Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 222 The Emperor's Will

After a brief greeting, Zhao Yong and Han San sat down on the left and right sides respectively.

Looking at Zhao Yong, who was now standing tall and with eyebrows raised like swords, Zhang Yunxiu could not help but sigh that time flies. When he first met this kid, he was still a young man who dared to cause trouble for Feng Bangning with a short knife.

Now he has grown into a gentle and kind young man.

Suddenly, he felt as if he had been collecting old wine for a long time and was finally opening it today.

"Sir, this guy was lucky enough to get into the top three and will be sent to be a county magistrate soon. I have come here specially to say goodbye to you." Han San, who was standing by, saw that the atmosphere was a bit depressing, so he took the lead in speaking to warm up the atmosphere.

"Oh, where was he sent to?" Zhang Yunxiu asked.

"Panyu, Guangdong." Zhao Yong answered respectfully.

"Too far. Too far." Zhang Yunxiu tilted his head and shook it, then suddenly raised his head and suggested, "How about this, you don't have to go out to gain experience for now. Go to the Ministry of Revenue to be an observer and gain experience for two years first."

The magistrate was of the seventh rank, while the inspector of the Ministry of Revenue was only of the ninth rank.

But one of them is a Beijing official, and the other is a local official, so their future development cannot be compared.

Upon hearing this, Han San and Zhao Yong both showed joy on their faces.

Suddenly, Zhao Yong pretended to be embarrassed: "The document has been issued. Isn't it too late to change it now?"

Zhang Yunxiu glared at the two of them, with a look of insight on his face, shaking his finger and cursing, "If I remember correctly, the official document just came out today. You two rushed here in a hurry, didn't you just want to ask me to do this?"

The two looked at each other, knowing that they couldn't stammer, so they just stood there and grinned foolishly.

Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand, walked up to the two of them, and took them to the dining room. Zhang Fu tactfully ordered people to prepare the wine and food, set up the round table, and then obediently left the dining room, leaving only the three of them.

Zhang Yunxiu was the first to stand up and raise his glass high.

The two did not dare to delay and stood up straight, bending their waists to touch Zhang Yunxiu.

After saying a few auspicious words, he tilted his head back and drank it.

After a glass of wine, Zhang Yunxiu looked at Zhao Yong and asked, "How is it, looking at the capital now, is there any difference compared to seven or eight years ago?"

"The capital city is full of hidden talents. I didn't know the depth of them before." Zhao Yong answered in a low voice and serious, "Now that I think about it, if it weren't for your and Third Brother's help, I'm afraid I would have died countless times."

"It's okay to be afraid."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and added a piece of fish meat to him, then sat back down and taught him earnestly, "People should have some fear in their hearts. However, I also hope that you can still maintain the passion of youth and be more pragmatic in your spirit of serving the world."

"Yes." Zhao Yong nodded in agreement.

Han San, who had been silent the whole time, reminded nervously, "Sir, there is news from Aineng. Toyotomi Hideyoshi is ready to take action, and there are signs that the war will spread beyond Shikoku Island."

Two years ago, Qi Jiguang used Kyushu Island as a springboard.

In one fell swoop, the Mori clan's base, Shikoku Island, was annexed.

Qi Jiguang thought that the island was too far out to defend and the Ming army alone could not defend it, so he simply divided the island with Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Now, two years have passed, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi is ready to make a move, seemingly intending to conquer Shikoku Island and unify Kyushu.

Zhang Yunxiu frowned upon hearing this. The silver output of Iwami Silver Mine had become a significant source of income for the Ming Dynasty treasury, so it could not be thrown away.

If Toyotomi Hideyoshi wants to fight, then let him fight.

After thinking it over, Zhang Yunxiu slammed the table and said in a sharp tone: "Tell Ai Neng to tell the Shimazu family and the Otomo family that if Toyotomi Hideyoshi dares to cross the border line, just beat him to death.

The Ming fleet can depart from Korea at any time and reach Kyushu Island directly."

"Yes!" Han San agreed with a fist salute.

Zhao Yong, who was standing by, saw the two men chatting and laughing while deciding the life and death of tens of thousands of people. His blood immediately boiled, and he wished he could go to Japan and kill two Japanese to make a name for himself.

However, he understood that Zhang Yunxiu would never agree no matter what.

"Come on, today is a good day for Zhao Yong. Let's not talk about state affairs, but personal relationships." Zhang Yunxiu glanced at Zhao Yong who was in a daze, and shouted at the two of them, offering tea instead of wine.

The two men smiled, then raised their glasses, clinked them together, and swallowed them down with a gulp.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The two were already drunk, Zhang Yunxiu shouted outside, and Zhang Fu rushed in. Seeing the two dead pigs, he didn't want to say anything more to Zhang Yunxiu, and immediately sent a servant to take them down to rest.

Because Zhang Yunxiu only drank tea, he did not look drunk.

He clasped his hands behind his back, and under the gaze of Zhang Fu, he staggered out of the dining hall and ran out of the mansion.

