Zhu Yunxi’s questioning echoed in the main hall of the General Affairs Office.
Heaven and earth are unkind, saints are ruthless.
When there is a problem among the people, and it is a problem that is difficult to solve manually, everyone will implicate the crime on the thief God or the foolish king.
It's pretty good now. These people just put the blame on God instead of saying that it was because of the king's personal ethics that the natural disasters were caused.
But if there is a man-made disaster on the ground, and these people are helpless, they will probably still blame the king.
If they meet a strong king, they will inevitably elect a female minister to take the blame.
In short, they are always infallible.
Ren Hengtai had no choice but to stand up at this time. He is the Minister of Rites, and it is his right and responsibility to uphold the etiquette system and protect the king and father of heaven and earth.
"Your Majesty, the Hu and Gong Departments have no intention of blaming God. They are simply explaining the current difficult situation due to the current situation."
Ren Hengtai explained the matter from his own point of view, then turned to look at Qi Zuo, the Minister of Household Affairs, and Jiang Yi, the Minister of Works, and his tone became more serious: "How difficult is it for your Majesty to create the Ming Dynasty? How can it be compared today? The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors created all the people and all things.
How can the hardship be compared today?
We all live on the emperor's salary and should share his worries. We have studied hard for ten years and made good fortune for the people. We will not let it go and do things perfunctorily because of the hardships of the times, the dangers of the land, and the disobedience of others."
Qi Zhu and Jiang Yi bowed their heads silently.
No matter in terms of theory or Ren Hengtai's official rank, neither of them could explain anything.
At this time, Wang Jun, Shangshu of the Ministry of Works, stood up and said, "Great Sun, Ren Shangshu, the Ministry of Works will never abandon the people. After today's meeting, I will go out of the city to supervise the snow-covered official roads. But the current situation is like this.
I don’t dare to act as a guarantee, so official channels can only be smoothed if anything happens.”
Yu Xin also stood up at this time: "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue has currently loaded no less than 50,000 dans of grain and grass in various warehouses of the Ministry of Revenue. No more carriages will be available to transport more. The Ministry of Revenue is just waiting for the Ministry of Industry to clear the official road.
You can immediately send food and grass to various places.
Prior to this, if we want to relieve the snow disaster in the areas south of the Yangtze River and north of the Yangtze River, I boldly advise and allocate the grain and grass stored in the warehouse in Hangzhou and the warehouse in Huai'an for two years to travel along the Yangtze River, the canal, and the Yellow River.
Distributed to all prefectures and counties along the coast."
After finishing speaking, Yu Xin nodded and stood there with his hands down, silently glancing at Zhu Yunxi who was sitting above him.
In the main hall, all the officials fell silent.
Yu Xin's strategy was to mobilize the grain stored in the warehouse in Hangzhou, and there was no problem.
It was originally that after the tax revenue from Jiaozhi Road came up every year in summer and autumn, it was transported from Jiaozhi Road and stored in the warehouse in Hangzhou for use by the military and civilians in Jiangnan.
The grain reserves of Huai'an Prefecture can be adjusted and transported, so no one dares to raise opinions.
Most of Huai'an Prefecture's grain reserves are collected from taxes collected from various prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River, transported and stored there.
The grain and grass currently stored in Huai'an Prefecture was originally scheduled to be sent to Beiping Prefecture after spring, when the north is out of season, and then distributed to various places in the nine borders to ease the expenses of the border troops and the people in the border areas.
Part of it is transported via canals and Yellow River channels to Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi, and part of it is transported by sea to Beiping Prefecture...
If Yu Xin's advice is implemented, the food and military supplies in Jiubian will be affected next spring.
Zhu Yunxi tapped his fingers lightly on the table in front of him, his eyes were like gossamers, and he pondered for a long time.
After a while, Zhu Yunxi slowly spoke: "Given the snow conditions in the south and north of the Yangtze River this winter, do you have any good suggestions?"
"Your Highness."
Among the crowd, an official stood up, looked at Zhu Yunxi, and bowed: "Charcoal, it's very cold at this time, what the people are most in need of is charcoal for heating. It's the end of the year, and most people have some surplus food in their homes, so there's no need.
