Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 71 Entering the Army
There are five desks in the hall, one in the middle and two on the left and right.
It was already time to light the lamps. The main seat at the top was empty. Two figures sat on each side of the seat, writing under the lamp. On the table next to them were several stacks of thick memorials.

Today, Qu Shisi and Chen Zizhuang were on duty. Even at ordinary times, these two were the last to leave the duty room.

The new dynasty had just been established and the affairs were simple. The other ministers reported for duty on time. They basically sat in the duty hall for a while every day. If there was nothing to discuss, they would leave.
For some reason, these two people had so much official business, and they often worked until late at night.

Although Chen Zizhuang was also appointed as a Grand Secretary during the Longwu Dynasty, he never served in the central government of Longwu. Therefore, after entering the court, he did not get along well with the officials of Fujian Province.

Chen Zizhuang was often on duty these days to handle official business, and he had a lot of interactions with Qu Shisi. He found that this person had a very similar personality to himself, so the two of them became closer and closer, and they had a vague idea of ​​becoming close friends.

The two were working on memorials under the lamp. Chen Zizhuang put down his brush, picked up the teacup and took a sip. He was about to continue working on his official business when a figure suddenly walked into the duty room.
"Mr. Chen, this is a letter from the head of the Ministry of Revenue, Mai Erxuan, who asked you to personally read it," an official in a green robe said respectfully.

Qu Shisi looked up at the green-robed official at the door, then lowered his head and continued to handle his official business.
"I know, you can go down."

Chen Zizhuang took the letter, waved away the official who delivered it, and looked at the envelope in his hand with a slight frown.

Chen Zizhuang is now the Grand Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Justice. Although Mai Erxuan is his student, Chen Zizhuang did not keep him in the Ministry of Justice, but placed him in the Ministry of Revenue.

Logically speaking, Mai Erxuan is now the head of the Ministry of Revenue. Even if there is official business, it should be handed over to the Minister of Revenue Ding Kuichu. The affairs of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice have basically no intersection, so he should not pass the letter to Chen Zizhuang, who is the Minister of Justice.

If it was a private matter, then it should not be sent to the duty room, but should be sent to Chen Zizhuang's house.
Chen Zizhuang opened the letter and read it. After a moment, he suddenly stood up with an excited look on his face.
"Good, great! Drive out the Tartars and restore China."

"Your Highness is so heroic and magnanimous, why should we worry about the restoration of the Ming Dynasty?" Chen Zizhuang said loudly.

Qu Shisi looked up at Chen Zizhuang, who looked excited. He didn't know what had happened to make this usually steady elder so excited.

"Jiaxuan, come and see this. This is what His Highness said to the generals today. Our Great Ming Dynasty has a successor."

Chen Zizhuang took the letter in his hand, walked to the table, and handed the letter to Qu Shisi, who looked a little surprised.

After a while, Qu Shisi put down the letter and suddenly stood up, holding the letter in his hand with a look of emotion on his face.

"Your Highness has great ambitions and is like our great ancestor. At this critical moment for our Ming Dynasty, we are blessed by our ancestors to have such a great leader. There is hope for the revival of our Ming Dynasty."

Qu Shisi stood up and looked out the window at the night, and spoke softly, as if he could see through the night and see His Majesty the Immortal in the back hall, wearing a crown and robes.

Both of them were well-educated and famous scholars. How could they not see that Zhu Lang's words came from Taizu's Northern Expedition to Overthrow Yuan? But it was precisely because they knew the source of these words that they became more excited.

Although His Highness only said these words during the banquet, how could this be a casual remark? Didn't Mai Erxuan ignore the rules and directly write to Chen Zizhuang after finding out what happened during the banquet this afternoon?
His Highness gave a grand banquet to all the generals for the first time after he ascended the throne. How could the words he said on such an occasion be unintentional?
In fact, this is the first political declaration issued by His Highness after he ascended the throne.
His Highness is telling the ministers of the previous dynasty that what the Ming Dynasty wants in the future is not to seek peace or to live in seclusion, but to drive out the Tartars, restore the Central Plains, and once again restore the Han state.
This is the real reason why Your Highness quoted Taizu's proclamation to attack Yuan.
The Ming Dynasty wiped out the Mongols and restored the prestige of the Han officials, and now the Eastern Tartars are coming again, the barbarians are spying, and the Central Plains have fallen. The Ming Dynasty should once again accept the will of heaven, rule the world, drive out the Tartars, and protect the Han artifacts.

Don't think this is a definitive fact that doesn't need to be said. In fact, there are many people in the court who want to seek peace with the Qing court, or even imitate the previous Song-Liao alliance and pay tribute to the Qing court.

In their view, since the Ming Dynasty was already weak, it might as well bend its knees a little and submit to others.

