Chapter 204: Eating one fish in two ways

Zhu Yijun signaled Feng Bao to announce the decree. This edict for the Grand Tutor had been written by the Inner Secretariat long ago, just waiting for the Ministry of Personnel to request it. Wan Shihe directly requested the grace for Zhang Juzheng, which came just in time. This Grand Tutor name is well-deserved.

Feng Bao flicked his whisk, stood in front of the imperial edict, and said in a loud voice: "By the order of heaven, the emperor decrees:"

"The Senior Grand Secretary received the order from the late emperor to assist me. It has been four years, and his merits and virtues are outstanding. Now, for the first-grade nine-year performance review, the grace should be generous. He is specially promoted to Grand Preceptor of the Left Pillar, promoted to Grand Tutor, paid the salary of an Earl, concurrently holding his original official position, given the due imperial edict, and also given an imperial decree to reward him, bestowed a banquet at the Ministry of Rites, and one son is granted the position of Secretary of the Imperial Seal Office, to match my intention of rewarding loyalty and labor."

"Respect this."

Zhu Yijun followed the request of the Ministry of Personnel and promoted Zhang Juzheng, whose nine-year performance review was top grade.

Zhang Juzheng presented his first "Memorial of Declining the Grace of Promotion" to the imperial front. Zhang Juzheng had always been declining before, and there was no imperial decree. Everyone knew it without saying it. Now that the nine-year review is full, it is time to be promoted.

In the imperial edict, Zhu Yijun specifically mentioned paying the salary of an Earl. The next step is to confer an Earl title on Zhang Juzheng. The relationship between Qi Jiguang and Zhang Juzheng is complementary. In fact, not only Qi Jiguang, but Li Chengliang, Liu Xian and his son, Yin Zhengmao, Ling Yunyi, etc., all sought shelter under Zhang Juzheng to be able to display their ambitions.

Great Ming's current national policy is the "enriching the country and strengthening the military" proposed by Zhang Juzheng. And strengthening the military inevitably requires revitalizing martial arts. Revitalizing martial arts requires giving military generals power. Giving military generals power requires discussing the relationship between civil and military officials. Military generals are like slaves to civil officials. This is the status quo of Great Ming before revitalizing martial arts.

Great Ming was able to support its huge and weak body in the Wanli years and display its skills, winning repeatedly, which is closely related to Zhang Juzheng's new policies.

Zhu Yijun finished reading Zhang Juzheng's first memorial of declining the grace of promotion and discovered the firmness of Zhang Juzheng's intention to refuse.

Zhang Juzheng really didn't want to be the Grand Tutor. It wasn't self-effacement, nor was it playing any tricks. The reason for declining was that his virtue was insufficient, and His Majesty's reliance was heavy, treating him as a teacher and treating him as a confidant, which was enough.

Zhang Juzheng was very emotional in the memorial, saying that he had been in the cabinet for more than nine years, and his mental energy had been wasted in vain. Actually, there was no political achievement to speak of. The world was still trapped in annexation, the commoners were still being extorted by the powerful and influential gentry like grass, the four barbarians were still eyeing China like tigers, border provocations were frequent, and the four seas were not yet peaceful.

The main contradiction had not been relieved. Although enriching the country and strengthening the military had been realized to some extent, it was just gathering wealth and profit, and had not fundamentally or structurally changed Great Ming's production structure and lifestyle. To ask His Majesty for the position of Grand Tutor with this little merit was really too shameless.

It says: "I have no merit or virtue, how can I bear it? If I do not measure the peace of my own position, I will inevitably bring about the disaster of collapse. This is why I think about it repeatedly, dare not take it as an honor, and deeply fear it."

"Continue the court deliberation." Zhu Yijun showed a smile, signaling the court deliberation to continue. The first tug-of-war had ended.

The court officials actually all knew very well that Zhang Juzheng could not resist His Majesty. His Majesty is the emperor, and the thunder and rain are all imperial favors.

Minister of War Tan Lun bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, because of Tang Kekuan's death, I request the court to set a standard for reporting merits."

"The standard for reporting merits is the power of the country to sharpen the world. Below the rank of Regional Military Commissioner, those who die in battle are all granted hereditary official titles; for Vice Regional Commanders and Regional Commanders, they are granted exceptional preferential treatment as flowing officials; only Regional Military Commissioners who should be promoted to Regional Military Commissioner are restricted by the saying that flowing officials are not hereditary. Is it that the official rank is high, but death is not worth regretting?"

