eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 702 Use Zhang Cong again
Zhu Houzhao walked quickly to the attendant's room on the side and shouted: "Jing Yang, bring me the memorial that was delivered to me by Shi Feng, the commander-in-chief of Datong Army a few days ago."

When he shouted, even Jin Gui and Xie Pi had to stand up.

Jing Yang also quickly said yes.

He remembered that Shi Feng had reported that the Huoshan tribe had made sporadic attempts to invade the army in Datong.

In fact, this is not because the fire sieve is brave, but because the grasslands are lacking in supplies and life is difficult. Without grabbing a little bit, it is basically impossible to survive.So it's difficult to completely eliminate it.

Zhu Houzhao randomly found an excuse at this time, and then returned to the imperial court to write a handwritten letter: He wanted Wang Shouren to send troops to patrol the border and drive the Tatars northward.

The three towns of Hetao are well-equipped with troops and supplies, and Wang Shouren definitely has this strength.

It's just that they originally wanted to wait for him, the emperor, to personally conquer, but it's not a problem to wait all the time. If he allowed the Mongolian tribes to gradually regain their strength because of his own selfish desires, and finally led to relatively serious consequences, this would be a big deal.

Zhu Houzhao allowed himself to be willful in small things, such as enriching the harem, but he still couldn't mess around with such big things.

Without him as emperor, there would be no need to organize an army of 30 or 50 to conquer Mobei. The cavalry in Wang Shouren's hands would be enough to dominate the grassland.

Although it is a bit regretful, there will still be opportunities in the future, and Wang Shouren will not attack Langjuxu Mountain all at once.

While the emperor was writing, You Zhi quietly approached. After waiting for a while, he saw the emperor picking up the paper and blowing on it. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, after the great victory in the northwest, there is a lot of excitement in Beijing. Talented men Each one showed his special abilities, but he came up with many good sentences.”

Zhu Houzhao folded the letter and said, "Is there anything strange again? Tell me."

"Hey. As far as I know, all the restaurants in the capital have been overcrowded in the past few days. The talented people are drinking and having fun together to celebrate the great event of sealing the border. There is a poem in it that I think is the best."

"When did you become interested in poetry?"

"Arty."

Zhu Houzhao sneered and said, "Okay, I'm fine, just take a look."

"Yes." You Zhi put on a relatively serious face, and his voice became deeper, "The horse reflects the snow in Han Yang, and the flag wraps in the wind on the right side of Long. The holy king is worried about border troubles, and military achievements are seen in rivers and mountains!"

The last two sentences seemed a bit awkward to others when they recited Zhu Houzhao, but they came out of the old eunuch's mouth, so he felt a little awkward, "It's hard for you. In order to flatter you, you have to recite a poem."

You Zhi pretended to be wronged and said, "Your Majesty, this is not what a servant said. It is recognized by the talented people outside and they all say it is well written!"

"Is this the only one?"

"Naturally, there is more than that. There is another saying, but it is also widely spread. The temple is slightly yellow, and the spirit is white. My husband is reporting to the Lord to see if he can get the sword."

"Being ambitious is better than being a flatterer. Who wrote it?"

"It seems...his name is Xia Yan."

Zhu Houzhao paused slightly, "Who?"

"My name is Xia Yan."

This person is generally known.

During the Jiajing period, perhaps the emperor was too shrewd, so a group of very powerful ministers were born.

Xia Yan is one of them.

Xia Yan's official character is "Integrity".Zhang Cong, who was an official in the same dynasty as him, had the old habit of being jealous and intolerant of others, so he once thought about punishing Xia Yan, but he could never find evidence of Xia Yan's crime, even in the political atmosphere where corruption was common. Something big went wrong.

Followed by hard words.Xia Yan has a very hot temper and is never polite when talking to others. Zhang Cong's methods before him were more ruthless, such as rectifying officialdom and checking farmland. Xia Yan not only inherited everything, but also went even further.

This was also the main reason why he was later framed but no one spoke up for him.

All in all, he is a generation of ministers who are dedicated to getting things done.

"This Xia Yan is now..."

You Zhi answered, "It's Juren."

"Oh, that's a shame."

"Do you want a slave..."

"Don't be too fussy and let him take the exam by himself."

"Yes……"

The name Xia Yan made Zhu Houzhao think of Zhang Cong.

Both of these men were very capable ministers during the Jiajing period. Zhang Cong is now the Minister of Dali Temple. This position is very high, but it probably does not match his expectations.

Especially in the Zhengde Dynasty, because Emperor Zhengde had to do many things.Only ministers who can do the specific things assigned by the emperor will be reused.

For example, Yang Tinghe seems to be tepid, but he first promotes sweet potatoes, then renegotiates ethics, and is still a cabinet minister. This kind of person is very desperate for those below him. How can you get over this? Mountain?
His position is also much more stable than that of a Dali Temple minister.

