After Chen Xi reported the results of the examination after the New Year was completed in the name of the Minister of Personnel, he also mentioned to the court that the robbery in the Central Plains was rapidly spreading.

In fact, the so-called expansion of theft is the famous Liu Liu and Liu Qi uprising in history.

Originally, after Chenxi introduced sweet potatoes and corn in the Americas, the lives of the people in the Central Plains improved greatly. Who knew that a sudden flood caused the traditional yellow areas such as the Yellow River, Henan, Shandong and Northern Zhili along the Daqing River to be seriously affected. The government did not know how to provide relief to the victims, but instead collected taxes according to the old rules. In addition, this area mainly undertakes the heavy responsibility of raising horses for the Ming army. Now that the horses raised die, or the horsemen who should have been born with the mare were not born, the amount was seriously insufficient. The government also forcibly demanded that the horse raisers compensate for the losses.

Farmers can only meet basic survival requirements when planting sweet potatoes and corn, but these high-yield crops cannot be sold at all on the market. The government also forced taxes or compensations according to the money. Officials forced the people to rebel, and the people had to rebel, so a rebellion that affected several provinces in the Central Plains would occur.

Liu Liu and Liu Qi are famous Hebei Xiangma. They originally operated in the Bazhou area, and there were only a few dozen cavalry in the early days. However, with the rebellion, they decisively stayed away from the center of the Ming Dynasty rule, went south to Shandong, and soon annexed another rebel, and quickly grew and grew.

After Hu Lian separated from Lingqiu and Chenxi, he led his troops south to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion. In the early days, he suppressed bandits in the northern Zhili and Henan. It was unstoppable. A large number of bandits who were broken retreated to Shandong. Liu Liu and Liu Qi's troops absorbed their strength and soon developed into tens of thousands of troops.

At this time, a mysterious force intervened to fund a large number of weapons and equipment of the rebels, and someone helped train the rebels to quickly improve their combat effectiveness.

When Hu Lian led his troops from Yanzhou Prefecture and Dongchang Prefecture entered Shandong to suppress the rebellion, he never thought that the rebels had undergone a complete change and fought in the previous way. As a result, after several consecutive battles, the soldiers and generals were lost. Hu Lian had to lead his troops to retreat to the front line of Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan, and stayed in a position to wait for assistance.

After Chen Xi submitted the memorial to the Tongzheng Envoy Department, the matter soon became known to most officials in the court. The nobles and civil and military ministers who thought that peace in the Central Plains would be restored soon, only then did they realize that the rebellion had suddenly intensified. Now, the gate of Hejian Mansion, which faces Shandong, is open to the north. As long as the rebels go north, they can directly threaten the three guards of Tianjin, and the capital will not be peaceful.

After learning about this, Xie Qian did not dare to neglect his mistakes, so he directly made a bill and quickly sent the memorial to the Sili Supervisor.

The content of the ticket is still to let Chen Xi go to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion.

After reading the memorial and the ticket draft, Zhang Yuan did not go to Zhu Houzhao immediately. Therefore, it was noon. He knew that Zhu Houzhao had not woken up yet. In the absence of a threat in the capital, Zhang Yuan did not intend to meet Zhu Houzhao every day, because Zhu Houzhao had mentioned it long ago and wanted to spend a few days of quiet life.

Zhang Yuan went directly to find Xie Qian.

In the Wenyuan Pavilion public room, Zhang Yuan looked tall and looked tall. After sitting down, he crossed his legs and raised his chin high, and he seemed to not take the people in the cabinet seriously at all.

At this time, except for Xie Qian, the only one who was on the cabinet was on the rotation.

After saying hello, Yang Tinghe left on the pretext of leaving the public housing for Xie Qian and Zhang Yuan.

"...Mr. Xie, you are obviously difficult to be a human being? There are Japanese pirates on the southeast coast. You asked Shangshu Chen to quell the rebellion; there are rioters in the southwest mountains. You also asked Shangshu Chen to quell the rebellion. Now that thieves in the Central Plains are rampant, you still want to make this plan... Do you have any grudges and grudges with Shangshu Chen? Why do you have to let him leave the capital?"

