Chapter 100: Magnificent
Once the basic route was set, the rest was done quickly. Military affairs are a matter of national importance. If the formal route of court discussions between the Ministry of War and the Governor's Office is followed, the process will inevitably be dragged out for a long time. However, as long as the emperor is determined and can afford the military pay, then finding a few key figures to strategize can actually get things done - this was also the essence of Emperor Taizong's establishment of the cabinet. The profits from the eunuch Sanbao's voyages to the West were used as military supplies, and a secretariat was formed with capable and trustworthy people. By avoiding the cumbersome processes of formal institutions through brief discussions, the emperor could adapt to the battlefield where military situation was at its most intense. Emperor Zhu Laosi was invincible throughout the country and his vision in military strategy was absolutely flawless.
Of course, how this purely temporary institution could be sustained for so long and repeatedly strengthened to the point where it became too big to be eliminated and became the son of the new version, we have to ask the descendants of Taizong about their pathetic institutional construction capabilities. I can only say that our Emperor Da'an is like this, his main feature is intermittent ambition and continuous bad behavior. Good people like Renzong and Jingdi did not live long, and Baozong Laodeng caused harm for thousands of years. It is enough for the political system to work, what else do we need?
——But now, now, the glorious era has finally returned. After the emperor made up his mind and reluctantly made the sacrifice, the cabinet, a machine originally built for war, finally showed its former glory: efficient, reliable, not fussy about details, quick to respond and make decisions, bypassing all red tape and going straight to the key points of the entire battlefield, a cold and concise violent machine; as the saying goes, only by keeping the original intention in mind can one achieve the goal, and Emperor Taizong would be relieved if he knew about it.
Naturally, compared with the former Emperor Zhu Laosi, the current Emperor Lao Deng is relatively lax in military ability; but his determination and that of the other cabinet elders make up for this. It goes without saying that Lao Deng is very determined. In order to destroy the body and eliminate the debt, and to prevent future troubles, Yan Ge Lao is also very eager to kill. As for Lord Xu - before realizing the true intention of Master Feixuan, perhaps he could still be a free and easy person who stood by and watched; but once he opened his mouth and made a bet, there was no turning back.
If you fail to kill the snake, you will end up making an enemy. If the remnants of the Japanese pirates and smugglers are allowed to remain, Fei Xuan Zhenjun and Yan Fenyi may not be in any danger, but the Xu family in the Songhu area will definitely face extremely brutal revenge.
Therefore, as long as we make a ruthless choice, we must never allow that group of people to have the slightest chance of turning things around. What's a mere war? If possible, Lord Xu would like to shake all the yolks off their eggs and kill all the families of any passing dog!
When he thought of this, the wild and burning fire in Lord Xu's heart was probably three times stronger than that of True Lord Feixuan.
——So, after just one meeting in Qingliang Palace, the three elders in the cabinet quickly reached a consensus:
The Chinese produce all things to support the Japanese, but the Japanese have nothing in return for the Chinese; kill kill kill kill kill kill kill!
Japanese pirates, traitors, smuggling teams; how can we govern the country well if we are mixed up with such insects? He should have been killed long ago!
However, although the three old men were filled with murderous intent that they could not control, there was no sign of abnormality on their faces. The emperor could not work too hard after his injury. After finalizing the general policy, Master Feixuan retreated to the back of the hall to rest, leaving only Li Zaifang and several important ministers to discuss specific strategies.
Li Zaifang led everyone to a side hall, prepared tea and sent the servants away, then he knelt sideways with his pen and ink spread out, looking respectful and silent. The True Lord had said before that as a eunuch he had no right to inquire about naval affairs, and now that he had joined in, he was only following orders to record.
With important matters ahead, Lord Xu took the lead and asked the prince directly:
"From what the Crown Prince said, the preparations for the expedition against the Japanese pirates will have to be delayed until March of next year at least?"
The prince replied honestly: "You are right, Lord."
