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"Allowed. Anyone who surrenders will be forgiven. But anyone who robs the people will be executed immediately."

Yi Huawei turned to Xu Guangqi and said, "The Ministry of Industry needs to produce blueprints for a new type of ship within three months, and the Astronomy Department of the Academy of Sciences will help calculate the ocean currents and wind directions..."

He suddenly remembered something and added, "The salary of navy soldiers is 30% higher than that of the army."

A low exclamation suddenly rang out among the military officers, and several generals exchanged glances. The civil officials were whispering among themselves, and Wang Yuanhan, the official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped out of the ranks and made a warning:
"Your Majesty! This move may violate the ancestral system, and it is extremely costly, and the Ministry of Revenue has very little money left..."

"The Japanese pirates have been plundering the southeast for decades, burning and killing more than tens of thousands of people."

Yi Huawei suddenly threw the memorial in his hand fiercely onto the steps, shocking several attendants. "In the battle of Taizhou two years ago, three thousand people were taken as slaves! If we can wipe out the Japanese pirates, what does it matter if it costs tens of millions of silver?"

The palace was completely silent, with only the emperor's voice echoing. Zheng Zhilong quietly tucked the nautical chart in his sleeve a little tighter - it marked dozens of Japanese pirate nests that he had accumulated over his many years of maritime career. Xu Guangqi quickly calculated in his mind how many warships could be built with the existing keel materials in the Quanzhou Shipyard.

"The Navy Department has established a Naval Academy."

Yi Huawei continued to issue decrees:
"Teachers will be selected from the astronomy department of the Academy of Sciences to teach navigation. Naval warfare experts will be selected from Governor Zheng's command to teach boat handling. Those who have completed the training will be awarded the title of captain."

Wang Chengen took notes quickly with a red brush, and the tip of the pen made a rustling sound on the jute paper.

"Anyone else playing?"

Yi Huawei glanced at the ministers, his gaze lingering on each person's face for a moment.

Ping Yizhi hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped out: "Your Majesty, since the Academy of Sciences has set up a medical science department, can we allow civilian doctors to participate in the research? I know that there is a famous doctor in Suzhou named Ye Tianshi, who is proficient in typhoid fever and miscellaneous diseases..."

"allow."

Yi Huawei thought for a moment and said: "Anyone with real talent and real ability can be admitted to the Academy of Sciences as a non-staff doctor after assessment, and receive the same treatment."

As the court meeting drew to a close, Yi Huawei stood up and left his seat, with all the officials kneeling to see him off. When the emperor disappeared behind the screen, noisy discussions immediately rang out in the hall.

Qian Qianyi gathered with several officials from the Ministry of Rites, looking gloomy; the Minister of Works pulled Xu Guangqi aside to ask about the specific needs of the Academy of Sciences; Zheng Zhilong was surrounded by a group of military generals and asked about naval recruitment.

Shi Xing stood still, his eyes fixed on the forgotten charter document on the imperial desk. Wang Chengen was carefully putting it back into the sandalwood box, the gilded edges were a bit dazzling in the sun.

………………

In late spring in the Forbidden City, willow catkins are like snow, fluttering over the glazed tile roof of the Wenhua Hall.

There were a few sparrows perched on the white marble railing in front of the hall, sometimes pecking at the grass seeds in the cracks, and sometimes looking up vigilantly.

The coiled dragon patterns on the twelve golden nanmu pillars in the hall seemed to soar into the air under the candlelight, and the Suzhou gold bricks paving the ground were shiny and reflected the solemn faces of the ministers.

Yi Huawei sat on the Panlong throne, his bright yellow dragon robe making him look like a jade. His fingertips tapped the armrests, and the red sandalwood made a dull sound.

The young emperor, who had been on the throne for only a year, swept his eyes like lightning over the ministers in the palace.

Shi Xing, the Minister of War, stood with his head bowed, while Zhang Weixian, the Duke of England, stood straight as a pine tree, and Yang Hao, the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commands Office, had sweat on his forehead. Wang Chengen, the eunuch holding the seal of the Imperial Household Department, stood by with a whisk in his hand, while Qiu Chengyun, the governor of the Western Factory, stood in the shadows like a ghost.

"My dear friends."

Yi Huawei spoke, his voice was not loud but it made the incense in the copper crane incense burner in the hall stagnate: "What we are discussing today is related to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty for thousands of years."

Shi Xing quietly raised his eyes and met the emperor's half-smiling gaze. His heart trembled and he quickly lowered his head again. His fingers in his sleeves unconsciously rubbed the ivory tablet, and his knuckles turned white due to the force.

