Shen Yichen has been thinking about the question of whether to speak frankly or not after returning to the Chengguo Palace from the New Courtyard.

In fact, he originally had a sense of luck, thinking that only the magistrate of Youxi County and 300 government officers and soldiers were killed in the battle, and relying on Cheng Guogong Zhu Yong to persuade the emperor to ease the conflict, he might have a chance to stabilize the situation in the southeast. live.

But when he learned from the officials of the General Affairs Department that Zhu Yuan, the Chief Secretary of Fujian Province, had been captured and executed, Shen Yichen knew that there would no longer be any room for mediation.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the imperial court will never compromise with the rebellious officials and traitors who captured and killed the Fei Pao officials!

Moreover, Zhu Yuan's death was different from the historical trajectory in Shen Yichen's memory. It seemed that the pace of worsening of the unrest was suddenly accelerated, making all previous efforts in vain.

An uprising of this magnitude could no longer be calmed down by Zhu Yong, Duke of Cheng, and the emperor's anger could be calmed down. It was useless to persuade anyone.

The moment Zhu Yuan died, it was destined that a large number of "rioters" would be buried with him in Fujian.

In addition to this, there is a more important point, that is, this is different from local flood control. If you want to rely on the friendship of the kinsmen and the leader for personal gain, you will not be merciful.

Because the Ming Dynasty's system determines that the leading military commander will never be the only one. After the army goes on an expedition, there will be civil servants and counselors to oversee military affairs, and eunuchs will serve as supervisors of the army, and sometimes there will be more than one person.

Just like in the Ming Dynasty, political struggles have always been a tripartite confrontation between military generals, civil servants, and eunuchs. The military system of expeditions also maintains a state of mutual checks and balances of power and mutual supervision.

Which honorable man would risk being imprisoned to show mercy to unrelated "rioters"?

Even if you get the kinship, you can't get the civil servants who counsel the military, let alone the eunuchs who supervise the army. Even the local military and political officials who are being supervised may impeach you for being a bandit if they feel something is wrong.

Without the power to cover the sky with one hand, one can only rely on the method of administering strong medicine to the patient to bluntly persuade the emperor to change his mind.

Shen Yichen was once blamed for disaster relief and flood control in Shandong. Shen Yichen went out of town with a sense of publicity and righteousness, even though there were tens of thousands of people.

Now facing the spark of unrest in Fujian, he still stood up and tried to turn the tide again, otherwise it would become a prairie fire, and the harm would be no less than the Yellow River bursting its banks!

The only difference between this situation and this situation is that in the past, the emperor and court officials could see the harm of the Yellow River bursting its banks and blocking water transportation, and would work together with Shen Yichen to control the flood.

But now, only Shen Yichen knows the consequences of the Southeast Uprising, and he is a complete lone warrior.

"What nonsense!"

Almost as soon as Shen Yichen finished speaking, Cao Nai immediately scolded him.

He had been dissatisfied with Shen Yichen's extravagant words and deeds for a long time. In the past, Yang Pu comforted and suppressed him, and Cao Nai couldn't say anything more than the teacher.

Nowadays, Shen Yichen, relying on the emperor's favor, is even more arrogant. Even the gang of rebellious officials and traitors in Fujian can show favor to him.

Could it be that I, an official of the Ming Dynasty, deserved to die at the hands of those unruly people?

"Master Shen is a bachelor, don't forget your status."

Kuang Ye, the Minister of War, issued a warning.

Since ancient times, the Han Dynasty has always been at odds with its thieves. Shen Yichen is an official of the imperial court, so he must be able to deal with the rebellious people who kill officials and prevent future troubles.

Not to mention that now they are going the other way and putting the blame on the officials. Isn’t this encouraging chaos in the world and causing chaos everywhere to follow suit?

With the cabinet minister taking the lead, other ministers participating in the court meeting also accused Shen Yichen with righteous indignation. Even members of Wang Zhen's eunuch party, such as Naiheng, the new Minister of Works Shi Pu and others, also made suggestions to the emperor.

Drive Shen Yichen out.

Faced with the angry attitude of these ministers, Cheng Guo Gong Zhu Yong turned around and glanced at Shen Yichen with a complicated expression, only to find that the other party stood proudly in the center of the hall, showing no sign of flinching or fear.

