At the founding of the country, all the civil servants and generals were saying that the emperor was really good to the generals.
Why?
Because during the reign of Taizu, the viscounts and barons that had existed for thousands of years were abolished, and earls, marquises, and dukes became super-grades. This meant that a large number of generals did not have titles.
Emperor Shaowu, on the other hand, restored the two titles of male and female, and basically all the middle and high-level generals had titles, which can be said to be very satisfying.
But in fact, although there were no viscounts or barons in the pre-Ming Dynasty, there were a large number of hereditary general positions, such as hundreds of households, thousands of households, commanders, etc. These were official positions, land, and wealth that were passed down from generation to generation.
For example, You Shiwei, his family is a hereditary military general.
The most typical example in the Ming Dynasty is Qi Jiguang of the Qi Jiajun. Even though he was only sixteen years old, he could still inherit the official title.
In addition, the burial system was popular in the early Ming Dynasty, but the family members did not feel sad at all. This was because the family members who were buried with them would get a hereditary military attache. Who would not be happy to sacrifice one person in exchange for hundreds of years of wealth for the entire family?
To a certain extent, Zhu Yuanzhang was ruthless towards high-level heroes and generals, but he was too kind to middle- and lower-level military officers.
Nothing more than that they would not jeopardize the rule.
It was precisely because of his kindness to the middle and lower-level military attachés that he was able to launch major cases and eliminate high-achieving nobles like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
Therefore, in the early Ming Dynasty, the number of military attachés reached 28,000, and by the Chongzhen period, it exceeded 100,000.
That's too far.
Compared with Emperor Taizu, Zhu Yixi ostensibly regained the title of son and second baron, which made more generals become nobles. However, don't forget that the titles of Shaowu's new dynasty were hereditary with reduced grades.
For example, if a baron's son succeeds to the baron, his grandsons will live in a thousand households, his great-grandsons will live in a hundred households, and his great-great-grandsons will be common people. They can maintain wealth for a hundred years at most.
Even if it is a duke, it will be hereditary only after Jiang reaches the age of earl. From Marquis Jiang to his son, from earl Jiang to baron.
Only those who are above the count can be regarded as truly retiring with the country, and are hereditary.
Ordinary soldiers naturally do not have such a high vision to see clearly.
However, as a transitional title, Baihu and Qianhu are not considered titles in terms of certain benefits, and they still attract the covetousness of some people.
You must know that to obtain a baron, you must at least command more than 500 troops and horses to obtain it. However, those at the bottom of the team, even if they kill several times the enemy's army, they cannot hope for the title.
Therefore, if hundreds or thousands of households get a title, many people will also want to be addicted to a title.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yixi suddenly remembered a term: "Unworthy".
To put it simply, the addiction of one generation simply cannot be passed on to the next generation.
At this time, our emperor unconsciously thought of the Qing Dynasty and crossed the river by touching the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. This has almost become his habit.
There is no way. As the culmination of two thousand years of Chinese feudal society, the Manchu Qing's ruling ability cannot be underestimated.
For example, under Gonghou Bozinan, he set up Qingche Duwei (positive third rank), Qi Duwei (positive fourth rank), Yunqi Wei (positive fifth rank), and Enqi Wei (positive seventh rank).
in. Yunqiwei attacked again and was demoted to Enqiwei. Enqiwei was no longer demoted, but became hereditary.
Except for Enqiwei, promotions to all titles are based on Yunqiwei.
If you get two Yunqi Lieutenants, you will be promoted to the rank of Cavalry Captain;
If the Cavalry Commander adds another Yunqi Lieutenant, he will become "Qidu Lieutenant and a Cloud Cavalry Lieutenant"; if the Cavalry Commander adds two more Yunqi Lieutenants, he will be promoted to a third-class light vehicle captain...
By analogy, if I add two lower-level titles, I can advance to the upper level.
Even if you think of a duke, you can also be a first-class marquis.
The title levels of heroes of the opposite sex were exaggerated to twenty-seventh level. Therefore, in the three hundred years of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, there were only four people of the opposite sex who climbed to the rank of duke, and they were all promoted during the Qianlong Dynasty, which was very successful.
Not easy.
Because they learned from the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty's royal family inherited the title of Jiangjue, while most of the titles of heroes and Mongolians were hereditary.
Therefore, the Qing Dynasty had the largest number of nobles, clans, and meritorious officials.
, Mongolia's three title systems, but many of them are unknown.
The duke system was related to the foundation of the imperial court, and Zhu Yixi did not want to be arbitrary, so he recruited the person he trusted most - Zhao Shu.
As the most prestigious civil servant in the court, Xiao He was an ordinary figure. After surviving the crisis of establishing a prince, the emperor continued to trust him as always.
As he came slowly, Zhu Yixi suddenly realized that Zhao Shu was really old.
His temples were originally gray, but now they are mostly white. He has deep bags under his eyes and deep wrinkles, but his eyes are still bright, without the turbidity of the old man.
