Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 194: Northern Expedition! Xia Yuanji's important discovery!
Ming Military Academy.

Trumpets are blasting and flags are waving.

The soldiers, ready to go, stood proudly, their lips curled up uncontrollably.

The day of departure has arrived and everyone is extremely excited.

Ever since Zhang Fu and Zhu Neng received the order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, they have been preparing for the Northern Expedition without stopping.

In the past, when we went to war, we would directly mobilize troops.

But this time it took the form of "volunteering".

Those who are willing to go can submit their own application and wait for review and approval.

This was unimaginable before.

Soldiers in feudal times did not like fighting.

Only the middle and upper level generals were eager to fight on the battlefield and achieve great success.

Anyway, those who die the most are always the lower-level soldiers.

The ultimate military merit belongs to the middle and upper-level generals.

Therefore, soldiers and generals have completely different attitudes towards war.

However, this distinction does not exist among the new recruits of the Ming Military Academy.

Every student soldier longs to go to the battlefield as early as possible.

Military merit, silver reward, promotion, title...

The rich harvest and extremely low casualty rate made every soldier feel proud.

Why don't men take Wu hook and charge Guanshan Fifth State.

Driven by the huge temptation, almost all of the 15,000 cadet soldiers submitted their "applications", and everyone wanted to go to the front line.

The morale was so high that it had never been seen in any army before.

But there were only 6,000 places available for the expedition, and after the selection, it can be said that some were happy while others were worried.

Those who were selected couldn't help but feel happy.

Those who were not selected were extremely disappointed.

Fortunately, the Ming army is now undergoing disarmament and reform.

For each rank above 100 households, two chief officers are appointed.

One is a centurion and the other is a guide. They are at the same level but have different divisions of labor.

Many cadets from the Ming Military Academy were selected to serve as instructors.

Although his official rank is not high, you should know that disarmament and reform are carried out simultaneously.

After a large number of troops were disbanded, a hundred households were almost comparable to the original thousand households.

In addition to arranging thousands of Ming Dynasty military students to go deep into various armies, there was also a series of dazzling transfers for higher-level generals.

According to the new military system, battalions were set up above the hundred households, with battalion commanders and battalion commanders.

There is a regiment in the battalion, with a regiment commander and a regiment instructor.

Brigades are set up above the regiment, with brigade commanders and brigade commanders.

A brigade replaced an original guard post.

The number of soldiers was reduced from 5,600 in the garrison to 3,000, a reduction of 2,600.

In addition, some garrisons will be abolished entirely.

The total military strength of the Ming Dynasty was reduced from more than 1.8 million to less than 800,000.

This was still only Zhu Yunhuan's first round of disarmament plan.

In order to ensure stability, disarmament cannot be rushed.

So as to avoid unrest.

Although the new army was incredibly powerful and Zhu Yunhuan was confident that he could quell any rebellion, this was ultimately a remedial measure after the fact.

Even if the unrest was quickly quelled, the damage caused was irreversible.

The best strategy is to prevent it from happening and eliminate it in the bud.

To this end, staff officers were added to the newly restructured army at regimental level and above, and a military command group was established.

For general matters, the group leader and group guide are each responsible for their respective areas.

For major military issues, the collective responsibility system is implemented and decisions must be made in meetings first.

If there is no time for a meeting due to an emergency, the military commander will make the decision, but he must report afterwards.

Zhu Yunhuan formulated relevant military command regulations and ordered all generals and soldiers to study them together.

These measures are aimed at fundamentally changing the situation where "soldiers are controlled by the generals" and the soldiers only know the generals but not the court.

Under the new military system, the court greatly strengthened its control over generals. Even if a general had ulterior motives, it would be difficult for him to lead his troops in rebellion.

At the same time, because of the existence of the military command group, military generals can be transferred at will, and no longer have to be fixed as before, with only the commanders of the garrisons being transferred around.

