Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

As soon as this performance came out, the entire Fengtianmen Square fell silent instantly.

Wan An and Liu Ji knew that what the Ministry of War handed over yesterday was not this memorial, and they couldn't help but look at each other.

Is this gibberish?

Li Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and other senior officials saw that Wang Hua, the governor of Jiangxi, was pointed directly at the target. They couldn't help but have doubts in their hearts, and they all turned to look at Zhang Ying, the Minister of the Ministry of War.

Does your Majesty want to deal with Wang Hua?

The vast majority of officials did not realize that there was an undercurrent, and mistakenly thought that what Zhang Ying said was authorized by the emperor, which created a bad association.

"Zhang Shangshu, Wang Hua is the governor of Southern Jiangxi. Isn't such a conviction too hasty?" Zhu Youtang did not expect that the Minister of War would jump out and asked calmly.

Although he knew that Zhang Ying and Xu Pu had a close relationship as fellow villagers, and also knew that Zhang Ying was not a clean official, He Cong, the left minister of the Ministry of War, was not suitable for direct promotion to Minister of the Ministry of War, so he chose Zhang Ying, who was the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing at the time. Make the transition.

But now it seems that the Minister of the Ministry of War does not intend to accept his favor, but is getting involved with the traditional civil service forces. He does not hesitate to offend himself and wants to get rid of one of his most important chess pieces in the local area.

The corners of Xu Pu's mouth raised slightly, but he had already expected Zhu Youtang's reaction.

Faced with Zhu Youtang's rhetorical question, Zhang Ying looked very calm and said: "Your Majesty, the commander of Jiangxi Dusi has reported to the Ministry of War that the soldiers' salary paid by Wang Hua to the Ganzhou New Army is indeed 20% less! Although Wang Hua had previously treated the officers and soldiers of the Ganzhou New Army The explanation was that there was an error in the bank treasury of the Chief Secretary of Jiangxi Province, but the Chief Secretary of Jiangxi Province has confirmed that this is a lie. The Chief Secretary of Jiangxi Province has confirmed that it was pure silver that came out of the treasury, and no bandits were encountered during the escort. Wang Hua was holding his own. Your Majesty personally teaches you, so you dare to deceive your superiors and conceal your subordinates, and please your Majesty to severely punish Wang Hua to uphold the law of the country!"

"Your Majesty, please punish Wang Hua to uphold the law of the country!" Xu Pu saw Zhang Ying giving Wang Hua a fatal blow, and he immediately led all the officials to agree.

Deceiving the superiors and concealing the truth from the inferiors?

Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and others heard this accusation and couldn't help but secretly admire Zhang Ying's cleverness.

"Bullying the superior" is an eye-opener for Zhu Youtang. After all, no one wants to be a monarch who is deceived. "Hide it", this is Wang Hua's explanation for his claim to the officers and soldiers of the New Army in Ganzhou that he was 20% less.

Anyone can see that after Wang Hua withheld soldiers' pay, Zhu Youtang has been slow to take action, obviously intending to protect Wang Hua.

But now, Zhang Ying exposed Wang Hua's case in the early morning, and directly put pressure on Zhu Youtang under the pretext of "national law" and "deceiving the superiors and concealing the truth from the subordinates."

"National law is of course important! It's just that Wang Hua's presiding over the bandit suppression in Nangan is related to the stability of the south. Changing generals before the battle is a taboo for military strategists. I will send people to verify it!" Zhu Youtang did not intend to capture Wang Hua back to the capital, and he would do it right away. Make concessions.

Although he wanted to protect Wang Hua, otherwise he would not delay the matter deliberately, but Wang Hua's guilt has been confirmed by the Jiangxi side, and he cannot 100% guarantee that Wang Hua did not withhold military pay.

Even if he did not agree to directly detain Wang Hua back to Beijing to await trial, he still had to send officials to review to determine whether Wang Hua's deduction of military pay was true.

After all, he is not a party leader who only needs to win or lose, but the emperor of this dynasty who needs to defend the national laws and justice of this empire.

Wan An and Liu Ji originally thought that the young emperor would be willful, but when they saw Zhu Youtang actually making concessions, they couldn't help but feel that the emperor in front of them was becoming more and more mature.

Seeing Zhu Youtang's appropriate concessions, Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and other officials secretly felt that the emperor was becoming more and more like a holy master and a wise king.

Faced with this result, Zhang Ying did not intend to withdraw his troops, but pressed forward step by step: "Your Majesty, this method is inappropriate! Wang Hua is not an ordinary official, but a governor with local military power, so I beg your Majesty to immediately order the general Hua escorted him to Beijing to prevent local military disasters."

Huh?

As soon as these words came out, Wan An and other officials turned to look at Zhang Ying in confusion, never expecting that the newly appointed Minister of War would not give up.

"Zhang Shangshu, you only see the possible risk of military disaster, but you don't see the opportunity to suppress the bandits. Not to mention that Wang Hua's deduction of military pay is still questionable. The imperial court is currently spending so much money to suppress the bandits. The gangsters in Ganzhou have returned to peace, so if we capture Wang Hua and bring him back to the capital, won't all his efforts be wasted?" Zhu Youtang suppressed the anger in his heart and asked rhetorically.

