The ministers in the court were unable to intervene in the emperor's arrangements.
Regarding the transfer of Chen Rui and Zhang Yanling to Yansui, it is nothing to most ministers. No matter how bad the situation in Yansui is, if Chen Rui becomes the chief military officer, will it be worse than Zhu Fu?
At worst, Zhu Fu will be a turtle with its head shrunk, and Chen Rui will continue to shrink, and everyone will compete to see who can stay in the turtle shell longer.
But Zhu Feng was on the cusp of the storm, becoming vaguely the most famous general in the Ming Dynasty after Wang Yue, and Zhu Youtang and Zhang Tuesday endorsed him... He was actually transferred back to the capital to live idle? Could it be that he knew that this boy was not capable? If it lasts too long, its original shape will be revealed soon, or if it shrinks like his father, it will fall back in advance to avoid embarrassment?
The meeting ended.
Then came the inner court meeting.
However, this time Zhu Youtang did not ask Zhang Zhou to come, but only asked three cabinet members plus Ma Wensheng, Minister of War, and the content of the discussion was just to reconsider whether it was appropriate for Chen Rui to replace Zhu Fu.
Xie Qian came out and commented: "Both of them...have their own strengths, right?"
Zhu Youtang said: "But their shortcomings are also more obvious, right?"
Xie Qiangong bowed his hand and did not answer.
Your Majesty insists on saying this, so why do you come to ask us? We didn't directly refute this matter in the court, so it's just polite.
"Then if we don't go with Uncle Ping Jiang, who would be more suitable to go? Why don't some members of the Qing family make recommendations?"
Zhu Youtang was not enlightened before, but now he was like an enlightened king, discussing with several people in the inner court.
Liu Jian looked at Li Dongyang next to him and said, "What do you mean?"
Li Dongyang said: "Your Majesty, the situation in Pianguan is now stable. If Marquis Anbian goes to guard it and Marquis Weining is transferred to the three sides, then Xuanda will be safe on all three sides."
"Oh, Zhu Feng, can he do it?"
Zhu Youtang asked with caution on his face.
In the past, whenever Zhu Feng was mentioned, the ministers in the court had strong opinions. They felt that this boy was just a flower vase. In addition, Zhu Feng was a new recruit, so they felt that he would definitely embarrass the Ming Dynasty.
However, as Zhu Feng performed well in the two battles of Pianguan and Liaodong, and even took the lead in Liaodong, he personally fired artillery and led the troops in pursuit. In addition, Ren Liang and other local leaders had no choice but to curry favor with this "young famous general". Now, Even the ministers of the court looked at Zhu Feng with admiration.
But in the eyes of the emperor...
When I was optimistic about him, you were not optimistic about him. Now when you are optimistic about him, I think he is just a vase!
Asking him to guard a Xiantou Pass without even repairing the city wall? Are you sure you're not trying to trick him?
Liu Jiandao: "Maybe it can be used."
"Forget it." Zhu Youtang directly rejected the proposal, "I told you earlier that Marquis Anbian would be useful when he returns to Beijing. If the Ming Dynasty's border towns always count on young people, how can they know how to do it? What is the method of ranking seniority in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty?"
"His Majesty?"
Xie Qian came out and questioned.
Your Majesty, why do your words sound like you are mocking us?
What happened to our ranking based on seniority? This is the experience summarized by our predecessors since ancient times. This is the way scholar-officials are. If you have the ability, don’t use us.
Ma Wensheng was relatively more upright and asked: "Then what will be the purpose of transferring Marquis Anbian back to the capital? To the capital camp? Or to a local area?"
The words "there are other appointments" could not clear up the doubts of the big bosses present. With their serious thoughts, they naturally wanted to know where the emperor wanted to use this popular young man.
"Beijing camp is not suitable for him, nor is Nanjing and other places suitable for him. He has only been tempered now, but in fact, he relies more on the guidance of others in the use of troops. In this case, let him come back to learn more from others, I I have discussed with others before that it is necessary to establish a school to train military generals near the capital. I plan to put Zhang Zhou, the Imperial Academy Chancellor, in charge of this matter."
"His Majesty!"
This time the four ministers spoke out almost at the same time, probably all of them wanted to oppose it.
Zhang Zhou is involved in everything?
To train generals? Do you need Zhang Zhoulai to teach them?
The question is, the Ming Dynasty already had the Governor's Office as a specialized military institution, so what should be the name of this so-called military academy?
