The DPRK and China scoffed at these discussions on the streets, but the rumors became more and more numerous, ranging from vague to noses and eyes, and when they really wanted to do so, the DPRK and Chinese officials also began to secretly exchange information about the matter.

If it is really as rumored, Jingying is about to usher in a big change, it is not a trivial matter, whether the Jingying pattern is stable or not, it is related to the stability of the entire Ming Dynasty, and the change of the Jingying pattern is not a casual word, it is a long-term relationship.

Under the boiling public opinion, the regimental camp was also a mess, and some marquis were worried that this matter would come true, and they ran to Dingguo Gong Xu Guangzuo to find out, which made Xu Guangzuo, who was originally scoffed at this, also a little flustered. When the Hou Ye had a nose and an eye to say the details of those street talks, Xu Guangzuo was also a little worried.

Losing a million taels of silver, losing face, that's fine. If he loses the regimental governor, it will be the biggest failure of his life.

So, Xu Guangzuo decided to inquire about Zhengde's tone, and one day after the morning court, Xu Guangzuo asked for a separate audience, and in the imperial study, Xu Guangzuo got the opportunity to meet him.

Zhengde sat on the warm couch in the imperial study, drank hot tea, and after dispelling the fatigue brought by getting up early and announcing the audience, Xu Guangzuo bent down with a big box in his hand and bowed his head to get in, knelt down and said: "The old minister knocks on the emperor, long live the emperor." ”

Zhengde waved his hand and said, "Get up, come and sit down." ”

Zhang Yong, who accompanied him, moved a stool and came forward and said with a smile: "Old man Xu, please take a seat." ”

Xu Guangzuo nodded and said, "Thank you, father-in-law." ”

Zhang Yong pointed to the box in Xu Guangzuo's arms and said, "What is in the box that the old man is holding?" Why do we listen to the tick-tock sound, is there a little beast hidden in it? ”

Xu Guangzuo hurriedly put the wooden box on the table, and said while opening the lid of the box: "There is an acquaintance in the south who brought a novelty from the Nanyang Domain, called a chiming clock, saying that it can be used to tell the time, I saw the novelty of this thing, so I brought it to honor the emperor." ”

As he spoke, Xu Guangzuo picked up the things in the box and put them on the table, holding a copper spoon-like thing in his hand to hook the small hole below, and flicked it with his hand, and the copper spoon swayed back and forth.

Zhengde got up with interest and looked at it, and asked with a smile: "This is the self-striking bell?" I've heard of this thing, but I've never seen it, but I don't know how it can tell the time? ”

Seeing that Zhengde was interested, Xu Guangzuo immediately lifted his spirits and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, there are numbers on the disc above, this is the Western timekeeping method, my Celestial Dynasty uses the number of hours to time, and every day is divided into twelve hours, and their Western feudal kingdom clocks twenty-four hours a day, which means that one hour of ours is worth two hours of Westerners." ”

Zhang Yong was stunned and said: "Then if we pass for one day, won't they have to spend two days?" In the same way, we are forty years old and in the prime of life, aren't Westerners already eighty years old and about to enter the earth? ”

Zhengde scolded with a smile: "Do you have such a reckoning? One of our hours is only two of theirs, their hours are shorter, our hours are longer, you see? ”

Zhang Yong suddenly said: "I see. ”

Xu Guangzuo rolled his eyes, he knew that Zhang Yong deliberately used these words to make Zhengde happy, this is also a means of sycophancy, so clever that there is no trace. Xu Guangzuo adjusted the time of the self-striking bell, just as it was halfway through, only to see the small box door above the self-striking bell suddenly pop open, and a colorful bird popped out of it, raised its head and 'cooed', a total of ten calls, and finally shrank back into the box.

"Your Majesty, if you call ten times, it will be ten o'clock in the morning of Western time, that is, half of our hours."

Zhengde smiled: "It's good, let it go, Grandpa Xu has a heart." ”

Xu Guangzuo was overjoyed, stretched out his hand and handed it to Zhang Yong, Zhang Yong smiled and said: "Grandpa Xu has spent a lot of money, I have implemented a sea ban in the Ming Dynasty, and the Western things that Old Man Xu got are probably all smuggled in private, which is not very good." ”

Xu Guangzuo was startled, and secretly scolded himself for not paying attention to this matter, so that Zhang Yong grabbed the sore foot, but fortunately, Zhengde didn't seem to care, and waved his hand and said: "Why make a fuss about some small things." Xiao Yongzi, where will you send this self-striking bell to the Queen Mother, and give it to her old man; Sue the Empress Dowager and his old man, and I will go over to dine with her at noon today. ”

Zhang Yong agreed, and went out with the chiming bell.

"Sit, sit, old man sit." Zhengde saw Xu Guangzuo standing bent, so he pointed to the stool and smiled.

"Your Majesty." Xu Guangzuo bowed his hand respectfully, and sat on the stool with half of his buttocks.

"My husband doesn't come to see me, and I want to talk to my husband in the next two days." Zhengde took a sip of tea and said lightly.

