Chapter 2578 Gui Zijuan Returns to Beijing, Comments

Miao Changqi was a good man, and he was especially attracted to Feng Quan, a Jinshi in the second year of Wantong. It was no secret in the court.

Good men's behavior is not uncommon among civil servants in the Zhou Dynasty, but it is a bit out of line for a cabinet minister like Miao Changqi to be so obsessed with a new Jinshi, and even to do everything for him to do everything for him.

 This is why the cabinet wants to expel the cabinet, and he himself knows it well.

But he was placed in the position of Minister of Rites, which is inevitably an irony.

It's just that the story in this court is like this. It requires both fighting and compromise. The Jiangnan forces represented by Tang and Mu are not small, and even Qi Yongtai has to give some face.

Miao Changqi is a well-known scholar in the south of the Yangtze River. If he can't be a cabinet minister, he must at least be given a chancellor position. If he doesn't dare to be a minister of the Ministry of Personnel, let alone a minister of the Ministry of Hubu, then he will only be a minister of the Ministry of Rites.

However, this kind of story was circulated in Beijing, China and the court, and everyone smiled and passed it by.

Even scholars like Feng Ziying and Sun Chengzong who were not interested in this just laughed it off, with at most a bit of disdain.

“It has nothing to do with the overall situation. In fact, the guests also have opinions on Miao Changqi. It’s just that the two of them are in the same camp, so don’t go too far.” Feng Ziying also said with a smile.

"The situation in the DPRK should also change and become more stable. As Ziying said, the next step is for both the north and the south to stabilize, and make every effort to plan for Liaodong, completely solve the Jurchen threat in Jianzhou, and then talk about the issue of wiping out Mongolia."

Sun Chengzong was also very ambitious. He knew very well that the threat to the court always came from the north. Unless the threat of these nomadic people in the north was completely eradicated, the court would never be able to let go of its constraints. Once something happened, there would be trouble and turmoil everywhere.

"Brother Zhisheng, that's what I mean. Now that the imperial court's financial resources have improved, I will go to Liaodong this time with a three- to five-year plan to completely eliminate the Jurchen threat to Jianzhou. Although Nurhachi has the ambition to be a hero, how can Jianzhou Zhou Jurchen cannot support his ambition and will only bring trouble for him, so it’s okay to take this opportunity to put an end to it.”

Feng Ziying's face was so confident that even Sun Chengzong was infected. He couldn't help but said with emotion: "Ziying has this ambition, and I will give my full support. I will level the northern land within half a year and stabilize the rear for you Ziying."

The two of them had a feeling of sympathy for each other. Although Sun Chengzong was more than 20 years old, Sun Chengzong always felt that Feng Ziying was so experienced in serving as an official that even he could not compare to him. In terms of clear and rational thinking, he was at the same age as him. It can be said that he is young and mature, so there is no discomfort in feeling like this.

Feng Ziying left Zhending and returned to the capital when she heard Sun Chengzong’s urgent report and entered the capital.

On the sixth day of November, Sun Chengzong led Ma Kongying and Tu Wenxiu to defeat the Bailian rebel army in Ningjin, and took advantage of the situation to attack Gaoyi. Three days later, on the ninth day of November, Gaoyi was defeated. On the tenth day of the month, Lincheng and Baixiang were defeated, and the Bailian rebel army surrendered. There have been more than 70,000 people.

After Feng Ziying returned to Beijing, he did not go to the Metropolitan Procuratorate first to report and reason. He was the right censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, so he should have gone to the Metropolitan Procuratorate first. However, his duties as Governor of Hebei were mainly military affairs, so he went to the Ministry of War first, so he happened to be there. When I met Zhang Huaichang, I learned that Sun Chengzong led his army to show his power in Zhending.

"Ziying, it seems that you are unwilling to be second to others and want to do as good as you." Zhang Huaichang was in a good mood. "No wonder, you are only twenty-five and he is fifty. There is no reason to do better than a junior like you." Bad."

"Mr. Huaichang, Brother Zhisheng is a great talent in his own right. He is equally capable of literary and martial arts wherever he is placed. In the case of Liaodong, he will be able to succeed immediately. The only worry is whether Brother Zhisheng can bear the stress. In fact, if Brother Fei Bai had not been acclimatized, I believe he would have made great achievements in Liaodong."

Feng Ziying's words made Zhang Huaichang slightly shake his head, "Ziying, you don't need to explain more to Fei Bai. Although Fei Bai was physically ill, he still lacked some strength in controlling the warriors when he went to Liaodong. There were no doubts among the warriors. Xiao, this is also the main reason why Li Yongfang was able to take this opportunity to sow discord and succeed, and all the ministers in the cabinet can see this."

"Fei Bai has only been there for a long time, and he can sort out the grievances accumulated by the Liaodong warriors for decades. No one has that ability, and I don't have it either." Feng Ziying flatly denied it and disagreed with Zhang Huaichang's point of view, "The cabinet should also have It is planned that the battle against the Jianzhou Jurchens will be a process, and the whole country must be mobilized. At that time, I will propose my own idea with the cabinet. The elites from the nine sides will gather in Liaodong, and strive to persevere and completely eliminate the Jianzhou Jurchens and eradicate them. Complete the task of eradicating evil!"

