First Minister of Ming Dynasty

This is the man!

Zhang Ximeng had a smile on his face, but he hesitated a little. It is rare for Mao Gui to make such a choice in the so-called heart-to-heart comparison, but the court can't just take away the power of others.

Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, then set his eyes on Liu Bowen, "Sir, go and prepare a few good dishes, and let the cooks from Confucian Mansion cook them. They are good at cooking. I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with Mao Pingzhang."

Liu Bowen is so smart, he didn't know Zhang Ximeng's intentions, so he agreed immediately.

After he left, there were only two people left.

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "General Mao, first of all, your actions are profoundly righteous and have helped the court a lot. I must ask the lord for a commendation. Don't refuse this point."

Mao Gui frowned, as if he wanted to refuse, but Zhang Ximeng said so, he didn't want to say much, but his hands were still interlocked, and his mood was complicated.

Zhang Ximeng said again: "General Mao, the second point I want to say is that the Shandong Red Scarf has made great contributions to resisting the Yuan Dynasty. This time, it also made great contributions in order to cope with the decisive battle in the Central Plains. No one can ignore this. If you want to resign, go ahead." I want to hear your opinion on how to deal with the Shandong Red Scarf when I come down."

Mao Gui was taken aback, he never expected that Zhang Ximeng would be so direct.

"Zhang Xiang, I, I don't want to talk about it. Everything can be organized according to the official army. I am already very satisfied."

In a word, after all, Mao Gui's heart was exposed.

From Mao Gui's point of view, he has long realized that Han Song's road cannot go on. As the Shandong Red Scarf of the Han and Song Eastern Route Army, he also needs a thorough reform, reborn, reborn, and start again.

But the problem is that the people below don't think so.

In fact, many people are still unconvinced, or unwilling.

They even want to occupy Shandong, draw the land as the king, and listen to Zhu Yuanzhang in name, but in fact make their own decisions.

There are even some people who hope to welcome King Xiaoming to Shandong and rebuild the Song Dynasty...

Not to mention that Mao Gui could not agree to this kind of proposal, even Han Lin'er would not dare to accept it.

After finally becoming an ordinary person, if you fall into it again, you will really die without life.

Mao Gui is well aware of these things, and he is even more aware that if things go on like this, something will happen.Not only himself, but also Shandong Hongjin, will become Daming's rebels. At that time, everything will be destroyed, the world will fall apart, and no one will end well.

Why don't you simply step back, step back, and hand over these troops to the imperial court, and let Zhang Ximeng take full power to deal with them, and he doesn't care about anything.

But having said that, after all, he is an old brother who was born and died, so how can he really let go?

Asked by Zhang Ximeng, he still spoke his mind.

Then Mao Gui said bluntly, "Mr. Zhang, I know that judging from the current situation, many of the Red Scarf generals in Shandong are not qualified enough to be included in the imperial court's troops. But there are quite a few of them who don't want to leave the army. , apart from fighting, there is nothing else. There are also some people who are simply unwilling to give up and dismissed hastily, causing endless troubles. I, I am also very embarrassed."

Zhang Ximeng nodded and said with a smile, "General Mao, if you don't say this, it might be better for your future."

Mao Gui smiled helplessly, and was about to speak when Zhang Ximeng added, "If you don't say that, you wouldn't be Mao Gui."

Hearing this, Mao Gui was very moved, the most important thing in a person is the confidant, Zhang Xiang really has the heart of a prime minister, he can see people's hearts, and can consider others, the ancient gentleman is nothing more than that.

"Zhang Xiang, I really want to know, what are you going to do with these hundreds of thousands of Shandong red scarves?"

Zhang Ximeng said: "Shandong Red Scarf will definitely be downsized. This is beyond my doubts. Fifty-eight thousand elites will be selected from it, and Zhu Wenzheng will be appointed as the deputy governor of the former military governor's office, and he will be in charge."

