Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 215 Why do you set a trap for someone the moment you meet them?
Xu Yinjue finally agreed to the matter, but his wording was extremely conservative in his answer, and it was obvious that he was not optimistic about taking money out of the pockets of nobles in this way.

However, Zhu Cilang did not say much. After asking him to spread the news as much as possible, he changed the topic.

"Well, Duke, just do your best. If it's not possible, this palace has no other options."

Hearing this, everyone's eyelids twitched involuntarily. But before they could think about what this "other method" was, they heard His Royal Highness the Crown Prince continue to speak: "The main reason I summoned you all here today is to hear your opinions on the next step."

On the surface, the "next step" that Zhu Cilang asked about refers to whether to go north or south.

But he had already started planning today's discussion since the day he defeated the Qing army in Wuhu. He had thought about the topics for a long time before deciding on the items and order. How could they be as simple as they seemed?
Of course, this matter concerns the next strategy of the small court and is extremely important, but if it is put together with certain other things, it becomes insignificant.

It's just that being in different positions always leads to different ideas. Just when he thought that the situation would develop as he expected, he saw Mr. Qian actually stood up from his chair and knelt on the ground.

"I ask Your Highness to choose an auspicious day to ascend the throne."

"Your Highness, I ask you to choose an auspicious day to ascend the throne."

Before he finished speaking, the others also bowed down, but Zhu Cilang's mind turned a few times at a very fast speed before he hurriedly said: "Alas, you are all my close friends, and this is not an informal court meeting. If you have something to say, why do you have to do this?"

Different approaches but similar results!

How can someone who can serve in the court be stupid?
He wanted to use this trip north and south to achieve a certain purpose, while Mr. Qian wanted to use his ascension to the throne to achieve the same purpose.

What’s even more amazing is that almost no one can refuse his offer to ascend the throne, and he can also tie several other people together by doing so.

In this way, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, who had the merit of expelling the Tartars, would naturally ascend the throne in Yingtian, and Mr. Qian's goal would be achieved naturally.

It's just that the paths to achieve the goal are different, which will naturally lead to some subtle differences in the results. How could Zhu Cilang, who is already at the top position in the Ming Dynasty, be easily deceived by the title of an emperor?
"You have been in Yingtian for a long time, so you probably don't know much about the outside world. The governors and governors-general of various places seem to have doubts about my identity. Even though Hangzhou has spread the news that I am the regent, they have not received any response so far."

This cannot all be considered an excuse. After all, the emperor needs to be recognized by the world. It is not possible to hold a coronation ceremony here and everyone in the Ming Dynasty will obey your orders.

It has been at least a month since the news spread that Zhu Cilang was acting as regent in his capacity as the late crown prince. Even though the news spread slowly due to the inconvenience of traveling to and from the southwest, the reply from places like Huguang should have arrived long ago.

If Zhu Cilang really insisted on ascending the throne in Yingtian without the support of governors and governors-general in various places, his action would be essentially no different from that of a commoner who claimed to be emperor at home.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. When Your Highness was wronged earlier, He Tengjiao wrote to the Emperor Hongguang asking him to treat Your Highness well. Now that we haven't received any news from him, I think it's because of the war."

After hearing Zhu Cilang's words, Xu Yu stood up. Although his words seemed to be excused for He Tengjiao, in essence he was actually comforting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Earlier, he had felt that it was too risky for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to go into battle in person so often, but now he had figured it out. If it wasn't for the situation, why would His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who knew almost nothing about martial arts, go into battle in person at his cost?

After all, isn't everything just for the survival of China and to earn a glimmer of hope for the Ming Dynasty? Otherwise, who wouldn't know that holding a beautiful girl in the palace is more comfortable than sleeping in the open air and risking one's life?

But even though His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has done so much, there are still people who make trouble over trivial matters.

In this situation, Xu Yu naturally felt extremely disgusted with those country's parasites, but at the moment he had to consider the feelings of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince first.

Zhu Cilang could roughly guess what Xu Yu was thinking, but he had already gained some understanding of the thoughts of governors and governors-general in various places through various materials from later generations, so he did not really feel disappointed or anything like that.

What's more, he had other purposes now, so he finally just nodded and changed the subject.

"We will talk about the enthronement later. First, let's talk about whether we should go south or north after the Tartars retreat."

