Chapter 4088 Delay
Yu Chigong came full of anger. He originally thought that Zhang Xingcheng was deliberately making things difficult for him by distributing the firearms produced by the Foundry Bureau to other troops, making it difficult for his side to practice in time and replenish combat power. However, seeing Zhang Xingcheng's words at this moment, he discovered that this guy was doing something wrong. Could it be that the Minister of the Ministry of War is still unable to control the Ministry of War and has been ignored by his subordinate officials?
This kind of thing happens all the time in official circles, but Zhang Xingcheng has the support of the entire Shandong family, and Cui Dunli, the most powerful person in the Ministry of War, is a descendant of the Boling Cui family. The two are connected by blood, but they don't want to fall into such an embarrassing situation...
But he came here today to solve the problem, so naturally he would not be overly sympathetic.
Immediately with a dark face, he roared: "You are the Minister of the Ministry of War. Naturally, you are in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of War. Who can blame you for your own incompetence? Don't use these trivial excuses to stall me. I only want firearms when I come today. Don't do it." Talk nonsense to me! If you dare to make noise again, do you really think I don’t dare to teach you a lesson?”
This is not something he said to scare people. Now the entire Guanlong clan has pinned their future hopes on him. He himself also wants to take advantage of the current turmoil in Yichu to grab more benefits. However, his troops have suffered serious losses in successive battles. If they cannot make up for it in time, , when the time comes to face the well-equipped troops with firearms, will we take the lead and fight with them?
The army is not only his lifeblood, but also his future. He will never allow anyone to delay the distribution of firearms and affect the combat effectiveness of the army.
Zhang Xingcheng was not a vegetarian. Although he was afraid that Yuchi Gong would really beat him up in public, he could accept such a face-to-face humiliation, so he simply said: "If you want firearms, I don't have them. Either you, Lord E, go and make them yourself." I have no choice but to ask for it from the bureau or go to court directly before His Majesty.”
Facing Zhang Xingcheng's toughness, Yuchi Gong was a little helpless. Could he really beat him up in the Ministry of War Yamen?
He's not a fool.
Although he was angry at that time, he was also involved in a lawsuit. His Majesty is now ill and has a bad temper. He said he would not be severely punished.
However, he came with a fierce momentum, so naturally he couldn't leave in such a disgraceful manner. He said with a gloomy face: "Where is Liu Shi? He is in charge of the foundry bureau. Let him come over. I would like to ask him why he insulted me like this?" ”
Seeing that Zhang Xingcheng was difficult to deal with, he turned his attention to Liu Shi...
Zhang Xingcheng didn't talk nonsense. He had deeply hated Liu Shi for obeying Cui Dun's advice. Naturally, he would not protect him. He said to the clerk outside the door: "Go and invite Mr. Liu here. Mr. E Guo is naughty and wants to ask."
"Here."
The scribe hurriedly left.
Not long after, Liu Shi, who was dressed in official robes, walked in, greeted each other, then sat down on a chair beside him, took the tea from the clerk, and asked with a smile: "The Duke of E is here, and everyone in the Ministry of War is in full bloom. Shenghui, I just don’t know what the orders are for calling the officials here.”
Children of aristocratic families pay attention to a person who is as gentle as jade, and Liu Shi himself is also very good-looking. With such a warm smile and a humble demeanor, he is indeed rich and handsome.
But the two people in the seats were staring at him more and more dazzlingly...
Liu Shi didn't realize it. He took a slow sip of tea and raised his eyes to look at Yuchi Gong, whose face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. However, this person has always had a dark face, and for a while it was impossible to tell his mood from his face...
Yuchi Gong had a sullen face and said in a bad tone: "The Foundry Bureau has resumed work for many days, but my commander has not yet received any firearms, which has caused serious delays in army training, and there are complaints from all over the army. I came here today to ask Liu Langzhong, in the end When can we replenish Youhou Wei’s firearms?”
He was holding his breath, but he didn't want to be too rude in front of Liu Shi.
Although the doctor of the Ministry of War was only a minor official and had some real power, he did not care about it. However, the Liu family in Hedong was a powerful family in Hedong, with a prosperous cultural background and many old ties to the court. He is also the uncle of Princess Jin, and has deep entanglements with Prince Jin's palace. If Prince Jin becomes the new heir in the future, Liu Shi will inevitably rise to great heights.
Although Yu Chigong's status is not enough to make him famous, he is not willing to make enemies for nothing. If we can discuss it carefully, it is not a bad idea to endure it for a while...
Hearing this, Liu Shi showed a look of astonishment. He first looked at Zhang Xingcheng who was expressionless on the side, then looked at Yuchi Gong, and said in astonishment: "How to distribute ordnance and which troops should be given priority? This is the matter of the Ministry of War. How can I be a lower official? Can a doctor make the decision? You should discuss it with Zhang Shangshu.”
Zhang Xingcheng snorted coldly, want to discuss with me?
When you controlled the affairs of the Ministry of War and pushed me, the Minister of War, out of the door, why didn't you discuss it with me?
However, he would not cause "internal strife" in front of Yu Chigong, so he just snorted and ignored it...
Yuchi Gong looked at Zhang Xingcheng who was silent and completely believed that this man had been ignored by the officials of the Ministry of War, so he said to Liu Shi: "I won't make it difficult for you. I will put aside the issue of firearms and ordnance distribution for the time being. I just want to ask you to cast it now." How many firearms does the bureau produce every day?”
Even if you can't fully equip it, you can always give it less, right? The Ministry of War was first inspected by His Royal Highness the King of Jin as the Minister of the Ministry of War, and later Zhang Xingcheng was appointed as the Minister. However, it was still under the control of Fang Jun's gang, and it was definitely impossible to force it.
