Chapter 112 What mountain? A mountain of corpses
The battle was over, and the cavalry were in pursuit.
Jiang Qingzhi walked slowly on the battlefield littered with corpses, weapons and debris.
In my mind, the cauldron has not yet started to accelerate.
The corpses were hideous, weapons were scattered everywhere. The wounded horses were neighing, and the uninjured were collected by the soldiers who were cleaning the battlefield as if they had found treasures...
A sergeant was kneeling on one knee on the ground, holding another sergeant's hand, with a sad look on his face.
Jiang Qingzhi walked over.
This was a Ming army soldier with a chest injury, who looked to be in his thirties.
"Uncle!"
The kneeling soldier stood up. Jiang Qingzhi squatted down, looked at the dying soldier, and whispered, "Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
A blush appeared on the soldier's face. Jiang Qingzhi sighed in his heart and held his hand.
"I...I live in Datong."
"Ok!"
"I want to know, Datong...can it be defended from now on?"
The civil and military officials in the capital were extremely confident in the Nine Frontiers, but the soldiers on the border knew very well that if they were not careful, the Nine Frontiers would fall.
The soldiers looked at Jiang Qingzhi expectantly, as if the words of this young nobleman were golden and their meanings would come true.
"Yes!" Jiang Qingzhi nodded.
"That villain's wife and children..." The sergeant held Jiang Qingzhi's hand with his backhand, "Give them pensions..."
"Give it the best option." Jiang Qingzhi said, "That's what I said, it counts."
"Thank you very much..."
As his hands loosened, the sergeant's eyes slowly closed.
Jiang Qingzhi stood up and said, "Tell Zhang Da, whoever dares to go without compensation will be punished with his head."
Hu Zongxian agreed and went to see Zhang Da immediately.
"It's a bit difficult." Zhang Da smiled bitterly, "It has become a routine over the years."
"As the saying goes, it is a matter of course after a long time. But General Zhang, you probably don't know the character of the Lord." Hu Zongxian said with a smile.
"Please speak clearly, Mr. Hu." Zhang Da was in high spirits after the victory.
"Many things, if he had told me beforehand, would be opportunities. If he hadn't told me..." Hu Zongxian bowed, "Goodbye."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Damen was stunned.
He chased after him and hooked his arm around Hu Zongxian's neck. "Brother Hu, if it weren't for Chang Wei Bo, I would have long since become a wronged ghost. If it weren't for Chang Wei Bo, I, Old Zhang, would have made you suffer greatly in Datong Prefecture."
Zhang Da was not a good man. If he did not deal with Hu Zongxian, he would make this man suffer in waiting.
"You and I were enemies before, but now we are in the same group. It's such a wonderful fate that it makes people sigh." Hu Zongxian said.
"Since we are all Chang Wei Bo's men, you shouldn't say anything bad about anything you have to say." Zhang Da said, "I'll give you a heads up when I report my achievements..."
"Don't!" Hu Zongxian shook his head.
"Why, you don't want to?" Zhang Da was a little curious, "Why?"
"What would Yan Song and others think if they saw my name appear in the victory report?" Hu Zongxian said with a smile.
"Chang Wei Bo is not afraid of them." Zhang Da felt that he was overthinking.
"Old Zhang!" Hu Zongxian smiled, with a calmness that seemed like he had mastered everything.
"Just say it, brother." Zhang Da said with a smile.
"I have some warnings here. If you are willing to listen, then listen. If not, just ignore what I said."
"I'm listening!"
"You and I are both Lord's people. Since we are Lord's people, we should put the overall situation first. What is the overall situation?" Hu Zongxian said softly, "Lord's ambition is the overall situation for you and me."
Zhang Da was stunned. "My Lord's ambition..."
"Just ask and you'll find out." Hu Zongxian said with a smile.
The two went to look for Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi, holding a cigarette in his mouth and followed by two guards, strolled leisurely among the corpses.
"Uncle." Hu Zongxian saluted.
"Long Wei Bo." Zhang Da bowed and asked, "This is a bit presumptuous."
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Hu Zongxian and said, "Speak."
Zhang Da laughed dryly and rubbed his hands. "If it weren't for Long Wei's help, I, Old Zhang, would have died long ago. I, Old Zhang, have no way of repaying Long Wei for saving my life. From now on, I will naturally obey Long Wei's orders."
This is a statement of loyalty.
Before this battle, although Zhang Da vaguely expressed his willingness to stick together, he did not express his willingness to follow so openly.
Jiang Qingzhi knew that unless he demonstrated his ability to raise the flag independently, a general like Zhang Da would never join him.
Just like Zhang Juzheng later, if he had not held all the power, even the emperor would have been suppressed by him, and generals such as Qi Jiguang would not have been loyal to him.
