The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 312 The world is shocked
"Reconstruction of the Five Prefectures?"

Liaoyang City!
The seat of Liaodong Military Region!

During the Hongwu period, the imperial court established the Liaodong Commandery on the basis of the Dingliao Guard, with its seat in Liaoyang City.

Since then, Liaoyang has become the military and political center of Liaodong, independently assuming military and administrative responsibilities.

Liaodong Military Command also began to become the foundation and frontier for the Ming Dynasty to implement jurisdiction and military defense in the northeastern border.

Later, the imperial court built a total of thirteen citadels, including Liaoyang, on the basis of the old site of Liaodong, and built at least twenty-seven new fortresses.

These towns extended eastward from Shanhaiguan, passing through the three cities of Guangning, Haizhou and Liaoyang, and then turned to Kaiyuan and Tieling in the northeast and the northern bank of the Yalu River in the southeast. Together with the three cities of Jin, Fu and Gai on the coast of southern Liaoning, they formed a siege on the entire Liaodong area.

Below the town city, there are the citadel, the fortress, and the fortress from top to bottom, each with its own function. Towns and cities of all sizes are often located at key points of military defense, with more than a thousand soldiers stationed there. The number of soldiers stationed there, several times the surface area, can provide more powerful support in times of military emergency while maintaining a strong degree of flexibility.

By the Yongle period, the imperial court had formed a military structure in Liaodong consisting of Kaiyuan Town, Liaoyang Town and Guangning Town, and the garrisons covered the entire area of ​​Liaodong.

At this time, it was the official office of Liaodong Town.

Han Fu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, looked at Mao Lun, the deputy commander-in-chief beside him, with a look of horror.

After all, the reconstruction of the five prefectures is an earth-shaking event, enough to change the current political landscape of the Ming Dynasty.

Han Fu was a native of Dingliao Zhongwei. When he came of age, he inherited his father's position as the commander of Dongsheng Youwei. Later, he was transferred to Liaodong and was selected to be in charge of Ningyuanwei affairs.

The area of ​​Liaodong was never peaceful.

Although Emperor Yongle was wise and brave throughout his life, he made a wrong decision, which was to abolish the Daningdusi.

During the Jingnan Campaign, the Three Guards of Doyan became mercenaries of Prince of Yan Zhu Di, and made great achievements for him in his conquests. Therefore, after Prince of Yan Zhu Di seized the throne, considering that he himself was a vassal king who rebelled to seize the world, he moved all the kings of the frontier inland, including Prince Ning, whose fief was in Daning. As a result, the important town of Daning became a vacant land. Emperor Yongle was unwilling to spend money and food to restore Daning, and simply awarded this place to the Three Guards of Doyan as a grazing land to reward them for their merits!
The reason why Daning Guard is so important is that it can contain Mongolia in the north and the Jurchens in Liaodong at the same time, and it can also serve as a buffer zone of the Great Wall to prevent the war from spreading to the interior. This is definitely an effect of one plus one being greater than two.

Gu Yanwu once commented on the significance of Daning Garrison to the northeastern border defense of the Ming Dynasty in "The Book of Advantages and Disadvantages of Counties and States in the World" (this book has a very detailed record of the military geography, dangerous places, and garrisons of the Ming Dynasty, and is an important reference for Ming history): "Daning is located more than 100 miles north of Zunhua. Along Shanhaiguan, you can reach Dushikou in Xuanfu. Everything outside the wall is its territory. Dushikou, Shanhaiguan, and Daning are all 700 miles away from the capital. In the early years of the country, the three garrisons of Gu, Ning, and Liao were established to protect the northeast. It was a profound strategy." This shows the importance of Daning.

After Zhu Di succeeded in his campaign of pacifying the rebellion, he relocated the Daning Guard to Baoding Prefecture in the first year of the Yongle reign. All the guards under its jurisdiction were also relocated or abolished. From then on, the Daning Regional Military Commission, which had been in operation for twelve years from the Hongwu reign to the Yongle reign, was abandoned and later occupied by nomadic peoples, becoming a paradise for foreign cavalry to roam freely.

But Zhu Di's withdrawal of Daning Guards drove a nail into the Ming Dynasty's collective heart, because it was tantamount to exposing the Ming Dynasty's northern defense line to the enemy, and foreign invaders could march straight down to harass the north at any time. Facts have proved that once Daning was lost, the Ming Dynasty's first northern border defense line became the Nine Border Guards. The Ming Dynasty's defense forces were forced to retreat to the south of the Great Wall, and thus completely lost the initiative to go out of the border. The Nine Border Great Wall has since become a place where the barbarians of the grasslands point their spearheads. The Nine Borders were raging, and the barbarians repeatedly went south to plunder and harass. The Ming Dynasty's border defense was under even greater pressure, so that the military expenditure on the Nine Borders alone was a terrifying astronomical figure every year!

