My Brother-in-law is the Prince

  Chapter 252 Zhang Anshi's Baby

   After a while, all the officials had an audience.

  Of course, the hundreds of officials here only include the yamen near the imperial city.

  As for Yingtianfu and other yamen, they were not included in the summons.

  These ministers are close to the imperial city, but everyone is at a loss at this time.

  However, too many strange things have happened recently, and everyone has become accustomed to it.

  Hu Guang, Yang Rong, and Xia Yuanji, Minister of the Household Department, were quite curious about this.

  Cheng Guogong and Qi Guogong also came, but Wei Guogong remained in Xiaoling. This sacrifice cannot be completed in a day or two.

  The old **** Zhu Di was sitting on the ground, and said with a smile: "Zhang Qing's family, your baby...why hasn't come yet?"

   "Your Majesty, someone has already taken it."

   After a while, I saw several people carrying a huge box, panting.

  Zhu Di saw that the box was not exquisite, but it seemed to be dug out of the ground.

  So he smiled and said: "What is this?"

  Zhang Anshi did not waste time, and immediately opened the box under the eyes of everyone.

  In an instant, twenty bottles appeared in front of everyone.

  These bottles...

  Many gasps.

   This is a crystal bottle!

  Crystal bottle, the price is extremely high, how high is it?

   This thing can be said to be more expensive than gold.

  This is made of natural crystal, and a transparent material needs to be selected before it can be fired. Later generations have found crystal cups in Warring States tombs, which are very valuable.

  In Daming, those who can stand in this temple are definitely not without knowledge. When they see this thing, they know that Zhang Anshi has spent all his money.

   A full box of bottles are made of crystal.

   This bottle alone must be worth at least 10,000 taels, someone murmured.

   It's just that the crystal bottle seems to contain a liquid that is as crystal clear as the crystal.

  Zhu Di frowned and said, "Where did you get so many crystals?"

  Zhang Anshi wanted to laugh, what kind of crystal is this, it's just... glass.

   Don’t say a word, okay? When you can burn relics as you like, then you are not far from burning glass.

   This is what Zhang Anshi said!

  Zhang Anshi said: "This mere crystal is not worth mentioning. Your Majesty... Please look at what is in this bottle?"

  Her Highness Zhu Di walked around the box with great interest, and asked puzzledly, "This is it?"

  Zhang Anshi said: "Wine!"

  Hu Guang looked strangely: "Is this wine so crystal clear?"

  Zhang Anshi said directly: "Exactly."

On the contrary, Zhu Di laughed and said, "It's just shochu. The Tatars also like to drink it. It's made by burning the wine and distilling it. It's nothing. The wine is very strong, but it's nothing but strong! After drinking it, the next morning, you will feel dizzy and dizzy, and you will only drink spicy wine. This kind of wine...only the Tatars drink it to keep themselves warm."

  Zhu Di spent the first half of his life chasing Tatars and beating him on the ground. He couldn't understand this shochu very well.

  He doesn't have a good impression of shochu. Although he occasionally drinks strong alcohol, this wine has no taste at all and has many side effects.

  Zhang Anshi said with a smile: "The method of distillation mentioned by His Majesty is indeed true, but what I used is another method to make this wine have a long aroma and a mellow taste, while maintaining the strength of the wine."

  Zhu Di looked at Zhang Anshi suspiciously, and said, "Really? I just looked at your crystal bottle, which is much more valuable than the wine in it."

  Zhang Anshi laughed dryly, this bottle is made of sand, so it can be said to be worthless.

  Of course, he can't say that.

   "Your Majesty and gentlemen, if anyone loves wine, you will know it once you try it."

Zhu Di nodded, but at this time he was somewhat interested, and said: "I don't advocate drinking alcohol, and drinking will inevitably cause mistakes. You can drink some alcohol to entertain yourself, but it's okay. The so-called life is short, and drinking is a song. Come, get it for me." Here comes the cup."

