Xiao Ruxun didn't know that Zhu Yijun had been so close to death and failure until a long, long time later. These things wouldn't be recorded in the history books, and it was difficult for outsiders to know. It was also at that time that he knew that the choice he made was correct.
Song Yingchang and Xiao Ruxun arrived at Tianjin on the first day of the fourth month. The army took a day and a half to line up and a day and a half to rest. Three days later, on the fourth day of the fourth month, the Eastern Punitive Expedition officially began its march toward the capital.
For this day, the army had gone through dozens of battles, both large and small. They had fought against countless powerful enemies, and after paying a painful price, they had killed 200,000 Wokou pirates on the Korean Peninsula and Japan. All of the commanders of the Wokou expeditionary force, including the chieftain Toyotomi Hideyoshi, had been captured and killed. Not only had the Great Ming army obtained an extremely glorious victory, but this was also a battle of honor in which the Great Ming Empire's name was stabilized and the people of the Great Ming Empire were deterred.
Along the way, everyone was thinking about what kind of rewards they could receive. Li Rusong wanted to be conferred a title of nobility, and the other generals also wanted to be conferred a title of nobility. Moreover, because everyone had obtained so many military merits this time, it was not impossible for them to be conferred a title of nobility. Everyone knew this, so they were constantly talking about the glory and glory they would receive after being conferred a title of nobility, and how they would be able to hold their heads high and so on.
But in the eyes of those with discerning eyes, such as Song Yingchang, Xiao Ruxun, and Yuan Huang, their considerations were clearly different from those of the generals.
"This old man has already sent people to Xinjing to begin operations, but this old man is not very clear on the exact situation. This old man only knows that this matter is not easy to handle. I don't know if this move of retreating to advance will work. Which of those high officials in the capital isn't an expert in this field? Ji Xin, Kun Yi, do you think this will work? "
Song Yingchang's problem was also Xiao Ruxun's and Yuan Huang's problems. As the main recipients of merit, the decision makers of this campaign were the first to bear the brunt. The three of them were the ones who needed to consider their own path of retreat the most. The Emperor's decree to confer the titles of the three kings had made the originally clear situation muddied once again, making Xiao Ruxun and Yuan Huang somewhat unable to see clearly. At this moment, they were also anxious and fearful.
"I think that the focus of the Imperial Court has shifted from us to the matter of the Three Kings. Everyone is discussing the matter of the Three Kings, and the victorious return of the army has become the second priority. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It will reduce the attention on us, and make it easier for us to fish in troubled waters. It will be more convenient for us to carry out this matter, and perhaps we will be able to get what we want."
Xiao Ruxun's opinion was approved by Song Yingchang and Yuan Huang.
Xiao Ruxun had guessed half of it right, but he had not guessed the other half.
The main focus of the Imperial Court was indeed the matter of the Three Kings, but in reality, the matter of the Three Kings had already been resolved. On the first day of the fourth month, the Wanli Emperor, Zhu Yijun, had issued an edict to the cabinet announcing the withdrawal of the summons to confer the titles of the Three Kings. He had previously lacked consideration and had not taken into account the opinions of the officials, so the summons had been withdrawn.
The officials were satisfied, but they also had a sliver of doubt. This time, the Emperor had admitted defeat too quickly, hadn't he? Previously, he had to toss around a few high-ranking officials and then drag it out for a while before admitting defeat. This time, no one had fallen from the horse and the Emperor had already admitted defeat. This was illogical! Had the Emperor changed his personality?
None of the officials knew of the great changes in the Imperial Court. None of them knew that a butcher's knife had been so close to them, but they had not noticed it at all. They blindly celebrated their victory, and then decided to give the Emperor a sweet date. The Minister of Rites, Luo Wanhua, began to urgently arrange the etiquette for the triumphant return of the army. All orders were given the green light all the way without any delay, and his efficiency was frighteningly high.
The Ministry of Rites was indeed busy, but the busiest were actually the East Faction Guards and the Imperial Bodyguard. In order to seal the mouth, Zhang Jing and Luo Shangzhi did not sleep well for three consecutive nights. They commanded the East Faction Guards and the Imperial Bodyguard spies to arrest and kill people everywhere, and secretly destroyed corpses and evidence. Hundreds of eunuchs in the Imperial Palace disappeared overnight, as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth. However, the palace people, who were familiar with the rules of the palace coup, did not dare to say a word, for fear that if they said one more word, the butcher's knife would fall on their heads and cut off their livelihood.
Zhu Yijun was dispirited and listless, as if he had lost all his energy. He did not speak, did not leave the palace, did not visit the concubines, and only ate and slept. He ignored all the memorials from the Cabinet, and only asked Wang De to place the Emperor's seal on his table. Wang Xijue, who knew the inside story, sighed deeply and personally ran to Empress Dowager Li's palace with the memorials. He asked Empress Dowager Li to be a firefighter and deal with the state affairs that he could not handle.
Empress Dowager Li knew of Zhu Yijun's problem, but she had no way to solve it. She only wanted to help Zhu Yijun take care of the state affairs before he recovered. Wang Xijue was an absolutely trustworthy candidate. After discussing everything with him, she asked Empress Dowager Li to stamp the Emperor's imperial seal.
"Empress Dowager, the only problem at hand is the issue of the rewards for the Eastern punitive expedition. His Majesty previously said that he would reward the Eastern punitive expedition generously, but the specific rewards had not yet been decided. The news of the three Marquises had stolen the limelight. Right now, everyone is waiting, especially the Ministry of Rites. They are waiting to arrange the etiquette. Empress Dowager, you must decide whether to confer nobility or not."
Empress Dowager Li flipped through the list of meritorious officers and soldiers and focused her gaze on the name Xiao Ruxun.
"This Xiao Ruxun is the most meritorious officer of the Eastern punitive expedition. He is indeed very capable. Minister Wang, how did His Majesty intend to reward Xiao Ruxun?"
Wang Xijue recalled, "His Majesty did not intend to confer the title of Marquis on Xiao Ruxun. Instead, he intended to give Xiao Ruxun a promotion, handing over the entire capital to Xiao Ruxun to reorganize and reorganize. His Majesty knew that Xiao Ruxun was not only adept at commanding troops, but was also adept at training them. He had the demeanor of Qi Shaobao. Afterwards, His Majesty bestowed him with land, silver, and other treasures."
Empress Dowager Li muttered to herself, "His Majesty regarded Xiao Ruxun very highly?"
Wang Xijue nodded, "Rumor has it that Xiao Ruxun was able to become the Commander of the Eastern Punitive Expedition at the age of 23. He even managed to squeeze out Li Rusong because Xiao Ruxun was favored by His Majesty. His Majesty admired Xiao Ruxun, so he personally ordered Xiao Ruxun to be promoted. Minister of War Shi Xing acted on His Majesty's decree and chose Xiao Ruxun instead of Li Rusong to be the Commander of the Eastern Punitive Expedition. That is why they won such a great victory."
Empress Dowager Li nodded as if she understood and said, "If that is the case, then Xiao Ruxun cannot stay in the capital."
Wang Xijue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Empress Dowager is wise."
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