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Volume 13 Reviving the Ming Dynasty Chapter 658 Return

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    On the eighteenth day of the first month of the fourth year of the Ming Dynasty, they went on an expedition to the Kingdom of Jin and won a great victory. The Ming army, which succeeded in destroying their country and relocating their clans, finally returned to Liaodong, their hometown.  Although all the soldiers were very tired after rushing all the way, when they saw the familiar scenery and the familiar city, everyone was still in high spirits. This time they would become the heroes of the Ming Dynasty.

    Long before the army came back, Tang Feng had already sent eight hundred miles of fast horses to report this victory to the court.  In addition to asking for credit for the soldiers who fought bloody battles for the rest of their lives, Tang Feng also wanted to give the court an early warning and let them prepare to resettle nearly 100,000 Jin people.  So when the army came to Jinzhou City, the Ming army guarding it immediately came out to welcome their heroes into the city.  []

    The imperial court has sent people to send a large amount of supplies to reward the three armies. Fine wine, food and gold, silver and copper coins have been prepared. So as soon as the army entered the city, a celebration banquet was held. All the soldiers would be welcomed by heroes wherever they went.  With such courtesy, you can also enjoy fine wine and delicacies that are completely impossible to see in the Kingdom of Jin at any time.

    Tang Feng also let go of his identity at this time and celebrated in the city with the soldiers. From time to time he drank wine with the topless soldiers who smelled of alcohol, which made the soldiers even more grateful to him.  You must know that there have always been differences between the top and bottom in the army. Even after a great victory, few generals would put aside their status and enjoy themselves with their soldiers.  But Tang Feng did it, which made the soldiers feel that it was a great honor to follow Duke An to fight against the enemy. Not only could they make great contributions and kill those who had always been their enemies, but they could also gain recognition from others.  The respect that may be given.  In this way, Tang Feng's status in the minds of the sergeants would be even higher.

    Seeing all this, Hong Chengchou also sighed in his heart: "The Duke is really not comparable to ordinary people. With him here, why should I worry about not being able to protect the Ming Dynasty's thousands of miles of country, and why not worry about not being able to have peace in the world?" But then, he thought again.  Another thing, what is Tang Feng's intention in doing this?  He has made great achievements, is he willing to be just a minister?  When he thought of this, four words flashed through his mind - with Huang Pao's involvement, will there be a famous scene in Ming Dynasty's history?

    This is no reason for Hong Chengchou to have doubts, because the current situation is so similar to when Zhao Kuangyin of the Later Zhou Dynasty stole the throne.  He is also a general who holds the military power in the world, and he is also the master of the country. Zhao Kuangyin finally sat on the throne at the insistence of his subordinates. Will Tang Feng refuse?  You must know that his prestige in the army now far exceeds that of the imperial court. As long as he gives an order, not only the elite soldiers of Liaodong, but also the officers and soldiers of the guards in other provinces will respond in large numbers.

    Thinking about this, and looking at the behavior of Tang Feng and the soldiers while they were drinking there, Hong Chengchou became a little uneasy.  After all, he was a traditional scholar who had been influenced by the idea of ??loyalty to the emperor since he was a child. Although he knew that he could not change anything, he really did not want to see such a rebellious minister in the Ming Dynasty.  So after being silent for a while, he decided to test Tang Feng with words. It would be best to persuade him to give up the idea that might lead to civil strife in the Ming Dynasty.

    After a while, Tang Feng came over with a slight stagger.  Although he and many soldiers drank, because of his status, the soldiers did not dare to be too presumptuous. As long as he could think of it, they would accept it.  So in the past half day, Tang Feng actually drank only two kilograms of wine, but even though he didn't drink too much, he was still a little drunk.

    Seeing Hong Chengchou approaching, Tang Feng said with a smile: "Come on, Yanyan, let me toast you. Thanks to your help in some military matters, we can only send troops to destroy the money this time so smoothly." As he said that, he looked up.  He poured the remaining wine in the cup into his mouth.  When the soldiers around him saw him, they hurriedly filled another glass of wine for the Duke.

