After the court meeting, the emperor did not summon any members of the listening office, and only called Zhang Zhou to the Qianqing Palace.

Even after Zhang Zhou arrived at the Qianqing Palace, even the eunuchs of the ceremonial eunuch were dismissed, and it was simply a separate conversation between the monarch and the minister.

"Bingkuan, what I'm worried about is that there are no generals available in Liaodong, just based on Lu Wan, who you recommended, the ability he has shown during his time in Liaodong is acceptable, but if you count on the chief military officer...... Or it is better to use some veterans with deep roots in Liaodong. ”

Zhu Youzhu is obviously not at ease with Zhang Heling.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Your Majesty, it is better to hand over the use of troops and other matters in this battle to Lu Wan, the governor of Liaodong, to dispatch, Your Majesty does not need to worry too much about this." ”

Even Zhang Zhou felt that the emperor was probably addicted to "strategizing for a decisive battle thousands of miles away", and he wanted to decide everything by him and his Bingkuan, and the soldiers in each border town could find the right way to implement it.

But he ignored that no matter how awesome the big strategy is, the key is to see the on-the-spot performance of the front-line generals.

"Alas! Bingkuan, am I thinking too much? Zhu Youzhi said with a ruddy face, "Suddenly, there is another war in the north, and I somehow feel extremely excited, which I have never experienced before." As a king, I always thought that as long as I could do my part with peace of mind, I never thought that there would be such a magnificent time...... Lu Wan, it should be possible, right? ”

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the use of military affairs is still handed over to the border governors and generals, Your Majesty can relax and watch them behave on their own." ”

"Okay, okay."

Zhu Youji's heart is probably restless.

From a king who is unenterprising, only emphasizing benevolence, righteousness and etiquette, to a king who expands his territory, this psychological change makes him unbearable.

used to be a noodle melon, but now I want to be an iron-blooded tough guy...... Psychologically, there is also a process of adaptation.

……

……

Zhang Zhou went to teach Zhu Houzhao.

When Xiao Jing came back, he saw that the emperor had been playing to all parts of Liaodong, especially when he mentioned Lu Wan and Zhang Heling's performances, and he was stunned.

He said tentatively: "Your Majesty, when the slave maid went to the cabinet before, I saw Liu Ge Lao and Li Ge Lao, and the two of them had some opinions on the next battle in Liaodong. ”

Liu Jian and Li Dongyang lacked a direct channel of communication with the emperor, and the emperor's attitude in the court was too resolute, so they could only use Xiao Jing as a channel to send messages in private.

"What did they say?" Under the court, Zhu Youji's attitude was really much calmer.

Xiao Jing said: "It was proposed by Li Gelao, and it should also be guarded against, Tatar used troops in Ningxia, and there is also the possibility of luring my Ming army to attack in Liaodong, this is ...... It may be a trap set by the little prince of Tatar. ”

"Oh?" Zhu Youzhu frowned.

Originally, the emperor had already begun to be unsettled about the initiative to send troops to Liaodong, and the cabinet brought by Xiao Jing was almost adding fuel to the fire.

Xiao Jing hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the slave maid doesn't have any opinion on this, Li Ge Lao intended, after the Tatars used troops north of Liaodong, they immediately sent troops from Ningxia, this move was too deliberate, or the main force of the little Tatar prince did not arrive in Ningxia, but waited for the Ming soldiers and horses to go out of the customs in ambush...... From the point of view of the slave maid, if there is a capable person like Mr. Zhang to lead the troops out of the fortress, the Tatars may retreat without a fight, but if they only send the little-known Lu Wan......"

Zhu Youzhu squinted and said, "You still say that you don't have an opinion?" ”

"Yes...... It's the slave who lost her word. "At a critical time, Xiao Jing showed strong support for the cabinet's opinions.

In the end, the person who holds the right to speak in the court of public opinion, and even the person who has the authority to record the history books, is an orthodox Wenchen, no matter how great Zhang Zhou's credit is, as long as the Wenchen does not admit it, everything will be in vain.

Zhu Youzhu said: "There must be a reason for using troops, not just saying a few words, it may be a trap, so we will postpone the dispatch of troops." Could it be that the Batu Munk people are still north of Liaodong, and the Ming Dynasty will never send troops? When Duoyan Sanwei and Batu Munk fought before, the talk of sending troops to the DPRK was just casual talk? ”

Xiao Jing said: "What Your Majesty said is extremely true. The slave maid just wanted to say that he had to guard against the treachery of the Tatars. ”

"Alright, stand down." Zhu Youzhu said, "In the past two days, the Shangting Office has sent people to the palace to take turns on duty, and the movement of the troops, no matter how late it is, and no matter where I stay, it must be transmitted in time. I will personally dispatch it, and all information will be reported to me in every detail. ”

Xiao Jingxin said, what's going on? Do you want to dispatch it yourself? Didn't you just say that you should hand it over to Zhang Bingkuan?

