Chapter 295: Not surprised by favor or humiliation
Author: Silent
Chapter 295: Not surprised by favor or humiliation
The most famous people who have been granted the title of Duke of Lai since ancient times are undoubtedly Du Ruhui and Kou Zhun. Both of them are examples of literary and military talents.
Dai Yi and others understood that this reflected the emperor's expectations for Zhang Zhou, which was to make Zhang Zhou a general and prime minister and help the Ming Dynasty to rejuvenate.
When Zhu Youtang went to see Empress Dowager Zhou and his wife to inform his relatives about the matter, Dai Yi and others did not accompany him.
The four eunuchs in charge of rituals were followed by several young eunuchs in the study room of the eunuchs in charge of rituals, and the four of them walked closely.
"I'm afraid it won't be easy for Your Majesty to make Mr. Zhang the Duke of the country, right?"
Wei Bin followed behind and asked.
Wei Bin had some opinions on Zhang Zhou's previous affairs in Liaodong, but with the end of the Battle of Liaodong, his direct descendant, Ren Liang, the eunuch who guarded Liaodong, was not punished, and even Zhang Yu, the censor of the capital, was only punished. Forget it, he is just more concerned about how Zhang Zhou's rise will affect his interests.
After all, Wei Bin mostly had contacts with the guarding eunuchs from various places.
Dai Yidao said: "With my current achievements, what if I give him a Duke?"
Xiao Jing also raised questions: "It's just that Mr. Zhang didn't go into battle in person, because he was afraid that the civil servants would gossip."
Dai Yi suddenly stopped. The eunuchs around him were stunned and stopped too, wondering what kind of medicine Dai Yi was selling in his gourd.
"You guys just sit back and worry about it. How will your Majesty reward Mr. Zhang? Your Majesty has his own arrangements. This time, you didn't even summon the ministers, people from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, and you still haven't explained the problem? Your Majesty may have felt that, I will tell the superior tomorrow about this matter, and even if there is opposition, it will not cause any problems. Just wait!"
Dai Yi is now more angry that he has been doubted and challenged.
Given his old age, he seems to be less favored by the emperor.
…
…
Inside Kunning Palace.
Zhu Youtang was explaining to his wife that Zhang Zhou had fought a hearty victory for the Ming Dynasty in front of his son, or in his eyes full of urgency.
Neither Queen Zhang nor Zhu Houzhao seemed to care whether Zhang Zhou personally participated in the war. In their eyes, Wang Shouren and Ma Yi, who actually led the troops, were transparent and meaningless.
Of course, mother and son also have different priorities.
Queen Zhang asked: "Your Majesty, where is Heling? Has he gone too?"
"I didn't go to Weining Hai, but I followed Bingkuan to Mao'erzhuang to welcome the soldiers who unexpectedly attacked Weining Hai back to the pass. They are still retreating south. The once arrogant Huo Si now doesn't even dare to lead troops close. I believe that now It has been withdrawn to the pass, but the news has not yet been sent back to the capital." Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "As the deputy commander-in-chief, Heling can be regarded as a meritorious minister, and I will reward him well."
"That's good."
When Queen Zhang heard this, she also had a smile on her face.
She didn't care whether the northwest was victorious or not. As a "women's family", she was more concerned about what the Zhang family could gain from this matter.
Zhu Houzhao asked eagerly: "Why didn't Bingkuan lead his troops to fight against the fire screen, and instead retreated to the pass? He didn't want to extinguish the fire screen in one go?"
Zhu Youtang glanced at his son and said, "Bingkuan is what you should call him?"
"Father, why do you still care about the title at this time? Just know that you are talking about Mr. Zhang." Zhu Houzhao looked annoyed.
You didn’t answer the key question, but you actually care about what I call Zhang Zhou?
Don't you always call him "Bingkuan"?
Zhu Youtang said: "The way of using troops does not depend on the gains and losses of one moment and one place on the battlefield, but on the overall consideration. Now the grassland situation is turbulent. It is a time of internal division and cannibalism. The Ming Dynasty's intention for this war has been If the situation is reached, there is absolutely no need to start fighting again. We can just clean up the mess after the situation on the grassland becomes clear."
"Hey, if you don't go into battle yourself and let others do it, if you don't work and just wait to clean up the mess, I'll have to wait for him to trample the grassland every day."
Zhu Houzhao murmured in a low voice, but he was a little dissatisfied.
"What did you say?" Zhu Youtang couldn't help but get angry when he saw that his son now likes to act like a woman and brought his little calculations to light.
"It's okay. My son is saying that Mr. Zhang is very powerful and I will rely on him to level the grassland in the future." Zhu Houzhao curled his lips, somewhat dissatisfied.
