I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 14 Jinyiwei’s streamlining and future

Luo Sigong was walking on the way to Qianqing Palace.

This is the first time that the new emperor has summoned him, the commander of the Imperial Guard, since he ascended the throne.

This also made him wonder what the emperor's purpose was, was it for Yao Zongwen's case?
With doubts, Luo Sigong arrived at the gate of Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, Luo Sigong, commander of the Royal Guards, has arrived."

"Let him in"

Under the leadership of the eunuch, Luo Sigong entered the Qianqing Palace. He saw the young emperor looking at the question book attentively.

After knowing that he had come in, he said without raising his head:

"My dear, please wait a minute. I will finish reading the question book first."

So Luo Sigong stood aside respectfully, watching the emperor read the question book, write comments on it, and then put it on a dozen thick question books next to it.

"Wang Daban, please send this stack to the cabinet. As for the date of the lecture banquet and the selection of teachers, we will follow the cabinet's instructions, but there is only one thing. Keep everything simple and do not make any fuss."

"Slave, let's do it now," Wang An reported back.

"Luo Sigong, I was busy with government affairs just now. Someone is here! Please give me a seat."

Zhu Youxiao said to him with a smile.

This sentence frightened Luo Sigong and he knelt down and said
"Your Majesty's hard work on state affairs is a blessing to the country and the country. I am willing to wait as long as I want."

"Haha, come on, stop flattering me." Zhu Youxiao laughed and scolded.

"I'm calling you here this time for two things.
The first thing I want to ask you is, do you know how many people there are in Jinyiwei currently? "

Luo Sigong couldn't help but wonder why the emperor asked this, but fortunately he was already prepared.
"Back to Your Majesty, I remember that in the 29515th year of Wanli, there were about 47 Jinyi Guards from the command and envoy level down. Later, Emperor Shenzong opened the decree and allowed the descendants of Mengyin, the descendants of officials, to serve as Jinyi Guards. By the 45215th year of Wanli, there were [-] people on the list."

Zhu Youxiao had expected this figure because a memorial from the Ministry of Household Affairs caught his attention yesterday.
It is said that the Jinyi Guards are seriously overstaffed, and many nobles, officials' sons, and even eunuchs' nephews will take the opportunity to serve as Jinyi Guards, acting arrogantly, causing trouble, and no one can control them.

There are even some scoundrels who pretend to be royal guards and commit misdeeds outside. They have been caught by the patrol censor many times and have confessed.

When Zhu Youxiao saw it, he was extremely angry, so he called Luo Sigong to inquire about the situation.

By asking about the number of Jin Yiwei, Zhu Youxiao roughly understood that the problem of overstaffing was indeed serious. Jin Yiwei's duties were only for torture, arrest, and palace duties. How could so many people be used.

So he threw the memorial directly to Luo Sigong. Luo Sigong picked it up and looked at it, and was shocked.

"Your Majesty, I don't know this, but some of the sons of princes and nobles serve as guardsmen, and some of them just have a job title, and they don't even touch the bow on weekdays. I don't dare to have jurisdiction over them. Please atone for your sins, Your Majesty."

"I know this matter, and I don't blame you. It's just that we must strictly control it from now on, and we must not take it lightly in the future.

It's just that the overstaffing problem of Jinyiwei is so serious that Jinyiwei must be streamlined. It must pass the assessment and take up actual positions. You must take responsibility for this matter. "

Luo Sigong nodded in agreement.

After saying this, Zhu Youxiao asked Luo Sigong to take a seat, and then said solemnly

"I have something important to entrust to you. The imperial court is planning to send people to appease Liaodong. Have you heard about it?"

After Luo Sigong heard this, he thought a little and said
"This minister has heard that the situation in Liaodong has been critical since the time of Sarhu.

I heard that after Xiong Tingbi's expedition to Liaodong, the situation changed greatly. This was the result of the imperial court knowing people and making good use of them, and His Majesty's sage and decisive decision.

This time, sending people to appease Liaodong and declare to Xiong Tingbi the will of the court and His Majesty will make Xiong Tingbi loyal and loyal. "After Zhu Youxiao heard this, he felt that Luo Sigong was a good talker and flattered him everywhere.

