Chapter 677: Isn't it nice to buy it for free?
Yan Shifan thought of the conversation he had with Lu Bing yesterday.
The two were drinking in the Yan family's restaurant. Yan Shifan tried several times to find out whether the Jinyiwei knew who Emperor Jiajing was going to let lead the army together with Jiang Qingzhi.
Whoever commands the army will be the next opponent of the Yan Party.
Lu Bing looked around and talked about other things until Yan Shifan said that he owed him a favor, then he mentioned a name.
——Xu Jie!
With the Taoist's approval and Jiang Qingzhi's no objection, Xu Jie was naturally the best choice to lead the army.
Yan Song and his son spared no effort in suppressing Xu Jie, and recently reduced Xu Jie to the role of running errands in the government hall. Whenever he was free, Yan Song would find some trivial things for him to do.
I thought Xu Jie would choose to endure, but who would have thought that the old man would find another way and start with Jiang Qingzhi.
Yan Shifan was secretly angry, but he knew that he could not stop it. After discussing for a long time, the father and son decided to take a roundabout way to deal with it.
——Fully support Jiang Qingzhi in exchange for our people joining the army.
Since we can’t stop it, let’s take the credit!
When Emperor Jiajing asked Jiang Qingzhi which civil servant was suitable to accompany the army, Yan Shifan and his son almost simultaneously stared at Xu Jie.
Xu Jie remained calm, but Yan Shifan noticed that his sleeves were fluttering.
Old dog, you are clenching your fists. You must be very impatient!
Yan Shifan sneered.
Then he heard Jiang Qingzhi say: "Your Majesty, I think Yuanfu is the most appropriate!"
Yan Shifan prided himself on being extremely smart and not being surprised even if mountains collapsed and the earth cracked before his eyes, but at this moment he was dumbfounded.
Yan Song is old and has long passed the age where his emotions would be easily stimulated and his desires would be aroused.
But I was still stunned and couldn't believe it.
He kept staring at Xu Jie and saw that Xu Jie's face changed for the first time.
I couldn't believe it, and then I was angry, furious... Then I turned pale...
This was the first time Yan Song saw Xu Jie lose his composure like this.
But he was in no mood to laugh.
"Old man?"
Yan Song's first reaction was to refuse.
He is old. Wouldn't it be a suffering for him to go on the war?
If he falls ill halfway through his career and dies in the army at his advanced age, it may sound good, but he will be buried in his own soil!
But I’m doing a good job as the Prime Minister, why should I take risks?
Then he felt happy again, subconsciously thinking that if he could get some credit, his position as Prime Minister would become more stable, and his bad reputation would be cleared up a lot.
For a moment, Yan Song's mind was full of thoughts and he was stunned.
But Yan Shifan subconsciously said: "This is not appropriate..."
Yan Shifan’s first reaction was that his father’s body couldn’t take it, but then he realized that this was a rare opportunity.
If Yan Song doesn't go, then it would be natural for Xu Jie to go.
But he gritted his teeth and objected.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go!" Yan Song saluted solemnly, "Although I have never experienced a battle, I know that a general should be steady and not arbitrary. Chang Weibo is a famous general of the Ming Dynasty. I am willing to join hands with him and fight for the country!"
"Dad!" Yan Shifan looked at Yan Song in a state of dismay.
Yan Song glanced at him, his pale hair and beard fluttering, and his eyes showed an unyielding tenacity.
Emperor Jiajing was also stunned for a moment. In his opinion, Jiang Qingzhi could use this opportunity to ease the relationship with civil servants, such as Xu Jie.
Xu Jie was a chess piece used by Emperor Jiajing to check and balance Yan Song and his son. If Jiang Qingzhi eased his relationship with him, they would be able to form a unity in the court, which would be beneficial to both sides.
But unexpectedly, Jiang Qingzhi recommended Yan Song.
This means that he would rather give up visible benefits than join forces with Xu Jie.
Why is this kid so dissatisfied with Xu Jie?
After Xu Jie lost his composure, he was also thinking about this matter. Under the huge disappointment, the anger almost made him want to come out and refute.
Xu Jie suppressed his anger and quickly calmed down.
Why is Jiang Qingzhi so dissatisfied with me?
In terms of grudges, it was Jiang Qingzhi who first snatched the disciple away.
In terms of interests, it stands to reason that the two sides have many similarities, for example, they are both opponents of the Yan Party.
But why did Jiang Qingzhi regret it?
No, Xu Jie remembered that Jiang Qingzhi did not say last time that he would recommend him, but only said that he had no objection.
Xu Jie looked at Jiang Qingzhi, all kinds of thoughts running through his mind.
Dispersed.
Jiang Qingzhi was left behind, listening to the ministers outside talking like a swarm of bees.
"…He actually recommended Yan Song!"
"To be honest, I never guessed it."
"Li Sicheng, why did your son-in-law recommend Yuanfu?"
"Promote the virtuous without avoiding the enemy!" The father-in-law's voice was righteous and awe-inspiring.
"Tell me!" Emperor Jiajing came down, "Why did you recommend Yan Song?"
Jiang Qingzhi followed beside him and said, "Xu Jie is too tolerant. I can't get along with him."
"How many important officials can't be tolerant? Those who can't be tolerant have already drowned in the officialdom." Emperor Jiajing said calmly: "Politics is all about separation and reunion. Today you are an ally, tomorrow you are an opponent. You only look at the interests, not the people."
Tsk!
The Taoist's words fully revealed the nature of politicians.
"Your Majesty, I don't think highly of Xu Jie."
"Why don't you like him?"
“I don’t think highly of his original intention.”
"Ok?"
"I feel that this person's ambition is not for the public, but for his own benefit."