I worry about whether my stomach will be full.
Even if it is less, we can still cope with it. The most important thing is charcoal for heating. Now that the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, it is impossible for people to always have firewood in every house.
But once the snow continues, the people besieged by the heavy snow will be without charcoal to keep warm, and in the end they are likely to die from the severe cold
And was frozen to death."
The south of the Yangtze River is different from the north. People will cut down entire mountains and forests in order to store enough firewood for winter use before the arrival of winter.
There will not be such a heavy snowfall in Jiangnan for basically a hundred years, so it goes without saying that people are required to store firewood in their homes.
Xie Jin, who had followed Zhu Yunxi, stood up and said, "Your Highness has already explained the matter to me. At present, the documents for urging the mining and distribution of coal are being issued every day, but the road is difficult and the time is passing."<
/p>
Rujun, Minister of the Ministry of War, who had been silent for a long time, finally stood up at this time: "Your Highness, colleagues, how many prefectures and counties in the south and north of the Yangtze River are experiencing heavy snow like Yingtian? Do you have any suggestions?
Reports were sent to local places, and officials and servants were sent to various places to check the snow conditions."
Zhai Shan turned around and looked at Ru Yu: "In addition to Yingtian Prefecture, there are now confirmed news about Zhenjiang Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, Guangzhou Prefecture, Huzhou Prefecture, Ningguo Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Hezhou Prefecture, Luzhou Prefecture, and Chuzhou Prefecture.
, Yangzhou Prefecture and Shangzhongdu all have the same snow conditions as the sky at this time.
There is snow in all eleven places, and I am afraid that the winter snowfall this year will be quite severe. I am afraid that Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, and Henan will all be affected!"
After finishing speaking, Zhai Shan closed his eyes slightly with a worried expression.
Almost the entire financial and taxation center of the Ming Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River is suffering from snow.
And there is such heavy snow in Jiangnan and other places. Not even Zhai Shan dares to think about what the situation will be like in the counties along the Yellow River in the north.
Ru Yun took a deep breath. Who would have thought that after just two years of good life and two years of comfort for the courtiers, the Ming Dynasty would face such a severe dilemma.
He glanced at Wang Jun, who was silent next to him, and then cast a dull glance at the meritorious military generals sitting opposite, and said softly: "Right now, how to clear the road is the most important thing. The grain storage in Hangzhou's warehouse can It is transported via the Yangtze River to the riverside of Jiangnan state capitals, but what’s the next way?”
In the past, the first thing that the imperial court and local governments thought of was to collect labor from the people to transport, smoothen and repair roads.
But now that the roads are blocked by heavy snow, not to mention the court, even the local officials may not be able to tell what the situation is under their own jurisdiction.
"Use Jingwei."….
Zhu Yunxi frowned and spoke in a deep voice, then looked around and looked at the civil servants who had already revealed their faces.
Zhu Yunxi continued: "Heaven and earth are unkind, and saints are merciless. However, man will definitely defeat heaven! He ordered navy warships, troop ships, and grain ships to transport grain and grass to Hangzhou. The Jingwei camp divided its troops to escort grain and grass up the river, and every time the local prefectures and counties visited When they docked, grain and grass were distributed, and the officers and soldiers of the capital opened the way, transported grain and grass to the local areas, assisted local governments and counties in disaster relief, and distributed supplies to the people."
Since the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the capitals of the Central Plains dynasties have always been heavily armed.
Firstly, it is to ensure that the capital is protected by strong force. Secondly, it is to form a central army strong enough to crush the local area. Thirdly, it is to further weaken the local military power by drawing troops from the local area to form the central army.< /p>
The same was true for the Ming Dynasty, although there was no so-called 800,000 forbidden troops like the former Song Dynasty.
But now there are nearly 200,000 soldiers and horses in the Beijing army camps gathered inside and outside Yingtian City.
In addition to the Beijing army, there are also nine-sided heavy troops in the local area, probably with more than one million troops. However, this will vary according to different regions.
Generally speaking, the current military strength of the Ming Dynasty is dominated by the nine-border frontier army, followed by the nearly 100,000 troops currently stationed in Japan and Jiaozhi Road to fight.
