Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"To have such abilities at the age of twenty."

"The Ming Dynasty has a worthy successor!"

After inspecting Gu Yanwu's camp, Yuan Keli exclaimed, "He is a capable person!"

Minister of War Liu Zunxian shared this view, stating:
"The Emperor said he would not build a talent pool for those under forty, but in fact he has been promoting young people all along."

“Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng, and Gu Yanwu are enough to ensure that civilian military officers can maintain their positions.”

Yuan Keli nodded, sharing the same view.

As a new position established by the emperor, the civilian military officer needed at least several generations to maintain a stable status.

As his disciple, Lu Xiang-sheng believed that this person would become a role model for civilian military officers in the future.

Although Gu Yanwu was young, he also demonstrated this ability.

If both of them can become heads of the Privy Council or the Ministry of War in the future, civilian military officers can secure their positions within fifty or sixty years.

The only concern is that these two might be promoted too quickly and won't have the opportunity to serve as one of the Nine Ministers in the future.
“Jian Dou worked diligently and earnestly in Liaodong, and the Emperor praised him many times.”

"I think the Emperor intends to bestow upon him the title of Earl after Liaodong is established as a province."

"Gu Yanwu was even more remarkable. Although he was young, he made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion in western Beijing and quelling the unrest in Suzhou."

"Now, at only twenty years old, he has become a knight through his own merits, and it is only natural that he will be promoted to baron and viscount."

"Perhaps he could become an earl in the future, thus losing the chance to become one of the Nine Ministers."

Yuan Keli shook his head as he spoke, never expecting that one day he would be worried about his successor being too capable.

Once both of them were granted the title of Earl, according to the rule that high-ranking nobles were not allowed to participate in the affairs of the Nine Ministers, they could not become the Privy Councilor or the Minister of War.

Moreover, their position in the imperial court would change from that of a civilian military officer to that of an aristocrat, just like Sun Chengzong is now.

You could say this is a happy kind of trouble.

Besides these two people, he really couldn't think of any other young people in their twenties or thirties who could take on the role of a civilian officer.

Liu Zunxian was speechless, and felt rather uncomfortable.

He was reinstated after the current emperor overthrew the eunuch faction, all in an attempt to gain an opportunity to perform meritorious service.

However, because he missed the reshuffling of the court, and as someone who wasn't a confidant of the emperor, he didn't have much say in court affairs. Even in Liaodong, where it was previously the easiest place to gain merit, he never had much influence.

This resulted in him, the Minister of Border Defense, being excluded from the numerous earls and other meritorious officials who contributed to the victory in the Liaodong campaign. It wasn't until this year, when he cooperated with the emperor in proposing the construction of a three-border, three-chain defense line, that he was granted the title of Viscount.

Liu Zunxian always felt a sense of crisis. He was worried that he would be replaced and that he would not be able to obtain the title of earl when he retired.

Hearing Yuan Keli's concerns about Lu Xiangshan and Gu Yanwu's rapid achievements, he felt a mix of emotions.

"His Majesty truly values ​​young people!"

"Two people in their twenties or thirties could have a chance at becoming a marquis."

I wonder where my chance to be ennobled lies? Will I even have a chance in this lifetime?

After the emperor strongly promoted the enfeoffment system and conferred titles upon numerous dukes, marquises, and earls, both the court and the public recognized that:
The emperor is initiating a new round of bestowing titles.

As long as you can make contributions, you have a high chance of being granted a title.

As the Minister of War, he was one of the most likely people to be granted a noble title.

He was credited for every battle in which the Ministry of War participated.

Based on this, it shouldn't be difficult for him to be granted the title of Earl.

However, the former Minister of War, Xue Fengxiang, retired with the title of viscount amidst the backdrop of the five-year campaign to pacify Liaodong. This further demonstrates that even for a Minister of War, obtaining the title of earl is not so easy.

Unless he actually leads a major battle or achieves other great feats.

"Currently, the Ministry of War controls military and political affairs, while the Privy Council controls military orders; the power to deploy troops rests with the Privy Council."

"As the Minister of War, I am responsible for military and political affairs. To earn merit, one must focus on the development of the military system."

Thinking about the garrison reform promoted by the emperor, as well as the establishment of local garrison districts, military circuits, and protectorates, Liu Zunxian felt that he should focus on this aspect and make contributions when the Privy Council and local protectorates were reshuffled next year.

Now that we've come to Henan, perhaps we can conduct a pilot program here. This place, which was placed under martial law by the emperor a few months ago, is a perfect opportunity to implement reform measures.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Liu Zunxian said to Yuan Keli:
"Lord Yuan, there's no need to worry too much. His Majesty has already taken this into consideration."

“There are not just one or two civilian officers in the military who are in their twenties or thirties, but a large number of them.”

"The scholars recruited by His Majesty this time are all for training civilian military officers."

"As long as they pass this exercise, they will be assigned to various battalions as guards in the future."