   "The minister has already taken it out." As he spoke, Zhang Anshi took out a set of cups from the box.

   Just looking at it, it is actually made of crystal, but... this crystal cup is really too small, only the size of a thumb.

  Zhu Di proudly said: "What's the taste of drinking such a small cup!"

  Zhang Anshi took a bottle of wine himself, pulled the cork off, and said, "Your Majesty will know after you try it."

   It's strange to say that there is a ball stuffed into the crystal bottle. When pouring the wine, the ball just blocked the mouth of the bottle. In this way, the wine didn't come out all at once, but dripped out little by little.

   Fortunately, the cup was small, and after a drop fell down, the small cup was filled up after a while.

  Zhang Anshidao: "I would like to ask Eunuch Ha to taste it first."

   I also didn't understand, knowing that I let him try it, let His Majesty try it again.

  Zhu Di said: "Why bother, bring it."

  His words cannot be questioned, so Yi Shiha had no choice but to hold a small cup and send it to Zhu Di.

  Zhu Di played with the small cup in his hand, and then poured it into his own mouth. This wine...is indeed completely different from ordinary shochu.

  Before he ate it, there was a strong aroma of wine. After he ate it, he felt a sweet, sour, bitter and spicy taste that stimulated his entire taste buds.

  His throat became hot, and the wine entered his stomach, and Zhu Di shivered.

   It's just the residual wine in his mouth, which still makes Zhu Di feel hot all over.

  He frowned, then stretched his brows, and smiled: "Not bad, not bad, good wine, this wine is very good, it really suits my mother's appetite."

  After Zhu Di finished speaking, he said to the officials: "Everyone, come and have a taste. Zhang Qing, use a small cup, no, just pour half a cup."

  So Zhang Anshi started to get busy, pouring half of the small cups that had been prepared, one by one, and stuffing them into the hands of the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs.

  Hu Guang and Yang Rong looked a little unhappy. Obviously, they were quite resistant to drinking.

  However, in this era, drinking alcohol and drinking tea is a fashion, especially in winter, it is very pleasant to let people warm some rice wine and have a drink with others.

  Zhang Anshi's drink completely avoids all the shortcomings of shochu in this era, but at the same time, it retains its spiciness, which is most suitable for the taste of drinkers.

   Cheng Guogong Zhu Neng was the most impatient, he drank it first, his eyes lit up, and he was full of praise.

  Zhu Di said enthusiastically: "What do you think?"

  Zhu Neng said: "Good wine, nephew Zhang Anshi, give me another glass."

  Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "It's almost done, don't be greedy."

   Zhu Neng grunted, but he also knew that the situation was not right at this time, and it was not easy to continue asking for it.

  This Hu Guang doesn't like to drink, especially in the court. It is unsightly for white officials to drink in court, but he still drinks the wine patiently. As a result, bitter tears flowed down the whole person, wishing to stomp their feet.

Finally, the momentum passed, but he felt the fragrance on his lips and teeth, and there was still a bit of aftertaste in his mouth. The spicy feeling of drinking just now made his body hot, and he didn't feel groggy. He just felt... It seems that the blood in the body is running like crazy.

  You must know that the brewing method used by Zhang Anshi is completely different from the current distilled shochu. What is used is spreading, adding koji, stacking, storing, and distilling wine at the same time.

   This was originally brewed by Zhang Anshi when he was last year. After all, the wines of this era have flaws.

For example, the shochu directly distilled at this time is actually equivalent to the alcohol blending method of later generations. Many poor people use this distillation method without alcohol. The advantage is that it wastes less food and has a higher alcohol content. The taste and texture are just bad.

As for rice wine, rice wine needs to be eaten. On the one hand, a lot of food is wasted, because the refined alcohol is not enough, and because it contains a lot of impurities, it is inevitable that it needs to be warmed before drinking to remove a lot of impurities. .

