Zhang Zhou took a piece of soldiers and horses from the Beijing camp with great fanfare, and with the coordination of Zhu Feng, marched to Jizhou.

Originally, Jizhou was not far from Beijing, and the emperor had ordered in advance to let the border towns send troops to patrol according to the actual situation, this time the military department Shangshu personally led the troops to Jizhou, which was considered to be Zhang Zhou's "example", and everyone thought that Zhang Zhou was going to Jizhou to fight a tough battle.

Probably because the emperor was afraid that Zhang Zhou would go too far and something was difficult to discuss, so he sent Zhang Zhou to the nearest military affairs of the governor of Jizhou.

Li Dongyang Mansion.

Li Dongyang came back very early in the afternoon that day, also because he had to go back to the duty room before nightfall, and when there was a war, the cabinet had to leave one person on duty at night, although the emperor now wanted to hand over military affairs and other matters to the Shangting Office, but Lu Wan and Tang Yin were still not on duty, and Wang Qiong was busy with the errand of the left servant of the household department, and now the cabinet is also fighting for power.

But before Li Dongyang could clean up, Ma Wensheng came to visit.

Li Dongyang also understood that Ma Wensheng saw that he was at home, and deliberately discussed with him in private about the affairs of the DPRK and China, and it was likely that it was related to military affairs.

If it is a side matter, Ma Wensheng can talk about it in a relatively public place, only when it comes to military affairs, or Zhang Zhou, Ma Wensheng will be so "cautious".

Inside Li Dongyang's study.

The two made a salute first, and then Li Dongyang invited Ma Wensheng to take a seat, and Ma Wensheng also expressed his intentions in the future: "...... I have heard that Zhang Bingkuan's destination is called Jizhen, but in fact, he has to go to Yongping Mansion to deal with the iron ore mines, and there are affairs related to the Inner Government, and there are even officials and deacons of the Inner Mansion who accompany him."

Marven is relatively well-informed.

Li Dongyang didn't know where Ma Wensheng's news came from, and it was not easy for him to ask directly, because it was likely that this was news from the palace, and there were many mistakes in asking, so it was better to only know the result and inquire less about the process.

Li Dongyang said: "But there are also people who have heard that Jizhou has prepared to wait for the secretary of the military department to go in person in order to complete the dispatch of troops. Liu Yu, the governor of Jizhou, and Ruan Xing, the chief soldier of Jizhou, are all waiting to welcome this military secretary."

Ma Wensheng heard that Li Dongyang seemed to have some prejudices against Liu Yu and Ruan Xing, and shook his head with a smile and said, "These two people can fight tough battles."

Liu Yu, a member of the eunuch party in history, is basically bullshit, but he was recommended by Ma Wensheng, who supervised military affairs in the border town for many years, and even relied on Jiao Fang and Liu Jin behind him in the early years of Zhengde, and became the secretary of the Ming Dynasty's military department, and even entered the cabinet.

But his ability was despised by Ma Wensheng's successor, that is, Liu Daxia, so that Liu Yu always hated Liu Daxia to the core.

As for Ruan Xing, he has been leading troops in border towns since the Chenghua years, but his combat exploits have not been prominent, and now he is only a veteran.

"Records of Filial Piety" once recorded that in the eleventh year of Hongzhi, Ruan Xing was impeached by Yanguan, of course, he was not the only one:

「…… Impeachment of the six departments and thirteen provinces: the chief military officer of Datong is the governor of Shenying, and the deputy chief soldier is the commander of Zhao Chang, and the communication with the captives is easy to use iron weapons; Ningxia Commander-in-Chief Governor Tongzhi Li Jun, occupying Tuntian; The chief military officer of Yansui is the governor of Chen Hui, who is old and ill and has no plan; The Xuanfu General Military Office is the governor of Ruan Xing, and he has no prestige; The commander-in-chief of the two Guangzhous, Fu Zhenbo, Mao Rui, the Guangying Mansion was used to deal with the brigade, and the ships were privately built to pass the descendants; The right staff generals who defended the two cities of Jinyi were all in command of Shi Yun, and they were cowardly and conspiracy to damage the army.

Please depose each of them and repeat it under the army.

It was said that Mao Rui was young and strong, and he stayed to do things. Li Jun, Chen Hui, and Ruan Xing all returned to Beijing, and Shenying Zhao Chang and Shi Yun were to be investigated and reported to the Japanese Council."

This kind of "no prestige" veteran doesn't seem to be able to count on how sharp he can be on the battlefield, but in Li Dongyang's view, this kind of person is very good at meeting each other, if Liu Yu is added, it is tantamount to giving Jizhou to Zhang Zhou.

