The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Jiang Gui looked at Pan Yun with eyes full of admiration.

The military households she described were exactly what he had envisioned, but had never been able to achieve, nor could they ever be.

Jiang Gui also came from a military household.

From a young age, his grandfather and father would tell him about the future, saying that these were promises made by Emperor Taizu Gaozu.

But in reality, each generation is worse than the last.

He and his father both started school at the age of six, began learning martial arts and weapons at the age of eight, and began training in the Thousand Households at the age of fourteen. At the age of sixteen, they could choose to join the army, continue their studies for the imperial examinations, or leave home to do business.

Jiang Gui is the second son, and his elder brother is definitely going to join the army.

He had already decided to take the imperial examination, but before he could achieve anything, his elder brother died on the battlefield.

His family members were all good-looking, strong, handsome, and skilled in both literature and martial arts, so they were always selected to serve as garrison troops.

If one dies, another must be selected to enlist.

Jiang Gui had no choice but to give up the imperial examination and join the army.

Jiang Gui never thought there was anything wrong with this. Although his family had always been enlisting in the army, they also enjoyed the preferential treatment of soldiers.

He was exempt from taxes and corvée labor. He received military pay, and his family's farmland was also exempt from paying military rations because of his share of the military service.

As he rose through the ranks, the garrison's thousand-household unit dared not bully the Chiang family any further.

But other companies weren't so lucky.

As more and more superiors embezzled salaries without actually working, the pay of ordinary soldiers was reduced, while the amount of grain that military households who settled in the fields had to pay also increased accordingly.

Ten years ago, the enrollment age for children at the military academy had already been raised from six to seven years old, and now it has been expanded to eight years old.

Ten years ago, the average age of graduating from school dropped to fifteen, and now it has dropped to fourteen.

This means that in twenty years, the average years of education for military households' children decreased from ten to six years.

Everyone said he was a roughneck who only knew how to charge into battle and could at most lead 10,000 troops into battle. He had no potential to be a general, let alone the ability to manage local military and political affairs.

Only he himself knew that Wang Zhen was arrogant and domineering, and that he could only keep his many ideas about the military system to himself.

Especially when his superior, Wang Ji, was ambiguous in his attitude, moving between Wang Zhen, the civil officials, and the military generals.

But now, Pan Yun has appeared, and what's even more amazing is that he has obtained the position of Guangdong Military Commander.

Jiang Gui knew clearly that he did not have Wang Ji's abilities; he could not control the degree of maneuvering among the three parties, nor did he have the ability to balance or fight against them.

Therefore, he had no choice but to choose one side to rely on.

From Beijing to Guangdong, he thought it over all the way, and finally made a firm choice to choose Pan Yun.

This is also something I learned from my superior, Wang Ji.

Military merits are capable, but the current system of military colonies is being suppressed, and in some places it is almost broken, which is due to the excessive greed of some military merits and generals.

Jiang Gui was not like Zhu Mian and others; he understood this in his heart, but because he was concerned about saving face, he refused to admit it and dared not say it outright.

If we cooperate with Wu Xun, the final result will definitely be to become complicit in corruption.

Cooperation with the civil officials and those of the "pure stream" was even more impossible, as there was a natural conflict between the civil and military officials.

Wang Ji was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), but after becoming a military officer, he was still attacked by the Qingliu faction, who wished they could exterminate his entire family. How could a military officer from a military household stand with them?
Not to mention the righteous faction would tear him apart, the military faction would probably also want to shred him to pieces.

He knew clearly that he was a military officer and a member of a military household, and his interests were naturally aligned with those of the other military households; their most fundamental interests remained unchanged.
Jiang Gui's gaze fell on Pan Yun.

She was the only exception.

She seemed to have taken Wang Zhen's place, but she didn't abuse her power like Wang Zhen. Wasn't Wang Ji able to persist in the Battle of Luchuan and achieve great success precisely because he had Wang Zhen's support all along?

He had always been by Wang Ji's side, so he knew more about him.

Wang Ji appeared to rely on Wang Zhen, but in reality, he relied on the emperor behind Wang Zhen.

Therefore, after Wang Zhen got into trouble, he was affected, but not significantly. He not only saved his life, but also preserved the military achievements he had earned through countless battles.

Since he didn't have Wang Ji's ability to travel between three places, he chose to seek refuge with someone else.

A general must be loyal to his ruler.

Like Wang Zhen, Pan Yun had the emperor standing behind him.

The difference is that Pan Yun does not have Wang Zhen's worldly desires and arrogance, and today, her vision for the military households and the future of the Ming Dynasty, as well as her current worries, are 80% the same as his.

Isn't this an unexpected delight?
Without a second thought, Jiang Gui immediately surrendered to Pan Yun.

On this small hillside, the two sat on a rock and determined the future direction of the military system.

At this time, Jiang Gui was just a newly appointed military commander, and he naturally could not decide the future direction of the military system.

But what if the Ming Dynasty takes Guangdong as an example in the future?
Pan Yun reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, applying slight pressure, and said, "Only when they see results will what we want to achieve be seen."

Jiang Gui looked up at her intently and solemnly said, "I will certainly live up to the expectations of the Imperial Preceptor."

Pan Yun: "This is also what His Majesty hopes for."

Jiang Gui: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Pan Yun said he would relay this message to the emperor.

Because of Jiang Gui's defection, Pan Yun generously gave him a sum of embezzled money, allowing him to quickly establish himself in Guangdong.

To this end, she specially changed her itinerary and took him on a tour of various prefectures in Guangdong, appearing in person to help him win over the hearts and minds of his troops.

Xue Shao did not go with them. He parted ways with the two in Chaozhou Prefecture. Before leaving, he gave Pan Yun a deep look and reminded him: "Military power is a double-edged sword. It can be relied upon, but it can also harm people."

Then he took Xijin and rode away to continue his patrol.

Pan Yun stood there and watched him walk away until his figure disappeared. Only then did Pan Yun turn around and call Jiang Gui to walk together.

Jiang Gui breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Shao was a civil official, and he was quite afraid that Pan Yun would be persuaded by him and distance himself from the military officials.

Pan Yun would certainly not stay away from military officers.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. While civil administration is important, military power is equally important. Whoever controls the military controls the initiative.

Of course, Pan Yun had no intention of vying for power. She simply wanted to accumulate merit and do something so that the people would remember her good deeds and worship her or her master when they had free time.

She consolidated military power on behalf of the emperor.

However, the officials in the capital did not think so, especially the civil officials.

When Pan Yun interfered in the military and political affairs of Guangdong, their vigilance increased sharply. When they learned that the emperor had rejected the several candidates for commanders proposed by Yu Qian and instead selected Jiang Gui, their vigilance reached its peak.

Yu Qian remained calm, but the others were not as composed and came to him to complain.

The Imperial Advisor is trying to become the next Wang Zhen.

"Back then, Wang Zhen was the same. He was initially virtuous and gentle, taking Zheng Gong as his role model. But once he gained power, he stopped pretending and directly interfered in state affairs."

Yu Qian lowered his eyes and remained silent. He firmly believed that Pan Yun was not that kind of person, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with his judgment. (End of Chapter)