school grounds around the capital. It's not enough." Before you came here, you built some artillery range outside the city, but hundreds of hectares of land were left vacant. If you build any martial arts field now, wouldn't it harm the interests of the people of Gyeonggi again?"
Everything will happen Talking about the people is in line with the civil servants' idea of "serving the people wholeheartedly".
But to Zhang Zhou, these were just methods used by civil servants to carry out political struggles, that is, to first put themselves on a moral high ground to oppose the actions of political opponents.
Zhang Zhou said, "Mr. What are you worried about, Mr. Ge? It’s a waste of people and money. Don’t worry, all the renovation of the martial arts arena will be done by people from the Beijing camp, and the money and food will also be supported by the inner government.”
“The money from the inner government is not from the household. "It was transferred from the Ministry." Xie Qian seemed to have found a breakthrough in his argument with Zhang Zhou.
Xie Qian was blowing his beard and staring. Wang Qiong, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also heard that Xie Qian came to inspect and brought people over. He happened to hear Xie Qian yelling at Zhang Zhou.
He came over and saluted, but he didn’t know what to say.
"Dehua, you are here at the right time. Please tell me how much money it is estimated to cost for this martial arts performance." Xie Qian seemed to remember to pull Wang Qiong to the right path. Qiong was a traditional civil servant and wanted to unite to put pressure on Zhang Zhou.
Wang Qiong said, "The Ministry of Household Affairs is not aware of this. However, according to His Majesty's wishes, the renovation work will be carried out by the Jingying camp, and the cost will be borne by Xishan Town. Together with the construction of the city wall in Xishan, Push forward."
"What?" Xie Qian frowned.
It is said that the inner government paid for it, but in fact it was Zhang Zhou who paid for it himself.
Zhang Zhou’s industry is not just in Xishan, but also in Yongping Prefecture and Datong. The income from various minerals is very rich. After all, what Zhang Zhou has discovered and found people to mine are rich ores, and there are also many The mining methods and various tools used are relatively advanced in this era.
It is more efficient than traditional mining methods, and the amount of money earned is naturally beyond the understanding of Xie Qian, a corrupt scholar.
Zhang Zhou sighed and said, "Let me answer Mr. Xie Ge's question. Building the wall of Xishan does not count the labor cost of the soldiers from the Beijing camp. Of course, this part will also be used as a subsidy. Including the renovation of the martial arts arena, it will cost a total of about 150,000 taels of silver."
"How much"
Xie Qian became anxious when he heard this.
150,000 taels of silver. If the court wanted to come up with such an additional expenditure, it would be impossible to do so after just a few months of shuffling things around, but Zhang Zhou could easily come up with it here. One hundred and fifty thousand taelsThe money was used to build city walls and renovate the martial arts arena.
It feels like a small court outside the big court.
Wang Qiong said, "This is a conservative estimate. If we want to build the city wall of Xishan more solidly, I'm afraid these are not enough."
Zhang Zhou nodded and said, "Theoretically This is true, but the existence of Xishan as an acropolis around the capital naturally cannot only rely on the depth of the city wall, but also mainly on the blessing of firearms. If a large number of artillery are equipped in all directions, even if there are not too many soldiers and horses, the thieves think It is even more difficult to capture this city."
Wang Qiong then understood what Zhang Zhou meant.
Building a city wall is only part of it, and the new city wall must conform to the new combat style of the Ming Dynasty army, which means adding a lot of shooting holes and adding artillery placement points to form a barrier. The city wall is not very high, and no enemy can penetrate it.
Xie Qian was a little angry after listening to the conversation between the two.
I thought Wang Qiong was a "normal person", but after listening to the conversation between the two, I felt that Wang Qiong had been completely brainwashed by Zhang Zhou. This conversation seemed to not take him as a cabinet minister seriously. . < /p>
Xie Qian thought of Zhang Zhou’s previous request for shipbuilding money from the imperial court in the name of Minister of War.
Finally found a reasonable reason to explain that you are not doing your job properly.
Zhang Zhou said, "One code is a code. If the imperial court thinks that it is not necessary to allocate money and food for shipbuilding, I cannot force it. However, it is imperative to build the martial arts field and the city wall of Xishan." Yes, of course, I am also raising the cost of shipbuilding, and Tang Yin, who is in charge of this matter, will return to Beijing soon. He might as well explain to you the need for shipbuilding."
General Xie Qian. Don't look away, he doesn't even bother to talk to Zhang Zhou.
"Mr.
"Of course I want to go." Xie Qian said, "The emperor's orders are with me, but you don't need to accompany me anymore. Dehua, you go with me. You, Duke Cai Guo, are such a busy man. You don't even have to attend court meetings." If you can be absent often, I won’t disturb you.”
Obviously Xie Qian doesn’t want to have too much communication with Zhang Zhou.
We are not trying to win over Zhang Zhou now, or the time to do so has passed. The two sides have formed a fundamental opposition, and there is no hope of resolving this conflict for the time being. Dialogue between the two parties is easy. It means that there are many mistakes.
