The great victory in Burma and the conquest of the southwest. With such merit, it is natural that the meritorious persons should be rewarded. However, there is something unusual about the reward this time.
There is no problem with the first people to receive rewards. They are the cabinet ministers, the senior officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs, and even the Ministry of Industry. The reason is that they "manage the strategy well," but most of them are rewarded in vain. For example, Zhang Siwei was promoted from young master to grand master, and Enyin's son Jinyi guarded thousands of households.
Then came the rewards from Liu Shizeng and other local officials: Liu Shizeng was promoted from the censor of the Youqian capital to the censor of the right deputy capital, and still cared for Yunnan. He was given a red silk flying fish suit; the chief military officer of Yunnan, Muchang Zuo, the Duke of Guizhou, and the crown prince Taibao; The military preparations in various border areas have their own upgrades (too many, omitted).
Then it was the turn of the generals who actually fought. Among them: Deng Zilong was promoted from Yongchang to the rank of deputy general, and still guarded Yongchang; Liu Wei was promoted from Tengyue guerrillas to the rank of deputy general, and was appointed as the new general Meng Mi to guard northern Myanmar; Huang Zhiting was assigned to guard northern Myanmar The internal envoy of the capital will not award the reward for the time being, but orders Burma to return to Beijing to receive the reward after completing the matter...
When it came to this point, all the officials were a little stunned. Although the Imperial Envoy was a bit special, but... what kind of operation was it to ask someone to return to Beijing to receive the reward without awarding it for the time being?
Could it be that the emperor wanted to promote her to the rank of Commander-in-Chief and had Mo Maoqia masturbated? Isn't this not good? If nothing else, Mo Maoqia was at least very honest. If he wanted to masturbate, he couldn't find a suitable reason.
However, Chen Ju continued to read "Hundred Officials Want Hundred Officials", and the next person to be rewarded was Gao Pragmatic.
At first, everyone was a little surprised. Gao Pragmatic, the governor of Liaodong, was doing nothing about the war between Yunnan and Burma? One is northeast and the other is southwest, thousands of miles apart.
But of course the emperor had his say. According to the imperial edict, Gao pragmatically proposed and properly handled matters related to the Yunnan War treasure banknotes, which made frontline logistics support effective, which was already a great contribution.
Then he broke up his family and became a country, and used more than a hundred large ships to send the expeditionary force thousands of miles to southern Myanmar to open a second battlefield, so that the head and tail of the reckless thieves could not care about each other. First, they were eager to retreat in northern Myanmar and were defeated by Liu Wei. Later, when they were exhausted and exhausted, they were defeated by Huang Zhiting outside Toungoo City. The main force was lost and they could no longer fight.
All in all, at least two major contributions to this great victory must be attributed to Gao Pangshi, and it is natural that he should be rewarded - virtue equals official status, and merit equals reward.
However, Gao Pingshi was already the right minister of the Ministry of War, and the conferment was already in the python robe, so this time the reward could only be found in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The final result was that the right censor of the capital was promoted to the censor of the right deputy capital. The crown prince was given the title of "Shaobao", and the remaining officials remained as usual.
In other words, in the future, the full-time positions that should be considered high and pragmatic will become "Prince Shaobao, right minister of the Ministry of War and right deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and governor of Liaodong Province, responsible for military affairs."
Everything else is easy to say, mainly the title of Prince Taibao is more interesting. The so-called three masters, three orphans and three young masters are all called "gongbao". Among them, Taibao, Prince Taibao and Prince Shaobao are the most interesting. They all have another name called "Gongbao".
The palace protector of Yuan Gongbao.
Of course, at first, only the Taibao was called "Gong Bao". Later, in accordance with the custom of "deputies are called according to their official positions", the Crown Prince and Taibao were gradually called "Gong Bao". Finally, even the Prince's Shaobao was also called "Gong Bao". "Kung Pao".
Therefore, from now on, Gao Pragmatic can also be called "Gao Gongbao" - because the title of Prince Shaobao is the second rank, which is higher than that of his official right minister (third rank) and right deputy Du Yushi. (Positive third grade) are all high.
Of course, having said that, although the Ming Dynasty already had the title "Gong Bao", there were also many people who directly called them "Shaobao", or even more. It mainly depends on personal habits. (Note: I may write Gao Gongbao in the next period of time out of spite.)
It would have been easy for someone to be jealous of a person who was not born into a noble family but became a prince in his early twenties. But now that everyone has just received the benefits of being highly pragmatic, it is hard to express their objections.
Originally, some officials who had not bought the Yunnan war treasure notes were still unhappy, but considering that Gao Pragmatic would have to "sponsor" funds for each government office in Beijing every year for the next twenty years, they might be criticized if they expressed their dissatisfaction. So many people opened their mouths, but finally swallowed their words.
The imperial edict was not finished, so it was difficult for Gao Pragmatic to say anything. After the whole list of rewards was finished, he, Zhang Siwei and other ministers and ministers came forward to ask for their resignation.
