Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 792 New Army
When Liu Jian returned to the cabinet, Xu Pu had just met with Qin Chang.

The two sat down, and Liu Jian told Xu Pu about what he had discussed with Ye Qi.

Xu Pu was slightly surprised: "Vice Minister Ye is extremely disappointed with his performance since taking office as Vice Minister of Revenue, and has even considered resigning? Perhaps it is related to the transfer of money and grain from the capital to the south a couple of days ago... In addition to the batch transferred from the capital, I heard that a large amount of grain will also be transferred from Huguang, Zhejiang and other places to the Yellow River to prepare for disaster relief and river repair."

Liu Jian asked, "So that means Ye Qi didn't raise all this money and supplies, which is why he's so frustrated?"

“Without His Majesty’s help, what can even a Vice Minister of Revenue do?” Xu Pu seemed to understand Ye Qi’s predicament.

However, he attributed all of this to the emperor's favoritism towards Zhang Luan.

The emperor only helped his father-in-law and not Ye Qi, which made it difficult for Ye Qi to advance in his post.

Disappointed, Ye Qi ultimately chose to resign and leave.

Liu Jian said, "When I saw him, from his tone, he didn't seem to have any resentment towards the Emperor or the Emperor's father-in-law."

You said Ye Qi was disheartened and disappointed because the emperor didn't help him, but what I heard was that Ye Qi felt his abilities were far inferior to Zhang Luan's, which is why he wanted to leave.

Otherwise, why would Ye Qi say that it's so important to care whether Zhang Laizhan is a relative of the emperor? And why would he speak up for Zhang Luan, saying that Zhang Luan is more suitable for the position of Vice Minister of Revenue?
Only someone who truly feels inferior to others in skill would express such a sentiment.

If he was forced to leave, Ye Qi would never make excuses for his opponent.

Xu Pu said, "Let's not talk about that... Let's deal with the immediate problem first. His Majesty is preparing to transfer 6,000 troops from the Beijing Garrison for concentrated firearms training."

"Did they draw them from the Shenji Battalion?"

Liu Jian asked.

"No."

Xu Pu said, “Your Majesty means that the firearms used by the Shenji Battalion soldiers are relatively traditional and outdated. They are already used to those firearms, so it is not appropriate to train them to use new firearms. Therefore, Your Majesty means to train a new army.”

Liu Jian asked, puzzled, "What is Your Majesty's intention in doing this? Even if you want to equip the army with new firearms, you shouldn't do it this way."

Xu Pu said, "I think His Majesty wants to build an army that he can deploy at any time. There is already a preliminary plan, which is probably based on the Tengxiang Four Guards, and will also include the Jingjun and the 3,000 battalion of troops in the capital. Perhaps some people will also be drawn from the Jinyiwei."

"This is……"

Liu Jian thought to himself, "Judging from what you've said, it sounds like a ragtag army."

It doesn't look like something that can be deployed to the front lines; it's just a hodgepodge.

Xu Pu said: "According to what Eunuch Qin conveyed, military matters should not be too rigid. As the saying goes, water has no constant shape and soldiers have no constant tactics. We should organize the army in a way that can better stimulate its combat effectiveness."

"In other words, if it proves to be effective, this system will be gradually implemented throughout the military. It is also because there are not enough new firearms at present that it cannot be fully promoted yet."

Liu Jian asked, "Ah, so you mean that once more new firearms are manufactured, the entire army will need to be equipped with them? How much of a fiscal surplus would be needed to support the army's needs?"

Liu Jian did not deny the combat effectiveness of the new firearms.

In fact, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the Tatars have never been able to pose a substantial threat to the Ming border. The two sides have been on the offensive and defensive, and the two sides have been relatively peaceful, which is entirely due to the Ming side's firearms.

If this had happened in the Song Dynasty, where firearms were relatively underdeveloped... the consequences are unimaginable.

However, that is also the problem.

The equipment and maintenance of firearms require ample financial support. This is different from simply equipping someone with a knife and a bow and arrow to be sent to the front lines. The imperial court's annual expenditure on gunpowder, cannonballs, and horses to pull the cannons would be astronomical.

Moreover, the financial expenditure is even greater now that firearms need to be improved, as well as the equipment, training, and routine maintenance of the new firearms need to be completed.

