Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

At the same time, Zhu Youjian was also thinking about how the capital's guard posts should be reformed.

After fully understanding the military system of the Ming Dynasty, he had already regarded the garrisons as his base and the hereditary officials of the garrisons as hereditary aristocrats.

As early as when the feudal system was just in its infancy, he clearly stipulated that hereditary commanders could be converted into viscounts, thousand-household deputy thousand-household officers could be converted into barons, and hundred-household trial hundred-household officers could be converted into knights.

The effect was very good. The reason why the reform of the three guards in Zhuolu and other guards was smoothly promoted was that although he dealt with some people, he only moved them to Dongning Guard, and the official positions were still hereditary.

This made most of the hereditary officials know that as long as they did not go too far, the emperor would not deprive them of their wealth and honor. When the guards were reformed, their resistance was not fierce.

In particular, after changing their successors, some families bravely joined the Dongning soldiers and followed Huo Weihua to make great achievements in Liaodong.

Some even applied to the imperial court to convert their hereditary positions into titles of nobility, and together with Zheng Zhilong and others, they prepared to establish fiefdoms in Southeast Asia.

The hereditary officials in the Shuntian Prefecture area were quite concerned about this, and some families even considered whether they should also establish their own fiefdom and own a piece of land.

After all, although hereditary officials may be rich and powerful, their future is limited. If they fail to pass the imperial examination, they can only serve as military officers, which has a very low status.

After becoming a fiefdom noble, it was completely different. As a hereditary noble, their status would not be too low anyway. Especially since the fiefdom noble had soldiers and land, their status would be even higher.

Especially after the emperor established the Noble Council and took the initiative to restrict the reduction of titles and fiefs, the status of the nobility in the Ming Dynasty rose rapidly, and even the ministers in the court were very enthusiastic about it.

Those who hold hereditary official positions naturally value the positions handed down from their ancestors more. Many families are preparing to go overseas to establish fiefdoms, but they have not yet made up their minds.

For this reason, Zhu Youjian was very confident about the reform of the Wei Suo, and allowed the Privy Council and the Five Military Commanders' Office to express their opinions and put forward relevant suggestions.

It was under this circumstance that Yang Sichang, who was sent by the emperor to the frontier to implement the combat plan, returned to the capital from the grassland.

He returned with a great victory and was personally received by Zhu Youjian.

Looking at Yang Sichang, who had lost a lot of weight and whose face was full of frosted hair, Zhu Youjian said with concern:

"Yang Qing suffered a lot during his trip to the frontier this time."

"Order to send some of the ginseng tributed by the Dongjiang Earldom and the sea cucumber tributed by the Ningyuan Earldom to Yang Qing's residence."

"There is also a winter coat and clothes made by the Queen, which will be given to Yang Qing."

Then he asked about the war on the grassland and the news about the Jianlu.

Yang Sichang was deeply moved by the emperor's concern and said to him gratefully:
"Your Majesty's grace is great, and I am deeply grateful."

"If it weren't for your majesty's cultivation, I really wouldn't have known what fighting on the front line was like, and I almost became a sinner who only talked about war on paper."

Talking about the course of this war, Yang Sichang's biggest feeling was that plans were not as fast as changes.

As the Chief of the General Staff, although his title was not yet that of Privy Councilor or Privy Minister, he was regarded by the outside world as one of the Privy Ministers because he was in charge of the General Staff and could attend the Privy Council meetings.

When Man Gui first met him, he was quite respectful and treated him as a commander-in-chief.

This made Yang Sichang very proud. He confidently formulated several combat plans and asked Man Gui and others who led the grassland coalition forces to implement them.

In order to ensure the implementation of the plan, he also strictly required the guards at all levels to supervise the generals.

But what happened later slapped him in the face.

Hu Dawei and Ai Wannian fought strictly according to the plan, but after they captured the Aohan tribe, most of the Aohan tribe members escaped because of their rigid fighting style.

Man Gui, who did not strictly adhere to the battle plan and followed the enemy's lead, almost wiped out the Naiman tribe and captured many people and livestock.

This made Yang Sichang quite embarrassed, especially the tribal leaders who followed Hu Dawei to fight, they all questioned why they did not have so much spoils.

From then on, they no longer gave Yang Sichang face, causing him to lose prestige in the army.

If Man Gui had not stepped in, this grassland coalition army might have fallen apart and been unable to continue fighting.

Yang Sichang still remembers those mocking words.

After feeling ashamed, he began to calm down as the emperor requested and asked Man Gui and others for advice on how to fight on the front line.