It was because of this that the enemies invaded the country in the Zhengtong Jisi and Jiajing Gengwu years. Not only was the harassment by Mongolian tribes in the middle of the Ming Dynasty related to this, but the most tragic thing was the rise of the Jianzhou Jurchens in the late Ming Dynasty. Even until the demise of the Ming Dynasty, this area had been very weak.

Since the Battle of Tumu, when the Oirat students completely wiped out the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty went from prosperity to decline and no longer had the strength to go out of the border to clear up the northern desert. The Oirat Tatars also took advantage of the situation to rise, and went south to plunder, harass, and invade the border all year round.

In order to resist the threat from the northern barbarians, the Ming Dynasty court had to invest heavily in money and grain, focusing on garrisoning the northern border. As a result, military expenditures accounted for more than half of all the financial expenditures of the entire Ming Dynasty for a long time. At its highest point, military expenditures accounted for as much as 70% or even 80%!

What is this concept?
Most of a country's tax revenue is used for border defense construction, and only a small half is left for the development of people's livelihood. It would be strange if the people of the Ming Dynasty did not have a hard life!

Emperor Yongle abolished the Daning Regional Military Commission, and the Nine-Border Great Wall defense line suffered. The Ming Dynasty would lose this strategic location forever, and it also laid the seeds for a terrible disaster!
The first to be hit is Liaodong!
Because the Daning Regional Military Commission was not only the first line of defense for the Ming Dynasty against the southward advance of Mongolia, but also the northern barrier against the eastward advance of the Mongolian barbarians into Liaodong!
If the Yongle court abandoned the Daning area, the Mongolian barbarians could invade the Liaoxi Corridor at any time. As the "first of the nine borders" of the Ming Dynasty, the Liaodong region was of decisive significance to the northern security of the Ming Dynasty. The Liaoxi Corridor, with Guangning City as its core, is backed by mountains and faces the sea, with undulating hills and dangerous terrain. It is an important channel connecting the inside and outside of Shanhaiguan. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, it has always been a must-pass place for military strategists to conquer!

Yongle abolished the Daningdusi!

Daning has become a paradise for the barbarians on the grassland!
The barbarians could not go south to plunder because the Ming army had strengthened the nine border defense lines!

What would the barbarians of the grassland do?
Head southeast into Liaodong!
The situation in Liaodong is already complicated, with a large number of Mongolian and Jurchen barbarians in the territory!
Therefore, after the Yongle court handed over Daning to the barbarians on the grassland, Liaodong lost its northern barrier, and the Liaoxi Corridor would face the threat of foreign barbarians from then on, which was extremely painful.

The Ming Dynasty's decline began after Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne. Court officials formed cliques for personal gain, eunuchs monopolized power, and persecuted loyal officials, causing the border to be abandoned. At the same time, the Mongolian and Jurchen tribes in the north became increasingly powerful. In the 14th year of Zhengtong, Yesen's Oirat army defeated Emperor Yingzong's army and forced the emperor to "hunt north", resulting in the famous "Tumu Incident" in history.

After the Tumu Incident, all foreign races saw the weakness of the Ming Dynasty and no longer had any awe or respect for it.

There were frequent looting and harassment, and the war in Liaodong never stopped.

Han Fu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, was a rare famous general in the middle period of the Ming Dynasty. He fought on the battlefield for decades and won every battle. He was especially good at defeating a larger force with a smaller one. In addition to being proficient in various military books and being good at using troops, Han Fu also summoned all the generals to carefully study the battle plan before each battle. Even if ordinary soldiers had suggestions, he would listen attentively and fight after careful planning, so he was invincible.

Under his governance, Liaodong was able to temporarily stabilize the situation in the face of increasingly arrogant foreign barbarians.

Mao Lun was born in the Beijing Guards, so as the deputy general he was naturally the emperor's man. It was also the court's custom for him to come to assist Han Fu.

Therefore, Han Fu still respected Mao Lun very much. Generally, the two of them would discuss things together and they got along very well.

Mao Lun was not panicked at all at this moment because he had already received inside information.

"No need to worry, General."

"This is the result of the Marquis of Zhongshan suppressing the ministers in the court."

When mentioning Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao, Mao Lun's eyes were full of fanaticism.

"The reconstruction of the five prefectures is naturally a good thing for our border troops."

"At least in the future, when we report our military achievements and ask for money, food and supplies, there will be people in the court who will speak for us and protect us, so we won't have to face difficulties from the civil officials and gentry like before!"

When Han Fu heard this, he nodded with a smile.

He has been stationed in Liaodong for nearly twenty years and has been the commander-in-chief for almost ten years. It is hard to describe the bitterness and pain he has experienced.