Liu Jian suddenly realized that the new emperor was a lot like his father; neither of them knew how to manage a household and they were always indulging in unrealistic dreams.

How come I didn't notice any such tendency in him when he was in the Eastern Palace? But once he became emperor, he started spending money extravagantly?

Oh no, it must be Zhang Laizhan who corrupted the emperor.

Xu Pu said, "If we want to oppose this matter, we must firmly uphold the position of our civil officials and find more reasons to prove that it is not feasible. Otherwise, His Majesty will remain obstinate, and simple persuasion will probably not be very effective."

The young emperor has already been poisoned by the Zhang family father and son.

With the development of new firearms and the training of new troops, the next step might be for the emperor to personally lead an expedition, emulating Emperor Chengzu by leading a large army into the grasslands.

Liu Jian nodded and said, "Nowadays, the court is mostly composed of upright and incorruptible old ministers, so it's not impossible to persuade His Majesty to give up. The most important thing is to win the support of those military merits."

In his view, relying solely on civil officials was no longer very effective.

The emperor was so captivated by the grand plans painted by the Zhang family father and son that it became unbelievable, and he even developed a blind optimism.

Xu Pu said, "You should make contact on this matter and try to get the military officials in the court to stand on our side."

……

……

What the cabinet duo didn't know was that the emperor had already received a promise from Wu Xun.

Before preparing to train the new army, Zhu Youcheng naturally considered gaining the support of the princes and nobles in the capital.

Because the Duke of Baoguo had been given the opportunity to make a name for himself at Piantou Pass, others also hoped to gain the support of the new emperor and continue their family's glory.

When they learned that the emperor intended to train a new army, they not only did not object, but many even took the initiative to try to become generals in the new army, including Zhang Mao, the Duke of Ying.

"Lord Zhang personally donned his armor and said that he would be going to the drill ground in the next few days to participate in the artillery drills, adding that serving the country was his lifelong wish."

Qin Chang smiled and reported this good news to the emperor.

Amidst widespread opposition to the new army in the court, Zhu Youcheng, with the support of military officials, directly put the training of the new army into practice.

In addition to training a new army based on the Tengxiang Four Guards, military officers from other regions were also dispatched to Beijing to receive training in muskets and artillery. Even officers from remote areas such as Liaodong, Gansu, and Ningxia were rotated to Beijing to receive formal training.

When this decision was conveyed to the court by imperial decree, the ministers were all furious.

He didn't mention it at all during the court session, but suddenly issued an edict after the session ended, leaving no room for discussion among the court officials.

Minister of War Yu Zijun went directly to Wang Shu, and through Wang Shu, the two of them went together to pay a visit to Grand Secretary Xu Pu. The gist of the matter was that they wanted Xu Pu to represent the civil officials in rejecting the emperor's edict and forcing the emperor to rescind his decision.

"His Majesty only ordered the Tengxiang Four Guards to conduct firearms training."

Xu Pu had risen to a high position as a lecturer to the Crown Prince, so how could he dare to directly offend the emperor? He could only patiently explain, "Your Majesty has not used any of the funds and grain reserves in the capital, nor has it increased any additional expenditures, nor has it affected the military defenses of the nine border regions... It would be difficult to reject this matter."

Wang Shu and Yu Zijun intuitively believed that Xu Pu had known about it beforehand, and that the so-called joint opposition to the emperor's training of a new army might just be a smokescreen.

Of course, Xu Pu felt very wronged because he had never conspired with the emperor and wholeheartedly opposed the emperor's series of rash actions.

But circumstances forced him to side with the emperor.

Wang Shu asked, "Is there any possibility of reversing this decision?"

Xu Pu asked, "Your Highness, if this were to happen in another place, such as Nanjing, and the imperial court ordered an increase in daily training, would it be necessary to go to such great lengths to build a Shenji Battalion from scratch?"

Wang Shu was speechless for a moment.

If this were happening elsewhere, it seems there would be no real fuss; whatever the emperor said was law, and even a mere eunuch could resolve the issue. Looking back, that was during the Chenghua reign… Emperor Chenghua was stubborn and self-willed, and for many years he didn't communicate with his ministers in court. At that time, the ministers were practically figureheads, having no right to object in such matters.

