Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 851 No soup, only meat

Like Li Zisheng, Zhang Luan also slept in very late.

While he was sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, Qi Niang brought him ginseng soup to nourish his body.

"No, no, I've damaged my vital energy and can't handle any nourishment. My son told me to avoid tonics, otherwise I'll easily die young."

Zhang Luan quickly waved his hand, appearing to keep his distance.

Qi Niang smiled and said, "Even though Master's health has been good lately, he still needs to take care of his body and take some supplements... By the way, apart from Minister Li, I've never seen anyone else stay overnight in this courtyard before. So, I don't know what to do next..."

Zhang Luan said, "Didn't I already let Li Zisheng take those two women away? Speaking of which, although I personally prepared this courtyard and didn't live in the courtyards in the city that Li Zisheng gave me, how much of this place was given to me by Li Zisheng? Strictly speaking, he is the owner of this place... I'm not even borrowing flowers to give to Buddha, I'm just returning them."

Qi Niang nodded: "But... Master, it's best to avoid certain things in the end."

"It doesn't involve you, why are you so nervous?"

Zhang Luan rolled out of bed and stretched out his arms... He was too lazy to dress himself and waited for someone to come and serve him.

Before Zhang Luan could finish dressing, a maid came to report that Li Zisheng had returned.

"Huh? What's going on?" Zhang Luan asked in surprise. "It seems I still have to deal with this... Qi Niang, go and invite Li Zisheng in."

"Yes."

Qi Niang turned and left the room.

Someone immediately came into the room to tidy up.

Not long after, Li Zisheng was led into the courtyard by Qi Niang, but Li Zisheng refused to go any further inside.

Zhang Luan arrived at the door and greeted, "Minister Li, why are you being so distant with me now that it's dawn? Come in and let's talk!"

Li Zisheng walked closer, glanced into the house, and after finding no one there, he leaned over and said, "Lai Zhan, I saw Bingkun after I went out, and he told me some things."

"Let's go in and talk!"

Zhang Luan greeted them.

……

……

in the bedroom.

After the two sat down, Li Zisheng didn't even bother to drink tea before explaining to Zhang Luan everything Pang Qing had told him.

Zhang Luan asked in surprise, "You mean you can't handle this mess in Jizhou?"

“I was originally fearless, but after Bingkun’s words, I began to have doubts,” Li Zisheng said. “All my military achievements are limited to the Battle of Pianguan. I don’t really know many people in the Nine Border Garrisons… Even when I was on duty for the late emperor, I didn’t build up any reputation in Jizhou Town.”

Zhang Luan wanted to explain something, but hesitated and then shook his head. He simply took out a thick stack of letters from the cabinet next to him, flipped through them casually, and handed them to Li Zisheng: "Forget it, I won't hide anything. You've read all the letters Yanling sent me a few days ago, and you'll know if they're real or fake!"

"Oh, this... I can't accept this."

Li Zi Province is somewhat taboo.

"See? I don't want you to misunderstand and think I know the inside story but am deliberately trying to harm you... Who told me to be so honest and fearless?"

Zhang Luan shrugged.

"Ok."

Li Zisheng quickly took over and carefully read every single letter Zhang Yanling had written to Zhang Luan.

Zhang Luan explained from the side: "Currently, the nine border towns have two tasks. One is to defend their own fortresses and not give the Tartars any opportunity to take advantage of them. The other is to cooperate with Wang Yue in advancing into the grasslands."

“Wang Yue is an extremely capable man, and he is deeply loved by the soldiers on the border. However, he is too conspicuous and carries extremely heavy weapons, which makes him inconvenient to move around. He may not be able to gain any advantage from the Tatars.”

Li Zisheng kept his eyes glued to the letter, quickly reading it at a glance, and verbally agreed: "Our nephew's abilities are far superior to Wang Shichang's, there's no doubt about that."

Zhang Luan said, "Yanling's idea is that he will lead a group of soldiers, carrying only dry rations and firearms and ammunition, with one person and three or even four horses, to go straight to Weininghai and catch the Tatars off guard."

