Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen Loyalty or Traitor——Wang Yue

As the saying goes: Guan Gong has a red face, and Cao Cao has a white face. This is the rule of the stage, the bright oil paints are clearly distinguished, loyal and good or traitors, and the spectators can see clearly when they come on stage. But history is not so simple. There is a kind of people who are at the peak of power, and call the wind and rain in major events. For example, during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, an important minister, Minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty and the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate-Xianningbo Wangyue. He is not well-known today, but he was a "high-profile figure" at the time, holding the positions of "Minister of Defense" and "Minister of Justice", and held a high position.In the nearly 300 years of the Ming Dynasty, he was one of only three civil servants who were knighted for military exploits. "Break through the barriers of Helan Mountain" - the dream of the great hero Yue Fei, he achieved it quietly.The ferocious Mongolian cavalry were in awe of him and called him the "Gold Medal King". "Xianzong Shilu" records: "The more you go into battle, the (enemy) will run without a fight."The word "ben" is like a knife, directly killing the mighty arrogance of the Ming army.

Literary achievements are also remarkable. There are hundreds of poems and essays in his life with a total of 200,000 words. The work "Wang Xiangmin Public Collection" is a "bestseller" that has been popular in the Ming Dynasty for a hundred years. Consecutively criticize 3 sentences of "big surprise"!Li Kaixian, a famous opera master, praised him for his "brilliant writing and thinking, which can catch up with Li Du and others".Qian Qianyi, the leader of the literary world in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, compiled "Poetry Collection of Lie Chao". He loved his poems so much that he collected 15 poems in one breath. There is the thought of grinding the shield horizontally and singing the sad song to go out of the fortress"——what a heroic image of Wentao Wulue and vigorous blood.

Outstanding meritorious service, both civil and military, with power in the court and the public, this is Wang Yue in "Highlight", just a reputation... There were many scoldings before and after his death. At that time, Xu Pu, the leader of the Qingliu, said that he had "defective virtues", and another famous official He Qiaoxin said that he "flattered the eunuchs, disrupted the government, invited credit for war, and wasted people's power". They are all special terms for criticizing traitors.When he was alive, there were many memorials to impeach him by officials. A hundred years later, Zhang Pu, a literati at the end of Ming Dynasty, included him in "Ni Eunuch" with a stroke of his pen...

So "high light" he has different faces. In the history books, he is "self-satisfied with talent, unrefined, and arrogant"; On the battlefield, he is the great husband who has repeatedly made outstanding achievements; If you want to know the real Wang Yue, you might as well take a look at his life from the platform of a small person, step by step, to the height of the power field. Huang Wei, a note writer in the Ming Dynasty, once appraised Wang Yue's fortune with great envy - God-given wealth. But looking at Wang Yue's background and imperial examination path, he is neither "rich" nor "noble". On the contrary, he has bad luck.

Wang Yue, courtesy name Shichang, was born in Henan in the first year of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1426) in an ordinary rural family in Gangpo Village, Juqiao Town, Jun County, Henan Province. There is no comparison with others. If you really want to say "God-given", there may be only one thing-talent. The talent of appearance is good - "History of the Ming Dynasty" says that he has a "magnificent appearance", a standard handsome man; he has a good talent for reading, and he has a vivid memory for even the most difficult articles, and he also likes to read all kinds of military books in his spare time; "Records" said that he was "many and good at shooting". As for the fist and foot weapons, there is no record, but judging from his performance of often taking the lead in beating stubborn enemies later, it should not be bad.

Later, Wang Yue recalled in his anthology: "Han Chuang studied hard at the age of hard work, and he couldn't put down the scroll. Feeling the death of the Song Dynasty and the hatred of the Hulu invasion, he was often resentful, so he studied military books hard, hoping to do something." Dreams should take root from then on. With all this bestowed by God, Wang Yue stepped onto the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination. In the first year of Daizong Jingtai (AD 1450), he ranked third in the provincial examination (juren) and thirty-third in the general examination. Fan Jin in these Broke through the barrier of a lifetime and passed it once.

Then came the second year of Jingtai (AD 1451), the last hurdle of the long single-plank bridge-the court test.But bad luck came at this time. This is the "miracle" that Huang Wei is so envious of: the court examination site was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop, suddenly a gust of wind blew past, and it happened that Wang Yue's examination paper, which was writing hard, was blown away. Seeing that there is not much time left for the exam, and the ten-year cold window is about to fall short, Wang Yue calmly asked the examiner for a blank test paper, and calmly finished it in the remaining time.For a moment, everyone was shocked.

This unbelievable incident was recorded in Huang Wei's anthology "Pengxuan Miscellaneous Notes". He sighed: "Gai was born rich and noble, and the signs of prosperity are already seen in the imperial examination." Are you born rich? Speaking of luck, this kind of luck, for the students in the exam, can be said to be as bad as it is bad, but Wang Yue remained calm. Foreshadowing was laid. What about the omen of prosperity? The job assignment of Jinshi in the Ming Dynasty was firstly based on the examination results.The No. 1, No. 2, and Tanhua directly entered the Imperial Academy, and selected elites from the second and third ranks to become Shu Jishi. This job was to help the emperor explain the subset of classics and history, draft imperial edicts, and be the "key training object" in the organization.After the mid-Ming Dynasty, a rule was formed that non-Hanlin scholars could not enter the cabinet as ministers, and the future is bright.