Only then did he remember that Zhao Shu was fifty-nine years old, almost sixty.
The time has come for a cabinet refresh.
Lu Daqi was seventy-one years old and Wang Yingxiong was sixty-seven.
Only Yan Chongxin is relatively young, only in his early fifties.
The Ming Dynasty, with a population of hundreds of millions and a land area of more than nine million square kilometers, needed a dynamic cabinet center.
Thoughts passed through her heart, but Zhu Yixi spoke her thoughts without changing her expression, and finally said:
"I want to replace hundreds and thousands of households with brave captains and brave captains."
"It is a non-Sylord, and it is dedicated to rewarding soldiers who bravely kill the enemy. Among the Spykers, it is just inherited. For example, the son of a baron becomes a brave captain, and then a brave captain."
Zhao Shu didn't change his expression and said softly: "Then how should soldiers be promoted to nobility? From bravery to perseverance?"
"It should be like this." The emperor continued: "Two brave men can accumulate to bravery, and two brave captains can become a baron."
The chief minister nodded, and then discussed the details with the emperor.
Such as acquisition conditions, treatment, etc.
So without notifying the cabinet, the two discussed it for half an hour and finally reached an agreement.
The brave captain and the brave captain will only inherit one generation. In terms of salary, the brave captain will receive 30 silver coins every year, while the brave captain will get 50 silver coins.
Among them, the brave captain rewards the warriors who bravely kill the enemy. Each battalion will get one place, which is the best killer at the battalion level.
In other words, if you want to obtain the next level of heroic captain, you must win the title of best killer at the battalion level twice in a row.
But as a restriction, officers at the battalion level are not allowed to participate.
In other words, this is a preferential treatment for low-level officers and soldiers, and to some extent it can stimulate the vitality of the army.
Only two brave captains can be promoted to baron, so the standard for obtaining them is also their bravery.
And the selection scope is expanded to an army, only one quota can be obtained among ten thousand people, and it can only be one of the heroic captains.
After all, not everyone has the ability to win the best killer three times in a row.
Zhao Shu sighed softly at the end: "As soon as this edict was issued, fighting in the army became fierce, but Your Majesty, I have a sentence that I don't know whether to say or not?"
"Oh? Come on?" Zhu Yixi was in a good mood.
He felt that he had completed a patch on the military merit system and would be worry-free for at least a hundred years. The rest would be left to his descendants!
"Your Majesty, the Northeast has been recovered, the Southwest has been pacified, and Anxi has been newly established. There are almost no enemies around the Ming Dynasty. With such a brave army, there will be no rival in the entire world."
Zhao Shu frowned and said with worry: "But the desire to win in the army cannot be suppressed. Because of the generous rewards, the soldiers want to make meritorious deeds day and night."
"But the battle in this world must be fought to the end."
"The court's money and food will eventually run out."
"Therefore, Sima Fa said: Although our country is big, if we like war, we will perish; although the world is safe, if we forget to fight, we will be in danger."
Obviously, the chief minister of Ming Dynasty's cabinet also noticed the public opinion in the military and also felt the pressure.
Seeing the emperor's expression bewildered, he seemed to be lost in thought.
Zhao Shu continued his efforts and began to read the data. It was obvious that he had been with the emperor for more than ten years, and he understood that this proud man of heaven dismissed some big principles and only valued facts.
"There are 200,000 people in the capital camp and 100,000 frontier troops, while the two provinces of Gansu and Anxi
There are nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses. Although the imperial court ordered it to be reduced, Anxi has a vast territory and Jin Guogong clearly stated that it cannot be stabilized without 30,000 people. "
"Among the naval forces, the Donghai Navy, Nanhai Navy, and the newly established Luzon Navy have more than a hundred large ships with a thousand materials or more, and more than ten ships with a three thousand materials, and nearly 40,000 soldiers."
"Once the fighting subsides, I'm afraid there will be some chaos in the army."
"Last year, 20 million was more than enough. This year, I'm afraid it will be 30 million."
"As time goes by, the imperial court wants to move to the plateau again, fearing that it will receive 40 million. However, the imperial court only receives more than 70 million a year, and nearly half of them are in the army..."
After hearing these data, Zhu Yixi admitted that these were true.
In other words, as the territory expanded, the cost of governance continued to rise, reaching the limit of the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, in Anxi and other places, the imperial court has always been operating at a loss. In today's peaceful and prosperous age, it is nothing. Once the dynasty reaches the middle and decline period, it will inevitably be abandoned.
Just like the Tang Dynasty abandoned the Western Regions and the Ming Dynasty abandoned Annan.
Therefore, hematopoietic function must be increased.
Only by making the northwest region self-sufficient can we avoid being abandoned.
Zhu Yixi made up her mind.
Seeing the emperor's behavior, Zhao Shu nodded with satisfaction. The emperor still listened to the advice.