Although the Donglu are barbarians, weren't the Yuan Dynasty also barbarians? The Mongols and Yuan Dynasty both ruled the Central Plains for a hundred years, and didn't we all survive that way?
Although paying tribute and becoming a vassal is somewhat humiliating, didn't the Song Dynasty also have the Treaty of Shanyuan? They are just following the old ways. If the Song Dynasty can do it, there is no reason why the Ming Dynasty cannot do it.

Now the Qing Dynasty is at its peak, and the imperial army has almost no chance of winning against them. If paying tribute and seeking peace can make the Qing Dynasty stop its attack, then what's wrong with that?
After the Treaty of Shanyuan, the Song Dynasty lasted for another hundred years. The most important thing now is to preserve the Ming Dynasty.
If you think paying tribute doesn't sound good, then change the name. Isn't sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall much better?

But today, the palace's speech in the garden directly pointed out the direction of the Ming Dynasty's future political situation and blocked these people's retreat.

In the future, you can have all kinds of opinions and suggestions in the court, but there is only one thing, no matter what you do, the court must do is to march north, to recover the Central Plains.
This is a public opinion that the court must not change in the future. At least until His Royal Highness the Regent changes his mind, this is the overall situation of the court.
Even if you want to surrender and seek peace, you must start from the Northern Expedition to restore the Central Plains, and find the reason for your proposal to surrender from the basis of the Northern Expedition.

This is a major event that will determine the future direction of the Ming Dynasty. Compared with this event, the fact that His Highness has granted 56 Juren degrees in a row today is insignificant.
His Highness only granted Juren this time, not Jinshi, and it was a Juren of the military examination. This would not affect the basic base of the civil officials in the court at all, so the two of them did not care much.
If Zhu Lang had granted the title of Juren to a civil official today, things would definitely not be so peaceful.

Moreover, the people Zhu Lang appointed today were already generals in the army. Even if they were granted the status of Juren, they would still hold their original positions. There was no need to arrange new positions for them, which would have even less impact.

Although His Highness's granting of birth on such a large scale still violates the imperial system, if it can lead to His Highness's declaration of determination to fight a northern expedition, then this violation is not worth mentioning at all.
Chen Zizhuang's face was full of excitement. He walked to the map hanging on the side of the duty hall. The map showed the provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the proportions of this map are indeed a bit weird. The northern provinces are only roughly outlined, with the provincial capitals marked, and then it is blank.

The southern and southwestern provinces in the lower part are much more detailed, not only are all the prefectures and counties marked, but also some key rivers and passes are clearly marked.

Chen Zizhuang looked at the map of Guangdong Province, pointed to a place on the border, and spoke loudly:

"Your Highness, since you have the ambition to lead an expedition to the north and restore the Central Plains, you should not hesitate on this matter."

"The situation in Gan Province is critical. Now there is only one city, Ganzhou, defending. Ganzhou is the gateway to Guangdong. Once it is lost, the Qing court will march straight in and spread the war to Guangdong Province."

"Guangdong Province is the only rear base of the court, and it is also the only remaining prosperous land of our Ming Dynasty. It must not be ravaged by war again. Now the court has gathered a large army and is about to send troops out of Guangdong. First, order the army to Meiguan to rectify the defense and stabilize the border of Guangdong Province, and then send more troops to Ganzhou to prevent the Qing army from spying." "After Ganzhou is stabilized, Guangdong Province can be used as the rear base, Ganzhou as the fulcrum, Gan Province can be restored, the defense line can be extended to the riverside, and the natural barrier of the river can be used as a barrier to contain the Qing cavalry. Only in this way can we slowly plan to conquer the Central Plains."

Chen Zizhuang's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, and his voice was excited.
But just as he finished speaking, Qu Shisi, who had stood in front of the map at some point, suddenly spoke

"No, Ganzhou has gathered all the soldiers in Gan Province at this time, so it should be able to protect itself. Meiguan can also send officials from the prefecture and county to mobilize civilians to repair the city first, but the army in the court must not move," Qu Shisi said in a low voice.

"When the previous emperor was alive, Gan Province had asked the court for help several times. Now they have retreated all the way to Ganzhou. The people gathered in the city are all defeated soldiers. How can they claim to be safe? If Ganzhou is conquered by the Qing army, Guangdong Province will face the Qing army directly."

"Once the Qing army enters Guangdong, if the war is not going well, it will certainly shock the court. Guangdong Province is surrounded by the ocean, so where will the court retreat to then?"

"We should take advantage of the weakness of the Qing army and step up our garrison in Ganzhou, but keep the enemy outside our borders. This is the only way to be foolproof. We must mobilize these troops," Chen Zizhuang said coldly, looking at Qu Shisi beside him.

Qu Shisi looked at Chen Zizhuang, who was standing beside him with an excited expression, and remained silent. How could he not know the truth of what Chen Zizhuang said?
He entered the court earlier than Chen Zizhuang, and he had lived in Guangdong and Guangxi for a long time. How could he not know the importance of Ganzhou to Guangdong Province? But now the army in the court must not be moved.