With the previous lesson in mind, in order to prevent them from changing the topic to other places, Zhu Cilang simply set the topic directly on this matter. However, after hearing this, the people in the room fell into deep thought.

The purpose of going north was naturally to take the initiative and attack while the Tartars were still not firmly established in the north of the Yangtze River, so as to hold the Jianghuai area in their hands as much as possible.

It is not difficult to understand why they moved southwards. They wanted to drive the Tartars in Jiangxi back to the north of the Yangtze River first, so as to stabilize several large provinces south of the Yangtze River.

The benefits of going north are very obvious. Although the Jianghuai area has been devastated by war, it is still a densely populated area. If it can be taken back, it will be equivalent to adding a large amount of taxes and manpower.

With the addition and subtraction of one, the power comparison between the Ming Dynasty and its enemies will naturally undergo tremendous changes, which will be extremely beneficial to the recovery of the entire Ming Dynasty.

Furthermore, to defend the Yangtze River, one must defend the Huai River. Taking back the vast land between the Yangtze River and the Huai River is equivalent to adding another barrier to the Yangtze River defense line. If the Ming Dynasty really loses in the battle with the Tartars, it can also rely on this place to maintain the situation of the Southern Song Dynasty.

If we only look at these, then going north seems to be the only choice, but if we take Ajige into consideration at the same time, going south suddenly becomes important.

In fact, the land occupied by Ajige is less than one-third of Jiangxi, but this one-third is almost connected with the mountains of Fujian.

Once Ajige's troops completed this strategic operation, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and the rest of the Ming Dynasty could only be connected through Fujian.

By then, as it will be difficult for the army to pass through, Zhu Cilang's influence on other provinces of the Ming Dynasty will certainly be reduced to the lowest level. Given time, even if these provinces, which already have ambiguous attitudes, directly become independent, no one will be surprised.

It seemed that the most urgent task facing the small court was to move south. However, when everyone's minds turned to this level, Mr. Qian, the leader of the Yingtian faction of the Donglin Party, sensed something different.

Previously, he invited His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. On the surface, it seemed that the situation in Jiangnan had been settled, and Zhu Cilang, as the regent crown prince, should take the throne and rule the world.

But secretly he could not deny that after being isolated for nearly two months, he wanted to use this to consolidate Yingtian's status in the Ming Dynasty, and then ensure the voice of Yingtian officials in the court.

But when he followed the Crown Prince's instructions and focused on the issue of going south or north, he suddenly realized that he had overlooked an extremely important issue.

If they want to go south, the focus of the court must be placed in Zhejiang. Given the Crown Prince's personality, it is not impossible for him to stay in Hangzhou permanently.

Once this happens, it will be unknown when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will have dealt with the issues between Huguang and the Southwest.

If this continues, it will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the voice of Zhejiang officials in the court. Will Mr. Qian still be confident in his position as prime minister at that time?
Don’t think that just because all the central government departments are in Yingtian, Hangzhou won’t cause any trouble.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stays away for a long time, the officials in the territory will definitely continue to expand the government structure, whether out of selfishness or public interest. Under such circumstances, a complete central team can be established in less than a year or so.

In this way, even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not actually announce that the capital would be in Hangzhou, the status of the two places would still be reversed due to the different strategic focus of the court.

What will the Yingtian school have to compete with the Zhejiang school at that time?

Thinking of this, Qian Qianyi's gaze towards His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly became complicated.

Although he is now certain that the issue of going south or north raised by His Highness is definitely related to the dispute between Yingtian and Hangzhou, he is not a worm in Zhu Cilang's stomach after all. How can he guess whether this action is a warning or a reminder?

"In my opinion, after this defeat, the Tartars will be in chaos for a while. If Your Highness takes this opportunity to send a general to lead the troops to attack, you will be able to recapture Jianghuai in one fell swoop."

Just when Qian Qianyi was feeling doubtful, Yue Qijie, as the only local governor among the few people, stepped forward without hesitation.

"What Yue Zhongcheng said makes sense, but I am still a little worried about the southwestern part of Hunan."

After hearing Yue Qijie's words, Xu Yu also expressed his own opinion. Afterwards, the two discussed for a long time about whether to go south or north, until Xu Yu, who had been a teacher for half his life, gave in.

This is not to say that going north is really better than going south. In the final analysis, it is just that Yue Qijie, who has served in local positions for a long time, is better at this than Xu Yu.

