Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 35 A person's greatest virtue is self-awareness (First Update)
After announcing the completion of the order to establish the Yongwei Battalion, Zhu Youjian simply dismissed all the original soldiers, leaving only the Yongwei Battalion.

Six hundred corporals, each leading three to five men, formed a sparse and crooked line on the drill ground.

They look even more scattered and disorganized than before.

But there's no way around it; the most important thing for an army is its organization.

He completely disrupted the organization, bringing up six hundred squad leaders who were all of equal rank and had no command over each other, which was a disaster.

Then they hastily made military tokens and made everyone identify their units. The whole afternoon was chaotic, and the eunuchs who went out to help shouted themselves hoarse.

After finishing these tasks, it was already quite late when I returned to the Qianqing Palace.

The autumn sun hung obliquely in the sky, its golden afterglow filtering through the window lattice and casting dappled light and shadow on the floor tiles.

Zhu Youjian hurriedly entered the main hall, picked up the teapot, and gulped down a large amount of tea before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

His cheeks were flushed and still felt hot.

Today, on the drill ground, the shouts of "I am willing to die for Your Majesty" still echoed in his mind.

Holding a sharp blade, the urge to kill arises spontaneously.

Now he could finally understand how Zhao Kuangyin, Li Shimin, and Judy felt.

Violence is the solution to most problems in the world—even though these solutions are often not optimal.

He put down his teacup, the turmoil in his heart slowly subsiding, and tried to return to his calm, almost indifferent, emperor mode.

"Xu Yingyuan".

He stood up and walked to the screen. Next to the "Great Ming Dynasty Unification Map" was a map of the capital's defenses.

Xu Yingyuan, who had been standing respectfully to the side with her hands at her sides, immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This servant is here."

"Today I saw a large open space west of Beianmen, near Shichahai," Zhu Youjian said, pointing to an open space next to the Bureau of Military Equipment on the map.

"Is this the place Your Majesty is referring to?" Xu Yingyuan looked in the direction he was pointing and then replied, "Your Majesty, that land has no owner. According to ancestral rules, the area around the Imperial City is either the location of the inner palace or the outer court's government offices, or the garrison of the Imperial Guards. No ordinary people are allowed to build houses in any other place."

Zhu Youjian nodded; this was roughly what he had expected.

He turned around, sat back down behind his desk, and spoke in a calm tone that carried an undeniable determination.

"Then go and make the arrangements. Tomorrow morning, have the Yongwei Battalion's garrison moved here. Get the barracks and stables built as soon as possible."

"In addition, armor, warhorses, military coats, etc., were also replenished by people from armor factories, weapons bureaus, and the Imperial Stud."

"Furthermore, have me count the more than six hundred temporary squad leaders selected today and see how many of them are literate. Tomorrow afternoon, summon all those literate to the palace. I will personally examine and select squad leaders and captains."

Zhu Youjian finished speaking in one breath, picked up his teacup, took another sip, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He paused, then continued, "From now on, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices will be responsible for their meals, with the same standards as the Generals of the Great Han Dynasty, using only the finest Jing rice. Their monthly salary of two shi (a unit of dry measure) will no longer be accounted for through the Five Military Commissions; it will be drawn directly from the Imperial Treasury."

This series of orders caused the atmosphere inside the Qianqing Palace to freeze.

Military mobilization during normal times, regardless of troop establishment, garrison location, personnel, or rations, follows a fixed procedure and must be issued by the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War.

By imperial decree, he personally seized 3000 soldiers—something only Emperor Wuzong had ever done!

Xu Yingyuan's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately bowed and accepted the order: "This servant obeys the decree!"

However, at this moment, Gao Shiming, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly raised his head, as if he had something to say.

Zhu Youjian glanced around, his rapidly working mind working perfectly, and immediately guessed the reason.

Before Gao Shiming could speak, he raised his hand to interrupt, "The Imperial Household Department's food supplies aren't insufficient, are they?"

Gao Shiming's prepared arguments were instantly shut down.

He paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty is wise and discerning, and the imperial treasury… I’m afraid it really cannot provide enough food for these three thousand people.”

Zhu Youjian's face immediately fell.

He was so happy before that he forgot about this.

The fiscal system of the Ming Dynasty has always been based on the principle of "expenditure equals revenue".

In other words, the imperial court would determine how much grain to collect from local areas based on fixed annual expenditures.

The same applies to the expenses of the Imperial Household Department. Every year, the "white grain" collected from the south is basically allocated to specific households, with everything planned out in advance.

The entire inner court, including palace maids, eunuchs, and servants, numbered no more than 20,000.

Now, suddenly there's a need to increase the food and provisions for 3,000 strong soldiers. In reality, it will take a lot of time to allocate and relocate them.

"What is the fixed amount of white grain for the internal supply warehouse each year?" Zhu Youjian asked.

Gao Shiming dared not be negligent and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the annual quota for grain in the Imperial Treasury is 176,000 shi."

