The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Early the next morning, Wei Guangde left the mansion after having breakfast at home. He first went to the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

The reason, of course, was to ask if there was any dark information about Jiang Dong. If anyone asked in Prince Yu's palace, he would be able to tell the truth.

Although he is also one of the censors, Wei Guangde has always believed that he is different from other censors. He will not hear about things, let alone make up random things. All information must have a provenance and a source.

Wei Guangde didn't hang out with the Metropolitan Procuratorate all year round. He was just a censor, so naturally he wouldn't directly go to people to inquire.

Fortunately, there were several people of the same age as him in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Wei Guangde was the first to look for them when he entered.

"Daoheng, Xuegu."

Wei Guangde entered the Metropolitan Procuratorate and found Yang Daoheng and Zhang Xuegu. They were both at the top of the top three positions on the Bingchen Palace Examination List. Now they are Shandong Dao Yushi. Yang Daoheng just returned to Beijing from Shandong last year. of.

"Shandai, what kind of wind brings you here, rare guest, rare guest."

When Yang Daoheng saw Wei Guangde coming in, he stood up and greeted him with a smile, as did Zhang Xuegu, who was in the same room.

"What are we talking about?"

Of course, Wei Guangde couldn't go straight to the point and ask people if they had Jiang Dong's black form. Jiang Dong was also a popular figure in the court.

Unexpectedly, after this war, the only foreign minister summoned by Emperor Jiajing was Jiang Dong.

Although the censor is awesome, when he wants to file a complaint, he will think twice to make sure whether he can file a complaint.

Officials who are in good health will generally choose to stay away.

Thinking about the Yan family's father and son, who had a very bad reputation, in those years the Metropolitan Procuratorate only had a few people who dared to sue to death. The other censors knew that they would not win, so they just pretended not to have seen it.

When he was at the door, Wei Guangde saw the two of them chatting and laughing, so he asked.

"Xue Gu is talking about his experiences in Shandong. It will be my turn next year."

Yang Daoheng smiled and answered.

"It's better to make a good loan and distribute it on Fujian Road. The Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate will do all the errands."

Zhang Xuegu also smiled.

"Isn't this the case in Jiangnan Province? It's not because I am special."

Wei Guangde also smiled, and then said seriously: "Actually, I have wanted to come here for a long time, but it was delayed during this period because of the enrollment ceremony and the Tatar invasion."

"I know you're busy."

Zhang Xuegu answered with a smile.

"Then you're so busy here, isn't it because you miss me?"

Yang Daoheng asked cheerfully.

"That's the main reason."

Wei Guangde replied seriously, "But I also want to ask about other things."

"What's the matter?"

Yang Daoheng said in surprise.

"You have to ask Xuegu first about this matter. When you visited Shandong last year, did you hear that there were signs of instability in Denglai and other places due to the Liao ship shipping?"

Seeing Zhang Xuegu just now, Wei Guangde suddenly remembered the ban on Liao ship shipping that Shandong and Hedao Yamen had been promoting.

Although Wei Guangde did not dare to interfere with this matter, there was a censor who had just returned from Shandong in front of him, so he wanted to ask clearly.

"Denglai and other places did cause some conflicts because Liao ships carrying grain brought in many Liao people, but it is nonsense to say they are unstable."

Zhang Xuegu and Yang Daoheng did not know the relationship between Wei Guangde and this matter, but they also knew what was going on with the Liao Ship Shipping. They thought it was Prince Yu's Palace who was inquiring, so they did not hide it.

So, he introduced Wei Guangde to Wei Guangde in detail.

As mentioned before, the Liao ship shipping actually had little impact on Shandong. However, after the influx of refugees, some problems were inevitable. However, because of the instability, the main factor was the local gentry in Shandong, who were competing for these people.

For people in the officialdom, both parties who caused the dispute were gentry, and it was difficult to offend them, so they could only make peace with each other. By the way, they couldn't stand the Liao people who fled across the sea, thinking that they were the cause of these disputes.

"Shandai, can't you see this? It's Shandong that wants to cause trouble, but it's actually the Hedao Yamen that is pushing it."

Yang Daoheng also intervened at this time.

"The incident happened in Shandong. When I saw Xuegu, I had to ask for clarification."

Wei Guangde replied with a smile.

"Then what's your attitude?"

Zhang Xuegu also became energetic at this time and wanted to know what Wei Guangde, or Prince Yu's Mansion, meant.

If Prince Yu's Mansion wants to insist on promoting Liao ship shipping, it is not impossible for him to consider and speak out on the side of Prince Yu's Mansion.

In fact, countless people in the court now want to do this.

Although Prince Yu's Mansion has no real power, there are countless officials who want to speak out for them.

The reason is just to win the favor of King Yu.

Even if King Yu's favor cannot be exchanged for actual benefits now, thinking about it in a few years, it will be worth their struggle for it.

