"Save someone under the knife!"
Fortunately, the words were conveyed in time. When Zhu Gaoxu's blade was still two inches away from the head of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War, he stopped and sheathed the blade.
"Gao Xu, you are so brave!!"
Zhu Di came back to his senses and found that the second brother actually used the knife. He immediately became furious, walked over and kicked Zhu Gaoxu to the ground, and cursed:
"Who gave you the right to use your private affairs at will? Even if you have to deal with it, I will deal with it! You are really getting more and more presumptuous!"
Only then did Zhu Gaoxu realize that he had overstepped his bounds. He was sweating profusely and hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy: "Father, I was a little excited just now, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this, he laughed and said: "Fourth brother, Gao Xu's temperament is exactly the same as when you were young. When you went to Jinan to train troops and encountered corrupt officials occupying military fields, you were killed first and then punished. We will also punish you severely. A meal."
"this"
Zhu Di's face turned red and he whispered softly: "Dad, save some face for the child."
At this time, Li Xiao came over, and Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Okay, now that the Imperial Master is here, Fang Bin, if you have anything to defend, just say it."
Li Xiao cupped his hands towards Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, then stood aside. Then he found that the two men looked at him with ambiguous eyes. What happened today?
"What exactly is going on?" Li Xiao asked.
Before the Minister of War could speak, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Li Xiao and said hurriedly: "Brother-in-law, this is the situation."
Zhu Di said coldly: "Call the Imperial Master!"
After all, he was not calling brother-in-law like this in private, but in public. He thought that only a few of his family, Lao Zhu, had made the final decision.
"Yes Yes Yes."
Zhu Gaoxu then changed his words and said: "National Master, it's like this. Isn't it going to be an expedition against the Japanese country next year? According to the emperor's will, it is not necessary to attack the Japanese country with overqualified personnel. The soldiers stationed at the border remain intact, but from other places. Soldiers and horses from the relocated guard station came to Beijing for training, and the result was "
Speaking of this, Zhu Gaoxu was extremely angry, pointed at Fang Bin and said: "The Ministry of War took the salary of the court and took it from both ends. Today, when the king of Japan inspected it, he found a big problem. The military households sent were all old and weak. Not to mention the sick and disabled, there are actually substitutes and vacancies. How can such soldiers fight? Do you think I can help but be angry?"
Fang Bin shouted that he was wronged: "King Han, please don't spit on others. Why did the Ministry of War do this? I just discovered this move and have already investigated it. The officials below were really helpless, so this mess happened." "
Zhu Gaoxu put his hands on his hips and said, "Could it be that this king has wronged you? Even if it was not your order, it was because you failed to supervise him and used the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled to fill the position. How did you become a minister?"
"Okay, okay, Gao Xu, please stop saying a few words."
Li Xiao frowned slightly and roughly understood.
They recruited troops from other places and came to Beijing, but as a result, there was a problem with the supply of troops.
He looked at Fang Bin and said, "Fang Shangshu, why is this happening?"
"See the Imperial Preceptor."
After Fang Bin cupped his hands, he said: "Xiaoguan also learned about this matter recently and has severely criticized it. This time, the guards of several prefectures near Beiping were dispatched. There was a problem with the guards below, but... "
Generally speaking, in ancient times, when soldiers and horses needed to be mobilized, it was based on the principle of proximity. Inconvenient transportation was the main reason. It was impossible to mobilize troops across the country. Therefore, when wars started, they would always focus on one place.
If for the sake of fairness, all counties across the country are allowed to mobilize soldiers, whoever does this will basically belong to the same level as Wolong and Phoenix.
If the soldiers in this place were good at fighting, that would be great, they could be killed directly.
In the late Ming Dynasty, Yiwu soldiers were recruited without restraint by the court because of their bravery and fearlessness.
In the end, nine out of ten houses in Yiwu were empty, and only one or two out of ten survivors were left alive. Yiwu and the surrounding area were miserable.
During the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty almost wiped out the Ewenki Solon tribe, the strongest "combat nation" in China, to the point of annihilation.
As the backbone of the Eight Banners of Manchuria, the Sauron tribe fought in all directions and made great contributions in the wars against the Ming Dynasty and North Korea.
However, after the Qing Dynasty entered the pass, the Eight Banners brought their families into the pass to enjoy the blessings.
But the Sauron people were left in the bitter cold outside the pass, sticking to the border areas, and had to be recruited to fight for the imperial court at any time.
At that time, the Sauron tribe was still facing the threat of the Tsarist Russian invading army. Under very harsh conditions, these Sauron people were always able to repel the invaders. However, the Eight Banners children were walking around in the capital all day long and living a good life. .
