Chapter 92: Hometown Friends, Full of Thorns

With Yang Bo's knowledge, he could more or less see that the emperor had great dissatisfaction with these harmless Jin people.

Last time, he forced his son Yang Junqing to repair Zhaoling Mausoleum to gain experience. The emperor even warned him to be careful, saying that if Yang Junqing couldn't even prevent the heavy rain, he would be embarrassed.

This is simply outrageous. We assume that he is going to embezzle money before he even starts to take it.

Not only that, Gao Yi had once instructed him that once he entered the cabinet he should be impartial and not blindly promote or favor people from Shanxi.

Gao Yi knew exactly who asked him to say this.

This shows the emperor's prejudice against them.

Therefore, it was also Yang Bo's suggestion that the emperor repeatedly delayed the matter of allowing Wang Chonggu to come to Beijing.

Wang Chonggu must make arrangements for the backup plan before he can enter Beijing.

Yang Bo believed that he knew the emperor very well. When he heard Wang Chonggu speaking well of the emperor, he could not help but shake his head secretly, knowing that his fellow countryman must have been deceived by the emperor.

Wang Chonggu shook his head: "It was just a polite exchange of pleasantries, but nothing specific was said."

He paused, and a strange look appeared on his capable face full of weather and frost: "But, he seems to be quite enthusiastic about me."

"He praised Altan Khan for his tribute and repeatedly affirmed my ability. He also said that he appointed me to the Ministry of War in order to borrow Altan Khan's experience in tribute and to make him the Tuman Khan."

"During this period... we talked and exchanged our hearts frequently."

The voice just fell.

Yang Bo curled his lips.

Zhang Siwei held his forehead with his hand and said helplessly, "Uncle, the emperor treats everyone like this when he summons a minister alone."

Wang Chonggu was startled and asked suspiciously, "Really?"

He actually thought that the emperor simply admired him.

Zhang Siwei nodded weakly: "It's true."

"Now, among the court officials, it is said that His Majesty has read too many novels in private, and he especially likes to hold hands and talk happily."

Although I know that many court officials fall for this trick, it is still a bit funny to see my uncle taking the bait.

Yang Bo did say something pertinent: "However, it may be true that he wants to use your reputation to pacify the Tuman Khan."

"Did Xuefu offer any advice?"

Given Wang Chonggu's reputation among the Mongols, he is indispensable if they want to pacify Tuman Khan.

Wang Chonggu shook his head: "I just exchanged pleasantries, but didn't offer any advice."

At this point, he sighed and said, "Now is not the time to offer advice."

Yang Bo showed an inquiring look. It seemed that this newcomer really wanted to offer some advice.

Zhang Siwei asked directly: "Uncle, why don't you offer any advice? If you can get the emperor's favor, wouldn't it be great?"

When he was a daily lecturer, he looked down on the emperor, thinking he was a child emperor who could not hold power.

But now it seems somewhat arbitrary.

Even if one does not like the current emperor, one has to admit that he has been able to influence government affairs within just one year of ascending the throne.

Wang Chonggu sighed, "You have been in the central government for so long, you all think that paying tribute is so simple."

He suddenly missed Gao Gong a little.

Wang Chonggu continued, "Emperor Shizong had intended to engage in trade as early as after the Gengxu Incident."

"But the situation has been going on for 20 years, which is certainly not without reason."

"At that time, they also tried to establish trade, but Altan Khan agreed while continuing to indulge in looting."

"He even sold his horse one step before leading others to take it back the next."

"When the court questioned Altan Khan about his crime, he said shamelessly, 'I can refrain from invading others, but I cannot prevent my subordinates from stealing.'"

"During these twenty years, our dynasty gradually suppressed Altan Khan in terms of military equipment, which enabled him to control his tribes and engage in trade with others."

"If we want to do the same to Tuman Khan, we must at least defeat him."

Having said that, he couldn't help but shook his head.

This is not only a military requirement, but also an inevitable preparation for people's hearts.

The traders who have the upper hand have great vision, while the traders who are at a disadvantage are servile and submissive.

