Putting aside distractions, Zhong Nan listened carefully to the content of Sun Chengzong's speech, and there was a lot of dry goods in it. For example, the one who should be most wary of in Liaodong is Nurhachi, who has attacked in four places in recent years, and the territory is getting bigger and bigger, and sooner or later it will seriously threaten the Ming Dynasty; Another example is that generals should be re-dispatched to replace the dominance of Li Chengliang's line in Liaodong......

The more Zhong Nan listened, the more surprised he became, Sun Chengzong's overall situation and sense of crisis were more than a little stronger than those of the Ming Dynasty ministers of the same era. Just by virtue of this, as long as he is discovered by "Bole", he can soar into the sky.

After that, the speeches of those speakers were much worse, Zhong Nan listened patiently, and then said a few words to Zhou Rutong. So after the debate, Sun Chengzong stood in front of Zhong Nan.

After taking a closer look at Sun Chengzong, Zhong Nan felt that this person was not simple, he probably guessed that his identity was not low, but there was no trace of nervousness and crampedness.

"Childish, this is Lord Zhong, the new right attendant of the military department, I guess you should have heard of it, right?" Zhou Rutong made an introduction first.

"But Zhong Shilang, who forced back hundreds of thousands of Mongolian troops in the first battle?" Sun Chengzong's face showed deep admiration.

"The rumors are slightly exaggerated, and Zhong deserves it!" Zhong Nan didn't expect that his "glorious deeds" had been widely spread, and his face was somewhat embarrassed.

"Little Sun Chengzong, I've seen Lord Shilang!"

"I can't help it!" Seeing that the other party was sincerely bowing, Zhong Nan hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. He was taught that "all men are created equal", so he didn't like others to give him big gifts, and he always felt insulting.

"Lord Squire, the little one really admires you!" Sun Chengzong's words were very sincere, and they should be from the bottom of his heart.

"If you are willing to join me, you will have such an opportunity in the future!" Zhong Nan is already seducing the other party directly.

"This ......" Sun Chengzong never expected that the other party wanted to recruit him, and he didn't beat around the bush at all, which made Sun Chengzong a little unaccustomed. The ancients always liked to talk nonsense in the clouds first, and things that could be said in three or two sentences had to be talked about for ten minutes or even half an hour, which was a bad habit that Zhong Nan hated.

"Like you said, there are hidden dangers in Liaodong, and sooner or later Nurhachi will bring us * trouble. In that case, don't you want to do something about it? Zhong Nan's words were like tickling, scratching Sun Chengzong's heart like a cat scratching, it was his ideal to make contributions and defend the country, if he could really contribute to this, he couldn't imagine why he would refuse. It's just that Sun Chengzong can't understand why Zhong Nan took a fancy to him, he still has achieved nothing after the year of his establishment, how can he attract a celebrity like the squire of the military department?

"Lord Squire, if there is such an opportunity, it is incumbent on the little one. It's just that the small ones are shallow in their studies, and I'm really afraid that they will miss the big things of adults. ”

"Hehe, don't dare to say anything else, I still have a set of people to look at. You are a 'thousand miles horse', as long as you are given space to gallop, one day you will definitely be amazed! Believe me! Zhong Nan was like a "strange Shu Xiao" who abducted children with candy, and conquered Sun Chengzong's psychological defense step by step.

"That being the case, Sun Chengzong dares to disobey his fate!"

Zhong Nan was waiting for this sentence, and when he heard that the other party had agreed to his invitation, he laughed happily, "There is such a great blessing today, how can you not celebrate well." Please also have a few drinks of the sake and the young rope to enjoy the light! ”

The three of them found a good restaurant, Zhong Nan instructed Hu Huanshan to clean up the banquet, and he talked to Zhou Rutong and Sun Chengzong. Although he has already dug up a big bull like Sun Chengzong, Zhong Nan is still not satisfied, he hopes that Zhou Rutong can help him find and select some really capable people.

Zhou Rutong did not shirk himself, and the students he cultivated could be appreciated, which was also an affirmation of him as the country's priest wine. After asking Zhong Nan about the requirements for the required talents, Zhou Rutong accepted it and said that he would pay attention to it after he went back.

Zhou Rutong's level of sacrificial wine, according to later generations, is at least a vice minister of education and concurrently serves as the principal of a certain Qing and a certain north, he is just not good at sociability, not that he does not understand human feelings. Hearing that Zhong Nan asked him to help, he also knew that this was a good opportunity, so he thought of taking refuge.

What Zhong Nan lacks most now is all kinds of talents, since the other party has sincerity, where is there a reason to reject it. As for the conduct, ability, and loyalty of the investors, don't worry too much about it for the time being, just wait until the right time to do the screening.

A meal of wine is a great pleasure for the guests and hosts.

After the end of the game, Zhong Nan asked people to rent a courtyard near the Zhong Mansion to be used as the residence of the strategists in the future. Because I didn't care too much about the rent, I immediately negotiated a set of courtyard houses, which are less than a kilometer away from Zhongfu. The pro-soldier team purchased daily necessities non-stop, and in less than half a day, they were ready to move in.