In order to prevent the Sauron tribe from losing their strong fighting ability, all the Qing dynasties refused to allow them to Chineseize as they originally belonged to the Jianzhou tribe. It was not until the Republic of China that the Sauron tribe ended this tragic fate.
For ancient dynasties, Li Xiao couldn't accept the conscription of troops to one place.
However, now that there are trains, once railways are laid across the country, troops can be quickly mobilized and this tragedy can be avoided.
At this time, Li Xiao saw that Fang Bin looked at him timidly, and couldn't help but ask: "Fang Shangshu, what's the matter? If you have anything to say, just say it."
"Yes, Imperial Master."
Fang Bin, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, said truthfully: "It's not that there is a problem with the guards below. The main reason is that the military households in Taiyuan, Hejian, and Zhending that were recruited cannot send troops, so they can only use Family members substitute"
Although the military system in Peiping has been changed, the military system in other parts of the Ming Dynasty was still the same.
The so-called military system and guard system are the systems created by Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang directly assigned a part of the people to become military household registrations.
Military households have been soldiers for generations, which is the worst kind of household registration, worse than farmers.
No abuse is allowed and no changes are allowed. A son inherits his father's legacy and will always serve in the army. Once he becomes a military household, it cannot be changed forever. All his descendants must serve in the army and serve in the army.
At least farmers could take part in the imperial examinations to change their destiny. In order to prevent the reduction of military households, Zhu Yuanzhang directly banned military households from participating in the imperial examinations.
However, this situation was changed by Zhu Di in the middle period of Yongle. Later, military households could participate in the imperial examination to change their destiny. The famous Zhang Juzheng came from a military household.
The military system in Peiping was changed by Li Xiao into the compulsory military system of the Tang Dynasty, that is, people were obliged to serve as soldiers for two years, and then if they were willing to stay, they could stay as long-term soldiers.
The difference between these two methods is that one is free of charge.
Military households need to cultivate fields to support themselves, with eight portions for farming and two portions for defense.
Zhu Yuanzhang often claimed: "I raise millions of soldiers without costing the people a grain of rice."
Li Xiao's method cost a lot, so Zhu Yuanzhang often talked about this matter, saying that Li Xiao's other reforms were good, but he couldn't do this, and he was not as good as his own military system.
At this time, Zhu Di asked curiously: "You mean, the military households in Taiyuan Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, and Zhending Prefecture can't find anyone? What's going on?"
Fang Bin said helplessly: "Actually, there is a conflict between the policies of the two places. The policy in Peking is that you only need to voluntarily enter Peiping and work for one year to become a Peking household registration. Many people from these three prefectures come to Peking. In Peiping, especially the military households, seven out of ten households were empty. Except for the old people who could not walk, almost all the young people had fled to Peiping. The officials below had no choice but to use military households to complete the task of mobilizing troops. Many old people applied for the draft, and in addition, we recruited young men to make up the number."
As soon as this statement came out, the truth became clear.
Everyone looked at Li Xiao.
Zhu Di coughed twice and said, "Li Xiao, if this is true, it is indeed your problem."
Li Xiao smiled awkwardly: "At that time, Beiping was undergoing great development and the population was not enough, so I used this method. I didn't expect that such a problem would arise today. In this case, don't blame Fang Shangshu. If you want to blame, blame me."
Having said that, who could blame Li Xiao?
Fang Bin breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the National Master was righteous and took over the responsibility. Otherwise, he might not have had a good time.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while and said: "In that case, we should quickly make amends and change the policy. Now the capital is overcrowded and the number of births is also increasing rapidly. There is no need for outsiders to serve as labor. Immediately prohibit the inflow of outsiders. This was done before. It has damaged other areas and must be changed, in addition.”
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Xiao and said: "Li Xiao, please change your military system. Return to the original military system. Your military system is too expensive and the dynasty will be brought down sooner or later! The Song Dynasty was like you back then. The military system and combat effectiveness were not strong, and the huge expenditure led to the collapse of the dynasty."
As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang opened his mouth, he gave the order directly.
Li Xiao was slightly startled. Hey, eldest brother seems to have a problem with my military system. That's not okay. I must teach him a lesson today.
Li Xiao cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this is not a recruitment system or a compulsory military system, but a new recruitment system that combines the two. It is suitable for the current situation. I think it is not suitable to change, so we should continue to implement it and gradually promote it. .”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was slightly surprised.
It has to be the Imperial Master, and it has to be you. How can anyone else dare to talk to the Supreme Emperor? This is the system that the Supreme Emperor is most proud of.
"Oh?" Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry, "Can you tell me?"
Li Xiao said: "Your Majesty, please tell me directly, you won't be angry, right?"
