The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Wei Guangde walked out of the Qianqing Palace and returned to the cabinet.

Today's communication with Emperor Longqing took a bit long, and a lot of time was wasted. He had to deal with the memorial quickly, otherwise he might not be able to complete the work today.

When Wei Guangde stepped into the cabinet, he found that there was something wrong with the atmosphere among the officials in the cabinet. Many secretaries and officials gathered together and whispered. After seeing Wei Guangde come in, they hurriedly dispersed and started busy themselves.

But while everyone was pretending, one of the lieutenants walked directly in front of Wei Guangde and saluted: "Mr. Wei Ge, I have an invitation from the Chief Assistant."

When he heard the chief assistant Li Chunfang calling him, and thinking about the scene he saw before, Wei Guangde knew that something must have happened, so he asked: "What happened?"

"Mr. Wei Ge, we have just received urgent military information. Anda Khan led his troops to raid Datong, and the Ming army suffered heavy losses."

Na Zhongshu replied hurriedly.

Hearing that the Ming army in Datong had suffered a defeat, Wei Guangde hurriedly walked to Li Chunfang's room. When he came in, he saw a few people there with frowning faces.

"came back?"

When Li Chunfang saw Wei Guangde coming in, she just said something, then picked up a memorial in front of her and handed it over.

Wei Guangde hurried over, reached out to take it, and quickly opened it and looked through it.

The memorial was written by Chen Qixue, the governor of Xuanda, and it gives a complete account of the whole incident.

"On the sixth day of October in the third year of Longqing, I led tens of thousands of horsemen to invade Datong Youwei Zhenchuan Fort, and plundered Shanyin, Yingzhou, Huairen, Hunyuan and other places from east to west.

I Da will invade, and the officers and soldiers have detected it, but the commander-in-chief Zhao Kuti has stationed his troops far away, and the participating general Fang Qi has not provided him with any equipment. The guerrilla Shi Ruqing has cowered away and has not fired a single shot, allowing them to kill and plunder, which makes An Da feel like he is in a state of insecurity. In the human realm, ninety-three forts were captured, men and women were killed, thousands of people were injured and maimed, and tens of thousands of horses, livestock and grain were plundered.

The only ones who could protect themselves were deputy commander Ma Jin, generals Ma Gui and Genai, and the rest of the garrison were all killed in the battle."

After reading the battle report, Wei Guangde became a little angry, "This autumn, the Ministry of War issued an early warning, notifying all towns to prepare for autumn attacks.

Since the invasion of Anta troops has been detected this time, why did Zhao Ke stay far away from the battle?

What are the governors and governors of Datong doing?

Why wasn’t something wrong discovered in advance?”

Wei Guangde asked a series of questions, obviously extremely dissatisfied with the situation reported in this battle report. Anyone would feel angry about the Datong War.

"Shandai, please sit down and talk first."

Li Chunfang said.

Wei Guangde suppressed his anger and sat on an empty chair, and read the battle report again. The more he read, the more uncomfortable he became.

As soon as they organized a grand parade to boost the morale of the Ming army, they turned around and were slapped in the face by Anda Khan leading his army to break through. It was not a good experience for anyone.

This slap was painful.

"Ida Khan has learned to be smart and knows how to leave immediately after robbing."

After reading it again, Wei Guangde couldn't help but said bitterly.

Yes, Anda Khan plundered dozens of Baozhai people on the border and ran away in this raid, without giving the Ming army a chance to counterattack.

But no matter what, Commander-in-Chief Zhao Ke and others cannot escape the blame for the losses caused by this attack.

"What does the Ministry of War mean?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

"The Ministry of War replied earlier that Zhao Ke led his troops to approach the Xuan Mansion and reported that he was helping to prevent An Da Khan from raiding the Xuan Mansion. Zhao Ke's crime is really hard to determine."

Yin Shizhen beside him said, "On the other hand, General Fang Qi, guerrilla Shi Ruqing and others cannot escape responsibility for their crimes."

"The Ministry of War means to punish the commander-in-chief and others, and to punish the generals who fear the enemy and are cowardly."

Zhang Juzheng also spoke.

"Governor Chen Qixue and Governor Li Qiu must also be punished. They are also responsible, especially Chen Qixue. This time he was really negligent and made such a big mistake."

Chen Yiqin also said.

Although he said so much, Wei Guangde still knew that except for Fang Qi, Shi Ruqing and other named generals, the punishment for others would not be too severe.

Most of the generals were demoted, while the governors and governors should be fined. This was the practice of Ming Dynasty officialdom. As for the unlucky ones who were punished, Wei Guangde didn't bother to care. Only a few were beheaded, and most of the others were killed. Guard the border as punishment.

This punishment is actually of no use to them.

He was originally a general, and being able to get into an official family was also related. No matter where he was punished, he would live a good life.

The generals of Bian Town have already been formed at this time. Just like Ma Jin and Ma Gui, it can be seen that even if one of them makes a mistake and is punished, the rest of the family will help arrange it.

"In addition, let the Ministry of War warn towns again to strengthen prevention."

