mesbooks Chapter 683: It is human nature to cater to others’ preferences
Chapter 683: It is human nature to cater to others’ preferences
July 25th, Beijing.
Having just finished his morning court session, Emperor Chongzhen was immersed in a pile of memorials with a somewhat leisurely look.
A few days ago, there were frequent reports of leopards outside the Great Wall. First, the Huben Army won consecutive victories in the southern part of the desert, forcing many Mongols to surrender.
Then the Imperial Guards reported that Zhang Shikang had recaptured thirty cities of various sizes in one breath, and the army had reached the banks of the Liao River.
It is said that the Jiannu destroyed the fishing boats on the river bank in advance, which made it temporarily impossible for the army to cross the river.
If this had happened in the past, Emperor Chongzhen would probably have been depressed and worried and unable to sleep, but now Emperor Chongzhen was very content.
He still remembered that before Zhang Shikang went on the expedition, he whispered to him that this expedition would recapture thirty cities for the Ming Dynasty, and now the two armies have exceeded the target.
Even the land taken by Lu Xiangsheng of the Huben Army from the Mongols was larger than the land west of the Liao River.
In his reply imperial edict, Emperor Chongzhen highly praised Lu Xiangsheng and was even more generous with his praise for Zhang Shikang.
Not only did he not urge the Guards to cross the river as soon as possible, but he comforted Zhang Shikang, saying that if it was really difficult, there was no need to force it and they could fight again next year.
Before writing this memorial, Emperor Chongzhen convened a cabinet meeting, proactively asked for the cabinet's opinions, and then took the actual situation into consideration and wrote the imperial edict.
Emperor Chongzhen still remembered the surprised looks on Hai Zhongqi and Li Banghua's faces when he expressed to the cabinet ministers his idea of not rushing to cross the river.
It is no wonder that in the past, the imperial edicts written by Emperor Chongzhen to the front-line commanders were basically full of urging, urging and urging again, and he wished that the border troops could achieve results immediately.
After more than ten years of setbacks, Emperor Chongzhen was constantly reflecting.
In the past few years, the Ming Dynasty has undergone earth-shaking changes and has almost never failed in battles.
Emperor Chongzhen believed that this was naturally due to Zhang Shikang's extraordinary ability, but at the same time, it might also be because he had completely handed over military power to trustworthy people in recent years.
He himself hardly interfered.
What does this mean?
Of course, this proves that I really hired the right person this time, but on the other hand, was it because of my eagerness for quick success and reckless command that led to the continuous defeat of the war on the front line?
Have to think deeply.
Emperor Chongzhen often thought of Zhang Shikang's words: leave professional matters to professionals, and don't let laymen command professionals, as that would lead to bad things.
For example, Zhang Shikang did not understand science and engineering, so he handed over the Royal Manufacturing Bureau to Song Yingxing, Wang Zheng, Mao Yuanyi and others.
Of course, this was also the reason why Emperor Chongzhen handed over military power to Zhang Shikang.
However, sometimes one can only listen to half of what Wuji says, because he often says that he doesn't understand military affairs and can't even do basic troop deployment.
Emperor Chongzhen absolutely did not believe such nonsense. He thought Zhang Shikang just wanted to be lazy. Which general would not take the initiative to show his ability in front of his leader?
This guy actually dared to lie to him just to be lazy.
If he didn't understand military affairs, how could the Tiger Guards and the Imperial Guards be so motivated and win victory after victory?
Alas, Emperor Chongzhen sighed.
Even though he felt a little disappointed with Wuji, he rarely blamed him. Without the court officials telling him, Emperor Chongzhen knew that Wuji had too heavy a burden on his shoulders.
He is needed everywhere. Not to mention that he is lazy, even a diligent person would probably be too tired to bear it.
But... every time Emperor Chongzhen thought of this, he felt very aggrieved. Military power has been the most important weapon of a country since ancient times. He would not trust anyone else to entrust it to except this kid Wuji.
The report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard said that Wuji had returned triumphantly with his troops and was almost at Yongning Prefecture.
In a blink of an eye, it has been almost three months since he last saw the boy, and Emperor Chongzhen often mentioned him in his spare time.
"Mr. Wang, do you have any latest report? Where are the Imperial Guards?" Emperor Chongzhen asked Wang Chengen casually.
Wang Chengen said gently with a smile on his face:
"Your Majesty, I didn't send you a letter yesterday, but I estimate that it will take at most three to five days for you to reach the capital."
It would only take six or seven days for the infantry to travel from the capital to Shanhaiguan, and Wang Chengen had already calculated the approximate time.