Li Dongyang said: "Regardless of the ability of the two of them, let's just say that with Zhang Bingkuan's current prestige in the court, after he arrives in Jizhou, he will take over the military power, and the local generals in Jizhou can still compete with him? He took An Bianhou with him, and his intention to steal military affairs was very obvious."

Li Dongyang didn't believe Zhang

Zhou left the capital only to open mines.

He felt that Zhang Zhou had now obtained the military power of Xuanda, and the next step was to arrange Wang Qiong to the position of the trilateral general system, and the trilateral military affairs were also under the control of Zhang Zhou.

Then the emperor's intention to send Zhang Zhou to Jizhou is obvious.

Zhang Zhou is in order to take the military power of Jizhou in the past, and it is likely that Zhang Zhou will firmly control the military power of Liaodong in the next step.

Ma Wensheng nodded and said, "Although I am different from what you have heard, and I think the channel of the news is also credible, I don't understand whether Zhang Bingkuan is only for a few mines, whether it is necessary to go in person, or if someone is deliberately releasing some rumors to disturb the audio-visual."

The news channel is reliable, but I am afraid that the person who spreads the news will also be kept in the dark.

Unless the emperor and Zhang Zhou say it in person, and they must swear to say it, who knows what kind of medicine is sold in the gourd of the monarch and ministers?

Li Dongyang said: "Liu Yu, who has just arrived in Jizhou, has not been in charge for a long time, and judging from his recent performance, he has not controlled local military affairs, and I don't know why you respect him so much?"

Ma Wensheng said with a little emotion: "I have talked with him several times, and I feel that his military tactics are all excellent, and he has been a border politician for many years, and there has been no chaos everywhere, and the treasury has surplus, even if there is no opportunity to obtain military merits in military affairs, but before Zhang Bingkuan, the situation in various border towns is roughly the same. It is better to be able to manage military affairs than to be able to govern the people's livelihood."

Ma Wensheng explained the reason why he valued Liu Yu.

This person is very good at "coming to things", it doesn't matter whether he will fight or not, there is a set of words on paper, and before Zhang Zhou, no one had the luxury of being a governor to fight, and in the place where Liu Yu was an official, there was money and food saved after each term, as for how to save it, it was impossible to study it in detail, just this financial management ability, that was a good hand.

Li Dongyang frowned and shook his head, "If you can't even handle local government affairs well, it would be a bit ...... to expect him to take care of the affairs of the treasury Put the cart before the horse."

Ma Wensheng is old and healthy in the end, and he is a little unnoticed.

Ma Wensheng said: "If Zhang Bingkuan goes to Jizhen, if he really goes to steal military affairs, will the cabinet be prepared for this?"

Li Dongyang shook his head and said, "Originally, it was agreed that all places should not spend as much money as possible on military salaries and not transfer more manpower, but if Zhang Bingkuan went to the battlefield in person, he would be like a wolf, and he was afraid that he would have to do things everywhere. And I am most afraid that Zhang Bingkuan will use the rectification of military affairs as an excuse to wantonly cultivate forces in various border towns, if he insists on using the so-called own people, it will not hurt, after all, His Majesty supports him. But I am afraid that the conflict between the old and the new will bring chaos to the place."

"Then Zhang Bingkuan is really going for the iron mine?" Marven made two assumptions.

Don't say it to death.

Li Dongyang said: "It also depends on where he uses the mine, so far, the output of the mines everywhere has not gone through the accounts of the imperial court, and it has all become his private property...... In my estimation, no matter how much this kiln produces, there will be chaos in the land in the future. This is human nature, not determined by his Zhang Bingkuan's will."

If the output is less, the local government will definitely make trouble, thinking that Zhang Zhou has robbed the local farmland by opening a mine, and even if the mines are opened in the deep mountains and old forests, the local government will say that it is a place that is about to be reclaimed.

If the output is too much, the interests will make the local people red, and then in order to grab the profits, Zhang Zhou will be impeached for stealing the assets of the imperial court, and there will be disturbances and mining robberies between the government and the people.

It is said that there are Jinyi guards and Beijing soldiers to protect the mine, but the strong dragon does not suppress the head snake.

Li Dongyang seems to be waiting to see the excitement of the mining incident.

Ma Wensheng said: "Xishan is about to build a city, so that wood and stone will be mined around Jingshi, and it will also be transported from the south and other places to the north, and I am afraid that this will cause people's livelihood to wither. Zhang Bingkuan's move is indeed a bit too radical and goes against the way of a courtier."