"Light troops are certainly good."

Li Zisheng commented, "But I'm afraid of getting surrounded."

“That’s why we have to rely on you,” Zhang Luan quickly said. “If you think that 50,000 taels of silver isn’t enough to go to Jizhou Town, I can ask His Majesty for more.”

Li Zisheng looked up and said, "It's not about money or supplies; it seems the morale of the troops in Jizhou is low."

"Then we'll transfer troops from the capital."

Zhang Luan appeared very decisive. "You can take on the title of Governor of Jizhou and dispatch a joint force composed of the New Army and the elite troops of the Beijing Garrison to the north... In other words, neither Wang Yue nor my son Yanling, nor even your side, can bring too many troops into the grasslands."

Li Zisheng said, "I understand. If we expand too much, the cost will be astronomical. We can't afford to fight this kind of battle, and we can't fight it either. Light troops are the best option."

"correct."

Zhang Luan said, "So it would be best if you brought three to five thousand men to solve the problem. As long as you can keep the three guards of Duoyan in check and prevent them from causing trouble for Yanling... you can control the situation with a little money and let my son go deep into the heart of the grassland with peace of mind."

"Then I..."

Li Zisheng clearly had greedy intentions.

If I help your son go deep behind enemy lines, wouldn't my merit be diminished?

Zhang Luan leaned closer and whispered, "As long as we win the battles ahead, we don't actually need to mobilize the troops to clean up the mess. Are you worried that your soldiers won't follow you to earn the credit for nothing?"
"At the beginning, it was difficult, and no one wanted to put in the effort. But when it came time to reap the rewards of victory, who wouldn't want to fight a winning battle and earn military merit? Whoever had the head of a Tartar would get the credit. Who knows when that head was obtained?"

Li Zisheng chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Lai Zhan, I originally thought that being the governor of Jizhou meant going to do something important. But after hearing what you said, I understand that it's just a nominal position, leading a group of people out of the border... I don't need to put in much effort, but as long as everything goes smoothly and the grasslands are completely pacified, when it comes to rewards, I will not only get soup but also meat."

"Alright, I'll do it, but you have to help me... In addition to the new army, you also need to transfer elite troops and generals from the Beijing garrison to me. I don't want any of those old, hardened soldiers; I want only those who are young, passionate, and willing to make a positive impact... Otherwise, how can I be confident that I can hold off the Tatars?"

……

……

Wenyuan Pavilion.

Cabinet value.

Xu Pu and Liu Jian were suddenly informed that Li Zi Province had been transferred to Jizhou Town as governor. Because the event was so sudden, the emperor had not informed the cabinet or the Ministry of Personnel in advance, which made the court's response very hasty.

The two then went to the Ministry of Personnel together and found Wang Shu, the Minister of Personnel. Ostensibly, they came to discuss the assessment of officials, but in reality, they were there to deal with Li Zisheng.

"His Majesty may be considering deploying troops in Jizhou."

Liu Jian summarized, saying, "After Li goes to Jizhou, His Majesty may send the Grand Censor to Liaodong to coordinate with the troops from Gansu, Ningxia, and Yansui on the three borders, plotting to send troops to the grasslands. This war will be protracted and may endanger the fate of the nation. It will be a waste of resources and manpower, and it will take more than a million taels of silver to quell the conflict." The two cabinet ministers' meaning was very clear: they disagreed with the young emperor's reckless actions.

Perhaps Zhu Youcheng himself understood that he had only recently ascended the throne and his position was not yet secure. Putting aside civil administration, if he wanted to make achievements in military affairs, in addition to asking Wang Yue, Zhang Yanling and others to reduce the scale of military expeditions and minimize expenses, he also needed to keep the civil officials in the dark.

If the important officials in the court are not informed and the Ministry of Revenue is not asked for money and grain, the court will have to tacitly accept that this has happened.

Wang Shu frowned and asked, "Does the Ministry of Revenue have any records of transferring money and grain to the nine key border towns? For example... Jizhou Town?"

