Chapter 543: I declare: I will never return to my hometown!

"What exactly are Yan Shaoting and the Yan family going to do?"

"Do they really want to be good people and become the clay Buddhas in the temple?"

The court is closed today.

In a loft with a great view next to the goldfish pond in South City.

Li Chunfang, the cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, murmured in a low voice with a puzzled look on his face.

On the pavilion, there were pleasant music, singing and dancing, and the aroma of wine.

Most of the people at the banquet looked very official, but they were wearing Confucian and Taoist robes. They were officials on leave from the southeast.

Each of them has a face full of glory and is extremely bright and righteous.

But they all embrace their delicate bodies and behave in an unrestrained manner.

Looking around at everyone present, Li Chunfang had already gotten used to it.

He just didn't quite understand. Now that the currency law had been established, although the Money Department, which was changed from the Baochao Tizhuo Department of the Ministry of Revenue, was firmly controlled by Gao Gong because it involved the new policy.

But he also put a lot of people into the gold bank and even sought the position of vice president.

But even so, the Yan family did not react at all, as if they could not see that he and the old party in the court were putting people into the gold shop.

There are too many things I need to consider.

Even though there were singing and dancing all around him, Lord Li had no intention of enjoying himself.

The official closest to him spoke in a low voice with a smile, "Prime Minister Li, please be patient. We have heard that Yan Shaoting is now in the Beijing camp all day, training with Qi Jiguang and his men. They have earned the reputation of being the big devil of the Beijing camp. We have also heard that Yan Shaoting will personally lead the troops to the battle this time. When he leaves, without this annoying person, we will have the final say in Beijing."

The officials from the southeast who were taking a break nearby all raised their glasses and joined in the fun, intending to invite Li Chunfang to join them in the drinking and merrymaking.

For them, now they just hope that Yan Shaoting can leave Beijing as soon as possible, leave the imperial court, and leave their sight.

Without Yan Shaoting being an eyesore in the capital, everything would be fine and smooth sailing.

Li Chunfang did not have such an opinion, but just silently glanced at the people present.

"This time the court has enacted a currency law, changed the money bureau, and established a gold bank. We still need to pay more attention. I always feel that the Yan family has a backup plan that they haven't used yet."

Li Chunfang said this with deep worry.

Although this time the money law was proposed by Yan Shaoting, the money law he submitted was detailed, and he also reviewed it in the cabinet and rejected many of the clauses.

But Li Chunfang still felt that Yan Shaoting and the Yan family had a backup plan regarding the money law and gold business.

But someone at the scene sneered.

"Li Xiang is worrying too much."

"Whether it's the money law or the money bank, we have discussed this matter."

"Except that local governments will not be able to bury the new currency with the deceased, it will not be much different from now and nothing will change."

"The Yan family probably saw the mint as being built in Changping, so they could make some money from it."

This is also the view of most officials in the court today.

After all, minting coins has always involved a certain amount of fire consumption.

When the old and new dynasties were in power, the Yan family proposed a monetary system and minted new coins. They simply took a fancy to the high cost of smelting gold, silver and copper and minting them into coins.

After all, smelting metals and minting coins also require money.

Someone else said, "I also heard that Yan Shaoting intends to lead the army to war this time, and is also preparing to petition the emperor to allow him to use the new currency to reward the army. I'm afraid the Yan family will make a fortune this time."

As he spoke, everyone at the table looked envious.

If it were them, when they led the troops, they would definitely make a lot of money for themselves first, and then serve the king loyally.

Li Chunfang snorted coldly: "If you guys eat less and drink less on weekdays, I will nominate you to lead the army during the court meeting, but who among you dares to say that you can command an army of 100,000!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became cold.

"Go! Go! Go."

"Everyone, get out of here."

Someone waved his hand to drive away the women who were there drinking and having fun.

Wait until the scent of makeup and cosmetics on the pavilion disappears.

Everyone looked at each other, then stood up and bowed to Li Chunfang, who had a cold face.

"Prime Minister Li, it's not that we don't want to contribute here, but we have never experienced such military matters. Please calm down, Prime Minister Li."

It seems that this group of people are not good at doing things, but they are the best at admitting their mistakes.

Li Chunfang could only sigh deeply.

It’s hard to lead a team!

I am now in a position in the cabinet, and the work I do is exhausting both physically and mentally. I am not happy at all.

But no matter how exhausted you are physically and mentally, you have to keep going as long as you are in your position.

Li Chunfang said in a serious tone: "Next year will be the Wuchen Imperial Examination. This time, tell the children of each family to study hard. Next year, many of our Southeast students must pass the exam. Although Prime Minister Xu has gone to Leizhou, we still have a legacy to pass on."

He no longer has any hope in the old party members in the court.

