Yan Manor,
Late at night.
Yan Song sat on the couch, his thoughts drifting to unknown places.
Yan Shifan and the other officials were whispering, discussing the regulations summarized by Xu Jietoday.
Luo Longwen read it carefully and then said, "Young Grand Secretary, this subordinate thinks the regulations are acceptable. The money is five million, but it will be spent according to the progress of the war. The troop transfers from various provinces are also under Yang Bo and Ge Jin. They have no objections to the dozen or so garrison commanders we want to replace. Also, there are five provincial governors and a group of subordinate officials. I don't think the Emperor will object.
In addition, there are the Yi Yong. Xuanfu and Jiliao will also recruit a force each, following the example of Datong Yi Yong, each with five thousand men... Young Grand Secretary, these are things we've wanted to do but haven't achieved in recent years. Although the court session was a bit unexpected, we haven't lost any substance. The real power is still ours..."
Frankly speaking, these developments were still a little short of completely dominating the court, but it was indeed the peak of the Yan family's power. Especially the provincial governors and the Yi Yong. After a few more years, the nine garrisons would be completely under control. Even if Jiangnan was lost, the winning odds were still very high.
Although Yan Shifan was a bit displeased, he was also quite satisfied. However, he said, "What about Zhu Mo? What about the reforms? They are all fair-weather friends! If we don't take down Zhu Mo this time, no one will have a way to live in the future! They are timid and dare not step forward... I'm telling you, even the Emperor has moments of lacking virtue! Just confront him!"
"Shifan!"
Yan Song's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stopped him, his face already showing great displeasure.
Luo Longwen quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Young Grand Secretary, Zhu Mo is just like that! Anda has already made his move. If he has the ability, he can drive away their eighty thousand men? This subordinate believes that the Young Grand Secretary might as well wait and see. Within a few days, there will surely be news..."
Yan Shifan sneered, "Guo Qian from the three borders has gone to save him. Yang Bo is also a slippery fellow, and the Emperor is protecting him. I'm afraid there might be some variables..."
Luo Longwen smiled and said, "Young Grand Secretary, although Guo Qian doesn't listen to us, he's an incompetent fellow. Going there won't make him an opponent of Anda... Yang Bo is very slippery. If he is relieved, he will eventually stop Zhu Mo's reforms... Why? Heh heh, Young Grand Secretary, the Yi Yong is Yang Bo's idea. Zhu Mo is confronting the Yi Yong in Datong. Sooner or later, this matter will be settled. Yang Bo is already scared. At that time, he will definitely stand with us... Therefore, settling Zhu Mo is only a matter of time. Young Grand Secretary might as well wait a bit longer."
Mmm,
Yan Shifan pondered for a moment and felt that these words were reliable. He smiled and said, "Old Luo, you are clever. You should be like this, think more and speak more, don't be a silent gourd all day long..."
At this time,
Yan Maoqing suddenly interjected, "Young Grand Secretary, this time we can also see who is loyal and who is treacherous! That Gao Gong is the worst! And Zhang Juzheng, who knows what he's up to? Hu Zongxian, he hasn't made a sound either! I also paid close attention during the court session. Some officials in the third and fourth ranks who usually ride the fence have now sided with us."
Mmm,
This time, Yan Shifan didn't curse, but said leisurely, "Gao Gong, Gao Suqing, you've misjudged this person. He is indeed wicked, extremely wicked, but he has no stance today! I think he's just a fair-weather friend, Old Yan. Keep an eye on him in the future. You can find someone to interact with him. I feel there's some potential...
Also, regarding Zhang Juzheng, I wrote to him, and he refused on the spot. He also wrote a reply to A Shou on the spur of the moment, making it seem like a letter of severance... This Zhang Shen Tong is the most dangerous! You all need to keep a close watch on him in the future. Investigate the people he recommended to Zhu Mo, such as Zhang Siwei, Ma Ziqiang, Pan Sheng, and so on... After Zhu Mo is defeated, you can write memorials to impeach them. Be sure not to let this group of people grow too powerful!"
Mmm,
Mmm...
"This is right..."
Yan Song, without knowing when, had already stood by the window, looking at the vast snow, and said leisurely, "To do great things with meticulous care, to prevent troubles before they arise. If it had been like this earlier, could that Zhu Mo have risen? Shifan, you need to do two things now, listen carefully—
First, you will personally write a letter to Hu Zongxian, discussing Neo-Confucianism and Mind-Learning, and ask him his views on the Sage's institutions and the Way of the Former Kings. Second, you will also have to make a personal trip to find Lu Bing and tell him that Zhang Er is finished, and he is next. Tell him to find fault with Huang Zhong, and if he can't find fault with Huang Zhong, then find fault with his close confidants...
Didn't you say it once? A confidant eunuch of Huang Zhong saw a secret memorial from Zhu Mo in Yuxi Palace? This article also needs to be done. Longwen, Maoqing, Moqing, you several, discuss and write an article... Do you understand why we failed at the last moment? It's because the words were not clearly spoken. Although all officials, gentry, and scholars know that Zhu Mo's reforms are a flood and a fierce beast, what kind of flood and fierce beast it is has not been clearly explained. Now, it looks like the Sage's institutions must be clearly explained. Only by explaining them clearly will the scholars and officials in the world follow us... This can be done slowly, but keep it in mind. I will personally review it, do you understand?"
"Your subordinates obey."
...
In the vast desert, heavy snow,
It was only five li from Deshengbao.
Zhu Mo and Li Wenjin walked together, discussing the strategy of appeasement. Li Wenjin greatly agreed, but after a moment of thought, he hit upon the crux of the matter and sighed, "Young Master Zhu, if you want to create that 'Bansheng something district,' won't all the scholars in the world curse you to death? Throughout history, those who pursued appeasement had to be prepared to be branded as traitors, and their ancestral graves might even be dug up..."
But as he said this, he suddenly stopped himself and thought: Isn't his ancestral grave the Emperor's ancestral grave?
He couldn't help but smile, and then said, "Young Master Zhu, there are many twists and turns in the border regions... If defeated, they don't say defeated, but 'enemy retreated'; if retreating, they don't say retreating, but 'redeployment'; only when defeated and surrounded, is it called 'bitter struggle'... Young Master Zhu, why don't you also think of a name? I think if you directly mention 'Bansheng something district,' people will definitely say you are selling out the country."
Zhu Mo couldn't help but say "Oh"—
That's right!
Last time he tricked Old Yan Song, he didn't directly mention the Textile Bank, but called it a state-run money house. This time, he naturally couldn't mention the "Bansheng Plan." According to the books, didn't Zhang Juzheng later propose an "Anda Tribute"? Then why not call it "Tribute State"? The word "state" wouldn't be cursed as treason, would it?
Moreover, although the Bansheng Experimental Zone was nominally a "territory with no sovereignty," in reality, the Ming Dynasty's military strength was absolute, its economic strength was dominant, and its settled civilization was mainstream. In the final analysis, it was still the Ming Dynasty's de facto territory. Although Anda understood this, he had no choice but to bow his head when under someone else's roof...
Thinking of this,
Zhu Mo also smiled and said, "General Li, actually, when you martial men play their tricks, you are not at all inferior to civil officials... Hahaha..."
Hahaha,
The two burst into laughter.
But just then, three trumpeters from the front guard galloped back, shouting:
"Marshal Zhu, General Li! General Ma reports that several tens of thousands of enemy troops have been discovered several li ahead of Deshengbao!"
Huh?!
The two were immediately startled.
The trumpeter rambled on, and the two's hearts surged.