"Jizhou Town does not exist yet."

Liu Jian said with certainty, "However, Wang Shichang went to the three border regions and repeatedly petitioned the court for money and grain, but the Ministry of Revenue did not grant his request. Despite the immense pressure, Wang Shichang led his troops into the Hetao region without authorization. Perhaps before advancing, he misappropriated the money and grain for the winter in the three border regions, waiting for the court to fill the gap."

Wang Shu asked in confusion, "Has the imperial court already set up garrisons in the three border regions before winter? Didn't they say that after the imperial court paid the back wages owed to the soldiers in the three border regions over the years, this year's food supplies are still not secured?"

In fact, it was about exposing the crisis that Liu Jian had mentioned.

You say Wang Yue misappropriated money and grain, but the problem is that the three border regions don't have any extra money or grain at all. The so-called misappropriation is just an excuse you came up with to oppose Wang Yue's military expedition, right?
Liu Jian countered, "If the money and grain of Tunliu had not been used, how could Wang Shichang have dared to lead his troops directly into the Hetao region, and then even cross the Yellow River to march towards Yinshan? Given this situation, even if 200,000 shi of military grain were allocated, plus 200,000 taels of silver as military pay, it would not be enough."

Seeing that Liu Jian was becoming increasingly agitated, Wang Shu stopped talking.

Xu Pu, standing nearby, said in a relatively milder tone: "This year's grain harvest from the military farms in the three border regions has basically not been accounted for, and Wang Shichang clearly instructed his soldiers to prepare their own rations for the expedition, or agreed that they would be replenished later. In short... he scraped together what he could to make the expedition a fait accompli before the court strictly forbade him from sending troops!"

Wang Shu asked, "Have the people from Lizi Province already arrived in Jizhou?"

"Never."

Liu Jian said, "The person is still in the capital, but he is keeping a low profile and seems to want to take up his post quietly. However, His Majesty has secretly ordered the well-trained new army and the elite troops drawn from the Beijing Garrison to lead the troops."

"Huh? Weren't the new army all transferred to the Northwest?" Wang Shu asked.

Liu Jian said, "The first few batches of newly trained soldiers were transferred to the three border regions. Zhang Guozhang's second son also has some new soldiers under his command. In addition, a group of people were transferred from Jizhou Town to receive rigorous military training and are considered part of the new army..."

Wang Shu asked, "Is that so... Doesn't that mean that the new army to be transferred to Jizhou this time is this very force?"

"Indeed."

Liu Jian nodded and said, "The new army left behind more than two thousand men as a seed, and we continue to draw troops from the Beijing garrison and various military towns to train them, so as to form a virtuous cycle. It is estimated that the Ming army will gradually be replaced by the new army in the future."

Wang Shu's face was grim as he asked, "I wonder how many troops Jizhou Town will allocate to Lizi Province? Or rather, even if he goes to Jizhou Town, how long will it take to gather the necessary funds and provisions for the expedition? Will you allocate them to him?"

"Of course not."

Liu Jian said decisively, "This matter has already been decided. The Ministry of Revenue will not allocate a single grain of grain for the troops from Jizhou to go on the expedition. In fact, the soldiers in Jizhou are far less well-fed than those on the other three borders in terms of the back pay. Currently, the officers and soldiers are struggling to make ends meet."

Wang Shu seemed to understand something and nodded, saying, "The imperial court is not allocating grain, and there is not much left in Jizhou itself. The soldiers in Jizhou are living a hard life right now, not knowing what tomorrow will bring."

"Tell me, how can Li Zisheng immediately begin military operations once he arrives in Jizhou? Even if he wanted to borrow grain, no one could provide it for him, could they?"

"This……"

Liu Jian was speechless for a moment.

Wang Shu's meaning is very clear: you are worrying unnecessarily.

How capable is Li Zisheng? Even if he is ordered to lead troops in Jizhou Town, you still have to consider whether he has the prestige, not to mention the current situation of lacking troops and food.