After the house was ready, Zhong Nan directly sent Sun Chengzong over.

"Childish, you also know that my money is not high, and the courtyard in the house is not big, so I can only wronged you for the time being."

"Lord Squire laughed, in my opinion, this mansion is already very luxurious. What's more, people in my generation don't value these things, if he can really follow the adults to make achievements, then everything is worth it! ”

"That's good, it seems that the young rope is 'the big husband is not informal', this is the style of my generation." The more Zhong Nan looked at Sun Chengzong, the more satisfied he felt, and he was very glad that he was able to recruit the other party, and believed that this kind of opportunity would probably be difficult to encounter in the future.

After settling Sun Chengzong, Zhong Nan's next thing to think about is how to strengthen his power. Not only must he recruit talents, but he must also make progress, and if he wants to improve, he must not befriend several major forces in the DPRK and China.

At the beginning of Wanli, there was only one big force in the imperial court - the official eunuch group represented by Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng not only had a hot fight with Feng Bao, the number one person in the ceremonial supervisor, but also the Empress Dowager Li of the harem also supported him, so that the entire Ming Dynasty belonged to him with the greatest power, and even Zhu Yijun had to retreat.

The reform of the "One Whip Law" was able to be implemented to a large extent thanks to the boundless power of Lord Shousuke. It's just that in the ancient imperial society, there were very few figures who overthrew the emperor, and most officials had to rely on the emperor's breath and stand in their respective positions in the emperor's way of balance.

After Zhang Juzheng's death, the forces in the court shuffled their cards. By the twenty-third year of Wanli, that is, three years after the departure of the former Shoufu, the division of forces between the DPRK and China had been basically finalized.

First of all, the biggest force at this time has become Zhu Yijun, who has completely established his authority in the movement to liquidate Zhang Juzheng. This is also a normal situation most of the time in ancient times, after all, in the imperial society, if the emperor's rights are not guaranteed, then what is the point of sitting on the dragon chair.

In addition to the emperor, the forces that can be used are the eunuch Zhang Jing and the courtiers led by Shen Shixing. Zhang Jing took advantage of the convenience of being with the emperor to quickly obtain Zhu Yijun's new appointment, controlled the Dongchang and the Inner Government Supply Library, and gradually had some right to speak.

The ministers of the DPRK and China, headed by Shen Shixing, learned the lesson of Zhang Juzheng and became more tactful, and no longer had the sense of mission that "the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of the husband". This force is relatively loose, and they do not have a unified political opinion and leading power figures, so strictly speaking, it is not a mature force.

These two forces are dependent on the Wanli Emperor, and the emperor also needs them to maintain the normal operation of the harem and the imperial court, and everyone is still in the honeymoon period, so they are safe.

As for the "Donglin Party", "Zhejiang Party", etc., there is no shadow yet.

After careful consideration, Zhong Nan decided to take advantage of this opportunity to pull up the line with Zhang Whale, and then establish a good relationship with Shen Shixing and other ministers. It's just that before he could make a move, something big happened that forced him to slow down.

On the first day of the fifth month, the morning sunrise.

At the beginning of the early dynasty, Shoufu Shen Shixing came out to play and talked about the establishment of the prince.

"Your Majesty, now that the eldest son of the emperor is almost thirteen years old, the identity of the crown prince should be determined as soon as possible."

In fact, this is not the first time that this matter has been mentioned by Shen Shixing. Soon after he was promoted to the position of first assistant, he expressed to Emperor Wanli the suggestion of "canonizing the crown prince as soon as possible", but he was delayed by the other party many times for various reasons. This repetition of the old matter is just to let the emperor fulfill his previous promise.

It turned out that three years ago, Shen Shixing gave the emperor a recital, citing Ming Yingzong at the age of two and Ming Xiaozong at the age of six to be made crown princes as examples, and asked Emperor Wanli to appoint Zhu Changluo, who was just ten years old, as the crown prince.

Zhu Yijun took out the ancestral motto "There are grandchildren, but there are no grandchildren", saying that although the queen has not given birth for the time being, it does not mean that she will not give birth to a prince. If he canonized Zhu Changluo as the crown prince, what if he had a son, wouldn't he have violated the ancestral teachings?

So the matter of establishing the prince was temporarily suspended. It's just that later, Emperor Wanli did not pamper Empress Wang, but on the contrary, he favored Concubine Zheng and Concubine Li Jing.

The ministers looked at it, aren't you fooling us, you don't go to the queen's bed, where is it possible to give birth to a concubine. In that case, we have to remind the Emperor again.

After that, not only several scholars in the cabinet, but also other important ministers and officials, and even local officials, often wrote to the emperor to establish Zhu Changluo's status as the crown prince as soon as possible.

Emperor Wanli had to use the Dafa of Delay again and again to stabilize the ministers, but he did not have the slightest intention of canonizing Zhu Changluo.

In the past three years, this kind of battle has been staged many times, and every time Zhu Yijun can get out in the end. Seeing Shen Shixing mention this "cliché" today, he didn't think it could set off any waves, and still wanted to use the sentence "discuss it later" to get by.