Wang Wenyan induced Wang Zuo to accept this crazy plan.
Wang Zuo had to accept that in less than a year as Minister of the Ministry of Industry, he had cut corners and cut corners, and was very serious about corruption and reselling. This was not just him, but a long-term method of a group of people from the Ministry of Industry.
Especially when Wanli fell ill and died and Taichang became seriously ill, the situation almost reached the point of rampage.
The quality of the weapons Jiubian received was getting worse and worse. The firearm materials were so poor that the soldiers could only use half of the gunpowder. Even the general's armor and helmet were rusty.
It is a common phenomenon for officials to withhold wages from workers. When something goes wrong, officials can easily blame the craftsmen, causing skilled craftsmen to flee in large numbers, and many of them went to work in the mansions of high-ranking officials.
Funds for flood control and river repair projects were being exploited at all levels. The Minister of Industry not only ignored the project, but also argued with the Ministry of Household for money while guarding against an investigation by the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
When Wang Wenyan defeated the Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang Party and gathered the remnants to seize the evidence, Wang Zuo directly broke through the defense and immediately defected to the Donglin Party to protect himself.
"Okay, I agree."
……
"I deliberately left some traces at the Ministry of Industry before, and the Nanhai Zijing Army is probably being targeted."
"Your Highness is wise, how can those people in Nanhaizi be as reliable as the Royal Horse Inspector."
"I applied directly from the Ministry of Industry for only the gunpowder needed for normal security, but half of the gunpowder for Tengxiang's four guards has been shipped in early. The confidentiality is very good, Wei, you have done a great job~"
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."
It was a dark and windy night, and in the pitch-black East Palace, Zhu Youxiao and Wei Zhongxian were exchanging the recent situation.
"Your Highness, don't we light this lamp either?"
"If you don't light the lamp, our East Palace is like a powder keg. If it explodes by mistake, we have to act hastily in advance."
Zhu Youxiao already likes the dark East Palace. If anyone dares to come in with a lantern, the Jin Yiwei will stop him immediately.
"It's time to talk about the results of your busy work these days."
Wei Zhongxian immediately put on a smile, but when he thought that such a dark prince couldn't see his expression, he smiled even more exaggeratedly, showing his big yellow teeth:
"Back to Your Highness, Tengxiang Zuowei has established a giant system. There are 1,000 people in total. There are 10 giants from a hundred households and 1 giant from a thousand households."
"Well... we did a good job, but there are only 1,000 Tengxiang left guards?" Zhu Youxiao suppressed his bad breath and asked in surprise.
"There are indeed only so many. The Four Guards of Tengxiang and the Warrior Battalion select the most brave and loyal among the guards in the world. In recent years, the military equipment has declined, and not many outstanding people have been selected.
Therefore, the Tengxiang Four Guards and the Warrior Battalion have a total of nearly 5,000 people, and the Tengxiang Left Guard actually has 1,000 people, which is quite a lot among them."
"Okay, this army will still remain elite in the future, but it cannot be reduced to this. There must be at least 8,000 people in total."
"Yes." Wei Zhongxian was very happy after hearing this, because this sentence meant that the leader of the Royal Horse Supervisor would be him.
Zhu Youxiao was more concerned about the implementation of his Mohist giant system: "By the way, who is Tengxiang Zuowei Qianhu Giant?"
"There is a small flag named Sun Yingyuan. He is very good at raising horses. He is a warm-hearted man in the army and is admired by everyone. I have sent people to investigate. I found that he is poor, loyal and reliable. He is a rich man and can implement your arrangements.
”
Zhu Youxiao was very happy. This Sun Yingyuan was a fierce general in the late Ming Dynasty. He was not only able to fight but also had excellent character: "Good! He is a man admired by soldiers and very reliable. This is a good candidate. How about other giants from hundreds of families?"
Wei Zhongxian also introduced him, and one of the ten people will become famous in later generations.
"Zhou Yuji?"
"That's right, Zhou Yuji, the current commander, is greatly admired by the soldiers. The servants sent people to ask, and they all said that he is tall, mighty, brave, honest and loyal. Does your Majesty think this person is not suitable?"
"No, I want to select one person from among the hundreds of giants in addition to the thousands of giants. He will come to our coalition more often, which is equivalent to a key inspection and appointment.
I chose Zhou Yuji. Let him and Sun Yingyuan be my liaisons at Tengxiang Left Guard. The original generals still trust me and will not interfere with command and management, but learning and organization must be started."
"My servant understands. Don't worry, Your Highness. These two people have a good reputation, and they have never had any dealings with officials, wealthy businessmen, and scholars."
Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji... these are rare famous generals in the late Ming Dynasty.
Compared with the more famous Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao's uncle and nephew, it seems that Sun Yingyuan and Zhou Yuji are not as famous.
But in terms of strength, they are not necessarily weaker than Ercao, and in terms of military discipline, the two of them are much better than Ercao, who has a background in the Guan Ning Army.
Er Cao was loyal and fearless, but his troops also robbed the people.
Sun Yingyuan and Zhou Yuji's Tengxiang Siwei were much better. They were a strong army that really put out fires in the late Ming Dynasty and had strict military discipline.
It's just that in the later period of Chongzhen, it would be difficult for any army to reverse the situation.
Now before he ascends the throne, there are two of them and Teng Xiang as the left guard, so why worry about not being able to break the situation?
He arranged for the two of them to come, and said to Wei Zhongxian: "Old Wei, there is something that would be more appropriate for you to do."
"Slave, I will definitely take care of it."
"I definitely believe you can handle it well, but this matter still needs to be hidden. You have been in the capital for so many years. I hope you can handle it well."
Hearing what the prince said, Lao Wei cheered up and listened.
The more he listened, the more frightened he became. He felt that if this matter was discovered, he would probably be sprayed to death by the censor Yanguan.
"Old Wei, Zhejiang soldiers, and white pole soldiers have fought with weapons before, so when you send people to contact you, you have to send different people, and don't tell them that the other side has also been recruited."
"Yes... I must choose the right person. Just transporting gunpowder in the name of lunch box, it feels so dangerous..."
"Of course it's dangerous. There are bombs and gunpowder next to you and me. Half of the gunpowder for Tengxiang Four Guards is here. But it's not enough. We need more, more, and a shocking fireworks~"
"After knowing this, I first sent someone to contact you secretly and arranged for 10 people to enter the palace as royal guards. Then I sent lunch boxes to the two armies and used empty lunch boxes to bring gunpowder to the capital."
"As expected of Lao Wei, it's that simple~"
Wei Zhongxian wiped his sweat. This was difficult enough. He had to pull 10,000 kilograms of gunpowder in just five days...
It would never be possible on others, but I, Lao Wei... no problem!
"Old Wei, you seem to have a confident look in your eyes. Have you already thought of a solution?"
"Your Highness is wise, I have a way... Dongzhimen is a city gate that has been dedicated to transporting sand, stone and wood since it was built. Many coolies and hired workers are concentrated in Dongzhimen. I have a nephew, Wei Liangqing, who makes lunch boxes there." Zhu Youxiao was delighted when he heard this. This Wei Liangqing was an incredible person in history. He went from being a farmer or a migrant worker to becoming a wealthy young man in the capital and the most popular figure in the capital overnight thanks to his uncle. Later, he was directly awarded the title of Duke and became a British Duke.