Chapter 227: A Gamble, a Fight to the Death
The so-called grand court meeting is actually a big gathering.
The ceremony was very grand, but Jiang Qingzhi watched it with boredom. He compared it with his memory of later TV dramas and felt that the TV dramas were weak.
He noticed something: the Taoist priest was sitting there and seemed a little impatient.
Yan Song is out of class.
Begin reciting the prepared text.
In the article, he summarized the past year.
Under the leadership of His Majesty the Great Emperor, the Ming Dynasty has achieved surprising achievements in the past year.
Then we start looking forward to this year...
Barabara...
It was difficult for Yan Song to read such a long article without taking a breath.
Jiang Qingzhi discovered that there was foam at the corners of Old Yan's mouth.
Finally finished reciting.
Next it is time for His Majesty the Great Emperor to speak.
Welcome everyone...
Dao Ye's speech was concise and to the point.
The past year has been pretty good for everyone.
This year is a good year, everything is fine...
Finish!
"It is said that the first few people spoke for at least half an hour at the grand court meeting."
"more than."
"Your Majesty is still the best."
Jiang Qingzhi felt that the ministers were sincere in their praise of the emperor that followed.
The old playboy represented the nobles in praising the emperor. He looked dignified and had a loud voice.
Next comes the representatives of the royal family.
The representative of the royal family is Zhu Bingchen.
The old fellow glanced at Jiang Qingzhi, then started praising the emperor.
After reciting the article he had prepared in advance, Zhu Bingchen said: "At the end of last year, I came to the capital from my fiefdom. Along the way, I saw that the people were simple and honest, and they did not pick up things on the road. This made me feel deeply moved.
But I heard that there are barbarians outside the Great Wall who are harassing the Nine Borders from time to time. I am extremely angry. I am not talented enough, and I wanted to take up my sword and go to the battlefield, but I am too old to..."
Zhu Bingchen had a look of regret on his face, as if if he were ten years younger, he would have dared to kill people on the grassland with a knife.
"I heard that the imperial guards are being rectified, and I am very happy. I can still stay in the capital for a few days. I wonder if I can get a glimpse of the heroic figures of our great Ming warriors, so that I can show off to my children and grandchildren when I return."
These words moved Zhu Bingchen so much that he wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
What an acting skill this old guy has!
Jiang Qingzhi and Zhu Xizhong looked at each other.
We are not as good as you!
But what is the old man trying to do?
Many people are still confused.
I saw Qin Yuan coming out of the class at the back.
"Your Majesty, our army's vanguard is willing to show its skills!"
In front, the elders of the clan begged for help, and in the back, the brave generals volunteered.
Who could refuse this?
A military hero came out and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's fake just to perform martial arts, and I can't tell the quality."
Another Honor of Arms said, "So what you mean is..."
"Two armies confront each other!"
"Tsk! This is true, but it is inevitable that there will be damage."
"Since you are in the army, you are not afraid of death, so why should you be afraid of injury?"
"That's true..."
The two of them sang in unison, and soon many people echoed them.
Zhu Xizhong discovered that many of those who agreed were civil servants.
Civil officials have always been disdainful of dealing with military affairs unless they are related to themselves.
This was the aftereffect of Jiang Qingzhi beating the scholars.
Zhu Xizhong looked serious, but he found that Jiang Qingzhi was still as nonchalant as before.
"Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty!"
Qin Yuan knelt down.
Emperor Jiajing said calmly: "Who and who?"
Qin Yuan looked to the front left.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and did not wait for him to name his troops. "Your Majesty, I think the Tiger Guards can go into battle."
When Yan Xu saw the boss calling his name, he stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I request your order!"
In an instant, everyone understood.
This was a long-planned plot.
Military honors and generals joined forces, and many civil officials added fuel to the fire.
The purpose is to make Jiang Qingzhi unable to refuse.
Emperor Jiajing's eyes were gloomy. Seeing that Jiang Qingzhi was still calm, he even looked a little contemptuous.
"Can!"
The emperor could not refuse this request, otherwise not only would the morale of the Huben Zuowei plummet, but it would also have a negative impact on the successful abdication.
Then the envoys from foreign vassal states came to praise the emperor.
Finally, there was a grand banquet for all the ministers.
Jiang Qingzhi found a table and sat down, and then Wang Yiqi, Xiao Zhuo, Yan Xu and others came over.
Zhu Xizhong was entertaining people over there, and with him, the table was complete.
