As New Year's Eve approaches, the Chengyun Hall in the Imperial City of Xi'an is packed with high-ranking civil and military officials wearing specially awarded python suits, flying fish suits, and bullfighting suits. They are all general soldiers and deputy generals from the five towns of Yulin, Ningxia, Guyuan, Gansu, and Lintao, as well as the governors of the three towns of Yansui, Gansu, and Ningxia. The military attaches present were all generals who led troops on the front line in Shaanxi. They were not as polite and calm as the military attachés in Beijing. At this moment, each voice was louder than the other, and they started talking loudly in the Chengyun Hall when the emperor was not here.
"Brother Dingyu, is your Ningxia Town's harvest good this year? The Yellow River is full of dangers, and it's all just profit, and it's all right here with you!"
"What a fart... Well, Ningxia is a little fatter, but there are more people eating, and the amount of money and fodder allocated to the pro-democracy movement is less. It is not as good as your Yansui (Yulin)."
"We in Yansui are the most miserable... This long and narrow strip has no good place to farm, but we still have to bear more than 56,000 shi of army food! It's so dry. How can we collect it? And most of the pro-democracy grain sent from Shaanxi is discounted in silver, and the grain shipped from the imperial court to Beijing is also in silver. The price of grain in Shaanxi has been high in the past two years, and the same amount of money can't buy the original grain. It's miserable!"
"Why are you suffering in Yansui? You have money, and you can buy grain from Shanxi. Gansu is the real hardship. Every year, the grain collected is 230,000 dan, more than 4 million bundles of grass, and the amount of grass collected is more than 2,000 yuan. Grain. Over in the southeast, a big government that collects grain can only pay this little thing, right? Damn it, how much rotten land does Gansu have? Can it compare to the big government in the southeast? Besides, the southeast is in peace, and Gansu is at war every year... ....”
"Everyone is suffering, they are all suffering. Who in the five towns of Shaanxi is not suffering? But this is life, life is suffering... Fortunately, Long Live Master knows that we are suffering, and has personally arrived in Xi'an, just to save the suffering!"
"How to save? Transport grain to Shaanxi? Or ask the Dragon King to make rain?"
"I guess it's asking for rain, right? It's pretty reliable to ask for rain... let alone transport food!"
"That's right, how lucky it is!"
"Alas...it's so painful!"
The generals are complaining endlessly, although they themselves have to make money when they should, and they will not make less money just because the people below are suffering. But that doesn't mean they don't care about the suffering of their men at all...the soldiers under their men are starving! They became hungry and rebelled. Aren't these generals and lieutenants the first to be unlucky?
But in the current situation, is there any use in complaining?
The three civil officials present, Zhang Mengjing, the governor of Yansui, Mei Zhihuan, the governor of Gansu, and Zheng Chongjian, the governor of Ningxia, did not participate in the discussion. They all looked preoccupied.
Their news is better than that of Wu Zimian (Yulin Commander-in-Chief, also known as Yansui Commander-in-Chief), Yang Jiamo (Gansu Commander-in-Chief), You Shilu (Ningxia Commander-in-Chief), Yang Lin (Guyuan Commander-in-Chief), and Wang Chengen (Lintao Commander-in-Chief). The general soldiers should be more informed. Already vaguely aware that Zhu Youjian is going to abolish and merge the five towns in Shaanxi!
In fact, there is no need to be smart. Just look at the current situation inside and outside the Great Wall in the northwest and you will understand that there is no need to maintain the three towns of Yansui, Guyuan, and Ningxia among the five towns in Shaanxi, as well as the Shanxi town in Shanxi next door.
Because the Mongols outside the border walls of Yansui, Ningxia, and Datong were about to be subdued by the little emperor. When the time comes, the little emperor will establish a new town outside the border wall on the territory of Dongsheng Erwei, which will be able to protect Yansui and Ningxia, and also ensure that the hinterland of Shanxi and Shaanxi will not be invaded by Northern and Taolu.
The town located on the hometown of Dongsheng Erwei is not far from the two towns of Datong and Xuanfu, and can fully support each other - as long as the imperial court deploys 10,000 to 20,000 truly capable cavalry in Xuanfu, it can When Dongsheng Erwei is in danger, he quickly rushes to help.
In this case, it would be a bit redundant to set up four towns including Yansui, Ningxia, Shanxi and Guyuan...
Just as the three civil servants were thinking of this, the eunuch's voice was suddenly heard: "Long live the Lord is here!"
The emperor is here!
The three civil servants Zhang Mengjing, Mei Zhihuan, and Zheng Chongjian looked at each other, and then quickly took their seats. Zhang Mengjing even said loudly: "Stand to your station and don't behave inappropriately before driving!"