Zhang Yuan did not shy away when he spoke because he did not feel that his identity was lower than Xie Qian. This was also the illusion that Liu Jin was in power for the eunuch who later took over as the Sili Superintendent. They felt that they could be on par with the top civil officials in the court, and even be even higher.

Xie Qian frowned, then replied with a stern look: "The votes I have made are all the best choices at the moment. Don't Eunuch Zhang think?"

Zhang Yuan said: "Mr. Xie, don't ask our family, why does it matter, but... Your Majesty never thinks so... Your Majesty clearly stated that you will not send Shangshu Chen out of the capital in a short period of time. Your Majesty needs several loyal ministers and generals to be in charge of the capital. Just a few thieves also need to use muskets, cannons, and capable ministers like Lord Shen?"

Xie Qian was silent for a moment, pushed the teacup on the table aside, and said seriously: "As the situation is forced, someone will always have to take on the heavy responsibility... The court cannot produce more treasury, so it can only quell the chaos in the simplest and fastest way... I am afraid that your Majesty will also admit that only Shen Zhihou can quickly kill the bandits of the chaos and eliminate the riots... This good steel is to be used on the blade!"

Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "Don't explain to our family. If you have the ability, go and tell Your Majesty yourself. Every time you ask our family for problems, your feelings are not about your old age. Every time you have the same ticket, and every time your Majesty will be furious and scold our family to the point of being bloody... Why are you asking our family for problems again and again? It's not like this to cheat people!"

Xie Qian said, "If Eunuch Zhang feels that he can't tell His Majesty, I'll go to see the saint with you."

"Hey, you say you're a saint, just a saint!? The leopard room is not opened by our family, so you can do whatever you want!"

Zhang Yuan took out the memorial that Xie Qian had prepared before and slapped the memorial on the table with a "bang" and said, "Your Majesty doesn't even want to see us, let alone a minister? Now it's the beginning of the year. Your Majesty is working hard for a year and needs rest! Otherwise, you can re-prepare the memorial first, and no longer ask for the matter of letting Mr. Chen go to the battle. Our family will pick it up again in an hour, and then go to meet the saint. What do you think?"

Xie Qian had a dark face and did not comment. Zhang Yuan stood up proudly and said goodbye and left.

...

...

Zhang Yuan left the gate of Wenyuan Pavilion, and Yang Tinghe returned to the public housing.

Yang Tinghe didn't know what Xie Qian said to Zhang Yuan, but when he saw the memorial with a note placed on the table, it was probably understood that the Sili Superintendent withdrew from the memorial and asked the cabinet to re-prepare the vote.

"Mr. Xie, this..."

Yang Tinghe's face looked a little ugly.

It would be fine if the emperor sent someone to call the memorial back. Now, it would be so unworthy of the cabinet if the Sili Supervisor was just taking the seal, which clearly showed that the Sili Supervisor put himself above the cabinet and implemented a strategy of suppressing it.

Originally, there was a dispute over interests between the Silijian and the cabinet, and there was an invisible battle between Zhang Yuan and Xie Qian. Now it seems that Xie Qian lost a game.

Xie Qian picked up the memorial on the table, read the contents again, shook his head and sighed, "What else can you do? Your Majesty never adopted the advice of Jean Zhihou going to war. Now, before the memorial was sent to Your Majesty, the Silis Office was stuck and insisted on calling back to let the cabinet modify it... It's really outrageous!"

He was still talking calmly, but in the end he couldn't help but slap the table in anger.

Yang Tinghe said angrily: "The rebellion in the Central Plains has intensified, and the Ministry of War is already responsible for ineffective work. Now that it has developed to this point, it is understandable that Shen Zhihou leads troops to fight, why..."

Because Yang Tinghe stood in Xie Qian's position, he did not consider what was wrong with letting a Shangshu who had two ministries go to war. He just felt that Chen Xi was the best choice at the moment.