There will no longer be a situation where "soldiers don't know their generals, and generals don't know their soldiers" due to transfers.

Because the regiment commander had been transferred, there were still generals in command, such as the regiment instructor and the regiment staff.

With the new leader taking office and the assistance of others, it is easy to control the team.

Under the dual chief officer system, the number of generals did not decrease after the disarmament.

This also ensures that generals will not be demoted and can better stabilize people's hearts.

However, Zhu Yunhuan's ultimate goal is to let students from the Ming Military Academy replace the current generals at all levels.

This can only be a "silent and subtle" process.

Now that a large number of students have been assigned to the grassroots level, it will be natural for them to be promoted in the future.

But no matter what, the Ming army, which is in the process of downsizing and restructuring, will be somewhat chaotic and is not suitable to go out to fight at this time.

Wiping out the Northern Yuan Dynasty and eliminating the threat became a must.

Otherwise, if the Northern Yuan Dynasty took the opportunity to launch an attack, the Ming Dynasty would suffer heavy losses.

The carriage Zhu Yunhuan was riding today was a four-wheeled carriage recently built by the Ming Manufacturing Bureau.

Compared with the previous four-wheeled carriage, the new four-wheeled carriage is equipped with a steering device, which not only makes the interior space more spacious, but also has flexible steering and excellent shock absorption, making it very comfortable to sit in.

Zhu Yunhuan never liked riding in a sedan chair. Firstly, he felt that it shook too much, and secondly, the space inside was relatively small, far less spacious than a carriage.

From a safety perspective, horse-drawn carriages are also easier to install protective equipment.

Seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince coming to see them off, the six thousand soldiers knelt on one knee and saluted: "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Everyone, get up." Zhu Yunxun said loudly.

brush!
The soldiers all stood up in unison, making only one sound.

They were wearing new military uniforms, bright and colorful.

This was made by the manufacturing bureau at a high price and cost a lot of money. In Zhu Yunhuan's view, clothing is also a reflection of combat effectiveness.

Especially when the new army was just established, if they walked outside and let the people see the soldiers' attire and spirit, it would leave a deep impression on people.

Establish the belief that the new army is invincible.

This will in turn affect the morale of the new army.

Zhu Yunhuan swept his gaze across the soldiers, their resolute and confident faces, and nodded slightly.

The six thousand men in front of them were not only equipped with flintlock rifles, but also a large number of rapid-fire cannons propelled by wheels and pulled by horse-drawn carriages.

All kinds of logistical support have also been done to the extreme.

Bullets, shells, dry food, and even repair tools are all available.

Zhu Yunhuan cleared his throat and said, "More than a hundred years ago, the barbarians from the grasslands led their troops south, and the Southern Song Dynasty was destroyed."

"Since then, this land has fallen under the rule of the northern barbarians."

"I don't know how many lives were lost, how many people died at the hands of the cavalry, and those who survived became their slaves who were killed and abused at will."

"It was not until Grandpa Emperor raised an army and restored the country that the people of the world were freed from the fate of being enslaved by foreign races."

"But the threat from the Northern Yuan Dynasty has not been completely eliminated."

"The barbarian cavalry will continue to march south, killing the people of our Daming, plundering our Daming people, and stealing our Daming property."

"His crimes are so heinous, and his behavior is so despicable that it is far worse than that of a jackal."

"The Japanese pirates who have been wreaking havoc on the coast of Ming for many years have been completely pacified by me."

"Japan also bows down to our Ming Dynasty."

"Next, it's time to eliminate the Northern Yuan threat forever."

"Let the people of our Ming Dynasty live and work in peace and contentment from now on, without being threatened by any foreign races."

"If you win this battle, you will all be heroes of our Ming Dynasty."

"The people of Ming Dynasty will be forever grateful to you."

"The court will also remember your contributions."

"To confer an official title and a higher rank, to bring honor to the family."

"You have to fight for all this on your own."

"I would like to offer you a toast first to encourage you."