"So long-winded." Sun Chonglou muttered.
Even Sun Chonglou could see that Zhang Da was laying the groundwork and wanted to say something.
Zhang Da’s face turned red, “I, Old Zhang, am willing to follow you, uncle, but…” He glanced at Hu Zongxian.
Hu Zongxian remained silent.
Damn it, the hearts of scholars are all evil... Zhang Da had no choice but to bite the bullet and said, "I wonder what the uncle will do from now on."
This question seems to be asking about Jiang Qingzhi's future ambitions, but in fact it is asking about the future political goals of this small group.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "I have been waiting for you to ask this question."
Zhang Da said with a smile: "You are young and promising, and Your Majesty trusts you. You will surely rise to prominence in the future. We follow you, and we ask for nothing but a safe life."
Ha ha!
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "My ambition!"
He looked towards the north. "Throughout the dynasties, the life span of a country was no more than three hundred years at most. It was powerful at the beginning, then gradually declined, and finally the sun set on the empire."
Zhang Da blinked, and Hu Zongxian explained, "Since the Former Qin Dynasty, dynasties in the Central Plains have been short-lived."
"Thank you." Zhang Da said.
The two of them seemed to be in tacit agreement. Jiang Qingzhi shook off the ash from his cigarette and said, "The Ming Dynasty has been established for many years. Can it break this rule?"
Zhang Da looked at Hu Zongxian.
This is the uncle testing us. It's your turn, Lao Hu.
Hu Zongxian said: "In terms of the legitimacy of the country, the Ming Dynasty is the best among all the dynasties. The current Ming Dynasty seems to be prosperous, but in fact, undercurrents are surging and crises are everywhere. There is a powerful enemy in the north, and there is discord between the emperor and his ministers..."
This later famous official was still somewhat immature at the time and did not look at the problem comprehensively enough.
"National destiny!" Jiang Qingzhi interrupted him.
"I think... it's hard for the Ming Dynasty to break this law of rise and fall." Seeing Zhang Da's dumbfounded look, Hu Zongxian said, "The first thing an official should do is to read history. Take history as a mirror. Look at the Ming Dynasty today, and then compare it with the dynasty scenes in the history books, and you can infer what the current situation of the Ming Dynasty is like."
Zhang Da asked, "Old Hu, what is the current situation in the Ming Dynasty?"
Hu Zongxian glanced at Jiang Qingzhi, who waved his hand, signaling him to just go ahead and talk.
The customs during the Jiajing reign gradually became more open, and people began to joke about the emperor to such an extent that later generations could only describe it as ridiculous.
Hu Zongxian said: "The people's lives are becoming increasingly difficult, the army is corrupt, and the officials are greedy..."
Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicinal smoke and said, "The Ming Dynasty is now like the setting sun of the empire. It looks glorious, but in fact it is not far from setting."
He said: "And my ambition in life..."
Zhang Da and Hu Zongxian looked at Jiang Qingzhi.
The future of a small group depends not only on the ability of its leader, but also on its political goals.
Zhang Da thought Jiang Qingzhi was not bad, even amazing. Moreover, he was the cousin of Emperor Jiajing and was highly trusted. The leader set the political goal, and then the small group worked hard towards this goal. This is called forming a party.
At this moment, the setting sun was shining on the earth. In the distance, teams of cavalry returned with high morale and spoils of war.
"I want to break that damn law of rise and fall and make the Ming Dynasty prosper for another 500 years!"
……
Hu Zongxian was shocked and looked at the boy in disbelief.
The factions of this era were more like small groups seeking to get promoted and make money, and the Donglin Party, which later claimed to be working for the country and the people, was no exception.
For example, the Yan Party. The goal of Yan Song and his son was to get promoted and make money, so they served their masters in a fawning manner and accepted benefits...
Following the example of their superiors, all members of the Yan Party aim to get promoted and make money, so everyone only cares about their own interests and ignores the overall situation.
Historically, Hu Zongxian's ability was considered top-notch within the Yan Party, but in order to get promoted and to go to the southeast to take charge of the anti-Japanese war, Hu Zongxian had to bribe the bigwigs of the Yan Party.
Such a small group will be destroyed sooner or later.
Hu Zongxian felt that Jiang Qingzhi's goal was probably to assist the emperor.
But unexpectedly, he clearly put forward specific goals.
"Let the Ming Dynasty last for 500 years!"
In my mind, the cauldron has not yet started to accelerate.
Jiang Qingzhi was a little confused, wondering if the system had crashed.
Or running out of energy.
Jiang Qingzhi patted the two men on the shoulders and said, "I can't guarantee that those who are willing to follow me will get promoted or become rich."