"From now on, all Regional Military Commissioners who step forward to face the enemy and die in battle, in addition to the pension for themselves and the eldest son inheriting the ancestral position, should also take one second son, grant him a crown and belt, and if the platoon leader has meritorious service and died tragically, grant him a trial company commander, both hereditary. If there is no second son, take the eldest son or the next grandson to inherit."

Because Tang Kekuan was greedy for merit and rashly advanced, he was killed. If it weren't for the censors talking endlessly, his son would have inherited the ancestral position. But the censors brought this matter to the table for discussion, so he could only be punished, and his hereditary official position was stripped.

Tan Lun's meaning is: in the future, if a Regional Military Commissioner steps forward to face the enemy and dies in battle, in addition to the original hereditary position, grant another hereditary company commander.

Tan Lun is for the sake of revitalizing martial arts. Tan Lun, a civil official with thick eyebrows and big eyes, speaks for military generals everywhere. Now, giving the due treatment is not enough, and he wants to give another hereditary company commander. Tan Lun is just a martial artist wearing a civil official's skin.

This standard for reporting merits had also been campaigned for by Tan Lun for a long time, investigated from various aspects, and communicated with the six ministries and the cabinet. He also met the emperor twice, explaining the purpose in detail. In summary, it was revitalizing martial arts, revitalizing martial arts, and specifically revitalizing martial arts!

If you can't win, the country will have no peace, and the people will not be able to rest!

The content of this court deliberation was agreed upon by most people. Hereditary company commanders, actually, in the early Ming Dynasty, were an important force against the gentry. With the general trend of promoting literature and suppressing martial arts for more than one hundred and fifty years, military commoners fled their posts, and hereditary company commanders and battalion commanders could no longer effectively resist the gentry.

Tan Lun also knew that this matter was deeply rooted and difficult to return. The general trend of promoting literature and suppressing martial arts for more than one hundred and fifty years was not something Tan Lun could influence. In the Wanli years, the hereditary sixth-rank military official, the company commander, commanded 120 people. The court could neither give salary nor command troops. It was just an honor.

The only function was that in the future, the descendants could say that their ancestors had made contributions to Great Ming.

"Since there is no objection, then let it be so." Zhu Yijun saw that the court officials did not object, and agreed according to the trend.

Zhang Juzheng took out another memorial and said: "The Governor of Shandong and the Censor impeached the Magistrate of Changyi, Sun Mingfeng, for being corrupt and lawless."

"Censor-in-Chief Hai said: 'Your Majesty is working hard to govern. We, the ministers, embody your virtue and intention, using frugality to lead the hundred officials, and the laws and regulations are also slightly revitalized. However, the wind of corruption among officials has not stopped. If you want the world to be peaceful, you must settle the commoners. If you want to settle the commoners, you must have honest and fair officials.' The person impeached is Sun Mingfeng, who is corrupt and lawless and should be severely punished."

Hence Hai Rui, the vanguard of killing the wind of corruption, identified that this Sun Mingfeng was not an honest official and must be severely punished without leniency.

Zhu Yijun held the memorial in his hand and said: "Tsk tsk, this Sun Mingfeng was a magistrate for three years and took 70,000 taels of silver. He was so corrupt that even his immediate superior couldn't stand it and directly reported him, fearing that Sun Mingfeng would continue to be so corrupt and burn the fire to himself."

According to the principle of "not blaming the past," before Hence Hai Rui took charge of killing the wind of corruption, everyone closed one eye and opened one eye to the past bribery, after all, it wasn't emphasized in the past, but it is emphasized now.

The Governor of Shandong reported this Sun Mingfeng, which was because this Sun Mingfeng, under the court's repeated orders, still didn't change his old habits, taking silver from the gentry to protect the powerful and treacherous.

"70,000 taels of silver, in the Hongwu years, would have been enough to peel the skin and stuff the grass 3,500 times." Zhu Yijun shook his head repeatedly.

Sun Mingfeng's verified corruption exceeded 70,000 taels of silver, which could support a battalion for a year.

Wan Shihe heard His Majesty say this and said very definitely: "Your Majesty, peeling the skin and stuffing the grass has never been seen in the national code, let alone real examples. However, Emperor Taizu Gao was deeply disgusted with corruption and personally issued edicts four times to execute several corrupt officials."

Wan Shihe searched through the national code and historical records and never found the saying of peeling the skin, which was just rendered by later generations to describe the cruelty of Emperor Gao.