After saying that, Zhu Yunhuan asked someone to bring out the wine, poured a bowl of wine, and held it up.

The generals below also gave each soldier a bowl and filled it with wine.

Zhu Yunhuan picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp: "I will be here, waiting for you to return victoriously."

Snapped!
He threw the wine bowl hard to the ground.

"This battle must be won!"

The soldiers of the three armies drank together and shouted: "We will win this battle!"

"This battle must be won!"

"This battle must be won!"

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand, the horn sounded, and the soldiers of the three armies marched towards the north in a mighty force.

……

After sending off the army, Zhu Yunhuan returned to the Eastern Palace, where he saw Yang Shiqi and Xia Yuanji already waiting for him.

Since being appointed as the chief official of the Audit Department, Xia Yuanji has been nicknamed "Ghost-Seeing" by court officials.

All the ministries in the court were examined by his Audit Department and many problems were found, so he ordered them to make corrections.

Xia Yuanji's reputation spread quickly.

In fact, he is a very generous and kind person.

I was on a business trip before and stayed at the post station.

The chef at the post station put too much salt in the dishes, making them too salty to eat, so he just ate rice to fill his stomach, but he didn't tell the reason for fear that the chef would be severely punished.

There are many similar things.

Once, he was riding in a carriage in the city and a commoner accidentally bumped into his carriage. If it were another official, he would definitely severely punish the commoner who bumped into him.

But Xia Yuanji not only did not blame him, but got out of the car to apologize to him.

Another time, Xia Yuanji went out for a walk with a few followers. When he met people who were in a hurry, he started to scold them for not giving way to him. He even swore at them and called him stupid as an ox...

The attendants caught the man, and the man was frightened when he learned that the other party was an official appointed by the court. However, Xia Yuanji said that the man was just in a hurry to get on the road, so he spoke without thinking, and there was no need to punish him severely, so he ordered the attendants to let him go.

……

All in all, Xia Yuanji is a true gentleman with a broad mind, a kind heart, and he never haggles over trivial matters with others.

A truly honest person, who is kind to others from the bottom of his heart.

But he is also a very principled man.

If the Audit Department found any problems during the audit, he would report them to the court and order all government offices to make corrections. He would not accept anyone's intercession.

The heads of various government offices were very troubled by this "good old man", so he got the nickname "Ghost-Seeing".

After the greetings, Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said to Xia Yuanji: "Letting you take charge of the Audit Department is just a transition."

"The purpose is to familiarize you with the institutions of the various government offices in the imperial court, and also familiarize you with how to audit and verify accounts."

"You will be transferred to be in charge of Ming Bank later."

Yang Shiqi had to assist him in handling various government affairs of the court. The burden was heavy and he had to take care of all aspects. It was impossible for him to manage the Ming Bank personally all the time.

Yang Shiqi had been used before because the Ming Bank had to be controlled by someone he trusted, and Zhu Yunhuan could not find a more suitable person for the time being.

Zhu Yunhuan had already told Yang Shiqi about this matter.

Xia Yuanji is good at financial management, so putting him in charge of the bank is a very good choice.

Starting with audit verification is also to prepare for future supervision of the financial accounts of bank branches.

Xia Yuanji was stunned for a moment.

To this day, all officials in the court are aware of the importance of the Ming Bank, and some even believe that the Ming Bank is more important than the Ministry of Revenue.

Its influence is simply too great.

Transferring Xia Yuanji to be in charge of the Ming Bank was undoubtedly a further promotion of his power.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Xia Yuanji hurriedly bowed and thanked him: "I will work diligently and run the Ming Bank well to repay Your Highness for your kindness."

Zhu Yunxun nodded slightly and asked, "You two came here together today, but is there something important?"

"Your Highness, when I was auditing the Ministry of Revenue, I discovered some problems. I believe they are of great importance and may endanger the peace and stability of the Ming Dynasty. I have no choice but to report them."

……

(End of this chapter)