Yi Huawei suddenly stood up and strode towards the three-meter square sand table in the center of the hall.

This is a military topographic map made by skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry, which took three months to complete. The mountains, rivers, border fortresses are all clearly visible.

"look here."

Yi Huawei pointed his slender finger at Liaodong: "Although the Jianzhou Jurchens have been pacified temporarily, the Mongolian tribes are still eyeing them covetously."

The fingertips slid to the southeast and finally stopped in the southwest: "The Japanese pirates are constantly invading, and the Burmese Toungoo Dynasty has repeatedly invaded the border. We must be on guard."

Zhang Weixian took half a step forward, his armor making a slight metallic clash sound, his sword-like brows and star-like eyes revealing the sharpness unique to a military general.

"Your Majesty, I think the most urgent task is to improve the military preparations of the nine borders."

"Renovate?"

Yi Huawei chuckled and suddenly slapped the edge of the sand table. His internal force caused the small flags on the sand table to tremble.

"What I want is not to repair but to break the old and establish the new!"

"what?!"

Shi Xing's heart trembled when he heard this, and he couldn't help but look up: "Your Majesty, the ancestral rules cannot be violated!"

"ancestral system?"

Yi Huawei's eyes were like knives: "The military system when Taizu founded the country has been in use for more than 200 years. The guards have been corrupted and the military households have fled. How long will this ancestral system be maintained?"

Without waiting for the others to speak, Yibaiwan waved his sleeves and said, "Xuan Mengdong!"

The palace door opened, and Meng Dong, a doctor from the Military Affairs Department, walked in quickly, holding a memorial in his hand. This civil servant, who was nearly 40 years old, had sunken cheeks and the hem of his official robe was covered with mud spots - it was obvious that he had just returned from an inspection tour of the border town.

"Your Majesty, I, Meng Dong, kowtow to you."

Meng Dong knelt on the gold bricks and presented the memorial with both hands, with purple and red scars from frostbite that had not yet healed exposed on his cuffs.

Yi Huawei said in a cold and hard voice: "Read it!"

Meng Dong's Adam's apple rolled, and he opened the memorial and read aloud:

According to the original quota of the Ming Dynasty Code, the national garrisons should have 56 soldiers under their command. However, during the examination last year, only half of them were present. The three major camps in the capital had 34.6% vacancies, and the registration of soldiers was only on paper. Although there were garrison soldiers in the nine border towns, the soldiers of Jizhen fled in large numbers, the military equipment of Xuanfu rusted into scrap iron, and half of the military households in Fujian and Huguang became private slaves of the powerful.

Only the new army formed by recruiting soldiers still has combat effectiveness. The 1.2 soldiers from Jizhou and Zhejiang are skilled in the Mandarin Duck Formation, the 8000 cavalry from Liaodong are good at using the three-eyed gun, and the 6000 warships of the Fujian Navy can patrol the sea borders.

However, these 70,000 elite troops are only a drop in the bucket compared to the one million troops. Although the Tusi troops in the southwest are numerous, they are like a double-edged sword. The Cen Meng Rebellion during the Jiajing period is a lesson not far away, so it is difficult to rely on them completely...

The monthly rations for the bannermen of the guards were only six to eight dou, and the cavalry was no more than one and a half dou. Moreover, the military farms in Liaodong were invaded, and the per-acre yield of the military households in Liaodong was less than a quarter of the normal yield. The soldiers had to cultivate wasteland to support themselves, so how could they train?
On the other hand, the salary of the recruited soldiers in Zhejiang was only one tael and two coins per month, which was several times higher than that of the guards, so they were brave and fearless. However, only the former troops of the Qi family army could get such a high salary, and the soldiers in the nine borders still lived in hunger and cold.

The corruption of military officers is shocking. Sixty percent of the artisans in Xuanfu Town have become private servants. The commander of the guards embezzled thousands of taels of salary every year. The Ningxia mutiny in the 25th year of Wanli was caused by the long-term arrears of salary. This year, 20,000 soldiers in the Korean battlefield mutinied because of the lack of food and salary. This is really a serious concern!
During the inspection of the Jizhen parade ground, 30% of the armor could not protect the body, and 40% of the bows and arrows could not be drawn; in the Battle of Ulsan, 30,000 garrison troops were defeated when they encountered the Japanese, but the Zhejiang soldiers fought to the death. On the other hand, the Zhejiang soldiers' bird guns could hit the target at a hundred steps, and the Liaodong cavalry's three-eyed magic guns could scare the enemy, but these elite troops were no more than 10,000.