Zhang Ying had already made up his mind, and he said in a sincere manner: "Your Majesty, Wang Hua saw that you attach great importance to the suppression of the Ganzhou bandits and you are so confident. Now that Wang Hua's crime has been verified, he should be immediately escorted to Beijing to await trial! As for the Qing Dynasty's suppression of the Ganzhou bandits, There are many talented people in Ming Dynasty, so I will recommend a capable minister who can take on the important responsibilities for your Majesty!"

"Zhang Shangshu, you in charge of the Ministry of War should know how much the imperial court's military expenditures are, because a mere thousand taels can interrupt this bandit suppression. I wonder if you have calculated the gains and losses?" Zhu Youtang took a deep look at the Minister of War. Just ask questions.

Although he cannot ignore national laws, he must also consider the overall situation.

If the problems in southern Gansu are ignored, the cost in the future will be calculated in millions of taels, and countless people will suffer miserably from the bandits. Now he gave up halfway because of a mere thousand taels, which he couldn't accept at all.

Now he can agree to investigate Wang Hua, but he will never agree to arrest Wang Hua to the capital without asking any questions. This approach is simply picking up sesame seeds and throwing away watermelons.

In his heart, even if Wang Hua really took the thousand taels, if Wang Hua could solve the problem of bandits in southern Jiangxi, it would still be a very worthwhile deal.

"Your Majesty, what you said is wrong!"

It was at this moment that a voice suddenly sounded.

Everyone couldn't help being secretly surprised, and immediately turned their heads to look over, and found that it was Xu Pu, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Xu Pu knew it was time to take action in person, and immediately went out and said: "Your Majesty, when you were in the East Palace, I said: Don't lose your great justice because of small justice! Now Wang Hua's deduction of a thousand taels of soldiers' pay is certainly not a lot. , but righteousness has nothing to do with the amount of withholding soldiers’ pay, but with the judgment of right and wrong. Even if Wang Hua withholds one or two soldiers’ pay, he must be immediately deported to Beijing to await trial, instead of calculating the profit and loss and letting the traitor go unpunished!”

"Shilang Xu, are you exaggerating? Your Majesty means to send personnel to investigate. When will Wang Hua be allowed to go free?" Li Yu saw Xu Pu jumping out and said tit for tat.

"Shilang Xu, please be more careful with your words. Our Ministry of Punishment has not yet convicted Wang Hua!" Du Ming, the Minister of Punishment, saw that Xu Pu was disrespectful to the emperor and corrected him.

Xu Pu's face suddenly darkened, but when it came to his debating ability, he was not afraid of these two idiots at all. He immediately argued with reason: "Wang Hua's deduction of soldiers' pay has been confirmed by many important local officials, and Li Ang, the governor of Jiangxi, was sent to the official position that year. He is a rare virtuous minister of our Ming Dynasty who has donated tens of millions of stones to help hundreds of thousands of victims. The fact that Shangshu has exposed Wang Hua's withholding of soldiers' pay is by no means unfounded. It is the only right thing for the imperial court to deal with Wang Hua as soon as possible!"

"It is the most important thing to do it quickly. What's wrong with sending people to the local area to try the case?" Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs, understood Zhu Youtang's financial accounts very well and snorted coldly.

Xu Pu came prepared this time, and said calmly: "Just now Zhang Shangshu said that Wang Hua is not an ordinary official, but a governor of a place! If the imperial court allows Wang Hua to continue to govern the place, if he sees what happened If you lose and jump over the wall, or if you continue to deduct money and cause dissatisfaction with the new army in Ganzhou, who will be responsible for the military disaster?"

"Don't be alarmist here! According to you, any governor who commits a crime must be escorted to Beijing to await trial?" He Cong, the left minister of the Ministry of War, also stood up and retorted.

But before Xu Pu could speak, Zhang Ying, the Minister of War next to him, said calmly: "In the 23rd year of Chenghua, the governor of Gansu was accused of corruption and the governor of Liaodong had shoddy winter clothes. They were escorted back directly. From Beijing?"

this……

When Li Si and other officials heard this example, they immediately realized that they were prepared.

"Having said that, Wang Hua is currently suppressing bandits in southern Jiangxi. It is not appropriate to change his commander before the battle!" He Cong, the left minister of the Ministry of War, was defeated, but he still insisted on his true point of view.

Xu Pu was very rude to He Cong and even said what he said: "If you don't correct your mistakes, how can the Ming Dynasty be governed? What's more, what achievements has Wang Hua made since he took office? It is not unusual for the imperial court to send Hanlin officials to serve as governors. , Now things have proved that Wang Hua is not a military talent, even if he is not escorted to the capital, we must choose a good minister to be the governor of Southern Jiangxi!"

For a moment, everyone was rendered speechless.

In fact, things were indeed not favorable to their side. Wang Hua did not show sufficient military ability when he took office, but he was also found to have withheld soldiers' pay.

