As night fell, Hu Zongxian was in his mansion in the capital.

With the approach of the triennial plan of the imperial court, the minds of those officials who have a way in the court are gradually lively.

And hit the idea on Hu Zongxian, the official who had just taken office.

After all, their promotions and stays are all in the thoughts of Hu Zongxian, a "heavenly official", so they can't be allowed to deal with it carelessly.

For this reason, the threshold of Hu Zongxian's house is about to be broken, and there is an endless stream of officials who come to visit him every day, and the invitations to invite Hu Zongxian to the banquet alone are piled up more than one person high.

At the moment, in the study.

Hu Zongxian seized this rare leisure, sat behind the bookcase, and looked at the books in his hand intently.

At this moment, I heard a slight knock on the door.

Seeing this, Hu Zongxian put aside the books in his hand and commanded in a deep voice: "Come in!" ”

As the words fell, the door of the room was pushed open, and the butler walked in with slight steps, leaned down, and respectfully reported: "Old ...... Sir, someone has come to invite you to a banquet, look ......"

Before the butler's words were finished, Hu Zongxian waved his hand impatiently, and commanded: "Okay, tell them, just say that the official is in poor health, and he will not participate in any banquets in the near future, so let them not send invitations again!" ”

After receiving Hu Zongxian's specific instructions, the housekeeper immediately leaned down and responded respectfully: "Yes, master, the little one will do it!" ”

After the housekeeper left, I saw Hu Zongxian sigh helplessly, and said with emotion: "You have me, I have you, and everything in this world is bad here!" ”

After finishing his emotion, Hu Zongxian's mind couldn't help but emerge that when he met Jiajing alone, he was tested by Jiajing as mentioned.

"Alas, I hope that when the time comes, the examination method implemented by His Majesty will be able to improve the situation as much as possible!"

After Hu Zongxian finished speaking, he picked up the books on the bookcase again and browsed them without distraction.

For the triennial plan of the imperial court, Hu Zongxian, as a secretary of the ministry, naturally did not dare to slack off, and at the same time, he also wanted to do his part to let those who have great talents not be buried.

Therefore, Hu Zongxian took precautions for his subordinates as early as possible, and used the officials' political achievements, talents, conduct, age, and competence as the evaluation criteria when they performed their duties.

In the eyes of those subordinates, Hu Zongxian had just served as the secretary of the ministry, and it coincided with the triennial plan of the imperial court, so he must have attached great importance to this matter.

There is a saying that there are three fires for new officials to take office, and no one wants this fire to burn on themselves.

Therefore, in recent years, except for Hu Zongxian, the secretary of the ministry, all officials who have the right to participate in the assessment have chosen to close their doors.

Hu Zongxian's identity as a secretary of the ministry alone can make the vast majority of officials in the DPRK and the central government tremble as if they were walking on thin ice.

Not to mention, his teacher is still Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet who has been in charge of the government for more than 20 years!

It can be said that if anyone accidentally offends Hu Zongxian, it is a trivial matter to cut off his career, and the key is that it is easy to lose his life!

After all, with Hu Zongxian's current identity, some people want to rush to him.

Just then, there was a rush of footsteps from outside, followed by a knock on the door.

Seeing this, Hu Zongxian couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, and commanded: "Come in!" ”

When the words fell, I heard a 'squeak', and the door of the room was pushed open, and then, I saw a servant walk in quickly, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Old ...... Master, someone has come to the palace, and he is waiting in the hall right now! ”

"It's all this time, what is Your Majesty sending someone to do, could it be that there is something to order?"

Hu Zongxian thought so, and a trace of doubt flashed on his face.

Then, I saw Hu Zongxian suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, looked in the direction where the slave was, and commanded: "Well, I know, you go down!" ”

Seeing that the task of his trip had been successfully completed, a look of relief flashed on his face, and he lowered his head and replied respectfully, "Yes, sir!" ”

After the servant left, I saw Hu Zongxian slowly get up from the chair and leave the study.

……

When Hu Zongxian came to the hall where the guests were entertained, he suddenly found that the person who came was not a stranger.

The person who came was the old eunuch who came to convey the holy decree when Hu Zongxian was still in Zhejiang, serving as the governor of Zhejiang and the governor of Zhejiang.

At this moment, the old eunuch was still wearing the same red clothes as before, but the wrinkles on his face seemed to have increased slightly.

Seeing Hu Zongxian coming, the old eunuch hurriedly put down the teacup in his hand, got up from the seat, bowed to Hu Zongxian, and said, "See...... I've seen Hu Ge Lao! ”

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he bowed slightly to the old eunuch, and then sat on the main seat by himself, and said with a smile: "Father-in-law doesn't have to be so polite, we are old acquaintances!" ”

When the old eunuch heard Hu Zongxian's words, a trace of panic couldn't help but appear on his face.