Emperor Jiajing turned around and looked at him for a long time and said, "How long will it take for the army to assemble and train?"
The Taoist changed the subject too quickly. Fortunately, Jiang Qingzhi was prepared. "All the departments are in the capital. What we need to do now is to coordinate. That is, let all the departments conduct joint exercises. I think this will take at least a month."
If there is poor coordination, problems will easily arise on the battle formation.
"One month... Altan..." The Taoist walked out of the hall and looked towards the north. "I don't think Altan will be that anxious."
……
"... Jiang Qingzhi killed our merchants on the spot and broke the hands and feet of many of them. He also said that from now on, we would not be allowed to trade in or out of the capital, but only in the nine border areas."
Several businessmen were trembling.
Dozens of nobles stared at them intently. If there was fire in their eyes, they would have been burned to ashes.
"Those Ming troops in the Nine Borders are as ferocious as wolves and tigers when they see money. If we trade in the Nine Borders and plunder them along the way, how much less money will we make from our goods?"
"Those merchants will also take the opportunity to raise their prices. How much more money will we spend every year?"
"Akira is breaking his promise!"
"Great Khan, we should send troops south!"
"Great Khan, send out the troops!"
Altan looked at these nobles and thought of how they had previously enjoyed all kinds of luxuries of the Ming Dynasty in their own tribes, and they no longer had any obsession with going on an expedition.
Some people even say that it’s not bad to live like this. As for going south… why can’t we go south at any other time? Why must we go south at this time?
But in a blink of an eye, these people turned into wolves.
If someone in the Ming Dynasty used this incident to sow discord... Altan felt a little alert, but it quickly disappeared.
"Don't forget, we were the first to isolate the Ming merchants from the royal court." Someone said something fair, which immediately attracted a burst of abuse.
"enough!"
Altan stopped the nobles.
"This matter is a foregone conclusion. As for trade...after the army moves south, will the Ming people still be able to trade with us?"
He stood up and said, "If you need anything, just take your long sword, ride your horse, and follow me to plunder the Ming people."
Altan replied, "Those are free!"
Those eyeballs turned red instantly.
It was as if a pack of wolves had found their prey.
"Great Khan, when will the troops be dispatched?"
"I think it's a good idea to send troops now."
"But many of the animals are not fat enough."
"Just go and rob the Ming people. There's plenty of food there. Some bread wouldn't be bad. Eating meat all the time won't make you poop."
"And tea leaves."
"Yes! Great Khan, send out the troops!"
Altan narrowed his eyes and said, "It is too early to send troops now. I think... let's wait and see."
It was June, a very hot time, and the tent was filled with a fishy smell. Everyone had long been accustomed to it, but a few businessmen found it quite unpleasant.
They lived in the Ming Dynasty and were used to that kind of life. Now when they returned to the grassland, they suddenly felt that the nobles who were previously out of their reach were actually a group of savages who ate raw meat and drank blood.
Several businessmen were brought out, and one of them whispered, "It's more comfortable over there."
"Yes!"
"It's a pity that I can't go."
"Don't forget that it was the capital of our Yuan Dynasty many years ago."
"If the Khan could destroy the Ming people..."
"At that time, the Han people were classified as inferiors and were driven by our ancestors. Their skilled craftsmen made weapons for the Yuan Dynasty to conquer all directions, and their women were at our disposal. They bent over and worked in the fields for us. And all we had to do was enjoy it all!"
The merchants were snorting, and some said, "If the Ming Dynasty is destroyed, Jiang Qingzhi should be cut into pieces!"
"I will not be satisfied until Jiang Qingzhi is dead!" Ji Neng said to Ma Tianlu as he watched the merchants go away outside the tent.
"It's a pity that the Khan did not take any action when Jiang Qingzhi was on a diplomatic mission last time." Ma Tianlu sighed.
There were a few scholars around Altan, who pretended to study with him. But Ma Tianlu thought that Altan must have learned the wrong things and had not learned the essence of Confucianism...
"If you want to accomplish great things, you have to put your face aside. Back then, Cao Cao would rather betray the world than let the world betray him. That's how Cao Wei came into being. Khan..."
Ma Tianlu shook his head, and Jineng said, "Pedantic!"
"Yes."
"He's pedantic, which is not a bad thing for me."
Ma Tianlu's eyes sparkled, "But everything depends on this trip south."
"If I win, the Khan will be famous throughout the grasslands. If I lose..." Jineng clenched his fists, "This is my legacy!"
Zhang Hui looked at Jineng from afar. At the moment, he was wearing tattered clothes, had a pale face and thin body, and looked like a down-and-out street urchin from the grassland.
The nobles came out of the big tent, and Zhang Hui saw that their expressions seemed unchanged, and some even looked angry.
His current task was to find out the approximate time when Altan would march south and the scale of his troops.
Zhang Hui has been hanging around the royal court recently, collecting information on the number of troops assembled.
But the date of the dispatch could not be found out.
What bothered him most was that he had to do odd jobs every day to support himself.
"Zhang Hui."
The employer was a tyrannical minor nobleman who had more than ten slaves under his command, 30% of whom were Ming people.
The employer rode over, pointed his whip at Zhang Hui, and cursed, "How dare you be lazy, you lowly servant?"
Zhang Hui was not a slave, but all the herdsmen on the grassland were slaves... slaves of the Khan, slaves of the nobles.
"Go and herd the horses. Feed them till they are fat and strong. When the autumn comes and the horses are fat, I will follow the Khan south. Hahahaha!"
Zhang Hui responded respectfully and watched the young nobleman ride his horse all the way to catch up with one of the nobles, asking questions with a smile.
"Maybe, I can get some information from this person!"
There was more joy in Zhang Hui's eyes.
(End of this chapter)