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled: "Are we so narrow-minded? But it doesn't matter, I promise not to get angry."
"Then I'll tell you straight."
Li Xiao said with a smile: "Actually, the Song Dynasty's military recruiters believed that there was no problem. Soldiers had to eat food and be professional soldiers, and their combat effectiveness would be guaranteed. The problem was that there was something wrong with the targets of his recruitment. Most of them came from disaster victims, refugees, Prisoners and gangsters. Because the social status of being a soldier was too low, most people were unwilling to serve as soldiers. At the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, the court believed that these people were factors of social instability. To solve this hidden danger, it also solved the problem of military sources. The implementation of a special recruitment system led to the situation of poverty and weakness caused by redundant soldiers, redundant officials, and redundant expenses in the Song Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly surprised that Li Xiao actually discovered this small detail. He only discovered this not long ago after reading through the history books.
As soon as Li Xiao saw Zhu Yuanzhang's expression, he knew that he should be able to understand this, so he struck a chord while the iron was hot: "Your Majesty, is the Song Dynasty the dynasty with the least peasant rebellions among all dynasties?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "That's true."
Li Xiaodao: "This proves that the Song Dynasty had a system of recruiting soldiers because of the instability of the people. Although it reduced the hidden dangers of domestic peasant uprisings to a certain extent, it used redundant soldiers to eliminate the hidden dangers of social stability.
This is a method of transferring conflicts. It is very clever. It is a pity that it is used in the wrong place. We should never, never, should not use the country's most critical national defense to solve this hidden danger!
As a result, the number of soldiers increased. At the time of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, there were only more than 100,000 people, but by the time of Song Renzong, the number reached 800,000.
It is conceivable that when recruiting these disaster victims, refugees, prisoners, and gangsters, the quality of these people varies. Most of them are just messing around and have little fighting ability.
Because of the poor supply of soldiers, the status of soldiers is low and they have no status. This led to the saying that a good man should not be a soldier, and a good man should not hammer nails, which was passed down to the Song Dynasty.
Soldiers are the cornerstone of the country. If the status of soldiers is so low, it will be difficult for a country to think about it. Our military household system in the Ming Dynasty also has this problem. "
After saying this, the whole scene fell into silence.
The officials from the Ministry of War were still kneeling on the ground, but they could not feel the pain in their knees. Instead, they stared blankly at the Imperial Guard.
Zhu Gaoxu was also shocked. He knew the quality of soldiers in Peiping, because the status of soldiers in Peiping seemed to be higher and their treatment was better than in other places. This was still the situation before the reform, and it would not change after the reform. Needless to say, it has been upgraded several levels. But it is indeed not possible in other places.
"That makes sense!"
Zhu Gaoxu shouted.
"." Zhu Di glared at Zhu Gaoxu and told him to shut up.
Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking a lot, and finally spoke for a long time: "Li Xiao, you mean to say that our Ming Dynasty's guard system is not good, and our Ming Dynasty's soldiers have a low status?"
Li Xiao said with a smile: "Didn't Fang Shangshu just say that the people who came to Peking were basically military households? This shows how reluctant military households are to become military households. Regardless of the national level, in the Ming Dynasty, those who were classified as military households were If you are registered as a military household, you will have bad luck for eight lifetimes."
Zhu Yuanzhang: "."
Zhu Di: "."
Zhu Gaoxu: "That makes sense!"
Zhu Yuanzhang: "????"
Li Xiao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang: "Brother, you said you won't be angry."
Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his displeasure, snorted coldly, and said: "Isn't it good to be a soldier in the Ming Dynasty? This is an iron rice bowl. You can eat and drink, and you can be comfortable when you are not fighting. Forget it, go on, See if you can name a flower!"
Li Xiao chuckled, walked over, put his arm around Zhu Yuanzhang's shoulders, and said, "Brother, you won't hit me, will you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked away from Li Xiao and looked towards the sky, "Just tell me, I promise not to beat you."
This stunned other officials.
Damn it, is the relationship between Li Xiao and Zhu Yuanzhang so strong?
This was like a slap on the tiger's butt. Not only did the tiger not bite him, it even wagged its tail.
Is this still the Emperor they know?
The emperor who killed hundreds of thousands of officials in the four major crimes back then? ? ?
Everyone was collectively confused.
The reason why Li Xiao dared to be so arrogant was that he had the confidence to do so.
He had extended Zhu Yuanzhang's life for ten years, and after so many years of reforms, Zhu Yuanzhang would not touch him at all.
Moreover, as Zhu Yuanzhang got older, Li Xiao found that his temper and personality had improved again and he became much more easy-going.
