What Xu Zengshou said was so serious, and it sounded reasonable. Xu Yingxu was immediately frightened and panicked. He said to Xu Huizu: "Brother, what I heard from the fourth brother is quite reasonable. Our Xu family is really too big now.
.”
But the expression on Xu Huizu's face was as calm as ever, and he even laughed. His expression made Xu Zengshou a little angry, but he didn't dare to get angry, so he could only suppress his anger and said: "Brother, do you think what I said is wrong?
"
"Of course you are right, the moon is full and waning, but you only know one but not the other," Xu Hui said.
"Then what is the second one?" Xu Zengshou asked.
"First, although our family is the most powerful in the military, the Chang family and the Li family are not much worse than our family. Since neither Chang Sheng nor Chang Sen know how to fight, His Majesty Li Jinglong rarely sends him to lead troops in battles.
Therefore, our family's influence in the army is increasing day by day. However, His Majesty is also supporting Lan Zhen, Cao Xing and others, and the two veteran generals Geng Bingwen and Cao Zhen are still alive, so Your Majesty is not worried about our family's influence in the army being too large."
"Secondly, in the Battle of Yiwu the year before last, people like you, who are familiar with the inside story, certainly know that His Majesty did not personally command the soldiers in the battle, but His Majesty came to Yiwu in person, and even seemed to many people to have been with the Chinese army. This battle must have been fought by His Majesty himself.
Command. Therefore, after the Battle of Yiwu, His Majesty's reputation in the army increased greatly. Among the generals, Cao Xing, who led the troops to rush into the enemy's formation first, had the highest reputation, but it was far less than His Majesty. Therefore, Your Majesty will not be disappointed after the Battle of Yiwu.
My reputation is too high to be taboo."
"I'm not complaining," Xu Huizu hurriedly added: "Your Majesty, your majesty, can go to the front line in person for such a battle. Even the late emperor has never done so after he succeeded to the throne. I admire your majesty very much. Your majesty has a great reputation in the army."
It’s natural for prices to rise.”
"Third, Geng Bingwen often takes leave to rest at home due to illness. However, in addition to me, a fellow governor, there are four other governors who serve as our adjutants to handle all matters in the governor's office. I do not have the power of a governor, Your Majesty.
I won’t be taboo because of it.”
"As for the fourth, what you said about formulating the regulations for evaluating generals will indeed arouse the jealousy of others, but the more it is like this, the less likely it will be for our Xu family. Does Your Majesty like his generals to be harmonious, or do they dislike each other? Are they jealous?
Isn’t it a good thing if our family doesn’t look at us well?”
"The reason why I didn't tell you about formulating the regulations for military commander evaluation is also related to this. You are the funniest among the three brothers in our family, you also like to socialize, and you have mostly good relationships with other nobles. If I tell you this, you will
Tell them that in His Majesty's opinion, our family is doing favors for court affairs and making friends with other nobles. Our family is already the number one noble, so we still want to make friends with other nobles. What's the purpose?"
"So this matter must be impartial and no one can tell it. Naturally, our family cannot have too tense relations with other nobles, so we have to handle this carefully."
"There is another thing that I have been thinking about for a long time. His Majesty seems to want to imitate Song Taizu, but he is different. I am not sure how, but there should be no need to worry about him killing the ministers. So our family is still alive even if it is not good.
There is no need to worry about wealth, just like Li Shanchang."
After listening to Xu Huizu's words, Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou's expressions gradually relaxed. Xu Yingxu took a breath and said with a smile: "Sure enough, eldest brother has already thought of everything."
Xu Zengshou also echoed, but after thinking for a while, he said: "Brother, what I said about formulating the regulations for evaluating generals is indeed reasonable. It is not a bad thing for our family to have a slightly worse relationship with other families. But if they think too much of our family
If you don't like me, will your Majesty throw our family out to quell the public anger? Maybe not harshly, but a small punishment will not be less."
"You are right. Such a thing may indeed happen. Brother, I am also prepared." Xu Huizu paused and said: "When the general assessment regulations are formulated and promoted in the army, I will resign as the governor of the Metropolitan Governor's Office.
."
"What!" Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou shouted at the same time. They never expected that Xu Huizu actually planned to resign as governor and magistrate. You know, Xu Huizu is only forty years old this year, which is a good time for an official, but
But he suddenly had to resign. Was he going to spend the rest of his life at home? The general who had commanded the Battle of Yiwu, participated in the Battle of Annan, and quelled the Luxie Rebellion had to resign at such a good age to recuperate at home! The two of them
When I think about it, I find it unacceptable.