Right now, they hope that the new emperor will respect their opinions enough and not cause trouble for the military and political affairs of the Ming Dynasty, especially in relatively sensitive areas such as the capital region.

Xu Pu said, "If some things cannot be stopped, then it might be better to wait until problems arise during the process before calling a halt, rather than constantly advising against them now. After all, His Majesty will not turn back until he sees results or negative consequences."

The implication is that the emperor has now gone mad and is opposing him, which could very well push him to adopt the same ruthless attitude as the late emperor, who showed no regard for family ties.

We simply felt that His Majesty was more obedient and well-behaved when he was the Crown Prince, but we did not say that he must also abide by etiquette after becoming Emperor. Therefore, now that this has happened, we in the cabinet and the imperial academy system will not directly confront the Emperor.

Yu Zijun said, "What I want to know now is how this newly formed army will exist? Will it be used for the defense of the capital region or for the northwest border?"

He wanted to ask, whose orders does this new army actually listen to?
After the Jingtai era, the Ministry of War, which was led by civil officials, finally obtained the authority to mobilize troops. Would it be returned to the emperor and the Five Military Commissions?

The emperor established a new army on his own, and even seemed to intend to sideline the Ministry of War. After all, we can see that the emperor planned to rely on this new army and cultivate it as his own elite force.

Xu Pu said, "Then... is it possible that His Majesty intends to transfer someone to the Ministry of War to command the troops nationwide?"

"Zhang Laizhan?"

Yu Zijun asked curiously.

Xu Pu shook his head. He made his own assumptions but did not explain them in detail.

However, this also indirectly tells Yu Zijun that, at least for now, the positions of the six ministers are likely to change, but the emperor has not yet had the time to make the changes.

Since the new emperor ascended the throne, he has only been competing with a few people in the cabinet. I suppose it will be your turn soon, and he will give you a good beating!
……

……

The new army begins training.

As a top-ranking military officer who was not serving in the capital, the Duke of England was nominally appointed as the commander-in-chief of the new army, but in reality, it was just an honorary position and he was not directly responsible for the daily training of the new army.

Zhu Youcheng summoned Wang Yue to the palace.

When Wang Yue was personally summoned to the palace by Qin Chang, he was still a little dazed. He felt that his dream of becoming the commander-in-chief of the three border regions in the northwest had been shattered, and he even began to lose interest in staying in the capital. He thought that his future was bleak... but he was directly granted an audience by the emperor.

Because Wang Yue was not given time to prepare in advance, he kept asking Qin Chang about the details of the audience when he entered the palace, such as what questions the emperor would ask.

However, Qin Chang was an experienced eunuch with rich political experience and would not give Wang Yue any opportunity to inquire about information.

The two walked into the Qianqing Palace. When Wang Yue knelt down and kowtowed to the new emperor, he couldn't believe it... The late emperor had trusted him so much, yet he hadn't even seen him when he was banished, showing such heartlessness. And now, returning to the capital, everything had changed, and he still had to rely on the young emperor before him to pull him out of his misery.

"This old minister is deeply grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and will certainly live up to Your Majesty's grace. Despite being a convicted criminal, I will serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty, devote myself to the court, behead foreign invaders, and pacify the four seas..."

Wang Yue was very skilled at currying favor with people.

They start by showering you with praise, demonstrating their determination and courage.

Even at this point, he still believed that he was striving to become the new trilateral governor.

"Please take a seat."

Zhu Youcheng was very polite.

Wang Yue then stood up, but dared not meet Zhu Youcheng's gaze. Instead, he lowered his head and sat down in the seat that the eunuch had prepared for him in advance.

Zhu Youcheng said, "I have decreed that a new army be built based on the Tengxiang Four Guards. Currently, only four or five thousand people have been assembled, mainly equipped with cannons and muskets. However, they will not be used as the Shenji Battalion. Instead, these people will be specially trained to use firearms. If possible, they will be sent to the front lines in future battles."

Wang Yue said, "Your Majesty is truly a wise and benevolent ruler who is wholeheartedly committed to protecting the stability of the Ming Dynasty's borders. If there is anything I can do to contribute, please feel free to issue an order."

"it is good."