If Hu Zongxian is still the governor of Zhejiang and the governor of Zhejiang, then he can still chat with Hu Zongxian as before.

But now, Hu Zongxian's identity has changed, he is not only a secretary of the ministry, but also a cabinet elder, and he is more trusted by His Majesty.

Now Hu Zongxian has become an existence that the old eunuch needs to look up to, so he doesn't dare to talk to Hu Zongxian with his previous attitude.

Then, I saw an embarrassed smile on the old eunuch's face, and he responded very respectfully: "Yes, yes!" ”

Hu Zongxian took in the expression on the old eunuch's face, and shook his head imperceptibly, Hu Zongxian at this time had no interest in continuing to chat.

Then, I saw Hu Zongxian turn his gaze to the old eunuch and choose to go straight to the topic: "Dare to ask my father-in-law why he came this time?" ”

When the old eunuch heard Hu Zongxian's words, he didn't dare to hide it in the slightest, and immediately responded respectfully: "Elder Hu Ge, please go with our family to Your Majesty's side, Your Majesty has something to look for you!" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he got up from the seat, arched his hand to the old eunuch, and then said, "I'm tired of my father-in-law!" ”

Seeing this, the old eunuch hurriedly returned the salute to Hu Zongxian: "Elder Hu Ge doesn't have to be so polite, our family is just passing the word for His Majesty!" ”

"Without further ado, let's go now, so as not to make His Majesty wait in a hurry!"

"Hmm."

After this, I saw Hu Zongxian take the sedan chair that had been prepared long ago and march in the direction where the Forbidden City is located.

……

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, Jiajing was playing Go with Lu Fang for the first time in a long time, and chatted a few gossips from time to time.

Hearing only a 'click' sound, Jiajing turned his gaze to Lu Fang and asked with interest after dropping the black chess in his hand onto the chessboard.

"Oh, Lu Fang, are you saying that recently, the officials who came to visit Hu Zongxian were about to break the threshold of his house?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, he pondered for a long time and dropped the white chess pieces in his hand into the chessboard before he replied.

"That's right, it won't be long before it will be the triennial plan of the imperial court, and every time it comes to this time, there will always be some moths in the court!"

After Jiajing finished speaking, he dropped the black chess piece in his hand.

At this moment, I saw the guide eunuch step into the Qianqing Palace, leaned down, and respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, Hu Ge has arrived!" ”

After listening to the report of the eunuch, Jiajing nodded, and commanded: "Well, I know, let him in!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After receiving Jiajing's specific instructions, the guide eunuch did not stay for too long, but turned to leave.

After that, I saw Lu Fang's index finger pinching the white chess, and after thinking about it for a long time, he dropped the chess pieces in his hand.

Soon after the chess pieces fell, I saw Lu Fang's face full of chagrin, and said to himself: "It's over, you shouldn't make this move!" ”

Hearing this, Jiajing turned his gaze to the chessboard, and the chess piece that Lu Fang had just dropped inadvertently blocked the way of life for the white chess.

Jiajing naturally saw Lu Fang's thoughts, but he didn't point it out.

Then, I saw Jiajing raise his head, glance over Lu Fang's body, and said with emotion: "You, you!" ”

When the words fell, I saw Jiajing drop the black chess in his hand, and the whole chess game came to an end, ending with Jiajing's victory.

Then, I saw Jiajing wave his hand, and the eunuch who was waiting on the side immediately stepped forward and carefully put away the chessboard.

After a while, I saw Hu Zongxian enter the Qianqing Palace under the guidance of the eunuchs.

After Hu Zongxian entered the Qianqing Palace, he subconsciously looked at Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair at the moment, and knelt on the ground with a 'plop', and said in a deep voice: "Weichen knocks on Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!" ”

When Jiajing heard this, he gently rubbed the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, and after looking Hu Zongxian up and down, he commanded: "Well, get up!" ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After getting Jiajing's consent, Hu Zongxian slowly got up from the ground.

After this, I saw Jiajing withdraw his gaze from Hu Zongxian's body, and joked with a smile: "Hu Zongxian, I heard that the officials who visited the door recently are about to break the threshold of your house, is there such a thing?" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, a touch of embarrassment couldn't help but appear on his face, and after hesitating for a moment, he responded respectfully.

"Your Majesty, there is indeed such a thing, right now, the triennial plan of the imperial court is coming, and there are many officials who ask people to find Weichen to intercede, hoping to raise their noble hands."

"But Wechen has ordered that this assessment will be judged by the official's performance when he performs his duties, his talents, conduct, age, and competency!"

