Seeing the appearance of these adults, Wang Chengen had a sudden thought.
"No wonder Wei Zhongxian eventually formed the eunuch faction."
"So this is what it feels like to be flattered by these ministers!"
But he was quickly alarmed.
“His Majesty is not the late Emperor. If I were to show any sign of daring, His Majesty would have dealt with me.”
"I can't just walk into my own death!"
Wang Chengen took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
Then he said to the ministers, "I'm afraid I can't make that decision."
"Actually, His Majesty sent Lord Luo over just now to invite all of you to the Imperial Study."
"However, officials below the second rank can leave first."
Those officials of lower rank immediately cheered.
They said, "It's better to die for a fellow Daoist than for a poor one," and without uttering a single word, they turned and ran out.
Only those high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks remained, standing far away in the wind.
"No, you're leaving already? You don't even think of saying a word to us?"
Seeing the bewildered looks on these important officials, Wang Chengen smiled slightly.
He let the eunuchs in and led the ministers to the imperial study.
As for himself, he jogged out to tell Zhou Yanru, who had left earlier, the news.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanru's eyes also revealed a hint of disbelief.
He knew Yuan Chonghuan very well.
He dared not say whether this man was loyal to the court, but he was very clear that Yuan Chonghuan was not very capable.
If it weren't for the fact that other capable ministers were implicated in the Battle of Sarhu, or were ousted from office due to factional strife, they would have been in a different situation.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been Yuan Chonghuan's turn to become the Liaodong Military Governor.
"How could someone like that actually win a battle?"
At this moment, Zhou Yanru also felt a little envious.
"If I had known this would happen, I should have volunteered to go to Korea!"
Although the Ming Dynasty differed from the Han Dynasty, it did not explicitly state that no one could be enfeoffed as a marquis without military merit.
However, in practice, this standard is still followed.
Although the Ming Dynasty once valued civil officials over military ones, it was difficult for civil officials to achieve military merits.
Therefore, it is extremely difficult for civil officials to be granted a noble title.
Even a figure like Wang Yangming was posthumously granted the title of Marquis of Xinjian because of his meritorious service in quelling the rebellion of Prince Ning.
"Well, while Yuan Chonghuan might not be granted the title of Marquis, he could probably be granted the title of Earl."
"In future history books, even if my official rank is higher than his, I will still be listed after him!"
A pang of regret arose in Zhou Yanru's heart.
However, at this moment, Wang Chengen said again, "Lord Zhou, please come back to the palace with me quickly. His Majesty is waiting for you."
Zhou Yanru sighed and hurriedly got up.
When he arrived at the Imperial Study, he smelled a fragrance coming from inside.
Zhou Yanru looked over curiously and then realized that it was Zhu Youjian who had given the order for the imperial kitchen to prepare a banquet.
The ministers, who had been starving for a long time, stared at the banquet and swallowed hard.
When Zhu Youjian saw that Zhou Yanru had also arrived, he waved for him to take a seat.
Then he said, "Now that everyone is here, let's begin the feast."
The ministers breathed a sigh of relief and looked expectantly at Zhu Youjian.
After Zhu Youjian took a symbolic bite, they began to eat ravenously.
Zhou Yanru immediately understood.
"It seems the emperor's move is a classic case of slapping someone and then giving them a sweet treat."
"He first deliberately ordered these people to write poems on an empty stomach, and then invited them over for a meal."
"Then even if these ministers had grievances in their hearts, they couldn't say anything."
"They might even be moved to tears."
When Zhou Yanru saw that the two top scholars from the Wanli era actually had tears in their eyes, he sighed again.
"The emperor's methods are becoming more and more sophisticated."
After a while, Zhu Youjian saw that the ministers had been eating for a while before he spoke again.
"My dear ministers, you must have heard about the news from Goryeo."
"Now that the Jurchens have suffered repeated defeats and are nothing but bones in their graves, I am willing to send the army on a continued campaign."
"To accomplish the task in one battle and completely pacify Liaodong."
What do you all think?
As soon as Zhu Youjian opened his mouth, the ministers quickly put down their chopsticks and swallowed the food in their mouths.
I didn't hear what Zhu Youjian said at all, I only heard the last sentence.
Immediately someone spoke up: "Pacifying Liaodong would certainly be excellent."
Zhu Youjian said, "So, you agree that I should continue the military campaign?"
The courtiers then realized what was happening.
But they had already agreed, so it wasn't a good time to back out.
Their entire clan wasn't a wholesale business, so they wouldn't dare go back on their word in front of the emperor.
This time, it was Bi Ziyan who stepped forward again.
He frowned and said, "Your Majesty is farsighted. You must know that once Liaodong is pacified, the court's expenses will rise sharply!"
"First of all, this is a war of annihilation. The rewards for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the front lines alone amount to several million taels of silver!"
Although Li Ruolian's Beijing garrison only numbered 60,000 to 70,000, the Ming Dynasty also dispatched White-Spear Soldiers and mobilized some Ningjin garrison troops to assist in the battle.
These people also deserve a reward.
Zhu Youjian nodded: "These are easy to arrange; I will allocate funds from the imperial treasury."
Bi Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief, but then gave a wry smile.
"Your Majesty, the reward money is easy to handle, but the money to appease Liaodong is a mountain of gold!"
"Relocate hundreds of thousands of people back to Liaodong..."
He hesitated, unsure whether he should continue.
However, Zhu Youjian spoke up for him.
"I know that if the people are moved back, the court's expenses will not be small."
"But if we don't relocate them, we'll be digging a hole for future generations!"
Zhu Youjian became somewhat agitated.
"Although Liaodong was nothing at the time, the Jurchens were able to threaten our Great Ming Dynasty repeatedly because of this place, and in later generations..."
Halfway through his speech, Zhu Youjian realized he had misspoke and could only cough a few times.
"In short, Liaodong is also the foundation of a hegemony, and we must not take it lightly."
"I will not only relocate all the original people of Liaodong back to their hometowns, but also the grain transport workers who went to the front lines this time will be allowed to settle down in Liaodong!"
"In the decades to come, I will make sure that the number of Han people in Liaodong exceeds ten million, so that this land will forever belong to China."
When Zhu Youjian got to this point, even the ministers who were most opposed to war became somewhat impassioned.
Expanding territory is something that can earn you a place in history.
However, Bi Ziyan gave a wry smile.
"Your Majesty, since our Great Ming Dynasty opened up the seas, the imperial court's finances have indeed become much more abundant."
"But developing Liaodong is probably beyond our capabilities."
Zhu Youjian was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I have my own way of dealing with this matter of silver."
"Today we will only discuss military matters."
"Ministers, do you support a swift and decisive victory in pacifying Liaodong?"
The ministers exchanged glances, knowing that the emperor's mind was made up.
In addition, they felt indebted to those who fed them, fearing that if they voiced any objection, they would be dragged back to the main hall to starve.
They then bowed and said, "We all agree."
As for Zhou Yanru, he was even more passionate.
"This is a great opportunity to make a name for myself!"
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