This was a routine move, and of course the emperor would not allow it. So one of the two parties said that he was enjoying his success and did not dare to accept any favors, and the other said that the ministers and others had outstanding achievements and could not be rewarded without being rewarded. It was a happy and harmonious scene.
After finishing his three speeches, Gao Pragmatic followed the cabinet elders and ministers and "reluctantly accepted" and began his career as a palace protector, all he needed was chicken.
Maybe I should talk to the chefs when I return to Baiyulou later and teach them how to make Kung Pao Chicken. The only flaw is that there is no chili now. It seems like something is missing.
Thinking of peppers, Gao Pragmatic recalled the previous reports of Huang Zhiting and Gao Jing. The Spaniards attached great importance to the protection of special plants in the Americas. So far, Jinghua has only obtained sweet potatoes and corn. When will potatoes and peppers be available? Got it?
Chili peppers are okay, you won’t die if you don’t eat them, it can only be said to be the icing on the cake, but potatoes are a good thing, especially for the north.
Although after taking southern Myanmar and Siam this time, the food production areas are greatly abundant, and there is also the "little problem" Mekong River Basin in Cambodia waiting for him to collect when he is free.
But after all, transporting grain from Indochina to the north of the Ming Dynasty is relatively expensive, and it also wastes transportation volume - these ships are much more profitable for sea trade than for transporting grain. Transporting grain without sea trade is equivalent to losing money.
Therefore, this kind of thing can be considered in an emergency. If you insist on it for a long time, it is really similar to doing charity. Although there is no real loss, but... making less money is a loss.
The best way is to quickly introduce potatoes to the Ming Dynasty. You know, in history, countries such as Ireland and Germany have relied on potatoes to survive the Great Famine many times. Even Tsarist Russia, which had a vast territory and abundant resources, was in a similar situation. Even during the Soviet period, there was a saying like "Siberian potatoes" that was passed down to later generations.
Thinking of the Spaniards, Gao Pragmatic was a little distracted: Although the Portuguese Governor of Malacca openly gave in last time, Huang Zhiting and Gao Jing both mentioned that there was a Portuguese adventurer who had mixed up in the Kingdom of Arakan and was looking for Burma. , Now that the Burma War is over, why hasn't this guy moved?
Did President Alfaro change his mind and not help seduce De Brito?
Although De Brito is a pirate, it is still very beneficial to fight with him. It is not to peek at the combat level of Western navies and armies - this has already been tested, with the Battle of Xisha and the Battle of Toungoo, Gao Jing and Huang Zhiting have already seen the fighting methods of the Spanish fleet and Portuguese mercenaries.
Of course, the scale of these two battles was too small: less than ten ships participated in the Battle of Xisha, not to mention the Battle of Toungoo, where hundreds of Portuguese mercenaries were mixed in with the 60,000-strong army. They could do nothing but follow the defeat. So I can't tell the difference.
But no matter what, after the two battles, neither Huang Zhiting nor Gao Jing's fleet felt that the Westerners were really strong. If Gao Pragmatic hadn't always attached great importance to it, they might have just mentioned it casually when reporting.
In fact, this is really very pragmatic. In view of the fact that the situation in the original history was too worrying, the Western army at this time did not really have a big gap with the Eastern army, especially compared with the Ming army, which had a relatively high degree of firearms. Their advantages are not obvious.
In fact, the gap between the two sides widened only after the West became more and more sophisticated in firearms and the Tatars deceived themselves because of the sentence "this dynasty conquers the world with bows and horses."
During the same period in history, except for heavy artillery, the Ming Dynasty did not lag far behind the West in military technology. What really lagged behind was the military industry quality system and the professionalism of the army.
Regarding the issue of professionalism, Gao Pragmatism can't help much for the time being, because in his opinion, this issue must start with the military system, and he can't do much in this area yet, so he might as well put it aside first.
However, Gao Pragmatic has made great efforts in the military industry quality system for more than ten years. Since the military industry was privatized, almost half of the northern soldiers have changed their uniforms. The military units that have always been affiliated with Zhejiang) and the Liu Ping Department and are closer to Gao Pragmatism also have a higher degree of change of uniforms.
In addition, there are Guangdong and Guangxi Dubiao, Yingtian Fubiao, Fujian Fubiao, Guangxi Fubiao, etc. Most of them have changed their costumes due to their relationship with the high party or high party allies.
Of course, in general, the troops that completed the first step of the Ming Dynasty's reloading probably only accounted for about two-fifths of the current Ming Dynasty's main troops (because the Southern Army's reloading rate was low and there were only a few supervisors and supporters). There is still a lot of room for improvement.
It’s not that the imperial court was unaware of this situation, but the imperial court’s financial resources were limited and it really couldn’t speed it up. Now, in terms of muskets alone, more than half of the so-called reloading is the reloaded Longqing II type, rather than the more advanced bayonet model Wanli. One form.
Closer to home, the reason why Gao Pragmatic hopes that De Brito will take the initiative to attack Myanmar is to find an excuse for war - not against Portugal, but against the Kingdom of Arakan.