If you have a narrow position, your views on people will also be biased. On this point, Xie Qian and Yang Tinghe's attitudes are basically the same.

Xie Qian read Chen Xi's memorial again and said, "Maybe his Majesty will change his view only when the fire burns, but obviously it is not until that time... The Central Plains rebellion lasts for more than half a year. Not only has it not subsided, but it has caused such big setbacks and turns, and it is obvious that there is a risk of threatening the capital."

Yang Tinghe asked, "Then Mr. Xie, what should we do now?"

"Hmph!"

Xie Qian threw the memorial back on the table and said, "Shen Zhihou himself did not mention leading troops to fight. It was a sign of his lack of responsibility. It seemed that he refused to give up his stable life in the capital... This kid, even though he knew what the people in the court wanted him to do, he insisted on fighting against everyone. It was simply unreasonable."

After talking for a long time, Xie Qian still didn't talk about the countermeasures.

Yang Tinghe said: "It seems that only by following the request from the Ministry of War can you get your Majesty's approval... Isn't this the previous memorial?"

Xie Qian said: "I am now wondering whether the Silijian has submitted the cabinet's ticket to His Majesty. They will not ask His Majesty for any ordinary memorials at all. When encountering military and national affairs, they still look insignificant. Do they have to wait until the thief army reaches the foot of the capital before they will be tight?"

Yang Tinghe didn't say anything because he found out that Xie Qian was just complaining and did not say a solution.

Xie Qian stood up and said, "Leave this matter to you, let's make a ticket according to the intention of the Silijian. I will go back first... Oh, I really can't stand this cowardly!"

Xie Qian's words made Yang Tinghe feel at a loss. When Xie Qian was in trouble, he simply left it alone and handed the problem to him.

"this……"

Yang Tinghe wanted to continue asking questions, but in the end he suddenly realized that Xie Qian did not express his opinion. In fact, he was just giving in to the Sili Supervisor and asked him to write a ticket that was similar to Chen Xi's meaning.

Writing "Agree" in the memorial seems to be the best choice at the moment.

In the end, everything could only be done as Zhang Yuan asked. Xie Qian deliberately avoided it. Even if Yang Tinghe had complaints, he could only try his best to suppress his emotions.

At dusk in the afternoon, Zhang Yuan got his wish and got his ticket that suited his wishes. He immediately brought the memorial and cabinet ticket to the Leopard Room to meet Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao didn't want to see him, and he was indifferent to the court affairs, but when Xiao Taozi said that it was involved in the rebellion in the Central Plains, he patiently told Zhang Yuan to come in.

Before Zhang Yuan could salute, Zhu Houzhao issued a warning first: "Zhang Yuan, I will remind you first. If you are talking about trivial matters, don't blame me for being rude to you."

Zhang Yuan quickly said, "I don't dare to give me a hundred courages... Your Majesty, this is a memorial submitted by Shangshu Chen of the Ministry of War, about the traitors in the Central Plains... I heard something wrong with it."

As he said that, Zhang Yuan handed the memorial to the little knives beside him and handed them over to Zhu Houzhao.

Before Zhu Houzhao could read the memorial, she frowned: "The thief in the Central Plains has almost subsided?"

"Your Majesty, I heard that two brothers suddenly appeared, both of whom were surnamed Liu. They had strict military discipline and well-equipped equipment. Unlike those ordinary thieves, they operated territory in Shandong and developed steadily. Many defeated and disbanded thieves joined their camp..."

Zhang Yuan did his homework in advance and explained the general situation he knew to Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao didn't respond, and took the memoir and started to read it, his brows getting tighter and tighter.

Finally, Zhu Houzhao almost threw the memorial book back to the table and said, "These bandits really gave them the courage to show their style, set up private offices, appoint officials, and collect taxes and raise soldiers... This is clearly not about to be a thief anymore, but to establish a country and compete with the Ming Dynasty for the world!"

Xiao Tiaozi said, "Your Majesty, please calm down."

Zhu Houzhao said angrily: "How can I calm down? What is Hu Lian doing? He has tens of thousands of people on his hands!"

