Chapter 64: The Fierce Tiger of Ming

Han Qianhu said casually, "He is an old man from the Chenghua period. You people may not know him."

An old man from the Chenghua period?

The feeling in Pei Yuan's heart became stronger and stronger. He took a deep breath and asked carefully, "Could it be that person from thirty years ago..."

"Huh?" Before Pei Yuan finished speaking, Han Qianhu glanced at him with a slightly surprised look on his face.

That man's name has been considered a taboo for thirty years, and his deeds should have disappeared quietly from the world.

Han Qianhu asked doubtfully, "Have you heard of him?"

Pei Yuan took a breath and couldn't help but say, "He plowed the fields and swept the caves, cleansed the Jurchens, and frightened the three guards of Jianzhou. Could it be him?"

"He led 20,000 elite soldiers, braved the cold wind and snow, traveled by night and hid during the day for 27 days, and rushed to attack the Mongolian royal court. He also let his troops attack and killed Dayan Khan, who escaped with only himself. He was killed on the spot by Mandu Hai. Could it be him?"

"The Tatar army entered Datong and Xuanfu to plunder, and the Yismain tribe treated our border defenses as nothing. But this man bravely fought the enemy three times and won a great victory at Black Rock Cliff, which frightened the Tatars. Could it be him?"

After listening to Pei Yuan's words, Han Qianhu looked at him carefully and remained silent for a long time.

After a while, he said, "It is this person, Wang Zhi, the sixth-rank imperial stable official."

After hearing this, Pei Yuan felt indescribable.

This young eunuch roamed the northern border like a tiger, showing the fangs of the Ming Dynasty.

He already had tremendous power.

However, he had no attachment to the center of power and was determined to fight against foreign enemies and defend the northern border.

Until the emperor issued an edict to strip him of his power, the Ministry of War ordered his troops to be withdrawn, and finally when the Hu army was approaching, he was sent to Nanjing to retire with a single order.

What did the Ming Dynasty give to this young eunuch?

He plowed the fields and swept the holes, and wiped out the Jurchens. His reward was an additional 36 stone of rice.

With 20,000 elite troops, he attacked the Mongolian royal court and forced Dayan Khan to flee alone. His reward was an additional 48 stone of rice.

He guarded Xuan Da, defeated the pursuing Yismain tribe, and intimidated the enemy. He was rewarded with an additional 300 dan of rice.

Then this young eunuch was sealed in Nanjing and served as the sixth-rank Imperial Stable Supervisor.

after that.

Until the fall of the Ming Dynasty, over a hundred years later, was there still a man who could lead a large army, brave the cold wind and snowstorm, hide during the day and travel at night for twenty-seven days, and bravely launch a fierce attack on the royal court of the Hu people?

No.

Pei Yuan was so excited that he couldn't control himself for a moment.

Han Qianhu looked at Pei Yuan in confusion, wondering why this cunning guy in front of him could lose his composure like this.

Pei Yuan felt very uncomfortable.

Han Qianhu doesn’t know.

Han Qianhu knew nothing.

She only knew that Wang Zhi, the Ming Dynasty's most powerful weapon, was sealed in Nanjing, and that if this powerful weapon was taken out, it would terrify the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River.

Little did they know that in the future hundreds of millions of Ming people would be slaughtered like lambs.

Wang Zhi, in three years, traveled across the northern border and was invincible! The Ming people sealed their tiger in Nanjing for thirty years!
——With the little rice awarded to him by the court and a sixth-rank official title.

Han Qianhu came back to his senses and said to Pei Yuan, "Since you know this person, I don't need to say more. As long as I spread the rumor, I think those people in Suzhou will not dare to mess around."

Then, as if explaining, he said to Pei Yuan, "You may not know that when Wang Zhi first became the head of the Western Factory, he arrested Yang Rong's great-grandson, Yang Hua, the commander of the Fujian Jianning Guard. Oh, and Yang Hua's father, Yang Tai. Yang Rong was once a regent minister with an extremely high status. He was one of the three famous ministers."

