The Holy Emperor of Ming

Chapter 171: The Establishment of Three Armies Again
The impact of Meng Chixing's death continued to spread in the Ming Dynasty and other countries.

Zhu Houzhao has been very happy during this period, as the situation in the Ming Dynasty has become obviously more stable.

The majesty of the Ming Dynasty court was also significantly enhanced.

The number of people causing trouble in the martial arts circles in various places has decreased significantly, and this is the best proof.

The only thing that made him a little unhappy was the beginning of a small-scale conflict on the northern border.

The Oirat and Tatar did not launch large-scale attacks on the border, but only harassed the border with cavalry.

In this regard, Lao Wang, who had already led two armies to the border, did not have many good solutions and could only fight on horseback.

Zhu Houzhao wanted to lead the troops himself and attack the strongholds of the Oirat and Tatars and wipe them out completely, but reality did not allow it, so he could only endure it for the time being.

Apart from that, everything else went smoothly.

The imperial examination has been completed.

Focusing on current affairs, he admitted 600 Jinshi.

We also set up a business department and admitted 300 people.

The military imperial examination has not yet been held and will have to wait until April.

There were no other major events in the capital. Among all the other places, Lao Wang was leading his troops in the north and at the same time began to reorganize the northern border troops. Zhu Houzhao was very relieved.

In the south, the investigation of the officialdom in Southern Zhili is still ongoing, and at present, the progress is quite fast.

In the east, in Lu, Guo Bujing and Cao Zhengchun continued to investigate the Kong family.

It's not just the Kong family, it has implicated the entire Lu area and even the officialdom in other places.

The inspections on the east and south sides are one after another. It will take a long time to complete the inspections thoroughly.

This was the result of the investigation going much more smoothly after Meng Chixing's death.

Zhu Houzhao was not in a hurry, as the Jin area had been basically cleaned up.

Nanzhili and Lu were his next targets.

First clean up the bureaucracy and military in the two places, and then clean up other aspects little by little. There is no need to rush.

As for the military, Zhu Houzhao had already issued an order for Zhu Hui to form the 015th Army, or the 15th Army, after he had reorganized the garrisons in Lu.

To this end, he once again selected 100 dragon riders from Emperor Wu's dragon riders to serve as the middle-level backbone of the 15th Army for Zhu Hui.

A battalion was also drawn from the Tenth Army formed by Wang Shouren and sent to Lu to serve as a model for Zhu Hui.

Zhu Houzhao believed that Zhu Hui could still do a good job.

As for the Nanzhili army, Zhu Houzhao sent Xu Bikui with a hundred dragon riders to be responsible for reorganizing all the garrisons and troops in Nanzhili and forming the 16th Army.

Xu Bikui is the eldest son of Duke Wei and has the greatest advantage in Nanzhili.

With the help of Xu Ruowu and the intimidation of Wang Zhi, Zhu Houzhao believed that he could do a good job.

Once the officialdom in the two places has been cleaned up and stabilized, and the new army has been formed and trained into an elite force, it will be time to clean up the two places thoroughly.

Of course, these were Zhu Houzhao's temporary thoughts and he didn't tell anyone.

Moreover, it is not easy to train the two armies into elite forces and reach the point where military momentum is formed.

Zhu Hui is still okay, but Xu Bikui is still too young and needs more time.

In addition to the formation of the 15th and 16th Armies, the formation of the 17th Army also began, under the charge of Mu Kun from Yunnan.

The formation of these three armies, including the five armies formed in Jin and Li Jing's first army, requires a large number of civilian personnel in the military.

However, it was not easy to form three new armies, especially the 15th and 16th Armies. They had to reorganize the garrisons in the two places first before they could select the elite troops from the garrisons to form the new armies.

Mu Kun's Seventeenth Army was fine. He had been back in Yunnan for more than half a year, and the progress of reorganizing the garrisons was not slow. The formation of the Seventeenth Army would definitely be much faster.

Therefore, we can wait for the three new military civilian positions.

Apart from the civilian aspects, the cost of forming three new armies is sufficient.

Today's imperial court is richer than ever before.

They will become even richer soon. After all, the support from the Kong family and the officials from both places are huge numbers.

Weapons, armor and other equipment are being manufactured at a rapid pace. As for horses, the Imperial Household Department is also stepping up the training of horses for the Ming Dynasty.

It is no exaggeration to say that all departments of the court are very busy.

For civilian training in the military, Gu Xichao, the person in charge of the military academy chosen by Zhu Houzhao, was also on his way back to Beijing.

He also brought an army with him.

The five armies in Jin have all been reorganized. It would be inappropriate for them all to continue staying in Jin, as it would put too much pressure on Jin.

One of the reasons was that Wang Shouren led the 13th and 14th Armies to the border.

Among the remaining three armies, the Tenth Army guards the prefectures in Jin, and the Eleventh Army guards the border cities.

After discussion, it was decided to transfer the 12th Army to the capital.

Northern Zhili was not cleaned up either, so Zhu Houzhao decided to start with officials and the army.

A purge of officials has been ongoing.

There were six thousand-household offices of the Jinyiwei in Northern Zhili, and the purge of officials was ongoing.

It was just that due to the gradual advancement, it did not uproot the area all at once like the Jin area did, and because it was under the control of the emperor, it looked inconspicuous and did not have much impact.