Zhu Youzhu got up and said: "Sending troops to attack Weininghai before was just a small test, and now this battle is the battle that can fight the majesty of the Ming Dynasty." It's a pity that Bingkuan and Zhijie are not in Liaodong, but since Bingkuan believes in that Lu Wan, I can only believe him unconditionally! ”

……

……

"Lu Wan? All right? His Majesty relies on him so much, but he has no experience in leading troops, no matter how strong his ability is, can the people below be convinced? ”

In the room where the master of ceremonies was on duty, Wei Bin was still worried about Zhang Zhou's use of Lu Wan.

He seems to have made peace with Zhang Zhou, but if such a big cake is handed over, how can he be willing?

Xiao Jing looked at Chen Kuan, who was silent on the side, Dai Yi has basically retired because of illness in the past two days, and whether Dai Yi can come back is another matter.

Xiao Jing knew that in the future, he would probably be the eunuch of the master of ceremonies, and he was currently the chief eunuch of Bingbi, so his speech was much heavier than before.

He said: "Your Majesty believes in Mr. Zhang, what else can I say?" In addition to support, can you have other thoughts? ”

While secretly helping Li Dongyang and others deliver messages to the emperor, he seemed to be very supportive of Zhang Zhou.

Wei Bin asked tentatively: "Dare to ask, if Lu Wan's use of troops is not smooth, how should Your Majesty deal with him?" Even if you are a god, there will be times when you look away, right? ”

"Huh." Xiao Jing smiled, "That's not the one you want to talk about after Lu Wan's defeat?" ”

Wei Bin said: "Then should I expect Lu Wan to be like Wang Dehua and Wang Bo'an, and have made achievements in Liaodong, or do I hope that he is mediocre?" ”

This brings us to the question of position.

I hope he is good, so he will naturally help him secretly, and Wei Bin still has a lot of influence in Liaodong.

Whether it's helping or secretly stumbling, he can help.

Xiao Jing said with emotion: "Sometimes, our family is also thinking that this government and the opposition are all relying on one person, relying on heaven to plan things, so that the Ming border is stable, and it is not all good things. Your Majesty listens to only one person and does not listen to the rest of the government and the opposition, which is a sign that you have the power to rebel against the country. ”

"Father-in-law Xiao, be cautious." Chen Kuan, who had been silent, reminded.

Xiao Jing said: "We people, as vassals around His Majesty, Your Majesty's good is good for us, if you don't know the truth of good medicine just to cater to you, even if you go to the underworld, what face do you have to face the emperors of the Ming Dynasty?" ”

Chen Kuan said helplessly: "Having said that, so far, what Mr. Zhang has done has been for the benefit of the country and the people. ”

"But people's hearts change." Xiao Jing said, "Who knows if he will seek personal gain in the future?" Of course, you can't say these things in the open, you know? ”

He also gave Wei Bin a look between words.

Roughly speaking, if you want to secretly make some trouble for Lu Wan, I don't object to it, but we can't say it on the surface, lest there be an anti-water person among the three of us.

Anyway, whatever you do, I support you.

Wei Bin took a breath and said: "If the new governor and the chief soldier and others have just arrived in the town, everything has not yet adapted, and they want to send troops directly, it is inevitable that there will be many twists and turns, and there will also be discord between the generals and commanders." It's all human nature. ”

Xiao Jing understood as soon as he heard it, and Wei Bin also understood what he meant.

Can't let Lu Wan send troops in Liaodong too smoothly this time, if Zhang Zhou casually recommends individuals, he can achieve a great victory strategically, so why do you need the ministers of the DPRK and China? Why do you want these "internal ministers" to be the celebrant and the celebrant supervisor? The court just watched Zhang Zhouren's performance, right?

Now it's not directly stumbling on Zhang Zhou.

Even if Lu Wan really did not use his troops smoothly and the emperor replaced Lu Wan, the impact on Zhang Zhou would not be too great, at most, it would make people feel that Zhang Zhou's vision was not so accurate every time.

Chen Kuan said: "Some things, I'm afraid they won't be as the two of you expected, this measure is difficult to control." ”

Just say, you two are playing with fire.

Liaodong sent troops is the emperor's intention, to help Lu Wan win, this is our people's business, you still want to make trouble for Lu Wan? If it's just that Lu Wan's troops don't go well, it's okay to say.