So he waved his hand and said
"Then I hope this is the case for Xiong Tingbi, but the reason why I called you here this time is also related to this matter.
This time the imperial court decided to appoint Yang Lian as the deputy censor of Zuodu. At the same time, I allocated more than 130 million yuan from internal funds to support Liaodong.

Therefore, this matter is a heavy responsibility, and I want Jinyiwei to send someone to accompany him throughout the entire process. "

Luo Sigong couldn't help but wonder, wasn't escorting courtiers to visit places a reference to the affairs of various post houses and government offices?
Why do you suddenly need to be escorted by Jin Yiwei? This is not their responsibility.

Since the establishment of Jinyiwei by Zhu Yuanzhang, its functions and powers have been changed.Up to now, basically, "Suwei are assigned to their duty in different positions. During the morning, evening, farming, and livestock inspections, they wear flying fish clothes, wear embroidered spring knives, and serve on the left and right."

The thieves commit treachery, the streets are covered with dirt and the ditches are dirty.Anyone who takes charge of prison records and surveys will work with the three law divisions.The five officers' quarters competed with each other with guns, and the Ministry of War came to watch. "

To put it bluntly, he guards the palace, protects the emperor, and of course also fights crime in the capital.

Among them, cracking down on officials and people who endanger the imperial power and offend the powerful is their main business, and the latter is the majority.

Therefore, he wondered what the emperor's purpose was.

Zhu Youxiao seemed to see what he was thinking and said with a smile

"You don't have to wonder, this time the Jinyi Guards are not just guards.
I have received reports from Liaodong many times before, saying that there were many surrenders from Jurchens and Mongolia in Liaodong. Every time the Jurchens invaded, their purpose was clear, and it seemed that someone had tipped them off.

Therefore, I hope that after your people arrive in Liaodong, they will set up a station in Liaodong to specifically inspect the Jurchens' work.

At the same time, you can choose trustworthy people in the local area and send them to the Jurchens to understand the situation and gain insight into the enemy's situation. What do you think? "

When Luo Sigong heard this, he was convinced that the Jinyiwei mainly operated within the capital, and spying on intelligence was their main job.

Now it is natural for them to return to their old profession.

And now the scope has expanded from the capital to Liaodong, and the target has changed from courtiers to Jurchens.Although the opponent is more difficult, its power is further expanded, which is an excellent thing for Jin Yiwei.

But he also has concerns
"Your Majesty, for being able to serve the country, Jinyiwei Ding will be very embarrassed. However, he went to Liaodong to inspect and investigate carefully. I don't know if he has the power to deal with it temporarily. He still needs to negotiate with the Liaodong Yamen on everything."

"I have thought about this too. If you are conducting inspections or spying on new reports, you only need to report to me and the Liaodong Economic Strategy and Supervisory Army. You do not need to be responsible to anyone else. You have the right to act expediently."

Zhu Youxiao's idea was to make Jinyiwei the CIA of the Ming Dynasty and let him be responsible for foreign intelligence. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty would only know after the Houjin Operation every time, and it was too passive.

Sending spies to Houjin does not require them to know everything, as long as they can pass on information at critical moments, that's fine.

If Jinyiwei does well in Liaodong, Zhu Youxiao will further spread it to all parts of the country and even overseas.

There is no other way. There are too many people in the Ming Dynasty who are cheating and cheating, so it is impossible not to catch them and punish them.

"Remember, this time we must select people who are loyal and astute. It is bitterly cold in Liaodong and the Jurchens are not easy to deal with. I will give you one hundred thousand from my own funds. Those below who have done well and have made meritorious deeds will be heavily rewarded. There’s no need to be stingy, I only care about the results.”

"Understanding this humble position, I and others will be ruined."

Luo Sigong could tell that the emperor attached great importance to this matter.

Since the establishment of Jinyiwei, its authority has been suppressed by powerful people, eunuchs, and civil servants.

Up to now, the most important functions of Jinyiwei are arrests, imprisonment and city management, and their nature is closer to that of a public security and judicial institution.

His status is getting lower and lower, and his authority is becoming more and more restricted.

He had a vague hunch that this matter might be an opportunity.

(End of this chapter)