He looked at the two of them with a piercing gaze, "One must do something in this life to live up to it. So, before I die, I hope to be able to say to my children and grandchildren with a clear conscience that I have lived up to the Ming Dynasty and have lived up to... my trip to this world."
Holding a cigarette in his mouth, he left the battlefield and kept observing the big cauldron in his mind.
——Uncle Ding, please say something!
——A hint would be fine.
But the big tripod remains the same.
Behind them, Zhang Da and Hu Zongxian exchanged glances.
"Old Hu, what do you think of the uncle's ambitions?" Zhang Da noticed that Hu Zongxian's face was a little red, and thought that this guy did not agree with Jiang Qingzhi's political goals.
But what he didn't know was that Hu Zongxian's political goal was to make a difference and leave his name in history.
Jiang Qingzhi's political goals just hit the spot for Hu Zongxian.
"Uncle!"
Jiang Qingzhi in front did not look back.
Anyone who wants to follow, come.
If you don’t want to, leave!
This is Jiang Qingzhi’s attitude.
Hu Zongxian cupped his hands and said solemnly: "I am willing to follow you, my Lord, and do my best for the Ming Dynasty and the world."
Jiang Qingzhi raised his hand and waved.
Sun Chonglou turned around and said, "Young Master asked you to follow."
Hu Zongxian walked quickly forward and came to Jiang Qingzhi's side.
"My Lord has great ambitions, and I admire them very much. However, if we want to continue the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, I think that discord between the monarch and his subjects is a taboo..."
"wrong."
At some point, Zhang Da appeared on the other side of Jiang Qingzhi. "If we want to continue the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, the first priority is to defeat Altan Khan."
"Old Zhang, do you understand what you are saying, that we must first stabilize the country before we can resist foreign aggression?" Hu Zongxian said.
"I, Zhang, don't understand the saying that we must first stabilize the country before we can resist foreign aggression, but Altan is eyeing us covetously. If we don't kill him, how can we rule the world with peace of mind?"
"If we go to war with Altan, do you know how long it will last? The officials in the court will drag their feet, and there will be insufficient money and food... Don't forget that Zeng Xin's plan to restore the throne was rejected by the court, and the most important reason was money and food.
Have you ever thought about how many elite soldiers and how much food would be needed to destroy Altan Khan? Can the Ming Dynasty raise such a huge amount of resources at the moment? "
"That's what you're waiting for..."
The two men could not reach an agreement on the dispute, so they asked Jiang Qingzhi to arbitrate.
"You two put on a show in front of me, just to see how I would handle the current situation and to see what I, the leader, am capable of."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the two people who were laughing awkwardly.
Then he said: "The Ming Dynasty is now facing internal and external troubles, so we should solve them together!"
He clenched his fists, "I need to grab it with both hands, and I need to make it hard!"
"But money and food..." Hu Zongxian felt that his boss was too optimistic.
Jiang Qingzhi said, "If I say that if I were to manage the finances for the Ming Dynasty, the money and grain for conquering Altan would not be a problem, would you two believe me?"
The two looked at each other, feeling that Jiang Qingzhi's words were a bit too arrogant.
You are good at military strategy and have outstanding talents, but you must specialize in your own fields!
Jiang Qingzhi threw away the cigarette butt and clapped his hands.
"Let's wait and see!"
In the distance, Zhu Xizhong walked towards them triumphantly.
"Qingzhi!"
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and waved.
Hu Zongxian's heart moved, "Master, if we can bring this person in, it will be a great help."
Jiang Qingzhi had a strange look on his face. Hu Zongxian thought he felt it was not worth it. "My Lord, don't underestimate such noble relatives. The Duke of Chengguo and the Duke of Yingguo have high status and prestige."
"This is just a shameless old dude." Jiang Qingzhi cursed.
Seeing that Hu Zongxian and Zhang Da looked puzzled.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "This bastard got me drunk, dragged me to chop off a chicken's head, burned yellow paper, and became sworn brothers."
"what!"
Duke Chengguo is actually your brother? Hu Zongxian covered his forehead, "I suddenly feel that this goal of the uncle seems to be hopeful."
……
Zhu Xizhong came and asked, "Qingzhi, what should we do with the corpses of the enemy soldiers? Should we bring them into the city to show off our power?"
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head, "It stinks."
"Too."
"But here... Lao Zhu."
"What's the matter?"
Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the surroundings and said, "Isn't this area too flat?"
The area outside Datong is very flat.
Zhu Xizhong laughed and said, "Why, do you want to move a mountain here?"
"Yes!"
"What mountain?"
"A mountain of corpses!"
Everyone was startled.
The young nobleman glanced at the corpses and said, "Order to collect the enemy's corpses."
"Why are you so serious?" Zhu Xizhong was puzzled.
Jiang Qingzhi pointed to the front right, "Build a Jingguan!"
(End of this chapter)
