What actually happened was very strange. Whether it was King Dai or King Shen, there were many people from the Jinyi Guards' Internal Guard lurking in these two palaces of Shanxi.
Although it is true that "where there is oppression, there is resistance", Zhu Houzhao ordered people to strictly monitor any instability in the several places where oppression occurred.
Have they all been deceived?
Zhu Houzhao was not sure. Mao Yuwen did not give him a definite answer, but there was still a possibility.
Zhu Di was also watched in Peiping at the beginning, and there must be spies from Nanjing around him, so he was able to fool him into getting through.
After all, the prince is still the prince. Those who monitor him can only look for opportunities to take a look, and they cannot contact him all the time and know everything he says to everyone.
Putting aside his doubts for the time being, Zhu Houzhao went to meet with his four cabinet ministers first.
At the moment, none of the four of them should have received relevant information. They didn't know that Zhu Houzhao had some self-restraint, and his face was as calm as water, even they couldn't tell.
"The Lantern Festival has not yet passed, and the four pavilion elders have been announced to enter the palace. Thank you for your hard work."
Yang Yiqing couldn't bear the emperor speaking like this, let alone other people, so he bowed down one after another, not daring to bear it.
Zhu Houzhao pretended to be in a good mood. He smiled and rubbed his hands, "You Zhi, it's very cold. Except for Jie Fu, the other three gentlemen are all older. Bring the brazier."
"I would like to thank the Emperor for your kindness!"
Zhu Houzhao treated his old ministers well and was very considerate of his ministers. Anyone who met him would feel that the emperor actually made people feel like a spring breeze. It is hard to imagine that this person would be responsible for such things.
In the third year of Zhengde, the emperor once summoned the main administrative officials of Shuntian Mansion. After all, the fields were divided in the second year of Zhengde. One year later, Zhu Houzhao wanted to see how the situation was, so he ordered Gu Renyi to take these people into the palace together.
At that time, the newly appointed magistrate of Liangxiang County, Lu Gong, had unbearable stomach pain and couldn't bear it anymore, so he went to relieve himself.
This matter was held on by a group of censors and officials. Over ten days, more than forty memorials were sent to the emperor asking him to punish him for his misconduct in front of the emperor.
Zhu Houzhao could understand that imperial power must be dignified and cannot be too casual.
However, based on his current authority, he no longer needs to analyze the specific situation, so he ignored all these memorials and wrote Zhu Zhu: Everyone has three urgent needs, are you not in a hurry?
This incident deeply touched Lu Gong. After all, he was also very scared at first, afraid of being really punished. During that time, he was even more anxious all day long. He did not expect that the emperor would personally intercede for him, the county magistrate.
To others this is a trivial matter, but to him it is a kindness as deep as heaven.
Lu Gong himself always remembered this incident. When others called him the title of Magistrate of Sanji County, he readily accepted it. He would also sigh when meeting people: From this, we know the benevolence and righteousness of our emperor.
The emperor was strict on the one hand, and generous on the other. This is what the old saying says about giving both kindness and power.
Yang Yiqing, Wang Hao and others also felt the same way. The emperor treated them well unless he was confused about serious matters.
"...To announce who are here today, the main thing is about Jizhou." Zhu Houzhao gave the minister a seat, but he kept walking around rubbing his hands, "Jizhou has experienced the turmoil of six guards, plus the imperial court The officers and soldiers unfortunately died or were injured in the battle. The direct losses alone amounted to more than 30,000 people. As for Jizhou soldiers and horses, there are still many old and weak people, so I thought about it. The original more than twenty guards in the state have been reduced to ten guards, about fifty thousand people. Generally speaking, this is what it means. I would like to discuss it with all the ministers."
During the two to three hundred years of a dynasty, some more powerful elite soldiers and horses will emerge at different times, such as the Qi Jiajun and Guan Ning Cavalry in the Ming Dynasty.