Before Sejong's reforms, the court strongly suppressed the pro-war factions in the army - "As long as the enemy is at the border but has not yet entered the country, the government troops shall not send troops to attack their nests and provoke border conflicts."

However, during the Longqing period, the court was filled with voices encouraging officers to take the initiative - "I request that the ban be enforced as soon as possible. If the enemy is grazing on the border, the generals are allowed to lead their troops to attack, and those who have made meritorious contributions will be rewarded as usual."

All of this is based on the advantage in armaments.

Only by gaining an advantage over the Tumen Khan in military equipment can we hope to extort tribute from him.

This is not something that can be changed by offering suggestions.

Nowadays, the Tuman Khan outside the Ji-Liao Great Wall frequently invades the border, often robs goods and kidnaps people, and returns with full loads.

Even if they were occasionally chased away by border troops, they would only suffer minor losses.

He wasn't hurt at all, so how could he surrender so easily?

Yang Bo had a blank expression on his face. He pretended to listen carefully and nodded from time to time, but in fact, he just ignored it. As a man who was about to retire, he was too lazy to listen.

Zhang Siwei began to think seriously.

After thinking about it, I suddenly had a sense of enlightenment: "No wonder Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and the emperor all wanted to transfer my uncle to Beijing!"

After several years of peace in Xuanda, the central government probably has no idea whether to consolidate the achievements or focus on Tuman Khan.

His uncle was running Xuan University very well, which made the central government interested.

I want to transfer the person away and then find someone else to check it slowly.

If the situation stabilizes, we will gradually reduce the money, grain, recruited soldiers and foreign troops sent to Xuanda, and put them in other important places.

Otherwise, continue to hold on.

Zhang Siwei gradually learned to think from the perspective of the center.

Wang Chonggu nodded: "So I think that the emperor and the cabinet should only focus on Tuman Khan, not like you said before, trying to trick me into coming to the capital to harm me."

Yang Bo was worried about Wang Chonggu and asked, "Why didn't Xuefu tell the emperor about these things?"

"Xuefu didn't offer any advice, for fear that the emperor would misunderstand him."

Whether the advice is effective or not is not the point, but if the provincial governors come to the capital without stating the local situation and criticizing the current ills, it is hard not to make the emperor suspect that this is a problem of attitude.

This is the experience and lessons learned by our predecessors.

Wang Chonggu laughed: "Mr. Yu Po is worrying too much. His Majesty asked me to compile Xuan Da's observations and submit them to the emperor."

Only then did Yang Bo nod with relief.

At this moment, the housekeeper came in, walked to Yang Bo, whispered something before leaving.

Yang Bo nodded, waved away the butler, and said to Wang Chonggu with a smile: "Yao Feng and Jun Cai are here too, let's go to the banquet hall first."

Yaofeng and Juncai are the courtesy names of Huo Ji and Shi Maohua.

Huo Ji was a native of Jin with a good family background. Although Shi Maohua was from Shandong, his ancestral home was in Shanxi. He had worked under Yang Bo for a long time and was related to Huo Ji by marriage, so he was naturally considered a member of the Jin Party.

This is the Jin Party Banquet.

It is somewhat against the rules for ministers to hold private banquets and get together.

But the guild hall that Yang Bo mentioned was the Quanjin Guild Hall, which was a place for scholars and officials from Shanxi to stay and eat.

Now a group of Shanxi people happened to go to the guild hall to eat and drink, and to welcome Wang Chonggu, which was really reasonable.

Yang Bo stood up, and Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei also stood up and followed.

The guild hall is right next to Yang Bo’s residence, separated by a wall.

As the party leader, Yang Bo even lived in the guild hall half of the time.

It is now that I am retiring that the position has been vacated.

As soon as the three of them walked out, Huo Ji and Shi Maohua came to meet them.

"Lord Yang, Minister Wang, and Minister Zhang." Shi Maohua had the lowest rank but was the most polite.

Huo Ji just bowed slightly and saluted Yang Bo.

Yang Bo accepted it calmly and returned the greeting, saying, "Yao Feng and Jun Cai, no need to be polite." Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu on the side also bowed, "Censor Huodu and Minister Shi."