    Hong Chengchou didn't even dare to say it, and then he drank the wine, but for a while he didn't know what to say.  Fortunately, although Tang Feng was a little drunk, he did not lose his judgment. When he saw his appearance, he said: "What, do you have anything to say to me?" After saying that, he motioned to the people on his left and right to step back temporarily, because he  It could be seen that Hong Chengchou was a little hesitant, obviously not wanting others to know his thoughts.

    Seeing Tang Feng calling people away, Hong Chengchou knew that he could no longer hesitate, but he decided to start with another matter first, and said: "My lord, although the Jin people have been destroyed by us, the Mongolian people in the north  But they are still there. Although they retreated this time, there is no guarantee that they will not have the same thoughts next time. I wonder what the Duke¡¯s plan is for this? "

    After Tang Feng glanced at him, he smiled and said: "The Mongols are no longer what they were back then. Even the strength of the Oara and Tatars when they coexisted at that time cannot be compared. Their threat to our Ming Dynasty is extremely small. And with this  After many setbacks, these people must have learned their lesson. If they do not want to follow the footsteps of the Jin people, they will definitely be honest.

    "Of course, I will not relax my care of them because of this. NowAfter the Jin people are destroyed, some troops from Liaodong can be transferred to Datong. By then, the north of Ming Dynasty will not be where they can come if they want.  In addition, I will send envoys to the grasslands and use trade as a means to force them to hand over those who dare to challenge our Ming Dynasty.  The situation on the grasslands is not optimistic now. If they want to have enough survival materials, they must rely on our Ming Dynasty. This is equivalent to strangulating their necks. By then, they will naturally be able to control the Mongolian tribes.  "

    "It seems that the Duke is already aware of the situation there, but the subordinate is worrying too much." Hong Chengchou said with sincere admiration.  He thought that after Tang Feng's easy victory this time, he would have great confidence in the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty and would send his troops to the Northern Expedition again.  Now it seems that I have indeed underestimated Tang Feng's wisdom.

    Tang Feng smiled and said: "I know what you are worried about. Although we destroyed the Jin Kingdom, I don't think we can destroy the Mongolian tribes, because there is an essential difference between the two. The Jin Kingdom already has  Only by establishing our own capital and starting to establish political power like us Han people can we destroy their country and move their tribes. However, the tribes on the Mongolian grasslands are scattered. Even if we can defeat them, they can disperse to protect themselves.  So we must not use the same methods against them. However, I think it is not impossible for Mongolia to be annexed by us, but not through force, but through economy. In constant trade, my Ming Dynasty can slowly penetrate until they are completely integrated.  Among us. Of course, this will be a long process, perhaps taking hundreds of years, but one day, they will be assimilated by us."

    Hearing Tang Feng say these words in the language of a prophet, Hong Chengchou couldn't help but feel a little dazed. Although he didn't know what the basis of Tang Feng's words was, he still vaguely felt that Tang Feng's words were correct.  There will be a day.

    "Okay, I've told you my plan, you should also tell me what's on your mind." Tang Feng looked at Hong Chengchou with a half-smile.  In fact, he had already seen that Hong Chengchou was not looking for him because of the Mongolian incident.

    "I I do have something to ask the Duke, but I don't know how to say it. Please don't blame me."

    "Tell me, I don't like to convict someone because of his words, and since you can think of it, you must have your reasons." Tang Feng pulled him to sit at a table, and then stretched out his hand to signal.

    "I don't know what the Duke's plans are after he returns to Beijing." After hesitating for a while, Hong Chengchou still expressed his problem tactfully, presumably Tang Feng could still understand what he meant.

    Tang Feng smiled, it was a smile from the heart, he shook his head, and then said: "Yan Yan is indeed a good minister of my Ming Dynasty. Now I am afraid that you are the only one here who dares to ask me this question. No, not only  Here, in the entire Ming Dynasty, although many people have such questions in their hearts, there are certainly not many who dare to raise them, let alone in front of me."