Qianqing Palace.

Dong Nuan Pavilion.

The ground taps in the pavilion were burning warmly, and the lingering fragrance drifted out along the Xuande furnace inlaid with emeralds, spreading to every corner of the attic.

The aroma is tempting, and just one sniff will make you feel relaxed all over.

The incense used was all top-grade ambergris, and had to be lit before the emperor arrived.

If you are late, it means you are disrespectful to your king and father.

Emperor Wanli got up a little later that day. It was not until the end of the morning hour that he slowly walked into the pavilion accompanied by Wei Qing, yawning and with dark circles under his eyes.

After he sat down at the table, the eunuch on duty quickly served him a cup of ginseng tea.

Emperor Wanli took the ginseng tea without even raising his eyelids, gulped it down his throat, and then threw it aside. Then, the eunuch on duty brought a hot towel and asked the emperor to wipe his mouth.

After completing this set of procedures, Emperor Wanli stretched and said to Wei Qing who was standing beside him: "Read it."

Wei Qing understood, stepped forward, picked up a memorial on the emperor's desk, and read it out in a shrill voice: "Liu Qingshan, the secretary of the Beijing Ministry of War, reported: The Japanese island is a barbarian land outside the Great Wall, thousands of miles away from our Ming Dynasty. The court has 20,000 troops stationed here, and the monthly salary of a soldier is at least three silver dollars. The annual expenditure on military pay and fodder is close to 10 million yuan."

"Moreover, the general is isolated and the king's orders cannot be delivered directly. If this continues for a long time, I am afraid that the border generals will suddenly rebel. Your Majesty, I, Liu Qingshan, humbly hope that Your Majesty will recall the 20,000 soldiers stationed in Japan and send them back to the nine borders."

"stop stop"

Emperor Wanli frowned and quickly turned aside to interrupt Wei Qing, "Who is this Liu Qingshan? This military and national affairs were already agreed upon three years ago. What exactly is his intention now that he dares to criticize state affairs!"

Wei Qing stepped forward with his arms bent, and whispered carefully in the emperor's ear, "This man is the student of Lord Wang Xijue."

Zhang Siwei has passed away due to illness.

Pan Sheng has also retired.

Now, the old wily Shen Shixing is in charge of the cabinet, and Wang Xijue is the second assistant. Both of them were Jinshi in the 41st year of Jiajing, Shen Shixing was the top scorer in that exam, and Wang Xijue was the runner-up.

When Emperor Wanli heard that this person was Wang Xijue's student, he immediately thought that Wang Xijue had instigated this matter, so he slammed the table and shouted: "Well, I was still counting on Japan to make money, and he dared to stab me in the back."

"Demote this Liu Qingshan to a commoner and never employ him again!"

"Yes."

Wei Qing immediately drafted the imperial edict for the emperor. At this time, a man rushed into the palace. Seeing him sweating and anxious, Emperor Wanli couldn't help asking, "What's the matter?"

"Mr. Zhang requests an audience."

"Oh, go and get him in."

The little fireman left again on the wind and fire wheel, and soon, Zhang Yunxiu walked into the East Warm Pavilion alone. This was not his first time to come to this place, but he felt that the East Warm Pavilion was particularly clean and fragrant today.

Emperor Wanli sat in the first seat, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu coming in, the Wanli Emperor's fat cheeks suddenly showed a touch of joy: "Yunxiu, you are finally here. I haven't seen you for a while. Tell me, what have you been doing these days?!"

"To make money for His Majesty."

"Oh, tell me about it?" Emperor Wanli looked curious and stretched his neck to urge Zhang Yunxiu to continue.

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and told Emperor Wanli the information that Aineng had sent back directly.

After saying that, he did not forget to add: "Your Majesty, the Japanese pirates are still determined to destroy our Ming Dynasty. In the past three years, we have accumulated a large amount of military pay with silver dollars and the Maritime Customs. It's time to use it."

When Emperor Wanli heard that a big war was going to be fought, the joy on his face disappeared by three points.

Although he did not agree to withdraw troops from Japan, he did not want to send more troops to Japan. Once the war broke out, he would receive battle reports from the front line.

Military pay, pensions.
One thing after another, he's so annoyed that he's dying.

What he fears most is trouble. He always tries to avoid trouble. How could he possibly take the initiative to look for trouble?

"Yunxiu, our Ming Dynasty has always valued peace. It will not be good for both families to go to war like this." Emperor Wanli sighed, then clasped his hands behind his back, turned his back and pretended to stare deeply at the pillar of the house.

"When a war breaks out, I don't know how many soldiers will shed their blood in a foreign country. I really can't bear it."

Zhang Yunxiu on the side secretly admired this guy's acting talent.

However, he also had his own trump card: "Your Majesty, this battle is not something we have to fight, but Japan has already taken action. If we don't fight back, Japan will occupy the silver mountain. What will you use to build the palace then?"

