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Just when everyone was shocked by Zhao Junchen's ambitions, Zhou Shangjing changed his tone full of admiration and continued: "Just looking at the content of this note, Zhao Junchen has indeed undergone careful and detailed consideration, not without purpose, nor without words. According to his analysis, now is obviously the best time for the imperial court to recover the Hetao!

First of all, the Mongolian steppe has been plagued by natural disasters in recent years, and the disasters are much more serious than those in Shaanxi and Gansu, resulting in a great reduction in the number of people, cattle and sheep, and grain stocks of the major Mongolian tribes, and they are in the weakest period in the past hundred years, and they are unable to carry out a protracted war with the imperial court; Secondly, Zhao Junchen's plan to exterminate the Mongol coalition army is progressing smoothly, once he successfully annihilates the 100,000 Mongol army that invaded the territory of our dynasty, the Mongols will inevitably be greatly damaged and their combat strength will be greatly damaged; In the end, it was Zhao Junchen who was now trying to secretly fēn liè the Mongol tribes, prompting the Mongols to fight among themselves, and by the time the imperial court sent troops to recover the Hetao, Mongolia was probably already in chaos and could not unite against the imperial army!

All in all, Zhao Junchen thought that the imperial court not only had the highest chance of recovering the Hetao at this time, but also paid the lowest price, so he strongly recommended that the imperial court seriously consider this matter! In fact, Zhao Junchen has now begun to prepare for this matter, but it is still not enough to rely only on the strength of Shaanxi and Gansu to recover the Hetao, so Zhao Junchen sent this note to the imperial court, hoping to get the support of all aspects of the imperial court! ”

Speaking of this, Zhou Shangjing bowed slightly to Emperor Deqing, and said: "Zhao Junchen's recital is roughly about these three things...... According to the old minister, Zhao Junchen sent this note mainly to recover the Hetao, not only the most ink, but also the most detailed explanation, obviously Zhao Junchen hopes that the imperial court can prepare early and give timely assistance. ”

After speaking, Zhou Shangjing sat back in his place, and then observed the expressions and reactions of everyone present with a meaningful expression.

Regarding the content of Zhao Junchen's recital, Zhou Shangjing's explanation can be said to be very detailed.

But after listening to Zhou Shangjing's speech, the ministers in the imperial study still couldn't come back to their senses, and they only felt incredible.

You must know that since the Ming Dynasty became the ancestor, the Ming Dynasty has always been on the defensive in the face of the annual fire screening of the Mongolian tribes, and from time to time it will encounter a situation of border emergency, and the record of annihilating 100,000 Mongolian troops in one breath has not been done even when Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang drove Mongolia to restore the Han Dynasty, and now the Ming Dynasty is already rotten in armaments, and I have never thought about it!

As for the Hetao area, it has been lost for nearly three hundred years, when the Ming Yingzong's ambitious northern expedition caused the greatest shame in the history of the Ming Dynasty to cause the change of the civil fort, the last time the ambitious to recover the Hetao area of several Ming ministers are also unbearable, since then the Ming Dynasty monarchs and ministers no longer have any ideas about the Hetao area!

Who would have thought that Zhao Junchen now not only wanted to annihilate the 100,000 Mongol army that invaded the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but also wanted to take the opportunity to recover the Hetao region......

Is this a victory in hand or is it hubris and ignorance?

If it is said that the victory ticket is in hand, the ministers only feel unreliable, but if it is said to be arrogant and ignorant, it is really possible to do it according to Zhao Junchen's statement!

Therefore, the ministers in the imperial study were shocked in their hearts, and no one spoke for a while.

They are all accustomed to storms, but this is the first time they have encountered something like today.

So, it takes a while for everyone to sort out their thoughts.

Emperor Deqing also understood the thoughts of the ministers, and when he first read this note, he also felt that Zhao Junchen wanted to make meritorious service and wanted to go crazy.

Therefore, Emperor Deqing did not urge, but gave the ministers a little time to think.

For a moment, the imperial study was full of silence.