    "My lord" After looking at Tang Feng uneasily, Hong Chengchou could only say these two words.

    "Don't worry, I don't want to be the reviled traitor. I just want to use my own way to strengthen the Ming Dynasty. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty will not change. As long as he does not become my enemy, I can protect him from death.  worry."

    "The Duke is famous!" From Tang Feng's tone and expression, Hong Chengchou could tell that his words were sincere, which made the doubts in his heart disappear.  He knew that after Tang Feng reached this stage and already controlled the court and military power, the next step would be to usurp the throne. It was already very rare for Tang Feng not to have such thoughts.  Of course, he would not naively think about letting Tang Feng return power to the emperor. Not to mention Tang Feng, even someone who had a close connection with him would not agree.

    In fact, what Hong Chengchou wants is to maintain the current situation. The emperor still belongs to the old Zhu family, but someone else is in power. Only in this way can his two wishes be preserved.  The power struggle is so cruel. It is not easy for Tang Feng to reach this point.

    In fact, Tang Feng has also considered this issue, especially after the destruction of the Jin Dynasty, his reputation has reached its highest point. Now, as long as he ascends to the top and calls out, many people will respond, and the Ming Dynasty will become his in the blink of an eye.  But Tang Feng finally gave up this idea, because he knew that in this way he would become the enemy of the orthodox moral people in the world.  Although their power is not strong now, it will be hard to say in the future. He can't get rid of all these people for his own selfish desires.  So in the end, he chose this path that seemed to suffer some losses, but was actually very profitable.

    In order for the Ming Dynasty to become strong and prosperous, it had to go through a series of reforms, which would affect the interests of many people, who are still the current ruling class.  If he usurps the throne, these people will seize this point to deal with him. Maybe he will become the second Wang Mang.??Successful, and will leave an eternal infamy in history.  You must know that the right to speak is in the hands of those people. Who knows what kind of dirty water they will pour on themselves?

    But if you don¡¯t take that step and leave some room, those people won¡¯t find a reason to attack you.  Because those reform measures were issued in the name of the emperor, they couldn't be enemies of Zhu Mingzhengshuo, right?  This is Cao Cao's favorite trick to use to coerce the emperor to control the princes. Although it is very old-fashioned, it is very useful.

    Finally, there is another point that is at play in Tang Feng's selfishness. He knows how hard it is to be an emperor.  Not to mention how many memorials he had to review and how many things he had to do in a day, just getting up at four o'clock every day to go to the morning court was not something Tang Feng could accept.  He is a normal person and does not want to be a slave to that power. He just wants to do something for the future of the Han people and bring some benefits to himself and his descendants.

    So when Hong Chengchou had the courage to ask him this question, Tang Feng could give his answer very clearly. He would not usurp the throne. Of course, the power would still be in his own hands.

    After the army rested, Tang Feng took some of his troops back to the capital. Among them were members of the three major battalions of the capital, as well as some officers and soldiers from provincial guards with outstanding military exploits, as well as soldiers from Liaodong. They would represent all the troops who went out to conquer the Jin Dynasty.  The soldiers of the country went to the capital to accept the praise of the people and courtiers.  Of course, the imperial court will also award rewards to other people, and they will be rewarded one by one based on what is written in the merit book. It will be a huge project, and it will keep the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War busy for at least half a year.

    After a period of traveling, when the army returned to Beijing, it was already the end of the first year.  On this day, not only the people in Beijing rushed out of their homes to welcome the heroes, but even the officials from the DPRK and Central Government came in droves.  The emperor and the queen mother also sent people from the palace to represent them, and obviously they wanted to make some excuses.

