Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 720 Disdain
Fang Kezhuang told everyone the current situation of the Beijing camp in detail. Everyone was very surprised and frowned after listening.

Xiang Yu couldn't help but ask, "So, that person is planning to abandon the Beijing Camp? Not to set up the Beijing Camp anymore?"

"Yes and no." Fang Kezhuang sighed, "The Beijing Camp's facade is still there, but it's just a facade. Right now, the Beijing Camp has only a few thousand people, and most of them are nobles and their children. I'm the assistant manager of the Beijing Camp's military affairs, and I'm in charge of a group of dandies. What do you think I can do?"

"How can this be possible!" Yang Tinglin slammed the table and cursed, "The Capital Camp was built by Taizu, and Chengzu organized it by combining the three major camps. How can this be possible? He is undermining the Capital Camp and making it unworthy of its name. What does he want to do?"

"What else can he do? Doesn't Boxiang understand?" Zhang Fengxiang sneered, "His goal is nothing more than to start over and control the military power. As for the situation of the Beijing Camp, it has been in his calculations for a long time. I wonder why he was so straightforward in the court and agreed to Gong Xiaosheng's suggestion and gave this position directly to Brother Yangchu. He had already made plans, and we didn't know anything, but we were still complacent."

Fang Kezhuang shook his head slightly. He was happy too early. He originally thought that he could take control of the Beijing Camp by getting the position of assistant in charge of military affairs. As long as they controlled the Beijing Camp, the greatest military force in the capital would be in their hands.

But Fang Kezhuang's happiness did not last long. When he went to the Beijing Camp to perform his duties, he discovered that the current Beijing Camp had become an empty shell. All the elite troops in the Beijing Camp had been stripped away, leaving only a group of playboys. Although the name of the Beijing Camp was still there, it was just a waste of time to rely on these playboys. How could they have any fighting power at all?

As the assistant military manager of the Beijing Camp, he did not have much power, let alone being just an assistant manager. Even if he was the chief military manager, he did not have much power. On the other hand, Wang Jinwu was the chief military manager in name, but in fact he was in charge of the Beijing Camp at all. When Fang Kezhuang arrived, he directly threw a lot of trivial matters to him and ran away. Facing those dandies every day, Fang Kezhuang was overwhelmed. These people were not easy to deal with. They were all sons of nobles and people with backgrounds. Hundreds, thousands or even more of these people gathered together, and they quarreled over trivial matters every day, which made Fang Kezhuang headache. It was not until then that Fang Kezhuang realized that he had been deceived.

Everyone was so angry that they started to denounce Zhu Shenzhui, but they couldn't come up with any good solution after scolding him for a long time. After all, there was nothing wrong with Zhu Shenzhui's arrangement, and Fang Kezhuang was given the position of assistant military affairs of the Beijing Camp. Now the Beijing Camp was not worth using and was even torn down to an empty shell. This was planned long ago, and they didn't know the reason at all. Who could they blame for jumping into it?

"Enough!" Fang Fengnian, who had been silent the whole time, shouted, "The matter of the Beijing camp is a done deal, and the court had already reached a conclusion. It makes no sense to bring this up again. We have suffered a loss and cannot say anything. Let's stop here."

"Just let it go like this?" Everyone looked at each other. This was too frustrating.

Wu Weiye frowned and thought for a while, then suggested, "If that doesn't work, how about instigating those nobles to step forward? After all, the Beijing Camp has become an empty shell, and the interests of the nobles have been damaged. Don't they have any ideas?"

"That's a good idea!" Xiang Yu's eyes suddenly lit up, and Yang Tinglin was also happy. The two of them turned their eyes to Fang Kezhuang, who shook his head slightly and sighed that this method sounded feasible, but it would not work in reality.

Although the Beijing Camp has now become an empty shell, it is still the Beijing Camp. Moreover, when splitting the Beijing Camp, Zhu Shenzhu did not harm the interests of the nobles. Not only did he retain all the positions of these nobles, he even slightly increased their treatment.

Furthermore, many sons of nobles went to the Beijing Camp to serve in the army just to occupy a position, get a position and get a salary. This was the original Beijing Camp. These nobles were different from the civil officials. They had inherited the title, but because the civil official group had been suppressing them, they could not become officials.

Even if they were to become officials, they could only be military officials. In addition, there were not many nobles who were willing to lead troops to fight. These second-generation descendants were used to being lazy and romantic. How could they bear the bloody risks of the battlefield? Wouldn't it be better to get a position in the Beijing camp and live a carefree life? When the time comes, they can go back to inherit the family business, or inherit the title of their fathers, and be nobles in peace and stability. Why should they suffer such hardships?
Besides, don't forget how Zhu Shenzhui came to power? He directly broke the main force of the Beijing Camp, wiped out the elite troops of the Beijing Camp that left Beijing, and occupied the capital. Only then did he advance to the position of regent and control the government. Facing such a ruthless person like Zhu Shenzhui, these nobles are not fools, how could they offend him for nothing? Moreover, after Zhu Shenzhui became the regent, he had been trying to win over the nobles, and many of these nobles also took the initiative to surrender to Zhu Shenzhui. If I am not mistaken, Zhu Shenzhui left an empty shell of the Beijing Camp just to accommodate these nobles and their children. I am afraid they have already reached an agreement in private.