   "Your Majesty, this wine... is not bad." After drinking it, Yang Rong hiccupped, but stepped forward and said, "It's just... I don't know... what use is this wine to my Ming Dynasty's national economy and people's livelihood?"

   Zhang Anshi understood what Yang Rong said, and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Yang, I won't promote it, and I won't increase the burden on the people."

   "No promotion?" Yang Rong put on a look of disbelief.

   After such a long time, he has figured out Zhang Anshi's temperament. This guy has his own ideas in everything he does, and it is by no means so simple.

  Zhu Di smiled and said: "This ceremony is quite interesting."

  He didn't want Zhang Anshi to attract criticism because of this matter, so he simply said directly: "This is Zhang Qing's gift to me. I was thinking that it is better to have fun alone than to have fun with others, so I invite you to taste it..."

   After he finished speaking, he paused.

  Actually, at this time, although Yang Rong and Hu Guang seemed to disapprove of it.

   But in fact, among the hundred officials, many people stared straight at the wine.

   After all, there are quite a few people who love to drink, and this wine, after drinking this time obviously, I don’t know if I can drink it in the future, or I won’t drink it anymore.

   What's more, the price of this crystal bottled wine... probably only available to the court.

Zhu Di was sitting in the hall, and he could see everything that happened in His Majesty at a glance. The attitudes of all the officials were different, so he said with a smile: "Zhang Qing gave me some wine, this is his heart of loyalty and filial piety. Come here, store this wine, and you can rest assured that I will be restrained and will never be greedy."

  Zhu Di is actually a bit of a monk of Zhang Er, confused, this guy Zhang Anshi... Is this what he sent?

  Although this wine is good, it is definitely a good wine, and compared with other royal wines, it is more special.

  But now, in front of the officials, Zhu Di didn't ask any more questions, but continued: "This matter, even if it is exposed."

   Just as he was talking, someone came up to him very tactfully and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

   Zhu Di saw it, but it was Zheng Ci, Minister of Rites.

  This Zheng Ci was originally the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, but because Lu Zhen, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, was punished, he replaced Lu Zhen and took charge of the Ministry of Rites.

   Zheng Ci has always been timid, and he never expresses his opinion every time he goes to court.

   What the emperor thinks about every day is what the emperor is thinking about today and what he will be thinking about tomorrow.

   But unfortunately, he was a veteran of the three dynasties, and he was considered to be the person in the Jianwen Dynasty who was the first to meet Wang Jia when Zhu Di entered Nanjing.

  Zhu Di simply handed over to him the Ministry of Punishment that he despised.

   When there was a vacancy in the Ministry of Rites, Zhu Di thought about it, but I didn't care about the Ministry of Rites, so he simply let Zheng Ci, a prudent person, come.

Sure enough, Zheng Ci is very professional. He has never caused Zhu Di any trouble since he took office. Play impeachment.

   Goof off, he's a professional!

   But it is such a professional person who is going to play at this time.

  Zhu Di said: "What's the matter?"

  Zheng Ci said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, there is a letter from Tatar Khan..."

   "Letter?" Zhu Di frowned and said, "When will it be delivered?"

   "Before...the day before..."

  Zhu Di was angry, and sullenly said: "Why did you play the letter sent the day before yesterday?"

"This…"

   Zheng Ci is miserable. After receiving the letter, he immediately felt that the content in it might be more sensitive.

  In addition to etiquette, the Ministry of Rites also has diplomatic matters. If there is anything in this letter that offends Longyan, in all likelihood, His Majesty will arrest him and scold him.

  So he was very hesitant, but he hoped that he would play this letter to Wenyuan Pavilion and let Wenyuan Pavilion present it.

  However, Hu Guang and Yang Rong are not vegetarians, so they can submit it, but you are the minister of the Ministry of Rites. After all, you are in charge of diplomatic relations between countries, so you should go to see them together.

   All of a sudden, Zheng Ci started to retreat.