Li Xiao smiled slightly and said: "Brother, let me continue. Think about it, once you are classified as a military household in our Ming Dynasty, you will be a military household for generations. The so-called drunkenness on the battlefield, Lord Grim." , How many people have fought in ancient times? The influence of ordinary people on joining the army is that if you are selected to be a soldier, you will basically be dead. And brother, you established a military camp system at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, right? "
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded proudly: "That's right."
Li Xiaodao: "Look, doesn't the problem arise? When the two systems of military settlements and military households overlapped, an ordinary farmer used to cultivate the land well. Once he was classified as a military household, he now had to You pay taxes, you have to perform military service, you grow your own food, you have to personally deliver the grown food to the battlefield, and you have to go to war yourself. Do you think this is eight lifetimes of bad luck? What’s more terrible is that the world We have been military households for generations, and if someone dies in battle, someone has to be taken away from the family to fill the gap. This is simply a curse."
Zhu Yuanzhang: "."
After a long time, Zhu Di came over to calm down the atmosphere and said: "Li Xiao, you are still too soft-hearted and care too much about other people's feelings. How could your imperial grandfather not think of this? This is also a move made out of necessity for the stability of the country. If It’s not the military household system. Where did the 1.8 million soldiers of the Ming Dynasty come from? The emperor’s grandfather raised millions of soldiers without consuming the people’s food. You have to admit this.”
Li Xiao looked at Zhu Di and said, "My father-in-law, don't say nice things, you are not kind either."
Zhu Di was stunned, why did he say it so well, why did he involve himself?
Fang Bin, the Minister of War, was confused again.
Good guy, after the Imperial Master finished attacking the Supreme Emperor, he started to attack the Holy Emperor. The two Holy Emperors fought against each other together. How brave!
Zhu Di said: "Li Xiao, why am I so unkind?"
Li Xiaodao: "In the second year of Yongle, Your Majesty stipulated that all those who are over sixty years old, disabled, or young in the army must farm and feed themselves. Look, these soldiers will be thrown away after using them in their lifetime. You don't care. If you are old or disabled, you can think of a way for yourself. Do you think you are being unkind? This will only lead to a low status of soldiers and make more people unwilling to serve as soldiers.
Being a military household not only means that I have no future, but the future of my descendants is also locked up. Now there is no one to care about me even when I am old. It is disappointing to think about it.
Isn’t this the beginning of the end of military slavery in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the establishment of military slavery in the Ming Dynasty? Isn’t this a reversal of history? "
Li Xiao started to criticize directly. Although he liked the Ming Dynasty and was a member of this big family, the Ming Dynasty did have many aspects, but it was not as good as other dynasties.
Li Xiao felt that while he was still the most powerful in the Ming Dynasty, he could directly cancel General Hu Juntun.
This system was still working well in the early Ming Dynasty. By the middle and late Ming Dynasty, all the military villages were annexed and became the private property of high-ranking officials and powerful people.
As the saying goes, "fertile land is occupied by wealthy officials" and "poor soldiers have no land to cultivate."
During his tenure in Shaanxi, the guard eunuch Wang Gui occupied 10,000 acres of army farmland, and more than a thousand soldiers were forced to cultivate it.
The lives of these military households became increasingly difficult when the military camps were annexed. History records: "The wives of the sergeants, without food and clothing, all dug out fern roots to survive", while the sergeants who were supposed to be responsible for farming and fighting " There is nothing to complain about if you swallow your hatred and swallow your voice."
Military households lost their land and became tenants, farming for the landlords. When there was a war, they had to put down their hoes and pick up their spears and go to the battlefield. Their status was extremely low, and they shed blood and tears.
During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, a great eunuch named Liu Jin, also known as the Eight Tigers, who monopolized power, was one of the people who despised him in later generations.
After Emperor Zhengde came to power, he played in the harem every day and did not do his job.
Imperial power basically fell into the hands of the eunuch Liu Jin.
But this great eunuch did the right thing, which was to rectify the military camp.
After careful investigation, Liu Jin discovered a big problem with the military system.
Zhu Yuanzhang once set up a military garrison system. The army took up arms to defend the country during war and grew local grain in peacetime. This way the army could be self-sufficient, solve the problem of food, and also turn over part of the country's grain. It could be said that it killed two birds with one stone.
However, as time went by, the military commanders expropriated the land of the soldiers. Some of them were bought and some were robbed. In this way, the soldiers were reduced to the officers' servants, often without military pay, and even having food was a problem.
Officers became big landowners, dominating and dominating. Corruption in the army had become a serious problem for the court in the late Ming Dynasty and was one of the reasons for the demise of the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Jin saw the problem and planned to rectify the military settlement, so he reported it to Zhu Houzhao. After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao thought it was a good thing and arranged for Liu Jin to do it.