When Jiajing heard Hu Zongxian's words, he nodded imperceptibly, and then asked next: "Hu Zongxian, you have been working in the capital from Zhejiang for a while, how do you feel, and are you still used to it?" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he immediately leaned down and replied without thinking: "Thanks to Your Majesty's care, Weichen is quite used to it!" ”

When Jiajing heard this, he nodded, then turned around, looked at the eunuch on the side, and commanded: "Come on, give a seat!" ”

As soon as Jiajing's words fell, a eunuch soon stepped forward, prepared a seat for Hu Zongxian, and put a cushion on it.

"Sit down!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he didn't excuse himself, he sat down on the chair directly, and the whole person sat upright, not daring to make the slightest move.

……

After this, I saw Jiajing looking in the direction where Hu Zongxian was, and said quite seriously: "Before this, I had two major disasters in the Ming Dynasty, and now, the southern Japanese and northern Tartars have been eliminated, and I feel that it is time to put the elimination of the Tartars on the agenda!" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, his face was full of shock, according to the emperor's intentions, he should have made a move against Altan Khan of the Tumut Department.

After all, the Gengxu change that happened in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing slapped Daming and His Majesty in the face.

"It seems that Your Majesty has made up his mind to start a war with Altan Khan!"

Just when Hu Zongxian was so emotional, he saw Jiajing order someone to bring a map, and got up from the dragon chair to introduce the current situation to Hu Zongxian.

"Before this, the imperial court defeated the Zasaktu Khan who led an army of 30,000 to plunder on the outskirts of Jizhou, and captured him alive, and now, the left-wing Chahar tribe under his rule has been controlled by my Ming Dynasty!"

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he confirmed to Jiajing: "Your Majesty, if Weichen is not mistaken, it was Yang Xuan, the governor of Jiliao, who led the army to defeat Tumaihan in the first place, right?" ”

Hearing this, Jiajing nodded, and then continued to add: "Well, that's right, in this battle, more than 26,000 enemies were annihilated, more than 16,000 war horses were captured, and countless cattle, sheep and livestock!" ”

After this, I saw Jiajing withdraw his gaze from Hu Zongxian's body, and asked: "Hu Zongxian, do you know why this battle went so smoothly?" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he knew that Jiajing had the intention of taking the school examination, and after thinking about it for a long time, he replied cautiously.

"Your Majesty, according to the news that Weichen received, the reason why this battle will go so smoothly is because our side firmly occupies the right time and place, set up an ambush in advance, and combine the inside and the outside, so that Tumaihan was caught off guard!"

When Jiajing heard this, he waved his hand and motioned for Hu Zongxian to continue.

After Hu Zongxian received Jiajing's consent, he continued: "Second, because of the benefits of weapons, Weichen heard that on the side of the Weapons Division, there is a new weapon called grenade, which is very powerful!" ”

"And this new weapon, is from His Majesty's conception, the whole grenade will be divided into two parts, the lower part, made of wood, easy to throw, and the upper part, is used to hold black powder, and even in the grenade there are iron sand and even ceramic fragments, to increase its lethality!"

When Hu Zongxian said this, his face was full of admiration, and he saw him bow to the ground with a 'plop', and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty's ingenuity, even if Lu Ban is alive, it is unattainable, please accept the bows of the minister!" ”

For Hu Zongxian's sycophancy, Jiajing seemed to be very useful, only to see him glance over Hu Zongxian's body, and commanded: "Well, get up!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Hu Zongxian got up from the ground, Jiajing continued the previous topic.

"Not long ago, the Ordnance Division successfully imitated a batch of flintlock pistols, this kind of weapon, whether it is range, power, or reliability, is far stronger than those old arquebuses installed in the army!"

"Coupled with the assistance of paper shell bullets, its loading speed has been greatly improved, it can be said that the reason why the imperial court was able to take Banzhou so quickly is that these new weapons have contributed a lot!"

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, although he was very calm on the surface, he had already set off an uproar in his heart.

"According to Your Majesty's intentions, the imperial court's attack on Banzhou this time is to completely eradicate the Yang clan and implement the policy of changing the land and returning the land to the local area, and secondly, to use Banzhou as a testing ground to test these new weapons?"

Then, I saw Hu Zongxian suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and after organizing the language, he cautiously asked Jiajing.

"Wei Chen wants to ask Your Majesty, how do new weapons like flintlock pistols and paper shell bullets perform on the battlefield?"

Jiajing took in the expression on Hu Zongxian's face, raised his eyebrows, and responded: "Feng Yue mentioned in his letter to me that these new weapons are not only powerful, but also quite practical!

