Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 62 Nobody Can Escape

What does it mean to "make one mistake and then make a series of mistakes"?
That’s what it’s called!
He deeply regretted his past actions; he had actually thought that Gao Gong, that big-eyed, thick-browed bastard, was a tight-lipped man and had told Gao Gong about this ingenious plan in detail.

With such good intentions, who would have thought that Gao Gong would turn around and say it publicly in the Hanlin Academy, and even shift the blame back onto himself?

The people in the Hanlin Academy were indeed a bunch of big mouths; they managed to get the news to the Jiajing Emperor's ears so quickly.

Ironically, the Jiajing Emperor believed it. Not only did he openly order Guo Xun to oversee post-war relief efforts, but he also secretly promoted this ingenious plan. He even included himself in the scheme, ordering himself to assist Guo Xun and to depart within two days after his birthday celebrations...

What kind of mess is this?

No one knew this better than Yan Maoqing.

This ingenious plan can only be used once in the entire five thousand years of Chinese history, and it must be kept extremely secret.

Otherwise, if this information were to reach the ears of the Tartars, it would not only be completely rendered useless, but could also potentially turn the Tartars into a threat a hundred times stronger than before.

But now, Gao Gong's information has been made public in the Hanlin Academy and has even reached the ears of the Jiajing Emperor.

If this continues, it's only a matter of time before it reaches the ears of the Tartars.

The only saving grace now is that Emperor Jiajing has ordered Guo Xun to secretly implement this ingenious plan. Even if the traitors in the court hear about it, they may not take it seriously, much less immediately inform the Tartars... But wait!
In his indignation, Yan Maoqing suddenly realized a crucial point!
It is likely that Gao Gong did not reveal this ingenious plan to the Hanlin Academy, but rather reported it directly to the Jiajing Emperor!
After all, given Gao Gong's ability to rise to the position of Grand Secretary, and the Jiajing Emperor's extraordinary wisdom, they must have understood that this ingenious plan could only work under conditions of extreme secrecy.

Therefore, Gao Gong will absolutely not make it public!

If the Jiajing Emperor had known that this ingenious plan was already common knowledge in the Hanlin Academy, he would never have continued to risk trying it!
and so……

The treacherous minister has been found!
That bastard Gao Gong!
This bastard not only sold himself out, but he sold himself for a good price, to the person who offered the highest price in the entire Ming Dynasty!
very good!

very good!
Do you think that means I have no way to deal with this?
I have plenty of ways to solve this!
But before that, everyone who gets in my way will pay the price!

"Shouchang, what's wrong with you...?"

Seeing Yan Maoqing's ferocious expression, his face turning pale and then blue, Guo Xun was puzzled and spoke with some concern.

"Godfather, I'm happy, genuinely happy!"

Yan Maoqing snapped out of his daze upon hearing the sound, but the words were forced out through clenched teeth.
"I see that in this secret edict, the Emperor allows my adoptive father to make his own decisions regarding personnel and expenses. May I recommend two more people to him?"

"Oh? Tell me."

Guo Xun smiled with satisfaction, "I didn't expect Yan Maoqing to get into the mode of carrying out orders so quickly."

"One of them was my classmate at the Hanlin Academy, named Gao Gong."

Yan Maoqing immediately opened the little notebook hidden deep in his heart and read out the names of the two people currently listed.

"The other one is Shen Lian, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Northern Garrison. I can assure my godfather that if he gets the full support of these two, he will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Anyone who has ever hindered me will not escape!
I've had a long and arduous journey this time, heading to the remote desert to suffer from the northwest wind. No one can expect to live in the capital and enjoy a life of luxury!

"That's easy, but... I wonder what their strengths are?"

Although Guo Xun agreed, he still asked a question out of curiosity.

"He has a high-arched mouth and a long tongue, earning him the nickname 'Lick King.' He is skilled at transmitting sound in secret and can even fool the Tatar Khan with just words."

Yan Maoqing gritted his teeth and said bitterly,

"Shen Lian is a rascal with long legs and a mischievous hand. People call him the Husky. He's good at demolishing houses and can tear down the Eight White Houses of the Tartars with his bare hands!"

"I see……"

Guo Xun nodded to himself, thinking, "My adopted son is indeed remarkable. He praises people so...artistically, it sounds like a storybook. I just wonder what the 'husky' means."
……

This ingenious strategy, which could only be used once in the entire five thousand years of Chinese history, was something Yan Maoqing could neither bear to destroy nor dare to destroy.