"You don't have to say it yet, just listen to me!" Zhu Youtang seemed very stubborn and continued, "The reason why I want to open a military school is not to show that Bingkuan is stronger than anyone else, but because he understands the mighty gunpowder and the far-reaching power of the gods better. Artillery, in the future, the Ming Dynasty's frontier army will rely more on these two things. This is almost subversive to the Ming Dynasty's frontier army's tactics. I asked Bingkuan, who developed these new weapons, to explain to you generals, is it possible? Shouldn’t it?”
Damn it.
The four ministers originally had ten thousand reasons in mind to deny the emperor's use of Zhang Zhoulai as a lecturer in the general academy. But after listening to the emperor's words, even as stubborn as them, they felt that they were about to be convinced. .
Dai Yi, who was on the side, also helped: "Several elders, you should be the people who know best about marching and fighting in the Ming Dynasty. You have all been more or less involved in the use of troops in the Ming Dynasty in the past few years or even decades. It’s time to make a decision, but how many of you know the power of the mighty gunpowder and the mighty long-range cannon, and are there any applicable situations?”
This time, all three members of the cabinet looked at Ma Wensheng.
It is a bit biased to say that the four of us are military strategists, but you, Ma Wensheng, have been involved in military and political matters since the Jingtai period. This should not be a problem for you, right?
If you don’t understand the mighty gunpowder, do you understand the black powder? I don’t know much about the mighty long-range cannon, but you should be good at ordinary artillery, right? Tell your majesty, let your majesty know that we civil servants are not built, and Zhang Bingkuan is not the only one who can do it. Come out and show off.
Ma Wensheng, under the gaze of everyone, just held up his hands and said: "Old minister, I second the proposal."
Liu Jian couldn't help but close his eyes.
This surrender was too quick.
Why don't you struggle a little bit?
Zhu Youtang is very satisfied with Ma Wensheng's attitude. Even you, the Minister of War, think that the Ming army is inexperienced in using these two new weapons of mass destruction. So, is it unreasonable for me to let Zhang Zhou serve as an official? ?
It can be said that the policy obstacles have been eliminated.
"Three cabinet ministers, do you have any objections?" Zhu Youtang looked at the three cabinet ministers again.
Liu Jiandao: "The veteran also seconded the proposal."
At this time, we all call ourselves "Lao Chen", which probably means that we are old people, we don't know much about young people's things, and we are not willing to learn them. Your Majesty, just watch and do it.
"Well, in the past two days, the Ministry of War has proposed the establishment of a military school. As for the specific naming, I will decide at my discretion. This school does not involve any yamen of the current Ministry of War or the Governor's Mansion. It is only responsible for me. I will appoint personnel to give lectures and demonstrations, and I will dispatch one from the Beijing camp to coordinate with the artillery display, but this position is not permanent."
"Both the officials and generals in the school are not ranked according to their positions in the military, nor do they have the authority to actually dispatch troops or generals. After leaving the school, they are all returned to the governor's office or local government offices. Starting from the guards at the garrison around Beijing, Commanders and those who directly lead troops, come and learn!"
The emperor said that such a school should be added.
They did not give Zhang Zhou any more official positions, nor did they say that Zhang Zhou had any special authority as the chief lecturer. They just transferred a few soldiers from the Beijing camp to cooperate with the artillery demonstration, which was regarded as a start.
This is quite polite to civil servants.
But the three cabinet members, including Ma Wensheng, were obviously not happy either.
…
…
Things are settled.
The four of them walked out of the Qianqing Palace. At this moment, the four of them probably regretted coming to the Qianqing Palace. The emperor just asked for a power in front of them. Although they still don't know what effect this power will have on the political and military circles of the Ming Dynasty in the future. What impact will it have.
"Brother Futu, why didn't you object to this matter before?"
As soon as he came out, the person leading the way was only the young eunuch, who was still walking in front, so Xie Qian spoke frankly.
Ma Wensheng said nothing.
Xie Qian continued to ask: "You mean, you are not proficient in cannons and gunpowder?"
"Yu Qiao, stop asking!" Li Dongyang interrupted Xie Qian.
Of course Xie Qian was a little unwilling.
Why did the emperor ask the three of us to come with you, Ma Wensheng?
If the three of us are at the decision-making level, then you, Ma Wensheng, are at the executive level. If there is anyone who is qualified to compete with Zhang Zhou for the chief instructor position, it is none other than you, Ma Fuitu, and you, Ma Fuitu, don’t even struggle. Emotionally, you have rebelled against the civil service camp, right?
