Chapter 603 The Kingdom of Independence

Liu Zongzhou was actually very annoyed by Gao Qiqian. People from the Donglin Party were originally very angry with eunuchs. When Wei Zhongxian was autocratic, the battle between the Donglin Party and Wei Yin was shocking the world and the ghosts and gods. The Donglin Party members who died in prison were one after another. In the end, the laws of nature were clear and retribution was unhappy. The Donglin Party still managed to laugh to the end and successfully defeated Wei Yin.

When Chongzhen came to power, the Donglin Party members persuaded Chongzhen to suppress the eunuchs and suppress the factory guards. The eunuchs' power was indeed depressed for a while. But later, Chongzhen gradually used the middle official (i.e. the decent name of eunuchs), and the eunuchs' power increased again, which made people in the Donglin Party very troubled. Now that Gao Qiqian is so arrogant, Liu Zongzhou's anger will come up immediately.

Without caring about the emperor in front, Liu Zongzhou also pointed at Gao Qi and cursed: "You are a castrator! You are a conspirator! You are a misleading country and the people! You cannot identify the abnormal movements in Liaodong! You cannot identify the abnormal movements in Mongolia! You are like a joke! You have the fate to fight and procrastinate! You need money and food to fill your own bags!"

He was not a high official position, but he was just a minister of the Ministry of Works, but his fame was quite high. There were not many scholars in the world who didn't know him. Otherwise, he would not have accompanied Fu Zonglong, the Minister of Works, tonight, tonight. To be honest, Liu Zongzhou's reputation was much greater than Fu Zonglong. His accusations were like storming Gao Qiqian into the eighteenth level hell. As long as any of them was found, Gao Qiqian would end up with a crushing bone and ashes.

Gao Qiqian immediately stopped doing it. In terms of eloquence, he was definitely not a match for these literati. After continuing to argue with Liu Zongzhou, he was only scolded for being decent. However, he had Chongzhen to rely on. He immediately threw himself to the ground and said cryingly: "Your Majesty, you want to be the master of your servants! Liu Lao Pian slandered me so much, just slandering you, the emperor! The emperor, everything I do is for the country, the people, and the emperor! Heaven and earth can be seen, and the laws of heaven are clear!"

Chongzhen's face was indeed gloomy, stared at Liu Zongzhou coldly, and said impatiently: "Liu Zongzhou, shut up! I am here, don't be arrogant!"

Liu Zongzhou had no choice but to kneel down and thank him for his gift. After standing up, he didn't say a word.

Chongzhen's face was very bad and his mood was even worse. When the group mentioned Zhang Zhun just now, Chongzhen was very depressed. Not only did the Ministry of War know about the invasion of the Tartars, but he himself also knew about it. The cabinet also knew about Shi Kefa's memorials. At that time, he didn't take it seriously, thinking that Zhang Zhun had ulterior motives, so he put it aside and ignored it. Unexpectedly, the Tartars were really here.

I regret it, Chongzhen really regrets it. After receiving the news of the Tartars' third invasion, Chongzhen's mood can only be described in two words, that is obscure. In addition to obscure, he also seems very unwilling to accept it. He doesn't understand that he reviews memorials so diligently and handles state affairs so diligently, and even gives up the love between men and women. The national destiny is still so bad. When will the Tatars get the end of their invasions?

Liu Zongzhou's words greatly hurt Chongzhen. Chongzhen did not think that Liu Zongzhou was reprimanding Gao Qiqian, but scolding himself. Because, Liaodong was in a strange movement, he knew that the Mongols might have an invasion, and he also knew that the Tartars might have invaded. If he had to talk about a joke, he would have his own part. He was the emperor, so of course he would not admit his mistake. After the Nei Lin was stabbed, his usual behavior was to fight back fiercely. As a result, he shouted Liu Zongzhou without hesitation.

Yang Yipeng and Liu Zongzhou had a good relationship, so of course they didn't want to see Chongzhen continue to pursue Liu Zongzhou's responsibility. They stumbled on the topic intentionally or unintentionally: "The big mistake has been made, and it's useless to say more. Dear officials, please think about how to save the crisis as soon as possible. In my opinion, the Tartars will not retreat without three or five months of going south this time. I'm afraid that by then, the entire Northern Zhili will be ravaged into a hell on earth, and even the canal from the Yellow River to the capital will be destroyed. At that time, the money and food in Jiangnan cannot be supplied to the capital, but what should I do?"

