The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 135 The Emperor's Action
Entering Tianjie from the Daming Gate, on the left side of Tianjie are the headquarters of the four military governors of the Beijing camp, and on the right side of Tianjie are the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Clan Affairs. The Ministry of War is behind the Ministry of Clan Affairs.

The copper nails on the vermilion lacquer gate of the Ministry of War gleamed coldly in the twilight, and the manes of the two stone lions bore traces of years of rain.

The spring rain continues.

In the signing room of the Zhifang Division in the east wing, the three-meter-long "Nine Frontiers Diagram" hung along the pink wall. Chen Yan, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War, left the room and went to the classroom of the new minister.

Since Zhang Jifu came to Beijing, he has not made any big fanfare.

He was completely different from when he was in Jinling.

He became even more low-key after being promoted to Minister of War.

Inside the big house, Zhang Jifu sat upright behind a rosewood desk, concentrating on reading official documents. He was silent and no one knew what he was thinking about.

The previous dynasty was destroyed in the Battle of Tumu, and the newly established Great Zhou Dynasty, in order to prevent a repeat of the same mistakes, not only did it rebuild the Nine Frontiers in the north, but it also set up kings of different surnames outside the borders. The founding four kings and eight dukes each held real power and led an army.

For example, the Jia family, a family of two dukes, was deeply trusted by Emperor Taizu and was in charge of the Beijing camp.

There was also Prince Beijing who was given the title of Daning.

Several northern expeditions completely destroyed the Tatars and Wala, but there were always people on the grasslands. People from the faraway icy lands saw that the fertile lands in the south were uninhabited, so they gradually moved south, or refugees from the interior fled into the desert.

After one generation, two generations, four, five or six generations, the troublesome Hu people emerged.

The most serious incident was when Prince Yi Zhong's family was destroyed and his property was confiscated, and the retired emperor vigorously suppressed the nobles. The people of the Great Zhou were shaken and panicked everywhere, which finally gave the Hu tribe an opportunity to penetrate into Daning and plunder a large number of people and livestock.

As a result, Daning was unable to maintain its position and eventually retreated into the interior.

At this time, Chen Yan brought the military intelligence of the nine borders over the past fifteen years and placed the booklet on the desk of the minister.

"In the first month, the Hu tribe invaded the south nine times, in the second month seven times, in the third month three times, in the fourth month once, in the fifth month none, in the sixth month once, in the seventh month twice, in the eighth month fourteen times, in the ninth month eighteen times, in the tenth month twelve times, in the eleventh month eleven times, and in the twelfth month eight times."

Then he reminded, "At the beginning of each year, the imperial court sends imperial censors to inspect the nine frontiers, checking for passes that need reinforcement, soldiers who need replenishment, equipment, and so on. Last year's deficit was too great, and this year's Ministry of War has yet to announce a clear allocation. If this continues, it will likely affect military activity in the second half of the year."

Zhang Jifu nodded with a look of satisfaction on his face.

The Yuanwailang recommended by my mentor is very outstanding, and he can be promoted by me and become my own person. He is not like Li Yuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, who is indecisive and ambitious.

Zhang Jifu then made no secret of the situation and revealed, "The shortage of money didn't happen overnight. All the Ministry of War can do is learn from the clever wives in the countryside and put the rice in the pot upright so that every grain of rice can fall into the stomachs of the hungry children."

Zhang Jifu showed goodwill, which was exactly what Chen Yan wanted.

Because everyone knows that Zhang Jifu was not just promoted to the Minister of War, the emperor also intends to promote him to the cabinet. It is just a transition at the moment, and I am afraid that in a few days, the decree for Zhang Jifu to join the cabinet will be announced.

Zhou Daofeng is second.

Although he couldn't help but worry about the emperor, the emperor now had great power, the entire Beijing camp was impregnable, and with the local area, no one dared to be indecisive in front of the emperor.

As for the future?

Let’s just get through this moment.

If everyone does this, then even if the emperor takes power in the future, he cannot be held responsible for the majority, right? Once this subtle atmosphere is formed, it will be even more disadvantageous to the emperor, and any smart person can see it.