"Yes, Shandai, if you need us to speak out, just let me know."

Yang Daoheng also had this intention, and then continued Zhang Xuegu's words: "If you want to suppress the voices in Shandong, I will help you when I go down next year. I will impeach anyone who dares to stab him."

"Haha, to be honest, if you want to impeach the prefects who are the most enthusiastic, just say it, and I will have the leverage."

Zhang Xuegu also lowered his voice and spoke to Wei Guangde seriously.

"To be honest, I just want to understand the actual situation in Shandong, and I have no other ideas."

Wei Guangde saw the attitudes of the two people and continued with a smile: "Actually, this matter has been decided in the palace for a long time. Everything is subject to current opinions. His Highness has no objection to this."

"Oh I got it."

Both of them nodded, but there was still a hint of disappointment on their faces.

Wei Guangde was not very interested in the excuses Zhang Xuegu said. It was probably because the officials below were complaining to each other.

Even if they are facts, many of them are difficult to verify, otherwise Zhang Xuegu would not always have them in his hands.

Although the censor could get wind of the matter, if he failed, he would still lose face in the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

Even if he can get this back, as long as Emperor Jiajing does not support shipping in his heart, he cannot ban it this year, but what about next year?

There is always a reason, not to mention that he doesn't have much time left, so there is no need to make the emperor dissatisfied over this matter.

"The wind is getting stronger and stronger now. I guess someone will be impatient to report this matter soon."

Although disappointed, Yang Daoheng still kindly reminded him.

"Whatever they want, some things may be better implemented after a few years."

Wei Guangde whispered.

"By the way, do you know about Da Sima's memorial yesterday?"

Wei Guangde now changed the topic to Yang Bo's discussion on being a role model.

"You said Mr. Yang's three discussions, except for the matter of spending money, I don't object to anything else."

Yang Daoheng said directly after thinking about it.

In fact, Yang Bo mentioned three things in his report yesterday. In addition to supervising the construction of standard barracks, he also mentioned that the combat effectiveness of the guards and horses in each town has dropped significantly. In the past, when King Qin's army arrived, they fought bravely to kill the enemy, but recently there were fewer When there are gains, most of them watch the fire from across the bank. Therefore, all localities should be strictly ordered to train and prepare for war to improve the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.

The last item is the discovery of the problem that the guards from various places are mixed, old and weak, and believes that "it is better to eliminate the weak and recruit the strong."

"Is it the governor's recruitment of the model battalion?"

When Wei Guangde heard what Yang Daoheng said, he felt confident in his heart and confirmed it casually.

"The imperial court's finances are not sufficient, so it is indeed inappropriate to allow the governor to recruit three thousand soldiers as model soldiers."

Zhang Xuegu also answered, "I heard that people from the Ministry of Revenue discussed this matter at the banquet yesterday. They were all scolding me and saying that they had no money to support these 100,000 troops."

"Master Yang's presentation is actually to give Your Majesty room to set conditions. I estimate that in the end, the governor of the border town should be allowed to establish the standard camp first. As for other places, the southwest side should be soon."

Wei Guangde replied.

"You mean, the governor who is involved in the war might still allow this?"

Zhang Xuegu said in surprise, but even though he said this, his head was slightly nodding, and he obviously understood that this was the general trend.

Civilian officials can suppress military generals in peacetime, but once wartime occurs, they often remain in control of military attaches because they have no actual power to mobilize troops.

Although the governor will intentionally or unintentionally win over some generals and guerrillas after taking office, the purpose is naturally not simple.

The military attache did not dare to blatantly disobey, and was worried about being held accountable afterwards, but he did make small moves.

Giving governors military power actually allows them to protect themselves.

"I think it may be the result of discussions with Grand Sima after Governor Xuanda returned to Beijing."

I have to say more.

"It's possible that Yang Shangshu served as governor back then, but he came to Beijing to take charge of the Ministry of War for a long time. He didn't mention it sooner or later, but he brought it up at this time. It's really possible that Mr. Jiang brought it up."

Yang Daoheng immediately agreed.

Although he didn't know the reason why Wei Guangde said these words, he still cheered up.

If there is no benefit, it is impossible for Wei Guangde to mention this matter for no reason.

"As Dao Heng said, I also think this is inappropriate."

Wei Guangde said, looking at the two of them, and then continued: "How many governors are there in the world? Once this memorial is approved, it will become a routine. I really don't know how much food and salary expenses will be increased by then.

With the current financial resources of our Ming Dynasty, it is really difficult to support this extra army. "

"What Shandai said is reasonable, but it's hard to object to this matter."

Yang Daoheng also shook his head and said.

"yes."

Zhang Xuegu also followed.

“It’s not good to object, but you can change your approach.”