After that, we were more adaptable to local conditions when making plans, and the previous mistakes did not happen again.

At this time, he said with emotion in front of the emperor:
"The situation on the front line changes rapidly, and military intelligence cannot be obtained at any time."

"My biggest feeling at the front line is uncertainty. Only veterans who have been through many battles can know how to make decisions."

"Your Majesty said before that the Privy Council can propose mission objectives to the generals at the front, and the specific way to fight is up to the generals at the front to decide for themselves. I think this is indeed a wise saying."

Zhu Youjian listened to his story and nodded slightly. He felt that Yang Sichang's trip to the front line was not in vain and he knew how difficult fighting was.

He summed up his feelings about Yang Sichang:
"This is the so-called fog of war. It is impossible for people on the battlefield to fully know the enemy's information."

"The only thing he can be sure of is his own strength."

“So Sun Tzu’s Art of War says: The key to victory is in yourself, the key to victory is in the enemy.”

"No matter how good a general is, he can only ensure that he will not be defeated by the enemy. To achieve victory, the enemy must reveal a flaw."

This was summarized by the military saint Sun Wu more than two thousand years ago. Yang Sichang was well versed in the art of war and certainly would have read it.

After hearing this from the emperor, I suddenly had a new understanding.

Especially the idea of ​​"fog of war" gave him a sense of enlightenment, and he said with ecstasy:

"Yes, it is the fog of war."

“Being in the middle of a war is like being in a fog.”

“Only veterans who have been through many battles can make judgments based on experience.”

"No wonder His Majesty said that the specific combat plan can only be used as a reference and must be judged by the generals on the front line."

It was his first time to fight in a battlefield, and he was like a headless fly. It was not like he suddenly entered a fog.

This was the insight he gained after a trip on the battlefield, but the emperor had already experienced it in the deep palace. He was truly a man of genius!

Looking at Yang Sichang's excited and admiring eyes, Zhu Youjian did not feel that there was anything to be proud of.

Anyone with a little military knowledge in later generations can talk about the theory of the fog of war.

The uncertainty, contingency and unpredictability in war shroud the battlefield like a fog, making it difficult for commanders to make decisions based entirely on facts.

When it comes to making a decision, the difference between a capable general and a mediocre one is obvious at a glance.

Especially now when detection means are very scarce, no matter how perfect the combat plan formulated by the General Staff is, it is difficult to be completely based on facts.

This is why Zhu Youjian repeatedly emphasized that the General Staff should not interfere in the specific war affairs and let the front-line generals perform.

Now that Yang Sichang could understand this, Zhu Youjian felt that his trip was not in vain, and he could safely hand over the General Staff to him: "This grassland battle successfully struck the Naiman, Aohan and other tribes that were dependent on the Jianlu, forcing the Jianlu to withdraw their troops from Korea."

"You and Man Gui have both made great contributions and should be rewarded."

"Man Gui has already been awarded the title of Earl, and your title will be upgraded to hereditary baron."

"If there are any omissions in the rewards given to the front line, they must be reported in a timely manner."

Zhu Youjian has always attached great importance to rewarding meritorious soldiers.

Since he could not afford much money, he rewarded the meritorious soldiers by slightly increasing their official positions and titles in order to encourage them to fight bravely.

Therefore, Mao Wenlong was conferred the title of Earl of Dongjiang, and Man Gui also became Earl.

Yang Sichang benefited from this and was promoted from hereditary knight to hereditary baron after only one battle on the battlefield.

The official title he was given was restored to the position of Privy Councilor, and he once again launched an attack on the Privy Councilor.

This made Yang Sichang even happier, and he felt that all his hard work had paid off.

Then he thought of something and said to the emperor:
"Your Majesty, I heard from the ministers of the Privy Council that the guards in the capital will be reorganized and moved outside the city to distribute land."

"I think this is absolutely unacceptable. We cannot treat the military households of the garrisons in the same way."

Zhu Youjian had heard about this proposal from the Privy Council, but he had not yet made up his mind. When he heard Yang Sichang say that it was absolutely impossible, he curiously asked him:
"Why did Yang Qing say no?"

"The ministers in the Privy Council said this was the best way to go."

Farming and warfare have always been linked together. Even in later times, the proportion of rural soldiers was as high as 70%.

Zhu Youjian had no objection to moving the garrisons in the capital and distributing land. What he was concerned about was that there was not enough land around the capital and whether enough troops could be left in the city.

But Yang Sichang said:

"Although the military households in various garrisons are on the roster, many of them are no longer serving, and are not even in the local area."

"My ancestors were military households in Wuling, but by my generation, they are no different from ordinary families."