  He was anxious like an ant on a hot pot, and his life was like a year. At this moment, he happened to see His Majesty happy, and thought it was a good time, so he had to bite the bullet and speak up quickly.

  Zhu Di also seems to know Zheng Ci's temperament, and is very aware of his timidity.

   It is said that Zheng Ci was scared to death in history!

   Zheng Ci obediently presented the letter he had prepared.

  Yi Shiha forwarded it to Zhu Di.

  Zhu Di said: "At any rate, he is also the lord of a country, so he wrote letters, huh..."

  He opened the letter, took a closer look, and then his face really showed an angry look.

   Zheng Ci's judgment is correct, there must be nothing good in it.

  But he didn't want to, Zhu Di said surprisingly: "I want to conquer myself."

  As soon as this remark came out, all the officials in the palace were shocked.

  Military Minister Jin Zhong immediately stood up and said: "Dare to ask Your Majesty..."

Zhu Di knew what he was going to ask, so he raised the letter and said, "This letter is very disrespectful to me. Of course, my lord has a lot, so naturally I don't care about it. But this Tatar Khan claims to collect ten Wan Tieqi attacked our border town... and even threatened to take Liaodong first, then enter Xifengkou, and fight with me."

  After saying this, many people in the court began to whisper.

   Duke Qi and Duke Cheng looked eager to try.

  Only Jin Zhong was the calmest, he said: "Your Majesty... If the Tatars want to attack, why do you have to tell your majesty and write a book?"

  Zhu Di said angrily: "This is a provocation!"

  Jin Zhongdao: "The Tatars have always liked to strike first when fighting... The favorite is surprise attacks..."

  After such a reminder, Zhu Di thought about it, and then said: "You mean... there is fraud in it?"

   Paused, but said: "Oh, I am in the desert, and I have a lot of detailed work, and I can see their every move. If they attack by surprise, will I not know?"

Jin Zhongdao: "Although this is the case, they are no longer able to attack by surprise. But in other words, your majesty... the Tatar Khan has clearly made preparations for war. At this time, they have already begun to gather the army. But now that you are provoking, what you want is to have a decisive battle with His Majesty, this is what I judged as well."

But he paused, but then said: "The crux of the problem lies in this. When we invade the Tatars in the Ming Dynasty, we must make sufficient preparations. According to our own plan, we will go all the way in parallel, so as to achieve a direct attack. The purpose of the Dragon Court. But his provocation, but I have no choice but to let me face the hasty gathering of troops and horses, and go north to fight the Tatars. Your Majesty, such a haste is tantamount to the Tatars being prepared and fighting I knew I was unprepared, and let the Tatars take the initiative."

   This Jin Zhong can be regarded as a representative of doing what he does and loving what he does.

  When he reads the picture, he is very professional in reading the picture. After taking refuge in Zhu Di, he followed Yao Guangxiao to encourage Zhu Di to rebel, which was also very professional.

  Now he is the minister of the Ministry of War, but he studies horse politics and military affairs every day, which also shows his military judgment.

   Even Zhu Di couldn't help but be moved by his persuasion at this time.

At this time, I saw him continue to say: "If the army is fighting, if you want to sweep the hole in the plow court, you must follow the steps of my Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty has made a lot of preparations for the Tatars in these years. These preparations are numerous, and all of them are the root of the Tatar. From the selection of generals, to the assembly of various soldiers and horses, to the widening of the canal, and the transfer of grain and grass. Such a war of destroying the country must be at the right time, place and people And, both are indispensable."

"As far as the fighter plane is concerned, His Majesty's plan is to choose the beginning of spring, because at this time, although the Tatars have survived the winter, the Tatars' horses have lost weight after a winter, and the cavalry's combat The ability has been greatly reduced. The soldiers are also very tired, and I, Da Ming, are fully prepared and fully prepared. The route of the battle has also been reconnaissance time and time again. This is the basis for ensuring complete victory."