However, the armies that emerged in the middle and late dynasty were basically recruiting soldiers, and some were independent of the main army.
Speaking of the Ming Dynasty, there should be at least two million troops at this time.
But it's almost useless.
Even when the troops are being trained, the old ones are ignored and reorganized and trained.
In the late Manchu Qing Dynasty, various new armies were also organized and trained.
It is because the interest relationship in the old army has been unclear. It is like a group of parasites, connected with the body's flesh and blood, but itself has been corrupted. It will hurt if it is cut off, and it will die if it is not cut.
Therefore, this turmoil was Zhu Houzhao's only opportunity to cut out the flesh and remove the sores, and use the chaotic period of order to re-establish order.
But it's not that simple.
Downsizing can be explained in four simple words.
Where do the downsized people go?
Zhu Houzhao knew that these four experienced experts must have thought of this problem.
"Your Majesty... wants Jizhou to be like Ningxia." Wang Hao said first, "However, Ningxia originally only had seven guards. After removing casualties, it is not difficult to streamline it to four guards. But Jizhou is different and needs to be reduced. There are far more soldiers."
"yes."
"Your Majesty," Yang Yiqing reported, "I have something to say, I don't know whether to say it or not."
"Just speak up."
"I believe that Your Majesty does not need to force the four Tengxiang guards to be everywhere on all sides. Your Majesty personally leads the twenty-six guards. He knows best how much silver a Class A guard costs. This is one of the reasons. The other is the army of the guard. It is divided into infantry and army, and there is a distinction between garrison and field battle. Please... Your Majesty, please forgive me for being ignorant. I think that the army of Jizhou has 20,000 elite soldiers, which is enough. But 20,000 elite soldiers are not enough to defend such a large place. There are so many cities, so border towns also need 'C' level guards."
Ah, this is a point of view that cannot be easily denied.
When it comes to military construction, no matter how wealthy you are, you still have to consider the cost issue, otherwise it will drag down the finances, which is called militarism. Blindly increasing the burden on the country and the people will eventually allow this strong fortress to be breached from within.
Yang Yiqing continued: "My veteran has calculated that your Majesty has at least 200,000 elite soldiers in the capital, and there are Gansu soldiers, Ningxia soldiers, and Hetao soldiers in the northwest, which will cost another 100,000. If there are remaining military towns, each town will have 20,000 to 30,000 elite soldiers. Infantry, then our Ming Dynasty can have 500,000 elite soldiers, including more than 50,000 cavalry. Over the past thousands of years, not many people have been as strong as our Ming Dynasty at this time."
This is indeed not a lie. No matter how many soldiers and horses the feudal dynasty claims to have, the actual combat effectiveness is still only a minority.
"What do you think?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
"I second the proposal." Yang Tinghe said first.
Wang Bing and Wang Hao had no other opinions.
"Okay, let's follow what Mr. Yang Ge wants. But Jizhou still needs to reduce the number of people, but the remaining ten guards will also be classified according to the classification method of personal guards A, B, and C. Three, four, three, three A-level guards, Four Class B guards and three Class C guards.”
Despite this, the first-class guards of the frontier army are definitely not as good as the direct guards.
Mr. Yang Ge breathed a sigh of relief. Although this approach was not as grand as the emperor's words of "fifty thousand elite soldiers", it had a greater benefit: it could be continued.
The three Class C guards are the buffer zone, used to accommodate those who cannot be cleared out directly.
Moreover, Jizhou really does not need 50,000 elite soldiers. 20,000 capable soldiers are enough to deal with some emergencies. Even if there is any big chaos, there will be elites from Xuanfu, Liaodong and the capital nearby.
Besides, Jizhou is like this, and later Datong and Xuanfu will be like this. Each has such strength, and it is inevitable to worry about instability.
Zhu Houzhao will not insist on his own opinion blindly, but also depends on the situation. The key is that his main reliance in the future will not be Jizhou soldiers and horses, so there is no problem in giving them a policy that is easy for them to operate.