After about a cup of tea, Emperor Deqing saw that the ministers had already finished thinking about it, and finally spoke: "Everything is just as Zhou Ge Lao said, Zhao Junchen's recital is roughly about these three things!" Among these three things, the first two things are beyond our reach, and we can't catch up with time, and by the time my will reaches the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu, maybe Zhao Junchen's war with the Mongol coalition army has ended, and Liang Fuchen's illness has been cured...... But there is only the third thing, which is not only the most important, but also requires the imperial court to make a decision and make arrangements as soon as possible! This time, I summoned all Aiqing into the palace overnight to discuss politics, and it was for this matter! If Zhao Junchen's battle with the Mongols went well, should the imperial court take the opportunity to recover the Hetao? I couldn't make up my mind for a while, what opinion do you have to teach me? ”

After hearing Emperor Deqing's inquiry, Shoufu Shen Changmao took the lead in speaking: "Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that this matter is absolutely impossible!" Zhao Junchen certainly has some skills in terms of money and grain turnover, but it is not his turn to express his stance on military affairs! Zhao Junchen's various statements are all on paper and taken for granted, this matter is too risky, and there will inevitably be many unsolvable problems when it is really implemented! In the end, once the plan fails, not only will it be a vain loss of national strength, but it will also inevitably be strongly retaliated by the Mongols, which can be described as endless troubles, and the old minister implores His Majesty to immediately send a decree to severely reprimand Zhao Junchen, and it is a strict order that Zhao Junchen must not be bold! Please also ask Your Majesty to be clear! ”

As Shen Changmao's words fell, Pavilion Elder Cheng Yuandao also said: "Your Majesty, the old minister also thinks that Zhao Junchen's plan is just nonsense!" Soldiers, the country's major affairs. The place of death and life, the way of survival, must not be overlooked! How could the imperial court use swords and soldiers to consume the people's strength because of Zhao Junchen's family's words? The land of the river loop, the chicken ribs! It's a pity that the food is tasteless and abandoned, the court doesn't have to make a big deal because of a remote place, and now there are natural disasters everywhere, and the court should recuperate! ”

Then, Lin Wei, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites of the "Shen Party", said: "Your Majesty, Zhao Junchen's plan to recover Hetao is based on the premise that he can completely annihilate 100,000 Mongolian troops in one go, which in itself is a great variable!" In addition, even if Zhao Junchen's plan did not have any flaws, the minister thought that recovering the Hetao would be more than worth the loss for the imperial court! After the recovery of the Hetao, garrisoning, immigration, education, reclamation and other things all required the imperial court to invest a lot of manpower and material resources, and also needed to face endless retaliation from the Mongols! Although the money and grain in the treasury have improved slightly in recent years, I am afraid that it is still difficult to support, and in the end, even if the imperial court reluctantly subdues the Hetao, I am afraid it will not be able to hold it! Please think again, Your Majesty! ”

Hearing that Cheng Yuandao and Lin Wei supported their statements one after another, Shoufu Shen Changmao's expression was a little proud, and he only felt that he had saved some face.

Shen Changmao believes that not only Cheng Yuandao and Lin Wei will support him, but in addition to Zuo Lanshan of the "Zhao Party", all the ministers in the imperial study will definitely express their support for him!

After all, the plan proposed by Zhao Junchen will do more harm than good to everyone! If this plan fails in the end, it will be the erosion of the northwest frontier defense, everyone will be anxious, and many ministers will even be innocently implicated, which is naturally not a good thing; But if this plan succeeds in the end, Zhao Junchen's prestige and status will increase greatly, and the "Zhao Party" will completely overwhelm the rest of the factions in the imperial court!

However, just when Shen Changmao thought that he was about to "respond to a hundred calls", the next development of the situation was completely beyond his expectations!

I saw that after the crown prince Zhu and Yu pondered for a long time, they unexpectedly expressed their support for Zhao Junchen's plan, and said: "Father, the son thinks that the imperial court should fully support Zhao Junchen's plan to recover the Hetao!" Zhao Junchen made it very clear in the recital, the Hetao is a strategic place, once the imperial court subdued the Hetao area, the border pressure of the northwest provinces will be greatly reduced, after recovering the Hetao area, it is necessary to invest a lot of manpower and material resources, but after the border pressure of the northwest provinces is reduced, it can also reduce the investment of the imperial court, in the long run, it is still very cost-effective, even if you need to take some risks, it is worth it! In addition, the recovery of the Hetao area is also a declaration of national prestige by the imperial court, and the history books of later generations will inevitably praise it, and it is also an uplift for the morale of the people. ”

Seeing that the crown prince Zhu and Yu were actually his political enemies Zhao Junchen, everyone present was a little surprised, but soon felt that this was a matter of course.