Only by training a new group of people to serve as officials in the court can the clean stream of the southeast have a chance to regain power in more than ten years.

"I'll wait to understand."

"Don't worry, Minister Li."

When Li Chunfang started talking about next year's imperial examination, everyone smiled.

Someone even suggested, "Li Xiang is a man of high talent and high moral character. Why don't we make some arrangements and have him be the chief examiner for the next imperial examination? In this way, Li Xiang can also recruit the two successful candidates of the Wuchen exam next year as his disciples."

In response to this suggestion, Li Chunfang just hummed and nodded silently.

I agree with this statement.

……

“I don’t agree with that.”

In the Beijing army camp, Yan Shaoting flatly rejected the suggestion just made by Qi Jiguang.

Zhenyuan Hou Gu Huan sat in the upper seat with a smile on his face, watching the two young men arguing in front of him.

Qi Jiguang looked puzzled. "When the army sets out, to boost morale, we naturally need to pay the soldiers. Now the court is implementing the money law proposed by the government to mint new coins. When the soldiers in the camp set out, each of them will receive a new coin worth one tael of silver. What's wrong with that?"

Yan Shaoting smiled and shook his head repeatedly: "I understand what Brother Yuan Jing said. The soldiers have been training for three months and will go to the border again, all for this military pay. I have no intention of deducting the brothers' military pay. But what Brother Yuan Jing said is a little inappropriate after all."

"What's wrong?"

Qi Jiguang rarely disagreed with Yan Shaoting on a matter. He also didn't quite understand why Yan Shaoting said it was inappropriate when he knew it was normal to pay the soldiers before the army set out.

Yan Shaoting glanced at Gu Huan with an amused expression.

Gu Huan glared at him, then pointed at Qi Jiguang and said, "You better explain this to Yuan Jing. Otherwise, if he wants to practice martial arts with you later, I won't help you."

When Qi Jiguang practiced boxing and kicking, he was actually talking about a one-on-one fight with him.

This matter is not uncommon in the Beijing camp nowadays.

In order to boost the morale of the troops, Qi Jiguang had been paying out of his own pocket for the past three months, and anyone in the army could challenge him to a duel.

As long as you can beat him, you can get ten taels of silver.

At once, a huge uproar was aroused, and countless officers and soldiers came to challenge Qi Jiguang to a duel.

Of course, most of the time, Qi Jiguang won. And anyone who could beat him would not only get ten taels of silver, but also be promoted to a higher rank.

As a result, Qi Jiguang's reputation and prestige in the Beijing army became higher and higher.

On the contrary, Gu Huan, who was originally the governor of the military affairs of the Beijing Camp, did not feel dissatisfied at all, nor did he think that Qi Jiguang was challenging his authority in the Beijing Camp.

He even later added more money to the matter, changing it from ten taels of silver to ten taels of gold.

With Lord Gu's additional bet, the Beijing camp went completely crazy.

The number of times Qi Jiguang was defeated also increased visibly.

After all, no matter how good Qi Jiguang was at commanding and training troops, he was not really invincible in the army.

I saw Lord Gu mentioned this.

Yan Shaoting raised his hands quickly and said in a hurry: "Brother Yuan Jing, what I mean is that the silver for the expedition should be issued! But it cannot be issued in silver coins as you said. These new coins from the mint are worth one or two taels of silver per coin, and the brothers in the army don't have any weight in their hands. What I mean is that this time the silver for the expedition should all be exchanged for copper coins, a bunch of heavy coins, and they look heavy!"

According to the Ming system, one tael of silver is actually about 30 grams, and the size of a silver coin is about the same.

In this way, if they were exchanged for newly issued copper coins, there would be a total of one thousand pieces. Holding a large bunch of them in your hand would make them look more substantial.

Qi Jiguang was stunned by this statement.

It took him a while to react, then he burst into laughter to cover up his embarrassment.

Gu Huan pointed his finger at Yan Shaoting and said, "I think you are the most cunning person in Beijing. You are a father now, but you are still so frivolous."

Yan Shaoting said shamelessly: "Tell me, is this method of mine more likely to motivate the soldiers?"

The value remains the same, but the quantity increases.

It's just a smoke screen.

But often such sleight of hand can work wonders.

Qi Jiguang then asked: "Then this time when we go out to fight, if the soldiers capture the enemy's head, will they also be rewarded with newly minted copper coins?"

Yan Shaoting shook his head again and again: "No, no, no! Brother Yuan Jing is wrong again. This time, the soldiers will definitely send the newly minted copper coins back home, so there won't be any trouble. If we still give out newly minted copper coins in front of the battle, wouldn't it be a hindrance to the march? At this time, we should reward the soldiers in the army with newly minted gold coins for their merits in beating the enemy's head."