Zhang Huaichang understands Feng Ziying's worry, which is that there are still hidden characters in the Liaodong Army who may be bribed by Li Yongfang, causing irreparable losses, especially if the war is prolonged. The greater the risk, the greater the risk and the need to mobilize troops from other border towns. He entered Liaodong and replaced some troops in Liaodong that he considered suspicious.

"I understand your worries and concerns Ziying. In fact, the reason why the situation in Liaodong has been poor has a lot to do with the long-term solidification and obsolescence of the army. This cannot be solved by Zhao Lijiao or a certain general. If As you said, we need to continue to exchange blood. The border troops in the towns of Jizhen, Xuanfu, Jingying, Datong, Shanxi, and Yulin can all be transferred to Liaodong one after another. Of course, this cannot happen overnight and requires a process."

 Zhang Huaichang's words reassured Feng Ziying. With Zhang Huaichang's support, he felt at ease in his heart and seemed to feel something. He suddenly asked: "Mr. Huaichang, you also want to..."

"Well, I'm already sixty-two years old, and my energy is a little low. I also told Brother Chengfeng that I suggested that you or Zhisheng take over my place. I plan to become an official." Zhang Huaichang said calmly, "Brother Chengfeng The intention may be to let Zhisheng serve as Minister of War, but I have to wait until he ends the war in Hebei, and let me hold on until then. As for you, because of the uncertainty of the war in Liaodong, you still go to Liaodong with your current position, and Qi Xianghe Zhisheng will also give you strong support,..."

 Zhang Huaichang's words made Feng Ziying slightly shaken. In fact, he also knew that he would not be able to serve as Minister of War if he went to Liaodong. However, once Liaodong happened, there would probably be an arrangement for where he should go. This would depend on Qi Shi's thoughts.

In the collective meeting of the cabinet, there was nothing calm. Feng Ziying introduced the current situation of the war in Hebei and made it clear that Sun Chengzong would definitely resolve the war in Hebei in a relatively short period of time. The war in Hebei has entered the final stage.

 The focus is to elaborate on some of the possible intentions after rushing to Liaodong, as well as the long-term plan for the entire Liaodong war and the Jurchen strategy in Jianzhou.

Feng Ziying spent nearly two hours elaborating on her business plan for the entire Greater Liaodong, including the strategy for the Jurchens in Jianzhou, the management of various grassland tribes in western Liaoning, and even the development of Liaodong itself.

It should be said that this strategy is too big and will not be effective for three to five years. It also requires strong military and financial support from the court.

However, on this issue, the cabinet opinions are still unanimous. After all, the Jurchens who established the state come here every now and then, like slicing sausages, approaching the hinterland of the Central Plains section by section, and no one can stand it.

 “Is it true that Prime Minister Ye and Prime Minister Fang are going to retire? When?” Feng Ziying waited until Qi Yongtai returned to the palace before meeting him at the mansion.

"Well, next month, after you go to Liaodong, there will be some handovers. Jinqing is also tired. Of course, there are also many current factors, and more of a rotational balance is needed."

Qi Yongtai seems to have little interest in taking over as the chief minister, but as the leader of the northern scholars, it is unreasonable for him not to take over.

 Cui Jingrong, Qiao Yingjia, Wang Yongguang, Han Xu, Sun Juxiang, Sun Chengzong and others have not yet grown up to the point where they can succeed him, and Li Sancai has difficulty in convincing the public if he wants to become the leader of the northern scholars.

But he is not too young, about the same age as Zhang Huaichang, and almost ten years older than Ye Xianggao, so it is not certain how long he will be in office. It may be three to five years, until Feng Ziying wins the final victory in Liaodong. .

“Isn’t it time for us Northern scholars to take over? From Shen Yiguan to Ye Xiang, it has been more than twenty years, and the resentment of the Northern scholars cannot be suppressed?” Feng Ziying asked with a smile.

"Huh, don't listen to these random discussions below. What kind of grievances, how much grievances come from?" Qi Yongtai said calmly: "There have been constant famines in the Northland in the past few years, but after your strategy of opening up the sea and the large-scale promotion of potatoes and sweet potatoes, The situation has changed a lot, even Jin Qing and Zhong Han have seen it, and although the North is not as wealthy as Jiangnan, it is the key to suppressing the nomads. No one wants to see the kind of situation in the Song, Liao, Song and Jin eras The Han people were in a situation where they could not breathe under the pressure of others. Therefore, the northern land was the foundation, and Jiangnan and Huguang were the foundation. Both were indispensable. Under this situation, the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River and the northern land were in phase for a certain period of time. It’s all acceptable and normal.”

“Master Qi, this disciple didn’t say anything, just do your job well.” Feng Ziying quickly explained.

"Well, it's good that you understand. Among young scholars, you and Jun Yu are the strongest. You are talented, but not as calm as Jun Yu. You have been much better in the past two years. Yang Wenruo is also good as a leader among Huguang scholars, but Slightly inferior to you and Jun Yu, it seems that Meng Zhang and Ke Yao's performance is also remarkable..."

Qi Yongtai commented a few words on the scholars of the fifth year of Yonglong, "There are also those in the eighth year of Yonglong. Boya and Yaocao are both good, and there is Qian Qianyi..."

Sun Chuanting and Ma Shiying are of course good, famous characters in history. Feng Ziying also admires Master Qi's vision. As for Qian Qianyi, he is too cold. Maybe he has talent, but his moral integrity is worrying. But in this world, it seems Can't even say where it's going.

 (End of this chapter)