He had to deal with the chaotic situation in Liaodong and also cope with the difficulties from the imperial court. God knows how he got through these years!
Those damned civil officials and gentry were eager to dismiss these soldiers from the Nine Frontiers. They found ways to withhold military pay and food, and repeatedly accused the soldiers from the Nine Frontiers of falsely reporting military merits and embezzling salaries!
In fact, if there were no these men from the nine borders stationed at the national border to resist those damn Mongols and Jurchens, how would you damn gentry and officials have the time and energy to pursue pleasure and indulge in pleasure?
However, the power of the government was previously in the hands of civil officials and gentry. After a lot of effort, a relatively wise Emperor Chenghua emerged, but he did not live long. The successor to the throne, the leader of the Ming Dynasty's revival, did an even better thing. He directly changed the payment of grain to the payment of silver, which was tantamount to a severe stab in the heart of the military and civilians in the nine border areas!

Because of the good things done by Emperor Hongzhi, countless soldiers and civilians in the nine border areas have starved to death or frozen to death over the years, and even more have died at the hands of the barbarians' cavalry!
But they still have to endure the harassment and scolding from civil officials and gentry, and the rewards they deserve are repeatedly reduced!
Resentment, dissatisfaction, anger... have long been filling the nine border military towns, and mutinies among officers and soldiers are even more frequent!
Han Fu himself was almost losing hope in this court. He had no idea how long such a court could last. Even if it didn't perish now, it would perish sooner or later.

Until now, the Ming Dynasty Zhongshan Marquis suddenly appeared. He not only trained the increasingly declining Beijing Army into elite combat troops, but also led his troops to the sea to directly destroy Japan. Now he is even overwhelming the court to rebuild the five prefectures, allowing soldiers all over the world to see the hope of promotion!

Tang Hao, Marquis of Zhongshan, is truly the hope for military honors!
"In addition to rebuilding the five prefectures, Marquis Tang also proposed some reward measures for the border soldiers of the nine border military towns. I think it won't be long before the court's official documents are issued!"

Mao Lun sighed and said in admiration: "If it weren't for the action of the Marquis of Zhongshan, forcing the court to restore the ancestral system and change the payment of silver to grain, those merchants would have returned to farming again, and the lives of the military and civilians would have finally been better. I'm afraid the situation in Liaodong would have collapsed long ago!"

This is the fact, the importance of merchants is fully reflected at this moment.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the policy of paying taxes to open up China was implemented. In order to make profits, merchants chose to cultivate land in the nine border military towns. In this way, the grain could be directly delivered to the border towns after the harvest, without having to bear the loss of long-distance transportation. After obtaining relevant certificates, they would give them to the partners who were responsible for dealing with the salt fields. They could also make profits through this process, but the biggest beneficiaries were undoubtedly the military and civilians in the nine borders.

Because merchants would bring liquidity and become a channel of communication between the Nine Borders and the interior, whether it was food, drink, or clothing, or the furs of cattle, sheep, horses, and other animals obtained by the Nine Border Military Towns from foreign barbarians, they could all be traded with merchants to subsidize household expenses.

In addition, the most important thing is of course the farming. During the period of grain tax collection, because merchants farmed in the nine border military towns, the food needs of the nine border military towns were undoubtedly ensured, and the grain prices in the nine borders were also stabilized within a certain price, so the soldiers and civilians did not have to worry about food.

However, when Emperor Hongzhi changed the payment of grain to payment of silver, merchants could get salt permits by directly paying silver to the Ministry of Revenue. Naturally, they would no longer cultivate land. Merchants withdrew completely and the nine border commercial settlements were abandoned. Food became a problem that the military and civilians in the nine borders had to face. Even if there were still caravans transporting food from the inland for profit, the cost of loss along the way was included, and the price of food in the nine border military towns skyrocketed by several times. How could ordinary soldiers and civilians afford it?
Therefore, countless people starved to death or froze to death, all because of the leader who restored the Ming Dynasty!
How can you claim to be the leader of a revived country? How can you claim to be a sage ruler?
Han Fu did mention one thing, and said with hope on his face: "It is said that this time when Lord Tang pacified Japan, he used two kinds of sharp firearms, one is the Rumi gun, and the other is the three-eyed gun. I wonder if our Nine Frontiers..."

"Don't worry, General!" Mao Lun said with a smile: "This matter has been put on the agenda!"

"His Majesty the Emperor personally ordered Lord Tang to reform all the major ironworks. The steel produced after the reform is of the highest quality, and the output is extremely astonishing!"

"They will be given priority to the soldiers of the Nine Frontiers and the Navy. In addition, there are also major ironworks in Japan. The firearms produced by the Japanese ironworks will also be given priority to our Liaodong military town!"

Hearing this, Han Fu could no longer contain his joy and his face turned red with excitement.

"Mr. Tang is truly our savior!"

"If we can get these excellent firearms, maybe we can get rid of this disadvantageous situation where we are passively beaten!"

