Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 235 When did my Jiajing Dynasty allow Taoists to be arrogant?
On the eve of Haiyue's wedding, news of the battles on the front lines in Annam kept reaching the capital.

The commanders-in-chief of this battle were Mao Bowen and Zhang Jing. Their appointments were made by the cabinet after years of evaluation and consultation.

At a time of reform and military action, the court ultimately chose these two prudent generals—

Mao Bowen was well aware of the principle of subduing the enemy without fighting. He deployed his army to Zhennan Pass but did not move. Seeing the Ming army eyeing him covetously, the various states of Annam were indeed in more internal strife, and the foundation of the Mo family's pseudo-dynasty collapsed.

As the future leader of the anti-Japanese war, Zhang Jing's mission was to survey the terrain and personnel distribution, comparing it with the situation during the Ming Dynasty's conquest of Annam a century ago, so as to know himself and his enemy and be invincible in every battle.

These two men may not be as well-known as Yu Long and Qi Hu, but they are first-rate commanders. With such a combination and the central leadership team led by Zhang Cong, Mo Dengyong can be considered a powerful figure. However, he was unlucky and lost all three battles.

So, Lu Bing, along with his newlywed wife Wu, came to say goodbye.

"Wenfu has set a schedule?"

Haiyue and her husband hosted them.

"It's settled. We'll set off in three days!"

Lu Bing was very decisive, and his smile was full of anticipation: "I am a warrior, how can I miss the opportunity to recover Jiaozhi? Even if I miss the war to destroy the country this time, I will still be able to quell many rebellions in Jiaozhi afterward, which will allow me to show my skills!"

There was no war against Annam in history. After Lu Bing passed the military examination, he went north to Jizhou and won the first battle.

Yes, it really was the first blood. When the Mongol Tatar tribe attacked Lengzi Pass, Lu Bing killed one enemy soldier and was promoted to deputy commander for his military merit.

Don't think this is a joke. If you really understand the situation of the Ming Dynasty's war with the outside world at this time, you will know that due to the broken military merit system, it was not easy to behead a person. More commonly, people would hide behind the chariots and never engage in close combat with the enemy. After a major battle broke out, both sides might have casualties, but they would never be able to get the bodies and heads.

Lu Bing now looks down on those petty squabbles, and he doesn't want to rise to power just by relying on his status as a former official of the Prince's residence. Instead, he wants to go to Annam to fight the enemy and earn real military merit.

His wife, Wu, was from the water towns of Jiangnan. She was gentle and graceful, and when she looked at her husband with admiration, Lu Bing felt quite flattered.

Haiyue frowned secretly and gave Zhu Yuying a look. Zhu Yuying, who had been somewhat complicated when she heard the words about destroying the country, understood and led Wu into the inner courtyard to talk, leaving the two of them alone.

Lu Bing noticed this and his expression turned serious: "Mingwei, do you not think the situation is promising?"

"It's not that we don't have a positive outlook, it's just that the imperial court is overly optimistic..."

Haiyue sighed softly: "Although Mo Dengyong has retreated to a strategic location after his defeat, he has not lost his strength. However, the officials in the court are already discussing the establishment of the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commission. Although this proposal can boost the morale of the army, I fear that arrogant soldiers and fierce generals will become complacent and underestimate the enemy, sowing the seeds of disaster!"

A hundred years ago, during the Ming Dynasty's conquest of Annam, it suffered several defeats before finally achieving a crushing victory and destroying the country. Now, Haiyue does not want to suffer defeats first, because given the current state of the court, if it were to lose, there would be a lot of opposition from both the top and bottom. If Mo Dengyong were to cede territory and pay reparations, giving the emperor a way out on the surface, Jiajing might just reluctantly accept it and abandon the campaign.