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "In my opinion, wherever new soldiers are needed, the governor only needs to ask the commander-in-chief of each town and the commander-in-chief to allocate his subordinates to assist and defend the generals all the way to the governor's tent to listen to orders.

In this way, there is no need to recruit new soldiers to increase the court's food and salary expenditures, and the governor can also have usable soldiers on hand. "

"Hiss, it seems feasible."

"Well, it should be feasible."

Yang Daoheng and Zhang Xuegu both nodded.

They also heard that Wei Guangde seemed to have a problem with Yang Bo or Jiang Dong.

Of course I don’t know the specific reason, but Wei Guangde’s proposal seems to be a good idea.

"It's a pity. Mr. Yang submitted the memorial yesterday. It is estimated that it will be returned to the cabinet today. If His Majesty does not agree, it will be okay for me to wait until the memorial is submitted. But if His Majesty approves it, it will not be good to mention it again."

Yang Daoheng sighed.

In fact, they all know that there is something fishy about it, but they just don't want to say it out loud.

Yang Bo said that if the governor recruited a standard battalion of 3,000 soldiers and had enough soldiers, then he would have to pay full wages.

Wei Guangde said that he would directly assign the generals to assist the guards, which seemed to be almost the same. There was no need to increase the number of soldiers, but the soldiers' pay was the most important.

When this decree comes down, as long as the governor wants to make some money, he can keep accounts according to the food and wages of three thousand people. As for whether there are three thousand people, it is hard to say.

This is actually the same trick as military attachés making money.

Using a co-defendant general is not as reliable as a general recommended by oneself.

Yang Daoheng knew that Wei Guangde did not seem to support this proposal. If it was really rejected by His Majesty, and they went to court again, they were afraid that Wei Guangde would be angry and scold his mother.

However, he was not an idiot. Considering the Jizhen War that had just ended, it was difficult for Emperor Jiajing not to be tempted by this strategy to strengthen the army, so the probability of it being implemented was actually very high.

"By the way, are you familiar with Jiang Dong? How is his character? Do you know what his merits and mistakes are in Xuanda?"

Wei Guangde said again at this time.

Sure enough, it was because of Jiangdong.

Yang Daoheng and Zhang Xuegu were already arguing at this time, knowing that it was this person and Wei Guangde who should not deal with them.

However, in the officialdom, it has always been a matter of helping relatives rather than helping others.

They are of the same age, so naturally they only help each other.

As for Jiangdong, although it is extremely honorable to be named the crown prince's Taibao this time, does it have anything to do with them?

As a senior official, he had nothing to do with the two censors, so naturally he would not speak to him.

Regarding Wei Guangde's question, both of them searched hard for what they had heard in the past, hoping to find Jiang Dong's fault.

But unfortunately, I didn’t think of it even after thinking about it for a long time.

"Except for the disadvantages of encircling and suppressing Zhang Lian's rebels, I really can't think of anything else."

Zhang Xuegu said with some disappointment.

"Indeed, this person's reputation is pretty good. Wait for a couple of days and I'll make further inquiries."

Yang Daoheng was similar to Zhang Xuegu, but he said that he could help find this person.

After chatting for a while, Wei Guangde walked around the Metropolitan Procuratorate but didn't find any useful information.

The censors did have a lot of opinions about Xuanda and even the entire border town, but when it came to Jiangdong specifically, they really couldn't find any clear fault.

It's not that Jiang Dong is not greedy, but he only takes the money within the rules, and will never break the old rules to increase his own income.

There are unspoken rules, and he can naturally take the lost money with peace of mind.

Even though Wei Guangde knew it, he didn't dare to talk about it unless he didn't want to get involved in the officialdom.

Just like the new Biao Camp, it's hard to say whether Jiangdong proposed it to increase the Ming Dynasty's strong army or to eat the free money.

After coming out of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Wei Guangde went directly to Prince Yu's Mansion. He didn't ask to see Prince Yu immediately because it happened to be lunch time.

At the dinner table, Wei Guangde naturally mentioned to Zhang Juzheng what he had thought of yesterday.

"Governor Ji Liao?"

Zhang Juzheng was shocked when he heard Wei Guangde asked about this matter.

Now his teacher has discussed Liu Tao's matter with Yang Bo many times, but they have never been able to reach an agreement.

Yes, Yang Bo wants to bring all the elite soldiers and generals to Jizhen. With these troops and horses here, I'm afraid An Dahan will not dare to raise an army easily again.

As for the rest, to be honest, he didn't pay much attention to it.

Among the Jiubian, in terms of dense population, Ji Town is the most densely populated.

Every time the Tatars invaded, life was bound to be ruined, but in other places, because there were few people and little land, the harm was actually smaller.

"I heard it hasn't been decided yet. What, is there anyone who can recommend Shandai?"

Zhang Juzheng asked as if he was unaware.