"Then we still have about a hundred days to go." Lord Xu said, "If the ruler is not secretive, he will lose his subjects. Before everything is ready, the news of the war must not be leaked. The rest is fine, but once military equipment is to be mobilized, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works cannot be concealed. I have some friendship with Li Jurong, I will go to the Ministry of Revenue to say hello. The other two ministries..."
"My son can say hello to the Ministry of Works." Lord Yan said immediately, "The Ministry of War is personally appointed by the Emperor, so I'll have to trouble Eunuch Li to go and tell them."
Li Zaifang naturally agreed quickly, but hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice:
"You elders may not know that the emperor ordered me to lead the East Factory to arrest a number of censors who wrote letters to the emperor and made irresponsible remarks..."
The rage aroused to Master Feixuan by the Heavenly Book was truly unimaginable. The eunuchs under him did not dare to challenge him at all. After receiving the order, they came out in full force and tried their best to arrest and investigate people, with spectacular results. Today, the East Depot has at least a dozen censors under its control, including some high-ranking officials of the fourth rank and above who hold high positions. Whether it's uncomfortable or not to have these hot potatoes in hand is another matter, but the most troublesome thing is the risk of leaks that Lord Xu warned about - so many people were arrested on the same day, even a fool could sense that something was wrong, right?
Elder Yan hummed and said lightly:
"It doesn't matter. They just want a reason to arrest someone, I can give it to them. They wrote to impeach the prince for his behavior in the south, right? Impeaching the prince's behavior is actually impeaching me. Eunuch Li, you might as well spread the news and say that these corrupt scholars made accusations with ulterior motives and angered me, Yan Fenyi, so I ordered people to give them a hard time, and then they will be wiped out. If they want revenge, they can ask me for help."
Eunuch Li: ...Ah?
Eunuch Li was stunned for a moment, and asked in a low voice: "Then according to what you said, the crime of these people..."
Elder Yan said calmly, "What crime do I need to charge this kind of people with? Please ask Eunuch Li to copy their memorials for me. I will be able to find at least ten high treasonous crimes from them tonight."
This sentence was so peaceful yet domineering that the prince was stunned and couldn't help but look back at the Prime Minister:
...Wait, Lord, from what you said, it seems that the charges against them are groundless?
Sir, are you really that skilled in framing others?
Facts have proved that Prince Mu was arrogant and conceited. He had been getting carried away in the court of Da'an in recent years and had really underestimated the heroes of the world. In recent years, they have become accustomed to the humble, gentle and graceful appearance of Lord Yan and Lord Xu, but they have completely forgotten that how could a person who could rise to a high position under Lao Deng be just a flatterer who sways with the wind?
The two old men have been in the cabinet for ten years. During the past ten years, there have been wars, famines, and officialdom struggles. Which of these things can be settled by flattering or writing poems? He was usually silent, flattering and gloomy, until today when the big event happened, he finally showed his true colors.
But Yan Ge Lao's offensive is not over yet. He paused for a moment, then continued:
"Everyone knows the tempers of these civil servants. Once they form a clique, it is so solid that it cannot be broken. Even punishments in court or in prison are not enough to deter them. It would be fine on normal days, but if they take advantage of this opportunity to make a big fuss, I'm afraid it will cause a big incident."
Lord Xu looked at him and asked, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
"Of course we have to use heavy hands. Killing a chicken to scare the monkeys will be effective."
The prince shuddered suddenly, but Yan Fenyi's expression was calm and peaceful, and there was no emotion when he mentioned the word "kill", as if they were really just discussing how to kill a chicken; he even shook the hot water in the teacup while talking. When the aroma of tea slowly rose, he slowly spoke:
"However, life and death are serious matters after all, and a little literary skill cannot determine a crime."
"Then let me do it for you." Xu Shaohu held a cup of tea in his hand and said calmly, "I remember that one of the impeachment memorials was submitted by Wang Peng, the right son of the Zhanshi Mansion. This man had close contacts with the Japanese pirates and had private connections with the princes who were causing chaos in the southeast. Now he is investigating the case of treason. As long as the two cases are combined, he can be killed on the charge of collusion between internal and external forces. I think it will be enough to deter the others."
