The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 82 Clean Army

For more than a decade, the five military governorates and the Ministry of War engaged in open and covert struggles, with the Ministry of War gradually gaining the upper hand.

Local government troops became targets for various forces to win over.

Most military orders are now issued by the Ministry of War.

However, when local military and political affairs went wrong, the five governors became the perfect scapegoats and fall guys.

Therefore, the turnover rate of Grand Commanders was extremely high.

Despite the criticism, the refugees still wanted to suppress them.

Which army should be sent to wipe out these refugees?

The military officers displayed their eloquence to the fullest.

The powerful families and stakeholders behind them also entered the fray.

It's not that no one wants to go to the battlefield, but that everyone is eager to make a name for themselves.

No one would take this rabble of vagrants seriously.

In addition to the border troops stationed at the nine key passes, the State of Bei also had several mobile elite armies.

The main task of the local military garrisons was still to cultivate land.

Secondly, it serves to deter local illegal armed forces.

To put it bluntly, the imperial court also knew that these imperial guards were just for show and had little killing power.

The number of refugees has now exceeded that of the past, so it is natural to send out a mobile elite army.

That night, at the Xihua Palace.

Even after midnight, candlelight still shone in the Imperial Noble Consort's bedchamber.

She suffered a lot during the first three months of her pregnancy.

Those with vested interests have gone to great lengths to prevent her from giving birth to the baby smoothly.

The food she ate every day, the fabrics she wore, the incense she used, and the flowers and trees used in the Xihua Palace.

Methods and tricks that are detrimental to fetal development and have the effect of abortion are constantly emerging.

Following the floods, Shangdu is now experiencing another period of high temperatures.

The entire ice cellar in the commercial city was destroyed by that continuous torrential rain.

Without ice chests, people relied entirely on manual fanning to cool off.

Pregnant women are naturally prone to heat in their bodies, and the feeling of sweating profusely all the time is not pleasant.

Yu Linglong finally made it through the first three months and her pregnancy was stable.

No matter how busy the head steward was, he would always take half an hour each day to report to her on the important and minor matters that concerned her.

Tonight, I discussed with her the power struggles among the various parties at the grand court assembly.

Grand Steward:

"The Governor of Zhongzhou suggested sending the Yanwang Army, which has the most experience in suppressing bandits, to Nanhe Prefecture to quell the rebellion. The Ministry of War prefers the Thousand Machine Battalion in the capital, saying that their newly improved bronze cannons have doubled in power! His Majesty let them debate for a while, but still couldn't give a definite answer."

Yu Linglong was puzzled:
"Why would we need such a powerful weapon as the Thousand Machine Battalion to kill a few refugees? For the past ten years or so, the Yama Army has been doing nothing but suppressing bandits. What's there to argue about!"

The head steward shook his head:

"Ever since Lu Kaishan, the former governor of Lianghu, died of illness three years ago, this elite force has fallen into the hands of the Li family of Zhao County."

Now, all the mid-level generals of the Yama Army have been replaced by members of the Li family.

The reason why the Yama Army is so powerful is mainly due to two words—unity of purpose! This elite army consists of fathers and sons, brothers, or fellow villagers and relatives.

Once on the battlefield, everyone will charge forward with all their might. If one person dies in battle, the entire army will avenge their loved ones!

Mid-level generals are the backbone of these people.

Now that the pillar has been replaced, this elite army may not still have the fighting strength it had years ago.

Yu Linglong listened very attentively. Such a fine elite force had been wasted; it was truly tragic.

She paused for a moment, then said:

"They say that when the cannons roar, gold pours in. The Thousand Machine Battalion is entirely fed with real money; look how empty the national treasury is now! His Majesty certainly won't want to spend money on those refugees!"

The head eunuch gave her a thumbs up: "Your Majesty is wise! There are only a few hundred bronze cannons in total, and His Majesty naturally wants to use them to guard the capital! He doesn't want to make either choice! This servant hopes that Your Majesty can help whisper in his ear and give the Jing Army a boost."

"The Clean Army? Aren't they all in the palace and imperial mausoleum, performing daily cleaning, incense offering, and watchman's duties? Do they even have any fighting ability?"

The head steward's voice dropped eight octaves:
"His Majesty also has a special training army of 50,000 men! Every year, among the adults who are castrated and enter the palace, the best-built ones are selected for special training."

When His Majesty travels, these are the people who accompany him.

The Ministry of War and the five Grand Military Commissions do not want His Majesty to be involved in military power, but now the rebel armies of displaced people in various places have given His Majesty an opportunity to intervene.

If the Qing army succeeds in suppressing the bandits, they will then have the opportunity to infiltrate the local areas.”

"What benefit would that bring to you and me?"

"This servant also wants to go with the Clean Army. Although we have now completely controlled the harem and the Dragon Shadow Guard, if the Thousand Machine Battalion and other elite troops want to purge the emperor's inner circle, the harem can be taken over by these people at any time."

Our son wants to be an emperor with real power, and he must have an army that is absolutely obedient to him.

The Jingjun army is neither too large nor too small, and it has no connection with any of the powerful families. It is currently the force we can most easily control.

Yu Linglong knew that her lover was making plans for the child in her womb.

No one has ever been so caring towards her and the little one in her belly.

But she was still worried, her face showing concern.

"But without you in Shangdu, how could our son escape those people's clutches? I'm scared!"

"This servant will make sure everything is arranged properly before leaving! The march from Shangdu to Nanhe Prefecture will take no more than five days, and if all goes well, we can return to the capital in less than a month."

"Then you must hurry back!"

For their mutual benefit, the two discussed their arguments again.

Aside from the emperor who is currently being criticized, the highest-ranking person in the palace is the Imperial Noble Consort, who has just been diagnosed by the imperial physician as being pregnant with a prince.

The old emperor was overjoyed that the throne would finally not have to be passed on to someone outside the imperial family.

They had already planned to make the Imperial Noble Consort the Crown Prince as soon as she gave birth to a healthy prince.

He has an elixir of immortality; he can live for another ten or twenty years without any problem.

By then, the crown prince will have grown up and will be able to inherit the throne.

Everything is just right!

and so.

The Imperial Noble Consort, the future mother of the Crown Prince, is currently serving the old emperor, and he's practically asking for the stars but not the moon.

There was absolutely no concern about the empress dowager being unable to interfere in politics.

Emperor Beiwen also liked her straightforwardness and directness.

When the Imperial Noble Consort mentioned that "the good things should not go to other people's armies," Emperor Beiwen also remembered that he still had a eunuch army under his command.

Every year, a sum of money is allocated to feed and care for these people.

They are indeed not used very often.

They also have regular training sessions.

The armor and weaponry are quite good.

Most importantly, these refugees are not the well-trained soldiers of other countries.

Suppressing the bandits shouldn't be too difficult, right?
In recent decades, there have been peasant uprisings, and the Yanwang Army was the main force in suppressing them.

However, he really didn't want to give the Zhao County Li clan a chance to gain prestige.

He simply couldn't command these centuries-old families.

The thought of this elite army stepping into the limelight and bringing him honor filled Emperor Beiwen with uncontrollable excitement.

He exclaimed, "My beloved consort is always quick to understand my needs!"

The following day, an imperial edict arrived.

The Grand Steward has gained another title: Grand Commander of the Clean Army!

(End of this chapter)