This caused big trouble. Liu Jin's original intention was not to fight for the welfare of those big soldiers, he just wanted to make his reputation better.
But the interests of these landlords and evil gentry cannot be touched casually.
This incident brought unprecedented disaster to Liu Jin. He found that even though he had great power and all the civil and military officials in the dynasty obeyed him, he still could not defeat these powerful landlords. In the end, he ended up being executed in Ling Chi until the eunuch group was destroyed.
It can be seen that in the later stages of this kind of stubborn disease, even if it is solved by powerful people, it is already irreversible.
Sun Chuanting, a famous general in the late Ming Dynasty, also discovered this. He found that the military fields were gone and most of the generals relied on servants to fight the war. So Sun Chuanting tried every means to squeeze the landowners to raise troops, but it was just a squeeze and could not solve the problem of military camps being encroached on.
At the beginning, Li Zicheng, the king of insurgents, made his fortune by robbing landowners. He was defeated five times by Sun Chuanting. The most brutal time was that only one soldier was left, but Li Zicheng was still able to make a comeback.
But Sun Chuanting couldn't do it. If he lost once, the Ming Dynasty would be gone. This was because the land annexation had reached an extreme level. Even the military villages had been annexed, and it was difficult to return.
Therefore, Li Xiao must solve this problem now and change the military system.
Soldiers protect their homes and the country, and the country and the people have the obligation to support them. The heroes cannot be allowed to bleed and shed tears.
There was nothing wrong with Lao Zhu's idea at first, but he forgot one issue, which was also an issue of all dynasties, annexing land. Even if he thought about it, he probably wouldn't think anyone would dare to annex the land of military households, but the fact is, everything is possible. Land annexation will exist as long as there are interests.
As Li Xiao and the Holy Spirit quarreled together, everyone's expressions changed subtly.
The faces of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di also darkened. This Li Xiao really didn't give him any face. They really wanted to drag him out and beat him up.
Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu's expression also changed. His brother-in-law came over. He must have heard the news and came to rescue him. He couldn't let his brother-in-law fall into the trap first.
He hurriedly walked out, calmed down the atmosphere, and said: "Grandpa, Emperor, father, please don't be angry. My brother-in-law cares about the people of the world at dawn, so when thinking about problems, he should start from the perspective of the people."
Li Xiao nodded slightly towards Zhu Gaoxu, the pain in this dick was not in vain.
Zhu Yuanzhang ignored Zhu Gaoxu, snorted, looked at Li Xiao and said: "Li Xiao, you are still too soft-hearted. When I consider the problem, I take into account the overall situation, not just the feelings of some people. The burden of raising troops is as heavy as Mount Tai, and so do you. You know, if we rely on the Song Dynasty’s military recruitment system, the burden on the people will be very heavy. If more taxes are collected, won’t the people of this world suffer?”
Li Xiao smiled and said: "Isn't this one and the same? The Supreme Emperor is wise and powerful. When he formulated the strategy, this method was of course the best. But now our Ming Dynasty has money. Since we have money, then use money To raise an army, I believe that the cost of raising an army must account for at least two-tenths of the tax revenue. National defense is more important than heaven."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Then what do you think, how to raise troops?"
Li Xiaodao: "Just implement the new law in Peking, improve the treatment and status of soldiers, and join the army. When this awareness enters the minds of the people, there is no need to force them. They voluntarily serve as soldiers. Look at the soldiers in Peking now. Their salaries are guaranteed. Jobs can also be arranged after retirement, for example, those with outstanding performance can be provided with positions such as shift workers. Or they can make a living by themselves and provide them with a retirement pay to enable them to make a living."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "It's a beautiful idea. According to your idea, even according to the current court taxation, we can't support two million soldiers. Even though I have all kinds of reasons, but two million soldiers are real, no It costs the people a grain of food!"
Li Xiaodao: "There is a saying in the art of war that soldiers are not more numerous but more skilled. How can we win by quality? There is no need for two million soldiers. These soldiers are divided into eight parts and have become farmers. What kind of combat effectiveness can they have? Six years ago A large number of Japanese pirates attack the coast. Isn't the combat effectiveness of the local guard station proof? It is not the powerful border guards in Peiping that can defeat the Japanese pirates. Therefore, even if there are two million soldiers, they are not vulnerable to a single blow. They are not as good as the invincible elites of 300,000. Soldiers!"
In fact, Li Xiao also wanted to give an example. During the Jianwen period, Li Jinglong led an army of 300,000 and was unable to capture the city of Beiping. This was the reason. It was not that Li Jinglong was incompetent, but that the guardsmen were still farming with their front legs and were dragged into fighting with their back legs. Their combat effectiveness could be so strong. Where to go?