However, if one becomes complacent and overconfident after gaining a slight advantage, the outcome will likely be even worse. How many examples in history have there been of people who pursued their victory and ended up being lured into a trap, resulting in the annihilation of their entire army?
Lu Bing understood the implication but disagreed: "Both Mao and Zhang are prudent men. Old thief Mo has tried to lure the enemy several times before, but they didn't fall for it. Is Mingwei overthinking this?"

"Times have changed!"

Haiyue said, "Before the battle, the Ming army trained hard for this thunderous strike. Now that they have won a great victory, it is inevitable that arrogance and restlessness will gradually arise in the army! I'm afraid that the soldiers on the training ground have already started to calculate how many heads they have taken, and the generals of each camp are secretly competing for their ranking on the military merit book. Even if two generals personally inspect the camp and issue repeated orders, I'm afraid they will not be able to suppress that restlessness!"

He paused for a moment, then said directly, "I know that General Qiu Luan of Guangdong and Guangxi is rough, fierce, and ambitious. We must be wary of him!"

The Qiu Luan that Hai Yue mentioned is the grandson of Qiu Yue, the Marquis of Xianning. Because his father was ill, his grandfather passed away when he was sixteen years old, and he directly inherited the title of Marquis. Now, at the age of twenty-seven, he has become the General Commander of Guangdong and Guangxi.

It seems good, but it's not. After all, which respectable nobleman would want to go to Guangdong and Guangxi? It's no different from being exiled.

Historically, this person rose to prominence and gained military power after becoming the godfather of Yan Song, which directly led to the "Gengxu Incident".

The "Gengxu Incident" and the "Jingkang Incident" are quite similar, both involving foreign barbarians advancing all the way to the capital of the Central Plains dynasty. The difference is that when the Jin dynasty was first established, the Jin army was indeed powerful, while Altan Khan on the grasslands during the Jiajing period was only the tallest among the short, and he did not have the ability to break through the defenses and penetrate deep into enemy territory alone.

How did Anda Khan manage to conquer all the way to the gates of Beijing?
It was Qiu Luan who let them in.

This beast, serving as the commander-in-chief of Datong, saw Altan Khan leading his army to attack. Fearing the enemy's strength, he actually sent someone to bribe Altan Khan, asking him to bypass Datong and attack other places.

In this way, Altan Khan bypassed the defenses of the important town of Datong without losing a single soldier, and suddenly attacked from behind the garrison at Gubeikou, inflicting a crushing defeat on the Ming army. With no worries about his rear, he then marched south, burning, killing, and looting, and directly attacked the outskirts of Beijing.

Historically, Zhao Shichun's assessment of Qiu Luan was that he "incited trouble and almost repeated the mistakes that led to the downfall of the Song Dynasty," which is absolutely true. Such a person was actually appointed as the General Who Pacifies the Barbarians. Later, he became arrogant and wanted to challenge his godfather Yan Song. He was brought down by Yan Song. Lu Bing had long disliked him and exposed his evil deeds. After his death, his coffin was opened and his corpse was mutilated. His head was sent to the nine border regions, and his entire family was executed.

Before Yu Dayou left, Haiyue specifically mentioned Qiu Luan, instructing him to be wary. Now that Lu Bing is also going to Annam, it's best to make things clear. Of course, Qiu Luan is just a side note. Haiyue got up, took out a memorial, and handed it over: "This is the 'Nine Strategies for Pacifying the Border' that I co-drafted with Zhao Shichun and Tang Shunzhi!"

Lu Bing took it and examined it carefully. His brows gradually furrowed, and he gave a wry smile: "Mingwei is a great talent, but he has poured cold water on the court!"

"Yes! We're bound to get a severe scolding from Grand Secretary Zhang!"

Haiyue smiled and remained calm.

The current situation is that the emperor hopes to strengthen imperial power through military victories, the chief minister hopes to promote new policies based on the achievements of the campaign against Annam, and all the civil and military officials want to benefit from the glory and leave their mark in history. How can they allow a few junior Hanlin scholars to point fingers?

