The reason why Zhu Houzhao sent six first-class guards was because any rebellion after the new policy of the imperial court would definitely be killed with a thunderous blow.
If it keeps sticking and ticking, I don’t know how troublesome it will be later.
This is also the reason why Yang Shangyi was angry after he won first and then lost. The other towns were watching. With the officers and soldiers so weak, it was inevitable that Xiao Xiaosheng would become disobedient.
Fortunately, the imperial court's deployment of troops and generals stabilized the situation in Jizhou.
"Mr. Yang Ge, Chief Sima is not here. You have to make arrangements for the post-war affairs. Merits and punishments are the most important thing." The emperor said after reading the report.
"Old minister, I understand. Your Majesty, there is one more thing. The troops and horses patrolling Xuanfu and Datong have also been assembled, and the food and grass will be ready in a few days. But now that the chaos in Jizhou has been settled, will Datong and Xuanfu still send troops and horses? "
"Is it settled? Why don't I think so? Mr. Yang Ge goes into the night and isn't he worried about any changes in Jizhou?"
When the emperor asked this, no one except Yang Yiqing dared to raise his head.
It's hard for Yang Yiqing himself to say that. What if something happens to Xuanfu and Datong later?
But as the head of the cabinet, he had to consider the money and food consumed by using the army in this way and the burden on the people.
In ancient times, when marching, a large amount of food and grass was required. Although there were carriages and horses, these things were not driverless, and many civilians were still required.
"It may be more appropriate to say that the chaos has been calmed down when the imperial court's decree to clean up the farmland is really implemented. The two troops and horses are still deployed according to the original arrangements, all the way out of Zijin Pass and all the way out of Juyong Pass, respectively, guarding the key points into Beijing. He said that once the situation changes, he must follow the unified dispatch of the general military officers of Datong and Xuanfu.
I have sent Jinyi guards to patrol along the border. Under this heavy pressure, there may be some arrogant people who act boldly. As for those captured rebel soldiers, you should deal with them according to the original method. I only have one thing, I can't follow the rebellion of the imperial court, and life will get better and better in the future. Doesn't this logic make sense? "
Grace and prestige, as an emperor, you really need to show kindness to the world, but you can't just show kindness without reducing power. That's why the ancients said that benevolence and power should be clearly defined, so that people below know how to obey.
In fact, the imperial court trained cavalry, stationed troops in Hetao, and won two battles against the Tatars. In the foreseeable future, the number of frontier troops and guard posts could be reduced.
It sounds a bit bold to say it, but the fact is that before Zhu Houzhao existed, millions of soldiers from all sides of the Ming Dynasty were driven away and beaten. What was the use of raising so many people?
Therefore, whether it is exile or beheading, Zhu Houzhao will take care of it, and Jizhou itself does not need so many troops.
Retaining some people will be more conducive to the allocation of existing resources.
Zhu Houzhao just didn't understand what was going on with Yang Shangyi. Maybe he had been slacking off after living a comfortable life for too long. He didn't feel at ease at the east gate of the capital.
Yang Yiqing turned sideways, and Wang Bing took two steps forward, "I was ordered to handle all the matters in Qingtun in Jizhou, but I didn't want to cause a mutiny in Zunhua. This matter is due to my negligence and dereliction of duty. Please punish me!"
"Wangge Laopingshen. Although I was said to be harsh behind my back, I am not an unreasonable person. You didn't have control over the situation in Jizhou in the past, and those rebels have nothing to do with you. People. There is good and evil. If there are a few evil people in the world, I can't let my close ministers take the blame, right? Get up, I'm not that confused."
Wang Bing listened to a few warm words, and the temperature on his face dropped a bit.
In fact, this is a show, he is supporting the emperor, and the emperor will not really do anything to him.
"Your Majesty's rewards are clear, and the veteran is inexplicably grateful!"
In fact, the ministers who were originally responsible for this matter were a little worried. If something happened in their hands, they really didn't know what to do.
Now that the emperor can forgive this, the pressure is much less.
In fact, at the same time that something happened in Jizhou,
Xuanfu and Datong have begun large-scale exchanges of generals and generals in various guard posts. In the west, Wang Shouren led troops to return reinforcements, and in the east, Jizhou was held in one place by the imperial imperial army. There will also be Beijing troops coming from these two places.
It can be said that there is softness and hardness. This time the court is forcing them to complete the clearing of the farmland.
Yang Xing, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu, and Shi Feng, the commander-in-chief of Datong, could no longer sit idle in the yamen. All the troops, horses, and food in their headquarters were prepared, and they were very careful to prevent the people below from secretly rising up. thing.
Shi Feng invented special methods. First, generals at all levels must be on duty during this period. They are not allowed to wander around or leave their own areas without orders. The generals should keep an eye on the deputy generals, and the deputy generals should keep an eye on the commanders. There is also a more unique commander. Yes, he asked the commander to report every two days whether thousands or hundreds of households were in their own place.
If something goes wrong in the future, he will hold the commander accountable.
This was the method adopted by the Ming Dynasty to prevent clan members from jumping over the hierarchy and entering the capital to protest. Because it was useless for the imperial court to issue orders openly, local officials were ordered to conduct inspections on the clans within their jurisdiction. Those who failed to do so would be punished accordingly. Basically, Just go to jail.
It would be good to learn from it at this time.
Although Datong's method is a bit one-size-fits-all, it does cut off the interconnection between various health centers. Even if something happens, it will happen in one place, and other places cannot form connections with it, like Jizhou.