But thinking about it, it seems that history changed as soon as this kind of thing happened. It didn't happen. I can't give an example.
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his robe angrily: "Li Xiao, do you mean that the two million troops I raised are all nothing?"
Li Xiao said: "Not to mention the wine bag and rice bag, he is just a mud-legged person."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone went numb.
I didn't expect to see such a good show today.
This Li Xiao demoted the Supreme Emperor to the point of being worthless, which was a really good move.
"Okay, okay!!"
Zhu Yuanzhang pointed an angry finger at Li Xiao.
Li Xiao grabbed Zhu Yuanzhang's hand and looked very concerned: "Brother, the dragon's body is the most important thing, don't get angry."
Everyone: "????"
Damn it, you're not the one who's angry with the Emperor.
Zhu Yuanzhang pushed Li Xiao's hand away and said angrily: "Li Xiao, you just use your Peking recruits, and we will use the guardsmen to fight and let the facts speak for themselves. We don't believe it. You have trained for two years." What kind of combat effectiveness can a young soldier have?"
Li Xiao hurriedly said: "Brother!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shouted: "Don't call me eldest brother, we are not your eldest brother."
Li Xiao: "Brother, what if the younger brother wins?"
Zhu Yuanzhang: "If you win, I will listen to you."
Li Xiao: "It's settled in one word."
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go, we're so angry."
Zhu Di: "."
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang walking away, Zhu Di glanced at Li Xiao and said, "Li Xiao, you really want to wait until your emperor's grandfather is old before you mention this matter again. You must make your emperor's grandfather angry at all costs."
Li Xiao: "Don't worry, father-in-law. My son-in-law's elixir is very effective. It's okay."
Zhu Di: "."
Zhu Di was speechless, and then hurriedly followed Zhu Yuanzhang.
The rest of the people stared at Li Xiao dumbfounded, their mouths forming an O shape.
If anyone else had spoken like this just now, they would have been in jail and waiting to die by now.
This Li Xiao, nothing happened? ?
Li Xiao looked at the officials from the Ministry of War and said with a smile: "What are you looking at? If our national division threatens anyone, no one dares to scold them!"
Facing Li Xiao's sharp gaze.
The Ministry of War officials had a tacit understanding and lowered their heads in unison.
Zhu Gaoxu came to his senses, walked over, and gave Li Xiao a thumbs up, "Brother-in-law, you are the one."
Li Xiao smiled and said: "If you don't have a temper, can you be a national teacher?"
"Let's go, brother-in-law, let me buy you a drink. With my brother here, I guarantee that you will never lose in this competition."
"I won't lose without you here."
"."
"This Li Xiao, thanks to his two contributions, has begun to swell."
After returning to Hongwu Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry. He lay on the recliner and recalled the conversation between the two of them. This Li Xiao was clearly unkind.
"Dad, calm down. Li Xiao didn't mean to make you angry. He's a very straightforward person, so don't say anything if you have anything to say." Zhu Di said nice things to Li Xiao and turned a deaf ear to him.
"Can we not know?"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted, "When we met him for the first time, he said in front of us that the current emperor has three faults."
"Ah?" Zhu Di was slightly surprised: "Is there such a thing?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "This brat said that our first fault is our bad temper, our second fault is our stubbornness, and our third fault is our short-sightedness. We almost killed this guy right then and there."
"This" Zhu Di was shocked. No wonder Li Xiao even attacked himself. He was really brave.
Zhu Di looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was frowning, and suddenly realized something was wrong.
The first two problems seem to have been corrected.
My father's temper is obviously much better now.
My stubbornness has changed and I am now able to listen to suggestions.
As for being short-sighted, it’s hard to say.
"Dad, just let today's matter be in the past. Then don't compete." Zhu Di advised.
"How can I do that? I have a golden tongue. How can I go back on what I say?"
Zhu Yuanzhang came back to his senses, looked at Zhu Di and said: "Fourth brother, are you afraid that if we lose the bet, you won't be able to step down?"
Zhu Di smiled awkwardly and said: "To be honest with you, father, the new recruits obtained by this boy Li Xiao are indeed much more powerful than the guards, but the cost is also really high."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Fourth, tell us the truth, you are the emperor now, and it is you who decides such things. What do you think?"
Zhu Di thought for a while and said: "Actually, I have been thinking about this for a long time, and I feel that we can compromise with Li Xiao in the capital, and use the Wei system in other places."
"Then how can this system collide with other systems and become prone to problems?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Either use Li Xiao's new recruitment system, or continue to use the current military system. How can we compromise? Absolutely not."
