No one knew where Chang Yu had gone. To be precise, very few people knew. Not even Li Muxian knew, and he didn't care. The little eunuch wanted to find a quiet place to stay for a while. He didn't want to, so he went out early in the morning. After arriving in the city, he took a carriage and was driven by a person from the Zodiac.
Hao Yaoqi didn't know either. He led his troops to seal off Xiaogan City and pump out water to arrest the bastards. Before leaving, Chang Yu told him not to engage in such scandalous things as beating him up and framing him for the crime. Even if there were suspicions, he would be released after verification.
Hao Yaoqi was very conscientious and obedient. To be exact, he listened to Chang Yu's words very much. He was rude and illiterate. In addition to being brave in fighting, he had bad habits and bad temper. He was not as popular as Li Yan. Everyone respects him for being so resourceful and resourceful, and even belongs to the capitulation faction. However, Li Yan has been valued by the imperial court as a pillar of the country, but he is still rolled by many people. If Fei Yu valued him, he would have been killed long ago, and even if he had not been killed, he would still be dead now. He's just a flag bearer.
So he was grateful to Chang Yu.
He also knew that the Dongchang Guards had five battalions outside Xiaogan City, so why did Chang Yu ask him to investigate this matter by name.
They come from the same family and are familiar with each other, and they also want to cut off the relationship cleanly.
The city is under martial law, and every household has closed its doors and is whispering. Murderous-looking men in Feiyu uniforms with embroidered spring knives can be seen everywhere on the streets, as well as teams of patrolling cavalry. In the Yamen, Hao Yaoqi is working meticulously with local officials. Check suspects.
There was indeed a different scene by the lake in the east of the city. The remaining four battalions of the East Factory Guards were practicing, riding and shooting, forming formations, and charging... The sound could be heard for miles, so people from the surrounding villages came to watch.
In the past, ordinary people would stay away from soldiers when they saw them, but this group of soldiers and horses were stationed by the lake for several days without disturbing the surrounding area. Sometimes they even gave some food to the curious children who went to watch outside the military camp. , which made them think that these were no ordinary soldiers. Sure enough, rumors soon spread that they were Dongchang Guards.
Hey, those are the emperor's personal soldiers.
It turned out to be the East Factory Guards. No wonder the military discipline is so good.
Nowadays, no one in the government or the public knows that the Dongchang Guard was built by the great eunuch. For more than a year, he followed him in the north and south, fighting bandits and Tatars. Among the emperor's twenty-seven guards, he had the most actual combat experience. The most powerful and disciplined troops.
Gradually, more and more people frequented the military camp. Some were purely curious and some just wanted to ask for something. Instead of wartime, the Dongchang Guards did not strictly prohibit people from approaching the military camp. They were even very down-to-earth. In Chang Yu's words, it is called becoming one with the people.
On this day, the city of Xiaogan was closed, and the fourth battalion's drill attracted people from all over the country to watch. Seeing the military power, they were all horrified, and secretly sighed that it was so powerful that it was no wonder they could be invincible.
Not to mention the power of these four battalions of soldiers and horses, but looking at their equipment, they are miles ahead of the ordinary army.
This is a fact.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was common for soldiers to be unpaid, and many of them had no food to eat and no clothing to cover their bodies. A set of tattered military uniforms could last four seasons, and some wore tattered shoes, straw sandals, and even bare feet. They were the ones who cleaned up the battlefield every time there was a war. When you are happiest, you can collect some change, clothes and shoes from the corpse...
Even the treatment of the soldiers and horses of the big warlords can only be said to be barely enough to maintain food and clothing. Don't think that the emperor's personal guards are any better than the soldiers and horses of the big warlords.
But Dongchangwei has been different from the day it was established.
High salary and extraordinary benefits
The first battalion of the Dongchang Guards, Gongziying, were originally all eunuchs in the palace. They endured extremely cruel training and joined the army to follow Chang Yu on the battlefield just to stand out and make more money.
Later, as Chang Yu became more powerful and made more extra money, he was more willing to spend money, such as building three hundred heavy armors to charge into battle.
Heavy armor includes armor for soldiers and horses, and a set is equivalent to nearly a hundred taels of silver!
In addition to heavy armor, there is also a set of ordinary battle armor and regular leather armor per person.
A set of ordinary armor is equivalent to fifteen taels of silver (according to historical data). In addition to regular leather armor, there are also two sets of military uniforms, sabers, bows and arrows, hand crossbows, fire guns, and war horses. The equipment alone for a soldier costs one hundred taels of silver. !
This is quite a staggering expense. There are six battalions of Dongchang Guards. Except for Hao Yaoqi and Ji Ji, who have a thousand-man system, the other four battalions have a three-hundred-man system.
In other words, the equipment alone for one battalion costs 30,000 taels, four battalions cost 120,000 taels, and Hao Yaoqi and Ji Jike cost 200,000 taels, which is more than 400,000 taels. If you include salaries... …
Hey, maybe Chang Yu has made a lot of money, but he always complains about being poor every day.
He made a lot of money, but most of it was given to the emperor and the court. The rest could not be put into his own pocket. Although the Dongchang Guards were obviously the emperor's personal guards, the court only had a dime of money to raise the soldiers. It didn’t come out, it was all paid for by Dongchang!
Tu Yuan and others chose to practice military exercises on this day, and it was not without purpose. The purpose is self-evident, but they don't know where Chang Yu has gone, and like Li Muxian, they don't care where Chang Yu goes. They are professional soldiers. Their duty is to follow orders and charge into battle. They don't care or care about matters in the court. The security work of the great eunuch is also responsible for his own personal attendants and officials in the yamen. Anyway, no matter where the great eunuch gives orders, it is the same to them. .
