Jiuxi

Chapter 722 [Drawing a Prison on the Ground]

It has to be said that Qing Yugong was indeed one of the few people in the world who knew Emperor Jing best.

From the four words "careful planning", he accurately guessed the emperor's thoughts.

But even if he could guess it, he couldn't stop the emperor.

While the others were still confused, Emperor Jing continued, "I have observed the military systems of previous dynasties and found that there are indeed more reasonable ones. What do you think, Prince?"

Sagai and others suddenly raised their heads.

The Great Jing Kingdom has been established for more than 30 years, and two successive emperors have never changed the basic system of the Jing Army, which is the powerful nine armies formed by the descendants of the six strongest tribes, namely, Alihe, Qingyu, Huiluo, Jiagu, Juntugu, and Huite.

This is also in line with the rise of the Jinglian clan.

Taking root in the northern border grasslands a hundred years ago, the Jinglian tribe gradually grew stronger more than sixty years ago. After annexing a large number of tribes, the Jinglian tribe formed a structure headed by the Alihe clan and guarded by the other five clans.

Today, the nine armies of the Jing Dynasty are no longer as clearly divided as they were in the past. Except for the Zhongyi Army and Xiejie Army which are still controlled by the royal Alihe clan, the Xiashan Army controlled by the Qingyu clan, and the Changsheng Army controlled by the Huiluo clan, the other five armies have absorbed many people from different forces, generally presenting a situation of you in me and me in you.

Of course, except for the weakest prison army, the main generals of the other eight armies are still the noble military heroes of their respective forces.

Over the past decade, Emperor Jing used various means to integrate internal forces, slowed down the rapid expansion of the dynasty, and formed an efficient government system from top to bottom.

He imitated the official system of the Southern Qi Dynasty and referred to the lessons learned from past dynasties. He made the Secretariat the main government office at the central level and vigorously promoted various talented people without caring about their bloodline and origin. That's why Zhao Siwen was able to become the Shangshu Ling, the head of all officials.

At the local level, there was a four-level system of roads, prefectures, states, and counties, and a supervisory system was established through the censor system.

In short, today's Jing Dynasty is by no means a short-lived dynasty. It possesses a very strong self-repair ability and has retained some of the bravery in the bones of the Jinglian people.

Now the last question lies before Emperor Jing.

Although the nine armies of Dajing are powerful, if they cannot change the system, there will be endless troubles, because these armies still bear the deep imprint of various major forces.

Emperor Jing certainly had enough confidence to drive these forces, but for a dynasty, this was obviously not a long-term solution.

It is undoubtedly an extremely difficult thing to change the status quo, because it will affect the interests of countless people, especially the important officials standing in the hall today.

Qing Yugong was the first to be hit.

As for Sagai and others, they had long been smoothed over by Emperor Jing, and did not dare to make any comments until Emperor Jing's specific ideas were clear.

Now they can only hope that Qing Yugong can stand up and persuade the emperor on their behalf.

However, just a moment ago, they wished that Qing Yugong could die in his palace and no longer be involved in state affairs. Isn't this a kind of irony?

Feeling the gazes focused on him, Qing Yugong still asked calmly: "I wonder what your majesty is planning?"

"Now that the war in the south continues, I will not act rashly, but I will discuss this with you in advance."

Emperor Jing first stopped some people from making excuses, and then said, "Although I don't want to admit it, the wars in the past few years are enough to prove that the strength of our army has declined and is no longer as invincible as it was in its heyday. From this point of view, there are many problems with the original military system, just like a stagnant pool of water gradually becoming quiet. In order to change this situation, I think we should implement a clearer reward and punishment system, as well as a more complete training regulations."

Qing Yugong knew clearly that the key point lay in the last sentence.

In fact, all the important officials in the palace knew the reason why the Jing army's strength declined.

This is an increasingly rigid system.

Take the Xiashan Army as an example. Senior generals have long held military power. Even Qing Yugong could not easily drive those people away because they were die-hard supporters of the Qing Yu family.

These people, their descendants, and close confidants form a very large interest group, which is also the foundation of the Qingyu family.

Qing Yugong might be able to replace or remove one or two people, but he would not be able to open up all the connections.

This is beyond human power.

For Qing Yugong, a small number of people who lacked ability but occupied powerful positions would not affect the overall situation, but the fact that the emperor mentioned this matter so solemnly meant that the system would inevitably begin to change.

As expected, Emperor Jing continued, "For a long time, in our army, those who have made contributions are promoted, and those who have not made contributions are demoted. This can motivate the soldiers to fight bravely. However, after decades of development, the phenomenon of entanglement in the army has become more and more serious. If we don't make a decision early, we will suffer. The continuous defeats in the border wars in recent years have sounded the alarm for us. Now that the war in the south is not over, there will be movements in other places. It is an opportunity to make adjustments while fighting. Do you think so?"

Qing Yugong said calmly, "I dare to guess that Your Majesty wants to separate the power of training troops from the power of leading troops?"