Xu Guangzuo's brain buzzed, his heart was frightened, he was busy steady, and pretended to be casual: "Oh? What does the emperor have to tell the old minister? ”

Zhengde smiled: "It's about some things about the regimental camp, I ...... I feel that the current combat strength of the regimental camp is worrying, and I have to make some changes, otherwise I will really feel a little uneasy in my heart. Dingguo Gong, the Beijing camp is the elite of my Ming Dynasty and my last reliance, in my opinion, now the regimental camp in the Beijing camp is the biggest problem, and the combat power must not be said by me. ”

Xu Guangzuo rolled off the stool, knelt down and kowtowed: "The old minister should die, the old minister is incompetent, the matter of the regimental camp is the responsibility of the old minister, the old minister please resign as governor, and the old minister asks the emperor to surrender." ”

Zhengde stepped forward to help him up and comforted: "You misunderstood what I meant, you have only been in charge of the regimental camp for a few months, how can you be completely blamed?" But this time in the Beijing Camp Competition, I can also see that some people's minds are not on leading troops for me at all; Therefore, what I originally wanted to discuss with you was the adjustment of the official positions of some of the marquis in the regimental camp. If the regimental camp is put in their hands again, I really don't feel at ease. ”

Xu Guangzuo's heart was slightly relieved, it seems that this time it is not aimed at himself.

"Are all the rumors out there true?" Xu Guangzuo said.

"What rumors?"

Xu Guangzuo said: "The government and the opposition are talking about the restructuring of the Beijing camp, saying that the emperor intends to transform the Beijing camp and transfer the foreign army that is good this time into the capital Yunyun. ”

Zhengde looked at Xu Guangzuo and said, "Do you believe these words?" Even if you know that it is a rumor, as an important minister of the court, you will also believe rumors? I'm a little disappointed. The reform of the Beijing camp is not a casual thing, this is the previous launch of the whole body, and the Beijing camp pattern is the ancestral system, I want to change, and it is also to be decided by the imperial court. Is this why you have come to see me today? ”

Xu Guangzuo hurriedly waved his hand and said: "No, no, the old minister just hasn't spoken to the emperor alone for a long time, so he came to talk to the emperor." ”

Zhengde nodded and said, "It's pretty much the same, you have to take this matter I told you to heart, some people in your regimental camp have to move their positions." The combat effectiveness of the regimental battalion is not good, and if we want to improve our combat capability and change our work style, we must learn from the Shenshu battalion. Song Nan's Shenshu battalion was well-trained and had excellent combat strength, and I had already decided to mention Jiang Bin and Xu Tai as the third waiter, and transferred him to the regimental camp to take charge of the two regimental battalions; You don't have to cover up the incompetent people in your regiment and camp, and you can bring up a list for me to see in a few days. ”

Xu Guangzuo was shocked in his heart, and asked tentatively: "What is this...... Is the construction of Lord Song? ”

Zhengde frowned and said: "Song Nan didn't say it, I transferred his left and right hands, and he was very unwilling in his heart; However, I plan to listen to his opinion on the replacement list, and if you bring up the list, I will let Song Nan help me decide, because I believe that he can see which regiment and battalion have the weakest soldiers and horses, and which general is the most incompetent. ”

Xu Guangzuo was silent, it was nothing to replace the two Hou Masters in the style of the regimental battalion, but the promotion of Jiang Bin and Admiral Xu Tai to the two battalions was very unexpected; Moreover, the candidates for the regimental battalion need Song Nan to participate in the decision, which is unreasonable in itself.

Xu Guangzuo didn't believe that this was not Song Nan's idea, this was obviously Song Nan's plan to take this opportunity to further stretch his hands and feet into the regimental camp; In the twelve regiments and battalions, there were already Zhang Lun, Gao Hu, and Jiao Zhengtai who came together with Song Nan, plus the two regiments and battalions, which gradually became a trend of five or five pairs, and the shape was already quite critical.

Xu Guangzuo felt that this matter was not just his own business, and he wanted to inform the cabinet Yang Tinghe and others about this matter and ask for help. But before that, what he needs to think about is the issue of submitting a recall list, which is a big problem, and it is not good to mention anyone, it is a matter of offending people, which is really troublesome.

Xu Guangzuo fidgeted and talked to Zhengde for a while, and when he saw that Zhengde had no interest in talking, he immediately quit the palace and hurried away.

Zhengde beckoned someone to change his clothes, and was about to go to the back garden to take a walk, but he saw Zhang Yong crying and coming back with the self-striking bell with a sad face, Zhengde was stunned and asked, "What's wrong?" Don't you want you to play with this thing for the Queen Mother? ”

Zhang Yong stomped his feet and said: "Your Majesty, you can pit the slave and maid, and the queen mother rewarded the slave and maid with two big mouths." ”

Zhengde was surprised: "What's wrong?" ”

"What is this thing you asked the slave to send?"

"What's wrong with the chiming bell? Oops...... Sending the end to the end, the Queen Mother must think that it is unlucky......"

"Yes, the Queen Mother was so angry that she slapped the slave and maid in the mouth, if it wasn't for Ma Gonggong's pull, the Queen Mother would have tied the slave and maid to reward the whip; This Xu Guangzuo, what intentions do you have, what is not good to send, you run to the palace to send it to the end, what intentions do you have. ”

Zhengde listened to Zhang Yong's muttering, and he was also unhappy in his heart, and frowned: "Throw that thing into the yard and smash it with a hammer, the Queen Mother must think that I am disrespectful to her, I hurry up to explain and explain, you will come after smashing that thing, and I will explain it to the Queen Mother for you." ”

Zhang Yong agreed, and went out with the chiming bell, and after a while there was a clanging sound outside, mixed with the cooing sound of wooden birds.