Chapter 342: Suppressing the Ministry of Military Affairs

"Shangshu, please see me!" Not long after Niu Sengru went, Yuan Zai visited outside the door. He had just arrived and was about to drink some hot tea when Niu Sengru told him that the governor was angry about the court.

Yuan Zai knew that Zhang Huan would come to him sooner or later, but he had no choice. Everyone in the department was like this, so how could the Ministry of War be exceptional? Even if it was an exception, he should not be managed by Yuan Zai. He was just a minister and had no ability to challenge such bad habits in the officialdom.

After a while, the door opened. The tea boy shrewd at him and took him into the room with a gentle hand. Zhang Huan was writing something intently. Seeing him in, he put down his pen and pointed to the cushion and said, "Sit down!"

Yuan Zai sat down, and he said nervously: "Shangshu is looking for me for the officials' court?"

Zhang Huan glanced at him and said coldly: "You know that today is my first day to come to the court, but you don't restrain your subordinates and still let them be so casual. Is this a warning to me?"

"How dare I give the Secretary of the People's Republic of China a long time ago. The Secretary of the People will enter the court in the past two days. I think they are not three-year-olds anymore, so they should know it. So I guess they all come back, but it may be a little later. After all, the problems have been accumulated for a long time, so they can't even think about it sooner."

Speaking of this, Yuan Zai secretly glanced at Zhang Huan, and saw his face getting darker, he couldn't help but sigh and said, "Shangshu, this matter is actually not a big deal. If you make an announcement and punish a few more people, the court's atmosphere will change. After all, it is illegal to not attend court on time. No one dares to say anything more. I think Pei Xiangguo is also very clear about this, but he just doesn't care. Did the Shangshu think about it? "

Zhang Huan was slightly stunned. He really didn't have time to calm down and think about this matter. Yuan Zai's words reminded him from the side. Zhang Huan's face calmed down slightly. He heard the helplessness in Yuan Zai's tone. This was not because he wanted to escape responsibility, but because this matter was too involved and he did not dare to act rashly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I have heard something that cannot be confirmed yet. Maybe it has something to do with it."

Yuan Zai pondered for a moment and said, "I heard that three months ago, when the Empress Dowager was reading a memorial for the grain transport from Jianghuai, he was dissatisfied with the amount of grain transported from Jianghuai. He ordered the Taifu Temple Minister Fang Zongyan to meet him. However, Fang Zongyan was not in the court room, but at home. The Empress Dowager ordered someone to summon him in his mansion. After about an hour of going back and forth, the memorial was approved by the Secretariat. When Fang Zongyan met the Empress Dowager, the memorial was already formed and sent to Guangling County. I heard that the empress dowager was furious about this and wanted to handle Fang Zongyan's crime of being lazy in court, but it was finally left unresolved."

Speaking of this, Zhang Huan understood the key point. The key point was that the empress dowager's power was not clearly positioned. She just said that she could read memorials and ask questions, but memorials could be issued directly without her approval. This is a relatively ambiguous place. Pei Jun explicitly did not stop her from exercising her power, but used this little trick to decompose her power.

Zhang Huan couldn't help but shook his head. Of course, he knew that Pei Jun had another purpose. He worked in the mansion himself, so many things could be handled directly in his mansion, such as the affairs of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice. Those officials who came to report did not have much concern. This was equivalent to turning his mansion into the second power center of the court.

From this little thing, Zhang Huan saw through Pei Jun's essence. He was just a politician who was good at playing with power. "If the law is not good, he will be punished by himself." He did not consider the consequences of such a thing, but in many aspects he was still too far behind Cui Yuan.

Zhang Huan was silent. At this time, the bell of "Dang!Dang!" came from afar. It was the third hour of Mao. Zhang Huan immediately stood up and walked out of the door.

Yuan Zai didn't know what he was going to do, so he followed him in fear. Zhang Huan came to the gate of the court room and turned around and ordered Niu Sengru, "Go and call me all the officials and employed people to the courtyard."