I don't know when it got up outside the hall, but a long-lost warm winter sun appeared, making Shen Yichen's figure in the Wenhua Hall reflect even taller.

"Why did Shen Qing say this? Is it justified to kill officials and rebel?"

No matter how optimistic Zhu Qizhen was about Shen Yichen, he would not be able to tolerate such remarks that challenged the foundation of his rule. There was a hint of chill in his tone, which was in sharp contrast to the warm sun outside the palace.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I went out to control floods in Shandong and experienced first-hand the suffering of the people. The mountainous land in Fujian is barren, and farming output is extremely limited. After the imperial court banned the sea, they could only make a living by mining ores."

"But in the ninth year of Zhengtong's reign, the mining tax was levied ten times as much as in Yongle's year. Not only that, in the eleventh year of Zhengtong, the provincial taxation department was reestablished, and various local taxes were increasingly raised.

It’s complicated and the people are suffering unspeakably.”

"Nowadays, there are the Mongolian Waqi Tribe outside and the southwestern barbarians and Luchuan tribe are resurgent inside. The start of the war in the southeast may shake the country's foundation."

When he said this, Shen Yichen knelt down on the ground and prayed with sorrow on his face: "I sincerely request your majesty, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty forever, for the sake of the admiration of all the people in the world. The rebellion in Fujian will only punish the first culprit, and those who follow will be brought to peace, and those who coerce will be brought to peace."

pardon!"

Even if the cause of the turmoil in the southeast lies not with the people but with the officials, it is impossible to make the emperor and officials realize the mistakes of their policies and then pardon everyone as if nothing happened.

Shen Yichen could only show himself as a loyal minister who served the country and the people, and then narrowed the scope of the accusation to the minimum to avoid implicating a large number of innocent miners and poor farmers.

The Ming Dynasty has always had a tradition of directly admonishing officials, which is regarded as an example of literati's integrity. In later generations, it even developed to the point where people seeking fame and reputation deliberately angered the emperor in order to defraud the emperor's imperial staff and win the praise of scholars.

Although Shen Yichen was not an official in science and education, he was a distinguished member of the Imperial Academy.

This is why, after Shen Yichen realized that polite words of advice were meaningless, he showed such an image of a person who speaks out and dares to give advice.

He was betting that he was standing on the moral high ground of civility and integrity, and that even the emperor and his ministers would not be able to criticize him!

Sure enough, after Shen Yichen's moving words of grief and anger, as well as concern for the country and the people, the officials in the Wenhua Palace were speechless for a moment, not knowing how to break through this moral high ground.

After all, in the eyes of everyone, Shen Yichen was no match for the miners and farmers of Fujian, but he was willing to take the risk of angering the emperor and offending the ministers to speak up, and he truly looked like a loyal man who sacrificed his life for the country.

And having said that, what Shen Yichen said is not unreasonable. The treasury was empty due to the Luchuan War several times, and taxes were continuously raised. In addition, natural disasters continued to occur in various parts of the Ming Dynasty in the past few years, and the emperor often used a wave of his hand to collect all tax exemptions.

Under the circumstances of the ebb and flow, now there is a war in the southwest again, and the northern border is even more clouded with war clouds. Even the brave men in the Beijing camp have begun to make preparations for the war.

If there is another large-scale counterinsurgency in the southeast, can the imperial court really afford the military expenditure?

"Your Majesty, a soldier is a deadly weapon, and a saint must use it as a last resort."

"Although Shen Shidu's words as a bachelor are excessive, they are indeed for the sake of the country's interests, and I think they are advisable."

Gao Gu stood up and spoke to Shen Yichen at this time.

Shen Yichen's performance today can be said to have once again verified Yang Yuanfu's and his own judgment, that is, this son is not afraid of power and always has his family, country and world in mind.

Otherwise, I would never stand up and speak out for the miners in Fujian who are thousands of miles away.

Even without Yang Yuanfu's final instructions, Shen Yichen's words and deeds along the way were recognized by Gao Gu.

Gao Gu will do his best to pave the way for Shen Yichen to become a prime minister!

"I agree with what High School Hall said. Now that the national treasury is too empty, it is no longer appropriate to engage in war. The culprits should be punished, those who follow him should be punished, and those who coerce him should be pardoned. This will not only save Fujian from the devastation of war, but also demonstrate your majesty's benevolence, righteousness, and sage!"

