Looking at the mighty and majestic Xuanfu elite array heading south, followed by a huge convoy slowly following behind, Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng had endless imagination in his heart. In the near future, the three towns of Xuanda may be able to be completely twisted into a rope and form a heart. , true sharing of honor and disgrace, and shared stakes.
If you can really do this, you can achieve great things and have a promising future!
However, for now, he still has to deal with the affairs in Xuanfu Town first. As the saying goes, "To deal with foreign affairs, you must first settle the domestic affairs." For now, Zhang Cheng's inside line is in Xuanfu Town.
The military generals, officials, gentry and merchants of all factions in the town must be carefully rectified and appeased. Those who should be beheaded and their homes confiscated will not be polite, those who should be coopted and appeased will not be spared, and those who should be beaten will not be lenient.
After all, "You have to be strong to make iron." If you can't even integrate one Xuanfu town, how can you talk about integrating the military, horse, officials, gentry and common people in the three towns of Xuanda?
"General, Wang Pu will take his leave now. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. General, please wait and watch our performance!"
After Wang Pu finished speaking, he didn't forget to turn around and ask He Kuan: "Really, General He?"
He Kuance clasped his fists on the horse and replied: "Please rest assured, Commander Wang, He Kuan will never disgrace his orders!"
Wang Pu nodded with great satisfaction, and then said to Zhang Cheng: "General, Wang Pu bids you farewell. We will try to raise the funds for the purchase of guns and cannons after Pu returns to Datong. We will not miss the opportunity, General."
Zhang Cheng said to him with a smile on his face: "Why is Mr. Wang so polite? Since we are part of Xuanda University, how can I watch from the other side and watch Mr. Wang's jokes?
As for the money for the purchase of arms, since it is guaranteed by the owner of King Ruichang Tai, I am naturally most at ease. Let's think of some ways together in the future and get some gold and silver to make up for it. "
"Hahaha……"
After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he and Datong Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu laughed loudly. Their eyes revealed a hint of evil that was not easy to detect, and there was also a hint of treachery.
At this time, Shanxi Commander-in-Chief Li Fuming also clasped his fists and said to Zhang Cheng: "General, although Fuming is a rough man, he is not ignorant of current affairs. We will keep all our kindness in our hearts today, and we will repay him with our lives in the future." .”
"Why does Uncle Ben want your life?"
Zhang Cheng smiled and continued to him: "What I want is money. You just have to act with confidence, but as long as you secure the position of commander-in-chief in Shanxi and train a new battalion of powerful new troops, I will guarantee that you will not We are short of money."
"Okay, let's borrow the good advice from the general. The general will go to Shanxi to take over now, and then we will recruit troops and practice bravery. No matter how difficult it is, we will train a strong battalion for the general to drive." Li Fuming was obviously a little excited. Loudly echoed Uncle Yong Ning's words.
Zhang Cheng waved his hand to call Chen Dakuan and shouted to him: "Chen Dakuan, you have only been following me for a day or two. You should know the strictness of military rules and regulations. From now on, when you are with General Li, you must treat me like you are serving me." There is no difference, just try your best.”
"Here."
After Chen Dakuan sang loudly and cheered, he clasped his fists and said, "General, please rest assured that Dakuan will do his best to assist Li Shuai. He will never disappoint the general's expectations and will never embarrass our Xuanfu army!"
Zhang Cheng nodded with satisfaction, waved his big hand vigorously, and said, "Let's go."
"General, take care, see you soon!"
Wang Pu, Li Fuming and others also hurriedly clasped their fists and saluted, then got on their horses and rode south to catch up with the large army.
Looking at the retreating figures of their group, Zhang Cheng murmured in his heart with a stern expression: "Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Datong, and Liaodong are all places where nails have been buried, except places like Shandong, Huguang, and Jiangnan. Got it!"
…………
In the days that followed, Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng seemed to be busier than before. Various discussions continued every day. He also had to inspect the more important castles and meet with thousands of garrison households and representatives of local merchants and military households. wait.
For example, Yunzhou Fort and Dushi Fort were the focus of his inspection. After all, one is the main production base for military and civilian supplies, and the other is an important border trade pass. There is no room for failure. Zhang Cheng must be certain before leaving the North Road. I'm going to inspect it and make some arrangements.
For example, Xu Jinyong, the garrison of Dishuiya Fort, and Liu Shizun, the garrison of Chang'anling Fort, have been transferred to serve in Weiyuan Camp and Xuanwu Camp respectively. These two places are also very critical. At the time of personnel changes, naturally, Also take a look.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to go to Chang'an Ridge Fort, Zhang Cheng also rushed to Yongning City to stay overnight. The purpose of his trip was actually only one, and that was to come for Liu Minshen, the magistrate of Yongning County.