Sure enough, when this big problem was raised, even if Gao Qiqian was resentful to Liu Zongzhou, he had to be distracted. In war, it would be impossible to have no money and food. If there is not enough money and food, not to mention lack of morale, soldiers may even have internal conflicts. The lessons of the first invasion of the Tatars in the second year of Chongzhen are still vivid in everyone's mind. No one wants to repeat the fate of Geng Ruqi and Zhang Honggong. If he does not want to repeat the same mistake, he must find a way to ensure sufficient money and food supply.

The capital has a population of over one million, and the money and food consumed every day is astronomical. With the possible arrival of the king-stricken army, the population will continue to increase. Now the price of coarse grains per stone in the capital has exceeded two taels of silver. If the price continues to soar, the situation will be even worse. Once there is chaos or even internal strife within the capital, the situation will be critical.

Fu Zonglong, the Minister of Works of the Ministry of Works, said slowly: "In the opinion of the minister, we must rely on Zhang Zhun's strength. Even if we cannot fight the Tartars, it is very necessary to ask him to send troops to maintain the safety of the canal."

Qiao Yunsheng, the Minister of Justice, nodded and said, "I also agree to ask Zhang Ni to send troops. The problem is that I am afraid that Zhang Ni will not agree easily. All the officials should think of ways to mobilize the thief. Since this thief can eliminate so many Tartars in Huang County, it must be possible to cause trouble for the Tartars in other places."

In the second year of Chongzhen, he was the Minister of Justice. When the Tartars invaded, dozens of prisoners took the opportunity to escape because of improper handling. As a result, Chongzhen was angry and put him in prison, causing him to almost die in prison. In fact, for a second-rank minister of the Ministry of Justice, dozens of prisoners were really a trivial matter. It was as if dozens of prisoners escaped in a prison today, and it did not have much to do with the Minister of Justice. However, Chongzhen, who was on the fire at that time, vented his anger on him and simply jailed him.

Until not long ago, Qiao Yunsheng was reinstated and re-appointed as Minister of Justice. Therefore, from the bottom of his heart, Qiao Yunsheng did not want to repeat the same mistake. In addition, for some special reasons, Qiao Yunsheng had contacts with Zhao Ren, the judge of Dali Temple, and Zhao Ren and Gao Hongtu had contacts. Naturally, he had more knowledge of Zhang Zhun than others. Therefore, Qiao Yunsheng's understanding of Zhang Zhun was relatively neutral.

Unlike Liu Zongzhou, Qiao Yunsheng was not worried about the influence of "Juntian Ling". Because his hometown was Luoyang, Henan. Where is Luoyang? It is the location of the Fu Palace. Due to his father's extreme favor, Fu Wang was in Luoyang and even the entire Henan, which was covered by the sky. The land under the name of Fu Wang had 30 to 40 million mu, which basically occupied most of the fertile land in Henan. Everyone else had to stand aside, even if you were also an official.

Even Qiao Yunsheng, the Minister of Justice, was there, but he only bought hundreds of acres of land. According to the provisions of the "Equal Field Order", as long as the landlord separates the fields, each person's name will not exceed fifty acres. Qiao Yunsheng is completely acceptable to such a regulation. Even if all the fields are not allowed, his family has not had a large population, and it is not difficult to relocate them all into Laizhou Prefecture.

To be serious, Luoyang, Henan is really too dangerous. It is a place of four battles, with chaos, and the officials are chasing each other, turning over and over, like a comb, combing the fields over and over again. If you are not careful, you may be destroyed by chaos or defeated soldiers. In the past, the 36th Battalion of the Shaanxi chaos army gathered in Henan, so Qiao Yunsheng was worried.

Qiao Yunsheng himself was straightforward and upright, and he even thought of Laizhou Prefecture as a small prosecutor, and he was unwilling to worry about the Minister of Justice. His greatest wish was to create a clear sky within his jurisdiction, so that all criminals would be punished, and all darkness would be exposed under the sun.

It is impossible in the court to do this. The only hopeful place is the territory controlled by Zhang Zhun. According to Zhang Shenyan, Zhang Zhun still attaches great importance to the rule of law and does not allow any violation of laws and discipline. If he can come to Zhang Zhun's controlled area, he will definitely play a greater role. Therefore, Qiao Yunsheng is clearly sharing the worries and solving problems for the court, but in fact, he is secretly helping Zhang Zhun speak, hoping that Zhang Zhun will get greater benefits.

