"My dear," Zhu Cilang looked at the eunuch Qiu Zhizhong at the palace gate and asked, "What are they doing?"
Qiu Zhizhong was Zhu Cilang's companion in the Eastern Palace. If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be able to enter the Imperial Household Department in the future.
Qiu Zhizhong also understood this principle, so he was very cautious and careful in doing things.
"In reply to your Highness, the Duke of Wei and Shi Kefa came here to discuss military pay. They didn't tell me the details, and I didn't dare to ask."
Military pay?
Zhu Cilang frowned, at a loss.
Some time ago, Zheng Chenggong brought two million taels of silver from Beijing.
This silver was the military pay for the Nanjing Beijing Camp and Yuan Jixian.
After paying the military salaries, there were still hundreds of thousands of taels left.
When officials in Nanjing heard the news, they were excited and came to visit one after another.
There is only one purpose: to get money!
Just as we send one wave away, another comes!
Zhu Cilang thought for a while, and then instructed Qiu Zhizhong: "Ask Liu Wenbing, the governor of Nanjing's Beijing Camp, Mr. Ni Yuanlu, and Gao Hongtu, the Nanjing Minister of Revenue, to go to Wenhua Palace. I have something to discuss with them."
After moving from Beijing to Nanjing, he chose Liu Wenbing to serve as the governor of Nanjing Beijing Camp instead of Xiangcheng Earl Li Guozhen.
Li Guozhen's ability lies in his eloquence, not in his ability to lead troops.
The military equipment of the Beijing camp was in disrepair, and he played an indispensable role!
Just as Qiu Zhizhong was about to leave, a young eunuch walked in from outside the palace gate, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the Right Vice Minister of the Nanjing Ministry of War and the Right Censor-in-Chief, and the Governor-General of Fengyang, Ma Shiying, wish to see you."
Ma Shiying?
Why did he come to Nanjing instead of guarding the imperial mausoleum in Fengyang?
Zhu Cilang is in a dilemma.
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Cilang ordered: "Tell everyone to go to Wenhua Hall and wait. I will be there later."
"I obey your orders." Qiu Zhizhong and the eunuch who delivered the message kowtowed to the ground and turned to leave.
Wenhua Hall is located southeast of Fengtian Hall and was Zhu Gaochi's main office during his tenure as crown prince and regent.
Before Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, court meetings were not held in the Fengtian Hall of the Forbidden City in Nanjing.
Instead, court meetings were held at Fengtian Gate (the front gate of the main hall of Fengtian Palace), also known as "hearing court meetings at the imperial gate."
When Zhu Di launched the Northern Expedition, he appointed Zhu Gaochi as regent.
Zhu Gaochi was not an emperor, so he did not dare to "hold court from behind the gate" like Zhu Di did. In order to comply with etiquette, after some discussion by officials from the Ministry of Rites, he was allowed to hold court meetings at the left gate of the Meridian Gate.
If you need to hold a small meeting, go to Wenhua Hall.
In order to avoid rumors, Zhu Cilang followed the example of Zhu Gaochi and worked in the Wenhua Hall.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhu Cilang appeared in the Wenhua Hall.
Xinle Marquis Liu Wenbing, Chancellor of the Imperial Household Ni Yuanlu, Duke of Wei Xu Hongji, Nanjing Minister of War Shi Kefa, Nanjing Minister of Revenue Gao Hongtu, Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying and others immediately saluted.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Please stand up, everyone." Zhu Cilang's voice sounded a little childish.
After everyone stood up, they took their positions.
Liu Wenbing walked forward seven or eight steps and came to a place not far to the right of Zhu Cilang.
His mission is to protect Zhu Cilang's safety.
Zhu Cilang is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty and the future emperor.
What's more, the war in the capital has not yet been settled and there is a possibility of its fall.
The prince must not make any mistakes!
Ni Yuanlu took three steps forward and came to Zhu Ci's left.
After he stepped down as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he devoted himself to teaching the Crown Prince in the Zhanshi Mansion and was Zhu Cilang's true teacher.