Emperor Jing showed approval. While others might still be making random analyses, only Qing Yugong could accurately grasp his thoughts. He nodded and said, "That's exactly what I meant."

The so-called separation of two powers refers to changing the current situation where the commanders of each army hold all the power.

In Emperor Jing's vision, the Dajing military system would form two systems in the future: "garrison" and "march". That is, each army would be stationed at a fixed location in peacetime, and would select, train and teach soldiers during non-combat times. In wartime, troops would be drawn from garrisons in various places to form a large army, which would be commanded by a commander appointed by the court.

On the surface, this military system seems a bit bloated compared to the past, as it adds a lot of positions out of thin air, but in reality, the power to mobilize troops is entirely vested in the court.

That is, it is in the hands of the emperor. Another point is that the extra military positions will undoubtedly give the generals of each army hope.

Compared with the relatively rigid promotion system in the military today, this will give those generals hope of succeeding.

The only ones who will be truly affected are people like Qing Yugong, Sagai and Shanyang, who are the actual commanders of the Dajing armies. The emperor's move will undoubtedly greatly weaken their status in the army.

At this time, Sagai and others finally came to their senses. They naturally did not want to accept this change, but facing the emperor's deep gaze, no one dared to openly stand up and oppose it.

One reason is that the emperor has an extremely high prestige, and the other is that they are not sure at this moment whether the obedient generals under their command will still stand on their side.

Qing Yugong remained silent.

Emperor Jing looked around at his ministers and said leisurely, "Of course, this is just my initial idea. Whether to implement it and how to implement it still requires long-term consideration. You can also brainstorm and help me figure out some effective methods."

All the ministers said in unison: "We obey your orders."

"in addition……"

Emperor Jing's eyes fell on Qing Yugong's face, and he smiled and said, "I have said just now that the talent of the prince is known to everyone in the world, how can he be trapped in the palace? The position of the Southern Court Marshal has been vacant for a long time, so the prince does not need to be reinstated. I have decided to set up a new Metropolitan Office to temporarily assist me in military affairs. The prince should become the first Grand Metropolitan of our dynasty."

This was another decision that made the ministers feel emotional.

From the beginning to the end, Emperor Jingdi did not deprive Qing Yugong of his military power, and the so-called reform of the military system was just a preliminary idea. Qing Yugong's transformation from the former Marshal of the Southern Court to the current first Grand Commander-in-Chief seems to be more in line with his status as second only to the emperor, unlike before when he was on par with people like Sagai.

At least on the surface, Qing Yugong's status in the emperor's heart is even higher than before.

Facing the earnest gaze of Emperor Jing, Qing Yugong knew that he had no right to refuse, otherwise he would be regarded as greedy by the court and the public. So after a brief silence, he bowed and said, "I accept your order and thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jing looked at Sagai and other Jinglian nobles and said gently, "Are you willing to share my worries?"

How could they say no? Naturally, they all bowed their heads and obeyed.

Thus, the newly-formed Dajing Dutongyuan has taken shape. Except for Qing Yugong, Sagai and others have all become dutong to assist the emperor in military affairs.

At this point, the court meeting ended.

……

Prince Changshan's Mansion.

In Jinyuan, Qing Yu and Huai Jin sat alone in front of the window.

Before entering the palace, Qing Yugong came to Jinyuan specifically to tell her not to worry too much.

Qing Yu Huaijin knew clearly that when she no longer shut out the Fourth Prince Hai Ge, the suspicion on her father would be cleared sooner or later.

This was originally the emperor's deliberate means of controlling the Qing Yu family.

In late spring, the gentle breeze stirs the lush greenery in the courtyard, creating a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere inside and outside.

However, Qing Yu Huaijin's heart could not calm down.

She was not a selfish person. She knew from a young age that as a princess, since she enjoyed wealth and glory that ordinary people could not imagine, she had to shoulder her own responsibilities.

For someone like her, it is impossible for her to have a marriage that goes smoothly, and her father has already helped her reject a proposal once.

Now that Qingyu was in a difficult situation, she had no right to continue to escape willfully.

but……

Her cold eyes fell on the paper.

The handwriting is very neat, and every stroke looks like it was carved with a knife.

She whispered to herself with a hint of sarcasm: "You are the Duke of Southern Qi, but you can't even write a decent handwriting. You actually need someone to write for you? I've heard that you haven't read many books. You are indeed an idiot who doesn't understand writing."

Although this finally gave her the feeling of looking down on that person, the words on the paper did not make her happy.

"Throughout history, those who have achieved so much that they threaten their rulers will not have a good end. Even if your father is as wise as a god, he cannot escape this fate. Princess, please remember one thing. Once your emperor starts, he will not stop. In the end, there will only be one winner in this war between the emperor and his subjects. If you are in it, even if you are willing to serve the tiger, you will only be sucked into the vortex and eventually become a pile of yellow earth."

"When that time comes, I will drink a glass of wine in the south and pay tribute to you."

Qing Yu Huaijin frowned tightly and slightly exerted force on the hand holding the letter paper.

In the end, he could only slowly let go.

(End of this chapter)