The main body of the Arakan Kingdom was the Rakhine State of Myanmar, which was located in the southwest of Myanmar, close to the "long strip" of the Indian Ocean. This country also occupied a part of Bangladesh, occupying the famous Chittagong Port in later generations, and was subject to the "Twelve States of Bengal" Tribute" has always been famous for its large number of excellent sailors.
There are many sailors and the possession of Chittagong Port. These two alone cannot be tolerated by Gao Pragmatism.
During the Jiajing period, the Mangrui Ti, whose strength had greatly increased, once attacked the Kingdom of Arakan, but unexpectedly failed, leaving Arakan still outside Myanmar.
Gao pragmatic originally thought that this failure was just a simple battle accident, but later he learned that this may not be the case. The real reason may be terrain problems.
Entering Arakan from central Myanmar, it is actually difficult to cross due to the obstruction of the north-south Longgrand Mountain. There is only one easier road, which is to go northwest from southern Myanmar and along the coastal plain.
But in this way, the marching road is restricted, and Arakan can completely guard the traffic arteries, forming a situation of "one man is in charge, and no one can open it". Even if the Burmese army is stronger than Arakan, it can only watch. Jiancheng Xiongguan stared blankly.
The reason why Gao Pragmatic dares to set his sights on the Arakan region is because he is not afraid of the naval challenge! Even to a certain extent, he now wants to train his fleet and let them really fight against others at sea!
Arakan's navy is not just a simple Eastern navy. It has been dealing with the Portuguese for many years and has become a special navy that combines the styles of Eastern and Western navies. In many aspects, it even looks more like the Western navy.
In addition, there is another key point in Gao Pragmatic's interest in Arakan, that is, once Arakan is captured, it will be equivalent to entering the Bangladesh region. In other words, it will step into the edge of India.
Of course, for the time being, even if Arakan can be taken, Gao Pragmatic will not go to war with the Bangladesh Sultanate immediately. Because if Bangladesh is really occupied, then it will have to face the Mughal Empire, which is in the process of rising national power... Well, single-handedly challenging a large empire that occupies a place in world history is a bit beyond the realm of possibility. His current plans.
Even if it will be considered in the future, it will be in the future. Even the Nanyang strategy has not been completed yet, and the Spanish-controlled Philippines is still hanging on its back. It is better not to make too many enemies at this time.
The road must be walked step by step, and the meal must be eaten one bite at a time. If you take a long step, it is always easy to get caught. Mang Yingli has learned the lesson from the past, and he is pragmatic and has no intention of following suit.
At present, his strategy is in the direction of "westward", which basically ends at Arakan. The specific target is to capture Chittagong.
According to his idea, it would be best if De Brito attacked Myanmar now, because Myanmar now has a large army and high morale, and the winning rate should be relatively high.
If Huang Zhiting is ordered to go north to Beijing to receive the reward, then at least the Wolf Soldiers and Annan troops will withdraw, and the Burmese and Siamese troops that Huang Zhiting surrendered before will also withdraw, leaving only 30,000 Bago garrison troops, and at most another In addition to the 7,000 former Jinggang garrison that Gao Jingshi temporarily dispatched to Gao Lian.
In this case, it will be much more difficult to capture Arakan.
As for the fleet, it has been delayed for more than two months this time. Although the fleet is a wealthy owner, it will not be a problem in the long run. It is impossible to wait in Myanmar all the time. Those who should come back and continue sea trade have to continue running, sitting on nothing. Who can bear it?
After walking for a while, Gao pragmatically realized that they were all gone. Just as he was about to leave, as he walked out of the palace and down the steps, a eunuch and two young eunuchs came over with a smile and stopped him.
"Gao Gongbao, congratulations."
"It turns out to be Zhang Bingbi, thank you very much." Gao pragmatic smiled slightly and nodded in thanks.
Zhang Bingbi was naturally the eunuch Bingbi, the Supervisor of Ceremonies. His name was Zhang Cheng, and like Zhang Jing, he came from the sect of Zhang Hong. However, the relationship between him and Zhang Jing is not good, and the two have been in competition for a long time.
This time Zhang Jing was defeated, but he benefited from the situation and was promoted to the post of eunuch Bingbi, the eunuch of rites, behind Huang Mengyu and Chen Ju.
Zhang Cheng waved his hand with a smile, and the two young eunuchs behind him came out holding two large trays, with clothes on both trays.
"Our family really didn't know before that Gao Gongbao is not only an unparalleled saint, but even King Lu admires Gongbao very much - look, these two sets of python robes for winter and summer were specially given to Gao Gongbao by His Highness King Lu."
"Oh? His Royal Highness Prince Lu?" Gao Pingshi's heart suddenly moved.
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Thanks to book friends "System Crash" and "Samui Wind" for their monthly support, thank you!
PS: Suddenly an idea came up about the idea of another Ming Dynasty book, um... the kind written in the late Ming Dynasty, so I posted this chapter in advance. I went to study the history of the late Ming Dynasty and the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and compiled some of the memories. If in doubt, check it out.