The generals rushed back to their positions with a buzz, and stood in a line on the right side of the hall. As soon as they stood in class according to their grades, they saw Zhu Youjian with a stern face. Bi Ziyan, the governor of Shaanxi Province, Qian Qianyi, a Hanlin scholar, Li Chengyun, the ceremonial clerk, Liu Chao, the eunuch who supervised the East Factory, and the military chief in front of the account. Zhen Cao Wenzhao, Zhangqian Army General Counselor Yang Hao, Zhangqian Army Infantry Deputy General Sun Chuanting and others came to the Chengyun Hall.
Zhu Youjian himself sat on the dragon chair, and the civil and military officials who followed him were arranged on the left and right of civil and military officials. The two eunuchs, Li Chengyun and Liu Chao, stood on Zhu Youjian's left and right.
All the civil and military personnel kowtowed to Zhu Youjian and saluted, shouting "long live the mountain". After the ceremony, Zhu Youjian smiled faintly at Wen Wu below and glanced over them one by one.
"Pingshen." Zhu Youjian said.
The ministers all stood up, their faces full of loyal and cautious expressions, all facing the emperor on the throne.
Zhu Youjian smiled and said: "Seeing that the second year of Chongzhen is coming to an end...it has been another year of drought! Most of the ministers are officials in charge of the military and the people in Shaanxi. In this year of great disaster, the officials , it must be very difficult, right?"
The person who said this felt warm in his heart... Although this little emperor acted out of line, he still knew the sufferings of the people below him!
Although most of the local officials in Shaanxi present were corrupt officials. But with the drought here in Shaanxi, corrupt officials are not having a good time!
"Long live my Lord," Zheng Chongjian, the governor of Ningxia, announced to the class, "Although Shaanxi has been experiencing drought for another year, thanks to your blessing, there has been no big trouble... As long as there are no troubles, the drought will always be over. .”
"Zheng Qing is right!" Zhu Youjian looked at the governor of Ningxia and felt guilty in his heart - Zheng Chongjian was killed by this foolish king in his last life!
This unlucky loyal minister won many battles during his tenure as governor-general of the three sides without making any major mistakes. He even forced Zhang Xianzhong to "feign surrender." But after he retired and returned home, the war situation took a turn for the worse. First, He Renlong's troops mutinied, and then Zhang Xianzhong raised a rebel flag and attacked Xiangyang... As a result, Yang Sichang "died of fear of crime" and Zhu Youjian could not find a punching bag. , the retired Zheng Chongjian was arrested, charged and killed!
Thinking about it later, I felt bad and felt quite guilty...Forget it, I would be kind to him in this life, which would be considered compensation.
"Droughts can always be overcome." Zhu Youjian was still very polite to Zheng Chongjian, who "died unjustly", and talked to him with a smile, "But I really don't know when this drought will be over. And Shaanxi is indeed barren and has to bear the burden. The expenses of the five towns are really difficult to cope with. So I want to reduce the burden on Shaanxi... Let's live within our means and reduce some soldiers. What does Zheng Qing think?"
What? Want to reduce the number of soldiers in the northwest?
The generals and deputy generals present immediately became nervous! With fewer soldiers and generals, food and pay will definitely decrease, and the power of these generals and deputy generals will also decrease!
Immediately, dozens of eyes were directed at Zheng Chongjian.
"Your Majesty," Zheng Chongjian frowned, "how many generals do you plan to reduce?"
Zhu Youjian had already seen the anxious expressions of the general and deputy general who were not very good at fighting but good at making money.
He smiled and said: "I won't say anymore, do you want to live within your means? First, pay close attention to the military grain, military grass and various kinds of silver in the town... As much as you can earn, just start with it. Maintain as many soldiers as you need, and if it’s not enough, we’ll add more as appropriate.”
"Well, there's no need to talk about soldiers!" Wu Zimian, the commander-in-chief of Yulin Town, couldn't help but interjected, "Yulin Town only has more than 50,000 soldiers to collect grain. Due to the drought, the actual harvest is only half ..."
Zhu Youjian laughed and said: "Yulin should raise soldiers according to the grain quota of 60,000 shi... Each soldier is calculated as 20 shi, which can raise 3,000 elite soldiers. Then Shaanxi will allocate 60,000 to the democratic movement and the democratic movement, and It can support 3,000 soldiers. A total of 6,000 elite soldiers should be enough, right?"
6,000 elite soldiers... are certainly enough! Now that Zhu Youjian, the Taoist and Northern captives outside the Yulin Great Wall, has been dealt with by himself, can the soldiers in Yulin Town not only maintain public order in northern Shaanxi? Isn’t it enough to have 6,000 people?
But the question is where will the tens of thousands of soldiers who were laid off go?
