Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 683: What You Want and What You Can't Avoid

After a series of festivals and celebrations in March, the capital's originally grim atmosphere had visibly relaxed.

Especially in April, when the 5,000 cavalrymen sent by Liaodong to participate in the exercise arrived in Beijing, the overall situation was settled. The Yingyang Army, which had been in a state of combat readiness, also began to have a holiday.

Qian Wu, a second lieutenant in the Yingyang Army, only had time to visit his uncle Qian Sheng and care about his situation after the reform of the garrison.

Fuyuwei’s current base is in Jintaifang, and Qian Wu found it easily.

Fortunately, Qian Sheng was on duty in Jintaifang, responsible for the renovation of streets and alleys in the Qianfo Temple area and changing house numbers for residents.

After Qian Wu found out, he quickly went to Thousand Buddha Temple.

As soon as he arrived, he heard someone complaining:

"We just put up the house number two years ago, why do we have to change it this year?"

"The address I left for newspaper subscriptions and the address I gave to my relatives were all the same house number."

"If it's suddenly changed now, won't it be sent to the wrong place?"

Then came the voice of his uncle Qian Sheng, explaining as if chatting:

"The reason why this house number was changed is because the block where this area is located has changed."

"Now every block has a postal code, and every street has a number."

"These numbers plus your house number are the digital number of your home."

"From now on, when you fill in the address, you only need to write this number, and the letter will be sent to your home."

"Do you think this is more convenient? Is it better than before?"

The person who complained also knew this, but still said:
"It's better than before, but what if it was sent to the wrong address?"

"The house number has changed, how can the letter be delivered?"

Qian Sheng said patiently:
"Your home is No. 66 Xitaoer Hutong. This has not changed at all. What has changed is the block and the brand shop to which Xitaoer Hutong belongs."

"As long as it is sent to No. 66 Xitaoer Hutong, no matter what is written on the front, it will still be delivered to you later."

"Next time you leave your address, write No. 66, Xitaoer Hutong, Jintaifang, Dongcheng District, or this number on the house plate."

"When you send a letter in the future, remember to write the postal code. In the future, the postage will be determined based on the distance between the postal codes, and you can just put the corresponding stamps on it and send it out."

"Now that we have the postal code and account number, it will definitely be more and more convenient. I'm not just looking for trouble, as you said, to torment you in various ways..."

After explaining a lot to this person, he finally got a new house number for him. This kind of trivial work is his current task.

Those hereditary officials who did not do their job well and behaved rudely were transferred to the guards for training. Some hereditary officials were even considered unsuitable to stay in the capital and were transferred outside the capital.

So Qian Sheng was now quite patient, explaining things to the residents patiently, just like he had been trained by the police station. He did not dare to act impatiently or rudely because of his status.

After nailing down the sect number of this family, Qian Sheng was about to go to the next one when he suddenly saw a handsome young man standing at the entrance of the alley, looking at him with a smile.

Qian Sheng rubbed his eyes and couldn't believe it when he saw this handsome and tall man in front of him, with a completely different spirit and energy from before:
He really didn't expect that his nephew, who was thin and dull in his impression, would become like this in just a few months. Moreover, there was a faint aura of murderousness.

It was not until this man called him "Uncle" several times that Qian Sheng came back to his senses and pounded his chest and said:
"Good boy!"

"I haven't seen you for a few months. You've grown up so much."

"From the looks of you, you seem to be having a good time in the military camp, right?"

"The last time I went to see you, I saw Gu Yuanshi."

Qian Wu rubbed his chest and said to his uncle with a smile:

"That's how the military camp is, the drills are always there."

"I finally took a day off and came to see you right away."

"How is it? Is everything going well for Uncle's family during the reform of the garrison?"

"I heard from Gu Yuanshi that my uncle's family's hereditary position may be upgraded to a higher level."

Qian Sheng laughed and asked his officers and soldiers to continue to nail the house numbers. He took Qian Wu to the side and said:

"It's all thanks to our ancestors, not my own ability."

"Speaking of which, I have to thank Gu Yuanshi. If it weren't for his persuasion, I wouldn't have made up my mind."

"It just so happens that a deputy captain of our guard has been transferred away, so uncle is lucky to stay in Fuyu Guard."

"Speaking of which, being a deputy captain is really different from being a centurion. In the past, how could I, your uncle, command several centurions as my subordinates?"

Because of Gu Yanwu's persuasion, Qian Sheng wrote in great detail when reporting the contributions of his ancestors.

In addition, his ancestors had made enough contributions, so his hereditary position was promoted to Deputy Thousand Households. Also, because he was a hereditary official of the early days of the country, he was lucky enough to stay in Fuyuwei.