"Is this charge correct?"
"Of course it is correct." Xu Shaohu said, "Wang Peng is from Huzhou, Zhejiang, and the prefect of Huzhou happens to be my student, so there is definitely solid evidence. However, such a case must be resolved quickly and cannot be delayed. The festival is coming soon, so we still have to settle everything before the first month of the year."
"That's nothing." Elder Yan tapped the teacup lightly, thinking, "My son has also worked in criminal cases for a few years. As long as there is evidence, it doesn't matter if the process is a little faster. But since we have to do it, we have to do it to the end. If Wang Peng alone is not enough..."
"It doesn't matter. I have other lists in my hand."
"Then I'll have to trouble Lord Xu."
"How dare I, Prime Minister, I really praise you too much. It is the Prime Minister who is in charge of the overall situation, which is a special kind of hardship."
…………
It was so light and peaceful, so calm and peaceful, the words were considerate and warm, the friendship was earnest yet implicit, it was as if this was a relaxed and casual chat between two old ministers in the afternoon. But it was precisely in such an ordinary scene that the two of them chatted and laughed with each other, and lightly determined the various arrangements in the court before the war - the important military affairs are still in the temple planning; those who plan more will win, and those who plan less will lose. The two ministers may not understand military affairs, but could they not understand the balance of government?
I am not good at military affairs, and you are not good at the political affairs. Does a greenhorn like Prince Mu know how to intimidate the officials?
Of course, when the time comes, the elders will have to resort to more drastic measures. They discussed with each other for a few sentences, and the summary was nothing more than three syllogisms: those who were disobedient and troublesome would be simply left idle; those who loved to stir up trouble would be temporarily dismissed from office; those who might disrupt the overall situation would be dealt with severely, either by imprisonment or execution. Those whom Yan Ge Lao couldn't kill, Xu Ge Lao killed; those whom Xu Ge Lao couldn't kill, Yan Ge Lao killed; those whom neither of the two Ge Laos could kill, the Jinyiwei solved secretly; this highlights that one of them is ruthless and never hesitates.
However, such a bloody discussion unfolded slowly in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. The two ministers were drinking tea while killing people. There was no hostility between them and they could decide life and death in just a few words. Only the prince sat trembling at the side, forced to listen to all the ingenious ideas of killing, imprisoning and detaining people. He felt like sitting on pins and needles, like a thorn in the back and a fishbone stuck in the throat. For the first time in his life, he felt terrified, cramped, and a great sense of uneasiness.
...No, are all of us so cruel?
As a young, naive, simple and ignorant newcomer, it was not until this moment that the prince finally realized the cruel truth of this world: no matter whether it was Master Feixuan, Master Wanshou, or Master Yan and Master Xu, none of these three old men were easy to deal with; the reason why the government was so stagnant before was purely because the three old men restrained and consumed each other, thus minimizing the danger. However, if there is a goal that can unite these three people, then the combined power of these three can really stir up chaos in the world and cause mountains to collapse and the earth to split!
Isn’t this power of unity a little too scary?
·
Once you make up your mind, you must act decisively. The two ministers did not bother with official documents and after drinking a pot of tea, they had almost come up with a solution. Just ask Li Zaifang to send the list to the emperor for review. The three important ministers said goodbye and left, but Lord Yan stayed behind to discuss the important matter of building sea vessels with the prince. But after taking a look at the prince's face, he changed the topic:
"Does Your Majesty think that we are too unscrupulous?"
The prince's mouth twitched: "...I don't dare."
"In fact, you will understand if you think about it, Your Highness." Yan Ge Lao said calmly, "If we can win this battle, those people will die sooner or later. The dead cannot speak, and the living have the final say on what crime to accuse them of. On the contrary, if we lose this battle, what's the point of showing mercy now?"
"The victor is not to be blamed - I remember this is what the prince said, right?"
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