Chapter 192 Who Can Save This Dynasty?
Duoduo's claws with retracted nails slapped on his face, and Jiang Qingzhi woke up slowly.
"Meow!"
Duoduo is getting impatient.
"Get up!"
Jiang Qingzhi felt like he had raised a big cat.
"Master!"
"coming."
Oh!
There's another one outside.
Jiang Qingzhi pushed the door open and went out. A gust of cold wind blew and he couldn't help shivering.
Hey!
This body is still a little weak!
"Practice martial arts!"
The stars were still hanging in the sky, and Jiang Qingzhi was sweating profusely on the small training ground of the Bo Mansion.
Xu Wei was also practicing martial arts. The fat white man was clumsily dancing with his long sword. His master, Sun Chonglou, had already lost his patience and said, "Your understanding is too poor."
"I'll kill the enemy here." Xu Wei pointed to his head.
"Haha!" Sun Chonglou said, "Young Master said that the Ming Dynasty had too many smart people, so it repeated the mistakes of the Song Dynasty. What about using culture to control military power and self-castration..."
"Self-castration?" Xu Wei lowered his head.
Hu Zongxian did not practice martial arts. Instead, he learned Tai Chi from Jiang Qingzhi. He would practice a set leisurely every morning and felt that he had mastered the skill.
"Military men must be suppressed." Hu Zongxian concluded.
"It's not suppression, but checks and balances." Jiang Qingzhi wiped his sweat and said, "Martial artists without checks and balances are very dangerous, but suppressing too much is self-castration."
"There are countless precedents of military men acting arrogantly!" Hu Zongxian sat on the side of the literati.
"Why are you so domineering?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"out of control."
“So there needs to be checks and balances.”
Xu Wei coughed dryly, "My Lord, once a warrior loses control, at the very least he will become a vassal. There are countless precedents of this in the pre-Han and pre-Tang dynasties. Even the pre-Song dynasty was the same. At worst he will become a rebel and turn against us."
The same was true of the Ming Dynasty... Before long, the generals represented by Li Chengliang allowed the enemy to stay in their homes and became a vassal state that was not really a vassal state.
"The literati suppress the military men, but have they ever thought about the military men's counterattack?" Jiang Qingzhi asked in return.
Xu Wei said: "So the money and food must be controlled in our hands. Once the military becomes arrogant and cuts off the money and food..."
"Go on!" Jiang Qingzhi handed the towel to Dou Jialan, "Why don't you continue?"
Xu Wei's talent could be said to be among the best in the Ming Dynasty, but his vision was not up to par in front of Jiang Qingzhi, who had the benefit of information from later generations.
Hu Zongxian has come to his senses and said, "A cornered dog will jump over the wall."
Xu Wei said: "They...will rebel, or even surrender to the enemy."
"I read a book that told a story..."
Jiang Qingzhi sat down, took a sip of the warm water, and said, "At the end of a certain dynasty, most of the border troops were controlled by generals. The foreign tribes outside the border wall gradually grew stronger. They constantly invaded this dynasty and defeated them several times..."
Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei exchanged glances.
What dynasty is the uncle talking about? Could it be the Ming Dynasty?
"So the court placed its hopes on the border troops. The border troops asked for money, food, and other resources. Will you give them to them?"
Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Hu Zongxian sighed, "It must be given. If not, something unbearable will happen."
"But if we give it to them, we will be raising a tiger to cause trouble." Dou Jialan glanced at Hu Zongxian, "People are greedy. If they get money and food today, they will ask for more tomorrow."
"The court decided not to give it." Jiang Qingzhi sat upright. "Then the border troops warned that the enemy was coming in large numbers. The court was in a panic, and then money and food were continuously sent to the border. So the enemy retreated."
"Is this... a hookup?" Jiang Qingzhi was pleased by Xu Wei's quick reaction.
"Yes, both sides reached a tacit understanding. From then on, the court knew that these border generals were unreliable. But the border troops were in their hands. If they let go, the foreign cavalry would march straight in. Therefore, even though they knew it was inappropriate, the court still responded to requests."