Wei Guangde suddenly said, although he didn't know if Anda Khan would attack other places after defeating Datong, Wei Guangde thought it would be better to be more defensive. After all, the Luqi were very mobile.

In the past few days since Datong sent the battle report to the capital, he would not be surprised if Anda Khan was already attacking Yansui, Jizhen and even Liaodong.

"The Ministry of War has already sent official documents to other towns, so we don't need to worry about this."

Zhang Juzheng said, "But I have an idea, that is, Ada Khan's troops came and went in a hurry this time. Are there any other thoughts in this?"

"Other thoughts?"

Wei Guangde asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Xuanfu Ma Fang."

Zhang Juzheng said.

Wei Guangde was surprised at first, and then he understood a little bit what Zhang Juzheng meant, that is, the Ming army suffered a big loss in Datong, and Ma Fang would leave the seclusion and sneak into the grassland under the pretext of revenge.

Thinking about what Zhang Juzheng said just now, Wei Guangde was shocked.

"Are you saying that Anda Khan returned to his army and set up a trap to wait for the Xuanfu army to leave the border?"

"Yes, judging from the past few times, Ma Fang has this urge."

As Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng asked and answered, other people's doubts were also solved, and they understood the reason for Zhang Juzheng's worries.

"Let the Ministry of War emphasize that Xuanfu troops are not allowed to leave the customs during the year."

Wei Guangde felt that Zhang Juzheng's idea seemed to be correct. In a good situation, Anda Khan gave up just as he said, and had no intention of taking advantage of the victory to expand the results. It was really puzzling.

The Datong army was beaten, but Ming Dynasty could still accept it.

If the Xuanfu fails, it will be a big deal, and the cavalry can reach the surrounding areas of Gyeonggi and threaten the capital.

"Then Yifu writes a note to the Ministry of War and asks them to send it to the Xuanfu immediately."

Li Chunfang knew the importance and immediately said to Chen Yiqin beside him.

"Okay, I'll write it right away."

With that said, Chen Yiqin stood up, wrote a note directly on the desk in Li Chunfang's duty room, and then asked someone to send it to the Ministry of War.

After the defeat, everyone was not in a good mood. When the memorial was sent to the palace, they didn't know what the emperor would do.

You must know that the person who originally planned to recall Gao Gong, but something like this happened at this juncture, doesn't it mean that some of the people here are incompetent?

I walked out of the check-in room in a low mood. Everyone was no longer in the relaxed mood of the past, and no one spoke.

"By the way, I heard that many people in the Sixth Ministry have been talking privately about factory guards' secret visits to the ministry's political affairs. Do you want to mention this to Your Majesty?"

Not far away, Zhang Juzheng suddenly spoke.

"Aren't there always factory guards in the department? What's there to say about this?"

Wei Guangde looked back at Zhang Juzheng and said with some confusion.

"In the past, the ministry did not have a good impression of these factory guards, but they can't be driven away. They are all on errands under the emperor's orders, so why bother making things difficult for each other."

Yin Shizhen answered.

The factory guards in the Ming Dynasty had always sent out lieutenants to various government offices in Beijing. They were on duty in each government office for a long time, apparently to maintain peace, but in fact they were to monitor the officials in each government office on their errands.

As for what exactly they were monitoring, how they reported it, and what content they reported, although officials were curious, it was difficult to ask.

This has been going on for how many years. Some people have mentioned this matter in the past, but when it came to the emperor, most of them ignored it, so everyone got used to having a pair of eyes around them.

However, Zhang Juzheng suddenly mentioned this matter and said that someone in the ministry was discussing this matter. Wei Guangde guessed that someone was repeating the same old tune and asked Your Majesty to withdraw the factory guards.

"In the past, department officials have mentioned this matter and withdrawn the factory guards, but it is of no use. Your Majesty needs these people to help keep an eye on it. Even if they don't report anything, it will be a warning to the people below.

To be honest, I don't think there's anything. As long as you walk upright and stand upright, I'm not afraid of factory guards. "

Wei Guangde said solemnly.

"Haha, that's right."

Zhang Juzheng just smiled.

Regarding the party members in the capital officials, Wei Guangde and others were definitely not as good as Zhang Juzheng. After all, Xu Jie had been a cabinet minister for many years and had many disciples and disciples.

After that, he became the chief assistant and promoted a group of people. Naturally, he could influence the most officials and thus be the strongest.

But correspondingly, with so many people, there are always a few careless errands that can easily cause trouble.

In the past, when Xu Jie was the chief minister in the court, he could naturally suppress a lot of things, but now Zhang Juzheng does not have such power, and he is also suppressed by Wei Guangde and others in the cabinet, which sometimes does not work.

If you think about it this way, it's understandable that someone next thought of asking the factory guards to withdraw from the department to make it easier for them to do things.

But even Xu Jie didn't want to mention this kind of thing. What was Zhang Juzheng's involvement?

Wei Guangde was a little curious.

Factory guards were originally the emperor's eagle dogs, responsible for watching over ministers like them. If you asked the emperor to withdraw the factory guards, it would be like breaking his own arm. It is estimated that no emperor would agree except Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

After returning to his room, Wei Guangde began to deal with the memorials handed over today.