Yuan Zai suddenly understood Zhang Huan's intention, and was shocked and quickly persuaded him in a low voice: "Shangshu must not be the matter. This matter will involve the vital interests of many people. The Shangshu's move is undoubtedly an enemy of them. This will be extremely unfavorable for the Shangshu to obtain the support of all officials. It will force many people to the Empress Dowager Party and the Prime Minister's Party. Please think twice."

"I know this very well." Zhang Huan said coldly with a gloomy face: "I don't believe that everyone hopes that the Chaogang will continue to be corrupt. If that step is really reached, it would be fine if I don't do this Minister of War."

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At this moment, the sky was already dim, and the air was cold and fresh in the green morning light. Morning mist had quietly arrived. A layer of light mist like white veil flowed in the yard, floating among several century-old locust trees.

After a moment, noisy footsteps sounded, and officials from various departments of the Ministry of War came to the compound one after another, first signing the signature at a desk. Some people were nervous, but most people were secretly happy. It was obvious that the Secretary of State was going to purify the Ministry of War.

Soon, everyone in the court room came to the courtyard. Zhang Huan quickly glanced at it. There were 3 or 40 people in total. Among them, no one of the doctors from the four departments arrived, and only three Yuanwailangs were there. This is the current situation in the court. When the time for the court was up, most of the sixteen officials from the four departments did not come, and only half of the officials came. This is still the case where they knew that they were about to arrive today? You can imagine it without looking at it.

"Are you signing in?"

Niu Sengru bowed and handed the signature book to Zhang Huan, "Report to the Shangshu, all signed it."

Zhang Huan looked through the list and said loudly to everyone: "Every department has someone! You can work hard to go to each doctor and the official's house to inform them and let them arrive within an hour. If they can't come, then write a resignation to me in the afternoon."

Zhang Huan's tone was not heavy, but his words were very stern. Everyone knew that he had just returned from the war in Anxi. It can be said that the military orders were as serious as the mountain. As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen people rushed out of the gate. The courtyard was cold, so Zhang Huan ordered them to go back to their rooms to handle official duties.

Time passed by little by little. Just half an hour passed, Yuan Zai came in to report that everyone had arrived. At this time, the courtyard was full of officials from the Ministry of War, a total of 54, one of which was a lot. Even two Yuanwailangs who were taking sick leave were standing in the team with a sick look on their faces. Most of them were actually intercepted on the road to the imperial city. After all, today is the first day of Shangshu going to court, so we have to come to a little Mao no matter what. There is a whisper in the courtyard, and everyone is quite uneasy, afraid that Shangshu will use them to attack the court this time.

"Here you come!" Someone shouted softly, and the yard suddenly became quiet. Zhang Huan, accompanied by Yuanzai, walked out of the door with great strides. Everyone bowed and bowed, "See Shangshu!"

"Thank you all for your hard work. I called you here so early. Mr. Zhang feels guilty!" Zhang Huan said coldly with his hands behind his back.

No one dared to speak, and many people showed shame on their faces. Zhang Huan glanced at everyone and looked at everyone's expressions one by one. He still had a gloomy face and said slowly: "I also know that the whole court does not take the time for court seriously. No one dares to mention it. More people follow the crowd, including you. When I was in charge of the Ministry of War, I could still see you before the third hour of Mao. What about now? Humph! Do you really think it's the law and don't blame the public?"

Speaking of this, Zhang Huan glanced at Yuan Zai and said lightly: "You are the Minister of State, the assistant minister, and the head of all officials of the Ministry of War. If you are not restraining your subordinates, what responsibility do you think you should bear?"

Yuan Zai knew that Zhang Huan was going to establish his authority, so he gritted his teeth and stepped forward and bowed, "I know my subordinates are guilty, please give me a lecture!"

"Okay," he shouted loudly, "Come!"

Several personal soldiers standing at the door immediately stepped forward and responded: "Here!"

Zhang Huan pointed at Yuan Zai and said, "Give me a thirty stick as a public stick!"

Several personal soldiers had never beaten the important officials of the court, but they dared not refuse to obey. They immediately took the five-flower military sticks and put another mat on the ground, but they did not want to come forward to take him, hoping that he would lie on his own.