Wang Yiqi fanned himself with the carefully prepared article praising the emperor, looking a little anxious. "Qiu Luan and others have been staying at the front of the government army recently. The number of pigs and sheep sent to the camp every day is countless."
Xiao Zhuo said: "Where does he get so much money?"
Wang Yiqi sneered, "Qiu Luan and others are well-off."
"Those people are supporting Qin Yuan." Zhu Xizhong came back, "I just asked a few old friends, and many people secretly gave Qin Yuan benefits. With just one word, Qing Zhi will be defeated."
Zhu Xizhong spread his hands helplessly and said, "Look, the side effects of your beating of the scholar are coming."
"Good target!" Jiang Qingzhi said calmly, "I have always been worried that the Tiger Guards would not be able to find an opponent in the capital. This is good. Yan Xu, are you confident?"
Yan Xu stood up and said, "Please rest assured, Master!"
When he stood up like this, Qiu Luan sneered.
Every department was gathered together, and so was the Taichang Temple.
Li Huan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stroked his beard and said with emotion: "This Lord Changwei is indeed very courageous. However, he was too bold when he beat up the scholar last time."
Chen Mo, the Minister of the Imperial Household, was also watching the fun. "Which child in the Imperial Household has such courage?"
Li Huan's eyes lit up. "I am not bragging. My eldest son is the most diligent in studying and behaves like an elder brother. Looking at the entire capital, there is no other young man as outstanding as him. My eldest daughter is so virtuous that she was betrothed very early..."
The people in the Taichang Temple seemed to be accustomed to this. Someone asked, "Li Sicheng, who is your future son-in-law?"
"The Ministry of Revenue's Inspector Xiang Cheng is also a promising man, I'm not bragging..."
Chen Mo was conflicted and raised his hands to cover his ears, but he felt it was indecent and beneath his dignity.
"I have another daughter at home. She is extremely chaste. I am not bragging. She is as virtuous as a princess. She is kind and virtuous. When she was very young, she asked her mother for a small shop. When I asked her why she wanted a shop, she said she wanted to earn money to buy candy for her parents. Listen, listen. What a sensible and filial child she is."
Li Huan was so excited that he looked around proudly. Someone laughed and asked, "What kind of son-in-law is Li Sicheng looking for? At least he has to be a general who protects the country, right?"
"Haha!" Li Huan said with a red face: "First, you have to love your wife, and secondly, you have to be successful. If the man is unsuccessful, the woman will have to suffer with him, right?" This is indeed true.
"The little daughter of Li Sicheng's family..." Chen Mo, the immediate superior, asked in a low voice, "How old is she this year?"
Li Huan whispered, "This year I will be the 15th birthday girl."
"Fifteen." Chen Mo nodded. "No matter how she looks... that's all. She must be beautiful, beautiful..."
But he said it was too late.
"I'm not bragging. My daughter may not be stunningly pretty, but she's not bad looking either." Then he started bragging.
At this time, someone from Qiu Luan's side stood up and walked towards Jiang Qingzhi.
"This is a provocation." Chen Mo said, "Challenging before a battle is in line with the art of war."
Li Huan stopped bragging somewhat angrily.
The man walked to the right of Jiang Qingzhi, sat down and raised his glass, "Chang Wei Bo, I'll toast you a glass. We'll have a fight in three days. Do you dare to bet with me?"
"Who are you?" Jiang Qingzhi tilted his head to look at the man and picked up the wine jug.
"I……"
Jiang Qingzhi grabbed the wine jug and slammed it on the man's face.
Bah!
The man tilted his head back and fell.
Jiang Qingzhi turned around and grabbed his collar, "Who do you say you are?"
"Xianzhang Hou Du He!" The man's face was covered in blood, and his nose was collapsed. "You actually took action, very good, very good!"
"I was just waving my hand, who knew you would be sitting next to me." Jiang Qingzhi looked innocent.
Someone from the Military Honors side cursed, "This man has learned the shamelessness of a civil servant."
"By the way, why are you looking for me?" Jiang Qingzhi let go of his hand, and Du He fell down again, hitting the back of his head on the ground with a thud.
Du He's eyes were full of stars. He slowed down and said through gritted teeth, "I'm here to make a bet with you. Do you dare?"
Several military honors stood up and walked over, rolling up their sleeves as they walked.
Zhu Xizhong stood up and picked up the stool.
He sneered, "Are you going to take action? When has Brother Zhu ever been afraid of anyone?"
Jiang Qingzhi and the old dandy stood side by side and asked, "How much do you want to bet?"
