Chapter 125

There is no silver in the treasury, which is something that Emperor Chongzhen knows very well.

How to reward the Haizhou victory of the Ning Navy, in fact, Emperor Chongzhen's mind is also simple, if there is no silver to reward military merits, then reward the officials.

This is an unspoken rule throughout the ages, but any general who has made great contributions will either get promoted or get rich. Promotion and wealth are like fish and bear's paws, you can't have both.

But the problem is that after arguing for more than two months, he still hasn't come up with a reasonable plan, and Emperor Chongzhen himself feels a little unbearable, and wants to allocate money from the inner treasury to reward Cheng Shijie, but the silver of the inner treasury ......

How much silver is in Emperor Chongzhen's inner treasury, this is an old stalk.

There were three theories that circulated later, one was 37 million taels of silver, which Guo Moruo actually guessed, and there was no evidence.

In the 52nd year of Kangxi's holy decree, it was mentioned: "Ming Wanli hid two million taels of silver in the Yangxin Palace, and I entered the army, and the enemy army fled and was inconvenient to carry, so I threw it all into the Yellow River." ”

In other words, when the Qing army entered Beijing, it actually did not make any money. Of course, when Li Zicheng's Dashun army entered the city of Beijing, he was busy with one thing, chasing stolen goods. 5,000 clamping sticks were made, and the conditions were prescribed, ranging from 100,000 yuan per person in the middle hall, 3 to 70,000 yuan at the ministry level, 3 to 50,000 yuan in the science and road, and 1 to 30,000 yuan in the Hanlin area.

If you don't give money, you will clip it, and for a while, the city of Beijing will change color, and the wails will be endless. In the process of collecting money, more than 1,000 officials were killed and wounded, and although more than 70 million taels of silver were robbed, the real rich were not the treasury, not the inner treasury, nor the officials, but the merchants and wealthy households.

When the city of Beijing was besieged, the officials' money had actually been transferred, and their wives and children were sent away. A total of 12 people in the imperial history of Kedao were dragged to the execution, and they were caught alive, and in the end, only two people paid money, one was unknown, and the other paid two hundred and fifty taels.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty are actually not poor, this is like an enterprise in later generations, with assets of hundreds of millions, billions, and a cash flow of less than 20 million. The officials of the Ming Dynasty were the same, they had antiques, cultural toys, calligraphy and paintings, fields, shops and mansions, but they really didn't have any silver in their hands.

is like Wang Zhixin, who was sandwiched to death by Liu Zongmin, he was the supervisor of Chongzhen's army for four years, and the supervisor of Dongchang Factory, will there be no money for this official position? However, he couldn't hand over the 300,000 taels of silver that Liu Zongmin asked for, and was strangled to death.

Emperor Chongzhen's inner library added up to less than 200,000 taels. Although there is a lot of silver, it is too little for the emperor, and the Beijing camp has not been paid for nearly two years since May of the third year of Chongzhen.

On the one hand, Emperor Chongzhen hated the 200,000 troops in the Beijing camp for not working just for eating, and on the other hand, the treasury really couldn't come up with the money.

Which of the war horses, chariots, armor, blades, and artillery of the Guanning army does not need money?

Moreover, Emperor Chongzhen did not want to reward Cheng Shijie only with silver, but wanted to give Cheng Shijie power and let him expand his army. In all the reports of Emperor Chongzhen, Ning Haijun was not actually more than 48,000 people, but more than 8,000 people.

The basic calculation of one plus one equals two Emperor Chongzhen knew, he wanted to expand the army to 30,000 horses for Cheng Shijie, if there were 30,000 horses, Cheng Shijie would be able to press Jiannu to the ground and rub it, so that it would not be the 452nd level of the Jinshishan victory and the 4,600 level of the Haizhou victory.

