The emperor endorsed Zhang Zhou, and Zhang Zhou seemed to be more powerful.
Zhang Zhou smiled and looked at Xie Qian and said, "Mr. Xie Ge, do you have any questions? Tell them all. I will tell you everything I know."
He doesn't pick on others, but targets Xie Qian. Zhang Zhou's move seems to be telling Xie Qian, I know you are the most eloquent person in the Ming Dynasty. Don't ask others to come out to argue with me today, so as not to leave anything to His Majesty.
If you have a bad impression, then let’s do a solo. Don’t you dare to accept it?
Zhang Zhou's move was also considered.
If he really wants to quarrel with other scholars and come out to question him, it will be very troublesome just to deal with everyone's personality and opinions.
It's better to face the strongest one directly.
This will minimize the risk of getting into trouble with a group of people at once. Anyway, Xie Qian usually likes to talk nonsense with others. If you are not as good as others in court debates, with your character like Mr.
You don't want to hold a grudge against a young man like me, do you?
Just pick a good-tempered Xie Qian to fight in the lane.
Xie Qian was naturally happy to have a good discussion with Zhang Zhou, and he said: "Zhang Jinshi, since you also admit that the mighty sky gunpowder came from your hands, then it is impossible that the damage to Pianguan City Fortress has nothing to do with you, right?
?Even if this matter did not come from your instruction, it should still have a lot to do with you."
"right!"
The civil servants seemed to have suddenly found the key to the issue from Xie Qian's guidance.
If Zhang Bingkuan, the inventor of new gunpowder, doesn't take responsibility for blowing up the wall of Piantou Pass, who will? Without your gunpowder, Wang Weining wouldn't have the ability even if he had the intention.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Mr. Xie Ge, you also know that alchemists like to make alchemy and study gunpowder."
"Um."
Xie Qian nodded.
You admit that you are a magician, and you also admit that you like to do those strange and cunning things? Then you are admitting defeat and preparing to plead guilty and accept punishment?
Zhang Zhoudao: "It is said that the invention of Chinese gunpowder was developed by alchemists who controlled furnace fires around the Tang Dynasty. If Tatars use gunpowder to capture our Ming Dynasty fortress today, should we still go there?
How about digging the inventor's grave and then crushing his bones and raising ashes as punishment?"
"ah?!"
Not to mention the civil servants present, even Wu Xun was in an uproar.
Zhang Zhou's way of arguing can be said to be "unique". In court debates, there is really no one as bold as Zhang Zhou who speaks and makes metaphors.
"you!"
Xie Qian was speechless for a moment.
Even Xie Qian felt that this kid had no worries when he spoke?
Zhang Zhou continued to talk eloquently: "If you think about it, no matter whose hand something comes from or who invented it, as for what is done with it, the person who uses it should bear the credit or fault...
...Mr.
Xie Qian almost wanted to say.
The emperor even credited you with the invention of the mighty gunpowder, but you actually said that the explosion of the mighty gunpowder in the Miantou Pass had nothing to do with you?
Zhang Zhou immediately blocked his mouth.
I don't want that credit anymore.
I invented nitroglycerin to help you defeat the enemy. Just because Wang Weining bombed the city, you still plan to settle the score later, right? I'm talking about you civil servants who are shameless. Since you insist on worrying about the inventor's role in it,
As for merits and demerits, I will just say it directly. I neither want to take responsibility nor care about the merits.
Don't mention how annoyed Xie Qian was.
With his sharp tongue, it was difficult to find an opponent in the past when debating with others in the court.
There was a strong one today, which made him speechless for a moment. With the anger in his heart and the desire to win, Xie Qian was like a fighting cock, trying to compete with Zhang Zhou.
Xie Qian said angrily: "I won't argue with you on matters of minor importance. I won that battle. The power of the Ming Dynasty was shown. No one denies your ability to predict in advance. But what happened in Liaodong? Why?
Zhu Feng, Zhang Yanling, and Chen Rui were used to lead the army? And instead of the capital censor taking the lead, Wu Xun was actually used to lead the army, and the general military officers were temporarily recruited. Without relegating local generals, how could we win with other military officers?"
Zhang Yiyi knew after hearing this that the civil servants now placed the responsibility of appointing Zhu Feng, Zhang Yanling and Chen Rui on him.
This is because the emperor made his own decisions.
It’s not good to use anyone, but Zhu Zhijie... Is he a boss who fights tough battles? As for Zhang Yanling, it’s even more nonsense.