Qu Shixi was silent for a moment, but he did not refute what Chen Zizhuang said. Instead, he seemed to be convinced and asked directly:

"If we follow Brother Jisheng's idea, how should the court mobilize the army at this time?"

"How difficult is this? Marquis Wu'an will lead the imperial guards and protect the court."

"Let Wujing Hou Li Mingzhong lead the Gui army, and Qingjiang Hou Yan Yuncong lead the Guangdong army. Order these two armies, one to be stationed in Nanxiong Meiguan, and the other to reinforce Ganzhou. This way, the Guangdong border can be guaranteed to be safe," Chen Zizhuang said loudly.

Qu Shisi, who was below, waited for Chen Zizhuang to finish speaking before continuing to ask:

"Let's not talk about the Gui army first. Brother Jisheng, do you think the court can really mobilize the Guangdong army?"

Chen Zizhuang's expression changed when he heard this. He wanted to speak several times, but finally remained silent.
Now there are no outsiders in the field. If you are panicking and talking nonsense, anyone can say it. But if you really want to do something, you must not deceive yourself.
Can they mobilize the Guangdong Army? How can they mobilize the Guangdong Army?

As the former governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Ding Kuichu relied on the Guangdong Army as his biggest support. Why was Ding Kuichu able to become the prime minister of the new dynasty and take charge of two ministries? Wasn't it because he had a Guangdong Army under his control?
Even though he was promoted to the center, the Guangdong Army was still firmly in Ding Kuichu's hands and no one was allowed to interfere.
Now Ding Kuichu is in charge of the two ministries of military and household affairs. He dares to say that even if the officials in the court cannot pay their salaries, Ding Kuichu will definitely give priority to transferring money and food to the Guangdong Army.
Once the Guangdong Army leaves Zhaoqing, Ding Kuichu's power will certainly be greatly reduced in an instant. In this case, how can they mobilize the Guangdong Army, and let the Guangdong Army go to such a dangerous place as the front line of Jiangxi Province?
Without the support of the Guangdong Army, what difference would there be between Ding Kuichu and ordinary ministers like He Wuzuo? In fact, he would be even worse than He Wuzuo.

He Wuzuo is at least a famous official in Guangdong Province, and he has many disciples in Guangdong Province. What does Ding Kuichu have? Without the Guangdong Army, he Ding Kuichu is nothing, and it is impossible for him to control the two departments alone.
Qu Shisi looked at Chen Zizhuang, who had a gloomy expression in front of him, and his face fell silent.

How could he not know that the best solution now was to deploy troops to Ganzhou to guard the front line?

Sending troops to Ganzhou might bring peace tomorrow, but if we really dispatch troops, the court will immediately fall into chaos.

Since Su Guansheng's entry into the court, everyone has begun to understand Ding Kuichu's character. If His Royal Highness the Regent had not won over Li Mingzhong in advance, and if Li Mingzhong had not arrived in time, Ding Kuichu would have dared to kill people.
If Ding Kuichu really kills Su Guansheng, then Ding Kuichu will no longer be just a prime minister. Except for Qu Shisi, who has his own roots in Guangxi Province, the rest of the court will probably be kicked out.

Now, the court relied on the deterrence of these two Gui armies to barely form a balance with the Guangdong army, allowing Ding Kuichu to restrain himself a little.

Now the only possibility for the imperial court to reinforce Ganzhou is to mobilize the Gui army, but if the imperial army under Li Mingzhong is really transferred away, no one knows what Ding Kuichu will do.

There seemed to be a lot of troops in Zhaoqing City, but in fact, not a single soldier could be mobilized.
Chen Zizhuang was silent for a long time, then turned around, with his back to the map behind him, and looked at Qu Shisi beside him and spoke softly

"This Ding Guangsan is too domineering. If he is allowed to hold the central government for a long time, it will not be a blessing for the country. Since we are the ministers of the country, we should discipline the upper and lower levels. If we can make Lord Ding return power to the court, it will also be a blessing for Lord Ding himself."

"I have a way to curb his power and make the court take back some of its authority. I wonder if Jiaxuan is willing to help me."

Chen Zizhuang's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, staring at Qu Shisi beside him.

"Brother Jisheng, what you said is very true. However, I have also been thinking about this matter recently, and I have also come up with a solution in my mind. I was just about to ask Brother Jisheng for advice."

A smile appeared on Qu Shisi's face, and he spoke softly

"It's such a coincidence. Why don't we each write down our own method and see what we think?"

Chen Zizhuang was slightly stunned, and then said
“As it should be”

The two of them returned to the table, took out their brushes and started writing on the paper. After a while, they stopped writing and walked into the hall with the folded paper.

The two looked at each other, and then opened the papers in their hands, only to see the same two words written on them.

The two looked at the two words on each other's paper, and a hint of admiration flashed in their eyes, and then they looked at each other and laughed.
Two hearty laughs came out of the window, spreading far into the darkness, and finally disappeared into the endless night.
(End of this chapter)