The second method was that Shi Feng ordered that no one could mobilize soldiers and horses in Datong Town unless they received a warrant. Thirdly, places like the treasury and granary were guarded by three layers of guards inside and three layers outside.
He himself took his troops to several places where there was resistance in Qingtun.
If you are so strict on guarding, you will basically have to use the continuous sitting method.
Only in this way did he dare to report to the emperor, saying that everything was fine with Datong.
~~
Qianqing Palace.
Zhang Cong came to see the emperor under the leadership of his chamberlain.
He has actually been quiet a lot these days, unlike when he was in charge of Ningxia, many people in the court were paying attention to him.
This silence was actually inconsistent with Zhang Cong's original intention, so he himself gave the emperor a piece of advice.
When he entered the palace, the emperor was standing in front of a table with his back to him, fiddling with something.
"The humble minister Zhang Cong is here to see Your Majesty."
"It's the New Year, and I wanted to summon you again after the New Year. But I see that you are sincere in your words, and I can't bear to delay you for a few days. Bingyong, when I sent you to Ningxia, it was just a job of hiding from people. Now eight towns are here, and the court The opposition at the top and bottom has never disappeared, are you still willing to come out again?"
After Zhang Cong came back from Ningxia, he changed into the official uniform of round collar and red robe. He was thirty-six or seventeen years old, but this year, due to a sudden change of fortune, he suddenly reached a high position. And with the increase in his position, there was also his uncontrollable ambition. .
If there is no chance, then forget it. However, the emperor's determination to clean up the military camps was evident by using soldiers and swords to clear the way, regardless of the opposition in the court.
He believed that even the emperor would feel a certain degree of powerlessness at this time, so he wanted to help at this time.
Past experiences made him understand something. In the officialdom, sometimes just one right speculation can lead to earth-shaking changes immediately.
"I also know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, but Your Majesty has given me great kindness. If I don't go through fire and water for Your Majesty, wouldn't I be a non-human being?"
Zhu Houzhao temporarily suppressed Zhang Cong's minor mistakes in the Ma Bin incident in his heart and decided to focus on the overall situation at this time.
"After the Chinese New Year. After the Chinese New Year, you will serve as my personal envoy as the right deputy capital envoy and go to various towns to supervise the settlement affairs. I have sent Jin Yiwei as the first round, and you as the second round. The first round will be It's bloody, and the weather is bitter and cold right now, and the people of Jinyiwei can bear it. You, a weak scholar, should spend the winter in Beijing first."
"Yes! I accept the order and thank you!"
"Get up and come to me."
Zhu Houzhao rubbed his hands and showed him the things he had just been sorting on the table for a long time.
Zhang Cong took it with both hands, showing respect.
"Your Majesty, this is...a treasure ship?"
What they held in their hands was a model of a wooden treasure ship.
"This is a new gadget given to me by Uncle Pinghai." Zhu Houzhao pointed and said: "The warships used everywhere now are all 400-material ships, with a length of 8 feet and 6 feet, a width of 1 feet and 7 feet, and two masts. , it can be used, but it is too small. This new thing is a big treasure ship made of two thousand materials, with a total length of 21 feet and a width of more than 4 feet. Each ship can carry 4 copper and iron blunderbuss and more than a hundred firearms. It can carry 150 to 200 soldiers such as helmsman, fire chief and civilian commander."
Zhang Cong was shocked after a little calculation, "Then if 50 ships are built, wouldn't His Majesty be able to have an army of ten thousand people marching on the sea?"
The emperor just smiled and said, "The cost of building this kind of ship is two thousand taels each. If I want to build 100 ships, it will only be 200,000 taels of silver. The main cost is 20,000 people plus the wages and food consumption of the handymen. And the cost of various types of firearms, this is a huge number."
Zhang Cong's eyes twitched, "Then your majesty can start planning the construction in batches. In the near future, if there are 10,000 people, they will be invincible on the sea."
From his reaction, Zhu Houzhao could tell that Zhang Cong was somewhat different from ordinary civil servants.
Basically, like Yan Song, he followed the emperor's wishes in everything.
As time goes by, more and more of these people will gather around him.
But Zhu Houzhao knew that he was doing something serious, so he didn't care about the reputation of a traitor or not.
After all, there are some questions he can't answer...
Because he was a visitor from later generations, he could not explain the importance of the Age of Discovery, so he could only implement it according to his own will.
"I have the same idea, come on, come on," Zhu Houzhao pulled him and said, "Look here, they can all be equipped with artillery. The coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty have been plagued by Japanese pirates over the years, although they come from the sea. But Japanese invaders are also troubles. I want to build a strong navy and go straight to the nest! Only when the sea is leveled can maritime trade be stable!
Furthermore, Ping Haibo has been saying that doing business abroad is different from doing business in the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, everything was decided by the court, but when we go overseas, other kings are greedy for our wealth and become unreasonable, which is more troublesome. "
Zhang Cong nodded in agreement, "In this case, the preparation of the Ming Dynasty Navy is very necessary. In a small and remote country, it is sometimes difficult to teach the royal way."
"Well." Zhu Houzhao clenched his fist and tapped the table lightly, "We can't wait until the things in the north are finished."
But Zhang Cong understood the emperor's intention. Such a costly thing would definitely create a lot of resistance in the court. Today, I pulled him to express his true feelings in private, so that he could understand the holy will in the future.
"Driving away the northern invaders and eradicating the Japanese invasion, your majesty's achievements can be compared to those of the ancient saints."
"I remember this, but you can wait until I finish it. How about it?" The emperor laughed, looking extremely happy.
"yes!"
Zhang Cong left the palace with satisfaction. He had caught up with a good era.
(End of chapter)