…………
It is raining lightly in Beijing, and the pattering of rain is very refreshing, but some people are feeling particularly unhappy, even angry.
Forbidden City
In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen stood by the window with a solemn face, watching the rain hitting the flower branches in the yard. Chunxiang stood with his head lowered and his hands tied, not even daring to take a breath, because Long Yan was furious just now.
Now that the situation in the Ming Dynasty has finally stabilized, it has coincided with a brief period of peace. This made Emperor Chongzhen, who had been depressed and breathless for more than ten years, supposed to be happy and happy, but instead he was gloomy and even smashed plates and bowls.
Since then, the smelly water is rolling in the court again.
This morning at court, without any warning, some courtiers suddenly started to attack, with just one sentence: Did the emperor allow this dynasty to have another nine thousand years old?
Then the whole court was set on fire, and all the ministers echoed it for a while. Although the big bosses in the cabinet did not follow suit, they did not say anything to stop it. If they said that there was no support from them later, no one would believe it.
That's right, we're here for Chang Yu again!
Regarding Chang Yu, the ministers have endured it for too long!
If you ask what aspect they have tolerated, there are too many, but today they are focusing on one point, military power!
Just ask the emperor, whose army is the Ming Dynasty’s army now?
The Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion were completely emptied out, and it was not just the two yamen that were emptied out, but also the veteran nobles serving in the two yamen!
The power of dispatching troops and generals, marching and fighting, receiving rewards based on merit, punishing those who have committed offenses, and having the power of promotion and dismissal is all in the hands of the eunuch of Dongchang. The soldiers and horses in the world and the generals everywhere have his orders, and no one else can use them. If it doesn't move, it won't work no matter what.
Who is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and whose army is this?
Good guy, this hat is too big, it kills people and hurts the heart.
Emperor Chongzhen was so angry that he almost lifted the table and cursed his mother.
But after all, he was a qualified emperor and a smart emperor. He knew that this seemed to be an attack on Chang Yu, but in fact it was a counterattack by the civil servant group.
During this period, the civil service group was severely suppressed. Chang Yu deliberately suppressed the civil service and promoted the military. He made a lot of fuss in public opinion and scolded the civil service officials as worthless. In addition, he cooperated with the military generals' successive victories on the battlefield. Now the government and the opposition The reputation of the contextual officer is really not very good, but the reputation and status of the general are getting better and better.
Although Chang Yu is very capable and low-key, since he came to power, civil servants have been almost marginalized in terms of national affairs. Although national affairs include all aspects, war is always ranked first, but when it comes to war, they have been continuously He was not qualified to interrupt. How to deploy troops and how to fight were all arranged by Chang Yu. The civil service group could only deal with logistics, or deal with people's livelihood and civil affairs.
Even when negotiating with Li Chuang on a major national matter related to the national destiny, the civil service group was only used as a cover, and the real decision-maker was the eunuch.
There was no need to endure it anymore. The civil service group saw the right opportunity and suddenly broke out. This was a force that should not be underestimated. Several big bosses in the cabinet acquiesced, and officials from the six ministries were involved. More importantly, there were also officials from the Ministry of War and the Five Ministries. A nobleman serving in the Military Governor's Mansion.
The nobles are the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty and the core of the court. When the country is at war, they are the backbone and pillars. Therefore, most of the nobles hold important positions, such as the Governor of the Beijing Camp, the Ministry of War, the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army, etc. .
But after Chang Yu came to power, he took care of most of the nobles, cheated, lied, beat, and intimidated him. He even removed Li Guozhen's governor of the capital and replaced him directly with Wang Jiayan.
You said they can't be angry, so these people and the civil servants started to attack.
Emperor Chongzhen was caught off guard, so he was very angry!
But the point of his anger was not the attack by these courtiers, but the point of the attack and the person targeted!
Li Chuang has just surrendered. Instead of taking advantage of this short period of peace to engage in civil affairs, you come to attack Chang Yu! Why didn't you do it earlier? It's you who are cowards!
It's because you can't deal with Li Chuang at all!
Now you are saying that he has monopolized military power. Why didn't you come out and call out when Li Chuangdong came to Taiyuan to recruit troops? Why didn't you come out and call out when the Tatars besieged the capital?
Because you are cowards and you are incompetent!
At that time, as long as one of you stands up and says, I can do it, I will do it, even if it is just a pig, I will make you the Marshal of the Army of the World!
But what?
None of the civil and military officials in the entire dynasty even dared to fart!
The farts of civil servants are all stinky and useless, and the farts of noble and military officers are incompetent and silent.
It is better to say that now all the generals in the world listen to his orders, it is better than your time when no one dared to give orders and no one gave orders to move.
Emperor Chongzhen scolded him harshly. Now he is no longer the submissive emperor who was bullied by the civil service group!
But the courtiers are not vegetarians. At this moment, there is an emergency, and the situation requires him. We turned a blind eye and turned a blind eye. Now that half of the world is peaceful, we can't raise tigers to cause trouble. It's not like that There is really no one left in the DPRK, they are just losers...
Ouch, my uncle, you are so shameless! Emperor Chongzhen was so angry that he was shaking all over. Looking at the ministers in the palace, Shi Kefa occasionally helped him to refute a few words, while the others were spitting in anger or sneered in silence. Emperor Chongzhen was a little unable to resist. Now, although the generals have He has the right to speak, and his status is no lower than that of any civil servant. However, the generals are out leading troops to fight, and no one can support him.