In case of any big defeat, even if the Ming Dynasty sent troops to not even clean up the disabled Duoyan Sanwei, but was cleaned up by them, it would affect the battle situation in the entire border area of the Ming Dynasty.

"Huh." Xiao Jing smiled.

He seemed to think that Chen Kuan was very naïve.

Even those top civil servants, who keep saying that they are righteous for the court, most of the time they also value selfish interests more than their family and country, but now you let us eunuchs who have no roots talk about righteousness?

Xiao Jing's style of acting is closer to the black-bellied Wenchen, and when it is profitable, he will naturally get very close to Zhang Zhou, and he will do his best to do his best.

But once he is allowed to take power by himself, and he feels that Zhang Zhou's proposal to establish a Shangting Office is aimed at him, the future celebrant and eunuch, then he will inevitably make a reverse move.

……

……

"You can't rely on Zhang Yong in this battle, right?"

Zhang Zhou is about to kiss.

In Zhang Zhou's new house, that is, the Jingshi mansion left by Li Guang, Zhang Zhou received Lin Han, who was resting that day, and after the old and young sat down, Lin Han naturally mentioned the possible war in Liaodong.

Although Lin Han is not a member of the Upper Listening Department, and as the left attendant of the Ministry of Officials, he has no pressure to share the affairs of the Military Department, but he is an old-fashioned academic pedant who likes to teach people and like to use his way to change other people's minds.

Lin Han heard Zhang Zhou's proposal to send troops in the court, and naturally felt that Zhang Zhou's plan was full of loopholes.

First of all, it is difficult for Lu Wan and Zhang Heling, the two newly appointed top civilian and military commanders, to be of great use.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Lin Shilang, do you know how many new artillery pieces can be transferred from Liaodong now?" ”

"This ......" Of course Lin Han didn't know.

Zhang Zhou asked himself and replied: "Six hundred doors." ”

"That's a lot." Lin Han has participated in artillery exercises and other things, and has seen the power of artillery, so he naturally feels that 600 artillery pieces are okay in terms of number and strength.

Zhang Zhou asked with a smile: "Then Ruolin Shilang, you are the little prince of Tatar, knowing that it was Wang Qiong or Wang Shouren who sent troops in the Ming Dynasty, with 600 artillery pieces and 20,000 or 30,000 elite soldiers, will you go to war head-on?" ”

"This ......" Lin Han hesitated again, and then he shook his head, "Most likely he will avoid it, right?" ”

"I also think so, in fact, I am also thinking, in the future, there will be more Ming artillery, shells and firearms are almost equipped with the whole army, and they will go out of the fortress to fight head-on with the Tatars, but I am afraid that the Tatars will not give this kind of opportunity, they will definitely take advantage of the depth of the grassland, hide with the Ming people, until the Ming people are sleepy and tired of retreating, and then take the opportunity to harass, and even do not show up from beginning to end."

Zhang Zhou's attitude was quite relaxed.

Lin Han said: "So, you will find a few people who seem incompetent to lead the troops?" ”

"yes." Zhang Zhou didn't hide it at all.

This made Lin Han speechless, he slapped the table and said: "You obviously went to fight Duoyan Sanwei, and even the soldiers and horses went deep into the grassland, but you ignored the lives of the soldiers in the border town of Daming, and used incompetent generals to lead the troops, ...... You ......"

The old pedant wants to teach people, but suddenly he doesn't know what to say.

If you want to scold hard, this is your future son-in-law, and you won't be able to deal with it in the future? What if this son-in-law doesn't let himself see his daughter in the future...... Aren't you making trouble for yourself because of your words?

As for the scolding, he felt that he had violated his ethics as a Confucian minister.

Zhang Zhou poured a cup of tea for Lin Han with a smile and said, "Lin Shilang is angry, who said that Lu Wan is an incompetent handsome?" And who knew that Shou Ninghou was an incompetent general? ”

"Just them? One has never been a governor, has never led troops into battle, and the other is ...... Alas! ”

When it comes to Zhang Heling, Lin Han doesn't know how to describe it.

As for Zhang Heling's goods, are you embarrassed to go to the battlefield? It's good to go to the battlefield and not help.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Does Lin Shilang know how many new cannons can be deployed on the three sides now?" ”

Lin Han said impatiently: "There are 600 gates in Liaodong, and there should always be more than 2,000 gates on the three sides, right?" ”

Zhang Zhou shook his head with a smile and said, "Not even two hundred doors." ”

"What?" Lin Han stood up suddenly, with an incredulous expression.

