Chapter 64 Privy Council
Xie Jin didn't know how to explain to Zhu Xiongying for a while, and said: "Your Majesty, why is Prime Minister so magnanimous, and he values the system and never cares about who belongs to whom? Since Your Majesty has appointed Old General Qu as the envoy to the Privy Council, then Prime Minister He will naturally give advice to Qu. Old General, the power of the Privy Council. However, the Privy Council controls the world's troops, and the system is extremely strict. Therefore, even He Xiang cannot make decisions without authorization. Therefore, the same is true for Old General Qu."
Zhu Xiongying recalled going to the Privy Council Charter. .
Then he took out a document from the side and read it carefully.
The Privy Council was established with the Imperial Governor's Office as the core. But the inside of the Privy Council was completely different from that of the Houjun Governor's Mansion.
The Privy Council also made exquisite arrangements for checks and balances of power. As the highest chief of the Privy Council, the Privy Councilor seems to have great power, but this is actually false. A lot of internal power has been divided among the various departments below. Such as the General Staff Office. A combat plan must be submitted by the General Staff Office. After it is approved through the internal process of the Privy Council, the Privy Council will make a decision and issue it as a formal military order. Of course, the Privy Councilor can deny it and call them back to ask them to do it again. But the Privy Council could not come up with a battle plan of its own.
The various departments under the Privy Council are generally similar to the General Staff Office. Moreover, the Privy Councilor serves in the cabinet. Let the Deputy Privy Council take charge of daily affairs. The internal power is probably in the lower departments, and there is an obvious system of large and small.
The Privy Council manages the military forces of the world, and does not include the capital. The capital is controlled by the emperor's personal troops and is separately organized and does not follow the accounts of the imperial court.
Of course, He Xi herself felt that this incident was a bit excessive. The Privy Councilor looks like the head of the generals, but in fact, he is just like a representative. All he can do is sit back and watch. The Privy Council does not have real strategic-level decision-making power.
In fact, He Xi made such an arrangement.
It has his intention.
On the one hand, He Xi felt that the decision-making power at the strategic level should not belong to the military department. For example, can the military department alone have the final say on which country to attack? Of course not, it must be the collective opinion of the upper echelons of the court.
The Privy Council envoy needs senior generals to be in charge. He usually does not care about things. If necessary, he must supervise the execution of orders by the Privy Council on behalf of the court.
The specific power of the Privy Council is divided among the generals and minor officials below. Although they hold great power, their status is not equal to that of the generals outside. Even several levels lower. Nothing can get through without support from above.
But even so, similar to Japan's Showa staff, it can be regarded as arrogant.
In this case, Ming Dynasty does not have to worry about the possibility of the military department going it alone or backlash.
On the other hand, in the future war, He Xi will have to firmly control the military. Therefore, he did not need someone to seize power with him, so he divided the Privy Council into pieces, and by controlling these staff officers, he was enough to control the Privy Council.
So as not to let the world's major events escape from one's control.
At the same time, since He Xi has established the rules, he is not afraid that Qu Neng will make waves. Qu Neng can still have all the powers of the Privy Council, such as knowing all military secrets and the research and development of cutting-edge military technology. In the center, we strive for interests for the military, have a say in major military affairs, and personnel adjustments, etc.
He even denied the military plan secretly launched by He Xi.
So, Qu Neng has no power? His power is not small either. If he doesn't cooperate, he can paralyze the Privy Council. But there is not much real power.
Zhu Xiongying said: "Pass on Old General Qu."
Generally speaking, Qu Neng is relatively leisurely.
After all, military power is the top priority. Xie Jin needs to start from scratch and establish the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Etiquette, and subordinate institutions, but Qu Neng does not need it. He Xi has already arranged it for Qu Neng.
So Qu Neng arrived at the palace in just a short time.
Zhu Xiongying asked: "What do you think of the victory in the Battle of Hejian?"
Qu Neng was silent for a while and said: "Your Majesty, I don't know how to explain it to Your Majesty. I can only say that I can't understand the situation of the Battle of Hejian. I suddenly feel that I can't fight anymore."