Until now, the four states of southern Liaoning are in the hands of Cheng Shijie, Jiannu suffered such a big loss, but he didn't think about revenge back, which shows that Cheng Shijie beat Jiannu in the great victory in Haizhou, and Jiannu hid aside and licked his wounds.

If you want to talk about these twists and turns of impeaching Cheng Shijie, what Cheng Shijie is arrogant and domineering, has no eyes for the king, or treats the gentry harshly, and competes with the people for profit, they are basically chasing after the wind and shadows, and the only thing with real evidence is the Xiucai who killed three strong women and women.

In Chongzhen's eyes, what is this?

What can it be?

What do these ministers want to do?

Playing with merit and demerit?

If he really did this, who would give the Ming Dynasty and give him the emperor his life in the future?

Cheng Shijie, the chief soldier of the Ning Navy, paid out of his own pocket, raised his own salary, and formed an army, which is similar in nature to Lu Xiangsheng, the prefect of the Daimyo Mansion, although there is a speculative factor, but it is more worthy of praise.

"Someone!"

"The slave is here!"

"It is rumored that the elder Xu Ge has entered the palace to meet him!"

"Yes!"

About an hour and a half later, Xu Guangqi, who was nearly seventy years old, was late.

"Minister, Xu Guangqi greets Your Majesty, Your Majesty is safe!"

"Xu Aiqing is exempt!"

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "Come and sit down!" ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand to the little eunuch beside him, and the little eunuch was holding dozens of books, all of which were impeached against Cheng Shijie.

Xu Guangqi picked up one and glanced at it hurriedly, then the second and third.

Xu Guangqi looked at seven copies, and finally stopped, he quickly got up and left his seat, and then knelt down towards Emperor Chongzhen, took off his black gauze hat, and put it in his hands: "The old minister is guilty of negligence, please give office!" ”

This is the unspoken rule of the Ming Dynasty, as long as the cabinet boss is impeached, he will either go to the court to defend himself, even if it is self-defense, he will also make a sincere and fearful appearance.

"Xu Qing, don't you see something?"

"See what?"

Xu Guangqi was a little puzzled by what Emperor Chongzhen meant, and he muttered: "Your Majesty means ......"

"Some people's selfishness smells too strong, and they can smell it from ten miles away from the wind!"

Emperor Chongzhen said indignantly: "Cheng Qing fought with Jiannu in southern Liaoning, and the imperial court not only could not give any support, but someone pulled back his legs, what are they thinking?" Xu Qing, you are brave in doing things, I know it, you want to train a new army to boost the prestige of the country, you want to cultivate good seeds, so that the world will no longer have the worry of famine, these years have wronged you. ”

Xu Guangqi was silent, listening to the nagging of the young emperor.

Your Majesty's thoughts, as a courtier, who can not know?

If you can't figure out what you want, can such a minister enter the cabinet?

Can you be above the court?

Do you really think that leading cadres are all wine bags and rice bags? A bunch of stupid pigs?

In fact, it's not like that. In the Ming Dynasty, the people who were able to be admitted to the Jinshi were all the dragons and phoenixes among the people, and the best among the ten thousand, do you really think that you can be admitted to the Jinshi by rote memorization?

It would be naïve to think so.

To borrow a classic line from teacher Li Xuejian: "The rivers and lakes are not fighting and killing, but the sophistication of human feelings." "The county, government and hospital examinations for the fame of talent are actually a huge audition. Some people are fifteen or sixteen years old, but they are extremely poor all their lives and cannot be promoted, and some people are lifted, but they cannot be admitted to the Jinshi no matter what.

For example, Sun Yuanhua and Mao Yuanyi, don't these two have talent?

The answer is yes, they are all talented, but they have defects in their temperament, they are arrogant and arrogant, and they are not proficient in human affairs, so they can't pass the Jinshi level.

Fortunately, Mao Yuanyi has Sun Chengzong's support, and Sun Yuanhua has Xu Guangqi's support, so they can become officials, but they are basically at the top.