After all, the character of the crown prince Zhu Heyu is too upright, and it is rare for him to abolish the public for personal reasons when he expresses his position, and he may be the only one among the ministers present who does not have any personal interests and really considers the court! He expressed his support for Zhao Junchen's plan, just because Zhao Junchen's plan was beneficial to the imperial court, and he would never blindly oppose Zhao Junchen just because he was his political enemy!

After hearing the statement of the crown prince Zhu Heyu, a trace of complicated emotions flashed in Emperor Deqing's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and just waited for the statements of the remaining ministers.

Then, Zuo Lanshan, as the number two person of the "Zhao Party", naturally actively waved the flag for Zhao Junchen's plan at this time, and said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that if the imperial court really has a chance to recover the Hetao area, it will naturally be a good thing, and it must not be easily missed!" Even if Lord Zhao completely annihilated the 100,000 troops of the Mongols this time, he could only ensure the stability of the northwest frontier defense for the next twenty or thirty years. But if you take the opportunity to recover the Hetao area in one fell swoop, then the northwest frontier defense is enough to ensure a hundred years of worry-free! As for some ministers who think that this plan will invest too much manpower and material resources, and are worried that the imperial court will not be able to support it, the ministers think that it is not necessary, because Lord Zhao himself is the head of the household department, and since he proposed this plan, he must be sure of himself! ”

Emperor Deqing nodded lightly again, and then turned his gaze to the rest of the ministers, but saw that the remaining ministers were silent and did not rush to express their position.

For this situation, Emperor Deqing was not surprised.

Among the remaining ministers, Wang Shounai, the secretary of the Ministry of War, was an official of the "Imperial Party", and everything was ordered by Emperor Wei Deqing, while the elder Li He, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, Song Qiwen, and the secretary of the Criminal Department, Zhang Bochong, were officials of the "Zhou Party", so they naturally had to wait for Zhou Shangjing to take the lead in expressing his attitude.

In the final analysis, the decision-making of the imperial court is inseparable from Zhou Shangjing's attitude after all!

So, Emperor Deqing's gaze fell on Zhou Shangjing again, and asked, "Elder Zhou Ge, what do you think?" ”

Zhou Shangjing said slowly: "Your Majesty, Zhao Junchen often has a sentence on his lips, that is, 'there is no right to speak without investigation', and Lao Chen also likes this sentence!" Lao Chen looked at Zhao Junchen's note, and when he made the plan, it was obviously after careful consideration and detailed investigation, and although Zhao Junchen is not very old, his personality is quite serious, and he rarely does those things that he is not sure of...... Therefore, Lao Chen thought that the imperial court could trust Zhao Junchen again at this time. ”

Emperor Deqing's eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked, "In other words, Elder Zhou Ge, you also agree with Zhao Junchen's plan to recover the Hetao?" ”

Zhou Shangjing shook his head and sighed, and said, "Lao Chen is indeed more inclined to agree with Zhao Junchen's plan...... But Your Majesty, the attitude of the old minister is actually insignificant, and our deliberation at this time will not actually affect anything! ”

Emperor Deqing was slightly stunned and asked, "What do you mean?" ”

Zhou Shangjing shook his head again and sighed, and said, "Your Majesty, since Zhao Junchen left Beijing, how many times have he done things and made decisions?" In this note, Zhao Junchen made it clear that he had already begun preparations for the recovery of the Hetao, even if the central center of the imperial court did not agree with his plan to recover the Hetao, would he really be honest and obedient? I'm afraid otherwise, Lao Chen thinks that even if the imperial court strictly orders him to stand by, he will eventually find a random reason to send troops to recover the Hetao! His note was just to make the court mentally prepared in advance, but it may not really attach much importance to the decision of the center of the court...... Therefore, Lao Chen believes that it is better for the imperial court to support Zhao Junchen's plan in the end, if the imperial court vetoes Zhao Junchen's plan, but Zhao Junchen finally sent troops to recover the Hetao, and then the face of the imperial court will be ugly! ”

Hearing Zhou Shangjing's words, everyone in the imperial study changed their faces, and Emperor Deqing's expression became even more gloomy.