"The future Privy Councilor might be inside."

Yuan Keli was speechless, but did not question it.

Although he didn't believe that a trainee who had only trained for a few months could have much combat power, he had a good chance of success if he performed adequately in this exercise.

After all, marching and lining up are the things that are most emphasized in the training of the new army.

As long as the scholars' camp isn't too bad, it won't fall behind the old army.

His concern was about their performance in actual combat; would those scholars and students become weak-kneed and retreat on the battlefield?

"Let's go take a look!"

"We should encourage them."

He went with Liu Zunxian to the Xiucai Camp to express his appreciation to these soldiers who were originally scholars.
-
The Xiucai Camp only reached its full capacity in May, and there were only 500 people.

Later, some who were not suited to the training were eliminated, so now there are only over four hundred people.

When Yuan Keli arrived at the camp, he found it to be better than he had expected. Although this army was not as well-trained as Gu Yanwu's engineering battalion, it could still be considered a disciplined force.

What pleased him most was that these scholars generally had a good demeanor, almost unrecognizable from their weak appearance when the camp first opened.

Compared to the old army, they already had a clear advantage in terms of military appearance and bearing.

This made him very happy, he said:
"This shows that even scholars can be trained into an army."

Who is the commander of this battalion?

They believed that the person who trained the scholars was useful and a talent for training soldiers.

Liu Zunxian showed more concern for the Xiucai Camp and replied:

"At first, Ji Jike was in charge of training, but later General Ji was transferred to Mohe, so Sun Yingyuan, who had returned from Liaodong, took over the training."

"General Sun once partnered with Lieutenant Gu and was skilled at coordinating relationships with civilian officers."

"The scholars in the camp spoke highly of him, believing he had the demeanor of a famous general."

General Yuan Keli knew this; Sun Yingyuan was the commander-in-chief of the Beijing troops in this exercise.

In addition to his own 4,000 archers, the troops sent by the capital garrison and the imperial garrison were also under his command.

The commander of the Nanjing troops was likely Gu Yanwu.

These two former partners have now become competitors.

Thinking about this amusing incident, a smile appeared on his face.

His smile deepened, especially when he saw acquaintances at the scholar's camp.
"You're Ye Tingzhen? You've actually come to the Xiucai Camp to join the army."

"Why didn't you come to me when you got to the capital and try to get a position in the Privy Council?"

He met this scholar when he quelled the rebellion of the Fragrance Sect.

When Xu Hongru led a rebellion in Shandong, Yu Hongzhi responded in Beizhili, forming one of the two main forces of the Wenxiang Sect. However, they were quickly defeated, and Yu Hongzhi was captured by the scholar Ye Tingzhen. Yuan Keli remembered this name and even saw him when rewarding meritorious service.

Who would have thought that Ye Tingzhen, who had not been appointed to a post back then, would now be serving in the army in the Xiucai camp.

Ye Tingzhen, somewhat proud, raised his hand in a military salute and replied:
"Reporting to the commander, I am not joining the army to become an official, but to prove to the world that even a scholar can become an army."

"What do you think of this battalion, Commander? Can it be considered an elite force?"

Yuan Keli said with a smile:

"They look good, but whether they can go to the battlefield depends on their performance in the future."

"Back then, you were able to capture the bandit leader with your local militia, but not all the other scholars are like you."

Ye Tingzhen said confidently:
"It doesn't seem like it now, but it certainly will be in the future."

"The soldiers of the Scholar's Camp are no cowards. Please wait and see, Commander."

Yuan Keli nodded with a smile, looking forward to the performance of the Xiucai Camp.

Then, he inspected the other armies. He found that the troops that had rushed over after receiving the orders numbered nearly 20,000.

This made him nod with satisfaction, believing that 20,000 elite troops were enough to defeat tens of thousands of refugee soldiers.

If the reaction speed had been like that in the second year of the Tianqi reign, the Wenxiang Sect rebellion would have been quelled in an instant.

He also gained much more confidence in the emperor's idea of ​​establishing a rapid reaction force along the canal.

The plan is to reorganize the garrisons along the canal after the exercise and elect capable nobles to serve as the Grand Canal Transport Commander.

In the past, this would have been a difficult choice. Liu Kongzhao, one of the more capable nobles, also demonstrated in this exercise that he did not have much ability to lead troops.

Fortunately, after the Liaodong War, the emperor bestowed titles upon many nobles, and now there are several nobles who have emerged from the battlefield to choose from.

With their abilities, these people are more than qualified to serve as the Grand Canal Transport Commander.

This important force should also be in the hands of those who contributed to the restoration of the dynasty.
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With this in mind, Yuan Keli sent a memorial to the capital.

The message quickly reached the capital city through the numerous carrier pigeon stations along the canal.

Upon receiving this news, Zhu Youjian, who was in the capital, was even more pleased.

In his initial plan, he hoped that 10,000 troops would arrive in Kaifeng.

