Cui Yuan and Zhang Yong jointly submitted a memorial requesting money and food, which was quickly spread to the capital. As wartime news, this should not be ignored at all for those who sent border posts.
When the news came, the ministers exploded again on their way to court.
Hubu Shangshu Ji Zhong naturally became the focus of everyone's attention. A bunch of people gathered around him and asked him what was going on.
Liu Jian and Li Dongyang seemed very peaceful.
As for Wang Hao, who had just joined the cabinet, and Cheng Minzheng, these two seemed to be outsiders, and the comments of others seemed to have nothing to do with them.
In the end, Ji Zhong sped up a few steps and arrived at Liu Jian's side. At this time, they were just in front of Fengtian Gate. The people in Honglu Temple deliberately avoided it, leaving Ji Zhong to follow Liu Jian and Li Dongyang. Opportunities for communication.
"Several cabinet elders." When Zhong spoke, he did not avoid Wang Hao and Cheng Minzheng. His words were equivalent to mentioning to the four cabinet members, "At present, the military affairs in Liaodong are tense and the front line is tight. , but has been unable to open up the situation. The local money and food in Liaodong can no longer meet the needs, and the soldiers are currently on the verge of running out of food."
Li Dongyang said in an understatement: "Before the war, the Ministry of War was not. A batch of food and supplies were transferred from Jiangnan and shipped to Liaodong. I heard that a seaport is being built there and that sea transportation will be strengthened in the future. Why is it that there is no food supply in less than two months? "
The implication is that the food shortage is definitely not the responsibility of the imperial court or the Ministry of Household Affairs, but all of Zhang Zhou's fault.
Who asked Zhang Zhou to preside over this war?
Since he wants to fight, he must first solve the food problem. The army will go ahead before using food and grass. He seems to understand this very well, but how can he implement it like a layman?
Ji Zhongdao: "Nearly 100,000 troops and horses have been gathered in Liaodong, and the daily food supply is a huge amount. However, last year, Liaodong had a poor harvest due to resettlement of Jurchens and drought. It is difficult for the local government to resettle and replenish the supply. As for shipping and other matters, grain distribution in Nanjing has been stopped."
This is what I told Li Dongyang.
The imperial court's policies not only affect the household department in the capital and the Taicang Jingshu, but also affect the Nanjing household department and Nanjing grain preparation. The transportation of grain is basically under our control.
We don’t allow grain transfer, and even Zhang Zhou can’t allocate grain from the south.
Just when Li Dongyang wanted to make some more sarcastic remarks to show that this matter had nothing to do with them, Liu Jian reached out to interrupt the conversation between the two, and looked at Wang Hao and Cheng Minzheng, meaning what you are talking about. The issues discussed are beyond the current standards that can be discussed in front of people.
If someone told the emperor this, it would further deepen the "misunderstanding" between the civil servants and the emperor.
"Go back first and talk about it later." Li Dongyang understood what Liu Jian meant and said to him.
Zhong Zhonggong cupped his hands and retreated to his position.
This matter seems to be settled temporarily, after all, Zhong Zhong is now knownHe is about to withdraw from the court, so Zhong Zhong is not too pushy on many things. He neither wants to offend Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, nor does he want to be too closely bound to them, so he is now in a muddled state of mind.
Wait for Zhong to retreat.
Li Dongyang said to Liu Jian: "Obviously, the frontline military governors and garrison officers are asking for money and food from the court. This is because someone wants to get the Ministry of Household Affairs into their hands to facilitate their control of the overall situation. The Ministry of War Already in hand, if the household department is added, the court will not know how it will be tortured in the next few years." "Yes." Liu Jian nodded, seeming to agree with Li Dongyang's words.
Control of the army has completely fallen into Zhang Zhou's hands, and troops and horses were mobilized without even passing through the court.
If the financial power of putting food first is handed over to Zhang Zhou, it means that Zhang Zhou is full of wings and no longer needs the Ming Dynasty court or their group of civil servants. Then Zhang Zhou really wants to do it in the future. What to do.
From the perspective of traditional Confucian officials, they must not sit back and watch this happen.
Li Dongyang said: "Look, this time we are putting pressure on others. Zhang Bingkuan hasn't come yet today, but this matter... is not a big deal."
...
...
Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and even the traditional civil servants in the court were all ready to argue with the emperor and fight to the death with the Zhang Zhou faction.
Although Zhang Zhou has not yet gone to court, Lu Wan, the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, is here. It stands to reason that someone will single out the lack of military food and supplies in Liaodong, and then argue with the court. And Lu Wan showed his talents when he was in the upper level. This time Lu Wan's transfer to the northwest failed, so Lu Wan also needs some opportunities to perform.
From the perspective of a civil servant, Lu Wan needed such an opportunity to obtain the qualification to re-enter the Shangting Office. At the same time, Lu Wan also wanted to show that he, the left minister of household affairs, was not a decoration.
