Chapter 164 Ruining the place
In the late autumn, one could occasionally see armored generals coming in and out of the Ministry of War, adding a solemn and murderous atmosphere.
Jiang Qingzhi was welcomed in and taken to the lobby.
There were more than a dozen officials waiting in the lobby.
Wang Yiqi asked Jiang Qingzhi to sit down and said, "The Ming Dynasty seems peaceful now, but the foreign tribes outside the Nine Borders are ready to make a move. To be honest, I have the will to kill the enemy, but I don't have the power to do so..."
This is the opening statement.
The officials felt complicated as they looked at the young man sitting side by side with Wang Yiqi.
If they said the person coming was a veteran general or a military hero, they would think it was natural.
The veteran general is experienced and has a long family tradition of military honors.
But the young man in front of him had only been in Beijing from Suzhou for less than a year.
And it is said that he is just a scholar.
When a scholar meets a soldier, he cannot explain his reason clearly. This means that scholars are powerless.
As for using troops...if a scholar uses troops, he will just be sending himself to die.
But the pale-faced young man in front of us has slapped the face of all the scholars in the world with his two great victories.
"My Ministry of War must be prepared to respond to changes in the nine borders at any time. If the court needs it, we must also provide consultation. If something goes wrong, it will not only mislead people, but also harm the country. Who can bear the responsibility?"
Wang Yiqi looked at everyone with a warning in his eyes...After learning about this yesterday, the Ministry of War had a lot of complaints.
Some people said it would be better to invite the generals of the nine frontiers, as they are more familiar with the border situation. Some people said that there are a lot of military heroes in the capital, and although these people may not have other skills, they have a lot of experience passed down from their ancestors.
Wang Yiqi knew that these people were dissatisfied with this matter for two reasons. First, Jiang Qingzhi was the cousin of Emperor Jiajing, and Dao Ye was the sworn enemy of the literati. Naturally, Jiang Qingzhi was also an opponent in everyone's eyes.
Second, Jiang Qingzhi is too young.
The youngest person present was at least 30 years old. As an official of the Ministry of War, he was responsible for border affairs, deployment of troops and other military affairs. But now he needed a teenager to teach him.
This is just like an old Confucian scholar accepting enlightenment from a young student, which makes these people feel ridiculous.
Of course, the most important thing is embarrassment.
So after Wang Yiqi warned him, he smiled and said, "Today, please give me some advice. I will treat you later. I won't leave until I am drunk."
Jiang Qingzhi took out a cigarette and played with it in his hand. "To be honest, after receiving the invitation, I didn't want to come."
Wang Yiqi felt a little embarrassed.
Those officials could no longer sit still. One of them snorted coldly, "How shameless!"
"What's the reason?" Jiang Qingzhi seemed to have not noticed all this. "I went to the northwest twice. The first time I went to Datong, I saw those soldiers were so timid that they didn't dare to attack hundreds of enemy cavalry. I don't know why."
He said slowly, "The second time I went to Taiyuan, the White Lotus Sect in Taiyuan was rebelling, and the entire Taiyuan Guard was infiltrated like a sieve. The Ming Dynasty's money and grain were used to support a group of soldiers for the White Lotus Sect."
This is a slap in the face to the Ministry of War.
Wang Yiqi felt many reproachful gazes.
Is this the gentleman you invited?
Is he here to teach me a lesson or to slap me in the face?
"Shanxi officers and soldiers fear the enemy like a tiger. Does the Ministry of War know this?"
"Taiyuan Guard was once controlled by Li Fuda of the White Lotus Sect. Does the Ministry of War know about this?"
Jiang Qingzhi raised two questions, and seeing that everyone was silent, he said, "I think the Ministry of War must know about this. If they know, why don't they have a plan to deal with it?"
Wang Yiqi laughed dryly, "Chang Wei Bo, this is a legacy from a long time ago..."
"So we can just ignore it?" Jiang Qingzhi interrupted him rudely, turning his eyes to look at these officials, "Excuse me, ever since the Nine Border Defense was built, the entire Ministry of War has been filled with a sense of contentment and peace of mind."
He glanced at Wang Yiqi and said, "If you can't get rid of this mentality, no matter how much I say today, you will just ignore it."
That's it!
An official whispered: "This is the art of war!"
Wang Yiqi stroked his beard and smiled, thinking that he would give these officials a slap in the face first to perk up their spirits, and then he could teach them, which would be more effective.
It is indeed Long Wei Bo, a great commander of troops.
He didn't know that half of Jiang Qingzhi's words were directed at him.
In history, Altan led his army southward and reached the capital, nearly destroying the Ming Dynasty. Everyone is to blame, but the Ministry of War bears the brunt of the blame.
Wang Yiqi is the person primarily responsible.
So Jiang Qingzhi first warned people about this before talking about the situation in the nine border areas.
"The Nine Borders in your hearts may cause occasional harassment, but the overall situation is good."
This is the flavor of the summary made by the Ministry of War and the court at the end of each year.
——The current situation in the Ming Dynasty is not just good, but very good.
"But what I saw was the foreign cavalry marching across the Nine Frontiers, and the Nine Frontiers' generals hiding in the city like turtles, not moving if they could. I don't know what the use of such a Nine Frontier defense is."
Jiang Qingzhi asked, "Do you have a map?"
Maps are state secrets, but the Ministry of War naturally has them.
Someone went to get the map, and someone asked, "Chang Wei Bo, according to what you said, the Ming Dynasty is already in danger right now?"
After saying this, this person looked at his colleagues proudly, trying to gain their approval.
"That's right. Isn't that how the Nine Frontiers have survived all these years? We haven't seen Altan go south either."