In the past, Liu Minshen had begged Zhang Cheng several times to give up his official position as county magistrate and take any idle position in the shogunate, where he would praise Zhang Cheng and draw military aircraft and help suppress bandits and drive away captives.
But at that time, Zhang Cheng's power was just beginning, his wings were not yet mature, and his foundation was very unstable. Therefore, although he saw that he was a talented person, he did not dare to take him under his command.
However, today is different from the past. When he thinks that he is about to go to the town to take over the post of commander-in-chief, there may be more complicated things waiting for him, and just writing documents makes him feel overwhelmed.
For this reason, he came to Yongning City to meet Liu Minshen for a while to see if he had not changed his original intention and whether he was still willing to follow him and do his best.
The county magistrate Liu Minshen was deeply surprised by Zhang Cheng's arrival. When he learned that Zhang Cheng's trip was specifically for him, he couldn't help feeling that "a scholar will die for his confidant." He immediately packed his bags and followed Zhang Cheng. Return to Akagi.
However, Zhang Cheng stopped him. He told Liu Minshen that there was no need to rush. He would not be able to go to the town to take up his post until after the Chinese New Year, which was still a month away.
Liu Minshen also needs to use this time to handle all the affairs in Yongning County and wait for the handover. As for other matters, Zhang Cheng can handle them all by himself.
At this time, within the Ming Dynasty, it was completely impossible for a military attache to become a civilian official. However, if a civilian official wanted to transfer to a military position, it was very easy. He only had to follow a few procedures step by step.
With Uncle Yongning taking charge of this matter, is it still a big deal?
…………
Under Zhang Cheng's rule, everything on Xuanfu North Road and East Road has formed a very complete system. Even if the implementation is too strict in some places, it does not fall outside the scope of the Ming Dynasty regulations.
In fact, the laws of the Ming Dynasty were based on the predecessors. They were already considered very complete laws in this era, and were even imitated by neighboring kingdoms such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
The full name of "Da Ming Lv" is "Da Ming Lv Ji Ji Supplementary Regulations", which includes both laws and regulations.
For example, the "Daming Code" has 30 volumes, including one volume of famous regulations, two volumes of official codes, seven volumes of household codes, two volumes of ritual codes, five volumes of military codes, eleven volumes of criminal codes, and two volumes of industrial codes, totaling 460 volumes. So many articles.
The "Regulations on Punishment" promulgated by the Hongzhi Dynasty also had 279 articles. After that, the Jiajing and Wanli Dynasties added more and more regulations, so that the laws and regulations were parallel.
The legal system of the Ming Dynasty determined the legal status of the royal family, nobles, officials, generals, soldiers and civilians, and covered various aspects such as administration, military, economy, people's livelihood, and litigation. It can be said to be all-encompassing.
It’s just that since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the politics of the imperial court have become increasingly decadent, and eunuchs have become increasingly monopolistic. Especially at the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the society was in turmoil, the law was trampled by the powerful central and local tyrants, and became their tool for robbery. .
Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng did not formulate any excessive institutional rules. He just resolutely implemented the original and complete laws of the Ming Dynasty. He only removed some untimely and complicated contents and slightly added some military laws and regulations.
After all, when Zhang Cheng first arrived at Beilu, it was a decadent scene. The fields were deserted, many military households fled, the industry was almost zero, and the commerce was also very stagnant. It can really be described as a wasteland waiting to be prospered.
What is urgently needed at this time is stability. Only by stabilizing the North Road area can the army and civilians be organized to re-measure the land and open up wasteland for reclamation. Therefore, the focus of this period is to suppress the bandits and calm the people, and suppress the wealthy families so that they can spit out their greedy fields.
But when everything on the North Road is on the right track, there must be a certain system to protect the hard-earned results, otherwise it will be like "fetching water in a bamboo basket in vain"!
Zhang Cheng's brilliance lies in this. He did not painstakingly create a legal system by himself. Instead, he based on the existing laws of the Ming Dynasty, selectively made some deletions, and strictly implemented them within the territory. Woke up.
Although some new military regulations have been formulated to meet the needs of recruiting troops and training, these contents only involve the soldiers in the military camp and have little relationship with the outside world, and their influence is naturally very limited.
As the North Road became more and more prosperous, until the East Road gradually came under Zhang Cheng's sphere of influence, the construction of relevant administrative, military, commercial, agricultural reclamation, taxation, litigation and other systems were also increasingly improved.
These complete laws and administrative systems are the cornerstones that can ensure the long-term stability of North Road, East Road, and even the entire Xuan Mansion. They are also the basis for Zhang Cheng to display his life ambitions and create a new era in this world that is similar to parallel time and space. Base.
"Twenty-three, after the sacrifice to the stove, the children clapped their hands and laughed. In five or six days, the New Year will come. The evil-proof box, the walnuts, the dots and dots, the two cannons. The five children passed the examination, the ping-pong sounded, and the fire rose higher than the sky. high."
