Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 872 I touched your son's fish
The rest room in the side hall of Duanjing Hall.

“You already have children, and you also have to take care of His Majesty’s daily life. Why do you insist on coming here to weave cloth? Aren’t you tired?” Zhang Luan took the initiative to change the subject.

Zhang Yu replied slowly and deliberately, "The child is crying and making a fuss, going back and forth endlessly, which is very annoying... Since the prince has a wet nurse and palace maids to take care of him, I might as well come here to find some peace and quiet."

"Besides, there's a war going on in the north right now, and Yanling is leading troops out there, so they need money and supplies... We're just sitting here doing nothing anyway, so I might as well take the initiative to take charge of the affairs in the palace and make some profit to prepare for any eventuality..."

Zhang Luan said with a wry smile, "Your older sister is really thoughtful..."

Zhang Yu glared at him and said, "I just come here occasionally to take a look, check the account details, and help solve some problems. I don't need to do any work myself... But Father, since Yanling left the capital, why have I rarely seen you in the palace? Don't you need to manage state affairs for His Majesty anymore?"

Zhang Luan laughed and said, "You know my personality. I'll slack off whenever I can. Besides, where would I find so many court affairs to do? His Majesty trusts the cabinet ministers and the six ministries very much. It makes no difference whether I'm in court or not."

"Hmph, you still say you're doing this for the family's good!" Zhang Yu said discontentedly. "Everyone else tries their best to show how important they are, but what about you?"

Zhang Luan said, "As long as you have your brother, that's enough. But he's like this now... sigh!"

When he mentioned his youngest son, Zhang Yanling, a look of worry instantly appeared on his face.

Zhang Yu seemed uninterested and shook his head, saying, "I don't have any definite information here either... If you want to ask, you should go and ask His Majesty yourself."

"I am aware of the situation."

Zhang Luan sighed, "His Majesty sent Li Rong to explain everything to me. My purpose in coming here is more to... see if there's any good way to get your brother back sooner?"

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Yu frowned slightly.

Zhang Luan said, "Whispering sweet nothings in someone's ear? Can't you even understand that?"

"..."

Zhang Yu appeared quite annoyed, her pretty face flushed red, and she said coquettishly, "What kind of talk is that? You were the one who agreed to let Yanling go to the Northwest to lead the troops, and now you're planning to have His Majesty recall him ahead of schedule? Do you think this is child's play?"

Zhang Luan said with a mournful face, "I was just thinking, if that kid dies, wouldn't our Zhang family be completely finished? It's all my second son's fault for keeping nagging me, making me think... he could do this... but after he actually led the troops out of the border, I was completely baffled, and the more I thought about it, the more something seemed wrong..."

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "I don't have any good ideas... If you want His Majesty to change his mind, just go and talk to him. I won't stop you."

"I'm shy, I'm embarrassed to say it."

Zhang Luan said with a stern face, "Daughter, you and His Majesty are husband and wife. You asked His Majesty to recall Yanling for your brother's sake, which was purely out of personal feelings. But if it were me who made the suggestion, it would be disregarding the overall situation and putting personal interests above the greater good of the country. If the world knew about it, they would laugh at us."

Zhang Yu said irritably, "People will laugh at you, but not at me, right? In a life-or-death situation, which is more important, your country or your son?"

"Hey, how can you talk like that, older sister?"

Zhang Luan was greatly dissatisfied.

He shamelessly begged his daughter to whisper sweet nothings in the emperor's ear, only to be scolded by her in return.
Do you really think I, the emperor's father-in-law, have no shame?

Zhang Yu said, "Recently, His Majesty has been talking to me about how things are going in the north. It seems like the war is going relatively smoothly, but there's no final result yet, so we can't explain it to the people in court... Father, please give Yanling some time."

Zhang Luan stood up, his face contorted with grief, and said, "Am I the only one in the family who cares about Yanling the most?"

"Don't make any noise."