It seems that the reduction of troops is inevitable.
"You're right, we can't continue like this."
Zhu Yixi raised her head and said seriously: "We must establish a tax collection office in Anxi as soon as possible. The Silk Road has now taken half of the road. Once it is unblocked, the court will definitely benefit a lot."
"Encouraging border merchants and setting up customs are all necessary things. Only by establishing order as soon as possible can we make it self-sufficient."
"Of course, Gansu has now become a hinterland, so the troops and horses will naturally have to be reduced."
Gansu is bounded by Alxa to the east, Xining Prefecture of Qinghai to the south, and Anxi to the west. The location of the Hexi Corridor is very important.
Therefore, 20,000 troops and horses are barely enough, plus Anxi's 30,000, it is 50,000.
Directly cut the troops in half.
"These people cannot be let go easily. Especially since they are local strong men, let them go to Xining Prefecture. There are plenty of pastures for them there."
The emperor thought about it again and again and felt that they should move away. Qinghai would be a good choice. It was close, there were many places, and there were many pastures, which was very suitable for these Mongolians.
Speaking of this, I couldn't help but talk about the border army.
The frontier troops in the pre-Ming Dynasty were initially the Thirteen Sai Kings, who were in charge of the Monan guards. Later, the cost became higher and they had to move inland. Yongle's inner disciples were Dongsheng Town and Daning Town, and the Monan guards during the Renxuan period abolition.
By the Jiajing period, a nine-border defense line stretching thousands of miles from the Yalu River in the east to Jiayuguan in the west was completely formed.
Today's Suiyuan is the Dongsheng Guard in the early Ming Dynasty; Chifeng in Chahar is the Dongning Guard.
Emperor Shaowu's struggle for more than ten years was actually nothing more than the old land of Hongwu.
Can you imagine that in the Northeast, Jilin Shipyard was established during the Hongwu Period, and Nurgan City was built at the mouth of Heilongjiang?
Jiubian was 600,000 during the Yongle period and 400,000 during the Chongzhen period.
However, the problem of empty pay and the continuous flight of military households is estimated to be at most 200,000.
The border troops of the Shaowu Dynasty started from Heilongjiang City in the east, Jilin, Liaodong, Chahar, Suiyuan, Gansu, Anxi, and Ningxia. The former Shanxi and Shaanxi were almost inland.
Therefore, there are ten thousand people in Jilin, three thousand people in Heilongjiang, twenty thousand people in Liaodong, ten thousand people in Chahar, ten thousand people in Suiyuan, ten thousand people each in Datong and Xuanfu, nearly ten thousand people in Ningxia, and twenty thousand people in Gansu, totaling about 110,000.
This shows that the power of the Mongols has been reduced so much.
Now with the addition of Anxi, the number of frontier troops has expanded to 150,000.
Moreover, the biggest disadvantage of the northwest region is that there is insufficient supply of materials, money and food, and the cost of traveling is too high. Supporting 50,000 people is equivalent to raising another 100,000 frontier troops.
But the crisis also exists.
Once the Mongols are allowed to rise, it will be difficult for these hundreds of thousands of border troops to completely suppress them.
, so it must be eliminated and differentiated.
There is no room for failure in the Mobei region.
After firming up his determination, the emperor chatted with Zhao Shu about daily affairs. Then, he calmed down and left Yuquan Mountain directly.
He will go to Jingying to check the situation.
The capital camp is almost built around the city of Beijing. There are tens of thousands on the Xishan side, tens of thousands on the Marco Polo Bridge in the south, Miyun in the north, and Tongzhou in the east. They are stationed in each of the four directions to protect the safety of the capital.
The reason why it was not directly in Beijing was to prevent the army from being intoxicated with prosperity and losing its combat effectiveness.
At the same time, it is also to alleviate the pressure on Beijing’s food supply.
The daily management of Beijing City relies on the Military and Horse Division of the Five Armies. Needless to say, the Imperial City, this is the responsibility of the Guard Division.
The Xishan Camp was built on the mountain. Although it was called a large camp, each army formed a small camp. The three formed a horn to support each other.
Each army has a size of 10,000 people and is managed by a general commander. The three general commanders are parallel and only obey the emperor's orders.
Viewed from a distance, a market has been formed unknowingly thirty miles away from the Xishan Camp. A large amount of supplies for the army can be purchased here, such as wine, meat, vegetables, etc., which can be regarded as a good deal for ordinary people.
Many military officers buy homes here to take care of their families, which is the best of both worlds.
As for ordinary soldiers, they can only rely on three days of rest every month to go home and reunite.
The drills continued as before, and the shouts were loud. At least on the surface, this army still maintained its combat effectiveness.
Zhu Yixi squinted her eyes and looked around a lot before dismounting and walking around casually.
Suddenly, a group of people came out from their bathing time and returned together, chatting casually. When they saw Zhu Yixi coming lightly dressed, they immediately became alert.
"Who are you?"