With the fighting power of the Ming Dynasty's new firearms army, even 10,000 men could defeat 100,000 refugee soldiers.

However, what he did not expect was that in addition to the 10,000 new troops in the capital, 4,000 troops were sent from the Southern Zhili region, including 2,000 new troops and 2,000 old troops.

Fan Jingwen, the governor of Henan, also dispatched 2,000 newly trained troops, along with soldiers from Shandong and the Grand Canal Administration. By August 15th, the total number of troops arriving in Kaifeng reached 20,000.

Although the combat strength of these 20,000 men varied, they represented the mobilization capacity of the Ming Dynasty.

He believed that on this basis, the military strength of the Ming Dynasty would become stronger and stronger, and in the future, it would be possible to mobilize 100,000 men in a month with a single order.

With this troop size and the current weaponry of the Ming army, this army is capable of eliminating most of the world's powers.

Migrant rebellions are naturally a given; they can be swiftly quelled before they snowball into a major force.

The most powerful ability of the refugee army is to coerce refugees and even, after growing in strength, to coerce local forces.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian paid great attention to the speed of response, and wanted to eliminate the refugee army in the local area before it grew strong enough to attack cities and plunder prefectures.

The autumn maneuvers on the Grand Canal were a demonstration to show him how fast the Ming army could react.

The result was somewhat encouraging, but Zhu Youjian still had concerns. He summoned the newly appointed border defense minister, Sun Chuanting, and inquired:
"The imperial court has assembled 20,000 troops in Kaifeng."

"Besides offensive and defensive drills, what else can we do?"

"Based on Sun Qing's experience in disaster relief in Shaanxi, how should they be used?"

Sun Chuanting was somewhat surprised by his transfer back to the capital to take up an important position. To this day, he still doesn't know why the emperor trusts him so much.

Now that the emperor has inquired about disaster relief, he dutifully replied:
"With such a strong army, we should wipe out bandits and recruit local talents."

"When I was suppressing the rebellion in Shaanxi, my greatest feeling was that it was fortunate that Your Majesty sent General Yang to clear out the long-standing bandits in advance."

"Otherwise, once the disaster victims become refugees, they will be absorbed by them and quickly become bandits who pose a threat to the county town."

"Northern and western Henan are mountainous areas, which have always been places where bandits have been entrenched."

"Although there was a crackdown a few years ago, it is hard to guarantee that it will not resurface."

"I believe that we can send troops assembled in Kaifeng to suppress bandits in various counties."

“All the local men who were brave and powerful were forcibly recruited into the army.”

Zhu Youjian nodded, thinking it was a good suggestion.

Henan was notorious for its bandits, and the local powerful clans were also very influential.

Zhu Youjian had been too busy to deal with the matter before, but now he planned to clean up the area properly.

However, the person currently presiding over the military drills in Kaifeng is Yuan Keli, a native of Suizhou in Guide Prefecture.

Zhu Youjian was worried about his health and also feared that he might hesitate to act out of consideration for his fellow villagers.

So after considering it, he looked at Sun Chuanting and said:

"Sun Qing's suggestion makes a lot of sense, but it needs to be led by a capable person."

"I am well aware of your achievements in Shaanxi; you are a rare talent."

"Would you be willing to go to Henan and wipe out the local bandits?"

Sun Chuanting, of course, would not refuse and immediately stated:

"I will follow your majesty's arrangements."

"But under what pretext?"

The current officials in charge of Henan affairs are Fan Jingwen, the governor of Henan, and Shen Zizhang, the governor-general of the Northwest, who has the authority to intervene in Henan.

Sun Chuanting had just returned to the capital from his post as Governor-General of the Three Border Regions, and naturally would not replace the two men. After considering the matter, Zhu Youjian gave the order:

"He was appointed Imperial Commissioner to replace Yuan Shufu in overseeing the military exercises, and after the attack and defense of Kaifeng, he used the bandit suppression campaign to observe the combat strength of each army."

"Come back once the bandit suppression is complete; there's no need to stay in the area."

Sun Chuanting was overjoyed, realizing the emperor valued him highly, and felt somewhat reassured. He requested:

"Your Majesty, I request that General Yang lead the Qin army to march from Tongguan into western Henan."

"He was also transferred to Henan to oversee the final stages of the bandit suppression campaign."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval and gave the order:

"The three northwestern provinces are all under martial law. You can decide how to deploy the troops there. I will give you the authorization."

"There is only one requirement: to wipe out the bandits in the three provinces."

"After eliminating the bandits..."

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Youjian made the following arrangements:

“Let Chen Qiyu, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, go with you.”

"Plan the migration routes well, publicize the migration policies, and let the disaster victims in Henan know how to migrate when they have nowhere else to go."

The focus of the suppression of the rebellion and disaster relief efforts was shifted from Shaanxi to Henan, with elite troops and capable commanders deployed to resolve local issues. (End of Chapter)