Chapter 325: What a big tone! The
news from Jiangnan back to the capital was not just the good news of recovering the three states.
Just a few days later, another urgent report came back from Runzhou - fishermen were killed along the East China Sea coast. General Chang led his men to investigate and determined that it was the Japanese pirates who did it.
This report made all the officials in the court furious.
Over the past decade, Japanese pirates rarely caused trouble. At this critical moment, the sudden appearance of Japanese pirates killing fishermen is definitely not accidental. Most likely, as the urgent report said, this must be a scouting move by the Japanese army! After the spies, there must be the ambitious Japanese army!
"…The Japanese have always been shameless, and they actually want to take advantage of this opportunity to attack our Dasheng!"
"Thinking back then, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince led his army to repel the Japanese army, and once defeated them in the East China Sea, forcing them to pay tribute and beg for mercy! But now these Japanese pirates have forgotten the pain and dared to overestimate their own capabilities and covet our territory!"
“…”
Listening to the officials' words of contempt or anger, Wei Shuyi frowned slightly.
Like Wei Shuyi, most officials were silent for a moment, their expressions not optimistic.
The past glory is no longer counted. The fact is that the Jiangnan and East China Sea areas are exhausted and weak, and are in the midst of post-war chaos. The Japanese troops who have been recuperating for more than a decade are bound to come well prepared.
Soon, a minister came forward and explained the facts and the pros and cons.
"…Your Majesty, the Japanese army has always been cunning and vicious. You must not take this matter lightly!"
"Please ask the Saint to order Runzhou, Yangzhou and Chuzhou to respond as soon as possible, and order Huainan Road to fight against the Japanese pirates together!"
"We can't just rely on words to resist the Japanese pirates!" A military officer frowned and said, "In Runzhou, Yangzhou and other places, from officials to civilians, everyone has been massacred by Xu Zhengye. The civil strife has just been settled, most of the official positions are vacant, and the military affairs are in a mess. How can we talk about resisting the Japanese pirates?"
Didn't the Japanese pirates take advantage of this opportunity to attack at this time?
The military officer said: "It won't work if we rely on them alone. We need the court to take charge of the situation as soon as possible!"
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the most urgent task is to select a useful commander to fight against the Japanese, and to strengthen the defense of the East China Sea as soon as possible!"
The Holy Ce Emperor looked at the military officers who spoke one after another and said, "So, do you have any candidates?"
In recent days, due to frequent wars, many military generals of all sizes have been promoted from various places.
But fighting against the Japanese pirates on the water is different from other wars, and not everyone can do it.
After listening to the recommended candidates, the Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies was slow to express his opinion.
Wei Shuyi tried to speak: "In terms of experience in fighting the Japanese invaders, General Chang, who once fought against the Japanese invaders with His Royal Highness the former Crown Prince, is the best choice to be the commander-in-chief this time. Why should we go far away and choose someone close to us?"
The military officer who spoke first was somewhat familiar with Chang Kuo. He sighed and said, "Minister Wei, you don't know that General Chang's old leg injury is most afraid of dampness and cold. I'm afraid he can't sustain a long-term battle at sea."
Anyone who has fought in a naval battle knows that once a ship is on the sea, the people on board will have to stay on the sea forever, and the Japanese are extremely cunning, so it is impossible to completely eliminate them in a short period of time.
A civil servant frowned: "With the Japanese pirates at hand, it is a matter of national security. How can personal injuries and gains and losses be an obstacle worth mentioning?"
The military officer sneered: "If General Chang makes a mistake in the middle of the battle, causing the army to lose morale, can Lord Zhu bear the consequences?"
The two sides were arguing with each other and were about to start a quarrel when a eunuch suddenly came into the palace to report that the imperial envoy and military supervisor who had been ordered to go to Jiangnan had returned and was now asking for a meeting outside the palace.
The Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies summoned the people in.
The eunuch supervising the army entered the hall and paid his respects.
Traditionally, the eunuchs in charge of military supervision were responsible for monitoring the progress of the war, and when the war was over, the supervisors would return.
At this time, the eunuch who was supervising the army brought back the latest urgent news about the Japanese army - outside Runzhou, on the East China Sea, the traces of the Japanese army had been detected, and they were coming in full force and had already passed Xingzhou.
All the officials were shocked when they heard this... As expected! One official was surprised and asked, "It has already passed Xingzhou... Why didn't Xingzhou report it?"
"Don't even mention the small Xingzhou..." Ma Xingzhou said in a cold tone: "With such a strong momentum, Japan will definitely not be able to do it quietly. Dong Luo and Japan are only separated by a strait, so they also did not say a word, right?"
