Seeing Yu Qian's hesitant look, Zhu Qiyu smiled and said.
"Of course I know this, and I have no plans to start building the Nine Borders at this time. What's more, even if the Nine Borders are built, it will be very difficult to maintain the combat power of the border troops for a long time."
"On the contrary, having a strong city to defend it will make the generals and soldiers more slack, won't it?"
Ah this...
Yu Qian was stunned, somewhat dumbfounded.
The emperor's words can't be said to be unreasonable, but they are not completely correct. Indeed, the artillery of the fortified city will easily breed arrogant soldiers, making the generals despise the drills even more, thinking that relying on the fortified city can protect them from danger and torture. The intensity of the soldiers may be greater.
However, this again involves human problems. People’s hearts are unpredictable, and no one can say which direction it will develop. What’s more, human problems can be solved by people.
Just like now, if the frontier army is corrupt, the imperial court will reorganize the army and the officials in order to reorganize the frontier army. The existence of the fortified city can only be said to encourage the generals' laziness, but it is not the root cause. If they stop eating due to choking, it will This is an unwise move.
However, it was difficult to say this directly. Yu Qian was hesitating about how to express this meaning tactfully, but seeing the emperor's look of understanding, he continued.
"I'm not saying that the strategy of the Nine Borders is wrong, but it's not an either/or thing. The Nine Borders must be built, but we still need to find ways to increase the combat power of the border troops, right?"
After hearing the song, he knew the elegant meaning. Yu Qian was not a stupid person after all. When he heard this, he vaguely felt that he could understand the emperor's thoughts a little bit.
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Qian tentatively said.
"So, Your Majesty already has an idea? But...is it related to the surrender of Bodu this time?"
Although Yu Qian still couldn't figure out the connection between the two, his intuition told him that this was the answer.
As expected, after hearing this, the emperor nodded slightly and said with a little melancholy.
"Since ancient times, cessation of war has been the wish of the people of all dynasties. However, reading through the history books, it can be seen that when the dynasties were at peace, for only a few decades, swords and wars broke out, disasters occurred, and the soldiers were weak, causing the country to collapse and artifacts to change. host."
"And I have read through the history books and found that the northern grassland tribes have always had strong military strength. The reason for this is due to frequent wars."
After hearing this, Yu Qian probably understood the emperor's thoughts.
To put it bluntly, the grassland tribes have always been good at fighting and have strong combat power. The root cause is that the constant disputes on the grassland have caused them to be wary of danger in times of peace. They must maintain a strong enough combat power to avoid being annexed by others.
If this theory is applied to the Ming Dynasty's border troops, then...
"Your Majesty wants to... support the army through war?"
This conclusion really made Yu Qian's mood a little complicated. He didn't know what to say for a moment. He looked at His Majesty the Emperor expectantly and prayed that he had guessed wrong.
But it is a pity that after listening to this, the emperor nodded slowly and said.
"exactly!"
"An ancient saying goes, one is born from sorrow and dies in peace and happiness. When one enters, one will be helpless at home, and one will be invincible when one goes out, one will be invincible to foreign patients. The country will be permanently destroyed and the frontier army will be weak. The root cause is that one has been comfortable for too long, which makes the arrogant soldiers lazy and tortured. Besides, how can daily training be compared with real battle battles?"
"Elite soldiers from hundreds of battles must be obtained in battles. The grassland tribes have been a serious problem for the imperial court since ancient times. They have been like this in all dynasties. Emperors such as Wu Tang Zong of Han Dynasty and even Emperor Taizong could not completely eradicate them. After decades of reunification, In the end, border troubles will definitely arise again. If this is the case, why not leave a whetstone to strengthen the power of our border army?"
Yu Qian sighed in his heart, now he understands everything...
No wonder no matter how he tried to persuade the emperor, he always had different intentions. As long as his strength was restored, there would be another provocation, and the emperor took it lightly.
It turned out that it was not that the emperor had not thought of it, but that he had already thought of it. Moreover, the emperor's purpose was to create an enemy for the border troops.
only……
"Your Majesty, it is easy to burn yourself while playing with fire. This is a dangerous move. If there is any danger, it may endanger the country!"
After pondering for a long time, Yu Qian finally spoke and expressed his worries.
It is true that raising the army through war can maintain the combat effectiveness of the border army for a long time, and it can also have a great curbing effect on various problems that will arise again in the future.
However, after all, a soldier is a deadly weapon. In Yu Qian's view, this kind of behavior is undoubtedly walking on a single-plank bridge. If he is not careful, he may create a serious problem for the court.