In terms of the military, Northern Zhili nominally had more than 700,000 troops. It was not easy to reorganize and clean up.

The arrival of the 12th Army was the vanguard in the rectification and cleansing of the Northern Zhili garrisons and troops.

All in all, everything in the Ming Dynasty seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and it was moving forward steadily step by step.

March 21st.

Gu Xichao and the 12th Army arrived in the capital.

Zhu Houzhao didn't bother with so many etiquettes. He went straight out of the city and came to the 12th Army which had just arrived but had not yet set up camp.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Gu Xichao, the commander of the 12th Army Zhou Shanmin, and the five guard commanders of the 12th Army saluted respectfully.

"No need to be so polite." Zhu Houzhao waved his hand carelessly and slapped Gu Xichao on the tall shoulder. He smiled in a friendly manner without any barriers: "Old Gu, you look much stronger and darker."

Gu Xichao's body trembled when he was slapped, but a sincere smile appeared on his face, "I am in the army, getting along with the soldiers, so I need to polish my body more."

At this moment, Gu Xichao's face looked a little darker, but his eyes were brighter than ever.

That kind of confidence and high spirits is like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Every time he raised his hands and stepped, he exuded a sense of decisiveness and swiftness.

“Well, when you are getting along with the soldiers, you can’t just act weak and frail, otherwise you won’t be able to get along with them.

Although the future instructor is a civilian in the military, he is also a soldier.

No, all civilian officials in the military are also soldiers, and they must also be strictly adhered to military rules.

"Old Gu, I'll leave it to you next." Zhu Houzhao said approvingly.

"I will not let Your Majesty down." Gu Xichao's blood was boiling and he responded solemnly.

He had already had an in-depth discussion with Wang Shouren and knew very well how important military schools were.

If nothing unexpected happens, all the civilian officers and middle and low-level generals of the Ming army will come from military academies.

The influence of the military academy will become increasingly greater.

Especially the position of instructor, who goes deep into the grassroots soldiers of the army and has an influence almost comparable to that of the army's commander.

Being responsible for the establishment and training of military schools, he is definitely the most trusted among the trusted ones.

This trust and respect made him feel moved again, even though he had already given his all.

"Okay, you will go to court tomorrow. I will officially issue an edict to establish the Military Academy as soon as possible, and let them enroll as soon as the military imperial examination is over." Zhu Houzhao said quickly.

"Yes." Gu Xichao responded.

Zhu Houzhao turned his gaze to Zhou Shanmin, patted him on the shoulder, and said happily and boldly, "Well done, you are a good man of the Ming Dynasty.

I have heard about your affairs. Your father is a good man, and you are also a good man. You have not brought shame to our Ming Dynasty."

Zhou Shanmin and the two guard commanders behind him, who were originally from Jindao Village, were originally full of awe and trepidation.

It was really because Emperor Shengwu was so famous, and they had just arrived in this unfamiliar capital city, and they were originally bandits, so they had to be in awe.

But seeing the communication between His Majesty and Gu Xichao just now, they felt a lot more relaxed.

Just as the Grand Commander said, although His Majesty is majestic, he is indeed very close to the soldiers, making them feel truly attentive.

After hearing these words, Zhou Shanmin and the other two felt relieved and were deeply moved.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. My father will rest in peace in peace after hearing your words." Zhou Shanmin said sincerely and respectfully.

“Your father was a good man, what a pity.

So you have to work harder and strive to become the Grand Commander or the Grand General of the Ming Dynasty, understand?"

Zhu Houzhao felt it was a pity when he thought about Zhou Jian, a man of iron character who always cared about the Ming court and did not harm the people.

If he had ten good men like this, he could immediately establish ten qualified armies.

"I will definitely try my best and will never let Your Majesty or my father down." Zhou Shanmin said firmly with a warm heart, bowing deeply.

"Okay, I have already assessed your father's achievements.

Come to court tomorrow, and I will formally confer a title on your father." Zhu Houzhao smiled and kept it a secret.

"Your Majesty, my father can still be rewarded?" Zhou Shanmin and others were stunned, even Gu Xichao was surprised.

No matter what, Zhou Jian had betrayed the Ming court.

It would be good enough if the court did not use this matter to attack Zhou Shanmin in the future, but could he still be rewarded?
"Why can't I give you a reward?" Zhu Houzhao raised his voice and kept it a secret, "You'll know tomorrow."

Zhou Shanmin and his friends felt itchy in their hearts, but they could only endure it, yet they couldn't help but look forward to it.

"Okay, let's go and see how the 12th Army is being built.
If it's not good, hmph, I will have to beat you and Lao Wang." Zhu Houzhao said impatiently.

"Yes." Gu Xichao, Zhou Shanmin and others responded in unison.

Although he was confident, he was still a little nervous about leading the Emperor to the army.

Zhu Houzhao walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, leading the way among the army that was waiting on standby.

He patted the soldier on the shoulder from time to time and asked him a few questions from time to time.

Naturally, he was not afraid of any danger, and he just shuttled among the more than 37,000 people of the 12th Army.

The news that the emperor was coming to inspect had already spread, and officers at all levels were strictly ordered to be neat and serious in their appearance.

(Chapter 1.)
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(End of this chapter)