But Emperor Gao's handling of corruption was very strict, often killing people. Just personally issuing edicts to behead and show the public exceeded four times, and it ran through the entire Hongwu years. It was also under this high pressure that Emperor Gao's cruel image became more and more deeply rooted.

"Take him to the capital for questioning. According to the Great Ming Code, strip him of his official status, deprive him of his merit, forbid him from signing official documents, and exile him to Luzon." Zhu Yijun chose the top-level handling. Anti-corruption is an important means of rectifying official governance after the malpractice of leniency.

Ma Ziqiang finished reading the memorial in his hand and asked suspiciously: "Minister Wan, the vacancies for the Magistrate of Changyi and the Magistrate of Fei County will be filled by the Vice Prefect of Dongping Prefecture, Yang Guo, and the Registrar, Zhao Jiao?"

The Magistrate of Fei County had been vacant for more than half a month. The Magistrate of Fei County was not a corrupt official; he died of illness in office. The Ministry of Personnel holds the power of personnel appointment and removal, also known as the Ministry of Selection, so they recommended Vice Prefect Yang Guo and Registrar Zhao Jiao.

"Yang Guo and Zhao Jiao are not Jinshi or Juren, but clerks." Minister of Rites Ma Ziqiang reminded Wan Shihe that this thing violated the current officialdom ecology. Without merit, how can one be an official?

Since they are small clerks, they should just be clerks for a lifetime.

Wan Shihe said quite definitely: "Not having a background is not a problem. Virtue and talent, promotion and transfer every nine years, is the ancestral law of the country. Why not? When the court uses people, it appoints people according to their talent. These two are both promoted and transferred every nine years. Handling government affairs and presiding over local affairs is far better than some Jinshi who have just finished reading books."

Jiao Hong and Zhang Siwen discussed a problem when they met at the Quanchu Guild Hall for the first time, which was the promotion of clerks to official status. From clerk to official, there has been an insurmountable chasm since the Xuande years.

And now, Wan Shihe wants to break this chasm and promote Yang Guo and Zhao Jiao to official status.

Wan Shihe's reason is the ancestral law, which is the old system of the Hongwu and Yongle years. Since Jinshi and Juren are not easy to use, it is better to use these experienced old clerks.

"That is indeed the case." Ma Ziqiang was silent for a moment and agreed with Wan Shihe's act of recommending clerks to be officials.

Ma Ziqiang is Zhang Juzheng's person and values capable officials more. Passing the palace examination, winning the merit, these book-reading people who read dead books and read books to death, when they arrive at the local level, really can't fight these gentry. And those from clerk backgrounds are all experienced old clerks, and they have ways to deal with these gentry.

At present, Great Ming is clearing fields. Wang Shizhen was dismissed, isn't it because of the chaos caused by clearing fields in Jiangling County?

"What does the Senior Grand Secretary think?" Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and asked.

Zhang Juzheng pondered for a while and bowed his head: "Sun Mingfeng is corrupt, relying on his Jinshi background, so he dares to be reckless. If it were Juren or clerks, they would inevitably have some fear. I think that when Your Majesty uses people in the future, you should look at their functions and don't have to ask about their qualifications."

Sun Mingfeng, this Jinshi, has classmates, teachers, and fellow townsmen, so he dared to be so reckless, reckless to the point that his immediate superior wanted to report him. But if it were Juren and clerks, they wouldn't have so many human resources, and instead could only rely on the power given by the court. And promotion every nine years is already well-tested and experienced. Using people by looking at their functions, without asking about their qualifications.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said: "Hmm, as the Senior Grand Secretary said."

In Huanggu Town, Pinghu, Zhejiang, there was originally a piece of sea-mud-silted land. This kind of sea-mud land where the sea water has retreated is saline-alkali land, so the local commoners lived in extreme poverty.

In the fourth year of Wanli, Huanggu Town did not exist.

Zhang Juzheng appointed people according to their talent and promoted many clerks to be county magistrates. Among them was an honest official named Huang Qing, who was talented and resourceful, and his performance review every year was top grade. In the eleventh year of Wanli, he should have been promoted to Prefect, but at that time, Zhang Juzheng had already left for nearly a year, and the court began to counter-attack Zhang Juzheng. This Huang Qing was demoted to this sea-mud land that didn't even have a name.

After Huang Qing arrived here, he began to actively prepare to build sea dikes, intending to improve the people's livelihood by raising fish and sea vegetables.