Wang Zuo, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, had not suggested conquest at first, but now someone stood up and took the lead, so naturally he quickly followed suit and seconded the proposal.

You must know that he, the Minister of Household Affairs, had troubles that he could not tell. The Ren and Xuan dynasties were peaceful and stable, but in the Zhengtong dynasty, there were almost constant battles every year. Wang Zuo's scalp went numb when he thought about military expenditures.

Wang Zuo knew why there were rebellions in the southwest and southeast. Wasn't it caused by tax increases?

If a large army is dispatched for conquest, military expenditures must continue to be apportioned. This will truly achieve the legendary "take from the people and use it for the people."

Wang Zuo himself found this approach ridiculous.

"To put it lightly, how can Shen Shidu, a bachelor, guarantee that only the culprits will be killed in the rebellion, that the followers will be willing to recruit people, and that the coercers will disperse one after another?"

Kuang Ye was also a direct minister. Even when Wang Zhen's power reached its peak in the 14th year of orthodoxy, he still dared to give advice.

Of course, being a direct minister does not mean that there is no selfishness, except that the previous Minister of War, Xu Xi, had no ambitions and succumbed to Wang Zhen's power.

The most recent Minister of War was the famous Jingyuan Bo Wang Ji!

With his illustrious military exploits in the conquest of Luchuan, he set a precedent for civil servants in the Ming Dynasty to take charge of military affairs and be granted nobility. How could those who came after him not want to follow suit?

The uprisings of chieftains such as Yao people and Miao people in the southwest have long been commonplace for the Ming Dynasty. It is rare for them to be honest and not make trouble. It is far from enough to use them to make meritorious deeds.

By countering the rebellion in the southeast, you can add a rich and colorful touch to your military medal!

In the Ming Dynasty, it was not only the military officials who were warlike, but also the Ministry of War during the Zhengtong Dynasty.

However, Kuang Ye refuted Shen Yichen not only because of his selfish desire to make contributions, but also because he felt that his idea was too naive.

It is meaningless to say that if a large army is sent to only kill the chief culprit, military expenditures will still be spent. But if a large army is not sent to Fujian to conquer, how can a province be willing to capture the chief culprit based on its military strength alone?

If the other party doesn't surrender or recruit people, what can Shen Yichen do to demonstrate His Majesty's benevolence and righteousness? Can he rely on his sharp tongue?

In ancient times, Zhao Kuo talked about war on paper, but now Shen Yichen has whimsical ideas. Military general Xun Qi's descendants have never experienced war, so it is still not possible!

"minister……"

Just when Shen Yichen was about to argue, a tall figure at the front stood in the palace and reported to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, since Master Shen Shidu thinks it is feasible, why not let him supervise the troops of the Chief Secretary of Fujian to counter the rebellion."

"If you succeed, you will be rewarded; if you fail, you will be punished!"

The person who said this was none other than Cheng Guogong Zhu Yong.

As soon as this statement came out, all the officials participating in the court meeting focused on him, with different expressions on their faces.

Shen Yichen was appointed by the emperor not long ago as a lecturer in Jingyan. Before he even took office, he went out to quell the rebellion. Wouldn't it make the title of imperial master a false claim?

What is even more outrageous is that Fujian Councilor Zhu Yuan has already demonstrated with his own life that the rebellion in Fujian has become a trend, and it is difficult to completely encircle and suppress it by relying on soldiers and horses from one province alone.

Even if the imperial army is not dispatched, in order to prevent the bandits from escaping, the army of Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces must be admiral.

Cheng Guogong, is he confident in his son, or is he pushed into a "pit of fire"?

Not to mention that the ministers could not understand Zhu Yong's words, even the emperor Zhu Qizhen was surprised.

He said in a questioning tone: "Mr. Cheng Guo, from the memorial of the Chief Envoy of Fujian, we can see that rebellious officials and traitors have become a trend here, and there is also a tendency to unite with Zhejiang and Jiangxi to rebellious people."

"Although Shen Qing has great achievements in water control, war is completely different. In my opinion, I'd better forget it."

Literary governance and martial arts are two different things, not to mention that Shen Yichen had no contact with military affairs at all in his weak years. Zhu Qizhen felt unsure when he was asked to supervise the military affairs of a province to conquer the rebels.
To be continued...