Mao Gui's eyes brightened. At present, the Ming Army has five military commanders' mansions. Among them, apart from Zhu Ying, Xu Da, Hu Dahai, Chang Yuchun, and Feng Guoyong are all famous generals in the world. No matter their military exploits or qualifications, they are all impeccable. .

It belongs to the first echelon of the generals of the Ming army.

And whoever can take a step forward and become the second echelon is worth pondering.

Among the veteran generals, Wu Zhen, Hua Yun, Tang Shengzong and others all had hope, and among the generals who joined later, Deng Yu, Fu Youde, Ding Pulang also had their own merits.

But it's hard to say who can go to the next level.

But Zhang Ximeng gave the answer, this person is Zhu Wenzheng!

And what he is about to command is the soldiers and horses adapted from Shandong Red Scarf.

It can be said that this arrangement is very subtle. There is no doubt that even if the Shandong Legion is reorganized properly, it is not as good as those old legions.

However, it is necessary to show that they attach importance to it, and the Shandong Legion will have special value in the future Northern Expedition.

Considering all aspects, promoting Zhu Wenzheng, who has made great contributions in Shanzhou, has become the best choice. He is young and fits the positioning of the Shandong Army. He also led the reorganized Mongolian soldiers in the past.

In addition, he is the only nephew of Zhu Yuanzhang, and has a special status, which shows the importance he attaches to the Shandong Army.

It's hard to find a second choice.

Of course, Zhang Ximeng will not directly let Lao Zhu appoint Zhu Wenzheng.Usually, he would recommend three to five, and then let Lao Zhu choose.

After careful consideration by the emperor, he selected the most suitable candidate, fully reflecting the wisdom of the emperor... perfect!

He usually wouldn't share this kind of trick with others, but Mao Gui was in a special situation and he had to be reassured, so Zhang Ximeng simply handed it over to Dier to reassure him.

"After selecting these soldiers, the remaining people who are willing to return to their hometowns to farm can be awarded twice as much land as the imperial soldiers. The cattle, seeds, houses, and even wives will find ways to ensure that after returning, they will get married and start a business. , live in peace and happiness."

Mao Gui hurriedly thanked, "Mr. Zhang is kind, and I am very grateful. It's just, there are still some people..."

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "I know, in fact, it is these people you are worried about. They are not many in number, but they are the backbone of the army. They all hold a little power, have old qualifications, and have a stubborn temper. , we adapted soldiers and horses, these people were either thrown into prisoner-of-war camps or given to Kacha, are you afraid that we will treat them like this?"

Mao Gui's expression turned ugly, and he could only say: "Mr. Zhang, in all fairness, if you investigate carefully among these people, there must be charges and reasons for killing them. It's just that they were born in troubled times and unfortunately fell into the army. , They are not the Yuan army!"

Zhang Ximeng nodded slightly, "Although credit and demerit cannot be offset, there are some situations that cannot be ignored... This is exactly what I want to say, General Mao, what do you think about sending these people to Korea?"

"Korea?" Mao Gui didn't know why.

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Just hand it over to Guan Duo and let them continue to fight against Yuan in Korea."

Mao Gui was shocked at this moment, "Zhang Xiang, these people are rebellious and unruly, and they are still restrained in Shandong. If they go to Korea, I'm afraid they will do whatever they want!"

"Why, are you worried that Guan Duo won't be able to control them?"

Mao Gui hurriedly shook his head, and said with a sneer, "Guan Duo is much more ruthless than me, how could he not control it! I'm just afraid that he won't want to do it."

Zhang Ximeng chuckled, "Whether he wants to or not, that's his business. Anyway, we don't care, right?"

Mao Gui was surprised again, he looked at Zhang Ximeng stupidly, isn't this just bringing disaster to Korea?

Zhang Xiang is not so honest!