"But now, the Tatar Khan made a provocation, obviously they have already prepared it, and what about me, Ming? Such a hasty challenge, a large number of people, horses, and equipment are not prepared, and the generals have not yet begun to familiarize themselves with the battle plan. It can even be said that there was no so-called plan at all because of the hasty response to the battle. It was just a trick. Your Majesty... Even at this time, I, the Ming Dynasty, poured out the country, and the greatest result would be to repel the Tatars. But the price to pay is not small. Every army will definitely make many mistakes. When the army fights, after the mistakes accumulate, there will be big problems."

After a pause, he went on to say: "In my humble opinion, I, Ming, should not allocate troops and horses immediately, nor should I rush to the battle, but choose the spring of the next year to prepare troops and horses so that all the horses and equipment are ready, and all the food and grass have been transferred. The generals who are going to war should enter the camp first, practice the tactics of marching deep into the desert and fighting against the Tatar cavalry. Wait until the spring of the next year, and then go all the way, take advantage of their weakness, go straight to the Dragon Court, and completely destroy them in one fell swoop. "

  Zhu Di also began to recall, and couldn't help saying: "Is this the idea of ​​the Tatar Khan? Heh... this Tatar is also full of tricks."

Jin Zhong said again: "In addition, besides preparing for the war this year, there are still many things to prepare for. For example, if we want to take this opportunity to wipe out the Tatars in one fell swoop, then whether the two ends of the Wuliangha people should be stable?" To live them so that they can settle down temporarily? At least, don’t push them to the side of the Tatars. There is also Korea, and the Liaodong tribes, at least conscripting their manpower to achieve the goal of using barbarians to control barbarians. There are also Oirats, Oirats Although they are also ambitious, once the Tatars become the main enemy of Ming Dynasty, they can still send people to win over them, and agree to let the Oirats outflank their rear."

"Soldiers are a major national event. You must not disrupt your own deployment because of the opponent's provocation. The Tatars are a serious problem for my Ming Dynasty. If I don't fight, it will be fine. But once the army is dispatched, it must be done. It must be conquered, the battle must be won, treat the Tatars cautiously, let alone let a provocative letter from the other party lead me, Ming, by the nose."

"For my part, starting this year... the Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion still need to prepare for a year. In the spring of next year, we will have hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers from the Ming Dynasty, and they will be able to concentrate on the front line of Beiping and attack from Shanhaiguan and Xifengkou. Jin Yiwei By the way, it is quite effective for the Tatars now, but there are still some things that are not clear about the situation of the Tatars. I think that we should investigate more carefully, knowing ourselves and the enemy, and winning every battle. With a year of preparation, even if your majesty does not Conquest in person is enough to teach the Tatars that they will never stand up."

   After Jin Zhong's words, Zhu Di finally calmed down.

  As the commander-in-chief, he is very clear that Jin Zhong's words are correct.

  Rushing troops now is indeed too passive. The initiative of the war is equal to all in the hands of the Tatars. Wherever they attack, Da Ming has to exhaust himself to rescue.

   Such a style of play, even if it wins, cannot completely annihilate the enemy, and may cause a lot of losses.

Zhu Di murmured: "It's just... what should we do this year? The Tatar Khan has assembled a large army. I am afraid that in two or three months, he may attack Liaodong and Zhubian towns, and the defenses of all Lubian towns and Liaodong... Once he relaxes, Let them take advantage of the loopholes, I'm afraid..."

Jin Zhong said without hesitation: "Order the army and horses on the front line of Beiping and Liaodong to resolutely defend, and strengthen defenses at various passes. Then transfer a general to Liaodong and Beiping to sit in the town. Take advantage of this opportunity to try to use the fortified city to consume the bandit army. , to strengthen the walls and clear the fields. Soldiers and civilians, enter the city or move into the pass as soon as possible... Now that the decree is issued, there is still time."

  Zhu Di was a little hesitant, this is actually the tortoise style.