Xu Pu suddenly spoke up: "Even so, we cannot let our guard down on this matter."

"Appreciate further details."

Wang Shu asked in a tone of seeking advice.

Xu Pu said earnestly, "Over the past year or so, for some reason, the imperial court has suddenly accumulated a considerable amount of money and grain. Even the palace is weaving cloth, and large quantities of fabric are being sold to various places. There are also many warehouses and shops in the capital that are related to the imperial family... In the past, these imperial estates and shops would have had a hard time making a living without resorting to bullying and monopolistic practices, but this year..."

Wang Shu said, "Please speak frankly."

"This is very unusual."

Xu Pu summarized, "That is to say, even if His Majesty does not go through the court, he may still be able to raise a large amount of money and grain from the people through Zhang Laizhan and others, and use it in some special places... For example, the troop deployment in Jizhou Town may very well take this route."

Wang Shu shook his head and smiled wryly: "It sounds really strange... The emperor wants to solve the problem of money and food on his own when he goes to war? This is something that has never been heard of before."

The emperor, instead of being a vampire, used the imperial treasury as his own money bag and even wanted to build a slush fund to support his large expenses.

Are the emperors of today so arrogant that they completely disregard the court and do things on their own?
Xu Pu said, "Speaking of which, it may be the legacy left by the late emperor."

Wang Shu was indifferent to the question, but an interested look appeared on his face. He asked, "So, Your Majesty is using funds and provisions left over from the time of the late emperor?"

"I don't know."

Xu Pu thought to himself, "It's probably not true. Based on what I saw when I was a lecturer in the Eastern Palace, the late emperor favored Consort Wan and, to win her favor, searched the world for rare treasures, basically emptying the treasury. But to justify opposing the young emperor's use of force, I can only say that this is very likely money and grain embezzled by the Chenghua Emperor, stored in the imperial estates and now being used by Zhu Youcheng."

Liu Jian was also a lecturer in the Eastern Palace, so how could he not know the inside story? But he pretended to be confused and reminded him: "The late emperor favored his close associates, such as this Mr. Li who is going to be the governor of Jizhou. He was in charge of changing the course of the Yellow River before, which cost a lot of money. The money used should have been from the wealth accumulated by the late emperor... or rather, all of this should have belonged to the court."

"Ah."

Wang Shu's face showed a hint of annoyance.

If one only considers Li Zisheng's actions during the Hongzhi reign, Wang Shu would almost forget what kind of official Li Zisheng was.

Now he suddenly realized that Li Zisheng was a treacherous official who had been corrupt and lawless since the Chenghua era, and had even targeted him. If that was the case, then Li Zisheng should not be given the opportunity to seize military and political power...

Once a treacherous official is a treacherous official, he will always be a treacherous official; how can he be changed so easily?
Sending such a person to Jizhou would not only harm the local military commanders and civilians, but could also jeopardize the very foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Shu asked, "Then how should we object?"

"At the morning court tomorrow, we will jointly petition His Majesty against this," Liu Jian said. "Li Zisheng may set off in the next couple of days, and he will take troops with him. Once he reaches Jizhou, it will be very difficult to bring him back. Letting a tiger return to the mountain is extremely unwise. Didn't Wang Shichang never return after going to the Northwest?"

Wang Shu said, "Jizhou Town is right under the nose of the capital. Surely I wouldn't stoop to such a level?"

Xu Pu warned, "We must be on guard. Li Zisheng is extremely enthusiastic about military affairs; we can't just sit idly by and watch him wreak havoc on the court, can we?"

"Ah."

Wang Shu nodded and said, "In that case, we should make arrangements with the people in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War."

"Correct."

Xu Pu said, "We also need to talk to Ma Futu about this. He knows a lot about military affairs. Now that it involves military affairs, the transfer of the Censor-in-Chief should be reviewed by the Censorate. No matter how it is arranged, it will not be Li Zisheng's turn."

Wang Shu nodded: "Alright. We will argue our case at the morning court tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)