After that, there is the guard station at the dangerous pass of the Thirteenth Road of the Ming Dynasty.
As for the garrison stations and guard stations stationed in the remaining places, it would be a blessing to be able to ensure that there are enough soldiers.
The nearly 200,000 Beijing troops are led by nearly 3,000 military generals and military attachés who have made meritorious service in Beijing.
After excluding the nearly 100,000 soldiers and guards who cannot be mobilized, these 200,000 Beijing troops are the most important garrison force of Yingtian City, and they are always related to the safety of the emperor and the capital.
Zhu Yunxi wants to use the soldiers from the Jingwei camp to relieve Xuequing.
For a time, all the civil servants were in an uproar.
Zhai Shan stood up directly and said: "Your Highness, this is inappropriate! The Beijing army and the direct military guards are to guard the capital and protect His Majesty's safety. How can we do it lightly? I think that I can order the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army. I issued a document urging the officers and soldiers of the Jiangnan Local Guard Station to go to the ferry along the Yangtze River and wait for the arrival of the grain and grass shipped by the imperial court to the Hangzhou Prefecture."
Ren Hengtai also said in a deep voice: "The Beijing army must not move! In the capital, where the emperor sleeps and where the court is, how can it be without heavy military protection? I second the words of Zhai Shangshu and issue a document to mobilize the officers and soldiers of the local guard station."
Wang Jun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, even used a shovel to kneel in front of Zhu Yunxi.
There was a clang and a clang.
Wang Jun is already in awe.
"I am guilty of capital punishment. I am in charge of the Ministry of Industry. I am incompetent in clearing roads, which makes it difficult for food and grass to move forward. I ask Your Highness to punish me to death. I beg Your Highness not to touch the Beijing army without permission."
As the elders remonstrated, there was an uproar, and the civil servants present stood up one after another and knelt on the ground.
"I second the proposal that the Beijing army should not move."
Zhai Shan even raised his head and said: "The safety of the capital lies in the Ming Dynasty. Even if His Majesty has such a decree, the ministers will advise him."
This is not like suppressing the Japanese country and conquering Jiaozhi, sending out 30,000 to 50,000 Beijing troops, organizing and training local guards to form a large army for overseas expeditions.
In just this moment, Zhai Shan had already figured out that if the Beijing army was to be used to relieve the snow this time, and if more than half of the Beijing troops who were still in Yingtian were not used, the matter would not be possible...
That means another 80,000 to 90,000 troops will be sent out.
In addition to the Beijing troops still in Jiaozhi Road and the Japanese state, Yingtian City will only have a maximum of 50,000 or 60,000 Beijing troops left to protect the capital.
Zhu Yunxi sighed softly, shook his head and said: "Man can conquer heaven, but manpower is limited. There are countless prefectures and counties along the Yangtze River, and not every place has a guard assistant. For example, Chizhou Prefecture, Jiujiang Prefecture, there is no guard station, Raozhou Prefecture There are only 1,000 households in Nankang Prefecture and Nankang Prefecture.
At this moment, the heavy snow is continuous, day and night, and has the potential to cover up the country. It is probably difficult for the local guards to maintain their jurisdiction and dredge the countryside of prefectures and counties. If the imperial court redeploys the local guards to provide food and grass, local affairs will have to Who should do it?
Qi Gu also wants to dispatch the Beijing army to Shouzhou, the central capital, Ningxiang, Huguang, and Pingxiang, Jiangxi, to collect and transport coal to various places in the south of the Yangtze River. Without the Beijing army, according to the local situation at this time, you think that only local people can Do these things well?"
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Mu Ying also stood up slowly at this time, and the armor on her body made a clanging sound as she walked.
"Your Highness, if the imperial court mobilizes the Beijing army, from the day the Beijing army leaves the city, I will lead the troops with Governor Tang, Marquis Jingchuan and others to sit at the head of Yingtian City. If the Beijing army does not return to the capital for one day, I will be dead. The sun never sets on the top of Yingtian City!"
After Mu Ying finished speaking, all the dignitaries and generals of the Beijing army who should not have appeared here stood up one after another: "If the Beijing army does not return for a day, the general will not leave the city for a day!"