One gold coin was worth ten taels of silver.

According to the court's rewards for military merit in recent years, it is about ten taels of silver for the first level.

Qi Jiguang was convinced by Yan Shaoting's strange logic.

He immediately saluted and said, "I will only lead the troops in the front of this expedition, and Runwu will take care of the rest."

Gu Huan sat at the top with a smile on his face.

I haven't seen such a scene for many years.

The civil and military officials are in harmony and each performs his duties.

This time the imperial army went out to recapture Hetao, and I, who was stationed in the capital, must have heard the good news of victory from the royal army on the front line.

He clapped his hands immediately and said, "Since you all have no objections, I will go to the Duke's Mansion today and ask the three Dukes to come forward, and then invite Lord Hu and Minister Yang to submit a petition to settle this matter."

Yan Shaoting and Qi Jiguang looked at each other immediately, then they stood up at the same time and bowed to Gu Huan.

In fact, it stands to reason that if the imperial court were to send out a large army this time, Gu Huan, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, would be the most qualified person to serve as the commander-in-chief.

However, he refused to lead the troops personally on the grounds that he was too old and it would be better for him to stay in the capital to defend the region.

Yan Shaoting and Qi Jiguang also understood.

This is the old marquis making way for these young people.

Otherwise, when the army achieves military success, the primary credit will naturally go to the commander-in-chief.

The next day.

early morning.

Early.

The new emperor diligently climbed up from the dragon bed, washed up, had a simple breakfast, and then went straight to the Wenhua Hall to hold court.

Most of the time, the imperial court did not hold meetings at Huangji Gate or Huangji Hall.

There are only a few days every month when all officials in Beijing are required to be present.

Most of the time, officials from various ministries who had something to report would enter the palace on the same day, and after arriving at the Wenhua Hall, they would be led by the cabinet to report on state affairs.

If there is nothing going on, you may not need to enter the palace that day.

It is a very humane office system.

Today, Yan Shaoting and Qi Jiguang walked out of the Beijing Army camp where they had stayed for several months early.

The two men each rode a horse and set out from the South City side by side. They did not dismount until they reached the Meridian Gate and walked into the palace.

To Wenhua Hall.

Most of the officials from various departments who needed to report matters today had already arrived. When they saw that Yan Shaoting and Qi Jiguang had also come today, they looked at each other silently, and roughly knew the purpose of their visit today.

After all, the Beijing army had been training intensively inside and outside the city for more than three months, and everyone knew why.

But it's not just for the purpose of reorganizing the Beijing camp.

The late emperor summoned Qi Jiguang and the Shanzi Camp to the north in order to guard the border.

Think about it, it is already the end of March and April is coming soon. The roads inside and outside the border are basically solid and the temperature is not too low. It is a good time for the army to go out.

Earlier, the roads in the north were muddy and the army could not march.

Autumn and winter are approaching later, and the north is covered with snow, which is not a good time for an expedition.

Now that they knew what Yan Shaoting and Qi Jiguang's purpose was, everyone quietly but tacitly put aside their own affairs for the time being.

After Gao Gong and a group of cabinet members arrived, everyone walked into the Wenhua Hall together.

A few moments.

The emperor also arrived at Wenhua Hall with the service of Lu Fang and Feng Bao.

After the ceremony between the emperor and his subjects.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Yan Shaoting and Qi Jiguang who were present today, his eyebrows raised immediately, and his heart began to be uncontrollably excited.

Did they finally feel that the Beijing Army had trained enough?

The new monarch began to fantasize about expanding the empire under his own hands.

Civil and military achievements, expanding territory, these are what every emperor desires.

And Yan Shaoting lived up to expectations.

Seeing that no one spoke, it was obvious that they wanted him to speak first, so he gladly accepted it and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the guest of the Crown Prince, the Left Vice-Chief Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, the Chancellor of the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Academy Academician, the Assistant to the Imperial Army in Beijing, and the Minister of Cabinet Yan Shaoting, request the Emperor's holy decree to allow me to lead the troops to the battle, drive out the Tartars, and recover our former territory!"

"The area south of Yinshan Mountain and Daqing Mountain has been under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains since the Spring and Autumn Period, and the people have been farming and grazing here. In the Ming Dynasty, when Taizu founded the country and Chengzu went north to fight, Hetao was also a place for horse breeding in our dynasty, and we set up guards and settled people here."

"It has been more than a hundred years since the old land was lost, but the country is gradually prospering. The late emperor's last will and testament is to remember the old land and return it to the country. I was selected by the late emperor and received the emperor's great grace. I dare not forget the king's affairs."

"I have made my vow and petitioned the Emperor to grant me the right to leave the country and recover the Hetao area."

"If the land is not restored, I will not return!"

…………

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(End of this chapter)