I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 179 The First Step in Cultivating Nobles

Zhu Yijun returned to Xiyuan and went straight to Renshou Palace.

This place has been renovated and renamed Renshou Hall.

Emperor Jiajing has been living here since the fire in Wanshou Palace in the 39th year of Jiajing's reign, and Zhu Yijun has been with him here for more than four years.

After Emperor Jiajing passed away, Zhu Yijun inherited the Western Garden and ordered that Renshou Palace be renamed Renshou Hall. He also asked the Imperial Household Department to renovate and renovate it, turning it into a grand hall for worshiping the emperor.

Zhu Yijun put his hands in his sleeves and walked slowly into the hall.

The main hall was rebuilt according to the model of a Taoist temple hall, with few changes to the main structure. Mainly at the innermost part of the hall, the steps and the dragon throne were all removed, and a shrine was built. On the shrine hung a painting of Emperor Jiajing wearing a Taoist robe, a purple gold Taoist crown on his head, and white clouds under his feet, looking as if he were floating in the air.

Zhu Yijun knelt down and kowtowed three times to the painting.

Feng Bao brought a cushion and placed it in the middle. Zhu Yijun lifted his clothes, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.

He did not sit in meditation like Emperor Jiajing, but instead thought about the problem quietly.

Any power is meaningless if it is not used.

But he is very cautious about how to use his power.

In Zhu Yijun's view, the essence of power is actually to bring benefits to people or to impose punishments.

Grant wealth and honor to your descendants; or punish them and destroy their property, bringing disaster to their entire family.

The power that Zhu Yijun possessed was actually a derivative of the imperial power. It seemed supreme, but in fact, there were traces to follow. How to consolidate his power had actually been the theme that Zhu Yijun had been thinking about during this period.

The hereditary nobles, who lived and died together with the country, were actually natural allies of the imperial power. This was because everything they obtained came from the imperial power of the dynasty, which was completely different from the civil service group.

The power of the civil service group also comes from the imperial power, but not necessarily the imperial power of the current dynasty. When a new emperor comes, they help improve the national system and still enjoy wealth and glory.

So when the three generations of grandfather, grandson, father and son were admiring the moon in the Western Garden, when I said that civil servants were the emperor's greatest helpers and also his greatest opponents, the emperor's grandfather agreed.

Since he had the imperial power in his hands, if he wanted to fight against the powerful civil service group, he needed the support of the imperial power, besides instigating internal strife among them and destroying their unity.

The noble group is actually one of the best wings.

The civil service group was also aware of this, so during the Zhengtong period, the knowledgeable people among them took advantage of the opportunity and almost wiped out the noble group.

From Chenghua, Hongzhi, Zhengde, to the Jiajing Dynasty of my grandfather, several generations of emperors have been working hard to support the noble group. Unfortunately, the civil service group also followed suit.

The power of the noble group requires not only imperial power but also military merit. Only the combination of the two can suppress the civil service group.

Zhu Yijun opened his eyes and saw the smoke from the three incense sticks he had lit in the copper incense burner rising up and lingering in front of the portrait of his grandfather the emperor.

The Emperor had tried hard, but found that after he defeated a group of civil servants led by Yang Tinghe, he was fooled by another group of civil servants.

After angrily killing Xia Yan and others, the Emperor chose to lie down.

Due to historical limitations, the Emperor was unable to break free from the shackles and was still stuck in the same cycle.

Zhu Yijun squinted his eyes and looked at the portrait shrouded in smoke.

Grandpa Huang, I can do what you can't do.

After several years of preparation, the troops of Ji Liao Town and Xuan Da Shan Xi Town have been trained, and I have soldiers available.

Maritime transport has also begun to show results. The civil officials will no longer use the grain transport to hold me back. I have food and wages to use.

Now, I have to start the first and important step in the Northern Frontier plan.

Fight the Jurchens and take over the Northeast.

Grandfather Emperor, this is the strategy I have set. I will try to win over the old group of nobles and make them my foundation.

What is important is to foster a new group of nobles with outstanding military achievements through continuous foreign wars.

Only by combining the old and new noble groups can the foundation of the Ming Dynasty be stabilized, and their own power be ensured, and then in the years to come, they can promote deeper reforms that may intensify greater conflicts.