But he was a little dissatisfied with Yang Shangyi.
So I added a sentence at the end, "When you pass the order to Yang Shangyi, you must make it clear to him. He is a general who has led troops for decades, and he knows best that it is better to have more troops than more troops. These three Class A guards have 18,000 troops. , if he still can’t become a fierce and fierce warrior, I won’t have any kind words to say to him!”
If you can't bring 20,000 soldiers, then don't bring them!
The emperor's unpleasant words were not spoken, but they actually meant this.
The elders understand the holy meaning.
The final outcome of Jizhou is three points.
First, there is no doubt that the military settlements must be cleaned up properly.
Second, take this opportunity to rectify the various guards in Jizhou. The key lies in these three Grade A guards. The rest. To be honest, many cities and passes in Jizhou need defenders, and the fields also need troops. This part Once they are divided into two categories, B and C, military pay will go to a higher level and the pressure on the national treasury will be less, so that the water can flow steadily.
As for this third point, it is also a general one, which is to move from chaos to governance and highlight the word stability.
After the cabinet returned, Yang Yiqing personally wrote and drafted the decree. After completing the draft, he sent it to Zhu Hou for review.
This is an old statesman, who is more comprehensive in considering things than Zhu Houzhao, who may not be practical, so after reading it, the emperor was as satisfied as usual, "This is so appropriate, use the seal and award it to Yang Shangyi."
"I obey the order."
"Mr. Yang Ge, there is one more thing."
"Wang Shouren returned to the capital this time and brought two Shuofang troops with him. There were not many people, but at that time he was considering that if there was any instability, they could be dispatched at any time. After these 10,000 people arrived in the capital, how to settle them still requires Mr. Yang Ge's careful attention Consider it and arrange it properly, and there will be cavalry among them, as well as fine beans."
Yang Yiqing has been leading troops for many years, and he would never have thought of this. He nodded and said, "I received the report years ago and knew that Wang Boan was going to the capital. All preparations have been started. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
"Um."
Zhu Houzhao stretched his waist.
There are a few capable cabinet ministers who are different.
Yang Yiqing has served as both a civil servant and a military attache, fought in wars, and governed the people. He is indeed a rare talent.
"With Yang Ge always here, I can worry less."
"It is the duty of a minister to share your worries with you."
"There is no imperial examination this year. The main thing is the imperial meeting in March. After two years of stability, there are obviously many things this year. Yang Ge is afraid that he will have to work hard again."
Yang Yiqing held the ceremony, and everything was left unsaid.
This period is torture for the incompetent.
But for Yang Yiqing, it was time for him to do big things.
~~~
In Shuofang Town, there were cavalry and infantry all the way, advancing in an orderly manner. After marching for more than a month, they passed Zijingguan and arrived at the foot of the capital.
There is no obstacle here to prevent the unintended army from entering the city, because the imperial decree has already urged Wang Shouren to speed up the march without delay.
In the fifth year of Zhengde, on the 18th day of the first lunar month, after the Lantern Festival, the festive atmosphere gradually dissipated. Most of Shuofang's troops entered the city, and Wang Shouren entered the palace to meet the saint without any delay.
He was anxious not only because of the imperial edict, but also because of another thing.
Zhu Houzhao was happy to see this man. What Jin Yiwei reported was unclear, but it seemed that there was indeed a problem. Now that Wang Shouren was back, in his opinion, half of the problem had been solved.
Originally he wanted to say a few words, but Wang Shouren was very serious and said, "Your Majesty! I have something important to report to you!"
"What's important?"
"I would like to ask your Majesty to summon someone."
Zhu Houzhao did not refuse, Wang Shouren looked back, and then a small chamberlain came in with a scholar-looking man. This man wore a square scarf, a light blue shirt, a "one" beard, and was in his forties. The appearance of getting ahead.
"Wei Chen, Shanxi Tixue Yan Biyun, is here to see His Majesty."