As an old man in the court, Xie Qian would still act sternly to maintain the face of a traditional civil servant.
In Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang summoned Liu Jian alone.
Liu Jian thought he was going to discuss important court matters, but when he arrived, he realized that Zhu Youtang had no intention of discussing general court affairs with him.
In addition to summoning Liu Jian, Zhu Youtang also had Xiao Jing and Li Rong standing next to him.
"Mr. Liu Ge, sinceSince the establishment of the Shangting Office, there has been no customization. The people who have been in the Shangting Office include the military minister Ying Gong, the Baoguo Gong, and a few civil servants. Now there are four people who have officially joined the Shangting Office, but there are usually few people there. . "
In the Shangting Office, the only ministers who are nominally on duty at this time are Wang Qiong, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Xiong Chong, the left minister of the Ministry of War.
Then there are Zhang Zhouhe Li Dongyang.
But in fact, only Wang Qiong and Xiong Chong would go to Shangting Office, which makes Shangting Office seem to be an inconspicuous yamen in normal times. Especially in non-war times, almost no one would visit it. Wang Qiong regarded him as a minister of the Shangting Department, and more as a minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
While listening, Liu Jian was also thinking about the emperor's intentions. He said, "Your Majesty, the Shangting Department is set up. This was originally meant for battlefield wars. Now that the northwest is generally considered peaceful, there may be no need to reserve the Shangting Department. "
Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "What I mean is to let the superior listener set the rules for entering the value." I don't want to reduce the authority of the cabinet. What I mean is to ensure the stability of the border town. "
Liu Jian felt annoyed.
The emperor seemed to be discussing with him, but in fact it was more of a notice.
Zhu Youtang said, "How many people are currently on duty in the Shangting Department? I have to replace them as appropriate. Except for Bingkuan, the remaining people can be transferred back to their original posts first. "
"Your Majesty" Liu Jian didn't understand.
Only Zhang Zhou, who usually didn't take care of things, was left. The remaining people returned to their original positions. Xiong Xiu and Li Dongyang returned to their old jobs. Forget it, Wang Qiong seems to be the "top horse" around Zhang Zhou, and he can be regarded as conscientious and conscientious in his work in the Shangting Department and the Household Department. Although many people initially thought that Wang Qiong was promoted to the left minister of the Household Department, and people were dissatisfied, but as Wang Qiong Qiong made great achievements in the Ministry of Revenue and the Shangting Department, and even the picky traditional civil servants in the court had to recognize Wang Qiong's ability.
Zhu Youtang said, "The Shangting Department is not like that. The cabinet department, as I wish, can be changed at any time. I also named a few people, what do you think, Mr. Liu Ge?"
As he said that, Zhu Youtang waved his hand to Xiao Jing who was standing aside, and then Xiao Jing picked up a list with only a few names written on it and handed it over To Xie Qian.
Xie Qian frowned after reading the names above.
Zhang Zhou, Lu Wan, Qin Hong and Tang Yin.
" "Mr. Liu Ge, what do you think is wrong with these people?" Zhu Youtang asked.
Liu Jianxin said, Your Majesty, you want to turn the Shangting Office into a yamen on an equal footing with our cabinet, and put Zhang Zhou under Forget it inside, Qin Hong is the general manager of the three sides, how can he also hold the status of minister of the listening department? As for what kind of birdies are Lu Wan and Tang Yin?
Zhu Youtang did not wait for Liu Jian Answer, explaining his choice: "Qin Hong was on the other side and resigned many times. On the grounds of old age and frailty, he hoped to return to his hometown as an official as soon as possible, but I think he should be given a certain amount of honor and transferred back to Beijing." Finally, I also value him highly. As for Lu Wan, he had meritorious service by guarding the three inner passes when the Tatar invaders invaded the border. This time, he was assigned the task of handling official duties."
"As for Tang Yin, although he is not qualified enough, he has had many experiences. After he returns to Beijing this time, I plan to use him as a doctor in the Ministry of Industry. I will assign him to supervise the cannon casting and other matters around the capital. I am also planning to give him the errands of the Yizhou Mountain Factory, and he can be promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Industry as appropriate. ”
The admiral of the Ming Dynasty, Yizhou Shanchang, was responsible for matters such as charcoal in the capital. In Jingtai, he could be supervised by the Minister of the Ministry of Works. In the middle of Hongzhi, he was generally the right minister of the Ministry of Works.
Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty uses less charcoal and more coal, and most affairs are done in Xishan. Tang Yin’s current qualifications are not enough to promote him as a minister, but if he is appointed as the right minister of the Ministry of Works, he will become an admiral. Yizhou Shanchang is much more reasonable. After all, he is not the official right servant.
Liu Jiandao, "Your Majesty has already decided."
"I am discussing with you. "Zhu Youtang heard that there was emotion in Liu Jian's words. He did not deliberately comfort him, but his words were still relatively gentle.