In a blink of an eye, it is the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, and there are groups of children in the streets and alleys. They put on new clothes and sing nursery rhymes that have been passed down to this day. The festive atmosphere permeates every corner of the Red Castle.
In fact, it is not only the Red Castle that is so festive and lively, but also the castles on the North Road and East Road under the rule of Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng. In addition to children singing nursery rhymes, there are also many stilts, Yangko, lion and dragon dances, etc.
The arrival of the Small New Year also means that people begin to prepare New Year's goods. In addition, they also have to sweep the dust to prepare for a good New Year, which means that there will be a new atmosphere in the New Year. This is their best wish to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and to welcome good fortune.
Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng took his adopted son Zhang Chengfang to stroll on the Chicheng Castle Street, experiencing the prosperity of this castle. Although there was a feeling of reluctance in his heart, he had to go to the town to get on a bigger stage. Don't do it.
The people around him easily recognized Zhang Cheng, and they all stepped forward to greet Zhang Cheng warmly and moved out of the way of the Central Avenue. People in the distance and shopkeepers even stood there and greeted Zhang Cheng because they couldn't get closer. Cheng Zai knelt down and worshiped.
Zhang Cheng smiled at the officials, gentry, common people and merchants on the left and right. He saw the Zuixianju Restaurant not far ahead. He originally wanted to go upstairs and experience the feeling of buying drunk through the window again, but he was disappointed. His son Zhang Mingyuan hurriedly chased after him.
"Commander Father, Counselor Wang and several generals have arrived at the mansion and are waiting for Commander Father to return to the mansion to discuss matters." Zhang Mingyuan hurried to Zhang Cheng's side and reported softly.
Zhang Cheng stopped when he heard this. He did not speak immediately. Instead, he raised his head and stared at Zuixianju not far away. After a long time, he slowly turned around and walked towards the General's Office with a trace of regret.
Military discussions like this have been going on for several days. In addition to further finalizing a clear strategy for the expansion of the sixth battalion and the number of candidates for each battalion, the rank system of the Yongyi Army is also being discussed.
This is actually a brand new military rank system derived from Zhang Cheng's imitation of the military rank system of later generations, combined with the titles of generals and captains at this time.
According to his idea, a three-level military rank system of "general, colonel, and lieutenant" should be set up among officers, while four levels such as "sergeant, sergeant, corporal" and private should be set up among ordinary non-commissioned officers.
Regarding the rank system of sergeants, everyone does not have much opinion. After all, in the "Records of Military Training" written by Qi Shaobao, the military god of the Ming Dynasty, there is a method for testing the skills of ordinary sergeants.
Volume 4 of "Records of Military Training" contains the chapter "Training Hands and Feet·Schooling Martial Arts", which includes "nine rounds of bows, arrows, wolf machines, muskets, quick guns, etc.". Those who hit nine points are considered to be superior. Those who hit eight points, Those who are in the middle of seven are almost in the upper and middle grades. Those who are in the middle of six are in the upper and lower grades. Those who are in the middle of five are almost in the middle and upper grades. Those who are in the middle of four and three are almost in the middle and middle. Those who are in the middle of two are almost in the middle and lower grades. One Those who hit the mark are sure to be good. Those who don’t hit are sure to be good. Those who don’t know are sure to be bad.”
However, there was a problem with the rank of officers.
If you follow Zhang Cheng, you can just call them "general, lieutenant general, major general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, lieutenant, second lieutenant". This is catchy, simple and clear.
But given the current national conditions, everything can be slightly changed, but it is better not to be too unconventional, otherwise it will be regarded as deviant, and once it is not tolerated by the world, it will not be worth the loss.
To this end, he made some adjustments to the three-level officer rank system to make it more suitable for this era. After all, Zhang Cheng has been a pragmatist from beginning to end.
For example, the titles of the generals at this level are "Gu Jun, Zuo Hu Jun, and Right Hu Jun", while the titles of the captains are "Yu Lin School, Xiao Qi School, Yun Qi School", and the lieutenants are "Yu Lin Wei, Qi Qi School". Duwei, Wuduwei".
According to Zhang Cheng's idea, lieutenant officers correspond to the levels of team commander and commander-in-chief; school officers correspond to officers at the level of commander-in-chief and commander-in-chief; and general officers correspond directly to the levels of deputy general and chief general of each battalion.
If this military rank system can be implemented in the Yongyi Army, then the army will have four and thirteen levels of ranks, and the benefits enjoyed by different ranks will also be obviously different.
This difference is not only reflected in military pay and treatment, but also related to their high status in the military. It will also greatly affect their future development and future in the military.
Of course, these are all issues that need to be considered carefully after the "rank system" is truly implemented, and it has not yet been finalized whether to implement this system now.
(End of chapter)