"I heard that Prince Mu of Dong'an County submitted a petition requesting to return to the capital, and that the Chief Secretary of the Dong'an Palace has already returned to the capital."

Chen Yan reminded.

The meaning is very clear, it is not easy to be the daughter-in-law of the Minister of War.

People are reaching out everywhere, some even come in person to ask for it.

Zhang Jifu didn't care much and said calmly, "When you do things, you will offend people. Offending people is not terrible. As long as there are clear rules, everyone should follow them. The capital has always lacked rules. Others don't have rules, but I will have rules here in the future. No matter who you are, you must follow rules."

Chen Yan was speechless.

This is really arrogant, but who makes Zhang Jifu qualified to be arrogant?

Anyone else wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.

However, the more this happened, the more confident Chen Yan became. At such a delicate moment, people like Zhang Jifu were really needed to turn the tide, just like the Ministry of War.

Li Yuan certainly had ideas about the position of Minister of War.

But he hesitated.

Because I know the troubles the Ministry of War is facing now.

If you have no money, you have no money. No matter how much you shout, you still have no money. No matter how much you complain, if something happens in the border areas, the Ministry of War will not escape punishment.

First it was Zhou Daofeng, then Zhang Jifu.

Chen Yan had come into contact with both the master and the disciple separately, and he could see them clearly from a close distance, so he had some insights of his own.

If we talk about the glory and glory, it is because the court needs these two masters and apprentices.

Although Zhang Jifu's method was not the best, it was better to have an idea than to have no idea at all. At least the Ministry of War knew what it should do next. No one knew whether it would do well in the future or whether it could make a stable transition.

That's courage.

A courageous person is not necessarily qualified, and a qualified person is not necessarily courageous. Zhang Jifu is the most suitable candidate, so the emperor's unreserved support is not entirely due to the struggle for imperial power.

Through this year's experiences, Chen Yan has come into contact with more things and people than in the entire first half of his life, and has formed his own opinions on many things.

Zhang Jifu knew that he had just arrived and needed the advice of the veterans in the Ministry of War at any time.

Chen Yan is the most suitable candidate.

I also think of my mentor Zhou Daofeng, whose deep dedication is truly touching.

Since we need to use the best steel on the blade, let's talk about what is most important.

What has already happened is that the military affairs of defending against Japanese pirates in the southeast will be handed over to Nanjing, and the local areas will have to bear more of the responsibility. There is also the civil unrest in Sichuan.

"I have consulted with the Sichuan governor and have transferred a thousand Jinchuan soldiers from Guangyuan to Sichuan to join forces with the local camp to suppress the rebellion. We must wipe it out completely to prevent it from reviving. However, the follow-up measures submitted by the local authorities are quite troublesome." The local follow-up measures are not the Ministry of War's business, but fighting a war is never a single matter.

Zhang Jifu understood this principle and was more concerned.

"One is the prefecture that caused the unrest. They're asking the court to allocate 50,000 taels of silver to set up a factory to provide porridge and appease the local people. They're also pleading for an exemption of this year's land tax from Kuizhou and Chongqing, and a three-year deferral of taxes for the counties affected by the war. Ultimately, it all comes down to taxes and grain."

Chen Yan was worried at first, then he sighed and smiled bitterly, "Fortunately, the bandit leader has been pacified. Although it's troublesome, it's just trouble after all. Let's stabilize the situation and make some repairs first. The Japanese threat in the southeast has also been quelled. After two or three years of recuperation, the court will have money and many things will be put aside."

It's a prudent principle.

There are still talented people in the court, Zhang Jifu admired in his heart.

From south to north, from east to west.

Chen Yan was well aware of the affairs of the Ministry of War. He could provide advice and Zhang Jifu could make decisions. The two of them really worked together amazingly.

Only in the Beijing camp.

As soon as Chen Yan finished talking about the amount of money and food he wanted to allocate to the Eastern Army, Zhang Jifu rejected it for the first time.

