In the palace, in addition to the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, there are also the crown prince Zhu Biao, the Song Guogong Feng Sheng, the Changxing Marquis Geng Bingwen, the military department Shangshu Ru Yu, the imperial historian Ru Taisu and other civil and military officials, there is only one thing to discuss: how the imperial court should pacify the southwest.

"Your Majesty, Mrs. Liu Shuzhen of Shuidong has arrived." A eunuch came to the emperor's side and said respectfully, Lao Zhu raised his eyes slightly, and gently confided one word: "Xuan." ”

"Yes." The eunuch took the order out, and after a short time, Jiang Zhen took Mrs. Liu Shuzhen into the palace and said, "Your Majesty, Mrs. Liu Shuzhen, please come." ”

"Hmm." Lao Zhu nodded, and after receiving a salute from Mrs. Liu Shuzhen, he got straight to the point: "Liu, I remember that you are the wife of Song Qin in Shuidong...... You went to Beijing to see me, what important things do you have to tell you? ”

"Could it be that the rebellion in Shuixi has already implicated you Shuidong?"

Hearing Lao Zhu's inquiry, Liu Shuzhen slowly knelt down, first made a kowtow, and then raised her head, her eyes burned, and said: "Your Majesty, Shuixi did not betray Your Majesty, the reason why the court received the letter was all false accusations by Ma Ye!" ”

Subsequently, Liu Shuzhen told Lao Zhu about how Ma Ye deliberately provoked trouble, how he detained and even killed Ai Cui, how Shuixi and the Yi tribes were indignant, and gathered in Guiyang City, just to get justice, etc., and told Lao Zhu and the ministers in the palace frowned.

"According to what you said, this matter was all done by Ma Ye?" Lao Zhu's eyebrows wrinkled into a Sichuan character, his expression was dark and difficult to understand, and it was even more difficult for people to understand what he was thinking. "Do you have any proof?"

"His Royal Highness King Zhou is willing to guarantee this matter. Here, there is a secret letter from His Royal Highness King Zhou, and his Majesty the Emperor is invited to read it. As he spoke, he took out Zhu Su's secret letter and held it high above his head.

Lao Zhu signaled to Zhu Biao, Zhu Biao nodded, went out to pick up the secret letter, opened it and browsed it, nodded and said, "Father, this is indeed the handwriting of the fourth brother." ”

He put the secret music in front of Lao Zhu's case, Lao Zhu glanced at ten lines, read it, and nodded. "Well, in that case, you should go to the pavilion and rest first."

"I have my own arrangements for this,"

"Your Majesty......" Although Mrs. Liu Shuzhen is a strange woman, she can angrily reprimand Huang Zicheng in the Ministry of Rites, but she is afraid of the power of the emperor and will never dare to trespass in the imperial city.

Although he hoped that the emperor would immediately order the capture of Ma Ye, he did not dare to do anything wrong.

“…… Yes, the courtiers retired. ”

Even if she is the wife of Tusi, she herself does not have any official position, and in such a solemn environment, she does not dare to contradict the emperor. I can only hope for the Emperor Shengming, but it will take some time to make a decision.

……

"Let's tell us what to do about this southwest matter." After Liu Shuzhen retreated, Lao Zhu knocked on the imperial case with a gloomy face and spoke.

Ma Ye's fake rumor was sparse, this matter was almost a certainty, and Lao Zhu was extremely unhappy in his heart. But this person is a relative of Queen Ma, and Lao Zhu didn't have the first reaction to dispose of this person. Besides, if you want to say that the Shuixi tribes gathered under Guiyang City, there is absolutely no objection, and he doesn't believe it.

But it doesn't matter what the merits are...... The important thing is how to do it in the benefit of the Ming court.

