Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 25: The combat effectiveness of the army is fed by silver
Although Zhu Changluo did not study military affairs, he was well aware that, under the premise of no significant generation gap in weapons, discipline equaled combat effectiveness. Therefore, Zhu Changluo attached great importance to this unit.

"Let them practice for a round." Zhu Changluo said softly as he sat on the stool brought by the eunuch.

Wang An received the order and asked loudly, "Who is the commander of this unit?"

Ye Ye was nervous. Before today, the highest-ranking official he had ever met was Xu Shaozhan. When the supervising officer came to ask him to assemble the troops, he never imagined that the emperor would personally come to review the troops.

The Emperor couldn't even personally review six battalions, let alone six divisions.

"Practice a round, hurry up." Wang An knew nothing about military affairs. He only knew that the emperor hadn't eaten yet.

"Yes, sir."

The soldiers around them couldn't help but find it amusing to see the usually loud and bragging Ye Baizong, now as listless as a frost-bitten quail. However, most of the people in the viewing platform had stern faces, like loan sharks coming to collect their debts. It would be a miracle if a normal person could laugh in front of them.

After a little preparation, Ye Ye gave an order.

The drummer began to beat the drum, and the combat troops divided into groups of two and began to fight.

Ye Ye believed that the emperor was not here to watch actual combat exercises, and the guards present would not allow them to load gunpowder and bullets into their guns. Therefore, he ordered all six divisions to practice close combat and changing formations.

The three formations, the Mandarin Duck Formation, the Three Talents Formation, and the Five Elements Formation, changed very smoothly. Often, as soon as the team leader gave the order, the team would complete the formation change and use non-lethal training weapons to attack their comrades who played the enemy.

After the confrontation drill was completed, each bureau, flag, and team began to practice the tactics of alternating attacks and covering retreats.

Each team marched out slowly, forming two columns. When each team advanced, a team followed behind to protect it. When the front team encountered the enemy, the rear team was not allowed to cross unless it was urgent, and they marched slowly together at the sound of drums. When the drums were beaten, the front team rushed forward, and the rear team quickly followed. When retreating, the victory drum was beaten, and the front and rear teams turned around and marched back slowly.
After the demonstration, Zhu Changluo nodded repeatedly, praising, "Excellent. I'm very satisfied." As for the reward, it had just been given not long ago, so forget it today. If the impression was formed that anything could be rewarded, this promising talent would be wasted.

"Come on, let's eat. I'll share this meal with you." Zhu Changluo had just learned that this group of soldiers hadn't eaten either, so he decided to eat with them and get a firsthand experience of the Ming army's food. After all, the right to speak came from the investigation.

The food for the new recruits in Tongzhou remained the same: fried noodles with lard that smelled greasy, brown rice with rice husks, a small piece of pork boiled in salt water, and some seasonal fruits.

After the eunuchs in charge of the meal tested the poison, Zhu Changluo enjoyed his dinner as usual in front of hundreds of people.

Honestly, he was ready to throw up. Aside from the bowl of brown rice with husks and a few sour, astringent fruits that barely kept him from nausea, the fried noodles with lard and the salted pork reeked of the most primitive, molten animal fat. And aside from a bit of bitter salt, there was no other seasoning on the meal.

"Are the soldiers of my Ming Dynasty relying on this kind of thing to fight against the cavalry fed with cattle and sheep on the grassland?" Zhu Changluo said to himself with a wry smile.

What Zhu Changluo didn't know was that in many troops, meals with meat could only be eaten before the expedition.

"Li Rubai. What do you think of the troops trained by Xu Qing?" Zhu Changluo, along with the Minister of Rites Xu Guangqi and the former Liaodong General Li Rubai, were walking back to the palace. They were flanked by Imperial Guards, both in front and behind.

"Although there are not many people, they have the fierce and aggressive style of Qi Mengzhu." Qi Jiguang is only two years younger than Li Chengliang and can be considered the father's generation of Li Rubai.