Dong Luo was a friendly country of Dasheng, and the two sides had always maintained friendly exchanges. Xi Zhiyuan, who had previously studied in the Imperial Academy, was a Dong Luo person.
"Dong Luo actually knew about it but didn't report it!"
"As expected...those who are not of my race must have different hearts!"
Beneath the cries of condemnation, there is a frightening undercurrent. Japan invades, and Eastern Luo does not retaliate... This means that Dasheng has lost control of the entire East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.
Some officials suggested that the Eastern Roman Empire should be punished so as not to lose the dignity of a great power.
Amidst the mixed voices, the Holy Ce Emperor looked at the military supervisor who was reporting and asked, "Now that we have discovered the movements of the Japanese army, does General Chang have any suggestions or good strategies?"
"General Chang did not say much, and only asked me to report the truth to His Majesty." The military supervisor hesitated for a moment before saying, "But General Ningyuan has something to ask for His Majesty's approval..."
Upon hearing this, Wei Shuyi looked at the military supervisor who spoke.
Normally, whenever he was called to court, he would always say something to others, but today, Master Chu, who had never uttered a word, concentrated his attention upon hearing what was said.
After getting the Emperor's approval, the eunuch continued, "General Ningyuan said that with the Japanese invasion at hand, she is willing to stay in Jiangdu with General Chang to lead the army to repel the Japanese pirates and protect the land and sea of Dasheng!"
Master Chu's eyebrows twitched. Oh, he really didn't come back.
When the officials heard this volunteering, they had different thoughts.
This Ningyuan general had just made great contributions. Normally, he should have returned to Beijing with his father Chang Kuo to receive his reward. Chang Kuo could have refused to participate in the anti-Japanese war on the grounds of an old illness...
Although no one said it, everyone present knew that fighting against the Japanese pirates was time-consuming and laborious, and the sea was always more dangerous. In addition, given the current situation, even from a war perspective, it was not a good job.
General Ning Yuan is really young and energetic. Whenever she encounters any battle, she wants to step forward and fight. Considering her usual style, her initiative to volunteer at this moment gives people the feeling of a newborn calf jumping around, "Ah, there are rebels here, let me fight them and see. Hey, there are Japanese pirates here, I've never fought them before, let me try fighting them too."
It is difficult to evaluate this competitive spirit, but judging from the battle at Bianshui, although his abilities are certainly exaggerated, he should have some skills...
Since there was no better candidate for this difficult job, one of the ministers tried to say, "Your Majesty, this suggestion is not a bad one... Although General Ningyuan is young and lacks experience, he has General Chang by his side, who can make up for his shortcomings."
Several people echoed.
The Holy Ce Emperor did not comment, and continued to ask the military supervisor eunuch: "Besides this, did General Ning Yuan say anything else?"
Wei Shuyi was also waiting.
The eunuch supervising the army had looked hesitant when he answered just now. If she had only been asking for permission to fight against the Japanese pirates, such a commendable thing would never have caused this eunuch to react like this.
really--
"Yes..." The eunuch lowered his head and said, "Before I left this time, His Majesty had instructed me to ask General Ningyuan if he wanted any reward for his great contribution. If not, I can think about it carefully first, and then tell His Majesty in person when I return to Beijing to claim the reward--"
Asking meritorious officials what kind of reward they would like is a reflection of the emperor's love for them, and it has always been common.
However, as meritorious officials, faced with such inquiries, most of them would only symbolically make some insignificant requests, or say "It is my job, I dare not ask for reward."
But seeing the eunuch's demeanor at this moment, most officials were vaguely aware that something was wrong. Their intuition told them that they might hear something unusual next -
The eunuch supervising the army met Chang Suining for the first time in Runzhou.
At that time, all three states were pacified. Facing the greatest contributor, he was naturally respectful and fawning, and naturally, he said what the emperor wanted him to convey.
In the eyes of the eunuchs supervising the army, the so-called "General, do you want any reward?" is not actually a question in the true sense, but a communication that shows that the emperor is very pleased.
At that time, the girl in armor nodded to him and said, "Thank you, eunuch. I'll think about it."
In response to this polite remark, the eunuch supervising the army smiled and nodded. Up to that point, everything was normal.
But what he didn't expect was...she really thought about it.
And it can be seen that she really thought about it carefully.
"Before I returned to the capital, General Ningyuan asked me to bring a message..."
The eunuch in charge of the army tried to speak in a normal tone, "General Ningyuan said that fighting against the Japanese pirates is not a one-day job, and she may not be able to return to the capital to receive the reward within a year or two... She is also thinking about coordinating the subsequent anti-Japanese affairs, so she dares to ask the saint for an official position..."