But what is unexpected is that the emperor did not seem to want to mention the lack of military rations in Liaodong from the beginning of the court meeting that day.
Because Zhu Youtang doesn’t care about this at all.
The pattern is different.
It was supposed to be agreed on who should join the Shangting Office, but it has not been implemented. This means that there are only two temporary ministers left in the Shangting Office for the time being. Cheng Minzheng, the cabinet minister who is waiting for the change of office, and the right minister of the Ministry of War The waiter Xiong Xiu.
The upper fangs seemed to have been temporarily removed as Lu Wan left the table.
After the court meeting, it was relatively relaxed and pleasant for most ministers. There was no conflict with the emperor. The court was still the same court and they could continue to live their lives.
But for Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, this matter seemed so unusual.
The emperor has clearly had the opportunity to compete with the ministers for control of the household department, so why is the emperor still so calm? Could it be that the emperor felt that this matter should be delayed for two days before discussing it? Let things ferment and ferment?
Arrived at the cabinet for room check.
Liu Jian called Wang Hao to himWhen he came, he gave him some memorials, especially Cui Yuan's "crying" memorial about the lack of food and the inability to continue marching in the face of natural disasters.
"Jizhi, take a look at this and come up with your opinion." Liu Jian wanted to test Wang Hao's tone.
Wang Hao took it, casually opened the top one, glanced at it a few times, he seemed to know the content already, and then closed it again.
He said: "According to past rules, this battle must be abandoned and the soldiers returned to their original places to calm the morale of the army. Or, food may be temporarily mobilized. If it is transferred from the capital, it may already be insufficient. , Unless you first take out part of it from Liaodong reserves, and then make up for it with Jingcang reserves."
Li Dongyang came over and said with a smile: "I haven't been there recently, so why don't you be diligent? Take Jizhi for a walk? We should also understand the situation there, so we can know how much food can be mobilized?"
This is digging a hole for Wang Hao.
Just let Wang Hao follow Cheng Minzheng to take a look. In fact, the reserves of the Ming Dynasty capital did not have much food left, and Taicang and other large warehouses were almost half empty. Let Wang Hao know that in fact, the so-called Liaodong War A war cannot be fought and should not be fought. Let Wang Hao know how irresponsible the student he selected, Zhang Zhou, was in this matter.
Cheng Minzheng laughed and said: "The affairs of the Hanlin Academy have been busy recently. I'm afraid I won't be able to get away. Why don't we let Jizhi go by himself? The Ministry of Revenue will also send someone to coordinate."
Wang Hao asked: "Am I going to check the accounts or the warehouse?"
This question made the smile on Li Dongyang's face fade.
Wang Hao is obviously not a fool. He knows that Li Dongyang is engaging in factional struggle. As a cabinet minister, Wang Hao went to Jingcang to check on himself, which is not beyond his authority.
But there must be a reason to go.
Just because you, Wang Hao, are going like this does not mean that you have to tell the Ministry of Household Affairs and the temporary Minister of Household Affairs in charge of Taicang. Are you looking for trouble, or are you here to create problems for them?
Then Wang Hao came up and it was tantamount to offending a group of people.
If you check the warehouse for no reason, no one will think you are a good person.
Cheng Minzheng came over and pulled Wang Hao's arm and said with a smile: "Why are you so reserved? Your Majesty didn't ask, and he didn't mention it to the superior."
Liu Jiandao: "That's right. ”
It means that in fact, we have made a mistake in our strategy. We should take the initiative and force the emperor to be removed, instead of waiting for the emperor to argue with us. If that is the case, we have the initiative. Or not on our side.
Li Dongyang also said with a somewhat worried look on his face: "Your Majesty is not aware of Liaodong's predicament now, so he didn't mention it. Or is His Majesty deliberately suppressing the matter, or is he waiting for us to take the initiative to mention it?"
Liu Jian sighed: "The matter is still unclear."
As he spoke, he turned his attention to Cheng Minzheng.
Cheng Minzheng seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and said with a smile: "There seems to be someone going to the Hanlin Academy today, how about I ask him? ”
This person is naturally Zhang Zhou.
After all, Zhang Zhou is still employed in the Hanlin Academy and serves as a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. This position is among the many positions that Zhang Zhou holds. , seems to be the most ordinary, because Zhang Zhou usually doesn't care about the affairs of the Hanlin Academy.
But for Liu Jian and the others, it is a very dangerous position, because it is related to their territory. In the core position of the struggle for power, the emperor retained Zhang Zhou's position in the Hanlin Academy, and it seemed that he had been waiting for Zhang Zhou to be included in the cabinet.
Liu Jiandao: "It's okay to ask, if the money and food in Liaodong cannot be transferred, what will happen to the soldiers?" We also need to care about our food and clothing. Is it possible that no one in the government or the public cares about it? "
Cheng Minzheng laughed at himself and sighed helplessly: "The soldiers of Liaodong were hungry on the front line and asked the court for money and food. They couldn't bring the matter to the court. They actually had to talk about it in this way. It's really... ..."