Although Xu Guangqi is a scientist who is proficient in Western studies and agriculture, he is more proficient in human affairs.

When Emperor Chongzhen ordered him to meet him, he really didn't guess what Emperor Chongzhen meant, but as Emperor Chongzhen burst into tears, he told him about the difficulty of being the son of heaven, and put the impeachment of Cheng Shijie in front of him.

Then the meaning is very obvious, Emperor Chongzhen wants to use his own mouth to calm the debate about the reward of Haizhou's great victory for more than two months.

I know it, but Xu Guangqi also wants to be faced, if he is the second assistant according to Emperor Chongzhen's intentions, then in the future, he will not have to mix in the court.

There are some unspoken rules that cannot be broken, how much effort did the Wenchen bureaucracy put in to suppress the military heroes and generals?

Let Cheng Shijie break this pattern, and Xu Guangqi will be sprayed to death.

After going around for a long time and not entering the real theme, the young Emperor Chongzhen, the son of heaven, was a little unbearable, he couldn't figure out whether his expression was not clear enough, or Xu Guangqi was pretending to be stupid with him.

Emperor Chongzhen said stiffly: "Xu Qing...... To tell you the truth, I convened Xu Qing today to celebrate the issue of Haizhou's victory. ”

"Your Majesty, there is no money in the treasury, this is the truth, the civil and military officials have not issued the money for eight months, even the old ministers, if they don't have some money and food at home, as long as they can't open the pot!"

Xu Guangqi was full of emotion, his true feelings were revealed, and he said with an embarrassed look: "But the merit is not rewarded, it is the country that is shaken, how should this be good?" ”

Emperor Chongzhen's face was red and white for a while, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Xu, let's get straight to the point!" Now the imperial court is powerless, and it can't reward Cheng Shijie and Ning Navy officers in a short period of time, but I, the son of heaven, can't be rewarded for merit, and I can only be paid for officials if I have no money......"

The problem goes back to square one.

Xu Guangqi smiled bitterly: "But Cheng Shijie is already the general of the conquest, the governor of Zuodu, and the chief soldier of the Ning Navy. ”

Emperor Chongzhen clenched his fists, pressed it desperately, and his tone was a little rushed: "I want to promote Cheng Shijie to be the commander of Liaodong, and pass through Liaodong!" ”

The Ming Dynasty's capital command envoy is different from the level of the Ning Navy's capital division, to give a very simple example, this is like the supervision of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there is a county of supervision, the level is the same as the county captain, Taishou level, there is also a state of supervision, the level depends on whether there is a festival, whether there is a general rank.

The Liaodong Metropolitan Division is one of the seventeen capital divisions of the whole province, two capitals and thirteen provinces, and has jurisdiction over Dingliao Left Guard, Dingliao Right Guard, Dingliao Zhongwei, Dingliao Qianwei, Dingliao Guard, Tieling Wei, Dongning Wei, Shenyang Zhongwei, Haizhou Wei, Gaizhou Wei, Jinzhou Wei, Fuzhou Wei, Yizhou Wei, Liaohai Wei, Sanwanwei, Guangning Left Tunwei, Guangning Right Tunwei, Guangning Qiantunwei, Guangning Houtunwei, Guangning Zhongwei (later changed to Tunwei) A total of 25 guards.

As the de facto supreme military commander of the Liaodong Military Region, if Cheng Shijie is the Liaodong Metropolitan Division, no one will object to this official minister, after all, the Liaodong Metropolitan Division has been abolished as early as the first year of the Apocalypse, and there is only an empty name left.

Now that Cheng Shijie has recovered the four prefectures of southern Liaoning, and has actually controlled southern Liaoning, the effect of commanding Liaodong is the same with or without adding Liaodong, but the problem is that Liaodong is omitted.