But this great future has nothing to do with Wang Yue. He is a second-class Jinshi, and his ranking is not mentioned in various historical materials, so he should not be at the top. Of course, promotion in the officialdom depends more on the relationship between teachers and successors, identity background, and family background. When it comes to Wang Yue's turn, none of them matter. No power, no power, no background, no top or bottom, no thirteen do not rely on, this is the real situation that Wang Yue, who was named on the gold list, faced after entering the officialdom. This luck is not much better than the wind blowing papers in the examination room.

In the second year of Jingtai (AD 1451), Wang Yue, who was unreliable for thirteen years, got his first job in the officialdom-Shaanxi Supervising Censor. The supervisory censor was of the seventh grade. At that time, this official could only be summed up in two words-poor and dangerous. Speaking of being poor, the monthly salary is seven stones and five buckets of rice, and the annual salary is about 45 taels. After converting against today's prices, the monthly income is about 2,478 yuan. It is really not easy to support a family. However, it has a lot of power: inspecting local officials, reporting and verifying illegal activities, arbitrarily arbitrarily deciding on small matters, and adjudicating major events.

But the pressure of responsibility is equally great, big and small things are cumbersome, offending people everywhere, and the consequences of mistakes and omissions may be very serious.During the Xuande period, Xie Yao, the censor, wrote a wrong word in the memorial, and was immediately demoted to Tuman County in Annan as the county magistrate, ruining his political future.This work is like walking on eggshells. There is also the risk of "standing in line". Power struggles have always used censors as guns.If you follow the right person, you will get promoted quickly, but if you follow the wrong person, you may be in danger. Without a pair of piercing eyes, who can see clearly? What's more, Shaanxi at this time was not peaceful, and the Mongolian cavalry came to harass it from time to time, which was extremely dangerous. Wang Yue took office in Shaanxi for one year, no accidents, no political achievements and no faults, just endured. But it was this seemingly insignificant year that had an important impact on Wang Yue's future. "Meng Yu Lu" records that after Wang Yue became an official of the Ministry of War, Yu Zijun, a colleague, once asked him where his strategy came from. Wang Yue replied: from Shaanxi. Then Wang Yue explained that during his tenure in Shaanxi, whenever he visited the border, he had to inspect the local city gates and military equipment in detail, and even experienced the invasion of Mongolian cavalry at the border several times. Heart". If it is said that Wang Yue in the school only vaguely cherished a dream, the year in Shaanxi gradually made this dream clear, and he began to understand and think about war for the first time.The art of war is no longer just talking about war on paper, but it is a picture of a dream come true. One year later, Wang Yue's fate was changed by a transfer order, which made this unknown little man gain popularity for the first time - he was transferred to Zhejiang Supervisory Censor. Zhang Jin, the former Zhejiang supervisory censor, was impeached as Wang Zhen's remnant party, and he was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown. Wang Yue, who was dedicated to his duties in Shaanxi, took over this position. In terms of various conditions, Zhejiang is far better than Shaanxi. For Wang Yue, this is also the best opportunity to make achievements. He came to Zhejiang with a smug heart. On the way to Zhejiang, I ran into people who complained about injustice. After starting the work, I received several complaint letters, and the content of the complaint was only one thing-extortion by officials. The suspected officials, including the county magistrate, the prefect, and the chief secretary, were all targets of the censor's supervision. The victims included ordinary villagers, local gentry, and even local prestigious gentry. People raise children, after investigation, they are all wronged! The young and vigorous Wang Yue was furious, how could he behave so recklessly in Qingping the world. But Wang Yue did not expect that this was not an ordinary incident of official corruption and violence. Behind the corruption and violence was a big background - liquidation. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was in the reign of Zong Jingtai of the Ming Dynasty. Many people are familiar with the origin of Emperor Jingtai: the defeat of Tumubao, Zhu Qizhen of Ming Yingzong was captured by the Mongols, and his younger brother Zhu Qiyu took over the throne and changed his name to Jingtai.After negotiations, the Mongols released Ming Yingzong and was honored as the "Supreme Emperor". The throne of Emperor Jingtai is not secure, and the "Taishanghuang" is still there. To establish prestige, one must correct the "stains" of his elder brother's reign. If he can't directly criticize the "Taishanghuang", then pick the culprit who caused Ming Yingzong to be captured in the past— —The great eunuch Wang Zhen started. Wang Zhen died in the rebellious army in the defeat of Tumu Fortress, but the remaining parties were still there, and they were liquidated one by one. Therefore, starting from the first year of Jingtai, the remaining parties were investigated first, from those who were in office to those who retired, and then those who were insured. Found folks. This investigation was terrible. Officials with conflicts took this opportunity to attack and expose each other, and some local officials used the name of the investigation to extort money from the local area. Some went too far to add firewood... Wang Yue's predecessor, Zhang Jin, the former supervisory censor of Zhejiang, was dismissed by an imperial decree because he was revealed to be Wang Zhen's minion.Wang Yue didn't care about this at this time. He has read sage books to this day, and he knows that food is the most important thing for the people, and the loyalty of the king is the reward of eating the king. The youthful and vigorous Wang Yue rolled up his sleeves to “correct”: he visited various prefectures and counties in Zhejiang, strictly investigated the violent incidents in the name of “liquidation”, ordered the relevant officials to return the illegally occupied land within a time limit, and released innocent people who were tortured , For officials with serious circumstances, they boldly reported and impeached them. This has caused trouble, in the rich land of Zhejiang, but any position is a "fat job".Those who are "fat errands" are cronies who collude with important ministers. Wang Yue's troubles have offended all of them. At this time, Wang Yue was very proud. He often scolded the offending officials and intercessors loudly in public, making others ugly.He is also very kind to the common people. He works in a hurry and does things vigorously. He also often visits the county schools, talks with the students, and gives pointers to the country. Of course, there are many people in the capital who are dissatisfied. The little censor, who doesn't know the heights of the sky and the earth, dares to break the ground when he is too old?Immediately, someone instructed the officials to impeach him. The charges were "various", such as "inflicting excessive punishment and endangering the local area", or "violent and unscrupulous, slandering and framing", and there were also blunt arguments, such as Wang Yue and Wang Zhen. For the brothers of the Cost family, it doesn't matter if it's absurd, it's true to punish you. Therefore, Wang Yue soon discovered that although the embezzlement operation was partially stopped, the few illegal officials he focused on impeachment ended up being nothing.Instead, some of his high-spirited words were regarded as "evidence" and included in the black materials of his impeachment. The local colleagues also began to squeeze him out, "not cooperating" everywhere, and those who were polite to you on the surface were actually ignored.After tossing around for a long time, most of the promises made to the victims were in vain, and the same year that the capital is better, there is also a message: next time the Beijing police will be careful... But Wang Yue was stubborn and refused to let him do it, but insisted on doing it. Under pressure, he worked tediously for a year. Although there were many objections, he persevered despite the pressure. He finally punished a few corrupt officials, cleared up a few small injustice cases, and achieved some minor work achievements. At this time, a thunderbolt came from the blue-my father passed away. Wang Yue had a deep affection for his father, but he didn't know that he had just made a small success, but his father died.Wang Yue was deeply saddened, and after the grief, he resolutely made a decision: leave work and go home to mourn. At that time, as an official of the imperial court, such matters should be reported to the superior first, and the superior should send a new official to return home after handing over the work. Wang Yue's behavior at that time was tantamount to "dereliction of duty". There may be another reason for this matter, the things in Zhejiang are aggrieved. Wang Yue's departure brought about the first fatal impeachment in his official career. The charges of impeachment were "as a censor, leaving his post without authorization, having no eyes on the laws and regulations of the country, and treating the court's laws as nothing."The crime is not the most serious, but the person who impeached him - Chen Xun, his immediate superior, the Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate of the Ming Dynasty - Chen Xun. In the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, it was common for censors to impeach officials, but it was rare for the highest leader in censors, Zuodu Yushi, to impeach his own subordinates.The result is not important, what is important is the signal: even if your direct leader can't understand you, there is no room for you. Chen Xun has a good reputation in history, he is a well-known and upright official, and he admired Wang Yue very much at first, but he is the confidant of Emperor Jingtai, and he was originally the resolute executor of the liquidation matter, so Wang Yue was sent to help him fuel the flames , Who knows that he