Huang Qing died of illness on this sea-mud land. Huang Qing's younger sister came from Jiangxi to the sea-mud land to mourn, and after handling her brother's funeral, she discovered her brother's unfinished business, so she settled down on the sea-mud land and continued to dig sea dikes.

After the sea dikes were dug, this place was called Huanggu Pond, which later became Huanggu Town. The commoners lived on the sea dikes for generations and sacrificed to them generation after generation.

Zhang Juzheng actually doesn't like to talk about background. He was born in a military household and was ridiculed as a small-family background whose mud on his legs hadn't been washed clean.

In history, the Wanli Emperor attached great importance to background. For example, because his eldest son Zhu Changluo was born to a palace maid, he quarreled with Empress Dowager Li and the court officials, just because he looked down on Zhu Changluo's background.

The "National Foundation Case" had the conflict between imperial power and ministerial power. However, the Wanli Emperor lost in the National Foundation Case.

Zhu Yijun used the vermilion brush on this memorial and said happily: "If they do a good job, they can be specially granted the title of Juren or Jinshi. The method mentioned by Censor-in-Chief Hai before is a good idea."

Juren who go to Luzon can be specially granted the title of Jinshi. Then, specially granting the title of Juren and Jinshi might not be able to become an important way for Great Ming to select officials.

These Jinshi have no threat. They have lain down for too long, thinking that they have everything after passing the examination. They have no competitive pressure, so they naturally start to talk about nature and mind with hands in sleeves.

These clerks who are "scroll kings" are put into a relatively fair environment to roll together, which can effectively revitalize official governance.

Zhang Juzheng heard this and revealed a gratified smile. He declined the position of Grand Tutor many times because he knew that the emperor had gradually learned to use the power in his hands. This Grand Tutor was completely unnecessary.

Ge Shouli presented a very interesting memorial, saying: "In today's officialdom, the malpractice of leniency has just been removed, but bribery is still rampant. In the eyes of the scholars of the world, the court is still dark and lawless, and the path of officialdom is difficult to clear."

Ge Shouli discovered that outer officials always sent people to the capital to handle things everywhere. The Five Cities Censors, the Investigation Yamen, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard should pay attention to visiting and capturing these political brokers who come to the capital to handle things.

How to visit and capture these brokers?

Start from all kinds of banquets: teacher-thanking banquets, teacher-worshiping banquets, fellow-townsmen gatherings, poetry gatherings, private entrustments, etc. The Embroidered Uniform Guard should pay attention to brokers from all kinds of banquets.

And strictly order: "Capital officials, whether in or out of the capital, must also prohibit banquets, diligently cultivate their professions, and show the wind to all directions. If they indulge in pleasure and do not keep the official code, they will be severely punished."

Capital officials, whether in or out of the capital, are not allowed to participate in any form of banquet. If they indulge in pleasure and participate in banquets, all officials of the country can impeach them. If verified, they will be punished, dismissed, and deprived of their merit.

"Ge Gong, is this also part of party building?" Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial and asked somewhat puzzled.

Ge Shouli said very definitely: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this is also part of party building, clearing the atmosphere of the official path."

"So it is." Zhu Yijun used the vermilion brush on Ge Shouli's memorial. This will become an imperial decree and be passed on to all directions.

At the end of the court deliberation, bad news came: the former Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, Minister of Rites, and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, Zhao Zhenji, died of illness in his hometown in Sichuan, requesting the court to grant a posthumous title and official burial.

The Ministry of Rites decided on "Wen Su," the Ministry of Personnel granted "Grand Tutor," and thus Zhao Zhenji's life came to an end.

Zhao Zhenji was at odds with Gao Gong, which led to his resignation and return to his hometown. After returning to his hometown, he had been closing his doors to guests, writing books, and died today.

Zhao Zhenji became a Juren in the seventh year of Jiajing, but didn't enter the capital for the examination until the fourteenth year of Jiajing.

At that time, Zhao Zhenji liked to cultivate "out-of-the-world learning" in quiet ancient temples. Zhao Zhenji's father took out an arm-thick stick and drove Zhao Zhenji to the capital to take the examination. He was the second in the first rank of the metropolitan examination, the second in the second rank of the palace examination, and was selected as a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.

In the seventeenth year of Jiajing, Zhao Zhenji presented a "Memorial Begging for True Confucianism," scolding Emperor Jiajing for liking to burn incense and cultivate, and indulging in alchemy. The Daoist master was very angry. He hadn't started to rot yet, but he was scolded, so he drove Zhao Zhenji home to study.