This official position is about to die, this is a military commander, has always been a civil minister, the first Ming Liaodong Jingluo pacification envoy is Xiong Tingbi, in fact, during Xiong Yanbi's tenure, the imperial court urgently enabled Xiong Tingbi, Shenyang, Liaoyang was preserved, although Liaodong is in danger, it can barely be supported. Until Yuan Yingtai replaced Xiong Tingbi, Liaodong was lost.

By the time Sun Chengzong passed through Liaodong, the situation in Liaodong had collapsed, and he could only passively defend along the Liaohe River and put Liaoxi at the forefront.

Although, the officials added to Cheng Shijie are all fictitious officials, whether it is Liaodong Economic Strategy or Liaodong Metropolitan Division, in fact, there are no more.

However, what the ministers are worried about is that once Cheng Shijie defeats Jiannu again, recovers Guangningwei, and pushes the battle line back to the northeast, Cheng Shijie may really become Li Chengliang's second.

In the Wanli Dynasty, there were two famous generals in the Ming Dynasty, Qi Jiguang in the southeast, Li Chengliang in the northeast, Li Chengliang's prestige, and Qi Jiguang in the far future.

At this time, Xu Guangqi was frank: "The minister does not dare to give the edict, please let the old minister beg!" ”

Emperor Chongzhen stared at Xu Guangqi and said, "I'm not allowed!" ”

"But the old minister ......"

"If the cabinet blocks it, I will abdicate and make way for Xian!"

Emperor Chongzhen's patience had been exhausted by the ministers, and he wanted to flip the table.

The news spread quickly, and the entire court was shocked. Emperor Chongzhen, a diligent young man, broke the sky and panicked for the first time.

Now all the ministers have seen clearly what Emperor Chongzhen meant, and he is tough.

If the ministers do not agree to his reward for Cheng Shijie, this matter will not end.

……

Xu Guangqi sent a letter to Sun Yuanhua as soon as possible, in which Xu Guangqi told Sun Yuanhua that the emperor's intentions, the ministers had no way to stop it, and Cheng Shijie's rise was inevitable.

Faced with this situation, but Sun Yuanhua had to bite the bullet, cross the sea by boat, and come directly to Jinzhou City, and be open and honest with Cheng Shijie again.

Sun Yuanhua sat in the lobby of the Ning Navy General Mansion, looked at Cheng Shijie with a tired face and said, "Beiping! ”

Cheng Shijie was slightly stunned, and it was only at this time that he remembered that Beiping was his own word, which was given to him by Sun Yuanhua!

"Please show me Lord Futai!"

"Do you know why the Constitution acquiesced in your seizure of the Constitution's power?"

Cheng Shijie didn't understand why Sun Yuanhua crossed the sea for a while, let alone why Sun Yuanhua suddenly came up with such an unrelated sentence.

Cheng Shijie replied cautiously: "Xiaguan was also forced to be helpless, Lord Futai originally arranged for Xiaguan to be the garrison of the Ning Navy, and Xiaguan did not have the intention of seizing Dengzhou to stand on his own. If the Laiyang Zhang clan didn't want Xiaguan's life, Xiaguan's subordinates would not have launched a mutiny. Although the lower officials did not know about the incident in advance, after all, the matter started because of the lower officials, and the lower officials did not shy away from saying that if it were not for the lower officials, they were detained in the Zhang family's courtyard. It was the subordinate himself who controlled the mutiny......"

"It doesn't matter what happened."

Sun Yuanhua shook his head and said, "When Benxian got the news, you already controlled the military and political affairs of Dengzhou City, and you had the support of the army. There is nothing that can be done about this constitution. But despite this, that is not why this constitution approves of you. ”

Cheng Shijie and Sun Yuanhua were right, at first he thought that Sun Yuanhua would not break the jar, but Sun Yuanhua is not a person without heels, and the scale of the mutiny in the Ning Navy is not large, and he did not kill the Quartet like Kong Youde, even if it is announced, Sun Yuanhua can also put Cheng Shijie in a dilemma.