"Three thousand strings of cash? Do you dare?" Du He got up, staggered to his feet, and felt very dizzy.
"Three thousand strings?"
"Don't you dare?" Du He said sarcastically.
"The minimum is 50,000 strings of cash." Jiang Qingzhi thought of Fucheng's nagging last night, about how getting married would cost a lot of money. Although the family had some money, they had to prepare more for the future hostess.
"Fifty thousand strings of cash..." Fifty thousand strings of cash was something the Du family could afford, but it had to be something. Du He thought of Qiu Luan's analysis of a sure win, "I'm betting with you!"
"A gentleman's word."
"It's hard to chase a horse!"
Two hands clapped together.
Du He took a few steps and suddenly turned around, "I haven't settled the score with you for that wine jug yet!"
Jiang Qingzhi picked up a dish and said with a grim smile, "How about some more?"
Du He pointed at him and sneered, "In three days, I will watch you cry without tears!"
After he returned, he found someone to complain to Emperor Jiajing.
Not long after, the man came back.
"What does your majesty say?" Du He touched his nose. Just a light touch made him burst into tears.
"Your Majesty said that seeing blood on the first day of the new year is a good omen."
Du He: “…”
……
Li Huan ate half his fill and returned home, where his wife Chang came to greet him.
"My husband, how will the court be held today?"
"It was lively." Li Huan said, "That Chang Wei Bo was so impressive that he almost flattened Xian Zhang Hou Du He's face with a wine jug."
"Is it your Majesty's cousin?"
"Yes!"
"I heard that she is as beautiful as a dazzling array of pearls and jades. Is that true?"
“Women love to pay attention to these things.”
“Then what to focus on?”
"Yes, he is very handsome."
"If this man became our son-in-law..." Chang thought of her youngest daughter Li Tian.
"This man has offended the scholars and officials of the world, and he is at odds with the Yan Party. If I marry him, I'm afraid Tian'er will not be able to live in peace. By the way, where is Tian'er?"
"You said you were going to your shop this morning. Isn't he back?"
"Father, mother!"
A chaste girl came in, squatted down and greeted.
"Don't run around too much these days." Li Huan warned, "The guards of the capital will be performing martial arts on the fourth day of the first lunar month, so be careful."
"Performing martial arts?" Li Tian asked, "Dad, who is performing martial arts?"
"That long Wei Bo, the other party is... what is that person, I forgot." Li Huan drank some wine and felt exhausted at the moment. He murmured: "That young man is not bad, but what a pity, what a pity..."
juvenile?
Li Tian inexplicably thought of Ye Qing.
Jiang Qingzhi is currently serving as the Left Guard of the Huben Army.
On the parade ground, the soldiers of the Huben Zuowei Army, who had just finished their meal, were silent.
"That son of a bitch Qin Yuan teamed up with Qiu Luan and others to catch us off guard."
Jiang Qingzhi said: "This battle is not only about the honor and disgrace of you and me. This battle is about who will take the lead in the purge of the Beijing Guards. If we lose, the Beijing Guards will still become watchdogs."
Qiu Luan and his people only care about their own interests. Once they win, the entire Beijing Guard system, including military honors, will be turned around with the help of the literati.
We oppose everything that our opponents support. This is the tradition of the literati. It has been like this since the Song Dynasty. Even if we know that many national policies are beneficial to the country and the people, as long as they are pushed by our opponents, we will abolish them.
Even a certain celebrity who smashed the jar pointed at the map with his dim eyes and asked, "Is that the place Wang Anshi got back?" After getting a positive answer, the celebrity said, "Give it back to the Xixia people!"
Just as in history, the subsequent Ming Dynasty officials and soldiers were not even as good as watchdogs.
In the north, they feared the enemy like a tiger.
In the south, the farmers who had just washed their feet and came ashore, followed by a few real Japanese, were able to fight against ten at a time, and beat the Ming officers and soldiers into a mess.
This Ming Dynasty...can’t go on like this!
There seemed to be fire burning in Jiang Qingzhi's eyes. For the first time, he forgot about the big tripod and also for the first time, he forgot about the destiny of his country.
The treatment of the vanguard of the palace army has been widely discussed recently. They have meat every day and many veteran generals are there to give them advice.
This is an almost overwhelming advantage.
“Do you dare to follow me and show those fools what we, the Great Ming Army, are?” Jiang Qingzhi clenched his fists.
The array was silent for a moment.
Ma Fang raised his right arm.
"Fight to the death!"
Countless arms raised.
Like a forest!
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
(End of this chapter)