I have been in the cabinet for a while, and now I am very familiar with handling things. In addition, I am young, have a sharp ear and eyesight, and a quick brain, so my processing speed is quite fast.

Wei Guangde had heard someone say that when Yan Song was old and frail, he basically didn't deal with government affairs much, and it was his son Yan Shifan who helped him draw up votes.

It was nothing more than some undecided memorials that I wanted to read to Yan Song, but the final decision was made through discussion between the two of them.

Also, reading so many memorials is quite time-consuming, but drafting them is actually easy.

After separating from Zhang Juzheng, Yin Shizhen whispered: "Will Your Majesty take this opportunity to recall Gao Gong?"

Wei Guangde turned his head and glanced at Yin Shizhen, shook his head and sighed: "It's a slap in the face for something like this to happen at this juncture."

"Yes, if an edict is issued to recall Gao Gong, we will lose all face."

In fact, several cabinet ministers had similar ideas. Emperor Longqing had been testing the court's reaction for so long but never issued an edict. Wasn't he just waiting for an opportunity?

Now that Datong was defeated, it would be an opportunity for him to issue an edict.

Gao Gong is decisive and resolute, so it is time to call him back to the cabinet.

"Earlier, my uncle told the Xuan government to be on guard against An Dahan's deceit and to set up an ambush on Ma Fang. However, if our officers and soldiers don't respond at all, it seems that it will have an impact on the morale that was just boosted."

Yin Shizhen said again.

“It’s really not appropriate to use weapons this year, but we can make plans early and ask the towns to send troops to sweep the grasslands next spring.

After a winter, the war horses lost weight and it was time for our Ming army to show off its power. "

Wei Guangde shook his head and whispered.

This is what he is thinking now. Of course he is not happy about being slapped in the face by An Dahan, but no matter how unhappy he is, he can only ignore it.

It is difficult to survive the winter on the grassland. It seems that the best time for the Ming army to send troops to the grassland is when the temperature rises in spring.

Because of the winter, the prairie cavalry's horses have reduced physical strength, and their combat effectiveness is naturally the weakest.

Only by sending troops in the spring and not giving him a chance to recover can we get good results.

"That's all it can do."

Yin Shizhen sighed and nodded in agreement.

Sure enough, the day after the Datong war report was delivered to the palace, news came out that Emperor Longqing was furious in the Qianqing Palace. Not only did he call Li Chunfang to scold him, but Huo Yi, the Minister of War, also failed to get any favor and was imprisoned in the Qianqing Palace. Sprayed saliva all over his face.

After being scolded by the emperor, the Ministry of War showed rare efficiency. In the afternoon of the same day, the Ministry of War initially decided on the punishment for the defeat of Datong and sent it to the cabinet.

"General Zhao Ke was demoted to three levels, Governor Chen Qixue was demoted to two levels, Governor Li Qiu lost half a year's salary, Deputy General Hu Zhen and guerrilla Wen Liangchen were each demoted to one level, General Fang Qi and six other people were relegated to the garrison, and guerrilla Shi Ruqing Wait for the nine people to come down to the censor for questioning."

Naturally, the cabinet will not object to the pursuit of responsibility, and is eager to put an end to the defeat of Datong as soon as possible.

Li Chunfang immediately summoned several cabinet ministers and discussed the Ministry of War's discussions, and everyone nodded.

So on the same day, the Ministry of War's punishment document regarding the defeat of Datong was delivered to the imperial court.

It is worth mentioning that it is normal for such battle reports, whether it is a victory or a defeat, to take at least a month or two. The Ministry of War's uncharacteristic behavior this time was somewhat beyond Emperor Longqing's expectations.

What Wei Guangde didn't know was that if it hadn't been for the news that the emperor planned to recall Gao Gong after the parade, the defeat of Datong would have been delayed for a long time.

Yes, courtiers have different positions, so their ideas are also varied.

The decision to make a solution so quickly this time was not only due to the cabinet's pressure on the Ministry of War, but also the actions of former Minister of War Yang Bo.

If he didn't know that the emperor wanted to recall Gao Gong, Yang Bo would have asked the Ministry of War to try to delay time this time, because he also wanted to join the cabinet.

Although he was not a Hanlin official, Yang Bo had experienced two dynasties and had been an official for a long time, but he had accumulated a lot of contacts.

And even when Yan Song was in power, Yang Bo was a man of long sleeves and good at dancing, and he had a good relationship with the Yan family.

On the other hand, he occupied the Prince's Palace and had secret connections with Xu Jie. How could he not be tempted when Hu Zongxian was interested in the cabinet.

Time is also fate, and luck is also there. We are just one step away, but we still can't take the last step.

Now that Gao Gong is returning to the court, as a high-ranking official who originally sided with Xu Jie, Yang Bo knows that he has no chance and cannot even stay in the court.

Therefore, no matter whether it is the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of War, no clues can be left behind. The matter must be settled as soon as possible. As soon as the emperor's edict is issued, he will resign in the name of recovering from illness.

I can no longer do this job.