Zhu Houzhao didn't know this official, but he still knew what Tixue was for. In a sense, he was also a local supervisory official. "Bo'an, why did you bring Shanxi Tixue?"
"Your Majesty, let me answer this matter. I was originally a second-class Jinshi in the twelfth year of Hongzhi, and I had heard of Wang Shouren's name ten years ago. This time I also knew that the emperor's decree called him back to the capital, so I was waiting on the road. "
"You're waiting for him? Why?"
"In order to save my life, I can reveal a conspiracy to the emperor!"
Zhu Houzhao had heard Mao Yuwen mention it before, so he was mentally prepared. He dismissed the waiter who wanted to serve tea, and said seriously: "Get up and talk. Bo'an, you are also safe."
How could Yan Biyun dare to get up? Not only did he not get up, he kowtowed heavily on the floor, "Your Majesty, I want to participate in the Shanxi capital commander's envoy Tian Ze, who secretly colluded with Pingyang Guard, Fenzhou Guard, Luzhou Guard and others to plot an uprising. !”
"Is there any evidence?"
"I have no evidence yet. I heard it, and not a single word is in my hands."
Wang Shouren handed over his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I know Yan Ti's academic character and am willing to vouch for him. If it is not true, he will never dare to say such arrogant words in front of the emperor!"
"Then where did you hear that?"
"The envoy is in command!" Yan Biyun said firmly, "I was invited to attend a banquet. During the process, I had to go out in a hurry. As a result, I got lost and overheard this secret room conspiracy!"
"You mentioned Luzhou Guard, is it Prince Shen?"
The first generation of King Shen was the 21st son of Zhu Yuanzhang. In the 24th year of Hongwu, he was granted the title of King Shen and established a vassal in Shenyang. In the sixth year of Yongle, Zhu Di moved the vassal to Luzhou, Shanxi.
This Luzhou is in the southeast of Shanxi, probably where Changzhi City is today, and is still far away from the Dai Wang in Datong in the north.
"According to what I heard, they are not headed by King Shen, but they are named after King Shen."
At this point, Zhu Houzhao suddenly understood.
Why did Jin Yiwei fail to get to the point when he inquired about the news? He heard the rumbling, but didn't know where it came from.
It turns out that the point was mistaken.
It was the rebellion of King Anhua of Ningxia that attracted Jin Yiwei's attention to various vassal kings. In addition, it was an old tradition in the Ming Dynasty to defend against vassal kings.
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and then asked: "But so far, there has not been a memorial from Shanxi reporting this matter to me, even if there is no one who has heard about it, how can these people control Shanxi so well? Have you heard it? Everything, tell me one by one."
"Yes!" Yan Biyun took a deep breath, "According to what I heard at the time, they wanted to take advantage of two chaos, one was the chaos in the border town to clean up the military settlement, and the other was the chaos in the court caused by the rebellion. During the two chaos, they took advantage of the chaos and united with other rebel armies. As for your majesty's statement that there was no movement at all in Shanxi, I and Bo'an also discussed it. Perhaps it was the thunderous force of the imperial court's suppression of the Jizhou rebellion that made them They were a little afraid, so they stayed silent for the time being, preparing to wait for the chaos in the court."
"There is no sign of rebellion in the court, and there is no case of rebellion. Besides, who wants to rebel?"
Yan Biyun's eyes shot out a ray of light, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for the offence."
"you say."
"Your Majesty is cleaning up the military camps, and there are signs of unrest in the border towns. At this time, Your Majesty may suspect that anyone has the possibility of rebellion."
This is to take advantage of the emperor's suspicion, which is a bit level.
Zhu Houzhao's eyes began to look different. These people seemed to be more capable than King Anhua.
Wang Shouren also said: "This is the most critical time for the cleanup of military camps. If a major case occurs in the capital and is widely implicated, causing people to panic, it will definitely destabilize the border towns and the court will be in a dilemma. This intention , indeed vicious.”