Zhang Yu seemed very impatient and waved his hand, saying, "Everyone thinks that our Zhang family revolves around you, but only we family members know that it is Yanling who is in charge of everything."

"Don't make excuses for your incompetence! Spend your time doing something worthwhile instead of always fooling around outside! Mother has already told me that you've been keeping many women outside, you're never home, and your mind is entirely on eating, drinking, and having fun... Sigh, I'm too ashamed to even say anything to you."

Zhang Luan asked unhappily, "What? Your mother knows everything? And she told you? Humph, the husband is the head of the household, does she dare to lecture me?"

Zhang Yu said with a stern face, "It seems that no one in the whole family can control you... His Majesty treats you with great respect, and Yanling dares not disobey you, his father. But as the Empress, my status is ultimately above yours. Is there anything wrong with me, as your daughter, speaking to you?"

"I……"

Zhang Luan was speechless for a moment.

He used the principle of "the husband is the head of the wife" as an excuse, but in the blink of an eye, the empress used the principle of "the ruler is the head of the subject" to teach him a lesson. After all, he was the father-in-law of the emperor, and he only rose to a high position because of his daughter.

“Father, let me be frank with you from the start: even if Yanling loses this battle, people will still respect the Zhang family and think that we are serving the country and that our courage is commendable. But if we stop halfway, that will make us a laughing stock! I believe Yanling doesn’t want to see that happen.”

"he……"

Zhang Luan thought about it carefully and asked curiously, "What, you're still on his side?"

Zhang Yu said earnestly, "I support Yanling in going to war. He is so capable. He successfully predicted my selection of the Crown Princess and a series of unbelievable events that happened in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. He has also done so much for the court. What's wrong with leading troops into battle now? Moreover, His Majesty has sent people to help him. I believe he will definitely succeed!"

Zhang Luan said, "What if..."

"Sigh, Father, you should still look forward to him... Putting aside everything else, when he returns, he will bring great prestige. Let's see who dares to attack our Zhang family then! When others mention the Zhang family, they will think we are the pillars of the Ming Dynasty, and will no longer say that it is because of my connections or His Majesty's nepotism... Do you think His Majesty doesn't care about his reputation?"

Zhang Yu said angrily as she stood up, "Alright, I'm not going to chat with you anymore. If there's nothing else, I need to go over and keep an eye on the weaving. I'm basically managing all the inner palace's business now. His Majesty doesn't have time to look after these things, and you don't manage them either, so I, a mere woman, have to take over."

Zhang Luan sarcastically said, "Hey, our Zhang family really does produce some talented people. Having your younger brother is already a blessing from eight lifetimes ago. And you, the Empress, are actually... meddling in things? What's this? Are women just as capable as men? Am I just an idle person who can't be brought to the table?"

Zhang Yu ignored his father's sarcastic remarks and got up to leave.

The gist of it is: since you're here at your daughter and son-in-law's house, you can go wherever you want. I have other things to do and can't be bothered to entertain you.

……

……

Zhang Luan never had the heart to mention to his son-in-law, the emperor, the need to recall his youngest son.

Perhaps it was his daughter's words that made him realize the truth.

Since the person has already gone, it would be embarrassing to call them back halfway. It's better to take a gamble... If it succeeds, then the Zhang family will have a "successor," and he can retire peacefully and relax. Zhang Yanling will also naturally become a key minister of the Ming Dynasty, and no one will think that the Zhang family rose to power through nepotism.

Thinking about it this way, everything seemed to be going in the right direction, except for his son's life... but his worries seemed insignificant.

"Sacrifice Yanling to save my whole family!"

Zhang Luan left the palace gate with a sigh.

Before he had gone far, he saw someone coming towards him from the opposite direction.

Zhang Luan was taken aback and asked, "Eunuch Xiao!?"

It was Xiao Jing.

Xiao Jing quickly stepped forward to greet him: "Greetings, Grand Secretary Zhang." "Sigh, that title sounds rather awkward at first..." Zhang Luan said with a smile, "Isn't Grand Secretary Xiao still in charge of the Yellow River engineering work? So... you don't need to go back?"