One hundred and seventy-six thousand stones...

Zhu Youjian silently calculated in his mind. If the 3,000-strong Yongwei Battalion were to eat two liters of food a day as elite soldiers, they would need more than 20,000 shi of dry rice a year.

If we add the monthly stipend of two shi per person, that would amount to more than 70,000 shi per year.

The two combined amount to 90,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

By this calculation, the imperial treasury's grain reserves could barely support two battalions of soldiers.

but……

He glanced at Gao Shiming and Xu Yingyuan, and could only give up this wishful thinking.

Zhu Youjian rubbed his slightly flushed face to calm himself down.

He was a bit too hasty, like a child who has just received his beloved Ultraman Tiga and wants to give him the best of everything.

He thought for a moment, then turned to Xu Yingyuan and said, "For now, let's continue with the old system of the Beijing Garrison regarding the provisions."

This is a compromise, and also a kind of helplessness.

He then asked, "However, is it possible to provide all personnel with a monthly military salary of two shi (a unit of dry measure)?"

This time, Xu Yingyuan answered quickly: "Your Majesty, that's no problem. As long as they remain in the Beijing Garrison's establishment and are paid according to the old system, the Five Military Commands wouldn't dare to withhold any money."

Zhu Youjian nodded, feeling slightly relieved.

Matters of money and supplies cannot be rushed. The most important thing is to stabilize morale and set up the organizational structure first.

He pondered for a moment, then remembered something else.

"Is there a martial arts school in the capital?"

Xu Yingyuan replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. It's right next to Zhihua Temple in Huanghua Ward."

"Hmm," Zhu Youjian responded, "Tomorrow, invite several of the best martial arts teachers to the palace. I want to see what they teach on a regular basis."

"In addition, find Qi Jiguang's 'New Book of Military Efficiency' and 'Records of Military Training', as well as the best examination papers from previous years' military examinations, and I want to take a look."

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He had never imagined that he would time travel, let alone become an emperor.

But it's okay, he's very self-aware.

Someone who grows up in peacetime might be a good emperor or a good reformer, but he is unlikely to be a military genius like Huo Qubing.

Let's put aside things like three-stage firing, military, division, brigade, battalion, and special operations for now.

As the ancients said—no, as later generations have said—that one has no right to speak without practice.

He should honestly and first respect the experiences that have been accumulated in this world through real battles and with the blood and lives of countless people.

Qi Jiguang was the most outstanding military strategist of his time.

When fighting Japanese pirates in Jiangnan, he used the Mandarin Duck Formation. When he arrived at Jizhou, he used the Chariot Camp. He first studied his military books to familiarize himself with them.

Only after we bring in the warriors who have waded through the knives on the front lines of this era for one-on-one consultation will we be qualified to criticize military reforms and military operations.

Just as Zhu Youjian was deep in thought, a young eunuch hurriedly walked in from outside the palace and whispered a few words in Ma Wenke's ear.

Upon hearing this, Ma Wenke's expression changed slightly. He quickly walked to the imperial desk, bowed, and reported.

"Your Majesty, Empress Liu... requests that you come to Cining Palace for a chat."

Zhu Youjian, leaning back on the throne, slowly opened his eyes, his face blank for a moment.

　Many people voted, offered encouragement, and sent their blessings today.
　　I don't think it's solely because the book is exceptionally good.

　　This could very well be a case of "Who is more handsome, me or Xu Gong?"—my friend's praise of me is simply a matter of personal preference.

　　But this is still great! Thank you everyone, I will try my best to write it, write it well, and finish it!

　　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. As mentioned earlier, the tax system in the Ming Dynasty was very strange and complicated, with many departments having the right to directly collect taxes.
　　2. The "Imperial Grain Supply" in this chapter is actually one of the taxes levied.

　　3. This refers to "Jiangnan white grain," which is not the same as the 400 million shi of grain transported annually. It was approximately 17 shi annually, of which:
　　- 1 for the emperor, the six palaces, etc.

　　- 6 for the palace maids and eunuchs

　　- 6 taels of silver were given to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices (for sacrifices, banquets for officials, etc.).
　　- 4.5 was given to officials as their salary (because a lot of their salaries were converted into cash, and not everyone could afford to receive such high-grade rice).
　　—Wu Zhihe, "The Northern Supply of Grain from the Five Prefectures of Jiangnan in the Ming Dynasty"

　　4. Furthermore, this project almost entirely collected taxes in kind, with virtually no silver payments. Even when the emperor faced disasters in Jiangnan, he almost never reduced the amount by paying silver. Think of it this way: if you're a steamed bun seller and need to pay 1000 coins in tax this year, but you're not allowed to pay in cash or coins, you're forced to escort 500 steamed buns to Beijing—that's taxing in kind…

　　5. I'll discuss the details later; the reforms will definitely affect the inner palace and Jiangnan.
　　P.S. There will be another update tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)