"If Altan dares to go south, the Nine Frontiers will send troops to outflank him. Isn't he afraid of being buried in the Central Plains? Hahahaha!"
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone laughed.
The air was filled with joy.
But Jiang Qingzhi didn't laugh.
The officials looked at the sarcastic face and their laughter gradually stopped.
"Have you laughed enough?"
Jiang Qingzhi held the medicinal cigarette, but subconsciously waited for Sun Chonglou or Dou Jialan to light it for him, but one of them was recuperating at home while the other was waiting outside.
Sure enough, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality!
Jiang Qingzhi couldn't help but lament his own depravity.
He lit the incense himself, took a puff, and let the smoke linger in his somewhat hot lungs. "I used the suppression of the White Lotus Sect as bait to induce Altan to send his troops to Shanxi."
The official said, "We all know that Lord Changwei is a great commander of the army. But isn't he giving us a lecture today? We are all ears. As for Lord Changwei's contributions, can we talk about them later?"
If you want to show off in my Ministry of War... Sorry, I'm not interested in flattering you.
"Who is this person?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"Minister of War, Wu Hua." Wang Yiqi was a little embarrassed.
He was more worried about a dispute between Jiang Qingzhi and Wu Hua.
Jiang Qingzhi pointed outside with his cigarette in hand, "Since you don't want to listen, then get out!"
Wu Hua was startled and pointed at himself, "You..."
"Get out!"
Jiang doesn't tolerate other people's faults. Wu Hua laughed angrily, "Okay, okay, I want to see what you, the invincible general, have to say. Everyone, just listen carefully! I'm leaving now."
Wait until he leaves.
Jiang Qingzhi said slowly: "I agreed with Zhang Da, the general of Datong, to attack the enemy halfway when they attacked. As expected, the enemy bypassed Datong and headed straight for Taiyuan. That battle was a hearty victory."
"But that battle also made me break out in cold sweats and made me furious!"
Jiang Qingzhi said coldly: "Ten thousand enemy cavalry dared to bypass the important town of Datong where a large number of troops were stationed."
"Didn't Zhang Da send troops?" someone murmured.
This idiot... Wang Yiqi shouted, "If it weren't for Lord Changwei coming in person, would Zhang Da dare to send out his troops?"
"He doesn't dare." Jiang Qingzhi shook his head and sighed, "Since Emperor Chengzu, the border of the Ming Dynasty has become a place where foreigners can come and go freely. In the early years, the border troops dared to attack, but in recent years, the border troops have become watchdogs, watching the enemy invade. Does the Ministry of War know about this?"
Every time the nine frontiers made reports, the Ministry of War would naturally know about it.
"Ten thousand enemy troops can make Datong Town afraid to send troops. If Altan leads a hundred thousand troops south, tell me, will the nine frontiers dare to send troops to intercept them?"
Under Jiang Qingzhi's gaze, no one spoke.
By deducing step by step, Jiang Qingzhi came to a conclusion about the border situation of the Ming Dynasty.
"If Altan marches south in large numbers, I dare say that the nine frontiers will be trembling with fear and hide in the city walls, not daring to show their heads. Then..."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed to his feet and said, "When Altan's army reaches the capital, can we resist the enemy with the guards of the capital?"
"Once the capital is destroyed, the Ming Dynasty will cease to exist!"
Jiang Qingzhi stood up and cursed: "And you high-ranking officials of the Ministry of War are dreaming of a peaceful and prosperous era!"
This is ruining the show!
Wang Yiqi was secretly angry, but as the inviter he could not turn his back on the invitation, otherwise he would be slapping himself in the face.
But the officials were furious.
"Jiang Qingzhi, what do you mean?"
"Arrogant Military Department, is this your teaching?"
"Alarmist!"
"Grandstanding!"
Wu Hua, who was walking outside with his hands behind his back, smiled at the officials around him and said, "Young men become arrogant when they succeed. The Minister invited him here and brought disgrace upon himself. Just wait and see, chaos will break out in a short while. I bet the Minister will regret it."
The lobby was in chaos.
There was even an official with a hot temper who rushed in front of Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi looked at him and asked curiously, "What do you want to do?"
Wang Yiqi wanted to yell at Jiang Qingzhi, but he said quietly, "Chang Wei Bo once killed Yi Si De, a general under Altan Khan in battle."
You damn well think you can beat him?
The official withdrew his hand and said, "I pulled my hand, I pulled it."
"If you pull it over, I can still praise the military commander for his courage! The courage to draw the sword even if you are defeated!"
Jiang Qingzhi's voice gradually became clearer.
"Throughout the dynasties, has there ever been a country that relied on a defensive stance to maintain its longevity?"
The noise gradually died down.
"Throughout the dynasties, has anyone been able to stay a coward for long?"
Everyone has read history books, so they know.
Whenever a dynasty enters the turtle stage, it is almost certain that the empire’s sunset has come.
There is not much time left.
“Why did the Former Han Dynasty fall because of its strength?”
Jiang Qingzhi walked in front of the crowd.
Choking!
He drew his long knife.
“Even when facing a powerful enemy, even when they know they cannot win, they still dare to draw their swords and never look back!”
……
"Chang Wei Bo, say, even when facing a powerful enemy, even if he knew he could not win, the former Han still dared to draw his sword without hesitation!"
Emperor Jiajing was resting with his eyes closed.
But the hand that was holding the whisk had white knuckles.
"Long Wilbur also said that when two enemies meet in a narrow road, the brave will win. When facing a strong enemy, one must dare to draw the sword. Peace comes from such courage to face the strong enemy!"
Bah!
The whisk slammed heavily on the table.
The emperor's eyes opened, and a desolate and murderous aura burst out.
"I also want to draw my sword! Do your subjects have the same desire?"
(End of this chapter)