Liu Jiandao: "At this time, it is true that there are many words and many mistakes. Your Majesty should use Bingkuan as an official to let the generals of the Ming Army understand the power of the new artillery. I think it is right."
Xie Qian questioned: "Could it be that all the generals in the Ming army should be Zhang Bingkuan's disciples?"
That's the problem.
Asking Zhang Zhou to teach these people how to use artillery would not offend the civil servants in itself, and would even support him.
But the emperor wanted to set up a special class and asked Zhang Zhou to be the teacher of this class, so the matter seemed to have gone bad.
Zhang Zhouyue has changed from a teacher to a teacher. Maybe the nobles will consider their status and not regard Zhang Zhou as their teacher, but what about the ordinary people who command the guards, command the affairs, and thousands of households?
These people originally liked to curry favor with the dignitaries in the court, especially those like Zhang Zhou who were favored by the emperor. In the past, these generals might not have had the opportunity, and Zhang Zhou had to take care of himself because of the rule that civil servants could not form cliques.
But now that Zhang Zhou is their teacher, wouldn’t they be able to worship Zhang Zhou and form a clique from then on?
"Yu Qiao, it's too early for you to worry. Why worry about something that didn't happen?" Ma Wensheng looked back at Xie Qian and tried to persuade him.
He was explaining himself.
Even you, Xie Qian, seem to know that it is nothing for those generals to learn how to use firearms and gunpowder from Zhang Zhou. You are only concerned about forming cliques, so you will wait until there is a trend to form before bringing it up? Now you ask me to speak to His Majesty. When Zhang Zhou trusted and respected him so much, he turned against him. Do you think it would not only alienate His Majesty from us civil servants, but also have other effects?
Liu Jian also patted Xie Qian on the shoulder, meaning stop talking.
Li Dongyang said: "Since His Majesty has handed over the proposal to establish a school to the Ministry of War, I would like to ask you, Mabu Tang, to consider it more and weaken Zhang Zhou's authority as the division commander. This is the best."
"Um."
Ma Wensheng nodded.
Although you can deal with Li Dongyang, you can't deal with the emperor.
Even if Zhang Zhou is not given the title of "Mr.", those Wu Xun who go to study will still regard Zhang Zhou as "Mr." The Ming Dynasty is such a realistic place, don't blame Wu Xun for clinging to the powerful, it's not because of Tumu Fort After that, the Ming Dynasty Wu Xun had no status? If he didn’t flatter Zhang Zhou, would he continue to be bullied by your civil servants?
…
…
The four civil servants left Qianqing Palace, and the emperor also went to the inner garden of the palace.
Dai Yi and other four eunuchs also had to return to the supervisor's duty room. They still had many memorials to review. In the past two days, due to the Liaodong victory, the emperor had delayed many things and needed to hurry up.
"...After this incident, I'm afraid this Mr. Zhang will become Mr. Zhang in the military. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"
Chen Kuan asked as he followed the three of them.
Dai Yi kept walking and said coldly: "You shouldn't worry about it, don't ask."
Wei Bin said: "So, those four elders didn't object?"
Even Dai Yi himself didn't understand this.
Is it difficult to object? Or do I not want to object?
Xiao Jing said with a smile: "From someone's perspective, there seems to be no consensus among the four. Some of them want to oppose, but some want to compromise, and some may even vaguely support it."
Dai Yi glanced at him: "You have seen a lot? It's okay to oppose compromise. Who will support it?"
Xiao Jing just smiled and didn't answer much.
Dai Yi said: "You must remember that Mr. Zhang, as your Majesty's most trusted person, has made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. No matter what your Majesty wants to reward him, it will not be inappropriate. Those who talk too much will not end well. So what if it’s the elders and ministers? Is it possible that His Majesty will listen to his objections to His Majesty’s employment? You finally know what His Majesty talked to Mr. Zhang yesterday when we were away, right?”
The remaining three people suddenly seemed to have come to their senses.
It was impossible for those foreign ministers to know when the emperor met Zhang Zhou and what they talked about.
Only these four eunuchs, the ceremonial supervisors, were very close to the emperor. Even when the emperor was handling official business, one or more of them would be waiting on him and know the content of the conversation.
If the emperor had the idea of opening a military academy, whether Zhang Zhou took the initiative or the emperor came up with a rough idea, at least this matter needed to be discussed and decided, then they could only negotiate with the three cabinet members before At that time, Zhang Zhou and the emperor negotiated on their own.
