Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 856 Disappointment is greater than expectation

Li Zisheng led his troops to Jizhou Town.

The troops arrived at the most important military town in eastern Beijing in just two days, which is considered a very fast march.

Li Zisheng's purpose was to prevent anyone from sabotaging his operations, and this time he brought Pang Qing along as an advisor to coordinate his troops' expedition to the grasslands.

"Don't say I didn't remember you when something good happened. This time, I'll let you stay by my side."

Riding his tall horse, Li Zisheng said with a smug look, "Ahead lies Santunying, the town of Jizhou. We'll regroup in the city, then head out of Xifengkou and march our troops into Daning."

In the second year of the Ming Dynasty's Tianshun reign, Hu Pu, the general of Jizhou, first established the Santun Camp City. Subsequently, the town government moved to this place and set up the Santun Zhongyi Guard, which was named after the 300 military households who settled and cultivated the land.

Pang Qing said, "Isn't this too hasty? It would be good if we rested in Jizhou Town for a day or two!"

Li Zisheng said, "The rear could send someone at any time to stop our troop deployment plan. I originally said I wouldn't enter the city, but would just find a place to leave the border, and I wouldn't even report to the governor's office, but would directly lead the troops north."

"Are you really not going to transfer a single soldier from this town?"

Pang Qing asked curiously.

"Yes, not a single one."

Li Zisheng said, "If even one person stays by my side, I would suspect them of being a traitor or spy with ill intentions. So my goal is simple: to lead the troops north directly, fulfill His Majesty's entrustment, and satisfy Lai Zhan and my nephew Zhang Jia. That would be enough."

"hehe."

Pang Qing shook his head and smiled bitterly.

It's as if you're saying, "You think you're so great? You only care about the emperor and the Zhang family, and you completely ignore the civil officials in the court, right?"
Li Zisheng looked up at the direction of the city gate of Jizhou Town and said, "Next, when the commander-in-chief of Jizhou Town requests an audience, you will handle it. When our army sets off again, have them send civilians to transport grain and keep up with the main force."

"Huh? Will the Jizhou garrison allocate grain and provisions?"

Pang Qing asked.

Li Zisheng waved his hand and said, "Giving it is fine, not giving it is also fine. Since I am the governor of Jizhou, of course I should do my job and issue an order to see if the generals below will obey."

"Fortunately, the Huizhou merchants had already provided a large amount of grain when we left the capital. I never expected that this time, not only His Majesty and Lai Zhan would give their full support, but even the wealthiest Huizhou merchants in the world would stand on my side."

"Haha."

Upon hearing this, Pang Qing smiled and said, "As a merchant, one should serve the court and naturally want to do something when the army is on its northern expedition. This can be considered a responsible act."

"They might prefer to help the second young master of the Zhang family, but unfortunately, the second young master doesn't need anyone else's help to get things done. Giving you this time... not only does them a favor, but they also know that you will definitely repay them in the future..."

Li Zisheng frowned and looked him over, then asked, "What do you mean? You did Yanling a favor, and he's not going to repay it?"

Pang Qing explained, “How much silver did the second young master of the Zhang family help those merchants earn? In your interactions, do you think the Zhang family benefited? In my opinion, those merchants were the ones who made a fortune. Just by using the silver-to-silver conversion method and a salt-drying method, the salt fields could supply sea salt openly, and they earned several million taels of silver from it. It is only right that they contribute some of it to the court.”

Li Zisheng asked, "Oh? Are there that many?"

"And that doesn't even include the profits from the coal mine."

Pang Qing sighed, "You probably didn't go out much during your trip back to the capital, so you don't know how profitable the Xishan coal mine is... Right now, the capital and surrounding prefectures and counties are all selling honeycomb briquettes. Those things burn very well, and now that it's the dead of winter, which household in the capital doesn't have a warehouse full of them?"

Li Zisheng paused for a moment, then asked, "Are honeycomb briquettes really that good? How come I didn't know that?"