"Mr. Xu, you once toured Henan. Do the soldiers there look somewhat similar to this army?" Zhu Changluo glanced at Xu Guangqi. Xu Guangqi felt that he had something to say, so he seized the opportunity to present his opinion to Zhu Changluo: "I have been to Tongzhou and Changping and inspected three camps."

Xu Guangqi recounted his observations from a military camp inspection last March. The three battalions he examined had a theoretical strength of just over 10,000 men, but actual strength was less than 7,000. This discrepancy of 4,000 men between theoretical and actual strength naturally became a source of skepticism among officers and generals.

Later, the three battalions recruited some men, totaling 7,500. However, of these 7,500 men, only 2,000 could carry weapons. And of these 2,000, only 100 to 200 could match the physical fitness of Xu Guangqi's new recruits.

"Has the capital area become so corrupt?" Zhu Changluo frowned when he heard this.

Sensing the emperor's raging anger, the timid Li Rubai consciously slowed down his pace, taking half a body length less.

Zhu Changluo noticed Li Rubai's shrinking back, but said nothing.

Unlike the clueless Li Rubai, Xu Guangqi was the fourth person to learn of the Emperor's plan to reopen the Western Factory, and therefore believed he had the Emperor's favor. Since the Emperor was so determined to advance, it was best to offer direct advice.

"When Qi Mengzhu was in power, the military pay of the Qi family army was 10 taels a year. In the three military camps in Tongzhou and Changping, each person received no more than 2 shi of grain per month, which is equivalent to 1 tael of silver." Xu Guangqi began to report on the military pay situation.

"Isn't this almost the same?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Your Majesty, the Qi family army provides food and receives net wages. For each enemy killed, a 12-man squad is rewarded with 30 taels of silver. Tong and Chang, on the other hand, only provide food wages. In peacetime, soldiers must provide their own food, and there are no rewards for killing the enemy." Xu Guangqi's description of the situation was not limited to Tong and Chang. It could be said that, with the exception of Liaodong, this was the situation for armies throughout the world. "If they were given only one or two dan of wages and had to train daily, they would all starve to death."

"My army consists of 972 men, each receiving a monthly net salary of 1 taels, which translates to an annual salary of 18 taels. Adding in the cost of food, the annual cost of food and pay alone is nearly taels. Your Majesty, the strength of an army is fueled by silver." Xu Guangqi paused, then continued, "What Your Majesty has delivered today is practically the finest military rations of the Ming Dynasty."

Xu Guangqi figured the emperor would eventually discover the discrepancy between the Ministry of War's allocation and his actual expenses, so he simply said, "Last year, the Ministry of War allocated me 2 taels of military pay. I actually spent over 5 taels (I bought most of the weapons and equipment myself). The difference came from the Jesuits."

"Hmm? You're preaching in the army?" Zhu Changluo initially didn't care, but then realized what was happening and asked in surprise. If Xu Guangqi really was preaching in the army, then not only would these people be useless, but he would also disperse them and exile them to desolate places where they couldn't speak the language. This was already considered a favor.

"I dare not." Xu Guangqi heard the emperor's harsh tone and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly denied it and then told the story of how he had deceived the Jesuits.

"Mr. Xu, I like you more and more." After hearing these things, Zhu Changluo really didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Ah?" Xu Guangqi felt relieved after hearing this. He knew he had passed the test.

"Li Rubai, go back and draft a military training charter that covers everything from recruiting soldiers, pay, weapons, food, rewards, and drill methods. Once you've finished, don't submit it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs; submit it directly to the Imperial Household Department. I'm planning to open a non-commissioned officer school, and you'll be the principal."

"I obey your command." Upon hearing this, Li Rubai quickly stepped forward to make up for the lost half step and clasped his fists to receive the order.

Li Rubai felt that his life had finally turned around. He, the "complacent general" despised by all the civil and military officials, was finally employed by the emperor.

But he soon stopped laughing, because not everyone can experience the joy of revising a report.

(End of this chapter)