Li Dongyang nodded and said, "If Ma Lao Butang really thinks so, then it should really be played together, even if it doesn't work, we must find an opportunity." No one can be invincible, everyone is waiting for him Zhang Bing

It is only in this way that His Majesty will calm down and re-examine this man and the events he presides."

"Hmm." Ma Wensheng nodded, as if he was satisfied with Li Dongyang's attitude, and he also said further plans, "Jizhen has been underpaid for many years, and there is a deficit this year, what I mean is to let the generals around the Beijing Division complain more to the imperial court, lest Your Majesty think that the soldiers are too happy." Or put pressure on the military department and the household department, on the grounds that there are many fleeing households, reduce the number of soldiers and horses stationed in the Tubao in the border towns, and then transfer some soldiers and horses from Datong to fill the shortcomings in Jizhou, Liaodong, and other places."

Li Dongyang frowned and said, "What does this mean?"

Ma Wensheng said: "Heavy defense of Gyeonggi, don't you think it's wrong Binzhi?"

Li Dongyang's brows were still tight, as if he didn't understand why Ma Wensheng proposed this.

Is it to help Liu Yu? Or is it to ensure that Jizhou and Liaodong can always stay on the side of traditional Wenchen? Or do you want to find an opportunity to increase the allocation of military salaries to Jizhou and Liaodong?

Li Dongyang was even thinking that this former secretary of the military department seemed to rely too much on that Liu Yu, right? Just by transferring military power and finances to Jizhou, what kind of big thing can be expected from such a person?

Ma Wensheng seemed to see that Li Dongyang had an opinion on this, he just smiled indifferently and said: "The old man has been in the court for a few days, and the official who uses the army that the old man admires, in addition to the governor of Xuanfu, is the governor of Jizhen, if the two of them have the opportunity to be promoted to the military department as a squire in the future, so as to stabilize the court, isn't it also a good thing?"

Li Dongyang said: "So Ma Lao Butang wants to use Liu Daxia and Liu Yu as the people who check and balance Zhang Bingkuan?"

Ma Wensheng smiled and said nothing this time.

Party disputes have always been done in secret, and there is no need to say it so obviously.

Li Dongyang took a breath, he probably understood what Ma Wendong meant, now is to create conditions for Liu Yu, so that he has the opportunity to make meritorious contributions and make political achievements, so as to be promoted to the position of the squire of the Ministry of War, cooperate with Liu Daxia, and replace Xiong Chong and Xiong Xiu, who do not act in the position of the squire of the Ministry of War.

But no matter what Li Dongyang thought, he didn't think that Liu Daxia and Liu Yu could do better than Erxiong when they got to the position of the squire of the military department.

However, Li Dongyang also realized that Ma Wensheng was making the final sprint to cultivate "successors" and "henchmen" for leaving the DPRK, and Liu Yu and Liu Daxia would be the "political legacy" left by Ma Wensheng after he retired.

"Your business, I will discuss it with Elder Liu Ge when I go back next time." Li Dongyang did not refuse Ma Wensheng, after all, the secretary and the cabinet are still allies, so there is no need to hurt himself and be angry.

Ma Wensheng said with a smile: "If you have something to do in the future, let's talk about it more, recently the official has always participated in the impeachment of me for being old and deaf, and I also want to ask for my resignation a few more times, and it is also a good thing to be able to return to my hometown to retire." In the future, the affairs of the court will depend more on young people like you."

Am I young?

Li Dongyang said in his heart, don't make excuses for your escape, everyone knows that things are difficult now, and you are not the only one who wants to retreat.

"Do your best." Li Dongyang also seems to feel that Ma Wensheng has a tendency to develop into a "surrender faction".

This is because he feels more and more powerless to fight against Zhang Zhou, and he is thinking about how to pass on his status, and then he begins to choose to escape one by one.

Li Dongyang is also wondering, our group of old guys didn't hold Zhang Bingkuan down, and counted on the rising star to compare him, is it a bit too much to take it for granted? If the court is a battlefield, is this not done? It's like a hasty retreat, and everyone is escaping faster than anyone else!

Inside the Mandarin Palace.

Zhang Zhou walked for two days, Zhu Houzhao was a little bit of a tea and dinner, he liked to stand in front of the sand table when he had nothing to do, and went over and over again to simulate the battlefield of fighting in the terrain around Jizhou, but every time he felt uninterested.

"Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" Liu Jin was beside him, wanting to help the prince raise some interest.