Wang Kun and Gao Qiqian looked at each other, temporarily letting go of their conflicts, and said in unison: "Your Majesty, I think that Zhang Ni can do it."

It is naturally the best to pull Zhang Zhun to deal with the Tartars together. Gao Qiqian received news from Wu Sangui that it was Zhang Zhun's troops and could indeed fight. Wu Sangui's undisguised suggestion that once the Tartars beckoned south, Zhang Zhun should be asked to take the lead, which is very beneficial to the court.

Yang Sichang said: "I will discuss it."

Liu Zongzhou also said: "I will discuss it."

Hou Xun, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said in a sleepwalking voice: "I am also asking."

Liang Tingdong and Zhang Fengyi looked at each other and said one after another: "I'm going to discuss it."

To be able to use Zhang Zhun's hands to eliminate the Tartars, or to use the Tartars' hands to eliminate Zhang Zhun, there are only benefits and no harm to the court. If both die together, it would be even better.

Yang Yipeng said with some concern: "I would like to ask the emperor to think twice! Zhang Zhun took the initiative to fight with the Tartars, which actually came with conditions, that is, he wanted to also take charge of Shandong military affairs. If this condition was not met, I don't think he would agree to go to war."

Fu Zonglong said with some confusion: "What's wrong with being in charge of Shandong's military affairs? The Tartars went south and obviously wanted to go straight to Shandong. With the current military strength of the Shandong Governor, I'm afraid there is no resistance? In the end, you have to rely on Zhang Zhun? What's the difference here?"

Yang Yipeng said obscenely: "Zhonglun, you don't know that Zhang Zhun likes the most is to expand his territory. If he gives him all the military affairs in Shandong, the court will not expect to get a tiny bit of benefits in Shandong in the future. The current Laizhou Prefecture, Dengzhou Prefecture, and Dongjiang Town are completely independent kingdoms, and outsiders cannot pour water into it."

Wen Tiren said calmly: "Since that's the case, what are the suggestions for Otomo?"

Yang Yipeng's name is Dayou and his pseudonym is Kuncen. Usually people call him Kuncen, but only Wen Tiren has always called him Dayou, and he has a very despised him. Dayou, Dayou, such a word is indeed not very elegant. Yang Yipeng said tactfully: "Why would you like to give him a false title."

Liu Zongzhou shook his head and said, "Wu Tie? That's definitely not possible! This thief doesn't take this trick!"

Yang Yipeng said worriedly: "If he really lets him take charge of Shandong's military affairs, what's wrong? Don't forget that the canal also passes through Shandong. If the Tatars block the canal, the capital will be in trouble. If the canal is blocked by Zhang Zhun, the capital will also be in trouble. Dear officials, you will never want to see Zhang Zhun's eyes in the future."

When it comes to the canal, everyone has no interest in speaking. The transportation of the canal is too important, and the court must not let it take control of others. Obviously, Zhang Zhun cannot be in charge of Shandong's military affairs. In such a huge Shandong, it must not be given to Zhang Zhun for nothing. The territory that falls into his hands is a real meat bun to beat a dog, and there is no return.

However, if Zhang Zhun was not given some substantial benefits, I believe Zhang Zhun would never contribute to the court. This guy had long been a rebel and had long stated that he was not the same as the court. But now the court and him are all using each other. At his position, official positions, empty titles, titles, etc. are difficult to impress. The only thing that can impress him is territory. It must be a considerable territory.

Cao Huachun suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Hu Ben Army has already arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture. I wonder if it is true? If Zhang Ni's people are stationed in Qingzhou Prefecture, it is better to let him take charge of the military affairs of Qingzhou Prefecture. We and him take a step back and each have their own choices. Maybe he can accept it. If Shandong's territory is not enough, we can also allocate the entire Liaodong to him."

Liu Zongzhou hesitated and said, "I'm afraid that the land of a mansion is not enough..."

Fu Zonglong said tactfully: "Everything is easy to discuss! Before discussing, who knows what Zhang Zhun was thinking?"

Chongzhen was very decisive and said in a simple and clear manner: "Let Shi Kefa negotiate with Zhang Ni and see the situation. Changqing, you can arrest this matter."

Wen Tiren actually didn't want to interfere in Zhang Zhun's affairs. He always felt that Zhang Zhun was too dangerous. He should try not to do things directly with him. He should not do things too extreme, otherwise there would be no way out. However, Chongzhen appointed him to be responsible, so he had to agree and then look for Shi Kefa.

After major events agreed, everyone dispersed one after another.
Chapter completed!