Xiao Jing said, "The finishing touches will be completed by the local government. My task is now temporarily finished."

Zhang Luan smiled wryly: "It's quite a sad story. This Yellow River project, how big of a spectacle was it at the beginning? How come it's not even finished yet? One of them went to fight in the north, and the other just... came back like that? Could it be that the imperial court no longer values ​​the Yellow River diversion project?"

Xiao Jingxin said that the civil officials cared about it because they were unwilling to let the court invest huge sums of money, and even more unwilling for Li Zisheng to turn his life around as a result, so they deliberately opposed it.

nitpicking!

Seeing that the massive project was about to be completed, and even two years ahead of schedule, which was considered an overachievement, the court lost interest in it instantly, and it was no longer mentioned in court discussions.

If it were something that could make you, Zhang Laizhan and Li Zisheng, charlatans, achieve great merit, would others constantly be talking about it?
Isn’t this making yourself unhappy?
Xiao Jingdao said, "It's not that I haven't tried my best, it's just that... the Yellow River engineering project is progressing very smoothly, and the court is currently in need of capable personnel..."

"understood."

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "It doesn't matter where you do your work. Speaking of which, it's been quite a while since I've seen Minister Li. The two of you have worked together sincerely and accomplished a great thing that benefits the country and the people. You will surely be remembered in history."

Xiao Jing quickly said, "It's all thanks to Father-in-law Zhang for his behind-the-scenes planning..."

“It was not I who made the plans, but my son Yanling.”

Zhang Luan smiled and corrected him, "Yanling is currently leading troops in the Northwest. After he returns to the capital in triumph, he will officially take up his post... I cannot claim all the credit for him; it should be returned to him."

Xiao Jing thought to himself, "I figured it out a long time ago."

You and your son...

One appears mature and steady, the other a young hero, but in reality... you old man are just a swindler, and you're even taking advantage of your own son.

……

……

on the grassland.

After three days of marching, Wang Shouren and Zhu Hui led their troops closely behind Qin Yun's forces.

Because the combined forces of both sides exceeded two thousand, they no longer encountered the main force of the Tatars wherever they went.

The scouts sent out by Wang Shouren continuously reported back information about the surrounding area, which spanned nearly a hundred miles.

"Brother Wang, do you mean that the Tartar army has always maintained a distance of sixty or seventy li from us, and has set up many sentries around us?"

That night, Zhu Hui had a face-to-face conversation with Wang Shouren in his tent and was quite surprised by the intelligence he had obtained.

Wang Shouren nodded and said, "Yes, the main force of the Tatars has always been there, but they have never come close to us, and their scouts have been closely monitoring our actions."

Zhu Hui pondered for a moment and analyzed, "Do you remember what that Commander Qin said? He said that the Tartars' various forces are gathering. Could it be that they want to launch a major attack? It's strange, though. The Tartars know that their strength is inferior. Shouldn't they just avoid fighting like they did when they fought us north of Yinshan?"

Wang Shouren said, "Perhaps this time the situation is different from that time."

"What is the difference?"

Zhu Hui looked somewhat bewildered, then cupped his hands and said, "Brother Wang, please enlighten me."

Wang Shouren said with a serious expression, "That time, the troops were led by the renowned Wang Zhongcheng, and our Ming army numbered more than 20,000. In particular, the Ming army was at its peak at that time, and it was backed by the Hetao region. Reinforcements from Yansui and other places could come at any time."

"There are fewer people this time?"

Zhu Hui tentatively inquired, "Or perhaps, our retreat has been completely cut off by the Tartars? So the Tartars are unwilling to give up? But the problem is, they can't even defeat three or four hundred men out of five or six thousand, yet they still want to force it? Do they not know the power of the firearms of our Great Ming?"