Not only was Fang Jun deprived of his position as Minister of War, but he was also forced to hand over the Youtun Guards he had reorganized. He must be simmering in anger, and His Majesty must also feel apologetic for this, in case Fang Jun spreads this evil fire. When it comes to yourself, His Majesty will probably just turn a blind eye and just give a few casual instructions...
Therefore, these officials of the Ministry of War cannot be provoked, and they must retreat appropriately. They only need to give them some firearms and equipment. They cannot be forced too much, so as not to get into trouble.
Liu Shi spread his hands and said, "The foundry bureau was previously destroyed by the Guanlong rebels. Even the warehouse was blown up, and all kinds of machinery and equipment were completely damaged. To resume work, at least hundreds of thousands of dollars would be needed." , where does the Ministry of War have so much money now? Although the craftsmen are stationed temporarily, they are only repairing the equipment. However, since Duke E is eager to equip the troops with firearms, he should go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to urge them to pay the money quickly, otherwise he may not be able to make a single musket. ”
Yuchi Gong's eyes widened. I have already given in so far. Not only are you shameless, but you want me to go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to ask for money?
He stood up with a "bang" and clapped his hands on the case. He looked at Zhang Xingcheng angrily and said, "This is simply unreasonable! I don't care so much. Your Ministry of War is responsible for ordnance manufacturing. If you can't receive at least a thousand muskets in three days, I'm not done with you." ! ”
After saying that, he angrily walked away.
He finally understood that the Ministry of War was now controlled by Fang Jun, and Zhang Xingcheng's mallet was completely useless.
Although he was very angry, how could he fall out with Liu Shi on the spot? That just played into Zhang Xingcheng's way, and now Zhang Xingcheng was counting on someone to cause a stir and pry a gap out of the iron-clad military department to break the situation...
……
Watching Yu Chigong leave angrily, Liu Shi looked helpless and complained to Zhang Xingcheng: "The official is in charge of the foundry bureau. In the past few days, he has been forced by the generals from all walks of life in the DPRK and China to ask for firearms and equipment for the troops, but the foundry bureau has been delayed. If we can start work, where can I find the firearms? Please ask the Minister to quickly urge the Ministry of Civil Affairs to allocate funds, otherwise our Ministry of War will be destroyed by these ruffians sooner or later."
Zhang Xingcheng said angrily: "I hold the title of Minister of the Ministry of War for nothing, but God has given you the blame. Who should I complain to? Okay, okay, everyone understands this, don't say any more nonsense." ”
"Hey, look what you said, you are the Minister of War, our superior. Since you are the only one who obeys your orders, you should be responsible. There is no such thing as eating meat without being beaten, right?"
Liu Shi drank tea slowly, with an expression on his face that said, "You deserve to take the blame."
Zhang Xingcheng laughed angrily and nodded repeatedly: "I have finally seen what it means to be shameless. If you continue to make trouble like this, you will reap the consequences sooner or later."
After saying that, he didn't care that it was duty time, so he simply got up and strode out of the duty room, took his trusted servants out of the Yamen and returned home.
……
Liu Shi returned to the room where the Minister of War was on duty and sat opposite Cui Dunli. He worriedly said: "Always prevaricating like this is not the answer. The foundry is working overtime, and sooner or later outsiders will know about it. How will we explain where the produced firearms go? Not only are we unable to communicate, but the East Palace is also in trouble.”
Although the troops drawn from all over the world have gradually returned to their places of origin, there are still nearly 200,000 troops in Hedgehog Pass. These armies first experienced the Eastern Expedition, and then the Guanlong Mutiny. It could be said that they suffered successive fierce battles and suffered heavy losses. Now that they have seen the power of firearms, they are waiting to be equipped with firearms so that they can practice and form combat capabilities as soon as possible.
Everyone's eyes are fixed on the Foundry Bureau, in case the outside world finds out. Now seventy-eight percent of the firearms produced by the Foundry Bureau every day flow into the East Palace Six Rate, while Zuowuwei, Youhouwei and other powerful armies can only Dozens of shots were allocated, not even one of Zhentianlei, etc. How could it be a big deal?
The whole world knows that His Majesty Yi Chu is here, but at this time, the Sixth Army of the East Palace is expanding aggressively. What is his intention?
This kind of thing can be big or small. Once someone catches you, it might be a crime of beheading...
Cui Dunli sat upright, with a calm face, and said in a deep voice: "Our ambition is to support Zhengshuo and maintain justice. What we do is not for personal gain, but to ensure the integrity of the Prince of the East Palace... This heart can be learned from heaven and earth, and it is absolutely If there is no conspiracy, what is there to fear?”
Liu Shi smiled bitterly and said: "I am not timid, but these guys are more difficult to deal with. Zhang Shangshu is not easy to fool. If this delay continues, things will inevitably change."
Cui Dunli held the pot and filled the two teacups on the table with tea. Then he picked up a cup and took a sip. He smacked his lips to taste the tea and said slowly: "Don't worry, the situation has evolved to this point. Maybe the situation will change during this period." , and wait patiently, the time will come when our names will go down in history.”
It is not difficult for His Majesty to decide whether to abolish the reserve.
But how to preserve the crown prince after he is deposed is something that even His Majesty cannot control. Even if he is preserved today, what will happen one year from now, ten years from now, or a hundred years from now?
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
If you want to get the best of both worlds, you cannot follow the ordinary trajectory, you must take the unusual path.
That's when the situation changed.
Your Majesty will wait longer, the East Palace will wait longer, and everyone in the government and the public will be waiting...(End of Chapter)