The five of them exchanged pleasantries as they walked through the hall and the alley.

Shi Maohua was the most attentive and livened up the atmosphere along the way.

As the leader, Yang Bo naturally understood what he wanted, and said indifferently: "Before, the Minister of War was vacant and the Vice Minister had lung disease. You have been working hard these days."

He briefly mentioned Shi Maohua's contribution and left the rest to others.

Wang Chonggu understood the meaning of the music by hearing the strings.

After yesterday's court meeting, the position of assistant manager of the military affairs of the Beijing camp has become the focus of everyone's attention.

For many court officials, it would be best if the Beijing Camp was under the control of the Ministry of War.

For example, Zhao Zhenji and Huo Ji proposed to remove the governor of the Beijing camp and let civil officials take charge of the military affairs of the Beijing camp.

Unfortunately, Emperor Muzong was unwilling.

After this idea failed, the court officials basically hoped that it would be best to keep the Beijing camp in its current half-dead state.

It is enough to just hold ceremonial guards for the emperor and repair his mausoleum.

Otherwise, if we maintain a strong army around the center, who are we going to deal with?
Now that Zhao Kongzhao is about to retire, someone has to come forward to suppress Gu Huan - Gu Huan has been silent in the Beijing camp for half a year and has already begun to stir.

Wang Chonggu said calmly, "Is Minister Zhao's lung disease getting better?"

Shi Maohua sighed: "It's hard to deal with the heat phlegm in summer."

Lung diseases usually occur more frequently in winter, and the condition will improve for a while after the winter. But now it is summer, and there is no sign of improvement at all, so there is basically no hope of recovery.

As the Minister of War, Wang Chonggu could only sigh: "I just arrived in Beijing the day before yesterday, so I am not very familiar with the affairs of the Ministry. Who is handling all the military affairs in the Beijing camp now?"

Shi Maohua took over the conversation lightly: "Minor matters are handled by the Military Affairs Department and several officials. If they can't handle it, I will step in."

Wang Chonggu nodded and said, "If Minister Zhao can't get better, our department will have to make preparations early. The maintenance is very busy, and it is not a good thing to be absent for too long."

Several people had their own thoughts, and they walked into the guild hall while talking.

At this time, the Right Censor-in-Chief Huo Ji suddenly said, "Not only does the Ministry of War have candidates, the Cabinet also has candidates, and the Emperor probably has his own ideas. There are too many candidates, so this matter will most likely be decided by the court."

Although Huo Ji was also assisting in military affairs, the assistant of the Chief Censor was different from the assistant of the Ministry of War.

They can supervise, remove and impeach, but they have little control over specific military matters.

Yang Bo walked ahead with his head down, and suddenly everyone became quiet.

When he looked up, he saw that everyone was staring at him.

Yang Bo met everyone's gaze, turned his head slightly, and said helplessly: "I will apply for retirement for the third time tomorrow, and Your Majesty will not keep me any longer."

The implication was that he was going to retire anyway, so things like assisting in the Beijing camp and recommending candidates for the imperial court had little to do with him anymore.

It’s not that I don’t want to take charge, it’s just that the time has come and there’s nothing I can do.

What Yang Bo said was the truth, and everyone naturally knew it.

Shi Maohua immediately turned his attention to Zhang Siwei - this person would be the next to take up the cabinet seat.

Zhang Siwei didn't shy away from it, but said with some worry: "I'm afraid that after Yu Pogong retires, Your Majesty will deliberately delay the time and wait until the court recommends me to join the cabinet."

The court has always recommended nine ministers above the third rank, vice ministers, chief censors, etc., in addition to the assistant chief censors and chief academicians.

But the heads are the same, but the right to speak is different.

Whether Zhang Siwei is in the cabinet is actually an extremely critical factor.

Huo Ji could not hold back and snorted coldly: "The people like Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi in the cabinet are all lucky ministers!"

"Not considering the overall situation, and flattering all day long, there will be consequences!"

Today, there is a trend of co-governance between the emperor and the civil officials, which is the result of countless generations of capable officials' efforts.