Zhu Houzhao said, "Isn't this unclear? The main force of the little prince of Tatar is in the west, but someone is going to Jizhou in the east, within 200 miles to the north here, is there a trace of ***? Anyway, this doesn't look like a place where troops should be sent."

Liu Jin pondered for a moment and said with a smile: "Or the purpose of Mr. Zhang's trip to Jizhou is not

It's for surprise battles, or maybe there is a side purpose."

"Don't fight, go play?"

Zhu Houzhao disagreed with Liu Jin's words.

After dinner, Zhu Houzhao continued to study, and he seemed to want to understand the secrets in the sand table.

But at this moment, Gao Feng hurriedly came in and said, "Your Royal Highness the Prince, Your Majesty is coming here, and you are about to arrive while talking."

Zhu Houzhao said with an indifferent expression: "What's the matter, this palace still can't read at night? This is not the time to read, so don't you let you rest after dark?"

Gao Feng said, "But Your Majesty doesn't let the prince touch these things too much."

"Who said that Hongu had too much contact? Occasional contact! Whoever dares to have more tongues, I will cut out his tongue!" Zhu Houzhao threatened viciously.

Zhu Youzhu came to see his son, compared to his son's boredom, he, who was a father, also had "Bingkuan dependence syndrome" after Zhang Zhou left, and he felt powerless to do anything, and finally pondered that only by mentioning his son could he be called a serious matter.

Even the handling of court affairs can be handed over to others, but the education of the son is really not possible without his father.

"Father, my son's schoolwork has made progress in the past few days, before going to bed at night, take a look at this, isn't it too much?" Zhu Houzhao first had to block his father's mouth.

Zhu Youzhu nodded, looking very understanding, "If you want to see it, you can watch it." What are you...... Where?"

"Jizhou." Zhu Houzhao said, "It's Erchen who put it himself according to the terrain, but there are some mountains or something, and the size is not very matched."

"You set it up yourself?" Zhu Youzhu frowned.

Zhu Houzhao was a little proud, as if this was his masterpiece: "Erchen laid out according to the map left by Mr. Zhang, and he has half of the credit. Speaking of my father, why did you send him out, how good is it to stay in the capital? If anything, you can still find him."

Only then did Zhu Youzhu retract his gaze and said with emotion: "Your Mr. Zhang is not in Beijing, and I miss it strangely in my heart, it seems that you already know very well the prince that Daming will not work without him."

Father and son are now a bit of a homopathy.

"And father, the son thinks that even if he wants to send Mr. Zhang to the border town, he should go to the west, you look at these places of Xuanfu and Datong, maybe there are many robbers staring outside, but around Jizhou, there is no fighting, isn't it useless to go there?" Zhu Houzhao said.

Zhu Youzhu frowned and said, "What are you going to do when Bingkuan? He went to mine and make iron to build a train, and you didn't hear him outside the palace that day?"

Zhu Houzhao was curious: "Just ironmaking? Don't fight?"

Zhu Youzhu originally came to see his son quite pleasing to the eye, but now he suddenly felt that the father and son seemed to have an enmity, and he really couldn't give his son too much good looks.

"Do you think there are so many battles to fight on the frontier all the time? Now that Nu'er Gandusi is fighting, do you think I will send Bingkuan to such a far place? As for the northwest, unless you lead the troops out of the fortress for hundreds of miles, and now the Tatars are already in the news, and the military power of the Ming Dynasty has never been as strong as it is today. I want to be stronger, so let's start by building a train!"

Zhu Youzhu seems to be sober-minded, knows what his pursuit is, and does not want to achieve it overnight.

"Then father, since you don't fight, can you let your son go with Mr. Zhang? Even if Erchen leaves a few days late, he can keep up and learn from him...... How to open a mine." Zhu Houzhao looked flattering, as if pleading, and said to his father.

"No!" The refusal was crisp.

"Father, the son thinks that he should travel thousands of miles, and he can't learn too much in the Jingshi, and those who are so good are tired of listening to it!" Zhu Houzhao cried with a sad face.

Zhu Youzhu was angry and shook off the cruel words: "It's for your face!" Even if you don't look down on the words of the saints, that's the rule of living in the world! Why do you think Bingkuan can have such attainments? First of all, he is also proficient in the credits of saints, otherwise why could he be the champion in the examination and become a model for the world's scholars? If you think about those unrealistic things again, I will punish you in various ways, either so that you can sleep or read every day, and if you don't believe it, just wait and see!"

He who is a father is the son of the king

There is no good way but to resort to all kinds of threats.

But this only seems to deepen Zhu Houzhao's rebellious mentality.