  Since Emperor Taizu Gao, which time did Ming not take the initiative to beat the Tatars?

  But now that it’s healed, it’s a bit embarrassing to actually swallow it.

   Moreover, the border is too long. Once the Tatars break through one place, a large number of soldiers, civilians and civilians will suffer. This loss...is also very heavy.

  At this time, someone suddenly said: "Your Majesty, what if... the Tatars cannot attack this year?"

   Everyone suddenly looked up, who is it not Zhang Anshi?

Zhu Di immediately glared at him and said: "You know what a bird, he dared to write such a provocative letter, and he hoped to hunt with me this year! It can be seen that they have made full preparations. The Tatars live by herding horses, and they gather soldiers and horses to fight against each other. My understanding is much faster, if I don’t personally conquer, this Tatar Khan, I’m afraid he will have to suffer this too. I know these Tartars very well, they have always been restless.”

   "Besides..."

Zhu Di looked worried: "If I don't take countermeasures, if this year's Tatars attack everywhere, and I, Ming, do nothing, this is in the Wuliangha tribe in Daning. I have long been rebellious, so I might take this opportunity. Join the Tartars."

   "This Wuliangha person is afraid of power but not virtuous. I am really worried."

  Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, what I mean is... If there is chaos in the Tatar Ministry, so that... you can't attack..."

   "Chaos?" Zhu Di laughed and said, "What's the matter, the people in your Neiqianhusuo still have the ability to cause civil turmoil for the Tatar Ministry?"

   "Neiqianhusuo should not be allowed." Zhang Anshi smiled wryly.

   Just kidding, the Tatars are not fools, you can spend money to buy their leaders, but they also know the importance. The money has to be collected, but it is impossible to even smash the guy who is eating.

   After all, they are still Tatars, not so stupid.

   Of course...unless...the Tartars themselves mess up first.

So Zhang Anshi said: "I have a way. Within three months, I will teach the Tatar crowd to be leaderless and kill each other. No... I see... March is still a bit short. To be on the safe side, let's say five months. "

  Zhu Di looked at Zhang Anshi strangely: "What can Zhang Qing do?"

  Zhang Anshi looked at the officials around him warily.

  Although most of the officials couldn't see Zhang Anshi's wretched expression, everyone could feel the hesitation he showed.

  My heart is probably, into your mother, you Zhang Anshi actually guard us like thieves?

Zhu Di said: "Civil strife in Tatar? This... is really unimaginable. What I expected... Since the Tatar Khan has sharpened his sword, it shows that he and his confidantes have completely stabilized the situation." Tatar tribes! Otherwise, they will never take the risk, I am afraid that what Zhang Qing said... may not come true.

  Where in the world is there such a good thing? "

   If there is really civil strife, then it is really a big deal.

  Zhu Di is not a reckless man, and he doesn't like head-to-head encounters. After all, head-to-head encounters mean losses, and losses are money. Countless money is in vain.

  Zhang Anshi didn't say much, just smiled and said: "Your Majesty, why don't you leave it to the minister...just...can the minister restrain the Ministry of Rites for a while?"

   "Ministry of Rites?" Zhu Di frowned, and then his eyes fell on Zheng Ci, Minister of Rites.

  Zheng Ci shivered, and immediately showed displeasure.

  How does it feel...as if someone is after him?

   No way, no way, this piece of Anshi is going to be replaced by me, Zheng Ci?

  He began to worry in his heart, and then he was entangled, but at this moment His Majesty's eyes fell on him, but he still bite the bullet and said: "Minister... If you are the Marquis of Annan... If there is any clever plan, I am willing to give up."

   "I didn't ask you to let me go." Zhu Di heard the reluctance in Zheng Ci's voice, and said angrily: "But I'm going to teach you to listen to him for a while, what are you **** thinking about?"

   Zheng Ci was so scolded that he couldn't even lift his head up, and said aggrievedly: "I will die."

  (end of this chapter)