Jiang Qingzhi's voice echoed in the early morning. Except for Sun Chonglou who was practicing sword skills energetically, everyone was listening attentively.
This must be the Ming Dynasty!
The uncle actually used the story to deduce the future destiny of the Ming Dynasty.
Hu Zongxian was secretly shocked.
"But at this moment, the dynasty is facing a growing population and increasingly serious land annexation, resulting in refugees everywhere. It also coincides with a severe drought..."
"Isn't this an old story from the Western Han Dynasty?" Xu Wei glanced at Hu Zongxian and wondered if Jiang Qingzhi thought that the Ming Dynasty would follow the old path of the Western Han Dynasty?
"Listen." Hu Zongxian gave him a word.
"The local scholars and gentry had countless money and grain, but they were unwilling to give a penny, so the refugees who were about to starve to death raised the banner and rebelled!"
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the postman. "The court thought it was just a minor problem, but who knew that the refugee army would quickly sweep across the country. And the foreign tribes outside the Great Wall also took advantage of the situation and continued to attack..."
"This is a scene of national destruction, under pressure from both inside and outside!"
Hu Zongxian's vision was probably one of the best during the Chongzhen period.
"The foreign army is at the gates of the city, the story of the Song Dynasty is repeating itself!" Xu Wei sighed.
Jiang Qingzhi said sarcastically: "It was the refugee army that broke into the capital."
"The emperor went south and the dynasty moved its capital." Xu Wei said with amusement, thinking that your trick is often found in history books.
"No." Jiang Qingzhi's eyes were stern. "When the refugee army was approaching the city, the emperor ordered people to ring the alarm bell to summon all the ministers, but no one came to the court."
What a tragedy of national destruction!
Fucheng sighed.
"The emperor only had one eunuch left by his side, and he climbed to a higher place with the eunuch."
Jiang Qingzhi thought of Coal Hill, an inconspicuous place that he had seen pictures of in his later years.
"The emperor hanged himself on a tree, leaving behind this last message..."
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the stubborn Emperor Chongzhen, and felt heavy in his heart.
"I am cold-hearted and contemptuous, and I have brought disaster upon myself. But it was all the fault of my ministers. I will not be able to face my ancestors when I die, so I will take off my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the thieves divide the country, but do not harm any of the people."
The classroom was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"Oh!"
When everyone heard the sound and looked, they saw Fu Cheng stamping his feet in anger, making a terrifying sound.
Xu Wei said quietly, "You are talking about the Ming Dynasty, right?"
Jiang Qingzhi did not answer his question. "When the population is too large for the land to accommodate, when the army is corrupt and becomes a private army, when the ministers are greedy and only know how to gain benefits for themselves, who can save this dynasty?"
"Master, it's time for breakfast."
The heavy atmosphere was broken.
Jiang Qingzhi was also hungry, so he went to the cafeteria.
Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei together.
"Your Excellency is talking about the Ming Dynasty." Hu Zongxian said, "If I am wrong, I would like to dig out my eyes." "It is the Ming Dynasty. Your Excellency is deducing the Ming Dynasty's national destiny based on historical precedents." Xu Wei was very interested.
"It's a problem that warriors can't get rid of their power."
"This time in Xuanfu, I saw those generals bossing the army around, and the lower-level soldiers were like their slaves. Just as Lord Bo said, if this continues, the army will become a private army of the generals."
"Butler!"
"Yes."
The two looked at each other and felt a sense of mutual admiration.
Xu Wei said: "In the army, we only know the generals, but not the court or the emperor."
"My Lord has a keen eye and sees this great crisis. But how can we resolve it?"
Hu Zongxian suddenly stopped and said, "Also, the great foreign enemy that Uncle was talking about is Altan!"
"Altan now has a strong army and horses, and the officers and soldiers of the nine borders are afraid of the enemy like a tiger. Lord Bo's deduction... Old Hu, I just looked carefully, but I can't find any major mistakes."
Xu Wei was secretly shocked.
"If there is a leader who can revive the country, perhaps the decline can be reversed."
"But where is the Lord of the Restoration?"
……
The weather was dry, so the cook made noodle soup with braised beef as the topping.