If Bodu takes this opportunity to develop and grow and eventually exceeds the control of the court, it will be really troublesome!
However, his worries were obviously also under Zhu Qiyu's consideration. After thinking for a while, Zhu Qiyu said.
"Sir, what you said makes sense. Part of the reason why I sat down first was because I failed to prevent it in time in the early years. However, today is different from the past. Nowadays, there is civil strife in the grassland and conflicts among various tribes. Even if Bodu can recover, it will be difficult. Disasters and occasional provocations from the frontier are just a good opportunity for the frontier army to sharpen their swords."
"But Your Majesty..."
What these words said made Yu Qian even more uneasy. Having been in officialdom for many years, he knew one thing very well, that is, excessive self-confidence is often the beginning of disaster.
Indeed, with the current civil strife in the grassland, it is very difficult to form such a hegemon in a short period of time. However, things in this world are changing rapidly. Who knows whether there will be any changes in the future that will change the situation in the grassland again?
At this time, it seemed to Yu Qian that it was too reckless to make such a conclusion.
However, before he finished speaking, the emperor raised his hand and interrupted him, saying.
"I understand your concerns, so naturally I won't place all my hopes on the unpredictable future!"
"Remember what I just said? Some things are not either/or!"
Seeing the emperor's serious look, Yu Qian also calmed down and began to frown and think. After a while, he spoke.
"Your Majesty means Jiubian?"
If accepting the affiliation of Bodu now carries the risk of raising tigers, then Jiubian is equivalent to setting up a fence for this tiger.
Even if he regains his strength in the future and wants to start a border conflict again, as long as the Jiubian system is formed, even if such a character appears again, the border army will surely be able to handle it.
"Yes, Jiubian!"
Zhu Qiyu said with a smile on his face.
"Once the nine borders are built, the towns can communicate with each other. If a town is attacked, the two towns on the left and right can immediately support it. In this way, if there are bandits disturbing the border, the forces of the three towns need to be dealt with at the same time. The cavalry attacks the city. We are at a disadvantage, if there are heavy troops guarding the city, we should be able to defend the city without any danger."
"When I agreed to surrender to Bodu, I really wanted to leave a grindstone for the border troops, but I was not asking for trouble. Even if Bodu recovers quickly, it will take at least ten years. These ten years , It is enough for the border troops to practice and restore their combat strength, and it is also enough for the practice of the nine-border strategy."
"At that time, if Bordu really has evil intentions and the border quarrels arise again, he can order the border troops to attack and support the army with war. The court will make arrangements at any time. If the war is small, one town will fight the enemy. If the war is serious, the neighboring towns will support it and protect the border. To stabilize the people, it can not only maintain the fighting strength of the frontier army, but also prevent the damage of war and the loss of important towns."
After saying these words, Yu Qian let out a long breath. He had long known that the emperor was far-sighted, but he never thought that the emperor was so ambitious.
You must know that for the Central Plains Dynasty, the problem of border troubles has lasted for thousands of years and has not been solved by the monarchs of the past dynasties.
And the emperor actually wanted to use this method to completely solve the problem of border troubles. Oh, it may not be appropriate to say that it is a solution, but if the emperor's idea can come true, then it can indeed greatly weaken the threat to the Ming Dynasty from various grassland ministries.
After all, in the final analysis, the problem of border troubles is just that the border troops are weak. In the emperor's design, the nine sides serve as a backbone to ensure that the Ming Dynasty's border defense line can be basically stable. Stone is used to support the army through war and maintain the strength of the frontier army. The two are superimposed to achieve a situation where the grassland tribes can be suppressed for a long time.
However, there are still many problems in the process, such as...
"Your Majesty, this is not easy!"
Yu Qian's expression was a little complicated, and after hesitating again and again, he spoke.
"Especially the Jiubian strategy, it is very difficult to pass the court meeting!"
In the end, Yu Qian still did not dare to make it clear clearly. The nine-sided strategy required a lot of manpower and material resources for the court, so it was not easy to pass. However, since the emperor ascended the throne, he has done many things. There were many easy things, such as mutual markets, large canals, military villages, imperial villages... There were many objections to the decrees in the court, but they were all successfully implemented.
Compared with other major policies, Jiubian is also very difficult, but it cannot be regarded as special. After all, although Jiubian's strategy seems grand, it will take a long time to implement it. If the emperor insists on having his own way, then Even if it takes some trouble, it can probably pass the court meeting.