The focus of the Ming Dynasty's defense is on the three sides, but there are few new artillery on the three sides, and Liaodong is only an insignificant place in Lin Han's opinion, and it is a group of incompetent tribes making trouble there, but they arrange six hundred cannons?

Zhang Zhoudao: "Let's put it this way, since I took over the defense of the Nine Frontiers, my defense focus has never been on the three sides. The land of the three sides seems to be controlled by me, and Qin Zhitai is also polite to me, but his behavior is old, and he does not accept some of my new ideas, he does not advocate that the Ming Dynasty take the initiative to send troops, but more wants to settle the people in Tuntian and build a fortress. ”

Lin Han sat down and turned his head to the side: "Qin Shiying is such a person, you can't change it." ”

"Hmm." Zhang Zhou empathized and said, "Since I can't change it, how can you expect me to launch troops from three sides in the future?" I asked Qin Zhitai to send troops to the grassland, will he listen to me? ”

Lin Han said: "You can mention it to Your Majesty." ”

Zhang Zhou shook his head again: "It is impossible for Your Majesty to hand over the defense of the Nine Frontiers to me alone, the Qin Hongren are on the three sides, which can stabilize the morale of the army and make the Tatars dare not go deep rashly, this is all effective, and his ability to govern the army and secure the people is far above me...... He wanted Tuntian Anmin to build a fortress, which was not bad in itself. ”

Lin Han realized that Zhang Zhou looked arbitrary, but he was actually very thoughtful.

"On the other hand, Liaodong is full of jackals, in addition to North Korea and the Jurchens, there are also grassland tribes such as Duoyan Sanwei, and Liaodong has experienced the battle of Ningyuan, and the soldiers have a higher acceptance of new firearms in their hearts. In addition, now that Duoyan Sanwei has been disabled by the little prince of Tatar, my Ming Dynasty has the opportunity to send troops, and if I don't send troops from Liaodong at this time, where will it come from? ”

Zhang Zhou gave his reasons.

Lin Han asked, "Have you mentioned these words to Your Majesty?" ”

Zhang Zhoudao: "Some have mentioned it, and some still have to wait for the results to be heard." Otherwise, I'm afraid that Your Majesty will not be willing to accept it. ”

"Alas!"

Lin Han sighed.

From the reaction in front of his eyes, Zhang Zhou realized that Lin Han looked old-fashioned, but in fact, he was still very open-minded.

When Lin Han felt that he was unreasonable, he would also bow his head, unlike those upright ministers in the court, who were obviously groundless, only kept the so-called traditional concepts, and were still fighting in the court.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Then Lin Shilang, look, if Da Ming pushes 600 flowering cannons, more than 10,000 cannons are ejected, and there are more than 1,000 modified old cannons, as well as more than 50,000 ordinary cannonballs, plus about 10,000 firearms, is it possible for the disabled Duoyan Sanwei to fall in the wind?" ”

"Hmm."

Lin Han nodded.

It's scary to listen to.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "Therefore, the key is not how many soldiers and horses there are, nor who leads the troops, but whether there are many cannons and whether there are enough shells." As for the person who commands the army, as long as the ability is about the same, and the army does not encounter too many obstacles, then the great thing can be accomplished. If you have to use the so-called 'famous generals' who can boost the morale of the military, I don't think the results are much better. Because I intersected with Zhu Zhijie, I didn't think he had any ability. ”

Zhang Zhou expressed it so easily, and expressed the most critical thoughts to Lin Han in simple terms.

In the future, the Ming Dynasty will make contributions to the grassland, not in cultivating famous generals, but in casting more artillery and shells, as well as firearms.

With this, even the most ordinary general can lead Daming to a big victory.

On the contrary, those who are famous or something will become an additional burden on the battlefield and will not have any positive effect.

……

……

"With the boss of the Zhang family?"

Inside the Qingning Palace.

Empress Dowager Zhou learned from her grandson that Liaodong planned to use Zhang Heling as the chief military officer, and she almost turned her back in one breath.

Really...... The sword goes sideways.

Zhu Youzhu said: "My grandson doesn't know how Heling's ability reminds me now, but since I went to the northwest with Bingkuan, I think there should be progress." ”

Empress Dowager Zhou said with a displeased face: "No matter how much progress he makes, he is not qualified to lead the troops!" If he is just asked to be named as the chief military officer and guard a corner, then it is just that, let him ...... Going out with troops? Emperor, the foundation of the Ming Dynasty is important. ”

Zhu Youzhu shook his head and said: "Actually, my grandson is also thinking about it, or something is wrong, but Bingkuan has recommended so many people, and I don't think I will look away." He wants to use Crane Age, so naturally he has his reasons. ”

(End of chapter)