In the main hall of the General Secretary's Yamen, the civil servants were silent, while the meritorious military generals made great noises and spoke vigorously.
Zhu Yunxi looked at these civil servants silently.
Not allowing Yingtian to have a shortage of troops is just one of the most obvious reasons among these people's reasons.
What they prefer is to solve the current problems through civilian means, rather than letting the military play a decisive role.
Qiu Ba should fight the enemy to the death on the battlefield.
This is the view and subconscious common understanding of civilian officials towards the military since the pre-Song Dynasty.
If the issues encountered by the imperial court have to be solved by officers and soldiers, where will the dignity of these civil servants be put?
Now, Zhu Yunxi knew very well that the current problems could be solved without the Beijing army, but he just wanted to let these civil servants know that even without them, the Ming Dynasty could solve the problems it encountered.
Ru Yu, who had not spoken for a while and only knelt down without seconding, silently raised her head at this time.
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Ever since Mu Ying and the others came in, he had a premonition.
It’s snowing now, too
If Sun asked these people to come, they wouldn't be trying to conquer the outside world.
Ru Yu raised her head and spoke in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please tell me whether to use the Beijing army or not. Can we wait until the grain stored in the warehouse in Hangzhou arrives in Yingtian before making a decision? Although there is heavy snowfall in the south of the Yangtze River at the moment, and I can't stop wanting to, but the season has changed.
Nothing can be explained by ordinary people.
Your Highness is worried about the hardships of the people, and so are your ministers. If Your Highness is determined to use the Beijing army, can you only dispatch 30,000 to 20,000 officers and soldiers to accompany the warships transporting grain and grass to the warehouse in Hangzhou? After the shipment, they will first go to Songjiang Prefecture and other places
Transporting food and grass ashore."
Rujun chose the next best way to ease the conflict...
Instead of immediately mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Beijing officers and soldiers, only 20,000 to 30,000 Beijing troops will be sent to the warehouse in Hangzhou to transport grain and grass, and they will disembark from Songjiang Prefecture and other places to clear official roads and transport grain and grass.
His reasons are clear.
No one knows when this snow will stop.
Maybe, the snow will stop tomorrow?
At that time, only 20,000 to 30,000 Beijing troops will be mobilized. After the snow stops and the local government roads are cleared, there is no need to worry about the situation remaining the same overnight. The local government will also have manpower to cooperate with the court's grain transport ships.
Receive grain and grass on both sides of the Yangtze River.
As for the problem of snow melting and official roads eroding after the snow stops.
Ru Yu glanced at the back of her hand, which was a little purple. This damn cold temperature probably won't get warmer until spring.
It’s not that the Beijing army cannot be used, but how much it should be used, what role the court will play in it, and what position the civil servants will be in.
Zhai Shan and others also raised their heads at this time.
Rujun gave them a more stable plan that was also full of compromises.
Zhai Shan immediately shouted: "This policy of the Ministry of War is a great benefit. It will save the people from the wind and snow. It does not need to make the officers and soldiers work in boats and chariots, and they can move according to the time. I second my opinion."
After Zhai Shan made his position clear.
The remaining civil servants shouted in unison again: "I second my opinion."
Zhu Yunxi hummed silently, then turned to look at Mu Ying, who was wearing a military uniform, and saw a slight smile on his face.
He could only nod his head and said: "Since all the ministers think this policy is a good one, I will follow their advice. The Beijing army will dispatch 20,000 troops and horses, and go down with the ship to transport grain and grass to the warehouse in Hangzhou. Another 10,000 troops and horses will be sent.
, divided into Shouzhou, Ningxiang, and Pingxiang coal mines for mining and transportation."
Mu Ying and other meritorious military generals immediately said: "The last general takes orders."
Zhai Shan, Ru Yu and other civil servants knew that it was impossible not to use every soldier of the Beijing army. Now this is the safest compromise strategy.
Then they all said in unison: "My grandson is kind and wise."
This first test of civil servants yielded some gains and some compromises.
Zhu Yunxi knew in his heart that this was the inevitable result.
It is impossible for civilian officials to hand over the power of herdsmen to the military, just as the military has never been willing to be lower than civilian officials.