Zhu Xiongying was shocked when he heard this and said, "Are you saying that the situation in Hejian Mansion is very bad?"
Qu Neng said: "No, I simply don't understand. Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although Duke Ying is powerful, I don't know how much he can understand. In the battle between Hejian, Duke Ying will definitely lose. It's just right and wrong." The crime of war."
Zhu Xiongying said: "How do you say this?"
Qu Neng didn't know what to say to Zhu Xiongying.
Zhu Xiongying's military knowledge was too shallow, and he didn't understand many things at all.
In fact, Zhu Xiongying knew that the era of firearms would eliminate the era of cold weapons in the future, but he didn't know what this meant? Can't understand what's going on here. Qu Neng was a father and son who joined the army for two generations. When Qu Neng was young, he followed his father, witnessed the battlefield, and fought with sword and gun.
So he understands, so he's frustrated.
Qu Neng said: "I have seen the latest flintlock musket in the army. It has a three-edged spur on it. The flintlock plus the spur can be used as a short spear, and shooting does not consume physical strength. Although the short spear is not resistant to fighting, But if we defend the city, it is enough to avoid this. This means that in terms of combat strength alone, ten thousand fire gun soldiers should be used as the previous twenty thousand soldiers."
"If the gunpowder keeps flowing, it can be used as countless crossbowmen."
"It can be used to defend the city without losing many times the number of soldiers. Not to mention, there are all kinds of artillery and firearms. Some of the ministers have never seen them before. Before I came to the capital, I never thought that firearms would develop. To this point."
"On the Hejian defense line, there are more than a dozen large and small cities. They are stuck in key places and cannot be bypassed. We must attack the city and pull out these cities, and there will be tens of thousands of casualties. But Your Majesty, the current army The morale of the sergeant is no better than it was when the country was founded. The people below are all rich and noble. They are no longer willing to work hard."
"When we were fighting, we were not allowed to stop even if we all died. The Duke of Song attacked Yangzhou because he cared about his soldiers and refused to do his best. Taizu set out on foot from Yangzhou to Nanjing to apologize."
"Now, if the growth of tens of thousands of soldiers is lost, Duke Ying probably won't be able to fight."
What Qu Neng said was right, but he didn't say it completely.
Without him, the war between Nanjing and Beijing would be a civil war. For the stakeholders, they must not lose. If Gein is an enemy, there is still the possibility of forgiveness, but if he is an internal competitor. I am determined not to let it go.
But for the soldiers at the bottom, it was something else.
The soldiers were unwilling to fight if the beating was too severe.
After all, the Ming Dynasty's army is all one body. Not to mention the troops in the south and Beijing. Many of them were transferred from the south. It is unlikely that a family will belong to the north and the south. But it is very possible that after fighting for a long time, he rushed up and saw that the guard opposite was his old friend, who was the one who stirred up the same pot.
Even children, in-laws, etc.
In this case, if you let the soldiers fight hard, you won't have the motivation.
Therefore, both sides of the civil war were cruel to say the least. Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Yunwen, in this situation, only one can survive. But the thinking of the lower class people is different from that of the upper class. They may have so many thoughts.
There are not so many reasons to fight on the battlefield.
The people below are unwilling to fight tooth and nail, no matter what kind of famous general they are.
Therefore, in the art of war, there is a rule that only those above and below who want the same thing will win. Only those above and those below think alike can win. Now, does Fu Youde think the same as the soldiers below?
In Qu Neng's view, this line of defense was not insurmountable, but it was impossible to do so without tens of thousands of people dying, or even more. But does Fu Youde have the ability to kill tens of thousands or even more people below?
After all, times have changed. In troubled times, human life is not valuable, and even people in troubled times do not feel that their lives are precious. There are too many dead people, and others are dead, so they may not live long. Just die.
But after decades of peace, so many people have lost their expectations of their lifespan. They are not willing to fight tooth and nail. In this case, Fu Youde had no choice.
The most important thing about the Hejian Defense Line is the price.