But this memorial must be submitted, and there are also some other arrangements. Lu Bing's arrival is timely. Hai Yue earnestly said, "Wenfu, I know your temperament well, and I would only say these words to you! The border is thousands of miles away, and generals may act on their own initiative. As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you can assume the responsibility of supervising the army. If you see the army running wild, you must rein in this runaway horse for the court!"

Lu Bing's expression became more serious than ever before.

This is a very heavy responsibility.

It was so heavy that he felt he could hardly bear it.

"The success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand. Now, the Ming Dynasty's treasury is empty and its border defenses are in disarray. If the situation in Annam changes again, I fear we will no longer have the strength to manage the four barbarian tribes!"

Haiyue said again in a deep voice, "If Wenfu can act prudently, he will not only benefit the country, but also save countless lives. This is to save the lives of the entire army invisibly!"

After hesitating for a while, Lu Bing finally nodded slowly: "Alright!"

He arrived full of vigor and left with a heavy heart, but in any case, this promising Imperial Guard headed south.

The day after Lu Bing left the capital, Commander Sun Weixian paid him a visit.

"Shen Mo has spoken! Mingwei, you would never guess who's behind this Shuntian Prefecture Magistrate!"

Compared to Lu Bing's casualness, Sun Weixian's tone was warm, because during this period, Yinglue Society began to expand officially and unceremoniously borrowed his network of contacts.

Although he felt somewhat disdainful of this approach that focused on the development of the martial arts world, Sun Weixian was clearly at ease. As long as they were on the same boat, he was not afraid of being threatened by the other party with his background.

Seeing the powerful unity of the assembled elites at the wedding, Sun Weixian realized that this person's potential was not limited to the future; even now, he already possessed extraordinary influence.

After Lu Bing left, the other party happened to be short-handed within the Embroidered Uniform Guard and naturally wanted to fill the vacancy, which is why they came to inform him of the follow-up to the case.

Haiyue couldn't treat this person with the same sincerity as Lu Bing, but she showed no arrogance whatsoever, treating him calmly: "Who instructed Shen Mo?"

Sun Weixian smiled calmly: "To the True Man Shao Yuanjie!"

"Shao Yuanjie?"

Haiyue paused, then asked, "That Taoist master who is favored by His Majesty?"

Sun Weixian said, "You didn't expect this, did you? I didn't expect it either! When Shen Mo couldn't withstand the torture and confessed, I initially thought he was just making baseless accusations. But after investigating his dealings with the Daoist boy from Chaotian Palace, I was certain that what he said was true!"

In Haiyue's memory, among the many Taoist priests favored by Jiajing, Shao Yuanjie had the best reputation, always being virtuous from beginning to end. She said in a deep voice, "A Taoist boy is a Taoist boy, and a Taoist master is a Taoist master. Is there any evidence that the two colluded?"

Sun Weixian said, "As a Taoist master, Shao Yuanjie naturally cannot meet with Shen Mo, a mere judge, in person. However, Shen Mo's outstanding performance in the Ministry of Personnel's evaluations year after year shows that he has influence there! This time, the plot to seize Madam Sheng's property by using Qin Shi's matricide was also personally instigated by a junior Taoist priest from Chaotian Palace. They want something from Madam Sheng's residence!"

Haiyue frowned: "Why is it so complicated?"

Sun Weixian said, "That's still unknown. Shen Mo only knows that the other party has instructed him to take over the Sheng residence for at least a month and not to let outsiders disturb him..."

Haiyue's eyes flickered slightly: "What do you intend to do?"

"Of course, arrest them!"

Sun Weixian recalled the information he had gleaned from the palace regarding His Majesty's attitude towards alchemy. With a wave of his hand, he declared righteously and sternly, "When has our Great Ming Dynasty ever allowed Taoists to interfere in politics? Our Embroidered Uniform Guard will certainly not tolerate these reclusive scholars disrupting the court. They shall all be arrested and brought to justice!"

(End of this chapter)