Wang Shouren said, "This battle may be a matter of life and death for the Tatars. If they cannot win this battle even with the combined strength of the entire grassland, then they will have no chance of turning the tide in the future."

Zhu Hui said, "Oh, you mean that Zhang Guojiu forced them to fight?"

Just then, shouts and cries arose from outside the camp.

Wang Shouren quickly got up and went out of the tent. Looking up at the flames shooting into the sky in the distance, he asked in surprise, "Huh, has a battle broken out up ahead?"

"Not like."

Zhu Hui, who was following closely behind Wang Shouren, picked up his binoculars and examined the scene carefully. He shook his head and said, "It looks like someone is setting a fire... or maybe Commander Qin and his men ran into the Tartar camp and wiped them out... Should we go and join the fun?"

"No need."

Wang Shouren shook his head and said, "Unless it's a major battle, we won't be needed at all."

After saying that, he actually went back into the tent, sat down calmly, and continued to add firewood to the fire in front of him.

Wang Shouren said, “The weather is cold. Have the soldiers collect more firewood along the way, or even dry thorns, and tie them to the horses. This way, the army will have hot water when we set up camp, and we can also warm ourselves by the fire to relieve the fatigue of the journey. When fighting on the grasslands, the problem is not the lack of weapons, equipment, or morale, but the lack of cold-weather supplies.”

Zhu Hui said, "We've already been doing all of this, not just firewood, but even dried cow dung."

Wang Shouren nodded silently, then asked, "I wonder if you could find out where Zhang Guojiu's central army is located? Could that Commander Qin be used as a breakthrough point?"

Zhu Hui curled his lip and shook his head, saying, "Let alone that Commander Qin not knowing, even if he did know, he wouldn't tell us. Right now, we're just like that Imperial Uncle Zhang, operating under the very noses of the Tartars. The Tartars and the surrounding tribes... their attitude towards us is probably no different. Besides, what does it matter to us where that Imperial Uncle Zhang leads his troops?"

"I'm thinking."

Wang Shouren said tactfully, "Zhang Guojiu's use of troops is really too risky. Each force only has a few hundred men. If one or two of them go astray, they will not be able to regroup properly at the decisive battle site. Wouldn't that give the Tartars a chance to turn the tide?"

Zhu Hui grinned and said, "That's perfect, our men can fill the gap. I've seen it. Their men not only have two new firearms, but also a large number of standard bullets. They're all the kind where you can't see the gunpowder; they just stuff them into the chamber with something that looks like a copper tube. Once loaded, they can just pull the trigger and fire."

"After the bullet was fired, the copper tube inside simply retracted. I initially thought the seal wasn't very strong and the firing range wouldn't be long, but who knew that thing could hit incredibly far and accurately. They also have a batch of matching components; I think they can assemble quite a few firearms, and then..."

He was speaking animatedly when he noticed the strange look in Zhu Hui's eyes, and he fell silent.

Wang Shouren said, "I am expressing my concern because I am afraid that the other groups will have problems. I am not really hoping that something will happen, and I do not want to take over someone else's territory."

Zhu Hui said, "Our minds are all on fighting, so it should be fine, right?"

Wang Shouren stood up: "Later, you should come with me to see General Qin and discuss the specific strategy. General Zhu, you must understand that we have already achieved enough military merits. If we can help that Imperial Uncle Zhang, that would be good, but if he doesn't need us, and we insist on getting involved, we might end up doing more harm than good. You don't want us to become sinners of the Ming Dynasty, do you?"

Zhu Hui chuckled and said, "More people means more strength. I don't believe that the Imperial Uncle Zhang would complain about having someone helping him."

Wang Shouren shook his head and said, "If he really thought that victory on the battlefield was achieved by sheer numbers of soldiers, he wouldn't have only brought such a small number of men out of the pass."

"In future battles against the Tatars, we will probably have to change our previous conservative strategy and launch attacks, constantly launching attacks, and we must deploy light troops. This can be seen as setting an example for the future pacification of the four seas by the Ming Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)