It's such a fun thing to go to the grassland to fight, but you won't take me with you?
You even went there and didn't even write me a letter? You asked me to guard "Wangfu Cliff"?
Zhu Youtang said: "I also plan to confer Bingkuan as the Duke of Lai State. I will mention it to the court tomorrow, but it may have to wait until the results of the war come out. I still have to tell the imperial grandmother about this news, so I won't have dinner here. Come on, show off!"
"His Majesty……"
"Queen, please rest more. I have been busy with state affairs recently. After a few days of leisure, I will come to spend more time with you."
While Zhu Youtang was comforting his wife, he seemed to be like a husband who always went out to ghost on the pretext that he was busy with work, so he left his wife and children behind and left first on the pretext of seeing his grandmother.
Queen Zhang was naturally a little dissatisfied.
Because she spent less and less time with the emperor recently, Zhu Youtang often "stayed out at night". She didn't even know where her husband was, and couldn't even investigate.
She seems to be the Lord of the Sixth Palace, but she is still a little inferior to Concubine Wan Gui and others, because she has no one in Dongchang and Jinyiwei. The so-called queen can only maintain authority over the palace people. In the past, she had to do She relies on the Zhang brothers for everything, and now her two brothers are both in the northwest, one in Yansui and the other in Datong.
Now it is difficult for her to find someone to check her husband's whereabouts.
…
…
Beyond the head-turning barrier.
Zhu Feng personally led his troops out of the fortress and arrived at Tumaochuan, a tributary of the Yellow River, as agreed. He did not cross the river, but after finding that he did not encounter any enemy, he gradually withdrew his troops to the city gate outside Pianguan Town.
After he returned to Shuiquan Yingbao, he met Wang Qiong who had brought troops over, and learned from Wang Qiong the results of the battles at Weininghai and Tushan.
"Brother Zhang...is really capable of taking on the important task of defense in the northwest."
Zhu Feng did not feel disappointed, but felt very relieved.
With Zhang Zhou here, I can finally think about how to live a happy life after returning to the capital or Nanjing.
Wang Qiong asked: "Don't you feel regretful that Zhang Zhitai didn't use you in this battle? With such merit, if it were you, I believe you would be able to achieve such results."
"No." Zhu Feng said, "I don't have the strategizing skills of the king, nor the courage of the commander. If I lead troops to attack Weininghai, after a small victory, I want to return to the Ming Dynasty Pass. I will never escort so many prisoners and livestock. In terms of talent, I am not as good as them."
Wang Qiong smiled bitterly and shook his head.
I have never seen anyone belittle oneself, and I have never seen anyone belittle oneself like this.
You obtained the title of Marquis of Anbyun through military merit, but you actually think that you are incapable of fighting a seemingly logical surprise attack?
This war is obviously more difficult to plan than to use troops. It takes Zhang Zhou's courage and the solid military morale brought by Zhang Zhou's prayers for rain in Xuanfu to be qualified to talk about a surprise attack. On the contrary, the surprise attack does not seem to be very difficult...
This is probably the same as the coach being the soul of a team.
You can still play a game well without playing.
But you, Zhu Zhijie, belittled yourself and thought you were incompetent...Wang Qiong thought to himself, no wonder Zhang Bingkuan didn't use you to lead the troops to attack Weininghai. It really makes sense.
But why not let me go?
Compared with Zhu Feng's open-mindedness, Wang Qiong cannot tolerate flattery or humiliation. Just as Zhang Zhou used his reasons, Wang Qiong is capable and good at flattering, but he also has the disadvantages that such a person should have, which is...
Narrow-minded.
Wang Yue is also very capable, but he also has many tricks to squeeze out his colleagues.
Is it possible that he, Wang Qiong, can compare himself to a saint and remain indifferent to such huge achievements as the second surprise attack on Weininghai?
"Zhang Zhitai hired Wang Bo'an, I didn't understand this." Wang Qiong commented on the matter in front of Zhu Feng, "Using a man who has never set foot on the battlefield, who made one mistake and lost everything, he is
Are you gambling, or do you really know how to know people?"
Zhu Feng seemed indifferent and said: "Isn't Bo'an also in the Yanwu Hall? He probably just feels that he can take advantage of others."
Zhu Feng was not satisfied with Zhang Zhou's use of Wang Shouren.
"Then Zhijie, how much do you know about Bo'an's abilities? Do you think he can achieve great things?" Wang Qiong asked back.
"this……"
How can Zhu Feng answer such a question?
He wanted to say that I was just hanging around in the Yanwu Hall and had little contact with those people, let alone who was capable and who was a coward.
Aren’t you, Wang Qiong, also from Yanwu Hall? Don’t you know Wang Bo’an well?