It can be said that Qian Sheng was very happy during this period. He was very grateful to Gu Yanwu and asked Qian Wu to thank him in person on his behalf after returning to the camp.

Qian Wu was also very happy and envious when he heard that his uncle's hereditary position had been promoted:
"The deputy commander is a baron!"

"If uncle goes to establish a fiefdom, he can own a territory of up to 100 miles."

"That's a place as big as a county, it can definitely be called Bailihou."

"Our Chief of Staff Zhang's family is only a hereditary hundred households, and we can only open up a territory of 20 li."

This is something they often talk about in the military camp.

As a new army under the Jinyiwei, most of the soldiers of the Yingyang Army came from the military households of the garrison, and the officers were promoted from them. Some also came from the hereditary official families of the Jinwuwei.

Most of them were of humble origins and had no hereditary official positions. They were very envious of those who had hereditary positions and longed to be promoted from hereditary sergeants to hereditary officers.

Qian Sheng didn't feel much about this, because his Fuyu Guard had quite a few hereditary officials, including dozens of commanders and thousand-householders.

As a deputy captain, he could only lead a few officers and sergeants to nail house numbers and assist the Jintaifang Police Station in its work.

But his nephew Qian Wu was different. Although he was only the lowest-level lieutenant of the ninth grade, he could be directly transferred to the deputy director because the Yingyang Army belonged to the Jinyiwei system.

So now he regards this nephew as his own connection.

Qian Wu’s status is not much lower than his now, and it can be foreseen that there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Looking at his handsome nephew, Qian Sheng said with a smile:

"The deputy commander of the capital city is actually just like that. He can only be allocated 200 acres of land."

"The three soldiers in your family own 150 acres of land in Zhuolu District, which is not much different from my uncle."

"Tell your father to come over when you have time, and let's walk around more."

"This is the address of my uncle's new home. Just write the number and send the letter over."

Qian Sheng told Qian Wu a string of numbers and their meanings, and asked him to write them down carefully so that he could come to his house to find him directly in the future.

He heard from the post office that armboard communication would be used for civilian purposes in the future, and this number would be very commonly used. Compared with a long list of addresses, it could save a lot of communication fees.

There is a boom communication tower between the capital and Zhuolu District. It will be available for civilian use in the future. The household registration number of Zhuolu District has also been determined, and it will be very convenient for the two families to communicate. Qian Wu didn't know much about this in the army, and after hearing it, he said:
"This is a good idea!"

"If there is an emergency at home in the future, we can communicate through this."

I plan to go back home when I have time to see if there is a number at home.
-
Qian Sheng then asked him:

"I have also heard this statement from Baili Hou from Gu Yuanshi."

"Because of this thought, uncle took the risk of being promoted to deputy captain."

"Do you think that if you go to the frontier to establish a fiefdom, you can really become a marquis of a hundred miles?"

Qian Wu is no longer completely ignorant. In the army, he often listens to the instructors explaining the court policies.

In particular, the current emperor's policy of enfeoffment was the focus of the instructor's preaching. Land and houses were awarded based on military merit and honor to encourage soldiers to make meritorious services.

So when Qian Wu heard his uncle ask, he immediately started talking:

"Bai Li Hou is real, and my nephew has seen it with his own eyes."

"The Duke of Jiangling in Liaodong is the great-grandson of Zhang Jiangling. He is the one who founded the Jiangling Principality."

"He's over there in Temple Street, but he's no different from the monarch of a country."

"Not only does he have soldiers under his command, but anyone who wants to cut down trees or reclaim land to build houses needs his approval—"

"The entire Temple Street area is the land of Jiangling Principality."

"Chief of Staff Zhang, who has a family relationship with his family, was quite envious of this."

"It is said that his greatest wish in life is to own a piece of territory as his inheritance, just like Lord Jiangling."

Qian Sheng had of course heard about Jiangling's public vassalage. He said:

"Temple Street is a good place. Uncle certainly knows that."

"It's a pity that such a place is not ours. The emperor has already allocated it to the royal family and nobles."

This was a common view among the hereditary officials of the garrisons. They did not think that as an ordinary hereditary official, they could compete with members of the royal family and nobles for fiefdoms.

This is also the reason why many hereditary officials are not enthusiastic about opening up fiefdoms.

But Qian Wu told him:

"Uncle is wrong."

"The Emperor will only grant the royal family and nobles the places that have been discovered. As for the places that have not been discovered before, it depends on each person's ability."