    After these courtiers learned that Tang Feng actually destroyed the Jin Kingdom, they all had Hong Chengchou-like questions in their hearts, wondering what Tang Feng would do next.  But at the moment, it seems that Tang Feng still adheres to the courtesy of being a servant, respects the people in the palace sent by the emperor and the queen mother, and shows no disobedience at all, which makes everyone breathe a sigh of relief.  If Tang Feng showed disrespect to the emperor right away, they really wouldn't know how to deal with it.

    As ministers of the Ming Dynasty, these people naturally did not want Tang Feng, a minister, to do anything rebellious.  But the facts tell them that the one who can truly speak for themselves in the current Ming Dynasty is Tang Feng, and with the lessons learned from previous ministers, these people do not dare to go against Tang Feng.

    After so many years, especially after the Eunuch Party's chaos in government, the Ming Dynasty officials have lost their integrity. They are only serving as court officials for their own benefit. If they really get to that point, they will wisely choose what is best for themselves.  that side.

    But now all these worries were unfounded. Tang Feng had no intention of usurping the throne. After entering Beijing, he followed the rules and entered the palace to see the emperor.  This made the Queen Mother, who was very anxious in the palace, really relieved. Although she was worried about what Tang Feng would do, the dignity of the royal family could not be lost, so she did not go to greet him in person because of Tang Feng's power.  Instead, he only sent a few palace officials.  Now, Tang Feng appeared in front of him in a very polite manner, which made the Empress Dowager very happy. She praised him very much, saying that he was the pillar of the country and the hope of the future of the Ming Dynasty, and then rewarded him with many things.

    Tang Feng smiled and dealt with this insecure woman for a while, then took out the merit book and said: "Your Majesty, here is the list of the soldiers who made great contributions in this battle to destroy the gold. I hope that  Your Majesty can reward them generously to appease the hearts of our Ming soldiers."

    In fact, Tang Feng could make the decision on his own in this matter, but he still asked the emperor for instructions. This also conveyed a message to the people above him that he had no intention of usurping the throne.  The Queen Mother also received this message immediately, and a smile finally appeared on her face: "What Duke An Guo said is very true. The soldiers who shed their blood for our Ming Dynasty and died many times should indeed be praised by the court. Your Majesty allows you to invite  , everything will be arranged by you." Since you gave me this face, then the Queen Mother will naturally return the lining to Tang Feng, otherwise it may affect the relationship between the two parties.

    In fact, the Queen Mother also knew very well that it was not she and the emperor who had the final say in the world of the Ming Dynasty, so she had to first comfort Tang Feng and let him be his minister with peace of mind, so that her mother and her mother could be safe.  As for the imperial power, if there is a chance in the future, when the emperor grows up, he can still fight for it, but the prerequisite is to protect himself first.

    Tang Feng told the Queen Mother about what he had done in the Kingdom of Jin and the resettlement of the people of the Kingdom of Jin.  In fact, these queen mothers have known about it for a long time and will not object to such an arrangement.Then he handed all these into Tang Feng's hands.  Knowing that Tang Feng could not let go of these matters, she was naturally happy not to interfere.

    Generally speaking, this meeting between the monarch and his ministers was very harmonious and friendly, and there was no hint that the country would be unsafe if the monarch was weak and the ministers were strong.  This is also a scene that both parties are happy to see. At least in the short term, Daming is still very stable.

    After leaving the palace gate, Tang Feng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the emperor understands the situation, everything will go according to his plan, and the day when the Ming Dynasty will be revitalized is not far away.  But then he put all this behind him. He had been away from home for a while, and he had not been with his wife and children for the whole year and the first month of the year. What he wanted most now was to stay with them.

    The wind and snow on the grassland and the scenes of blood and flesh will leave him. What he needs now is a warm home, a place where he can enjoy his family.

    Arriving in front of the Duke's Mansion, Tang Feng saw his two sons and one daughter waiting there accompanied by a group of servants.  As soon as they saw their father coming back, the three children rushed over and threw themselves into his arms. Tang Feng also hugged them tightly.  Inside the door, the two wives Liu Hui and Da Yuer looked at this scene with smiles on their faces, with tears of joy shining in their eyes
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