"This Mr. Zhang's scheming is not simple. If you think that he did this just to make friends, I'm afraid that he is one step away from the chess master. If no one among the four can even see this, then they may still Not as good as us!"
Dai Yi put forward another bold idea.
This matter may not have been brought up by Zhang Zhou himself at all, but the emperor felt it was necessary to cultivate some elite generals who could use artillery and yellow gunpowder. The emperor wanted to help Zhang Zhou cultivate a few generals who could use them well.
As for the emperor doing this, did he worry that Zhang Zhou might rebel against this...
At this time, the relationship between the emperor and Zhang Zhou was still in the "honeymoon period". Would the emperor have such worries and considerations?
However, as the "close friends" around the emperor, the four supervisors had to worry about this aspect. Now the power of artillery manufacturing was in Zhang Zhou's hands, and he could even teach the generals of the army and even accept them as party members. With the power also obtained, who knows whether Zhang Zhou can always stick to his heart?
But the problem is...
Who is going to tell the emperor to be on guard against Zhang Zhou?
How can we get along with each other in the future if Zhang Zhou finds out about something that has not even been mentioned by the civil servants?
If this person said it, the emperor would definitely turn his face and explain to Zhang Zhou, and even the emperor himself would punish the person who suggested it. This was their difficulty.
…
…
Zhang Zhou did not go to Qianqing Palace. He had to give lectures to Zhu Houzhao in the morning.
"Sir? What's the matter? Has my father mentioned to you that I want to teach more generals? When I mentioned it to my father before, he said he would consider it."
What made Dai Yi and Liu Jian unlucky was that it was not Zhang Zhou or Zhu Youtang who brought up this matter first.
But Zhu Houzhao.
As for Zhu Houzhao's mention, no one knows whether Zhang Zhou was secretly hinting at it.
But Liu Jin, who was beside Zhu Houzhao, now desperately wanted to become Zhang Zhou's student.
When Liu Jin usually brings tea and water to Zhang Zhou, his little eyes are filled with admiration.
Zhang Zhou said: "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Zhu Houzhao frowned.
Zhang Zhou sighed: "Prince, you didn't seem to know how powerful my artillery was before, right? As for the gunpowder... have you seen it with your own eyes? What will your Majesty think if you propose this to His Majesty? Don't you think it's me? I am a school, and I want to cultivate some of my own students, so why not form a party for personal gain?"
"Uh...is it so complicated?"
Zhu Houzhao emphasized doing things casually, and his awareness of political thinking was the same as that of a child at his age.
As for the enthusiasm for military affairs, it is just a child's play.
Liu Jin smiled and said: "Even if it is not a martial arts school, it would be an ordinary school. Find a few people to learn from Master Zhang. I am willing to serve Master Zhang."
Zhang Zhou glared at him.
My heart says that you are really a pushover, and you will do anything to please the prince.
"Mr. Zhang, if you don't teach others, you should teach me, right? I'm smarter than others, and I will definitely learn it once you teach me, and I can learn better than them all."
Zhu Houzhao made this suggestion because he wanted to learn it himself.
Even Zhu Houzhao himself wanted to be a teacher and teach those people. The result of becoming a teacher would be that those people would be his disciples. In the future, he could lead a group of his students to flatten the grassland... It is exciting to think about it.
Zhang Zhou said: "Okay, as long as your majesty asks me to teach, I will teach. Otherwise... haha, you understand."
Zhu Houzhao said with a depressed face: "If you don't tell my father, my father may not let me learn for the rest of my life. Even if he doesn't want to teach, he will find reasons to frustrate me! I will never learn the Four Books and Five Classics you taught me again!" "
"Thank you very much. It's best for me to leave the East Palace and go back to my job as a country man. I think it's better for me to study artillery at home every day than to teach you a naughty kid here!"
"Who are you calling a naughty kid?"
"It's you, what?"
Zhang Zhou grimaced.
Liu Jin was startled and quickly made peace: "Your Highness, Master Zhang, please calm down."
Zhu Houzhao was very angry at first, and then shook his ugly face: "I don't know what naughty child means, but I know it must not be a good word. A naughty child is a naughty child. If you look down on me, I am also the crown prince of Ming Dynasty. I don't accept it. ?After you become a minister, I will order you to teach. If you object..."
"Your Highness, be careful." Liu Jin warned.
What I mean is, Your Highness, don't tell me too much. If he doesn't like it and kills you with a bolt of lightning, he can rely on God's will to do so. I'm afraid even your father may not sympathize with you.
Zhu Houzhao hummed: "If you don't teach me, we'll just wait and see!"