Zhou Shangjing's words were completely implying that Zhao Junchen did not obey the order, thinking that the imperial court had lost control of Zhao Junchen!

Zuo Lanshan hurriedly said: "Elder Zhou Ge, please be cautious!" Lord Zhao's reverence and loyalty to His Majesty are well known and can be learned from heaven and earth, although he made some controversial decisions after leaving Beijing, but these decisions are all public, and there is no consideration of any private interests! Zhou Ge Lao, you should be able to understand this! ”

Seeing Zuo Lanshan's rebuttal, Zhou Shangjing didn't have any idea of arguing with him, but nodded and smiled: "Thank you Zuo Ge for the reminder, the old man is indeed a little gaffe, Lord Zhao has been bothering to defend the imperial court these days, and the old man really shouldn't maliciously speculate!" ”

For Zhou Shangjing, it is enough to use these words to bury a thorn in the heart of Emperor Deqing and further separate the relationship between Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen, and there is no need to clash with Zuo Lanshan in order to deliberately adhere to his attitude!

As mentioned above, Zhou Shangjing and Emperor Deqing have been old rivals for decades, and Emperor Deqing has always been helpless against Zhou Shangjing, but as Zhou Shangjing has become more and more old in recent years, he will leave the center of power sooner or later, Zhou Shangjing is worried that Emperor Deqing will settle accounts after the autumn, and the descendants of the Zhou family may also be implicated, so Zhou Shangjing has been secretly conniving at Zhao Junchen to expand his power for a period of time, hoping to use Zhao Junchen to divert Emperor Deqing's attention. Let Zhao Junchen replace him as the most feared existence in Emperor Deqing's heart, and when the time comes, Emperor Deqing will actively recruit Zhou Shangjing to deal with Zhao Junchen together, and the rich future of the descendants of the Zhou family can be guaranteed - so far, Zhou Shangjing's plan is going smoothly.

Therefore, Zhou Shangjing is not worried that Zhao Junchen's merits are too big like the first assistant Shen Changmao, but he hopes that Zhao Junchen will take the opportunity to harvest more merits, and it is best to become a great hero with high merit in one fell swoop! - At that time, it will not be far from the day when Zhao Junchen will completely break with Emperor Deqing!

In the middle of his thoughts, Zhou Shangjing turned his head to Emperor Deqing again and said, "Your Majesty, the old minister has seriously thought about it and thinks that the imperial court should fully support Lord Zhao's plan to recover the Hetao!" As Zuo Shangshu said, the money and food consumed by this plan, Lord Zhao must have already had an idea, as for the revenge of the Mongols, there is no need to worry about it at all, according to the current situation, Lord Zhao has led a large army to surround the main force of the Mongols, even if the Mongolian coalition army finally escapes, it will inevitably be a loss of troops, a big loss of strength, and a short period of time is not able to retaliate against the imperial court to recover the Hetao, so this plan is certainly a bit risky, but for the imperial court is still more beneficial than disadvantageous! ”

As Zhou Shangjing's words fell, after the elder Li He, Song Qiwen, the secretary of the ministry, and Zhang Bochong, the secretary of the criminal department, glanced at each other, they also expressed their support for the imperial court to take the opportunity to recover the Hetao area!

In this way, most of the core ministers in the imperial study supported Zhao Junchen's plan.

After Shen Changmao saw this scene, he was a little dumbfounded, and he didn't understand what Zhou Shangjing did at all.

After the ministers expressed their positions, Emperor Deqing nodded lightly and said, "I also think that Zhao Junchen's proposal is feasible, and now is indeed a good time for the imperial court to recover the Hetao region!" In the long run, the recovery of the Hetao will far outweigh the disadvantages for the Ming Dynasty, and it can even solve the hidden dangers of the Northwest Frontier in one fell swoop. ”

Although Emperor Deqing is a great achievement, self-proclaimed saint, but his political achievements during his reign are lackluster, at most can only be said to be the king of peace, although there are not too many mistakes, but there is no dazzling achievements, and after he ascended the throne, the collapse of the court officials is also obvious to all, so Zhao Junchen's proposal to recover the Hetao is naturally very great for Emperor Deqing - with such merits, it is enough to make Emperor Deqing among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty among the best!