"Brother, why is this necessary?" Xu Zengshou came back to his senses and said, "You are the backbone of our family and the backbone of the generals who are close to us in the army. If you resign as the governor, I am afraid it will make people uneasy."
"Yes, brother, at most this errand is done, and I will keep a low profile and won't do any errands from now on." Xu Yingxu also said.
"Second brother, what you said is not right. It is not appropriate to keep a low profile and use it here." Xu Hui's ancestor made a small joke, and then said seriously: "Besides, it is impossible to do nothing. The governor appointed by His Majesty
This government office is different from the previous Five Army Governor's Mansion. The tasks assigned to the official positions are all clear and clear, leaving no room for shirk. My second brother, you are also an official in the Governor's Mansion, so you must have experienced this.
What's more, Geng Bingwen has been resting at home due to illness for a long time. If I don't do errands, no one will do it."
"As for fourth brother, what you said is exactly the reason why I want to resign as governor and magistrate."
"Although there are still many forces in the army that can check and balance our family, our family is the most powerful in the army after all. I say bluntly, although His Majesty has a very high reputation among ordinary soldiers, and the reputation of Cao Xing and others is also not low;
After the older generation of generals gradually passed away, I have always had the highest reputation among the new generation of generals."
"Moreover, the Battle of Yiwu was never such a big battle even when the late Emperor founded the country. As the commander-in-chief, and the generals knew that Your Majesty was not personally commanding, my reputation naturally increased."
Xu Huizu told this matter very calmly, as if he was not talking about himself, and continued: "Your Majesty must also know about this matter. Although you don't have to worry about your great achievements, you will still keep it in mind."
"So I voluntarily resigned from the post of Governor and Vice-President, and concentrated on teaching my children and grandchildren at home and handling family affairs, just so that Your Majesty would no longer have to worry about this matter."
"And this is also good for the court. Your Majesty originally set up two governors and magistrates to restrain each other and make things faster. But Geng Bingwen has been ill at home for a long time, and I am the only one. It is inevitable that I will not take care of things when doing things. I
Once the memorial of resignation comes, Geng Bingwen will definitely resign from the post of Governor and Tongzhi. Your Majesty will follow suit and agree to appoint two more people as Governor and Tongzhi, so that the errands of the Governor's Office will be completed faster."
"Moreover," Xu Huizu forced a smile on his face and added, "I have been leading troops in wars for so many years, and I have long wanted to take a rest. It would be good to take this opportunity to resign and go home to rest." But that smile,
Anyone who is not stupid can see that it was forced out, and he was not as willing as he said."
"Brother!" Xu Zengshou shouted, his eyes moistening. Xu Huizu was sacrificing himself to safeguard the interests of the entire family. Both he and Xu Yingxu understood his intentions. Not only did Xu Zengshou's eyes become misty,
The same goes for Xu Yingxu.
They wanted to dissuade him from doing this, but they couldn't say anything. After all, this was something that was good for the entire family. Sacrificing for the family when needed was what each of them had been taught since childhood; they also wanted to say something.
The words comforted him, but he didn't know what to say. Xu Zengshou thought for a while, and simply brought up other topics to divert his attention. "Brother, after eldest brother resigns from the post of governor and magistrate, who will your Majesty appoint as his successor?"
"One of them is probably Lan Zhen, and the other one is Mei Yin and others. I can't guess who it will be." Xu Huizu didn't want the atmosphere to be the same as before, so he started talking.
"Couldn't it be Chen Xingshan?" Xu Zengshou asked again.
"No." This time Xu Huizu said with great certainty: "Although the Ministry of War, or the General Political Department, ranks second to the General Staff Department, its mission is by no means inferior to the General Staff Department. His Majesty will definitely appoint someone who is very close to him.
Among the civilian military attachés, the only person that His Majesty can completely trust is Chen Xingshan. Although His Majesty also trusts Chen Ji very much and once commented that Chen Ji is just like Chen Xingshan, Chen Ji is junior after all and does not have seven or eight years of experience and is not qualified to serve as the General Political Department.
Minister. So now it can only be Chen Xingshan."
"What's more, as a civilian military attache, Chen Xingshan has never led troops to fight, or even fought with the army. As the commander-in-chief, I am afraid that the soldiers will not accept it, and His Majesty does not seem to be willing for a civilian military attache to occupy such an official position, so he should not be appointed as
The governor knows the same thing."
