They had no grand concept of the world, because they could not usurp the throne.
But they would sell out their country in order to obtain their own glory and wealth.
Now that Zhu Yijun had regained power, he would greatly suppress the aristocrats. He was the Emperor, and he had the name of the legitimate ruler of the world. He had righteousness and orthodoxy, and everything he did was right and proper.
Suppressing the aristocrats, imposing higher taxes, suppressing and restraining the power of the local merchants, strengthening the control of the grass-roots government, turning a small government into a large government, and revitalizing the military — these were all things that Zhu Yijun had to do after regaining power. And Xiao Ruxun felt that if he were in Zhu Yijun's shoes, he would do the same thing.
There was no better way to do it. In this era, at this moment, what else could he do?
As for Xiao Ruxun's own interests.
The situation after he succeeded in setting things right.
The possibility of his achievements overawing the sovereign.
The possibility of putting away the good bow after all the birds were gone.
To tell the truth, Xiao Ruxun did not care too much about this.
Success was still uncertain, and it was better to say that controlling the military strength of the capital was only the first step. There were far too many things that needed to be done, and it was still a question of whether he could wait until that day.
As for Chao Cuo …
Xiao Ruxun did not care too much. If he really did agree to the Emperor's request and then failed, he would be doomed no matter what. The moment he stood against the ministers, he had no other choice.
It would be better to say that from the moment the Emperor revealed the matter of the grain storage cave in Shanxi, Xiao Ruxun had already stood on the opposite side of the officials. There was no longer any possibility of compromise between the two sides, not to mention that there were already layers of contradictions between the civil and military. Even without this layer of relationship, he and Shen Yicheng would not be able to coexist peacefully.
The civil officials would never relinquish their authority, and if he wanted to advance further, he needed the military authority of the civil officials.
In this two-choice question, Xiao Ruxun was very clear on what he should choose.
There would be no confusion.
Because he had no other choice.
In that case, he might as well make his words sound more righteous.
"Ever since I reported the matter of the grain storage cave in Shanxi to Your Majesty, I have put life and death aside. My achievement today is due to Your Majesty's promotion, Your Majesty's trust, and Your Majesty's full support. If Your Majesty needs me to do anything for you, I will die nine times without regrets."
In fact, this statement was not false. In the beginning, it was Zhu Yijun who supported Xiao Ruxun to be the commander of the Korean War. It was only because of Zhu Yijun's words that Shi Xing compromised. Otherwise, how could Xiao Ruxun compete with Li Rusong?
Later, during the course of the Korean War, Xiao Ruxun was repeatedly impeached, and Zhu Yijun suppressed all the impeachment memorials. Later, he used his own funds to mobilize the navy to support Xiao Ruxun in the war, giving Xiao Ruxun the opportunity to land in Japan and further attack Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Not to mention, this time, he had promoted him from the position of admiral to the position of governor-general. He had even gone against the opinions of the masses and refused to appoint an army supervisor, giving him enough autonomy to command. He had given him the greatest trust and support within the framework that he could.
From this point, Xiao Ruxun believed that Zhu Yijun was a ruler with his own charisma. Once he trusted him, he would never try to interfere with the frontlines from deep within the palace. At least on this level, Zhu Yijun did not doubt the people he used.
It was also his understanding and support that gave Xiao Ruxun the space to do his best, and he won brilliant victories one after another.
Xiao Ruxun imagined that if it wasn't Zhu Yijun who was the Emperor, but Emperor Chong Zhen who was in power, he would have probably died a dozen times.
Xiao Ruxun's words gave Zhu Yijun a great feeling. Zhu Yijun helped Xiao Ruxun up, his face full of excitement.
"I didn't expect Daming to have such a loyal person!"
Zhu Yijun patted Xiao Ruxun's shoulder. "In this case, I believe in your loyalty to me. I will tell you that I will give the position of Prime Minister to Shen Yicheng in exchange for Shen Yicheng's support for you to become the Left Governor of the Middle Military Command, take charge of the Jing Camp, and promote you to Duke Qin!"
Xiao Ruxun's eyes widened.
"The Jing Camp … Duke Qin?!"
Take charge of the Jing Camp, become the Left Governor of the Middle Military Command, and be promoted to Duke Qin.
This was the content of Zhu Yijun's reward for Xiao Ruxun's great contribution.
If Xiao Ruxun's memory served her right, the ones in charge of the Capital Camp were usually the top aristocratic families of the Great Ming Dynasty, the Duke of Ding, the Duke of England, and the Duke of Cheng. These three families were the top aristocratic families of the Great Ming Dynasty, so how could they be replaced by an ordinary person?
At least he, Marquis Zhennan, was not qualified to replace them.
Therefore, Zhu Yijun promoted himself to Duke Qin.
Xiao Ruxun had some knowledge about nobility, so she knew that the name 'Qin' was very unusual. It was the name of the strongest person in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the final victor, and the country that laid the foundation of the unified empire of Huaxia. Especially after Li Shimin received the title of King Qin and successfully ascended to the throne, the name 'Qin' became even more unusual.
This was the title of an emperor.
After the Tang Dynasty, the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains had never conferred the title of Qin to a person with a different surname. People also had to avoid it. But now in Daming, Zhu Yijun gave this title to him.
He used the position of Premier in exchange for Shen Yicheng's support and gave this title to him.
Xiao Ruxun believed this, because there were definitely many people who opposed it. Without Shen Yicheng's full cooperation, Zhu Yijun couldn't have done this. This title was too special.
"Your Majesty, isn't this … too generous? I … how can I be in charge of the Jing Camp? How can I be called Duke Qin? The title of Qin is too heavy. I dare not accept it. I … don't deserve it! "
Zhu Yijun held Xiao Ruxun's hand.
"If you don't deserve it, who else deserves it? All the civil and military officials in the imperial court except you, Xiao Ruxun? "
Perhaps he felt that his words were too heavy and might make Xiao Ruxun more frightened, so Zhu Yijun said gently, "Xiao Ruxun, you don't have to worry too much. You are from the Yan 'an Guards. Yan' an was the territory of the Qin in ancient times. Conferring you the title of Duke Qin is a justifiable thing to bring honor to your ancestors. Why not?
You can be Duke Qin. As for taking charge of the Jing Camp, you don't have to worry about it. I have already received the resignation form of Duke Zhang Weixian of Ying. Now the position of Left Commander of the Central Army is vacant. You can completely fill it and take charge of the Jing Camp. "
"Duke Zhang … he …"
"He embezzled 32,000 taels of silver from the army's pay. I sent him home to reflect."
Zhu Yijun sneered and said, "In fact, I also know that if he wanted to be greedy, he could even embezzle 300,000 taels of silver. I just gave him a way out. For the sake of his ancestors, I will not pursue it for the time being."
Only then did Xiao Ruxun understand how much work Zhu Yijun had done.
The Emperor had done so much. If he still refused, it would not be good.
Therefore, Xiao Ruxun no longer refused.
"Then … I thank Your Majesty for your grace!"
If he could take charge of the Jing Camp smoothly, it would undoubtedly be a good thing to help the Emperor regain the military power. The title of Duke Qin gave him the right to take charge of the Jing Camp. Zhang Weixian's abdication created the conditions for him. If he could take control of the army in the capital, he would succeed.
However, Xiao Ruxun was also very clear that it should be very difficult. The Jing Camp was the back garden of the nobles. It was full of all kinds of connections. If he wanted to take charge of the Jing Camp and reform it, it was tantamount to fighting against the whole noble class.
Not to mention the degree of idleness and waste in the Jing Camp that even outsiders like him knew.
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