Zhao Zhenji returned to the court again, just in time for the Andahan Khan to plunder the capital. No one dared to say the sentence of promising the Andahan Khan's request and letting the Andahan Khan retreat for a while before discussing. Zhao Zhenji said it.

Zhao Zhenji was later demoted to Guangxi because he offended Yan Song and his son. After ups and downs, when he resigned, he was the Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

After the court deliberation, Zhu Yijun took Zhao Zhenji's nameplate off the fifteen-page official position screen.

Tan Lun did not leave directly, but had an in-depth discussion with His Majesty about the reason for the loss of combat effectiveness of Great Ming's border troops.

Tan Lun said with great sorrow: "Speaking of why border troops cannot fight, it must start from the second year of Zhengtong, when Wang Ji received a secret decree to kill the Regional Military Commissioner An Jing."

"Since then, the general trend of promoting literature and suppressing martial arts has been formed. Civil officials have the power of life and death over military officials. At this time, the Daning Guard and the Hetao border troops fell into a vicious circle. Every battle must not report too many casualties."

"If too many casualties were reported, the court would inevitably investigate, and all military generals would be labeled as ineffective in combat and incompetent."

"So, casualties were reported as few as possible. But the battalion commanders, assistant regional commanders, vice regional commanders, and regional commanders who died had to be reported as they were, because they couldn't be hidden. After all, they were military generals who died in battle. During the Jiajing years, the battle reports were already bizarre. The regional commanders and vice regional commanders of Xuanda and Liaodong died in battle one after another, but there were no soldiers who died in battle."

"This is very strange."

"After all, soldiers died in battle. How to account for it? Allocate it to daily illness, fleeing posts, training, fleeing posts, and accidents."

This was the first time Zhu Yijun heard such a statement. He frowned and said: "Wouldn't that mean the soldiers who died in battle wouldn't have pensions?"

Tan Lun let out a breath of turbid air and said: "Your Majesty is wise."

"The soldiers who died in battle had no pensions. In this way, the soldiers had no heart to fight and defend. Even the words 'horse leather shroud' and 'loyalty and bravery' could not be obtained. When fighting, they naturally had low morale. As time went on, the Capital Battalion was disbanded in the first year of Tianshun. Great Ming was repeatedly defeated in Hetao and Daning Guard, and eventually lost Hetao and Daning Guard."

Going to the battlefield to kill the enemy, the result was becoming a "staged death." They died on the battlefield for Great Ming, but couldn't get pensions, and even they themselves were "staged deaths," reported as fleeing posts every once in a while, becoming deserters.

Under the general trend of promoting literature and suppressing martial arts, not only silver and grain, but also honor and disgrace were all covered up.

This is also the reason why Tan Lun repeatedly campaigned for the standard of reporting merits. The Loyalty and Bravery Shrine must be built, and hereditary military officials must be given. Even if there is no salary, giving some honor is better than giving nothing.

A strange quantitative standard, but exceptionally reasonable.

"Hmm, so that's how it is." Zhu Yijun sighed. No wonder from Qi Jiguang to Li Chengliang, they all requested to build a Loyalty and Bravery Shrine and record the merits of the soldiers.

An octagonal pavilion, a loyalty and bravery stele, engraved with names and events. The Loyalty and Bravery Shrine doesn't even have official sacrifices, but it is also an important reference for military officials to measure the court's wind. If the court is still willing to build such steles, it is revitalizing martial arts. If it is not even willing to build such steles, then the court is suppressing martial arts.

A strange quantitative standard, but exceptionally reasonable.

"Recently, the Liaodong Censor Hou Yuzhao and the Daning Military Affairs Consultant Zhou Liangyin have already started farming in Zhangwu and Daning Guard respectively." Zhu Yijun took out a memorial. This was what Hou Yuzhao reported.

"Hou Yuzhao is loyal to the monarch and loves the country." Tan Lun said with great emotion. With this kind of play, the Tümen Khan simply couldn't stop it.

Hou Yuzhao was playing a very new way of attacking.

That is, under the exploration of the night scouts of the beacon towers, find a place suitable for building a soil camp, and then advance forward, just like a small knife cutting meat, cutting off a small piece at a time, and swallowing it into Great Ming's stomach.

This trick is somewhat unsolvable. The only problem is that there are not enough farmers.

The reason the trick is unsolvable is that there are not many people under the Tümen Khan, and some places do not always have tribes occupying all the land.