Only Chen Rui, who has experience in leading troops, has suffered a sharp decline in his reputation in the army due to his recent bad reputation.
Your Majesty, I know that you have been distracted recently, but can we discuss it carefully if there is something?
Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Xie Ge's old words are true. Why don't we replace these three people now, and then temporarily replace the censor of the capital to lead the troops and prepare for war?"
"You!" Xie Qian was angry this time.
Zhu Youtang came forward to make peace and said: "Zhang Qing's family, don't be rude to Mr. Xie Ge and talk about something when you have something to say. In fact..."
Zhu Youtang saw that it was difficult to explain this matter. It was indeed his own decision to use Zhu Feng, Zhang Yanling and Chen Rui. He felt it was necessary to explain that this matter had nothing to do with Zhang Zhou. Zhang Zhou
It just provided Liaodong with ideas for using troops, and he, as the emperor, insisted on using these three people.
Zhang Zhou said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the use of troops in Liaodong should be judged at the right time. If these three people are capable, they should be treated equally. Success or failure should be judged based on the results, and their abilities should not be denied beforehand."
After he finished speaking, the place was very quiet.
The civil servants seemed to be waiting for Xie Qian to continue to attack.
Wu Xun felt very aggrieved. It has been like this in the past. It is up to you civil servants to decide whether to use people. It is rare that the emperor has made an unusual move in hiring people this time. Even we don't look down on Zhu Feng, Zhang Yanling and Chen Rui.
Just in terms of improving the emperor's thinking on employing people, we are very supportive of taking more opinions from other people instead of just listening to your civil servants.
Xie Qian also regained some momentum at this time and asked: "Do you mean to guarantee the results of the three of them, and that the merits and demerits of the three of them in Liaodong are closely related to you?"
"enough!"
Zhu Youtang couldn't listen anymore and directly interrupted Xie Qian and said, "Mr.
As the chief military officer, he is also the one who can implement the Zhang Qing family's strategy. If you insist on questioning this matter based on the employment of people, you should ask me directly!"
Xie Qian was pushed back immediately.
In fact, there are some things that need not be explained by the emperor, but those ministers with foresight should also analyze that the use of Zhu Feng, Zhang Yanling and Chen Rui should not come from Zhang Zhou's suggestion.
Zhu Feng was young and energetic and was not suitable for being a head coach. Not to mention Zhang Yanling, he and Zhang Zhou were potential rivals of the emperor's closest ministers. As for Chen Rui, Zhang Zhou had helped Wang Yue achieve great achievements in the northwest, so it was natural for Chen Rui to hate Wang Yue.
If Zhang Zhou is hated, why should Zhang Zhou recommend Chen Rui, who is prejudiced against him?
However, Zhang Zhou was willing to take responsibility for this matter for the emperor, which still made those civil servants realize that Zhang Zhou was not as irresponsible as they thought.
If the emperor had not come out to explain the situation, Zhang Zhou might have directly stated on the spot that the merits and demerits of these three people were shared by Zhang Zhou, and they could advance and retreat together.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Your Majesty, is it possible that the result of the battle in Liaodong is that I can still escape?"
"you……"
Zhu Youtang was silent for a moment.
The civil servants suddenly became excited.
yes.
If it had been before Zhang Zhou set foot in the court today, if Liaodong had set up an ambush in Ningyuan and failed, Zhang Zhou could still have said that this matter had nothing to do with him, that he only provided a strategy, and that the failure was caused by Zhu Feng and others' improper use of troops. …
But now it is difficult for Zhang Zhou to get rid of the relationship.
If Zhang Zhou didn't want to get on the same boat with Zhu Feng and the others, the civil servants would forcibly tie Zhang Zhou to the boat.
Zhang Zhou said in a very calm tone: "Mr. To stabilize the morale of the army, should I pray now that they will not come?"
Xie Qian turned his head to one side: "What you think has nothing to do with me."
Zhang Zhou said: "Then I have to ask Mr. Xie Ge. If I can predict that Di Yi may indeed appear somewhere in the future and cause harassment to our border people, or even plunder our border people and animals, then Mr. Xie Ge, you might as well give me your opinion, should I report this matter, or should I ignore it?"
The civil servants present had a firm opinion and wanted to fight Zhang Zhou to the end.
But after listening to Zhang Zhou's words, private discussions started again.
They seemed to understand why Zhang Zhou was so powerful today, and even why the emperor trusted Zhang Zhou so much.