How rare! ?
Do you want to go back to the time of Taizu and humiliate court officials like slaughtering chickens and ducks?
Even though the current emperor talks about benevolence and morality, it is still unclear what will happen if he is really given all the power.

Yingzong was driven to Wala, and once he came to power, he purged his meritorious officials and killed virtuous people.

Even Emperor Sejong, who succeeded to the throne through a branch of the royal family, inherited this coldness; once he gained power, he beat court officials to death and executed the prime minister by beating him to death.

It is hard to imagine how dictatorial he can be if he controls a powerful army near the capital.

The Zhu family's harshness, do they want to prove it again with their lives?
Yang Bo glanced at the indignant Huo Ji and shook his head secretly.

He patiently explained, "Today, His Majesty asked me to nominate someone to sign cabinet matters on my behalf, and I have already recommended Ziwei."

In short, this is a seamless transition. If he wants to retire after achieving his goal, don't even think about letting him take over again.

Zhang Siwei was delighted: "Why didn't Mr. Yu Po say so earlier?!"

Yang Bo was too lazy to answer.

He walked forward with his head down, occasionally exchanging greetings with officials and students who came and went.

As more people came, they stopped talking and followed Yang Bo, encouraging the students and comforting the officials from time to time.

The guild hall hosted a banquet today for a group of Shanxi officials and students who are coming to Beijing to prepare for the imperial examination next spring.

The first and second floors were full of people.

There are operas, singing and dancing in the building and iron flower making can be seen from afar outside the building. It is very lively.

Yang Bo and his companions went all the way to the top floor of the guild hall, which was quiet and peaceful with a unique view.

Everyone took their seats.

"In fact, we don't have to insist that the emperor agree to our proposal." Shi Maohua straightened his sleeves and continued, "As long as we can keep those flatterers out, that's enough."

Shi Maohua was not very interested in assisting in the military affairs of the Beijing Camp.

I'm just afraid that there will be another person like Li Zaiting.

Huo Ji couldn't help but nodded: "If you know who the emperor wants to use, you might as well collect evidence first, file a petition and pin that person down!"

This is how Gu Huan was impeached and sent home. Unfortunately, his ally Zhao Zhenji was no longer in the central government.

Zhang Siwei said helplessly: "Now half of the people in the inner court have been driven away by the emperor, and I am hiding in the Western Garden. It is not like before."

In the past, the inner court was like a hornet's nest. Not only did the emperor say what to whom he met, but even the shape of his shit, the court officials would know the next day.

It’s not so easy nowadays.

As they were talking, there was a knock on the door.

They looked back in confusion.

Luo Fengxiang, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, came running in in a hurry.

He leaned over to Yang Bo's ear and said a few words.

Yang Bo looked up in astonishment and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Really?"

Luo Fengxiang was just a juren, but he was able to become a fourth-rank official, naturally because they were both from Puzhou, Shanxi.

After being promoted by Yang Bo, he also knew how to behave.

Even though the other four officials were looking at him with frowns on their faces, he still just leaned over to Yang Bo and whispered quietly.

After saying this, he slowly retreated.

After hearing this, Yang Bo fell into deep thought.

It was not until Zhang Siwei coughed lightly that he came back to his senses.

He looked around at his colleagues, with a strange and gloating look on his face, and finally restrained his expression and said seriously: "Last year, your Majesty asked Zhang Chucheng, the Criminal Department's Attorney General, to inspect the Huguang mining tax case."

"I won't go into detail about the process, but in short, it seems that we have found the key place and the key person..."

"I just received the message."

"Zhang Chucheng, the Criminal Affairs Department's Imperial Censor, and Tang Bin, the Left Provincial Governor of Huguang, were both caught in the fire. Their lives are in danger."

"Just now, the emperor asked Hai Rui and Wen Chun to enter the palace overnight."

After saying this, everyone present was shocked.

Suddenly, Shi Maohua burst out laughing: "In this case, I'm afraid you won't have the energy to stir up trouble in the Beijing camp, right?"

Yang Bo was the most sensitive. Without saying anything, he immediately asked his servants to prepare writing brushes and ink.

Right at the banquet, he began to prepare the third memorial of retirement.

(End of this chapter)