Pang Qing said, "You've been in the south for a long time, so naturally you don't know the details... We've stockpiled quite a bit in our own residence..."

"..."

Li Zisheng frowned, speechless for a moment.

Pang Qing asked, "Is there some misunderstanding? You seem quite disappointed?"

Li Zisheng shook his head and sighed, "I thought I had received a higher level of respect than Lai Zhan and his son, and that I had gained a great reputation by managing the Yellow River, so that those merchants would think I was a capable official and would be admired just like Lai Zhan... Who knew... they were just plotting to gain benefits from me!"
"Nine times out of ten, it's because my nephew Yanling doesn't care about them, that's why they sent the grain to me... Alas, it seems I was just being presumptuous!"

Upon hearing this, Pang Qing couldn't help but laugh and said, "Oh dear, my Daoist, why do you care about such trivial matters? It doesn't matter who you give it to, it's all for the sake of serving the court."

"That's different."

Li Zisheng said helplessly, "Well, it's fine. I'm not qualified to be compared with Lai Zhan and his son anyway. Since those merchants are willing to send grain to the army, I'll just take it as them helping Lai Zhan and his son, and I'll just benefit from it..."

Pang Qing asked, "Then what are you struggling with?"

"Only when all other avenues fail do they eagerly come to me for help... In this situation, do you think I wouldn't feel disappointed?"

Li Zisheng said this, but he didn't actually look that sad.

At this time, the officers and generals in Santunying City had already received the news and began to organize their troops to welcome their superiors. As the city gates opened, squads of cavalry rushed out first and lined up on both sides of the official road. Then came the infantry equipped with spears and crossbows. Horns blared, drums and music filled the air, and banners fluttered in the wind.

Seeing the lively scene ahead, Li Zisheng was delighted but couldn't help asking, "Is my nephew Yanling really that good at making money?"

"Yes."

Pang Qing casually replied, "Otherwise, where would you get the money to manage the river?"

"I thought most of it was raised from Lai Zhan, and then His Majesty secretly allocated funds... Even if Yan Ling is good at making money, he wouldn't have made that much. Who would have thought that the kid's abilities far exceeded my expectations."

Li Zisheng remarked with emotion, "Back then, Wang Zhi was also quite adept at making money and managed the Imperial Treasury very well, but compared to this young imperial brother-in-law, he was nothing but a small fry."

“What you said…”

Pang Qing wanted to ask, "Is it appropriate for you to say that?"

"hehe."

Li Zisheng laughed heartily, "If this were during the Chenghua era, what would Liang Fang and I have to do with it? With this kid around, His Majesty could completely disregard the opinions of the civil officials and confidently send troops. I'm afraid the Western Regions, Tibet, the grasslands, and northern Vietnam would all be under the control of our Great Ming, restoring the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties... In that case, the entire court would have to revolve around him..."

"Isn't the situation the same now?"

Pang Qing kindly offered this reminder.

Li Zisheng shook his head: "It's different, completely different! Although His Majesty trusts his brother-in-law, he still maintains at least some decorum with his ministers and doesn't break off relations. If it were the late Emperor, he would have been completely reckless, allowing only one voice in the court... Just think about it, even I could control the government, let alone Yanling?"

……

……

At nightfall.

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youcheng wanted to go back to Kunning Palace to sleep early. After all, he had to attend court every day and participate in court affairs very early in the morning, almost without interruption. So after nightfall, he felt exhausted and drowsy, longing to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, we have just received news." Qin Chang appeared before Zhu Youcheng with the latest battle report from the Northwest. "Victory has been reported from the front."

Zhu Youcheng was taken aback, then asked with a hint of expectation, "Did Yanling send someone to report the victory?"