"Zhu Wei of the Eastern Army is the emperor's man. If we withhold his money and food, and if the matter is brought to the attention of the emperor, won't it cause dissatisfaction from the old emperor?" Chen Yan didn't understand Zhang Jifu's thoughts.

Wasn’t Zhang Jifu’s mentor also the emperor’s man?

Chen Yan is more pragmatic in his work, but is quite negligent in understanding people's hearts. No wonder he has only been a Yuanwailang for so many years. Where did his mentor find such a good subordinate for him?

Zhang Jifu smiled and said, "Don't worry about this matter. I have my own arrangements."

Seeing this, Chen Yan said no more.

The Imperial Guards, the Twelve Regiments, and the Beijing Camp were reorganized into four armies.

There is also a Jinyi Army.

The predecessor of the Jinyi Army was the Jinyi Guard of the previous dynasty. The Great Zhou retained the Jinyi Guard, but changed it to the Jinyi Army. The difference of one word represents the subtle difference between the two.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard originally belonged to the Imperial Guards, but had more supervisory powers and responsibilities. The Embroidered Uniform Army also belonged to the Imperial Guards, but had fewer supervisory powers and responsibilities and retained more military attributes.

There are four armies in the Beijing camp, each with 30,000 soldiers, totaling 120,000.

The Jinyiwei had a quota of 20,000 members.

The annual military pay requires nearly two million taels of silver, and there are also expenses for maintaining the army, caring for horses, mules and donkeys, and maintaining armaments. It would cost at least two to three million taels of silver a year.

If we go to war, the cost will be even higher.

This year's military pay can only be paid out for less than 500,000 taels, less than 20% of the actual needs.

There are also rewards for the Beijing troops who went south to suppress the Japanese pirates, pensions for the soldiers who died in the previous anti-Japanese war, etc. Less than 500,000 taels of silver are not enough to cover these expenses. This is the difficulty faced by the Ministry of War.

The Beijing Army is concerned with the safety of the capital, so this is the only way, not to mention the border.

No matter how important the border is, it is not in sight.

The Ministry of War's booklet was submitted to the Cabinet, and the Cabinet Chief Minister Zhou Daofeng presented it to the Emperor for review.

The retired emperor flipped through the pages briefly, stopped at one, and suddenly laughed out loud, "What a Zhang Jifu!" He then shouted, "Zhou Daofeng."

Zhou Daofeng stood up and walked over.

Without waiting for Zhou Daofeng to speak, the emperor smiled and said, "You have taught a good disciple, who is no worse than you."

In the Taoist temple of the retired emperor.

The booklet from the Ministry of War was spread out on the table, and Zhou Daofeng went up to look at it respectfully.

The contents of the booklet were about the Eastern Army.

The allocation list and estimated food and fodder expenditure for the Eastern Army's headquarters, left wing, and right wing.

Among them, the left side is actually about to tie the headquarters.

Then the right side.

Most of the military pay and food supplies on the right wing will be distributed to Wang Xin's troops.

After Zhang Jifu came to Beijing, he did not visit Zhou's house too often, and he seldom consulted with the cabinet on matters concerning the Ministry of War. Instead, the master and disciple were more distant from each other than ordinary people. However, Zhou Daofeng saw through Zhang Jifu's intentions at a glance.

If I'm not wrong.

The first one was to draw a cross on the emperor.

The second one is to tick the box for the retired emperor.

If you offend Zhu Wei, let the emperor do the good thing.

His real intention was to win over Wang Xin.

This is the knife he wants.

Zhang Jifu's arrangements were so thoughtful that Zhou Daofeng had nothing to say.

The emperor picked up the pen.

After drawing two crosses in a row, Zhou Daofeng was a little surprised. He didn't know what the emperor was thinking, but he was not panicked. No one could guess what the emperor was thinking.

"Wang believes in this person."

The retired emperor looked mysterious and said with a smile, "It would be a pity if this is the only way to use it."

Zhou Daofeng did not follow the retired emperor's train of thought and was completely confused, so he said nothing and waited for the retired emperor's order.

(End of this chapter)