"The last time my nephew fought in the Khorchin tribe, he encountered a group of soldiers from Shaanxi."

"They are under the command of Gao Yingxiang of the Black Dragon Camp. They are now in the area of ​​Hailanpao on the north bank of the Heilongjiang River."

"That area has been allocated to them, and they can survive just by hunting and fishing."

"That Shaanxi guy said he wanted to move more of his fellow countrymen over there!"

Thinking of what the man said about the wealth of Hailanpao and the longing in his eyes, Qian Wu felt that if he ever got a title in the future, he would choose such a good place and move his poor fellow villagers there.

Qian Sheng had never expected that Gao Yingxiang would not only be given a title but also a fiefdom.

His impression of Gao Yingxiang is still that he is the bravest warrior in Shaanxi, one of the top four in horse fighting, and he heard that he was a horse thief.

I didn't expect that this man would become so successful in just two years. Now he owns land and soldiers and has established his own force.

Qian Sheng pondered over this matter and asked his nephew:
"Gao Yingxiang has soldiers and food, isn't the court worried?"

"He is not a quiet man. I heard that he used to be a horse thief!"

Qian Wu laughed and said:
"Uncle, you underestimate the imperial court."

"People like Gao Yingxiang might have been able to accomplish things in the past, but they definitely can't do that now."

"No matter how good he is at fighting on horseback, he can still be defeated with one shot."

"Besides, it's useless to have soldiers and food now. Soldiers need muskets and ammunition to be effective in fighting."

"What else does Hailanpao have besides land and people? How can we produce muskets and ammunition?"

"The Emperor will only complain that he has too few soldiers, he won't have any worries!"

Having trained with the new musket for several months, he had unparalleled confidence in it.

Not to mention that Gao Yingxiang is one of the top four cavalry warriors, even if Ji Jike, the world's number one warrior, was in front of him, he would have the confidence to have his soldiers concentrate their fire and defeat the enemy.

Therefore, he fully understood why the imperial court did not restrict forces like Gao Yingxiang, and even encouraged them to grow and allowed them to recruit refugees in Shaanxi.

Thinking about something the instructor mentioned, Qian Wudao:

"Uncle, have you heard that the emperor established the Tongzhou Arsenal to produce weapons for the nobles?"

"In the future, the strength of a fiefdom will depend not only on how many soldiers and food it has, but also on how many weapons it has."

"This year's weapons quota has been divided up by the British nobles, such as the Duke and the others. These nobles want to establish vassal states, so we should learn from them."

This undoubtedly moved Qian Sheng again, knowing that there must be a reason for the choices made by so many nobles.

However, the imperial court was so powerful that he was worried again.
"The imperial court is so powerful, will it tolerate the feudal lords in the future?"

"Even if we don't explicitly reduce the power of the vassal states, the kings of the frontier states at the beginning of the country don't have much power now."

Qian Wu laughed and said:
"So the emperor formulated the Ming Dynasty Enfeoffment Ceremony to ensure that the fiefdoms could be passed down."

"Even the emperor has promised to abide by this etiquette. Any edict that does not conform to the etiquette will be rejected by the six departments and the National Assembly's etiquette committee."

"I heard from Gu Yuanshi that the imperial court is preparing to give the vassal states the power to make laws, formulate basic laws based on the Ming Dynasty's etiquette and laws, and determine the Ming Dynasty's legal provisions to be implemented in the vassal states."

"The autonomy of the territory is not that great, but it can still make laws. From now on, the lord's orders will be the laws in the fiefdom."

These were all power guarantees for the fiefdom nobles, and soldiers who aspired to obtain fiefdoms kept them in mind.

Although Qian Wu is only a lieutenant now, he is confident that he can achieve more merits with the musket in his hand. Now he is already thinking about where to choose a fiefdom.

As someone who had been to Jiangling Principality, he wanted to choose a fiefdom in the north, preferably near Jiangling Principality.

However, his wife, who was a palace maid, said that the south had two or three crops a year, and the same area of ​​territory produced more than Liaodong, which had only one crop a year.

So he was still hesitant about this, not knowing whether to choose Liaodong, which he was familiar with, or to go south.

Of course, for him now, these are all delusions.

The one who could really develop the territory was his uncle who was unwilling to go to the wild land.

Even Gu Yanwu often lamented that these new soldiers were eager for titles, while those hereditary officials who could be converted into titles were reluctant to become landed nobles.

Qian Wu didn't want his uncle to miss the opportunity to become a landed noble, and he also wanted his uncle to explore the way to open up a landed territory. He tried his best to persuade his uncle to become a landed noble.

(End of this chapter)