"Keqin, you have complained too much today. Li Dongyang reminded, "Whoever does something will bear the consequences. Shouldn't the Ministry of War pay attention to this matter?" The Minister of War doesn't go to court himself, and if he doesn't mention it himself, how can he wait for us to mention it? ”
This tells Cheng Minzheng that you don’t need to have any psychological burden.
The one who did the wrong thing is obviously Zhang Zhou, the instigator of the Liaodong War. What does it have to do with us?
p>
“Haha. "Cheng Minzheng just laughed at himself, as if he really didn't want to be deeply involved in this matter.
......
......
Zhang Zhou arrived that day The Hanlin Academy was actually for the subsequent additions and changes to the "Da Ming Huidian".
He originally didn't want to go, but Cheng Minzheng forced him to come. It was also Cheng Minzheng who wanted to take advantage of Wang Hao to enter the cabinet and become a Hanlin bachelor. One less person wanted to promote Zhang Zhou to the position of Hanlin bachelor to facilitate his retirement.
Cheng Minzheng was very open to supporting Zhang in this matter. Zhou?
Not counting.
Since Cheng Minzheng wants to rely on his elders, he should urge Zhang Zhou to get more involved in government affairs. .
But he never thought that due to the incident in Liaodong, Cheng Minzheng would eventually have to take over the job.
Zhang Zhou seemed to be in the Hanlin Academy. Like a normal person, he first met with a few people who were in charge of editing books and had a general chat, but they didn't talk about anything nutritious. Then Cheng Minzheng came over and took Zhang Zhou to the vacant bachelor's room.
< p> "Mr. Cai Guogong, you are really a noble person and busy with things. It is difficult to see you. "Cheng Minzheng complained as soon as he came up.Zhang Zhou laughed and said: "Why, I went to the Hanlin Academy and didn't even drink the tea. Do I have to listen to the teachings of Mr. Cheng Ge? ”
Cheng Minzheng waved his hand and handed a manuscript of the book to Zhang Zhou, saying: “I took a look and found that there are not many things that can be changed. Many of the regulations were actually reviewed by you. As for the I don’t want to verify the authenticity of the content. It's probably what it is, that's what it is. "
"oh. "Zhang Zhou nodded.
Cheng Minzheng seemed to have finished talking about the business, and then said: "What happened in Liaodong? The soldiers on the front line can't even eat, and every one of them is going hungry. "
Zhang Zhou said: "Food and grass are a little tight, but we haven't run out of food yet, right? "
Cheng Minzheng frowned and said, "You know everything about feelings, and you deliberately don't talk about them? Even if there is no shortage of food, how can we still fight this battle if we are short of soldiers and food? Tens of thousands of soldiers have gathered outside the borders of the Jurchens, unable to advance or retreat. Every mouth needs to eat every day. Have you ever thought about the losses involved? "
Zhang Zhou smiled and did not pick up the fight.
"Oh. "Cheng Minzheng saw Zhang Zhou's unhurried look, but he was also very anxious and said, "Can't we talk openly? This incident broke out today. How many people are worried about it? You have no idea how much pressure the Minister of the Ministry of Finance is under today. "
"Really? But why do I know that no one even mentioned this matter to me today? "Zhang Zhou asked with a smile.
Cheng Minzheng was startled.
Then he realized that although Zhang Zhou rarely went to court, in fact, the content of the discussions in the court was actually very important. Qing.
As he was talking, someone announced at the door: "Two bachelors, Eunuch Yang, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, have arrived in front of the Hanlin Academy and said they came to visit Bachelor Zhang. "
Cheng Minzheng is a bachelor, and Zhang Zhou is a bachelor. In the eyes of the Hanlin Academy, they are both bachelors.
Zhang Zhou said: "No, that Eunuch Yang, He claimed to have some connections in Liaodong and could get some money and food out of it. Originally, I wanted to talk to him. It's an emergency. Don't think the rice is rotten. Where does the food come from? "
Cheng Minzheng frowned and said, "Look at what you are saying. Does food need to be saved this way now? "
Zhang Zhou said helplessly: "There is nothing we can do. Who makes the imperial court unable to produce too much food? However, the overall military purpose cannot be neglected. Sometimes it is necessary to obtain some food. "
Cheng Minzheng stood up and was ready to welcome Yang Peng, but he couldn't help but ask: "Is this the only way? Nothing else? ”
“Yes, yes. "Zhang Zhou said, "But it's not reserved for fighting, but reserved for... Haha, you will miss the mark if you talk too much. Bachelor Cheng, do you want to see Eunuch Yang? ”
Cheng Minzheng was pushed to the point where he couldn’t get up or down, so he naturally refused to give up and said, “If you see me, I’ll see you.” "Recent transcoding has been serious, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to exit the reading mode. Thank you