The firearms camp seemed impressive, but it was actually fraught with danger. The Beijing camp lacked 40% of its firearms, and the red cannons relied on foreign craftsmen to operate, and explosion accidents occurred frequently. Although the Battle of Ruliang was won, the Portuguese cannons had a hit rate of less than 20% in the Battle of Luowan, exposing the neglect of daily training. Although the Li family cavalry was stationed in Liaodong Town, there was a shortage of 40% of horses, and half of them were useless at night; half of the enemy towers on the Xuanda defense line were vacant, and it was difficult to send beacons when there was an alarm. The warships of the Jiangnan Navy were rotten, and the sailors did not know how to dive. If they were attacked by Japanese pirates, they would be difficult to defend against the enemy at sea.

The three camps of the Beijing Army seemed to have a force of 100,000, but in reality they were filled with the old and weak. There were less than 6,000 qualified archers, and half of the officers were not proficient in artillery shooting. How could such an army defend the capital?
The chariot camp and mandarin duck formation created by Qi Jiguang were only maintained in Jizhen, and the other nine borders were mostly empty words. The Lumi gun and self-generated fire gun that Zhao Shizhen painstakingly studied had a good quality rate of less than 60% due to corruption in the Ministry of Works. In addition, the officers of the garrison obstructed the reform in every possible way. For every false report of a soldier, they could make a profit of 4 taels and 8 coins per year; if they occupied 100 mu of military settlements, they could collect 20 taels of silver. The Jizhou mutiny in the 25th year of Wanli was caused by the arrears of wages...

The Japanese were equipped with iron cannons at a rate of 60%, and the number of guns carried by the Ataku ships far exceeded that of the Fuku ships; the Spanish phalanx accounted for more than half of the firearms, and the Dutch navy was proficient in artillery. In contrast, the Ming Dynasty was equipped with firearms at a rate of less than 20%, the sailors' boat handling skills were far inferior to those of the Japanese, and the gunners' shooting skills were not as good as those of the red-haired foreign countries. In the Korean War in the 20th year of Wanli, if Li Rusong had not sent out a surprise attack, it would have been difficult to curb Toyotomi Hideyoshi's ambitions. "

After finishing the recitation in one breath and taking a long breath, Meng Dong bowed again without looking at the expressions of Yang Hao and the others:

"I dare to make a suggestion: first, abolish the garrisons, recruit soldiers, and dismiss 100,000 old and weak soldiers; second, clean up the military farms, check the military pay, and cut off the source of corruption; third, promote firearms, set up military schools, and train military talents in the schools; fourth, set up a naval office to train a powerful army at sea. Only by breaking down and rebuilding can we restore the military might of Hongwu and Yongle!
We, the ministers, have reported this to you without hesitation, and we await your wise judgment."

"My dear minister, please stand up! Please take a seat!"

Yi Huawei waved his sleeves and lifted Meng Dong up into the air. Qiu Chengyun brought over a soft stool and placed it behind Meng Dong at the right time.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Meng Dong bowed and then sat down carefully.

"You heard it!"

Yi Huawei's eyes were like lightning, sweeping over Shi Xing and the others. He raised his right hand, snatched the memorial from Meng Dong's hand, and snorted coldly:
"There are 329 guards and 65 independent thousand-household units in the country, with a total of 560,000 soldiers. However, the actual number of soldiers on the register... The three major camps have a quota of 260,000, but there are only more than 100,000 soldiers in reality, which is 60% short of the quota.

This is still the Beijing camp, the nine important border towns and inland garrisons are even more shocking!

The desertion rate of Fujian Dusi military households reached 50%, and nearly half of the Huguang Dusi military farmland was occupied.

As his eyes swept over the memorials, Yi Huawei's face became increasingly gloomy. The princes and others were all worried, not daring to look directly at the emperor who was about to explode with anger... a tyrant!
Exhaling the foul air in his chest, Yi Huawei sneered and said, "The monthly ration for the Banner Army is one stone, but the actual distribution is often 50% off... Each military household is granted mu of land, but in reality most of it is occupied by officers. The Liaodong military settlement yields less than half a stone per mu. Tell me, do such soldiers have combat effectiveness?...Ah!!"

"I deserve death for my crime!"

Yang Hao and several others knelt down together, with their foreheads touching the ground. They were trembling with fear and did not dare to raise their heads.

"He deserves death!"

Yi Huawei said coldly: "You deserve to die, but now is not the time."

Yi Huawei became more and more angry the more he looked at the situation. The Ming army was now in disarray and had no fighting power at all.

The Nine Frontier Troops trained for about two months a year, and spent most of the rest of the time helping officers farm. Most of the "ten-day training" at the inland garrisons was just a formality.