Qin Chang was surprised that the emperor would only mention his brother-in-law, so he quickly explained: "It was Wang Yue who reported the victory from the heart of the grasslands... The army marched to the north of Yinshan and engaged in a series of battles with the Tatars. The report said that a total of more than 2,600 Tatars were killed, plus more than 3,000 prisoners... This battle annihilated nearly 6,000 enemies, which is truly a world-shaking victory."

"Oh."

Zhu Youcheng did not seem particularly pleased. He nodded slightly and said, "Wang Yue has a good reputation and is indeed quite capable... Is he still leading troops to continue fighting the Tatars?"

"They've withdrawn."

Qin Changdao said, "Wang Yue requested that the army withdraw to Yansui Town, saying that the army's food and supplies were severely depleted... In addition, the entire army had been on the expedition for more than a month, and the men and horses were exhausted. The Tatars only used cavalry to maneuver around our army, avoiding any opportunity for direct confrontation, so it was impossible to determine the winner for a while."

"Due to the freezing weather and unfamiliarity with the area, the troops have no choice but to retreat..."

Zhu Youcheng frowned: "The area north and south of Yinshan has been part of China's territory since ancient times. The army has detailed maps, and every mountain and lake has a clear location. How could Wang Yue, a famous general who is knowledgeable in military affairs, easily retreat because he is not familiar with geography? This reason is too far-fetched."

Qin Changdao said, "The main problem is... the food supplies are not keeping up. This year, the military farms in Yansui Town suffered from drought and other reasons, resulting in a poor autumn harvest. The imperial court did not allocate more money and grain. In addition, Wang Yue led his troops out to war in a very hasty manner and did not prepare enough food supplies."

"When we told him to hold his ground, he chose to attack. Now he has retreated without permission. How can he treat such a serious military matter as a joke?"

Zhu Youcheng looked very dissatisfied. He stood up and reprimanded him sternly, "Before Wang Yue left the capital, I instructed him to create an opportunity for Yanling to attack. Now that he has retreated, what is Yanling supposed to do next?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Chang's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Your Majesty, a report came from the Northwest earlier, saying that a group of people from Datong had already crossed the border and headed towards Weining Sea?"

“It’s Yanling,” Zhu Youcheng said with a dark face. “Although Yanling doesn’t have many men, they are all elites trained in the last two years and equipped with the latest firearms. If Wang Yue retreats on the western front, won’t the Tatars focus all their attention on the eastern front? At that time, Yanling will be in a situation of being attacked from all sides.”

Qin Chang thought to himself, "I only brought two or three thousand men into the grassland. How can I expect to avoid being attacked from both sides?"
No matter how arrogant Wang Yue was, he still brought 20,000 troops to the grasslands. Although only about 10,000 of them were combat soldiers, their sheer numbers were enough to put pressure on the Tatars.

If Wang Yue had only taken two or three thousand men, they probably wouldn't have returned either.

Zhu Youcheng said, "In any case, Wang Yue has demonstrated his value. If his achievements are reported to the court, I think... it will attract the attention of the world, and the civil officials will feel that I made the right choice in using him. That should be the case, right?"

"Yes."

Qin Chang smiled again, secretly thinking to himself that Wang Yue had killed and captured nearly 6,000 Tatars. Although some of them were old, weak, women and children, this achievement was even more heroic and intense than the Battle of Weininghai, which made him famous.

What more could you want?
Do you really expect to pacify the grasslands within one or two years?

It sounds like a dream!

Zhu Youcheng nodded, then asked, "Does my father-in-law know about this news?"

"what!?"

Qin Chang was slightly taken aback. Even at this point, the emperor was still adding the title of his father-in-law to the imperial decree?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, Wang Yue was pardoned and allowed to return to the capital to serve only because of Zhang Luan's strong support. This trip to the three border regions was also due to the strong recommendation of Zhang Luan and his son.

"Perhaps... they are unaware of it yet," Qin Chang said.

“Speaking of which, it’s been a while since I’ve seen my father-in-law… How has he been lately?” Zhu Youcheng asked.