Zhang Ximeng chuckled, "General Mao, don't forget that Yuan Ting set up a conquest province in Koryo. Over the years, Koryo sent concubines and eunuchs to Yuan Ting. They were part of the troubles in the Central Plains. Back then, dozens of Among the ten thousand troops, there are tens of thousands of Koryo soldiers. They are loyal to Da Yuan!"

Mao Gui took a deep breath, he was clear about these things, but Mao Gui was still puzzled, "Master Zhang, if you just do this, there will be troubles in the future, if people's hearts are hard to deal with and resent Daming, wouldn't it damage the reputation of Shangguo ?”

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help laughing, "General Mao, you are an honest man, and you really should go to school."

Mao Gui blushed when he was told, and said embarrassedly: "Zhang Xiang, I, I know that I have little knowledge, so I made Zhang Xiang a joke."

Zhang Ximeng said: "Don't worry about it, General Mao. There is a saying that the brothers who cross the catastrophe are here, and when they meet each other, they smile and lose all kindness and hatred. Naturally, I regard Gao Li as a brother, and I am willing to meet and smile with them. But we must first go through the whole catastrophe." Bo, settle the accounts that should be settled, you have done so many bad things for the tiger all these years, not only will you not be punished, but you will live in peace, no matter what, it can’t be justified, right?”

Mao Gui nodded again and again, almost throwing himself to the ground.

What is a scholar and what is a scholar?

This is an excuse... Bah, what an excuse, that's what it is!

This time Mao Gui was completely relieved... Among these soldiers, those who are loyal, brave and reliable can still serve the country in the army and attack the Yuan court in the north.

Those who are willing to go home to farm can return to their hometown with proper arrangements.

In the end, even the thorns have a place to go, and they can go to Korea to toss.

Sure enough, it was clearly arranged.

It’s just that Korea has suffered, first Zhang Dingbian and Chen Li, and now Shandong Red Scarf... I don’t know what will happen next!

But don't blame Zhang Xiang for concocting them. Whoever let these guys follow Yuan Ting and do so many evil things, this can be regarded as evil will be rewarded.

Mao Gui was in a good mood, and when he came out of Zhang Ximeng's place, he was humming a ditty.

……

"Let's go! It's time for the exam!"

Mao Gui took three children, each with a bamboo basket with pens and ink in it, and each with a stack of pancakes, and walked towards the examination room.

"You guys have to take the exam well, don't embarrass your father!"

A few children looked around, and there was a dense crowd of people, all of whom were young people. Many of them had patches on their bodies. They were very poor, but they did not lose their enthusiasm. They came to the exam one after another.

The children suddenly became worried, "Father, my brother and I have been studying very hard these past few years. We are very clear about Zhang Xiang's proposition. There shouldn't be any problems in this exam... You are old, so take care..." It's okay until the end, if you fail the exam, then, you can only be our apprentice."

Chapter 518 The Nonsensical Land of Conqueror

Exams are a popular form of entertainment for Shandong elders.

Especially after enrolling, you still have the opportunity to take the imperial examination, become a court official, and eat a piece of imperial food, which is even more remarkable.

You see, Shandong has never produced an emperor, but we have produced a saint. Looking at it now, the second saint is probably also from Shandong.

People in Shandong are loyal, and even the bandits in Shandong are different from other places. They only want Zhao'an, and it is true to be loyal and brave.

In such a place, setting up a top school and then starting to enroll students, the effect can be imagined.

Mao Gui has been operating in Shandong for many years, and his credit is not insignificant. He has indeed preserved the vitality of Shandong and saved millions of people.

Otherwise, Shandong will not be much better than Henan after experiencing fierce battles, constant see-saw, and a dwindling population.

At present, there are still tens of thousands of scholars in Shandong, and thousands of young people who can take the exam and strive to join the Fudan Academy. This is definitely great news.

At least the gap between North and South will not be so irreparable.

Zhang Ximeng is in a good mood. Compared with the complicated government affairs, he really wants to stay in the school and be a teacher in peace and stability. He will be much younger when he is with the students.