Because what Zhang Zhou did was just the duty of a minister, which was to tell the emperor what he knew, and the emperor sent people to complete the rest of the arrangements. It had nothing to do with Zhang Zhou, and Zhang Zhou did not let the border troops kill him. Go into the grassland and fight to the end with the Tatars.
If you want to find fault with Zhang Zhou, where is the fault?
Zhang Zhou said: "If you think I am speaking from an alchemist, don't forget that the Ming Dynasty has the Qin Tianjian. In my opinion, the responsibility of the Qin Tianjian is to observe the phenomena and tell the time. The Qin Tianjian can observe the celestial phases and deduce the consequences. If any disaster occurs, it will be reported to His Majesty promptly."
"And I just used the mentality of an ordinary subject to report my investigation to Heaven for response. As for whether it can be fulfilled... So far, it seems that there is no deviation, which means that my report is at least better than Qin's report. Tianjian is more accurate."
Xie Qian glanced at Zhang Zhou coldly, not knowing how to respond.
In the eyes of future generations, it is outrageous to talk about ghosts and gods, or even go astray.
But these days, not only ordinary people believe this, but also the monarchs and ministers. The imperial court also has a special organization to study the heavenly aspects. Why do you think Zhang Zhou's words are the unfounded words of the alchemists?
What Zhang Zhou meant was that the Qin Tian Jian's predictions were inaccurate nine times out of ten, but he still reported them every time he guessed them. But I hit the target ten times out of ten. Just because my predictions were so accurate that you civil servants felt the pressure, they didn't let me do it. Did you say that?
Does this still make sense?
…
…
The scene seemed very embarrassing.
The civil servants were humiliated by Zhang Zhou, mainly because unlike Li Guang, Zhang Zhou relied on alchemy and nonsense to get to the position, while Zhang Zhou relied on his true ability.
And their suppression of Zhang Zhou was not due to Zhang Zhou's misbehavior. Many people were motivated by jealousy. To put it mildly, it was because Zhang Zhou broke the rules of making speeches in the court, but ultimately, it was not because Zhang Zhou destroyed the civil servants.
The only trustworthy position in the emperor's heart?
Zhang Zhou said: "The Ningyuan land has a long, narrow and special terrain. Even if it is said that the next step may be the focus of Di Yi's invasion, it actually doesn't matter. They will come anyway because they set up an ambush there to fight with them.
It’s still quite difficult. Unless you stock up on heavy troops, this will leave the rest of the deployed troops and horses in a situation of insufficient defense.”
Xie Qian no longer wanted to continue arguing with Zhang Zhou, so he retreated to the court of ministers.
All civil servants were surprised.
The debate has not concluded yet. Didn't you Xie Qian argue very well just now? You still had the upper hand, why did you back down now?
Only Xie Qian himself knew that the moral high ground was actually firmly controlled by Zhang Zhou, and what he said would be of little significance.
Just what Zhang Zhou said, whether something should be reported or ignored, made Xie Qian feel that Zhang Zhou was actually right in essence. What was wrong might be that Zhang Zhou was too awesome and too difficult for civil servants to come to the stage. Anyway, this kid had already passed the exam.
The number one scholar has joined us. When the emperor has great trust in him, fighting with him will not bring good results.
Unless Zhang Zhou’s prophecy was wrong during the Liaodong War, or something happened in the future that caused Zhang Zhou to lose the emperor’s trust...
Xie Qian was also very good at assessing the situation. When he saw that the wind was going in the wrong direction, he was not ambiguous at all when it was time to make a fuss.
When Li Dongyang saw that Xie Qian had withdrawn first, he knew that he had to take action on his own.
Previously, Xie Qian belonged to the "emotional school", but now it is his turn to be the "rational school".
To change my thinking, it’s time to discuss the pros and cons with you.
Previously it was a matter of indiscriminate bombing, but now it is a matter of fighting for space.
Li Dongyang said: "Zhang Jinshi, since you mentioned Ningyuan, should you explain the strategy of this battle and how to defeat the enemy? If your prediction is accurate, then Di Yi's purpose is to rob
To plunder, the border people should be mobilized in the city fortress, and superior forces should be gathered when the enemy invades. Why is it that only Ningyuan has troops and horses mobilized?"
Now let’s talk about whether your tactics are correct or not.
Before discussing.
At least we can figure out your tactical intentions first, and then we can find faults to attack you. We can even let the emperor know the pros and cons and make adjustments to Ningyuan's tactics according to the opinions of our civil servants.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Does Mr. Li Ge believe that the soldiers and horses of Duoyan's three guards will really attack Ningyuan?"