Qin Chang said, "He rarely leaves the house and it's hard to see him on ordinary days. You have to go to him for something, and only then will you be able to meet him. But he's always in a hurry, so it's hard to say more than a few words."

“When Li Zisheng returned to Beijing before, he visited him.”

Zhu Youcheng laughed and said, "My father-in-law is still the same lazy person, never wanting to concern himself with court affairs... Even so, why are others still finding fault with him? That's going too far!"

"Yes."

Qin Chang nodded in agreement.

He even felt a little ashamed.

Instigated by Huai En, he became irreconcilably opposed to Zhang Luan and was determined to nip Zhang Luan's growing power in the bud.

However, after experiencing the ups and downs of officialdom and taking a trip to the Northwest, Qin Chang gradually realized that Zhang Luan was not just putting on an act.

Zhang Luan has remained consistent in his act of playing the submissive grandson, and now he has become a true grandson.

Where in history have you found a relative of the emperor who can get things done without wanting to be a powerful minister who controls the court, and who doesn't form cliques or engage in corruption?

Qin Chang thought to himself, no wonder the Zhang family is so trusted by His Majesty. The way this father and son do things is unprecedented in history. They are truly a model of being both trustworthy and able to stay true to their principles.

Zhu Youcheng said, "Go and tell my father-in-law the news, and ask him what he thinks."

"Your Majesty, what is it you are asking?"

Qin Chang appeared very slow to react.

Because he didn't understand why he had to ask Zhang Luan for his opinion after reporting the battle report to him. What kind of questions could he possibly get out of him?

Zhu Youcheng pondered for a long time, and finally, perhaps unable to bear it any longer, he leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on the table, and said wearily, "I want to know how much impact Wang Yue's retreat will have on Yanling's campaign! Yanling's plan was to keep Wang Yue on the western front for as long as possible, but now... sigh..."

Qin Chang said, “Your Majesty, if we rely solely on this kind of restraint, we may be wasting military funds. After all, it is extremely difficult to transport large quantities of grain and supplies from the three border regions to the grasslands. Currently, the three border regions have not been able to raise enough money and grain, nor do they have enough manpower to handle the transportation. This kind of transportation is a huge burden on manpower and resources, and the losses along the way are greater than the amount that is actually transported to the destination.”

“Yes, the journey is long and the road is very difficult. We have to cross deserts and grasslands and the Yellow River.” Zhu Youcheng seemed to understand Wang Yue’s situation.

But then Zhu Youcheng changed the subject, saying, "Then why didn't he follow the plan and set off on the expedition a few days later? Or why didn't he prepare more money and provisions before setting off?"

Qin Chang said, "Perhaps the opportunity to fight was rare, or perhaps he could no longer raise more money and supplies, so Wang Yue wanted to make a desperate attempt. But precisely because he disobeyed orders, this reward must be considered comprehensively. Merit is merit, and demerit is demerit; we must not unilaterally promote any one aspect."

"Ah."

Zhu Youcheng nodded and said, "Indeed, rewards and punishments must be clear! But Wang Yue has already retired, what else can be done? Tomorrow at the court meeting, Qin Daban, you should tell the ministers about this matter. Oh, by the way, how has my wife been lately?"

"He... is getting more and more confused, and he doesn't recognize anyone."

When Qin Chang spoke of Qin Ji, his face was full of regret.

Since Qin Ji completely retired from the court, he has now become truly senile.

He was like a soulless zombie, a living corpse.

"I miss him a little."

Zhu Youcheng said, "Bring him to the palace tomorrow; I wish to see him. Grant him ample wealth..."

At this point, Zhu Youcheng couldn't help but wipe away a tear. "Alas, he took care of me for so many years and should have been enjoying his old age, but I never expected... Life is unpredictable. I hope he can get through this and have a few days of peace."

"However, sometimes forgetting everything is not necessarily a bad thing."

(End of this chapter)