After hearing Fang Kezhuang's guess, everyone was silent, and for a moment they didn't know what to do. If it was true as Fang Kezhuang said, the Beijing Camp was completely ruined, and their plan to intervene in military power through the Beijing Camp would be in vain.

"Let's talk about the Beijing camp later. Has there been any letter from Gong Xiaosheng? Is everything going well for him after going to Liaodong?" Fang Fengnian asked Zhang Fengxiang.

Zhang Fengxiang was slightly pleased. He told Fang Fengnian that Gong Dingzi was making good progress in Liaodong. He had already established a close relationship with the Liaodong army. It seemed that it would not take long for him to control the Ningqian army. According to Gong Dingzi, the Liaodong army was relatively easy to fool. These soldiers had little cultural level and were very respectful to him as a civil servant. In particular, Gong Dingzi was proficient in poetry and was known as a great writer in Jiangzuo. Even Yuan Chonghuan was far inferior to him.

A scholar, and a famous one at that, is now the Ningqian Dao, so it is easy for him to control these warriors. Zhang Fengxiang said that since the current situation of the Beijing Camp cannot be changed, then start with Liaodong, and follow the example of Yuan Chonghuan in the past to control part of the military power as the Ningqian Dao, and then find a way for them to operate in the court and promote Gong Dingzi from the position of Ningqian Dao to the governor of Liaodong. As long as he is the governor of Liaodong, the military power of the entire Liaodong will be in their hands. Although Liaodong has not had a good record in recent years, the Liao army is the most elite army of the Ming Dynasty after all, and Shanhaiguan is not far from the capital, and it can reach the capital in three days by fast horse. If the entire Liao army is in hand, the deterrent effect will be great, so the most important thing for them now is how to support Gong Dingzi step by step.

Zhang Fengxiang's suggestion was recognized by Fang Fengnian. He had been thinking about this matter these days, and he had also heard the news from Liaodong. Gong Dingzi was making smooth progress in Liaodong, which was a good thing. This opportunity must not be missed. As long as they could control the Liao army, they would have the power to compete with him, and they would have a great chance of restoring order at that time.

Everyone immediately discussed how to support Gong Dingzi and how to get him to become the Governor of Liaodong from Ningqian Road. The discussion lasted for several hours, and by the time the discussion was over, it was already dark.

In order to avoid being discovered during their secret conversation in the mansion, Fang Fengnian did not invite them to a banquet. After bidding farewell to Fang Fengnian, they quietly left through the back door and went back to their own homes to find their own mothers.

After they left, Fang Fengnian concentrated on thinking for a moment, went to the study, picked up a pen and wrote a letter. After finishing it, he sealed it and called his trusted servant to give him a few instructions. The servant listened to Fang Fengnian's instructions and nodded repeatedly. He put the letter in his arms, quietly left the mansion, and then went to a place.

Less than half an hour later, in a mansion not far from where Fang Fengnian lived, a bearded man was having dinner with his family. The food on the table was not luxurious, but simple like that of an ordinary family.

While they were eating, the butler came hurriedly, bowed to the man with a long beard, then walked quickly to his side and whispered a few words in his ear. The man with a long beard listened and nodded slightly, without putting down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands. After the butler left, he continued to eat slowly. When he finished eating, he put down the bowl and chopsticks, said something, and got up to leave.

When they arrived at the study, the butler was already waiting at the door. The man with a long beard entered the study, and the butler followed behind him. After entering the room, he took out a letter from his arms and handed it to him.

"Sent him away?"

"He has been sent back. He left a message, telling the master that if he needs anything, he can send someone to Fang Mansion to find his master." The butler replied with his hands down.

The bearded man waved his hand, and the butler retreated out of the study, closing the door before leaving.

After the butler left, the bearded man picked up the letter, looked carefully at the seal on the letter, and made sure that the seal was intact before he tore open the envelope and took out the letter.

The letter was written by Fang Fengnian. The contents of the letter were basically the things they discussed today, including the problems of the Beijing camp and the arrangements in Liaodong, etc. The long-bearded man didn't spend much time reading the letter. After reading it, his expression was very calm, as if he was not surprised at all by what Fang Fengnian said in the letter.

The bearded man put the letter on the table, sat at the table, concentrating on something, tapping the armrest lightly with one hand. After a moment, he sneered and shook his head slightly.

"Fang Shutian is a smart man all his life, but confused at the moment. He is really a fool for achieving the opposite of what he wants!" sighed the bearded man. He didn't know what the smartness and confusion he meant by his words, or if he had other opinions on the content of Fengnian's letter?

The bearded man didn't say anything else. He just picked up the letter and continued reading it. He sighed again, raised his hand and placed the letter on the lit candle beside him. The letter was instantly ignited. In the dancing flames, the bearded man's face changed from gloomy to bright. After a few breaths, Fang Fengnian's letter was burned to a pile of ashes. Looking at the pile of ashes in front of him, the bearded man shook his head again, stood up, waved his sleeves and left the study, as if this had never happened.

(End of this chapter)