will sing the opposite tune, play it now, and show your loyalty to the emperor by the way, this is the most important thing. In the third year of Jingtai, Wang Yue's father died, and Ding You returned home. At the age of 27, he left sadly after raising his leg and splashing mud on his first step in the officialdom. What remained in Zhejiang was a well-known praise in the history books: police to deter corruption, suppress turbidity and promote cleanliness, high-spirited, see things with vigor, and everyone admires them.This is a young man who was once full of ambition, a testimony of his youthful years in the officialdom. In the idyllic scenery of Junxian County, Henan Province, Ding You's Wang Yue practiced martial arts, read books, cared for his elderly mother, and exchanged letters with the same year to pass the time.Of course, what I do most is writing essays. Many poems in "Wang Xiangmin Gongji" were written in the past three years, "The setting sun is green and the mountains are evening, the west wind and the grass are new", at the age of the prime of life, there is a bit of a dying old man lament. But how can these herbs be renewed? Where is the west wind?Less than 30 years old, but already old? In the few years when Wang Yue was thinking hard, in the seventh year of Jingtai in Ming Dynasty (AD 1456), a major event that shocked the government and the public happened-the change of seizing the door. The Supreme Emperor Zhu Qizhen, who was released by Oala and imprisoned, staged a coup to regain the throne when Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu was seriously ill.All the important officials in the Jingtai period were rejected or even punished, and Yu Qian, the hero of the Beijing defense war, was brutally killed... This is the third year of Wang Yue and Dingyou's life. An earth-shattering political earthquake occurred in the Ming Dynasty, but this earthquake opened a door for Wang Yue's future. Many years ago, all the important ministers Wang Yue offended in Zhejiang were cleaned up. Chen Xun, who impeached Wang Yue, was sent to Liaodong to serve as an army.Wang Yue has no previous record of "liquidation". He was "on the wrong team" back then, but now he is "on the right team", and his future is bright. Sure enough, in the first year of Tianshun, Wang Yue was reappointed. This time, his official position was the censor of the capital, and he met his new boss, Kou Shen, the left capital censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Kou Shen's reputation in history is not good, he is good at attacking and framing, Yu Qian was killed, and Chen Xun was demoted, all of which were made by him.Such a boss is naturally much more difficult to get along with. Then he saw Wang Yue, an obedient censor, who was extremely obedient in front of him. He judged that this was an obedient person. Four years of Ding You's life has changed Wang Yue a lot. He is a person who is not reconciled to the status quo. During the four years, he has been thinking hard about the way to change, and the result of thinking is this. So Kou Shen saw such a Wang Yue, who worked hard and earnestly, never talked nonsense, and asked the leader for everything first, and even if his colleagues said bad things about him, he would immediately report it to the higher authorities. I heard people say that he is rebellious and arrogant, but in front of him, he is very honest.This further strengthened Kou Shen's judgment, and he firmly regarded Wang Yue as his own from then on. Therefore, Wang Yue got a seemingly inconspicuous, but actually very important job: to take charge of various memorials, which is to review the impeachment memorials sent to the central government by censors from all over the country. Because the impeachment of the local censor must be reported to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the opinion of the Metropolitan Procuratorate has an important impact on the emperor's approval of the memorial. Complete processing opinions, his photographic memory also played a role, and his work efficiency was very high. He could finish the review of the memorials that his predecessor could only finish in a few days.Kou Shen is very satisfied with both efficiency and quality. More importantly, this work enabled Wang Yue to have the most important thing in the officialdom-connections. He is responsible for reviewing the censor's bullets. Therefore, knowing in advance who is impeaching you and what is being impeached is a precious "information resource", which is the key to victory or defeat. Therefore, Wang Yue, the Zhima official, suddenly became a very popular figure. Courtiers, big and small, all came to court him. People from Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang, Shi Heng, and Wang Ao were all powerful officials of the court. , Wang Yue maintained the same politeness, the same distance, welcome to make friends, and avoid talking if you get too close. Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang, and Shi Heng, the three powerful ministers who supported the restoration of Ming Yingzong, are now rebelling against each other. Each has a faction, but Wang Yue keenly sees that Shi Heng is a warrior, Xu Youzhen is smart, and Cao Jixiang is an eunuch eager for quick success.He saw clearly that these people were unreliable. He needs to find a stable person who can give him the greatest help and help him realize his ideals. That ideal is not to be a censor, not to replace Kou Shen as a supervisory censor, but to be like what I have chanted in my poems over the years: Immediately with a sword, and proud of the battlefield. Among the various faces, Wang Yue noticed a person. This person was just a servant of the Ministry of Rites at this time.But he is worried about state affairs, and strategy is just his way of survival. Now his status is not high, but his future is boundless. That's him - Li Xian. Wang Yue and Li Xian got very close, especially at the critical moment of the two games with Xu Youzhen and Shi Heng, it was Wang Yue who showed Li Xian the wind and let Li Xian deal with it early, thus turning defeat into victory and bringing the two together. Political opponents are at a dead end.For this, Li Xian is very grateful. When you are grateful, you continue to make friends, talk about the situation in the court, and talk about the art of war. Li Xian is amazed that this humble censor is full of beauty and has millions of soldiers hidden in his chest!Feelings of admiration spontaneously arise. The spontaneous result was the promotion of the official position. Due to his conscientious performance and Kou Shen's recommendation, in the fourth year of Tianshun, Wang Yue was appointed as the inspector of Shandong Province. In 4 years, he was promoted to 3 levels in a row. The good luck only in dramas, Wang Yue made it. In the spring of the seventh year of Da Mingshun (AD 1463), when the grass was green and the horses were fat, an urgent letter was sent to the inspectorate of Shandong Province, urgently summoning Wang Yue, the envoy of the inspectorate of Shandong Province, to come to Beijing to meet the saint. The Mongolian Tatars who had infiltrated the Hetao Grasslands continuously invaded the border of Ming Dynasty. Datong, an important military town in the north, was invaded five times in a row from the sixth year of Tianshun to the seventh year of Tianshun, and suffered heavy losses. Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty called Li Xian, who was already the head of a hundred officials, to discuss who could take on the important task of defending Datong. Li Xian hesitated, thought, and said the words that changed Wang Yue's life: The more you can do it. Urgently summoned and met in person, Wang Yue "has a short coat and a short coat, so it is convenient to carry out".Satisfied, he was granted the right capital censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the governor of Datong.This is an important position that holds the military and political power in Datong, and it is a big official in the frontier. A poor child in the countryside of Henan, a reckless censor in Zhejiang, an honest civil servant in the capital, a cautious envoy in Shandong, a big official in the frontier of Quan Zhen, 13 years old, 39 years old. The supervisory censor is just a cutscene, and the inspector is just a cutscene. From this moment on, the gold and iron horse will no longer fall into a dream, but run through all his subsequent lives. With a long-lost dream in mind, Wang Yue came to his destination - Datong, Shanxi. What caught his eyes were thin-faced soldiers, dilapidated city walls, deserted and desolate cities, scrawny war horses, and panicked border residents. Keep the mess left behind. If it is a mess, it needs to be cleaned up, the weapons are easy to handle, Li Xian takes good care of them, and all the equipment is given new ones.The emotions of the border residents need to be appeased, mainly to resume production and attract all the refugees who fled.Land reclamation, war horses are scarce?Buy horses, find a way to buy them from the Mongols, and exchange our grain.Troop morale low?The lectures are useless, the soldiers are all rough, they don’t understand the Four Books and Five Classics, they practice martial arts in the school field, hold a strong bow by themselves, the whole army cheers, they are convinced... After 3 years of painstaking efforts, the new city wall was built, the new cavalry unit was formed, the new morale was high, the new Datong, business travelers gathered, and the exchanges were prosperous. Then there was another thunderbolt from the blue sky. In the first year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1465), Wang Yue's mother died of illness. According to the rules, he was "Ding You" again.Just started his career, and once again he was unofficial and light-hearted. But this time is different. Last time, he stretched his legs and feet in the mud. This time, he wore the halo on his head: Wang Yue, a good minister on the frontier. Sure enough, after Ding You's term expired, in the third year of Chenghua, Wang Yue was reused again.This is a position equivalent to the chief of staff of the three armed forces. Iron horse Jin Ge dreamed half his life, and now he finally came to the battle in person. This opportunity is thanks to Wang Yue's old friend Li Xian.After Emperor Chenghua ascended the throne, Li Xian, as the chief assistant of the cabinet, put forward a complete border combat plan - Sou Tao Plan. The meaning is so great that the