At the same time,
In the capital, within the Yan Mansion after nightfall,
In the Pavilion of Two Seals.
Due to the long distance, the latest reports only arrived these past two days, first from the Governor-General of Sichuan and Huguang, Dong Wei, followed by those from Wang Daren and the Yunnan Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Liu Ying. Concurrently, military dispatches had just reached the Grand Secretariat.
Everyone had read them several times, truly unable to comprehend what had transpired in Yunnan and Guizhou. They only felt that the original plan was entirely in disarray.
Yan Shifan, seeing his father sitting alone on the couch with his eyes tightly shut, unsure if he was even listening, thought about how after a series of setbacks, they had finally stabilized their position, only for new problems to arise in Yunnan and Guizhou. Even that Mang Yinglong was not acting according to convention. He couldn't help but feel agitated and impatiently asked:
"All of you, speak up. Where did the problems lie? Why is everything so unclear? What exactly was Zhu Mo doing before? And what is the meaning of that Mang Yinglong?"
Zhao Wenhua knew he couldn't avoid it and replied cautiously:
"Young Grand Secretary, in my subordinate's opinion, most likely Wang Daren has had some issues. Consider this: Dong Wei's account of Zhu Mo's affairs in Anshun was quite accurate. Xu Wei, whom he left in Anshun, was likely investigating the matter of the dark wood... But once they reached Yunnan and Guizhou, things changed. Wang Daren actually told me that Zhu Mo was indeed apprehending Frankish people? And that You Jujing currently has no handle to be grasped... This shows that Wang Daren is no longer reliable..."
Hmm,
Luo Longwen, who was always capable of devising strategies, interjected:
"Wenhua is correct. We sent Wang Daren down precisely to investigate You Jujing, so that Liu Ying could take over as governor. This was also Duke Mu's intention... But this Wang Daren is not attending to his main task? Liu Ying stated that he instead joined Zhu Mo in opposing Duke Mu, which is highly unusual. In my subordinate's view, Wang Daren has likely been captured by Zhu Mo with some leverage..."
Yan Shifan no longer wanted to listen to his elaborate explanation and impatiently said:
"What about Mang Yinglong? What does he want to do?"
Er...
Luo Longwen pondered for a moment and continued:
"Young Grand Secretary, Mang Yinglong is a barbarian. The Frankish people trust him the most. My subordinate believes that Mang Yinglong's sudden northward advance should be instigated by the Frankish people, possibly a direct order from the high-ranking officials of the Frankish in Malacca. The objective, naturally, is to pressure us, and then ask for more, as it is certainly not a losing business..."
"Pressure us?"
Yan Shifan murmured to himself.
"Tingyi, you are accustomed to leading troops. What do you say?"
Zhang Jing, hearing himself named, immediately cleared his throat and said:
"Young Grand Secretary, my subordinate believes that if nothing unexpected occurs, Mu Chaobi will not be able to defeat Mang Yinglong. Well, there are certainly reasons for this. According to Frankish people I have previously captured, Mang Yinglong has at least five thousand arquebusiers, and quite a number of Frankish cannons. Secondly, Mu Chaobi is stubborn and self-willed. Although experienced in battle, he is fierce and impatient, whereas Mang Yinglong is deep and cunning. Is it difficult to predict the outcome of the battle?"
Mhm, mhm,
At this moment, even old Yan Song quietly nodded and sighed, saying:
"Tingyi, it has been difficult for you all this time. Your position as Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang was lost, and it's been over half a year without any explanation for you... It's commendable that you haven't forgotten these military matters. Commendable indeed..."
Zhang Jing bowed and said, "Your subordinate is ashamed."
Mhm,
Yan Song slowly stood up and said:
"You all have spoken a great deal, but have you forgotten something? Hmm?"
He scanned everyone one by one, finally resting his gaze on Yan Shifan's face, and continued:
"Yu Dazhou... he took the navy to the southern waters of Joseon, and should have returned long ago... Why hasn't he returned yet? Why don't you go and ask, and investigate? Humph..."
He showed a slight displeasure and added:
"Such a significant matter, and none of you see it? You are all focused on trivial matters? Go quickly and inquire if Yu Dazhou has taken the navy to the South Seas?"
This?
Hiss!
The crowd, reminded by this, suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
Luo Longwen said:
"The阁老 has foresight... My subordinate believes that Yu Dazhou has likely gone to the South Seas, and perhaps is even in Malacca at this very moment..."
Hiss!
As this was spoken, the others were even more frightened.
Zhang Jing sighed:
"Indeed,阁老, Young Grand Secretary. If he has gone to Malacca, and considering the current might of the Iron Bodhisattva cannons, if the Frankish people become afraid, won't they put pressure on Mang Yinglong? At that time, even if Mang Yinglong captures Dali, he will have to retreat..."
