Chapter 59: Court Meeting
As Wang Zhen said, the officials who were ordered to enter the palace arrived quickly. Everyone was not surprised to see the emperor and the eldest princess, but they couldn't help but feel suspicious when they saw Zhang Fu standing in the palace one step ahead.
How come Zhang Fu, the Duke of England, entered the palace before them? Could it be that he had already discussed matters with His Majesty in advance?
Zhu Yuhuan guessed their thoughts with just a quick glance, and then set his eyes on Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu. He saw that the two elderly men remained silent and did not reveal any unnecessary emotions.
After everyone finished paying their respects, Zhu Qizhen asked Wang Zhen to read Mu Ang's memorial to everyone, and then asked, "What do you think?"
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
This kind of thing happened once before during the Xuande reign. The situation is exactly the same now. Why question the solution left by the late emperor? Just follow it.
Zhu Qizhen saw that they were all like quails, with lowered heads and silent eyes. It was obvious that they were using silence to express their true intentions. Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but feel a nameless anger in his heart.
This group of people don't even have this little courage, as if the Ming Dynasty has lost its prosperity and can't even fight a decent war!
Seeing Zhu Qizhen's hint of anger, Zhu Yuhuan finally spoke up, "The border issue is no small matter, which is why His Majesty summoned you to discuss it. You are so silent, blocking the way for people to speak out. Do you want the people to think of His Majesty as an emperor who is unable to speak freely and is arbitrary and arbitrary?"
Her words were extremely harsh, and some people showed a hint of indignation on their faces, but the fact that Princess Shunde was here already showed the emperor's attitude, so how could they dare to refute him in person?
Seeing this, Yang Pu took the initiative to speak: "I am old, and I dare to ask your majesty's opinion."
Zhu Qizhen glanced at Zhang Fu standing beside him, and the pressure now fell on this sixty-year-old nobleman.
One of them is the emperor and the other is the eldest princess. It is impossible for them to confront the officials head-on. Moreover, Zhang Fu still needs the emperor's help, so naturally he will not be as smooth as before.
Zhang Fu repeated his proposal under everyone's gaze.
Upon hearing this, someone from the group of officials who had been silent finally stood up. It was He Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
He Wenyuan bowed and began, "Luchuan is remote, and the land of the barbarians is just south of the border. Sending an army of 120,000 to such a barren land is not only tiring, but also disrupting people's livelihood. For these small bandits, Your Majesty should simply dispatch the official troops to Jinchi, where they can farm and fight at the same time. After a while, when Luchuan's logistics are no longer able to sustain the battle, these short-sighted bandits will naturally surrender."
With the first person speaking out, everyone followed suit and supported He Wenyuan's idea of farming and fighting at the same time. After all, his idea was not unreasonable and it also avoided the risk of a large-scale war.
However, they did not lose their minds and used Zhu Zhanji's abandonment of Jiaozhi as an example. Otherwise, given Zhu Qizhen's character, today's matter would probably not end well.
Yang Pu saw that everyone was talking at once, and then he looked at Zhu Yuhuan who remained unmoved, with his head lowered and silent, as if he didn't see the dispute in front of him.
Princess Shunde entered earlier than them. She had probably heard what Zhang Fu had just said. More importantly, she was clear about the emperor's attitude. So it was better for her to remain silent until she spoke.
As the chief minister, Yang Shiqi saw that most people advocated the idea of farming and warfare, and he knew that he could not shirk his responsibilities as the chief minister. He had to promptly feedback the opinions of these ministers and also provide Zhu Qizhen with the cabinet's opinions.
He then spoke, "I believe this method is feasible. In the third year of Zhengtong, the border troops only had to launch a minor offensive, and Si Renfa came to pay tribute and seek peace. Now, only two or three years have passed. Even if Luchuan continues to recuperate, it will not be able to supply troops to fight a sustained battle with our army. Why bother to start a war over it, wasting people's money and energy? Just wait a year or two, and the government troops will strike back, and Si Renfa will surely come to the capital to pay tribute."
Zhu Qizhen was a natural advocate of war. After seeing Mu Ang's memorial and listening to Zhang Fu's opinions, he had already decided that this war had to be fought. Now seeing that this group of officials all supported the so-called "farming war", he was very angry.
Si Renfa has gone back on his word once, fooling Zhu Qizhen. Now he wants Si Renfa to fool him again. How could Zhu Qizhen agree to this?
Although Zhu Qizhen didn't understand Zhu Yuhuan, Zhu Yuhuan knew him quite well. Before Zhu Qizhen could open his mouth, Zhu Yuhuan had already said, "Precisely because Luchuan is a remote and barren borderland, unsuitable for farming and weaving, and the entire nation is rife with soldiers, they can invade the southwestern border of the Ming Dynasty at any time and harass Yunnan and Guangxi. That's why we need to send troops. Only in this way can we establish our country's prestige in the southwest. If, as you say, you're so afraid of fighting, today it's Luchuan, tomorrow it's Annan, the day after tomorrow it's Burma. Mubang, Cheli, Babai, who wouldn't have ulterior motives? If the native officials of Yunnan and Guangxi also rise up and rebel, there will be no peace in the southwest forever. Who will be responsible? Are you also going to 'cede five cities today, ten cities tomorrow, and then sleep peacefully for one night'?"
Her words were not loud but powerful, and they made the worst possible scenario clear. Everyone was speechless and fell silent in an instant, staring at Zhu Yuhuan eagerly.
With Zhu Yuhuan clearing the situation, Zhu Qizhen felt relieved and said to everyone, "The Princess's words make sense. Do you have any objections?"
How could anyone not understand this? Zhu Qizhen had probably already made up his mind, and was simply using Zhang Fu and the Princess to voice it out. He summoned them simply to get the Cabinet and the six ministries to cooperate with Zhu Qizhen's decision.
Although Yang Shiqi had known this would be the result, he still couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Although the emperor has not yet led the army in person, he is no longer the young emperor who had just ascended the throne. The emperor's autocratic behavior has already been demonstrated, and there is no need for these ministers to continue to exist.
Yang Pu also understood this, but he was a little surprised that Zhu Yuhuan would agree with Zhu Qizhen's consideration.
Zhu Yuhuan spent countless efforts to enrich the people through farming. Once the war broke out, not only would there be a shortage of labor due to conscription, but he would also have to recruit civilian workers to transport military pay and food. The abandonment of farming was an inevitable result, which was definitely not a good thing for ordinary people.
However, Princess Shunde was a smart person and naturally would not choose to engage in direct conflict with the emperor.
Zhu Yuhuan noticed Yang Pu's gaze and simply continued, "The people of the capital are human beings, and the people of the southwest are also human beings. All the people in the world are your Majesty's subjects. How can the people be divided into noble and humble? Moreover, if the borders are not protected and the local officials rebel, the people who will suffer in the future will not be limited to Yunnan and Guangxi."
Her words seemed to be referring to Zhu Qizhen, but wasn't her intention actually referring to herself?
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