The real key to this matter is that the combination of Jiubian and Bodu's internal affairs constitutes the emperor's strategy. In essence, it is another sense of self-respect in raising bandits, but this bandit is raised by the imperial court. But the problem is the same.
Since it is raising bandits, there will inevitably be arrogant and powerful generals, and border provocations will continue. Then the court must rely more on the border troops. One issue that will inevitably arise from this is the change of the civil and military status in the court.
Once this strategy is implemented, the status of military commanders in the court will inevitably rise sharply, which will affect the interests of all civil servants!
What is the biggest problem of today's military officials? Some people may think it is corruption, others may think it is arrogance... But in the final analysis, the problem is that the up-and-down flow system has been basically solidified.
More than 90% of the current dukes, marquises, and earls of the Ming Dynasty are from the founding ministers and Jingnan heroes. In today's military, it is basically impossible to win a title by one's own strength without giving up military merit. , Promotion in the military minister system basically has nothing to do with personal bravery and strategy. Instead, it needs to rely on connections, so it creates a polarized situation.
People with good connections and family backgrounds have been entrenched in the military government for a long time. People without connections, no matter how capable they are, can only become subordinates. Some of them are 'smarter' and know how to flatter, so they can get promotions, while the rest can Those who are down are either discouraged and mediocre, or they are trying harder to make money. There is something wrong at the root, which leads to the current situation.
The emperor's current strategy actually solves this problem. With constant provocations and small-scale wars, there will naturally be more military exploits than before, and for military officials and generals, there will also be more achievements. More opportunities, thus forming a virtuous cycle and completely activating the Ming Dynasty's military minister system.
But... again, the current situation of the military minister system is not only their own problem, but more importantly, it is suppressed by the civil servants.
Now, facing the possibility of Wu Chen resurrecting, it is extremely difficult to realize it. Because of this, Yu Qian's mood at the moment is very complicated.
He knew that the emperor showed unparalleled trust in telling him all this, but at the same time, he was also worried about the situation that this strategy might create...
At this moment, the emperor's voice sounded again, saying.
"I know this is not easy, but it is difficult for the country, so I have to do it, and I need your husband to help me!"
Seeing Yu Qian's expression, Zhu Qiyu knew that he had understood everything.
Just like what he said to Qian, this step had to be done. Since Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, the biggest problem he has faced is not corruption, nor is it the Supreme Emperor of Nangong, but the situation where civilization is prosperous and military is weak!
This is almost an unsolvable problem for Zhu Qiyu, because 70% of his base is on the side of civil servants. When he came to the throne, he was supported by civil servants, and the civil war was won with the help of civil servants. , all kinds of major policies are also implemented by civil servants. On the other hand, most of the military ministers and nobles have no basis for friendship or trust with him, and there are also many who have ambiguous attitudes between Nangong and him.
If Zhu Qiyu was an ordinary emperor, then his wisest approach would be to continuously strengthen the status of civil servants, stabilize his base, and control military generals through civil servants, as he did in his previous life, to ensure the exclusive status of imperial power. Anyway, in the Ming Dynasty, Under this system, civil servants cannot afford to make waves.
But... after all, he is burdened with the responsibility of two lives, so he can't just think about the present. If the civilization is prosperous and the military is weak for a long time, two serious problems will inevitably arise, party strife and military corruption. When the civil servants are completely superior to the military ministers Even when a second-grade military general wants to subordinate a fifth-grade civil servant, those low-ranking officers will completely lose hope of promotion, and then turn to exploiting soldiers, just for immediate gain.
Civil servants no longer have to fight for power with military ministers, and their own internal struggles will become prominent and form fierce party struggles. In the end, these two issues will inevitably destroy the entire country.
Therefore, Zhu Qiyu must change, but this change is so difficult. Whether it is to rectify the army, reorganize the military government, or win over and promote nobles, in fact, they are all solutions to the symptoms rather than the root cause, and even if he thought of a way , but those who actually implement it can still only be civil servants.
Not to mention the people he can use, just talking about the nobles, even if he is willing to delegate power, no one can break through the blockade of civil servants and implement his ideas. Moreover, using the nobles will inevitably cause the civil servants to The vigilance makes it more difficult to implement the strategy. What's more, it also involves Nangong's problem, which is basically an endless loop.
Therefore, for Zhu Qiyu, he needs someone who can help him break out of this endless cycle, someone who... can ignore the civil and military disputes, and can betray his own identity for the benefit of the country.
He felt that this person could only be Yu Qian...