After sorting out his words, Liu Jian said, "I think these people are all They are not the best candidates to join the team. If only a few people join the team, there is a fear that partisanship will form, and there will be the possibility of forming a party for personal gain. "
Zhu Youtang said, "Liu Ge is always afraid that Bingkuan will have too deep influence on them, and they will follow Bingkuan's lead and form a clique."
Liu Jian did not answer, but It's equivalent to acquiescence.
"By the way, Mr. Liu Ge, I am also planning to send Wang Qiong to the northwest to replace Qin Hong. What do you think?" Zhu Youtang finally solved a doubt in Liu Jian's mind. Open.
That’s why Wang Qiong did a good job, so why did he give up his position?
Now I know that it turned out that Wang Qiong was asked to go to the northwest to replace Qin Hong. The military and political affairs of Laixuan Dahe and the three sides will be nominally controlled by Zhang Zhou.
"I am not going to decide this matter right away. After all, I have already decided to use Qin Hong as the admiral. The commander-in-chief of the border town will be in charge of this patrol. This matter will not be completely decided until the end of June at the earliest, and probably not until the beginning of autumn at the latest. Mr. Liu Ge can also think about this matter recently, and will bring it to the court for discussion later. ”
Zhu Youtang seemed to respect the minister’s opinion.
But Liu Jian knew that since the emperor had already made this arrangement, it probably could not be changed.
Liu Jian asked, "Your Majesty, I know that the matter of supervising the military affairs of the three inner gates has now been cancelled. I wonder what arrangements Lu Wan will make after returning to Beijing."
Zhu Youtang seems to have made a final decision. Dang Ji replied, "Let him be the right minister of the household department. "
Liu Jian became a little anxious when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "Wang Yan, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has been promoted to this position not long ago, and he is diligent and measured in his work, so why should he be replaced?"
"Mr. Liu Ge is worried. I don't want Wang Yan to resign and return to his hometown. The governor of Datong has been vacant before, and Uncle Xin Xin will take over the post. What I want is to send someone who can do things to assist him, and let Wang Yan go." I think it’s more appropriate”
Liu JiantingHe couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The rules for official promotion in the Ming Dynasty are usually that the chief envoy from the left is promoted to the governor, and then the governor is promoted to the minister. But now it is reversed. The right minister of the household department is transferred back to be the governor, and Wang Yan is the governor of the Ming Dynasty. The veteran minister, who has quite a lot of qualifications, actually went to help the fledgling Wang Shouren
And according to the rules for the appointment of officials above the Sixth Minister of the Ming Dynasty, candidates are discussed after the vacancy becomes vacant, but now the emperor directly replaces him. , which means that Wang Yan and other traditional civil servants are not regarded as human beings.
"After Wang Qiong transferred Sanbian to the overall position, I plan to replace his position as the left minister of the household department with Xu Jin." Zhu Youtang said, "In this case, if Lu Wan is promoted to the right minister of the household department, the position of the left minister of the household department will be replaced." I probably don’t have to worry about the ministry’s affairs.”
Liu Jian also heard some signs that although Xu Jin was a traditional civil servant in name, he was now getting along with the new sect.
The main reason is that Xu Jin did not see the opportunity to be promoted to Zuo Shilang or Shangshu, so he tried to find a way to get closer to Zhang Zhou's camp.
Placing Lu Wan, a standard member of the Zhang Party, in the Ministry of Household Affairs is tantamount to vacating Shi Zhong, the Minister of Household Affairs, and will continue to do so. There was Wang Qiong before him and Lu Wan after him. Sometimes there may be obstacles when the emperor needs to allocate money and food, but as time goes by, Liu Jian knows that in the future the emperor will firmly control the power of finance, taxation and treasury.
"Your Majesty, such an important matter should be discussed in detail in the court hall. I don't know how to respond at the moment, so I hope your Majesty will forgive me."
Liu Jian has a snack. Disheartened.
The emperor now only believed in Zhang Zhou and those who were close to him, and looked less and less towards traditional civil servants. In his opinion, this was the beginning of chaos.
Zhu Youtang said, "Some things can be brought to the court to talk about, but some things don't need to be discussed. The purpose of my discussion with Mr. Liu Ge is to gain your support. My health has not been as good as before in the past two years. , I am also thinking, I also want to see the day when the grassland is unified in my lifetime, and I also hope that Mr. Liu Ge can give me this opportunity. "
Liu Jianxin said, "You are only a few years old and it is possible in your lifetime." It's been decades, and I only have a few years left in my lifetime.
I don’t want to see civil servants in a weak position in my lifetime and be stepped on by a group of military heroes and sycophants
"Old ministers should do their best, but when it comes to the employment of people in the court, , We should consider it in the long term." Liu Jian could only use a stubbornness that seemed to have no practical use to fight against the emperor's partiality. Please remember to bookmark, the latest and fastest website is free to read without anti-theft