Most of the grassland people migrate with water and grass. The grassland people just gave up the territory, and Hou Yuzhao's hoe dug over. Next year, when the herdsmen want to graze, they must find a way to break these camps, but breaking these camps requires paying a heavy price.

One pawn at a time.

Zhou Liangyin saw that Hou Yuzhao was playing well, so he started too. Anyway, the matter of lightly starting border provocations and being scolded is Hou Yuzhao's, not his, Zhou Liangyin's.

The construction of the soil camp is actually very simple. It only takes ten days or half a month to build a preliminary camp.

When the Tümen Khan wants to attack these camps, he has to worry about the Daning Guard soldiers and Li Chengliang's guest troops behind him.

There are not enough farmers, but it is easy to handle. Great Ming has nothing else, but these displaced tenants are countless. The Ministry of Revenue has already recruited displaced tenants to go to Daning Guard to farm.

The Minister of Justice Wang Chonggu returned home with a tired body. He leaned heavily on the back of the chair, staring fiercely at the front with his eyes. He wanted to know who burned the coal shops on Coal Market Entrance Street.

More than a hundred people were burned to death. If it was a natural disaster, it would be fine. But recently, the Western Hills Coal Bureau was being prepared. No matter how you look at it, someone was deliberately making trouble.

"Father, the fire at the Coal Market Entrance yesterday, is there any hidden reason that makes Father so worried?" Wang Qian saw his father return home, full of exhaustion, and asked in a low voice.

"The metropolitan examination is coming soon. Prepare well. If you fail the examination again this time, you will have to take the mathematics examination next time." Wang Chonggu seemed unwilling to talk more, and hoped that his son could pass the Jinshi examination well. In the future, even if the family fell, with a Jinshi background, he would still be a gentry.

Wang Qian smiled and said: "I am still very confident. I have prepared very fully for the Jinshi examination."

"It's best if it's so." Wang Chonggu nodded. Wang Chonggu still recognized Wang Qian's studies.

Wang Qian thought for a while and still said somewhat worriedly: "Father, the fire at the Coal Market Entrance, rumors are spreading that someone set it on fire. I think Father also has some ideas. Why not tell me, and let me help you think about it."

Wang Chonggu thought for a while and explained his thoughts very clearly. Recently, someone has been releasing coal. Even if it cannot be proven to be the culprit, it can prove that they are aware of it. As long as there is a clue, one can follow the vine to find this daring person.

After listening, Wang Qian said very definitely: "Father, why not do this: eat one fish in two ways."

"How to eat one fish in two ways?" Wang Chonggu looked at Wang Qian, somewhat puzzled.

Wang Qian didn't answer immediately, but took out paper and pen, wrote and drew for a while, and said: "Since they dare to burn the Coal Market Entrance, they will naturally wait until the price of coal rises to the sky before releasing coal. Otherwise, taking such a huge risk just to earn the money of the past, these daring guys are naturally unwilling. Since they are greedy for money, let them be greedy for a while. The coal mined from the Western Hills official kilns has piled up quite a bit. According to past experience, the snow blocks the road, and the coal from the Western Hills can never reach the capital."

"We release coal every day, raising the price day by day. Someone will inevitably eat it. When the other side can't eat it anymore, that is the time to release coal! Let him lose his wife and lose his army, and we can also find him."

"The reason we can do this is that the Western Hills official kilns produce a lot of coal and can keep up with the supply. The second is to set a rule, so that no one will overestimate their own strength in the future and insist on resisting the court's imperial decree."

Wang Qian, a master of playing with people's hearts. He bought Zhang Siwen's concubines, outer rooms, servants, porters, etc., all using these means.

"Your idea is very good, but the operation is very difficult." Wang Chonggu recognized Wang Qian's idea.

But the biggest problem with this idea is finding the precise timing to release coal. Like fishing, when to lift the rod requires experience.

And Wang Chonggu's experience in doing business is very rich.

"Isn't Father here?" Wang Qian naturally knew it was very difficult.

Wang Chonggu didn't think much anymore. He hummed a little tune and went to find Qi Jiguang.

Qi Shuai bringing a battalion into the capital, in the eyes of the court officials, had no problem at all. Last time, the emperor went from inspecting the troops every five days to inspecting the troops every day, and Li Rusong led a battalion into the capital as the emperor's vanguard.

But the court officials were scared silly.

If Qi Jiguang cooperates with Zhang Juzheng to rebel, it will definitely be a river of blood. If Qi Jiguang doesn't cooperate with Zhang Juzheng to rebel, it will be even harder to handle.