There were already some discussions going on around, and the Holy Ce Emperor asked calmly, "So, is there any official position she wants?"
"General Ningyuan said..." The eunuch in charge of the army said in a low voice, "She should be able to take on the post of governor of Jiangdu, Yangzhou."
The Holy Cemeter Emperor's eyes moved slightly.
Those low voices of discussion suddenly exploded.
——Jiangdu Governor! ——Can she do it?
What a big tone! It would be fine if he took the initiative to ask for an official position, but he actually wanted the position of governor, and the most important position of Jiangdu governor!
I wonder if she is young and naive, and doesn't know the depth of the situation, or if she is relying on this naivety to brazenly carry out her grandiose plot? How many officials who have entered the officialdom have spent most of their lives, but can't even get a position as a governor! Listening to those surprised or angry discussions, the Emperor of the Holy Ce said slowly: "Even if I don't mention the merit of praying for blessings, I did announce and promise before that whoever can take Xu Zhengye's head will be granted a third-rank official position--"
The governor of a state is a third-rank official.
It was obvious that this request had been seriously considered, and no opportunity was wasted.
An official immediately stepped forward and said, "Sir, it is only right that we should reward people according to their merits! But the post of governor of Jiangdu is extremely important. Besides, there has never been a precedent of a woman being a governor in our Great Sheng Dynasty!"
Moreover, this woman is only seventeen years old! "Her achievements as a woman are unprecedented! If you count them in the past, there are precedents of people with achievements like her being promoted from a ninth-rank official to a governor in a few months—" Master Chu snorted coldly: "When she achieved merit, she didn't follow the precedent, but when it came time to reward her, she used the precedent of men and women to argue about it, and she kept denying it because of her status as a woman. Such sour words are really something that everyone can laugh at!"
The civil official's face froze when he heard that, but somehow he became even more jealous.
"I never expected that, although Xu is dead, the sour ones are hard to get rid of." Master Chu looked at those who objected and sneered, "The sour ones should not be underestimated. Over time, their sour words and sour water may corrupt the pillars of the court and the foundation of the country!"
The officials who were dubbed "sour thieves" had different expressions on their faces.
Because many of the old master's quotations would be written down by some insignificant people, and then compiled into a book and circulated, and most people did not want their names to appear in that book, and to be scolded -
But it is impossible to retreat from the political struggle in this way. It is just that when you are defeated, you can't help but change your tactics.
"What the Grand Tutor said makes sense. This matter should not be discussed in terms of men and women." Someone chose to say in a roundabout way: "Just talking about the governor of a state, it is a serious matter... At present, the position of governor of Jiangdu is vacant. In terms of qualifications and ability, is there no one else who is more qualified?"
How come all the important positions in the world are like cabbages picked in an old farmer's basket? Why can Chang Suining just pick and choose at will?
"That's exactly the reason... The post of Jiangdu governor is not something that can be filled just by military merit. If you want to properly handle the affairs of a state, you need experience."
"That's right, General Ning Yuan's experience is too shallow..."
Upon hearing this, Master Chu did not rush to refute, but instead said: "That's true. In terms of qualifications, she is indeed not as good as a bird outside this hall—"
Then, he asked the eunuch supervising the army, "General Ning Yuan claims that he is qualified for the job, but has she said anything? How can she be qualified for the job? How can she surpass those who have more experience than her?"
Her own student knew that if she dared to threaten to take the position of Jiangdu governor, there would definitely be backlash - based on experience, if she couldn't get something herself, no one else could expect to get it comfortably.
Seeing that the saint tacitly agreed to continue, the military supervisor eunuch continued: "General Ningyuan said... what Jiangdu needs most at this time is not people with qualifications, but people who have the ability to defend Jiangdu, and even the entire Jiangnan, Huainan Road, and the East China Sea and Yellow Sea..."
"General Ningyuan said that as long as she stays in Jiangdu for one day, no one will dare to invade Jiangdu, and the Japanese army will never be allowed to enter the territory of Dasheng even a little bit—"
There were faint sounds of sneers all around - everyone can make nice big claims!
The next moment, the eunuch said, "General Ning Yuan promised that if she fails to keep her word, she will be beheaded!"
There was a slight silence all around.
The eunuch continued, "General Ningyuan also said that if anyone believes that he can do this and dares to promise that Jiangdu will not suffer any more misfortunes, she will never fight and will be willing to give way to him."
There was a moment of stagnation all around.
So she had set up a gambling table... and put her head on it first! If others also wanted to join the table, they would have to put their heads on it like her! After being stunned, Wei Shuyi fell silent.
Master Chu said in a fair and open tone: "In this case, you can recommend someone or nominate yourself!"
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