Zhu Di smiled slightly and said: "So, Father, you actually prefer Li Xiao in your heart, right? This competition is also for outsiders to see?"
In fact, Zhu Di wanted to use a compromise method before, but he was crushed by Li Xiao today. He always felt that Li Xiao had a point.
"Actually, we're not sure yet."
Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and said slowly: "This matter is too important to make a decision at the moment. We also want to see it through a competition. In addition, we have some time to think about this issue. After seeing the vault today, we are very shocked. , Li Xiao accomplished what we couldn't do, and made Bao Chao really become Bao Chao. We feel that Li Xiao will never do anything reckless. He must have his reasons, otherwise with his current With wealth and power, why do you need to challenge the two of us?"
This is why Zhu Yuanzhang was not too angry with Li Xiaozhu.
With Li Xiao's current status and wealth, there is no need to do this, but he still dares to argue with him, which shows that Li Xiao's heart is only for Ming Dynasty.
How could such a good son-in-law really vent his anger on him?
It's just a show.
"Actually, dad will really lose in this competition."
Zhu Di smiled awkwardly and said, he really often ordered troops and generals, and because Zhu Gaoxu often trained his troops, he already knew the quality of the soldiers. There is no way in the world that any soldier from the guard station can defeat him. Yes, not even the border guards in Daning can do it.
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said: "We don't believe it, but we have to give it a try. Even if we lose, we can't let that brat Li Xiao win too smoothly. Come on, fourth brother, tell me which guard station has the best soldiers now." powerful."
Zhu Di thought for a while and said: "The strongest guard at the moment is probably the Cixi Guard in Zhejiang."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Li Jinglong?"
Zhu Di nodded: "Yes, the battle between Li Jinglong and the Japanese pirates six years ago was filmed by Zhu Yunwen. In that battle, Jinglong was really impressive. He wore a sword and did not frown, and guarded the city gate until the end. For a moment, he almost bled to death. In the end, Li Xiao saved him. From then on, he cheered up and trained diligently every day, never slacking off. His ministers also saw this and planned to transfer him back to the capital. Come."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly: "We have also watched the movie about that battle. Li Jinglong did make big mistakes before, but that battle was admirable. After passing through the gate of hell once, it was like a phoenix rising from nirvana. Now he has passed through it again. Six years of training will be of great use. Old Fourth, you are about to open up territory for the Ming Dynasty, so you just take this opportunity to transfer him back to the capital for your use."
Zhu Di cupped his hands and said, "My father has a broad mind, and I admire him!"
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled lightly: "Okay, we're not really angry, and you don't need to stay with us here. Just go about your business."
Zhu Di bowed his hands and retreated: "Yes, I will retire first."
"Enter!"
"drink!"
Thousands of soldiers marched together.
"Change!"
Following the order, the soldiers quickly and orderly changed their formations.
In the Cixi Guard martial arts training ground, a group of soldiers are practicing with spears.
General Li Jinglong stood in the center of the field. As the signal instructions were conveyed, the soldiers followed the general's instructions and executed them meticulously.
If you want to be a good soldier, you must strictly obey the general's instructions and cooperate with your teammates. You must never fight alone.
Throughout the ages, to build a powerful army, soldiers must learn to line up and understand commands. Personal strength is almost negligible on the battlefield.
Therefore, soldiers need a lot of time to practice, train discipline, military posture, order, and understand flags.
“Stand in line!!”
Li Jinglong shouted: "Think about six years ago, the Japanese pirates robbed our property and massacred our people. We cannot forget these shames. Everyone, please practice hard for me!"
"yes!"
all the soldiers shouted in unison.
Six years have passed, and the soldiers of this guard have been trained by Li Jinglong into powerful soldiers.
For six whole years, I never slacked off.
Even though these soldiers still have fields to cultivate and can only spare two hours a day for training, Li Jinglong still has strict requirements.
"Zhao Jun, what's going on? You seem to have a complaint?"
Li Jinglong was patrolling the school grounds and found a Xiao Qi with a sad face and poor posture. He glared at him.
The guard system consists of 5,600 soldiers per guard, and the highest official position is the commander of the capital and the commander of the capital. In addition, there are two commanders and commanders, one is responsible for farming and the other is responsible for training troops. Li Jinglong's duty is to train troops.
"General Li." Zhao Jun said slightly dissatisfied: "Now is the busy time for farming, so there is no need for you to practice like this. You have to let people take a rest."
"Will the enemy give you time to rest?" Li Jinglong roared.
Zhao Jun said angrily: "There are no enemies. Now that the Japanese pirates have been wiped out, there is no war. Besides, we are so far away from the capital. Even if we draw troops, they will not come to our side. Brothers, it's hard work too." , you don’t have to practice so hard anywhere else.”