Otherwise, even if he were to retire smoothly and return to his hometown, he would never be able to resolve this knot in his heart.

Unable to find peace of mind, he couldn't shake off the guilt upon returning home. Later research showed that one's state of mind significantly impacts lifespan, and should never be taken lightly… It's all that bastard Gao Gong's fault!

If it weren't for Gao Gong's big mouth, this wouldn't have happened to him... It's all Gao Gong's fault, that bastard!

As long as this matter doesn't fall on his shoulders, he can find reasons to convince himself that he can be at peace with himself no matter what happens in the future... It's all Gao Gong's fault, that bastard!

Forget it, it's come to this. There is a way to break the deadlock, but it has only created more trouble... It's all Gao Gong's fault, that bastard!

According to Yan Maoqing, there were also deep-rooted contradictions between the military generals and the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty.

To put it more bluntly, the military generals of the Ming Dynasty were constantly oppressed by the civil official group that controlled public opinion in the court. Where there is oppression, there is resistance, and over time, a contradiction similar to class struggle gradually developed.

To be honest, during the Jiajing reign, there were indeed capable and valiant generals available for appointment.

Taking this period as an example, Yan Maoqing could name at least two people:
One was named Zhou Shangwen, and the other was named Zeng Xian.

Zeng Xian's death was also unjust, mainly because he was involved in the political struggle between Xia Yan and Yan Song, and ultimately died in the same year as Xia Yan.

Although Zeng Xian has already begun to show his talent, he is currently serving as governor and is building city walls in Shandong, so let's not mention him.

Zhou Shangwen is currently serving as the Commander-in-Chief of Datong, a high-ranking official of the first rank, and it is highly likely that he will make contact with him during his trip north.

Zhou Shangwen is a very capable person.

He had made numerous military achievements since the Zhengde era and was known as the "Flying General" of the Ming Dynasty.

Later, starting from the first year of the Jiajing reign, he successively guarded Liangzhou, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shanxi to resist the invasion of the Tartars.

In the war against the Tartars, he fought to the death every time he clashed with them, and was seriously wounded three times, but he rarely let the Tartars gain the upper hand in his army. So much so that when the Tartars later raided southward, they tried every means to avoid him.

Just last year, when the Tatars led by Ji Nang raided Guyuan, Zhou Shangwen defeated them and beheaded Ji Nang's youngest son, the Tenth Prince. That's how he became a first-rank official, the Assistant Commander-in-Chief.

Unfortunately, Zhou Shangwen, being a traditional military general, also had an extremely poor relationship with the civil official group in the court.

The governors and inspectors sent by the imperial court frequently submitted memorials to slander the government, and the censors of the Censorate also seized the opportunity to submit memorials to impeach the government. The Ministry of War also frequently withheld military pay and reassigned troops to suppress dissent.

This resulted in Zhou Shangwen having made numerous contributions, but his official career followed a typical wavy line.

He would be promoted for his merits, then demoted; he would be promoted again for his merits, then demoted again for his merits.

In other words, he had accumulated too many military achievements, so his demotions couldn't keep up with his promotions, which is why he barely managed to become a first-rank official at the young age of seventy.

The only consolation is...

In the "Gengxu Incident" seven years later, Zhou Shangwen led his troops to three victories in three battles, defeating all his enemies and making the greatest contribution.

He eventually passed away peacefully in the same year at the age of seventy-five.

What is regrettable is that when Zhou Shangwen served in the Rear Army Commandery in his early years, he criticized Yan Shifan for being arrogant and capricious, thus incurring the enmity of Yan Song and his son.

As a result, when he died, Yan Song and his son were in power, and the court refused to grant this national hero, who had devoted his life to making great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, any posthumous honors.

At that time, a censor named Shen Shu spoke out on behalf of Zhou Shangwen because of this incident.

He was even imprisoned by Yan Song and remained there for eighteen years before regaining his freedom...

Yan Maoqing thought it over carefully.

He believed that the conflict between military officers and civil officials, or rather, the conflict between Zhou Shangwen and the civil officials, could also be a way to help him retire and return to his hometown as soon as possible.

If we can also provide some support to Zhou Shangwen, this bad thing might just turn into a win-win situation!

In short... it's all Gao Gong's fault, that bastard!

　Thank you to [清风洗明月] for the generous donation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)