Jiajing paused for a moment when he said this, and then continued to add: "At present, the Weapons Division has begun to mass-produce these weapons, and it is expected that they will soon be able to be installed in my Ming army. ”

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, his face was full of excitement that could not be concealed, and he saw him arch his hand to Jiajing, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty Shengming, with the help of these new weapons, my Ming Dynasty will definitely have the upper hand in the war with Altan Khan in the future!" ”

Then, I saw Jiajing withdraw his gaze from Hu Zongxian's body, and asked: "Hu Aiqing, as a secretary of the ministry, do you have a suitable person to recommend to me?" ”

When Jiajing's words fell, I saw Hu Zongxian bow his head and speak without thinking: "Your Majesty, Wechen does have a suitable candidate, Wechen wants to recommend to Your Majesty, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou!" ”

When Hu Zongxian said this, he couldn't respond to Jiajing, and continued: "Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou are both generals who have followed Weichen from birth to death for many years, they have a strategy, they are brave in battle, and they are very good at using soldiers!" ”

"The army under Qi Jiguang has strict military discipline, orders and prohibitions, and extremely strong combat effectiveness, which is not inferior to my Ming Dynasty's nine-sided border army, and Yu Dayou founded the chariot battalion, which is a tactic specifically for dealing with cavalry!"

After patiently listening to the reasons given by Hu Zongxian, Jiajing nodded, and commanded: "Well, since the current Japanese in the southeast coastal area have been completely swept away, it is also useless to keep these two people in Zhejiang!" ”

"I have decided to transfer them from Zhejiang to the capital, be responsible for training the troops full-time, and lead the army to the beginning of the spring of the next year, so as to complete their achievements in one battle, and completely eradicate Altan Khan, my Ming henchman!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Hu Zongxian saw that Jiajing agreed to his proposal without thinking, and his face couldn't help but flash a trace of excitement, at this moment, he couldn't wait to go out with the army next year.

After that, I only heard Jiajing's voice sound: "Hu Zongxian, you are the secretary of the ministry, and you will be responsible for the rest!" ”

"As for the official war with Altan Khan, I will raise it in public at the next cabinet meeting!"

When Hu Zongxian heard this, his expression immediately turned grim, and he responded in a deep voice: "Obey Your Majesty's orders, and Weichen will definitely live up to Your Majesty's trust!" ”

After getting Hu Zongxian's assurance, Jiajing waved his hand and commanded: "Okay, it's not too early, let's do this today!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty, Weichen will retire!"

After Hu Zongxian finished speaking, after bowing to Jiajing, he left the Qianqing Palace.

……

After Hu Zongxian left the Qianqing Palace, he saw Jiajing turn around, look at Lu Fang on the side, and asked: "By the way, Lu Fang, how is the printing of the relevant newspaper going on in the Information Agency recently?" ”

When Lu Fang, who was on the side, heard Jiajing's words, he immediately lowered his head and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, everything is going well with the Information Agency at present, and the third issue of Daming Daily is already in full swing printing, and after a while, it will be officially released!" ”

"In addition, the illustrations on those newspapers devoted to the people, as you have commanded before, have become more concise and interesting than ever!"

Hearing this, Jiajing nodded, and then immediately commanded: "Well, well done, Lu Fang, in short, we must let the people know that the imperial court has decided to reduce taxes for one year." ”

When Jiajing's words fell, I saw Lu Fang lean down and respond without thinking: "Obey, Your Majesty!" ”

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Jiajing glanced over Lu Fang's body, and continued to ask: "How is the body of the noble concubine Niangniang, what does the hospital say?" ”

After Jiajing's words fell, Lu Fang cautiously spoke after recalling for a long time: "Your Majesty, the imperial doctor at the Tai Hospital said that the concubine Niangniang recovered well after giving birth, and if she recuperated for a period of time, she should be able to recover!" ”

After Jiajing learned the news from Lu Fang, she nodded and said with emotion: "Well, it seems that the day when I canonize her as the queen is getting closer and closer!" ”

As soon as Hu Zongxian left the Qianqing Palace, he subconsciously raised his head and looked at the scenery in the distance.

The moon hangs in the sky like a pearl, and the bright moonlight is sprinkled on the ground at will, with the occasional breeze blowing, which makes people feel more comfortable.

At this time, Hu Zongxian, looking at the scene in front of him, couldn't help but be in a trance, and the words that Jiajing had said before kept flashing in his mind like a slide.

"Unexpectedly, Your Majesty has not forgotten that the Gengxu change that occurred in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing did not think about revenge all the time!"

"Now, my Ming treasury is full, the soldiers are strong, and the whole is united, how can this battle be invincible?"

Then, I saw Hu Zongxian subconsciously clenching his fists, and speeding up his pace, walking towards the place where the sedan chair was parked in the distance. (End of chapter)