"That's right!" Mao Lun said with a smile: "This three-barreled gun is not only suitable for the navy to go to sea for war, but also more suitable for our Ming cavalry. As long as the cavalry equipment is used skillfully, then even if we face the Mongolian barbarians and the Jurchen barbarians, we will be able to fight!"

The two discussed the matter excitedly and were full of hope for the future of Liaodong Town.

But the impact of the reconstruction of the five prefectures did not stop there, it soon spread to the nine border military towns.

All the soldiers learned the name of a man, the Marquis of Zhongshan of the Ming Dynasty, Tang Hao!

His blood boiled even more because of his oath!

I will not be granted the title of Duke until I defeat the Northern Barbarians!
Ningwang Mansion, Nanchang, Jiangxi.

Li Dongyang sat in the room with a grim expression.

Prince Ning stood quietly aside, waiting for the gentleman's instruction.

Li Dongyang has been in the Ning Wang Mansion for such a long time, and he has not done nothing. For example, he has subdued the Ning Wang's son and made him obey his orders.

It is very interesting to say that King Ning Zhu Chenhao had four sons, but none of them were named.

Because Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that it was the emperor's right to name the descendants of princes, and he himself could not name them. Zhu Chenhao did not want to let the emperor decide. He wanted to have this power himself, so he did not apply for his son, but planned to name his son himself after seizing the throne.

Therefore, only the Prince of Ning in front of him requested the court to officially name him in order to obtain the title of Prince, but there was no need to do so, and everyone was just honored with the title of Prince.

"Prince, Tang Hao really took action!"

"The five prefectures are being rebuilt, and the rise of military generals and nobles is unstoppable!"

"Then when the military generals and nobles are strong enough to compete with the civil officials and gentry, I am afraid that will be the day when your Ning clan will face great disaster!"

Hearing this, Prince Ning's face gradually turned pale.

Of course the prince was well aware of what his father Zhu Chenhao had done. Any one of them could prove that Zhu Chenhao had long been rebellious and attempted treason!
And the most crucial thing is that His Majesty the Emperor seems to be blind and deaf. No matter how the civil officials and gentry advise him, he ignores them. What does His Majesty the Emperor want to do?
It was not until Li Dongyang told the prince a word that the prince finally realized it.

Praise!

That’s right, His Majesty the Emperor is praising his father Zhu Chenhao to death.

He deliberately appointed his father Zhu Chenhao as the Minister of Guanglu Temple, deliberately let his father Zhu Chenhao bribe court officials to make friends, and deliberately let his father Zhu Chenhao prepare for rebellion...

The emperor did all this, on the one hand, because he wanted his father Zhu Chenhao to fight with the civil officials and gentry, so that he could sit on the mountain and watch the fight; on the other hand, it was to purge those people with disloyal intentions in the court, and take advantage of Prince Ning's rebellion to carry out a major purge of the court!

So, no matter what, Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao was dead.

Prince Ning didn't know what to do.

He could only look at Li Dongyang, this famous scholar in the world, with hope on his face.

"Please help me, sir!"

"The rebellion was all done by my father alone. We have no intention of rebelling!"

Li Dongyang forced a smile upon hearing this, and then fell into deep thought.

By the same token, Zhu Chenhao is now trapped in a dead end without knowing it, so the next one could be Li Dongyang!

The emperor and that damned Marquis Zhongshan deliberately appointed Li Dongyang as the Chief Clerk of the Ning Palace. Once the emperor feels that the time has come to settle accounts with Zhu Chenhao, Li Dongyang, the Chief Clerk of the Palace, will undoubtedly die, and his property may even be confiscated and his clan may be exterminated!

Therefore, Li Dongyang also had to find a way to save himself. He didn't want to be confiscated and exterminated along with that idiot Zhu Chenhao!

But how to save yourself?
Zhu Chenhao is still madly courting death!

All the civil and military officials in the court knew about his evil ambition to rebel!

So no matter what, Zhu Chenhao will definitely die in the end!

The day when military generals and nobles rise to power is the day when Zhu Chenhao will be liquidated!

After much thought, Li Dongyang could only think of this one solution.

The key to breaking the deadlock does not lie in him, but in the Prince of Ning in front of him!
But before that, Li Dongyang still wanted to fight back.

The dog emperor Zhu Houzhao and Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao not only want him to die, but also want to confiscate his property and exterminate his entire clan!
This is no longer just a matter of political disagreement; it's a life-and-death feud!

All of Li Dongyang's relatives died in this life, and many of his clansmen were killed or exiled by the dog emperor because of their land annexation!

Since he couldn't move the dog emperor, Li Dongyang could only choose to take revenge on Marquis Zhongshan!
"My Lord, if you want to stay alive and protect your entire family, you must do as I say!"

"Your Highness, please remember this is a must!"

(End of this chapter)