According to the results of the inspection in Jizhen, half of the armor was corroded and ineffective, and the pass rate of bow power in Zhejiang Wei was only 40%.

It is no wonder that in the Battle of Ulsan two years ago, 30,000 garrison troops were defeated by 20,000 Japanese pirates.

Now, apart from the firearms battalion trained by Yi Huawei himself, only the Qi family army and the Liaodong Li family army still have some combat effectiveness.

Looking at the logistics system, the loss of Liaodong military rations during transportation reached 2300%, and Ming soldiers starved to death in the Korean battlefield last year...

There were 1.2 doctors for every 10 people (the standard for Qi's army was ), and the death rate of wounded soldiers reached %...

The Japanese pirates trained for four hours a day, while the Ming army only trained for one hour.)
The Japanese army had arquebus (matchlock) equipment rate of 60%, while the Ming army had only 20%.

The gap in the navy was even more obvious. The Japanese Ataka ships carried 30% more guns than the Fukusen ships, and the Japanese navy had better boat handling skills.

Military expenditures nominally accounted for 210 percent of fiscal revenue, but less than percent was actually received. Last year, the total amount of arrears in military pay reached million taels of silver.

Among them, the Ministry of War withheld thirty percent of the silver, and the cost of armor production was overstated by nearly half!

These bastards should all be caught, skinned and stuffed into straw!

"The Ming military system has long been plagued by problems. The garrisons are in disrepair, the military households have fled, the generals are paid without work, and the soldiers have no will to fight - this is a sign of the country's demise!"

Yi Huawei suddenly slapped the sand table, his internal force surged, and the flags on the sand table trembled.

"Today, I want to break the old and establish the new!"

A flash of lightning flashed outside the palace, illuminating half of Yi Huawei's face. Amid the rumbling of thunder, he unfolded the imperial edict:

"From now on, the military household system will be abolished and the recruitment system will be fully implemented. The country will be divided into six major military regions - Ji-Liao, Xuan-Da, Shaanxi, Hu-Guang, Guangdong-Guangxi, and Yunnan-Guizhou. Each region will have a governor who will directly answer to my orders."

Shi Xing's face turned pale, and he almost dropped the tablet. He knelt forward a few steps and said anxiously:

"Your Majesty, please think twice! This move involves too many people and may cause chaos!"

"Chaos?"

Yi Huawei's eyes flashed with purple, and Hunyuan Yi Qigong flowed through his meridians. He walked slowly towards Shi Xing, and with every step he took, a tiny crack appeared on the gold brick under his feet:
"Are you worried that I can't control the situation?"

Seeing this, Yang Hao hurriedly stepped out to smooth things over: "Your Majesty, Minister Shi's concerns are not unreasonable. The money and food needed to recruit soldiers..."

"Yang Aiqing is worrying too much."

Yi Huawei took out a scroll of silk from his sleeve and threw it in front of him:

"This is the account I asked the Ministry of Revenue to calculate. Under the military household system, the actual number of soldiers available for combat is less than 30% of the registered soldiers, while 70% of the unpaid soldiers' salaries are used to pay the soldiers. Under the new system, the monthly salary is two taels of silver, which will be doubled during wartime. The death compensation is 50 taels... directly allocated from the treasury."

Under the light, Yang Hao's pupils suddenly contracted. As the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commands, he knew very well what this meant - the emperor wanted to bypass the Ministry of War and directly control the lifeline of the army.

"Specifically."

Yi Huawei suddenly turned around, and the airflow from his dragon robe stirred Yang Hao's beard: "The Ji-Liao Military Governor's Office is stationed in Shanhaiguan, commanding 30,000 cavalry and 2,000 musketeers; Xuan-Da is stationed in Datong, commanding 50,000 cavalry to defend against Mongolia; Shaanxi is stationed in Lanzhou, commanding 40,000 mixed infantry and cavalry..."

Yi Huawei's voice was neither hurried nor slow, but every word struck home like a nail in everyone's ears.

"in addition!"

Glancing at the crowd, Yi Huawei suddenly raised his voice, and the dust on the beams of the hall fell down:
"Establish a system of military merit titles. Those who behead three levels of people will be awarded the title of 'Sharp Warrior' and enjoy double pay; those who lead an army of over a thousand will be awarded the title of 'Xiaoqiwei' and be given a residence; those who make great contributions as generals..."

Yi Huawei paused deliberately and glanced at Zhang Weixian's flushed face:
"You can be granted the title of hereditary earl and the complete copy of "Purple Cloud Divine Art" as a reward."

(End of this chapter)