"They were violent and brutal in the village, killing people, but the officials protected each other and no one paid any attention. Some people who were persecuted by them went to Beijing to report it, but Yang Hua relied on his family background and was unscrupulous. He openly went to Beijing to bribe. As a result, this matter was discovered by Wang Zhi, who locked him up in the Western Factory and tortured him severely."

"This incident shocked all the officials in the world. They realized at that time that even high-ranking officials like Yang Rong could not kill people at will."

"But the incident was so popular that Shang Lu, the chief minister of the cabinet, and others submitted a petition saying that the Western Factory was 'too busy with surveillance, too hasty with laws, and too tight with criminal networks'. They also joined forces with the six ministries and nine officials to request the closure of the Western Factory. Their words were so fierce that Emperor Xianzong had no choice but to let Wang Zhi return to the Imperial Stables. Later, when the Western Factory was reopened, Shang Lu, the chief minister of the cabinet, and others threatened to resign."

Pei Yuan couldn't help but sneer when he heard this.

When the name of the Director of the Western Factory was mentioned in the court, all the civil and military officials trembled with fear and awe.

However, Wang Zhi was honest and upright in his conduct. Not only did he not bear grudges or take revenge on those who offended him, but he was also impartial and recommended them to the court.

As a eunuch with great power in the court, he did not leave any trace of his personal moral shortcomings in the records of literati.

There are even some anecdotes that say that it was well known that Wang Zhi did not accept bribes.

If a person is upright, not greedy for money, not afraid of death, and willing to serve the country, why would anyone want to put him to death?
The only conclusion is that what those people feared was that he was honest, not greedy for money, and not afraid of death.

Han Qianhu continued, "When Wang Zhi left the court to guard the northern border, he probably felt that there was no room for him to display his talents in the court."

"Ten years ago, Emperor Hongzhi wanted Wang Zhi to come to the capital again, but there was an uproar in the court, and everyone tried their best to stop him from leaving Nanjing. Now, we have the current situation."

Han Qianhu said confidently, "Wang Zhi's reputation is still there. As long as I invite him out, I don't think anyone will dare to turn the table against us."

Pei Yuan swallowed dryly.

Does he hope that Wang Zhi can be released from the seal?
Of course!
Isn't it more valuable to be a younger brother to Eunuch Wang, the former head of the Western Factory, than to be a younger brother to that loser Gu Dayong?
But, is it possible?

Given the current situation in the court, it is impossible for Wang Zhi to leave Nanjing.

Han Qianhu used Wang Zhi to stimulate those Jiangnan scholars, which could certainly achieve his goal temporarily, but what would be the consequences?

This is just a repeated reminder to those high-ranking officials and wealthy people that there is still a knife that can kill them, right in Nanjing City!
For an old eunuch who has lost his power and only has a sixth-rank position left, this may bring him an unexpected crisis.

Although Pei Yuan was greedy for money, there was no need to push that person into the fire pit because of such a small matter.

This is so heartless.

Moreover, if Captain Han rashly uses Wang Zhi, she might just threaten to overturn the table, but the other party would overturn the table without hesitation!
Pei Yuan could only bite the bullet and refuse, "Sir, we must be cautious about Wang Zhi's matter. I am willing to find a way to solve the tax problem myself, so please don't worry about this matter."

Han Qianhu was surprised and asked, "Oh? Are you sure?"

Pei Yuan sighed inwardly, so what if I am sure or not, I can't go crazy with you.

We are just forming a gold-earning group, there is no need to update the expansion pack.

Where is your previous expression of putting national affairs first?
Perhaps, this woman did not realize at all what it meant to expose Wang Zhi. This was a nuclear bomb targeting the literati and scholars all over the world.

Before it is used, this thing may have a huge deterrent effect, and even Emperor Hongzhi could use it to intimidate his ministers. I am going to lose it.

But when it is really thrown out, it will be a life-and-death battle.

For a little money, not necessarily.

(End of this chapter)

previouscatalognext