The martial arts generals represented by Feng Sheng, the Duke of Song, and Geng Bingwen, the Marquis of Changxing, have always taken tough measures against the southwest issue, and Geng Bingwen, the Marquis of Changxing, said: "Your Majesty, there are frequent chaos in the southwest, if you don't show your authority, where is the majesty of the imperial court?" ”

"First Sizhou, then Guizhou...... I explicitly allow Tusi autonomy, not to make it a country of its own. If you let it go, is the southwest still the land of my Ming Dynasty? ”

Feng Sheng, the Duke of Song, also said: "Your Majesty, when I waited for the previous peace in Yunnan, the soldiers were strong, and these Tusi were forced by my great power, so they chose to join them." But in terms of his own heart, he may not be truly loyal to my Ming court. ”

"Now there are rebellions in Sizhou and Guizhou one after another, and there are also chaos in the Wusa Department in Yunnan, which is the proof that these southwestern barbarians harbor dissent to my Ming Dynasty!"

"I want to conquer the four seas, how can I not go through the southwest? If the southwest is not appeased, how will Annam, Siam, Champa and other countries be subdued in the future? ”

Therefore, the minister believes that the southwest should be re-pacified with the momentum of thunder, so as to calm the southwest heart of our court. The imperial court temporarily suspended the war and wanted to stabilize the country first. Aren't the many toasts in the southwest the most unstable factor in my Ming Dynasty today? ”

After Feng Sheng finished speaking, Lao Zhu's face did not move, but he was actually quite moved in his heart. The matter of Shuixi was a good opportunity for the imperial court to send troops to intervene in Yungui. In the past, the Northern Yuan Dynasty was not appeased, and the imperial court's military salaries were also insufficient, so it was the best way to accept the Tusi of the various ministries and allow them to be autonomous.

But this time is different from the past, now that the imperial court soldiers are full of food, Lao Zhu does not mind taking the southwest into his hands for future generations.

"Ru Yu, passing through the southwest, it's your suggestion, what do you think?" Lao Zhu asked Ru Yu of the Ministry of War.

The generals listened to the meaning, but the opinions of the civil officials could not be ignored.

“…… Be. Ru Yu hesitated for a moment, but still stepped out and said: "What Song Guogong and Changxing Marquis said, the minister thinks it is very reasonable. ”

"However, the terrain in the southwest is complex, and the smoke miasma is rampant. If the soldiers rise, I am afraid that it will be difficult to ...... for a while It is difficult to strike quickly. ”

"You must know that according to Your Majesty's wishes, the southwest is a small matter, and the south is the real purpose of my Ming Dynasty...... In case of using troops in the southwest, there is no appeasement for a while, and a good opportunity to be in the south of Ping'an is missed, then it will be more than worth the loss. Please also ask Your Majesty to make a clear decision......"

Ru Yu spoke very slowly, and while speaking, she thought about it, and it was easy to come up with a reason for saying the past. He was naturally opposed to the mobilization of troops in Annam, and unlike the generals, the generals wished that the emperor would announce the lifting of the cultivation policy and use troops everywhere again, otherwise, where would their military exploits come from? For this reason, how can they care about the merits, which is also the reason why Ma Ye is sure that the generals will stand on the same front with him.

The civil officials are different, they care more about seeking progress in stability, as well as the pros and cons of the court and themselves, Ru Yu is the secretary of the military department, and he knows how much grain and grass needs to be allocated if the court uses troops in mountainous areas like the southwest.

Moreover, the situation in the southwest is far from eroding, and it is a prudent strategy to slowly figure it out.

However, now in the court, the voice of the martial artists is much higher than that of the literati, and Ru Yu did not dare to speak directly about the absurdity of Feng Sheng's words, but chose a reason for saying the past.

But Ru Taisu, who has always been an artillery fight, is not so polite. He was suffocated and suffocated, and when he heard Ru Yu say such a bullshit reason, he couldn't help but say: "Why did Ru Shangshu care about him?" Is it possible to cover up for that Ma Ye? ”

"With all due respect, that Ma Ye is really a shameless person without a king, a father, and the old minister doesn't know what His Majesty is still hesitating about. Killing Ma Ye alone can appease the heart of Qiandi Tusi, what is Your Majesty hesitating about? ”

(End of chapter)