Looking at the two protectors, one civil and one military, Ma Shiying quietly gritted his teeth.
He was thinking that one day he would stand there too!
As for how to do it, he hasn't figured it out yet.
"Duke Wei, Minister Shi, Governor Ma, please speak frankly."
Duke of Wei Xu Hongji was the first to speak up: "Your Highness, I am the commander of Nanjing, responsible for controlling the various guard posts in Nanjing, and for the garrison and defense of Nanjing."
"Nanjing City had fallen into disrepair and was in many places damaged. The city defense equipment was unusable, the artillery was rusted, the bows and crossbows were rotten, and there was an extreme shortage of rolling logs and stones."
"I heard that there is a surplus of money sent from Beijing. Your Highness, please allocate the money to strengthen the city's defense."
Zhu Cilang coughed lightly and looked at Shi Kefa.
Shi Kefa was from Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan Province. He was well-known in his hometown for his filial piety in his early years and studied under Zuo Guangdou.
He has two identities.
His first identity was the Minister of War in Nanjing, an official of the imperial court.
His second identity was a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a soldier of the emperor.
Shi Kefa's ancestors had made great contributions to the imperial court, and thus were able to inherit the title of Jinyi Guard Hundred Households.
Zhu Cilang did not have much good feelings towards the officials in Nanjing, with the exception of Shi Kefa.
It’s because of his identity as a Jinyiwei!
"Minister Shi, what are you doing here?"
Shi Kefa bowed and said, "Your Highness, I came here for money."
"Oh? What do you want to use the money for?"
"Recruit soldiers! There are only 10,000 soldiers guarding Nanjing, and most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. If the bandits invade Nanjing, I'm afraid these people alone will not be able to defend it."
"I ask Your Highness to allocate tens of thousands of silver coins to recruit soldiers and train them."
Zhu Cilang nodded and looked at Ma Shiying.
"Governor Ma, why are you in Nanjing instead of staying in Fengyang? If the bandits attack Fengyang and you are not here, wouldn't that mean you will miss out?"
The important thing Zhu Cilang mentioned was not Fengyang, but the ancestral mausoleum.
It was previously dug up by Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, and was repaired with great difficulty. Nothing can happen to it again.
Ma Shiying bowed his head in fear and knelt down to salute: "In reply to your Highness, there are two armies in Fengyang now. One is the Fengsi General Mou Wenshou, who has 4,000 soldiers under his command and is stationed at the ancestral mausoleum."
"The other is my army, which is temporarily handed over to the military supervisor Lu Jiude and stationed in Fengyang City."
"Then I'm relieved!" Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, his expression as calm as ever, "Are you here to ask for money too?"
Ma Shiying bowed deeply again and said, "Your Highness, I have three things to ask of you. I hope Your Highness will approve them."
Zhu Cilang didn't say anything, but signaled him to continue with his eyes.
Ma Shiying moistened his throat with saliva, changed his previous humble tone, and said in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant: "The first thing is to recruit soldiers. I plan to recruit 20,000 soldiers in Fengyang Prefecture to resist the bandits."
"Twenty thousand? It won't take that many soldiers to defend Fengyang, right?" Zhu Cilang narrowed his eyes and became alert.
"Your Highness, I am not recruiting soldiers just to defend Fengyang Prefecture, but to counterattack Yingzhou Prefecture (now Fuyang), and then go west and north to recover the lost territory in Henan!"
Zhu Cilang, who was originally a little drowsy, was suddenly shocked.
Since the migration to the south, Ma Shiying was the first person who told him to recover the lost territory in Henan!
"Go on." Zhu Cilang leaned forward involuntarily.
Ma Shiying was overjoyed and continued, "The second thing is related to the first. Recruiting soldiers requires money. The settlement expenses, weapons and armor, military pay and food for 20,000 soldiers will cost at least 150,000 taels of silver."
"As for the third matter...I have something to hide, and I would like to tell Your Highness in private. I beg Your Highness's permission."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
