Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 14: The Minister of War was bombed

The cow flew into the sky!
The Minister of War Liu Daxia was also blown into the sky.

When Liu Daxia fell down, he was torn into pieces, with only half of his body left on the ground.

The main gate of the Ministry of War was also blown down.

As a result, many of the bluestone slabs on the entire street were broken.

When the dust settled, all that was left was a pool of blood, mutilated cows and people, and endless wailing.

The Ministry of War was located inside the Donggong Shengmen on the right side of the Chang'an Zuomen outside Chengtian Gate. It was in the same place as the Ministry of Clan Affairs, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Imperial Observatory, the Honglu Temple, the Luanyi Treasury which was under the charge of the Bell and Drum Department, and other government offices.

Therefore, when Liu Daxia was killed in the explosion, it also alarmed people in the Ministry of War and other departments.

Minister of Personnel Ma Wensheng happened to have not left the Ministry of Personnel yet. When he heard the explosion, he saw this scene and was shocked. After taking a look, he returned to the Ministry of Personnel and murmured, "The late emperor was kind and benevolent, but Your Majesty seems to be much tougher!"

Because the Minister of Personnel Ma Wensheng mentioned Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Houzhao, who was in the Leopard Room at the time, couldn't help but yawn. As soon as he yawned, he saw Liu Jin running in:
"Your Majesty, Liu Daxia has been killed in the explosion! The whole capital is in an uproar now. People from the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department have already rushed over. I guess they will come to report to you soon."

Zhu Houzhao nodded. Liu Daxia's death in the explosion could not only prevent the Ming Dynasty's military from continuing to be abandoned, but also reduce the chances of the people in the border towns being harmed by the Tartars. It was also an important step for him to control the government.

Because of Liu Daxia's death, the position of Minister of War had to be re-nominated by the court. In the Ming Dynasty, high-ranking court officials like the Minister of War were recommended by the Minister of Personnel, then recommended by the nine ministers of the cabinet, and finally decided by His Majesty the Emperor himself.

Now that the Minister of Personnel is Ma Wensheng, it means that the newly recommended Minister of War cannot be a member of Liu Jian and others' party. After all, Ma Wensheng and Liu Jian and others do not get along.

As long as the Minister of War is not a cabinet minister like Liu Jian, the cabinet will not be able to control the military power.

Because the power to mobilize the 12th Regiment of the capital's armed forces is in the hands of the Ministry of War, and the Five Cities Bingmasi, which is responsible for maintaining public order, is also in the hands of the Ministry of War.

Zhu Houzhao believed that blowing Liu Daxia to death would be equivalent to cutting off an arm of Cabinet Grand Secretaries such as Liu Jian. Outer court officials such as Ma Wensheng would then be more confident in confronting the Cabinet, which would naturally be more beneficial to himself as the emperor.

At this time, Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, came running over and said, "Your Majesty! The eunuch just received a report that there was an explosion in the main hall of the Ministry of War. The Grand Marshal happened to be there at that time and was blown up!"

"What! Liu Aiqing was bombed, how is he?"

Zhu Houzhao asked in pretended surprise.

Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, looked a little gloomy, and sighed with regret, then replied: "He has passed away!"

"My beloved Liu! Give the order. Due to the death of Liu, I am overwhelmed with sorrow and will suspend court for a day!"

Zhu Hou sat on the chair, squeezed out a few tears with great pain, and cried with his sleeves covering his face, imitating the civil servants of the past.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences! The Ministry of War is an important place in the court, the Minister of War is also an important official of the court, and the Grand Marshal is a veteran of four dynasties. The eunuchs implore your Majesty to order a strict investigation!"

When Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, saw Zhu Houzhao covering his face and crying, he was quite moved. He thought that the new emperor was still considerate of his old ministers, so he couldn't help but look at Liu Jin behind Zhu Houzhao.

"Investigate! You must investigate thoroughly! Let the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate carefully for me. The Minister of War was actually killed in a bomb. Where is the dignity of the court!" Zhu Houzhao slammed the table and shouted in indignation.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely find out who did it!"

After saying this, Wang Yue, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, looked at Liu Jin again, then took his leave and left.

at this time.