Zhang Yuan hesitated and said in embarrassment: "Your Majesty, the bandits have developed at an astonishing speed. There are nearly 30,000 troops at present. After the continuous battle of Lord Hu's troops, there are less than 10,000 troops on hand, and the number is at a disadvantage. He can only defend the Henan line, but the northern Zhili side is beyond the reach... Even Shangshu Chen of the Ministry of War, he did not expect such a change."

"snort!"

Zhu Houzhao said, "All these people deserve to die."

Zhu Houzhao said extremely harshly, and Xiao Zhuozi and Zhang Yuan were thinking: "Don't this damn person include Shen Zhihou?"

Zhu Houzhao said: "It rained all night long. The Ming Dynasty is quite swaying now... I have pacified the north and just ensured the stability of the nine sides. Why did so many thieves suddenly appear in the heart of the Ming Dynasty? When the Emperor was there, why didn't they dare to jump out and cause trouble?"

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Guozi dare not answer this question.

In fact, when the Emperor was in the early emperor, there were still civil unrest. Chen Xi served as the governor of the three coastal provinces and the governor of Huguang, responsible for the elimination of the pirates and the rioters in the southwest, and then he went straight to the center of the court.

Of course, they knew better that Zhu Houzhao was not a wise lord like Emperor Xiaozong. He had been in a state of war for some time, and the disasters in the Central Plains and the south were huge, and the government did not know how to provide compensation to the victims, which made the Ming Dynasty fall into a situation of internal and external difficulties.

However, the border trouble problem has been successfully resolved, and the court can start to deal with internal conflicts. Unfortunately, Zhu Houzhao only cares about food, drinks, and has no intention of managing the government, which has led to many problems not being solved.

It is said to be resting, but it is just a slogan. Zhu Houzhao is the kind of emperor who only talks.

Xiao Zhuozi asked: "Your Majesty, the rebellion in the Central Plains is intensifying now, so it is better to send more people to wipe it out."

Zhu Houzhao frowned and said, "It is also important that the capital is stable. Now that the thieves have not yet reached the capital, how can they easily mobilize the troops in the capital?"

Zhang Yuan said: "Your Majesty, Lord Shen seems to want to use local people to quell the rebellion, but the Central Plains garrison... can no longer form a system unless troops are dispatched from elsewhere... the bandits have also grown and grown through continuous traversing, from Boye, Raoyang, Nangong and other counties south of the capital to Rizhao, Qufu and Tai'an and other prefectures in Shandong, and may be able to follow the example..."

Zhu Houzhao slapped the table: "Damn it, what do you mean is to let me learn from those thieves?"

"I'm definitely not going to do that."

Zhang Yuan quickly explained, "I'm just an example."

Zhu Houzhao said: "Your metaphor is simply a slight mistake. In fact, with Mr. Chen's ability, can't I think of a countermeasure? But he doesn't want to explain it... He has already said in the memorial that the threat from the Tatars has been eliminated, and the court needs to resettle the nine-sided troops? Since these two things are said at the same time, it should be a hint that I can transfer the northwest troops to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion."

Zhang Yuan and Xiao Guozi looked at each other, and both of them were thinking: "Is this what Mr. Shen means?"

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "It must be so. You must know that the court officials would be irresponsible to the northwest army to suppress the rebellion in the Central Plains. Now Mr. Shen has been criticized in the court, so he said the matter so obscurely. But are I the foolish monarchs who are not clear about the truth? I immediately issued an order to transfer the troops from Xuanda to the capital..."

Zhang Yuan said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that the northwest region will not be prepared for this sudden dispatch of troops!"

Zhu Houzhao said: "It's not that I'm coming soon. After the troops are dispatched, they can be prepared first. And there's no need to hurry to combat the thieves... Have those thieves already reached the foot of the capital?"

Zhang Yuan couldn't answer this question, so he had to say, "But if you want to transfer people, you must be famous in the army, and at the same time someone must lead the troops."

“That’s true.”
To be continued...