"If Your Majesty forces these registered military households to move out, I am afraid that great chaos will occur."

After hearing his revelations, Zhu Youjian realized that the situation in the garrison might be worse than he had imagined.

However, he was mentally prepared for this, and he also felt more confident after having the single-shot musket. So he did not panic or get angry, but asked Yang Sichang carefully:

"Are there many people like you?"

“If the guards are to be restructured, what are your demands?”

Yang Sichang had been prepared to be questioned by the emperor, but he did not expect the emperor to be so understanding and reasonable and not to dwell on the matter. This made him think carefully and say:

"There aren't many families like mine that devote themselves to the military. Most of those who can do so are hereditary officials."

"But the escape of military households is common in various places."

"In some places, more than half of the guards have fled."

"They multiplied and prospered, and their descendants were countless in various places."

"If they are forcibly arrested and taken back to the garrison, I am afraid that chaos will break out everywhere."

The Weisuo system was extremely unfriendly to military households, who were almost the same as serfs of the officers.

As early as the Xuande and Zhengtong years, the number of the five military guards with names but no members reached 1,633,600. As a result, Emperor Yingzong, who was unaware of the details, led the Beijing camp to the war, but was defeated and captured at Tumu Fortress.

Later, under the reorganization of Yu Qian and others, the combat effectiveness of the Beijing Camp was restored to a certain extent. However, the control of the Beijing Camp also fell into the hands of civil officials.

Later, during the reigns of Chenghua, Zhengde and Jiajing, Emperor Xianzong, Wuzong and Emperor Shizong all tried to retake the Beijing Camp. However, as the foundation of the Wei Suo system was corrupt, the Emperors relaxed their control slightly and the Beijing Camp was still seized by civil servants.

Moreover, the incompetence of the nobles and the corruption of the hereditary officials meant that the armies and garrisons under their control were worse off being handed over to civil servants.

This was also the situation Zhu Youjian faced after he ascended the throne. During the Tianqi period, the Beijing camp, which was controlled by the eunuch party and nobles, was so rotten that it was beyond repair.

He could only appoint Li Banghua, who volunteered, to be responsible for reorganizing the Beijing camp so that when the Jianlu invaded, the Beijing camp could barely rely on the city defense.

Now that Man Gui was on the grassland, the possibility of the Jianlu detour through the grassland to invade the capital became smaller. Zhu Youjian began to think about taking back the Beijing camp and transforming it to be more powerful.

The first opponent he faced was not the civil servants who had been infiltrating the Beijing camp, but the complicated relationship between the nobles and hereditary officials.

If he didn't sever this relationship, he would be restricted in his efforts to reorganize the Beijing camp. Even if he managed to take it back for a while, it would become corrupted if he relaxed a little later, and he would lose control.

Zhu Youjian, who wanted to make the Beijing Army the royal family's iron arm and a sharp sword in his hand, naturally did not want this to happen.

He needed to sort out the capital's army from top to bottom to ensure their loyalty and combat effectiveness.

Therefore, in response to Yang Sichang's persuasion, Zhu Youjian said:
"The situation Yang Qing mentioned can be analyzed in detail."

"I have issued an order before to severely punish those officials who have not stopped since the first year of Chongzhen."

"The drawbacks accumulated before this need to be considered in the long term."

This kind of historical legacy has become so serious that it is difficult to reverse. Zhu Youjian could not severely punish all the people involved, so he could only strictly control the few years after he ascended the throne.

Even so, Yang Sichang felt that this was not feasible, because the garrison registers were just as messy as the Yellow Register, and no one could sort them out.

He repeatedly advised the emperor not to ask all the military households to return to their garrisons and force them to relocate:

"When the three guards of Zhuolu were reorganized, His Majesty issued an order to allow military households that were not given land to be converted into civilian households."

"I think that even if the guards in the capital were moved outside the city, they would not be able to own so much land."

“It would be better to allow them to become civilian households and only move out those who are willing to farm.”

This was a policy that was once implemented in Zhuolu District, but the reason for its end was also very simple:

That is, many military households would rather give up their land and become civilian households.

This forced Zhu Youjian to end this policy and, modeled after the hereditary military system established in Dongning Guard, grant hereditary military status to meritorious military households, which was between officials and civilians.

Then the situation of the three guards of Zhuolu stabilized and there were enough soldiers left.

Now that Yang Sichang had raised this suggestion again, Zhu Youjian began to think about whether to adopt his proposal.

If adopted, it is expected that many military households will leave, and even more than half of them may leave. (End of this chapter)