The cabinet chief Liu Jian also learned about the death of the Minister of War Liu Daxia. He was so surprised that his eyebrows were raised, his lips were bitten tightly, and the pen in his hand froze in the air: "Has the Wucheng Military Department investigated? Is there any news from the Jinyiwei and the East Factory? The Minister of War was actually killed on the spot! Who is so cruel!"

"Who else could it be? The one who usually has a quarrel with Liu Daxia is that old bastard Ma Wensheng. The only departments that work in the same office as the Ministry of War are the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue. Only high-ranking officials can bring explosives into the important areas of the court. Ma Wensheng is the Minister of Personnel, so it's not a problem for him to cause trouble in the Ministry of War!"

Cabinet Deputy Minister Li Dongyang said with a smile.

"Not only that, Liu Daxia has always coveted Ma Wensheng's position as the Minister of Personnel. If Ma Wensheng blows him up, he will not only get rid of a threat but also expand his own power. After Liu Daxia is blown up, the Minister of War will definitely have to be re-elected. Ma Wensheng is the Minister of Personnel, so he has the final say on who will be the Minister of War!"

Xie Qian also spoke indignantly, and threw the teacup in his hand heavily to the ground: "I didn't expect this Ma Wensheng to be so cruel!"

"It wasn't Ma Wensheng who did it. I don't think he has such means. He is not capable of such behavior that is despised by the literati. The only person who could do it is the inner court. Of course, the emperor is out of the question. He is just a young boy and it is impossible for him to have such a plan. Wang Yue and the others are on good terms with us and would not do that. The only possible person is Liu Jin, the eunuch!"

Liu Jian waved his hand.

"What the Prime Minister said is absolutely true. Those who can reach the important place of the Ministry of War are not ordinary people. Only the Imperial Court Treasury managed by Liu Jin is in the Ministry of War. But what he did is good for Ma Wensheng. Do you think Liu Jin has colluded with Ma Wensheng?"

After Li Dongyang said this, Liu Jian and Xie Qian both looked serious. Liu Jian even slammed the table in a fit of emotion: "What does Ma Wensheng want to do!"

Liu Jian could only slam the table, but he couldn't do anything to Ma Wensheng and Liu Jin now. After all, they were just speculating, and there was no real evidence to prove that it was Ma Wensheng and Liu Jin who did it.

The Jinyiwei did not find out anything, and they did not understand what kind of explosives could have such a great power. Explosives with such a great power must be quite large, but if they were transported to the Ministry of War, they would naturally be discovered by the soldiers. It is possible that the high-ranking officials were found, but they did not dare to investigate. The Jinyiwei are no longer as powerful as before.

Therefore, the case of Liu Daxia being killed in the explosion became an unsolved case.

Cabinet Grand Secretaries Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian had no choice but to accept defeat and suffer the consequences.

The selection of a new Minister of War was put on the agenda.

Although the three elders of the cabinet hated the Minister of Personnel Ma Wensheng to the core, many more officials visited Ma Wensheng recently, and even many who were dissatisfied with cabinet ministers such as Liu Jian joined Ma Wensheng. These officials saw clearly that once Liu Daxia died, the power of Liu Jian and his party would be greatly damaged, and Ma Wensheng's power would naturally increase, so they united around Ma Wensheng one after another.

The high-ranking officials who hoped to go further and become the Minister of War were also more attentive to Ma Wensheng, and they all expected Ma Wensheng to take care of them. For a time, Ma Wensheng was in great glory.

The explosive power of a grenade is equivalent to 50gTNT, and glyceryl trinitrate is 1.14 times that of TNT, so 50ml of glyceryl trinitrate solution is estimated to be more than 50 grams. After all, the density of water is 1 gram per milliliter. The power of 50ml glyceryl trinitrate is estimated to be slightly greater than that of a grenade. Here, let's assume that a grenade exploded in front of the Ministry of War. A grenade is enough to kill Liu Daxia, the Minister of War. The reason why the protagonist did not take out all the glyceryl trinitrate is because there are other important departments in the location of the Ministry of War, and other departments cannot be blown up. As for why the cow rushed over to hit the red sedan chair when it saw it, and triggered the stone hanging in the sedan chair to fall down and smash a cup of glyceryl trinitrate, there is no need to explain. And the cow and the sedan chair were naturally made by Liu Jin and Xu Jin, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War. They have the ability to do so.

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(End of this chapter)