In fact, the emperor had asked him this before the morning court session, but the emperor himself might have forgotten it.
Not only before the morning court, I asked him two or three times yesterday. Otherwise, it would be said that the Duke of Zhenguo is the blessing of the Ming Dynasty.
"Hmm." Emperor Chongzhen replied casually, then seemed to remember something and asked again:
"Otomo, tell me, how should I reward Wuji this time?"
In terms of military achievements, the previous wars combined probably cannot match this one.
After all, recovering lost territory is a great event that brings glory to any dynasty.
What's more, so many cities were recovered at once, occupying more than one-third of the area of the Jiannu.
Especially the Battle of Guanshan, which annihilated all the elite troops of the Jiannu. From then on, the Mongols became a loose sand, and the Jiannu no longer had the energy to invade the border.
With such military achievements, if he were a commoner, it would not be an exaggeration to give him the title of Duke.
But the problem is that Zhang Shikang is already the hereditary Duke of Zhenguo, and the next higher title he can get is only the title of king.
For more than two hundred years, the Ming Dynasty rarely granted titles of king to kings of different surnames, except for the times of founding the country and the Jingnan Rebellion.
Emperor Chongzhen has been thinking about this matter recently, not because he is reluctant.
It's just a title of king. If being crowned a king can make Wuji wholeheartedly work for him to revive the Ming Dynasty, he would probably be so happy that he couldn't sleep.
Not to mention one, I would be happy to seal all three.
Naturally, the ministers would not object, after all, the merits were there.
"Your Majesty, this is a matter of national importance. Your Majesty will make his own decision. How dare I speak rashly?" Wang Chengen replied gently.
He was very dutiful, especially when it came to important matters at court. He never forgot that he was just an eunuch and would never comment on matters that he shouldn't.
"I asked you to speak, so just speak. Just think of it as a casual chat between us master and servant." Emperor Chongzhen said half in an order and half in an encouraging tone.
Wang Chengen bowed deeply and then said in a low voice:
"If the Duke of Zhenguo is promoted to a higher rank, he will only be crowned a king.
This old servant does not think that the merit is not enough. The merit of the Duke of Zhenguo is definitely enough.
But Your Majesty should be aware that the Duke of Zhenguo has only just come of age this year."
Wang Chengen didn’t say much, but he actually made it very clear.
The merits were enough, but Zhang Shikang was only twenty years old. If he was crowned king at the age of twenty, what would he do in the future?
As the saying goes, rewards should be given according to merit, and the military emphasizes rewarding those who have made contributions and punishing those who have made mistakes. If he can make more military achievements in the future - of course, as of now, this is almost certain - how will he be rewarded in the future?
"Oh, of course I know, that's why I'm in such a dilemma!"
Zhang Shikang's promotion speed is superb in all dynasties.
In just a few years, he was promoted from Earl to Marquis, and from Marquis to Duke. The key was that they were awarded the titles based on their real military achievements.
If an ordinary person wanted to become an earl, he would probably have to struggle for most of his life.
Seeing his master in trouble, Wang Chengen took the initiative to say:
"Your Majesty, don't worry too much. This old servant feels that the Duke of Zhenguo is an extraordinary person. He doesn't seem to care much about titles, money, and power.
This old servant thinks that the emperor should think about what the prince wants.
After all, it is human nature to cater to the interests of others."
This sentence somewhat awakened Emperor Chongzhen, but after only a moment, he immediately frowned and became very impatient.
Because he knew what Wuji wanted.
Wang Chengen felt a little regretful after he finished speaking. He was thinking in the way of an ordinary person, but he ignored the fact that the Duke of Zhenguo was lazy. Wouldn't this make the emperor unhappy?
Fortunately, Fang Zhenghua from the East Factory suddenly asked for a meeting, which resolved the embarrassment between the master and servant.
"Manager Fang, is there any news about Wuji? Where are they?" Emperor Chongzhen asked immediately.
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the news from the Duke, but not all of it," Fang Zhenghua replied.
Emperor Chongzhen became even more impatient and said:
"If you have anything to say, say it quickly."
"Your Majesty, the barbarians report that Yongning Prefecture has been hit by heavy rains. The Luan River and several other rivers have swelled dramatically, causing flooding and displacing the people."
"What about Shikang? Have they been affected?" Emperor Chongzhen frowned and looked very worried.
The last report also said that the Royal Guards would arrive in Yongping Prefecture. Natural disasters are as terrible as wars. After all, human power is so insignificant in the face of disasters.
"Your Majesty, the Duke is fine. He is leading the Imperial Guards in disaster relief efforts."