But Zhang Cong's result was due to his character. In the fifth year of Zhengde's reign, he had a close relationship with Ma Bin, the deputy envoy of Jinyiwei, which aroused the emperor's dissatisfaction.

Then it went from being a great person to becoming as dispensable as it is now.

Moreover, after he gained power, he became more arrogant and fought violently in the court. Although he was doing it for the emperor's will, Zhu Houzhao also had to take the overall situation into consideration, and the court was not opened for him.

After eight years of Zhengde, Zhang Cong gradually fell behind others in terms of the number of times he was summoned by the emperor and the specific tasks he was responsible for.Later, he was asked to be the minister of Dali Temple, where he did the job of offending people.

You must know that as a direct participant in the military camp, he often communicated directly with the emperor.

Zhang Cong himself is also a little depressed, but it is impossible for a person like him to turn around and ask Yang Yiqing to support him.

Yang Yiqing is not an idiot, he only needs one thing to see through its essence.

After losing the favor of the emperor and the chief minister, Zhang Cong struggled in the court.

Until now, he had been ignored for nearly three years.

Sometimes people need education.

Zhu Houzhao called Jin Gui over and asked, "Chong Sui, has Zhang Cong been honest recently?"

Jin Gui didn't know how to answer, "When your Majesty said recently, did you mean nearly half a month?"

Zhu Houzhao: "..."

"What? You haven't been honest in the past half month?"

"I don't think it can be said that way. It's just that there has been a discussion about property in the court recently, and Zhang Cong seems to be very interested. Several people Wei Chen knows have been dragged by him to discuss the matter, but most of them are unwilling to associate with them."

Zhu Houzhao sighed, this guy is so popular that even Jin Gui is not willing to say good things about him.

But no matter what, Zhang Cong is still a very capable person. More importantly, he is somewhat public-minded and considers the country when doing things, which is rare.

After thinking about it, Zhu Houzhao decided to summon him.

After receiving the order, Zhang Cong paid special attention to it. He was very serious when bathing and changing clothes, and he didn't dare to fool him.

Even when waiting outside the attendant's room, he sat upright.

Before him, Zhu Houzhao met Zhu Fu, Duke of Chengguo, to discuss matters about the military academy. After he left, Zhu Houzhao glanced at him at the door, squinting and said, "Let him in."

After receiving the order, Zhang Cong walked quickly in small steps, and then saluted, "I'm a humble minister, Zhang Cong, Minister of Dali Temple, see your majesty!"

Zhu Houzhao didn't even tell him to stand up, so he stood next to him and said, "Zhang Cong, you know that I have handled several cases in Jiangnan, right? What do you think?"

"Every humble minister knows that your majesty makes decisions for the people and punishes evil. This is what a holy king does."

"Dali Temple is responsible for interrogating major cases, and it is also the last hurdle in the joint trial of the three divisions. You must guard this hurdle for me."

"Yes! My minister, please remember!"

"Get on your feet and come in with me." After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he turned to the imperial court and said, "Zhang Cong. There is something I want to tell you clearly."

Zhang Cong bowed slightly from behind and said, "Yes, I bow to listen to the holy teachings."

"I heard that if you want to find someone to discuss your property, no one will pay attention to you. As an emperor, you like lonely ministers. You are also a person who has read poetry and books, so you must know it. Therefore, I don't hate you. But the emperor On the one hand, I like Lonely Minister. If you are like this and you have no friends in the whole court, if I use you, I have to appease a lot of people besides you. This dilemma is hard for me to make."

The pain in Zhang Cong's heart was touched, and he said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

"I know your abilities. But you just don't like others. This needs to change. Nowadays, there are many talents in this court, and they all have their own characteristics. You, Zhang Cong, are not the only ones who can help me govern the country. Yang Yiqing, Which one of Wang Hao and others is not a veteran of the three dynasties? Gu Zuo and Gu Renyi are not ignorant. Even Mao Ji, although he always disagrees with me, he dares to speak out and is dedicated to the public, not to mention Zhou Shang Wen and Wang Shouren guarded the country's borders and made many military exploits. There are so many people and so many things asked of you, can you handle it? Are you doing well?"

Zhang Cong suddenly felt ashamed.

Characters are born, and some people can tolerate having someone on their head, such as Wang Hao. Yang Yiqing has been on top of him for so many years, and he doesn't bother to care.Zhang Cong just felt that it would be best if all the holy favors fell on him, but there was a problem.

"Listen to your Majesty's words, I feel unworthy. Please punish me!" Zhang Cong also knelt down.

"Punishment is only a means, not an end. I am not spending this time and talking with you to punish you. I really want to punish you with my will. My purpose is still to hope that you can serve me and do things for the court on the one hand. A few practical things, on the other hand, you can also win some fame for yourself. Do you understand?"

Zhang Cong understood clearly, "Your Majesty will not give up. If I still have a chance, I will never let down your Majesty's advice today!"

"Okay. This matter is going to make use of your unpopularity. I hope you won't disappoint me again."

(End of this chapter)