The most bizarre thing is that Wang Hua is supposed to have confessed his innocence, but now there has been no movement from the General Affairs Department, and it seems that they have acquiesced in the fact of his crime.

"His Majesty had already stated that Wang Hua would be given one year at the beginning of his appointment. Now we have to decide the success or failure! Mr. Xu, you are too hasty!" When Li Yu saw Xu Pu trying to seize the results of Wang Hua's victory, he calmly said reminded.

Although Wang Hua has indeed not achieved results in suppressing the bandits so far, and his current performance does not reflect half of his military ability, the imperial court gave Wang Hua a one-year time limit at the beginning of his appointment.

Now Xu Pu ignores the time limit and talks about military achievements, but he is attacking for the sake of attacking.

Xu Pu didn't think there was anything wrong, so he continued to argue: "Although it has been for one year, there has been no results so far. This shows that Wang Hua is not able to shoulder this important task!" After saying that, he said to the dragon chair. Zhu Youtang said: "Your Majesty, I know that you are partial to Wang Hua, and you also want to put the overall situation of suppressing the bandits first! It's just that Wang Hua's illegal affairs were exposed together with the police, and the Chief Envoy and other officials were in charge. , isn’t this matter not credible enough? Please put aside small righteousness for great righteousness and order Wang Hua to be escorted to Beijing to await trial!"

"I can be trusted, but I won't be gullible, so sending officials to verify is my bottom line!" Zhu Youtang was not affected by Xu Pu at all, so he expressed his stance calmly.

When officials such as Li Yu, the Minister of Personnel, saw Zhu Youtang's statement, they knew that the emperor was not an indecisive emperor after all, but a wise and determined emperor.

Even though Xu Pu made lavish remarks, he could not impress the emperor after all.

Xu Pu frowned slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Jiangxi Governor Li Ang is recommended by me! If your Majesty does not believe in Jiangxi Governor Li Ang, I am willing to vouch for Li Ang and beg your Majesty to escort Wang Hua back to Beijing and deal with this deducted soldier's pay." the sinners to uphold the law of the country!"

Wan An and Liu Ji exchanged silent glances, but they did not expect that Xu Pu would put his political life on the line.

When things got to this point, even if Zhu Youtang was a majestic emperor, he still needed a suitable reason for rejection.

"Shilang Xu, do you think I can't figure out this case?" Zhu Youtang seemed to have concluded that Wang Hua's deduction of soldiers' pay was an ironclad fact, and he immediately seemed to understand everything.

Xu Pu did not expect Zhu Youtang to be so straightforward, so he pretended to be confused and said: "Your Majesty, I don't understand!"

"The case of Wang Hua withholding military pay must be investigated, but the rogue bandits in southern Jiangxi cannot be ignored. I cannot ignore the safety of the local people! Since you are so obsessed with the truth, I will not disappoint you and will definitely investigate the case. Let's get to the bottom of it!" Zhu Youtang felt more and more that this matter was a conspiracy, and even though he was making an honest statement.

Although Wang Hua probably set someone up, he did not believe that the person who set him up could do things perfectly. Now Zhang Ying and Xu Pu jumped out one after another, making him believe that Wang Hua was innocent. This matter seemed like a conspiracy from beginning to end.

Xu Pu was slightly stunned at first, and then said as if he was preaching: "Your Majesty, once there is a military crisis, there will be endless troubles! Stability should be the top priority in governing the country. Please also remember the teachings of the minister when you were in the Qing Palace. Don't do this. Motives are motivated! I am willing to vouch for Li Ang, please immediately remove Wang Hua from office and escort him back to Beijing to await trial!"

"Shilang Xu, you are so generous!" Zhu Youtang couldn't help but sigh with emotion when he saw Xu Pu who had not yet submitted his resignation.

Xu Pu knew that there was no turning back when he fired his bow, so he looked righteous and solemn and said: "For the sake of righteousness, I am bound to do it. Your Majesty, please do it!"

"For the sake of righteousness! Wang Hua still stays in his post. I will send people to check it out. If the military disaster is really caused by Wang Hua, I will issue a culpable edict!" Zhu Youtang knew that the other party was anxious, so he expressed his position in public. typical.

Sin yourself?

Li Yu and other officials were dumbfounded when they heard this.

Xu Pu's eyes widened. He also didn't expect Zhu Youtang to be so tough, and he didn't even expect that Zhu Youtang could do this for Wang Hua.

But Zhu Youtang had already made up his mind, but he chose to protect Wang Hua, and tried his best to protect the champion.

"I am willing to go there!"

"Your Majesty, I request to go to Jiangxi to investigate this case!"

"Your Majesty, I recommend Song Cheng, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, to go to Jiangxi to investigate this case!"

…

The officials present saw that Zhu Youtang wanted to send officials to Jiangxi for verification, but they knew that this was the best opportunity to win the favor of the Holy Family, so they all stood up and expressed their opinions.

Just as everyone was vying for this very important imperial envoy position, a Tang newspaper came in through the Meridian Gate and was being delivered to Fengtian Gate.