"Ah? Li Rusong has more than 20,000 men, but he can't defend the silver mountain?" Emperor Wanli turned around abruptly.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and then talked about Japan's layout.

The lord of the capital was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the lord of the Kanto region was Tokugawa Ieyasu, and there were many daimyos in Hokkaido, totaling nearly 200,000.

"Li Rusong has 20,000 troops. Even if we add the coalition forces from Kyushu Island, there are only 60,000 to 70,000 troops. This battle will be difficult to fight." After Zhang Yunxiu finished speaking, he took advantage of the moment when Emperor Wanli was distracted to wink at Wei Qing, who had been silent.

Wei Qing hesitated, he didn't understand this matter either.

However, considering the influence of this guy, he could only bite the bullet and say a few words: "Your Majesty, I, an old minister, also have something to say."

"speak."

"As Doctor Zhang said just now, 20,000 border troops cannot defend the silver mountain. In this case, we might as well send a letter to the King of Korea and ask them to send 30,000 troops to station on the Japanese island."

When Zhang Yunxiu heard that the Korean troops were going to be mobilized, he frowned unconsciously.

The Koreans were almost defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in three months. If Li Rusong hadn't intervened, Korea would have been wiped out from the map.
Zhang Yunxiu had a big question mark in his mind.

When Emperor Wanli heard about this good thing, that he could mobilize other countries to serve as artillery, he immediately clapped his hands and said, "Well, then! We will transfer 30,000 Korean troops to Japan, and all military pay and food will be provided by Korea itself."

"Your Majesty." Zhang Yunxiu was anxious, his eyes widened and he tried to explain.

"You don't need to say more. I have made up my mind." Emperor Wanli waved his hand to interrupt him, and then said in a sonorous tone: "Although our Ming soldiers are brave and fearless, they cannot shed blood and sacrifice in vain in a foreign country."

"Wei Qing."

"The minister is here."

"Draft an edict for me. Order that the Korean army must invade Japan before the autumn of this year. At the same time, promote Zhang Yunxiu to the position of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate." After thinking about it in his mind for a while, Emperor Wanli said it in one breath.

Wei Qing responded with a smile and gave Zhang Yunxiu in the audience a friendly smile.

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind and gave him a reward, Zhang Yunxiu had nothing to say. After receiving the decree and thanking the emperor, he talked to the emperor about some interesting things happening outside recently. He did not leave the East Warm Pavilion until it was getting dark.

It has to be said that the emperor's decree was very efficient, and the events of the day were announced to all government offices that same evening.

First, Liu Qingshan, who wrote the letter, was demoted to a commoner, and then the Korean army was transferred to Japan to be stationed.

Every decree made it clear that the emperor would not give up the fat piece of meat of Japan so easily.

In the end, Zhang Yunxiu's promotion order seemed less important.

Wang Xijue's residence.

Wang Xijue, who had just finished his shift, rushed into the living room with a dark face and a look of anger.

When he arrived in the living room, he took off his black hat, threw him heavily on the table, and then gritted his teeth and cursed: "The emperor favors the traitor, the country will no longer be a country!"

The maids around were so frightened that they kept silent, holding their breath and not daring to say anything.

At this time, a middle-aged lady in gorgeous clothes walked into the living room. She glanced at the maids and waved her hand to let them go.

Wang Xijue realized that he had lost his composure. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, sat down on the armchair, and looked at the beautiful woman helplessly: "The Zhang family kid is wasting his military resources and now he is urging the emperor to send more troops to the Japanese island. Isn't this gambling with the fate of our Ming Dynasty?"

The beautiful woman came up behind Wang Xijue, stretched out her jade hands and gently massaged his shoulders, saying in a gentle tone: "You are just a deputy assistant, why do you worry about these things? Have you seen whether Shen Shixing has taken care of it?"

"He, the Prime Minister, pretends to be deaf and dumb, but you are shouting so loudly."

"Humph, that cunning fellow, who can be better at sitting on the fence than him?" Wang Xijue curled his lips with disdain, "His son and Zhang Yunxiu were both Jinshi in the same class, and now he is almost as close as Zhang Yunxiu."

"One of them is now a Censor-in-Chief, a fourth-rank official. The other is a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department. They are in charge of the promotion of officials below the fourth rank in the country. Who dares to offend them?"

Mrs. Wang heard this and said jokingly with a smile, "You know there is a tiger in the mountain, but you still go there."

"If I don't do this, what else can I do?"

"Pretend not to see."

Mrs. Wang answered half jokingly and half seriously. Wang Xijue stiffened and slowly turned his head to look at her.

Mrs. Wang knew that she had said the wrong thing, so she smiled slightly and changed the subject.

the other side.

It is very deep at night.

Zhang Yunxiu sat in the study, thinking over and over again, comparing the combat power of the two sides.

I feel that it is indeed a bit hasty to fight a decisive battle now. At the same time, the reform of the Ming Dynasty’s military garrisons is imminent and has to be launched.

Thinking of this, he picked up the pen again and began to write on the table.

(End of this chapter)