Zhu Youcheng nodded. "You are both a civil official and a former military officer of the Ming Dynasty. Your straightforward and direct manner is excellent. My intention is for you to train this new army for me. We should test all the strategies and tactics you previously submitted. Of course, you cannot work in isolation. You should listen to the opinions of those who are familiar with the use and combat of the new cannons and muskets."

Wang Yue was extremely excited.

All those memorials I wrote before weren't written in vain.

It turns out that all the advice given to me by the Zhang family father and son was useful. His Majesty really intends to make achievements in military and political affairs, and my outstanding achievements during the Chenghua era prove that I am capable of helping His Majesty realize his ambitions.

Will I become the first person in the Ming army since the Hongzhi era to hold the positions of Minister of War and Earl of Weining, once again leading troops to the Northwest and illuminating the grasslands?
Just as Wang Yue was pondering the deeper meaning behind the emperor's words, Qin Chang kindly reminded him, "Mr. Wang, do you know what His Majesty means?"

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Wang Yue rose, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, and said, "Your subject will do his utmost."

Qin Chang laughed and said, "It's no use to just do your best. You need to know how to train the new army. In fact, His Majesty has read your military strategy. Although it seems like you put your heart into it, it is still too rigid in many aspects."

"Huh?" Wang Yue hadn't expected that the emperor hadn't given him the opportunity to go to the northwest for training because he was dissatisfied with the content of his memorial.
Zhu Youcheng said, "Please don't say that, Minister Qin. Minister Wang has profound knowledge and insight, enough to change the current military and political landscape of the Ming Dynasty... It's just that the firearms we are currently equipped with are too new, which means that we will need to be bold in our innovation in terms of troop deployment and formation in the future... Everything needs to be observed in practice and we can make better improvements after more contact."

Wang Yue said, "Your Majesty's teachings are correct."

Despite saying that, he was still somewhat unconvinced.

I thought to myself, I've seen those firearms before. They're powerful, but they're not so powerful as to directly change the course of fate, are they? The Tatar cavalry are exceptionally fierce, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Are they so easy to subdue?

We still have to fight one hard battle after another.

Zhu Youcheng continued, "Regarding the new formation arrangement and the use of new firearms, Minister Wang, you should discuss it more with Yanling. Since he was in charge of making these firearms, he should be quite clear about their performance, uses, strengths and weaknesses."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yue finally understood the emperor's intention.

I'm not asking you, Wang Yue, to go and show off!
The young emperor before him, just like his predecessor, first favored a close confidant and then used that confidant to control his ministers.

It's just that back then it was Wang Zhi, but now it's a minor maternal relative.

However, he was somewhat unconvinced.

After all, before Wang Zhi went to the Northwest to serve as military governor, he had been in charge of the Western Depot for many years and was still operating in Liaodong. He had the means and the power to scheme, and his ruthlessness was far beyond that of ordinary people.

As for that young imperial brother-in-law... he just seems a bit smarter; I didn't think he was any superior to anyone during our last meeting.

Qin Chang laughed and said, "Mr. Wang has just returned to the capital, so he may not know much about our little brother-in-law. In the past two years, he has released quite a few good things. Take those firearms, for example. They may be things that others cannot improve in decades or even centuries, but in his hands, they can be improved in a short time... Hehe."

At this point, Qin Chang was genuinely happy for the emperor, as he was no longer the person who harbored deep hostility towards the Zhang family.

Now that I am the Grand Chancellor, I can certainly understand the Emperor's expectations for the future of military and political affairs.

Currently, the only people in the court who can truly help His Majesty are the Zhang family, and this young imperial brother-in-law seems far from becoming a powerful minister of the Ming Dynasty, posing little threat to him.

Even Zhang Laizhan has chosen to semi-retire. If I were to still oppose the Zhang family, it would not only be courting my own destruction, but also being irresponsible to the court and His Majesty. Who would respect me in the future?

Wang Yue respectfully replied, "Your subject obeys."

Zhu Youcheng smiled and said, "Qin Daban, take him to see Yanling later and have Yanling give some confidential training manuals and other items to Wang Qingjia to take a look."

"Besides actually verifying the power of these firearms, we also need to use them more in military exercises. I believe that with the cooperation of you young and old, you can quickly transform this new army into the strongest elite force in the Ming Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)