Li Jinglong said in a deep voice: "Others are others. Since you are a soldier under this general, you must obey the order!"
"I torture people every day." Zhao Jun also had a stubborn temper and simply sat on the ground. No matter how his teammates tried to persuade him, it was of no use.
"Come here, we will handle it according to the military law. We will take him out and beat him with ten military sticks."
Li Jinglong ordered.
Soon, Zhao Jun was pulled out to beat him with a military stick.
"General."
At this time, Zhao Jun's boss, a member of the family, came over and whispered to help Zhao Jun: "General, forgive me, Zhao Jun's old mother has become seriously ill during this time, and many doctors have been hired, but they don't like it, and she is not in a good mood." Well, I heard that he plans to sell a few acres of his farmland in order to treat his old mother."
"What? Selling the land?"
Li Jinglong frowned and said: "Who dares to take over the military camp!"
The hundred households sighed and said: "There is nothing we can do about it. They really don't accept it, but Zhao Jun can't do anything about it. He can't just watch his old mother die of illness and sell it secretly at a low price. As long as you don't say anything, who knows? We are here Many people in the army secretly sold a few acres, but there was nothing they could do."
"knew."
Li Jinglong nodded, thoughtfully, and then sighed.
In the past, he held a high position as Cao Guogong and did not understand the sufferings of the people.
Only when you go down to the grassroots level in person can you know how difficult it is down there.
In a guard like this, soldiers have to farm to support themselves and train, which is really hard.
The generals in other guards only practice once every few months, but what is the use of such a frequency of training? They are lazy, soldiers are not like soldiers, and farmers are not like farmers. They must practice for at least half a year before going to war to have combat effectiveness.
At night, Li Jinglong went to Zhao Jun's home in person.
The family is really destitute, and the mother is still paralyzed in bed.
"Zhao Jun, you can use this money to treat your old mother, Tian, don't sell it."
Li Jinglong took out the money and handed it over. He had deprived him of his title as Duke, but he had not ransacked his house, and his property was still there. In recent years, I have often helped soldiers privately to maintain training.
"General you"
This little flag really didn't expect that the general would come in person. He immediately felt guilty for what he did today. He held the silver and shed tears at the corners of his eyes: "General, it was my fault, Zhao Jun, today during the day. My kindness today will be unforgettable forever." . In the future, the general is useful, and my Zhao Jun went to the soup and died, and I didn't say anything! "
The righteousness of ancient times, often a little kindness, can really return to death.
"Okay, it's enough to have you. You are my soldiers of Li Jinglong. Can I see death or not?"
Li Jinglong didn't say much. He patted his shoulder and left.
Out of the house, Li Jinglong walked towards his home.
On the way back, he couldn't help feeling. Thinking back to the experience of these six years, he saw the disadvantages of the health system.
He saw the pity of his soldiers.
It is necessary to pay the field, but also pay taxes, but also practice troops.
Unfortunately, he is just a person who has no one to ask for. What can he say? It is enough to do what he does well in his division.
"Fujun, husband, good news!"
As soon as Li Jinglong returned to his home yard, Yuan's hurriedly came to meet.
In the past years, only this wife has never been separated. Li Jinglong feels that in fact, it is also good to live here in these years.
"What good news?"
Li Jinglong smiled.
"Emperor's decree."
Yuan took out the imperial purpose: "It was only the court of court, but you returned too late today.
"Emperor's decree."
The two words that are familiar and unfamiliar are introduced into Li Jinglong's ears, such as Hong Zhongda Lu ringing.
"I still remember the minister, I still remember the minister"
Li Jinglong turned red for a while and kneeling on the ground: "Chen Li Jinglong, take the purpose!"
"Fujun, don't have someone else here, do you see it yourself?"
Yuan's smile slightly, in fact, she has seen the content of the imperial decree.
It is written on it that Li Jinglong took the guards to exercise in Beijing. If he won, he would return him to Cao Guogong's title.
She is deeply happy for her husband, practicing the soldiers these years, and has not been in vain. It's really hard -working.
"Um."
Li Jinglong nodded, took the imperial purpose, and watched himself.
"Holy! Holy I still remember my Li family"
After reading the imperial decree, Li Jinglong had wept and couldn't say: "To the Shengnn, the Shengnn."
"Fujun, come and do everything, this time you do it well, I will wait for you."
The Yuan family still supports Li Jinglong as usual as usual.
"Well, in any case, Li Jinglong will do my best."
Li Jinglong nodded: "For the glory of my Li family, for the soldiers of the world." (This chapter is finished)