He waved his hand and said: "Let's all go and do our work. This is a difficult time. You all should work together to overcome the difficulties and maintain the peace of the people."
"I respect your teachings."
……
"My father-in-law, when do you think this snow will stop?"
After leaving the general affairs envoy Si Yamen, all the officials dispersed. Zhu Yunxi left Mu Ying behind, and the two of them walked towards the palace under the protection of a group of forbidden troops.
Mu Ying looked up at Feixue, who had stopped briefly since last night, and shook her head: "I don't know the calendar, and when I march and set up formations, I always end up with the worst possible outcome when facing the enemy.
Make plans.
If this snowfall this winter can stop within the next three to five days, it will be a good thing, and Your Highness can handle it smoothly.
If the snow continues for a long time, His Highness may not only have to mobilize most of the Beijing troops in Beijing and transport grain, grass and money from the two large warehouses in Hangzhou and Huai'an, but also prepare for the situation after the snow melts in the spring of next year." Zhu Yunxi shook his head helplessly: "I asked Qin Tianjian, they think the snow will last at least until the cold moon comes, or even in the middle of the cold moon. After that, they can't guarantee it."…
Mu Ying was stunned for a moment, stopped and lowered her head
He stretched out his head and kicked the snow in front of him: "It has been snowing for a month. The people may have food to eat, but what about their clothes, blankets and firewood? Today, I and the generals agreed on the 30,000 officers and soldiers who would leave the capital, and then they agreed that the entire army in the capital should come together."
Make preparations in advance for the regulations to be issued."
Zhu Yunxi nodded and smiled at Mu Ying: "It's as it should be! The times are difficult, and the Beijing army has to rely on his father-in-law and uncle Tang's family for everything."
"This is my duty."
Zhu Yunxi turned around, looked at Mu Ying, and suddenly said seriously: "My father-in-law, maybe you also don't understand why I want to use the Beijing army to relieve the disaster. Or you may think that I am using you to suppress the civil servants."
Mu Ying was stunned for a moment, her eyes shifted slightly, and she did not speak, but she already made it clear that this was what she thought.
Zhu Yunxi smiled, this is human nature, most people would think so.
However, he still explained: "The imperial court has 100,000 soldiers and horses of the direct military guards, 200,000 soldiers of the Beijing Army, and more than 1 million local guards and border troops under the control of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion. They are the interests of the Ming Dynasty.
The sword and the strong shield are the basis for our Ming Dynasty to dominate the Central Plains."
Zhu Yunxi's tone gradually became heavier, and his eyes flickered like a torch.
"However, although they are officers and soldiers of the garrison, they are also my subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and they also come from those common people. It is better to say that they are soldiers of my Zhu family and soldiers under you generals. It is better to say that they are common people of the world.
The disciple soldiers."
Mu Ying was shocked. Such rebellious remarks never occurred to him that they would come from the mouth of his son-in-law, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.
"Disciple soldiers..."
Mu Ying lost her voice.
Zhu Yunxi nodded: "They are my descendants of the Ming Dynasty! In ancient times, there were eight thousand descendants of Xiang Yu from Jiangdong, who could defeat the Qin Dynasty and compete with the emperor of the Han Dynasty in the Chu-Han conflict. Now, these soldiers of my Ming Dynasty descendants come from all over the world and are chosen among the people.
.
They see how the imperial court governs and how the Zhu family governs. I, the Zhu family and the imperial court, treat the people well, hide their troops in front of the people, and transform into children to help the people in disasters.
The people should be able to see it, and the officers and soldiers should also be among them. After the Ming Dynasty, no matter how difficult it is, these people, even if they are very old, will definitely take out the rusty armor of the past to protect the country.
Danger."
Muying felt something was shaking, and some understanding began to form.
However, now he simply cannot explain what it is.
After a long time, Mu Ying could only use the words of an old friend to express what she meant today: "Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. Love the people, and the people will support you."
Zhu Yunxi smiled slightly: "That's the truth."
Then, he raised his head and saw that the majestic Imperial City Palace Gate was already in front of him.
"It's time for my father-in-law to return to camp.".