It's just that some bad things can't be avoided even if you want to.

For example, Lao Zhu sent a letter recently, asking Zhang Ximeng what he thinks of Korea... What else can he think?Waiting to attend the funeral, write a eulogy view.

In fact, Zhang Ximeng and Mao Gui said that they wanted to throw some troubles to Korea, and it was also because of this incident...

To put it bluntly, the root of everything is the Central Plains War. Chahan Timur was killed, and tens of 10 people were almost wiped out.When the matter reached this point, everyone knew that Emperor Su Shun was in the court of Yuan Dynasty, and time was running out.

As the eldest son of the Yuan Dynasty, Gao Li said that the dog father was incompetent, and he was cut by the child!

Therefore, the King of Korea sent an envoy to travel across the ocean to Jinling, begging to see Zhu Yuanzhang, hoping to recognize a new father.

Because of this, there was another controversy on Yingtian's side about how to treat Goryeo.

Based on the Ministry of Rites, it is believed that Yuan soldiers invaded Goryeo, plundered women, robbed wealth, oppressed and bullied, and did all kinds of evil.

The common people of Goryeo suffered greatly from it and suffered unspeakably.

People have the same heart, and the heart has the same reason.

Daming should treat Goryeo generously, help them restore their country, and expel Yuan soldiers. The two families will always form an alliance and live in peace, so as to maintain peace on the frontier.

This suggestion was immediately endorsed by many officials of Zhongshu Province, who thought it was very good.

The Yuan Dynasty treated the barbarians harshly, killing and looting, and doing all kinds of evil. The Ming Dynasty should be magnanimous and kind, and use gentle methods to calm people's hearts and stabilize the world.

Some people even suggested whether it is possible to set up a country without confiscation to show the grace of the country above.

When this suggestion was made, it happened that Zhu Yuanzhang was in charge of relief to the Central Plains in Kaifeng, and Zhang Ximeng was also busy with the new land equalization, getting married, issuing national debt, and arranging for soldiers to go to the village community. overseas affairs.

I have to say that Li Shanchang is still keen.

Although he heard the hype from the people below, it was very reasonable, but Li Shanchang always remembered that Guan Duo's Northern Expedition Army was highly valued by Zhang Ximeng and Zhu Yuanzhang.

To form an alliance with Goryeo, is it necessary to abandon Guan Duo and the others?

In that case, can Zhu Yuanzhang agree?

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang is still easy to deal with, but Zhang Ximeng is the one who is terrible. If he finds out the reason and ridicules himself for being stupid, then the position of Zhongshu Province may really be lost.

So Li Shanchang was suppressed, did not play, just let the people below discuss and see what to do!

As a result, without exception, the more the discussion, the more inclined to the opinion of the Ministry of Rites. Some people even clamored to send troops to help Goryeo and expel the Yuan army.

Once it succeeds, Gao Li will definitely be grateful, and from now on, she will change her mind, be honest, and be a good son of Daming.

Accepting a loyal younger brother, and being able to light a fire behind Yuan Ting's ass, no matter how you say it, it was Qin Shihuang who ate peppercorns and won numbness!

It is impossible for the superior to disagree.

In fact, if there is no Fudan School, the issue of Korea will become the focus of discussion between the ruling and opposition parties, and a set of strategies must be finally come up with.

"Who is the Minister of Rites? Did he take money from the Koreans?"

Zhang Ximeng was so angry that he slapped the table, "Isn't the kingdom of levy? Nonsense! Who came up with this stupid idea of ​​binding hands and feet? As a superior country, our power is unlimited! If a child is disobedient, we will be cruel." Beat it hard, don’t you even understand this? The Ministry of Rites should go to jail!”

After listening to Zhang Ximeng's words patiently, Liu Bowen said with a strange expression, "Master Zhang, don't worry, the Minister of Rites has already been taken...it's in Qufu!"

Qian Yongren!

OK, it's you bastard again!