But the problem is that Sun Yuanhua didn't do it.

Sun Yuanhua then said with a smile: "You can fight, and you can use your mind on Ning Haijun, and you have the ambition to eliminate the military disaster in Liaodong for the imperial court." This is just one of the reasons why this constitution commends you. ”

"One?"

Cheng Shijie was also confused at this time.

Sun Yuanhua said: "The reason why this constitution allows you to ask for merit is not entirely for your great martial arts, but because you let go of the Laiyang Zhang clan and did not kill all ......."

Cheng Shijie captured more than 600 members of the Zhang family in Laiyang to southern Liaoning, and did not kill them, but let them be reformed by labor, this is not because he is benevolent, but he knows very well that it is not difficult to let a rich man die. Death is sometimes a relief for many people.

But the problem is that the Laiyang Zhang family is not an ordinary person, they are the richest group in the Ming Dynasty, because they were born well, they have been clothed and fed since they were young, and they enjoy glory and wealth.

What makes a rich man the most uncomfortable is that he is not actually killed him, but makes them go from having assets of more than 100 million yuan to becoming penniless and poor.

But now, all the more than 600 adult men of the Zhang clan in Laiyang are engaged in coal digging work in the Luomashan Coal Mine in Jinzhou, while the women are engaged in textile work in the Baliwan Textile Factory.

"The army mutinies at every turn, and that's nothing. The most unbearable thing is not these, but the people in the whirlpool regard the means of power as the foundation of their lives, and throw the affection between people and the benevolence of the ancient sages to the clouds. It seems that there is no other way to solve the problem except killing, and all things in the world are only killing, and only violence is ......"

Sun Yuanhua suddenly looked at Cheng Shijie and said, "Beiping, do you know why Benxian likes you?" ”

Cheng Shijie shook his head: "The lower officials are stupid!" ”

Sun Yuanhua said solemnly: "The Laiyang Zhang clan wants to kill you, wants your life, and you are in power." But he didn't turn around and kill the Zhang family without leaving a chicken dog, although I don't know what you think, but Benxian is still very pleased. Because you are a very sober and calm person. Not a murderous horseman. ”

Speaking of which. Cheng Shijie had already fully understood, although as a time-traveler from the century of civilization. He had a clear understanding of the limitations of ancient thought, but at this moment, he looked at the governor in front of him with a posture of looking up.

In fact, many people in the Zhang family in Laiyang should be killed, and Ling Chi is not an exaggeration, especially Zhang Huairen, even if he deserves to die, but Cheng Shijie has not let him die easily until now, but fights every day, changing tricks, just to make him torture.

Those who kill will always be killed, this is the simplest law of troubled times.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was the reckless son of heaven who was killed in the troubled times, and no one could stand out from the throne.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't like it at all. But he knew that the saints revered by these talents preached the way of mercy and forgiveness, and did not advocate extermination.

Zhu Yuanzhang wants to be able to reuse these talents to make abstinence and prudence again become the law of this world. Let the chaotic times that are full of people at every turn come to an end. Let future generations no longer continue to live in killing and being killed all day long, so that there are fewer and fewer people in the world......

It was only at this time that Sun Yuanhua told Cheng Shijie: "Beiping, congratulations, Your Majesty has decided to reward you as the commander of Liaodong, control the 25 guards of Liaodong, pass through Liaodong, go on the horse to manage the army, and dismount to govern the people!" ”

Sun Yuanhua also had to admire Cheng Shijie's experience at this time, from August of the fourth year of Chongzhen to Dengzhou Weizuo Qianhu, Chongzhen in May of the fifth year of Liaodong as the capital of Liaodong, Liaodong Economic Strategy Envoy, this is the real feudal official.

Cheng Shijie was stunned.

What he really didn't expect was that Emperor Chongzhen would actually reward him with such an official position.