young Chenghua Emperor was excited to hear it. But the Ministry of War, which is really in charge of national defense planning, firmly opposed it. The cabinet ministers headed by Li Xian and the military officials headed by Minister of the Ministry of War Bai Gui fought fiercely over this. Emperor Chenghua was quarreled and finally decided : Planning a small-scale battle, right as training. That's why Wang Yue went out this time to meet his first battle on the battlefield as the chief of staff. However, he didn't know that from this moment on, he had been involved in another vortex of political struggle—— The battle of bandits. Now that he is on the battlefield, what awaits him is a blow to the head. The murderous Ming army encountered Mongolian nomadic cavalry units one after another. However, something unbearable happened to Wang Yue. The Mongolian soldiers defeated the Ming army several times, and even dared to launch a counter-charge under the situation of inferior forces. Incompetence, cowardice, and collapse at the first touch, as well as the incompetent command of his chief commander Zhu Yong, are all engraved in Wang Yue's heart. This partner Zhu Yong is a descendant of Zhu Neng, a famous general in the Yongle Dynasty. He is an authentic nobleman and hereditary nobleman, so he is not easy to mess with. Of course, the result of the expedition was toil and futility, and the report was invincible and undefeated, so let's fool the past first. But Wang Yue knew very well that one should not be fooled in a war, and it is not easy to win against an opponent like Mongolia.The courtiers couldn't see these, but they yelled the most fiercely. After working hard and in vain, Li Xian, the biggest backer behind him, passed away.The border was tight, and it was the time when the imperial court was employing people. Two years later, he came to Yansui again as the chief of staff, and fought against the Tatar leader A Luochu and others, and successively inflicted heavy losses on the Mongolian army in Zhenqiangzhai, Yayaochuan and other places. , the members of the Ministry of War suddenly felt confident - isn't this possible to fight? Then let's have a big fight, this time the Ministry of War no longer objected, and persuaded Ming Xianzong earnestly, Ming Xianzong was finally tempted, fight! This time, elite soldiers from the "nine sides" were almost mobilized to form a huge army of 80,000 people. The commander was still Zhu Yong, and Wang Yue was still the one who praised the military affairs.According to the assumptions of the courtiers, the total number of Mongolian tribes in the Hetao area does not exceed 60,000, and the forces are scattered. With 80,000 versus 60,000, the victory is very sure. But when Wang Yue inspected the troops under his command, he concluded that the chance of victory was very small. Because he found that among the so-called 80,000 soldiers, only a little over 10,000 soldiers are capable of combat. Coach Zhu Yong didn't believe in this evil, and he wanted to win the battle to honor his ancestors.Wang Yue refused to listen to his persuasion.Once when the two led troops on a patrol, they met hundreds of Mongolian rangers. Most of the thousands of soldiers around them fled in a blink of an eye.At a critical moment, Wang Yue ordered everyone to line up and confront the Mongolian cavalry. At dusk, the Mongols suspected that there was an ambush and did not dare to step forward, so they retreated in a hurry, which protected everyone and returned to the camp safely.After this incident, Zhu Yong completely subdued Wang Yue and swept across the Haikou of Hetao, not daring to boast anymore. Facing the situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak, Wang Yue had no choice but to have as much rice as possible. The 80,000 troops stationed at every step and garrisoned separately. They fought many times with the Mongolian army. But it also severely injured the enemy. The news spread to the capital, and Ming Xianzong Longyan was very happy. The officials of the Ministry of War were even happier, and wholeheartedly urged the emperor to fight a larger-scale battle.After the war, Zhu Yong was transferred back to the capital, and Wang Yue stayed in the Yansui area. Under the instigation of the officials of the Ministry of War, Ming Xianzong once again moved the idea of ​​fighting a big war, and decided to use another 80,000 people, with Wujinghou Zhao Fu as the commander. The more he became a military counselor, the more he fought in Hetao. This is ignoring the facts. The strength of the Hetao Mongolian army is obvious to all. The Ming army is weak, and it is impossible to fight without a long period of rectification. Such a battle can only let the soldiers die in vain. The officials of the Ministry of War don’t care about these things. At first they opposed the mobilization of troops, because Li Xian proposed the mobilization. , then I will support it, and it is my credit to win.National interests, behind the country's righteousness, are actually personal calculations. But Wang Yue knew how to fight, and he wrote it very clearly in his poems on the front line: I am so old that I am not pitiful, and my husband's tears turned into blood.But who cares about Zhengfu's tears?This time the emperor made up his mind, and it wasn't just because of killing each other a few times before.If you don't fight, it is against the edict, and you will be criticized by the main battle faction. If you fight, it is difficult to win, and the ending of the defeated is also humiliating. In this way, history pushed Wang Yue to an awkward position. After Li Xian passed away, there was no one to support him in the cabinet, nor the Ministry of War. The power struggle between the cabinet and the Ministry of War required him and the tens of thousands of soldiers on the front to be accepted. This plywood gas. what to do?Ask the cabinet for help?Li Xian has passed away, and these few people are not the same as him now.Did the emperor speak bluntly?Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty was a well-known emperor who didn't do his job properly. It doesn't matter whether he can understand your memorial or not.And the Ministry of War theory?more useless.It was their credit for winning the battle, and it was their fault for defeating Wang Yue, that's all. How can we not take the blame?Wang Yue was helpless, but refused to accept it, just like he refused to accept the test paper when he was blown away by the wind. He believed that there was a way this time. The solution was found, and it was on the new coach Zhao Fu. This is a person who is even more incompetent than Zhu Yong. The most common thing he does with his soldiers is corruption, and he bribes the eunuchs in the palace when he makes money. The following plot comes from the transcripts of Zhao Fu when he was interrogated by the Ministry of Punishment in "Ming Xianzong Veritable Records". In April of the eighth year of Chenghua, the triumphant Zhao Fu came to Yansui to join Wang Yue.Zhao Fu was drunk: go and see? I was surprised when I saw it. Outside Yansui City, Mongolian cavalry came and went like flying. The Ming Dynasty cavalry who came out of the city to meet them suffered a big loss. Zhao Fu, who was on the tower, broke out in a cold sweat. Then Zhao Fu changed a smiling face to Wang Yue, and asked Wang Yue what the odds of winning this expedition were, Wang Yue sighed, explaining that he knew what he could do and did it, and that we should be loyal to the country as we eat the king's salary.As soon as Zhao Fu heard this, he was anxious, and even said that there is no need to worry, and that we can discuss it in the long run.Seeing Zhao Fu took the bait, Wang Yue sighed, "There is a solution, and it's actually on you." From the very beginning, Wang Yue understood Zhao Fu thoroughly. This person is lazy, greedy, and greedy. He has no money to give gifts, but this person has money, so he cherishes his life. This is easy to handle. Then, Zhao Fu returned to Beijing to report, and what he brought back was a list written by Wang Yue himself: at least 150,000 troops were needed to flatten the Hetao and expel the Mongolian tribes, and at least 4 million taels of silver were needed to build various fortifications in the Hetao after the war... … The imperial court didn't have so much money, not to mention Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen liked to practice Taoism and alchemy, and he would do it if he had money.Coupled with the fact that the personal eunuchs around Zhu Jianshen were all accomplices who had received benefits from Zhao Fu, Ming Xianzong finally changed his mind - to suspend the use of troops. Don't give gifts, don't show up, a disaster of war that must be defeated, just escaped. But Wang Yue escaped the first day of the junior high school, but not the fifteenth day.The officials of the Ministry of War were angry, and the war that was on the string was easily cancelled. The impeachment of Wang Yue was one after another. reproach.Among them, there was Wang Hua, the father of Wang Yangming, who was the champion of the new discipline at that time, and the Confucian master of the Ming Dynasty. It is said that a timid woman is unworthy of her descendants, and she is scolded harshly. It can be said that those who fight may not be brave, and those who make peace may not be timid. In any case, with Zhao Fu coming forward, the crime of "resisting the decree" was finally avoided, and he could continue to lead the troops at the border. Wang Yue heard the anger in the interior, but he didn't argue, and it was useless to argue. He could only wait silently. A chance to make a name for yourself. He waited. In September of the ninth year of Chenghua (1473 A.D.), Wang Yue received an informant that the Mongolian Khan Mandulu led all his ministries to mobilize and launch large-scale looting in Tianshui and Dingxi areas of Gansu Province. Southwest) camp was empty.Wang Yue seized the opportunity and mobilized 5,000 fine cavalry to attack. This is the only force under his command that can counter the Mongolian cavalry.The army set out from Yansui, traveled 800 miles at night, and went straight to the Red Salt Pond.Encountering a strong wind on the road, all the troops panicked, and a veteran said calmly: "God helps, if you ride the wind and hit it, you will surely win." Wang Yue hurriedly got off his horse and saluted, and promoted the veteran to Qianhu (regiment commander) on the spot. The morale of the army was greatly boosted, and then there was a