Historically, it was Wang Qiong who recommended Wang Shouren, but this was based on the premise that identity and status were completely unequal. As a teacher and senior, Wang Qiong was willing to recommend Wang Shouren.
But in history, Wang Qiong and Peng Yue would still fight to the death for military power in the northwest, criticizing each other and even avenging private revenge...
The Wang Shouren in front of him was not recommended by Wang Qiong, but after this battle, Wang Shouren has obviously become a figure who can be almost equal to Wang Qiong. How can Wang Qiong still treat Wang Shouren with the mentality of supporting his juniors?
"Wang Zhongcheng, should we send troops to assist Datong Town? The next step is to attack Datong, right?" Zhu Feng was still enthusiastic.
A surprise attack on Weininghai is too dangerous, so I won't do it.
But if troops are sent to Datong Town to assist Brother Zhang in garrisoning Datong, I have nothing to fear.
Wang Qiong said: "No, the situation in Pianguan is more dangerous than that in Datong Town. With Zhang Zhitai here, Datong Town can ensure peace of mind, and I think... Huo Si has lost the qualification to compete for supremacy on the grassland. If he still wants to preserve his
With the strength of the tribe, the only way is to judge the situation and submit to the Ming Dynasty."
"No...it can't be right?"
Zhu Feng doesn't understand politics very well.
In his opinion, half a year ago Huo Si was an evil spirit that everyone was afraid of. His cavalry came and went without a trace on the front line of Xuanda University. The governors, general soldiers and soldiers everywhere were extremely afraid of him. As a result, half a year later he
Are you about to take refuge in Ming Dynasty?
Are those guys in the grassland who claim to be the Sons of the Eagle so spineless? They are even worse than me.
Wang Qiong shook his head and sighed: "How many tribesmen can there be in the Mengoljin tribe in the fire sieve? They were killed once and captured 20,000 people. This is not counting the losses in the past six months. He still wants to resist stubbornly. That is, he wants to
The grassland was destroyed. Even if the Ming Dynasty could let his people go, the little Tatar prince would not let him go."
"Zhang Zhitai's move is undoubtedly to help the little Tatar prince solve the big trouble of the Mongolian right wing, but it may not be a good thing in the long run."
Zhu Feng said in surprise: "Isn't this a good thing?"
Wang Qiong sighed: "Know the truth, don't always think about doing things perfunctorily. You have the ability, the backing and the background, and have won the trust of His Majesty and Zhang Zhitai. Regarding border affairs, you must know what is happening, and even more why.
The patrols at various pass and fortresses in the Pianguan Pass will be strengthened recently, so you should pay attention."
"oh."
In Wang Qiong's eyes, Zhu Fengzhen was like an Adou who couldn't be helped.
Wang Qiong sometimes hates him for not fighting, but this character is what Wang Qiong admires.
Not fighting means that others will not regard you as an enemy. If you just pretend not to fight, others will be more careful... But if you really don't want to fight, then you have the greatest advantage. As a noble guarding the northwest, you
Zhu Zhijie is almost invincible.
…
…
Court meeting.
In Fengtian Hall, the expressions of the civil servants and generals present were relatively complicated, because before they came, they had all heard about the advancement of the northwest war.
However, the news about Zhang Zhou's withdrawal into the pass has not yet come, so it is impossible to know the exact outcome of this war.
"...With more than 16,000 captives and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, it would be difficult to travel ten or eight miles in one day. It is really hard to say whether we can enter the customs."
Some people are also pessimistic.
This argument is more in line with the expectations of civil servants.
Only the civil servants pay more attention to seniority. Zhang Zhou is a new rich man. If Zhang Zhou causes such a big incident and retreats from the grassland, it will have the greatest impact on the interests of the civil servants.
As for Wu Xun... Only Zhang Mao's face was tense that day, because it seemed that the rise of Zhang Zhou had the greatest impact on him. As for the other Wu Xun, they were all very happy to see the rise of the Ming Dynasty's military. This was very important to them.
To say that would mean that I would not be able to survive.
As for who is the admiral in charge of the capital camp, does it make such a big difference to ordinary nobles like us?
Anyway, it’s not Zhang Zhou, it’s Zhang Mao, an old man, and it’s likely to be passed down from generation to generation.
With Zhang Zhou disrupting the situation, it will have an impact on the structure of the Governor's Mansion. Maybe we will have a chance to take over.
Zhu Youtang came very late that day.
However, the emperor did not summon any ministers in advance, and no one asked for leave or rest that day, because they also knew that today was a special day, and there was likely to be a discussion of merit and rewards in the court. Even if they did not want to be witnesses, they did not want to be here.
He did not show his face at the court.