Although this is a flashy official position, the problem is that this is exactly what Cheng Shijie needs, he has no shortage of silver, weapons and equipment, and now Cheng Shijie no longer looks down on the equipment in the capital.

On the ninth day of the fifth month of the fifth year of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty announced the edict, the right attendant of the military department and the imperial history of the capital, and Fu Zonglong, the governor of Jimen, Liaodong and Baoding military affairs, a line of 124 people, and more than 400 guards, a total of more than 500 people arrived in Jinzhou. Officially to the general of the conquest, the governor of Zuodu, the general of the Ning Navy, and the commander of the Dongjiang Army, Cheng Shijie announced that the Ming court appointed him as the commander of Liaodong and the governor of Liaodong.

The next day, that is, the tenth day of the fifth year of Chongzhen, at noon, a grand ceremony was held in the school military field at the west gate outside Jinzhou City, and Fu Zonglong, on behalf of the emperor, awarded Cheng Shijie with the farewell body, official seal and double festival that symbolized the status of the Liaodong Economic Envoy.

On this day, a total of six commanders, including the Left Capital Division, the Right Capital Division, the Naval Division, and the Cavalry of the Ning Navy, and more than 6,000 people and horses were fully armed to the school field, standing in a phalanx with the sentry as a unit, quietly waiting for the beginning of the ceremony, waiting for the moment when the commander who witnessed himself officially become the highest military and political chief of Liaodong.

Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Denglai and Huang Long, the general of the Dongjiang Army, led all the officers above the rank of staff attended the ceremony.

Chen Guodong and Zhou Yandong led all the officers of the Ning Navy to stand on the other side, and they all wore crimson, green or blue official uniforms. This Zhou Yandong, who was still the official of the 100 households of the Dengzhou Weizuo Thousand Households a year ago, Shen Mingyu, the son of the 1000 households in Guide Mansion who was a homeless person a year ago, and Zhang Yu, who was not even anything, were all very excited.

In particular, Zhou Yandong has been a soldier for more than 20 years, and he has been cautious for 20 years, but in the end, he relied on Cheng Shijie's boss to become a second-grade general, and put on the lion official robe that no one in his family had even dared to think about for ten lifetimes. Chen Guodong is also a second-grade lion official robe, while Shen Mingyu, Zhang Yu, Li Zhixiang, and Zhao Wencai are wearing leopard official robes.

The most excited thing is not actually these promoted Admirals of the Ning Navy, but the barely four feet tall and ugly Song Xiance, Haizhou Victory, on merit, as a staff member of Cheng Shijie of the Ning Navy, praised the military affairs and rewarded a contractor. This is an official position from the sixth grade, Confucianism, with rank, there is no position.

To be honest, in addition to following Cheng Shijie, Song Xiance can only rely on his skills to deceive people and gain the respect of others, of course, others respect his skills, not Song Xiance as a person.

But yesterday at the banquet where Cheng Shijie entertained Fu Zonglong and his entourage, Fu Zonglong, who was the squire of the military department of the court, the imperial history of the capital, and the military affairs of Jimen, Liaodong and Baoding, toasted him and called him "Phoenix Chick", although it is not a good word to say that the Wolong and Phoenix Chicks of later generations are not good words, but in the Ming Dynasty, this is a compliment.

In all fairness, in Cheng Shijie's team system, Song Xiance is not the fastest promoted, he is still responsible for that mess, Jinzhou Academy, talent deception, no, it should be said that it is recruitment, followed by propaganda work.

As for the military affairs of the counselor, from the beginning to the present, Cheng Shijie has basically not used him, but the problem is that he is heartbroken for Cheng Shijie's development.

At 0:00 p.m., the ceremony officially began.

PS: It's always a busy thing, these two days to help my mother clean up the house in my hometown, tired and sore back, almost can't get up, the back of the holy decree part, Lao Cheng will think about it again, 6,300 words, everyone look at it first.

(End of chapter)