Yan Song nodded and said:
"Let him retreat if he retreats. That is, after all, Great Ming territory... However, Mu Chaobi is likely to suffer a crushing defeat in this battle... Tell them all not to interfere! Zhu Mo is also in Yongchang and is the Vice Minister of War, so he will also bear responsibility..."
As he said this, he looked apologetically at Zhang Jing and said:
"Tingyi, you'll have to work a bit harder these few days. Think of a strategy to recover from the defeat in Jinteng and Dali... Then show it to Prince Yu... At a time of national crisis, everyone must contribute... That Mang Yinglong is turning our feigned action into a real one, and we cannot let him act recklessly! Tingyi, put your mind to it, think it through carefully, defeat Mang Yinglong, and punish him severely!"
Hiss!
Everyone suddenly felt a bit more confident, thinking to themselves: After all, the阁老 is just. Now that everyone is following Prince Yu, things are different from before. If it's like this, and Zhu Mo and the Emperor still won't tolerate it, then there will be public opinion to judge.
At this moment,
Yan Shifan suddenly said:
"Yes, Li Tingzhu, Liu Shiyan, Guo Cong, and others have also visited the court a few times recently. I haven't seen them. Should we listen to them now?"
Yan Song shook his head and said:
"No need... Mu Chaobi is the most capable among these meritorious officials. If he is defeated, the others will be even less capable of handling it..."
At this time,
Yan Maoqing remembered something and also chimed in:
"阁老, Young Grand Secretary, Wang Daren's letter mentioned that Zhu Mo and Li Zhi were also discussing reforms along the way. Could there be some trick? Yunnan and Guizhou to the capital, eight hundred li in haste, takes half a month to travel... What if some changes have already occurred?"
Everyone was stunned, and then thought: This Yan Maoqing was too badly treated by Zhu Mo, he has become a bit delusional...
With this thought,
Several people couldn't help but sigh in sadness, thinking: You treated Zhu Mo that way back then, and he's retaliating in kind, fighting fire with fire, there's nothing wrong with that. The key is that you, Yan Maoqing, are accustomed to being overbearing and fell into someone's trap...
Old Yan Song couldn't help but smile wryly and sigh:
"Jingqing, it's time to let go... Focus more on state affairs, think what Prince Yu thinks, be anxious about what Prince Yu is anxious about... Let bygones be bygones..."
Speaking of which,
His gaze suddenly became sharp, and he looked at everyone, saying:
"You all remember, the situation is different now. Everything must be viewed with greater foresight! The top priority for people like us is to assist Prince Yu properly! Everything else is secondary, don't create further complications!"
"Yes."
Everyone immediately lowered their heads.
...
At this time, in the Yuxi Palace,
There was still a scene of wisps of incense smoke.
Lü Fang had been busy for over an hour and had finally sorted out most of the matters. The constant reports from informants in Jiangnan, Sichuan-Huguang, and Yunnan and Guizhou had accumulated into a thick stack during this period.
The most urgent was naturally Mang Yinglong's northward advance, followed by Wang Daren's whereabouts, and then Zhu Mo's actions. Among these matters, the one that troubled him the most was undoubtedly Zhu Mo's request for Lü Kun to investigate the Imperial Manufactory.
Just now,
As he read, he pondered for a while, truly unsure how to tell the person who was meditating. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he made up his mind: He would report the military dispatch first.
"Your Majesty, there is a military report from Yunnan and Guizhou, stating that Mang Yinglong personally led a large army north to attack. When the report was filed, they had already reached Mubang..."
Unexpectedly,
After a long while, Jiajing still remained silent.
Lü Fang felt a slight impatience at this moment, wiped his brow again with his sleeve, and said softly:
"Your Majesty, military matters are urgent..."
Humph,
Jiajing snorted softly in his nose but said:
"What's so strange about a border raid? Why are you so anxious? You're sweating all over... Get to the important points!"
Er?
Lü Fang was immediately startled and quickly said:
"Your Majesty, the report from Jiangnan states that Zhu Mo has asked that Lü Kun to investigate the Imperial Manufactory in secret..."
Jiajing said indifferently:
"He's investigating the Imperial Manufactory, so you're anxious..."
This?
With a thud,
Lü Fang knelt down and trembled, "Your servant, your servant dares not!"
"You dare not, or they dare not?"
Humph,
Jiajing finally slowly stood up, walked behind the curtain, washed his face with warm water, and continued:
"What have they found? That's making you so anxious?"
Lü Fang still trembled and said:
"Wu Ming and Wu Liang said it seems they found smuggling of tribute... That Lü Kun is quite skillful. He spent a lot of money to bribe many people within the Imperial Manufactory. An old warehouse keeper produced a list, on which there were several more precious items, all found in Yunnan and Guizhou..."