"The beef is stewed until tender, and the flavor is all in the meat. The taste is too strong... Hey! The tough noodles are mixed in, and they complement each other very well!"
Hu Zongxian ate slowly and leisurely.
Xu Wei sighed, "To be honest, once I've eaten the food at the Bo's Mansion, I'm afraid I won't want to leave."
"Meow!"
Duoduo, who was eating dried fish, looked on with disdain.
After eating, he washed his face and climbed onto Jiang Qingzhi's shoulders.
"My Lord, His Majesty asked you to rest for two days, how about going to the farm?" Fu Cheng said with a smile, "The farm is very interesting at this time of year."
"I'm wondering what Lu Bing is doing?" Jiang Qingzhi touched his chin, thoughtfully.
……
"A bunch of moths!"
Emperor Jiajing convened an expanded court meeting, threw evidence of corruption in front of the ministers, and said coldly: "These are the civil and military officials of the Nine Frontiers that I rely on as the Great Wall, and these are the loyal ministers and generals who guard the country's gates?"
Everyone was as silent as a cicada.
"check!"
"Leader!"
Lu Bing saluted, then turned around and walked away with his head held high.
The Jinyiwei was dispatched.
Everyone looked at each other, as if they smelled blood.
That morning, more than ten people from the Ministry of War were arrested.
"Shangshu!"
A group of military officials gathered in Wang Yiqi's duty room, and the atmosphere was tragic.
"Lu Bing's minions were so rampant that some officials refused to leave and were beaten and dragged out by force!"
"Some people were forced to kneel down..."
Wang Yiqi closed his eyes, as if he was taking a nap.
Assistant Minister Lan Shou said softly: "Shangshu, this is just the beginning!"
Wang Yiqi said slowly: "What do you want me to say? Beg for mercy?"
He opened his eyes and looked at the officials. "If those people are upright, and the Jinyiwei dare to kill them, I will bring the case to the emperor and seek justice for them."
He asked, "But are they clean? No. Their butts are full of shit!"
Wang Yiqi's rage suddenly flared up, "Lu Bing ordered the Jinyiwei to take forceful action, which slapped the face of me, the Shangshu."
Lu Bing tried to contact Wang Yiqi many times, but was rejected by Wang Yiqi. This foster brother of Emperor Jiajing was the most vindictive and he only vented his grudge at this moment.
"If I take action, Lu Bing will take advantage of the situation to attack me." Wang Yiqi said quietly, "The Ministry of War must not be in chaos."
Later everyone left.
"Commander Lu!"
Someone outside said hello.
Then Lu Bing walked to the door.
Block out the outside light completely.
In the darkness, Wang Yiqi said calmly, "Commander Lu, what advice do you have?"
Lu Bing strode in, and several Jinyiwei outside the door blocked all sight and possibility of eavesdropping.
Lu Bing sat down.
He looked at Wang Yiqi with a sharp gaze, "The political world is ruthless, and I have experienced ups and downs several times. From then on, I realized a truth."
Wang Yiqi said, "I am all ears."
"If you go it alone, you will drown in the political world sooner or later."
Lu Bing stared at Wang Yiqi, "What do you think, Minister Wang?"
This means that he wants Wang Yiqi to get closer to him.
"This is a treaty under duress!" Wang Yiqi sneered.
Besides, how could he be willing to join Yan's party and Lu Bing!
"Before those ten or so people left the Ministry of War, someone confessed." Lu Bing said word by word, "They said that Minister Wang knew about it!"
Do you want to get close to me, Lu Bing, or wait to be thrown into prison?
There are parties within the party. Lu Bing is implicitly a member of the Yan Party, but he always shows the flavor of setting up his own faction.
Before Yan Song took action, Lu Bing needed to pull the biggest fish, the Minister of War Wang Yiqi, to his side.
Wang Yiqi's hand trembled.
The corners of Lu Bing's mouth curled up slightly.
"Pharaoh!"
Someone outside asked loudly, "Where is your Shangshu hiding?"
Wang Yiqi felt his eyes brighten.
"Long Wilbur, I'm here!"
(End of this chapter)