These words are a refutation of Li Dongyang.
Don’t you civil servants not believe my prophecies? If you don’t believe it, then you still don’t care what tactics I use in Ningyuan?
In fact, you just want to say that I am only responsible for telling the emperor where there may be wars, and the specific arrangements for tactics are decided by you civil servants. Is this what you mean? What a pity, I have no objection to your participation, but who will let you?
Your Majesty, you listen to me now, but don’t believe yours?
Who made the suggestion and who made the arrangements? You don’t believe it, so what nonsense are you planning?
Li Dongyang said: "You just need to tell me the tactics."
Zhang Zhou said: "I'm sorry to give you any information until the war has a result."
Even Li Dongyang knew that Zhang Zhou might have a weird temper, but he never expected that Zhang Zhou would directly tell him, the minister, not to come to Taiwan in front of the emperor and the ministers of civil and military affairs.
He is even thinking, is it really necessary to recruit this kid into the civil service camp? He is determined to go against us emotionally.
If that's the case, then why does he still want to be the top scholar in the imperial examination?
After hearing what Zhang Zhou said, the civil servants were very hostile to Zhang Zhou.
But the situation with Wu Xun was exactly the opposite.
They have a feeling of "finally making it through". It's rare. Fifty years after the Tumu Fort Incident in the Ming Dynasty, there are finally people who can challenge the civil officials in the court and gain the trust of the emperor. It seems that we Wu Xun finally can't If you use the previous fifty years, you will have to live by the breath of civil servants!
Tu Fu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, asked: "Why can't you tell me? Is there something that cannot be told?"
Zhang Zhoudao: "This is Tu Butang, right? What do you mean by secrecy? If it is a tactic not to be told to outsiders to prevent Di Yi from knowing about it, then it is indeed something illicit, but you want to say this It is to harm the Ming Dynasty, I think you are exaggerating a bit."
Zhu Youtang couldn't help but frown when he saw Tu Yu coming out.
Why are you, Tu Yu, joining in the fun here?
Don't you, Tu Yu, know that you are actually half an alien in the eyes of Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and other factions?
Otherwise, why would the censor use you as a target and impeach you repeatedly after what happened to Li Guang? At that time, you were also favored by Zhang Zhou. It was Zhang Zhou who reminded me not to pursue Li Guang’s accounting book. Now you are "repaying kindness with enmity" for your love affairs?
Yuan Shouzhi, the envoy of general affairs, said: "What can't be said? Only by saying it can we distinguish right from wrong. Are you trying to transcend the court by yourself?"
Zhang Zhou said: "If it had been two months ago, if I had mentioned the mighty gunpowder in the court and told you that it had such power, would you have believed it?"
"you……"
Yuan Shouzhi also lost his temper.
He has never seen what the mighty gunpowder is. Now he only heard rumors that it is so evil that it can even blow up city walls. This thing is not something that traditional Confucian officials can understand.
Xie Qian smiled again and said: "Then you mean that there is nothing stronger than the mighty gunpowder you can come up with?"
"Yeah." Zhang Zhou nodded politely.
"Haha." Xie Qian said with a smile, "Then there is such a good thing, why didn't you take it out during the battle at Pianguan?"
Zhang Zhou also said with a look of helplessness: "I just regret that I was just an official at that time. After arriving in the capital, I started to implement some things, and only after His Majesty sent people to cooperate, did progress begin."
"The new killer weapon I mentioned was only started to be manufactured at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, it was not completed before the Battle of Pianguan, so it was missed. However, it happened to be built at this time, and it was planned to be used in the Battle of Liaodong. This is why I don’t want to tell you clearly, because the tactics used are too bizarre, and even if I tell you, you may not understand and support me.”
Xu Guan, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, came out and said: "Zhang, do you know what you are talking about?"
The civil servants with moderate ideas really couldn't bear to listen.
Isn't your bragging a little too much?
Zhang Zhou shrugged and said, "I'm afraid I have to ask Eunuch Xiao from Dongchang and Eunuch Yingying. They have gone to the experiment with me. I wonder if they can come out and say something?"
The civil servants stared at each other with big eyes and small eyes.
Instead of bragging alone, there are others who brag together?
Zhang Maoze walked out and said with a smile: "Speaking of which, I am really lucky, and it was an eye-opener at that time. Perhaps it is as Zhang Jinshi said, this thing is used in Liaodong now with miraculous effects, and it may also change the future of the Ming Dynasty. The pattern of the war. I admire Zhang Jinshi extremely."