Although this result was not the final conclusion after the court meeting, Qian Qianyi could not help but look at the Crown Prince who looked calm and composed after seeing Xu Yu was speechless.

"You are all my trusted aides and advisors. Now we are just expressing our opinions. Please don't hurt the harmony."

Seeing the two of them arguing fiercely, Zhu Cilang took the initiative to step forward to ease the situation.

He had of course guessed Yue Qijie's stance a long time ago. After all, this Yue Zhongcheng was the chancellor of Henan, so it was reasonable for him to be inclined towards going north.

However, although this little bit of situation can be considered selfish, it is nothing. Not to mention that people will have biases based on their experiences and positions, what's more, now is the time for everyone to express their own opinions. Being able to speak out the true thoughts in one's heart at this time just proves that the person is upright.

At this point, Qian Qianyi and Xu Yinjue were the only two who had not expressed their opinions among the four. However, he did not ask Qian Qianyi, who was the trial prime minister, but asked Xu Yinjue instead.

"I wonder what the Duke thinks?"

"Ah? I will follow your Highness's orders."

When Mr. Xu Yinjue heard His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asking him, he was still immersed in how to convince that group of Pi Xiu, he was stunned, and then he gave the standard answer.

This is not surprising. Although he did not have a thorough understanding of the affairs of the North and the South, to be honest, at a time when the country seemed to be on the verge of revival, he, a noble who shared the same fate with the country, only needed to follow the footsteps of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and do his best to complete the tasks assigned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Why should he bother thinking too much?
Having said that, even though Qian Qianyi hadn't figured out the key yet, he knew that he had no way to avoid it anyway, so when he saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looking at him, he took the initiative to stand up.

"Your Highness, in my opinion, there are advantages to both going south and north. The key lies in whether we can stabilize the situation in Jiangxi. If we can ensure smooth communication with Hunan, Guangxi and the south, then it would not matter if Ajige can act arrogantly for a few days."

Qian Qianyi's remarks are truly mature and prudent nonsense.

Although there are several large rivers in Jiangxi, due to various reasons, the navy under Zhu Cilang cannot play the same role as in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In this situation, if the situation in Jiangxi is to be stabilized, the Ming army must be able to fight Ajige's troops in a grand battle.

joke.

Although Zhu Cilang won battle after battle, it can be said that it was only due to the advantages of the navy and the internal contradictions of the Qing army.

Even though the Battle of Wuhu was a direct victory, Zhu Cilang had come to his senses by now and noticed many unusual things from this battle.

Under such circumstances, if he really had the ability to stabilize the situation in Jiangxi while heading north, he might as well head directly to Beijing. Why would he need to look ahead and behind?

"Well, I understand what you all mean. Let's discuss this with Hangzhou in a few days."

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, Xu Yinjue and Xu Yu naturally nodded in agreement, but Yue Qijie and Qian Qianyi realized something was wrong in a moment.

Small-scale meetings like this have always been used by those in higher positions to unify their thoughts.

Take the case of talented generals. Although everyone has doubts about letting nobles interfere in the grain business, as long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince expresses his opinions, their trusted aides will just follow his instructions.

But now.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked a lot of questions, and everyone expressed their thoughts, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince never revealed his true feelings from beginning to end. How could everyone follow His Royal Highness's footsteps?
There is a ghost.

After hearing this, Yue Qijie did not react, but Qian Qianyi knew very well that Zhu Cilang was not who others said he was, and he became alert in a moment.

"Oh, yes, there is one more thing. When the Tartars came, many local officials behaved inappropriately. I wonder how you should deal with them?"

coming!

It must be here!

When Qian Qianyi heard these words, he suddenly felt as if he was on the edge of a deep valley.

Honestly speaking, he had no idea what the dispute over Yingtian and Hangzhou had to do with the punishment of disloyal officials, but he knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was definitely not as people said he was, and that he was a truly ruthless person.

Even if you are extremely cautious when dealing with him, the traps he sets will always appear on your path in unexpected ways.

What is even more frustrating is that there are irresistible benefits in that pit, which makes people feel like they have no choice but to jump in, but they are still willing to do so.

Thinking of this, Mr. Qian couldn't help but cry out in his heart: How can you set a trap for someone as soon as you meet him? !
(End of this chapter)