Zhou Shangjing's words implying that Zhao Junchen was gradually breaking away from the control of the imperial court did bury a thorn in the heart of Emperor Deqing, but it was not enough to affect Emperor Deqing's judgment. After Zhao Junchen made great contributions, he would certainly rise in power, but Emperor Deqing thought that he would still have a way to control it at that time, but the opportunity to recover the Hetao should not be missed.

Seeing that his statement was not adopted, the first assistant Liang Fuchen felt more and more gloomy, but no one cared about this at this time.

With Emperor Deqing's words, the court's support for Zhao Junchen's recovery of Hetao also set the tone, and all the ministers in the imperial study stood up and said in unison: "Your Majesty Shengming!" ”

After Emperor Deqing nodded lightly, he said: "Since the imperial court wants to support Zhao Junchen in recovering the Hetao, it can no longer let him preside over the military and political affairs of Shaanxi and Gansu in the name of disaster relief Qincha, so I decided to issue a decree at the court tomorrow morning, changing Zhao Junchen's status to the deputy envoy of the Qincha with full powers, and let him assist Liang Fuchen to preside over all matters related to the Shaanxi-Gansu border defense and the recovery of Hetao...... According to Zhao Junchen's statement, Liang Fuchen's condition has been controlled, and he should have almost recovered when the imperial court sent troops to recover the Hetao, although the plan to recover the Hetao was proposed by Zhao Junchen, but it is more appropriate for such a matter to be handled by an experienced minister like Liang Fuchen, what do you think? ”

Hearing Emperor Deqing's proposal, all the ministers were not surprised, and they all agreed.

This is also the proper meaning of the question, if Emperor Deqing agrees with Zhao Junchen's plan, he must give Zhao Junchen an official title, which is not only to show the active support of the imperial court, but also to show the wisdom of Emperor Deqing, so as to get a piece of the pie in this achievement, otherwise all this will become Zhao Junchen's unauthorized actions, and the court will be disgraced.

In addition, making Zhao Junchen the deputy envoy of the plenipotentiary envoy seems to increase Zhao Junchen's quán bǐng, but it also makes Zhao Junchen's apparent identity become Liang Fuchen's deputy, but it also secretly weakens Zhao Junchen's future merits.

Like this kind of checks and balances, Emperor Deqing is the best at it.

Next, Emperor Deqing discussed some details with the ministers, such as how to persuade the hundred officials to go to the court tomorrow morning, and how the imperial court should give support to Zhao Junchen, the transfer of troops in various places, the preparation of money and grain in the treasury, and so on.

By the time everything was settled, it was late at night.

Seeing that everyone was a little tired, Emperor Deqing wanted to let the ministers go back to rest.

And at this time, Zhou Shangjing suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, Zhao Junchen's first few notes, because of the many controversies caused by the imperial court, there has been no official reply and statement, and it has been delayed for nearly a month!" If it drags on any longer, I'm afraid it's not a solution, what do you think should be done? ”

After Emperor Deqing pondered for a moment, he said: "It is still left to the hundred officials for discussion, and I will not make any reply for the time being, and I will make a decision after the war in the northwest is over!" ”

A smile flashed in Zhou Shangjing's eyes, and he bowed down and said, "The old minister understands!" ”

Zhao Junchen's first few notes can be said to have taken the initiative to hand over many handles to Emperor Deqing, and Emperor Deqing is still unwilling to make a decision, obviously leaving a backhand.

Zhao Junchen's various plans, after all, are extremely risky, if he finally messes up the errand, he will naturally come up with these things to chase and fight, but if Zhao Junchen's plans are finally successful, these handles can also make some articles at that time, and pick bones in the eggs to reduce Zhao Junchen's glory.

But now, now that the imperial court has agreed to Zhao Junchen's plan, it will no longer use these things to make trouble for Zhao Junchen, because the imperial court still "trusts" Zhao Junchen.

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At the same time that Zhao Junchen's sixth copy was sent to the capital, a secret letter from Zhao Junchen was also sent to Zhao's mansion.

And while Emperor Deqing was discussing with the core ministers of the imperial court, Fang Ru and the officials of the "Zhao Party" were also acting secretly according to the instructions in the secret letter, trying to cooperate with Zhao Junchen's plan!

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Well, continue tomorrow.

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