Yuan Zai knew that this stick would inevitably be removed, so he sighed secretly. This was the first time since Emperor Xuanren had been punished by the minister. This sign was actually won by himself, 'Well! Well! If this stick could bring about a better atmosphere in the court, it would be worth it for him to suffer a little.'

He slowly lay on the mat. Niu Sengru wanted to come forward to plead, but Zhang Huan's gloomy face was swallowed by words to the side. He watched helplessly as the soldiers took out another shame blanket and covered his legs and buttocks, swung the stick and beat him hard. Zhang Huan put his hands behind his back and pulled down his face and looked towards the sky, without even looking at the execution of Yuan Zai.

Although there are many things to do when executing a punishment, such as being cruel on the outside and being light on the inside, and not being broken on the outside, but being damaged by muscles and bones inside, there is no one here in Zhang Huan. There is no flower head, and they are all really beaten. However, the soldiers pay more attention to their parts and pick up places with a lot of meat to beat them, so they will not hurt muscles and bones. In an instant, more than a dozen sticks were taken, and blood was faintly reflected in the shame blanket.

The officials next to them all looked pale and looked at the minister's beating with fear, but no one dared to come up to plead with mercy. The courtyard was silent, and only the dull sound of a stick hitting the flesh was heard. Yuan Zai was in pain, but he gritted his teeth and said nothing. Soon, the execution was completed in thirty sticks.

"Governor, the execution has been completed!"

Zhang Huan turned around slowly, and without taking a look at Yuan Zai's injuries, he directly said to his personal soldiers: "Please carry him into the room."

At this time, Yuan Zai was so painful that he couldn't even speak. Several personal soldiers brought a table and carefully put Yuan Zai on it and carried it into the court room. Niu Sengru sneaked out to find someone to call the imperial doctor while Zhang Huan was not paying attention.

"Do you think I'm killing you to warn everyone?" Zhang Huan said coldly to everyone with a calm face.

At this time, Sun Jinfang, the doctor of the Ministry of War, stepped forward and bowed: "The subordinates all know their mistakes and will never be late again."

"I punished the Minister today, so you can forget it."

Zhang Huan sneered and said, "But I'll say ugly things first. I want to set a rule. If you don't want to follow and have any objections, you can raise it today. I will tell the Ministry of Personnel to transfer it to another place. From tomorrow on, I will follow my rules. I will be late once and be 100 stole. I will be dismissed from my post and go home twice. There is nothing to do but three, and there is no law to not punish the public. If you are sick or have special affairs, please ask me for leave in advance."

Everyone was so awe-inspiring that they bowed and bowed, "We will follow the rules!"

"It's not okay to abide by you, and someone must implement this rule." Zhang Huan looked at the group of leaders and employed people behind, "I want to set up an internal supervisor, only a part-time job and no official or a rank. I wonder who among you has this interest?"

This was definitely an offensive job. Everyone lowered their heads for a moment. No one dared to agree. Only in the morning, the head of the Ministry of War was talking to Zhang Huan, but the head of the Ministry of War responded the fastest. He saw the huge opportunity contained in it and quickly raised his hand and said, "I am willing to do it!"

Zhang Huan recognized him and nodded and asked, "What's your name?"

The man stepped forward and bowed and said, "My subordinates were named Wu and Yuanheng, and he was a Jinshi in the second year of Xuanren."

"Okay, I will appoint you as the inspector of the Ministry of War. If anyone violates my rules and you conceal it and refuses to report it, you will have to be punished one more time, do you understand?" Zhang Huan stared at him and asked.

Wu Yuanheng replied solemnly: "I am not worried about being unable to do anything in the world, but I am worried about having no necessary method. Since I am the supervisor of the Ministry of War, I will treat everyone equally. Whether it is the Secretary of the State or the Minister of the State, they are all within my supervision."

"Well said it! No matter how high or low the law is, what about the Secretary? So what about the Minister?" Suddenly, there was a burst of applause and cheers outside the gate of the Ministry of War. Everyone looked back and saw a person walking into the gate of the Ministry of War. He had a kind smile and elegant demeanor. He was Pei Jun, the right prime minister.
Chapter completed!