"Your Highness, Qi Jiguang has been ordered to wait at Xi'an Gate." Feng Bao walked in quietly, knelt down three feet behind him, and reported softly. "Come in. Well, I will wait for him at Dingbo Pavilion. I want to walk around the three seas with him and chat. Prepare lunch for me and him."

"Yes."

Zhu Yijun waited in Dingbo Pavilion for a while and saw Qi Jiguang hurried over under the leadership of Feng Bao.

He was wearing a bullfighting suit and a black hat. He took a step forward and knelt on the ground.

"Your Highness Qi Jiguang, the Marquis of Fengning, the Supreme General of the State, the Right Commander of the Front Army, and the Governor-General of the Military Affairs of the Capital Camp, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Yuan Jing, stand up." Zhu Yijun smiled and waved his hand, signaling Qi Jiguang to stand up.

"The scenery of the West Garden is nice. I am usually busy with military affairs and homework and have no time to watch. Today I am free, please accompany me for a walk and chat while enjoying the scenery."

Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

"Yuan Jing is a pillar of the court and a pillar of this palace. With you by my side, I feel that the sky will not fall down. I can rest assured."

Qi Jiguang was grateful for such respect and praise.

"Your Highness's trust, I am deeply grateful, and I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

Zhu Yijun put his hands in his sleeves and walked slowly along the tree-lined path by the lake.

Qi Jiguang followed behind, half a step behind.

Feng Bao, Fang Liang and others led the Jing troops to guard in front and behind.

"Haha, I don't want Yuan Jing to go through fire and water, as long as you don't blame me for holding you down and not letting you go to Liaodong."

Qi Jiguang quickly replied: "I dare not. But I was born in the countryside and have been on the battlefield for half my life. When I see a battle ahead, I can't bear it for a moment."

"The battle in Liaodong is just to deal with the Jurchens. Let Li Chengliang, Zhou Guotai and others do the fighting. Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? Yuan Jing, your opponent should be the Tumen Khan of Chahar!"

"I understand. I will definitely remember your highness's teachings, train my troops well, and be ready to follow your highness' orders and go out to attack Chahar."

Qi Jiguang was a well-rounded talent, capable of training soldiers and fighting wars. The key is that he was very knowledgeable about the ways of the world and the rules of officialdom. To put it bluntly, he was cautious, knew when to advance and when to retreat, and never boasted of his talent.

If used properly, he could be the Ming Dynasty version of Wei Qing.

"That's right. I request your permission to transfer you to be the military governor of the Beijing camp. In the next two or three years, your most important task will be to train the troops. The troops from the nine borders will be moved to the capital one by one and you will train them.

The soldiers of the nine frontiers are well trained and built into a steel Great Wall. Whether we are deploying troops in the northeast or conquering Chahar, we can act calmly and will not be unable to take care of the east and the west. "

"Yes, Your Highness, I will keep your words in mind. I will train the troops well after I return. I will train the soldiers in the nine borders and the soldiers in the capital camp at the same time."

The soldiers of the Beijing camp were trained together.

Zhu Yijun turned to look at Qi Jiguang and nodded with satisfaction.

sensible!

You know what I mean. The soldiers in the nine border areas must be well trained, and the soldiers in the capital camp must also be well trained, just like the new military camp, so that they can be good at fighting and only obey my orders.

"The Supervisory Office will open a military academy. In the Nine Frontiers and the Beijing Camp, not only the soldiers need to be trained, but also the military officers need to study hard. Nowadays, firearms are prevalent, and the cavalry and infantry are facing major tactical reforms. The Ming Dynasty's royal army must not only train new soldiers, but also new officers. Only in this way can it be called a new army.

Yuan Jing should go to the Military Academy to attend classes when he has time, and teach more useful talents."

"Yes."

"You are now also the director of the Military Affairs Office. You should also take care of the military affairs. You are a veteran of the battlefield. You not only know the military situation in the south, but also the situation in the north. You are better than those civil servants who only talk about military affairs on paper."

Zhu Yijun said slowly.

Previously, he discovered that there was a big flaw in the ancestral system established by Taizu. Now Zhu Yijun wanted to make up for this flaw, starting with Qi Jiguang.

(End of this chapter)