Anyone who doesn't come means not giving the emperor face.
"Mr. Liu Ge, today may involve discussing merits. What should I say?"
Liu Jian was still whispering something to Li Dongyang, but Xu Qiong came over to him.
Only a relatively neutral figure among civil servants like Xu Qiong would ask such a sensitive topic at this time.
When it comes to merit and rewards, the three people involved all have more or less "problems".
Needless to say, Zhang Zhou, and Wang Shouren is also a new scholar. It seems that such a great contribution must be given a knighthood, but there are particularities in how to give it. No matter how great Wang Shouren's contribution is, does he want to become a gang with Zhang Zhou?
, is also intolerable to the mainstream civil servants in the DPRK?
As for Ma Yi... this was a corrupt official who was impeached by the orthodox civil servant Ma Zhongxi. He only had to perform meritorious deeds to get rid of the crime. He had achieved such great merits that he had to be beheaded several times, let alone the credit of overall command.
As the former chief military officer of the Xuanfu, it seems easier to be directly promoted to earl than to Wang Shouren.
With such three problems popping up at once, it's no wonder Xu Qiong came over to ask first.
Otherwise, the Ministry of Rites really doesn’t know how to evaluate this matter.
Xie Qian smiled and said: "You are not in a hurry to discuss your merits before the results of the war are announced, right? How can you think about rewards first before the war is over? Are you not afraid that extreme happiness will lead to sorrow?"
Yuan Shouzhi, the general envoy, interrupted and said: "I heard that Huoshai has withdrawn with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and wants to fight to the death with Zhang. Zhang only has a few soldiers and horses on hand. Does he dare to fight?"
"Oh, Yuan Yintai, you must calm down." Xie Qian said with a smile, "Even if you want to use the method of provoking generals, it is not appropriate to say it here. Wang Bo'an has the courage to fight, but Zhang Bingkuan may not, otherwise Why didn't he, Zhang Bingkuan, personally lead the troops to attack Weininghai? He is different from Wang Shichang."
Xie Qian followed the idea originally proposed by Li Dongyang yesterday and used Wang Shouren's contribution to suppress Zhang Zhou.
Once the credit is shared by different people, one of them can be highlighted to offset others, which is exactly what the other means.
If you, Zhang Zhou, did not lead the army yourself, you would be embarrassed to take the responsibility of leading the army from the generals you recommended, right?
Zhang Mao came over, his eyes were deep and his face was reserved, and he said with a deep smile: "Being able to fight thousands of miles away is a model for famous generals throughout the ages. I heard that the mighty gunpowder played an extremely important role in this battle, and it was also because the artillery was hard to slack off. , they just brought some light cannons, but the effect was not good."
It seemed that Zhang Mao was speaking for Zhang Zhou, but he also reminded those present that it was actually Huang Gunpowder who took the credit.
Even if Zhang Zhou is the inventor, he can't be credited every time he uses yellow gunpowder to win, right?
When the Ming Dynasty won victories before, it was not necessarily given to those who made weapons, or those who had invented gunpowder and fire blunderbuss, let alone promoted them to nobility, right?
Xie Qian said: "We can't deny that Zhang Bingkuan is a master of military affairs, but he is still too afraid of trouble. Moreover, he led the troops to the west, which was against the original intention of conducting artillery exercises around Xuanfu. Isn't this considered an unauthorized use of troops?"
"Yes, yes." Someone next to him agreed.
Finally, I caught Zhang Zhou’s pigtails.
Li Dongyang said: "Yu Qiao, stop talking."
Xie Qian naturally said this because he was angry. His so-called anger was not from the standpoint of the Ming Dynasty, but purely from the standpoint of the civil servants or himself.
But he still followed his instructions and didn't comment further.
Ma Wensheng said: "How to discuss rewards for merit must be based on reality. There must be precedents to support it. If there are no precedents to cite, it also depends on your Majesty's intentions. As for the Xuanfu and various towns sending troops, the Ministry of War is aware of it in advance. , but it was not mentioned in the court meeting.”
Ma Wensheng actually came to refute Xie Qian.
The emperor summoned your cabinet ministers in advance, and the Ministry of War also knew everything about it. Why should we pour cold water on Zhang Zhou after Zhang Zhou won a great victory, making Your Majesty displeased?
Isn’t it bad to seek truth from facts?
Liu Jian nodded: "That's right. When discussing merits, the actual situation should come first."
Saying this actually sets the tone. It is not Xie Qian who represents the cabinet, but I, Mr. Liu.
Don't step on Zhang Zhou because of what Xie Yuqiao said. Today we are just following the emperor's wishes. If we can't resist Zhang Zhou's rise, we must first learn to hold back.