general offensive, a bloody battle, and a complete victory. When the plundered Mongolian army returned happily, what they saw was the red salt pond full of corpses and traces of burning.The whole army wailed, crossed the river and withdrew from the Hetao Plain. This is the most beautiful surprise attack by the cavalry of the Ming Dynasty since the Tumu Fort change, and it is also the first proud victory of the Ming army after the Tumu Fort's humiliation.The director of everything is Wang Yue.Right time, right place, right war. After making countless compromises, swallowing his anger, plying his breath, and provoking and instigating, Wang Yue won a war that ushered in peace for the northern frontier. But Wang Yue's troubles kept coming. First of all, Victory slapped the Ministry of War in the face. Of course, the officials of the Ministry of War were not happy, and they continued to impeach if they were not happy.Then rumors spread in the court, saying how much gold and silver treasures Wang Yue had robbed in this battle.As if he witnessed it with his own eyes thousands of miles away in Beijing, Zhang Jin, a registered doctor of the Ministry of War, impeached Wang Yue for "killing people like grass, spending money like sand, and wasting the world's national power has become a personal achievement."This Zhang Jin is a close disciple of Bai Gui, Shangshu of the Ministry of War. A great victory, making enemies on all sides, why? One is because he is too good. The scholars and talented scholars of the Ministry of War have worked so hard to plan a battle plan for a long time, but it can't match Wang Yue's surprise attack, so they are really shameless.The second is political disagreement. Wang Yue opposed a large-scale war against Hetao, and had serious disagreements with the main combat faction headed by Bai Gui in the Ministry of War.The third is that there is no backer, Zhao Fu is used by Wang Yue, Zhu Yong is only a working relationship, and the cabinet has no supporters of Wang Yue.People who have great achievements and few backgrounds are of course easy to bully. Therefore, Ming Xianzong's attitude was also very subtle. First, he added the crown prince Shaobao as a symbolic reward, and then he was named a trilateral general system. This is a real position that holds the military and political power in Yansui, Gansu, and Ningxia. But soon after, Wei Ning Bo Jiang Wan was sent to take over, and Wang Yue was ordered to "supervise military affairs". Although the military power is still in hand, the taste is not right after all.Wang Yue was smart and knew that this was the master of high meritorious service, so he quickly wrote a letter requesting to hand over his military power and return to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to serve.A disaster was finally avoided. What can I do in the future, I have made so many enemies, and now that I have no military power, I am afraid that the days of returning to Beijing will be even more difficult.The most important thing now is to find a supporter at the top. 兵部，不可能，几个大员都和自己势不两立，内阁，也不可能，万安、刘吉这些人，比兵部的人更靠不住，内宫宦官，那些人都是贪财的，自己是个清官，全部家当，也不够送一次礼的…… 这时候，有个老部下给王越牵了条线，找他，一定行。 这个老部下叫韦英，是从前王越军中的百户（连长），后来调任到御马监（宫廷卫队）任千户（团长），他给王越介绍的人，正是他的直系长官，大内宫廷御马监总管——太监汪直。 这是个家喻户晓的人物，后来做了西厂的总管，草菅人命，滥杀无辜，激起无数民愤，结党营私，把持朝政，是个臭名昭著的人，明末谈迁写《国摧》的时候，还把他列为与王振、魏忠贤、刘谨齐名的四大权阉之一。 可是他确实有权，是当时明朝宦官中最受明宪宗恩宠的人，也是当时几位宦官里最有权势的人之一，攀附上他，就可以呼风唤雨。 但是怎么攀附呢，王越穷，送礼，倾家荡产也送不起，让人家当你后台，凭什么？ 可攀附汪直，未必要用钱。王越很快找到了办法——尊重。 汪直是战俘出身，多年来受尽了歧视，即使如今权倾朝野，不但许多文官瞧不起他，宫里的一些太监也瞧不起他。王越不然，见到汪直，每次都毕恭毕敬，极尽讨好赞美之词，满腹的经论，全用来唱赞歌，甚至在无人处遇到汪直，还会毫不犹豫地对其行跪拜礼，这礼貌，一来二去，把汪公公乐得脸上开花。 只有尊重是不够的，要获得汪直的支持，还要真正给人家办事。汪直看上了王越，让他办一件事——陷害项忠。 项忠是兵部的老臣，白圭去世后，他担任兵部尚书，常年以来，和白圭一起站在王越的对立面。 但是他清正廉洁，刚正不阿，看不过汪直西厂的胡作非为，经常站出来怒斥，甚至向明宪宗揭发，虽没动摇汪直的权位，却令他怀恨在心。 共同的敌人，让两人一拍即合。 可是一直以来汪直都没搜集到项忠的罪证：说贪污，他为官清廉，说结党，也是子虚乌有，说拥兵叛乱，更是不可能。欲加其罪，很难。 汪直终于找到一条罪——项忠曾经受太监黄赐所托，任命刘江为江西指挥使，请王越以都察院的身份加以旁证。贪污、结党，都不算什么，私自任命军事官职，可是犯了封建制国家的大忌。 汪直还信誓旦旦地保证：项忠落马后，你就是新的兵部尚书。 果然，经过汪直策划，其爪牙揭发，王越旁证，项忠被革职受训，不久后罢官回家。之后，成化十三年（公元1477年），王越加太子太保，兵部尚书兼左都御史，浴血奋战十年没能得到的职位，在一个太监的帮助下得到了。 至此，王越的权位达到了官场生涯的最高点，不是靠政绩、战功、忍让，而是攀附太监，罗织罪名，打击陷害同僚。在当时，这很让人不齿，敢怒不敢言的不齿。 可是王越是为了什么呢，仅仅是权位。 他对汪直极其谄媚，每次见面都要行叩拜礼，每次叩拜，都是在无人看见的地方，某日被同僚刘吉瞧见，当面一阵嘲笑，登时羞惭得无地自容。可见，他是知羞的。 攀附汪直后，除了项忠一事，他没有为权力再陷害过谁，经济上更是清白，家境清贫，不捞钱，不排斥异己。 他少年气盛过，受打击，忍气吞声过，还是打击，最后的抉择——攀附权阉，最无耻却最有效的一个选择，生前的成功，后世的指摘。 而在攀附汪直，成为兵部尚书后，到成化十八年（公元1482年）汪直失宠被贬，5年来，他只做一件事——打仗，或是在兵部筹划防务，或是在前线领兵作战。有汪直在，再无人敢弹劾，无人敢掣肘，无人敢说三道四。 所以有了成化十六年的大捷，王越率兵，汪直监军，从大同出发，杀至兴宁海（内蒙古绥宁县），打破鞑靼军主力，鞑靼可汗只身远逃。北部边陲的蒙古游牧骑兵遭到致命打击，战后论功行赏，爵封咸宁伯，成为明朝仅有的3位因军功封爵的文臣之一。另一位边臣余子俊在王越打下的地盘上修筑起边墙，就是我们今天看到的，现存于内蒙古地区的，佑护了无数边关百姓的明长城。 无论少年气盛，无论攀附权阉，无论陷害忠良，不变的，依旧是那一个金戈铁马的梦想，这，或许就是他所做的所有的一切的，唯一的答案。 可因为这最后的抉择，为他迎来了生前身后的指摘。汪直权势滔天时，宫廷里的戏子阿丑，某日演戏，在明宪宗面前扮小丑，模仿汪直的打扮，手里提两把斧子出场，大叫道：汪太监手里两把钺，一把陈钺，一把王越。此话一出，宪宗大乐，王越，也就永远被钉在汪直走狗的定义上了。 明成化十九年（公元1483年），汪直失宠被贬，王越受株连，贬官安陆，不停为自己上诉鸣冤。后来明宪宗的儿子孝宗即位，深知王越之才的当朝名臣马文升出面说情，方才解除流放，退职归养。7年后，再次上书鸣冤，明孝宗下诏，恢复其左都御史的职位。弘治十年（公元1497年），大明边陲再度吃紧，西北有吐鲁番侵扰哈密，北部鞑靼的达延可汗频繁扰边，明王朝先后选拔7人担任边关重任，全不合格，无奈之下，只好又想到这位毁誉参半的老人。72岁的王越临危受命，在贺兰山会战中再次大破鞑靼大本营，继而挥师西进，粉碎了吐鲁番对哈密卫的图谋。这时，打击还是来了，言官们不放过他，翻出他勾结汪直的老账，趁太监李广之死，将他歪曲成李广同党，忧愤之下，王越病逝军中。墓志铭上写得委婉“虑泄事机，焦劳过度，成疾而卒”，与《明史》的记录大为出入。不光彩的帽子，一旦戴上，生前身后都摘不掉，无法辩护，不能辩护。 都说一失足成千古恨，可为一个理想，值还是不值？ 这是他的故事，读罢，是如王世贞一样拍案叫“大奇”，还是如徐溥一样感叹“德行有亏”。值，还是不值，不同的人，会有不同的评判，这样的突击道路，选，还是不选，不同的人，也有不同的抉择。 一切历史都是现代史，但一代人只能做一代人的事。