"In my opinion, unless he is transferred to the fourth auxiliary officer in the future, Chen Xingshan will sit in the post of Minister of the General Political Department until he retires."
"By the way, now that we're talking about it, there's one more thing I'll tell you in advance." Xu Huizu added: "After I resign, it won't be good for me to contact the generals who are close to me, so our family's contact with the generals will not be good.
It's up to one of you two."
"Yingxu, I will leave this matter to you from now on."
"Brother, why don't you leave this matter to Qin'er?" Xu Yingxu immediately declined. Although Xu Huizu used the word 'liaison' lightly, Xu Yingxu, although not very smart and not very good at fighting, still heard that
He understood what he meant, which was to hand over the entire external affairs of Xu Mansion to another person, which was almost equivalent to handing over the head of the family. Xu Yingxu thought that he was not smart and was not suitable to be the head of the family; and in his opinion, the position of the head of the family should be
It was only right that Xu Huizu's son should inherit the throne, so he quickly rejected it.
"Qin'er." Xu Huizu smiled bitterly. If Xu Qin succeeded, he would probably hand it over to Xu Qin, but the problem is that Xu Qin really didn't succeed! He knew exactly what Xu Qin did on a daily basis. He was just a playboy.
Moreover, he was afraid of going to the battlefield, which was worse than Xu Jingchang, who handed over the Xu family to him. Xu Huizu was worried that he would destroy the Xu family after his death, so he could only pray that Xu Qin would have a great son.
"Even if, yes, the fourth brother is more suitable than the younger brother." Of course, he also knew what Xu Qin was like, so he talked about Xu Zengshou again.
"The reason why I entrust this matter to you instead of my fourth brother is because I have given it careful consideration." Xu Huizu said, "You have a gentle temperament, while Xu Zengshou has a bad temper. If you get close to a general and do something that doesn't go your way, I'm afraid you will quarrel with that person on the spot.
Get up and prevent that person from getting off the stage. This is not good. You are gentle and will not do such a thing."
"Secondly, Zengshou, my brother doesn't want you to stay in the capital. And you have to stay in the capital to communicate with close generals. From this point of view, you are not suitable."
"The eldest brother doesn't plan to let the younger brother stay in the capital? Then where does the eldest brother plan to send the younger brother?" Xu Zengshou asked puzzledly.
"Nanyang. Su Fan or Pu Fan, Min Fan can also be used." Xu Huizu immediately replied.
"Why?"
"Because Nanyang is a place where there will definitely be wars in the future!"
Having said this, Xu Huizu stood up and took out a map from the bookcase, pointed at the map and said to them: "I have defeated Timur and conferred Qin Fan and other vassal queens. I don't think your Majesty has any intention to continue to expand in the Western Regions."
Instead, he became concerned about overseas lands. Among them, His Majesty was naturally most concerned about Hanzhou. At the New Year's Eve banquet at the end of the sixth year of Jianye, His Majesty granted the title of Prince of Chu to Hanzhou, and later granted the title of Prince of Wu to Hanzhou.
I have not yet gone to the continent, but I have sealed it for the time being. Listening to your majesty, I seem to have the intention of granting the prince a title to Hanzhou in the future. So if you want to make meritorious deeds and receive rewards, Hanzhou is the first place to go."
"But Hanzhou is too far away from the Ming Dynasty after all, and I am reluctant to send any of you there. I can only send you to Hanzhou to accumulate military merits."
"Besides Hanzhou, the most likely place for war is Nanyang. His Majesty has conferred many vassal kings in Nanyang, including King Song in Luzon, King Pu in Manchuria, and Su in Srivijaya.
King, as well as the kings south of Yunnan, the Yue King who was granted the title of Annan, the Min King who was granted the title of Burma and other kings."
"But Your Majesty seems not to be limited to this. Majapahit has provoked the Ming Dynasty twice before. The first time was to send troops to Srivijaya in violation of His Majesty's imperial edict, and the second time he colluded with Timur to send people who knew witchcraft to assassinate Your Majesty.
It is impossible for Your Majesty not to harbor grudges, and Majapahit will still hold grudges against the Ming Dynasty. In my opinion, there will probably be a war."
"The King of Min is in Burma, and transportation with the Central Plains is inconvenient, but to the south and west is the sea, and His Majesty attaches great importance to the sea route, so he will definitely let His Highness King Min open the sea route."
"In addition, Your Majesty seems to have some ideas about this supposedly very prosperous land located to the west of Min Fan." He pointed to the west of the map and said. (To be continued)